It Is Time

[King Caspian X]

Caspian looked around the cave and found a stick. He picked it up, but tossed it aside soon after. It was worth less. With one last loving glance at Susan, he lunged for the shapeshifter. "You idiot!" his mother called after him. But that didn't matter. She had already done most of the weakening for him. His fist came square across his face and he retreated. "Come." he said, waving his hand.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

Susan laughed as he beat her enemies. She found it amusing to say the least. Strange, how she hated to feel love, yet she loved to hate. This heartless world was diffrent, one she hated and in doing so she enjoied it. She shook the confusing thought away. I want my heart, nothing more. After it's back inside me, where it belongs, I can start wanting other things again. She smiled a twisted smile at the thought of being able to love Caspian again. Her heartless body may not have agreed with her and the moments they shared may feel like nothing. But her memory said something went through her that could not be duplicated. That something she longed for again. "Caspian," She called as the thought came to her though she knew not if it was true. "The necklace, it has my bow under it."

[Cotnar]

He roared, still with a lion's voice, when Caspian hit him. It didn't hurt badly but would have hurt much less in one of the thicker-hided bodies. This human form was weak, even if it did almost resemble Caspian exactly. He saw Firemane shrink back, her head bowed muttering something of the gracious king, at the sight of him. He raised his sword and lunged and missed intentionally swinging his blade so the flat of it struck Susan on the side of her head with enough force to knock her out. "Do not interfere." He growled before striking at Caspian.

[King Caspian X]

Caspian shuddered at the sound of her skull being beat with the sword. He wouldn't allow it. His anger built inside of him, making him aware of seemingly everything. He was focused. No matter how badly he wanted to go to her now and make sure that she was alright, he couldn't. He had to fight. For once, Caspian was thankful that Lamont was there. Yes, thankful. If anything was wrong with Susan, at least he could trust him to get her some proper care. This was the only time he would ever be thankful for his cousin. Caspian leapt towards the demon again, dodging in and out of the blades range. His cast was weightless, he was weightless, he was strong. Caspian struck another blow to him in much the same way a snake strikes his opponent, jabbing him in the stomach good and hard and retreated skillfully. This was a new fighting style that he was surprised that he was good at. "Don't touch her." he snarled, though his voice was, yet again, dangerously calm.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

Susan almost screamed as the blade struck her. For a moment she lay on the ground as the world swarmed around her endlessly. When it finaly began to clear she touched lightly where she felt the most pain, but withdrew her had as it became wet with blood. The sight of her own blood made her almost dizzy, but she forced herself to be strong and look up at them. He had hit her for mentioning the necklace. She must've been right: That had to be her bow put in the symbol on his chain. She had never seen the chain before so was it was very likely that the small piece of metal held her heart? "Caspian," She ordered voicing her thoughts, "bring me the necklace!"

[Cotnar]

"If she insists I will respond." King Caspian IX growled before weaving around his 'son' and striking her again. She was too weak to run or fight back, so he didn't care. Eventually she would pass out or die, either option he was open for. He twisted around Caspian's arms, spinning as he did to bring the sharp edge of his blade on his casted arm, shattering the stone of the cast and injuring his arm worse than when he bit him. The moment his strike landed he spun away seeing no reason to stay close for long.

[King Caspian X]

Caspian leapt for it, pulling it free of Cotnar's neck. The little necklace pulsed in his hands, like a little heartbeat. Susan's heartbeat. But then he felt it, the sharp blow to his wrist. It ached for a moment, but a moment only. He had gotten Susan's heart back, and that as all that matterd. He could feel the pain later, as he had when he left the waterfall earlier. The King ran over to her as fast as he could, as if it would disappear if he didn't get there quick enough. It felt as soft as a snowflake in his hands, as if the slightest of movement it might break. He carefully put it around her neck and fastened it in the back. The metal chain seemed to melt back into her body. It was gone. "Susan?" he asked, holding her tightly. Both of them were bleeding, and he would probably lose his hand if he didn't get proper care, but Aslan had taught him a lesson that he wouldn't forget. "Are you alright?" he asked. He didn't want to touch the bleeding wound for fear of hurting her. Caspian almost felt disappointed at how short the fight had lasted. It almost bored him, minus the fact that his wrist was bleeding like a river.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

