Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing associated with The Chronicles of Narnia (which really bums me out). Only original characters are mine.

AN: Hi! Sorry this is late –the website wouldn't load, so I couldn't sign in to post! Now that this is up, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter, and will review. Thanks!

Chapter 3: Adjustments:

Balancing family and work is never easy. It was difficult in the modern world I'd come from, where work followed a parent home and they had to juggle not only their child, but also their cell phone, portable media devices, cooking, cleaning, and a dozen other things.

I, on the other hand, was spoiled in that regard. Like any noblewoman, I had a nursemaid for Lucy, a female Faun named Nerita, nicknamed Nettie. She was Nausus's cousin, and when he'd presented her to us after Lucy was born, I saw she was kind, with a quick wit and a sense of humor. She also had a firmness of character, and I had no doubt that as Lucy grew older, Nettie would have no trouble keeping her in line, thereby preventing my daughter from growing up to be a spoiled princess. I hired her on the spot.

A tiny burp drew my attention to the baby in my arms. Lucy was still too young to keep her eyes open for very long, but when she did, she always seemed to find mine. I had to smile at the little bit of drool that dribbled down her chin and onto the little yellow dress she wore.

Quickly retrieving a handkerchief from my pocket, I wiped the dampness from Lucy's face and handed it to Nettie, who would see that it was cleaned and returned to me by tomorrow. When my little one was cleaned up, I brought her to my face and pressed a kiss to her soft, round cheek.

"I love you, my precious," I cooed to her, delighting in the yawn she gave. "Oh, someone's sleepy. Nap time, I think, Nettie," I said to her nurse, who came to take her.

As always, I felt a small pang as my baby was carried off to her nursery. She would be awake soon enough, but I couldn't stand around until she did. I had a lot of work to do. Sighing, I went to the study I shared with Caspian and sat down, picking up a document at random to go over.

That was the down part of being Queen: getting things done whenever possible. Nettie took care of the nastier tasks, such as diapers, baths, and spit-up, but I had the unpleasant task of breast feeding Lucy every few hours, or whenever she was hungry. Thus, the only time I could work was when she was sleeping, or getting her bath.

Actually, I was lucky to get any work done at all. My little Lucy took up much of my thoughts, and I always found myself heading towards the nursery whenever I was supposed to be reading over documents, petitions, or letters. I sometimes sat for an hour or two, watching Lucy sleep or simply lie there in her cradle, her eyes occasionally opening and looking around the room. Even though she couldn't see the artwork on the walls or the elegant draperies over the windows, I was glad that she was surrounded by such lovely and comforting things.

In the back of my head, I thought of the toys given to us by Coriakin. They sat in a locked trunk in a corner of the nursery, waiting for when Lucy was old enough to play with them. There were a few stuffed animals amongst them, but Lucy was too young for them. Besides, she spent so much of her time sleeping, they would have simply sat there unused, anyway.

I must have sat there at my desk for some time, staring at the same document, because the next thing I knew, a very familiar voice whispered into my ear, "I know what you're thinking of."

Smiling, I kept my eyes on the paper. "And what, may I ask, is that?" I asked playfully.

The voice chuckled as lips pressed a kiss to my neck. "You're thinking of our darling little princess, sleeping peacefully in her cradle," Caspian softly replied, his hands coming up to rub my neck.

Sighing in bliss, I closed my eyes and savored the light massage. I'd given birth over two weeks ago, and Caspian still insisted on pampering me in little ways as often as possible. Maybe he wanted to thank me for giving him a healthy baby girl, but I think he wanted to because he loved me. He had done his best to keep me happy while I was pregnant, but now that Lucy had arrived, I appreciated these gestures even more –after all, it wouldn't be the first time a husband stopped pampering his wife after she'd had a baby.

"And how are you coming along on the petitions?" Caspian murmured as his fingers rubbed along my neck. "I don't think I've seen you get past this single one the entire morning."

I heaved a defeated sigh and put the paper down. "I'm sorry; I just can't seem to concentrate. All I want to do is spend time with Lucy."

