Mini Bang Fic: A Tale of Two Sisters, part 2
Title: A tale of two sisters
Author: pamymex3girl
Rating: PG
Pairings/characters: Susan, Lucy, mentions of Peter, Edmund and Aslan
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters nor the setting of the story.
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: first movie, briefly mentions the Last Battle
Summary: A long time ago, in Narnia, Susan fell ill. It was Lucy then, who took care of her. Now many years later it was Susan’s turn to care for Lucy, despite all that had happened since they lost Narnia. But none of it mattered because in the end they were sisters and they would love each other no matter what happened in their lives…
Part 2
‘A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.’
Isadora James
****
Lucy awoke before Susan came back.
Still she did not move from her bed, feeling weak and slightly feverish. Still she sat up after a few minutes, making sure she was dressed before Susan came up. She did not want to make Susan feel bad; she did not want to destroy the party she had been looking forward to for some time. When Susan came back upstairs, bringing with her a glass of orange juice for her little sister, she found Lucy sitting on her bed; she was dressed and smiling expectantly at her, as if just waiting for the show she knew was coming.
However, Susan knew something was wrong.
Lucy was being too quiet; Susan knew from experience that it was impossible for Lucy to sit quietly. She was constantly full of energy, constantly moving around; a happy smile on her face, always something to do. Now she just sat there, not moving, not even really looking at her. ‘What is it Lucy? Are you alright?’ ‘I’m fine, don’t worry. I just didn’t sleep very well so I’m still a little tired, but I can help you get ready.’ ‘Are you sure? Because I can wait, I can go downstairs while you get some more sleep.’ ‘No. I’m fine; really, you should try on the red dress. I think you look beautiful in it.’
Susan did not answer but merely looked at her, but Lucy would not say anymore.
****
It was getting worse, whatever it was.
She could feel it, the slight chill from before had become something more; she began shivering after a few minutes. Still this she could still ignore, Lucy did not need to know this; after all they were walking around in the rain, it was still normal. It wasn’t just the cold anymore either; the headache had grown steadily worse until it too could not be ignored longer; she was beginning to feel quite ill. Her legs were slightly shaking, but still she did not say anything; there was no need to worry Lucy everything will be alright.
Any minute they’d find the end of the forest or a Narnian would show up.
She did not know the legend of the Dark Woods, the one that said that whoever walked into it would be lost forever. Doomed to walk into circles, for no mortal could ever find the edge of the woods again. If there had been no rain the answer would have been simple, all she would have to do was blow the horn; someone would hear it and come to their rescue, but as it was they were lost. She, however, did not know this and still believed someone would come or that at least the rain would stop; but no-one came and the rain did not let up.
She would not be able to hold the pretense much longer either way.
****
Lucy smiled and joked just like she always did.
Susan tried on the red dress first just like Luce had told her too, and then she tried on the blue one (the one Edmund had given her for her birthday) and all the time Lucy seemed the same. Still Susan could almost feel that something was wrong, but she said nothing; it could be that Lucy was really just tired. However, it was strange to see Lucy, usually so full of energy, just sitting on the edge of the bed.
Lucy was beginning to feel quite ill; perhaps some more sleep would have been nice.
Even so, time passed them by, exactly like it always did, and for a while it truly did seem like it was noting; that with time she’d feel better. Outside, though neither really noticed, it was raining; just like it had rained before, if one looked at it, it would almost seem like the world was ending, but really it was just another afternoon. It did not matter at that moment; it would matter later but not then. However, they were not looking out the window Susan was sitting in front of the mirror, looking at Lucy sitting behind her, combing her hair.
‘Su, is it cold here? Or is it just me?’
****
She had been hoping it would at least stop raining.
The opposite happened, instead of stopping or at least slowing down it actually managed to rain more. She thought it hadn’t been possible, but it was; it was getting late too; she realized. It became harder to walk, because they could not see and because everything was getting more slippery; on top of that Susan was started to get the feeling they were going around in circles, and that they were never going to find the outside of the forest. This time it was Lucy, who fell and Susan tried to stop her from falling, but she could not.
Lucy sat down on her knees in the mud, not willing to move anymore.
‘We’re never going to get out of here.’ Susan wanted to tell her that everything would be alright, that someone would come, that the forest most at some point most come to an end; but she could not lie anymore; she did not believe it, and she knew her sister would not either. ‘Okay, we have to find shelter, somewhere dry and hopefully warm and just wait for the rain to stop, afterwards it will be easier. Okay?’ ‘Okay, but where do we go?’ She looked up turning slightly to the right and to the left, but as she did she could feel the nausea (which she had been fighting for hours) finally take hold, the world started turning very fast, and she could feel her knees giving in.
