Hello everyone, Aries here. Just like to say a few words to all of you lovely people who've decided on reading my story. I must admit that I fell in love with suspian right in the middle of the CON: PC movie, but was horrifically offended by the ending. (Come on, who would honestly leave a guy like that? fangirl swoon) So, this is indeed a movie-verse fic. Anywho, I've been reading around and I've noticed a lot of fics about these two make it so that they're already madly in love with one another, even though in the film there was only just a brief beginning of what could have taken place. So I decided to play around, and I though this might be how it would turn out if they really got a chance with one another. Oh yeah, and this is a happy fic, so there's gonna be no battles or fight scenes or any more trouble brewing. I think it's save to say the Pevensie's have had enough war for their lifetimes, thank you very much. There might be a little bit of trouble, but no more wars (for the time being). Anyway, thanks for reading this first part and on with the show...

AN: oh yeah, if anyone wants to know where this is starting off, this is after Caspian's coronation, but before they send off the Pevensie's (notice why they're still there). Let's just stay I'm branching the story off in another direction. Thanks again, now go ahead and read.

That Wonderfully Horrible Feeling

“Where are you going?” Lucy asked, her brow raised with surprise. The young queen closed the door softly behind her, before she went inside the room a bit further.

Susan was standing on the opposite side of the room, the large four-poster bed standing between her and the door. The older queen was standing in the faint shadow of light that spread in from one of the open windows, facing away from the door. She was wearing what appeared to be only a light weight petticoat and a strapless corset.

For a brief second, she looked over her shoulder to her sister, before turning her head back again. “Morning Luce,” she greeted calmly, although not answering the girls question.

With her head bent forward, her long hair spilled over her shoulders and front almost completely covering her face. Her concentration was to that of her clothes, more specifically tying her corset. Lucy noted that it wasn’t as delicate like all her usual ones, but that wasn’t the only thing different about the choice of undergarments.

The youngest queen came over to the bed as Susan picked up a chemise and slipped it on over her head. It was light, practically see-through, one that she customized to her own liking. Its baggy sleeves were shorter, coming up to her elbows. The hem, that usually fell to her ankles, went down a little below her hips. (AN: explanation of clothing will be at end of chapter.)

Lucy knew the light fabric was because of the summer heat, but that didn’t explain the length of the chemise. Those chemises weren’t meant to be worn under the fancy gowns of a queen in court. They were much too baggy and would appear underneath the delicate fabrics of Susan’s gowns.

When Lucy came over to the bed, she noticed the rest of dress pieces on it. More importantly she noticed that they weren’t made of the delicate fabrics such as silk or satin. There were no frills or ruffles, no detailed embroidery or complicated detailing.

Susan didn’t look at her sister as she picked up another layer. “I’m going riding,” she finally answered.

“Again?” Lucy asked, surprise added to her expression. Susan’s reply was a silent nod.

The layer she picked up was a skirt, that she fastened around her waist firmly, making the chemise billow out at her chest for a moment. It’s apple green color matched the leaves embroidered in the blue dress that Susan picked up next. It was styled much like her other clothes, tightly fitted at the waist with a long elegant skirt. Once she put her arms through the sleeveless straps, Lucy saw how the bodice came up right below the neckline of her chemise. Instead of hiding the chemise, the dress accented it to make its own ruffles. It was quite obvious as to why she chose such a dress to wear riding.

Without Susan having to ask, when she began to fasten the dress at her back, Lucy came over and took the strings that laced from the curve of her lower back up. Susan pulled her hair from her collar as the dress tightened around her waist. She pulled all of the different pieces around so they looked as they should.

Lucy briefly looked up to her sister’s head before looking back to her hands. “Where will you go exactly?” she prodded curiously, although she sounded a little bit suspicious as well.

Her sister didn’t turn her head, merely stared out to the floor in front of her. She felt Lucy pull the strings tighter before she answered. “I don’t know,” she stated plainly with a shrug. “The woods, probably. Maybe the apple orchard; their in bloom you know.”

As her sister tied off the ends, Susan turned her head over her shoulder before slowly turning around to face her sister. She smiled kindly, even though her eyes were dim in comparison. “Would you like to come along?”

Lucy’s own clothes were not appropriate for outside activity. She was wearing longer sleeves, finer fabrics, and even some jewelry. The younger girl bit her lip and avoided her sister’s eyes as she shook her head tentatively. “Not really; I’m fine here.”

