Finally finished! If I get inspired, I may start another Suspian soon, so feel free to leave ideas! Thanks for reading this story.

So... in the last chapter, Caspian says, "I don't want you to feel forced to be with me because I helped you." After the UCSB shooting recently (look up Elliot Rodger if you don't know what I'm talking about), I wanted to reiterate that point. The shooter seemed to think that being the "perfect gentleman" as he described himself, means females should have sex with him. It doesn't! Now, if that's what makes a girl interested in you, there's nothing wrong with that, but woman aren't possessions that one can earn by certain acts, no matter what traditional stories tell us (kiss the sleeping princess to win her hand, find the princesses' secret to get the eldest's hand, blah blah blah). And if a guy thinks that he deserves to have a girl sleep with or date him, the problem isn't the girls, it's his misogyny and attitude toward women. Sorry for the long rant, but I felt after the shooting and the nature of that particular shooting, it was very applicable to this story.

"What's taking them so long?" Peter growled, mainly to himself.

"Pete, stop pacing," Edmund said, rolling his eyes. "Susan's bound to come back to us."

"Easy for you to say," Lucy retorted, tapping her fingers on the edge of the couch she was lounging on. "You've seen her recently."

"Peter, please sit. Do you not trust your sister's strength? Do you doubt she'll return?" Lilliandil asked softly. Edmund snickered when Peter sat down compliantly.

"Really? Her strength?" Jill asked doubtfully.

"You don't know her," Edmund retorted. "Not like we do."

"Physically strong too. She punched me up once when we were young," Eustace commented. When everyone looked at him incredulously, he added, "But I deserved it though. I had been torturing a dog and she was stopping me from it."

"Eustace!" Jill scolded.

"Hey! I was eight at the time! And this was before I came to Narnia!" he protested.

"I must say though, her punching someone hardly fits the gentle image the legends speak of," Tirian said, leaning forward.

Lucy laughed and placed her hand on his shoulder. "But her feeling compassionate for the dog certainly is."

"So she is as kind and loving as the legends say," Rillian asked anxiously. Once the High King had returned, he had immediately asked him if Queen Susan was still interested in his father. He did in fact wish for his parents to remain together – as any son would – but understood that they had never truly loved each other. He was now starting to see Susan as another motherly figure in his life, although she would never replaced his own in his heart. But he was nervous about whether she would live up to the many incredible legends he had heard of her.

"She most certainly is," Peter said, smiling.

Mr. Tumnus ran in. "She's coming! She's coming! She's practically here!"

The three siblings got to their feet first and raced out the door. The other followed as quickly as they possibly could.

There were many Narnians milling about in the courtyards of Cair Paravel. When they saw the kings and queens and their companions rushing out, they quickly realized the Gentle Queen must be returning. Soon two horses and their riders were in sight. The guards at the gate opened it and knelt. As soon as Caspian and Susan were inside the gates, Caspian jumped off of his to help her down.

"Milady?" he said, offering her an arm to help herself down. When the Narnians could see that this was certainly the Gentle Queen, they knelt or bowed, depending on their species. Those with swords saluted her.

"Susansusansusansusansusansusan!" Lucy yelled as she ran up to her sister and practically tackled her. Everyone tried to hide their amusement at the sight.

"Lucy!" Susan said excitedly. A moment later though, it seemed like she was going to cry. She buried her face in her sister's hair, kissing the top of her hand and murmuring, "Lucy, darling. Lucy. Lucy."

Her brothers both approached her, joining in to make it a family hug. There was much laughing and crying amongst all four of them. At one point, Susan realized that Eustace had been shuffling over to them, wanting to join his family but not truly feeling like he belonged there. Susan reached out a hand and yanked him into the hug.

"Lor! Wasn't expecting that," he said, much to everyone's amusement.

Soon they finished their embrace, and Susan knelt on both knees in front of her eldest brother.

