Hey guys! So I'm gonna start replying to reviews that have questions and stuff in the chapters...so here we go!

I-de-BadBad-Wolf: I think under normal circumstances Caspian would have been more careful, but given that he was so upset about Lucy's news he didn't really care. Thanks for the review!

Twilight Gleek: Good idea! Maybe I'll do that! Thanks for the review!

NarniaFan: Yeah I don't like Susan either, I like to make her look as bad as possible (: The people that chaperone Lucy will probably mostly be: Glenstorm, Trumpkin, Trufflehunter, Andrew and Drinian. Also I wanted to thank you for all of the reviews you give! I always am happy to see your review because they're always so long/constructive/sweet and I love them! So thanks!

BeatnikFreak: You didn't ask a question or anything but I just wanted to say thank you for always giving me sweet reviews! They always make me smile! So thanks!

On with Chapter 17!

Chapter 17

CASPIAN'S POV

Sun crept through the curtains of the room as Caspian groggily blinked his eyes open. He looked around, forgetting how he had gotten in this room and why. All of the sudden, he felt movement that reminded him of the girl sleeping on his chest. Caspian smiled warmly as he stroked tangled hair from Lucy's face, brushing his lips across her forehead. She mumbled something he could not understand, but remained in deep slumber. Memories of the previous night came flooding back. The ball, how beautiful Lucy looked, and then her telling him that one of Susan's vile boyfriends had molested her. He remembered Lucy's tears and solemly wished that he could rip that man apart for touching her, but knew that he could not. Caspian sighed, adjusting his grip on her, blushing as he noticed that they were to tangled up in eachother that Lucy's leg was swung over his, and the nightgown she wore had rode up, revealing the skin of her thigh. He groaned and tried to think innocent thoughts, but could not help reaching under the blankets and running his hand along the smooth skin. Lucy stirred and he snapped it away, hoping his hand wasn't cold. She thankfully did not wake, only snuggled closer to him, making him smile. He leaned down and ran his lips across hers tenderly before pulling away very slowly, carefully getting out of bed in a way that would not wake her. Once standing, Caspian rewrapped the blankets around her since she now lacked his body heat. He sighed, running a hand through his tousled hair and making his way over to take a peek out the window. Judging by how low the sun still was, he guessed that it was just past sunrise, and that if he left now he probably would not get caught sleeping in Lucy's room. He knew that the Archenland people would be in Cair Paravel midafternoon, and wanted to make sure he spent time with Lucy before they arrived. He had promised to take her riding, and smiled as he decided he would let her ride Destrier, the two had a good connection when Caspian had first had Lucy ride the horse. He decided to go get washed up and ready for the day, turning to quietly make his way out of the room. Just as he put his hand on the doorknob, he heard movement.

"Caspian?" A sleepy Lucy questioned, blinking a few times to adjust to the light. Her ringlet curls were still basically intact, barely even looking slept on as she rose her head from the pillows. He pulled away from the door, walking over to sit back on the edge of her bed. She sat up a little more so that he could pull her to him.

"Yes?" He pryed jokingly as he ran his nose along her neck and cheek bone affectionately. He pressed his lips firmly to the spot right behind her ear where he knew she was sensitive. She hesitated to speak before her cheeks flushed with color.

"Nothing. I just-er-forgot you slept here," He knew she was lying, but didn't want to press her further. It was probably something about the previous night, thoughts Caspian did not want to revisit and he certainly didn't want Lucy to either.

"Alright, Lucy-love," He gave in, kissing her lips chastely and squeezing her little body. He laughed inwardly as he remembered his dream from the previous night, and how little and adorable young Lucy had been. At the time, he did not know why Lucy effected him so. He knew it wasn't because he had feelings for her then, because her young age would have made that wrong. But now it seemed to him like his heart had been telling him something, like deep down he knew that he was supposed to be with Lucy in the end, making it painful for him to see her leave Narnia. He remembered the first time he called her by her nickname, and the pretty blush that had graced her cheeks. Peter, Edmund and Susan had gone with the other soilders to patrol the area, and Peter had left him in charge of watching Lucy. Lucy had been livid at the idea of being left behind, and was rather grumpy the whole night.

"I don't understand why I have to stay. I'm not a baby," Lucy whined, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff of annoyance and plopping down in a chair. Caspian's eyes met hers as he smiled, Lucy always liked to act as if she was a lot older than she really was.

"Of course you're not, who would think that?" Caspian winked at her and gave an amused chuckle, sitting opposite of her. She didn't seem to want to joke around, and shot him a glare. "Oh come of it, Lucy. They left me here too," He pointed out.

