I got the Prince Caspian game for Nintendo DS yesterday and that's pretty much all I've been doing. I love it! I play as Caspian mostly… But so far my options include the Pevensies, Trumpkin, Trufflehunter, Nikabrik, Reepicheep, and Glenstorm. I had Wimbleweather for a bit too but then he got upset because his cheese was stolen and ran away. Oh well.

Thanks again to my lovely reviewers! Britishbabe21, Like a Puma, Queen O' Randomness, romantic.dreamer26, Sky-Pirate325, and of course Aramoorn, you all make my heart very happy with your kind words! I'm so glad you like Izzy so much! I've been trying my best to keep her from becoming Mary Sue-ish and pouring all my strangeness into her quirks, so it makes me very happy to find out that you enjoy her character and think she's different from the usual.

Now that that's been covered, I suppose we shall move on with the story!

Chapter Four: Give Me My Romeo

Sleeping is my favorite thing in the whole wide world. Seriously. If sleeping were a sport I'd be a world champ. I wish I could make money for sleeping- I'd be a billionaire. Unfortunately, there are limited opportunities in the sleep field, so I probably won't be employed by the Sand Man anytime soon. Oh well. For now I shall just have to continue to sleep for recreational purposes.

Speaking of, I never expected to have the best sleep of my life in a bed half the size of a twin. It was that deep, dreamless, amazing kind of sleep that usually happens only when you take Nyquil or Tylenol PM. When I woke up the next morning (at least I think it was morning since I was under ground and there were no windows through which I could look to find out) I felt so well rested that I didn't freak out when I remembered that I wasn't safe at home in bed but was, in fact, a guest in the home of a talking badger.

I sat up in the tiny bed and squinted around the room as I yawned. It was strange. That morning was the first morning since I was a little girl that I didn't crave caffeine like a crack addict craves cocaine. I rubbed the remnants of sleep from my eyes and ran my fingers through my hair. They got caught in a few nasty tangles, but I managed to wrestle them out. My hair has this weird tendency to curl in funky ways. It does some pretty weird stuff, especially when I sleep on it. Imagine Edward Scissorhands, except with brown hair that's around the face instead of jutting out to the side, and you'd have a pretty accurate idea of my hair on a good day. But I guess I preferred long and crazy to long and flat and shapeless.

Truthfully, I was tempted to stay in bed. I mean, the room was so cozy and the bed was still warm from my body heat and I had no clue what I was going to say when I was finally forced to venture out into the kitchen/dining/living room, so the idea was extremely enticing. But while I was pondering this, a loud commotion from said room caught my attention and my curiosity got the better of me. I tossed the blankets off of my legs and stood up. Grabbing my trusty messenger bag-weapon (I didn't know if there was anything dangerous goin' down- better safe than sorry!), I ducked out of the room and tip toed down the hall.

I could hear Nikabrik shouting as I drew closer. "I told you we should've killed it when we had the chance!" There was the distinct sound of metal hitting metal.

"You know why we can't!" Trufflehunter scolded.

A third voice joined in that I recognized as my stranger. "If we're taking a vote, I'm with him." I stifled a giggle and, deciding there wasn't any immediate danger to my life, slung my bag over my shoulder. I decided to listen in a little longer before I made an appearance. I didn't want to interrupt.

"We can't let him go!" Nikabrik disagreed. "He's seen us!"

There was more bickering and fighting noises, then Trufflehunter's voice carried over everything, "Enough, Nikabrik! Or do I have to sit on your head again?" I had to laugh at this. Luckily, Trufflehunter was still talking loudly enough to cover the sound. "And you! Look what you made me do! Spent all morning on that soup…"

There was a brief silence, and then my stranger spoke again. "What are you?"

"You know, it's funny you should ask that. You'd think more people would know a badger when they saw one," Trufflehunter replied. I could see him ladling soup into a fresh bowl in the little kitchen alcove from where I was standing, but he had his back slightly turned to me so he could talk over his shoulder. He disappeared from view again.

"No, I mean…you're Narnians," my stranger clarified. "You're supposed to be extinct."

Nikabrik scoffed. "Sorry to disappoint you."

