Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or its characters.
A/N: Well, this is it, guys. You have all been wonderful and I hope this final chapter is fluffy enough for you! Hopefully this won't be my last Narnia fic either – so keep an eye out for me!
I Never Forgot
"Hello, Queen of Narnia." A deep voice resonated throughout Susan's hospital room. Slowly, she blinked open her eyes, unsurprised to find Aslan standing at the end of her bed.
"Hello, Aslan," she croaked, her voice barely above a whisper. The bright lights became too much for her and she found her eyes closing of their own volition. Yet Aslan's image remained in her sight, burned across the backs of her eyelids. "I guess I have a lot of explaining to do, huh?"
She felt the imaginary softness of his mane on her palm though he remained on the other side of the room. "No, child. Not at all. But you must understand why this has happened."
"Why what has happened? Why Peter and Edmund and Lucy had to die? Or why I was hit by a bus? Is there some sort of curse over the House of Narnia?" Susan seemed to grow stronger with her anger and she sat up against the pillows behind her head.
"You must know that your family is waiting for you to understand what is to happen next, Susan. Only you can make it happen, but if it is what you want, it will," Aslan replied, cryptic as ever.
Susan sighed. "Fine. What?"
"When you buried your brothers and sister, you laid their bodies to rest but not their souls. Their souls continued on to wherever they belonged. For them, that was Narnia. For your parents, that was England. For you, it could be either. You must decide where you wish to return." The lion's voice soothed Susan's agitated nerves, relaxing her despite the pain that seeped through her entire body.
"Well, Narnia, of course!" was her immediate reply.
Aslan shook his head. "Are you sure? You have forgotten Narnia for many years, Susan. Is that where you belong?"
"I never forgot, Aslan. I only wished I had."
He studied her downcast eyes and drawn features for what felt like an eternity. "All right, Susan. You shall again be Queen of Narnia." Blissful darkness crept into the room, covering Susan in a blanket of peaceful sleep.
--
The throne room doors burst open, almost in a fit of rage themselves, as Peter and Caspian stormed into the room. "What word did you want with me, High King Peter?" Caspian demanded snidely.
"Do you know why Susan isn't here, Caspian?" Peter waited for the doors to swing shut to reply.
"Yes, of course. She wasn't on the train. Hence, she's still alive," Caspian pointed out with a disgruntled air.
"No, no, no. I mean, do you know why she won't be here? Why she can't be here? Why I'm never going to see my sister again?" The Son of Adam's voice grew in volume until he was shouting at his friend.
"Can't- Never going- Peter! What are you talking about?" Confusion crossed Caspian's face.
"It's because of you. I'll bet you don't even know it, either, do you?" Peter folded his arms over his chest in a defiantly royal stance.
"Because of me? What did I do now?" Over the past few days since the Pevensies had arrived in Aslan's country, Caspian had discovered that his old friend held some sort of grudge against him. It seemed perhaps this was finally going to come to the surface and he certainly was glad of it. If they were to spend eternity in the same castle, they might as well work out their differences.
"Might I meet the wife, Caspian? Or would that be awkward, my being your true love's brother and all?"
"The wife- Oh my. That's what this is about? Peter, she was my queen. She gave me a son. She was even my wife, but I never loved her. Not the way I loved Susan. Never the way I love Susan!" Caspian cried.
"So you just kept her around to bear you an heir, huh? How very Telmarine of you."
"Now you listen here, you meddling little prat, your people are Telmarine as well, might I remind you. Don't you lecture me on matters of love, either! I-" Caspian lunged at Peter, grabbing him by the collar.
"You broke my sister's heart, you bloody-" Peter ripped from his grasp, pulling a fist away, ready to deliver a solid punch.
"Don't deal so harshly with him, Peter. After a few thousand years, you can let these things go, you know." A feminine voice cut through the boyish racket that filled the opulent room.
"Stay out of this, Susan!" Peter released his poised punch, landing it square on Caspian's jaw and knocking him to the ground. "Susan!" He spun around, letting go of Caspian so he fell in an unceremonious heap.
Susan stood in the doorway, one hand on the familiar wood. Her dress hung in graceful folds and the sunlight streaming through a nearby window caught the gold of her crown and the joy of her smile. "Hello Peter."
Peter stared for a moment before dashing across the room to sweep his sister in a crushing hug. He lifted her from the ground, spinning in circles that took them back to their childhoods. "My god, I thought I'd never see you again," he whispered, "How can you be here? Aslan said because you didn't believe-"
She shook her head, curls swaying back and forth. "I just didn't want to believe," she murmured, shame in her eyes.
"Susan? Susan, is it really you?" Caspian called from the floor.
Susan pushed away from her brother, turning to glance down at the cobblestones. "Yes, it's really me. In the flesh – for lack of a better term."
Caspian was on his feet in a second, yanking her away from Peter and into his own arms. He buried his face in her hair, taking in the sweet scent he had missed all those years. Her arms naturally slid around his back, as though they belonged there. Something Aslan had said to her in the hospital crossed her mind, but she shoved it aside, needing a question answered first.
She disentangled herself from him, warily glancing up to meet his smoldering eyes. "What about your wife, Caspian?" she asked with a sort of expectant disappointment.
"She's where she belongs." At Peter and Susan's mutually raised eyebrows, he pointed up. "She's in the skies, with her father."
It took a moment for what he was saying to sink in, but when it did, a wide smile spread itself upon Susan's lips. She curled one hand at the back of Caspian's neck, pulling him down to meet her kiss. His arms circled her waist, revelling in the never-forgotten sensation of her touch. Peter quietly slipped from the room, leaving them in peace, though he was sure they never heard him go. Finally, they were where they belonged.