"What's she doing?" Eustace whispered to Lucy. It seemed that other were whispering such things as well.

"Shh!" Lucy responded, eager to see what Susan was planning on saying.

"My liege lord and royal brother, High King of Narnia. I beseech you to forgive my transgressions against Narnia."

"On behalf of all Narnia, we absolve you of any and all sins," Peter said solemnly. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her on her forehead. He then took her hands into his and helped her stand, embracing her one more time, much more formally now. The Narnians all cheered.

Now that the joyous, tearful reunion had taken place, Peter turned to Caspian. "King Caspian, we are indebted to you for our royal sister's safe return."

Caspian bowed and said, "It was our pleasure, High King, and we could not have done so without your help."

A moment later, they stopped being so formal and grinned and embraced like brothers.

Lucy took Susan by the hand and began introducing her to the people who had followed the three of them out. "You already know Jill – sorry, Lady Jill, of course. And Lord Diggory and Lady Polly. And Queen Lilliandil, but you just met her already. And this is King Rillian. Oh, and this is King Tirian."

Lucy blushed a little upon introducing King Tirian, making Susan wonder if something may be going on there. Diggory, Rillian, and Tirian all bowed and kissed her hand when they were introduced and the ladies all curtsied. Susan curtsied back to each.

"Su," Caspian said, dropping the formalities. "Rillian is my son."

Susan blinked in surprise before smoothing out her features and saying, "I would like very much to get to know you better, Rillian."

"And I you," he said, grinning. So far she was just as gracious and beautiful as the legends and his father said she was.

"And Mr. Tumnus!" Susan cried out, noticing him lingering behind a bit. He smiled and went up to greet her, them both warmly hugging.

There was the sound of a beaver clearing his throat, and Susan noticed the two Beavers amongst the many Narnians.

"Mr. and Mrs. Beaver! There you are!" she said, delighted to see her friends again. She then noticed the centaur beside them. "And General Oreius. It is simply delightful to see all of you once again."

A human claimed her attention next. "Queen Susan!"

"Lord Peridan?" she gasped. Caspian saw what he thought was a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Pete, who's this guy?" he whispered.

Peter looked amused and whispered back, "A lord who used to court her back in the Golden Ages."

"Were they - are they – how long did they court?" he whispered furiously.

"For quite some time," Peter teased. "Many expected them to marry."

"Did they?"

Peter paused for a moment, enjoying teasing Caspian, but then said, "No. Their romantic relationship ended after Susan pushed him into a thorny rose bush after he drunkenly hit on her and said some inappropriate things."

"Good for her," Caspian said with a smirk.

"She claimed she just meant to push him and didn't realize the bush was there. But anyways, they're just friends now and he's married to another, so you can stop acting so jealous," Peter whispered.

"Queen Susan!" two twin boys and a Calormen girl called.

"Now who are these boys?" Caspian grumbled.

"Oh, Susan simply adored them," Peter teased. When Caspian frowned, he added with a chuckle, "But most adults, especially the motherly type like Susan adore little children."

"You left that part out at first on purpose," Caspian grumbled, punching Peter on the arm lightly.

"My dear Queen Susan!" King Lune said, kissing her hand before embracing her warmly.

"I suppose now you're going to be jealous of him?" Peter whispered to Caspian.

Caspian glared at Peter before relenting and saying, "Yeah, you're right."

"He was those two boys' father," Peter said, gesturing to Cor and Corin. "Don't worry, she's not into older men."

"She prefers those 1300 years younger," Caspian whispered back.

Eventually, she had met all of her closest friends from the Golden Age. After that, those Narnians who had fought alongside her in the War of Deliverance felt it appropriate for them to approach her.

"Reep! Glenstorm! Pattertwig? Asterius! Trufflehunter!" she said, greeting each by name as they approached her. "Ah, our dear little friend."

"Isn't that joke a bit old by now?" Trumpkin grumbled cheerfully.

