ANNOUNCEMENTS.

[susan elinor pevensie]

When they were first crowned Kings and Queens of Narnia, the castle of Cair Paravel had become the Pevensie children's home. It was a beautiful place and Susan had instantly fallen in love with it. The more time she spent in the castle, and in the surrounding areas too, the more she understood why the talking animals of Narnia wanted to fight. Susan was firmly against war but she knew that in those circumstances it was necessary.

Time had moved on since then and war wasn't a worry Susan pondered on often. No, Susan worried about people doing what they should around the castle, guests being happy and comfortable, and yes, even occasionally Prince Minrud and his proposal. She proffered worries like these, somehow they were simpler to deal with. Although it was common place for Susan to worry, it always bringing an intense frown to her forehead, she thought she would give it a rest ... or at least try to.

On this particular sunny morning, after breakfast, Susan had taken to wondering around the castle. Even though she and her brothers and sister had been living in the castle for a little more then four years Susan was convinced that she had not yet discovered all the secret passageways and hiding holes. And so with this in mind, Susan was simply walking. Walking through the corridors of the castle.

All she passed she knew and soon as lost her interest in her hunt. It simply wasn't the same when you didn't have someone to share the experience with. If Lucy was here, she thought, we would be laughing right now. She turned a corner and saw a balcony just to the right. Strolling through the open doors, Susan lent against the stone railing. If Edmund was here, Susan thought with a smile creeping onto her face, we would have discovered something gross. Susan sighed, looking out over the sea that lapped lazily against the shore. If Peter were here, she thought, I wouldn't be standing here.

Susan had no idea she was so dependent on her siblings and the thought startled her a little. Susan had always thought that independence was a good thing, something to work towards, and something that she held steadfast in her hand. This was apparently not so. The scraping of the curtain against it's railing grinded noisily behind her, breaking Susan's thoughts. Someone had pulled open the curtain and Su turned to see who it was, not removing her arms from the railing.

[arim misaki xien]

Arim had some things to organize in her mind.

Sweeping gracefully across the place with her long skirt, the princess softly treaded across the stone castle. Her maidservant Saori walked behind her, with almost the same grace and attitude - a habit she had adopted back at Sandao. Saori followed Arim everywhere. When she was young Arim had found it aggravating - but now she thought of it to be a relief. Now Arim had someone to talk to while she was... walking.

Now Arim was seeking one of the balconies in the castle. She liked balconies. It was just so calming to put one hand against the railing and lean forward, and look out at the view beneath. Sometimes it was the Eastern Sea, the sparkling sapphire waves and the soft froth of the waves caressing the yellow sand. Other times it was the city of Cair Paravel, the grand capital of Narnia, and beyond that the plains and a glimpse of the forest. Both ways Arim found it incredibly wonderful. Many a time Arim had sighed while watching the view, a different view for each balcony, and for a few minutes it had driven all troublesome thought out of her mind. Just her, and Saori behind her with her head slightly bowed, and the beautiful view of nature beneath her.

And it was good.

Finally Arim seeked out one of the balconies in the castle. She knew, because of the direction it was facing, that it would be a view of the golden shore, the glassy foam of the waves, and the blue, blue sea in the east that would be beneath her.

"Saori."

A simple word was enough - Saori tread forward and parted the silk curtains. They made a scraping sound, rather loud and annoying, Arim realized. But they opened, and Arim blinked.

Someone was there.

The first thought that entered Arim's head was one of irritation. Why was someone on the balcony, where she was supposed to be?But as the mysterious person turned her head, Arim realized who it was. Queen Susan of Narnia - one of Arim's dearest friends in the castle and (as she liked to think) her future sister-in-law. Arim's irritation faded quickly, and she bowed forward lightly. Somehow Arim had never really been able to get rid of the habit of bowing to everyone she met. She opened her mouth, feeling that she needed to greet Susan or something.

"Your Majesty."

[susan elinor pevensie]

Susan's light blue gown shifted with little resistance out of the way of Susan's feet as she pushed it aside to turn around and see who was joining her on the balcony. At first, Su had had some trouble getting the motion correct so that she didn't trip on her dresses but she was certainly getting better at it. It had become apparent that patience and slowness worked much better then haste and rash decision. It was a simple fact of life that the slow and steady won the race.

It was not a shock at all for Susan to see Princess Arim making her way onto the balcony through the open curtain - Susan presumed that it was Saori holding it open for her. The instant the young Queen saw the visiting princess her face broke free of its thoughtful restraints and turned into a broad, pleasant smile. How good it was, she thought, to see someone she liked and knew relatively well, she liked to think.

Arim bowed and Susan giggled slightly, moving forward with her hands outstretched and open to take her friends. Susan had always told Arim not to bow to her but she persisted on doing it so Susan decided to let that lie. Taking both of Arim's hands in her own, Susan squeezed them tightly, kissing her lightly on each cheek.

