Disclaimer: I own only the character Raxie and the plotline that proceeds after Ramandu's island.

Some hours later, standing up on the foredeck, Lucy knew something was about to happen, she could smell it in the air, a strange aroma under the salt. Whatever was about to happen wasn't going to be pleasant and it was going to be messy. Just what Lucy couldn't say. Eyes trained forward and with her hands gripping the railing tightly she heard someone approach.

"Something dark stirs." Caspian joined her, large hands resting lightly beside her taught ones. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that he too was gazing out to sea, expression troubled.

"You can smell it in the air." Lucy agreed, eyes scanning the horizon as dusk began to fall and the stars awoke to tread their nightly dance in the heavens. She felt Caspian's eyes on her, but refused to acknowledge his attention, unsure of herself.

"You have been strangely composed since we left Narrowhaven. Is something the matter?" Caspian's voice was quite and intense, not meant to be carried on the wind.

"Thoughts." Lucy replied. "Why is Eustace here? Why are we here? What will we find? What will happen? What if I can't stay here in the end?" The moment the last question left her lips, Lucy knew she had made a mistake.

"Stay?" Caspian asked, surprise in his tone. She looked up at him and wished she hadn't. Confusion marred his brow, an unusual sight. His eyes, his expressive eyes, were an unreadable rainy day grey, giving her no idea of what his thoughts may be.

"Never mind me Caspian." She smiled and admitted one of the true thoughts in her mind to the King of Narnia. "I'm simply wanting again what I have already lost once before."

"You've lost something?" Now he was really confused, his whole body turned to face her, all his concentration on her. Lucy wished he would look away, otherwise he would see her true feelings on the situation.

"Not now Caspian." She dodged his questioning. "I'm not sure what I mean." That wasn't quite true. She knew that she had lost her fairy tale, her dream the day she left Narnia after being Queen for thirty years, and now was wishing she could return. Only this time with someone to share her vision with. Narnia was the dream, and Caspian was the present wish.

"If you are certain." Caspian sounded unconvinced. "But if you ever feel the need to talk, you can always come to me."

"I know and thank you." Lucy met his blue-grey gaze, honesty in her words.

"Your welc-"

A crash of lightning lit the darkening sky like a flashbulb, blinding Lucy with its intensity. Immediately it was followed by a rolling boom of thunder so loud Lucy and Caspian had to cover their ears. The storm Caspian and Lucy had sensed fell upon them without warning, gusts of wind pulling at Lucy's clothes and hair, stealing her breath away. Fear slid through Lucy. Even in her own modern world it was dangerous to be caught at sea in a storm, and being in a wooden ship was just as deadly as being in a steel one.

"Below deck, NOW!" Caspian ordered as the sky blacked and rain came pouring down, drenching them to the core. Wave upon wave battered the Dawn Treader, rocking her to and fro at dangerous angles.

"What about you?" Lucy had to shout to be heard over the roar of the sea, the creaking of the ship, and the howl of the wind.

"I need to stay up here and help the men." Caspian put his mouth close to her ear so he could avoid shouting. "I want you below deck where I know you will be safe. Please Lucy, just go."

The plea in Caspian's voice convinced her. Lucy wouldn't have obeyed a royal command, not being one of Caspian's subjects; but his concern for her welfare spoke to both her common sense and emotions.

"Be careful." Lucy reached up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his clean shaven cheek. Surprised by her own boldness, Lucy hurried below deck before Caspian could see the blush spreading across her cheeks. Once in her cabin she securely locked the door behind her, as if to shut out the tumbling thoughts in her head.

During the dizzying ride Lucy took the opportunity to analyze her feelings about herself, Caspian, and Narnia, and sought to come to a conclusion that was satisfactory to her feelings and all other parties involved. Halfway through the tempest she heard a loud crack that wasn't as loud as the thunder, but just as deadly, Lucy fearing that one of the masts had fallen, crushing members of the crew, or worse Edmund or Caspian, who both remained up top. It was in response to that deadly and scary sound that Lucy resolved that no matter what she would find a way to stay in Narnia, with or without Caspian. She knew she couldn't force him into a relationship, but she would be damned if she didn't stay in Narnia.

