Evaluation
A/N : Typical disclaimer , none of it belongs to me , and Lucy is a bit ooc . I couldn't really imagine anybody else handling it like I wanted , though , so here we go . It also turned out not quite as I wanted ... but whatever . 8D Enjoy !
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Caspian was so confused. First of all, King Peter blamed him for the failure of the siege - yes , he had been responsible in part, but it was as much the High King's fault as his. But the worst part was his idiocy just now; he had almost resurrected the White Witch. Only once the Kings and Queen Lucy came charging in did Caspian remember that she was their oldest and greatest foe, the woman who they had struggled against to obtain their thrones in the first place and begin the Golden Era of Narnia. Frowning, Caspian buried his face in his hands. King Peter and King Edmund could have dispatched him there and then, but they had not. They had fought for him, even though he had nearly freed their former archenemy. The angry, cold look the latter monarch had cast the both of them had chilled Caspian to the bone, and he realized that the younger king, although quiet and compliant with his brother, was still a king. He lacked the aura of magnificence his brother possessed, but he was still a capable and intelligent leader. Perhaps that was the reason for their titles - the Magnificent and the Just. While the High King strode around confidently, practically exuding kingliness, his brother followed, clearly the advisor of the siblings.
He had not contemplated the real personalities of the four Pevensies yet. Both of the brothers were strong and although Caspian thought that the elder could be quite conceited at points, they balanced each other out well. Perhaps that was how the women were - clearly strong individuals who knew how to handle power. Then again, he thought, all of them are indomitable in spirit in their own ways. There was Queen Susan, the Gentle. From what he knew from the tales, and what he interpreted from his experiences with her, she was logical, level-headed, determined, and a naturally brilliant warrior markswoman. And that is why she is labeled the Marksman Queen, he thought, almost laughing. Rubbing his temples, Caspian recalled the tales Doctor Cornelius had told him about Queen Lucy. The Valiant Queen... Perhaps her and her sister's titles should have been switched - the youngest queen was a gentle soul with a deeply rooted faith in the lion emperor of Narnia.
Although he was rather talented at figuring people out, Queen Lucy was confusing. She was brave, yes, and a natural peacemaker and healer, determined to avert battle as much as possible and a quick thinker. Being so young, it may have been her strong emotions for anything that bewildered him the most - when he had been that age, he had been taught not to feel. To be cold and quick, and take over as effectively as possible. Well, Queen Lucy is not a Telmarine Queen, he remembered, and then something else. By the time she and her siblings would have left Narnia, they all would have been older than him by quite a few years. That, he realized, was the reason that they were all so experienced and confident. They have done this before and I have not. I have never fought for a throne that is rightfully mine - I always thought it would be handed to me. Perhaps that is why I need their guidance. Deciding to apologize, Caspian stood to find the High King, when somebody sneezed behind me.
'Bless you,' he said automatically, blinking. Behind him, was Queen Lucy. 'I have to talk to you.' She said quietly, in a gentle but commanding manner. Like a queen - the queen she was. 'Yes, Queen Lucy? What is on your mind?' She laughed, a childlike, innocent laugh. 'You can call me Lucy, Caspian. I've always preferred it; I think Queen Lucy is far too formal for a casual conversation.' Something about her tone and expression told Caspian that this was not just a casual conversation. 'Of course, Q- I mean, Lucy.' Casting him a smile, she moved and sat on a ledge. 'Will you sit? You see, I used to be so much taller. That is, when I was grown up - it's amusing, especially when you phrase it like Edmund. Susan told me 'Well, you were older then,' and Edmund replied 'As opposed to hundreds of years later, when you're younger?' Excuse their sometimes snobbish behavior, but we're all good company, I reckon. Even Peter.' She grinned, as if reading his mind.
'That's what I want to talk to you about, though. Peter - and you.' Her expression and tone became solemn, and she sighed. Caspian, now seated across from her, waited intently. Any information about the High King would aid him in attempting to get along. 'I forbade you from telling my dear brother about anything I've said about him, but he... he is bitter, as you've noticed.' Frowning, the young queen laced her fingers together, thinking. After a moment, she sighed, and spoke. 'You are being haughty, selfish, and a bit childish.' Caspian was taken aback at Lucy's words, and the bluntness in them. 'I -' He opened his mouth to reply, but Lucy held a hand up. 'I've already spoken to Peter. You're both acting like small kids, and he has agreed.' Smiling wryly, Caspian could imagine how easily King Peter would have agreed with his sister - she was a loving and lovable soul. It was easy to like her, and succumb to her wishes.
