To say that most of the Narnians disliked one another, would be a gross understatement. Hatred, perhaps not, because they certainly put up with one another- if only for the sake of a brighter future in which they wouldn't have to suffer with just 'getting by,' anymore. But it was rare that a week went past without at least an argument or two breaking out.

Early that morning, it had been Nikabrik and Reepicheep once two were perhaps the only narnians who didn't hold back their hatred of each other, much to the Prince's chagrin, whom naturally was forced to deal with the pair.

One of the perks of leadership, said Prince usually was the one such duties fell unspoken upon. But, to say he was ill-equipped on how to deal with the situation- at least in a way that might end on a positive note- was yet another gross understatement. He did his best, and usually could end the spats rather quickly, but ending them for good was another task entirely- and unfortunately for the camp, not really one he had the time to spare for. There was a war going on if you hadn't heard.

The moment that Nikabrik found his bed had been stuffed with worms, he was very displeased and all too eager to toss the blame on the noble mouse and his party. To which of course, they denied and were furious that they had been accused of such a childish act. Thus, despite the Prince's best efforts, the argument once again found its place among them.

It was difficult to ignore the yelling match that broke out amidst the camp. The midday sun, ever beaming through the trees, dappled the forest floor and those below its depths. It was a hot day, which only served to shorten everyone's temper.

I had been reading in my tent when I had heard the commotion. It was my hope that I'd be able to just have a moment to myself, whilst I escaped the heat, and ate lunch before patrol in a half hour. It was not to be unfortunately- and with a roll of the eyes, I abandoned the book and my plate of half eaten fruit and cheese. I shuffled over to the entrance, pulling the tarp away with my fingers.

With an annoyed expression, I stuck my head out to survey the scene of the dispute. Nikabrik jammed his finger in the direction of his tent whilst he spewed with fury over the state of his bedsheets. In front of him Reepicheep and his band of mice, all with their ears pinned to their heads and hands on the hilts of their needle-like swords, glared back at him fiercely.

"-Already got enough on my plate without you rat's messing around with my sleep space! I have half a mind to cut off your whiskers in your sleep!" Nikabrik roared.

Reepicheep, and his mice blanched at the suggestion, but not a second after Reepicheep had to hold his arms out to physically stop two of his mice from leaping onto the dwarf with outrage. Reepicheep hissed, "I wouldn't do that If I were you! We may not have filled your bed with bugs, but we may just consider hanging you from the trees by your toes if you're not more polite!"

Nikabrik let out a bark of haughty laughter, "I'd like to see you try! You're about as terrifying as a butterfly little mouse."

Reepicheep's eyes narrowed as he huffed, "We have our ways."

A half step out of my tent, I debated going back inside and ignoring the commotion. The other narnians who also observed the fight seemed to be wondering the same. I took a quick look around.

There were a few like me who stood at their tents with miffed expressions and tense shoulders, their time alone unjustly interrupted. Those whom had been walking by idly, carrying wood for cooking fires, had stopped in their tracks. A fawn, who'd nearly run right into the lot had stumbled back and dropped a few sticks of kindling, and muttered under his breath in frustration as he snatched them back up into his pile.

A smaller gathering of centaurs and talking animals had held off from pinning up wet clothes to the ropes that had been strung up between a few trees, in favor of watching to see the outcome of this argument. Among them, Lightning Bolt and Nettlebrook looked upon the scene with downcast expressions. With a gentle push on his shoulder, his mother took the shirt from his hands, and ushered him away from the voices that steadily grew louder and more angry with each word.

It took the Prince Caspian but a mere minute to arrive upon the scene. I could see in his face that he was tired of ending the fights, the irritation clear in the way his brows knitted together to form a shadow over his eyes. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, clearly a little uncomfortable intruding upon the conversation, but knowing it was his responsibility to deal with the situation, he straightened his back and made his way over to the pair.

As he did, a second shadow fell next to mine. At my side, Ironhoof sighed, "At this rate, the Telmarines will have no enemies to fight at the end of summer." An off-handed comment, he'd been attempting to make a joke. It fell flat of course, and ended up being more a statement than a jest.

I looked over to him, "Tell me about it." I glanced down, noting a bucket in his hands. Inside it, a clear liquid slothed around that sparked an idea in my mind.

The argument seemed to quiet down as the Prince had each side explain what had occurred to rile them both up so much. The tone of the dwarf and mice still held malice, and not a few moments later the group was back at it, arguing once more about whom had put the worms in the dwarfs bed sheets.

I spared a brief look at the fighting pair, who'd yet to have ceased their argument despite the Prince's attempts to offer a solution. I hummed, "Could I borrow that, my friend?" pointing at the bucket. The dark centaur glanced down at the item in his hands, sparing me a confused glance.

Ironhoof replied, "I suppose…" I stretched my arms up to take it from him, being careful not to let the water spill over. I muttered a quick thanks, and began to make my way over to the group.

Far too preoccupied with each other to notice my being drawn nearer, it was the observers who first noticed my person and the item in my hands. I could see some grow confused, while others cottoned on quickly and held their hands up to hide their smiles.

I had to steel myself when I noticed this. My fear of public speaking flared up naturally, but for once I could overcome it- even if it was only due to the strong desire to end everyone's misery.

Caspian, having been silenced for a moment after the argument started back up, had been pinching the bridge of his nose. His shoulders rose and sank deeply with a sigh, wisps of dark hair falling softly around his cheekbones.

He looked up to try and opened his mouth with a severe expression across his face- prepared to cut the argument off again. The boy stopped short however, barely managing to get out a single syllable before he noticed my presence. His dark brown eyes leveled with mine, and a single glance at the water bucket in my hand had him leaping back in reflex- just in time to avoid the slosh of water that I let loose onto the mice and dwarf in a single motion. Some of it splattered across his boots, but otherwise he remained untouched by the water.

Silence. Nikabrik and Reepicheep, having frozen mid sentence, looked up at me in shock- having been caught completely off-guard. I smiled, "Cool it you lot- or next time I'll toss you both into the river."

Twisting my hips, I gestured with the bucket to Ironhoof, whom promptly readied his hands. Pulling the bucket back over my head, I tossed the now empty item over to the centaur, who caught it swiftly.

Lowering my arms, I looked around, and loudly proclaimed, "From this moment forward, anyone who starts a petty argument will have one of two choices. You'll be either cleaning everyone's dishes, or..." I stuttered, "or you'll be doing everyone's laundry. Together, for a month," I stated firmly. I had faltered for only a moment, but I felt my heart skip during that beat.

I wasn't as scared as I usually was when addressing such a large crowd. I attributed this to the fact that the faces I stared at wore grins of their own, which helped me keep mine on for longer, and helped fight back the fear.

Deep breath.

I let my gaze land on the Prince- of whom stared back at me with an expression that seemed to be a mixture of surprise, relief and amusement. I addressed him kindly, "Does that sound good, your majesty?"

At first not responding, he shared a glance down at the dwarf and mice, all of whom looked back at him with eyes that begged him not to agree. The boy gave them both a pointed look as he responded, "That sounds perfectly reasonable Lady Louisa."

I gave a nod, looking back at the finally quiet gathering of mice and dwarf. "Behave yourselves. I think the rest of us would like to eat our lunch in peace, if you please."

Reepicheep and his mice looked guilty enough, and bowed with little hands on their hearts and words of apology on their tongues. Nikabrik however, was silent and glared at the ground- his face beet red and clear displeasure written across his expression.

I surveyed him for a little, the corners of my smile drooping. A very subtle shake of the head; a shared glance with the Prince. I flicked my gaze across them all once more, and offered the Prince a polite nod of my head- not exactly a bow, but acknowledgement nonetheless.

Spinning on my heel, I marched back in the direction of my tent, quite aware of the eyes lingering on me as I left. Ironhoof, whom still waited beside my abode, was grinning at me and shaking his head as I approached. He chortled, "Well that certainly was quite a show."

I gave a snort, "Hopefully the last one of the day."

He smiled down at me, "I would be surprised if it wasn't."

I shrugged, "You never know. If there's one thing I've learnt, it's that Narnian's can be quite stubborn when they want to be."

He let out a loud burst of laughter, "That must be why you fit in so well." I elbowed the centaurs side, but joined in his guffawing. The centaur offered to spend the rest of lunch with me, and I agreed, retrieving my plate from inside, and creasing the top left corner of my book to mark the page I was at.

In the week that had passed since I had opened up to Ironhoof, I was exceedingly appreciative to find that he didn't treat me any differently. He was the only one so far I'd shared such information with, and he'd not once abused it in any way that might harm our kinship.

The only noticeable change so far, had been a more genuine understanding of one another. When I was frustrated, or when I was sad or angry, and when I just couldn't smile though I had every reason to- Ironhoof understood.

He didn't outright convey it in words, because he knew that I was a private person, and that unless I initiated the conversation, then I didn't really want to speak of it. Still, I could feel it when he'd squeeze my shoulder in comfort, and see it when he offered distractions after he recognized that I was starting to become lost in my own thoughts.

It was subtle, but in his own way, he made sure that I was aware that he was here for me. And I was grateful for it. It made the cold nights and hot days bearable.

Lunch with Ironhoof didn't last long, although neither of us seemed to mind as we only spoke idly about our day. Caspian had called for a meeting with Glenstorm, and several of his captains, of which included Ironhoof. I walked with him until we stood outside the largest of the tents in our camp. It was circular and had four entrances from each side. I'd been inside it only once, and I remembered that day well, as it had been during the first few days of my arrival in Narnia.

What would it have been? Two months? Almost three since I had left my world and arrived in Narnia?

I shook my head lightly, a small but happy smile on my lips. I looked up to Ironhoof, of whom smiled down at me, and I spoke, "Well I'll see you later in the afternoon. Work hard Ironhoof!" With a small salute I began to shuffle away from the tent with thoughts of retrieving my axes and going hunting for some meat for dinner in mind.

