*creeps out from a dark hole* Hello world! Today's chapter is a bit shorter than my usual ones, but my writing muse has been an elusive bitch and don't even get me started on the heat! Speaking of heat, this is a nice beachy chapter with a sprinkle of drama, so I hope you enjoy it. I'll try my best to get next chapter sorted out sooner, once I've had some proper sleep and rest.

Enjoy (and comment!)

Chapter 17: Sand and Waves

Edmund glared at his best friend, who was standing in front of him, arms crossed.

"Come on, Ed, your shirt is wet anyway, it makes no difference if you take it off." Caspian argued.

"Then it also makes no difference if I leave it on." the King replied stubbornly. For the past ten minutes, Caspian had been trying to convince Ed to take off his wet undershirt and leave it to dry inside the tent, but his best friend was adamant in his refusal.

"What good is it to be under the sun if not to gain some colour." Gemini peeped in, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.

"I wouldn't be so confident if I was you, Ginger." Edmund spit back.

"He is afraid of the return of Mr. Lobster-legs" Peter mocked, taking a sip of his wine, passing the bottle to Gemini, who also took a swig. Edmund sent him a dark, unloving glare. This statement caught Scorpio's attention and curiosity, and the oldest Pevensie happily indulged him with the story behind the nickname.

"That must be painful, but it is nothing to be ashamed of-" the blond was suddenly struck by a thought. "Waaaaait, I think I understand! Ed, my friend, are you ashamed because of the ladies?" Scorpio asked with his usual lack of tact, putting his arm around Ed's shoulders and leaning over with a conspiratorial tone. Edmund gave the Prince a cold glance, casting a furtive look to the side.

"Aghh, fine, if it's so important for you morons... there, happy?" Ed burst, yanking his shirt off and throwing it at Caspian. There was an instant of silence before Scorpio and Caspian burst with laughter.

"By Aslan Ed, if you were any paler you'd reflect sunlight." Caspian said chortling, sending Scorpio into hysterical laughter.

"Not all of us look like a walking gingerbread biscuit, Caspian." Ed spat, kicking some sand at Scorpio who was still doubling over with laughter.

"Alright, alright," the blond said, wiping tears off his eyes. "One more target to go!" he added, turning towards Rainidan, who still sported his sleeveless undershirt.

Myr listened to Susan and Tairin's conversation in silence, allowing her eyes to roam around the astounding scenery. Susan had been right when she said it was easy to get lost in thought when staring at the waves. Narnia truly was a most enchanting country and if she closed her eyes she imagined this would be how paradise would feel like. She loved the sea and had spent many summers at her family's seaside residence when she was younger, but the casual mood of this trip and the discovery of the mythical Cair Paravel could not be compared.

Smiling, the Duchess focused back on the scene before her. Near the shore, she noticed Ed and Caspian looking into the horizon, the older King gesturing with his arms every now and then. She had to contain a giggle at Ed's freckly back, so very pale. She was certain she could play a connect-the-dots game on him and actually produce some sort of shape. Mmm, she should tease him with it as soon as possible, maybe even threaten him with a quill and ink, she thought with a giggle. But he would need to lay still for her to be able to draw anything on him, and that would prove challenging. Although she had had some self-defence lessons from her cousins, Edmund was an experienced warrior and she would have no chance defeating him if she wrestled him. Myr bit her tongue and hoped her face had not revealed her thoughts; wrestling involved a lot of physical contact, very close contact. She tried in vain to shake the images coming to her mind as she felt a blush creep up her neck What was she thinking?!

Her gaze gravitated unconsciously towards the Just King once more. It was the first time she had seen Edmund out of his usually lose fitting clothes. The young King was rather slim, lithe even, she thought, but not squalid; underneath his tailored suits or daily attires it would be hard to imagine he would be toned. It was quite obvious that he trained often, albeit not as frequently as Caspian or King Peter. Next to his brothers he always appeared skinny, but his shoulders were wider than she thought, and he was rapidly growing into the King of Old; tall, broad-shouldered and slender. After all, the tales told of the Just King being very handsome and causing quite a stir everywhere he went.

A yelp distracted her from Edmund, and turned towards the source of the noise. Thankful for the distraction, she noticed her cousin had jumped on Rainidan's back and seemed to be battling him, grabbing his shirt and trying to put it over the knight's head. Myrina shook her head; she admired her cousin's persistence to reach his purpose, independent of how silly or ridiculous. Sadly, he lacked Rainidan's discipline and thus, the Archen knight managed to throw Scorpio off his shoulders with ease. At this rate, they were going to tear the poor shirt apart before any of them succeeded. Myr shot a glance at the King of Old. He was shaking his head and pointing at Scorpio, leaning slightly to the side to say something to Caspian, the two Kings laughing an instant later. Yes, Edmund definitely had the makings of a heartthrob.

A victory cry resounded in the air. Scorpio had managed to obtain Rainidan's shirt and was waving it around as he sauntered. Rainidan's patience truly was infinite.

Tairin and Susan laughed at Scorpio's antics as he danced and cheered around, holding the cotton undershirt as a trophy. Rainidan had quickly accepted the fact that he would not be getting his shirt back and was now talking to Zephyr. Susan nudged Tairin softly, quietly motioning her to look at Myr, who had been very quiet all this time. Susan lifted her eyebrows, clear orbs full of concern; Ed had not made it a secret that he was very smitten with Casarah. Tairin sighed, her train of thought similar to the Queen's. The two girls shared a troubled look; Myrina did not deserve to suffer the pain of unrequited love.

