Fic - The Price of Strawberries
Title: The Price of Strawberries
Rating: K
Pairing: Susan/Caspian
Summary: Susan and Caspian team up to raid a room of particular interest…
Disclaimer: The only thing I could possibly hope of owning would be a stray hair from Caspian’s head. But, alas, that is not to be for me today.
A/N: Late entry for the Weekly Drabble challenge #1 at susancaspian.
“Now, this is a matter of great importance.” Caspian and Susan huddled in a shadow outside of a pair of castle doors. “Lives depend on the success of this mission.”
“And you’re sure Peter can’t come along?” Susan asked.
Caspian tilted his head to the side a bit. “You know how the High King and I are. He would not approve.”
Susan concentrated on this fact for a moment before nodding. “You’re right, of course. But you’re sure no one’s inside at this time of day? It seems awfully risky.”
“I lived here my whole life. I know the schedule of nearly every worker.” Caspian’s lips perked up a bit. “However, we must make sure we understand the plan. We sneak in, take the important items, and sneak back out.”
“And the cost of our getting caught?”
“Utter humiliation.” Caspian’s hand reached for a dagger hanging on his belt, but Susan quietly coughed. At his questioning glance, she pointed to a much more important weapon, hanging next to his dagger.
A small satchel.
“If you get to the fruits before I do,” Susan whispered, readying her own bag, “make sure you grab some strawberries. I’ve been craving them for days.” Caspian bowed his head toward her, a smirk on his face.
“As you wish, Your Highness.”
They slowly creaked open the door, two faces, Caspian's above Susan's, appearing in the crack. Seeing no one in the kitchen, they began their work of mischief. Caspian took one side of the room while Susan surveyed the other. For a few moments, they picked over the foods laying out on the tables and consulted with each other in loud whispers whether some food should be considered or not.
As they were about to meet at the center of the kitchen (which happened to be where the fruits and vegetables were stationed), a door opposite of the one they entered opened suddenly. Caspian and Susan looked at each other, wide-eyed, for a split second before the former threw himself to the floor, hoping no one noticed his presence. Susan looked back to the door and scrambled to come up with an excuse.
“What are you doing in my kitchen?” A small, middle-aged woman jogged toward Susan and placed herself, hands on hips, in front of the young queen. Her face possessed a stern expression and Susan found herself remembering Mrs. Macready. She couldn’t help but smile a little bit. “Do you find this funny?”
Susan wiped her face of emotion and shook her head.
“Good. But tell me, why are you here? If I find that Caspian in here, I’ll give him a whipping he’ll remember for good.”
Susan had to stifle a laugh as she saw a hand reach up over a table behind the kitchen maid and blindly grab a loaf of bread. Focusing again on the maid, she smoothly answered, “I’m here to make sure the preparations for tonight’s celebrations are in order.”
The maid rolled her eyes. “Of course they are, My Lady, I know how to prepare a great meal.”
Susan smiled and watched as Caspian crawled behind the center table. “Yes, I wasn’t saying you didn’t know what you were doing, but…”
Susan continued to smile as Caspian’s eyes popped over the tabletop, instantly darting back and forth between all the foods. The maid began to tap her foot impatiently. “But what?”
Susan looked back toward her. “But…er…Lu-Queen Lucy doesn’t like a certain kind of food and I don’t want her to be displeased tonight.” Watching Caspian again, she had to keep from smiling as five fingers danced in the air, as if deciding what to loot next. They finally stretched out, but reached just short of some strawberries. With one eyebrow raised, Caspian stretched out his hand just a little farther and succeeded in knocking over a small basket of peppers.
The maid twirled around in a rage. “What in Telmar?” Caspian’s head and hand ducked out of sight just in time. “If that’s another mouse coming to sneak my food, I’ll have something to say to King-I mean, whoever’s in charge now.” She looked away, embarrassed at her slip-up. “But you were saying about Queen Lucy?”
“Oh! She doesn’t like…er…” Susan looked around for anything that could give her inspiration. “Onions!”
The maid pursed her lips and looked Susan square in the eye. “Queen Lucy came to me earlier and said she does not mind onions.”
“Well,” Susan drew out the word, “that’s because she only likes them if they’re well-cooked and not still freshly cut.” She saw the pepper basket reappear and heard a slight scuffing sound as Caspian moved closer to the strawberries. Susan continued to smile at the maid, hoping she would find nothing amiss.