There was a pause. "My companion, where is she?" Aw, he remembered. What a guy.

"She's perfectly safe. Sleeping down the hall if you must know." I heard him set the tray of soup down on the table. "There you are. Still hot."

"Since when did we open a boarding house for Telmarine soldiers?" Nikabrik complained.

"I am not a soldier!" My stranger sounded a little offended. "I am Prince Caspian. The tenth."

"WHAT?" I exclaimed. A loud crash followed my outburst. I peered around the wall and saw that Nikabrik had tipped over backwards in his chair. Haha, I made him fall over. "Oh, sorry." I couldn't help it. A prince? Of course. Saved by a prince- how cliché. The trials of my life. I meekly walked into the room while the dwarf righted himself and grumbled something about "crazy human females."

"My lady!" Trufflehunter greeted. "I did not know you were awake!"

"Uh, yeah," I flinched. "Sorry."

"Come and have something to eat!"

I was really growing to love that little badger. He was so enthusiastic and adorable- not that I'd tell him that. He was still a dangerous animal. I've seen those specials on Animal Planet.

Hesitantly, I walked further into the room. My stranger- I mean, uh, Prince Caspian- was staring at me and I was starting to feel very self-conscious. I reached up a hand to flatten my hair and forced a smile. Trufflehunter had pulled a chair out away from the table where he'd set a second bowl of soup. I sat down on the floor in front of it and took a small bite. Hey, for a badger, he was a pretty good cook.

"Anyway," Nikabrik's voice drew everyone's attention (including Prince Caspian's, thankfully- if I blushed any harder I was going to start bleeding through my pores and then Trufflehunter would have had a terrible mess to clean up and I would've felt awful), "what are you doing here?"

Prince Caspian blinked and lowered his head a little. "Running away." He stepped over to the hearth and, leaning on the mantle, placed the fire poker back in its little rack. So that's what the metal clashing was- Nikabrik going knife-happy and the prince defending himself. What a nasty little creature. Nikabrik I mean. "My uncle has always wanted my throne," Prince Caspian continued. "I suppose…I have only lived this long because he could not have an heir of his own."

"Well, that changes things," Trufflehunter said.

"Yeah," Nikabrik agreed. "It means we don't have to kill you ourselves." I gave him a nasty look.

"You're right," Prince Caspian said. I looked up at him as he walked across the room and grabbed his vest of mail.

Trufflehunter started a little. "Where are you going?"

Prince Caspian pulled on his vest as he spoke. "My uncle will not stop until I am dead." He grabbed his sword and moved towards the door.

"But you can't leave!" Trufflehunter exclaimed desperately. "You're meant to save us!" Prince Caspian stopped and turned. The firelight flickered across his questioning expression, casting shadows over his cheek and chin. What I wouldn't give for a piece of charcoal. I busied my hands and mouth with eating my soup so I wouldn't scream a complaint that no one would understand. "Don't you know…what this is?" Trufflehunter picked up an object from the table gingerly. I realized it was the beautiful horn that Prince Caspian had blown the night before.

"Yeah, what's up with that anyway?" I asked. The other three seemed to suddenly remember my presence. Prince Caspian took a tentative step down into the room and slowly sat down on the raised ledge leading to the door.

"This is High Queen Susan's horn," Trufflehunter explained, looking down at it affectionately. "It is believed that when it is blown it has the power to-"

"Call upon the Kings and Queens of Old," Prince Caspian finished. "Yes, I know what it is."

"Then you know that we must wait for the Kings and Queens to arrive!" Trufflehunter said.

Prince Caspian shook his head. "No. I must get as far from this place as I can."

"But you're a Son of Adam, and you blew the horn of Queen Susan! The old tales say-"

"I don't care what the old tales say." Prince Caspian was on his feet again. "They are just that- old tales."

"You didn't seem to think that when you blew the horn," I pointed out. He looked at me and I instantly regretted speaking at all. His stare was so intense. It made me feel like I was naked or something. Ew. I drew my knees up to my chest and hugged them, but didn't break his gaze. Staring contest it is, then.

"As long as I am here, I am in danger," he said quietly.

"You're in danger out there, too," I replied evenly. Trufflehunter and Nikabrik looked back and forth between us.

