Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing related to The Chronicles of Narnia. That belongs to a bunch of other people, not me. Only original characters and plotlines are mine.

AN: Here's a new chapter! Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review!

Chapter 10: Family Relationships:

As soon as the little girl walked into the room, holding on to Ali's hand, Ray felt as though someone had kicked him in the gut.

There was no doubt who the child's father was: she had Caspian's hair and eyes, and the noble bearing of a princess. The face, though…the face was exactly as Ali's had been when she was a young child.

A thousand different emotions flooded through him, mixing and churning inside until all he could taste was bitterness in his mouth. His baby girl had had a baby of her own!

"Dad," Ali said, getting his attention. "This is my daughter, Luciana –Lucy for short."

Looking down at the little girl, Ali smiled. "Sweetheart, this is your grandfather. Will you say 'hello' to him?"

Ray could barely keep himself breathing as the little girl turned wide, doe eyes towards him. 'Such a sweet girl,' he thought to himself. 'And she's every bit as pretty as Ali was at that age.'

Meanwhile, Lucy was giving him an assessment of her own. She seemed to want to accept what her mother said about him, and Ray found himself being scanned up and down by those brown eyes of hers. After a moment, she nodded to herself and bobbed a little curtsey.

"Hello," Lucy greeted him, a hint of shyness in her voice.

Ray smiled. She had to be the most adorable thing he'd ever seen. "Hello," he replied, offering her a hand.

For a brief moment, there was awkward silence as Lucy looked at him. Then, tentatively, she reached out and put her small fingers into his large palm.

Ali seemed to sigh in relief as Ray swept up his grandchild and deposited her in his lap for a cuddle. No doubt Ali had expected him to be shocked, or even angry, with the revelation of his granddaughter –and in a way, he was. Given all that he'd been through, Ray had a right to be angry that the lion, Aslan, hadn't given him any dreams or indication of a grandchild.

Looking at the darling in his lap, Raymond had to marvel at how quiet and still she was. "Is she always this good?" he asked his daughter, who had taken a seat across from him and was smiling at her child.

"Only when she knows she must be on her best behavior," Ali replied. "But for the most part, she is a good girl. Aren't you, Lucy?"

Looking up at her mother, the child replied, very obediently, "Yes, Mama."

A soft, indulgent smile pulled at Ali's lips. "Why don't you tell Grandfather what you like to do? I'm sure he wants to know."

Lucy's eyes instantly sparked to life, and Ray braced himself for the flood of chatter he knew was coming. After all, he'd gone through it with Ali –he couldn't expect anything less from her daughter.

It was rather charming, watching Lucy babble to Dad about how much she liked playing with her friend Lily, and that the two of them often played with their dolls or tea sets in the gardens together. She talked about riding her pony around the courtyards, and her playmates, the wolf pups, who were soft and funny. She showed him a handkerchief that she had "helped" Helaine design and embroider, and smiled as he praised how pretty it was. When Dad complimented her dress, Lucy pouted a little.

"I like breeches and shirts better," she boldly told him, "but Nettie says I have to wear dresses, because princesses wear dresses. Mama likes breeches, too, but she's the Queen, so she has to wear dresses."

Caspian laughed. "You and Mama are too much alike, sweetheart," he said to her. "But your nurse is right: you are a princess, and princesses have to wear dresses a lot. It's expected. Mama likes wearing breeches, but she likes wearing dresses, too."

Well, he was partially right; wearing dresses was all well and good, but given the choice, I'd rather wear pants. Dresses were fine for when I wanted to feel pretty and feminine, but the gowns I had to wear were made of heavy materials that took a great deal of skill to maneuver around in. Pants were more comfortable and practical, and I didn't have to wrestle with yards of fabric just to sit down. Lucy agreed with me, but she was luckier than I was –as a child, she could wear pants most of the time; meanwhile I was lucky if I could get two or three hours a day in them.

"Well, I think you both look very pretty in dresses," Dad told her. "Oh, look at that!" He reached out and 'snatched' her nose, tucking his thumb between his fingers to make it look like he had it in his grasp. "I got your nose!"

