A/N. Here I am, with a new chapter. Hope you like it!

Chapter 16.

"Dear Diary, yesterday must have been the worst day of my life. Honestly, I didn't even think I'd be able to sleep, but actually, all the trauma had proved to be very tiring and before it was even dark I was out like a light. I can't believe she rejected me like that…well, actually, I can. After all, she's older, she's smarter, she's just…her. Damn Edmund! That girl-stealing idiot! Though, can I really call him that? She was never mine in the first place…no, heck, she was! She was my fiancé! Was…spiteful word. I shouldn't have even come up to her then, I shouldn't have told her anything. How could I be so stupid to think she could ever like me back? What made me think she would even consider me when there's someone like him around? Oh right, he's strong, brave, handsome…everything I'm not. But even so, my family is wealthier; we have much more useful connections in the London society, so much the marriage could have given her. And what does he have to offer? Sure, their father works in America, so what? Even their house is smaller than ours…" Eustace put his pen down and sighed. He hadn't been eating anything since yesterday and what was the point in starving himself? It wasn't gonna change anything.

He put his diary aside and walked out of his cabin, heading to the upper deck hoping to get his mind off the recent events…as much as possible.

******Meanwhile, on the upper deck. ******

Edelle let out a shriek as Edmund lifted her up by the waist from behind and spun her around. He smiled and swirled her effortlessly, and she laughed in elation. He seemed to like tearing her from the ground, at moments like that she always marveled his strength.

Obviously, by now the entire Dawn Treader crew knew about their relationship and were smiling and cheering at the scene. Resting against the bark of the ship were Lucy and Caspian. They had also been smiling and chortling as they watched the two in the centre of the deck.

"They've been like that for quite some time now, weren't they?" Caspian stated, rather than asked.

Lucy chuckled "A week, to be precise."

"And you knew for how long exactly?"

"Five days." She smiled and tilted her head to him.

Caspian slowly shook his head "Why do I always get involved last?" he laughed to himself.

Lucy laughed too "Technically, you weren't the last. The real last one was Reep." She glanced at the noble mouse as he cheered several feet away from them.

Then her expression stiffened a bit "Though I know a certain someone who'd give up a lot to be the last one to know…or rather not to know at all."

Caspian's brows furrowed quizzically "Who's that?"

She sighed "Eustace."

"And why is that?"

Lucy let out a bitter half-smile "Edelle was supposed to be his fiancé, their parents arranged it for the future and he really liked her a lot."

Caspian's expression turned slightly more concerned "Seriously? His fiancé?" he asked in disbelief.

Lucy nodded her head.

"Wow...and he already knows about them, doesn't he?"

She nodded again.

"Oh dear, that's gotta be rough."

"It was. Edmund and Edelle said he took it pretty hard. Well, we can't really blame him for that."

"Sure thing." He huffed and they looked back the couple.

Edmund finally put Edelle down and turned her to face him, his arms still around her waist.

She giggled "You're always doing that as if I weight nothing!"

"That's because you do weight nothing. To me, at least." He grinned and suddenly caught her face in his hands and pulled her in for a fervent kiss, crashing his lips against hers.

She let out a short squeal of surprise- she didn't expect him to do something like that in front of the entire ship! And once he did, the crew almost burst in applause, voices of encouragement and approval filled the deck and some sailors whistled loudly.

And just then the small door from the lower level opened and the subject of Lucy and Caspian's conversation appeared on the deck.

"What's the dreadful noise all about?" he grumbled and then his sight fell on the exact reason. His expression quickly turned from complaining to hurt, as he involuntary backed up against the deck next to Lucy. For some reason, he found that he couldn't move or look away from the scene, as much as he wanted to close his eyes and run.

To complete the picture, Lucy didn't seem to be aware of Eustace standing right next to her, as she sighed in a swoon-like manner "They look so great together!"

"Shut up." Eustace said through clenched teeth with a stiff expression.

Only then did Lucy's head turn to him and she gaped in surprise, wanting to slap herself at the moment. Finally, not being able to bear this any longer, Eustace rushed from his place back downstairs.

"Eustace, wait!" Lucy shouted and ran after him. She followed him until they reached the door to his cabin and he slammed it closed, as Lucy almost ran into it. She knocked on it hard "Eustace, open up!"

"Go away!" came from the inside.

She knocked again, this time even harder "Open up, I want to talk to you!"

"Well I don't want to talk to you!" he yelled. But one knows that if Lucy Pevensie was up to something, she wouldn't stop at anything until it's done.

She stopped banging on the door and tried speaking as gently as she could.

"Eustace, I know it's a tough experience and you're hurt, but…"

"But what? You don't know a heck about how I feel, and stop acting like you actually care!"

"I'm not acting, I do care! You're my cousin, Eustace!"

"Oh yeah? Well I'm Edmund's cousin too, but that didn't stop him from…from…" he stopped yelling and Lucy listened carefully. In a minute or so, she could clearly make out quiet sobs.

Enough was enough, she pulled out her dagger and unlatched the door lock herself and walked in. Eustace was sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall, hugging his knees, his head buried in them. Lucy slowly moved closer and sat next to him. When he didn't tell her to leave him, she sat even closer and cautiously put one arm around his quivering shoulders, hoping he wouldn't freak out. Much to her shock, he did nothing to shoo her away, just his sobs got a bit louder.

She started carefully rubbing his forearm up and down, trying to calm him down. "There, there…it's gonna be okay soon, you'll get over it. You're right, I don't know how it feels, but I can see it hurts. But, Eustace, you have to understand…or at least try to. They love each other, they really do, and torturing yourself about it isn't gonna make it any better."

"But…I can't help it…I like her so much…" he uttered between sobs.

"Like her! Exactly my point. You have to admit it-what you feel for Edelle is not real love. You like her, a lot, but love is so much more than that. It's in the way people look at each other, the way they act when they're together, what they would do for one another…everything she and Edmund is-that's what real love looks like."

Eustace's sobs got quieter, but did not subside completely, and he did something very un-Eustace like, something that showed just how much he needed someone around. He slowly leaned into Lucy, so she could wind both her arms around him and she did. She held him to her and lightly rocked them back and forth until he stopped crying and she could tell he fell asleep. She carefully laid him down on the bed and walked out of the room, making sure to be very quiet as she closed the door behind her.

Okay, just to clear it out from the start- Lucy and Eustace will grow pretty close during the story, since he'd lost Edelle, I thought he needed someone else to try and fill the gap. BUT, no matter how close they seem, absolutely NOTHING romantic is going to happen between them! I think incest is…well...wrong, IMHO. I am not, in any way, judging anyone who's into such stuff- everyone has the right to personal likes and dislikes. I'm just stating my opinion, and if it doesn't go with yours, please don't take it personally.

As always, review, review, review! It really helps me, like, a lot.

Seriously, a lot.)