Almost instantly Susan turned away and strode over to her dresser and took out a ribbon. She pulled her hair back with it, tying it as she looked in the mirror. “You don’t want to spend some time for yourself?” she asked brightly. Although she sounded happy by her tone, her face was unmoving. “Have some fun?”

Her sister simply dropped down to sit on the bed and looked at Susan through the reflection in the mirror. Although still in her younger body, Lucy still stared her sister down with a look much too wise and mature for it.

“Well...” Lucy strained in thought as she looked around. As she said this, she saw her sister bend over as she picked up her skirts for a moment. Her bare feet found her shoes as she slipped them on. “I’d like to...but I have things to do today.”

Susan stood up straight and nodded with understanding to her sister. “It’s alright, we can just go another time then,” she said as she began towards the door. As she walked, she gathered up a cloak that had been laid out on the bed as well. “I should be back before sunset,” she assured her sister.

Lucy watched as Susan gathered her bow and quiver, before opening the door. “You won’t be needing that,” the younger girl said with a mischievous smile. She nodded to the cloak in her sister’s arms.

Susan then looked over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “Then it’s a good thing I didn’t wear that many layers, isn’t it?” she asked.

The only reply she heard was a giggle as Susan closed the door behind her.

As she headed down the hallway, she couldn’t help but wonder why everyone was acting so strangely. Her siblings were moping around Narnia like the war was still going on. What was wrong with them? Was she the only one remotely happy about where they were?

Although she tried to look content, she must have looked as disturbed as she felt because servants were avoiding her path and her gaze as she passed them. Because most of the castle servants were Telmarine, they probably feared her anyway — from the stories told about her and such. Susan the Gentle may have been a beauty but on the battle field she was just as deadly as any other warrior, or at least those were the things she’d heard being said about her.

The kingdom had come to accept the Narnian kings and queens, but it didn’t mean they couldn’t be weary. After all, they were all looking at a thirteen hundred year old woman in the body of a teenager. She had to admit that even she’d be weary of that as well.

Susan didn’t even bother to respond to those who bowed to her and bid her good day; they were just doing what they thought was expected of them. Normally she probably would’ve smiled and nodded kindly in return but she was too much of in a daze that day.

All she did was continue her pace down the hall, not even looking where she was going. She wanted to hurry to get to the stables, but if she went any faster, she would’ve been running. But she would never run. No, she was Queen Susan the Gentle. A queen of Narnia never ran through a castle where everyone could see.

It had been practically a week after they’d returned to Narnia, maybe a little more. She didn’t honestly know the exactly amount of days, since she stopped keeping track awhile ago. When she and her siblings had first arrived, she’d been so ecstatic — she still was ecstatic. She thought that her siblings had been too. But ever since all the fighting had stopped, her family had become gravely depressed, walking around as though they had lost the war instead of winning. Sure there were many loses to be mourned, but hadn’t there been enough sadness?

She thought about all this and then realized she was being foolish. That wasn’t why everyone was so upset. The real reason the Pevensie children weren’t as happy as they should have been was because that even though they were in Narnia, that didn’t mean they were going to stay in Narnia. They all knew that they could return to England like they had before. At any moment, Aslan could summon them back to their home where they would most likely never see Narnia again.

But they didn’t want that. She didn’t want that. Susan loved Narnia; it was her home. She didn’t want to leave it ever again. Sure England was where she was born and came from but ... it just wasn’t Narnia. The two would never be the same in her heart.

She was so engrossed in her own thoughts she didn’t even realize that she’d gotten down to the stables. As she came down the stairs, she was surrounded by the smells of hay and wood, hearing movement and the bleating of horses all around her. There were a few stable-hands around tending to the horses but none of them addressed her. After coming every morning, they’d become accustomed to her presence. But they weren’t being rude, she told them not to pay her any mind. Sometimes all the formality was stifling.

As she walked past the different horses, she petted the ones that she was familiar with, even if she’d come to know most of them. After a few moments she finally came across her favorite riding companion, a white mare named Alora. She wasn’t as large as many of the war stallions, and her trot was steadier, much more gentle — just like her rider. Besides, she didn’t need a war steed just for a ride through the forests.

Susan carefully opened the gate and slipped inside, noting how her horse had already been saddled for the day. Then again, maybe the stable-hands were just getting used to her daily routine and did it out of kindness. She’d have to find out who did it later and thank them.