Lucy gaped at him in shock, then tried to grab it back, squealing playfully in outrage. Caspian and I burst out laughing as Dad let Lucy climb all over him, trying to get her 'nose' back. It was a game that I'd played as a child, and sometimes I ended up losing, only getting my 'nose' back when Dad felt like returning it to me.

For several minutes, Lucy tried to wrestle her 'nose' from his grasp, and got nowhere. Finally, Dad grabbed her around the waist with one of his strong arms and turned her upside-down, one arm securely around her waist as she screamed with laughter. "Uh, oh! I guess I win!" he teased her.

"Do not! Do not!" Lucy protested in outraged laughter. "You cheated!"

Dad pretended to look offended. "Cheated! Me? I never cheat, do I, Ali? Tell her I don't cheat!"

Lucy, her face turning pink from hanging upside-down, looked at me. "Mama! He cheated! Tell him he cheated, Mama!"

Chuckling, I shook a finger at my father. "Dad, put her down and give her back her nose."

He sighed and gently changed his hold on Lucy. "All right," he conceded as he set her down on the ground, right-side up. "There you go, sweetness. All better?"

She stubbornly shook her head, a pout on her lips as she pointed to her nose. Dad grinned and pretended to give back his prize, which was accepted with a 'thank you' and a smile. Lucy never could stay mad at anyone for long –she was too good-natured for that.

"Mama, may I show Grandfather the castle?" Lucy pleaded.

At that point, Caspian gave her a stern look. "Not when you have lessons," he told her while summoning a servant. "Mama and I can take him around today, and then we'll all have supper together."

Lucy tried to pout at him to get her way, a tactic that usually worked, but not today. She saw the look her father gave her, and knew that she couldn't win. Curtseying to indicate her obedience, Lucy waited until a servant came to escort her to Felicia, who was probably waiting in the library. With the two of us left alone with my father, I stood and reached out to take Dad's arm.

"Come on," I said, smiling at him. "Let me show you the castle."

I led Dad into the hallway, Caspian close behind as we began our tour.

Raymond had thought the room he'd been in was elegant and large; it was nothing compared to what his daughter and son-in-law showed to him.

The castle was huge on the outside, and on the inside, it was everything a royal palace should be. He had expected something grand and cold, but to his surprise, the interior shone with a subtle glow that was comforting to the eye. Pillars of gold-veined decorated most public doorways and large halls, and the floors were mosaics of a dozen different marble colors. Walls were white stone, butter yellow marble, or a mixture of the two, with the occasional tapestry or wall painting decorating it.

And everywhere Ray turned, there was another creature straight out of myth walking by him. A Centaur, Faun, Dwarf, or an animal strolled through the hallways as though they belonged there, and each of them made sure to bow as Caspian and Ali walked by. What really had Ray's head spinning was that none of the humans he saw blinked twice at the sight of the other creatures. If Ali wasn't there, pointing out rooms and holding his arm tight enough to hurt, Ray would have thought he was hallucinating.

"Majesty," a Dwarf with red hair and a red beard said, approaching them and giving a bow.

Ali smiled affectionately at him, as though they were old friends. "Yes, Trumpkin, what is it?" she asked, sounding completely at ease.

The Dwarf cleared his throat politely and tried not to look embarrassed. "Majesty, the courtiers are beginning to talk. Perhaps you should send official word about your guest?"

Caspian cleared his throat. "I'll take care of that, Ali. Why don't you continue with the tour, perhaps taking your father out to the stables, or the gardens? I'm sure he'll enjoy them."

Ali looked as though she wanted to protest, but quickly decided to agree with him. "Oh, all right. Go settle the palace gossip, then. We will see you at dinner."

Then it was just the two of them, standing there in the hallway. Ray shifted from foot to foot until Ali turned a smiling face towards him. "Let's go to the stables. I want to show you my Horse."

So far, Ray had only met a talking lion, and a talking owl, but talking horses were a bit much for him. The way some of them looked at him with intelligent eyes was creepy, and when they opened their mouths and words of greeting came out, Ray thought for sure he would lose it.

"And this is Roan," Ali said, smiling at a handsome stallion who poked his head over the door of his stall. "He's my dear friend, and was with me through many of my first adventures here."

