So...I'm really really sick, and called into work today. Not only am I having this problem, but I'm still bummed the Steelers lost the Super Bowl. Stupid cheese heads. They're so cocky. Well they can wave around that Super Bowl ring but until they've got SIX they need to shut up. Anyways...

Chapter 21

CASPIAN'S POV

The sun had begun to set upon Cair Paravel, giving everything a warm glow and making the air chill. Caspian drew Lucy closer to him as they lay in her bed, looking down to study her face. She did not look peaceful. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut as she slept, and a slight frown curved the bottom of her lips. Although he could feel her form rise and fall as she took in deep breaths, her body was tense against his own. Caspian stroked her back soothingly, hoping he could make her relax, but it didn't seem to be working. Lucy knew now that he was doing the right thing, but she was still immensely worried about the loss a war could bring. Upon entering the castle with a sleeping Lucy in his arms, he had sent for the nurse to come to Lucy's room, and he knew that she would be arriving soon, and that he should wake Lucy. Caspian put a hand to her cheek, stroking the skin with the pad of his thumb, as he brushed his lips against her forehead softly.

"Lucy-love, you need to wake up," He whispered, kissing her head once more. She stirred, moaning in protest.

"Mmmm, five more minutes," She muttered, snuggling herself closer to his chest, spreading warmth throughout his entire body. Caspian chuckled.

"No, sweetheart. The nurse is coming, she will be here soon. You need to wake up," He ordered, giving her a slight squeeze. Lucy groaned, but blinked her hazel eyes open, giving him a tempered gaze.

"Nurse?" He nodded, moving to remove the blankets from her that covered her bottom half.

"You're leg," He ran a hand delicately over the blood stained fabric of his shirt. "You must have fallen at some point." Lucy was about to speak when a knock at the door startled her, making her jump. "Come in," Caspian called, sitting up and straightening out his clothes. A short, pudgy woman walked in wearing a gray and white work gown and carrying a case of medical supplies. She wasted no time rushing over to Lucy, examining her. She turned to Caspian, and gave him a bow before addressing him.

"Excuse me, your majesty, but the lady must be out of this tattered gown in order for me to clean her wounds. I'm going to have to ask you to leave," He nodded, he didn't want to leave Lucy, though. He moved past the older woman to lean over Lucy, who sat up in the bed.

"I need to be going anyway. There are matters to be discussed," Lucy searched his eyes, confused, for a moment, before stiffening as she realized. She gave a jerky nod. Caspian placed a kiss to her cheek. "Join me in the study when you are finished, I shall be meeting with my advisors there." He straightened himself up, bowing to the nurse and Lucy, before leaving them.

XoXoXoXo

"The nerve of that man. Defiling the name of Queen Lucy," Drinian growled, shaking his head as he took a seat on the couch next to Trumpkin, who agreed with him gravely. Caspian's eyes shot up to the sea captain briefly, mused at how much his attitude had changed towards the younger Queen. The moment passed, and Caspian sighed defeated and placed his hands on the desk in front of him to support himself, as he stood with his head hung forward.

"So we are in agreement?" He asked of them lowly, raising his eyes only to see the silent nods of his advisors. The creak of the doorknob forced his gaze up and to his right. He smiled as he saw Lucy enter, dressed in her light pink nightgown and with Annebelle on her tail. Lucy had a white bandage wrapped around her lower leg, as well as several stitches on her arms. Even with these injuries, however, her eyes still lit up a lighter shade of green as they rested on him. He gave the ladies a warm smile, ushering them in. Annebelle trotted immediatley over to Andrew, who rose to kiss her hand before bringing her to sit next to him. Lucy watched with a smile at the greeting before walking lightly over to stand beside Caspian, blushing as he wrapped an arm around her and kissed the side of her forehead.

"At least they're out of Narnia for now," Trumpkin stated thankfully, gazing at Lucy. She smiled back at her dear little friend, but her eyes dropped to her feet as her face fell.

"They're all gone?" She directed the question at Caspian. He felt a twinge of jealousy as she referred to David, but gave her a squeeze nevertheless as he nodded. He knew that she must be upset, since David had been a good friend to her. Lucy sighed. "Pity, he could have helped us," She said, as if thinking.

"What do you mean?" Caspian pushed her further.

"You know, he could be someone on the inside. Helping us out," He stared at her as she finished, and realized she was right. "I'm sure he would," She added. Glenstorm piped up.

"Could we ask him?"

"How are we to communicate with him? He's gone with his people, and they are banned from entering our borders," Caspian groaned, realizing what a mistake he had made.

