A/N: For now, this should be the last chapter that I edit. I just really wanted to go back and fix the first few chapters to make the love story part flow a little better. I hope ya'll didn't mind too much

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

CHAPTER 4

The next morning, I wake up just after dawn. I never get up this early, but as soon as I'm conscious, my brain starts mulling over all the details from yesterday and it's impossible to fall back asleep. I decide to take a walk around the castle to clear my head. I still can't believe everything that happened yesterday. It's my fault that I've let it get to this point, though. I've been selfish, wanting so much alone time with Caspian and have probably been sending mixed signals. And I don't know what to think about Stephen. Last night was one of the best nights I've had with him. I'm definitely attracted to him, but I've known that since the first time I saw him. I've always liked blonde haired, blue eyed boys. Besides physical attraction, he can be so genuine and kind, much like his amazing family. I'm sure he'll make a wonderful husband someday. I also have to consider how his job is way different than Caspian's. I would definitely have a much easier, quieter life with Stephen. But not matter how many good qualities he possesses I can never completely ignore his selfish and occasional arrogant behavior. And I can't forget how sometimes he's made me feel smothered. Should I really marry someone like that?

As I'm letting my mind wander, I wander to the main castle garden where I find Molly. She's harvesting some fruits and vegetables for our meals. The garden is large, but completely surrounded by the tall castle walls. Still, even though it's surrounded in stone, it feels organic and spacious because of the amount of trees, bushes, flowers, and other various plants that completely fill the courtyard.

"Good morning," I say as I sit near her on one of the stone ledges.

"Well look who's up early! You didn't get much beauty rest last night, huh?"

"I couldn't sleep," I say, bringing my hair to the side so I can braid it.

"Ahhh," she says. "Boy trouble?"

"Unfortunately, yes," I answer as my fingers weave through my stubborn hair.

"Are you upset because they left?"

"Left? Who left?"

Molly stops what she's doing and sits back on her legs, clearly feeling guilty for whatever she has to tell me now. "Ooooh. In that case, I hate to say it, but I might have bad news for you." I stare at her, waiting for her to continue. "Stephen and Caspian left before dawn this morning. The professor too. Word was sent that a small contingent of Ethanites was seen just outside of Cair Paravel. They must have travelled from Ettinsmoor."

She pauses to let me digest all the information. The Ethanites are one of the smaller civilizations in Narnia. They are best known for breeding hardy and well trained war horses in the northern plains of Ettinsmoor. Ordinarily, they keep to themselves and have been on amicable terms with the Telmarines for as far back as I can remember. Perhaps they are just curious, now that Miraz is gone and the Narnians have emerged from hiding. That's a long way to come, though, for the sake of curiosity…

"You didn't know?" Molly asks, breaking my chain of thought.

"No. But I saw them both last night." I know that Molly is feeling bad for me, because she would usually turn a statement like that into some sort of innuendo joke. "I was with Caspian, walking back to my room when Stephen came looking for him. They went to the throne room, so they must have had a meeting about it."

She comes and sits next to me. "Are you okay?"

"Not really. I feel terrible. They're both in love with me, Molly," I tell her, then give her all the details about what's been happening. I can trust her, and she's one of my closest friends. Plus, she knows Caspian well too.

"So, what are you going to do?" She asks after I explain every detail.

"Well, there's not much I can do right now since they're gone. I have time to think about it more, and hopefully I can work things out with both of them when they get back."

"That's as good a plan as any, my friend," says Molly. "I'll say it again-you know who I think you should be with."

"I know. I just hope they return safely."

"Me too. Trust Aslan. Everything will work out." She says, getting up and returning to her gardening.

"Alright, I'd better go. Have fun with those vegetables," I say.

"Oh, I will!" She says as she throws a grape tomato at my back as I walk away.

