Frozen hearts (Response to Drabble Challenge #22: Compassion)
Okay, I'm back in the game! I've got two weeks no school, holiday time, yay! So I've decided to pick up my drabble-challenge-career ;) This one is a very special one for the winter, I hope you all enjoy it and comments are very very welcome! :)
Frozen hearts
The hurt was complete. Her heart broken, her eyes red and her soul driven mad. He left her with nothing to hold on to, nothing to live for. But still, a small part of her wished she could go back to where she belonged. No, wishing isn’t quite the right word. It was hope, a feeling that warmed her and wrapped her like a present on a Christmas Eve. But it only helped for a few minutes, sometimes even a few seconds. Then reality came haunting her and she hung her head in sorrow.
Aslan was the mightiest lion alive. But seeing Susan Pevensie hurt like this, broke his big heart. There was really nothing he could do for her, certain rules applied in Narnia with regard to the outside world. Susan had to go back, leaving King Caspian X behind. Aslan had eyes, he too could see the precious and tender love they shared. But now he stared into the river that ran through the whole of Narnia, and saw a vision of Susan, lying on her bed and crying until she fell asleep. Aslan wanted to get her back, so she could live happily ever after with her King. But he wasn’t sure if his powers were that unlimited. The more he saw of this unhappy version of Susan, the more he thought of giving it a try. Getting her back wouldn’t be easy, but it was for the sake of this broken hearted girl.
England was dull when compared to Narnia. Though, around Christmas time, Susan was able to accept her environment. She walked the streets often, window-shopping and trying to forget about Caspian. She did so today, and noticed she was pretty able to get him out of her head. But then she saw the mistletoe hanging on a streetlight, and her heart felt heavy and loaded with sadness. She walked on, trying to ignore the couples holding hands or kissing on the middle of the street. If only she could go back to him, hug him and hold him for the rest of her days. She could clearly see his smile, his loving eyes and his hair she had touched so carefully. Snow fell on her shoulders and onto her nose. She sneezed, and shivered. Winter was too cold for a person to be alone.
Aslan had to do it. His compassion with her grew and grew, and he couldn’t bare it anymore. This child wasn’t supposed to waste away in pain, it was supposed to dance to a new dawn, embrace the life she was given. But he could see England wasn’t the place where she had to do all of that. And also, his King wasn’t able to lead the people with the state of mind he was in right now. Day after day and night after night, he wandered around the castle, daydreaming and wishing on a star she would come back to him. So mighty Aslan gathered his powers and thought of a plan to get Susan Pevensie back to Narnia.
It was the night before Christmas and it was freezing cold, but Susan didn’t feel it. She sat outside the house, thinking about all the moments she had shared with Caspian. Suddenly, high above her head, she saw a falling star. It got bigger and bigger, and it shined with a light so bright, Susan had to shut her eyes. The star grew to an enormous size and Susan felt the heat coming from it. It wrapped her, caressing her frozen skin. The next thing she remembered was opening up her eyes again and not seeing the familiar garden behind the house. She looked around, looking for an answer. It was just as dark, but the environment had changed a lot. She sat on the grass, and all around her were trees and flowers. She looked to her left and saw what she had dreamed about all that time. The castle, Caspian’s home. She stood up, noticing she still had her English dress on. She started to run, faster and faster. The sooner she got to him, the better. The big entrance gates were closed, but Susan slammed on them with her fist.
‘Open up, Queen Susan Pevensie is here!”, she yelled, trying to get somebody’s attention.
After hitting the door three times, the gates opened up. The first thing she saw was a lion, standing in the middle of the courtyard.
“I was expecting you”, was all he said.
“Aslan! Oh Aslan, words can not express how happy I am to see you”, she said, and ran towards him. She hugged his manes, caressing his back.
“How did you… Why am I here?”, she asked, but Aslan shook his head.
“That’s enough of the cuddling and asking. Go see Caspian, he’s the reason you’re here”, Aslan spoke, and Susan let go of him.
She knew exactly where his room was, and ran like she never ran before. She passed torches and hallways with lots of doors. She came to the end of one hallway, leading towards a large, wooden door. She tried to open it, and found it wasn’t locked. She went inside, not caring whether Caspian was awake or not. The room was dark, but light from the hallway shined onto the huge bed. There he was, asleep and looking like an angel. Susan stood in the doorway for a moment, enjoying the view. She sighed and walked up towards the other side of the double bed. She sneaked under the sheets and gently moved towards him. She pushed her body against his back, softly. Her arm found his shoulder and she laid her hand on it. Her head was close to his neck, and she inhaled slowly to smell the sweet scent coming from his skin. Then, Caspian X made a sound and woke up a bit from what may have been another dream about his Susan. Still, Susan saw he was half asleep.
“Susan…”, Caspian mumbled, and Susan smiled in the dark.
Her touch was still familiar to him, and he had recognized her. He thought it was probably just a dream, but Susan couldn’t wait to see his reaction the next morning if he found out this was as real as himself.
“Merry Christmas, Caspian…”, she whispered, and put her lips on his neck.
“Hmm…”, the answer was, and Susan bit her lip out of joy.
Explanations weren’t necessary yet. Tomorrow would be a new day and for now, all Susan wanted was to be with him. Her Caspian.