Chapter 4

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update! Some girl just got fired from work cause she's an idiot and accepted a counterfiet hundred dollar bill, and she's just rude, so I now have all of her hours. This is good for my bank account, but not for my free time. Plus I wanted to see friends that were away at school so..I just haven't had alot of time. I'm trying to cram this in before bed tonight so I hope it doesn't turn out bad because I'm rushing to get it done. Anyway...enjoy chapter 4!

As Lucy danced, her head still resting comfortably on Landon's shoulder, she couldn't help but notice the odd look that Edmund was giving her. He had been acting funny all night, not participating in the party at all really. It was a mixture of regret and pain, and she really wanted to make sure that he was alright. Sophie seemed to have noticed, and kept speaking into his ear, trying to take his hand and get him to look at her, but the pained expression remained. Lucy pulled away from Landon, pecking his cheek.

"I'm sorry, but I need to see if Edmund is alright," she squeezed his hand, and felt butterflies in her stomach when he kissed her quickly, giving her that smile as if to say it were alright. She rushed over to her brother, excusing them from Sophie and pulling him into the other room. He didn't resist her dragging him around like he normally would, but his eyes never left the ground as they walked. When they were finally alone, Lucy observed his face, noting how nervous he must be, for his cheeks were red. "What's going on, Ed?"

"It's about something that happened back in-back in...Narnia," he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck so that he had something to do. Lucy felt a lurch in her stomach, they hadn't spoken of their former getaway home for a long while. After they came back a little over two years ago, they thought it would be best to just try and forget about it, which was hard enough with Eustace going on and on about when he would get to go back. "I haven't been honest with you.." He sounded so distraught, and Lucy felt horrible so she took his hand and gave it a little squeeze, forcing him to look up at her.

"I'm sure it can't be that bad," she soothed, brushing some hair from his face. He snorted comically and rolled his eyes.

"You say that now," he groaned, and pulled away from her, beginning to pace back and forth. "Before we left, Aslan asked to speak with me," he started, and Lucy nodded. She remembered finding it odd that the lion had wanted a private moment with Edmund at the end of the world, because they had never been as close as herself and Aslan. "He told me something."

"And that something is...?" Lucy pressed, beginning to get impatient with her anticipation. Obviously this was something important that he had been keeping from her.

"He told me that-" He took a deep sigh. "That Caspian was in love with you," he blurted it out, and the words were sort of jumbled together, though, Lucy had no problem hearing him. She suddenly felt dizzy on her feet and put a hand to the wall to steady herself. Lucy didn't know what to say, she feared that if she opened her mouth, only foul words would escape. Edmund rushed towards her and grabbed her shoulders desperately. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Luce. I was just so afraid. Aslan said that if you wanted to stay with Caspian that you could, but that I had to be the one to tell you about it, and that I couldn't stay with you. He said you were my responsibility, so it was my decision. I was just afraid that you would decide to live in Narnia, and that I would lose you. The family would lose you. And what would I have told mother and father? They can't know about Narnia! They'd think you had gone missing, or been kidnapped and murdered! I couldn't put them through that! And Peter. Oh god, if Peter knew...I'd be dead! I'm just-" he started to wipe away her forming tears. "I love you Lucy. I couldn't give you up." Lucy couldn't breathe. She just stood there while her brother tried to rub her arms to give her comfort, and she could faintly hear him whispering words in an attempt to soothe her, but they only sounded like a distant noise. Everything was fuzzy, and nothing made sense. Why did this bother her so much? She had never thought of Caspian that way, she had been so eager to get back to Landon while she was with him in Narnia. She had to admit, though, that the kiss she had shared with Caspian that night in his cabin had been the best kiss she had ever had, and that she could tell in that moment that he hadn't wanted to end it when he did. He did always seem to act strange around her, to give her weird looks and linger close to her. When they would be exploring an island, even if Edmund thought it was alright, Caspian was always persistent on keeping close to her, so that she was in no danger. He made her nervous, and he made her laugh, and Lucy couldn't understand why she felt so dizzy right now. "Lucy, please say something. You're freaking me out, maybe you should sit down," Edmund had taken her hands and began shaking and squeezing them desperately. "Lucy!" She shook her head, coming back to the world and yanking her hands from Edmund's grip.

"How. Dare. You?" She could hear her voice getting louder as she spoke, which was strange, for she thought it had only been a whisper. She couldn't bare to be near him, and started to back away. "You had no right!" Lucy's hands started to shake and her tears were falling freely now. Nothing made sense. She thought that she loved Landon. No, she did love Landon, but she couldn't bear to think about Caspian back in Narnia alone, without her. He was her best friend that she had ever met, and it was bad enough that she had to live without him. Now she had to live without him, knowing that he had feelings for her that were never revealed. Edmund tried to grab her back, but she cringed away from him as if his touch would burn her skin.

"You were with Landon! I didn't think you would actually love Caspian back! Do you?"

"I-I don't," Lucy backed into a wall and ran her hands through her hair as they continued to shake, and her words came out masked by sobs and gasps for air. "I don't know what...I don't know anything. Please just-" She tried to stand up and found that she was unsteady on her feet, her hand flying out to catch herself on the wall. "I have to go." With this, Lucy stumbled past her brother, who was still trying to get her attention. With a hand still to her head, she rushed back into the party, praying that it would end so that she could just go to bed. When a pair of hands gripped her shoulders from behind, though, her plans of sleep were foiled. Turning around, Lucy was faced with the absolute last person she wanted to see.

