Disclaimer: I only came up with this little idea. The rest belongs to C. S. Lewis.

Enchanted

It was another beautiful night on the Dawn Treader. Not a normal night, where the wind would whip at the sails and there would be the constant patter of feet on board so that one would find it difficult to fall asleep. They were nearing the Edge of the World, and it was a peaceful evening where the rainbow lights reflected eerily off of the sides of the ship. It was like walking in an aquarium, but Lucy was sure she was the only one thinking of that as the boat moved steadily although there was no wind. Everyone was about, finding the evening too energizing to fall asleep. They had been doing so for the last number of days, only getting a few hours of sleep before rising to work. No one minded though; especially Lucy. She found it fun to stay up late and watch the stars, because it reminded her of her first lifetime in Narnia.

"Good evening Lucy," greeted a voice from behind her. Lucy, who had been leaning against the rail and watching the glittering water float lazily by, turned her head to see Caspian. At times like this in the evening, he wasn't outfitted in regal mail emblazoned with a Lion, but in what could be seen as average Narnian clothes: a shirt and pants with a leather belt. He walked about with no shoes because the air was warm enough without them.

"Hullo Caspian," she replied. She had never gotten in the habit of calling him King. It may have been selfish, but Lucy always saw herself and her siblings as the Kings and Queens of Narnia. Caspian was a great friend though, and Lucy always felt the need to hug him when he was around for some inexplicable reason, but she never tried it.

A burst of raucous laughter caused Caspian to look back, but Lucy saw it was only a group of sailors laughing about a joke. He walked near Lucy and stood beside her at the railing, leaning his palms on it whereas Lucy was balanced on her elbows. The two stared down at the shimmering water, mellow pinks and purples glancing off the wood occasionally. Lucy was used to silences with Caspian, often because he came to be near her when he wanted to escape the company of bullying men or irritating boys, like Edmund and Eustace. Sometimes he would ask her about royal duties back in Narnia, because he was still young and unlike Lucy, had the burden all to himself.

"I saw Sea People the other day," Lucy informed him suddenly, deciding that the story was safe enough to tell Caspian about. He was very good at keeping secrets.

"Really?" Caspian asked, excitedly. Any new sort of magical creature seemed to enrapture him. He turned to Lucy, eyes shining. "What were they like? Did you speak with them?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, Drinian said that they were most likely violent. He also said not to tell anybody, but I wanted you to know," Lucy told him simply, turning back to the water, one hand twisting a strand of dark hair nervously. Whenever Caspian looked at her, she felt a strange twisting in her stomach and felt it rather uncomfortable.

"What did they look like?" Caspian continued to ask, sliding closer to her. Lucy stared at the water, feeling the uncommon urge to babble.

"They had scales for skin, and rode large seahorses but didn't wear clothes. They were hunting fish with a larger fish, and then I saw a little girl later on who looked so very sad, and I felt like we could have been best friends, but I suppose Sea People can't come above the water or else the hunting party that spotted me would have probably drug me down with them." She said it all in a quick burst, taking in a gulp of air.

"Fascinating," Caspian whispered softly, finally gazing out at the water. This calmed Lucy down a bit, but she hoped Caspian didn't find the lack of clothes the most fascinating of all.

"But I wish they weren't so mean," Lucy said, trying to remind him that the Sea People were violent. She remembered Drinian's previous words, which anyone who saw them would most likely dive into the water for want of being with them. Lucy nibbled at her bottom lip anxiously. Maybe she should have kept quiet if it was making her so nervous.

"I wish I'd seen them," Caspian said a little dejectedly. "You're quite a lucky girl, Lucy! You've seen all sorts of creatures, not only from this world but from yours as well." He fell silent at that, and Lucy realized she wasn't the only one worried about something. She always found that she was sensitive to Caspian's feelings.

"Yes, I suppose I am," she agreed, but not rather genuinely.

Caspian gave her a quick look, and she knew he had heard the sulkiness in her voice. "Maybe I shall turn the ship around so I can see these Sea People," Caspian said suddenly, probably hoping to make Lucy smile. But Lucy took it far too seriously and gave him a horrified look.

