Narnia Fic: "all over again"
Here is another request. This one is for sunrunnersioned, I hope you like it my friend!!!
Title: "all over again"
Beta: no one
Rating: PG-13
Words: 2,200
Characters/Pairings: Peter/Susan, (Edmund/Lucy) if you squint, (Eustace), OCs
Theme/Prompt: #96, dance. Table's HERE
Warnings/AN: Incest.
Summary: “May I have this dance, Your Majesty?”
Disclaimer: The usual.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She really despised these parties.
Uptight, stuck up people; the very kind that looked at you over their shoulder if you so much as said the wrong word. So full of fake merriness, and cynic smiles, and false concern, and best wishes of this and that that didn’t really mean a thing.
Susan had to wonder, why on earth did her mother decide to send her off to visit some relatives in America. Of course, one mustn’t misunderstand, it was a lovely country, this one, and for the most part, its people was equally lovely.
It was just her aunt’s friends…
“Susan, come here for a moment please,” said her aunt -what was her name again?- and she didn’t have another choice but to do as she was told.
It would not be polite of her to brush her off, least of all in front of the guests.
“Yes, auntie?”
The fact that, against her better judgement, she kept remembering a time, a place, where parties were actually a time of celebration and happiness for both men and women -and magical creatures-, did not help her cause at all. If anything, it made her despise this particular party all the more.
“Susan, how old are you, my dear?”
Susan put on a small, polite, forced, smile on her face, and tried not to look at her aunt’s friends’ expectant faces while she answered. “Fifteen, auntie.”
“Ah, fifteen; the perfect age to start looking for a husband,” said one of her aunt’s friends.
“Husband?”
God, no.
“Why, yes, my dear! You won’t even realize the time you turn twenty and by then, Susan dear, it will be too late to find a proper husband.”
She was pretty sure her stomach had made an awful sound as it hit the floor, and no doubt all colour had left her face, but she kept on smiling, as it was proper in such situations. She wondered briefly, if the earth were to open up and swallow her right then, would these women notice?
“Oh, she would make a lovely wife!”
Probably not.
After excusing herself, Susan began looking for the one person that could possibly make her feel any better in this horrid party. The one person she’d been ignoring -and avoiding- the whole night just because she knew, she knew, that upon first sight all those memories she’d been trying to bury deep inside her head would surface again (to remind her of a much better place, a much better time, a much better party).
The one person she really wanted to be with right now.
Her older brother, Peter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It didn’t take her long to find him, and it wasn’t surprising when she found him dancing with a girl. As soon as she decided to ignore him for the night, she knew there was a slight chance he would play along and ignore her as well.
She just hadn’t know it would affect her this much to see him enjoying the party with somebody else.
Well, she had asked for it, hadn’t she?
Not anymore.
As soon as the song ended, she walked up to the merry couple and before the girl could ask for one more dance, she stepped in.
“Brother,” she called, drawing the attention of all of those around them. “I do believe, you own me a dance.”
Peter looked at her with a certain glint in his eyes that told her exactly what she feared. He had known of her scheme to avoid him, had known, and had played along happily, because he knew, she would eventually cave and seek him out.
Well, blimey.
“Why, you are most certainly right, dear Sister,” he said, stepping away from his former dance partner. “But I must warn you of my lack of dancing skills, I think I have harmed enough toes for the night,” he added as a second thought, sending an apologetic smile to the girls behind him.
“I’ll take my chances. And I can always teach you how to dance, you are a quick learner.”
Peter offered his arm, and she took it gladly, and suddenly, this party wasn’t so bad anymore.
“That is true.”
He led her further into the dance floor, ignoring quite effectively the curious stares, something she couldn’t do, but tried, because she was tired. Tired of everything, of pushing him away, of this closed-minded society, of the repercussion, of the denial, of-
“Why the sudden change of heart?”
His question surprised her, and as the song played in the background, and they swayed to it awkwardly, she looked at him, really looked at him, and saw everything she thought lost. Her past, her present and a bright, bright future that could be all hers if only she would welcome it and, really, she thought it was high time she did.
“I am tired of pretending.”
