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Thou Art Enough	By : Nik Category: A through F > Chronicles of Narnia Views: 7837 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia nor do I make any profit off of this product of imagination.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
All previous disclaimers apply.

It was a beautiful day. The snow in the courtyard just outside the windows of the council room was untouched and glimmered in the sunlight so that it looked like diamonds. It should have been the perfect day for a wedding. So why, Trumpkin wondered, were none of them in the mood to celebrate? He could see on the faces of Doctor Cornelius and Trufflehunter that they were feeling the same things he was. Even on the faces of some of the king’s human advisors was a look of uncertainty. This was wrong. Trumpkin wanted to say something. They, all of the young king’s advisors, would have been more than happy to support the marriage, even if they knew that he would never be completely in love with his new wife, if it made him happier than he was at the current time. But, Caspian was not any happier now, on his wedding day, than he had been for the past few months.
Trumpkin grunted when Trufflehunter nudged him in the back and lifted his chin toward their young king, looking out the window at the courtyard. Trufflehunter had tried numerous times over the past few days to convince Caspian of the folly of his actions, as had Doctor Cornelius and Maiun, the one human advisor Trumpkin had felt had Caspian’s interests on her mind before Narnia’s. Normally it would have been something that Trumpkin would have been wary of, but at the current time, it was only right that they worry more for Caspian than the country. The country was doing well. The king was not. Without the king, the country would fall apart again. The Telmarine faction of the country would only accept Caspian, their true heir, as the king and the Narnian faction trusted only Caspian of all the Telmarines at this point. If they could not find some way to help Caspian out of his depression there was a very real chance that they could lose him. Trumpkin winced. He tried not to involve himself in the politics of the country and he had tried not to allow himself to get too close to the new king, as it might interfere with any advice he gave him, but now was no time to be thinking along those lines. He sighed and took tentative steps toward Caspian. It was his turn, their last effort, to convince Caspian that this marriage was not the answer.
“Your Majesty,” He said gruffly, coming to a stop just next to Caspian.
“Yes, Trumpkin? Have you come now to tell me this marriage is not the way as well? I was wondering when you would.” Caspian didn’t even look at him, but Trumpkin could see the small smile that turned up the corners of his mouth.
“Trufflehunter wouldn’t let me be unless I did,” he admitted gruffly, fighting his own smile as well.
Caspian allowed himself a small laugh and turned to look at Trumpkin, “Well, you might as well get it over with.”
“If it would make you happier, Majesty, we’d all gladly support the marriage. But, it won’t. You’ll just end up regretting it.”
“Perhaps,” Caspian agreed, and turned to look out the window again, “But, I cannot take back my proposal now. This marriage…”
Caspian was cut off when the door to the council chamber opened and the Princess Marin was escorted in by her father and followed by her mother and her sisters and their wives. Trumpkin moved back into line with the other advisors and watched as the princess was led to the front of the chamber, where Caspian had moved. She was beautiful, even Trumpkin had to admit, and she’d been nothing but kind, generous, and gracious while she had been there. She was no Queen Susan, but she was a good woman. Trumpkin wondered why he disliked her so much.
“I tried,” he whispered to the others as Caspian and Marin joined hands and stood facing each other as Urai, chief advisor, began to recite the words that would bind the king and princess together in marriage.
“Do you, Caspian, pledge Marin your troth? Will you care for her and keep yourself unto her for as long as you may live?” Even Urai’s voice was low and sounded almost mournful as he asked the words.
“I do and I will,” Caspian’s voice was low and flat. Marin was smiling.
“Do you, Marin, pledge Caspian your troth? Will you care for him and keep yourself unto him for as long as you may live?”
“I…” Marin paused, still smiling, “I do not and I will not.” Trumpkin could not stop the involuntary yell of approval. He was not the only one. He was surprised to see the King and Queen of Archenland looking relieved as well.
“Marin?” Caspian sputtered, eyes widening with shock.
“Caspian,” Marin still had hold of his hands and she rubbed the backs of them with her thumbs now, “You are a good man. I think we shall be good friends. If that had been able to satisfy you, I would have let it satisfy me. But, we both know that a marriage between us would just make us both unhappy. I will not allow us both to be unhappy because of a mistake that we can prevent. Can you forgive me?”
Caspian allowed himself his first true smile in months and pulled Marin into a tight hug. She returned it with enthusiasm and they both began to laugh. They rocked back and forth, not caring how absurd they may have looked.
“Thank you,” Caspian murmured when they had finally calmed themselves.
“Will we be friends, Caspian?” Marin asked shyly.
“Always,” Caspian assured her and they began to laugh again. They were cut off suddenly when a horn sounded.
“Sir Glenstorm and Lady Moonsong return!” A scout called. Caspian took one glance out the window, at the sling that Moonsong had strapped behind her that Glenstorm was just helping her remove and took off running.
“Trufflehunter, call for a healer!” He called behind himself.
“My king!” Glenstorm panted as Caspian burst through the doors of the castle and went to help him remove the sling from Moonsong.
“What has happened?” Caspian asked automatically. He ran to the sling and removed the weather shield without waiting for an answer. He staggered back, pain flaring in his chest, when he saw Susan’s beautiful face, thin and pale.
“Susan?” he whispered, then roared, “Susan!” He fell to his knees beside her, tearing at the strips of fabric that held her still form to the sling.
“Careful, Majesty!” Moonsong’s exhausted voice penetrated the fog around his mind, “She’s very ill! And…she’s heavy with child.” Caspian looked up at Glenstorm, shocked, and slowed, gentled, when Glenstorm nodded in confirmation.
“Susan, my love,” he whispered gently, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He suppressed a gasp when he felt just how fevered she was, “Susan, please wake up. Please open your eyes.”
As if she was obeying him, Susan opened fever bright eyes and focused on him. She whispered his name once and reached a hand out of her coverings to set it to his face. He did not take his eyes off of her as he kissed the palm of the hand she had set to his cheek, then leaned in to kiss her full lips gently. She sighed into the kiss he gave her, but was too weak to give much more of a response. He simply covered the hand she had set to his face with his own and leaned in to kiss her forehead again before running his free fingers over her familiar face, memorizing her all over again. How could his memories have done her any justice? Even as ill and tired as she was, she was still a hundred times more beautiful to him than he remembered. She tried to smile for him and he couldn’t control the urge to kiss her gently once more.
“Caspian,” she finally whispered, “I…knew. Somehow…our child, Caspian…Our baby.”
“Yes, my love,” he murmured gently, trying to calm her back into sleep, “The healer will take care of you and our…our child. I will not lose you again.”
“Never,” she whispered and was lost to sleep once more.
Caspian was hardly aware of what was happening in the next hours. Three healers took Susan in hand, having her moved to the bedroom that had been hers just a few short months earlier. They had shut the door in his face, claiming that they needed to concentrate and that her health was more important than his worries at the moment. Doctor Cornelius had been kind enough to move a chair just outside of Susan’s door for him to sit in and Caspian had been there since. Others had come and gone, staying long enough to assure themselves that he was bearing up as well as could be expected, then moving on to do something useful so that they themselves would not go insane with worry.
Caspian couldn’t blame them. He himself was restless with worry. But, his friends and advisors seemed to anticipate his reactions. Just when he thought he would go insane with nothing to keep his hands busy, Trumpkin brought him a damaged bow to be repaired. Just when he felt he needed to discuss what was happening, work through it, Trufflehunter and the doctor were with him. He told them that he knew he had taken Susan’s innocence in their one night together, but he had never expected that she would beget a child. He raged, just a little, about how unfair it was that he had not been there to help her when he should have been. They just listened and made small, encouraging comments when he seemed to need them. Even Marin stopped by and held his hand when he was feeling his most hopeless. Finally, after what felt like an eternity the healers closed the door softly behind them. Their eyes were tired and sad. Caspian felt his heart pull.
“What news?” he asked, his throat closing around the words.
“Her birthing time has come, Majesty, but she is much too weak to deliver. If she is allowed to try both she and the baby will be lost.”
“What can be done?” His eyes grew wide as they described it to him.
“Is that safe?”
“Quite safe, my king. It is done often when a baby has not turned properly before birth. As long as infection is watched for and taken care of properly, there is little risk.”
“And this will save her life? And the child’s?”
“The child for certain, my king. The queen is…very weak. We will do all we can for her, but the fever has robbed her of so much strength. She is a fighter, but…”
“Do all you can,” Caspian interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore, “Prepare yourselves to deliver the child. Send Urai, Doctor Cornelius, Trumpkin, and Trufflehunter to me.”
He did not wait to see their reactions, but swept past them into the bright room. She looked so peaceful, sleeping so quietly. For a moment he allowed himself to imagine that she had stayed, that they’d been married, and he was just going to wake her. For a moment he allowed himself to feel the pure joy and wonder free from worry about the fact that together they had created the life that Susan now carried in her womb. He did not mean to wake her, but when he set his hand to her cheek, Susan opened her eyes and smiled at him weakly. Her fever still raged, but her eyes seemed to be clearer. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips and felt his lips curve in the slightest when her hand cupped the back of his neck.
“Hello,” he murmured quietly as he pulled back to smile at her.
“I knew we’d get to you in time,” her voice was so weak, Caspian had to fight back the tears that flooded his eyes.
“Yes,” he slipped into the bed next to her and held her as close as her belly would allow, “Susan, will you do something for me now?”
“Anything,” Her answer was a mere breath.
“I love you. Will you marry me?”
“I will.” Then, she was asleep again. Caspian allowed her to sleep until those he had sent for came quietly into the room. Though he was loathe to do it, he shook her awake gently then. He held her close, still in the bed, as they pledged themselves to each other in front of four advisors and three healers.
“I, Caspian, pledge to you, Susan, my troth and love. I take you as my wife from now until forever, never to be parted save for…death.”
“I, Susan, pledge to you, Caspian, my troth and love,” Susan panted a little around the words and the healers knew her time was close, “I take you as my husband from now until forever, never to be parted save for death.”
After they were announced husband and wife things moved very quickly. Later Caspian would remember being told to stay, being told to hold Susan, to distract her from the pain. He would wonder, later, if she was too far gone to feel the pain as she just looked into his eyes and whispered to him of all the things she had wished for their baby as she had felt it grow. He, in turn, whispered to her of all the things they would do as a family when she was feeling better. It was over before either of them knew it. The joy in Susan’s eyes could not be matched when they heard the baby cry for the first time. After a quick wash, one of the healers placed the tiny form on Susan’s chest and kept working.
Susan and Caspian were lost in the wonder of their child, still crying. It was the most beautiful sound in the world. Neither of the new parents even tried to prevent the tears of joy that slipped down their faces as they looked upon their baby boy. He looked like his father. Dusky skin, dark hair. He had Caspian’s long, straight nose, but her ice blue eyes. He was beautiful. She couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped as she watched Caspian counting their baby’s fingers and toes, running his finger over his nose. He rested his hand on their baby’s back and leaned in to kiss her.
“Caspian,” she murmured, “His name is Caspian the Eleventh.”
“Yes,” Caspian smiled at their baby, then felt his throat close when he looked up and saw that Susan’s eyes had slipped closed, “Susan?”
A healer came to her head, felt her fever, and turned to the others, panicked, “Her fever has spiked again! Majesty, please take your son! Call for a wet nurse. Please, Majesty, we need the room to work! Please!”
“Do not worry, my son,” he whispered to the squalling baby when he had been pushed out of the room with their son in his arms, “Your mother is strong. She will be alright.” He hugged the infant close to his chest and fought not to sob. An idea struck his mind and he walked quickly to the council room.
“Glenstorm, Moonsong,” he burst into the room, “You have done so much, but you’re the fastest I have.”
“Ask what you will, Majesty,” Glenstorm stood at attention and Moonsong nodded in concurrence.
“I need you to get to the How as fast as you can. I need Queen Lucy’s cordial. Bring Queen Susan’s horn and bow as well.”
“As you wish it, Majesty.”
“As fast as you can, Glenstorm. Queen Susan’s life depends upon it.”
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Thou Art Enough