#Even if she hadn't gone to Narnia

[sophieswundergarten]

FEELINGS ABOUT SUSAN PEVENSIE AGAIN

In TVotDT, it's explained that the reason only Edmund and Lucy are staying at their aunt's is because their parents were headed to America, and while Peter was studying with Prof. Kirke (Who had somehow lost his large house and sadly didn't have room for all of them), they did have enough money to bring all three children. So Susan was the only one chosen.

Which would be fine, which would make sense because she's the second oldest, which would be whatever because that sometimes just how things go when you have siblings

EXCEPT IT'S SPECIFICALLY STATED THAT SUSAN WAS NO GOOD AT SCHOOL AND SHE WAS PRETTY. ERGO THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY FOR HER TO MAKE SOMETHING OF HERSELF

And it's also stated that up until that trip, Susan still regularly talked to her siblings about Narnia, and seemed to fully believe in it.

We saw how Lucy was tempted because she didn't feel pretty like Susan, but she had Edmund and Caspian and all her friends to rely on.

Susan was on her own

Also, LOOK ME IN THE EYES AND TELL ME THAT QUEEN SUSAN THE GENTLE, SUSAN THE RENOWNED ARCHER, SUSAN THE DIPLOMAT WHO WAS KNOW FOR HER LOOKS BUT TURNED DOWN EVERY SUITOR WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY HANDLING THE SITUATION SO AS TO AVOID WAR

TELL ME THAT SUSAN WAS BAD AT SCHOOL

Or, maybe, she learned what was expected from her. She was the oldest daughter, and there was a lot of pressure on her.

Imagine being all alone, in an unfamiliar country, where all people think of you is your looks. Where you don't have your siblings to fall back on; this isn't an ambassadorial trip, this is you being picked because you need to be shown off. Because you are not trusted to do anything worthwhile with your life, so you must get married somehow.

And when the only options presented with you are lipstick and pretty dresses and high heels, wouldn't you rather take to them on your own terms than have them forced on you?

I imagine Susan liked going to parties because it reminded her of being a queen. She was smarter and wiser than half the dimwitted boys who looked at her and only saw a skirt, and she enjoyed talking circles around them and giving backhanded compliments they were too dull to understand. I imagine it gave her some sense of control back.

She may not be a queen in this world, but she'd demand respect regardless. Pretty make-up and fancy dresses became her armor and disguise, and she envisioned each cocktail party as a battlefield: a war won with wits and words.

And she was good at it. She attracted attention while remaining aloof and untouchable. She had everyone hanging on her every word, and quite a few handsome young men throwing themselves at her feet, getting down on one knee.

But she didn't want that. And, too late, she realized she had sealed herself into this fate. Susan was the "Pretty One", the airhead who somehow twists boys around her little finger without even realizing she was doing it.

And I'd bet that, after all that, after clinging to her memories of Narnia and of her siblings being kings and queens in court, she'd be exhausted when she got back.

And then to hear that Ed and Lucy had been on another adventure without her, while she had felt so alone, I'd imagine she'd be bitter.

She needed Caspian by her side, directing her through the fancy people and the debutantes; she would have loved to have Reepicheep following behind, defending her honour; it would have been so much more interesting to talk to a star than the silly, giggling girls she was intended to be friends with.

And it would be hard to find your place, when you didn't fit in that world of kings and queens and talking mice anymore, but you didn't want to be forced into the world of glitter and dresses and getting married so young because the rest of society deemed you too pretty to be smart

I wonder sometimes if Susan lost her way because of all the outside forces pressuring her to leave Narnia in the past

[caelestisregina]

Starter for @iustusrex takes place during Prince Caspian

When the others had started for the woods beyond the lamp post, of course Diane followed. She felt it in the air as she looked around, seeing the trees closer together and then fur. But she couldn't move further than that, no matter how hard she tried to. It was almost as if she was blocked. She furrowed her brows, sighing in frustration as she turned around to sit down on the ground. She didn't care if the pants she wore got dirty. She unplaited her hair and ran her fingers through it. Why couldn't she go through? She knew what was there, she yearned to go in at times. But it seemed that Aslan had other plans.

She knew she'd need to go back and act as if they'd just gone further but she couldn't due to her expecting. She'd come up with some sort of excuse, they'd be home within a few days. She'll just run things as normal. But days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and months turned into years. Speaking of years, she aged back quite a few. But many still recognized her. Many asked for her hand in seeing that her king, her husband, was gone. But she politely declined. Even if it meant she and the Narnians went to war, which although rare, still happened.

