I don't own Narnia or the Pevensies. They own me.

Lucy emerged from the pool in the Wood Between the Worlds to the familiar sound of her brothers shouting furiously at each other. She clambered out of the water that wasn't really water, sheathing her dagger (there was no need to clean it, as their enemies had had no blood anyway) and dropping onto the bank with a sigh.

"When I give you an order, I…"

"You bloody prick, did you think…"

"Don't cuss! Now listen…"

"No, you listen here, you oaf…"

"Stop interu…"

"Will you quit trying to…"

Lucy watched them with some amusement, feeling rather sleepy and tired despite their enthusiasm. Both were on their sides in the shallows, scrambling to get higher while still trying to hold the upper hand in their argument. She rolled away a bit, remembering to look for the person in possession of the other yellow ring, and caught sight of a bewildered looking man wandering a few pools away. Strangely, he held none of the appearance of the men from the castle, only the same black tunic and boots that they all wore. As Peter and Edmund continued to bicker behind her, she got to her feet and meandered across the pools until he noticed her coming and stopped moving, staring expectantly.

"Hello," she said pleasantly. "How do you do?"

"Er," he said. "I…don't know? Who are you? Where am I?"

"I am Lucy Pevensie," she told him. "You are in the Wood Between the Worlds. And I believe you have my brother's ring, so if you could please give it here, I would be most grateful."

"Oh, this?" he asked, pulling the yellow ring from his finger. He handed it to her without question. "I was wondering how I got that."

"You actually beat my brother into unconsciousness and took it from him."

He blinked.

"I don't exactly remember doing that, young lady."

"That's because I don't believe you are the same person here as you are there. Thus you wouldn't really have the same memories. And I would assume you'd like to return to some sort of world, though I daresay the one you came from wouldn't be your first choice."

"Again, I don't remember it," the man said bewilderedly. "But if I really did what you said I did, then perhaps going back would be a bad idea."

"Wonderful," Lucy said, tucking the ring away. "If you would just follow me…"

She led him back towards her brothers, who were still arguing, though they were almost managing complete sentences now.

"Are they always this…this…" the man fumbled.

"Loud?" Lucy offered. He nodded. "No, not always. Just most of the time."

As they approached, there seemed to be a breakthrough; Edmund said something very quietly, and Peter seemed to soften, touching his brother's arm gently and replying with another quiet comment. A second later they had both embraced one another and were apologizing profusely for all the names they'd just called one another, and possibly for more than that, though Lucy could never be sure with them. To be sure, they were a touch confusing – they argued more than almost anyone she knew, and yet underneath it all it was clear they loved each other fiercely.

Of course, as soon as they noticed they had an audience, they scrambled away from each other and tried to look as if nothing had happened. After all, even though theyknew they loved each other, showing it in front of other people, now that was a challenge to their manly dignity. Lucy rolled her eyes fondly and helped them to their feet.

"Where to next?" she asked. They looked questioningly at her guest, and Peter's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he saw the uniform and connected two and two.

"Are you the one who…" he began accusingly, subtly shifting to cut between the man and his siblings, but Lucy stopped him.

"It's okay," she said. "It's different. He's a different person here."

Peter didn't seem quite satisfied, but he agreed to drop the man off in whatever new world he ended up in, and even gave him a few gold pieces to help him out wherever that might be. They were about to set off, but Lucy frowned and looked her brothers over carefully. It didn't even take a close examination to see that they weren't in any real shape to be traveling into an unknown environment. She pursed her lips, unconsciously donning a Susan-esque expression, and placed her hands upon her hips before speaking in her most stern tone.

"Now really," she said. "Do you expect me to let you go on like this?"

She indicated their various injuries; the leaking gashes in Peter's sides, the purple bruises all across Edmund's face, the nicks and cuts across both their hands and almost everywhere else.

"I'm fine," Peter said defensively. "But Ed could do with a drop of cordial."

"Bullocks," said Edmund, eyes flashing. "I'll be all right in no time. It's Peter you ought to give it to."

"I was going to give it to you both," she told them. They both looked indignant. And after five minutes of further bickering, she realized she was getting nowhere, turned to her confused guest, and resolved to find some way to force it to them later. Then the four of them selected a random pool, made their way to it, and waded forth into their next adventure.

They wound up in a city square. The sun was bright overhead, and there were people all around, but they didn't seemed the least bit perturbed that four others had suddenly appeared in the midst of them. With a word of thanks and of apology, eyeing the marks on Edmund's face and neck, the man they'd met between worlds departed off down a street and seemed to know where he was going. In contrast, the Pevensies turned to one another and seemed at a loss for where to begin – unlike before, there were a thousand options. Thankfully, they didn't seem to stick out much; it seemed in a way similar to Narnia, though more tamed and human-attuned, but the people dressed similarly and the men carried swords, so the three of them weren't exactly perceived as a threat.

"First things first," Peter said at last, taking charge. Lucy and Edmund shared a fleeting smile. "We find some place to eat, and some place to rest. We're all exhausted."

"True," Lucy agreed, and even Edmund had to admit he wasn't tireless. They moved off together, staying close to one another, looking out for some sort of inn at which they might stay the night, which would probably come in another few hours, and find something substantial to eat. Lucy's guess was that her brothers had not eaten in quite a while; her own last meal had been the meager lunch her captors had provided her with several hours before.

They settled on the most respectable-looking tavern they could find, where Peter traded one gold coin for a room for that night and supper that evening for the three of them. And then at last, they sat down to rest.