Disclaimer…one story later…nope. No ownership over any characters, not including Xara and Alana.
A/n: Ok. If ya'll are wondering, the SEQUEL to this story has made its debut! I decided to post the first chapter on here just for fun, and for those of you who didn't know to…well…know.
POISONOUS LOVE
Streaks of lighting illuminated the dense forest, followed by the low growl of thunder. Cold rain poured endlessly from the dark grey clouds overhead, drenching anyone brave enough to be standing outside. Still, despite all of this, two cloaked figures stood out in the forest. Though barely visible, the two had seemed to find one another. Rain clattered off of the tree leaves, making it more difficult for the pair to hear each other. But, they managed to get by, still talking as softly as they could.
"Mardrick told me to…"
"But Marduke is dead!"
"Before he died, you idiot!" A harsh voice, similar to the deceased wolf, scolded, "Before he died, Mardrick warned me that there was a possibility that his plan might fail. He gave me Jadis' plans for matters if that did happen."
"And what were her highness' plans?" This voice was softer (but still scary), like a woman's.
"She knows the king's weaknesses. He has many, but his most prominent one is his heart. It is easily won over by a beautiful woman. He is still a young one still…he still has a lot to learn."
"I am not so sure, Xara. What about Queen Susan? Now that she is back in Narnia, he has eyes only for her. Rumor has it that he intends to propose to her tonight. What shall we do?"
"First, Alana, the serum that Jadis left behind is nowhere near being finished, so we must let Caspian and Susan be married for a while. It won't harm anything. Second, what if the king were forced to have eyes for someone else? Someone like…you?" Through the rain, he could hear a slight gasp.
"Me? Xara, I'm hardly pretty enough!" Xara rolled his eyes.
"This is why we have the serum. To make you more pleasurable to the eye." Hoping that he had satisfied her questions, he continued. He had only gotten two words into it, though, before Alana came back with another question.
But…even if I am beautiful, he still loves Queen Susan far to much for him to just go and pick up some random girl…er…me…on the street. So…there goes that plan."
"My goodness, Alana! I know you are smarter than that! This, little one, is where the poison comes in. We poison him to love you and only you, and then we can use him as our puppet."
"But Xara, if we can poison him to love me, why can't we just use poison to kill him and be done with it instead?"
"Because, you inexperienced girl, if we kill him, King Peter automatically gets the throne. And…he will NOT make things any better for us, Alana. Things will get considerably worse. Trust me; it is far better to use Caspian as our puppet than to kill him. Peter is more experienced than Caspian ever will be, and personally…I would much rather take on a childish prince than a mighty king. Do you understand?"
"Of course, Xara."
"It is time to finish what her highness, Jadis started all those years ago, once and for all."
Lighting flashed brilliantly into the rainy night.
Caspian opened his eyes slowly. The sunlight streaming through his window didn't bother him as he turned around to face his window. Susan lay by his side, her back facing his. 'She must have come in sometime last night…' He thought. And…he didn't mind it in the least. He sighed. Her long brunette hair was fanned out behind her, covering the pillow that she was laying on with beautiful, silky, ringlets. She was wearing a white, cotton spaghetti-strap nightgown that showed her back nicely.
She was actually here! She was staying here in Narnia…with him! He couldn't believe that just a week ago, Aslan had allowed the Pevensies to stay in Narnia. He still had the same feeling of when he had first heard the lion say the words, 'would you mind giving it back?' in regards to Peter's sword. It felt as if his heart were shooting off brilliant fireworks into his soul, making him feel like he could do anything. He almost couldn't explain it. He DID know that whenever he was around Susan these days, that feeling magnified.
Without taking his eyes off of her sleeping her form, the king, slowly and quietly as he possibly could, stuck his hand underneath his pillow, looking for something. His hand roamed the bare mattress for a minute, but then he found what he was looking for. He grabbed a hold on it, and brought his hand back out into the sunlight. In his hand was a small, velvet box.
Breaking his gaze of Susan, Caspian slowly opened it, wincing as it squeaked slightly. Finally, he got it opened. Inside, balanced perfectly on more plush velvet, was a ring. Its band was of pure gold, making it beautiful already. But, what was resting on top of the band was something much more beautiful. A huge diamond. It sparkled in the morning sun, creating little dots of light on the bedroom walls. He had picked this diamond especially for Susan, because if you looked hard enough into the center of it, you could see a tint of ocean blue, similar to the color of the Gentle Queen's gorgeous eyes.
A soft moan made him quickly snap the box shut, and shove it back under his pillow. This had to be a surprise. He had hid it just in time, too. Seconds after he had stuffed it under his pillow, Susan rolled over to face him. Her brilliant blue eyes locked onto his dark ones as she smiled warmly at him.
