Fanfic : Crossing Borders
Title: Crossing Borders
Author maaike_fluffy
Fandom: The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian movie-verse
Pairing: Caspian/Susan
Rating: Fiction rated K
Disclaimer: The Chronicles of Narnia were created and written by C. S. Lewis. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Prince Caspian and the Pevensies continue their life after their farewell, but none of them can stop dwelling on the past.Then Caspian makes a decision; If she can't come to him, then he'll have to find her. Movie-verse. Not beta-ed.
Chapter 1: The Horn and the Tree
Chapter 2: The Crown of Narnia
Chapter 3: The Shadows Behind the Tree
Chapter 4: Relapse
Chapter 5: Failure
Chapter 6: The Beast Behind the Bush
Chapter 7: The House and the Woman
Progress with setbacks
Caspian stepped out of the car wide-eyed and rather shakily. When Rose had told him she’d take him to the train station, he had expected some kind of cart or carriage. Not this. Caspian failed entirely to understand how this device could move-so fast!-with no animal of any kind pulling it along. He chalked it up to the extraordinary technology and tried to think of it no more; it made his head ache.
“Are you sure you’re alright, dear?” Rose asked as she stepped out of the vehicle. “You look rather green.”
“No, I’m alright.” Caspian assured her and slung his bag of clothes over his shoulder. Rose had given him some clothes that her son had left behind when he left for the army. Clearly, Rose’s son was smaller than Caspian, because the fabric was rather tight around his arms and torso, and the legs of his pants were too short, but Rose insisted it was better than what he had been wearing before. Though slightly uncomfortable in this strange garment, Caspian felt he’d better look like everyone else.
“Come on, then. Follow me.” Rose led the way up a sloping path of dirt. The path passed by a stone platform with a single cabin and several spindly-looking wooden benches with chipped paint. Above a faded white fence hung a large sign reading; Coombe halt. Right before the platform there were two long steel bars running across the ground, both ends disappearing in the endless mass of grass, trees and hills. Caspian realised those must be the tracks that Lucy had told him about. He looked up again, just in time to see Rose slip and stumble, and he seized her elbow to steady her.
“Oh! Why, thank you, dear. I’m afraid my legs are no longer what they used to be. Oh, I did enjoy long walks when I was younger.” She patted his hand. “We have to hurry; the train will be here soon and we have yet to buy tickets.”
Buy? Caspian halted in his tracks, and since Rose was holding onto his arm she noticed immediately.
“What’s wrong, dear?”
“I-I’m afraid I can’t pay for… I don’t have any money.” That wasn’t strictly true; as King of Narnia he had plenty of gold-there was a satchel full of it in his bag-but he understood this strange world well enough by now to know that nothing was the same, and that his currency would definitely not be accepted. “I’m afraid I’ll have to walk.”
“Nonsense, you’ll do no such thing. I’ll pay for you. No buts.” Rose added when Caspian started to object. “I am an old woman in a house that is too big for me. I have plenty of money, but nobody to spent it with. My dear husband, God rest his soul, has died many years back, and my son left for the war. You have been wonderful company, dear, and you’ve saved me from yet another lonely day. This is how I thank you.”
Caspian continued to mutter his thanks and gratitude all the way to the train station, but Rose would simply wave it away.
Caspian winced as the train came to a screeching halt, but he didn’t dare take his eyes off it. This is used for transportation? The train was large and painted in a shining green. Caspian nervously eyed the smoke that billowed from a chimney at the front. Was it on fire? Nobody else seemed to be alarmed, so Caspian assumed the fire was not threatening. Then the doors opened and a handful of people stepped out, clutching briefcases. Caspian noticed they were dressed very much like him, except for some men wearing strange looking hats.
“There you are, dear, just in time.” Rose seemed completely oblivious to Caspian’s amazement and handed him some sort of yellowish paper. “Now remember, in King’s Cross you need to take the train to Finchley.” Caspian nodded, she had explained this to him before. He briefly wondered why the station was called King’s Cross, and what kind of person the King of this land…England…was, but there was no time to ask. Rose urged him inside, and before he knew it, the doors were starting to close.
“Look me up again when you have a chance, dear.” Rose said. “I enjoy your company.” The doors closed in Caspian’s face, making it impossible for him to reply, but he nodded at Rose trough the glass. I will, if I can He promised her.