Slowly, slowly the storm subsided, and just as slowly the adrenaline that flowed in her veins left Lucy, leaving her feeling drained. She knew that the nastiest part was over, but the trials of the human will and endurance were next in coming. But right now all Lucy wanted to do was sleep off her exhaustion and let her decision to stay soak in. Sluggishly she moved to the trunk at the end of the bed, pulling out one of Caspian's large shirts to sleep in. She felt heavy and leaden due to not only the wild ride of the storm, but the emotional ups and downs of the last couple of days. She had just pulled the shirt over her head after stripping out of her damp clothes when a knock sounded on the door.

"Yes?" Lucy jumped, holding closed the large neck of the shirt closed.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Caspian's voice was faint and muffled through the wood.

"Yes I am, thank you." Her heart sped up.

"You don't sound it, open up." He commanded. What? She couldn't open the door for him, she wasn't dressed. She only wore one of his old big shirts, even if it did come down to just past her knees.

"Caspian-"

"Lucy, I am a king and I can be very stubborn." His voice sounded exhausted and weary. Lucy didn't want to upset Caspian so she slowly opened the door.

Caspian's once green jade tunic was salt and sweat stained, and was missing a sleeve. A bruise was blooming on his right cheekbone, a florid green and yellow even in the lantern light. His hair, which was so curly, was even more tangled and wild than normal. He looked like he had been in a fight with a bear and the bear had won. Even his hands were raw from handling the lings and rigging.

"You look dreadful." Forgetting her modesty Lucy directed Caspian to sit in a nearby chair. She then pored water from a corked flask into a small bowl that was secured to a table, before pouring three drops of her cordial into the water then grabbed a rag out of the cupboard below the table.

"I feel dreadful." Caspian concurred, sitting still as Lucy tended to his many cuts and bruises. She focused on the situation, not letting herself feel any embarrassment at the fact she was clad in so little.

"What happened?" She asked rubbing the healing water against his palms, healing the abrasions with just a few swipes. She struggled to ignore the warmth and heat radiating off Caspian in waves despite his clothes that were soaking wet.

"The spar on the topmast is broken, two of the sails are ripped and the dragon tail stern is broken off and lost somewhere in the sea." He winced as she dabbed the rag against the cut of his forehead above his left eye, breath hissing through his teeth.

"Sorry. Quit being such a baby and sit still." Lucy re-soaked the rag and rung the excess water out. "This needs to be cleaned before it gets infected."

Caspian clenched his teeth and stared into space as Lucy continued to tend to him. The power and warmth of his aura finally soaking into her, making her act even more tenderly towards him. A strange sense of intimacy settled over the room, making Lucy wonder how it would feel having a relationship with Caspian in Narnia.

"Are there any others as bad off as you?"

"No, thankfully." Caspian rubbed the back of his neck. "The only reason I'm so bad off is because I kept jumping in first."

"An impulsive king, that's something that you don't see in the modern world." Lucy laughed, ringing out the rag thoroughly before pouring the healing water into a flask and corking it, trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"Who's modern world, your or mine?" He lounged back in the chair, unreadable eyes following her like a predator stalking it's prey.

"Either one really." Lucy shrugged, storing the flask into the trunk, knowing that if 'healing water' were to get into the environment it would wreak havoc on all parties involved.

"Tell me more about your world." Caspian prodded, peeling off his outer tunic with the missing sleeve, leaving him in a linen shirt and breeches.

"It has it's good and bad, just like Narnia." She replied slowly sitting on the bed and sliding her knees up under the front of the shirt, careful not to show too much in front of Caspian and make them both uncomfortable. "But there's more bad than good. Random murders, robberies, dirtying the environment, and locking of doors at night." She sighed. "The day and age isn't as innocent as it is here in Narnia."

"No wonder you want to stay here." Caspian murmured.

"Yeah." Lucy agreed quietly, staring out the window even though only stars were visible.