Prince Caspian looked away towards the fire. Aha! I win. "There is no way to know if they even existed."

I had to roll my eyes at that one. "Uh, hello!" I stood up, grabbing the horn from Trufflehunter and holding it out. "Exhibit A: horn alla Queen Susan." If my Italian teacher were in a grave, she'd be turning over in it. "If this exists, then its owner obviously had to have existed sometime." He looked at the horn, then at me.

"Whether or not they existed does not change anything." He fitted his sword around his waist without even looking down. "I must fly."

I groaned and rolled my eyes, resting my fists on my hips they way I did when my anatomy partner was being particularly dense. "Don't you get it? If these Monarchs of the Past show up they can probably kick your uncle's butt all the way to East Jebib."

Prince Caspian's eyebrows drew together. "Where is East Jebib?"

"In the east," I said sarcastically. "It's a figure of speech. But that's not important. What's important is that this horn thingy is offering you a get out of jail free card and you're taking a nail file to the bars instead." I held the horn up again while I was speaking. He stared at me blankly, not understanding a word I was saying. "Ugh, forget it. This is impossible. I fold." I handed the horn back to Trufflehunter. "Go ahead and leave if you're going to." I crossed my arms and nodded towards the door, then mumbled to myself, "At least then I can finally relax."

"I will, then," Prince Caspian replied.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good." He walked over to the door, ducking as he got to the low ceiling in front of it. As he reached to push it open, he paused and turned back. "What is your name?"

"Izzy," I answered, a little surprised. He came back into the room again.

"Izzy," he said experimentally. "That is a very…different name."

"Yeah, well, it's short for Isabella."

Prince Caspian smiled. It was the first time I'd seen him smile, and it kinda threw me for a loop. What a jerk. I wonder if he does that on purpose.

"Isabella," he said, staring at me again.

I unfolded my arms and shifted uncomfortably. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He bowed his head. "Apologies. I was just trying to make sure I will remember your face."

"For what?"

"For when we meet again." It was my turn to stare at him. What made him so sure we would meet again? I don't even live in this world. Then again, I guess he didn't know that… "Until then." Next, he did something I totally didn't expect. Reaching across the table, he took my left hand and brushed his lips lightly over my knuckles.

"Uh, yeah," I muttered after he'd dropped my hand. I was stunned. I really couldn't take all this chivalrous knight crap for much longer- it was starting to freak me out. "Bye, I guess."

Prince Caspian nodded, then turned and disappeared out the door. We all stared after him for several moments then Nikabrik broke the silence by clapping his hands loudly.

"How long then?" he asked.

"I'll say about ten minutes," Trufflehunter replied. He collected the bowls onto a tray and brought them over to the alcove.

"Sounds good." Nikabrik nodded, satisfied.

"Ten minutes until what?" I asked Trufflehunter when he returned to the table.

"Until we follow him," he replied simply.

"We're going to follow him?"

"No, no, no." He shook his head. "You are staying here. Nikabrik and I will be following him."

"What? No way!" I suddenly felt like a little girl who'd just been told she's too short to ride the Tilt-a-Whirl.

"Yes way. It is far too dangerous for you to accompany us. The boy is right. There are going to be Telmarine soldiers all over this wood."

"That's so not fair!" I whined, which probably didn't help my case. "You can't just leave me here!"

"We can," Nikabrik argued. "And we will."

"You have got to be kidding me!" I huffed, sitting down on the floor again. "What is this, My Two Dads?"

"Pardon?" Trufflehunter asked.

"Never mind." I crossed my arms and pouted, wracking my brain for a way to get them to let me go too. It wasn't like I wanted to put myself out in the line of fire again, I just didn't want to stay here all by myself wondering what's going on out there, when and if I would ever get home, and when the 'roid raging soldiers were going to discover my little hidey hole. Oh! Idea!

I heaved a sigh. "Fine then. Leave me here all by my lonesome." I put on a frightened face. "I just hope those soldiers don't discover your secret door, Trufflehunter. There wouldn't be anything I could do!"

"Oh my," Trufflehunter said, pondering my words. "That would not be good."