"Good morning, my King." She said, gently brushing a stray piece of dark hair out of his face. He sighed and closed his eyes. It was amazing how just the slightest touch from her could un-nerve him completely.
"Good morning, sweetheart." He said, his index finger running along her hairline. She smiled at him, and shifted her position so that she was closer to him.
"Guess what?" She said in a playful tone as she traced his well-toned chest muscles lightly through his shirt with her finger.
"What?"
"Do you really want to know?" She looked up at him with a huge smile on her face. He looked down at her and smiled as well.
"Of course I want to know! What kind of king would I be if I didn't want to know things?" He laughed that quiet laugh that made Susan feel tingly all over.
"Well…I think that I love you so much, and I'm never going to stop." She burrowed her head into his chest. He smiled, and rested his head on hers.
"Well, that's good to know…because if you didn't, I really don't know what I would do…because I feel the same way for you, my Queen."
She giggled. This was all so surreal to her. She was still getting used to the fact that she was actually going to live here in Narnia. Live here with him, her king.
The second day that they were allowed to stay, Peter, Edmund, and Lucy said goodbye to their sister, and headed out for Cair Paravel to live, and to help with the ongoing construction. There, they would serve as kings and queens over the Narnians, and Susan and Caspian would rule over the Telamrines. As part of their goodbyes, the rest of the Pevensies promised to come back and visit every other weekend.
"Susan? Susan…hello?" The king said, lifting his head from hers. He locked eyes with her and smiled. "What are you thinking?"
She looked at him and laughed. "I was thinking about how perfect you are, even though you say you aren't." He smiled at her, his bright smile proving her point excellently. How could he even think for a minute that he wasn't perfect? She sighed.
"Personally, I think you're perfect, Susan. You take care of your siblings with your life, you are VERY well trained in battle, you're absolutely gorgeous, and you have and amazing personality. What more could a king want?" She looked up at him, and kissed him slowly.
"I'm not really all that sure." She said with a smirk.
Caspian had never been happier in his life. The woman of his dreams was there, lying right next to him, and he was proposing to her tonight. Yes, he was extremely nervous about it, but hopefully, Aslan would help him out a bit.
She noticed that he was deep in thought, and so she just simply snuggled in to him more, wondering what he was thinking about. He was such a sweet person, but sometimes, he was really hard to understand.
"So…are we still on for tonight?" He said, breaking her of her thoughts.
"Huh? Oh! Tonight…you mean our incredibly romantic dinner?" A giggle escaped her lips. He laughed along with her.
"Yes…if you want to call it that."
"As a matter of fact, yes, I want to call it that. And yes, we're still on for that." He smiled, somewhat relieved.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world, you know." She added in a whisper that sent chills down the king's back. She giggled again, knowing that she had made him shiver.
"We'd better get going, love." She said as she slowly sat up and started to remove the covers. He moaned.
"Do we have to?" She smiled at him.
"Yes, we…"
Before she could finish her sentence, she burst out laughing. Caspian had grabbed her waist from his laying position, and pulled her back, making her lay back down. He turned her head towards his, and kissed her sweetly. "I love you." He whispered in her ear. She looked at him and grinned.
"I love you too, but that doesn't change the fact that we still have to get up." He smiled at her.
"I was hoping I would have convinced you…"
"No, but…you are very sweet, if that makes you feel any better about getting up." He laughed.
"Alright…time to get up, then"
They had gotten up, and with Caspian hiding the ring again, had a quick pillow fight. When it was time for Susan to go and get ready, Caspian gave her one more kiss, and took her small hands in his.
"Promise you'll be there tonight? It's REALLY important."
"In the courtyard?" He nodded.
"Why on earth why wouldn't I be there, Caspian?" She said softly. He shrugged her shoulders innocently.
"I'll be there. What time, love?"
Great. He had everything planned out. Everything except for the time, of course.
"Erm…eight?" She nodded.
"Alright, then. I will meet you, my handsome king, in the courtyard tonight at eight for our incredibly romantic dinner." She smiled, and kissed him once more.
He watched her as she walked out into the hallway, and made sure that she was gone before running back over to his bed and pulled the ring out of the table by his pillows. He quickly got dressed, and put the ring in his coat pocket. This was going to be a very interesting day.
Standing in her chambers, Susan couldn't help but notice that there was something that was slightly odd about Caspian that morning. He was still his sweet self, but…there was something about him that seemed different.
She wouldn't be seeing the king till their 'incredibly romantic' dinner that night, so she decided to get dressed then. Sorting through her magnificent closet, she tried to decide what to wear.
She finally picked a light apricot dress and pearls. It flowed over her shoes, which was fine, and was double strapped at the top. She walked out of her chambers and went out to the grassy area around the castle.
