The Cair Royals

The Hindrance of Healing

"Well?" Edmund asked Peter as he shut his fiancée's door.

"It was Medilock, Lilith and Lucy were right." The blond nodded. "She admitted it quite cheerfully to the CMO, but when she realised she would NOT be getting the money in addition to jail time, she became rather desolate."

"Money? She sold news of my wi- my fiancée's miscarriage for MONEY? What sort of person-" His brother took a calming breath, running his hand through his dark hair. "And she said about Lilith, too?"

"Yes, she heard us talking." Peter shook his head, sighing. "Thankfully, she didn't hear much about that, nor was she interested a lot in that- news of Sanya's condition was what really promised her the money."

"Bad news sells, especially when it's related to sex, babies or women." And in this case, all three. "Has she been taken in?"

Peter nodded. "She's at the local police station right now, but she'll be transferred somewhere else as soon as we get a prosecution."

"Good, good." The younger King nodded, before asking hesitantly, "She already managed to leak out all the information, didn't she?"

Peter looked at him sadly. "Every major news outlet is carrying the alleged news of the journalist's miscarriage of King Edmund's illegitimate child." He didn't add that most insinuated that the miscarriage was on purpose. "But- again, alleged. Rumoured. No one knows for sure."

"When are we going to stop getting so much shit?" Edmund asked, despite knowing that his brother had no answer.

No one did.

--

"We found her."

"Susan." Caspian spoke, mildly surprised as he looked up from the floor to her.

"The one and only." The Queen replied with a small smile, approaching her- approaching Caspian who'd been leaning against a wall, seemingly in thought.

The brunet was unable to stop a smile finding his lips, "I take it by 'she' you mean who leaked the information?"

"I do." Susan confirmed with a nod. "One of the Nurses. She'll get what's coming to her."

"That's brilliant."

"Not so much that it got leaked in the first place." The Queen pointed out.

"Well, perhaps not. But- at least you found her."

"I know, something went right for us for a change. I'm surprised, too."

"Susan." Caspian spoke softly, surprising the Queen slightly as she looked to him. "I- I'm sorry. For all the secrets- for not telling you- it was so, so painful not to, but I couldn't. You must understand that."

"I do." The Queen replies gently, honestly as she placed a hand on his arm. "But-" she shook her head slightly. "I- after all this- who can we- who can I trust?"

"Me." The Lord promised. "You can trust me, Susan. I promise."

The brunette ignored the building moisture in her eyes and gave a small laugh, "Lilith had to go through all this with Peter."

"No one should have to go through this but we do. And there's no one that would make it so worth it."

"Caspian-" Yet the entirety of the Queen's vocabulary failed her.

"May I kiss you once more, Your Majesty?"

"Yes." Was the word the Queen found as her hand found the Lord's hair and their lips met.

-------

"October when I went in, December when I come out!" Sanya said, leaning on her crutches- she COULD walk without them, but she toppled over every few feet. "It's not fair."