She swayed, coughing slightly and held out her hands, leaning against the tree.
‘Su? Are you okay, what’s wrong? Susan!’
****
It’s the part that Lucy loved the most.
She’d always loved watching her sister get ready, had always loved the way Susan would make a show out of it. However, what she loved the most about it was when Susan combed her hair or when she allowed Lucy to do it; just to sit there combing each other’s hair making sure it comes out alright, Lucy could spend hours just sitting there. She also loved the way Susan would comb her hair, softly and with care. A long time ago, when they were queen in Narnia and even before that when they were just small children in England, Susan would do this as well.
Sit behind her on the bed and comb her hair, somehow that had a calming effect.
It was in that moment what Susan was trying to do, calm her down; perhaps she’d feel a little better if she was more relaxed. Lucy could remember them doing that in Narnia as well, just Susan sitting behind her combing her hair, singing a song very gently: so gently that there were moments that Lucy thought she made that up, and she never managed to figure out what song she was singing exactly. It was the same one she was singing now and for a moment it seemed like they were there, that at any moment, Mr. Tumnus or one of the beavers would come bursting through the door.
(Lucy never allowed anyone but Susan to comb her hair, she’d allowed Peter to do it once, but he just
pulled her hair, and Edmund had never wanted to.)
She felt Susan’s hand against her forehead very suddenly, cool against warm.
‘You have a fever Luce, why didn’t you tell me you were feeling this ill?’
****
She could hear Lucy’s voice far away, in the distance.
However, the nausea had control in the moment, and she could not have said anything, even if she had been able to find the words to express how she was feeling. She could not explain it, the nausea, the turning of her stomach, the shaking of her body; it had come so suddenly that it almost knocked her out. She is steadied herself against the tree with one hand, while she bends over slightly trying to catch her breath.
‘Susan what do I do, what do you need? Susan?’
She could hear Lucy talking; she’d probably been talking for the last few minutes but only now does she realize what exactly she is saying. ‘It’s okay…it’s okay….I I just don’t feel so good.’ ‘Why are you ill? Hurt? What happened?’ ‘I don’t know; I don’t know. It’s going to be okay. We need to find shelter. Now.’
She would walk; she had to; they need shelter; they needed to find a place to rest, hopefully before she became too sick to walk. She felt her shoulder tingling but paid no attention to it while she held out her hand for Lucy to take hold of. ‘Let’s go, it’s going to be okay.’ But it wasn’t going to be okay; they quickly realized, for Susan took only a few steps before losing her footing landing in the mud that Lucy had lain in before.
‘Susan?’ ‘Okay, we have to go. But I’m going to need your help; you have to be strong, okay?’
And so they did, walking together through the woods searching for shelter, Susan leaning on Lucy, just like before Lucy had been leaning on Susan.
The Caves were like a gift from Heaven, suddenly they were just there.
****
Susan pulled the covers over Lucy, tucking her in.
‘You should go to sleep; it will be alright. I’m sure you’ll feel better once you rest a little more, okay?’ Lucy nods her head slowly closing her eyes as Susan brushed the hair from her face, still singing the same lovely song she had always sung. Lucy wished she could muster up the strength to ask which song it was exactly, but before she could find the right words sleep had already overtaken her. Her eyes slowly closed and Susan watched as her breathing slowed down.
Lucy did not sleep long before her fever caused her to have nightmares.
She tossed and turned, throwing the covers off; Susan was by her side in an instant trying to calm her, softly brushing the hair from her face trying to sooth her. Lucy set up suddenly bright awake. ‘Luce, hey, you are alright, how are you feeling?’ ‘I don’t feel so good; I feel strange.’ She could not say more before the coughing takes over, Susan robs her back softly trying to sooth her aches. ‘Okay, I’m going to go and get Peter, so he can get you a doctor okay?’ ‘No, stay here. Please don’t leave.’ ‘Lie back down, close your eyes and go to sleep.’
She curls up staring up at Susan’s face.
‘Susan, tell me a story.’
*****
The caves weren’t warm but at least there it was dry.
Lucy checked the cave holding her knife out in front of her in case of danger, not that she truly could have done anything if there had been any danger. She was not a fighter, never having learned and neither was Susan, despite having learned. Susan would have checked; she probably should have; however, she’d used up all her strength trying to get here and now she could no longer move. ‘It’s okay, there’s nothing here; we'll hide in the back of the cave its a little warmer there.’ She crawled to the back of the cave and leaned against the wall, trying to calm down.
