A/N: I've added a good amount to this chapter, so yay! I hope you enjoy!

As always, some of the characters are owned by C.S. Lewis and Disney. Now onward and upward…

CHAPTER 2

Another several days have passed since I last saw Caspian, since he has been throwing himself into work. I'm starting to get concerned about him. Usually if he's busy, he'll still make a point to see me. The plans for Cair Paravel must be more difficult than I thought they would be. Molly told me today that scouts were sent to survey the land, and it's in better shape than they thought. Even though I've been keeping myself busy the past few days, it's still not the same without him. As much as I love Stephen, he's only been a distraction lately. My mind, however occupied, keeps wandering back to Caspian. I decide to go find him, even though it's getting pretty late.

I find Caspian in his room. Thankfully it's never been considered unacceptable for me to be in here. I may be a young woman, but since we grew up together, it's understood by everyone in the castle that we have a completely platonic friendship. Any other females aren't allowed anywhere near his room, and of course, he's so chivalrous that he wouldn't even allow such a thing. Even the servant girls can't be there alone with him. If he's in the room, there are always at least two or more servants, so as not to invite any rumors about the future king. I walk into his room and find him lying on his couch, just staring into the lit fireplace.

"Hey!" I say, as I go and sit with my back against one of the sides of the fireplace. It is a warm spot where I can easily see him.

"Hey."

"You ok?" I ask.

"Yes," he says, clearly confused about the question. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've just been a little bit of a loner lately."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yep. At least to your best friend it is. So are you going to tell me what's on your mind?"

"Well. For one, I've been thinking about our conversation the other day, when we were talking about marriage." I nod, encouraging him to continue. "I just got to thinking about Susan."

"We never did talk about what happened."

"Yah. I'm still trying to figure out what happened."

"Well, when a guy and a girl like each other, often the first step in romance is a kiss…" I say, messing with him a little. A pillow is launched at my head, thrown by a certain Prince.

"Ha, ha. Very funny. It's just…" He pauses, considering his words carefully. "Ok. I did like her. She was beautiful, brave, gentle, and kind. I really thought that I liked her as more than a friend, or that it could at least grow to something more than friendship."

"I know. I saw the way you looked at her."

"Anyway," he continues, embarrassed by my observation. "She kissed me and it's not like it was a bad kiss or anything."

"So, what's the problem?" I ask.

"Well, I guess there isn't one."

I laugh. "You're not making much sense…"

"Well, I think we just had a natural chemistry, you know? But I spent all this time with her, thinking that I liked her, but now, I don't even miss her. At least, not like that." He sighed, and he looks like he is still thinking hard about something. "I think that I liked the idea of her. Maybe I'm just ready for a relationship, and I thought maybe it would be her. Does that make sense?" He asks, looking over at me.

"Absolutely. It gave you hope."

"I need some hope. You've seen the lack of marriage prospects that I have."

It's true. All the female royals, even from far away kingdoms wanted Caspian. They were desperate, needy, annoying, or just plain rotten. Susan was different.

My back is getting sore leaning back against the hard stone, and the only places to sit are the couch he is sprawled out on or his bed. I get up and gesture that I want to sit on the couch. He sits up for a second, and then lies back down on his back with his head on my lap. We've always been really close, so we are used to being in each other's personal space. I love his hair. It's brown but it's so dark that it almost looks black. He has it grown down to just above his shoulders, and it's full, thick, and feather soft. I use our current position on the couch to my advantage, running my thin fingers through his healthy locks.

"Mmmmm," he says, closing his eyes. "That always feels so good."

We are quiet for a few minutes, both of our minds playing out our futures, imagining the possibilities. I thought Caspian had fallen asleep because of how quiet he had gotten. I just sit, studying his face. He really is attractive, tall and handsome. He's a little on the thinner side, but still muscular thanks to all the sword and crossbow training he has had over the years. For some reason, I have always been fascinated by his eyes. Sometimes, they are so dark that they appear black. But out in the sun, they turn into a gorgeous medium brown. As I'm looking at him, I realize that I have never really looked that closely at his lips before. They are the perfect size, not too thin or too full. I'm so used to seeing him smile, his perfect white teeth on display. Whoever marries him will truly be lucky. Still, he has always been annoyed by all the attention given to him by women. Every time we are together and a woman is bold enough to show interest, he'll always turn to me and pretend to get sick or make gagging noises as soon as we were out of earshot. Some of the women are gorgeous, but no matter how pretty they are, he never seems to take any interest in any of them.

He once again opens up his eyes, gazing up at me from my lap and speaks up again, "How are things with you and Stephen?"

"Pretty good," I answer. But unfortunately I have this thing where my face always shows what I'm thinking. I don't look or sound too confident in my answer.

"Liar," he says. I give a gentle tug of his hair which makes him wince.

"He actually brought up the topic of marriage to me last night."

Caspian sits up immediately and turns to me, moving so fast that it makes me jump. "He proposed?" He asks, shocked.

"No! He didn't propose. He just meant someday. I mean, he wants it to be sooner rather than later. But I want to wait so I can get to know him better."

He instantly looks relieved. "Good."

"You really don't like him, do you?"

A look of guilt passes over his face. "Do you really want to talk about this?"

"Yes. I want to know what you think."

"I just…I don't think he's the right person for you. He's very nice and cordial, and is a great ambassador. But you told me months ago how he can be selfish, and how pessimistic he is."

"Well, yah, but he has other good qualities too."

Caspian looks doubtful, "Maybe as a friend. But as a husband? And a father?"

I lay my head back on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

He grabs my hand and pulls it between us, then continues, "Listen, you know I just want what's best for you, right? And I don't want to see you get hurt. Be careful, that's all."

"I will. And thanks for being honest. That's a lot to think about," I say, squeezing his hand. "Alright, Prince. I better go," I say, so he drops my hand to let me to let me get up. I pull him into a hug like I normally do, then when I kiss his forehead, he squeezes me even tighter.

"Thanks for coming to see me," he says quietly, arms still wrapped around me gently.

"That's what friends are for. And I missed you. No more hiding out in here, ok? I want my best friend back," I say as I pull away.

"Alright. See you on the field tomorrow?"

"Yep, I'll be there!" We smile brightly at each other as I walk out of his room, shutting the door behind me.

Even though Caspian had given me a lot to think about, I had to go find Stephen, as we have plans to walk in the gardens. Thankfully he is already there so I didn't have to go try to hunt him down.

"Hello, darling!" I say happily.

"Hi!" He says, standing and pulling me into a close embrace. "I was starting to get a little worried you had forgotten about me."

"Nah. I'm sorry I'm late though. I had to go see Caspian."

Stephen lets out an annoyed sigh and stops hugging me. He grabs my hand and leads me to one of the swings close by.

"We need to talk about this."

"Talk about what?" I ask.

"How everything is always about Caspian."

"What? No it's not!"

He looks over at me, unconvinced. "Just now, you were late meeting me because you were with him. Yesterday, he was all you could talk about. And half the time when I want to spend time with you, you already have plans with him. What's going on?"

I don't appreciate the implication. "What do you mean what's going on? We're best friends! We have been since we were kids!"

"I know, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's good to have other friends. But lately, I feel like you've been putting him first."

I don't know what to say because deep down, I know he was right. As my boyfriend, he should technically come first. But there isn't anything going on between Caspian and I, and I certainly don't want to have to change my relationship with Caspian either. That isn't fair to either of us.

"I don't mean to put him first. And tonight, he just really needed a friend, and sometimes I'm the only one he can talk to about things."

"Yah, I wonder why." Again, the insinuations.

"Stephen."

"Anna."

That was enough for me for today. "Alright. I'm going to go."

"Anna, wait!" Stephen yells after me. But it's too late. There's no way I'm going back to him right now.

I walk to my room, still frustrated. When I open my door, I see that I'm not alone. Molly is dropping off some firewood for me.

"Hey there," she cheerfully greets.

"Hey," I reply, unable to muster her same enthusiasm.

"Whoah. What's bothering you?"

"Stephen."

"Again?"

"What do you mean, 'again?'" I ask.

"Well, it just seems that anytime you're upset lately, it's because of him."

I hadn't really thought about that. But thinking back over the past few months, that's probably true. Molly sees it written all over my face. "Mmmhhmmm. Just realizing it now, huh?"

"I guess so. But it hasn't been that bad, has it?"

"Well, maybe not to everyone. You hide it very well. But there have been lots of times, especially lately that you tell me about."

"It's just….he can be so frustrating sometimes."

Molly snorts. "Yah, no real surprise there."

"What is it with you and Caspian? You both don't seem to like him."

"Well, to be honest, part of the problem is that we both don't know him that well. So maybe we should go a bit easier on him because we haven't really given him a chance. But on the other hand, you're one of our favorite people, and you don't seem to be that happy with him. I mean, in general, you're happy. But there are lots of times where you're upset because of him. So from our standpoint, he doesn't always look like the best choice for you, since he causes you so much unhappiness."

Sure we have our problems, but I'm not really unhappy, am I? The more I think about it though, I realize I'm not necessarily as happy as I once was. Sometimes I'm not even excited to go see him. "So, what then? I break up with him? He's so attractive and intelligent. And there are times where we have fun together. Plus, I love his family."

"I know. And all those things might be true. But if there is enough that's not working for you, then maybe he's not the best person for you to be with."

I think for a moment. "I hadn't really thought about it like that."

Molly smiles reassuringly. "It's your choice, of course. You should do what you want. I just want you to be happy." I continue to think for a moment. "Besides, maybe there's already someone you know who is perfect for you."

I narrow my eyes and stare her down. "What do you mean? Or who do you mean, I should ask."

She rolls her eyes. "Really? You can't even guess? You're pathetic," she says, laughing.

"Hey! Ok, so I know who you mean. And I get it, ok? We're the same age and we're always together, but Caspian and I have been best friends forever, Molly. I don't want to risk losing that. Besides, who knows if he could ever feel that way about me."

"Oh, I don't think there would be a problem with his feelings about you, my friend."

I think about that for a minute. "Did he say something to you?"

"No, but he doesn't have to, Anna. I don't know if you actually realize this, but you're his whole world. I see it all the time. His only concern is you."

I can't stop that my body's reaction to her words is immediate. My heart actually skips with excitement when I realize what she's saying. This is the first time I've ever really considered the possibility of us being more than friends. Sure, there have been fleeting moments where the thought might pop into my head that we could be more than friends. But I've never considered the possibility that seriously. Maybe I never did because I thought he would never feel the same way about me. Molly, however, seems to think otherwise.

"Well, my dear. I have some other things to do, so I better get going. Just think about what I've said. I'm sure this will all work itself out, one way or another."

"You've given me a lot to think about. Thanks for saying all that."

"Hey, that's what friends are for," she says, brushing the dirt from the wood off her hands. "I'll see you later."

"Alright. Bye!" I say, and then sink down further on the couch, thinking about everything she said.

I can't wait to get to the training fields the next morning. Nothing helps frustration more than blowing off some steam on the practice fields. It's a beautiful day, but extremely hot, even before midday. I still decide to wear a tunic and long pants, as they tend to be the best for training. I'm a little early, but I can hear that someone is already practicing swordplay with the dummies set up on the field. I turn the last corner and stop when I suddenly see the back of a very shirtless Caspian, which does nothing but confirm any new feelings I was having about him yesterday. He must have been out here for a while already, judging by the amount of sweat covering his frame. I have to snap out of my gaze when he suddenly turns to walk over my direction and sees me standing there.

A brilliant smile spreads across his face, and I couldn't stop the slow blush that crept up on my cheeks. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice, so I'll try to just act normal.

"Well, good morning!" He greets cheerfully.