"To babysit me! It's like they think I'm completely incapable of taking care of myself!"Caspian leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees and casually playing with a rock he had picked up off the floor.

"Well, you do have a talent for trouble. Lets see, just earlier today you gave Destrier a little too hard of a kick, and were taken into the wood rather fast. You were wailing for help, and who had to come get you?" He asked slyly, but answered for her when she looked away, not liking the topic of conversation. "That's right, I did. Trumpkin told me about how he had to save you from getting eaten by a bear. You always go off by yourself in unfamiliar areas. Let's face it, Lucy, you aren't exactly accident prone," Lucy huffed once more, turning her head sharply away so that she didn't have to look at him.

"Jerk," She said in a barely audible voice. Caspian's eyes shot up from what he was doing with an amused look in them. He couldn't believe what he heard.

"What did you say?" She turned to look at him,a serious look on her face.

"Did I stutter? I called you a jerk," Caspian roared in laughter, she really was adorable. She didn't think it funny, and stared back at him with a hard expression. He rose to his feet, kneeling down in front of her and placing his hands on the armrests of her chair.

"Is that what I am?" He asked with a smile. Lucy stuck her tongue out at him and leaned back as far as possible in the chair, trying to get away from the prince who towered over her. She turned her head again, closing her eyes in signal that she was done with the conversation. He chuckled. "Ah, come on Lucy, don't be mad," He took her chin in his fingers and forced her to look at him as he made a pouty face. She wrinkled her nose as she tried not to smile, he probably looked rather funny. She snapped her mouth shut tightly, not wanting to let out any laughs. Caspian got an idea, and reached forward to poke her little stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut as he tickled her, and he could see her face turn red from holding in her giggles. Eventually, though, it was too much for her to bear, and she went into a fit giggling and trying to push him away.

"Caspian, stop!" She got out in between gasps.

"Say I'm not a jerk," He said in a warning tone, raising his hands as if threatening to attack her again. Lucy threw her hands up in defeat.

"Okay! Okay! You aren't a jerk!"

"Now say I'm a very good babysitter," She scrunched up her face at the word "baby."

"I wouldn't go that far," She laughed. He rose his hands once more.

"Say it." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Fine, you're a good babysitter," Caspian lowered his hands and picked her up to embrace her.

"That's my Lucy-love," He caught a look at her face and smirked as she blushed deeply, averting her gaze. Caspian chuckled, hugging her tighter before letting her go.

A little over three years later, Caspian noticed that Lucy still had the same fierce attitude and adorable quirks that she had had then. Only now she was beautiful instead of pretty, and had the power to make him act like a fool. He kissed her once more, moaning as she pulled herself closer, pressing her chest up against his. The kiss heatened, and Caspian could feel himself growing aroused as Lucy ran her hand along his chest. He grabbed her wrist to halt it, and kissed her nose when she rolled her eyes at him. He stood, leaning down to grab her lips once more.

"I have to go get ready, and so do you. If you want to go riding that is," He turned his head to the side with a grin and chuckled as she nodded frantically and jumped up to start getting ready. He watched in amusement as she ran over to her wardrobe to find something to wear, and pouted at the fact that all she found were dresses. She turned to Caspian.

"I seriously don't have any pants?" He laughed, walking up to stand closer.

"Nope. A proper lady wears gowns," He joked, prodding her stomach. Lucy put her hands on her hips.

"Who said I was a proper lady?"

"Nobody. Believe me," She huffed as he kissed her forehead. Personally, he would rather her not act like a stuck up, proper lady. He wanted her to act like Lucy, the beautiful and caring girl who wasn't afraid to handle a sword, go riding, or get dirty.

"You can borrow some of my clothes," He snaked an arm around her waist to pull her to him, planting a kiss on her lips and smiling into the kiss as he heard her catch her breath suddenly. He left her to go fetch some of his clothes she could wear.

XoXoXoXo

"Destrier!" Lucy exclaimed, pulling her hand from Caspian's and running the rest of the way to his horse's stall. She made to pull the latch to open the door but Caspian rushed forward.

"Lucy, stop!" He grabbed her around the waist and yanked her backward. She turned to give him a confused and agitated expression. "Destrier gets spooked easy. Especially with people he doesn't know rushing into his stall." Lucy yanked her hand away, completely ignoring him as she opened the latch. "Lucy," He growled.

"Shut up," She ordered, walking into Destrier's stall. Caspian watched intently, ready to act, as she reached a hand out to the horse. To his suprise, the horse nuzzled her hand affectionately, giving a neigh and making Lucy laugh. She turned to Caspian with a smug expression. "See? He remembers me. I told you not to treat me like a baby."