Lucy crawled closely to her, and there they sat together as one.
‘How are you feeling?’ ‘Not so good,’ she would have lied, perhaps she should have, but she was so tired, ‘but it’s going to be okay; I probably just need to rest a little. You’ll see.’ The world was darkening just a little more every second, her vision blurring; she was shaking earnestly now, from the cold, although so was Lucy (the rain having soaked them both) so perhaps that had nothing to do with the illness. It felt strange, like a losing battle, and she could never have told you how it happened. They didn’t know what it was that ailed her, didn’t know about the mysterious deadly illnesses that plagued Narnia. Nor that one of them started with a stinging sensation in her shoulder.
And then Susan asked Lucy something she had never asked before.
‘Luce, tell me a story?’
*****
‘Peter! Peter, where are you?’
Susan ran down the stairs two at the time, searching for her older brother; why was he always there when you didn’t need him but never when you did? She found him sitting in the living room reading a book of all things; she knew he had heard her, but he seemed to think it was probably not important, so he had not moved.
‘There you are; I need you to do something.’
‘I’m not going out to pick up something you need for the party Su, in case you didn't notice it’s the worst
storm ever out there, so it’ll have to wait.’
‘I don’t need you to pick up something; Lucy is sick!’
‘What?’ ‘I need you to go out and get a doctor, any doctor.’
Susan turned around and ran to the kitchen, not even stopping to see if Peter did what she asked of him; if she knew one thing about him, it was that he loved Lucy, and he would more than definitely get the best doctor in town, if he could. For the first time since she woke she actually looked outside, and it did look like the worst storm ever, but it probably wasn’t. For a moment, just a moment she slowed down, taking a few deep breaths; everything would be alright; it would be, and surely it was nothing, just a simple flu.
But Lucy’s pale still form upstairs, coughing sometimes, tossing and turning with fever, haunted her.
It wasn’t alright.
*****
Edmund would think it someday, after Narnia but before Caspian.
He wouldn’t say, he’d spend the rest of his life pretending it had never crossed his mind.
However, it had, somehow, and he could never forget it.
‘What if you die in England? Do you go back to Narnia? Or do you pass over it, like it never mattered at all? Do you just go on?’
****
‘Having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be there.’
Amy Li
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Author: pamymex3girl
Rating: PG
Pairings/characters: Susan, Lucy, mentions of Peter, Edmund and Aslan
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters nor the setting of the story.
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: first movie, briefly mentions the Last Battle
Summary: A long time ago, in Narnia, Susan fell ill. It was Lucy then, who took care of her. Now many years later it was Susan’s turn to care for Lucy, despite all that had happened since they lost Narnia. But none of it mattered because in the end they were sisters and they would love each other no matter what happened in their lives…
Part 2
‘A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.’
Isadora James
****
Lucy awoke before Susan came back.
Still she did not move from her bed, feeling weak and slightly feverish. Still she sat up after a few minutes, making sure she was dressed before Susan came up. She did not want to make Susan feel bad; she did not want to destroy the party she had been looking forward to for some time. When Susan came back upstairs, bringing with her a glass of orange juice for her little sister, she found Lucy sitting on her bed; she was dressed and smiling expectantly at her, as if just waiting for the show she knew was coming.
However, Susan knew something was wrong.
Lucy was being too quiet; Susan knew from experience that it was impossible for Lucy to sit quietly. She was constantly full of energy, constantly moving around; a happy smile on her face, always something to do. Now she just sat there, not moving, not even really looking at her. ‘What is it Lucy? Are you alright?’ ‘I’m fine, don’t worry. I just didn’t sleep very well so I’m still a little tired, but I can help you get ready.’ ‘Are you sure? Because I can wait, I can go downstairs while you get some more sleep.’ ‘No. I’m fine; really, you should try on the red dress. I think you look beautiful in it.’
Susan did not answer but merely looked at her, but Lucy would not say anymore.
****
It was getting worse, whatever it was.
She could feel it, the slight chill from before had become something more; she began shivering after a few minutes. Still this she could still ignore, Lucy did not need to know this; after all they were walking around in the rain, it was still normal. It wasn’t just the cold anymore either; the headache had grown steadily worse until it too could not be ignored longer; she was beginning to feel quite ill. Her legs were slightly shaking, but still she did not say anything; there was no need to worry Lucy everything will be alright.
Any minute they’d find the end of the forest or a Narnian would show up.