"Aslan!" She called, not sure if he would hear her. From behind, she heard a growl. She turned around, but she found nothing. Now, this time, she heard the growl from in front of her. Practically spinning around looking for the lion, she got a bit dizzy and sat down on the grass, making sure that her dress stayed in tact.
"Susan." She heard the familiar voice call from behind her. Before she even had the chance to look behind her, she felt a nose nudge her from behind.
Turning her head around, she looked straight into the great lion's soft, amber eyes. He was smiling, and he chuckled as she hugged him tightly. "Yes, dear one?"
"It's Caspian. There's…something strange about him today. I can't exactly put my finger on what it is, but I know it's there. Do you have any idea?"
"Actually, yes I do, Susan. And…I think it's best if you didn't know. But trust me, you'll find out tonight. I promise."
"Okay…why can't I know? Is it bad? Tonight? But tonight is…"
"Your dinner with Caspian. I know. I give you my word that you will find out what is going tonight, okay?"
"Alright, Aslan. Can you at least give me a hint?" The lion smiled at her.
"It's going to change your life."
Throughout the day, Caspian had gotten progressively more nervous. Would she enjoy dinner? Would she even say yes? It was somewhat hard for him to focus all that day, and when it came time to set up the courtyard, every so often, his knees would buckle and he would have to sit down. It wasn't like him to get this nervous about something, but for some strange reason, he was about this. After all, this was about asking the woman he loved more than anything to marry him. If she said no, he had absolutely no idea what he would do next.
Susan kept constantly looking at the sun dial on her balcony, checking the time. Seven-o-clock, seven-thirty…finally, it was time to head out to the courtyard. For some reason, she was anxious about this dinner. Mostly for the reason that her king had been acting strange today.
She gracefully walked through the hallways and out into the courtyard. What she saw there simply took her breath away.
The courtyard was lit by numerous torches (as always) making it glow brilliantly. The flowers were made golden in the light, adding beauty to the entire scene. On the ground was a soft blanket with a few pillows strewn across it. Also on the blanket was a large basket, filled with steaming food. Sitting next to the basket was none other than Caspian. He grinned at her as he stood and walked over to where she stood.
"Again…you look stunning. You must get tired of hearing this, right?" She laughed.
"To be honest, no. This is amazing! It's so sweet that you would do this for me."
"Why would anyone do anything less for the woman he loves?" She kissed him lightly. The smell of the food was making its way to her nose, triggering a sudden hunger that she had.
"This smells wonderful," she said as he sat them down, "What is it?"
"Well, we have fresh bread, jam, some hot soup, and…to be perfectly honest, probably a little bit of everything they had in the kitchen!" He laughed.
"Well…we better get started then!"
Three delicious platefuls of stuff later…
Susan was pretty sure that if one wanted, they could probably roll her around the castle. She was about to fall asleep when Caspian started to talk to her.
"Susan…you know that I love you more than anything, right?" She nodded, "you know that I would give my life for you?'" Another nod, "And you know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you?"
"Of course I do."
"Well…" This was the moment of his life. If he messed up now, he would regret it for the rest of…forever. He was so nervous, but the fact that she would probably understand comforted him a little. He took her hands in his as they stood up.
"I love you with all that I have in me, so…" he reached into is coat pocket, and grabbled the little box with trembling hands. Get a hold of yourself, Caspian. He thought as he started to lower himself onto one knee.
Susan seemed to know what was going on. She clasped a hand over her mouth and tried to keep the tears that were starting to come under control. This proved to be extremely difficult as he proceeded to show her the magnificent diamond ring.
"Susan Pevensie, would you make me the happiest man in the world, and be my queen?" His big, brown eyes locked onto hers, and she decided that the tears could fall.
Laughing and crying at the same time, she answered his question.
"Of course, my king. Oh, goodness…" His face broke in to a wide grin, and he carefully put the ring on her finger. As soon as it was secure, he stood up to face his new fiancée. The tears had slowed, and now she was laughing.
"I love you so much, Caspian." She said before bringing him into a powerful kiss.
Aslan was right. This was going to change her life.
From the Author: Sequel! Ok. I came up with the title for future chapters, so. YAY! They're getting married! :D What did everyone think of the first chapter? Well…I'm anxiously awaiting reviews! (WOW…205 on The Letters…)Ok. See ya'll!
From the author part 2: Ok. Yes, I know that Susan is a bit…what's the word…froofroo in this chapter, but trust me…ya'll are going to see a VERY strong side of our new queen coming up in future chapters. Ok. This was my advertisement for the sequel. Just FYI, chapter 2 is already posted. Thanks everyone!