It was a quiet night aboard the Dawntreader. Waves lapped softly against the sides of the ship, making a lullaby that everyone aboard could easily fall asleep to. There were no clouds and all the stars in the sky were twinkling like diamonds. The soft snores coming from below decks of the crew members in their hammocks made Caspian smile. He was standing on deck, looking out over the Eastern Sea. The water was so calm in the distance that it looked as if it was made of glass. He sighed and watched as his breath came from his mouth in a cloud. It was a rather chilly summer night and so he shivered slightly as he placed his hands upon the rail of the Dawntreader. He could feel a slight breeze brush against his face and lifting the hairs of his small beard that he now sported. The breeze smelled of the sea and the King took in a few deep breathes to relish the scent. He loved the sea. It was so free and careless. It was mysterious and playful. It could also be dangerous, Caspian thought as he rested his head in his hands and looked down into the water. Who knows what awaits down there in the depths or on the horizon of this great ocean? was his next thought. Anything could happen.

"Penny for your thoughts, Sire?" came a voice to Caspian's right. Caspian turned his head and saw Reepicheep scurrying towards him upon the rail. The noble Mouse came within a foot Caspian and reared up onto his back legs while he rested a paw upon the hilt of his sword comfortably.

"Hello, Reep. I was just thinking about what awaits us out beyond the sea. And what awaits for us back home. I know I left my Lord Trumpkin in charge whilst I am gone but looking at the calmness of these waters and feeling the freedom… I don't know if I want to return. Do you think that is greedy of me, Reep?" Here, Caspian turned his whole body so that he could face his most noble Knight of Narnia.

The Mouse bowed his head slightly in thought for a moment and then his blue eyes looked into the brown eyes of the King of Narnia.

"Sire, I do believe that it is not a choice of being greedy. It is more a choice of whether you want to be a good and noble king or a bad and horrible king, with no offense to your Majesty's honour."

"What do you mean, Reepicheep?" asked Caspian, intrigued. He watched as the noble Mouse flicked his tail once in hesitation.

"Well, they way I see it, Sire… you can either be a good king and return. You can keep your promises. Or, you can ignore any word that you have ever promised to anyone of your subjects, turn your back and run. You would be shrugging off any responsibility, Sire." A gasp came from him as he thought he had said too much and he nervously adjusted his feathered ring that sat around his ear.

"You make a valid point, noble Reep," said Caspian softly. From there, he turned to look back out at the sea. "But the sea itself is a temptress. Are you not saying that if you could, you would spend life forever out here?"

Here the Mouse chuckled. "Sire," said he. "I would never want to spend my whole life, no matter how short or long, at sea. It would become tedious and the storms would not be fun. Although the thrill of adventure entices me and calls me to it, for one can have many adventures at sea, I must admit that I am not tempted in the slightest."

"But you're leaving us for a temptation," pointed out Caspian. "You want to go and see Aslan's Country over something as small as a lullaby sung to you by a Dryad when you were a baby. Do you not think that that is the same situation?"

"I see your point, my Liege," answered Reepicheep, who was now turning the tip of his tail in his hands. "But I must admit to you that mine is a destiny. Yours is a whim, frivolous and new. Whims can change in a heartbeat whereas destiny cannot. So that is why it is not the same thing, Sire. And now, I must bid you good night, for I am most exhausted." Reepicheep bowed and had begun to scurry away when Caspian called out his name to stop him. Reepicheep turned around.

"Yes Sire?" he asked of the King.

"Sleep well, my friend, for you have given me a lot to think about," said Caspian to the Mouse. Reepicheep smiled and nodded once before he jumped from the rail to a rope ladder that climbed all the way up to the crow's nest where Reepicheep loved to sleep on moonlit nights. Caspian watched him go and sighed. By now, the moon was just at the peak of the night. Midnight.

He waited until he could hear Reepicheep snoring up in the crow's nest. It seemed to take the Mouse forever , when in reality it was only half that. When he could hear the faint snores, Caspian turned around and began to walk to his chambers when a floorboard creaked from behind him. Putting a hand on the hilt of his sword, Caspian spoke.

"Who's there?" he asked into the part of the ship that was cast into shadow by the captain's balcony. A lone figure stepped out of the shadows and smiled at him. It was Lucy, the Valiant Queen who was now High Queen of Narnia. She was wearing a pair of trousers and boots but he could see that her shirt was just her nightgown tucked into the trousers. She had a jumper on overtop of that, one of his that he had given her when he had rescued her from the water. Her hair that was usually in a ponytail during the day was out of it's elastic and down around her face in soft waves. She was beautiful.

"Lucy…" said Caspian, instantly taking his hand off of the hilt of his sword.

"Sorry to bother you," said Lucy softly, stepping closer to him. "But I can't sleep. Would you mind if I stayed out here with you for a little while?"

"Of course," said Caspian. "Come. We'll sit down and watch the stars." With that, he put an arm around her and led her back over to where he and Reepicheep had been standing a mere half hour ago. As they were looking up at the different constellations, Caspian snuck a quick look over at Lucy and saw that she was staring up in wonder. She was breathtaking.

This is going to be a problem, thought Caspian. I think I'm falling in love.