She did not know the legend of the Dark Woods, the one that said that whoever walked into it would be lost forever. Doomed to walk into circles, for no mortal could ever find the edge of the woods again. If there had been no rain the answer would have been simple, all she would have to do was blow the horn; someone would hear it and come to their rescue, but as it was they were lost. She, however, did not know this and still believed someone would come or that at least the rain would stop; but no-one came and the rain did not let up.
She would not be able to hold the pretense much longer either way.
****
Lucy smiled and joked just like she always did.
Susan tried on the red dress first just like Luce had told her too, and then she tried on the blue one (the one Edmund had given her for her birthday) and all the time Lucy seemed the same. Still Susan could almost feel that something was wrong, but she said nothing; it could be that Lucy was really just tired. However, it was strange to see Lucy, usually so full of energy, just sitting on the edge of the bed.
Lucy was beginning to feel quite ill; perhaps some more sleep would have been nice.
Even so, time passed them by, exactly like it always did, and for a while it truly did seem like it was noting; that with time she’d feel better. Outside, though neither really noticed, it was raining; just like it had rained before, if one looked at it, it would almost seem like the world was ending, but really it was just another afternoon. It did not matter at that moment; it would matter later but not then. However, they were not looking out the window Susan was sitting in front of the mirror, looking at Lucy sitting behind her, combing her hair.
‘Su, is it cold here? Or is it just me?’
****
She had been hoping it would at least stop raining.
The opposite happened, instead of stopping or at least slowing down it actually managed to rain more. She thought it hadn’t been possible, but it was; it was getting late too; she realized. It became harder to walk, because they could not see and because everything was getting more slippery; on top of that Susan was started to get the feeling they were going around in circles, and that they were never going to find the outside of the forest. This time it was Lucy, who fell and Susan tried to stop her from falling, but she could not.
Lucy sat down on her knees in the mud, not willing to move anymore.
‘We’re never going to get out of here.’ Susan wanted to tell her that everything would be alright, that someone would come, that the forest most at some point most come to an end; but she could not lie anymore; she did not believe it, and she knew her sister would not either. ‘Okay, we have to find shelter, somewhere dry and hopefully warm and just wait for the rain to stop, afterwards it will be easier. Okay?’ ‘Okay, but where do we go?’ She looked up turning slightly to the right and to the left, but as she did she could feel the nausea (which she had been fighting for hours) finally take hold, the world started turning very fast, and she could feel her knees giving in.
She swayed, coughing slightly and held out her hands, leaning against the tree.
‘Su? Are you okay, what’s wrong? Susan!’
****
It’s the part that Lucy loved the most.
She’d always loved watching her sister get ready, had always loved the way Susan would make a show out of it. However, what she loved the most about it was when Susan combed her hair or when she allowed Lucy to do it; just to sit there combing each other’s hair making sure it comes out alright, Lucy could spend hours just sitting there. She also loved the way Susan would comb her hair, softly and with care. A long time ago, when they were queen in Narnia and even before that when they were just small children in England, Susan would do this as well.
Sit behind her on the bed and comb her hair, somehow that had a calming effect.
It was in that moment what Susan was trying to do, calm her down; perhaps she’d feel a little better if she was more relaxed. Lucy could remember them doing that in Narnia as well, just Susan sitting behind her combing her hair, singing a song very gently: so gently that there were moments that Lucy thought she made that up, and she never managed to figure out what song she was singing exactly. It was the same one she was singing now and for a moment it seemed like they were there, that at any moment, Mr. Tumnus or one of the beavers would come bursting through the door.
(Lucy never allowed anyone but Susan to comb her hair, she’d allowed Peter to do it once, but he just
pulled her hair, and Edmund had never wanted to.)
She felt Susan’s hand against her forehead very suddenly, cool against warm.
‘You have a fever Luce, why didn’t you tell me you were feeling this ill?’
****
She could hear Lucy’s voice far away, in the distance.
However, the nausea had control in the moment, and she could not have said anything, even if she had been able to find the words to express how she was feeling. She could not explain it, the nausea, the turning of her stomach, the shaking of her body; it had come so suddenly that it almost knocked her out. She is steadied herself against the tree with one hand, while she bends over slightly trying to catch her breath.
‘Susan what do I do, what do you need? Susan?’
She could hear Lucy talking; she’d probably been talking for the last few minutes but only now does she realize what exactly she is saying. ‘It’s okay…it’s okay….I I just don’t feel so good.’ ‘Why are you ill? Hurt? What happened?’ ‘I don’t know; I don’t know. It’s going to be okay. We need to find shelter. Now.’