Peter stopped abruptly, clearly not expecting such answer, but instead of letting her go, as she thought he might, he pulled her closer -closer than what was proper, especially for brother and sister- and slipped his hand around her waist, tightening the grip on her hand with the other.
“…Good. So am I.”
With a grace only fitting of royalty, Peter proceeded to lead her through the dance floor, twirling her around and displaying a degree of skill that belonged to an expert adult and not to an awkward teen.
And suddenly, suddenly, they were no longer here, at their aunt’s party, or even in America, but in a castle-their castle, in a faraway land from a faraway world, wearing the finest silky gowns, and tunics, and golden crowns and being the happiest they’ve ever been and where people would never look down upon them for what they did, for how they felt, because they could finally be free, truly free, to be themselves, to live…
To love.
In Narnia. Their beautiful, beautiful Narnia, with its magical beings and beautiful landscapes and glistening skies and lively seas and happy smiles and why, oh why, did they have to follow that Stag-
The end of the music put an end to her memories and she was no longer in the promised land but back on earth, where reality was so cruel that she had to force herself to believe everything was one sweet childhood game.
Peter must have felt the same, because slowly, he released her, much to her chagrin, and stepped slightly away. He looked at her then, unblinkingly, waiting, maybe for her to give her the permission he needed -they needed- to let their feelings run free, but she was a coward, like never before, she was a coward now. There were too many maybe’s and could be’s and all the consequences would be dire for them and she couldn’t -couldn’tcouldn’tcouldn’t- do that to him. She couldn’t taint him in front of this society.
Because, even if it meant to destroy her very being, she would make sure he remained as pure as he was the day they were crowned.
But Peter was wise, and he knew her better than anyone, for right before she could so much as move a muscle, he extended his hand, giving her a tender smile, and asked:
“May I have this dance, Your Majesty?”
And it was their first Narnian dance all over again, with nervous smiles and hopeful eyes, and she did the only thing she could, because as much of a coward she was, Susan knew, she was incapable of denying Peter anything.
“You may.”
~
~
~
Queen Susan, sometimes, wondered if this pairing off thing of them was intentional; if Peter consciously chose to dance with her the opening dance or if it was merely because she was closer. But then, what would that say of Edmund? He had to walk across the throne platform all the way to Lucy to ask her to dance. Did he do it consciously as well? Or was it simply because he knew Peter would choose her?
All this pondering, however, ended rather abruptly as she felt Peter’s hand close around her waist, the other gripping hers firmly, and then they were swaying to the sweet song. Vaguely, toying around the edges of her awareness, she could hear Lucy’s joyful giggle as she dance not too far away, and only as a second thought, she acknowledged the narnians that joined them in the dance floor.
Amazing, how every second spent with Peter made her focus narrow down to him and only him.
~
~
~
They managed to escape from the party shortly after that. Leaving the party behind, they found a small park near their aunt’s house and hid there, and Susan hoped, really hope, for everyone’s own good, that no one had follow them.
“So, now what?”
They were lying comfortably under the unnecessary shade of a sturdy tree, partially hidden by some bushes. She no longer cared about the rights and wrongs and whatever taboos they were breaking, (granted, Peter kisses used to have that effect on her, didn’t they) and they have been happily doing some serious snogging before darling Peter decided to talk.
Susan laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. “We… wait, and see what happens.”
“And you are good with that? Not knowing?”
She didn’t need to see his face to understand his confusion.
“We didn’t know what would happen in Narnia, and everything went fine.”
“But we’re not in Narnia anymore.”
A cruel reminder, probably the cruellest of all, but it was true, and it was time she accepted that, like Peter seemed to accept it.
“No, we are not.”
But she could live with that, could learn to accept their fate, as long as she had Peter, she could accept everything that may come their way.
Yes, she could do that.
“Just promise me something, Peter.”
“Anything.”
“Promise me… to be always there, no matter what,” she sat up, looking into his eyes, and smiled. “And I promise to try… not losing my faith.”
Peter sat up as well, and caressed her face with tender hands. Without so much of a warning, he kissed her, and for a brief moment, Susan could’ve swore they went back to Narnia, but then the sound of cars passing by the park reached her ears and the moment was gone and it was alright because she was with Peter now and he was kissing her so painfully tenderly that she might have started crying.
