Susan Was Always First

Bodies

Murder...

Something about this did not piece together properly. Caspian knew he had to had to see the body up close, had to tell Lucy whether or not her only remaining brother-his best friend- was no longer with them. He had wept, but something had not sat well with him. And that something was currently seated beside Lucy.

Jesse did not react as most would at seeing death. Even a seasoned soldier would have reacted to the sight of a corpse brought before them, but Jesse had not even flinched, nor had he shown any sort of emotional response. His eyes had narrowed if they had done anything, as if something had suddenly disrupted his plans for tea instead of someone who was reacting at his host being found dead. 

Lucy had not stopped weeping, his sister-in-law clinging to Jesse in a way that suggested she had somehow, between speaking with her last and now, fallen for the man and accepted his proposal. He had thought she, well,... but perhaps he was mistaken. 

Susan, Peter, Edmund... if this truly was his body, then what hope did he have for Susan? For their child? But no. She had to be alive. He would feel it if she were not. He could not let doubt eat away at him again when he had so grown past that point. 

"If you would please step in here, your majesty." Ell's voice was hoarse, the faun's eyes red and nose chaffed from blowing it. "For the official death certificate, we need you to confirm that this is His Majesty, King Edmund the Just." 

Caspian dipped his head, standing slowly. His hand moved to his chest, resting on the last token he had of Susan, the lock of her hair tucked under the bracelet he wore as a clasp. If this were to prove to be Edmund's body, he would need any strength he could draw from the memory of his wife and the thought of reuniting with her.  

He moved to the open door, walking into the study that had hastily been cleared. The body was laid across a desk, with the books and other items that had been on it shoved to the floor. Ell and those who had carried the body in left the room to give Caspian space. 

Caspian, upon his first glance, truly believed the body to be that of his best friend. His heart sank, and he nearly reached for the quill right then to spare him any more heartbreak. However, before he could move to do so, his eye was drawn to a pocket, where the top of a handkerchief was poking out.  

Strange, as he knew Edmund never carried a kerchief. Too often his brother-in-law forgot to grab one, or chose not to as he saw them as pointless and frivolous. In fact, the entire outfit was incorrect. While the man looked eerily similar to his brother-in-law, this could not be Edmund. 

He pulled the kerchief out, and noticed a quickly-written message on the small piece of fabric. 

He's safe but hurt. You owe me. Keep his life a secret if you want him to stay safe and destroy this message once you've read it. -Elda

Caspian felt a weight off his chest at the realization Edmund lived, though fear also crept in. He would have to lie to Lucy-to the entire kingdom- if he followed the words of Elda. And how did he know if he could trust the teen who had in fact admitted to torturing his pregnant wife? Then again, if he did not follow her words and state this man to be a fake, what would happen to Susan and Peter? Could this cause them harm? 

Taking the handkerchief, he tossed it into the fireplace and watched as it burnt away. Then, with a slow resolve, Caspian signed the death certificate and ordered a closed-casket funeral to be prepared.

Edmund Pevensie was now declared dead.

-----

The scars on his body still bothered Peter. The ones he had gotten in combat defending his family and homeland did not bother him. The ones from Wrath, however, were a different story. Each time he saw the scars, held up the mirror to examine them, all he could hear were the taunting words of Greed echoing about how he had failed. 

He had caught Susan watching him expectantly more than once, could see a look in her eye that told him she still believed he could protect her and his future niece or nephew. But how could he protect them if he had lost hope in himself? What sort of king cannot keep his kingdom safe? What sort of brother cannot protect his sister from the cruelties of life that too often plague the world? What sort of brother was he if his younger brother could be murdered and he was not even there to see justice carried out? If he could just hug Lucy and Edmund once more, if he could just shake Caspian's hand... 

"Peter..." Susan's voice was quiet, strained from crying. "He can't actually be dead, right? There's no way..."

Peter turned his gaze from the mirror he had been blankly gazing at while lost in his thoughts, lost to the taunting voice in his head telling him it was all his fault. He may not have trusted Envy, but her words seemed too genuine to be a scheme created just to taunt them and break their hearts more than they already had. "I don't want to believe it either, but..."

Susan pulled her knees as close to her chest as her protruding stomach would allow, though quickly sat normally after feeling the discomfort of sitting like that while pregnant. "Remember when he broke one of mom's good plates and tried to blame it on us?"

"And mom saw right through his scheme, but instead of letting him know she played along, creating ridiculous punishments for us until he finally confessed." Peter finished, a small ghost of a smile on his lips before he heard Greed's voice taunting him again, ruining even a memory of his childhood. 

Susan let out a small laugh. "He finally caved when mom said something about sending us away to school forever and not letting us have any more dessert. Lucy crying at the thought of us leaving might have also played a role in his confession, come to think of it...." She trailed off as she opted to lay down, her eyes filling with tears. "I miss them all so much..."

"I miss them too..." He whispered, tears falling down his face and tracing the scars left by Wrath. "I miss them all and I failed them..."

Silence filled the room as the two cried, Peter's final words left unheard by any save for him as the sounds of his sister's sobs had drown them out. 

----

Lucy felt uneasy as she slept that night, the death of her brother playing heavy into her heart. Her dreams plagued her as well, waking her up with fright. She saw her brother's corpse walking, bloodied but still speaking as if it were alive to a figure hidden from sight. She saw her sister with bloodshot eyes, her hands resting on her stomach as she spoke quietly.  She saw her eldest brother weeping as he tried to hide his pain, tracing his hands along scars that danced across his arms and face. She saw a room, a room that felt like she should be able to place from somewhere long ago visited...

Sitting up with her heart racing, she suddenly knew. Her dream so long ago and now this one had helped her realize where her brother and sister were being held. At least, if it was not where they were then it gave them a place to search. She had to tell Caspian!

Quickly writing down what she had realized, lest something happen to her, Lucy set off down the corridor in hopes of reaching her brother-in-law. However, there was someone else in the hall walking towards her. 

"Lucy, what are you doing up?" Jesse asked, his voice full of concern.

At his words, Lucy felt herself stop, growing lost in her newfound devotion to him. Something about this was wrong, a piece of her mind pushed for her to keep going and to say what had to be said, but it was as if she could not listen to her reason. All she wanted to do was be by Jesse, to remain at his side and speak with him. But why? Her thoughts grew hazy for a moment as she continued to gaze at Jesse without speaking, long enough for Caralyn to move up behind and place a rag over her mouth.

As Lucy drifted off to unconsciousness, it was only then that she realized she must have been drugged. Now, fading out of consciousness, she could only hope Caspian would find her note.

After all, her siblings were in-... 

"And that's one more silver crown for us, Insolence." Lust chuckled as he cradled the body of the unconscious queen in his arms. "Let's report back in and see what Greed's next move will be."