"Suusaaan," Lucy groaned impatiently from outside the door. "Hurry up! Everyone's waiting for you!"

"I'll be down in a second, Lucy," Susan assured her sister from the inside. "I just need to finish up my hair. Besides, it's fashionable to be late."

"Or rude," Lucy muttered. Susan, thankfully, couldn't hear her through the door. "I'm going down, okay?"

"Alright, I'll see you down there in a moment." Susan turned back to her mirror and checked her appearance one last time, adjusting a few pins in her hair. She wore an elegant light blue ball gown that brought out her eyes, and her hair was twisted in a complicated updo at the back of her head. Nodding in satisfaction, she walked over to the door. She took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping out into the corridor. She followed the sound of music playing down the hall.

As she was announced, she stepped gracefully down the stairs into the ballroom. The guests turned and clapped politely for her, as they did for every monarch. She nodded to her guests as she made her way to her throne to join her siblings, muttering a few "enjoy the ball" and "good evenings" along the way.

"The ballroom looks lovely. You two did a fantastic job," Peter complimented as she sat down in her throne beside him.

She smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you. I'm glad you like it. Lucy and I spent ages on it, so I should hope it looks presentable." She gazed around the ballroom to admire her handiwork. It had been up to her and Lucy to organize the decorations, and it took them ages to plan everything. The end result was more than satisfying, though, and Susan could tell that Lucy was very pleased as well with it. Her younger sister was gazing around the ballroom with pride, watching the couples spin across the floor.

Susan watched as a young man approached Lucy. Susan fought to repress her grin as he bowed to Lucy, and requested politely if he could dance with her. Susan saw as Lucy glanced impulsively her way before smiling widely and agreeing. The youth led her to the dance floor and swept her across it with grace, twirling between the other couples. Susan smiled in satisfaction. He was handsome, and seemed to be quite chivalrous. Perhaps she could persuade Lucy to pursue him….

Peter was soon swept up by his own partner as well, leaving only Edmund and Susan sitting in their thrones.

"Oh no," Edmund groaned.

Susan looked up at her brother. "What is it, Ed?"

"There's a girl coming towards me. I think she wants to dance." Edmund cringed.

Susan followed his gaze to a girl in a bright pink dress making her way across the dance floor, obviously headed for Edmund. "I don't see why that should be a problem, Ed."

"Susan," Edmund dropped his voice, "She's not even that good-looking! Can I escape now while you make an excuse for me?"

"Edmund!" Susan hissed, swatting her brother lightly across the chest. He flinched slightly. "Don't be so rude! You're supposed to be a gentleman, so dance. Besides, I don't think she's all that bad."

"You would say that, wouldn't you," Edmund grumbled. He straightened up in his chair and plastered a smile onto his face as the young woman came up to the thrones. He gave a near-audible sigh of relief when the woman turned to Susan instead of him.

"Queen Susan," she said, dipping into a curtsy. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting." She said politely, a painfully obvious fake smile on her face.

Susan smiled courteously back at her. "No, I don't believe we have. It seems I am at a disadvantage, however, seeing as you know my name, yet I do not know yours."

"I'm Lady Elena from the Lone Islands," she said, curtsying once more.

"It's a pleasure," Susan said politely. "Have you met my brother yet?" She asked, and nearly smirked when she saw some of the color drain from Edmund's face out of the corner of her eye. "Edmund, this is Lady Elena."

Elena curtsied to Edmund and held out her hand for him to take. "It's a pleasure, Your Majesty," she said, batting her eyelashes in an attempt to be seductive.

Edmund fought to keep the smile on his face. "Nay, the pleasure is all mine," he said, taking her hand and kissing it reluctantly. "Would you care to dance?" he asked, though only because rules of etiquette demanded it. A smirk nearly made its way onto Susan's face, but she managed to repress it.

Elena beamed. "I'd love to." Edmund led her to the dance floor where they swirled among the other couples. Susan watched the dancers for a while until she saw a man approaching her. He had blonde hair and dark eyes, and was quite handsome, she admitted.

"Your Majesty," he said as he came up to her and bowed. "May I have this dance?"

Susan smiled politely at him. "You may." He took her hand and led her to the dance floor. He danced elegantly, and Susan felt as if she were floating on air.

"You dance marvelously," he complimented.

Susan laughed and shook her head. "Not half as well as you, I'm afraid." The man laughed as they twirled together across the floor. As the music switched to the next dance, a dark bearded man approached the two. He tapped Susan's partner on the shoulder, and they stopped their spinning.