"And weren't Telmarines pirates in my world?" I asked, and then gasped and covered my mouth. "I hope they don't do the same things to women that pirates do!"

"I…I think they were pirates…" Trufflehunter was starting to look doubtful.

"What would I do if they find me?" I asked in a small voice. "They could do such terrible things…" I buried my face in my hands and heaved a few dry sobs.

"Calm down, child!" Trufflehunter placed one paw on my shoulder. I looked up at him with a frightened expression. He turned to Nikabrik. "Perhaps it would be wiser to bring her along."

Nikabrik gave me a disdainful look. I gave him my best puppy dog eyes.

"Please don't leave me all alone," I begged.

The dwarf grunted. "Fine. If she must come."

I squealed with delight. "Thank you!" I sobered. "I mean, it would just be so scary if they found me…"

"Yeah, sure. Let's get moving already." He stood up and made for the door, Trufflehunter following.

"Oh, um, there's just one problem," I said. They stopped.

"What's that?" Trufflehunter asked.

"I don't have any shoes." I pointed down at my bare toes and wiggled them. My little silver peace sign toe ring glinted in the firelight.

"Oh, that is a problem. Let's see what we I can find…"

After a lot of digging through trunks and complaining on Nikabrik's part that we were falling too far behind (at which Trufflehunter reminded him that he was, indeed, a badger and therefore would be able to catch Prince Caspian's scent hours after his departure), I had on a pair of soft leather boots that, though they were slightly too large, suited me fine.

Trufflehunter left the hole first, sniffing and looking around to make sure that there wasn't anyone around who was detrimental to our health (and by health, I mean lives). When he was satisfied, he motioned for Nikabrik and I to follow. We stepped out into the sunlight and I stood up and stretched, taking a deep breath of clean forest air. It reminded me of the way the air tasted back at my big old country house. I was missing it more and more as this strange adventure wore on. I was also starting to resent the closet that I'd been completely in love with a few hours before. Ah, well. That's life.

As if I didn't already dislike Nikabrik enough, he had us running through the forest like maniacs to make up for the time we'd lost finding me shoes. I hate running. I could've strangled the little dwarf if his neck was long enough to fit my hands around. Unfortunately, his throat was practically nonexistent between his head and shoulders. Darn my luck.

We caught up with Prince Caspian pretty fast, though, so I guess Nikabrik can have some props for that. But not a lot. Once we had His Highness in sight, we started sneaking around like ninjas. Trufflehunter and Nikabrik, being much small than I, were much better at it, but I was doing my best to avoid stepping on twigs or rustling leaves. I must say, I felt like quite the secret agent tip toeing from tree to tree to avoid being seen. I found myself humming the James Bond theme in my head the whole time.

But I guess my best wasn't as good as I thought it was, because about an hour of stalking later I totally gave us away. Nikabrik and I were hiding behind one tree, and Trufflehunter behind another a little to our right. While I was busy humming in my head and imagining myself in a black leather cat suit somersaulting from tree to tree with a big .45mm in my hands, I miscalculated the nearness of one of the bushes at my feet. Needless to say, I stepped right on it, causing some rustling and a loud crack of a twig.

"I can hear you," Prince Caspian said, sounding pretty annoyed. Nikabrik scowled at me, then leaned out from behind the tree simultaneously with Trufflehunter. I followed their lead and smiled sheepishly.

"My bad," I apologized.

Prince Caspian looked from Trufflehunter, to Nikabrik, to me. He seemed surprised that I was with them. His train of thought was probably similar to Trufflehunter's: leave the woman safe at home. Tch, men. You have one little breakdown and they think you're entirely incompetent.

"I just think we should wait for the Kings and Queens," Trufflehunter said, stepping out from behind the tree. Nikabrik did the same, and I stepped around it, crossed my arms, and leaned against the rough surface. Prince Caspian just turned around and kept walking. "Fine! Go then! See if the others will be as understanding."

"Maybe I'll go with you," Nikabrik added, starting after him. Trufflehunter did the same. I followed the both of them a few steps behind. "I wanna see you explain things to the minotaurs."

Prince Caspian stopped and turned around. "Minotaurs? They're real?"

"And very bad tempered," Trufflehunter said.

