A/N: Enjoy this chapter of pure Casmund fluff!

Please don't tell me that after 6 chapters filled with disclaimers, that you still think I am C.S. Lewis. Because I'm not.

Chapter 7

Caspian pulled back just far enough so that he could look Edmund in the eye.

"I've missed you, Ed." He said softly.

Edmund felt his heart throb in his chest at his words. This was so different from the last time he and Caspian had reunited. Last time, it was a mere clap on the shoulder and a towel wrapped around his shoulders. However, he didn't allow himself to draw false hope from this.

Although Edmund and Caspian had grown closer on the Dawn Treader, he knew that Caspian didn't feel anything more than platonic feelings for him. After all, Caspian's own words were that he thought of Edmund as a brother. Brothers do not want to jump each other's bones.

So with that thought in mind, Edmund made sure that his next words were friendly, nothing more.

"I've missed you, too." He paused, uncertain if he should voice his thoughts. With a mental shrug, he pressed on anyways. "I never thought I would be back here. I thought… I thought that when we said goodbye, it was for the last time."

"Me too." Caspian said seriously.

"I'm glad we were wrong." Edmund added with a small smile on his face.

When Caspian's face broke out into an utterly heartbreaking smile, Edmund felt a warm shiver travel throughout his body. Edmund cleared his throat, trying to bring himself back to the real world.

"How long have I been out?"

Caspian's face grew grim. "Five days. I was rather worried."

"Worried? More like frantic." Caspian's professor interjected with a laugh.

They both jumped. The two had completely forgotten that they were not alone in the room. Caspian drew back so that there was a more respectable distance between them. His face was suffused with the heat of embarrassment, and a giant smile spread across Edmund's face at the sight. Caspian didn't notice it, as he had turned to shoot his professor a glare.

Cornelius held his hands up in surrender, and left the room, deciding that the two needed some privacy.

xXx

Caspian forgot all about his embarrassment when he saw Edmund's giant smile. He smiled back at him, and Edmund winked playfully at him.

"You missed me, huh?" he asked teasingly.

"Of course." Caspian said with a grin.

The smile was still on Edmund's face when he threw the sheets off and swung his legs off of the bed, making as if to stand up.

The jovial expression slipped right off of Caspian's face. "Whoa! What do you think you're doing?"

"Apparently, I've been in this bed for five days. I think it's about time I stretched my legs, don't you think?"

Caspian grudgingly agreed, but still watched carefully as Edmund stood. He was thankful that he did watch because as Edmund soon as he stood up, he swayed on his feet. Caspian was immediately there to steady him by grasping his shoulders.

"All right there, Ed?" he asked softly.

"Fine. Just stood up too fast." he replied.

Caspian gave him one last hard look before releasing his shoulders and allowing him to try again. Edmund shot him an amused look before striding out the door. Once out the door, he paused, waiting for Caspian to catch up.

"Where do you want to go?" Caspian asked.

"I don't know. Clearly this isn't the Telmarine castle you were coronated in. I wouldn't know where anything is!"

Caspian got a mischievous smile upon his face, and strode off down the corridor, wondering to himself how long it would take for Edmund to recognize his old home.

xXx

Edmund smiled bemusedly as he caught up to Caspian. Clearly the king had some plans in mind, and from past experience, Edmund knew it was far better to just go along with it.

As they walked, certain things started to tug at his memories. The way the light shone in through the windows, the layout of the corridors, the way the decorations were placed; it all seemed like something he had seen long ago.

But when they reached grand wooden doors, his breath caught in his throat. He knew this place, even if he had not yet seen what lay beyond the doors. It couldn't be... Cair Paravel was destroyed when the Telmarines invaded over a hundred years ago.

But then Caspian was opening the doors, and Edmund felt tears prick at his eyes. It was all exactly the same - the large glass windows, the high arching ceiling, the thrones upon the dais at the end of the room - Wait.