"I was wondering if I might steal your partner for the next dance," the dark man said. Susan's partner smiled politely and agreed, passing off her hand to the dark man. The man was not nearly as graceful as her last partner had been, and seemed almost awkward in his movements.

"You are not from around, here are you?" Susan observed. "Perhaps from Calormene?"

The man smiled. "Ah, yes. I am Prince Rabadash, the eldest son of the Tisroc (may he live forever)."

Susan dipped her head to him. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Rabadash."

Rabadash laughed and shook his head. "Nay, my lady, I assure you, the pleasure is all mine." They danced for a few minutes in silence, until Rabadash accidentally stumbled a bit. He flushed in embarrassment. "I am afraid I don't quite have your Narnian dances down quite yet," he chuckled.

"Are your dances in Calormen very different, then?" Susan asked.

He nodded, but otherwise didn't reply. As the song ended, the two were approached by Peter. He dipped his head towards Rabadash. "Might I steal my sister from you for the next dance?" he requested.

Rabadash bowed his head. "Of course, Your Majesty." He replied graciously. He turned to Susan, who offered her hand for him to kiss. "I hope to meet with you again, Your Majesty," he said as he kissed her hand lightly, his beard tickling her skin slightly. Susan smiled politely back at him, and he took his leave.

Peter took up Susan's hands as the next dance began, and Susan watched Rabadash's retreating back. Peter followed her gaze and grinned devilishly. "Who is the lucky man to have won my sister's heart?" he teased.

Susan blushed. "That was Prince Rabadash, from Calormen. And he hasn't won my heart, we've only just met."

Peter nodded appreciatively. "He seemed like a nice fellow. Quite the gentleman," he observed.

"Oh, yes, he was. I wish I could have had a little more time with him, though. I'm quite fascinated by his country."

Peter grinned. "I am sorry about that. But can you blame me for wanting to dance with my sister?" He shrugged innocently.

"Oh, Pete," Susan laughed. "We should spend more time together, you know, as a family. Maybe take a picnic on the beach one day, or go riding together."

Peter nodded. "We should indeed. I am afraid we haven't had much time to spend together lately, have we, what with the ball to plan and all. I will speak with Lucy and Edmund and see what ideas they have. I'm sure Lucy will think of something interesting for us to do, what with her imagination."

Susan smiled. "I'm sure she will. She always comes up with the most lovely getaways, doesn't she? I'm sure they'll both be very excited. It's just been such an awfully long time since we've gotten out of this castle. I haven't thought of anything but ball decorations in weeks. I swear, if I hear the word 'ribbon' one more time, I think I shall rip my hair out."

Peter smirked. "For your sake, then, I dearly hope the word 'r–' er, that word never enters your ears again." Their dance was interrupted by Edmund, who tapped Peter lightly on the shoulder. Peter graciously handed off his sister to Edmund and went to search for Lucy.

"So," Edmund said, grinning conspiratorially, "Met any men who spark your fancy yet?"

"Edmund!" Susan admonished with a laugh. "You should never ask a lady such things! It's impolite!"

Edmund shrugged. "I don't see how."

"You are being nosy."

Edmund smirked. "So are you going to answer my question, or not?"

Susan huffed. "Fine. No, there is no one who's quite 'sparked my fancy' as you so put it yet. The only man that I've danced with whom I would be at least a bit interested in is Prince Rabadash."

"The one from Calormen, correct?"

Susan nodded. "That's the one. I've only learned about Calormen from our tutors when we were young, and it would be nice to hear about it from an actual resident."

Edmund rolled his eyes. "Why is it that once you are interested in a man, it is merely because of his culture and not his looks?" He shook his head in disbelief.

Susan laughed. "Oh, Ed. When you've received as many marriage proposals as I, then you will see why. Many of the men who've wanted to court me have indeed been very handsome, but I'm afraid they would have made horrific kings."

Edmund shrugged and they slowed to a stop as the dance ended. Edmund gave her a little mock bow and thanked her for the dance, and she watched as he went to find another partner. Susan, feeling the need to take a bit of a break from the dancing, made her way out to the balcony.

Once outside, she leaned on the balcony and looked up. No matter how many times she had seen them, the stars in Narnia never ceased to amaze her. A little sigh of wonderment escaped her lips. In Narnia, there were no bright lights at night that filtered out the brilliance of the twinkling lights above. They simply stretched out across the sky like a glittering blanket, casting their beauty down on everything beneath them.

"Beautiful."