"Not to mention big." Nikabrik seemed to be enjoying the intimidation.

"Huge."

The two small creatures kept walking and I fell into step next to the prince as we followed. "What about centaurs?" he asked. "Do they still exist?"

"The centaurs will probably fight on your side, but there's no telling what the others will do." Trufflehunter's tone made me a little nervous. It was a moment before I realized Prince Caspian had stopped walking, but when I did I turned around.

"What about Aslan?" he asked. Now there's a name I hadn't heard before. From the way the two Narnians froze and slowly turned around, I could tell this Aslan was probably pretty important.

"How do you know so much about us?" Nikabrik asked suspiciously.

"Stories," Prince Caspian replied simply, as if it should be obvious.

"What a minute," Trufflehunter interjected, a disbelieving tone in his voice. "Your father told you stories about Narnia?"

"No, my professor…" Prince Caspian's face fell a little, but he recovered quickly. "Listen, I am sorry, but these are not the kinds of questions you should be asking." He walked past them and I followed. Hey, I was getting more curious by the second. I'd never been so intrigued by one person before.

"What is it?" Nikabrik asked urgently, causing the prince and I to stop and turn (Haha, get it? The Prince and I? Hah! …Ahem…moving on). Trufflehunter was sniffing the air.

"Human," the badger said.

"Them?" Nikabrik jerked his head in our direction.

"No. Them." Trufflehunter was looking back the way we came, where old school soldiers dressed in armor and carrying crossbows were making their way through the trees toward us. Oh God, crossbows. We're fucked.

There was a series of shouting as our presence was recognized, and I felt a familiar grip around my upper arm and I was swung around and pushed in the opposite direction. "Go!" Prince Caspian yelled at the same time that Trufflehunter shouted, "Run!"

They didn't have to tell me twice. I took off in a sprint, which was a bad idea because that meant I would run out of steam pretty fast, but I was starting to feel all panicky again. I wondered if it might have been a better idea to stay in Trufflehunter's hole. An arrow whizzed past my ear and embedded itself deep in a nearby tree with an ominous thunk. "Oh my God!" I cried out and broke my own rule by risking a glance over my shoulder to see how close they'd gotten.

Prince Caspian was right behind me and, since I'd slowed down to look, gave me another solid push. "Don't look back. Just run." So I did what I was told- that was, I did it until I heard a cry of pain from my favorite little badger and Nikabrik say, "Oh, no." I skidded to a stop and swung around. Nikabrik was waddling back to where Trufflehunter lay, but Prince Caspian stopped him. "Wait! I will go." He rushed to the badger's aid, Nikabrik and I waiting anxiously.

Trufflehunter held Queen Susan's horn up to Prince Caspian. "Take it! Go!" he said. "It's more important than I am!" The prince took the horn and hurriedly hooked it into his belt. He then reached out to pull the arrow from the badger's hip, and as he did so several soldiers stopped only a few yards away with their crossbows trained on him. Strangely, one of the soldiers cried out and fell to the ground. Then another did the same. Prince Caspian threw Trufflehunter over his shoulder and ran back over to us. The soldiers chased after him, but it seemed that one by one they were falling to the ground seemingly for no reason at all. I didn't know what I was more afraid of- the soldiers or the new, invisible assailant.

"Get him out of here," Prince Caspian ordered as he put Trufflehunter down into the support of Nikabrik's arms. He looked up at me. "You too. Go!" As he turned around to face the oncoming soldiers, he drew his sword.

I was about to do as I was told, but then I saw the last few soldiers disappear into the brush, leaving only one who was aiming his crossbow into the bushes around him. I watched as the soldier threw the long-range weapon aside and opted for his sword, slashing violently at the foliage and screaming, "Where are you!" Moments later, the soldier cried out and fell, and the rustling of the plants moved quickly in Prince Caspian's direction. It seemed that in the time it took me to blink, the prince was on the ground, and I saw with some amusement that a mouse about the size of a small cat was sitting on his chest. The mouse used his tail to pull a tiny sword from his belt that reminded me of those little plastic swords you get in fancy drinks sometimes. It caught the sword in its paw and pointed it in Prince Caspian's face.