The horse whickered. "We did have a great deal of fun, didn't we, Ali? And you always did have a good seat while on my back."

Ali laughed. "No, not always," she corrected him. "But we have gotten along well together, haven't we?"

Ray stood and listened in wonder and disbelief as the two chatted for several more minutes. When they finished, Ali led him along the walkway that went to the gardens. In the bright sunshine, with the smell of the sea in the air, it was a beautiful day for a walk outside.

"He seems like a good horse," Ray said, looking at his daughter. "I never figured you as a rider, though."

"I always did like horses," she reminded him. "I'm just glad I have a horse that could understand me and help me learn to ride the right way."

She hesitated a moment before going on. "Sadly, Roan is getting on in years, and soon, I'll have to find a new mount. Roan will always be able to stay in the stables, but I don't know how much longer I can keep going out on rides with him."

Not knowing what to say, Ray kept quiet as Ali moved on to talk about the gardens. He half-listened while his brain spun. Her words about aging and usefulness had struck a cord inside him, and his head was filled with thoughts about Ali's future in this world.

'If she dies here, will she die at home –or vice versa?' he wondered.

Vaguely, Ray remembered watching the first Narnia film with Ali, way back when, and after careful thought, he recalled how the kids in the film had grown up while in Narnia, and regressed to their childhood selves when they returned to their world. Maybe, if he tried, he could convince Ali to go back home before she died here, thereby preventing her death back where her body lay in a coma.

'But would she really want to go back?' part of him thought. 'Would she fit in back home?' Ray rather doubted that the characters in the film fit right back into their world! After being in Narnia for so long, who wouldn't change, at least a little?

But if he succeeded in convincing her to go home, it would work for everyone. She could wait until Lucy grew up, and then simply ask Aslan to send her back to her body. And with the whole time difference between worlds, Ray wouldn't have to wait very long between his return home and her comatose body waking up, with her soul in it.

'It's perfect,' he thought with a smile as Ali chatted away about the garden they were in. 'She'll have her family here, and once she's old, she can come back to us and start again there. Now who wouldn't want that kind of opportunity?'

"And here are the water lilies," Ali said, her voice and the sun reflecting off of a fountain's pool of water. "These I brought back from the edge of the world, during my adventures on the Dawn Treader. They grew near Aslan's Country, and he let me bring them back as a token of my travels."

Ray looked at her in confusion. "Aslan's Country?" he asked. "What's that?"

Ali got a very thoughtful look on her face. "Well, actually, it's the Narnia version of heaven –or it is Heaven, I'm not sure which. I always got confused about that part, but from what I can gather, it's where people in Narnia go when they die. You can go there when you're still living, but according to Aslan, if you do, you can never return. One of our dearest friends went there while he was still alive, because it was his destiny to go, and I'm positive he's happy where he is."

She paused a moment before continuing. "I visited there once, but that might have been a dream or an exception, since it was right before I was sent here to start the task Aslan gave me. Still, I think that once you truly enter there, you are there forever."

Well, that clinched it. If Ray let his daughter die here, she'd never return home to her family. He had to talk her into coming back with him, before it was too late.

Their trip to the royal private quarters had Ray feeling very conspicuous and uncomfortable. People kept whispering, pointing, and bowing, which was annoying –Ray was a regular guy, and having people bow to him was weird.

To be honest, Ray couldn't tell if they were bowing to him, or to Ali, but he had a feeling it was both. Ali was the Queen, and deserved their respect, while Ray had a nagging feeling that everyone was bowing to him simply because Ali was his daughter. It was not a pleasant thought.

Ali, however, seemed to take it all in stride –she nodded to everyone, greeted several like old friends, and paused occasionally to chat with people who seemed to need her help with something. A few produced documents that they asked her to look at, but she firmly told them to submit their petitions to Lord Trumpkin or Lord Drinian.

Watching her closely, Ray felt a surge of pride in his daughter. Ali was a good Queen, no doubt –the people clearly loved her, and he could guess that they respected whatever decisions she made in regards to their petitions or complaints. The people were happy, not fearful, and all looked to be doing well in life, as opposed to starving or poor.