My wonderful husband pressed a kiss to my cheek, and I could feel him smiling under his short beard. "I don't blame you, of course. You're a new mother, after all," he softly comforted me. "And it doesn't help that our daughter is absolutely beautiful."

I had to grin. He'd been saying that ever since she was born, and he was sure that he would end up beating men off of her when she was older. "Yes she is," I agreed, "But I still have a duty to our people, and I'm not doing anyone any good sitting here, staring blankly at documents."

Caspian chuckled and ceased his rubbing, much to my disappointment. "Well, try and motivate yourself," he said. "Promise yourself that, if you get through a certain number of documents, you can go visit the nursery. Then increase that number every week, until you're getting a decent amount of things done. You don't have to work yourself from dawn until dusk, Ali; as long as you make progress, no one would begrudge you spending time with your family."

With that, he left me alone to consider my options. To my annoyance, he was right –as long as I managed to get at least half of my work done, no one could hold it against my spending a lot of time with Caspian and Lucy. Besides, I'd been avoiding going back to presiding over the Court with Caspian, and I would have to return to that duty sooner or later.

'But first, paperwork,' I firmly told myself. 'If I get through four or five documents, I'll go to the nursery.' That seemed reasonable.

Picking up a letter, I bit my lip and tried to focus.

My efforts were well rewarded. Two hours later, I had reached my goal of four letters, and gleefully left my desk to go see my baby. Lucky for me, she was awake, and since my breasts were beginning to ache with need to be drained of milk (I'd give my right arm for a breast pump in Narnia!), I deemed it feeding time.

I took my fussing baby from Nettie, and carefully maneuvered my gown to feed her. Lucy happily sought out her meal, and latched on like a starved leech, eagerly sucking down her milk. Meanwhile, I silently thanked Helaine for providing gowns that were not only fashionable, but practical as well –the front of several new dresses could easily be shifted around or opened so that Lucy could nurse without my having to juggle her and my gown.

"How is she?" I asked Nettie, who stood by, smiling fondly down at the nursing infant in my arms.

"Very well, Majesty," she said. I'd told her to call me Ali, like all my close friends and personal servants, but Nettie insisted on being formal with me. "She doesn't fuss too much, and when she does, it's only when she is hungry."

I winced as Lucy gave a particularly hard tug in her efforts to get more milk. Sensing that it was time to switch her from one area to another, I gently pried her loose and changed her position. This I managed to do quickly, before she could start crying, a skill I'd developed early because, like all mothers, I didn't like hearing my baby cry.

I didn't have to ask if Lucy slept well; like all babies, she slept a great deal, but she didn't cry much at night. Caspian and I (as well as Nettie) were lucky that she slept at least four hours before wanting to be picked up and held. I knew how lucky I was to have such a good sleeper, but because Nettie was the one who took care of Lucy at night, I considered her lucky, too.

"She's been holding her eyes open a bit longer," Nettie reported. "She also tries stretching her legs a great deal, and moving about both when she's awake and asleep."

Evidence of that was clear when Lucy began to twitch her feet back and forth as she fed. I looked down at her and admired how energetic she was. "I'm thinking that perhaps you're going to be a handful when you're older, my darling," I murmured to her. "You are no doubt going to go in search of adventure and to satisfy your curiosity, just like your namesake was said to do."

Nettie chuckled as baby Lucy left off her feeding and began to fuss, clearly needing to be burped before going back to bed. I took the burping cloth from Nettie and proceeded to prop Lucy up on my shoulder, alternately patting her back and rubbing it to get the bubbles out. It took a little while, but a tiny belch soon erupted from my child. I waited a moment to feel if anything else had come up from her, but the cloth remained dry.

"Thank goodness," I muttered as Nettie took Lucy to lay her back in her crib. "Last time I wasn't so lucky!"

The Faun laughed. "And a right shame it was, too," she said, tucking the baby in with a light silk blanket, just right for late spring. "It was a beautiful blue gown."

"And one of my favorites, too," I said, remembering the lovely dress. "I thought that Helaine would have a fit, but she merely sighed and said that's what came with having babies. She then proceeded to make me a brand new gown, too, exactly like the first one."