"Choose your last words carefully, Telmarine!" the mouse said in a weirdly intimidating voice for such a small creature. I noticed that he had a little ring of silver around his left ear from which a tiny red feather protruded. Basically, it was the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Prince Caspian was obviously bewildered. "You are a mouse," was all he could say.

The mouse sighed. "I was hoping for something a little more…original. Pick up your sword."

Prince Caspian turned his head a little so he could see the hilt of his sword next to his head, and then quickly turned back to the mouse. "Uh, no thanks."

"Pick it up! I will not fight an unarmed man!"

"Which is why I might live longer if I choose not to cross blades with you, noble mouse." This just kept getting more and more amusing.

"I said I would not fight you. I did not say I'd let you live!" The mouse jabbed his sword to enunciate his meaning.

"Reepicheep!" Trufflehunter's sudden outburst made me jump. "Stay your blade!"

"Trufflehunter?" The mouse, who I now know was called Reepicheep (how adorable!), was surprised. "I trust you have a very good reason for this untimely interruption!"

"He doesn't," Nikabrik said. "Go ahead." I put the bottom of my left foot against the dwarf's back and gave him a shove face first into the dirt, letting my calf replace him as Trufflehunter's support.

"He's the one who blew the horn!" The badger said.

Reepicheep lowered his sword. "What?"

"Then let him bring it forward," a deep voice I didn't recognize said. Turning, I saw for the first time ever a real live centaur. Seriously! He was quite the sight to see, though also pretty frightening because of how large and in charge he was. There was a sense of great dignity and power about him. Three other centaurs stood behind him. "This is the reason we have gathered."

Nikabrik, who was on his feet again, spoke up. "Dancing lawn?"

The centaur nodded. "Come. Let us go. The others, no doubt, are already waiting."

Reepicheep replaced his sword in the little metal hoop on his belt that it hung from and hopped down right at my feet. His little head tilted back as his eyes moved up my body to my face. He jumped. "Oh, a thousand pardons. I did not realize I was in the presence of a lady."

I laughed and squatted down. "Don't worry about it."

"I am greatly humbled." He put one paw under my finger and gave my first knuckle a furry kiss. "Sir Reepicheep at your service, my lady."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Reepicheep. You're an excellent swordsman."

"My lady is too kind." He bowed again, stepping back. I smiled and stood up, but not before taking Trufflehunter in my arms gently.

"I'll carry you until your leg's healed up a bit," I said.

"Thank you," he said. He was a little out of breath, probably from the pain.

Prince Caspian pulled himself to his feet and picked up his sword, sheathing it as he walked over to where I was standing. He met my gaze but quickly looked away into the trees. "I am not usually so easily bested," he said.

I exchanged a look with Trufflehunter and giggled. "Am I to understand that His Highness is embarrassed?"

I could see a hint of red in his caramel cheeks. "No." We started walking in the direction that the centaurs were leading. "I was merely saying it for your benefit."

"For my benefit?" I gave him a skeptical look.

"Well, as long as you are here, I do not want you to be…uneasy." He continued to stare straight ahead.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Prince Caspian turned his head and looked into my eyes. "I want you to feel safe."

"Oh." We both looked away. There was a long, awkward silence in which the only sound was that of our feet tramping through the foliage. I blew out a jet of air. "So, uh, nice weather, huh?" Prince Caspian looked over at me and I turned my eyes up towards the sky. "Lovely."

"Yes, I suppose so," he agreed. Great. Now I feel like a toolbox, and the silence is even more awkward.

"I'll just shut up now," I said more to myself than to him. He laughed. I flinched. We continued in silence for a while, and it wasn't long before I was breathing more heavily than a chubby kid running the mile- I know because I usually was that kid. The thing is, I wasn't used to walking so much (and so quickly), and it was totally stressing me out that Prince Caspian insisted on keeping pace with me even though I was totally bringing up the rear. I think I was getting a nasty blister on the heel of my left foot too, and my arms were almost numb from carrying Trufflehunter. I kept my mouth shut, though. I didn't want to sound like a whiny brat.