She would walk; she had to; they need shelter; they needed to find a place to rest, hopefully before she became too sick to walk. She felt her shoulder tingling but paid no attention to it while she held out her hand for Lucy to take hold of. ‘Let’s go, it’s going to be okay.’ But it wasn’t going to be okay; they quickly realized, for Susan took only a few steps before losing her footing landing in the mud that Lucy had lain in before.
‘Susan?’ ‘Okay, we have to go. But I’m going to need your help; you have to be strong, okay?’
And so they did, walking together through the woods searching for shelter, Susan leaning on Lucy, just like before Lucy had been leaning on Susan.
The Caves were like a gift from Heaven, suddenly they were just there.
****
Susan pulled the covers over Lucy, tucking her in.
‘You should go to sleep; it will be alright. I’m sure you’ll feel better once you rest a little more, okay?’ Lucy nods her head slowly closing her eyes as Susan brushed the hair from her face, still singing the same lovely song she had always sung. Lucy wished she could muster up the strength to ask which song it was exactly, but before she could find the right words sleep had already overtaken her. Her eyes slowly closed and Susan watched as her breathing slowed down.
Lucy did not sleep long before her fever caused her to have nightmares.
She tossed and turned, throwing the covers off; Susan was by her side in an instant trying to calm her, softly brushing the hair from her face trying to sooth her. Lucy set up suddenly bright awake. ‘Luce, hey, you are alright, how are you feeling?’ ‘I don’t feel so good; I feel strange.’ She could not say more before the coughing takes over, Susan robs her back softly trying to sooth her aches. ‘Okay, I’m going to go and get Peter, so he can get you a doctor okay?’ ‘No, stay here. Please don’t leave.’ ‘Lie back down, close your eyes and go to sleep.’
She curls up staring up at Susan’s face.
‘Susan, tell me a story.’
*****
The caves weren’t warm but at least there it was dry.
Lucy checked the cave holding her knife out in front of her in case of danger, not that she truly could have done anything if there had been any danger. She was not a fighter, never having learned and neither was Susan, despite having learned. Susan would have checked; she probably should have; however, she’d used up all her strength trying to get here and now she could no longer move. ‘It’s okay, there’s nothing here; we'll hide in the back of the cave its a little warmer there.’ She crawled to the back of the cave and leaned against the wall, trying to calm down.
Lucy crawled closely to her, and there they sat together as one.
‘How are you feeling?’ ‘Not so good,’ she would have lied, perhaps she should have, but she was so tired, ‘but it’s going to be okay; I probably just need to rest a little. You’ll see.’ The world was darkening just a little more every second, her vision blurring; she was shaking earnestly now, from the cold, although so was Lucy (the rain having soaked them both) so perhaps that had nothing to do with the illness. It felt strange, like a losing battle, and she could never have told you how it happened. They didn’t know what it was that ailed her, didn’t know about the mysterious deadly illnesses that plagued Narnia. Nor that one of them started with a stinging sensation in her shoulder.
And then Susan asked Lucy something she had never asked before.
‘Luce, tell me a story?’
*****
‘Peter! Peter, where are you?’
Susan ran down the stairs two at the time, searching for her older brother; why was he always there when you didn’t need him but never when you did? She found him sitting in the living room reading a book of all things; she knew he had heard her, but he seemed to think it was probably not important, so he had not moved.
‘There you are; I need you to do something.’
‘I’m not going out to pick up something you need for the party Su, in case you didn't notice it’s the worst
storm ever out there, so it’ll have to wait.’
‘I don’t need you to pick up something; Lucy is sick!’
‘What?’ ‘I need you to go out and get a doctor, any doctor.’
Susan turned around and ran to the kitchen, not even stopping to see if Peter did what she asked of him; if she knew one thing about him, it was that he loved Lucy, and he would more than definitely get the best doctor in town, if he could. For the first time since she woke she actually looked outside, and it did look like the worst storm ever, but it probably wasn’t. For a moment, just a moment she slowed down, taking a few deep breaths; everything would be alright; it would be, and surely it was nothing, just a simple flu.
But Lucy’s pale still form upstairs, coughing sometimes, tossing and turning with fever, haunted her.
It wasn’t alright.
*****
Edmund would think it someday, after Narnia but before Caspian.
He wouldn’t say, he’d spend the rest of his life pretending it had never crossed his mind.
However, it had, somehow, and he could never forget it.
‘What if you die in England? Do you go back to Narnia? Or do you pass over it, like it never mattered at all? Do you just go on?’
****
‘Having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be there.’
Amy Li
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5