"Swordfight? You want to learn how to sword fight?" Edmund's voice was easily said to be in a surprised tone. Kathleen could swear that she heard him hold back a chuckle as he said so.

"Well," Kathleen began, "this world is everything I had thought it was, and more. I-I think I should be somewhat prepared at whatever it decides to throw at me. You two have swords." She pointed at Edmund then Caspian. She dropped her arm and gestured toward Lucy. "You have a dagger." She pointed her thumb to the door behind them and looked at Caspian again. "This ship has an armory, and you can't deny it. You and Drinian showed it to us on our tour."

She heard Lucy speak up, leaning in cautiously, "I don't know Kathleen. Caspian did say that there's peace in Narnia now. And if anything were to happen, we would be right there to protect you." She had walked up to the older girl's side, trying to hide her dagger from view.

"She's right," Edmund added, "We would all be there at a moment's notice."

Kathleen sighed, wondering if he would say the same if it was Eustace who asked to learn how to fight. Then again, she never heard or seen of an instance where he would have to put his fists up. He was a pacifist.

"But, how realistic could that be?" She countered, picking her words slowly and carefully. "You would have to protect yourselves while also having to worry about me." She took a quick begging glance at Caspian who looked away just as fast. She felt her shoulders drop and looked at the wooden floor. She would not push it any further, having it be three against one.

"She is not wrong," said the King, causing Kathleen to snap her head back up, "Anything is possible, and if we become detained for," he paused," whatever reason, I think it would be wise for you to be able to defend yourself."

"Really?" Kathleen said excitedly, taking a step towards Caspian, though she immediately regretting it. She lost her footing as she felt the ship rock. She held on to a rope nearby from where they were standing, closed her eyes, and cleared her throat.

"As soon as you stop wobbling more than the ship," Caspian said in a laugh.

Kathleen tried to smile but she had felt sicker on the deck of the ship than she did inside the cabins. She was starting to think it was more than just the thought of the missing seven Lords. Lucy had offered her cordial, saying that she looked a bit pale, but Kathleen denied. Now, feeling the hovering presence of the three royals, she started to think that she should have gotten a drop after all.

She took a deep breath. "I don't suppose that offer of your magic potion is still available?" She asked sheepishly.

She could hear Lucy smile, "Of course." Lucy had taken off her belt with the cordial on it before leaving the map room, saying that it would be better kept in there. The young girl turned to her brother and friend, "I would only be a moment," then she walked into the door from which they had come from, leaving Kathleen with the boys.

"As will I." Caspian nodded and walked to the door behind him. The Armory.

Kathleen tightened her grip around the rope. Her eyes widen as she stared blankly at the main deck. She never had a conversation alone with the boy next to her. Only a quick "hello," or "good evening." She would look at him from afar, just small glances here and there when no one is looking. Some days she saw him as she waited for Eustace to get his supplies ready. He would be helping Lucy in the kitchen and the moment she thought he would turn towards them, she would dart her eyes to her study sheets. Sometimes he would ask her if she needed help to get home, seeing that her sessions with his cousin would run late. She always refused. In most cases, she would be out of the house before anyone could say anything and think that no one but Eustace and his mother would notice her leave.

Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, Edmund always noticed. Though they didn't converse much, he saw kindness and strength in her. Although, anyone who mentored Eustace would have to be. He would sometimes feel sorry for her, though. The thought of voluntarily helping that child was a complete mystery to him. He could understand why she would want to walk back home alone. Maybe it was calming after the session for her, yet he still thought it would be better for her to have company at night.

Hearing that she wanted to learn how to fight with a sword was like a punch in the gut for him. If Caspian was right, Narnia is in a state of peace, unlike their world back home. He could see the discomfort whenever the war was mentioned. Whether through the radio broadcast that Uncle Harold listened to or through the newspaper he reads, Edmund could see the slight shift in tension in her shoulders, as if she was holding her breath. She probably knew the ins-and-outs of their town like the back of her hand, just in case of any emergencies, in which Edmund couldn't judge as he does the same. His thought was that she knew next to nothing about this world. To him, she was a total outsider in Narnia, much like how he was when he first came. He didn't have the proper first encounter as everyone else did. If he could help her feel at ease in this world, reassure her that it is nothing like home, then maybe he could help her feel safe. At least with Eustace, he knew that he was aware of some of the ways this would work. With Kathleen, well, he wasn't aware of how much she already knew.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Edmund said, looking at her carefully.

She didn't turn to him. "Yes." She was trying to keep her voice strong, though he didn't know if it was from her seasickness, or of the realization that she would actually be learning to defend herself with a weapon.

Unknowing to his knowledge, it was neither. Edmund had always made Kathleen nervous.

"Because," he took a step closer. She turned her head slightly, making sure to not see his gaze. He sighed at himself, not really knowing how to continue. "It's completely different when you go out there. It's nothing like back in our world. And yes, while Narnia can be...," he tried to look for a word.

"Unpredictable?" Edmund nodded. She took a second, gathering thoughts of her own. "I understand that." She began. "But I also understand that it's better to be prepared than anything." She could feel him wanting to interrupt. She didn't let him. "In a way, it's very well like my rehearsals. I know every inch of the studio, I practice every move, and I have perfected every stance. I know what to do and where to, but in performances, well that's a different story. The first performance is the worst because you don't know how your audience will react, which is, I guess how I relate it's going to be in a fight. I may know what I will do, but I don't know what my opponent will do, just like my audience." She let out a cough and shook her head. "Ugh, didn't- don't most historians compare a sword fight to a dance anyway?" She let out a fake laugh tighten her grip once more, not noticing her knuckles getting white. She felt her nausea grow, but she tried her best to hide it from Edmund by looking at his dark as night hair. She didn't know who long she could keep it up.

Before he could answer her question, Caspian had returned from the armory with a second sword in hand. He had place Peter's sword in his sheath while he was back in the cabin. It was still on him now, his hand steady on the hilt.

The two teenagers looked away from each other. Edmund faced Caspian's newest weapon while Kathleen looked at the wooden floor once again. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Did I miss anything?" Caspian asked. Kathleen thought she heard a mischievous hint at the end of the question, though she dismissed it as soon as the thought came up.

"No. Nothing," Edmund said as Kathleen shook her head. She stopped as she felt her brain rock in her skull.

Where was Lucy with her cordial?

She turned to them, not entirely looking at their faces. "So," she gulped, "about that sword fighting..." She was still excited, though she felt slightly sicker than before. She knew that the boys heard it. She could see Edmund turn between Caspain and herself from the corner of her eye. She ignored the nausea and stood straighter. She didn't notice herself slightly swaying.

Caspian smiled. "I thought we would start with a demonstration first. Maybe wait on your turn until Lucy comes back with the cordial." He handed the extra sword to Edmund, who hesitated. He took a quick look at Kathleen before taking it. Once the sword was in his hand, his demeanor had changed. He held the weapon, lightly bouncing it in his hand, most likely checking the weight of it. He stared at it, examining it. Trying to make sure he gathered every detail of the blade. He looked at the handle, then the blade itself. He was certainly admiring it. There was a smirk that was showing as he held the sword in front of him.

"Follow me," Caspian said, smiling at his friend. "We will have more room on the main deck."

Kathleen and Edmund followed behind him, though Kathleen did trail a little more behind. Caspian had politely asked the crewmen to move aside from a small area, as they were about to have a demonstration. The men complied with no question.

They situated themselves next to several large barrels that were holding in supplies. Kathleen leaned against it, knowing that if she sat, her seasickness would become worse.

The demonstration started by debating if whether or not they should wait for Lucy or not. Kathleen was able to get into the royal's head by saying that if it was a real fight, the enemy would have already taken the chance at the boys, with them just standing around and all. The boys raised an eyebrow at her.

She shrugged and smiled, "Or so I've read,".

Edmund nodded his head and smiled while agreeing with her. Caspian began the lesson by showing her the different defense stances. She wasn't surprised how much of it really did compare to ballet. The skills and abilities he explained that were needed for a swordsman were the same that were needed for a dancer.

Lucy had come back from her search. She had lost her vest and was holding something small close to her chest. Kathleen was sure it was the cordial, and as Lucy got closer, she noticed her looking around at the sailors. When she turned to Kathleen, she saw the questioning gaze. She looked at her hand that held the potion. She stepped in front of Kathleen, blocking Kathleen from the others.

"I only use this sparingly. Almost twenty years since I had it and it's still more than half-way full." Lucy said, looking at the bottle.

Kathleen felt guilty now. Surely she must have used this potion in life and death situations. Though while Kathleen still had trouble with the dark concept, she still couldn't help but feel the sinking pit from inside her. Having this healing potion being wasted on her felt like a type of crime.

"Oh," Kathleen stared at the bottle, "Then we don't have to. I'm sure what I have will go away." She spoke rather quickly.

"Nonsense," Lucy said firmly. "You're turning paler by the minute. And Caspian is right, you're rocking more than the ship is."

Kathleen wanted to tell her that he had actually used the word "wobbling" but she didn't have the energy to do so.

Lucy furrowed her eyes, "Please just sit, and you'll feel better."

Kathleen swallowed a lump. She was feeling worse by the minute, though she wouldn't say anything because she didn't want the others to worry. Right now, Edmund could see her gripping the side of the barrel, much like she was with the rope.

Kathleen let out a shaky breath and sat down. She tilted her head back slightly as Lucy unscrewed the bottle. Very steadily, she let one droplet, and one droplet only into Kathleen's mouth. Kathleen swallowed the drop and looked forward.

"It will take a minute to take the full effect," Lucy said as she quickly screwed the top onto her cordial. She held it close to her chest and looked at Kathleen. She smiled. "You're already looking better."

The Lewis girl tilted her head in one way. She had already started to feel better. She could feel the whole process happening slowly. She could feel her stomach untying itself. Her head was becoming steady once again. She looked at her hands and felt her body staying in place. She had stopped swaying.

Once Lucy had concealed the cordial, she stepped out of Kathleen's view.

"Are you feeling better?" Caspian asked.

Kathleen nodded, still looking at her hands and grateful for not feeling her skull being knocked around. "Much." She turned to Lucy. "Thank you. And I promise if I get injured, I'll heal the old fashioned way."

"Let's hope that there'll not be a 'next time.'" Lucy said warily.

The older girl gave her a convincing smile and nodded, "Of course."

The two ladies smile at each other, but it was brought with wide eyes at a certain comment that came from a dark-haired King.

"Well, now you don't look like a walking corpse."

The young man quickly covered his mouth as soon as the word left his mouth.

"Ed!" The other two royals yelled.

Poor Edmund looked like he was going to die then and there. He quickly put down his sword and took three wide strides to the girls. His eyes were pleading for mercy. "I am so sorry, Kathleen! Truly I am." He said that last bit to his sister.

Kathleen didn't move for a second. At first, it seemed like he was terrified of what Lucy had in store for him for his smart remark. The second was because he had just reminded herself of someone. She sniffed once, and then, she laughed.

Now instead of shocked, the royals looked confused. Caspian was looking at Lucy who was looking at her cordial. Edmund was dumbstruck at the laughing girl. Some of the nearby sailors were curious at the commotion. No one knew how to react. The ballerina was now hunched over, trying to gain control of her laughing.

"I'm- I'm sorry. Ahaha. It's just, uh- you just sounded exactly like my brother. Ahahaha!" Kathleen slowly began to straighten her back. "That's was the word for word of what- uh haha- of he said to our mother once. Different situation, but, uh, didn't exactly end well for him." Her laughter had died down and when she looked up, she saw that no one has moved. Sitting upright once more, she saw smiles crept on the royals' faces. Even some of the sailors were laughing now. Kathleen was still smiling. The older girl couldn't help it.

As the laughter had died down, Kathleen noticed that Edmund was still in front of her. He was staring at her with a wondrous smile, making her's drop. She also noticed that she was an inch closer to him than she was before. Not much for the others to see, but she noticed.

"I really am sorry." He said, not looking away.

Kathleen wanted to turn her head so badly but forced herself to stay. "It's forgiven." She cleared her throat. "Gave a really good laugh."

Edmund nodded and turned back to where he had put down his sword.

Kathleen had started to feel warm on her face and could also feel a bubble forming inside her, but it wasn't from the laughter. Almost like a surge of energy. Enough to make her say something clever to Edmund like, "And I didn't look like a walking corpse!" Or the exact opposite like, "I think I pulled a walking corpse look pretty well if I do say so myself." She didn't know which one would be better to say or what that feeling was. The longer she tried to figure it out, the farther the bubble felt.

The bubble wasn't there to feel clever though. She could sense that much. Was it intellectual? Joy? No, it was something better than joy, at least in her opinion. Just when the bubble seemed to be within reach, it popped. The feeling was gone and all that was left was the aftermath of her laughter. Whatever she wanted to say had lost all reason to say so. But right now, it didn't matter. Something told her it will come back. And she'll be looking for it when that time comes, but now, she was ready to learn.

The potion had clearly worked, but trusting Caspian's judgment, she sat back and finished watching the demonstration. Though said demonstration turned to be a play fight between Edmund and Caspian.

It started when Caspian was explaining to Kathleen, again, the different skills that will be useful in a fight. Strength, flexibility, and speed. He also mentioned how the swordsmen, or swordswomen, should be to keep their bodies in harmony with their sword. They need to be able to keep their form precise, fluid, and reactive.

This last lesson called an idea to form in Edmund's head. She could see it forming in his eyes.

"For example," Edmund stated, "if you were to attack like this." And just like that, he lunged his sword to Caspian, who blocked it with ease. "You would need to be able to react like so."

Caspian huffed then turned to Kathleen. The same mischievous look on his face made Kathleen think that once again, the possibility of Edmund and Caspian being related.

"Yes," said Caspian with a pause, "because if your enemy were planning to attack you in return," at the end of the syllable, he lunged toward Edmund who, with the same effortless motion, blocked the blow. Caspian smiled, "You would be able to see it coming."

"Without actually seeing it." Edmund ended. For a second, nothing happened, but then at the same time, they lunged towards each other. And the fight began.