There were others who she had forgotten the names of, but they reintroduced themselves, and she greeting them fondly as friends.

"Now," Lucy said, "if you're done greeting everyone here, there are two more people I think you'll want to see. They didn't feel comfortable here."

Susan frowned, wondering who wouldn't feel comfortable here. Rabadash and other Calormens would fall under that category, but Peter would most likely not be speaking of them warmly nor would he consider them people Susan would want to see. As they left, she was confused to see only her siblings and Eustace were going with her.

"Who are we going to see?" she asked.

"Let's not spoil the surprise," Lucy giggled.

"It'll be a surprise for them too," Edmund commented. "We didn't want to get their hopes up in case you didn't – even though we were sure you would. But you know, just in case."

Soon they reached a house that looked strangely more British than it did Narnian. They went in and there was a young couple there, having tea.

"Who –" Susan began, not recognizing them, until she realized they looked strangely familiar. Professor Kirke and Miss Plummer had both appeared much young than when she had seen them last in England so then… could this be…?

"Susan? Susan!" her mother said, recognizing her daughter in an instant. Her father reacted a moment later, and they both enveloped her in a hug, crying from happiness.

"Now our whole family is here," her father said happily. After a moment he seemed to rethink what he said, saying, "So sorry, Eustace. Everyone but your parents."

"Eh," Eustace shrugged. It did bother him a bit when he thought about them, but that honestly wasn't that often.

"Mother, Father," Edmund said, "We know you don't particularly like being around the Narnians, but there'll be a ceremony for Susan's return tonight at Cair Paravel. We hope you will attend."

"But of course," their mother quickly agreed, their father nodding afterwards. They weren't yet comfortable with all the strange unusual creatures, nor with their children suddenly being kings and queens, but were thrilled their family was reunited.

That night, Susan's handmaids and ladies-in-waiting from the Golden Age attended to her to prepare her for the ceremony. They heard a knocking at the door, and her handmaid opened it to see Caspian standing there.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing inside.

"Of course," Susan said, grateful she had already dressed.

"Susan, I-I've waited for so long. I know this is a lot for you… and if it's too soon, I completely understand. But… I … I would like very much… if maybe… possibly… never mind," Caspian said, blushing.

"Cas, what is it?" she asked, pushing a stray strand of his hair behind his ear.

"I… I wondered… if … Susan, may I have your hand in marriage?" he asked.

"Well, at this point I'm, what, two thousand years old or so? It's about time I settled down," she joked.

Caspian smiled a bit uncertainly, unsure what to make of her comment. "So… yes? You will marry me."

"Of course I will," she said, kissing his cheek. The ladies in the room all sighed in unison, making Susan roll her eyes. "I forgot we had an audience."

"Oh, don't mind us."

"Yes, please continue, your majesty."

"Susan, do you think possibly… tonight? When we celebrate your return?" he asked softly, still afraid of pressing her too hard.

"I suppose we must," she said thoughtfully. Caspian looked at her in confusion. She got a twinkle in her eye and said, "I mean, if we wait, I won't be a virgin at my own wedding, and that would make mother furious."

Caspian still looked confused for a moment. "But why wouldn't… oh! You're that impatient to do… oh!"

Susan laughed at his embarrassment. "Aren't you?"

"I mean yes.. but… I didn't think you would… oh my," he stammered. She laughed once more and kissed him, snaking her arms around him. He quickly returned the kiss. She felt his hands feel their way up her back and into her –

"Don't you dare mess up her hair!" one of her handmaids shouted.

"Forgive me," Caspian said. "I wouldn't want my bride to have her hair anything less than perfect. Ah, I should tell your siblings that you agreed."

He left, and Susan pursed her lips, looking herself over in the mirror.

"What is it, milady?"

"If I'm to get married, I believe I will need a change of dress. Although no proper wedding dresses are likely to be available this quickly."