"Arim," Susan said, standing back but still holding her friends' hands, "how wonderful to see you and how fine you look this morning." Susan spread her arms wide and looked Arim up and down, her cheeks rosy from smiling. She dropped one of her friends' hands and pulled her along by the other towards the balcony. "Come."

The particular balcony the two royals were on was not all that big but it was big enough that the two girls could stand by the stone railing and whisper, without being over heard by anyone passing by. With this in mind, Susan led Arim to the railing and lent her forearms on it again, slouching slightly. Her dark hair hung loosely on her back, curly for the day but clasped at the back to keep the hair out of her face.

"It is such a beautiful view, is it not?" Susan asked and smiled up at Arim, brushing a curled lock of hair out of her face.

[arim misaki xien]

When Susan kissed Arim lightly, she thought of the first time it had happened to her, and was unable to repress a grin. It was when the Sandese ship, The Water Dragon, had first laid anchor on the port of Cair Paravel and Arim had set foot for the first time in the "barbaric" Northern country of Narnia. She had stepped backward, her eyes full of shock at the sight of informalness the royals were showing. Everything had always been so strict in Sandao that the first gesture of Narnian court rules shown to her, by Susan, was such a shock that it was impossible for her to stay calm. And then she had wondered why all the Narnian people had started laughing. Now she was entirely used to Narnian-ness, so it wasn't a problem.

"Arim, how wonderful to see you and how fine you look this morning. Come."

"Thank you, your Grace."

She came. Of course it would not be the peaceful morning she had expected, but talking with Susan wouldn't probably be that bad either. Although Arim herself gripped the railing with her hands tightly without her posture arching forward a bit, Susan leant on the railing with her body slouching forward a bit. Another thing Arim had been so shocked at - how the Narnians were so free in carrying themselves. The Great Teacher, the leading philosopher of Sandao, had written a whole book about neat posture and of course everyone in court followed those rules. Arim now was able to walk for ages with a china platter balanced on her head without it falling off. (She had been trained.)

While her mind had been wandering in this way, Susan was talking to her again. Her face had a welcoming, pleasant smile, and Arim smiled in her influence.

"It is such a beautiful view, is it not?"

"Oh, yes it is," cried Arim happily, losing some of her composture. Already was she getting used to the... the happiness in the Narnian air. Arim loved Narnia dearly. She loved Peter (literally), and Susan, Edmund, and Lucy also, and she loved the castle of Cair Paravel, and she loved the entire country. She loved how Narnia was so liberal as opposed to Sandao, and every day a bit of her Sandeseness was crumbling away. Thinking of Narnia, Arim's posture relaxed a bit as she too leaned a bit forward, her eyes resting on the Eastern Sea, sparkling like glass or sapphire. Susan was every bit right: the view was beautiful.

[susan elinor pevensie]

Susan had still not become accustomed to all the formal language that people when around her – and she had also heard with her siblings. It was always ‘your Highness’ this or ‘your Majesty’ that or bowing and curtsying in the corridors. Su wasn’t sure she would ever get used to that and she tried as hard as she dared without being rude or inhospitable to discourage this sort of behaviour, especially with Princess Arim, after all the two were by now good friends and Susan felt in no way higher then the Princess. After all Arim had lived with this her whole life … perhaps that was the reason it was hard for her not to ‘your Grace’ Susan all the time.

Susan smiled never the less, and rolled her blue eyes playfully. “Arim,” she said gently, “I have told you before to call me Susan …” Su trailed off slightly, not knowing exactly where that sentence was going, but she left it there, knowing that it would have just as good an impact like that. She tilted her head to one side, her dark curls falling over her shoulder as she smiled at Arim, her friend and secretly Susan hoped something more some day soon: sister-in-law.

As her gaze turned to the ocean view the smile remained on the young girl’s face. The ocean did make her happy. When they had been younger, and times had not been so hard, it had always been a treat to go to the sea side for a day. They would take their bathers, a picnic full of lovely goodies, and the whole Pevensie family would travel to the sea side – by train, of course. Their parents would set up the picnic while the four children ran around, playing on the beach and in the water too. There had been no better days when they were younger. But they had grown now, playing like that wasn’t something they got to do very often, even with the sea lapping right on their door step.

Arim showed her enthusiasm, her proper composure loosening a little. This made Susan smile just a little harder. At first Arim had seemed to be so uptight, ridged and proper that Susan had fears she would be a frightful bore. Naturally, Susan had learnt to not judge a book by its cover then as Arim showed a little more of herself each and every day. Susan was glad to be there to be able to see it, knowing that Peter noticed it too. At this, Susan’s smile grew bright as the morning sun and she stood up, resting her stomach against the stone as she looked at Arim.

