Happy (Early) Valentine's Day. This is going to probably be a couple of chapters, ergo why it is being posted before actual Valentine's Day.

This story is majorly AU with Peter acting rather OCC (although I have seen several fanfics where he does act rather like he will in this fanfic) .

A guest reviewer pointed out how confusing my first draft was, so I have reposted this chapter. Hopefully this version is much clearer. I also had another idea for how to format this story which I hope works better. As always, please give me feedback since I will take it into account! :)

"No! No! No!" Rilian insisted. "I not going to sleep."

"Rilian," Susan said exasperatedly as Caspian walked in and watched from the doorway, amused. "You need to go to sleep. Tomorrow's a big day."

"Valentine's Day is stupid," Rilian said, sticking his chin out. "Why we have it anyways?"

"Rilian, you know the story," Caspian said with a frown, walking up and putting an arm around his wife who was quickly losing her patience with her child.

"Do you just want story time to delay bedtime?" Susan asked knowingly.

"Please," he begged.

"I suppose one story wouldn't hurt," Caspian said indulgingly.

"See? Papa said yes!" Rilian said, jumping up and down on his bed.

"Fine. If I tell it, do you promise to go straight to sleep afterwards? No fuss, no argument," Susan said sternly.

"Yes, Mama," Rilian said reluctantly. "I pwomise."

"I promise too," Caspian teased, nuzzling his nose into Susan's hair.

"Well, it started when your Uncle Peter was going through a bad time," Susan began. "Aunt Isadora, who you never had the chance to meet had just passed away."

"She had been killed in a sortie between my people and your mother's people, back before there was his blessed alliance," Caspian inserted.

"And yet even when we were facing each other as enemies, your father and I couldn't help falling in love," Susan said, turning to Caspian and smiling, lost in the memories. He smiled back and leaned in to kiss her.

"Eww," Rilian groaned. "Back to stowy?"

"Yes, back to stowy – I mean story," Susan said. "We had hidden our love. But then one day…."

Narnia 10 years and two weeks before

Susan was sitting on her balcony, looking out towards the water. Somewhere, far out there, there was her love: Prince Caspian of Telmar. But there was more than simply an ocean between them. Even though she knew it was next to useless, she went to seek out her brother once more. Perhaps if she could convince him to allow another marriage between a Telmarine and Narnian she could then ease him into the idea of her marrying a Telmarine. Adfter all, his betrothed Isadora has been dead for a few months now. Surely he must be beginning to be reasonable once more.

"Peter, dear. How are you feeling?" Susan said, sliding a chair over to sit beside him.

"Fine," he said curtly. "Why are you here?"

"Can I not see my brother without being interrogated?" she teased, mussing Peter's hair.

"I'm not interested in frivolous chit-chat," he said.

"Well, then. How about talk about…oh, I don't know. Court cases, perhaps?" she said, trying to act nonchalant about it.

Peter frowned, noticing how specific she had suddenly become. "What is it, Susan?"

"The…well, Peridan. Remember how he was interested in Lady Zelina, sister of Captain Drinian of the Dawn Treader?" Susan said, carefully omitting any direct reference to Telmar so as not to trigger any violent reaction.

"He is no longer welcome here, and yes I certainly remember," he grumbled.

"Peter, I…he didn't do anything wrong," Susan reminded gently.

"If he hadn't been gallivanting about Telmar with his precious Zelina, he might have been here to protect Isadora," Peter said angrily.

"Peter..he …he had your permission. And if your inner guard could not protect her, then there was little he could have done," Susan said as gently as possible. "Peter, I…I think you should reconsider."

"Reconsider what? Trusting that womanizing blackguard again? Never," Peter growled.

"At the very least, do consider giving your blessing to his marriage," Susan attempted.

"Oh. Oh ho," Peter said with mock laughter.

"What?" Susan asked, confused.

"So you didn't hear the joyous news?" Peter asked sarcastically.

"Ah, no?" Susan asked nervously, seeing that Peter was acting rather unhinged.

