A/N: Hi there, sorry this had been a while coming. I'm having difficulty channeling dark Caspian. I want to make him bad enough to need redemption but not so bad to be past redemption - it's a thin line to walk. I hope this chapter is ok. It's very close to the scene from the book. I wanted to have Caspian acting and reacting differently to the same events as the original. After this the story should verge off a bit more. Hope you like it!

Discalimer: I own nothing of Narnia, just the books ... and the DVD's ... well ... several different versions of the books ... and the DVD's ...

"Let me go. Let me go back. I don't like it."

The Pevensies looked at their cousin with embarrassment, he had been crying and shouting since they were all hauled onto the deck of the ship.

"Why certainly!" said Caspian. And he made towards the boy, arms outstretched as if he were going to throw him over the side back into the water.

"Caspian!"

It was Susan, her face and tone shocked. "Please, leave him be, he's our cousin and he has had a shock and he is only young, barely fifteen years old!"

Caspian checked himself and turned towards Susan.

"Ever the gentle Queen" he said to her with a charming smile. He turned to Eustace. "I was only jesting; I meant no harm." He said by way of apology.

Then looking at Susan's drenched form he shouted to no one in particular.

"Bring spiced wine for their Majesties."

One of the sailors who Caspian did not bother to introduce, returned with the spiced wine. Caspian dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Peter and Edmund exchanged glances. It was subtle, but this was not the Caspian that they had known before. That Caspian would never have teased someone in distress, would have requested not ordered.

They were interrupted from their shared observations by a shout from Eustace.

"Oh! Ugh! What on earth is that! Take it away, the horrid thing."

His cousins looked where he was pointing and let out a joyful shout as they saw two figures approach.

"Reepicheep! Trumpkin!"

As one, Trumpkin and Reepicheep bowed before the Kings and Queens much to the astonishment of their cousin.

"My humble duty to your Majesties!" Reepicheep said in his piping voice.

"Thank you Reepicheep, it is wonderful to see you" Peter answered the mouse.

"And you DLF" added Lucy with a grin before she and Susan sprang forward to embrace the dwarf, knowing full well that Reepicheep would not accept such an affectionate greeting.

Beards and Bedsteads" grumbled the Dwarf. "Do your Majesties mean to suffocate me?"

But everyone could see from his expression that he was deeply touched and glad to see them all. Eustace of course interrupted the celebratory mood.

"Ugh, take it away," he wailed pathetically. "I hate mice."

The silence which followed this remark was broken only by an amused snort from Caspian

"Am I to understand," said Reepicheep to the Pevensies after a long stare at Eustace, "that this singularly discourteous person is under your Majesty's protection? Because, if not …"

At that exact moment Lucy and Susan both sneezed. Caspian rushed to Susan's side, putting an arm around her shoulder, and rubbed her arm to warm it.

"What a fool I am to keep you all standing here in your wet things," said Caspian.

"Come and get changed. I'll give you my cabin of course, Susan and Lucy, but I'm afraid we have no women's clothes on board. You'll have to make do with some of mine."

As they walked to Caspian's cabin, he neglected to remove his arm from Susan's shoulders and she, she was not about to mention it or to object.

The feelings, the affection that she felt for Caspian had come flooding back at the sight of him, the sound of his voice, the feeling of his arm around her. And it felt like coming home.

But she hated this, hated that she had to doubt him, that she had to second guess every word that he said. She wanted to love the man as she had loved the boy, purely and simply. But as we grow up things rarely remain as simple or as pure as they seemed and Aslan's words of warning regarding the Prince still echoed in her head.

Susan was no fool, she knew that Caspian had changed somehow, but she was convinced that she could bring the old Caspian back to her as she had been brought back to him and looking into his soulful brown eyes, eyes that were filled with something that she dared to hope was love, she was sure of it.

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Caspian watched Susan as she entered the room and his heart missed a beat. He had been talking with her brothers, intent on showing them that he had not changed, but he had been unable to concentrate, thinking of Susan in his quarters, perhaps sitting on his bed, changing into his clothes.

The sight of her in those same clothes fairly stole his breath away. She truly was captivating. Lucy wore the same clothes, but on Susan they somehow looked alluring. The way the belt clinched the baggy shirt close to her slim waist, the way the thin material draped over her breasts, the way the shirt was open at her throat …

Caspian slowly became aware that someone was speaking to him, it was Edmund.

"What?" asked Caspian blinking at the young King.

"How long has it been since we left Narnia?" Edmund asked again.

"Exactly three years," Caspian answered.

"And is all faring well in our land?" asked Peter searchingly.

Caspian bristled at the implication that he might not have been able to rule Narnia well and at that possessiveness in the words 'our land' from the High King.

"I would not have left my kingdom and put to sea unless all was well," he retorted.

"Any trouble between Telmarines, Dwarfs, Talking Beasts, Fauns and the rest has been swiftly dealt with, they would not dare go against my express decrees now. They have learnt their lessons!"

Peter raised his eyebrow at this, wondering what measures Caspian could have taken to be so sure of the blind obedience he seemed to expect, what lessons he had meted out.

Caspian seemed to catch the High King's look and rushed on.

"And I had an excellent person to leave as Regent while I'm away—Dr Cornelius, my old tutor, you remember him?"

"Dear Cornelius," said Lucy, "of course we do."

"I had thought that you might have elected Trumpkin, but I see he is with you instead." Interjected Edmund.

"Oh Trumpkin" Caspian replied, somewhat flustered. "He is a loyal and valiant friend, but I felt that Cornelius was more likely to follow orders, Trumpkin can be somewhat of a wild card if you take my meaning."

They didn't but were saved by saying so by Susan.

"And where are we heading for?" she asked Caspian.

"Well," said Caspian smiling at Susan, "you might remember that my Uncle Miraz exiled the Telmarine Lords who he believed would be loyal to me? On my coronation day, with Aslan's approval, I swore an oath that, if once I established peace in Narnia, I would sail east myself for a year and a day to find my father's friends. I need more loyal followers in Narnia."

Interrupting the short silence that followed, Lucy asked,

"And where are we now, Caspian?"

"The Captain can tell you better than I," said Caspian.

With a start Susan and Lucy realised that a man was standing behind them in the room. Another that Caspian had neglected to introduce.

Susan reflected that at the very least Caspian would have to work on his manners. She and Lucy walked over to the man and greeted him, and he bowed and introduced himself as the ship's Captain, Drinian.

Drinian got out a chart and spread it on the table.

"That is our current position, Your Majesties" he said, laying his finger on it. " We had a fair wind from Cair Paravel and made Galma on the next day. The Duke of Galma made a great tournament for His Majesty and there he unhorsed many knights …"

He paused and looked at Caspian and something unspoken passed between them.

"… And unhorsed many knights," repeated Drinian looking somewhat uncomfortable.

"We thought the Duke would have been pleased if the King's Majesty would have married his daughter, but nothing came of that …"

"Drinian!" Caspian interrupted sharply. "You forget yourself!"

"And we sailed from Galma," continued Drinian into the uncomfortable silence, "Three days ago a pirate ship overtook us, but when she saw us well armed, she stood off after some shooting of arrows on either part …"

"And we ought to have given her chase and boarded her and hanged every mother's son of them," interjected Caspian.

Susan paled, she did not like this bloodthirsty side to Caspian, the old Caspian, the one she knew would not have sanctioned so vicious a path.

"… and … we hope to see the Lone Islands the day after to-morrow." Drinian finished.

"And after the Lone Islands?" said Lucy.

"No one knows, your Majesty," answered Drinian. "It is after the Lone Islands that the adventure really begins."

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As dusk fell that evening Susan stood leaning on the rail of the ship, watching the sun sink below the horizon, her first real Narnian sunset in a year. She should be filled with joy, but instead she felt … she felt … what did she feel?

She had been convinced, fully convinced that she could save Caspian from himself, that a few gentle words and direction could bring him back to the right path. But now she was not so sure. It had been three years! Three years in which it seemed as if her gentle Prince had turned into … but what had he turned into?

Yes, his manner and manners had changed but that could be mended.

Yes, he seemed more severe in his dealings with his people but what of it? She had not been there, perhaps a firm hand had been needed.

Susan sighed; no, she would not be too quick to judge

She would give Caspian the chance to be saved.

She would give herself the chance to save him.

As if summoned by her thoughts, she felt Caspian appear behind her.

If she had been asked in England to describe the feeling of the prince's presence, the scent of him, she would not have been able to put it into words, but now it was unmistakable.

"Susan" his voice was gentle behind her, his accent smoothed by three years living among the Narnians, but still as attractive and sensual as she remembered.

Susan turned and smiled at the Prince as he came and leaned on the rail beside her.

"So beautiful" she murmured indicating the sunset.

"Yes!" agreed Caspian huskily gazing into her eyes.

Susan blushed. This was another way that Caspian had changed, he had not been so forward before, had taken days before he had spoken to her alone, weeks before he kissed her … that kiss …

Susan coloured and as if reading her thoughts Caspian's gaze flickered to her lips and became more intense.

Caspian reached with his hand and ever so slowly, ever so gently he traced her cheek with his thumb, moving slowly down to stroke her full bottom lip. Susan's breath became shallow as Caspian leaned in and landed a gentle kiss on her mouth.

"Good night Queen Susan" Caspian murmured and with that he turned and walked back towards his cabin, leaving a breathless confused Queen behind him.

Caspian smiled to himself as he sauntered towards his cabin feeling Susan's perplexed gaze on his back. He knew that she had been prepared for him to be more aggressive when he kissed her, had been prepared to push him away. But now, she would be forced to re-evaluate her thoughts of him.

He had been unprepared for the return of Queen Susan and her siblings and on reflection had given away too much in his initial interactions with them.

But ... he had taken time to develop a fresh strategy in his new cabin, the one Drinian and the first mate Rynelf had yielded to him when he had given his own to Susan and Lucy. He hoped that he would need a cabin of his own if his plans came to fruition. At least Peter and Edmund's prying eyes were far away in the cargo hold with their cousin and the rest of the crew.

Caspian smiled to himself again. It was not too late to play the part of the gentle love-struck King, not too late to convince Susan and her siblings that he was still the same harmless, spineless sap that he had been when they first met him.

So ... what do you think? Please review