As she went over to the mare, she set aside her things on a hay stack and freed her hands. The horse recognized her the instant she took a hold of the bridle and nudged its nose against Susan’s cheek. She smiled softly before bringing the mare into an almost hug around the neck. Petting her head and stroking the long hairs in her mane. Once she did, her brow wrinkled slightly. She stroked the mane again and her suspicions were confirmed; no knots or tangles. Maybe someone had a little extra time on their hands.

She smiled again into the horse’s fur, but then something caught her eye. She leaned back a little looked over the bridle and saddle once again, and noticed how fancy it was. The bridle was gold-plated as was the saddle, which appeared almost new. She studied the detailing in the gold, her fingers running over the flowers that had been carefully crafted. It was nice, but it wasn’t exactly what she’d wanted. Actually she preferred the normal ones since they were a little more comfortable. But, they had gone to the trouble, and the equipment was so beautiful. Whoever saddled the mare, knew that she would be ridden by a queen.

Amusement cracked into her smile as she stroked the side of the horse’s face. “Getting an early morning pampering, are we?” she asked.

Only when she asked, she didn’t expect to get a reply.

“Not exactly,” came an accented answer from right behind her.

Out of instinct, Susan turned her head about quickly to face the voice’s source, only to be a little more stunned when she recognized its owner.

Caspian was standing in the open gateway with a small, polite smile on his face as he nodded to her. He was standing with both hands on the stall, almost timidly keeping a tall stance. Susan noted how he too was dressed in a common fashion, quite similar to the things he was wearing when they first met. Other than a few small changes, he looked about the same. As he stood there, he seemed almost anxious and curious at the same time.

Susan met his gaze and instantly looked away. A small shiver went down her neck, that of which she tried very hard to cover up as faced him again only a second later. This time, she didn’t look him in the eye. “Not exactly?” she echoed curiously, one of her eyebrows raised.

The Telmarine king nodded to the horse as he slowly came inside the stall, leaving the door open. “She was saddled for a royal rider,” he continued, his voice calm and almost dark at the same time. He raised a hand towards the beast’s head, gently stroking the fur above her nose.

A small smile broke out on his face as he looked towards the queen. “So it is not entirely a pampering, like you called it,” he concluded.

The moment he turned his gaze towards her, Susan looked to the ground, deliberately avoiding those deep, dark eyes of his. Looking into his eyes was dangerous territory, especially since whenever she did, she had the habit of doing stupid things afterwards.

Ever since their first meeting – where her brother had just happened to almost kill him – she felt as though he never stopped watching her. It was always the same; their eyes would meet when they entered each other’s presence, and then he would never look away. Even when she was no longer looking at him, she’d always feel his gaze somewhere on her form. Whether they be the only two people in the room, whether there were others with them talking, or whether a great distance separated them, there were his eyes.

Although she didn’t particularly dislike the attention, she didn’t like it either. She didn’t know what the looks meant either. He didn’t look at her with awe, neither admiration or praise. They were simple, neutral, and plain; something that she really shouldn’t have been worried about. But why were all the red flags in her mind going up every time he was in the same room?

Oh, that was it; wasn’t it because of the fact that he was incredibly handsome? That might have been it. She’d have to be completely stupid not to have realized that. He completely fit the package of a king; dark eyes and equally dark olive skin, with a tall muscular form and locks that always seemed to be out of order, but in a very attractive, rugged way.

Well, she noticed all right. Heck, even Lucy noticed! And that was coming from the girl who never even paid attention to those kinds of things.

Then there was the fact that right in that moment, he was standing less than two feet away from her, calmly smiling at her.

Keeping her face completely neutral, she looked back to Alora and combed down the hairs in her mane she’d been playing with. Completely facing the horse, she cleared her throat before continuing once more. She’d been quiet for only a few seconds, but it was a little longer than needed for a response. She didn’t exactly want to be rude, this was her fellow monarch after all.

“Do you know who saddled her?” she asked almost brightly. Changing the subject might be able to get her somewhere. She glanced back in his direction only for a second, daring once to politely search his face. “I’d like to thank whoever did so.”

For a split second she could’ve sworn she saw a little bit of mischievousness in his eyes, but it disappeared right afterwards. “Yes, I know who saddled her,” he replied simply, still casually stroking the horse. And she could’ve sworn that a crooked smile appeared on his lips before he spoke again, “You may go ahead.”