“Have you spoken to Peter today?” Susan asked knowingly. It was no secret how the two felt, it was all over their faces when they were around one another. Susan wasn’t sure if this would end up like a Jane and Mr Bingley scenario from Pride and Prejudice, both Arim and Peter being too shy to say exactly how they felt – well, that was how Susan felt at any rate. It would not have been the first time she had misjudged someone if it wasn’t like that at all.

[arim misaki xien]

Arim still didn't want to call Susan "Susan." Yes, Susan was a little younger than her but she was still in a higher ranking. Susan was the Queen of Narnia. Arim was the princess of a country that no longer existed. You do the math.

But time by time she insisted, and Arim giggled a bit (something she had picked up in Narnia) before saying with quite an effort, "Oh, no, your- Susan." More giggling. Boy, this felt weird. To her it would have felt like calling George Bush "Georgie boy" or something. Just not what anyone from Sandao would have done.

When Susan asked about Peter, Arim straightened her posture a bit. It was not that she felt uncomfortable about it - no, she loved to talk about Peter and blabbed about him constantly to Saori and Sorina and Aine and her other servants. But only to them.

Arim sighed as she tried to remember Peter. His golden hair - his deep sympathetic eyes - his manly stature - everything about him was so perfect. She could still remember her first kiss with him, that day it was Lucy's birthday - so sweet and lovely, like falling into a pool of warm honey. But she hadn't seen him for the past few days. It was the disadvantages of dating a High King. High Kings are always busy, you know.

"No, I haven't," she sighed again. "Peter has been busy with the trade negotiation papers from Archenland these few days, I think." Bummer. Not that she disliked Archenland - she thought it was a lovely place, almost as good as Narnia - but of course they had to send over the letters and bother Peter.

Arim stared on in front of her, watching two dolphins jump above the simmering autumn sea and two dragonflies red as the setting sun whizz by, chattering to each other. Everyone had a partner, but Arim had - a dilemma.

[susan elinor pevensie]

Arim called Susan by her name and her joy for it was all too apparent on her face. She smile widely at her friend, knowing what sort of anxieties she had to be having about being so informal with one of a higher stature. Intellectually, Susan understood Arim's need to remain as ... uptight as she was when she was back home but Susan wanted Arim to be comfortable, first and fore most, there was nothing more important she felt. Formalities never did go very well with comfort. Nodding in approval, Su's gave travelled over the shimmering waters.

Even though she was not looking at the princess, Susan could feel Arim tense up next to her. The young princess always did seem to feel awkward talking about her brother with Susan. Smiling sardonically to herself, Susan surmised that it was only natural for her to do so. Peter was the High King of Narnia, for one thing, and for another he was her brother, no amount of friendship would change that fact and that was probably the overriding factor there.

Arim's voice was soft when she spoke of Peter. Su should have remembered that Peter had actual things to do for the country, where as all she could do was tend the castle, make sure Jasper's pups stayed out of the orchard and tend to all the people that were magically popping up all across the kingdom. It wasn't that Susan was ungrateful or that she didn't feel she could do the job credibly, it was the fact that she too saw little of Peter. Her own brother, as we had so clearly established.

Susan sighed and nodded her head. "Peter has always thrown himself into everything he's done," Susan admitted smiling gently at Arim. She stood up straight and gave Arim's arm a light rub of assurance. "Do not worry." With those thoughts rushing through her head, Susan decided that they needed to change the topic. "Have you met any of these strange people who have been appearing around Narnia?" Susan asked hopefully.

[arim misaki xien]

Arim was sort of relieved when Susan decided to change the topic. She didn't like talking to others about Peter and herself - the only scenario where she was willing to talk about Peter is when she was talking with Peter. And, well, Susan was as good a friend as could be but she was not Peter.

The new topic was those queer people who were appearing in Narnia. Had she met any of them yet? She shook her head. "No," she said. "I have not been outside the castle for about a fortnight." Arim wasn't that fond of leaving Cair Paravel. It was good, nice, comfortable, it had everything she needed. If she went outside, there was no litter so she had to walk, and to be honest Narnia was pretty underdeveloped - all grass and trees and bugs. Not that many paved roads outside of the city of Cair Paravel itself, just a lot of soil. The Narnians seemed to like it, and Arim herself did want to become a Narnian if she was stuck here for eternity, but she found it hard to walk on something that was not stone or pavement.

But she quite liked going outside sometimes. It was nice and quiet, and all around her were the forests and fields of Narnia, all bursting with life and happiness. The green was a lovely sight to see. If she went outside in Sandao, she could hardly see a thing. The litters of Sandao were large boxes with two long sticks attached to the bottom side, and four manservants held each end of a stick and carried it. There were only two windows on each side that were hardly big enough for Arim to stick her face out. Also, there were rarely fights between the citizens (as opposed to the harsh tones that could be heard in the Sandese marketplaces) and everyone was nearly always nice. It made Arim happy and nice too.