"Caspian, you can't! I suppose I'm a girl, so it didn't affect me much, but Drinian said if someone saw them they would jump into the ocean to follow them! They might drown, or get killed by them, and I wouldn't be able to stand it if something happened to you!" She had yelled it all out, and Lucy realized this because all the sailors were silent, not laughing anymore but watching her in an amused sort of way. She flushed pink and felt hot. What had she even said? Her mind was all muddled from embarrassment.

Caspian did something unexpected; he laughed. "Lucy, I'm not going to dive into the ocean to follow these Sea People! I was only trying to lighten the mood." He looked down at her, raising her chin up to force her to look up at his face. Her eyes flickered nervously away; she didn't want to look at him right now.

"You seem to be feeling rather heavy tonight, don't you?" he asked quietly after inspecting her face for what seemed a suitable period. He dropped his hand and Lucy was grateful. When he had been holding it up she felt like she had been balanced on the top of the world, ready to fall to her doom or to land safely back on the ground.

"I—I suppose so," Lucy said, faltering for a moment. She hadn't realized it. Was it true? "I'm having a lot of fun, and I'd like it not to end," she said, deciding that was a safe answer.

"I know what you mean," Caspian agreed. "There's such a great feeling about being on a ship, exploring unknown lands! Don't you agree?"

"Oh yes!" Lucy cried enthusiastically. The two smiled at each other, realizing once again that they more in common than they thought. It was nice to get away from the bad parts of sailing, like being surrounded by bulky, ill-mannered men; always being hot and thirsty; feeling dirty and unwashed; and the only company being Edmund and Eustace, which Lucy tired of quickly. She often forgot that talking with Caspian was quite relaxing. "You know, we should do this more often," she said, smiling up at Caspian. He looked confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Lucy looked at him for a moment, and then decided that she'd rather not explain herself. Maybe because she didn't want this warm feeling to leave her body. "Nevermind," she said, turning back to the water. "Maybe if you're lucky, you'll be able to spot the Sea People," said Lucy, not serious at all. Caspian knew this, but leaned far over the railing with an excited grin anyway.

Lucy laughed as he pretended to search, and even once or twice nearly fell over because he swore he had spotted something. At one point Lucy had to grab his arm and drag him back down on the deck (or at least try), but by this point Caspian was laughing so hard he collapsed down on the deck anyway. Lucy, still holding onto his sleeve, slipped down on the deck beside him, giggling quietly. The two of them slowly fell back into silence, and Lucy took this time to notice everyone on deck. Although as time passed and it was getting later and later, everyone seemed more awake, more invigorated by the balmy air and the ethereal light from the water. Lucy was comfortable, sitting so close to Caspian she could hear him breathing. For the first time on the voyage, Lucy felt completely and utterly relaxed.

"I never want to leave this place," Lucy whispered without thinking, but then clamped her mouth shut. Had she really said that aloud?

"Me either," Caspian agreed, and Lucy's heart jumped. "I love ships; I very well think I could live on one."

Lucy let out a little breath of air in relief. So he hadn't really understood her meaning. Good. Lucy herself didn't much understand what she was feeling, let alone what she had spoken.

"Let's live on this ship forever, then," Lucy told him quietly, still watching the ship and its inhabitants walk across the deck and lay under the dark sky, talking. Her back was to the water, resting against the railing.

"I'd like that," Caspian told her just as softly, but both of them knew it was an impossible future.

"I think I might just fall asleep," Lucy told him suddenly, yawning. Her head was leaning on the railing, and it was rather uncomfortable… but she was just so peaceful right now she felt as if she could sleep for eternity.

"Well if you are, you'd best use my shoulder as a pillow," Caspian told her sternly, almost brotherly. "Or tomorrow morning your head will ache!"

Lucy felt her cheeks turning pink once more, but hid them as she slid over to Caspian and rested her head awkwardly against his shoulder. For some reason it felt very strange, scary, and pleasant at the same time. She didn't know if that was possible, but Caspian didn't say anymore and his rhythmic breathing soon made Lucy drowsy.

"I'd rather not sleep," she murmured sloppily, half-asleep already. As soon as she uttered the words she immediately fell into a quiet slumber, so she didn't see the tranquil smile that lit up Caspian's face when he looked down at her.

Later that night, Caspian fell asleep right beside her, and neither woke up until late afternoon the next day.

The End