There were no longer four thrones up there. But there was also not the one throne that he expected. After all, there was no logic in four thrones for only one monarch. However, there were two thrones there.

A thought hit Edmund, and with it a pain that caused him to stop in his tracks and catch his breath. Could Caspian be married? After all, he was the king, and he had to provide an heir for the line of succession to continue. Plus, Edmund had no idea how long he had been gone this time.

He pushed the pain aside. If Caspian had gotten married, good for him. Although he and his siblings had never married during their reign, they all knew it was expected of them one day. Caspian was just... fulfilling his kingly duties.

He finally turned to Caspian, who had an expectant and slightly anxious look on his face.

"You - " here he had to stop to regain his voice. "You rebuilt Cair Paravel?"

Caspian looked more nervous than ever, and he replied quickly. "Yes. We tried to get it as close to the original structure as possible. We used the foundations from the ruins as a guide, but it wasn't enough - we called in historians who specialized in the Golden age. The builders and I pored over old books and- "

His ramblings were cut off when Edmund caught him in a hug. Caspian quickly wrapped his arms around Edmund's waist in return, savoring the feel of him in his arms. He ducked his head into the crook of Edmund's neck and shoulder.

His heart broke when he felt the front of his shirt become damp with Edmund's tears.

"Oh, Edmund, I never intended this to hurt you. I'm so sorry."

Edmund pulled back then. "I'm not crying because I'm upset you did this. Please don't apologize, I think it's absolutely wonderful. I just never imagined I would see this dear old place ever again." His hand reached up and stroked Caspian's cheek as a wistful smile adorned his face.

Then Edmund caught himself, and pulled back. Caspian immediately cursed it's absence because if Edmund had waited a moment longer, Caspian would've leaned his face into that hand.

Edmund wiped his damp cheeks and looked at Caspian with a soft smile on his face. "Thank you." he murmured softly.

xXx

After the tour of the rest of the castle, Edmund and Caspian were walking in the gardens. Edmund reached up and grabbed an apple from the fully grown apple trees lining the path.

"It's remarkable." Edmund said under his breath.

"What's remarkable?"

Edmund started and looked over at Caspian with a rueful grin. He had not intended for his words to be overheard.

"Well, a number of things." he said with a grin. "But what I was referring to was the fact that when Lucy planted these, they were mere seeds. Now, they're fully grown trees. It makes me feel quite old."

Caspian laughed at that, and elbowed the boy at his side as he said, "Well, aren't you something like 13 hundred years old?"

They shared a laugh, and Edmund shrugged and said, "I suppose I am."

"But I'm still older than you." Caspian said, puffing his chest out with joking bravado.

Edmund punched Caspian playfully, and the two walked in a comfortable silence for a while, both consumed with their own thoughts.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a large growl from Edmund's stomach. They both looked down at it in surprise, and Edmund laughed.

"I suppose I really have been out for a while!"

"Yes, indeed you have. Let us go get some food from the kitchens, and then we shall get you settled into your own quarters."

That caused Edmund to stop in his tracks. "What do you mean my own quarters? Haven't I been there this whole time?" he demanded.

"Erm, well, no." Caspian said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Where have I been sleeping?"

"My quarters."

"What?!"

Caspian's face flooded with heat as Edmund looked on incredulously. "Where have you been sleeping, then?" Edmund asked.

A closer look at Caspian's face caused him to ask another, softer question. "Have you been sleeping?"

"Yes!" Caspian said defensively.

When no response was forthcoming, Caspian chanced a look at Edmund's face. The younger man was looking at him expectantly, and he knew that Edmund was not going to let this matter pass.

With a resigned sigh, he confessed: "I've been sleeping in the chair beside your bed. I couldn't bear to leave for fear that you might disappear again, or worse."

There was suddenly a hand on his arm, and Edmund was looking at him with a soft understanding look on his face.

Caspian's breath caught in his throat, and could not stop himself from drawing closer to Edmund.