I didn't hear it the first time, but stopped in my tracks when a voice called out my name. Looking over my shoulder, standing just outside of the pavilion, my line of sight fell upon the Prince Caspian. He paused, flicking his gaze between me and the centaur beside him, he spoke, "Please go in Ironhoof, I will be there soon." Ironhoof, gave a small bow and shuffled inside, but not before glancing at me sideways.

The boy walked over to me with purpose in his stride, and I took a few steps toward him to meet him partway. Stopping once we'd drawn near enough, I glanced at the ground waiting for the Prince to speak.

"I uh…" I looked up, and tilted my head a little. He was staring at the ground too as he spoke, "I wanted to thank you Lady Louisa- for stepping in earlier that is."

The corners of my lips turned up a little, "Oh. You don't need to thank me-"

He looked up, cutting me off, "I do actually. You handled the situation much better than I did." I noted he seemed a little downcast by this, and his gaze flicked back down to the dirt quite a bit.

Though a little unsure on the inside, I let out a small chuckle, "Well actually I think that was my temper getting the best of me again- you were doing fine on your own. I just…" I flashed my teeth in a sheepish smile, shrugging, "I just wanted them to shut up. That's all."

At my words, I could see the edges of his mouth curl up a smidge, his cheeks becoming more pronounced with the small smile. He lightly bobbed his head up and down, "Well I'm glad that you did, it certainly helped a great deal."

I was struck yet again, by his accent. It had a pleasant lilt to it, and I wondered if the Telmarines spoke another language. It faintly sounded spanish, if I had to place it, but that was impossible, so I dismissed the thought absentmindedly.

Fumbling a little, I crossed my legs awkwardly and tried to give a curtsy as I replied, "You're most welcome, your majesty." At this, the Prince couldn't hold back his smile and his lips split into a chuckle at my most ungraceful attempt at the gesture. I let out a small laugh as well, "Sorry, I'm not exactly used to being around…" I gestured with my hand to his being, "Well royalty."

He nodded in understanding, his hair falling a little bit in his eyes as he did, "Well if it's easier, you needn't worry yourself with the formalities then. Just," he pursed his lips, pausing for the smallest part of a second, "treat me as you would an…" I could see him pick the word carefully, "acquaintance." I could see him almost physically wince at his choice of word.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times. There was a very abrupt injection of awkwardness in the air and we both avoided eye contact- very suddenly finding it difficult to speak. It seemed, though we were no longer at odds with one another, there was still a great deal of lingering discomfort that prevented us from being completely open and friendly with one another. It wasn't that unexpected, but the term acquaintance made me uncomfortably aware of it… and a little disheartened by it too.

Distance however, was meant to be travelled, I reasoned. Rocking a little on my heels, I swallowed deeply and said, "How about good acquaintances?" I rolled a pebble under my boot in circles, keeping my eyes on the ground.

The prince was quiet for a moment, considering this offer it seemed. I felt my gut clench, thinking I had overstepped it. I turned away, opening my mouth, about to tell him to nevermind and forget I'd said anything- but the boy spoke before I could get the first word out. "That sounds perfectly reasonable to me, Lady Louisa."

I looked up, the Prince's eyes had softened a little, and he wore a small, hesitant smile. I smiled back, and replied, "Then you must call me Louisa."

He nodded, "That is fair, Louisa."

I backed away a little, raising my hand to make a small salute with my two fingers, just as I had done for Ironhoof. "I'll leave you to it then Caspian."

He lifted his hand as well in return, lowering it as he too began to retreat back to the Pavilion. Finally turning my back to him, I went off in search of my axes, but left with a bit of a bounce in my step.

AN: Yayyyy! A bit more of a light-hearted and fun chapter this one. Louisa and Caspian are starting to slowly develop a positive relationship, but it naturally will take time before they fully come to appreciate each other. These past few chapters have really helped me figure out exactly where Louisa fits in this story, and even more so I feel I've gotten to know Caspian's character as well.

Just a heads up, I might be re-writing/heavily editing past chapters currently. My process for creating this story has been extremely loose so I haven't had a concrete idea of where I'm taking this story until now, and thus there will be certain edits to the story that I will have to make. But this doesn't mean I will not be continuing updating. Rather, I will just be editing as I go, to ensure certain points of the story stay consistent as new chapters are written.

If there are any siginificant changes, I will absolutely inform you all, but for now I'll just be marking edited chapters in the title, so you can re-read them at you're leisure or choose to ignore them. The body of the chapters should remain the same, they will simply be enhanced.

Reviews:

Daisy54154 - I'm so so pleased to hear you're enjoying my story. I hope this chapter will provide you with more enjoyment as it does centre on Louisa and Caspian a bit. :)

That's all for today! Please do review and comment as it helps encourage me to post more regularly. 3 Love you all, good day!