Then, with a jolt, the train started moving. Caspian lost sight of Rose as the world behind the glass started shifting; slow at first but quickly gathering speed. Caspian’s first impression was that he didn’t very much like these train things. The moved too fast for his comfort, especially considering the fact that Caspian still failed to understand what it was that gave the train it’s speed and direction. Also, the rocking motion of the train kept throwing him off balance. Though he was used to the rocking of horses, these movements were unpredictable. However, once Caspian had found himself a soft seat-walking with both hands on the walls to steady himself-in an empty carriage, he started to appreciate the train much more. The large window to the side gave him an excellent view of the country. At first it simply showed more grass fields, but with the passing of time the scenery grew wilder. Caspian saw hills, rivers and forests, though never quite like Narnia. He often passed cities too-closely inhabited area’s with streets and stone houses like Rose’s and Professor Kirke’s, albeit slightly smaller-and large roads lined with cars very much like Rose’s. He started to wonder how fast they were travelling exactly, and how long it would take him to travel through Narnia in this device. But mostly he was wondering when he ought to get out. The train stopped several times, and people bustled through the hallways whenever it did. Caspian knew he ought to get out at a station called King’s Cross, and peered through the window in search for a sign similar to the one that had hung so prominently over Coombe Halt. So far he had only seen signs with other strange and unfamiliar names. The sun set as Caspian stared at of the window. Despite his unease, he could feel himself growing sleepy. He hadn’t slept in over two days, and the excitement had kept him from noticing how tired he was. But here, in these soft chairs, were he was expected to wait for his arrival, fatigue washed over him and the lulling, rocking motion of the train sent him to sleep.
Susan looked out of her bedroom window, staring at the setting sun. It was strange to think that tomorrow would simply be a school day. That life continued as if nothing had ever interrupted it. That she’d pass Strand Station twice tomorrow, back and forth, and find that it was no longer a hidden portal to a magical place, but merely a part of her daily life.
She was never going back. Aslan had said it, and she knew it was true. It made it easier, somehow, to move on, knowing that she didn’t have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life. Knowing that she didn’t have to count on being swept away at any moment, but that her life was here, and that she ought to start thinking about that. She wondered how Lucy and Edmund were faring, knowing that they might return someday. Susan heard the sound of bare feet slapping on the cold stone and turned around to see Lucy in her light blue nightdress.
“Will you miss Narnia?” She asked in a quiet voice, and Susan knew that she, too, had been thinking about how Susan would never return. A deep sigh, and Susan gave her sister a sad smile. “I will. Everyday. For the rest of my life, probably. And Susan knew that that too, was true.
Caspian didn’t know what it was exactly that had woken him, and his mind was too befuddled to think clearly. It took him a moment to remember where he was-his surroundings looked strange-then he remembered his travel and jolted awake. I ought not to have fallen asleep!
A quick glance outside told him two things; it was fully dark outside and the train had stopped moving. He cursed himself for closing his eyes, even for a second. Aslan knows where this train might have taken me. Caspian stood up and walked to the window at the other side of the carriage. He seemed to be inside some kind of large brick building, with flameless lights on the ceiling, bathing everything in an orange glow. Despite it’s size it looked rather deserted. There were Come to think of it, Caspian could no longer see any other passengers in the train either. How long exactly had the strain been standing here? Looking around him, Caspian wondered what to do. Then he grabbed his bag and slung in over his back, uncertainly exiting the train.
Caspian felt uncomfortable leaving the train; what if this wasn’t the right stop and the train left without him? “Excuse me?” He said to the first person he saw. A man with a long brown strange-looking coat walked a little further ahead at a brisk pace, but he man walked right on without looking up. Caspian was forced to stray a little further from the train. There, behind a window, sat another man.
“Excuse me?”
“How can I be of service, Sir?”
“Could you tell me where we are?” Caspian asked, happy to have found someone who seemed to be willing to help him.
The man raised an eyebrow. “Well, London, of course, sir.”
“I need to go to… Kings Cross.” Caspian clarified. All the names made no sense to him. London was a familiar name by now, but it wasn’t the name of the station where he had to exit.
“This is Kings Cross, Sir.”
Caspian sighed in relief. So he had stepped out at the right station. With a slightly lighter heart he asked; “I’m going to Finchley. Could you tell me where to find the next train?”
Unfortunately, Caspian’s relief was short-lived. “I’m sorry, Sir. I’m afraid the last train already departed. The first train tomorrow will depart at five past six, from platform 14 over there…”
Caspian’s face fell. “Is there no other way?”.
