An Unexpected Crossover for ofthehorn

ifishouldreturn — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:23:33 GMT

The last few days had been a riot of activity in Cair Paravel. Every effort had been made to ensure that the ambassadors from Gondor enjoyed their visit and, although the gentle queen was known for being a gracious and attentive host, there had been moments when Susan had wanted nothing more than to retreat to the peace and quiet of her own personal chambers. In the years since their rule began, she had grown used to spending time with people who were more interested in her reputation than in her, just as she had grown used to mixing with representatives of countries that did not allow women to rule as equals, men who did not know what to make of herself or Lucy. There were times when she longed for a chance to let her guard down and simply be herself.

She had spent the majority of the feasts and festivities in the company of Boromir, the Steward of Gondor’s eldest son. He’d been polite and attentive and kind. She couldn’t fault his behaviour, in fact. But he was a proud warrior, just like the other proud warriors that she’d met, and her mask remained in place whenever they rode side by side or conversed at dinner. He’d make a fine match, as Peter had grudgingly admitted, but she didn’t want him to be her husband.

In the faint warmth of the early morning light, Susan – dressed in a simple gown rather than an elaborate evening dress – slipped out of her room. The rest of the palace, Narnian and Gondorian alike, slept. She was alone and she was free to be Susan, not just Queen Susan.

She murmured a polite greeting to an otter and a deer that she passed in the hall and made her way up ramparts. She had been dedicated to the radiant southern sun on her coronation and the high walls provided her with the best opportunity for gazing across the southerly expanses of Narnia. She longed to be there now, spending her days with the talking beasts, her evenings dancing with the dryads and her nights under the familiar Narnian stars.

Lost in her thoughts, Susan barely had time to school her surprise when she reached the parapet and found that she was not the only person there. Faramir, the brother of Boromir, gazed out across the sea with a distant look in his eyes. When he turned, he seemed just as astonished to see her as she was to see him.

“Your majesty.”

He bowed his head in greeting. She responded with a curtsey almost automatically. She hadn’t spent a great deal of time with the younger son of Denethor. He was quieter than his brother, not necessarily because he shy but because, she suspected, he was both more thoughtful and accustomed to keeping those thoughts to himself. She remembered overhearing him enjoying a long conservation on history and lore with Tumnus and Oreius. A scholar as well as a warrior, then. That was something of a surprise.

“Good morning, Lord Faramir. I must admit that I did not expect to find myself with company at this hour.”

“I am sorry for disturbing you,” he said, sincerely. “You have had little time to yourself since our arrival. I will leave you to your thoughts.”

He was thoughtful. She had a great deal of experience when it came to came to politics and to ambassadors, but she had never met a man who had turned down a chance to spend time with her. Certainly not time alone. Most would have used it to pursue her hand in marriage or push the interests of his country. Faramir offered her a choice.

“There is no need to leave, sir. The sunrise over the Eastern Sea is a beautiful sight. It would be a shame for you to miss it when you have come so far.”

Faramir smiled. It was Susan, not Queen Susan, who smiled back.

"If I should return, think better of me, father."

An Unexpected Crossover for ofthehorn