Overprotective

Disclaimer: The Chronicles of Narnia are the creation of C.S. Lewis. I own only the plot.

Chapter 1

If anyone who knew her well had been asked to describe Lucy Pevensie, 'cheerful' is probably the adjective that would have come first to mind. Now a seventeen-year-old young lady she was generally of an optimistic and sunny disposition, at least most of the time.

Sadly, today was proving an exception as Lucy stormed into the Pevensie sitting room, slammed the door behind her and directed against her two brothers a glare that would have made most men cower in terror.

Unfortunately for Lucy, Peter and Edmund Pevensie were not ordinary young men. Although it had been several years since either had been in Narnia, they were still kings and warriors and so not easily intimidated. Even so they unconsciously shifted closer together. There was safety in numbers after all, and their Narnian subjects had not dubbed Lucy 'The Valiant Queen' without good cause.

Marching to the centre of the room, Lucy slammed her fist onto the coffee table with such force that everything on it rattled.

"Why have you done this to me again?"

Peter and Edmund exchanged nervous glances.

"Done what, Lu?" Peter asked cautiously.

"You know perfectly well what!" Lucy spoke through gritted teeth. "Why have you scared Steven into not seeing me again?"

"Who's Steven?"

"My boyfriend, as you perfectly well know!"

"Oh do you have a boyfriend?" Edmund enquired innocently. "That's nice!"

"I did have a boyfriend," Lucy snarled. "Until you two frightened him off!"

Unable to keep still in her fury, Lucy started to pace up and down the room.

"He's been avoiding me for days. This morning I finally managed to get him alone and eventually he admitted you two had cornered him and frightened him half out of his wits." Lucy whirled around and glared at Peter and Edmund balefully. "I gather you threatened to tie him up and dump him in the Thames if he didn't stop seeing me!"

Edmund turned away with a little snigger and Peter could not hold back a satisfied grin.

"It's not funny!" their sister shouted. "I see nothing amusing about my brothers acting like a pair of East End gangsters!"

"Oh come on, Lucy," Edmund protested. "You know we wouldn't have actually done that!"

"Whether or not you actually would is beside the point!" Lucy retorted. "Just threatening it is bad enough!" She sighed wearily "This is the fourth time this has happened. Why are you two so determined to stop me going out with anyone?"

"Because you're too young," Edmund told her.

"Too young?" Lucy repeated incredulously. "I'm only a year younger than you and you've been seeing girls since you were fifteen!"

"That's different," Edmund insisted. "Anyway we can't take the risk, Lu. Not after what's happened with Susan."

Lucy groaned. "I thought as much! Ed, I am nothing like Susan."

"Aren't you?" Peter asked quietly.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well you've been acting a lot like her recently," accused Peter. "All the boyfriends for a start, four in the last few months."

"I've only had that many because you idiots keep scaring them away!"

"And then there's the makeup," he continued.

"Oh for goodness sake!" Now Lucy was even more exasperated. "Do we really need to go through this again? I'm seventeen, Peter. Of course I'm going to use a bit of makeup, just like any other girl my age. That doesn't mean I'm anything like Susan. I don't wear nearly as much as she does for a start!"

"Even so…" Peter began, but Lucy did not allow him to finish.

"Anyway, what about your girlfriends? They both wear makeup, don't they? And I can't remember either of you ever objecting."

"That's beside the point," Peter snapped irritably, but he looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Oh is it really?"

"Now look, Lu," Edmund folded his arms and looked at her sternly, resolve evident in every inch of his bearing. "It doesn't matter how much you object. Peter and I are not letting you have a boyfriend. Not for a few years anyway. And there's nothing you can do about it so just get used to the idea!"

Lucy could see Peter nodding in agreement. Both her brothers looked utterly determined and she realised nothing she could say would change their minds.

It was all so unfair. She had really liked Steven. Lucy wasn't sure it their relationship would have led to anything serious, but how could she ever find a serious lover if her overprotective brothers scared any potential love interest away? Looking at Peter and Edmund, Lucy realised it would always be the same. Any young man who showed any interest in her they would frighten off, and if she had a boyfriend without their knowledge they would eventually find out and terrify him into breaking up with her.

But Lucy was not prepared to just give in and accept the situation. She already had a plan; one that had occurred to her the last time her brothers had done this. Then it had seemed too extreme but now Lucy was so angry she was prepared to do almost anything.

"All right, have it your own way," she said through gritted teeth. "But I promise you are both going to regret this!"

And with that, Lucy strode to the door, flung it open and marched away.

Suddenly left alone with his brother in the sitting room, Edmund looked at him uncertainly.

"What do you think she meant?" he asked hesitantly. "About making us regret this?"

Peter shrugged. "Just bluster, " he said confidently. "After all, what can she actually do?"