'In any case, you have to realize that no matter how immature and possessive Pete acts, he is fighting for you. We all are.' Shaking her hair behind her shoulders, Lucy continued, in a more gentle manner now. 'Edmund understands this, but you must realize that Peter is the High King. He has command over everybody in Narnia, even us, his blood and flesh siblings, but with the exception of Aslan.' She motioned to herself as she spoke the last part, worry flashing across her eyes. 'Peter is used to having total control over every being, and although he doesn't abuse it, he has considered it. He believes in free will - we all do. Has Peter ever told you that you must do something? That you have no other choice and only his is correct? Has Ed ever imposed his personal opinions upon you, or berated yours? Has Susan... Well, I'll not mention Susan or myself.' She laughed, and he had to chuckle. Now he knew why Susan was the Gentle, and Lucy was the Valiant. The former would not have sat him down and delivered this speech, but the latter was doing so. She was not afraid to tell anybody off for anything - even her brothers. Now he truly thought he was beginning to understand why the four siblings had been such a perfect team. They were well-oiled, and offset and balanced each other perfectly.
'I do think Peter was a bit tactless in formulating the siege plan, but nevertheless.' She reached forward and took his hands in her own small ones. 'We are fighting for you. Not ourselves. Pete is having a hard time accepting this, for the reasons aforementioned, but it is understandable, yes?' Looking up at him with a final, sympathetic smile that lightened up her entire face, Lucy folded his hands together and patted them. 'Lucy! Where the blazes are you? Su and I are having a bit of a problem!' King Edmund's shout rang out, and he sounded frustrated. 'Ouch!' A female voice, most likely Queen Susan, cried. 'Ed, I can't breathe! When I asked you to tie my corset, I didn't ask you to squeeze the life out of me! Lucy!' Caspian laughed along with the youngest queen as she rose, turning. 'I'm coming, I'm coming!' She called in reply, and grinned at Caspian. 'Looks like Ed forgot how to tie Su's... Well, I suppose I'll have to help out. I know you'll be a great king, Caspian. I have confidence you, and so do the others, even if they're more quiet about it.' She turned to leave, and was a few steps from the entrance when a question popped to the front of Caspian's mind.
'Wait!' His voice was shakier than intended, and nervous. 'How do you know?' Lucy turned slightly to smile at him again. She smiled a lot - it was good to brighten a dark day. 'Because you are a leader and a follower, a listener and a fighter, a command-in-chief, and a modest one, at that. A believer.' She was almost out of earshot when she paused, and had a smile in her tone. 'You're a lot like Peter when we were starting out. You just need to be confident in yourself, and take care of my Narnia if we can't. And if you don't take care of Narnia,' She swiveled around on the spot, and gave him a hard glare. 'I will never forgive you, and personally see to if that your memory is tarnished forever. Goodbye!' She skipped off as King Edmund's cry came again, his voice higher and panicky now. 'Lucy! I don't think she's breathing!'
'Of course I'm breathing, just untie it! Let Lucy do it!'
'Fiddlesticks!'
'Edmund... did you make that terrible tangled mess?'
As Susan, Edmund, and Lucy's voices wafted up to him, Caspian couldn't help but laugh as they spoke. The kings and queens, he concluded, need each other. They cannot function fully without one another, and they need all four. That is why I will protect Queen Susan and Queen Lucy, and support High King Peter and King Edmund. I will follow the others until I feel ready, and until it is my turn. With a thoughtful expression on his face, Caspian almost didn't notice his mentor come up and sit next to him. Still dwelling on the youngest queen's words, the prince remembered all the questions he wanted to ask. Queen Lucy's reprimanding and explanation had given him reason to doubt himself, and he found a once supremely confident boy being overtaken by a more thoughtful, cautious one.
Thank you, Lucy. Valiant indeed, and not just in combat, both verbal and physical - the Emperor Lion chose your titles well. Perhaps he can read hearts and souls... Did that mean that he would be able to see into Caspian's soul? What if he deemed him unworthy to take command of Narnia? Then what? In an attempt to avert his thoughts from this haunting prospect, Caspian made sure his voice would be steady before he posed his question.
'Why did you never tell me about my father?'