A/N: There have been several wonderful works by several wonderful authors in this fandom, who have wrote about the theme of fairy tales and Lucy and Caspian, particularly of Sleeping Beauty, for Lucy told this tale to Caspian, and it's often a bittersweet moment when Caspian tells this story to Ramandu's daughter, something precious which he had shared with Lucy and was no longer "theirs", as it is. Two of them in particular, are my favourites, Fairy Tale by Rosa Cotton and Sleeping Beauty by Starbrow, and these two have inspired me to write this piece. Please note that Lucy here acts very much like an adult, and Caspian treats her as one. If you are against any sexual activity involving Lucy (although mentioned so very briefly), then this is not for you. Do read and review, and enjoy!l

Disclaimer: Neither the Chronicles of Narnia and its characters, as well as the Little Mermaid and its characters, belong to me. They belong to their respective creators.

"With one last, fond kiss on the lips of her beloved prince, the little mermaid leapt gracefully back into the waters, ad as her sisters wailed at the loss of their youngest, she turned to foam and bubbles, forever to haunt the seas with her voiceless song."

Caspian frowned at the end of the tale, and turning his dark head towards his lithe companion who sat cross-legged on his bed, he exclaimed, "How strange, dear Lucy! For is this not a fairytale of your world, told to soothe fears and ease trouble minds of guileless children? How is it this tragic a tale could be made known to children?"

And Lucy, with her bright eyes too old and her mind far too wise for a young girl of supposedly 15 years (but just right for a Queen more than a thousand years old), shrugged and the King's eyes are drawn to the pale, freckled skin left exposed by the loose cloth of her nightgown. "Tales such as these were meant to warn and advise before they were deemed too stern and frightening for children." The corner of her lip tilted somewhat, and Caspian couldn't tell if it was meant to be a smile or grimace that adorned Lucy's (very kissable) mouth. "Much like the legends of our reign were. For do young children not only know that ours was the Golden Age, and that the brave Kings went forth to slay dragons and emerge triumphant each time? And that the fair Queens sat in pretty gowns of silk and satin and waited for kings and princes to come and save them?"

Here, Lucy paused and looked Caspian in the eye, though not unkindly, and the King shifted uncomfortably for he too, was guilty of thinking the young-girl-who-was-Queen that sat before him was capable only of standing on the sidelines to provide hope and encouragement and nothing more. She continued then, satisfied that he realized she was not the child all had envisioned her to be. "Nay, for it was not so. My brothers suffered losses and deaths and injuries, and my fair sister and I (the former though rarely) have sat at the head of armies and fought wars and taken lives and bathed in the blood of our enemies." A lesser man would have blanched and flinched and condemned the inappropriate (or so they thought) fierceness and violence in a lady, but Caspian saw this and admired and loved her all the more for her valiance (for was she not the Valiant Queen?). He saw the steely glint in her eyes and at once, beheld the tall, gracious Queen who wielded a sword as easily as she danced through the forests, as nimble as a faun.

She smiled fondly at him, and all of a sudden, it was as if he was bathed in light itself, for warmth effused his entire being at the sight of her gay smile, and he wondered that he should not ever see anything more wonderful than Lucy Pevensie's smile, even if he should travel to the world's end and back again.

Overcome by sudden feelings he could put no name to, only knowing that they moved him so, Caspian fell to his knees before an amused Lucy, and taking her pale, delicate hands in his own, pressed a fervent kiss onto them. "Ever have I done thee wrong, Valiant Queen, for tonight I truly see thee as the woman warrior queen and not a child, forever to witness death and heartache all the while doomed to the body of a helpless child. I pledge my sword and my loyalty and my very being -my heart, he silently whispered and so she heard- to thee forevermore."

And she laughed, a ringing peal of glorious laughter that stirred any red-blooded man, even as she drew him onto the bed with her, so that he sat facing her. Running slender fingers on his beloved face, she whispered to him, warm breath near his slightly parted lips, "Fairytales were made for children, but you and I are children no longer." Smiling coquettishly at him, -and he could see why men fell before her feet to court her- she fell back onto her bed and beckoning him closer still, she pulled him down for a kiss, both laughing as he clumsily avoided crushing her beneath his weight. "Come and know your Queen better still, my King, as no other have." And then no more words were said between them, for Caspian gladly and eagerly moved to heed her words, and worked to show his Queen just how much he truly worshipped her.

And if later on, the younglings of Narnia are told that there was only heartbreak for this King and Queen, well, we all know fairy tales were made for children, and in fairy tales, a King must find his princess to save her to obtain their happily ever after. This, however, is not such a tale. This is tale is of a valiant Queen and a King who loved the seas and his Queen, and it is this story that I tell to you now, and no other.