Accidentally Falling | Narnia

43 | fistfights

Cor escorted Susan to their table once their dance ended. The Prince of Archenland bowed before the eldest Pevensie before taking her leave and went to his twin brother and Elizabeth a few distance from her. Peter was with them.

Susan immediately felt dizzy. She wasn't sure if it was from the two consecutive dances she just had or that when she got to the table she met Peter's gaze but he immediately looked away, as if he had just looked at her merely in passing, and continued to talk inimatedly to Elizabeth and Corin. She spotted a glass full of red wine and she picked it up, taking two sips. Her nerve-endings immediately buzzed awake.

"Lady Susan," a voice behind Susan spoke. She turned around and was greeted by a grey-eyed man, barely wrinkled enough to be called old, with golden blond hair reaching his shoulder and a beard matching it. He had no other jewelries except the gold ring with a large ruby on his left hand which was resting on the hilt of his sword.

King Lune of Archenland.

"We didn't get much chance to be more acquainted with each other earlier," the King said. "May I say, My Lady, that it is a pleasure to meet you?" He tilted his head in a bow.

Susan straightened up on her feet and curtsied. "The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty."

King Lune beamed at her and gestured for her to sit. He took the high-backed chair beside her and sat down.

"We have heard a lot about you and your siblings in Archenland, My Lady." he spoke.

"Indeed, Your Highness?"

"Indeed." the King nodded. He gestured to his twin sons who were still talking with Peter and Elizabeth. Corin was grinning, talking rather energetically, his arms flailing on either side of him. Cor was being himself, that is behaved, but a light smile was playing on his lips. "Even before we got invited to this ball, Corin and Elizabeth were practically begging me to come to Cair Paravel so that they could meet you three." He chuckled.

"But not Cor?"

"Cor was every bit as eager to meet you as Corin, My Lady. Only he didn't bug me consistently on the matter as much as his twin."

Susan nodded. She knew Cor was the serious one of the twins.

"Did you know, My Lady, that when I first saw Cor in Anvard, when King Peter brought him, I really thought I was seeing a ghost?" King Lune fixed her with his grey-eyed gaze.

"Pray tell, Your Majesty."

"When Cor disappeared from Anvard all those years ago, I refused to believe that he was dead because there was no body found. But," the King paused for a few heartbeats. "Year after year with him gone, I had lost all faith. It was difficult to hold out hope when everytime I see Corin grow, it reminded me that his twin isn't there growing with him."

The two of them were silent for a few heartbeats after that. King Lune was looking again at his sons, but mostly at Cor. Susan didn't offer words of her own to break the silence because she knew the King, even after two years of being reunited with long lost son, was still in disbelief that he was in his arms once again.

"And since then," King Lune turned his attention once again to Susan, smiling. "I owe King Peter a life debt."

"That's why your family and his are close," Susan said.

King Lune nodded. "Of course, I knew him and Caspian even before they led the rebellion against the White Witch and became Kings, before I knew they were the ones the Great Prophecy spoke of that will defeat Jadis. Though, not that well. I never met them when they resided with the Hermit on the borders of Archenland."