"I told you not to act like one. You could've gotten hurt," He replied casually, not wanting to admit defeat and joining them in the stall, grabbing Destrier's saddle and halter to get him ready. Lucy didn't retort, but he saw her roll her eyes in annoyance. He grabbed them some riding boots, getting small ones for Lucy and handing them to her. Once they were ready, Caspian led the horse out to the trail and climbed on, extending a hand to Lucy. She gasped as he pulled her up easily, setting her in front of him, wrapping one arm snugly around her middle and holding the reins with the other. He kissed the side of her neck before giving Destrier a little kick for them to start. He started off going slow, but rolled his eyes and had the horse go into a cantar at Lucy's complaint. She is a piece of work. Lucy's laugh, though, was like bells in his ears and he couldn't stay annoyed at her for long.

"I missed this. I love riding Destrier. He's so sweet," She said after he let her take the reins and lead them. He smiled, he liked making her happy.

"Well he probably likes you better than he likes me. Strange, because he normally takes so long to warm up to anyone, and I was reluctant to let you ride him back when I first met you because I thought he would buck you off. But he loves you," He smiled as he saw her cheeks flush and the corners of her mouth turn to a beaming smile. They rode a while longer in silence, Lucy leading and Caspian busying himself by studying her and occasionally dropping small kisses to her neck or shoulder. When he spotted Andrew and Annebelle dashing towards them, though, he reached around and grabbed the reins, pulling them back to stop the horse before they got trampled. Andrew was out of breath by the time he reached them, and took a few gasps of air before speaking.

"They're here," He finally got out, pointing towards the castle where Caspian and Lucy could see men and women climbing out of various horse drawn carriages. Caspian felt his stomach jolt and he hugged Lucy more possesively as she shrunk back into him. Andrew looked Lucy over. "Perhaps, your majesty, you should change into something more appropriate for a lady." Caspian piped up before Lucy could answer him.

"I think she should stay in this. Keep those perverted eyes where they should be."

"My King, we don't need to make this difficult. Please," He directed the last part at Lucy, who sighed. Caspian raised a hand to turn her face towards his.

"Go with Bella. She can help you find something that isn't too bad," He turned to Andrew. "Andrew, escort Lucy and Annebelle back to Lucy's room, and stay outside the door until they are ready. They don't need to be walking around the castle alone," It was Annebelle's turn to argue.

"Caspian, I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of-"

"Doing what I say," He finished for her, giving her a warning glare before helping Lucy down. He watched as the three dashed back towards the castle, before riding Desrier back to the stables to put him in his stall.

XoXoXoXo

"People of Archenland, what a pleasure it is to have you in Cair Paravel," He said everything with a fake grin and gritted teeth. Pleasure my arse. "Do know, however, that you are not here on good terms. The incident of the burning down of the homes of Narnian families is not what to be taken lightly," Caspian eyed the few men who were actually responsible for killing the dwarf families with pure hatred. He despised people who thought their life was more important than another's. "You are here to discuss border negotiations. I say we-"

"Oh, come now King Caspian. We've only just arrived. Why don't we discuss this at a later date, after we have gotten settled?" Nain, King of Archenland stepped forward. Caspian had not expected him to come along. He normally would send someone else to do his work for him. Caspian had been hoping that he would stay behind. Caspian opened his mouth to speak just as he noticed Annebelle, Lucy, and Andrew arrive. Lucy had changed into a very simple purple gown, and probably the most innocent one Annebelle could find. The top cut across her chest in a straight line with a silver beading, but still accented the curve of her breasts. The sleeves were long, and started at her shoulders. Caspian was glad that the girls had been able to find a dress with sleeves and minimal cleavage, but did not like the sort of square cut in the chest that showed too much of Lucy's skin. He glared around, seeing a few men gesture towards her and nodding appreciatively. He watched as Lucy looked down at the ground towards her feet, biting her lip nervously. Caspian cleared his throat rather loudly, bringing the attention back towards him. He saw, though, that Nain had not yet turned away from Lucy.

"Excuse me," Caspian said lowly. Nain eyed him slyly, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Ah well, I'm very sorry your majesty. I got distracted. My apologies," The Archenland King chuckled to himself.

"I'm sure your wife would understand," Caspian replied casually but with a hint of sarcasm hiding in his voice. "Lucy?" He called, extending his hand for her to join him. Lucy nodded and blushed, walking towards him while avoiding everyone elses eyes. He watched as she would distort her body just so she would not brush up against any of the men. Once she reached him, Caspian twined his fingers with hers, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. He addressed the crowd.