The maid sighed and made to move away when she caught something out of the corner of her eye.
Two somethings, to be exact.
“My Lady, not to pry, but what is that you have in your hand?” Susan looked down at the satchel, which happened to have the cork of a wine bottle just visible. Susan looked back up quickly and gave a suspicious chuckle before closing the bag.
“Well, you could say that Prince - King, I suppose is the correct term now - Caspian wanted some refreshment and sent me down.”
The maid’s eyes narrowed, her creases in her face becoming more evident. “A lot of people seem to be making you errand girl today.”
Susan shrugged, playing along. “I suppose that’s the price of strawberries - I mean, being queen!” At this, she turned on her heel and ran back to the door, Caspian not far behind, a small box of strawberries in his hand.
They reached the door and closed it right as they heard a shrill voice yell out, “Caspian, you dirty rat, I knew you were in on this!”
He looked as Susan and said, a spark in his eye, “To the stables, and then the woods!” They shared a mischievous laugh and made it to the woods without any further disruptions.
As they sat under the shade of the trees, still laughing at their accomplished mission, they shared their spoils of the raid. Between the two of them, they had pilfered a round of cheese, a loaf of bread, a random assortment of truffles, a bottle of white wine (to which Susan gasped, “We have no glasses!”), and, most importantly, strawberries. As they ate, Caspian realized that he had never enjoyed food more in his life.
“It is funny. I grew up on feasts all my life, but this tastes so much better than I ever imaged it could.” He smiled at Susan before taking a swig from the wine bottle.
She took the bottle from him and took a sip of her own, suddenly forgetting her small outburst at the lack of glassware. “This is what you call the fruits of your labors. It tastes better because we’ve worked for it this time.”
“You sound as if you’ve done this before.” Caspian eyed her warily, but with a smile on his lips.
Susan looked down, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “I did every now and then back at Cair Paravel. I love strawberries, as you now know, and wanted them at the oddest hours. So what could a poor girl do? I would sneak down to the kitchens and sweet-talk the cooks to get what I wanted. But I must admit, this way of acquiring the goods is much more fun.”
“Especially if you are not alone in the thievery, no?” Caspian ripped off a piece of cheese and stuck it on a scrap of bread.
“Definitely if you’re not alone.”
Rating: K
Pairing: Susan/Caspian
Summary: Susan and Caspian team up to raid a room of particular interest…
Disclaimer: The only thing I could possibly hope of owning would be a stray hair from Caspian’s head. But, alas, that is not to be for me today.
A/N: Late entry for the Weekly Drabble challenge #1 at susancaspian.
“Now, this is a matter of great importance.” Caspian and Susan huddled in a shadow outside of a pair of castle doors. “Lives depend on the success of this mission.”
“And you’re sure Peter can’t come along?” Susan asked.
Caspian tilted his head to the side a bit. “You know how the High King and I are. He would not approve.”
Susan concentrated on this fact for a moment before nodding. “You’re right, of course. But you’re sure no one’s inside at this time of day? It seems awfully risky.”
“I lived here my whole life. I know the schedule of nearly every worker.” Caspian’s lips perked up a bit. “However, we must make sure we understand the plan. We sneak in, take the important items, and sneak back out.”
“And the cost of our getting caught?”
“Utter humiliation.” Caspian’s hand reached for a dagger hanging on his belt, but Susan quietly coughed. At his questioning glance, she pointed to a much more important weapon, hanging next to his dagger.
A small satchel.
“If you get to the fruits before I do,” Susan whispered, readying her own bag, “make sure you grab some strawberries. I’ve been craving them for days.” Caspian bowed his head toward her, a smirk on his face.
“As you wish, Your Highness.”
They slowly creaked open the door, two faces, Caspian's above Susan's, appearing in the crack. Seeing no one in the kitchen, they began their work of mischief. Caspian took one side of the room while Susan surveyed the other. For a few moments, they picked over the foods laying out on the tables and consulted with each other in loud whispers whether some food should be considered or not.
As they were about to meet at the center of the kitchen (which happened to be where the fruits and vegetables were stationed), a door opposite of the one they entered opened suddenly. Caspian and Susan looked at each other, wide-eyed, for a split second before the former threw himself to the floor, hoping no one noticed his presence. Susan looked back to the door and scrambled to come up with an excuse.
