As she walked the halls of the castle, Susan felt a sense of peace and ease that she had not felt for some time now. The battle was won. Miraz was defeated, and the kings and queens of old were once again victorious. Caspian had been crowned.

Caspian.

She had been worried for him too of course. At first she tried to deny her feelings for him, or at least keep them out of her mind as there were more pressing matters to attend to. But alas, now that the danger was over she found herself thinking more and more of the young prince—king. Her mind kept going over and over to the moment when he rescued her in the forest and the way she felt when he held on to her so tightly. He had saved her that day, and she didn't think that she'd ever properly thanked him.

Susan found herself down a narrow corridor that she thought was where her bedroom was located, but she wasn't entirely sure. Figuring that these rooms were probably empty and it would hurt to check she slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

"Oh, bollocks." She whispered. This was most definitely not her room. It was far too nicely decorated with rich tapestries and fabrics all over. She turned to leave when she noticed just exactly whose room it was. There was Caspian, sleeping in his bed, dead to the world. She noticed how he slept so peacefully, so deeply, as if his life hadn't just been through so much misery, so much heartache.

After about a minute Susan realized how weird it was that she was still standing there, watching him sleep. She made to leave but in the process stepped on her own night dress, fell forward and knocked a pile of books from a table.

"Oh, bollocks!" she whispered as she looked at Caspian to see if he had woken. Her worse fears were realized when she saw him slowly rise out of bed to a seated position. She hastened to the ground to pick up the books and make her exit, hoping she could escape before he noticed her. It took him a second to realize who it was crouched on all fours picking up books in the corner. When he saw her, he immediately thought that something was wrong.

"Susan?! Susan what's happened? Why are you on the floor?" he got up and went over to her, grabbing her arm and helping her to her feet.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Caspian." She mumbled, too embarrassed to look him in the eye, "I was walking around because I couldn't sleep and I thought this was my room and then I realized it wasn't so I went to leave but then I tripped on my nightdress and knocked all the books over and I'm so sorry I'll pick them up and just go then shall I?" she had said this all so fast that Caspian barely heard any of it. He seemed to sense that there wasn't any danger, however, so he broke into a smile and said, "Susan? Um, I'm afraid I didn't quite catch… any of what you just said. Why are the books on the floor?"

"Because I knocked them over" she replied, still not looking at him.

"Oh, and how did you knock them over?"

"I tripped on my nightdress as I was leaving."

"Oh, right. And why", his smile grew wider although Susan could see, "were you in my room queen Susan?"

"Oh, well," she looked at him, red with embarrassment, "I thought—I thought it was my room, actually."

"Oh, well then. I understand now. Shall we pick up the books then?" he released the grasp on her arm, he had forgotten he was still holding onto her. He had to admit, through the moonlight coming in through the window she looked exceptionally beautiful.

They both knelt down at the same time to pick up the books and very ungraciously knocked their heads together.

"Ow." Susan said

"Ay. Mi cabeza" said Caspian. Hearing him speak like that gave Susan an exceptionally funny feeling in her stomach. They looked at one another and started laughing loudly. They were consumed with uproarious laughter until Caspian realized how much noise they must be making, after all it was very late. He put his hand over Susan's mouth.

"Shhh my queen. It is very late. We must not wake the others." The contact of their two bodies, no matter how insignificant, removed all laughter from the situation. She put her hand on top of his and lowered it, still holding on. Their hands lingered there, clasped, while they stared at one another in the moonlight.

"Does your head hurt much?" she asked him softly.

"Oh, no. It might leave a bruise though", he said as he smiled at her.

"Does—does your head hurt much…Susan?" he asked her tentatively, looking at her with intent.

"A little. But—but not too much… Caspian" the sound of his name on her lips made her heart burst with feeling, the least she could do is return the favor to him.

"That gladdens me," Caspian said, almost inaudibly, as he planted a kiss on the spot on her forehead where she had hit it, "I would never want to cause you harm".

Susan's body suddenly tensed up at his kiss, no matter how innocent. She let go of his hand and took a step back.

"Queen Susan, I am so sorry. I, I shouldn't have… I was out of line… I'm sorry." Caspian backpedaled, distraught that he had upset her.

"No. Don't be sorry, Caspian. I—you just caught me off guard that's all. I had convinced myself that you only felt friendship for me. I—I did not expect such a gesture from you."