Susan turned around to see Rabadash stepping out onto the balcony, gazing at her. Susan glanced up. "Yes, the stars are indeed quite lovely tonight. I just can't seem to get enough of their beauty," she said with a smile.

Rabadash looked at her bemusedly. "I'm afraid I wasn't speaking of the stars."

A blush formed on Susan's cheeks, and she was thankful of the darkness that hid it from view. "You said earlier the Calormene dances were much different from the Narnian ones. Might you show me some of them?" she asked.

Rabadash chuckled. "I am afraid, Your Majesty, that I was never very talented in that area. I did, however bring along some members in my retinue who are quite adept at our dances, and I'm sure they would be delighted to show you."

Susan beamed. "Oh, that would be marvelous! Tomorrow, perhaps, after dinner?"

Rabadash smiled and nodded courteously. "That would be splendid. I shall inform the dancers after the ball."

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I suppose I shall have to remember to tell Peter about it. But what about the rest of your country? Is it very hard living in the desert?" Susan asked curiously.

Rabadash shook his head. "It is not so hard. Our capitol city itself, Tashbaan, is built near a large river. On an island, in fact. We have plenty of water, so that aspect at least is not so bad. And we are used to the temperature, so it does not bother us."

"But don't you miss the grass and the trees?"

Again, Rabadash shook his head, smiling. "The palace of the Tisroc (may he live forever) has grand gardens. Some of them even go right up to the river wall. They are quite magnificent, and have many fruitful trees and flowers."

Susan sighed wistfully. "I should very much like to see them someday." Her next question she voiced with much more reluctance. "I have heard, though, that Calormen is quite infamous for its slavery. Is this true?"

Rabadash hesitated before answering. "I'm afraid it is, Your Majesty. It is not nearly as bad as you assume, however. We treat our slaves like we would our family, and not like animals like you Northerners seem to think. They are not treated as badly as you have been taught," he lied easily.

Susan smiled slightly. "I am glad to hear that."

Rabadash cocked his head as the next dance began inside, the music wafting outside. A smile formed on his face. "Your Majesty," he said formally, bowing slightly, "Would you do me the honor of giving me this next dance?"

Susan beamed and gave him a little curtsy. "I would love to, Prince Rabadash." He took her hand and led her back inside. As he swept her around the dance floor, Susan caught Edmund's eye. He gave her a playful wink, and she fought to keep her embarrassed blush from her cheeks.

"Tell me about your family," Rabadash said conversationally. "What are they like?"

Susan laughed. "Where to begin?" She pondered out loud. "Well, Peter's the eldest, and likes to be in charge. He'll never admit it, of course, but he is something of a control freak. He just absolutely despises it when I or Lucy or Edmund do something that he doesn't know about. I remember one time Lucy decided she wanted to go and pick some flowers from the garden, and Peter had an absolute fit! He sent every single worker in the palace out searching for her. It only took the gardeners a couple of minutes to find her, of course, but Peter still lectured her when she got back. I think he takes it upon himself to be the father figure for all of us and High King at the same time.

"Edmund, on the other hand, is very laid-back. He doesn't care what we do, so long as we get back alive. He's also the joker in the family. Every so often one of us finds half of our shoes missing, so that there are no matching pairs left. Once he stole Peter's clothes while he was in the bath, and Peter had to run after him in his robe," Susan laughed. "It was hilarious, and we all laughed until our stomachs were sore that day.

"Lucy is the youngest of us all, which means we're all very protective of her. She's also probably the most independent though, and so a lot of the time we are forced to swallow our paternal instincts and let her be her own person. Peter, of course, has the hardest time with that, especially since Lucy likes to ride out into battle with the other men. I hate when she does that, because I just get so fraught with worry for her! I try to tell her that the battlefield is no place for a woman, but she of course doesn't listen. And trying to get her to court someone is simply impossible. I've told her that twenty-two is much too old to have never courted anyone before, but she just laughs at me and insists there is no reason for her to marry when she is already happy!" Susan huffed. "Honestly, I just don't know what to do with that girl sometimes."

Rabadash chuckled. "I'm sure she will find someone in time."

Susan sighed. "I can only hope so."

When the ball had ended, Rabadash took her hand one last time and kissed it lightly. "It has been an honor dancing with you tonight," he said sincerely.

Susan smiled back at him. "I assure you the honor has been all mine," she countered. Rabdash smiled and took his leave, and she watched his retreating form. Once the four had said their good-byes to all of the guests who were departing the castle, she made her way back upstairs tiredly. She was barely awake as her maids got her out of her dress, and she collapsed immediately on the bed once she was in her nightgown. She breathed a sigh of relief as she sunk into her pillow and drifted off to sleep.