Bless my seamstress for all of her hard work in making me look good! I had looked relatively pretty while pregnant (Caspian said I was beautiful, but I didn't believe him), and now that I was trying to loose the baby weight, Helaine was stitching together dresses that were flattering on me, even with the extra pounds I now bore. It would take a while to get back to normal, but at least I looked sort of decent and royal whenever I went out in public.

'I need to start riding again,' I thought to myself. 'Riding, practicing with weapons, and walking a great deal.'

My poor horse was feeling neglected, standing in the stable during most of my pregnancy, and now having to wait until I was able to get away from the pile of work that presently awaited me. Fang had been already long been absent from the castle, because he didn't want to be the cause of any tripping accidents. He had returned to the forest, but promised to return once my baby was born. So far, he hadn't shown up, but I had a feeling he'd do so sooner rather than later.

A soft knock sounded on the door, causing me to turn. Trumpkin gave a bow and quietly came in, a questioning look on his face. His appearance surprised me, particularly since he'd been avoiding the baby like mad ever since she'd been born. I couldn't figure out why, but I guessed it was because he was one of those people who wasn't comfortable around babies.

"Ali?" he whispered, trying not to glance at the cradle in the center of the room. "There's a group of Dwarfs here who wish an audience with you this afternoon. Is after lunch alright?"

I bit back a devilish smile as a small plot formed in my head. "Trumpkin, come here," I beckoned, motioning to the area beside my chair.

He obviously didn't want to obey, but also didn't dare refuse. So, very reluctantly, he approached, not looking anywhere but the floor near my seat. This time, I did smile, and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at me.

"Would you like to look at the baby?" I gently asked. "Not many in the Court or Council have seen her yet."

That's because Caspian hadn't wanted to put our daughter on public display for a while. However, Lucy was a princess, and the people had to see Caspian acknowledge her as his child. As such, there was to be a ceremony next week, to show the nobles and the people our child was legitimate, healthy and growing. They would see Caspian officially proclaim Lucy as his daughter, and that, if no sons followed, she would be heir to the kingdom, all according to Telmarine custom.

Signaling to Nettie, I held out my arms as she brought my sleeping girl to me. Shushing Lucy gently, I held her out to the Dwarf, who tried to not look at her, but seemed compelled to do so anyway. His harsh gaze fell upon her, and when she yawned, I had to smile as his rough face softened.

"She's lovely, Ali," Trumpkin muttered, one of his small hands reaching out to touch her tiny fingers. "A fine princess she'll be, just as her mum is a good queen."

I chuckled. "Well, that's hardly right," I said jokingly. "I haven't done anything really queen-like except listen to people's complaints for a few months, and plowed through piles of paper."

He shook his head as Lucy's little hand grasped his finger. "You'll be a good Queen, Ali," he said, faith showing through his words as he gazed up at me. "The people know you as a good woman and a hero, and they love you for saving the King during war. They think you brave for your past deeds and adventures, and are happy that you have made the King happy."

Then he looked down at Lucy. "And you've given us a beautiful little princess to adore. I don't think the people could ask for a better woman to be Queen of Narnia."

Touched by his words, I pressed a kiss to his forehead, careful not to squish Lucy. "Thank you, Trumpkin."

The Dwarf merely blushed and turned his attention back towards the baby. When he didn't look away after some time, I knew that this Lucy had found a soft spot in his heart, just as her namesake had. Trumpkin was going to be putty in her hands as she grew older, and I had to try and decide if that would be a good thing or not. I needed a harsh Dwarf as an advisor, not a soft one.

A week later, I found myself in a very formal gown, Caspian at my side and Lucy in my arms. Atop my head was my crown, the one formed of gold and silver flowers and vines, and to go with it, I had on a shining blue satin gown shot with silver threads. Caspian was dashing in his own blue-and-silver outfit, though his was several shades darker than mine.

And in my arms was Lucy, who now occasionally opened her eyes and glanced around before closing them in sleep. Today, she was charming in a white dress that flowed over her feet and halfway to the ground, much like a christening dress. Lace was everywhere on the outfit –along the collar, the short sleeves, and from her feet down to the hem. I was glad that the lace was lying flat, and didn't puff up, or else no one would have been able to see her in that cloud of material!