It wasn't until the Telmarines had traversed through, destroying everything they could to declare Narnia theirs that she was forced to run to safety even though she wanted to stay, she felt she needed to. She'd witnessed Narnia change and grow while doing so, again. She didn't want to be the reason she fell. But it was Trufflehunter who told her she was better alive than dead from defending Narnia. What was it he knew that she didn't? She hadn't taken to the night sky as of late. She was focused on work, signing treaties, trade deals, helping alliances stay stable. Anything to distract her from what she was missing. What should've been. By Aslan, what would he think, when they came back, and the twins weren't there? It wasn't until she was in the safety of the How and her own chambers that she broke down. Caspian had been trying to essentially undo everything she'd done on top of everything else. But it was his father who decided to take over Narnia.

A few months had passed since and Diane needed fresh air. The young girl had made her way towards the apple orchard, knowing the way by heart as it was her own escape from the underground. Their numbers had grown again. But Narnia wasn't the same. Her lips turned downwards in a frown as she picked an apple from a tree, cleaning it on her shirt before taking a bite. It wasn't until she heard voices that she knew she needed to hide. It was hard to differentiate friend from foe those days. The young queen had her sword near her, in case she had to use it. But she hoped she wouldn't.

[the-second-tonks]

He smiles a lot more around you | E.P

Summary : Nothing much , it's just Edmund leaving Narnia and Y/n following him .

Pairing : Edmund Pevensie x gn!reader , Caspian x Liliandil

Warnings : fluff , bit of angst , fluff , English is not my first language , this fic is not proofread so there could be a lot of mistakes , a bit plotless since I'm just back from my hiatus.

--

Y/n stood there , clutching their sword as tightly as their grip allowed them to. The sword was in the sheath , and the sheath surprisingly was able to sustain the pressure .

They watched the three figures bid a goodbye to the King of Narnia , Caspian .. and the King of Beasts , Aslan .

Oh how badly they wished they could make the king and queen stay . How badly they wished they could make their cousin stay back too . How badly they wished they had the power to do that .

“We will definitely miss Narnia” Lucy admitted the obvious .

Y/n was just another regular seafarer.. but a close friend of the Narnian King Caspian. They always noticed how interested Caspian was in the field, and that's how they became friends .

But then , Caspian's old friends , High King and Queen of Narnia , entered their life and they couldn't be any more glad . Why? Wasn't it obvious? King Edmund had their heart and brain go insane. They fell for him first and he seemed to smile more around them (observed by Lucy) .

No feelings were communicated due to the havoc they were in , but now , y/n couldn't believe that it was the last time they would be seeing The Edmund Pevensie. They were undeniably feeling butterflies in the stomach due to two reasons

1. Edmund looked breathtaking

2. Anxiety that he was leaving

They were confused , stressed , panicked , sad and most of all , love sick .

Shall I confess?

The question kept revolving in their mind as they watched Lucy hugging the life out of Aslan . It was something that showed how dearly she loved Narnia. Y/n walked closer to Caspian , who seemed in queue for the last goodbye .

Y/n smiled at Caspian and shook hands with Eustace as he politely came to bid y/n . “You'll be missed , Eustace . But I'm happy that you've still got another visit”

Caspian nodded “Yeah , i think he'll be more mature by then” bidding Eustace a goodbye too .

Y/n and Caspian smiled when Eustace embarrassingly nodded and claimed that he had been pretty immature . He walked towards his siblings then .

“Are you going to go beyond the sea too?” they hadn't forgotten how Caspian wanted to go through it . Y/n was sure about reepicheep , who had gone through it already.

“I think I should , but at the same time , I cannot let go of Narnia , i cannot give up. I think I have motivation now ..” Caspian shared his thoughts with Y/n .

“That goddess looking girl we met? King Ramandu's daughter?” Y/n questioned , smirking a bit .

“Yeah..” Caspian blushed a bit and nodded .

“She seemed interested in you , give it a try , King” Y/n suggested , as they saw Lucy get up now , done hugging Aslan .

“You should confess to King Edmund too . I confessed to Queen Susan , even though I knew we had no future together.. if you don't confess now , he'll be gone forever and you'll be here with regret ” Caspian advised y/n.

Y/n nodded and spoke “I just want to be a happy memory in his mind” they took a deep breath as Lucy and Edmund both proceeded towards y/n and Caspian .

Lucy bid Caspian a painful goodbye . While Edmund was busy with Caspian , Lucy hugged Y/n and spoke “I'll miss you so much , Y/n”

“Likewise , Queen Lucy” they spoke and hugged Lucy back .

“It's been days since we've been here with you and yet , your habit of referring to us with our titles hasn't changed” Lucy chuckled with tears in her eyes .