"This is High Queen Lucy of Old. She will be staying in the castle from now on seeing that she is a very good friend of mine," A few gasps were heard.

"Wait, so you're the sister of High King Peter?" One of the men asked, stepping forward. Lucy nodded. The man smiled wickedly. "Ah, so you know of-"

"Lucy knows of the agreement signed between King Frank and her brother, and she knows that we are bound by it." Caspian felt her squeeze his hand tighter as an erruption of happy chatter was shared between the men, making comments he would have rather not heard. "You all should know, however, that although we are bound by this agreement to have suitors pursuing Lucy, I am in courtship with her," Disgruntled murmurs replaced the happy ones. "This being, I would heavily advise every one of you to take precaution as to how you treat her, for if I find out of anything happening that should not, it will not be a good day for the man responsible." Confused looks were shared, they obviously didn't know what he meant. Of course, I should have known they wouldn't understand language that was not vulgar. He leaned over to speak in Lucy's ear.

"Go into the hallway with Annebelle, just right outside the door," Lucy nodded meekly, and he grasped her hand tightly one more time before she parted, taking Annebelle's arm and leading them out. Once the door was closed, Caspian turned to speak to the men once more. He took a few steps closer to them, giving them a threatening glare.

"Lucy is not to be touched," He said slowly and firmly, eyeing them all one by one.

"Then, what then, is the point in pursuing her?" The question made Caspian's blood boil and he answered through clenched teeth.

"If you can not pursue her without fulfilling your fantasies, then simply leave her alone. I plan on asking Lucy for her hand eventually, I love her." The same man snorted.

"So you've lain with her, that's it?" Andrew grabbed Caspian's arm just in time to stop him from lurching forward to swing at the vapid man.

"No. I have not. And will not until we are married. This really is none of your business. I am simply telling you all, that if you as much as lay a hand on her, she will be the last thing it ever touches. You will also not be spending time alone with her," Annoyed voices filled his ears. "If you want to spend time with her you will do it with one of the castle's men whom I trust." He ignored all of the comments and questions thrown at him as he gave them a curt bow, giving instructions to a few men to show them to their rooms. He pushed through the crowd, not wanting to speak to anyone.

XoXoXoXo

LUCY'S POV

"So, do you think they are going to leave me alone?" Lucy asked delicately, hoping that her question was confirmed. At the hesitant look on Caspian's face, though, she knew it wasn't going to be that easy. She sighed as she walked forward to loop her arms around Caspian's waist. The two had gone to her bedroom for some privacy so they could talk before they went to dine with the guests. Lucy felt him take her in his arms, pulling her close with one and resting the other hand on the back of her head. She thought back to the filthy looks those men had been giving her, and the perverted side comments she heard that were meant to be kept quiet. Actually, she did not know if they were meant to be kept quiet, perhaps they did not even have that much integrity.

"I'm not sure. After you left I told them that they are not to touch you, and they were really put out about it. One even had the nerve to ask me what the point of spending time with you was if he was not allowed to spend that sort of time with you. Then he started prying into our business," Lucy jerked away, her eyes searching his.

"What? What did you say?" She left her hands resting on his chest as he brought his hands to cup her face and stroke his thumb over her cheek. He was trying to calm her, but it really wasn't working. She would not be calm until those swine were out of Cair Paravel.

"I told them we had not done that, and that we would not as long as we were not betrothed. I wanted them to understand that I want your honour intact, and that is something that should wait for marriage. I kept it simple, telling them that there would be serious consequences if I found out anything happened that shouldn't. I also told them that they were not going to be alone with you, and that you are to be chaperoned," Lucy felt relief at this. At least they knew they weren't supposed to be alone with her. "They weren't too happy about it, but I don't care. I really don't know if they're going to just leave you be, it's hard to tell," Lucy nodded, she didn't want to upset him, because she knew he was already in a tough situation. She let the conversation go, rewrapping herself around him. She heard him sigh in contenement, but could hear the worry in his throat. Lucy brought her head up for a moment to kiss his chest through his shirt in a sweet gesture, feeling his body shake as he chuckled at this.

"Ah, sweet Lucy-love," He murmured into her ear, placing small kisses along her jaw and neck, leaving her skin burning where his lips touched. Lucy adjusted her grip on him, inhaling his familiar scent and closing her eyes at the comfort she felt in his arms. Never would she have imagined back when she first met him, that he would be the one that would make her feel this way. He had made her nervous back then, because she knew he was handsome, but she had tried to push the thoughts away for her sisters sake. Now, however, as he held her close and told her he loved her, she knew she had something that Susan would never get.

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