Title: poor choices
Day/Theme: 14. Growl
Series: Chronicles of Narnia
Character/Pairing: Susan Pevensie, Susan/Caspian
Rating: PG13



"You're such a bloody snob," her latest boyfriend says in disgust. Susan listens without expression; she's had hurtful words hurled at her a thousand times before, only a fraction of those occurrences in the case of a breakup, where the wounded try to wound back as best they can. A Queen must be implacable and she has not forgotten those lessons.

She doesn't even know why she went out with him--he had dark eyes and dark hair and not dark enough but almost enough for her to pretend--and she's not at all hesitant to cut him off at the knees when he gets too demanding--he's thinking about a ring--so here they are, and she's preparing to be alone again.

"Won't you even say something?" He demands, and Susan puts down the brush with a care lingering from a time when even her toiletry supplies were made of precious materials.

She slides her hair back and levels him with a long stare, the kind of stare that made enemies pull up short even when she had no bow in her hands. It has no less of an effect on him. "You," she says, in an almost kindly tone, "are saying plenty."

He sputtered, makes a furious little growl. Susan is not afraid of him, though maybe she should be; he is much taller than her, probably stronger. But he doesn't have the spine to hurt her, not even when she's wounded his pride this way.

Her thoughts skew. He was a warrior, he was a tried and tested killer, but there were so many other reasons that she would never have feared his hands and indeed, never have hurt him this way if she could help it--

"You don't even care," he accuses.

"No," she agrees, surprising him. You can't hurt me. I've had all the hurt I can take for one lifetime. "Goodbye."

She keeps hoping they can heal her in some way, and yet never being able to bear separating herself from the problem.