"What's wrong, love?" Landon asked, his voice sick with worry. She reckoned that she looked a right side sick, for she felt cold and dizzy so she was probably pale. His hands rose to cup her cheeks, and he stroked his fingers over her skin, leaning his head down so that his forehead rested against hers. "You okay baby?" Lucy sighed, a little bit of calm washing over her, but she still wanted to get away.

"Nothing," she lied through her teeth, starting to pull away. He only wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest. That oh-so-familiar persistence that she normally liked, was driving her insane right now.

"Then why are you crying?" He asked, brushing away a few stray tears and hugging her tighter. "I hate it when you cry, Lucy," he mumbled. Lucy instantly felt bad for being annoyed with him, he was being rather sweet, and she couldn't help leaning into him.

"It really is nothing, don't worry," she whispered, standing on her toes to kiss him. When she pulled away, he looked sort of nervous, which was pretty out of character for him. Lucy furrowed her eyebrows, wrapping her arms around his waist and looking up at him expectantly. "But what is the matter with you?"

"Well I just-uh-wanted to ask you something," he muttered quickly, and Lucy was astonished that she actually understood him. His cheeks got patches of red on them and he avoided her gaze, making her laugh as she put a hand to his cheek to guide him to look at her.

"Okay then, what is it?" She asked, with a hint of amusement still in her voice. Over Landon's shoulder, she could see Edmund looking worriedly at the pair of them, as if he knew that something dreadful was about to happen. Still angry with him, Lucy shot him a glare before turning her attention back to her boyfriend, who was taking a deep breath to prepare himself to speak.

"Lucy," he began, hugging her impossibly tighter to him and staring directly into her eyes, beginning to make her uncomfortable. "I love you," he whispered, and she smiled warmly and pressed herself closer.

"I love you too," she answered him shyly, and he smiled as if he couldn't believe it, and stepped away from her embrace. Stuffing his hand in his pocket and pulling something out, before getting on one knee...

"Will you marry me?" She froze, her eyes widening and heart rate quickening. Had she heard him correctly? She must have, for everyone was staring. Her mother clapped her hand over her mouth in surpise while her father looked on the situation with the knowledge that it was going to happen and pride. Peter looked like he was having an inner battle, and Susan squealed with happiness. Edmund's reaction was the most surprising, because he looked like she felt, sick. Lucy couldn't breathe, and the room seemed to be spinning. Should she say yes? She loved him, right? They had been together nearly three years, but she had never once thought about the future, because she was always preoccupied with the present, and how he made her feel in the moment. She couldn't quite place why, but her thoughts shifted to Caspian, and what Edmund had just revealed to her, and the night that she got her first kiss. Her stomach had been in knots as she begged him to kiss her, but she felt warmth and a sense of calm as soon as she got her wish, and his lips were on hers and his arms were around her. Would she have stayed in Narnia had she known of Caspian's feelings? Lucy truly had no idea, and started to feel dizzy and light headed. Before she knew it, Landon had bounded up off the ground and caught her before she could topple over, and a hand went to her head, which was freezing cold. "Lucy!" He exclaimed worriedly. "I think you're sick," he whispered, pushing her hand away so that he could feel her head for himself. "You feel like ice, Lu." He kissed the side of her head, as her brothers were instantly on either side of her, worry etched all over her face. She wanted to hide away in Peter's arms and cry her eyes out, but not before she kicked Edmund in the groin. This was just all too much.

"I-um-" she wanted to give him an answer, and not just pretend like the last thirty seconds had never happened. Landon seemed to be only concerned with her health right now, but she could see the wonder and sadness in his eyes because his question remained unanswered. Her eyes snapped over to meet Edmund's, and his seemed to be begging her to do something, but she wasn't sure what. She had to decide. She didn't even know how she felt for Caspian, and it didn't really matter, because Aslan had sent her away from Narnia for good, and she would never see him again. The thought of never being enveloped in one of the king's embraces again practically tore her heart out, and she would never forget the moments they spent together, but those moments were over. Life would go on as if Caspian never existed. Lucy stepped away from both of her brothers, taking Landon's hands, now standing firmly on the ground.

"Yes."

XoXoXoXo

Caspian lay in his bed, thinking of the days events. He was surprised that he was able to get Princess Annelise on a horse without some sort of fit, and found that she was actually genuinely nice. She seemed to be well mannered, sophisticated, poised, and everything that Narnia would expect their queen to be. In a way, she reminded him of Susan. She was exceptionally beautiful, gentle, kind, and caring, but she knew it. Caspian scolded himself for not spotting how big headed Lucy's older sister was before he fell for her, but now he was an expert at seeing right through a fake woman. He didn't doubt that Annelise was all of these wonderful things, but she fact that she prided herself in it made his skin crawl. Lucy always put everyone else before herself, but didn't expect anything from it. She was beautiful beyond compare, but didn't see it, even though it was clear as crystal to him. If only he could see her one last time, he would confess to her of his love...

"Be calm." The familiar voice invaded his ears and Caspian jumped, looking around desperately for the true King of Narnia. There he stood, in all his glory, at the foot of his bed. Aslan looked on him lovingly, but with a great deal of sadness in his eyes. "You are not how you used to be." Caspian peeled back his blankets, standing up and walking around his bed so that he stood before the lion.

"That is because nothing is like it used to be. Even in the time that Lucy was not in Narnia before we sailed on the Dawn Treader, I at least knew that she would be back. But now, I have nothing to look forward to." Aslan stepped closer, looking up at him with eyes that made him feel horrible for having so much self pity.

"You must have hope, my son."

Once again, I apologize for taking so long! Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!