When one of the centaurs appeared at my side, I almost jumped out of my skin. I hadn't even realized that he'd fallen back from the front of the group. He smiled at me kindly before speaking. "If I may, I noticed you seem to be growing weary. Might I assist you with your burden? Allow me to carry Trufflehunter on my back."

"Oh, he's not a burden!" I said. I didn't want the badger to feel bad.

Apparently he didn't feel bad at all. He was actually all too eager to change rides. "Yes, please. No offense, but I'm afraid if I stay around you two any longer I'll go mad!"

"What are you talking about?" Prince Caspian asked while I carefully set the creature down on the centaur's broad back.

"Oh, please," Trufflehunter said. "The two of you are more awkward than a cat with no whiskers! You've been making me more and more anxious ever since you commented on the weather."

I felt my cheeks start to heat up. Okay, so we were a little awkward. I couldn't help it. How are you even supposed to talk to a prince anyway? "I'm sorry?" I offered, though it was more of a question than a statement.

"Oh, bother the pair of you," was the response I received. I didn't take it personally, though. I chalked it up to his wound and the fact that the tension was so thick in the air you could build a house out of it and totally beat the Big Bad Wolf. The centaur trotted up to the front again, leaving the two of us to wallow in our awkwardness.

I stared at the ground, letting my hair fall over my shoulder and block my face. The walking seemed to go on forever. Some time later I was forced to pull my hair up to get it off of my neck because it was just so hot. Good thing I always have a hair tie around my wrist (which I never let anyone borrow because I'd never get it back). For what seemed like the millionth time, I adjusted the strap of my messenger bag, pulling it away from my neck where it was rubbing my skin raw.

"Why don't you let me carry that for you?" Prince Caspian's voice broke the long silence just when I was getting used to it.

I looked up. "Huh?"

"Your bag. I noticed that it was bothering you. Allow me to carry it."

"No, it's okay. Really. It's just rubbing my neck weird. I can deal."

"But you shouldn't have to," he insisted.

"I can carry my own stuff."

"I know that you can. It just seems foolish for you to do so when it is making you so uncomfortable."

I gave him a blank stare. Was he for real? "Okay, you really wanna carry it?"

"Yes."

I pulled the strap over my head and held it out to him. "Be my guest." A surprised look crossed his face as he took it. "You all right?"

"I am. It's just heavier than I expected."

"If it's too much for you to handle I'd be glad to take it back," I offered.

Prince Caspian shook his head and slung the bag across his torso, then smiled. "What do you have in this thing anyway?"

I shrugged. "Just stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"I dunno. Books, paper, stuff to do when I'm bored."

"Ah." He lifted the bag with a curious look on his face and moved the flap so he could look inside.

"Hey, didn't anyone ever tell you not to look through a lady's bag?"

He dropped it immediately. "I'm sorry!"

I laughed. "I'm kidding. Go right ahead, I got nothing to hide."

"Oh." He picked it up again and poked around inside. A moment later he pulled out a beat up old paperback I'd forgotten was in there. He studied the cover. "Romeo and Juliet?"

"Yeah. Shakespeare." Prince Caspian stared at me blankly. "You don't know Shakespeare? Oh, yeah. I forgot I'm not in Kansas anymore. He's a famous play-write where I come from."

"Oh, I see." He looked down at the book again.

"Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-browed night/Give me my Romeo. And when I shall die/Take him and cut him out in little stars/And he will make the face of heaven so fine/That all the world will be in love with night," I quoted wistfully.

Prince Caspian looked back up at me. "That's beautiful," he commented.

"It's from the play," I explained. "It's one of my favorite lines. Romeo and Juliet is my favorite Shakespeare- but The Taming of the Shrew is a close second."

"I should like to read it," he said.

"Why?"

"If you think that highly of it, then I am sure it must be good."

I blushed. "Oh. Thanks. You can borrow it if you want. I should probably warn you though, in full it is called The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet so the story is a little sad."

"The best ones always are." He let his fingers trace the words on the cover of the book absentmindedly, then put it in his belt. "I will read it as soon as I have the chance."

I shrugged. "Take your time. Doesn't look like I'll be going anywhere anytime soon." I looked around at the waning afternoon light while Prince Caspian continued to pick through my bag curiously.

"What is this?" he asked. When I looked over I saw that he was holding my green binder.