“You could try a cab, sir, but it won’t be cheap.”
And I have no money… Caspian remembered. All he had were his Narnian clothes he couldn’t wear and a satchel of gold he couldn’t spend. And his train ticket. Caspian felt for it in his pocket; it seemed to be the only possession that was actually worth something here. He’d have to wait until the morning. Muttering his thanks to the man that had helped him, Caspian turned to walk to the empty platform. Thankfully, the air was still warm; at least he wouldn’t have to sleep in the cold like he’d had to in Narnia.
There were metal benches on the platform. They did not look particularly comfortable, but Caspian decided it would be better than sleeping on the stone floor. Shifting his bag over his shoulder, he started walking towards it, but he hadn’t taken three steps when he noticed not the entire station was deserted. By the orange glow of the flameless lights on the ceiling, Caspian could clearly make out the shapes of three people. Two of them-a man and a woman-walked side by side, talking animatedly. And there, slightly behind them…
“Susan?” Caspian whispered in wonder. He halted in his tracks for a better look at the girl. She was standing with her back turned towards him, but the shiny, brown, and slightly curly hair looked very familiar indeed.
“Susan!” Caspian dropped his back, and started walking towards her. “Susan!” He shouted again, louder this time. He started running towards her, wanting to reach her before she disappeared through the exits, but halted when she turned around to look at him in confusion. She didn’t look anything like Susan. Now that he saw her properly Caspian noticed she had the wrong build too; Susan was shorter.
The girl that wasn’t Susan stared at Caspian suspiciously as he turned to pick his belongings from the ground and make his way over to the bench. Fool! They are long gone! He had no choice now but to wait for the first train tomorrow. Maybe his bag could serve as a pillow, seeing as how the contents were soft. Caspian sighed as he sat down.
So far this world wasn’t exactly easy on him, but Caspian found that, despite all this toil, he was still happy to be here. After all, I’ve never heard of an adventure that wasn’t hard or difficult at some point. He wondered if the Kings and Queens had felt as lost as he did now when they had first stumbled upon Narnia. At the end of the day, Caspian did not regret leaving Narnia, and that thought comforted him greatly as he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him once again.
Author maaike_fluffy
Fandom: The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian movie-verse
Pairing: Caspian/Susan
Rating: Fiction rated K
Disclaimer: The Chronicles of Narnia were created and written by C. S. Lewis. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Prince Caspian and the Pevensies continue their life after their farewell, but none of them can stop dwelling on the past.Then Caspian makes a decision; If she can't come to him, then he'll have to find her. Movie-verse. Not beta-ed.
Chapter 1: The Horn and the Tree
Chapter 2: The Crown of Narnia
Chapter 3: The Shadows Behind the Tree
Chapter 4: Relapse
Chapter 5: Failure
Chapter 6: The Beast Behind the Bush
Chapter 7: The House and the Woman
Progress with setbacks
Caspian stepped out of the car wide-eyed and rather shakily. When Rose had told him she’d take him to the train station, he had expected some kind of cart or carriage. Not this. Caspian failed entirely to understand how this device could move-so fast!-with no animal of any kind pulling it along. He chalked it up to the extraordinary technology and tried to think of it no more; it made his head ache.
“Are you sure you’re alright, dear?” Rose asked as she stepped out of the vehicle. “You look rather green.”
“No, I’m alright.” Caspian assured her and slung his bag of clothes over his shoulder. Rose had given him some clothes that her son had left behind when he left for the army. Clearly, Rose’s son was smaller than Caspian, because the fabric was rather tight around his arms and torso, and the legs of his pants were too short, but Rose insisted it was better than what he had been wearing before. Though slightly uncomfortable in this strange garment, Caspian felt he’d better look like everyone else.
“Come on, then. Follow me.” Rose led the way up a sloping path of dirt. The path passed by a stone platform with a single cabin and several spindly-looking wooden benches with chipped paint. Above a faded white fence hung a large sign reading; Coombe halt. Right before the platform there were two long steel bars running across the ground, both ends disappearing in the endless mass of grass, trees and hills. Caspian realised those must be the tracks that Lucy had told him about. He looked up again, just in time to see Rose slip and stumble, and he seized her elbow to steady her.
“Oh! Why, thank you, dear. I’m afraid my legs are no longer what they used to be. Oh, I did enjoy long walks when I was younger.” She patted his hand. “We have to hurry; the train will be here soon and we have yet to buy tickets.”
Buy? Caspian halted in his tracks, and since Rose was holding onto his arm she noticed immediately.
“What’s wrong, dear?”
“I-I’m afraid I can’t pay for… I don’t have any money.” That wasn’t strictly true; as King of Narnia he had plenty of gold-there was a satchel full of it in his bag-but he understood this strange world well enough by now to know that nothing was the same, and that his currency would definitely not be accepted. “I’m afraid I’ll have to walk.”
“Nonsense, you’ll do no such thing. I’ll pay for you. No buts.” Rose added when Caspian started to object. “I am an old woman in a house that is too big for me. I have plenty of money, but nobody to spent it with. My dear husband, God rest his soul, has died many years back, and my son left for the war. You have been wonderful company, dear, and you’ve saved me from yet another lonely day. This is how I thank you.”
Caspian continued to mutter his thanks and gratitude all the way to the train station, but Rose would simply wave it away.
Caspian winced as the train came to a screeching halt, but he didn’t dare take his eyes off it. This is used for transportation? The train was large and painted in a shining green. Caspian nervously eyed the smoke that billowed from a chimney at the front. Was it on fire? Nobody else seemed to be alarmed, so Caspian assumed the fire was not threatening. Then the doors opened and a handful of people stepped out, clutching briefcases. Caspian noticed they were dressed very much like him, except for some men wearing strange looking hats.
“There you are, dear, just in time.” Rose seemed completely oblivious to Caspian’s amazement and handed him some sort of yellowish paper. “Now remember, in King’s Cross you need to take the train to Finchley.” Caspian nodded, she had explained this to him before. He briefly wondered why the station was called King’s Cross, and what kind of person the King of this land…England…was, but there was no time to ask. Rose urged him inside, and before he knew it, the doors were starting to close.
“Look me up again when you have a chance, dear.” Rose said. “I enjoy your company.” The doors closed in Caspian’s face, making it impossible for him to reply, but he nodded at Rose trough the glass. I will, if I can He promised her.
Then, with a jolt, the train started moving. Caspian lost sight of Rose as the world behind the glass started shifting; slow at first but quickly gathering speed. Caspian’s first impression was that he didn’t very much like these train things. The moved too fast for his comfort, especially considering the fact that Caspian still failed to understand what it was that gave the train it’s speed and direction. Also, the rocking motion of the train kept throwing him off balance. Though he was used to the rocking of horses, these movements were unpredictable. However, once Caspian had found himself a soft seat-walking with both hands on the walls to steady himself-in an empty carriage, he started to appreciate the train much more. The large window to the side gave him an excellent view of the country. At first it simply showed more grass fields, but with the passing of time the scenery grew wilder. Caspian saw hills, rivers and forests, though never quite like Narnia. He often passed cities too-closely inhabited area’s with streets and stone houses like Rose’s and Professor Kirke’s, albeit slightly smaller-and large roads lined with cars very much like Rose’s. He started to wonder how fast they were travelling exactly, and how long it would take him to travel through Narnia in this device. But mostly he was wondering when he ought to get out. The train stopped several times, and people bustled through the hallways whenever it did. Caspian knew he ought to get out at a station called King’s Cross, and peered through the window in search for a sign similar to the one that had hung so prominently over Coombe Halt. So far he had only seen signs with other strange and unfamiliar names. The sun set as Caspian stared at of the window. Despite his unease, he could feel himself growing sleepy. He hadn’t slept in over two days, and the excitement had kept him from noticing how tired he was. But here, in these soft chairs, were he was expected to wait for his arrival, fatigue washed over him and the lulling, rocking motion of the train sent him to sleep.
Susan looked out of her bedroom window, staring at the setting sun. It was strange to think that tomorrow would simply be a school day. That life continued as if nothing had ever interrupted it. That she’d pass Strand Station twice tomorrow, back and forth, and find that it was no longer a hidden portal to a magical place, but merely a part of her daily life.
She was never going back. Aslan had said it, and she knew it was true. It made it easier, somehow, to move on, knowing that she didn’t have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life. Knowing that she didn’t have to count on being swept away at any moment, but that her life was here, and that she ought to start thinking about that. She wondered how Lucy and Edmund were faring, knowing that they might return someday. Susan heard the sound of bare feet slapping on the cold stone and turned around to see Lucy in her light blue nightdress.
“Will you miss Narnia?” She asked in a quiet voice, and Susan knew that she, too, had been thinking about how Susan would never return. A deep sigh, and Susan gave her sister a sad smile. “I will. Everyday. For the rest of my life, probably. And Susan knew that that too, was true.
Caspian didn’t know what it was exactly that had woken him, and his mind was too befuddled to think clearly. It took him a moment to remember where he was-his surroundings looked strange-then he remembered his travel and jolted awake. I ought not to have fallen asleep!
A quick glance outside told him two things; it was fully dark outside and the train had stopped moving. He cursed himself for closing his eyes, even for a second. Aslan knows where this train might have taken me. Caspian stood up and walked to the window at the other side of the carriage. He seemed to be inside some kind of large brick building, with flameless lights on the ceiling, bathing everything in an orange glow. Despite it’s size it looked rather deserted. There were Come to think of it, Caspian could no longer see any other passengers in the train either. How long exactly had the strain been standing here? Looking around him, Caspian wondered what to do. Then he grabbed his bag and slung in over his back, uncertainly exiting the train.
Caspian felt uncomfortable leaving the train; what if this wasn’t the right stop and the train left without him? “Excuse me?” He said to the first person he saw. A man with a long brown strange-looking coat walked a little further ahead at a brisk pace, but he man walked right on without looking up. Caspian was forced to stray a little further from the train. There, behind a window, sat another man.
“Excuse me?”
“How can I be of service, Sir?”
“Could you tell me where we are?” Caspian asked, happy to have found someone who seemed to be willing to help him.
The man raised an eyebrow. “Well, London, of course, sir.”
“I need to go to… Kings Cross.” Caspian clarified. All the names made no sense to him. London was a familiar name by now, but it wasn’t the name of the station where he had to exit.
“This is Kings Cross, Sir.”
Caspian sighed in relief. So he had stepped out at the right station. With a slightly lighter heart he asked; “I’m going to Finchley. Could you tell me where to find the next train?”
Unfortunately, Caspian’s relief was short-lived. “I’m sorry, Sir. I’m afraid the last train already departed. The first train tomorrow will depart at five past six, from platform 14 over there…”
Caspian’s face fell. “Is there no other way?”.
“You could try a cab, sir, but it won’t be cheap.”
And I have no money… Caspian remembered. All he had were his Narnian clothes he couldn’t wear and a satchel of gold he couldn’t spend. And his train ticket. Caspian felt for it in his pocket; it seemed to be the only possession that was actually worth something here. He’d have to wait until the morning. Muttering his thanks to the man that had helped him, Caspian turned to walk to the empty platform. Thankfully, the air was still warm; at least he wouldn’t have to sleep in the cold like he’d had to in Narnia.
There were metal benches on the platform. They did not look particularly comfortable, but Caspian decided it would be better than sleeping on the stone floor. Shifting his bag over his shoulder, he started walking towards it, but he hadn’t taken three steps when he noticed not the entire station was deserted. By the orange glow of the flameless lights on the ceiling, Caspian could clearly make out the shapes of three people. Two of them-a man and a woman-walked side by side, talking animatedly. And there, slightly behind them…
“Susan?” Caspian whispered in wonder. He halted in his tracks for a better look at the girl. She was standing with her back turned towards him, but the shiny, brown, and slightly curly hair looked very familiar indeed.
“Susan!” Caspian dropped his back, and started walking towards her. “Susan!” He shouted again, louder this time. He started running towards her, wanting to reach her before she disappeared through the exits, but halted when she turned around to look at him in confusion. She didn’t look anything like Susan. Now that he saw her properly Caspian noticed she had the wrong build too; Susan was shorter.
The girl that wasn’t Susan stared at Caspian suspiciously as he turned to pick his belongings from the ground and make his way over to the bench. Fool! They are long gone! He had no choice now but to wait for the first train tomorrow. Maybe his bag could serve as a pillow, seeing as how the contents were soft. Caspian sighed as he sat down.
So far this world wasn’t exactly easy on him, but Caspian found that, despite all this toil, he was still happy to be here. After all, I’ve never heard of an adventure that wasn’t hard or difficult at some point. He wondered if the Kings and Queens had felt as lost as he did now when they had first stumbled upon Narnia. At the end of the day, Caspian did not regret leaving Narnia, and that thought comforted him greatly as he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him once again.