That, she had not been expecting. She felt her brow rise with surprise as she turned her head. “You saddled her?” she asked, almost in disbelief.

It was then that she realized her mistake, but it was too late now. He nodded slowly as his eyes met with hers. “Indeed I did.”

And without even realizing it, Susan was sucked into those identical pools of chocolate brown that she’d tried so hard to avoid, and yet failed. Brown eyes were not unusual to her world or this one, but for the strangest reason she found herself trapped their warm depths.

Susan thanked whoever was out there when Alora snorted and interrupted them. The mare began to feel the lack of attention, even with two humans beside her. Susan took that opportunity to get out of the trap the young king had no idea he made, and turned back to the horse for a moment. Her eyes were free for the time being.

But that didn’t mean Alora was content. The mare stubbornly nudged Caspian with her nose, recognizing the human who’d cared for her for many years. His attention was drawn, and Susan took this distraction as an opportunity. She hesitantly removed her hands from the horse’s fur before turning around carefully. Once free, she quickly went over to her things.

“Thank you,” she suddenly stated, her voice light. She didn’t bother to look in his direction as she picked up her quiver. She put the strap over her head and one shoulder, careful not to catch her hair. The entire time, she knew she had a set of eyes on her back.

“You are very welcome,” was the even softer reply.

For a moment she stood there, fingering the bow between her fingers as she looked around with thought. He had saddled her horse? This was a king of Narnia. Surely he had something better to do rather than saddle a horse for her. Why was he here in the first place? Susan closed her eyes for a moment before she turned around and faced him again.

Caspian was still next to the horse, but he was still looking at her. “Why?” she asked almost curtly.

The question seemed to surprise him. “Pardon?”

She inhaled deeply and her tongue flickered out to wet her lips as she turned her head. “Why did you saddle her?” she asked, staring at the wall.

He chuckled softly as he turned towards Alora, rubbing the mare’s throat. “You are not the only one with favorites, your majesty,” he answered. “Alora here was once a runt, so to speak. At first they weren’t going to keep her, but after I begged my father he let me keep her. And he did, only as long as I watched over her.”

As he spoke he concentrated more on the horse than on her. Susan took the opportunity to slowly walk back over to where she’d been. She watched him carefully, and saw how his expression changed while he was explaining. He seemed overjoyed, his eyes lit up merely from being with the creature.

“So I brought her up myself and she turned out to get bigger than expected,” Caspian continued. “But I do not usually ride her. She is a pretty one, I’ll admit, but she’s not meant for roughness. She could hold me when I was a little younger, but not now. That’s probably the only reason why I ride Destrier.”

Susan hadn’t noticed until then, but she’d made it over to where she’d once been. Her arms rested on the saddle as she looked at the king with a small smile. When she realized something else, her smile widened.

“You didn’t answer my question,” she stated softly, concentrating on fingering the gold detailing on the saddle.

From beside her she heard what sounded like a deep rumble, but she didn’t have to look up to see him chortle. “Every morning when I come down here for an early ride,” he began, his soft tone unwavering. “Alora is in her stall. When I return, she is gone.” From the corner of her eye, she saw his head turn a little ways towards her. “As are you.”

Once again they were caught up in the agonizing silence where Susan merely stood there, feeling his gaze on her form. The gentle queen swallowed the lump in her throat, not once moving as she continued to speak. “And what, may I ask, changed this morning?” she questioned, trying very hard to contain her voice’s quivering. “From all the others where you didn’t saddle her?”

It didn’t take long to get an answer. “I wanted to thank whoever it was who was treating her so well,” he answered firmly. “And for watching over her where I can’t.” She heard another laugh. “And there is also a meeting this morning that needs my presence. Peter would not be too pleased if I left him all alone to face the Telmarine lords.”

Susan couldn’t help but grin at this. Caspian and her brother had been forced to work together the last few days to patch together the nation. It didn’t help that almost every time they met, the tension became so thick that even she couldn’t stop them from quarreling. That was why she stayed away; she couldn’t always play the mediator between them. They had to figure things out for themselves if they wanted the roles of king.

But as she noted this, she was almost certain that at that very moment her brother was meeting with those lords. Maybe Caspian wasn’t exactly being too nice after all. She grinned when picturing Peter’s reaction.

“You’re welcome.” She didn’t need to see him to know that he looked at her with confusion. “For caring for Alora,” she clarified.