'For all that she's never been trained in leadership or politics, she must be doing something right,' he figured as they continued their walk to the private chambers.

To his surprise, Ali led him into what had to be the royal nursery. A table had been set up in the corner, with four places set; three large enough for adults, one small enough for a child. Lucy sat on a thick carpet-like mat in another corner, playing with a set of wooden animals and talking softly. Occasionally, she would stop and her tone would change, indicating that she was having her toys talk to each other.

"Lucy," Ali called, smiling as her daughter looked up.

"Mama!" the child cried, dropping her toys to go running up to her mother.

Laughing, Ali swept Lucy up into a hug while pressing kisses to her cheeks. "Have you been good?" she asked, smiling. "Did you learn anything fun today?"

Lucy pouted and put her arms around her mother's neck. "Felicia told me about you riding a dragon. I want to ride a dragon, too."

Ali chuckled. "Well, the dragon was a friend who had been changed into a dragon by Aslan. That was because he was a rather naughty boy, and he had a few lessons to learn. He took us for rides through the sky for fun, because he was trying to be a better person. Since there aren't any friendly dragons around in Narnia, I'm afraid you won't be getting any dragon-back rides, sweetness."

That clearly did nothing to soothe Lucy's thirst for adventure and fun, because she still pouted about it. But since nothing was going to come of it, the pout gradually disappeared as Lucy continued to talk about what she had learned in her lessons.

"I can read a few bigger words now," Lucy said proudly. "Felicia let me read a whole page aloud by myself! And I can write prettier, too."

Ali turned her gaze in Ray's direction. "That means her handwriting is improving," she translated. Glancing back at her daughter, she said, "That's very good, sweetheart. Why don't you show Mama and Grandfather how you've improved?"

At that moment, a Faun emerged from another room, a flustered look on her face until she saw who else was in the nursery. "Oh, Your Majesty!" she exclaimed, dropping into a curtsey. "Forgive me; I was putting Lily down for a nap. She simply wouldn't go to sleep when she was supposed to, and when she began nodding off where she sat playing, I decided it was easier to let her rest here, rather than send for a servant to take her back to her rooms. I only left Her Highness alone for a moment, but she's old enough to look after herself for a bit."

Ali held up a hand. "It's all right, Nettie. I understand. But would you mind fetching a bit of ink and paper? Lucy wants to show us what she's learned in regards to her handwriting."

Nettie curtseyed again and quickly produced the desired items. As Ray watched, his granddaughter produced a very nice line of alphabet letters, though they weren't exactly the same size, or in a straight line. Still, it was a good effort, and it was all very neat, so that was okay.

After Lucy finished, the three of them washed their hands in a nearby basin, and sat at the table as servants began arriving with trays of food and drinks. The beverages had just been poured when Caspian arrived, a look of relief on his face as he sat down between Ray and Ali.

"I thought I'd never escape," Caspian said with a sigh. "A few of the Councilors wanted to talk about the trade routes that connect us with Archenland, and you and I both know what that leads to."

Ray looked confused as Ali laughed. "Hours of asking if it's possible to get cheaper products from our ally to the south. The merchants on the Council are always pressuring us about that."

The meal went by fairly uneventfully –the only excitement was Lucy trying to cut her slice of beef with her blunted knife, somehow causing the offending meat slab to slide onto the tablecloth, which caused the poor girl to burst into tears. Ray quickly gave her a fresh piece of beef from the serving plate, while Ali assured her daughter that everything was fine and that the mess left by the food could be cleaned up, no harm done. After her mother dried her tears, Lucy managed to thank Ray for the meat he gave her, and let her mother cut her meat for her, so she was able to eat it without mishap.

After dessert was served and eaten, Lucy was sent to take her evening bath while Ali led Ray back to his room to bid him a goodnight. Apparently late nights weren't really part of the Narnian culture, so that left Ray alone while Ali returned to the suite she shared with Caspian.

In his rooms, with the candles out and the fire blazing, Ray took a seat with a glass of light sherry from a decanter on a nearby table. Propping his feet up on a foot stool, Ray stared into the flames and tried to figure out his thoughts.

It wasn't until late in the night that he finally decided on what he was going to do about Ali and her future.

AN: Review?