“It would've probably improved if you could stay here forever” For y/n, these three people were iconic , a dream friend group .

They would miss them so much . They could already feel it . Ever since they had heard about Queen Susan and High King Peter , they knew it was going to hurt so bad when Queen Lucy and King Edmund would leave .

Lucy laughed a bit and moved aside , as Edmund came in Y/n's view . Edmund wasn't affectionate.. so y/n didn't expect him to hug them or even shake hands with them. As expected , Edmund just eyed Y/n and spoke “I wish we had more time”

Caspian felt Deja vu hit him . It felt as if the scene from three years ago was occurring again .. and he did root for y/n and Edmund to kiss .

“Yeah , i wish the same.” y/n spoke , and kept looking at him .

“I like you” .. “Huh?” they both spoke simultaneously, taking everyone off-guard, even themselves.

Y/n smiled at Edmund widely , and Edmund was shocked out of his wits .

“You.. like me back?” he questioned as he moved closer to y/n .

“You too?” y/n smiled warmly . It was the best and the worst day of their life .

Y/n stood there as Edmund slowly took the lead in kissing them . The kiss was everything that could make anyone's brain go bonkers . It was slow , passionate, yet loving and warm.

They both ended the kiss with a smile . Edmund smiled sadly at y/n when Aslan spoke “It's time to leave now , King Edmund” to grab Edmund's attention.

Edmund nodded and looked back at y/n with glossy eyes . Y/n immediately launched themselves at him , they couldn't get enough of him . They wouldn't be able to hear his voice , look at him , hug him , kiss him or even get a small glance of him , ever again. Just a small hope in their heart that Aslan would permit them to go to Edmund's world . Just a small wish , that they desperately wanted to be fulfilled .

Once they separated from the hug , Edmund smiled at y/n , just like he always did .

“I told you he smiles a lot more around you” Lucy remarked , happy for the pair .

Y/n nodded shyly and removed their pendant from around their neck . Tiptoeing , they put the pendant around Edmund's neck and whispered “Every time you miss me , clutch this tightly , and feel the surroundings. You'll notice my presence . Like this , I'll be there with you always , any time you need me.” Y/n spoke , and then , their voice broke as they continued “Keep it safe for me even when you find another lover , if I ever come to visit you .” they joked .

Edmund nodded “I'll wait for you , forever.”

Aslan heard that , and nodded . Soon , the three people were leaving through the water tunnel . Endless eye contacts were made between y/n and Edmund , conveyed indefinite words that were left unheard , untold .

Once the tunnel closed with the three people disappearing , Aslan spoke “King Caspian , this must feel unfair to you , but maybe , there is a chance to let y/n go to the other world , where the High Kings and Queens reside”

Caspian spoke “It would've been unfair to the younger Caspian , Aslan . Now , I know what I want from my life , I think I'm clear about my thoughts.. even though I'll miss y/n , i think we should let them go if there is a way”

Aslan spoke “There is .. but it'll send y/n to 4 years from now”

Y/n scrunched her eyebrows.. what does that mean?

“Aslan , forgive me for my curiosity , but why 4 years?”

“Edmund still has some things to grow up from , y/n . He is unaware of his tolerance and loyalty. He is in need to prove his loyalty and I think the time of 4 years will give him that chance ” Aslan spoke mysteriously as sudden air hit y/n and Caspian . The tunnel from between the water was opening up again ..

“Go on , Y/n . Once you step into that world , you won't be able to come back ” Aslan spoke .

Y/n nodded , bidding a happy and nervous goodbye to Caspian and aslan . Taking a deep breath , they walked towards the tunnel .

Entering in and going through the water tunnel , they entered the new world which seemed very familiar to them . They were in some weird clothes that they had never seen or worn , and they was standing under the shed on a rainy day . They had an umbrella in their hand , but they didn't know what to do . They couldn't see Edmund or Lucy or Eustace anywhere.

What am I supposed to do?

Y/n thought to themselves , when their train of thoughts were interrupted by a deep , attractive voice .. “Ughh, the forecast didn't say it'll rain!” . The voice belonged to a very handsome gentleman.. but the face made y/n's face go awed as well as tearful . They wanted to make sure before reacting , and therefore they glanced at the pendant around his neck . Their heart warmed when they noticed that it was actually still there.. he actually meant forever when he said so .

Yes , yes , yes , yes! He's Edmund! The Edmund Pevensie!

“Edmund?” they spoke it loud enough for the guy to hear .

Edmund was shocked as he turned to look at the person beside him .

“Huh? Y-Y/n?” his eyes went wide too , but his smile was wider than that . Ohh he wanted to embrace them so bad , but his clothes were wet .