"Um…" they all said, shuffling awkwardly.

"What is it?" Susan asked.

One of them walked over to yet another closet and unlocked it. It was full of perhaps fifty wedding dresses of several different styles, all in her size.

"The seamstresses were a bit overzealous in getting ready for this possibility."

"You don't say," Susan said, taken aback.

Having a father escort their daughter down the aisle was not a Narnian custom, but the Pevensie siblings felt their parents would feel more comfortable with this familiar tradition.

"I can't believe I'm escorting you to marry some boy I've never met before," her father grumbled, although Susan didn't think he was actually upset by it.

"Do you really think Peter, Lucy, and Edmund would let him marry me if he wasn't perfect?" Susan responded. "Or even Eustace now that he seems to be caring about me."

"And with you acting like your old independent self again, I highly doubt you would settle for any man who wouldn't treat you like a treasure," her father said.

"Not like a treasure. Not like something that could be possessed. But like a person. And equal," Susan said.

"That's my independent girl," he chuckled. The birds began singing, and they walked through the honor guards which were holding Narnian banners. Several of her ladies-in-waiting followed her, carrying the train of her dress.

They reached the other side of the room, and her father went to sit with her mother. Her siblings, the other Friends of Narnia, and past kings and queens of Narnia stood on the dais.

"Chatelaine of Cair Paravel," King Tirian said as Eustace placed an ornate necklace around Susan's neck. "Welcome to your own home."

"Archer Queen," Lilliadil said as Rillian handed her the bow and arrow Father Christmas had given her. "We bid you to protect Narnia as you once did."

"Peter," Lucy whispered, "I want to have my dagger on me when I get married."

"Lu! It's just because her welcoming ceremony and wedding are combined," Peter whispered back. "Not a chance." After a moment's thought, he whispered loudly, "Wait, what do you mean, when you get married?"

"Friend of Narnia," Lord Diggory said as Lady Polly gave Susan a pin with a lion on it. Susan looked at it in confusion since it didn't quite look like how Aslan was usually portrayed. She turned it over and it said, "Made in China" on it. It must have been something they used back in England when they couldn't have genuine Narnian artifacts. "Come and know Narnia once more."

"Lady of the Horn," King Frank said as Queen Helen gave her the horn. Susan could hardly believe that she was meeting the very first Narnian king and queen ever. She had heard so many stories of them. "Be the first to find help for Narnia if she should ever have need."

"Our royal sister and Gentle Queen of Narnia," Peter said. Edmund took Susan's hand and placed her signet ring on her finger. Susan then lowered her head so Lucy could reach it to place her crown. "Rule beside us once more."

The Narnians all began cheering. "Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!"

Caspian then led her to her throne as everyone but them and her sibling left the dais. In Aslan's country, Cair Paravel can shift from the glory of one era to the glory of another. Right now, it appeared as it did the in Golden Age, as the castle of four thrones. Her siblings took their respective thrones as she sat in hers, Caspian standing on her right. She motioned for him to lean in and whispered in his ear, "what's next?"

"Not sure," he whispered back, playing with her hair a bit. "Once your siblings found out we were getting married tonight, they completely took it over."

Suddenly, everyone stood again when they realized Aslan was there. Susan was delighted. Although any of her siblings could have performed the wedding and she would have been excited about it, there was something profound about having Aslan himself perform the wedding. After Aslan said the words of the ceremony and she and Caspian pledged their love and devotion to each other, Caspian led her out to the floor to dance as the birds began singing again.

"The Dance of the King and Queen," Lucy whispered to Jill. "Although normally the couple dancing aren't both already a queen and king."

At the end of the dance, Susan suddenly said, "Wait, I want to steal one more tradition from that other world." She picked up a bouquet of flowers that were at the feet of her throne and threw it behind herself. Lilliandil caught it and blushed, even though she had no idea what the tradition signified. Peter smiled at her, and she returned it.