Susan woke up to the sounds of her maids scurrying about in her room, as she did nearly every morning. As she got up from her bed, Alice, one of the fauns, came up to her sporting a bright smile.

"Your Majesty," she said, her voice tittering with excitement, "A gift came for you this morning!"

Susan looked at her in curiosity. A gift? "What is it, Alice?" she asked. Alice grinned and presented the queen with a bouquet of lilies from behind her back. They were tied together with a piece of beautiful golden ribbon, and bore no note. A large grin made its way onto Susan's face. "Do you know who they're from?" she asked.

Alice blushed. "I do, but he begged me not to tell you," she admitted. She grinned widely. "Just think, Your Majesty! You have a secret admirer! How exciting!"

Susan laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, Alice, do stop behaving like that. You are nearly twenty years old, not fourteen! Now, would you kindly stop acting like a giggly teenager and help me into my dress?"

Alice chuckled and complied. "But I do want to tell you who sent them! I do hate secrets. Even if it is very romantic."

Susan laughed. "You were never one for keeping secrets very well, were you?" Alice shook her head, and Susan chuckled. "Would it help if I tried to guess who sent them?"

Alice sighed in relief. "Oh, please do! I don't know how long I can hold in this secret! Besides, if you do end up guessing correctly, and I am sure you will, I still won't have broken my promise not to tell."

Susan shook her head. "Oh Alice, you are shameless, you know that?" She thought for a second. "Is is any of the regular men who try to court me?" she asked.

Alice shook her head. "Not this one. He's new."

Susan tried again. "Did I dance with him last night?" she asked.

Alice nodded vigorously. "Yes, you did! Keep guessing!"

Susan laughed. "Well, considering it can't have been one of my brothers, I would have to assume it was Prince Rabadash or that other gentleman. I didn't even learn his name, did I? Oh well, it is too late now, I suppose. I think he was one of the emissaries from the Lone Islands. Now that I think about it, I'm nearly positive that is where he was from. He had the accent, so I can only assume I am correct. He was quite good-looking, though, perhaps I shall ask Peter his name. As a matter of fact, I think I shall. He seemed like a kind gentleman, perhaps when I get to know him better Peter will allow him to court me," she said, staring off into space.

Alice groaned. "Susan, you are rambling! Guess already, before I have to break my promise and tell you!"

"Fine! My goodness, you are impatient today, aren't you?" Susan laughed. Alice gave her a withering look. "My guess is Prince Rabadash," said Susan, grinning.

Alice let out a girlish squeal, and Susan resisted the urge to cover her ears. "Oh, I just knew you would guess correctly! I mean, with how much you two were dancing last night, I could only hope that something sparked between the two of you! Oh, I'm just so happy for you both!" she cried.

Susan let out an exasperated sigh. "Honestly, Alice, it's not as if we are getting married! He only sent me flowers! Calm down!" Alice stopped talking and dancing about, and instead stood still. After a couple of seconds, however, she began bouncing up and down on her toes again, unable to contain her excitement. Susan rolled her eyes. "I am going to go down to breakfast, alright, Alice? Please don't break anything while I am gone." Alice nodded vigorously, and Susan left her and went down to breakfast.

She was met in the kitchens by Lucy, who was the only other one of her siblings to have woken up as early as Susan. As one of the servants brought Susan her food, Lucy gave Susan an impish grin.

"Oh no," Susan groaned. "I know that look. What is it, Lucy?"

"It sounds like someone has a secret admirer," Lucy said mischievously.

Susan shot her sister a look. "How did you know that? Please don't tell me you sent the flowers. The last time Edmund played that horrid trick I waited for an hour by the creek for my 'lover' to come and meet me. An hour! Only to find out that it was just Edmund who sent them because he needed a good laugh." Susan shook her head.

Lucy laughed. "That was hilarious," she said, but immediately shut up at the look Susan gave her. She cleared her throat. "But no, I did not send the flowers. I merely have a very gossipy maid."

Susan nodded in satisfaction. "Well, your maid was correct. I did receive some flowers this morning without a card, however I was able to guess who they were from."

"And?" Lucy prompted.

"And they were from Prince Rabadash," Susan said. She took a bite out of her muffin.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Prince Rabadash? The one from Calormen?"

Susan nodded.

Lucy frowned. "He didn't seem that handsome, did he? I mean that beard was absolutely outrageous."