"They were married! By a Narnian minister!" he said, banging a hand against the table angrily.

"What? How? What minister would marry a union without your blessing?" Susan said, shocked. While she certainly approved of Peridan and Zelina being married, the idea that a minister would act without Peter's blessing still shocked her. "I…I know all the ministers. They would never." While this was somewhat true, then main surprise was that Peter had not put an end to it. He knew where every minister lived as they all reported to him. At his say so, the guards would simply arrest any minister who dared to act against him.

"There's a new minister who has been marrying Narnians without my blessing," Peter scowled. "He is a fraud! I swear, I will track him down for his crimes."

"I…ah….um. I don't quite understand," Susan said, although she could barely conceal her excitement. If there was some way that Caspian and she could be married by a Narnian minister, ancient Narnian laws that even Peter in his darkest mood could not deny would protect her. And perhaps it could make this cold war crumble to pieces. For marriage by an appointed Narnian minister would make Caspian a Narnian citizen and her a Telmarine citizen. But mainly, Susan could not deny her heart. Ever since Caspian had left her, she had felt so empty, thinking there was no chance they would so much as see him again other than perhaps on in battle.

"They are claiming – " Peter began.

"They?" Susan interrupted.

"Many Narnians. I'm surprised you haven't yet heard. They claim that Aslan himself appointed this badger as a minister. But it is a lie. Or else Aslan himself has betrayed us in favor of the Telmarines," Peter said, his fingers curling into a fist.

Susan felt a cold chill at those words. She placed her hands on her brother's chin to force him to look at her and said, "Never say that again. Ever. Aslan is the heart of Narnia. If you deny him, then we are no longer Narnians."

Peter simply stared at her for a moment before relenting and saying, "Then this badger is a fraud. I've been having my best knights do everything they can to track him down before he can spread his evil ways."

"Just, ah, wondering," Susan said as nonchalantly as she could with her heart jumping out of her chest. "Who is this badger? And…where have your knights been tracking him at?"

"Most of the places he has been spotted have been about Lantern Waste. I've been sending knights there to put an end to this. And sent some emissaries to Peridan to warn him," Peter scowled.

"Warn him?" Susan said anxiously.

"Once I have proof this badger is a fraud, he will be considered an accomplice unless he denounces the false minister and realizes his marriage is a sham," Peter said.

"But until that moment, by our own laws, you cannot hurt them," Susan reminded, mainly for her own sake. "And if the badger is not proved false, then you must allow it. These laws have been part of Narnian tradition for as long as anyone remembers."

"Maybe tradition can be broken," Peter said much less certainly.

Susan felt like she might have at least gotten slightly to him, but was more interested in her immediate concern: marrying her true love. "Peter, who is this badger? What is his name?" she urged.

"Valentine," Peter said, his eyes narrowing in disgust.

"Love, I think he's asleep now," Caspian said, amused. "And I'm sure you'll be sick of the many times you'll have to tell the story tomorrow."

"But it was right when you were about to enter the story," Susan teased as she tucked Rilian in and gave him a good-night kiss. Caspian smiled and kissed his son's forehead as well.

"Well, there was the week it took you to find Valentine," Caspian reminded, putting an arm around his wife as he led her out to their room.

"But the very first thing I did was write to you to tell you," she pointed out. "I was just so eager I could not wait a single second."

"And you know what? There's something else I am so eager for that I cannot wait a single second," Caspian said mischievously as they entered their room.

"Oh, we really ought to get some sleep though with tomorrow being such a big day," Susan protested, although she smiled in amusement.

"Then we'll make it quick so you can get your beauty sleep," he teased, slipping his arms around her.

"Well, I suppose it is the season of love," she said, feigning reluctance.

"It would be practically illegal then to not show our love this night of all nights," Caspian said, pressing his forehead to hers and grinning.

"Are you just going to say the same tomorrow?" Susan scolded teasingly.

"Is it my fault that my wife is so enticingly tempting?" he said.

"Then here's to the eve of Valentine's Day," Susan said, bringing Caspian's head down to hers to begin with kissing him.