The couple took a long walk to Edmund's home underneath one umbrella. They talked and laughed , and stared endlessly at each other.

Soon, Lucy was very happy to find Y/n and so was Eustace .

“I told you he smiles a lot more around you” Lucy remarked again, because it was the first time in a long time that the family had seen Edmund smiling so widely .

--

Do like or reblog if you enjoyed

[btelling]

11 and 12 for The Squib, please :)

Thank you so much for the question!! Another excellent choice!

11: What do you like best about this fic?

I really love the concept. It's a world that, though horrible, I'm always really excited to return to and think about. The divide between the muggle and wizarding worlds was always something that really fascinated me in canon. And the implications of just how horrible it would be to be a squib didn't really hit me until a later re-read when I was older. Because you're introduced to the concept of Squibs through the lens of Filch, who we all hate, and its this joke. Oh isn't it so funny that this man who is so mean to Harry and his friends has to clean up after all the magical kids and can't even do magic himself (which, god, maintaining a castle that large as one person when you can't even do magic is just cruel, no wonder he was so bitter). But when you really start to peel back the layers of it, you would never really find home in either world. How do you settle for the mundane when you know that Narnia is out there, you just can't access it, not really? And then the wizarding world has also rejected you completely. You're a joke. So while your siblings and relatives are all engaging in literal magic you're just what, being an accountant? While the whole family laughs at you at best or outright denies your existence if they're pureblood? And it's the same for Muggleborns. They have to uproot their entire lives at 11 and leave their world behind for 9 months out of the year every year for 7 straight years. How would that not fracture their relationships with their families and loved ones? Muggle technology can't work inside Hogwarts, so particularly as the Muggle world advances, they're falling further and further behind their friends and relatives. They're completely cut off from their past lives. If they want to communicate home, they have to use the wizarding owl system. If they want to catch up with friends over the summer holidays, they can't talk about their schoolwork or too much about their peers, because oh there's the statute of secrecy. They graduate with qualifications in Transfiguration, they're not going to a traditional university. They're not going back to the Muggle world. It all feels a bit, and to act glib about something incredibly serious and awful, forced assimilation. The implications are really awful if you start to dig just a bit under the surface. The fandom jokes and has theories, but Hermione basically all but stops seeing her parents after GoF - one skiing trip cut short in OotP (thanks Harry) and then she's back to the wizarding world. Because that's where her life is. Now what if we turn up the gas and add more tension to this situation? If these worlds that these characters have to straddle are actively at war with each other, but the muggles have a leg up this time? Well, it was just too tempting to pass up.

12: What do you like least about this fic?

I'd say that, and as much as I loved getting to explore their story, I do wonder if I wasn't writing and posting this chapter by chapter with basically a vague idea at best of where we're going next (we're all in this together), if I'd have gone for such an awful outcome for Dean and Seamus. It felt right at the time, to show how directly impacted more canon characters were by this new world, and I got to zoom out and show more of the world (the scene with the wizard at the bar is a particular favorite of mine) all through the story of a half-blood and a muggleborn traveling together and, again, having to straddle these two worlds. But I never like falling prey to harmful tropes, and I do wish I hadn't "buried the gays" so to speak. Justice for Dean and Seamus, they deserved better.

[staliaqueen]

hiiiiii how are you mal💜💜💜💜

I'm really good currently. My summer job was a huge success! The living spaces were great, the people I worked with were all wonderful, and the kids I got to work with were great. It was pretty emotional leaving.

Everything didn't turn out as I hoped in the beginning tho (quick background info: like I've said I worked as a junior counsellor at the camp I went to myself for 6 years and getting too old to come back was what started my whole spiral about growing up lol, but the entire thing is actually a large camp organisation that's a part of the state and when getting the job there you can request a specific camp to work at so I requested the camp I went to), cause I didn't get to work at my camp, sadly. They told me that that camp hadn't accepted junior counsellors this year (which happens a lot) so I had to work at another one. It wasn't as good as my camp (obviously) but I ended up really connecting with some of the kids there and had a good time overall. One of my colleagues actually went to that same camp as me in 2018 so we reconnected which was really fun.

Then, I did get to visit my camp two times. Which was the highlight of the entire experience for me honestly. That place is like a second home to me. I got to meet a bunch of my old counsellors whom I love and have missed SO much since I've been gone for two years, and the coolest part!!! I got to sit in the staff lounge!!!! Like it's RIGHT THERE when you're a kid but you're not allowed in and now I WAS allowed in and I was wearing a staff shirt and some kids asked me for help which was awesome. I even met some kids I recognised! Like this one girl who went to the same camp as me when I was 12 and she was like 9 and now she's FIFTEEN so that was weird.

But I haven't even gotten to the best yet. So, some background info: my last year at the camp during the buss ride home I was SOBBING because I was not ready to leave and I was not ready to grow up, and this counsellor of mine whom I had had for several years sits with me and comforts me, and while we're talking about growing up and all that jazz, he asks me if I know about Narnia. Now, at this point I had read the first book, but I hadn't really gotten into the fandom, since that didn't happen until I watched the movies last year. So I tell him that I have only read the first book, and he's like "Well, I really loved them when I was a kid, and there's this one part in Prince Caspian that still makes me cry to this day. It's when Aslan tells Peter and Susan they can't return to Narnia anymore because they've grown up." And then I went "WHY WOULD YOU BRING THAT UP???" while starting to cry even HARDER. Despite how sad it made me at the time, I really treasure this memory with him, and still associate that moment with him.

So, now that I'm a super Narnia fangirl, I've been dying to meet him again and tell him how into Narnia I've become and how important that was to me! So, at my first visit it's like the first thing I bring up to him and he's super excited about it too! And so we talk about it for a while and I thank him because he's really one of the reasons I wanted to give Narnia another chance and then it has become so important to me in the last year and really helped me in getting to know myself. Narnia was there when I didn't have camp anymore, ya know? But then, at my second visit, as soon as he sees me he's like "Hold on I have something to give you" and this dude goes into his drawer and pulls out THE FULL COLLECTION OF THE ENTIRE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, LIKE EVERY SINGLE BOOK, AND HE'S LIKE "I tried looking for these the last time you were here but couldn't find them in time. I bought them like a week ago at a yard sale just cause I had an inclination and then when you showed up and told me how much you love Narnia I knew they were meant for you." AND I'M LIKE "What I can't except this" BUT HE KEEPS INSISTING THAT I WAS MEANT TO HAVE THEM AND I LIKE START CRYING CAUSE WTF THAT'S SUCH A SWEET GIFT AND I HAD BEEN MEANING TO READ THEM ALL THIS YEAR BUT STILL HADN'T STARTED IT LIKE HOW DID HE KNOOOOW. I'm honestly still not over this I don't think I'll ever be over this it's the best gift I've ever been given omg.

Anyway, now I'm home alone with the dog, watching A Year in the Life and eating chips and drinking Pepsi. So I'm pretty good.

[siswritesyanderes]

I've always wanted Yandere Edmund, who is the King of Winter. Jadis just didn't betray him and in fact made him her successor because she didn't have much time and she was dying. And the reader appeared in Narnia like the Pevensie siblings through the wardrobe. Edmund would have fallen in love quickly enough and would like to make her his queen.

Oh, this is so good. Also cool because the story of Narnia relies on pitting pure evil against pure good, and since pure evil can't comprehend love, pure good has to win (by the machinations of "deep magic" Aslan references). But impure evil, with some comprehension of love and the power it wields over Narnia and its inhabitants, could have won that fight. A Jadis who understood what a sacrifice from Aslan would mean, or just the fact that the other Pevensies could never have fought against Edmund in a real battle, would have been significantly better-off than canon Jadis. Obviously, the idea that the Evil Cannot Comprehend Good trope places evil at a disadvantage isn't a new one, but it made me start to think about the metaphysical workings of Narnia, and I'll probably be pondering it for a while. Like, Pure Evil can't win, but can Pure Good? Is that why Aslan needed the Pevensies? Impure good will beat pure evil? Maybe both Aslan and Jadis tried to dilute their own respective attributes by involving humans, but because Jadis was pure evil, she also betrayed him, guaranteeing her own defeat. And that's just from the perspective of Aslan being pure, objective good by the rules of the universe. I'm rambling; here's the yandere stuff.

(I've seen people use gifs for their Tumblr fics, and I might start doing that, too...Man, Younger Me had such a crush on Edmund.)

A son of Adam had taken the throne, almost as the prophecy had foretold.

The White Witch's eternal winter had not ended, though the White Witch herself had. At least, she had "gone away", not exactly dead but not present in the physical way. With a son of Adam ruling Narnia in her name, she didn't have to manifest physically, any more than Aslan would under the rule of his chosen "heroes". (None of whom had stayed in Narnia. Eventually, they'd given up on trying to sway their brother. There hadn't been much of a choice.)

You knew nothing of Narnia, of course. All that you knew was that there wasn't supposed to be an icy forest at the back of this vintage wardrobe. You wandered deeper, mainly because you expected to find a wall, or at least an explanation as to how this trick was being done.

But the farther you walked from the opening of the wardrobe, the more it seemed like this was a real forest, and real snow, and a real...lamppost.