That started her thinking. "Perhaps I could do with a trip outside," contemplated Arim. It was certainly nice outside in the Narnian forests. Lucy would be excellent company if she were outside, and Susan too would be pleased to take a break from politics - oh.

Perhaps she could take Susan and Lucy outside on a picnic or something. It would certainly be fun, and she might meet one of those strange new people.

Arim turned to Queen Susan, and spoke deliberately. "How would you like it if... if I took you" (Arim had to bite her tongue not to say "your Grace") "and Queen Lucy outside for a picnic in Dancing Lawn?" She would not refuse, Arim was sure. Susan was tired of ruling as far as she could see, and Lucy was in need of some quality time with her sisters (sort of, anyway) nowadays.

[susan elinor pevensie]

It became all too clear that Arim didn’t want to discuss Peter with her. Susan found that the strange pictures in her mind of Arim and Peter walking along a beach together was making her stomach churn. She didn’t let it show on her face though and she smiled broadly at Arim. So it made changing the subject not only the best thing to do but one of the easiest things to do.

Susan had become aware that Arim didn’t get out of the castle much. Susan hadn’t been out of the castle much either, having more guests then she had originally planned for. Well, it was to be expected with some of the students staying in the castle and it was still more taxing when the witches and wizards didn’t want to stay at Cair Paravel. Susan worried for them whether they stayed or not. It was just what she did.

“Oh, I am sorry you haven’t met any,” said Susan with a sad look on her face as she straightened up. “All that I’ve met have been lovely. I do think you would enjoy their company, they are most diverting.” Susan put her hands together and slotted her finger between each other, the dropped then in front of her and let her arms hand. She would much rather hold her hands together then let them fidget around.

"Perhaps I could do with a trip outside."

Susan gave her a small smile before looking out over the ocean. It was not everyday that she got the chance to simply be, that she was able to stand and watch the ocean be. It was too wonderful, too relaxing for words. The whole scene was enchanting and Susan couldn’t help but stare as though it were some very good looking boy that hadn’t noticed her yet. Luckily for her it wasn’t because sooner or later the boy would notice the staring and Su wouldn’t be able to live it down.

"How would you like it if ... if I took you … and Queen Lucy outside for a picnic in Dancing Lawn?"

The suggestion made Susan’s face light up with a smile. “Oh Arim, that’s a wonderful idea,” Susan exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet where she stood, her dark curls bouncing with her, “and I just know Lucy would love to come with us. It could be an all girl excursion, no boys what so ever. Oh, how wonderful. I do not recall the last time I was on a picnic.” Su added this last as an after thought, looking off at nothing with a far away expression on her face.

Looking back to Arim, Su smiled apologetically. “Sorry,” she offered, “I was just trying to think of when the last time was and I cannot for the life of me recall. A picnic would be a wonderful way for us to show you Narnia too, well, what lies between here and the Dancing Lawns at any rate.” Susan inclined her head to the side and smiled helplessly. “Shall I leave you to make all the arrangements then?” the queen asked with a quizzical look, “or if you would rather not I would be happy to …?”

[arim misaki xien]

Arim smiled when Susan accepted her offer. Of course, it had not been unexpected, but Arim was glad all the same that Susan had agreed to go outside with her. And Lucy, being the fun outdoorsy girl she was, would certainly agree. When Susan offered to make the arrangements, Arim shook her head.

"Oh, that would be unnecessary, Queen Susan," she said quickly, trying to spare her friend and future sister-in-law the trouble of going about making arrangements. The monarchs were busy enough already, what with the trade negotiation going on - although it was true that the High King was the busiest. "I will prepare for everything. You just have to smile and wait - and don't forget to ask Queen Lucy too," Arim added.

She looked into the deep blue fall sky, thinking. What would she do? It would be a simple matter - gathering a few servants and some other people for company, getting the girls' horses groomed and prepared, and bringing along some refreshments for the picnic. (A good excuse to get the Narnians to try some of the Sandese cuisine, she thought privately. It certainly was the type that was easy to pack.) There would be no need to hire any bodyguards - Susan and Lucy were both handy with a bow, and Arim herself was practicing how to wield a sword (though she wasn't that good) and she was well trained in martial arts, as her brothers were. Before she looked back at Susan with a triumphant smile on her face, nearly all of her plans were laid out for her.

"I expect that everything will be ready in a few days," said Arim, doing the calculations in her head. She thought that perhaps it would take three days by the latest. Then she tilted her head to the side a little, opening her narrow Asian eyes wider and putting on a bigger smile. "It will be great." Which was basically an understatement.