"But not ours from theirs," Lucy whispered. He raised an eyebrow at her. "We could send someone to find him, bring him back. They can pretend like they aren't a Narnian, and sneak David over the border once he's gathered enough information of King Nain's plans," Her voice got louder as she etched out her idea to them, growing more confident. She looked to Caspian for approval.

"It's an excellent idea, Lucy. But who would want to go?" Lucy gave him a strained look as she pulled her eyes from him, looking out to the advisors, who looked around at eachother expectantly.

"Well I'll go," Annebelle offered.

"No," Andrew and Caspian said at the same time.

"Absolutely not, Bella," Caspian growled.

"I'm not sending you over to those pigs," Andrew finished, giving her a stern look. Annebelle rolled her eyes, making Lucy laugh.

"Now you know how I feel," She said with a smile, earning a playful prod in the stomach from Caspian.

"What about me?" Drinian offered, looking around to the other men before his eyes settled on Caspian. "I'll do it," He continued. Caspian eyed him for a few moments, he knew he was tough enough to handle himself should a problem arise.

"If you wish," He told him. "And thank you," Caspian said, giving the man a short bow, which was returned.

XoXoXoXo

"When shall Drinian be off?" Lucy asked Caspian as he shut the door behind them after entering her bed chamber. He turned around to see her hazel eyes lit up with curiosity, her hands clasped in front of her.

"Tommorow morning. A few of the men will accompany him to an area just an hours walk from the border, then he shall be on his own," He caught her worried gaze. "He will be fine," He added quickly, moving to stand closer to her, feeling the heat coming from her smaller body. The moonlight shining through the window made her fair skin glow so that she looked even more angelic than usual, her dusting of freckles seeming darker. Caspian had always loved her freckles. Other men found it unattractive on a woman, but they looked perfect on Lucy's soft skin. In the midst of observing her, Caspian felt Lucy take his hand in the darkness.

"Caspian?" She questioned. He raised an eyebrow, silently prodding her on. "Can we go to the beach?" Her request threw him off, and he gave her a wondering look.

"At this hour? Lucy, it's past nightfall," Lucy giggled.

"Afraid of the dark?" She joked, her bell like laugh taunting his ears. Caspian gave her a playful grin as he placed his hands on her sides, guiding her forward so that she was pressed up against him. Lucy rested her hands on his forearms, her doe like eyes searching his own for an answer. Caspian leaned forward as if he was going to kiss her, his lips brushing against hers ever so lightly. Her breath tickled over his lips.

"Nope," He said after a long pause, pulling away and leaving her stunned, for she had been prepared for him to kiss her. He smirked at her pout but watched her regain herself, and suddenly she had a playful look on her face and he could have sworn that he saw her go back to twelve year old Lucy before his eyes.

"Come on then!" She squealed, forgetting her shoes and dashing from the room at a full out run. Caspian shook his head with an amused laugh before going of after her. Lucy's shorter legs suprisingly carried her quickly, and he found it hard to keep up with her while she was on this energy high.

"Lucy! Slow down!" He called breathlessly. Her curls bounced wildly as she turned in her run, facing him a moment and running backwards, astonishingly not slowing down.

"Am I too fast for you old man?" She shoved her tongue out him, but yelped in suprise and turned around once more to run away when he picked up his speed, determined to catch her. A few curious people poked their heads out of their bedroom doors with groggy eyes, casting wondering and annoyed looks at the King and Queen as they belted past, their laughter filling the entire hallway. Lucy's bell like laugh rang through Caspian's ears as he followed her out into the courtyard, and off the castle grounds towards the beach, slowing as sand came under her feet, stopping her from keeping up her speed. She snuck a glance over her shoulder and her eyes widened at how close he was, and she made a mad dash for the water, splashing all around as she ran through the shallow depth. By this time, Caspian was only a few feet away from her, and she was in his reach.

"I've got you!" He roared as his arms circled her waist and he threw her over his shoulder, spinning her around like crazy. Her laughter forced a smile on his face, and he carried her out of the waves, gently placing her on her back in the sand. He caught his breath as he looked down at her, her big eyes looking childlike, and her tongue slightly poking out between her teeth as she smiled. He pretended like he was finished, but just as she let her guard down, he attacked.

"Caspian! Stop!" She squealed as he tickled her stomach, kneeling over her in the sand.

"What did you refer to me as? An old man?" He asked between a smile as her laughter filled the air, and she writhed around on the ground. "Take it back!" He ordered playfully.

"No!"

"Lucy..." He warned, continuing to tickle her. Lucy giggled a few more moments before raising her hands in surrender.