You didn't plan to stay long, so you didn't bring a coat.

It didn't feel that cold, anyway.

At first.

By the time you got to the point of both 'No, there are no walls, this is in fact a forest' and 'Yes, the snowy woods are, in fact, cold', you had trouble finding your way back to the lamppost and the wardrobe.

You didn't think it was entirely your fault, either; you had walked in pretty much a straight line, but somehow all of the trees you'd passed seemed to be elsewhere on the way back, and making sure that you passed the same trees only drove you deeper into the woods.

Eventually, you heard the faint sound of sleigh bells.

You moved in the direction of the sound and shortly crossed paths with a large, white sleigh pulled by large, white horses. You stumbled out of the way, but the vehicle merely pulled to a stop.

Riding the sleigh (or driving it, you supposed) was a lean young man who looked as though the sun's rays hadn't touched his skin in years. In stark contrast to his pallor, dark-brown locks framed his face, streaked and tipped though they were (in places) with frost. He wore extravagant furs, and under them, a tunic and sash like a fairy tale prince. He even had a white crown on his head, though it was as difficult to look at as snow in bright daylight.

It seemed that you ought to ask him for help getting back to your home, or at least tell him that you were lost, but something made you hesitate. His eyes were a pleasant shade of brown, but they seemed sharp, and wickedly intelligent, and dancing with mirth. He hadn't reacted to finding you in his path. Not with surprise or concern or anything. Just a smooth expression and that sharp, mirthful gaze.

Your shivering won out, however.

"I'm lost," you said, lamely, your breath visible in front of your face as you spoke.

The princely young man tilted his head, and for a second it seemed he might say nothing. Then a silvery voice left his mouth: "How dreadful."

You could have sworn that the forest itself quieted when he spoke. No creature moved. No tree swayed with the breeze. No snowflake dared to touch down. The wind held its breath.

"You must be freezing." The young man smiled, but it was very slight; barely a muscle moved in his face. If anything, it contributed to the general look of lofty amusement. "Come here; I can get you warm."

You hesitated. This was all so surreal. A man in a sleigh in a wardrobe. And the way he waited; he didn't move towards you, didn't ask you any questions or offer any information. He just presented his offer and waited.

You succumbed, because you were cold and couldn't find your home.

As you climbed up into the sleigh, the young man's smile grew and then softened, and he wrapped his furs around you, and pressed a silver chalice of something warm and sweet-smelling into your hands. You didn't drink it; it felt good enough just to hold.

"The trees told me that someone new had entered my woods," he intimated. There were flecks of snow in his dark eyelashes, which seemed not to bother him. "Narnia hasn't seen a daughter of Eve in many moons." He raised his hand a bit, to nudge the chalice to your lips. He wore a ring on almost every finger; they were as bright as his crown.

Before you fully processed it, you were drinking the warm beverage. It was like hot chocolate, but not quite. Hot chocolate, but a little to the left. Warmth passed down your throat, to your stomach, and then radiated out to your skin all at once.

"My wardrobe wasn't supposed to have a forest in it," you said.

His smile grew still more, now baring his rows of pearly teeth. "You should rest, now."

"No, I'm...supposed to go home," you said. Then: "Can I have some more hot chocolate?"

He poured you more.

(You weren't sure why he didn't correct you about what this drink was called. You knew that it wasn't really hot chocolate, but he didn't correct you.)

The king raised his hand, and the horses started to walk, despite the fact that they were facing the opposite direction and the king hadn't made any sound.

"I'm supposed to go back to the wardrobe," you repeated. "I don't know why all of this was here, to begin with..."

He didn't answer. He listened to your rambling.

"Where am I?" you finally asked.

"You're in Narnia. The magical realm of which I am king."

"King?" you echoed. A shift in the lighting drew your attention to your surroundings; there was less shade, because there were fewer trees. That wasn't right. You weren't supposed to be leaving the forest; the wardrobe was in the forest, and the wardrobe was your way home.

Also you were out of hot chocolate again.

"Can I have some more hot chocolate?"

"Later," the king said.

You found that, without the beverage to keep you warm, the wind seemed to bite at you harder and harder, the farther you sat from the king. You leaned as closely against his side as your modesty allowed, and he kept his furs around you, and the cold was bearable, but your nose was already starting to feel congested.

The king trailed his fingertips over the curve of your wrist. He stared at the site of contact as though fascinated. "I've not touched another human since my siblings left," he mused. Each time he spoke, it seemed as though he were making a weighty decision. As if he didn't usually speak aloud but was choosing to make an exception just this once. As if his very words were indulgences that he was offering you, the value of which could not be matched in gold. "I've not asked anyone's name for longer still. Everything and everyone in Narnia, I have the power to name myself. When I am bored, I name the snowflakes."

