A/N: Not a lot happens in this one, but stay tuned as this is just a filler leading up to tomorrow's chapter which is pretty juicy!

Chapter 11: Come's and Go's

Caspian's POV

It had been three days since Edmund and Ella's fight in the office chamber. Three days of uncomfortable and awkward tension between all of us because those 2 refused to speak to each other. Edmund even decided to sleep in their attached guest bedroom, and Ella decided to 'hog' Talina, making Edmund even more upset. Serena had tried to talk to Ella, and I had tried to talk to Edmund, but both parties refused to budge.

Why were these 2 always so damn stubborn?

The fact that it had been 3 days also meant that Peter and Susan were returning today, and while of course I was happy to see them again, part of me also dreaded what was going to happen once they returned. It was rather clear what their stance on the Lucy situation would be.

Personally, I actually sided with Ella when it came to trusting Lucy enough to let her do what she needed to do and focusing more on the curse or tracking down Coriarkin.

But I also knew where Ed was coming from, and part of me also wanted to just find her and make sure she was alright.

Sending out a search party would also mean drawing attention to the situation, and having the kingdom find out about a cursed royal who ran away from home would be the last thing any of us wanted I'd assume.

All in all, everything was just messy and confusing.

I rolled my head from side to side, regretting sleeping at my desk the previous night as I wanted to finish going through some peace treaty negotiations. I was currently standing at the entrance of our castle gate, awaiting the arrival of my wife and brother-in-law. Serena was next to me, wringing her hands together nervously, and Lorenzo was besides her, also not looking very optimistic. Edmund was training with his unit and Ella was tending to Talina.

Finally, the arrival horn sounded and the gate to our drawbridge opened, revealing 2 white stallions leading a small group of black horses, on top of which of course sat 2 royals and several guards.

I smiled as I set my gaze on Susan. It had only been around 4 days, but I still missed the sight of her dearly. Her hair was down and blowing softly in the wind, making me smile at her effortless elegance. She gazed back at me with a little grin, her eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

It was like love at first sight all over again.

Once they reached us, they dismounted and passed their horses to one of the stable boys to take away.

I beamed and took 2 large steps forward, embracing my wife.

"I missed you." I whispered, hugging her tightly before pulling back and giving her a short but sweet peck on the lips.

"Of course you have," she smirked with a chuckle, "and of course I missed you too."

I noticed in my peripheral vision Peter and Serena embracing each other as well. However, their reunion was not as chaste as ours was, as their kiss was more than just a mere quick peck. It was even enough to warrant an awkward cough from Lorenzo.

I patted Peter on the shoulder once we both let go of our wives.

"I assume everything went smoothly?"

"Indeed, they were a bit abrasive at first, but thankfully I had sensible Su here who was able to get them to come around."

Susan smiled proudly, nodding her head.

"It's all about having a way with words."

I was about to remark on how Peter should learn from her, but Pete interrupted me as he clutched my shoulder and looked me in the eye seriously.

"What's the update with Lucy? Has the search party made any progress?"

Oh boy.

I took a deep breath and glanced at Serena, who returned my rather worried gaze. Peter noticed our exchange and tensed up.

"What's wrong?"

Serena placed her hand on Peter's arm, a move she did whenever she was about to talk about something unpleasant or had to calm him down.

"We need to talk about Lucy and the search party situation. Ed and Ella…"

Noticing her hesitation, I decided to jump in and help her out.

"They had an argument regarding sending out the search party."

Both Susan and Peter frowned, and I knew they were confused as well as anxious. Lorenzo, who was standing behind us quietly all the while, also decided to speak up as he could probably tell Serena and I were having a hard time thinking of a suitable way to explain everything.

"I think it's best we go in and discuss this matter properly, perhaps after both of you freshen up?"

Peter shot Lorenzo a rather sour look, obviously still holding a grudge over what he did, or rather did not do, concerning Lucy's disappearance.

"No, I want to know now. What fight are you talking about? What is the status of the search party mission?"

His voice sounded urgent and tense, matching his face, and I glanced at Susan to find her frowning intently at me as well, waiting for an explanation.

Here goes…

"A search party has not been sent out."

Peter and Susan just stared at me for a moment, completely frozen. It felt like my heart had stopped as well, and I held my breath in anticipation of the inevitable explosion that was coming.

And right enough…

"WHAT?"

Lucy's POV

As I lowered my sword, Keladry remained stiff for a moment longer before letting out a breath and visibly loosening up. I did not like the sight of him getting comfortable so easily, so I lazily pointed my sword at him again.

"Don't think you're off the hook for anything that you've done. Once this is all over, I will make sure you're put behind bars for the rest of your life, if you're lucky enough to escape the death penalty."

Keladry's hands were still raised and he gave a small but firm nod once I was done.

"I take full responsibility for what all I did. I just want to find my siblings and make sure they're safe. And I'm willing to do whatever it takes to do that."

The sincerity was clear in his voice, but I could not forget history and simply believe he was as noble and helpless as he played himself out to be.

Still, I had to find Coriarkin and at the moment, he seemed to be my only way.

Taking in a deep breath, I lowered my sword and sheathed it. Crossing my arms, I looked him up and down and nodded my head towards his sword.

"Get rid of that first."

He glanced at it and then back at me with a look of bewilderment. I shrugged nonchalantly, though I was actually watching him closely for any signs that it was all still just a façade.

He hesitated for a moment but finally unclipped his sword and stretching it out towards me. I grabbed it swiftly, clipping it onto my own belt so that now I had two swords on either hip. The extra weight was a little more burdensome but it was nothing I could not handle.

"Bow and arrows too."

For a moment I saw a hint of anger in his eyes, but he was able to somewhat still maintain his stoic expression and his cold gaze at me.

"You're leaving me completely defenseless."

"That's the point."

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, gaze unwavering but the hesitation clear in his eyes. I quirked a brow challengingly, knowing that at the moment the fact that I had the upper-hand was bothering him undoubtedly.

"You're going to carry two swords as well as a bow and arrows?"

"Trust me, it's not a problem."

Sighing heavily, he reached around behind him and pulled out his bow from the satchel, before taking off the bow-and-arrow satchel and handing it over to me.

I've always loved the bow and arrows anyway.

Now that I made sure he was not of any immediate threat or harm to me, I felt a little more at ease, though I could not say the same for Keladry.

He looked like he had just been stripped bare.

"Satisfied?"

I adjusted the satchel on my back and shot him a smirk.

"Now, how do we get to Coriarkin?"

"We have to get to the easter border first, you've been going the complete wrong way. We'll have to head all the way to the River Rush and cross there, then walk straight on till the eastern shores."

"Shores?"

Now it was Keladry's turn to smirk, which irked me but now was not the time to threaten his life once more.

"You didn't think he was actually in the Narnian land did you?"

I huffed, a witty remark on the tip of my tongue before I realized what he said made sense. If Coriarkin was indeed within the borders of the Narnian kingdom, there would be no way we would not know about his existence or location at all.

"What about once we reach the shores?"

"I know some people at the harbor there who will be able to help us."

"More minions of Jadis?"

He pursed his lips, shaking his head.

"People I knew before Jadis captured me. Anyway we'll be able to get onto a boat or ship, and from there we sail to his island. Not exactly easy to find, but I know the way."

I took a deep breath, still harboring suspicions against him in my mind. But for now, I decided to just take his word for it. Time was of the essence and I had already wasted too much of it.

"Well then, let's go."

A/N: Like I said, just a filler but tomorrow's chapter will have much more I promise. Anyway, I still hope you liked it and as usual, please don't forget to leave a review! :)