"Myr, are you alright?" Susan asked, patting the girl's shoulder lightly. The young Lady shook with a startled jump and looked at the older girls.

"Sorry, I got lost in thought, were you telling me something?" she asked, slightly embarrassed. Tai looked at her suspiciously.

"Lost in thought, yes, not surprising given all these shirtless men walking around, showing the world the benefits of battle training." the Telmarine bantered, fanning herself with a hand. Myr's face could have shone in the dark.

"And don't act all saintly, Queen Susan, I've seen you looking at my brother." the Princess said, poking Susan accusingly. The Queen grinned unapologetically.

"It is surprising you could see anything as you haven't taken your eyes off Zephyr." she quipped.

"I earned that privilege when he put this ring on my finger." the Telmarine replied, wriggling the gold band in question.

"Oh, you were ogling him way before that!" Myr noted airily. "Him and his whole regiment during training."

"I don't remember you complaining, Myrina."

"I'm shocked." Susan laughed.

"Don't you even, Lucy has told me about your 'visits' to check on Peridan and his colleagues."

"Shhh! Not that loud! Peter would have a fit if he knew!" Susan whispered. "Tairin, don't you dare!" she added, seeing the smirk on her friend's face. "I really don't understand why you are so determined to annoy one another."

"Ask him."

"You two set such a good example for Lucy and I." Myr smirked.

"Ha! If you let her, Lucy will be worse than the three of us combined. She's the one who convinced me to spy on Peridan in the first place."

"Not that you needed much convincing, mind." Tairin teased. Susan shoved her lightly. "I mean, from the books, Peridan sounds like quite a catch."

"He was good-looking, it's true," Susan conceded. "But he only had eyes for Lucy, a fact she remained pretty clueless about for some time."

"I find it very hard to imagine Lucy fancying someone," Tairin pointed out. "She does look to be the romantic, dreamy type, but she's so..."

"Young?"

"Yes! And naive, I mean, she is a child still."

"Lucy was always a bit childlike, even when she became a grown woman. It's part of her character." Susan agreed. "But you are quite wrong to think she is a – how did you put it? - 'dreamy romantic.'"

This statement piqued Myrina and Tairin's curiosity.

"She's too young!"

"For Aslan's sake, Peter, she's fifteen!"

"And who's that boy, anyway? Last week she was happily rambling about fairies and now all she can talk about is this Aaron boy!"

"Aerin." Susan corrected, rubbing her temple. Peter was striding from one side to the other of his study, having a fit after learning of Lucy's most recent love interest. "You seriously don't expect Lucy never to have a suitor in her life."

"Suitor?!"

"It appears you've just made it worse, Su." Edmund noted from behind his book.

"Not helping, Ed."

"I would be much more at ease if Lucy decided she would be content being single for the rest of her life."

"You would be much more at ease locking both our sisters in a dungeon, then." Edmund quipped, unhelpfully. Susan shot him a glare.

"Sooner or later this was going to happen, Peter. You were never one to impose boundaries on our private lives, so why would you do it to Lucy?" Susan argued. Peter sighed and pressed his forehead to the window.

"I am worried, Su. Lucy is so innocent and gets carried away easily; what if someone takes advantage of that, what if someone gets close to her for her position and uses her?" Peter replied, sincerely downcast. Susan bit her lip.

"I don't want her to be disappointed either, you know? But I trust her instinct to choose the right person."

"Both of you have an impressive lack of trust in the little bug." Edmund cut through the silence that had fallen in the room. "Lucy is tougher and cleverer than you give her credit."

Surprisingly, Ed was right. Lucy grew easily smitten by potential suitors, but as soon as the infatuation wore off, she kindly let them down before the next boy enamoured her and the whole process started anew.

"I am not looking for the one true love, Su." she had explained to Susan one day. "I am pretty content with having someone to walk with, hold hands, share kisses, but I'm not particularly interested in falling in love or feeling the spark."

"Isn't that a bit sad? You are a bit young to have such a drastic view on love."

"It is because I'm young that I don't want everlasting love. I enjoy the romance and the freedom of flings. Relationships are too serious, people feel obligated to one another and there's more room for heartbreak because everything you do has a solemn feel to it. Flings are way less complicated." Lucy breathed. "One day, maybe, I'll reconsider, but for now, why not enjoy what makes me happy for as long as it makes me happy, then end it when it no longer does?"

Susan stared at her sister, speechless. When had she become so mature?

And then, there was Peridan. He had been a frequent visitor at Cair Paravel, just as Lucy had frequently visited Anvard, having developed a strong friendship with Aravis, Cor and Corin. At the beginning, Peridan had been a peripheral figure; he dutifully kept a guarding eye on the youngsters, witnessing Lucy's playful rejections to Corin's childish crush on her, as well as the Prince's vehement protests against each and every of the Queen's fleeting relationships. He was polite but reserved, and to the casual observer there was nothing to him other than respectful admiration towards the young Queen.