And then he pulled back and smiled, and she realized she had been crying because he brushed the tears away from her cheeks, and then-
“I promise.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The remaining days were probably the best she had had since they arrived to America. Even when Lucy’s letter came, telling them excitedly how she and Edmund and Eustace went into Narnia, sparing the details as she wanted them to hear them in person, her bright mood didn’t darken as she would’ve expected.
She felt good for her little sibling that they could go back to Narnia and was looking forward to listen to their stories, but right this moment she cared more about spending time with Peter. Granted, they couldn’t do anything in the presence of other, but that didn’t prevent her from clinging to his arm whenever she could.
Not that Peter minded, of course, as he would take her hand in his as soon as she grabbed his arm.
People asked many questions as well, why their insistent need to be so close, or why would they never let go of each other, and their answer was always the same: they had a very close relationship. People accepted this as a fact, choosing to be naive, because there was no hidden meaning in their words, and they kind of relationship they referred to was not your typical brother/sister relationship.
They weren’t being subtle at all and yet, nobody decided to give it the proper attention, choosing ignorance over what was obvious, and that was just fine with her, as long as they left them alone, she couldn’t care less about their opinion.
Today, was their last day in America. Their last day of freedom, in a way. She was determined to make the most of it.
From across the room, Susan caught Peter’s eyes and smiled. He had this glint in his eyes, that left her wondering what mischief could he possibly be planning, and when he made a gesture for her to follow him, she knew.
He had been thinking the exact same thing as she.
She caught up with him in a deserted hallway, where he was leaning quite smugly next to a wardrobe. Without a word, he stepped in, and left the door open for her.
It wasn’t the same wardrobe, of course, and yet, Susan felt her chest tighten and her breath quicken, she felt nervous, but accepted the invitation and stepped in after her brother.
And as she closed the door, as she met Peter’s lips in a tender kiss (that soon turned into something much more), as she let herself get lost in his very presence, she felt like going into Narnia for the first time.
All over again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End.
Comments are very welcomed. =)
Title: "all over again"
Beta: no one
Rating: PG-13
Words: 2,200
Characters/Pairings: Peter/Susan, (Edmund/Lucy) if you squint, (Eustace), OCs
Theme/Prompt: #96, dance. Table's HERE
Warnings/AN: Incest.
Summary: “May I have this dance, Your Majesty?”
Disclaimer: The usual.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She really despised these parties.
Uptight, stuck up people; the very kind that looked at you over their shoulder if you so much as said the wrong word. So full of fake merriness, and cynic smiles, and false concern, and best wishes of this and that that didn’t really mean a thing.
Susan had to wonder, why on earth did her mother decide to send her off to visit some relatives in America. Of course, one mustn’t misunderstand, it was a lovely country, this one, and for the most part, its people was equally lovely.
It was just her aunt’s friends…
“Susan, come here for a moment please,” said her aunt -what was her name again?- and she didn’t have another choice but to do as she was told.
It would not be polite of her to brush her off, least of all in front of the guests.
“Yes, auntie?”
The fact that, against her better judgement, she kept remembering a time, a place, where parties were actually a time of celebration and happiness for both men and women -and magical creatures-, did not help her cause at all. If anything, it made her despise this particular party all the more.
“Susan, how old are you, my dear?”
Susan put on a small, polite, forced, smile on her face, and tried not to look at her aunt’s friends’ expectant faces while she answered. “Fifteen, auntie.”
“Ah, fifteen; the perfect age to start looking for a husband,” said one of her aunt’s friends.
“Husband?”
God, no.
“Why, yes, my dear! You won’t even realize the time you turn twenty and by then, Susan dear, it will be too late to find a proper husband.”
She was pretty sure her stomach had made an awful sound as it hit the floor, and no doubt all colour had left her face, but she kept on smiling, as it was proper in such situations. She wondered briefly, if the earth were to open up and swallow her right then, would these women notice?
“Oh, she would make a lovely wife!”
Probably not.