"Lucy, surely you know not to judge a book by its cover!" Susan admonished.

"I thought I was judging a man, not a book. A book would have looked nicer, no matter what the condition," Lucy muttered.

"Lucy!" Susan gasped. "Don't be so rude! I sincerely hope you didn't say something so disgraceful to someone at the ball last night!"

Lucy shook her head. "Of course not! I was just pointing out that he's not exactly a very handsome fellow."

Susan shook her head. "I've learned not to judge people based on their looks. Prince Rabadash was nothing but a gentleman last night, and I think it's very sweet of him to have sent me flowers."

Lucy shrugged. As they finished up their breakfast, Susan decided she would go down to the pond and visit with the naiads who lived there. She changed into her riding dress and rode out to a large pond a few miles away from the castle. She spent a few hours with her naiad friends, gossiping and braiding each others hair. Around noon Susan had to say her goodbyes and go to lunch, where Rabadash would be showing her some of Calormen's traditional dances.

After Susan had cleaned up and changed into more appropriate attire, she went into the dining room where lunch would be served. Peter, Lucy, Rabadash, and the other guests they were hosting were already there. As she entered, Rabadash stood up and pulled back a chair for her, earning a disapproving look from Peter. Susan, on the other hand, smiled graciously at him and thanked him as she sat down. Lucy winked at her mischievously, and Susan fought back a blush. Once Edmund had arrived, the food was brought out.

After everyone had finished eating and the food and dishes had been taken away, Peter stood up to make an announcement. "Friends," he said, "I would like to thank you for joining us for this meal. For our entertainment, Prince Rabadash has graciously offered us the privilege of watching his dancers perform a traditional Calormen dance. Prince Rabadash, if you will," he motioned to the prince.

Rabadash stood up from his seat and clapped his hands thrice loudly. At his signal, five men and women came into the dining hall and took their positions. They were garbed in brightly colored silks that were much less modest than the Narnian garb, and left little to the imagination. Four musicians, each carrying an exotic instrument, entered in after the dancers. Susan watched with fascination as the strange music started playing, and the dancers began to move to the sound. They moved like brightly colored snakes, twisting and twirling about the room. The dancers were hypnotic, and Susan found herself unable to look away, even for a second, for fear of missing something. It was faster and more complicated than any Narnian dance Susan had seen, though the fauns' dances came in a close second. When the dance was completed, their audience stood up and gave them a standing ovation. The dancers bowed modestly, and took their leave as Rabadash waved them off.

When the dancers had left, and their audience had sat back down, Rabadash remained standing. He turned to Peter.

"If His Majesty would allow me," he said nodding towards Peter, "I would like to take this opportunity to show your court some of the fine Calormen silks I have brought along with me. They are some of the finest in the continent," he advertised.

Peter nodded his head. "That would be wonderful. I'm sure we are all very interested in seeing your material, as we do not have much silk here in Narnia."

Rabadash nodded gratefully at the king, and clapped his hands once more. Servants bearing colorful fabric in their arms came forward to the table, and placed it in front of the nobility. The fabric set in front of Susan was bright blue and embroidered with tiny little flowers. A little gasp escaped he lips, and she reached her hand forward to touch it, only to yank it back towards herself for fear of ruining the fabric with her touch.

Rabadash chuckled at this. "I assure you, it will not fall apart at your touch," he reassured her.

Susan glanced at him and reached forward again, this time laying her hand down on the fabric. She brought it closer to her, and rubbed it in between her fingers. "It's so soft," she sighed. "I wish all our dresses were made of this."

Rabadash smiled at her. "If you would return with me to Calormen, you could buy as much of this fabric as your heart desired."

Susan smiled at him. "I would love to come visit you in Calormen," she said. "But I would, of course, have to speak with Peter about it."

Rabadash nodded. "Of course, I understand. Please, take all the time you need."

"Thank you. I shall speak to him about it after we're done here."

Rabadash nodded. After the guests were done admiring the silks, Rabadash called back his servants and had them take the fabric away. After thanking Rabadash, Susan got up from the table and went to Peter's study, where she was sure she would find him. She knocked on the heavy oak doors lightly.

"Come in," came Peter's voice from within. Susan entered to find him pouring over a letter. He glanced up at her. "Ah, hello Su. What can I help you with today?"

Susan took a deep breath. "Pete, I wish to visit Calormen."

A/N And the rest is history. If you notice any mistakes, please please please tell me so I can be sure to correct them. Thanks for reading!

~Elise