"Well, if you feel that way, talk to Aslan about it." Caspian stood and stretched with a yawn. "I better get some rest. Don't get up." Lucy was about to get up and accompany Caspian to the door, but his hand on her shoulder stayed her. His palm was hot through the thin linen material, searing her flesh. The moment seemed to freeze as Lucy met Caspian's eyes. Blue-grey met hazel, an unspoken and cryptic message that wasn't understood passed between the two, fragile and new.

"Caspian?"

Just as quickly the moment came it was gone, shattered by Lucy's whispered question. Lucy could have kicked herself as she watched Caspian blink his eyes, as if coming out of a trace. She watched him win his battle, returning to the real world with a sense of dread, fearing the moment was purely in her imagination.

"Forgive me Lucy." He apologized, pulling his hand away. "I don't know what came over me."

"That's fine Caspian." She said softly, already missing his presence.

Nodding Caspian scooped up his disregarded tunic before striding to the cabin door. Lucy felt the warmth of the room leave with him, leaving her in a vacuum. She knew she was falling in love with the King of Narnia, but was hesitant to voice her feelings, fearful of being rejected.

"By the way." Caspian paused and turned back. "Are you warm enough in here at night?"

"Once I'm under the covers it's not a problem." Lucy replied hesitantly, wondering why he would ask such a question.

"The next port we reach I'll be sure to get you some heavier garments." He smiled softly. "Goodnight Lucy."

"Goodnight Caspian." Lucy replied to Caspian's back. He closed the door silently, making Lucy wonder what was bothering him so. He had seemed so cool just before he left, as if he were another person altogether. She knew that Caspian did not like to play favorites, but was warm to everyone he knew, so why the sudden change? He was even polite to Eustace. Did it have something to do with the peck on the cheek she gave him? Lucy's head hurt trying to pin down the reason for Caspian's crisp-like attitude; she decided to let it lie. Climbing into the full size bed she curled up in the middle and let sleep take her away, even if only for a short time.

After the fury of the storm came the peril of little food and even less water to go around. Edmund and Lucy had little trouble adjusting to the situation, and the few difficulties they had were never voiced and shown before the crew, but Eustace was another matter.

"You're king and queen, why don't you get your water first?" Eustace groused a day into the provision rationing. Everyone was lined up to get their morning cup of water, one of the two that each person was allowed.

"I should have thought it was obvious. They have to work harder than us." Edmund said flatly. He said sewing on one end of a battered sail while Lucy sat beside him, mending the other end of the sail. The work wasn't tiring, just tedious.

"They're bone idle." Eustace grumbled.

"They're half starved and they only get two cups of water a day." Lucy tried to explain, but when she saw Eustace open his mouth she promptly shut him out, not wanting to hear the next whiny remark.

"That's disgusting Eustace, even for you." Caspian's furious voice broke through the calm Lucy had wrapped around herself. If whatever Eustace had said could outrage the unflappable Caspian then she was glad she hadn't heard what her cousin had said.

"Lucy." Caspian handed her a cup of water, fingers brushing before moving on. Ever since the night of the storm Caspian had been touching Lucy in small, almost insignificant ways that befuddled her even more due to the fact that he had never made those small touches before.

Around midnight of the second day of rationing, the whole of the ship was startled from their sleep by Reepicheep's bellow of,

"Thief, thief!"

Apparently Eustace had been trying to steal a cup of water, making Lucy's opinion of her cousin drop drastically, if it were even possible for it to drop any lower than it already was. Once Eustace was forced to apologize to the crew Caspian let him have a small sip of water before declaring that anyone caught stealing water again would be lashed twenty times. As the men went back their bunks Lucy stayed in the shadows, too awake to go back to sleep. She stood silent, observing the young blonde man who leaned against the mast beside the cask of water.

"Oh Aslan, a breeze, a breeze." Caspian prayed in a whisper, face tilted up towards the star studded sky above. Up top in the crow's nest one of the crewmen called out,

"A wind sire, a wind!"

Smiling softly at the relief on Caspian's face Lucy returned to her cabin on kitten feet, sure and silent. Some time later, as she lay in bed trying to sleep, she heard Caspian walk by her door, his footsteps slowing down almost to a stop before moving on.