"Your hurt," Susan said not saying anything of the necklace as it passed painfuly through her skin. She almost touched his arm but thought better of it for fear of hurting him. instead she touched his face and immedatly answered her call and pulled him into her lips. At once, with their faces still touching, a smile crossed her and a tear fell. She could feel herself wanting more of what she had just lost. When she pulled away at last she looked up at him savoring his perfection. another tear fell as she spoke at last saying what she longed to say, "I love you. I will always love you."

[King Caspian X]

He smiled brightly. "It'll be fine." he said, looking at his wrist. It didn't look 'fine'. In a few days, he might have to have it taken off if he didn't get to the medical chambers. But he would get there. "What about you?" he asked again, pointing at her head but not wanted to touch it. "Are you alright?" and then his smile broadened as she told him of her love. "I love you more." he said, his grin turning childish as he stole her words from her again. "I'm sorry that I left and got angry." he told her. "And I'm sorry that I made you cry. I'm sorry for everything." Caspian's voice told his truth. He really was sorry, to all meanings of the word.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

"No," she said regretting the word. She would do much better if she never said it again. "I over reacted. I should've never even thought you would leave me. I paniced when I should've waited for you and none of this would have happened. Don't apologize, I let this happen just as much as you did, if not more." She kissed him and laughed adding with a playful smile, "and you still have to give the words back."

[King Caspian X]

"I should have never left you. It's my fault." Caspian said, accepting her kiss and smiling. He stuck out his jaw and lower lip so that came over his upper lip. The corners of his mouth pulled back into a silly smile. "Nope. I stole them fair and square." he said, laughing. "You have to steal them back if you want them that badly."

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

She laughed a bit and pulled him down and ran her tounge over his teeth. This method she adoped as a way to steal words back when they were stolen. She didn't know why, she just did. It was a game the two of them played, like when they fought as she called him lord and he called her kind lady. "We'll not blame eachother for anything that happens again. No matter what we will always want to blame ourselves for the wrongdoings of the other. It will only let us live in grief if we do."

[King Caspian X]

He nodded. "This is true." he said. Caspian was just glad that she was safe. He had so much to tell her, but he couldn't with all the ears around. He tried to think of one of their codes to tell her that Aslan had returned, and actually spoken to him. "The sun will always rise and fall," he began. "Sometimes, the nights seem longer than the days, but the days do come at last." Caspian told her, smiling. He watched her face, waiting to see her expression when she understood what he meant.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

"Light always comes . . . eventualy." She thought she had grasped the purpose of his words, but she had not and was content with what she knew. Now all she wanted was to go home and rest in his arms, but that was impossibe. She would have to go home with Lamont this night and Aslan knows what he would do once they were alone. It's to protect Caspian. She had to tell herself over and over again. It's to protect Caspian. "I'll miss you."

[King Caspian X]

"I'll miss you too." Caspian said, and held her hand. He knew what she was thinking, but he also wanted so badly for her to know what he was saying. It would take her mind off her thoughts, too. "First the sound, then the sight." he said. "By day and night. First the dark, then the light." he said. First the sound, then the sight. They had heard Aslan earlier, and now Caspian had seen him. By day and night. They had heard him by day, seen him by night. First the dark, then the light. Things were dark at first, and they were angry at each other and the whole thing seemed like a big mess. But since Aslan had come, things seemed light again. Caspian and Susan were smiling and playing with one another. He was reciting riddles to her, and the atmosphere seemed a whole lot lighter, even with his wrist. "Do you understand?" he asked, still smiling.