I smile right back at him. "Good morning!" He walks closer, opening his arms for a hug, which I quickly avoid. "Um, no sir! You're disgustingly sweaty!"

"Well, you didn't seem to mind just now when you were standing there staring…" he says teasingly.

Shit. He had noticed. I just roll my eyes at him, playing it off, and go collect my gear. "How long have you been out here?" I ask.

"About an hour, I think."

I nod, and then go grab his water pouch since it was on one of the benches close to me. I hand it to him and his hand lingers just a little longer than normal on my hand, seemingly on purpose. Maybe Molly is right, but I still can't be sure. We've always teased each other. But for some reason, things are starting to feel different.

"Thanks," he states, taking another deep gulp of water. "I'm pretty beat from that," he says, gesturing to where he was just practicing with his sword. "Want to do some archery?"

"Hmmm. I think you're just scared that you'll lose a sword match with me right now because you're tired."

He snorts. "Well, I think you just want to fight with me shirtless," he says, matching my tone.

"Yah? You wish that was the reason," I say, looking over at him. I expect him to laugh or make some smart remark back. Instead, he gives a little smirk for my benefit, but there's a faint sadness in his eyes that he can't hide. "Did I say something wrong?" I ask.

He looks down at the ground and starts moving the dirt around under his boot. "No. I just thought of something. Come on, let's get our gear," he says, putting his shirt back on.

We grab our equipment and head over to the archery station. It's a pretty basic setup, just a line of targets filled with hay. We are the only ones there. It's nice to spend more one on one time with him, especially since he seems to be somewhat back to his normal talkative self. We shoot for about an hour, both doing pretty good today. Although sometimes after I shoot, I look over and I can tell he's been watching me instead of practicing. We go through another round of arrows until we're out.

"Alright. That's enough for me today, Prince. I can barely pull the string back anymore!"

He laughs at me. "Weakling," he says, but then winks. "Let's go get our arrows."

We walk side by side towards the targets. I look up as a beautiful hawk glides in the air overhead; however, in that same moment, I don't see a sizable hole in the ground right in front of me. My foot immediately sinks, and I fall to the side as a natural instinct to save my ankle from injury. Caspian immediately turns, hearing my yelp as I drop to the ground. He sinks to the ground and wraps one hand around my calf, helping me to lift my leg out of the hole.

"Are you alright?"

I wince a little, "Yah. I think its ok, no thanks to me."

"Do you want to take off your boot?"

I nod and start to bring my leg towards myself, but his grip tightens on my calf.

"No, I'll do it," he says. He then very carefully begins to undo the laces and loosens the boot's grip from around my ankle. Then he gradually removes the boot from my foot, followed by my sock. I wasn't prepared for the shiver that overtakes me when he slowly runs his hands up my leg, pushing up the leg of my pants to completely free my ankle from any restraint. He's never touched me quite like this before, and a shiver of pleasure overtakes me. But he mistakes my shiver for a reaction to the pain, so he drops both hands away from my skin.

"Did that hurt?"

"No…that felt good." Shit. I didn't mean to say that, so I just stare at him, not knowing what to say next. I start to rotate my ankle, and the pain begins to slowly subside.

He looks rather smug and is about to say something when Dr. Cornelius runs up to us, "Anna, are you hurt? One of the guards saw you fall and then came to get me."

I smile up at him. "I'm alright. It's already feeling better. It's not even a sprain." Both he and Caspian look at me, unbelievingly. I intentionally move my ankle around even more. "See? It's fine."

They finally look appeased. "Good," says Dr. Cornelius. "Well, then. I'm going to go back inside. Maybe you can stop by my office later on and we can work on that clumsiness of yours," he says, winking at me before walking away.

I drop my head and cover my face with my hands in mock horror, and Caspian laughs at both of us. I hear him shift on the ground, and he scoots closer, wrapping his arms around me. He smells a little of leather, from all of the equipment he's used today. I smile as he presses his warm lips against my forehead for a few seconds. Then he rests his forehead against mine as I drop my hands from my face.

"I'm glad you're ok. Want to get up now?"

"Yah, can you help?" He glares at me. Of course it's a dumb question. He gets up first then holds out his hands, which I gladly accept. He pulls me up and holds my hands until he's sure I'm steady, which doesn't take long. He's amused when I do a few laps around him, but I want to walk out the pain. I think he finally decides that I'm ok, so he heads back to the benches under the awning where we came in. We take a seat to relax a minute.

"I can't take you anywhere."

I laugh. "Well, you can, but there's no guarantee I'll return whole and uninjured."

We sit in silence for a few moment while we rehydrate, drinking from our flasks.

"So, I suppose you have plans with Stephen now?"

I look over at him, "No. I want to spend more time with you. You ok with that?"

He pretends to look disgusted at the idea, so I playfully nudge his side. "You know you love me."

"Most of the time," he responds, winking at me. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Let's just go get cleaned up and then hang out somewhere. Ooh! How about the library? We haven't played chess in a while."

"Great idea," he responds. We stand and walk hand in hand until he drops me off at my room. I take a bath and get ready quickly, just excited to go spend more time with him. When I'm done cleaning up, I get dressed in one of my green summer dresses because it brings out the green in my eyes, and then I tie back my hair in a tight braid.

I meander to the library, taking my time, and I'm not surprised to find Caspian already here. He's lying down on the couch, reading a book. He looks over to my direction when he hears the door, and gets up when he sees it's me.

"Hey. I got you something on the way over," he says happily.

I smile as he walks up to me with a small vase full of flowers from one of the gardens. They're absolutely beautiful.

"Mmm. These smell so good," I say.

"You smell so good."

"Well thank you," I say, trying not to blush. "And thank you for the flowers."

He shrugs. "I know you love the roses. Oh, and I grabbed us some coffee too."

"My, my. You were quite busy when we were apart."

"What can I say? I'm a charmer."

We grab our coffees then sit in the comfy chairs at the small chess table and we play for a long time. We're both decent at chess, and are pretty evenly matched. It's the perfect relaxing activity, since we can keep busy but have little conversations here and there. We finally finish a game when it's getting to be about an hour before our usual dinner time. I stretch a little and roll my neck around while I'm still sitting on the chair. They're comfortable chairs, but we've been sitting in them for a long time.

"Want to move to the couch?" He asks, noticing my efforts to stretch out the discomfort of my muscles.

"Yes, that would be perfect right now."

We both go sink down on opposite sides of the long, plush couch close by. I sit with my back against the one arm rest, and he sits the same way on the opposite side. Both our feet are stretched out in front of us, alongside one another's.

"Your ankle still ok?" He asks, nodding towards my foot.

"Yah. It might be a little sore tomorrow, but it's alright."

"Here, let me see," he says, and then I readjust my leg as he pulls on my foot. He places it on his leg and examines it. For the second time today, I'm overcome with pleasant chills from his touch. He gently rubs his hand along my skin, and softly pushes against my ankle, searching for any tenderness. I feel only pleasure, not pain. I think he senses my enjoyment, so he continues to massage my soft skin.

Much to my disappointment, he stops his ministrations not long after. "Congratulations. I think you'll live."

I can't help but laugh. "Thanks for taking such good care of me. Feel free to do that anytime."

"Trust me, I wouldn't mind," he says, looking at me with sincerity.

These are the types of comments that make me want to believe Molly. They also make me completely scared, elated, nervous, and hopeful all at the same time. I'm still way too conflicted to say anything directly to him, at least for now, until I figure things out. I keep telling myself that any growing feelings that I might be feeling for Caspian are just stemming from my confusion about my relationship with Stephen. But then I suddenly realize that I've barely even thought about Stephen all day. Instead, I've had one of the best days that I've had in a while with someone else. And Caspian is definitely making more direct comments, seemingly testing the waters as our relationship is slowly evolving into something else.

Again I realize—I don't really know what to do.