"Is that a castle?" you asked, sitting forward to squint at the horizon, and then recoiling back into the king's arms when the chill of winter hit you all at once.

"My castle," the king replied. "There is more hot chocolate inside."

You sighed at the thought.

For a while, the king silently moved his lips, as though framing a word that was so impossibly important that he refused to say it aloud without rehearsal. At last it left him: "Edmund. I was called Edmund, before I was called the king."

"Edmund?" you repeated. "That's a nice name. My name is-"

"Don't you listen?" The king smirked impishly. "It's been such a while since I've had to repeat myself. Everything and everyone in Narnia, I have the power to name myself. I will give you your name."

You frowned a bit, at this, but you felt viscerally that you shouldn't argue until you knew a bit more. As mild-tempered as the king seemed, you were getting the impression that he wielded a dangerous amount of power. Something about the wind going quiet when he spoke gave you a healthy wariness.

"The door to Narnia was opened to you," he continued, pensively. "This land always delivers me just what I want."

This comment made you particularly uncomfortable. As the king showed no signs that he planned to elaborate on this or the naming thing, you turned to look again in the direction of the castle.

"Oh!" you exclaimed. "That's a lot of statues."

It was a veritable forest of them. Some were humanoid with some animal features, and others were animals in their entirety. All were incredibly detailed and posed in different ways. They lined the path to the palace on both sides.

The king lifted a scepter that you hadn't noticed was propped at his other side and laid it across his lap and yours. "Do you like them?" he asked.

They were sort of eerie. Most of them were posed like they were fearful, or in pain. "They're nice," you said politely.

"I can make more. I've heard that there's meant to be a huge lion somewhere. I'd like to have a statue of him." The king's fingertips trailed over his scepter fondly.

The castle was beginning to loom above. Looking out at your surroundings again, you spotted the first sign of life since the forest: a man was out polishing one of the statues, with an air of tenderness and misery more commonly displayed at the sickbed of a loved one. When he spotted the sleigh, however, he dropped into a hasty bow, and his expression just as quickly morphed into a bright, forced-looking smile that reminded you all the more that something was terribly wrong here.

(One more glass of hot chocolate, and then you had to find a way home.)

The sleigh passed the man, and you had to do a double-take when his whole body came into view, because he wore no shirt in the freezing cold, and his lower body appeared to be that of a goat, as did the lower body of the statue he'd been polishing. You gaped at him until the cold was too unpleasant and you had to huddle against the king again.

Edmund looked as entertained as ever, by your reaction, and he gave no explanation.

The sleigh entered a tunnel underneath the castle and came to a stop.

A little man in a long, drooping hat ran up and unrolled what looked like a large wolf pelt for the king to step out onto. "Welcome home, sire," the little man said, smiling just as hugely and with just as much clear desperation (almost pained) as the half-goat creature had. "Dinner is ready, and a room has been prepared for your..." He trailed off, waiting for the king to supply him with a word to call you.

The king eyed his servant archly before saying, "My Delight, for now," he decided. "But you will not speak of her."

"Of course, sire." The little man bowed low. "Did the horses behave to your liking?"

"Yes, they may go," the king allowed, and his servant went to quickly untie the horses from the sleigh.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," two voices said in unison, and it sounded startlingly as if they were coming from the horses, but that was...

Impossible? Could anything really be considered impossible, today? Either this was a dream, or the word 'impossible' was losing meaning.

Still, you eyed the horses warily as they trotted away.

The little man stood before the king again, still with his pinned-on smile.

Edmund stared down at his servant for his second, and then twirled his scepter idly between his fingers. The little man winced as if the king had raised a sword, and Edmund let out a quiet laugh. "You may go, as well."

"Thank you, and a thousand blessings, sire." The little man half-ran in the same direction the horses had gone.

Edmund turned toward you, offering a ring-covered hand and a seemingly all-knowing grin. "Come, My Delight," he said. "I'll show you around."

...

Like I said earlier, my computer randomly restarted while I was writing this and I had to rewrite a bunch of it, so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes or if the ending is abrupt. I could have taken my time rewriting, but tbh I really had my heart set on posting this today, so I hope the quality didn't suffer too much. Hope this was okay.

[earhartsease]

Susan let herself into her flat, closed the door, and slumped on the sofa. Compared to the funeral of her siblings and her parents - which had been somewhat in the limelight thanks to the publicity surrounding the train accident - the funerals of Jill and Eustace, Polly and Digory, had been quieter, lowkey affairs. She hadn't been invited to those, but she went anyway.

