Caspian can't recall a time when someone went out of their way to avoid him, until Edmund. Edmund couldn't avoid him completely, though. He was High King. He would have to be present at their meetings and provide insight, but after that Edmund would vanish, at least from Caspian's line of sight. The others didn't seem to notice anything off about him. Well, Lucy was concerned for her brother, of course.

It was after Edmund fled the caves, when Caspian still stood frozen in shock. Lucy had followed Edmund with only her wide-eyed gaze, and the sword held tight in her shaking fist.

"What he said," he asked softly, as if afraid to break the fragile tension strung between them, "did she say that to him?"

Lucy's lowered the sword with a trembling sigh, a look of pure heartbreak on her face. "I'm not sure. He would never tell us what happened when he was her prisoner. I only know what I've heard him say in his sleep. He has nightmares sometimes." The sword fell from her hand with a deafening clang. The sound made Caspian cringe in fear. "I can't believe that I almost—He almost…Whatever that was, it wasn't him, Caspian. You have to believe that."

Caspian took a moment to compose himself before nodding. "His past must make him more vulnerable to the mists. The mists sense he fell to temptation once, so he can do it again."

Then the tension heightened incredibly. "Except this time, he's not being tempted with Turkish Delight, Caspian." Caspian met Lucy's hard glare. "The mists were affecting you, too. I saw it. How long have you felt this way about Edmund?"

"A long time, Lucy. I didn't understand what I was feeling, but it was there all the same. When you left Narnia, I thought of Susan, but then I only dreamt of Edmund."

Lucy nodded, thoughtful. "Tell him."

Caspian intended to do that, when they returned to the ship, but as soon they reached the main deck, Edmund vanished. The others, as he said, sensed no change in the King. He still dueled, without Caspian, he still laughed, and he still looked after the crew, but he never once crossed Caspian's eye. Every night, he sat in his hammock for hours, waiting for the High King to come sleep, hoping he would spare him just a moment to explain, to help, but he always fell asleep. Every morning, he would wake up to an empty hammock beside him. Lucy or the crew would have noticed Edmund sleeping anywhere else, so he must be avoiding everyone throughout the night.

It was this morning that Caspian couldn't take this loneliness anymore. He woke from an uneasy sleep and felt the damp chill of pre-dawn. The hammock beside him still swung empty. With a huff, he pulled himself up, hurriedly pulling on his boots, before climbing up to the main decks. The sky around them was lavender and gray with the promise of sunlight, only just bright enough to see a few crew members drowsily navigating the ship. They barely paid Caspian any attention as he searched for Edmund.

He wasn't anywhere above deck. His months at sea showed the many interesting places a man could sleep. He checked them all. As he was going below deck, the lavenders of the sky were being chased away by the reds and oranges of the sun. Soon the entire crew would be awake, and then Edmund would have successfully avoided Caspian for another night. He rushed past the galley and the main quarters. It would have been too easy to find him there. He instead went further down into the hull of the ship, ignoring the cold biting at his skin. He thought for a moment that surely Edmund wouldn't hide down here. He must have known how easy it would be to become ill, feverish with the chilled air. And there always seemed to be a dampness to the air that no amount of wood and tar could ever keep out. He couldn't have his King dying of illness before he returned to his own world.

That was another thing that hurt about Edmund's avoidance.

Caspian was not stupid. He knew that Edmund would leave as soon as they liberated these waters of the mists. Aslan called them here for a purpose, and once it was done, Caspian would lose Edmund, possibly forever.

That was what ran through his mind as Edmund looked at him in the caves with such a wild, desperate hunger. For a moment, he wanted to defy Aslan, take Edmund, run away, and hide where no one could find them. Edmund wanted a kingdom.

Caspian wanted freedom.

Deep in his thoughts, he almost overlooked the huddled figure in the corner. Deep in the cargo, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blanket-wrapped figure curled up against the hull of the ship. As he came closer, he heard Edmund's voice, pained and sleep-thick. He was still asleep, and he was in the throes of a nightmare.

"No," Edmund mumbled, throwing his head to the side, "stop! Don't touch me!"

A vision of the White Witch came to the forefront of Caspian's mind. That one look at her was enough to haunt Caspian, but to be her prisoner! To be at her mercy while she was flesh and bone! He had heard legends about the White Witch, what she was capable of, and the idea that Edmund was still imprisoned by her, at least in the mind, was sickening.

He knelt beside Edmund, reaching out to wake him, when he heard his name.

"Caspian," Edmund sighed, eyes clenched tight. "No, stop." He mumbled and groaned under his breath. His hair was soaked through with sweat and there was a feverish flush high on his cheeks. "Please!" He cried softly. The sound hurt Caspian deep in his chest. "Leave him alone!"

Caspian lunged forward as Edmund screamed, wrapping his arms around him. Edmund thrashed and fought, begging whatever specters he dreamt of to stop.

"Edmund!" He called over the High King's cries. "Wake up! It's only a dream! Wake up!"

He felt more than saw the King wake, relaxing in Caspian's arms before stiffening.

"Let me go." Edmund said, voice quiet. "Please."

The broken, despondent sound coming from Edmund's lips made Caspian pull away. Edmund rushed to sit up, curling up tight on his nest of blankets. He was still pale and shaking, sweat dripping down his temples.

Caspian held out his hands as if he was approaching a skittish animal, but considering Edmund's shifty eyes and rapid breathing, he figured it was the best thing he could do. The High King was still shivering, goosebumps dotting every inch of his skin. He picked up a discarded blanket, holding it out to Edmund. "You're freezing," he offered.

Edmund looked away, a pained expression on his face. "I'm always freezing."

"Please, Edmund." Caspian insisted, pushing the blanket towards him. At first, it seemed as if Edmund wouldn't take it, but then he did, wrapping it tightly around himself. Before he hid his face, Caspian thought he caught the sight of tears gathering in his eyes.

"Was it the Witch?"

Edmund shook his head. "No, her King." He curled up impossibly tighter, exhaling shakily. "Me. I'm her King. I've become what she wanted me to be."

Caspian frowned, creeping closer. "How could you say that? You are nothing like her."

Edmund shook his head. "What I said, in the cave," he paused, a sound like a sob tearing out of his throat. "She used to say that to me. If I gave her what she wanted, if I helped her win her war with Aslan, would she have kept me? I keep seeing what she wanted me to be. Just like her in every way, with her in every way." Edmund sobbed again, shuddering. "I keep thinking what if she won? Death would have been too easy for me. She might have killed the others, but what about me? Would she have locked me away, tortured me, until I became the King she wanted?"

Caspian carefully reached out, reaching into the tight tangle of the blankets to take Edmund's cold fingers. Edmund tried to pull away for a moment, before latching on tightly.

"You're so warm." Caspian raised his eyes up from their white-knuckled embrace to meet Edmund's reddened eyes. "You're always so warm." The air around them felt thick, precious. Caspian felt immense pressure to preserve it, to plot his next moves carefully so this dome they created wouldn't shatter.

He lifted Edmund's fingers to his lips, kissing each knuckle. "I would forever bear a frozen heart if it meant you would never feel the cold again."

Edmund tensed, grimacing as if in pain. "We can't do this, Caspian. I hurt you. What I almost did—"

"That wasn't you," Caspian said. "Not entirely."

"Not entirely." Edmund parroted, a hysterical laugh escaping him. "Every time I look in the mirror. Ever since I came back. I see him." A shiver traveled down his body, ending with a curse. "I feel like he's here, inside of me, trying to get out. I'm so cold, always."

Caspian couldn't resist bringing a hand up to caress Edmund's cheek. The High King flinched at the contact before slowly leaning in to the touch. "The White Witch's eyes, they pierced through me, seeing everything I was deep inside. She saw that I was a coward, that I wanted revenge. Everyone that stood before her fell under her spell, except you. You saved me from her. You saved Peter from her."

"I couldn't sleep that night," Edmund admitted. "Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her staking her claim over me, tearing me away from my family. I could feel Aslan's claws digging into me, trying to save me, but then I was buried under snow. I still hear her voice, calling me a traitor."

"Ed," Caspian breathed, his voice pained. "You're my King, Ed. Not hers, never hers."

Edmund's free hand came up to hold Caspian's against his cheek. "It's still there. I know I have to leave, but I wish that I didn't have to." He met Caspian's eyes, tears drying. "I don't care if I have a kingdom. I want you."

"I think I have been waiting to hear that since that day on the river." Caspian leaned forward slowly, watching Edmund's reaction. The High King stiffened, but it seemed to be in anticipation, not fear. He saw Edmund's eyes slowly drift shut, his breath heavy against Caspian's lips. "Tell me to stop," he whispered, his lips barely touching Edmund's, "and I will."

"Not likely." Was all Edmund replied before he closed the space between them. Their lips crashed together, a huff of pure relief leaving both of them, as they began to move closer together. Their kiss was slow and deep, what felt like ages of longing and hunger boiling underneath the surface.

Edmund's hands lifted up into Caspian's hair, his fingers tangled in the long strands, as Caspian wrapped his arms around Edmund's waist. Edmund then lifted up off the floor, straddling Caspian's thighs. Caspian licked Edmund's lips, swallowing the deep groan coming from the High King as he tasted as much of him as he could. Edmund gripped his hair, angling his head to press deeper, to kiss harder.

It was only a moment like this before Edmund's hands left Caspian's hair, reaching instead for his shirt.

"This." Edmund growled against Caspian's lips. "Off."

Caspian chuckled, pulling away only long enough to pull off his shirt. When they reunited, he let out a possessive growl when Edmund's bare chest pressed against his. Edmund's arms looped around Caspian's shoulders, his blunt nails creating delicious points of pressure across his skin. His lips parted from Edmund's, pulling a small whimper from the High King, only for it to turn to a moan as he worked his way down his neck. Edmund hissed, bucking his hips, when Caspian bit down over his pulse.

"Caspian," Edmund gasped when the Telmarine's hand wandered down his chest, cupping his hard length. "Caspian, please."

"Tell me what you need, Ed." Caspian said, shocked at how hoarse his voice sounded.

"You." He replied, groaning loudly as Caspian circled a nipple with the pad of his thumb. "I need you."

Caspian's lips followed his hands. He mouthed at Edmund's chest, feeling the slim muscles underneath his skin. He moved down to lick his nipple, moving his tongue in circles around the nub before pinching it between his teeth. The sounds coming out of Edmund's mouth made his blood race.

"You sound so beautiful like this, Ed."

Edmund whimpered, leaning into the hand rubbing his length through his thin pants and the mouth working its way across his chest. He flinched, swearing under his breath, as he felt Caspian's teeth bite down on his other nipple, the feeling sending a flare of heat to his groin. He reached out, trailing his hands over broad shoulders, the smattering of hair across his chest, down to his narrow waist, nails catching on the ridges of his abdomen.

"Bloody gorgeous," he rasped, as Caspian's tongue teased the scar just below his ribs. The scar left from what was quite literally hundreds of years ago.

"Edmund," Caspian gasped, rising up to meet the High King's eyes. "May I touch you? Feel your skin against mine?"

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine those words coming out of Caspian's mouth. Hearing them set him ablaze. Even in the dark cold damp of the cargo hold, he was panting and sweating.

"Yes." He replied, curling a hand possessively around the back of Caspian's neck. Caspian relaxed in his grip, tilting his head slightly to expose the length of his throat. The action pulled a broken whimper from Edmund. "God, yes!" He pulled Caspian to him, smashing their lips together. Caspian tasted of sharp spices and wine, something so heady, something so Narnian, that Edmund's dick ached for the touch of the Telmarine.

Hands blindly reached for pants, tangling in the laces of their waistbands, pulling and jerking the material open until there was just enough room to reach and—

"Oh, yes!" Caspian exclaimed, hips thrusting up into Edmund's tight fist. He drank down Edmund's whimpers as he wrapped a hand around his length, matching his rhythm. Soon his lips wandered down again to bite and lick the column of Edmund's throat, leaving small, fading marks behind. The High King was as taut as a bowstring, arching into Caspian's body, panting in his ear.

"What I would love to do with you," he gasped, other hand gripping Caspian's hair on the border of painfully. It was a good pain, though. A pain that only made the Telmarine moan, circling the head of Edmund's cock with his thumb. "To you! I want to taste you, Caspian. Taste every inch of you. I've dreamt of so many things!"

The charged air between them, and the slickened pressure of Edmund's pumping fist made Caspian dizzy, desperate for more. "Tell me." His voice was a growl in the skin of Edmund's shoulder. The sound made him shudder, crying out Caspian's name.

"Your voice," Edmund began, his voice rough. "Your voice is so deep, so amazing. The way you say my name, look into my eyes, it almost hurts. I dream of your hands, your lips," he gasped as Caspian roughly bit his chest, soothing the sting with slow licks, "oh, your body. I want them all against me, around me, inside of me. Sometimes I feel like I'm going mad!"

Caspian snaked his other hand down between Edmund's legs, making him tense as he teased his entrance with light brushes of his fingers.

"Caspian," Edmund whined. He pulled his hand away from Caspian's dick, rapidly losing his ability to focus. Caspian didn't seem to mind, instead allowing Edmund to cling to him, pulling him tightly to his body as he continued to tease the High King. Edmund leaned back against the hull of the ship, pulling the Telmarine down with him, arching his hips to give him a better angle. Caspian hummed, his lips seeking Edmund's. He circled Edmund's hole, putting more and more pressure behind each pass.

"Please!" Edmund begged, his voice high and breathy. He struggled to move, unable to decide if he wanted to press back against Caspian's fingers or into the vice grip of his fist. "Caspian, please. I'm so close. I can feel it."

A rush of power floored Caspian, releasing some deep, hidden side of him. He had seen some of it in the caves, this primal instinct making his head spin and his heart race.

"Come for me, Edmund." He said, circling the head of Edmund's dick on each pass. His fingers curled into Caspian's back, almost breaking the skin. The blunt pain only stoked the flames under his skin. All Caspian could hear was Edmund saying his name over and over, paired with loud moans that sounded very close to sobs.

He pressed a kiss to Edmund's slack mouth, taking a moment to taste him again. He pulled away, further back than he had planned as Edmund's lips chased his. He smiled, their breath mingling. "Come for me. Now." He injected his kingly voice in the command at the same time he finally breached Edmund with the tip of his finger.

Edmund coiled around Caspian, barely able to catch his breath between one cry and the next. His hips jerked between them wildly, both fucking Caspian's fist and impaling himself on Caspian's finger. It was when Caspian's finger brushed a spot deep inside Edmund that he came with a pained cry.

"Caspian! Caspian! Caspian!" Caspian watched Edmund fall apart in his arms, eyes screwed tightly shut and a lovely blood red flush coloring his cheeks and neck. Sweat shone on his face and a tear escaped the corner of his eye as he drew in deep breaths.

It seemed like ages until Edmund was able to open his eyes, his body twitching. When he did, though, he lunged forward, pushing Caspian to his back. He hit the floor with a heavy thud, but it was only after he realized that Edmund was cradling his head, pinning him in place. Edmund leaned over him, kissing him with a savage hunger before trailing his lips down his neck, over his chest, biting where he could, down to where his length stood heavy and begging for release.

Caspian winced as he caught sight of the purpling head, feeling a bone-deep ache run through him. Whatever Edmund would see fit to give him, he needed it. And he needed it now.

"Ed," he groaned, hips moving up into Edmund's feather-light touches. Edmund licked around his navel, humming against his skin. Everything he was doing made Caspian shiver with anticipation. "Ed," he said again, "I need you, whatever you desire. I'm yours."

Edmund shuddered, a ragged moan sounding deep in his chest.

"What I desire," Edmund said into the skin of his hip, "I can't have." Before Caspian could respond, he shifted to the side, taking as much of Caspian's length as he could into his mouth.

Caspian cried out, hips forcing Edmund deeper, making him gag. "So sorry," Caspian gasped, shaking.

"It's fine." Edmund replied, voice rough. "In fact, do it again." He bent back down to wrap his lips around Caspian, supporting himself on one hand while the other gripped the hand in his hair. After a moment, and an almost pained groan, Caspian gripped Edmund's hair, using it to force Edmund down over him. Edmund forced his throat to relax, breathing through his nose as Caspian fucked his mouth.

Tears gathered in Edmund's eyes as the head of Caspian's cock repeatedly brushed the back of his throat. The way became slick with drool, and he could taste pre-cum gathering on his tongue.

"Ed!" Caspian cried, his pace frantic and rough. "I have to—I need to—" He whimpered, thighs clenched tightly around Edmund's torso.

Edmund smirked, pulling back to lick the pulsing vein running along the underside of Caspian's dick. He chuckled, the sound like a growl in his sore throat, as he repeated Caspian's words to him.

"Come for me, Caspian." He leaned forward, his lips barely brushing his slit. "Come for me. Now."

He wrapped his lips around the head and a hand around the shaft. He both jerked Caspian's dick and sucked hard at the head. Caspian's body bowed backward, hips seeking to get deeper, higher. Edmund placed an arm over his middle, pinning him in place.