“What are you doing in my kitchen?” A small, middle-aged woman jogged toward Susan and placed herself, hands on hips, in front of the young queen. Her face possessed a stern expression and Susan found herself remembering Mrs. Macready. She couldn’t help but smile a little bit. “Do you find this funny?”
Susan wiped her face of emotion and shook her head.
“Good. But tell me, why are you here? If I find that Caspian in here, I’ll give him a whipping he’ll remember for good.”
Susan had to stifle a laugh as she saw a hand reach up over a table behind the kitchen maid and blindly grab a loaf of bread. Focusing again on the maid, she smoothly answered, “I’m here to make sure the preparations for tonight’s celebrations are in order.”
The maid rolled her eyes. “Of course they are, My Lady, I know how to prepare a great meal.”
Susan smiled and watched as Caspian crawled behind the center table. “Yes, I wasn’t saying you didn’t know what you were doing, but…”
Susan continued to smile as Caspian’s eyes popped over the tabletop, instantly darting back and forth between all the foods. The maid began to tap her foot impatiently. “But what?”
Susan looked back toward her. “But…er…Lu-Queen Lucy doesn’t like a certain kind of food and I don’t want her to be displeased tonight.” Watching Caspian again, she had to keep from smiling as five fingers danced in the air, as if deciding what to loot next. They finally stretched out, but reached just short of some strawberries. With one eyebrow raised, Caspian stretched out his hand just a little farther and succeeded in knocking over a small basket of peppers.
The maid twirled around in a rage. “What in Telmar?” Caspian’s head and hand ducked out of sight just in time. “If that’s another mouse coming to sneak my food, I’ll have something to say to King-I mean, whoever’s in charge now.” She looked away, embarrassed at her slip-up. “But you were saying about Queen Lucy?”
“Oh! She doesn’t like…er…” Susan looked around for anything that could give her inspiration. “Onions!”
The maid pursed her lips and looked Susan square in the eye. “Queen Lucy came to me earlier and said she does not mind onions.”
“Well,” Susan drew out the word, “that’s because she only likes them if they’re well-cooked and not still freshly cut.” She saw the pepper basket reappear and heard a slight scuffing sound as Caspian moved closer to the strawberries. Susan continued to smile at the maid, hoping she would find nothing amiss.
The maid sighed and made to move away when she caught something out of the corner of her eye.
Two somethings, to be exact.
“My Lady, not to pry, but what is that you have in your hand?” Susan looked down at the satchel, which happened to have the cork of a wine bottle just visible. Susan looked back up quickly and gave a suspicious chuckle before closing the bag.
“Well, you could say that Prince - King, I suppose is the correct term now - Caspian wanted some refreshment and sent me down.”
The maid’s eyes narrowed, her creases in her face becoming more evident. “A lot of people seem to be making you errand girl today.”
Susan shrugged, playing along. “I suppose that’s the price of strawberries - I mean, being queen!” At this, she turned on her heel and ran back to the door, Caspian not far behind, a small box of strawberries in his hand.
They reached the door and closed it right as they heard a shrill voice yell out, “Caspian, you dirty rat, I knew you were in on this!”
He looked as Susan and said, a spark in his eye, “To the stables, and then the woods!” They shared a mischievous laugh and made it to the woods without any further disruptions.
As they sat under the shade of the trees, still laughing at their accomplished mission, they shared their spoils of the raid. Between the two of them, they had pilfered a round of cheese, a loaf of bread, a random assortment of truffles, a bottle of white wine (to which Susan gasped, “We have no glasses!”), and, most importantly, strawberries. As they ate, Caspian realized that he had never enjoyed food more in his life.
“It is funny. I grew up on feasts all my life, but this tastes so much better than I ever imaged it could.” He smiled at Susan before taking a swig from the wine bottle.
She took the bottle from him and took a sip of her own, suddenly forgetting her small outburst at the lack of glassware. “This is what you call the fruits of your labors. It tastes better because we’ve worked for it this time.”
“You sound as if you’ve done this before.” Caspian eyed her warily, but with a smile on his lips.
Susan looked down, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “I did every now and then back at Cair Paravel. I love strawberries, as you now know, and wanted them at the oddest hours. So what could a poor girl do? I would sneak down to the kitchens and sweet-talk the cooks to get what I wanted. But I must admit, this way of acquiring the goods is much more fun.”
“Especially if you are not alone in the thievery, no?” Caspian ripped off a piece of cheese and stuck it on a scrap of bread.
“Definitely if you’re not alone.”