"You aren't an old man!" He halted his assault, resting his hands on her waist before leaning down and kissing her firmly.

"Was that so hard?" He spoke slyly and gave her a cocky look. Lucy rolled her eyes, pushing him away slightly so that she could sit up.

"Jerk," Caspian snorted.

"You're so immature," He said as he rolled his eyes, but wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap.

"Don't act like you aren't too," She added, wrapping an arm around his neck and running her fingers through his hair. He sighed, closing his eyes and tucking her into his chest, her head coming to rest in the crook of his neck. They sat in silence for a moment, Lucy's eyes resting on the toppling waves in front of them.

"This is my favorite place," He opened his eyes and let them rest where her's did. "During the Golden Age, Edmund and Peter would always bring me out here to play. We would swim and play tag, and hours and hours would pass, until the sun finally set, and even then we continued with our games," As she spoke, Caspian heard her voice strain as she mentioned her brothers.

"What about Susan?" Lucy sighed at his question.

"She always said we were being childish, and that their were better things to occupy our time with. In her case, suitors," Lucy let out a single laugh, rolling her eyes.

"Well you must've had suitors as well," He mused, looking down at her. She nodded.

"Yes, but never as many as Susan. Peter and Edmund were very protective, and I believe they scared some boys off from me that they didn't think met their expectations. I ended up with all of the genuinely well mannered men, while Susan got all of the ones that either didn't pass my brother's inspections or were just looking for a house maid that would bear their children."

"Were Peter and Edmund not protective of Susan as well?" Caspian wondered out loud, not imagining that the two brothers would ever favor one sister.

"They tried, but she always insisted that she could take care of herself," As she finished, Caspian's thoughts lingered over the older girl, suprised at how little he really knew her. When he met her and fancied her, she seemed like a sweet, gentle, and beautiful woman who would be supportive. But now, he could not help regretting paying her so much attention when he could have been getting to know Lucy better. Anger also lingered in his veins everytime her name was mentioned, for he could not forgive her for bringing that awful man around Lucy, especially when she knew he was violent and perverted. He could feel Lucy growing tense in his arms as they discussed her family, so he hurriedly changed the subject.

"I've never really just come out here and relax like this," He stated looking around. The waves were crashing, light shining off of them from the night sky. Looking up, the stars in the sky reminded him of the night they spent on Dragon Island, and how beautiful the constellations had been. Caspian distinctly remembered wishing he could draw Lucy close, who slept a few feet away, and confess to her how he loved her. Lucy's body relaxed, and she let herself mold into his embrace, smiling as he brushed his lips over her neck. He drew her even closer to him, pressing his chest up against her back as he placed light kisses down her neck to her shoulder, which was exposed by her nightgown. He stopped, letting his lips linger over the skin at the base of her neck.

"I love you," He whispered, kissing her where he left of. He felt and heard her sigh, and found that he was turning her about in his arms to face him. She tried to straddle him, but he shook his head and gently pushed her to lie on her back, moving to hover over her. His eyes scanned over her form, smiling as her big doe eyes locked with his, and she bit her bottom lip under his gaze. He dipped his head down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss, finding that he could not restrain himself enough to kiss her slowly. He moaned as her tongue traced his bottom lip, asking for entrance, and he obliged quickly. A low moan at he back of Lucy's throat made him grip her around the waist, hoisting her up closer as his tongue explored her sweet mouth. He tried to contain his thoughts, not wanting to do anything that would belittle her innocence, and focused on Lucy's mouth. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she pulled herself up closer, tearing her lips from his and earning a groan of protest. He was quickly silenced when she found his throat, placing butterfly kisses on it. He busied himself on the area of skin right where her shoulder and neck met, and sucked on it gently, biting occasionally but immediatley kissing and licking it affectionately to dull the pain. A clap of thunder tore them apart. He watched Lucy blink as a raindrop fell at the corner of her eye, and they began to quicken, pelting his back. Caspian climbed off of her, extending his hand for her to take, pulling her from the ground. Lucy giggled.

"I love rain storms," She noted, leaning her head back and letting the rain wash over her face. Caspian shook his head in astonishment, any other lady he knew would be making a mad dash for shelter, but his Lucy embraced it. He knew she wanted to stay but common sense washed over him.

"Lucy, I've got to get you inside before you catch a cold," Lucy let out a snort and gave him a challenging look.

"Alright, Peter," His mouth hung agape as she flew past him in a blur of wet curls, he huffed in mock annoyance before racing after her.

I meant for this to be a lot longer but I guess I'll just have a really long chapter 22. I'll start writing that in a while and it just might be up today! Sick days=lots of writing(: