Not Even Death Can Come Between Us (3)

Chapter 1: Surprise, Surprise!

The hot summer sun struck down on her like a bat to a ball. Susan wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her wrist and tucked a loose curl into her hat. She made a small hole with her lips and pushed a stream of air through while leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

Garden work shouldn't be this tiring! She scolded herself silently. She had spent too much time enjoying the neverending bookshelves of the castle library, and not enough time enjoying the outdoors.

"Only a bit more to go." Susan sighed as she bent down to pull more stubborn weeds. She could be having the palace gardeners do this, but this was her garden and she was going to do the work. She had insisted on that last spring when first planning it "Besides," she had said. "it's good for a person to get outdoors and do some real work once in a while." Of course she had said that back when her dress was clean, her hair was done, and she wasn't sweating.

However, it gave her pleasure to see the vibrant flowers bloom and the butterflies flitter around gaily. For that reason, she actually enjoyed the work, most days that is. Today, however, she was feeling quite exhausted. The feeling puzzled her. She hadn't been doing anything to make extra tired lately. It wasn't just today she had been tired though. It had happened sporadically throughout the past couple weeks. The strangest thing was she had found herself sleeping unexpectedly late. She shrugged it off deciding it must be the business of being a mother of two that had worn her out.

She looked up at the blazing sun. It seemed to be laughing, mocking her for her lack of energy. She was young. This type of work should be easy. She glared at the sky hoping a cloud would come to cover the scornful sun, and give her a bit of shade in the process.

The cloud didn't come, but a shadow did rise over her, blocking the bright rays of sunshine. She looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see her tall dark-haired king towering over her.

Caspian smiled down at his wife. She was a queen, but nevertheless she still worked as if she was a commoner. He admired that about her, the way she was so humble.

He scanned the garden. "It's looking wonderful!" He complimented, pleased. Then he looked back down at his wife and laughed, shaking his head side to side. "Look at you!" Susan tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear and smoothed her dress over her legs. "Your dress is dirty, your hair is a mess, and you're all sweaty, but you're still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." He said, meaning every word. Susan blushed, still trying to fix her hair as best she could at the moment. Then he crouched to the ground, took her face in his hands and kissed her long and hard. She loved the way his hands felt on her face. His touch was gentle but his palms were sturdy, making her feel secure and protected.

Their lips were pressed together and for the moments they sat like that it felt as if nothing else in the world mattered. They felt young and free, like they were before their children came along, Susan thought. She loved her children very much, but sometimes it made her life feel crazy and chaotic. Maybe that was why she felt a lack of energy these days.

They drew back and the edges of her lips curled into a smile. "I'm almost done with this." She spoke in a quiet voice, referring to the garden. "Then we can go for a ride."

Caspian smiled, a dreamy look lingering in his eyes, still recovering from the kiss they had shared. "Sounds perfect." He said, staring deep into her bright-as-the-summer eyes. He starting to lean in for another kiss when he stopped short, noticing something that concerned him. "You alright?" He asked, straightening up again. "Your eyes, they look tired." He observed.

Susan shrugged her shoulders. "A-a little." She lied. Really she was quite exhausted, but she didn't want him to know. Caspian was a worrier and Susan knew he would blow the situation out of proportion.