The throne room became a full celebration of both the return of the Queen and the royal wedding. The birds were more than happy to sing as long as the Narnians continued to dance, well into the night.

Caspian led Susan out to a balcony to spend some time alone.

"I can't believe I'm married," she murmured.

Caspian pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her soft hair. "I can't believe it either. You are so beautiful."

"Yes, this dress was quite lovely. I must remember to thank to the seamstresses."

"Mhmm, that too. But you are beautiful, not just your dress. The way all those Narnians adore you so much, the amount of love you had for everyone you greeted. You don't simply look beautiful; you are beautiful," he murmured, running his hand down her side. He rested in somewhere on her waist, tracing swirly patterns on her skin.

"You're beautiful too," Susan responded. "You led the Narnians to freedom –"

"With your family's help. I did no more than any of you, perhaps less than the Valiant Queen," he cut in.

"And are quite humble," Susan teased.

"I've learned my lesson about humility," he responded.

"You're not going to let me compliment you without interruption, are you?" she said, rolling her eyes as she turned in his arms to face him.

"I just… I always feel so unworthy when you do," he whispered. "You deserve the best, perfection even."

"I am not perfect," she said, sliding her fingers to his chin. "And any imperfections you have, I love those too. I love all of you, Caspian. Never forget it."

To keep him from protesting again, she caught his lips in hers and kissed him sweetly. He began playing with her hair as they kissed again and again and again.

"I'm so glad to be back," Susan eventually said as he led her to a bench. She laid her legs across his and played with his hair as he kissed her neck.

"They all adore you so much," Caspian said. "I thought everyone was happy before, but now they seem far more happy than they were before. Aslan's country was not complete without you."

"I hardly doubt I made that much of a difference," she said, blushing. "But… I missed them too. So much… so…" she began crying again. Caspian pulled her into his arms to comfort her.

"That's why you forgot Narnia, isn't it? It wasn't because you didn't love her but because you loved her and her people too much," he said, stroking her hair.

"…yes… yes," Susan said after thinking over it for a bit. "It hurt so much. I couldn't… I just… In the end I was too weak to take the sadness."

"You're not weak. No more than most. I'm amazed your siblings were strong enough to handle it. I… I don't think I would have been able to," Caspian confessed.

"I think you're lying, but thank you," Susan said, drying her tears.

"I would never lie to you," Caspian protested, kissing her on the cheek.

They were suddenly interrupted by Lilliandil leading Peter out to show him some of her starry friends.

"Ahh… we'll go to another balcony," Peter said, embarrassed.

"No, we'll go to our room," Susan said, blushing. Caspian grinned at the thought of that before remembering Susan's brother was there. Peter was caught somewhere between a glare and amusement.

"Well, have… fun," Peter said, looking like he was trying to swallow something really hard.

Susan giggled uncharacteristically and grabbed Caspian's hand. They went into the room that the maids had designed for the two of them in case they chose to get marry.

"Have you ever… you know… before?" Caspian asked.

"No," Susan said, disappearing into her closet.

"Well, I mean I clearly have before – I mean I do have a son, so obviously. So if you're feeling uncomfortable, or don't want to do it tonight, that's fine. I don't want to pressure you and –"

"Caspian?" Susan's voice called.

"Yes?"

"Stop babbling," she said, walking out of the closet wearing an incredibly scandalous and beautiful outfit. Caspian gaped at the amount of her gorgeous skin it showed. "I'm ready. Absolutely ready."

Caspian quickly closed the distance between them, kissing her furiously and whispering, "I love you, Queen of my heart."

"As I love you, King of my heart."

Most stories don't actually end happily ever after no matter how many claims they make to the contrary. Eventually, inevitably, death comes and rips lovers away from each other. But when both are already dead and in Aslan's country, their happiness is forever. And with their love so strong, there was nothing left to ever break them apart. They truly did live happily ever after.