"Edmund!" Caspian panted, repeating the High King's name over and over again. His voice got breathier, higher, until he was sobbing.

"Yes, Edmund!" He begged, body tense. "Just like that! I'm so close! Ed, please! So good! Oh! ED!" His voice was lost to wordless cries, the sounds ending in ragged sobs as his hips fought wildly against Edmund's hold. Edmund fought to stay on, moaning around Caspian. The grip on his hair was painful and his jaw was incredibly sore, but with one last press of his tongue, Caspian came undone.

With a furious cry, Caspian finally succeeded in thrusting his cock deep in Edmund's mouth, groaning with every breath as he came down Edmund's throat.

Edmund fought the strong urge to gag, struggling to swallow his release and breathe at the same time. With each convulsion of Edmund's throat, Caspian shuddered, holding Edmund so tight, he was sure there would be bruises later.

It felt like ages that they were locked in this position, but after a while, Caspian collapsed against the deck of the ship, chest heaving and sweat glistening in the dip of his throat.

Edmund smiled. He was sweating as well. He felt like his skin was on fire!

"I have waited so long for this." Caspian breathed, a dopey smile lighting his features.

"To think we could have been doing this the whole time." Edmund replied, equally giddy.

Then Caspian looked at him, his eyes warming with a deep emotion that Edmund refused to name. "Do you mean that?" Edmund leaned over him, kissing him deep and slow. They groaned as their tastes mingled together, their lips meeting together as if it was their last chance.

It may be, Edmund thought, his heart aching.

"Edmund," Caspian said pulling away. "There is something I need to say. Something that you need to know."

Edmund shook his head, eyes stinging. "No," he said. "Don't say it. We can't."

A look of hurt crossed Caspian's face before he nodded in solemn understanding. "But it exists all the same, Ed."

"I know," he conceded. "Me too, but when this is over. When we save Narnia, what then?"

A heavy silence hung between them, then it broke as they heard the crew overhead. With a sigh, Edmund stood, stretching out the soreness in his back. Sleeping curled against the hull of a ship certainly wasn't ideal, but between seeing the White King and Caspian flinch away from him in his dreams, it was a miracle he could sleep at all. He reached down to help Caspian, but when they were both to their feet, their fingers intertwined.

"If we have only but a moment, Ed, let us have that moment. I would rather have memories of you in my arms than fantasies."

"What if the memories hurt worse?" Edmund frowned, trying to pull away, but Caspian kept him in a firm grip. A small, sad smile came on Caspian's face and his hand reached out to caress Edmund's cheek. Edmund couldn't help but lean into his touch, a lump forming in his throat.

Caspian brushed his lips against Edmund's, pressing another light kiss to his cheek before wrapping his arms around the High King. "It is a pain I want to have, because it means that we were at one point happy. Together." He met Edmund's eyes, brows furrowing in concern. "What is it you want, Edmund?"

Edmund wanted to stay in Narnia. He wanted to grow up in this world, explore what was new and visit what was familiar. He wanted to fall asleep next to Caspian every night and wake up next to him every morning. Every adventure, every battle, every single joy and agony of their lives, he wanted to share.

He wanted an entire world, this world.

But Edmund knew it was never meant to be. Peter and Susan had found their place since leaving Narnia. Edmund and Lucy would find theirs, too, but until then, until Aslan sends them home for the last time—

"I want you," he said, curling a hand possessively around Caspian's bicep. "As long as I can have you, I want nothing but you."

They stayed like that, basking in skin-to-skin contact, breathing each other's air. Then the sound of footsteps startled them apart, scrambling to find and replace their clothes. Whoever it was walked away a deck above them, but the spell was broken. They were Kings. Their crew needed them.

Together.

"It shouldn't be long before we find the rest of the swords."

"That means we're running out of time."

Caspian sighed, tying the waist of his pants tightly. "Then we make the most of it. Whether we succeed or fail, our time together remains the same." They finished dressing, slowly making their way over to the stairs. Before they reached them, however, Caspian took a firm grip of Edmund's shirt, pressing their lips almost painfully together. "Don't hide from me, Ed. What happened in the caves does not define you. You are not her king. You are mine."

Edmund whimpered under his breath, replying with a brief peck on his lips. "I'll always be yours. Even when we're worlds apart. I promise."

Caspian smiled. "Your promise is all I need, my King."