She curled into a ball and felt the rage well up in her again. This was all too much for coincidence. It was that fucking lion. Somehow, it was that fucking lion's doing.

What had happened? How had she lost them all, even before she lost them? In one way, she'd been the one sacrificed first. Judged for her... normalcy, as much as for her distrust of the septic patriarchy of Narnia, thrown to the secular wolves so the rest of them could bask in the magic. And now what? Were they all really just dead? Were they all in Narnia? Was it both, for fuck's sake? Was there any way she could find out? It wasn't like there was anybody in the world she could talk to about any of this, not and be considered sane ever again. So she did a thing she would never have believed she'd do, a thing Jill had told her about.

She waited for the evening, and then stepped out into the garden she was lucky to have. She touched the warm earth, smelled the wisteria, randomly recalling Lucy telling her about the scents on Ramandu's Island, how Lucy had called it a "dim, purple kind of smell" and how she'd struggled to hide her envy at her sister's delight.

She looked for Venus in the sky, faced what she was fairly sure was East, raised her arms before her, and intoned quietly "Aslan, Aslan, Aslan, please let me go into -" and then there was a tremor in the earth, and she smelled a smell that was not sweet. And there he was, suddenly and splendidly.

"I am so sorry, my child" he said to her softly. He wrapped his many arms about her, and murmured "They are gone from here, and from you, and he has taken them for himself. But you may come with me, if you wish. Or be here and I shall watch over thee with more kindness than he ever was capable of."

Susan sobbed, and choked out brokenly "Oh Tash!"

[fics-in-a-bottlepost]

Happy little accidents

Chronicles of Narnia

Edmund gets nicked by Caspian during their sparring and doesn't want him to know. Caspian finds out anyway

"You've grown stronger my friend" Caspian smiled and patted Edmunds shoulder. "Seems I have" Edmund answered and smiled.

The younger had a quiet moment shortly after, while Caspian had volunteered to get the swords back to the cabin as they really didn't need it on deck. He was leaning against the railing, enjoying the last rays of sun before it got dark.

Edmund had got quite a share of blows during their sparring but one especially was noticeable.

He stroked one hand over his neck, where it stung, near his shoulder. The young man was quite surprised to find blood on his palm when he retreated his hand. It wasn't much but it explained the slight pain.

He heard Caspian laugh when he climbed up the stars to the quarter deck, talking to Drinian. Edmund quickly raised his hands to his collar and buttoned the tunic up. It covered the cut perfectly and just in time, as Caspian had approached him.

"Why did you button it up? Its quite warm, I think." Caspian said, standing next to Edmund at the railing. "I... I felt slightly cold, probably from the water." Edmund stuttered and was glad that Caspian stood on his left as the cut was on the right.

They talked a bit about the voyage, how glad Edmund was to be back and how happy Caspian was to have them back with him.

"Why did you really do it?" Lucy asked later when the sun had gone down and Edmund and his sister were standing a few feet aside from the others, looking out onto the see.

With a look to Caspian who was talking with Drinian a few feet to the left, Edmund moved his right hand to the tunic, unbuttoning it and tugging at the fabric to reveal the cut to Lucy. "You got nicked? By Caspian?"

"During our little sparring. I didnt want him to feel bad, you know him." Edmund whispered.

Lucy nodded and pulled Edmunds hand back when he tried to button the tunic up again. "Thats only gonna make it suspicious." she hissed and disappeared. Edmund frowned and turned to look after her, but instead found himself starring at Caspians face.

Caspian stepped next to him, on his left side. "What happened to your neck?"

Edmund felt blood going into his head and he looked down, trying to hide his blushing.

""My... My neck? What do you-" he tried to talk himself out of it but Caspian turned to him and laid a hand underneath his chin, forcing Edmund to look at Caspian.

"You have a cut on your neck, which wasnt there when you arrived. What happened?" Caspian demanded to know and Edmund could hear a slight growl in his voice.

Edmund knew how protective Caspian was of his friends and family but he hadn't known that the young King was caring that much.

Before Edmund could even make up another lie in his head, Caspians blue eyes were looking firmly into his. Edmund sighed. "You nicked me. During our sparring." he mumbled and tried to get free of Caspians hold.

He was released within a second and Caspian took a swift step back. "I apologize. I meant no harm to you." Caspian said.

Edmund nodded slowly. "I know. And its not that bad. Its just a cut. Promise me you won't give yourself the fault for it, please Caspian." he said and stepped closer to Caspian again.

Before Caspian could even say another word, Edmund had slung his arms around him and crushed him in a hug. Caspian smiled. "I promise." he whispered and put his arms around Edmunds back.