"Friendship? When it is your face I see every night before I shut my eyes for sleep? Those are no thoughts of friendship Susan. I—I thought that it was you who did not care for me. When you came to this world and I saw you for the first time, it was as if I had never existed before that moment, as if I was nothing before you and everything since." He had done it. He had laid out all of his feelings before her, and it was now up to her to do with them as she wished. At least he had not been a coward, and had told her how he truly felt about her.

Susan took a step towards him, she held his hands in hers and placed a single kiss on his forehead. It was as if what she'd only ever dreamed of was right here before her.

"I—I love you Caspian" she said shyly, looking down as she spoke the words.

"And I you, Susan" he said as he tilted her chin up, looked into her eyes and locked her lips in a passionate kiss.

Slowly, still locked in one another's embrace, they made their way towards Caspian's bed; the books in the corner remaining discarded on the floor. Before Susan knew what was happening Caspian was undoing the laces of her nightdress. He was planting kisses along her collarbone as he did so, whispering her name and telling her she was his. They were kneeling before one another as Caspian slowly lifted her nightdress over her head, exposing her fully to him. She immediately looked down in embarrassment and covered her breasts with her hands.

"Susan, please. Don't hide yourself from me," Caspian pleaded, "Let me look at you, please."

She slowly removed her hands from her body and put them at her sides. Caspian one of her hands in his own and gently planted kisses all the way up her arm.

"You are incandescent," he whispered in her ear as he placed a kiss just below it, "I had never seen such beauty before I laid my eyes on you, queen of Narnia". This elicited a moan of response from Susan, which only strengthened Caspian's confidence in what he was doing.

"Please, Caspian," Susan implored, "its hardly fair that you can see me but I cant see you. Please, let me see you."

Caspian stopped his exploration of Susan's body and removed himself from her, them both kneeling facing each other once again. Deftly they together removed Caspian's nightshirt and breeches, leaving Caspian exposed to Susan just as she was to him.

"Oh, oh my" gasped Susan. It was Caspian's turn to be embarrassed. No woman had ever seen him like this before and he felt very exposed. However, embarrassment was quickly forgotten when Susan tenderly touched his hardness and they came together once more. Things became heated quickly and before Susan knew what was happening Caspian was on top of her, spreading her legs apart with his knee and placing himself between her thighs.

"My queen, my Susan, are you sure this is what you want?" he asked her, unsure whether he had been more forward than was gentlemanly with her. After all, they were both so very young.

"I want you." She said simply, leaning to kiss him while he made their bodies one. She would be lying if she said it didn't hurt, but being with him, here, now, was worth any pain she felt. He saw her wince at his movements and he bent to kiss her eyelashes.

"I love you, my queen," he whispered "do not worry, it will not hurt for long". Caspian was not speaking form experience, more so from what he had heard amongst the other boys in the palace. With time Susan's body relaxed and she began to enjoy what was happening to her, the feelings that were pulsing throughout her body. When Caspian moved his hand to where they were joined the sensations multiplied tenfold and soon both Susan and Caspian had reached their peak.

They lay nestled together, in Caspian's bed, and watched the sun rise through the stone walls as they held one another. Caspian was absentmindedly planting kisses on Susan's neck when she turned herself so she was facing him.

"I love you" she said to him, kissing him on the mouth.

"And I you," he kissed the tip of her nose and broke out a toothy grin, "did it hurt terribly? I tried to be gentle…"

"At first, yes it did," Susan began, feeling it was pointless to lie to him, "but not very much and not for very long. It was perfect because it was with you."

"Susan?" he planted more kisses on her eyelids

"Yes?" She laughed, "Stop it, that tickles!"

"Sorry," but he wasn't sorry, he loved her laugh. "I was wondering if you would consider staying here, in Narnia?"

"But of course I am staying here!? Why would I go? Especially—" she hesitated, "I mean—especially now. That we are, um, together"

"Yes. My question concerns the together. When I said would you stay in Narnia, I meant would you stay with me?" Caspian had decided he never wanted Susan to leave his sight ever again. His world would be empty without her there to fill it with joy.

"Oh. Yes. Of course, my king" she responded, placing a kiss on his forehead. She nestled herself closer to him and pulled his arms tighter around here.

"That wasn't a command" Caspian said, and then yawned, as he began to doze off to sleep.

"I know," Susan responded lazily, "I'm a queen remember? As if I obey commands…" and with that she drifted off to sleep as well. They lay together in each others arms all morning, dozing lazily, until they were awoken by a much embarrassed but none to surprised Peter.