The three of us stood on the royal balcony, where Caspian could make a speech to the city and be heard by most of the crowd below. Today, that area was packed, with people lining up all along the surrounding tall walls, and on other balconies or open windows that stood facing us. None of these were within an arrow's shot, though, for our safety's sake.

"Friends!" Caspian said, his voice carrying through the air. "Today, we celebrate the birth of our princess, who this day turns one month old!"

The stones beneath my feet vibrated with the roar of the crowd, and Caspian had to wait several minutes for it to fade before continuing. "On this day, we formally declare that our beloved daughter, the Princess Luciana, to be our true child, and heir to the throne of Narnia until the day we are delivered unto us a prince."

My husband turned loving eyes towards me. "May her days be long and filled with joy!"

At that point, a herald stood forward. "Three cheers for the Princess!"

Again, the air was filled with cheers, whistles, applause, and cries of, "Long live the Princess!"

I blushed at the attention, but hid it by focusing on Lucy. The noise clearly wasn't welcome by her, and she immediately started screaming and crying in fear of the sound. She had made it through the first wave of applause, but this second one was far louder, and it frightened her.

Rocking her back and forth, I tried to sooth her cries while simultaneously smiling at the crowd, who seemed very eager to get my attention. So, cradling my child in one arm, I raised the other to give a wave, which prompted another round of cheers that caused Lucy to cry harder. I quickly returned my waving hand to cradling Lucy's back so that I could tilt her upright, bringing her ear close to my mouth so that I could try and shush her.

"It's alright, precious," I cooed to her, resting her head on my shoulder and rubbing her back. "It's okay, Mummy's here."

Caspian sensed that she was uneasy and tried to graciously rush us off the balcony without insulting the crowd. Inside was a large gathering room where Professor Cornelius, Trumpkin, Nettie, Helen and Helaine stood, Gael pressed between them. The little girl had been kept busy ever since Lucy's birth –half of her day was spent helping Helaine sew clothes for the baby, and the other half continuing her studies with Professor Cornelius. In all, she'd spent less than a day with Lucy, which disappointed her very much.

Pulling out of her mother's grasp, Gael rushed over to me, bouncing on her toes to get a good look at the fussing baby in my arms.

"Did the crowd scare her?" she asked as Lucy's cries quieted down to whimpers and sniffles. I could feel her tears through my gown, and as Nettie came over with a towel, I knew that I'd probably ruined yet another gown.

"She'll be fine," I said, smiling as I shifted Lucy in my arms. Glancing at my shoulder, I was relieved to see that, so far, it was only tears that had dripped onto my gown, and not anything nastier.

Helen came over as Gael focused on Lucy, crooning a small song to her while Nettie reached to take Lucy. I, however, waved the nursemaid back. "It's alright, Nettie; I'll take her back to the nursery myself. Gael can come, too."

Trailing behind me, Gael was thrilled at the prospect of spending more time with me and the baby. She didn't stop singing to Lucy the whole walk, and often reached out to gently rub the baby's tiny head in an effort to comfort her. By the time we reached the nursery, Lucy had calmed down to the point of only shuffling about uncomfortably, and I immediately knew it was time for a diaper change. Nettie sensed it, too, and swiftly whisked her off to spare me the unpleasant task.

"She's sweet," Gael said, taking a chair and looking up at me. "I think she will look like you when she grows up."

I smiled and gently tugged a length of her hair. "It's a bit early for telling that," I told her. "In time, we'll see what happens."

"Ali?" Helen called from the hallway. "It's an hour until the feast will begin. You'll want to hurry and change into something clean."

Sighing, I patted Gael's head. "Help Nettie keep an eye on Lucy, will you Gael? If she needs something and can't get it herself, will you fetch it?"

She nodded, total joy and determination on her face on her face as Nettie called for her to come help.

I headed off to my rooms to change for the celebration feast, safe in the knowledge that my daughter was in very capable hands.

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