Before he could reply, she firmly took a hold of the saddle before placing her foot in the stirrup. She pushed off harshly with her other leg as she pulled herself up, swinging her leg over to straddle the animal. It was more comfortable than she’d first expected, even more so once she straightened out her skirts. Once she was settled, she noticed something important; Caspian was still holding the reins.

As she sat there she made sure to keep her gaze right straight in front of her, but she could see he was looking up at her. Nonetheless, he handed the reins to her delicately with a smile. “You may need these,” he stated with a little bit of sarcasm behind his tone.

The queen eyed the reins in his hands, before she carefully took them. As she brushed her fingertips against his palm, she could have sworn that they tingled. She instantly pushed the feeling away as she took them in her both of her hands tightly.

“She is yours.”

Susan was so startled that he spoke, that she looked down to him without even thinking. “What?” she asked breathlessly.

Caspian only smiled warmly at her, as she found herself engulfed in those warm pools once more. “Alora; she is yours. I could not ask for a better keeper.”

For a moment she could swear that her heart had swelled in her chest, her breathing deepening as she stared at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words were difficult to produce.

“I...” she started, but nothing more would come out.

What was she supposed to say to that? No? She couldn’t not accept this gift; he’d just given her one of his most prized animals. How could she say no? Then again, how could she say yes? After he’d taken care of the creature for so long, how could she take it away?

“I insist,” he pushed, lowering his head in an attempt to bow. It was scary how it seemed he could read her thoughts. “She has been much happier since you began riding her each day. If anyone should have her, I wish it would be you, my queen.”

Susan let out a shuttering, long breath. She found his eyes again, those eyes that in that very moment still contained what was left of his boyhood, and she knew she couldn’t refuse. The gentle queen swallowed harshly and nodded.

“Thank you,” she whispered softly. It was the loudest voice she could muster.

To this, he smiled even wider before he stepped back, delicately taking his hands away from the horse. With her path free, Susan didn’t hesitate; she pushed the mare forward and out the door. As she quickly trotted out the stables, she didn’t turn back to see if he was watching. All she wanted was to get out of there as quickly as possible.

When she finally reached the exit, she pushed Alora into a gallop, rushing away as fast as she could. The warm sun beat down on her back as she crossed the bridge to leave the castle, but she ignored it. With the wind rushing by her, she slowly felt her heart return to its normal size. As she made her way through the city towards the woods, she closed her eyes for a second to clear her head. She tried her best to forget that wonderfully horrible feeling from before; the fantastic pain in her chest.

Why? Why did her life have to be so complicated? It wasn’t that hard to keep her head clear, was it? Couldn’t she just have peace like she did at the last of the last war? What made this one so different? Oh yeah, that. She had to be disturbed by the one true downfall of every woman; a man.

Susan groaned to herself as she made it to the trees. Once in the shade, she slowed Alora to a trot again, knowing full well she was a safe distance away – a safe distance away from those frighteningly marvelous eyes of his.

She really didn’t need this right now.

Only little did the king and queen know, their entire conversation in the stable had been listened in on, and their actions watched carefully.

To be continued...

AN: First thing's first, don't get any ideas about this last sentence here. Just remember, that this is a happy fic, so there's no bad things hiding and trying to eat them -- for example. You'll understand in further chapters what I mean.

Also, about the clothing. The items I was naming and talking about may be a little foreign for those unfamiliar with medieval clothing. Since most of us are, including myself (I had to look a lot of this up), I've made an explanation for a few of the things I was talking about:

Petticoat: it's basically a long, full skirt worn under a dress for layering. It's usually quite thin, and especially in the summer --like in the case I pointed out. It's also the only thing between a woman's lower regions and drawers (that's something I'll go into later)

Chemise: this is a long thin dress-like piece, usually coming down to the ankles. Most times it'll have long sleeves and be quite loose-fitting. It's the layer between undergarments and the dress so that things like corset lines can't be seen to easily. Both women and men wear them, but usually only men wear them for bed (For an example from the movie: take the scene with during the castle raid where Caspian confronts his uncle. Both Miraz and his aunt Prunaprismia are wearing one.)

Corset: this is pretty self explanatory, but it's a term so I'm putting it in. Women where these so bind their chests and shape their upper halfs to fit into certain shapes of dresses. Unlike the gut-wrenching, belly minimizing we think of, they were really just for binding most of the time. It wasn't until the eighteenth century that women were killing themselves to fit into their corsets. (long after this)

Anyway, thanks again and please review!