After excusing herself, Susan began looking for the one person that could possibly make her feel any better in this horrid party. The one person she’d been ignoring -and avoiding- the whole night just because she knew, she knew, that upon first sight all those memories she’d been trying to bury deep inside her head would surface again (to remind her of a much better place, a much better time, a much better party).
The one person she really wanted to be with right now.
Her older brother, Peter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It didn’t take her long to find him, and it wasn’t surprising when she found him dancing with a girl. As soon as she decided to ignore him for the night, she knew there was a slight chance he would play along and ignore her as well.
She just hadn’t know it would affect her this much to see him enjoying the party with somebody else.
Well, she had asked for it, hadn’t she?
Not anymore.
As soon as the song ended, she walked up to the merry couple and before the girl could ask for one more dance, she stepped in.
“Brother,” she called, drawing the attention of all of those around them. “I do believe, you own me a dance.”
Peter looked at her with a certain glint in his eyes that told her exactly what she feared. He had known of her scheme to avoid him, had known, and had played along happily, because he knew, she would eventually cave and seek him out.
Well, blimey.
“Why, you are most certainly right, dear Sister,” he said, stepping away from his former dance partner. “But I must warn you of my lack of dancing skills, I think I have harmed enough toes for the night,” he added as a second thought, sending an apologetic smile to the girls behind him.
“I’ll take my chances. And I can always teach you how to dance, you are a quick learner.”
Peter offered his arm, and she took it gladly, and suddenly, this party wasn’t so bad anymore.
“That is true.”
He led her further into the dance floor, ignoring quite effectively the curious stares, something she couldn’t do, but tried, because she was tired. Tired of everything, of pushing him away, of this closed-minded society, of the repercussion, of the denial, of-
“Why the sudden change of heart?”
His question surprised her, and as the song played in the background, and they swayed to it awkwardly, she looked at him, really looked at him, and saw everything she thought lost. Her past, her present and a bright, bright future that could be all hers if only she would welcome it and, really, she thought it was high time she did.
“I am tired of pretending.”
Peter stopped abruptly, clearly not expecting such answer, but instead of letting her go, as she thought he might, he pulled her closer -closer than what was proper, especially for brother and sister- and slipped his hand around her waist, tightening the grip on her hand with the other.
“…Good. So am I.”
With a grace only fitting of royalty, Peter proceeded to lead her through the dance floor, twirling her around and displaying a degree of skill that belonged to an expert adult and not to an awkward teen.
And suddenly, suddenly, they were no longer here, at their aunt’s party, or even in America, but in a castle-their castle, in a faraway land from a faraway world, wearing the finest silky gowns, and tunics, and golden crowns and being the happiest they’ve ever been and where people would never look down upon them for what they did, for how they felt, because they could finally be free, truly free, to be themselves, to live…
To love.
In Narnia. Their beautiful, beautiful Narnia, with its magical beings and beautiful landscapes and glistening skies and lively seas and happy smiles and why, oh why, did they have to follow that Stag-
The end of the music put an end to her memories and she was no longer in the promised land but back on earth, where reality was so cruel that she had to force herself to believe everything was one sweet childhood game.
Peter must have felt the same, because slowly, he released her, much to her chagrin, and stepped slightly away. He looked at her then, unblinkingly, waiting, maybe for her to give her the permission he needed -they needed- to let their feelings run free, but she was a coward, like never before, she was a coward now. There were too many maybe’s and could be’s and all the consequences would be dire for them and she couldn’t -couldn’tcouldn’tcouldn’t- do that to him. She couldn’t taint him in front of this society.
Because, even if it meant to destroy her very being, she would make sure he remained as pure as he was the day they were crowned.
But Peter was wise, and he knew her better than anyone, for right before she could so much as move a muscle, he extended his hand, giving her a tender smile, and asked:
“May I have this dance, Your Majesty?”
And it was their first Narnian dance all over again, with nervous smiles and hopeful eyes, and she did the only thing she could, because as much of a coward she was, Susan knew, she was incapable of denying Peter anything.
“You may.”