"That's my notebook," I explained. "Sometimes I get inspired to write or draw, so I always carry that around with me wherever I go, just in case." I watched warily as he opened it and thumbed through the pages of (mostly bad) poetry and chose one at random to read.

"I'd like to fall into your eyes/And map the corner of your smile/Slide down the slope of your nose/And sketch the shadows in every mile," he read aloud. I breathed in sharply. Something about the sound of my words on his lips made my heart to crazy things. His voice was smooth, and it made my writing sound a lot better than it actually was. "Call me crazy with my compass/I just want to know your face/I want it burned into my retinas/I want you here in my embrace." He paused and looked up at me for a moment before continuing. "Break me down and learn my heart/Ask me anything you want/I'll give you all my honest words/I'll tell you every waking thought." As he finished, he snapped my binder closed abruptly and stuffed it back into my bag, letting it fall to his side. He didn't say anything for a few minutes, and when he did it wasn't something I expected. "I'm sorry."

I cocked my head to the side. "For what?"

"I feel as if I've opened a door to a room I was not supposed to see."

"It's just a poem."

"It's not only that." Prince Caspian sighed heavily. "It is hard for me to comprehend…how so much passion can fit into one person."

"It's just a poem," I repeated.

A small smile graced his features as he once again fixed me with that intense stare. "You do not even see it in yourself."

"Neither does anyone else," I argued. I was getting a little anxious under his stare. He's so intriguing but so good at making me uncomfortable. I hate that!

He stopped and turned to face me full on. I stopped as well, noticing that he was no longer smiling. He lifted a hand like he wanted to touch my cheek, but instead let it rest on my shoulder. "I see it."

"Oh." That was all that I could say. I mean, there isn't really much else you can say to something like that. I started walking again and he did the same. In the west, the sun was setting. A magnificent array of colors filtered through the trees and cast a glow on the foliage. The pinks and reds lay in rippling streams that seemed almost solid. I stopped short. "Oh, look!"

Prince Caspian stopped and followed my gaze.

"I've never seen a sunset through the trees before," I commented. "It's amazing. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?" He didn't answer, only stared as the colors slowly started to fade. I looked up at him, appreciating the way the light fell across his features. "Your Highness?"

"Yes," he said softly. "Yes, I have." He turned and continued trekking through the woods at a quick pace to catch up with the others, as we'd fallen behind a bit in the midst of our conversation.

"Oh really?" I asked disbelievingly, jogging to catch up. "What?" Prince Caspian didn't say anything, a thoughtful look on his face. "Hey, what's going on in His Majesty's head?" He turned his head suddenly to look at me.

"I wish you would stop calling me that," he said.

"Huh?"

"Your Highness and Your Majesty," he specified. "It doesn't feel right."

"But doesn't everyone call you that?"

"You misunderstand me. What I mean is that it doesn't feel right coming from you." He raised his eyebrows. "Please call me Caspian." Once again, I was thrown. I just couldn't figure this guy out. I missed Nathan and his simple-ness.

"Okay…Caspian," I said experimentally.

Prince Caspian- I mean, Caspian- smiled warmly. "That's better." He turned his head forward only to look back at me a moment later. He looked ethereal in the blue glow of twilight. "Oh, by the way- just then, with the sunset?"

"Yeah?"

"I could definitely see it."

Okay so wow, I must apologize for the wait. I would have had it up earlier but today was very busy. I had choir rehearsal for the graduation ceremony from 9-11 and then I worked on this until 12 when I remembered it's Thursday so I have to work and so I worked from 1-4, then wrote about two paragraphs before I had to go to the actual grad ceremony from 5:15 to 8. After that I went out to dinner with one of my best friend in the whole world (who's graduating and leaving me behind along with my other best friend! :tears: ).

Needless to say, I didn't get home until about 10:30 and I've been working on this chapter ever since. It's a long one (almost 17 pages on Microsoft Word!), so I hope that can make up for the wait. I hope you all enjoyed it. Remember to review!

Love,

Hoshi

P.S. The poem Caspian read from her notebook was one that I actually wrote, just so you know. If the words were anyone else's but mine I would say so in one of my author's notes. :)