It was when the siblings had visited Anvard for the celebration of King Lune's fiftieth birthday that something changed. Lucy had developed into a vibrant young woman and was attracting a lot of looks from the opposite sex, much to Peter's despair. On this occasion, Peridan had stood out from the richly clad nobles by wearing his uniform, a set of impeccably white coat and trousers, its gold buttons shining under the multitude of oil lamps used to light the grand ballroom. His outfit was completed by his perfectly polished black boots and by the golden pauldrons from his armour, from which hung his midnight blue cape. If the outfit alone did not command enough admiration from the ladies, the man wearing them certainly did. Peridan was tall and broad-shouldered, as expected from a high-ranking officer of the Royal Cavalry. His looks were classically handsome: blond hair cut short and a carefully trimmed beard that defied the traditional clean-shaven army style, while his eyes were an earthy shade of brown, skilful, sharp and observant, but also incredibly warm and kind.

From the moment the noble knight had greeted them, Lucy and Peridan's glances kept finding each other across the room.

"Well, isn't Lucy the popular one."

Susan chuckled and looked at Ed, accepting the glass of wine he had brought her. Lucy had been dancing ever since the music started playing, noblemen lining up to have her as their partner.

"Peter must be seething."

"If I were him I would not worry much about Lucy's protection." the young King said mysteriously, looking ahead, inviting her to follow his gaze. Peridan was conversing politely with an elderly man, his eyes following Lucy's movements closely. The knight's brow was slightly frowned, despite his gentle smile towards his companion.

"This is an interesting development." Susan smirked behind her glass.

The orchestra paused for a break and Lucy thanked her partner with a court nod. At the same time, Peridan excused himself from the elderly man's company and grabbed a glass of lavender wine, directing his stride in the Queen's direction. For the rest of the evening, whenever Susan looked around to check on her sister, she found her dancing or talking animatedly with Peridan.

King Lune had insisted they stayed as his guests for a few days after the party, an invitation they had eagerly accepted, for they enjoyed the Archen scenery, weather and company greatly.

"Ed, have you seen Lucy? She disappeared after breakfast and I haven't seen her since." Susan asked.

"I heard Peridan saying something about training earlier."

"What does Peridan have- oh."

The siblings shared a look and Susan marched towards the training grounds an instant later, book in hand. The path veered into a corner as the slope slowly softened into the training grounds, the sounds of battle and the clash of weapons audible in the distance. A cluster of trees lined the well-trodden path and overlooked the grounds and following an inkling, the Gentle Queen swiftly made her way through the trees.

"I thought I'd find you here."

The rustle among the branches was accompanied by a yelp.

"I see you brought Aravis to keep you company; seriously Lu, imagine if Peter found you." Susan sighed, throwing her head back to look at her sister, who was perched on a branch near the tree top, Aravis holding tightly to the tree trunk next to her.

"I would tell him this is no different than when I watch him and Ed train."

"I find there is a big difference between your brothers and dozens of dishevelled – and conveniently shirtless – soldiers."

"Not dozens of soldiers, just one in particular." Aravis chirped in with a smirk. Susan turned to look at her in surprise.

"It is more fun this way; they would all be too tense if they knew we were here." Lucy tried to sound nonchalant despite the furious blush colouring her cheeks.

"I can see King Peter, he's coming towards us!" whispered Aravis.

"Su, you need to get up here! Peter will find us if he sees you!"

"I am notclimbing this tree, Lucy!"

"Then go stall him or take him somewhere else, just don't let him find us!"

"And have him think I am the one spying on soldiers? He saw me reading in the garden, how would I explain to him I'm now here?!"

"Hurry! You need to climb!" Aravis panicked. Peter would see Susan any moment now.

This is how Susan found herself sitting on one of the lower branches of a tree, trying uselessly to read her book while failing to ignore Lucy and Aravis' giggles at the training soldiers.

Tairin and Myrina stared at Susan, stunned into silence.

"Who would have thought, our little Lucy is actually quite mischievous!" Tairin laughed.

"Well, Edmund's sneakiness had to rub onto someone, didn't it?"

"I am just sad that she and Peridan did not have more time together, he sounds like a lovely man!" Myr noted.

"I could not help being reminded of Rainidan, actually."

"Funny enough, I did too, when we first met. He has got a similar personality to Peridan, although perhaps a tad more relaxed; Peridan would have never allowed himself a day in the beach like this."

"But did Lucy and Peridan ever…?" Myr asked.

"I heard my name amidst all the gossip." Lucy plopped down in front of them. Myr shot a panicked look at Susan.

"I was telling the girls how you and Aravis pretty much forced me into spying on the soldiers during training that time in Anvard."

"With hindsight, that was a poor idea." Lucy admitted with a giggle. "Did you tell them we got find out?"

"She most definitely did not!" Myr told, inching closer, curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Well, Aravis got stuck up in the tree. Poor thing, got dizzy when she looked down and hugged that tree for dear life and would not let go."

"Then when the soldiers finished their training, they heard Lu and I trying to convince her to get down and came to help. It was a very awkward conversation." Susan told, remembering how mortified she felt at the time.

"Thankfully Peridan got up and succeeded in peeling Aravis off the tree." Lucy explained. Myr noticed the fondness in her voice as she spoke of the Archen knight.

"I am pretty sure Peridan had a clue of what was going on, but was a gentleman not to say anything." Susan commented.

"Oh, yes, he knew. I apologised for it the next day, once I found the courage to look him in the eye without giggling at the whole thing. He thought it was funny, albeit dangerous."

"He sounds like a great man." Myr noted.

"He was." Lucy agreed. Something in her voice made it clear that this was as far as she was willing to go into this conversation, at least for the time being.

Thankfully, the Faithful and Just Kings provided the perfect change of topic by joining the girls, both dripping wet.

"Susan, you better restrain this man, he is a threat to public safety!" Edmund joked, pushing Caspian's shoulder.

"Oh, I have nothing against being restrained by My Queen." Caspian flirted, dropping himself next to Susan and pressing a wet kiss on her cheek.

"Ugh, I walked straight into that one..." Edmund said with a wince. Shuddering, he bent to pick the towel Myr was using as a pillow.

"Edmund, you're spraying sea water all over me!" the Duchess complained, pressing her warm hand to his chest and pushing him away. A wolfish smirk stretched on the Narnian's lips. In one swift move, he grabbed her by the waist and heaved her up on his shoulder.

"Edmund, put me down!" Myr demanded, hitting his lower back with her palms, but the evil man only laughed and marched towards the water. "Edmund, no, you won't da-" Myr shrieked, guessing Ed's intentions too late.

"He shouldn't have done that." Caspian commented from afar, watching the scene with the girls. Myr emerged again, her long hair messy and sticking to her face, only her nose poking from behind the copper tresses. Ed laughed flagrantly at her. A roar – more like a battle cry – ripped the air a second later. Myrina had tackled Ed and had pulled them both underwater again, the King's arms and legs splashing around frenetically.

"He had it coming." Susan judged, laughing as Myr banged her brother's head in the water.

While the girls and the youngsters had something light to eat under the canvas tent, some of the men decided to build a sand castle. Rants about strong bridges, turrets and defensible walls issued immediately, accompanied with gestures and an exchange of opinions.

"This is the best spot, the view is privileged since it offers clear sight of both the sea and the forest behind." Peter told, earning several sounds of approval.

"Yes, that allows a full sight range of any threat coming from both sides." Edmund agreed.

"They do realise this is a sand castle, right?" Tairin asked Susan, looking at the growing sand structure.

"I am not entirely sure. The last time Ed and Peter got into building a sand castle, they almost declared war on each other because of some ill-conceived bridge. The fight continued well into the night until Lucy cleverly pointed out that the waves were going to carry the castle away sooner or later." Susan explained, looking at Tairin's astonished expression.

Meanwhile, Scorpio had just filled one of Lucy's pails with water and was returning to the construction site.

"Oi, lazy bum, come help!" he yelled at his brother, the older Prince only waving at him dismissively. He emptied the water on the bucket on a bigger container while he mumbled some insults at his brother. As he got up to get some more water, he got an idea, and grinning, he hurried his steps towards the water. Once he made sure he was at a safe distance, he emptied the pail on top of his brother, who doubled over and yelped. Giggling perversely, the young Archen jumped to avoid his brother's arm which had stretched to grab his legs and ran away laughing manically. The Crown Prince of Archenland did not take long to catch his pesky brother and tackled him to the ground. Gemini had always been better in body combat, quickly and effortlessly pinning Scorpio to the ground, holding him still by sitting on his back.

"You thought I didn't notice you skip training?" Gemini teased, patting the blonde's head with his free hand. But his brother was not yet willing to give up. Using his free arm, Scorpio lifted his body to the side, throwing Gemini off balance and loosening his grip on Scorpio's arm. Their little encounter had attracted the attention of the other males, who soon gathered around to watch.

It was a friendly encounter, both Princes aiming only at tripping one another. So far, Scorpio had managed to wriggle away from Gemini's grip and had succeeded in tripping his brother a few times.

"Alright, alright, enough, lets end it here, my hair is full of sand." Scorpio said, lifting his palms in order to stop his brother from charging at him again.

"Oh, but what a mishap!" Caspian told, an evil grin appearing on his lips as he caught Edmund's, Gemini's and Rainidan's looks.

"Indeed, let us help you with that." Edmund smirked. The young Archen had no chance against the four of them, and he was soon wailing and squirming in his efforts to free his hands and legs from their grip as they carried him towards the water. In one clean swing, Scorpio was thrown into the water with a great splash and a final squawk. He resurfaced an instant later, hair sticking to his face.

"Savages!"

The little Queen stifled a laugh once she caught a look at Scorpio, a giggle bubbling in her throat a moment later and she finally burst in a fit of chortles, causing Scorpio's huff to reach theatrical levels.

"Of all people, I thought you were not going to laugh at me, Lucy!" Scorpio whined in mock outrage. Still laughing, Lucy apologised, extending her arms to hug the dramatic blond. Using this to his advantage, Scorpio caught Lucy in his arms with little effort, eliciting a loud squeal from the Queen.

"You know what happens to little girls who laugh at me?" he threatened, marching towards the water amidst Lucy's wails and laughter. Water was soon reaching past his waist and Lucy clung to his neck, blushing madly despite the situation, unable to ignore his muscled chest and arms holding her. Scorpio smirked and tickled her, her sharp twitch causing him to sway slightly forwards, yet his foot fell on a hollow dune in the sea floor, pulling them both underwater. Scorpio emerged sputtering an instant later.

"Lucy?" he called, murmuring a light curse as he spotted Lucy nearby, still underwater. Scorpio grabbed Lucy by the shoulders and pulled her up, babbling his apologies and securing her in his arms once again. Lucy coughed violently, having inevitably swallowed some salt water. Peter, Susan and the others were waiting for them at the shore, and Peter hurried to take Lucy from Scorpio's hold, throwing him a dark look before ranting questions to his sister. Susan held Lucy in her lap and patted her back softly while Peter checked on her. The cough subsided soon enough and Lucy pushed Peter away, the King insisting on listening to her lungs to make sure all water was gone.

"I said I'm fine, Pete, is not the first time I slip from someone's grasp underwater." she told, stressing her point with a wicked glance at her brother. Peter had the decency to look mortified.

"I already apologised for that, Lu, 1300 years ago, in fact." he murmured while Susan told the story to the others.

"Oh, Lucy, I am so sorry! I only meant to splash a little water on you, not drench you!"

"Don't be, it was fun!" Lucy grinned, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly. "I was sort of expecting an accident to happen, to be honest." she added quietly once Scorpio was out of earshot, causing Susan and Myr to laugh under their breaths.

Coralee watched the twins as they splashed around in the water and sighed, grabbing one of the nearby moulds and filling it with sand. She wished she could go have fun with her friends, who squealed and laughed joyously, but she felt safer in the shore. She had heard many stories about people who drowned and about monsters who pulled people's legs underwater; she shuddered only to think about it.

"Mind if I join you?" a deep voice spoke next to her, her head turning rapidly to see who it was. King Peter was smiling at her as he bent down to sit on the sand beside her.

"Is this the first time you come to the beach?"

Coralee nodded, feeling slightly awkward to be alone with the King.

"And are you having fun?" he asked kindly, picking one of the moulds up.

"Yes, Highness, very much. I am very honoured to be here with all of you." she replied shyly.

"Then why do I find you on your own, looking a bit sad?" Peter asked again, turning the full mould upside down and patting it lightly. Coralee dropped her gaze to her lap.

"You don't need to answer if you don't want to." Peter added, glancing at her sideways. He lifted the mould carefully, yet the form crumbled halfway and he sighed, flattening the sand again and refilling the wooden shape once more.

"The sea seems scary when you are not used to it, but it's only a facade, once you learn how to work your way into it and use its movements in your favour, you discover that it is pretty harmless. Do you want to give it a go?" Peter told, offering his hand to the girl. Coralee blushed deeply and hesitated, looking aside.

"I assure you there is no such thing as water monsters, it is just Telmarine folklore. If there were any, they would have taken Scorpio already." Peter chuckled, hinting the real reason for Cora's unease. "We may encounter a mermaid, but they are extremely peaceful and playful, they would never hurt anyone." he added. "How about we give it a go and I promise I won't let go of you until you tell me to." he suggested, extending his palm once again. Coralee smiled shyly and took his hand, her dark curls bouncing as she nodded. Peter smiled brightly and got up, helping her up to her feet. They walked hand in hand towards the water and he squeezed her hand reassuringly as they walked deeper into the ocean.

Tairin smiled as she put her book aside; Zephyr had fallen sleep by her side, a towel hiding his face from the sun. Her chocolate orbs wandered around, stopping on her family and friends. Susan and Caspian were walking hand in hand in the shallow water, their backs to her. Edmund was throwing pebbles to the water, making them skip several times before sinking, apparently in competition with Rainidan. The twins were having fun jumping the waves, and Cora... she had been playing in the sand only a moment before, where had she gone?! With a frown she looked for the General's niece, spotting her in the sea, floating on her belly and moving her arms and legs in front of Peter. Tairin's first instinct was to jump into the water after Coralee, but she noticed Peter was keeping her afloat and appeared to be teaching her the basics of swimming. Little by little, he allowed her more freedom in the water, and soon she was floating unaided. The Princess' heart skipped a beat as a wave scared Cora slightly and she sunk briefly, Peter pulling her out instantly. Irresponsible man, he should have seen the wave coming! But Cora seemed to be fine and was soon practising again, following Peter's instructions.

Despite the little incident with the wave, Tairin had to agree that the man proved to be a good teacher to Cora and children seemed to like him well in general; she could see Cora was very at ease with him and he was sweet with her, clapping and cheering whenever she would succeed or splashing her playfully, laughing when she did the same. A small smile spread on her lips, Cora had managed to swim a small distance by herself, and Peter was congratulating her for it. His heart was in the right place, and even if she hated his guts, she admired the care and love he had for his family. Those were the rare times when she would get a glimpse of the King of Old described in the books, kind and noble – pleasant even – but all was ruined when he allowed his conceit to take over his mouth. And that satisfied smirk of his... oh, how she hated it...! Her blood boiled just by thinking about it. He had a very bad temper and was short-fused and petulant. That air of arrogance and superiority he carried about himself... And his ridiculous insinuation earlier! How dare he think she wasted her time looking at him with anything but disgust!

"Flower? Everything ok?" Zephyr asked sleepily, running the back of his hand down her back. Tairin was startled by his touch and shook her head, smiling at him.

"I was just lost in thought, love, nothing really worth mentioning." she replied, lowering herself to peck his lips.

Once he was certain Cora had mastered the basics of swimming, Peter suggested she rested a bit before joining her friends in the water again. Cora ran towards Tairin as soon as her feet touched the shore.

"Tairin! Did you see me? I was swimming! I even beat King Peter!" the girl told excitedly, eyes sparkling brightly.

"Of course I saw you, sweetie, you did great! You learnt so fast, your uncle will be proud of you!" Tairin greeted, pulling Coralee into a hug.

"It is all thanks to His Majesty!" Cora bubbled, her smile bright and almost stretching past her cheeks.

"Indeed, His Grace was very kind." Tairin was honest in her compliment, but a tinge of hostility made it to her voice despite her best efforts. Peter parried her cold glance by lifting his eyebrow. Coralee babbled excitedly about her newly acquired skills for a short moment before Tairin allowed her to join her friends, having made sure she drank some water before. The young Telmarine skipped contently but stopped a few metres away, going back on her steps and walking towards Peter, who looked at her curiously.

"Your Highness, I- well, I- thank you very much!" she burst and hugged Peter tightly, only to step back an instant later, mortified.

"Oh, My King, please forg-" she stammered, stopping abruptly when he grabbed her hands and smiled, squatting in front of her.

"I like hugs very much, I don't mind at all." he told. "Now go show the twins what you can do, just don't go too deep, yes?" he added, poking her lightly on the arm. He smiled as the girl ran happily towards the other kids, shouting for their attention. A couple of warm and thin arms surprised him by rounding his neck from behind, a soundly smooch pressed to his cheek almost immediately.

"Hey Lu, collected many shells?" he greeted, squeezing Lucy's arms.

"Yep!" Lucy chirped on his ear, swinging lightly from side to side. "I saw you with Cora, it was very sweet of you. Thank you." she smiled hugging Peter tighter. Tairin smiled, having witnessed the whole exchange. In moments like that she could not bring herself to hate the insufferable man.

Susan sighed contently as she floated in the water, a soft wave having just pushed her a short distance away. Although she enjoyed jumping the waves with Lucy or having them crash on their backs, she preferred to go just a bit deeper, where the waves started forming and rocked her lightly on their way to the shore. With a sigh, she relaxed a bit more, grateful at having thought of short light breeches under her cotton dress, which was now floating around her midriff, held in place by a thin string tied around her. After many hours drawing and brainstorming, Susan, Tairin and Lucy had come up with this rudimentary bathing suit, which she had to admit was light, comfortable and modest? Her musings were cut short when a pair of arms rounded her bare waist and she gasped, smiling as she recognised her captor.

"King Caspian, I could charge you with attempted kidnapping of a queen." she told playfully, turning in his embrace to face him. Mischief lit his features, blending with the warm intensity of his dark orbs.

"Queen-napping?" he suggested and they laughed at his pun. "Yet, if I am to speak sincerely, My Queen, I am tempted to abduct you, escape to a place where there is just you and me and have my wicked way with you." he whispered to her ear, his breath warm against the sensitive skin of her neck. Susan felt something warm coil and tighten in her belly and hoped Caspian would not notice her blush. The Faithful King used every opportunity to flirt with her, whether they were in public or alone, yet lately he had surprised her with rather ardent declarations when in private, succeeding to ignite a fiery blush in her every time.

"Such passionate words, but I do not think I deserve them."

"You do, my love, you deserve every beautiful word there is, especially when your beauty rivals that of the mermaids in these waters; you have certainly charmed the sailor in me."

Susan knew Caspian meant everything he said despite his poetic jest. She leaned in to kiss her King, suddenly taken by a bout of shyness, as often when she received a genuine praise.

"Should I blame this sailor in you for all the curses you know and use?" Susan smiled impishly.

"No, for that you should blame Zirid," Caspian shamelessly confessed. "I am not nearly as bad as he is." he added, grinning before capturing her lips in a sultry kiss. Wolf-whistles and cat-calls issued from the shore.

"Get a room!" Scorpio yelled, snickering.

"A whole tent!" Edmund suggested.

"Or a cave, anything!" the Archen Prince yelled again, both he and Edmund bursting with laughter as Caspian gestured them to shut up.

"I am sorry, beautiful, I need to see to those two." Caspian kissed Susan one last time before making his way back to the shore, where he engaged into a sand-ball attack against the King of Old and Archen Prince.

When Susan joined the others under the marquee a few moments later, she found Scorpio showing off his biceps to Myrina, who poked her cousin's arm lightly and giggled. The Prince did not take long to notice her presence and smiled brightly at her.

"Susan, dear, you who are the fairest of this land, do tell me: am I or am I not the most perfectly sculpted man in our company?" the blond asked, leaving her completely astounded.

"Don't give ears to his words, Susan, he is just bitter because Rainidan is better built than him." Gemini intervened, pushing his brother aside.

"Rainidan doesn't count, he is a soldier for crying out loud! Of course he is buffer than me, he trains all day long, it's his job!" cried the blond Prince, clearly discontented. "You, brother, are just jealous of my incredibly gifted physique; not everyone can look like this." he added, puffing his chest.

"Thankfully" his brother commented under his breath, yet loud enough for everyone to hear, laughter erupting immediately. Scorpio, however, was far from dropping the subject.

"I think the girls should decide!" he howled over the remaining teeters from Edmund and Caspian.

"Oh, boy..." Tairin winced.

"This could be interesting" Caspian said, moving closer to stand next to Gemini.

"Definitely. It is not hard to guess that you've got Que- Susan's vote, Tairin will certainly vote for Zeph, and Myr, well, it is no secret that I am her favourite cousin." Gemini explained, smiling contently at Scorpio's outraged expression at his last statement.

"I-I really.. I d-don't have a fav-"

"You forget, my friend, that Tairin is my sister, she will vote for me."

"No, I wont."

"I was, am and forever will be Myr's favourite cousin! And what do you mean Tairin is your sister, she is as good a sister to me, plus, she loves me more!"

"Tairin adores me ever since we were children."

"Say again? When did this become about me?"

"Who tells you that Susan will vote for you, Caspian? She could very well vote for me."

"Edmund, a stick-person drawing is buffer than you."

"Shut up, Gingerbread-Man!"

"Susan's my sister too, she could favour me."

"Your ego doesn't need me stroking it bigger, Peter."

Sensing the discussion would last a while, Edmund decided to sit back and enjoy the show, Susan and Tairin now participating fully. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Myrina stepping out and followed her.

"Hey." he bumped her shoulder with his.

"Done with the contest for – Susan had a good name for it... oh, yes – alpha male?" she asked, rolling her eyes at one rather outraged cry from Scorpio.

"Upsetting Scorpio has its merits." Edmund explained, snorting when the distinctive sound of a head smack reached them.

"Attention-seeking seems to be a men thing." Myr said casually, casting a side glance at the King. Edmund raised an eyebrow, a retort ready on his tongue, but almost as soon as he had opened his mouth, something hit the back of his head with a dry sound, sand sliding over his shoulders.

"Oh, did I interrupt anything? Your hair is looking a bit sandy, Justine." Peter chuckled, rounding his brother's shoulders with one arm.

"That's it!" Edmund said though gritted teeth, locking his leg behind Peter's and pushing him backwards, successfully making him lose balance. Caught off guard, Peter kicked up in an effort not to fall and hit Myr. The force of the kick threw her backwards and she landed on the sand with a grunt. Ed turned to her immediately, shoving Peter out of the way.

"Myr, I'm so sorry!" the older King apologised from his spot on the sand, halfway sitting up.

"Are you alright, Myr, are you hurt?" Edmund asked, dropping to his knees next to her on the sand, delicately placing his fingers under her chin to take a better look at the darkening bruise on her cheekbone.

"I'm fine, it was an accident, can happen to anyone." she replied, hissing as he touched the area checking for any fracture.. Attracted by the disturbance, Susan went to check.

"Can anyone care to explain what happened here?" she demanded sternly.

"Peter being a moron, as always." Edmund told, throwing a dark glare at Peter before briefing Susan on what happened. The Queen tutted, glancing pointedly at Peter before casting a disappointed look at both her brothers. She then helped Myr to her feet and took her back to the marquee.

"The next time you decide to act like reckless four year-olds, at least make sure there are no innocent people around who might get hurt." she lectured, turning her back on them an instant later.

"Come on, brother, you need some air." Caspian's heavily accented voice said next to Ed, both he and Scorpio leading the King away.

Sometime later, when Edmund had finally calmed down – quite suddenly and conspicuously after he had dived underwater and pulled Peter's breeches down – the men were currently tripping and pushing each other into the water, deep laughs and childish insults echoing up. Caspian laughed mirthfully at Scorpio being unceremoniously dunked by Gemini, paying his moment of distraction by being tackled by Ed. In the struggle of getting free of his slim but still strong best friend, he threw his right arm back, and his elbow knocked against something, or rather someone, Scorpio having just resurfaced in awful timing. The blond was a bit dazzled for a few seconds, his lip and nose bleeding lightly.

"Forgive me, my friend, I swear it was not on purpose." Caspian apologised, very mortified.

"There is nofin' to forgif', Cafian, I couldn't fe fetter! This if not an orfinary vound, you fee, it is a fattle vound fy King Cafian himfelf!" the Archen exclaimed, grinning foolishly and causing his lip to bleed more.

"Scorpio! You come here this instant for me to take a look at that!" Tairin shouted from the shore, hands resting on her hips in quite a motherly fashion. The Prince obeyed quite happily, puffing his chest proudly and rambling excitedly as soon as he reached the beach.

Scorpio's little accident did not discourage the rest of the noblemen, who, on Peter's suggestion, gathered in a friendly body combat competition on dry sand. The aim was to get the opponent to fall three times. Peter volunteered to go first, challenging Rainidan. The match was pretty tight, Peter and Rain having each taken two falls. In the end, Peter's past experience helped him out of a tricky manoeuvre and the Archen knight took his final fall.

"It was a victory by chance, your skills are very impressive." Peter praised wholeheartedly, offering his hand to Rain.

"Likewise, Your Majesty" Rainidan replied modestly.

"Let's make this a duel between Narnians, shall we?" Challenge rang richly in Caspian's grave voice. Peter smirked and accepted the dare, gesturing for the Telmarine to join him.

"This ought to be good." Zeph commented, tilting his head slightly towards Ed, who nodded. Caspian was acquainted with a few Narnian fighting techniques, having learnt some himself with Ed's help, yet his strongest point laid in Telmarine manoeuvres. Peter attacked first, deciding to pass on his usual strategy of waiting for the opponent to make the first move. Caspian, as expected, reacted quickly and blocked the blow, minding to guard his arms, having seen Peter apply some very tricky arm locks on Ed at various occasions. In the Golden Age, Peter was rather keen on unarmed combat – contrary to Edmund, who favoured swordplay better – and used to spend quite sometime in the training fields, practising against anyone willing.

"I did not know King Peter practised Archen styles." Rainidan noted, rather enraptured with the encounter, as Peter adopted a new posture, breathing heavily.

"We know a thing or two, mainly from our many visits to Archenland, but this particular move he learnt from Corin. Peter was well into his twenties when the fourteen year-old Corin gave him the most amazing black eye I've seen; he had to wear an eye-patch for a week because he couldn't open his eye. Ah, the good times!" Edmund sighed, his story earning him a few snorts from the Archens. The minutes passed without a clear winner and soon Gemini – the referee of this match – ended it and called it a draw.

"Take a breath, Peter, Ed and I have some unfinished business from a few days back." Caspian cracked his back and neck while Ed stretched. The encounter started almost as soon, both Kings already stepping over some rules as Edmund kicked some sand in front of him for distraction. To compensate for his slim complexion, Edmund was fast and lithe, naturally gifted in scurrying from his opponents' grasp with impressive dexterity, his quick wits a great ally when it came to coordinate tactics and technique. Seeing them fight one another proved to be a great entertainment, but at the same time stressed their closeness and just how alike the two were, reading each other with precision yet taking pleasure in fooling one another.

"I feel sorry for the poor soul that has to battle those two once coordinated on a single attack." Gemini commented, giving up on regulating the match. After a few minutes, Caspian succeeded in pushing Edmund to the sand for the third time, but as he fell, the Just King locked his legs under one of Caspian's, the older King standing for only an instant longer than his best friend, the unmistakeable winner of the encounter nonetheless.

Susan was telling Tairin some funny story about a mud cake that had inadvertently made it to a state dinner back in the Golden Age, when she noticed her friend's attention laid elsewhere. Peter and Zephyr stood in the makeshift arena, in silence.

"Are they fighting each other?" the Princess murmured, dark eyebrows knitted together by a frown.

"I am sure it is nothing. Peter was fighting Rainidan earlier, this must be another of their silly ideas to pass the time." Susan reassured her friend.

Peter leapt forward yet he was forced to turn slightly to the side when Zeph's arm shot in his direction. Stretching his own arm, he pushed the Archen's shoulder perhaps a bit too brusquely, blocking a swing coming from the other side. Susan frowned, hoping to catch Edmund's or Caspian's gaze. Peter's squared jaw and set glare was not in tune with a supposedly friendly fight.

Peter successfully grabbed his opponent's arm and twisted it around, forcing Zephyr to the ground. He lifted his eyes to look at Tairin, keeping her gaze for an instant before letting go of Zephyr, walking away a few steps. Her perfect knight was a mere mortal like any other, and he had just shown her. His moment of inattentiveness cost him dearly, a sharp kick throwing him to the side. The King recovered quickly, using the movement to kick up, supporting himself on one arm, his foot striking Zephyr's shoulder and causing him to stagger backwards.

"I am getting the feeling that this is not friendly any more." Gemini told gravely, sparing a look at Caspian before returning to the fighting scene. As the words left his mouth, Peter sprang up, fist impacting with Zephyr's face.

"No, definitely not." Caspian agreed, hurrying to separate his friends, Gemini hot on his heels as well as the others. With some effort, Peter and Zephyr were taken to opposite sides, the former having acquired a cut on his eyebrow while the latter's nose bled profusely.

"Don't you think you got a bit carried away?!" Caspian stared pointedly at Peter, searching an explanation in the King's dark blue gaze.

"I could have won." the King stated, brushing the blood from his face with the back of his hand.

"I would not be too confident." Zephyr argued. Peter pushed Caspian aside and lunged at the Lord, who was struggling against Gemini pushing him back. The situation required Rainidan and Edmund's intervention amidst the cries from both Susan and Tairin who were being held back by Scorpio.

"Alright, this is enough! ENOUGH I said! Peter Pevensie, stop this instant!" Susan yelled, pushing Scorpio's hands away and approaching her brother. "Peter, you are making a fool of yourself! If you insist on acting like a bloody child, then I'll have to treat you like one; apologise to Zephyr this instant!" Susan was livid, crystal eyes locking into Peter's darker ones. Peter made to reply, but a firm pressure to his shoulder stopped him, the pointed and warning look of his brother managing to keep him quiet.

"Susan is right, you both behaved irrationally. Zephyr, please, act civilised and apologise as well." Tairin spoke, looking disappointedly at her fiancé. After a few moments of silence, both men walked cumbersomely towards each other and shook hands.

"I am very sorry, Zephyr, I got carried away." Peter said, making his best not to speak through his teeth.

"So did I, Your Majesty, and I present you my excuses. No hard feelings?"

"None." Peter gave Zeph a curt nod before walking away.

"I have a feeling that the whispers of the past held in Cair Paravel are causing Peter to become a bit territorial." Caspian empathised; it must not be easy for Peter, to be caught in between his past and present.

Myrina offered to tend to Zephyr's nose, but he only thanked her and grabbed the damp towel in her hands, jogging after Tairin, who had stormed off. Caspian followed Susan inside the marquee and could be heard calming the still irritated Queen. The Lady watched as Edmund spoke with his brother, the oldest King soon walking away, his bad mood evident.

"Will he be alright?"

"Yes, a moment of solitude will help him deal with his temper." Ed exhaled a deep breath. Myr smiled, catching, only for an instant, a peek of the older Just King.

Alrighty, that was fun! I must say I need to write more scenes including temperamental Peter! I know this chapter was very much Nabeela-less and that a LOT of you want to see her skinned alive, but it's coming and thou shalt not be disappointed XD

Thank you to everyone who took the time to review!

Cheers!