~
~
~
Queen Susan, sometimes, wondered if this pairing off thing of them was intentional; if Peter consciously chose to dance with her the opening dance or if it was merely because she was closer. But then, what would that say of Edmund? He had to walk across the throne platform all the way to Lucy to ask her to dance. Did he do it consciously as well? Or was it simply because he knew Peter would choose her?
All this pondering, however, ended rather abruptly as she felt Peter’s hand close around her waist, the other gripping hers firmly, and then they were swaying to the sweet song. Vaguely, toying around the edges of her awareness, she could hear Lucy’s joyful giggle as she dance not too far away, and only as a second thought, she acknowledged the narnians that joined them in the dance floor.
Amazing, how every second spent with Peter made her focus narrow down to him and only him.
~
~
~
They managed to escape from the party shortly after that. Leaving the party behind, they found a small park near their aunt’s house and hid there, and Susan hoped, really hope, for everyone’s own good, that no one had follow them.
“So, now what?”
They were lying comfortably under the unnecessary shade of a sturdy tree, partially hidden by some bushes. She no longer cared about the rights and wrongs and whatever taboos they were breaking, (granted, Peter kisses used to have that effect on her, didn’t they) and they have been happily doing some serious snogging before darling Peter decided to talk.
Susan laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. “We… wait, and see what happens.”
“And you are good with that? Not knowing?”
She didn’t need to see his face to understand his confusion.
“We didn’t know what would happen in Narnia, and everything went fine.”
“But we’re not in Narnia anymore.”
A cruel reminder, probably the cruellest of all, but it was true, and it was time she accepted that, like Peter seemed to accept it.
“No, we are not.”
But she could live with that, could learn to accept their fate, as long as she had Peter, she could accept everything that may come their way.
Yes, she could do that.
“Just promise me something, Peter.”
“Anything.”
“Promise me… to be always there, no matter what,” she sat up, looking into his eyes, and smiled. “And I promise to try… not losing my faith.”
Peter sat up as well, and caressed her face with tender hands. Without so much of a warning, he kissed her, and for a brief moment, Susan could’ve swore they went back to Narnia, but then the sound of cars passing by the park reached her ears and the moment was gone and it was alright because she was with Peter now and he was kissing her so painfully tenderly that she might have started crying.
And then he pulled back and smiled, and she realized she had been crying because he brushed the tears away from her cheeks, and then-
“I promise.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The remaining days were probably the best she had had since they arrived to America. Even when Lucy’s letter came, telling them excitedly how she and Edmund and Eustace went into Narnia, sparing the details as she wanted them to hear them in person, her bright mood didn’t darken as she would’ve expected.
She felt good for her little sibling that they could go back to Narnia and was looking forward to listen to their stories, but right this moment she cared more about spending time with Peter. Granted, they couldn’t do anything in the presence of other, but that didn’t prevent her from clinging to his arm whenever she could.
Not that Peter minded, of course, as he would take her hand in his as soon as she grabbed his arm.
People asked many questions as well, why their insistent need to be so close, or why would they never let go of each other, and their answer was always the same: they had a very close relationship. People accepted this as a fact, choosing to be naive, because there was no hidden meaning in their words, and they kind of relationship they referred to was not your typical brother/sister relationship.
They weren’t being subtle at all and yet, nobody decided to give it the proper attention, choosing ignorance over what was obvious, and that was just fine with her, as long as they left them alone, she couldn’t care less about their opinion.
Today, was their last day in America. Their last day of freedom, in a way. She was determined to make the most of it.
From across the room, Susan caught Peter’s eyes and smiled. He had this glint in his eyes, that left her wondering what mischief could he possibly be planning, and when he made a gesture for her to follow him, she knew.
He had been thinking the exact same thing as she.
She caught up with him in a deserted hallway, where he was leaning quite smugly next to a wardrobe. Without a word, he stepped in, and left the door open for her.
It wasn’t the same wardrobe, of course, and yet, Susan felt her chest tighten and her breath quicken, she felt nervous, but accepted the invitation and stepped in after her brother.
And as she closed the door, as she met Peter’s lips in a tender kiss (that soon turned into something much more), as she let herself get lost in his very presence, she felt like going into Narnia for the first time.
All over again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End.
Comments are very welcomed. =)