For an entire week, we hear absolutely nothing. It doesn't help that it takes several days to travel to Cair Paravel, which makes communication difficult. Molly tries to distract me, but since she is busy with her duties, I am by myself almost all day, every day. Reading is one of the only diversions that I have, so I've been spending countless hours in Caspian's study reading by the window. Half the time, though, I end up unable to focus and stare out the window instead. If I wasn't so worried about Caspian and Stephen, this might even be a good emotional vacation for me. In some ways, I need this time by myself. It keeps me from being torn between them. Here, in this room, it's just me and my thoughts and feelings. This room isn't a total distraction, though. I look around the room, and it only reminds me of its owner. I look at the wooden clock above the mantle, which I gave Caspian when he turned sixteen. And on one of the other walls, he hung a small painting of some flowers that I made for him last year. I decide to walk over to his desk to get the blanket that is draped over his desk chair, which he brought for me a few weeks ago for when I get cold and don't want to sit by the fire. I pick it up and can already detect a faint trace of his scent, a pleasant mixture of leather and cedar. I'm about to go over to the window seat when I see a sealed envelope sitting perfectly placed in the middle of his desk. It simply says: For Anna-Only open if I do not return. Love, Caspian X. I take it over with me and sit by the window so I can inspect it further. It's definitely his handwriting. He must have written it the night before he left. Everything in me wants to open the letter, but I know that would betray his trust. I take it back to my room and put it in my locked jewelry box, hoping that I will never have to open it.

The next day marks the eighth day since they have been gone. I'm about to head downstairs for breakfast when a Narnian Swift, one of the fastest flying birds, darts into my room and lands in front of me on the back of my desk chair.

"Anna, I bring word…" she begins, but is out of breath.

"Take your time, friend. Catch your breath."

She nods, and then takes a few deep breaths to steady herself until she's ready to speak again. "I bring word from Dr. Cornelius. He asked me to come find you right away. He needs you to bring a small contingent of soldiers and come to Cair Paravel immediately."

"Are they okay?" I ask, afraid to hear the answer.

"They were well when I left."

"Ok. Anything else?"

"That was the message in its entirety."

"Very well. Thank you…" I say, hinting that I want to know her name.

"Flox."

"Thank you, Flox. I'll leave right away."

I have no idea why I'm needed and if they are safe, but I do know that if they are in danger, then I need to get there as soon as I possibly can. I find Glenstorm, and have him assemble a small group of the best soldiers to be ready within the hour and I quickly pack a bag of necessities. I walk out of my room, but very quickly turn around and go back to get the letter from Caspian, still praying to Aslan that I never have to open it.

I meet the group of about twenty soldiers down in the stables. I'm shocked to find a very familiar black horse saddled and ready for me. Thankfully, one of the head ranch hands was there, still finishing the saddling of horses for the men.

"Excuse me, but why is Destrier here?"

"Oh, Caspian left him for you because he's the easiest for you to ride, just in case you needed him. Caspian took your horse. He said she gives you trouble sometimes."

"Ok. Thank you," I say, and then go to Glenstorm. "Is everyone here?"

"Yes, we are ready."

"Alright, let's go," I say after mounting Destrier. That makes two things now that I have of Caspian's as we ride into the unknown.

It takes five days to get to Cair Paravel. The first four days have been extremely uneventful. On the fifth morning, we wake up and decide to go a little slower and quieter. At this pace, we should be there in the mid-afternoon. If their group is in trouble, then we need to be careful and not alert any enemies of our approach. As we cautiously approach the tree line, we finally see some Narnian tents lined up along the edge. Glenstorm has me stay back with a few guards while the rest of them go search the area. After a few short minutes, they come back.

"There's nobody there," he says.

"No one is in the tents? Not even one person?"

He shakes his head. "Just their horses are there, tied to the trees. There is no sign of struggle, though. And there are tracks that lead off to the north."

"Alright. Let's go that way, carefully, just like before."

We very quietly follow the tracks. Thankfully, we can stay hidden in the tree line for cover because we can see the tracks just a little ways to our right, out in the open. It doesn't take long to see a large dark green tent in the distance. We quickly dip further back into the tree line so we will at least be a little covered as we approach the tent. We are about to surround it when I see the professor in amongst a group of men standing slightly outside of the entrance to the tent. He doesn't appear to be restrained or in distress and the men surrounding him are all Narnian. Glenstorm agrees that it looks safe, but he doesn't want everyone to go out into the open. He stays by my side and we take eight of the other soldiers, who stagger behind us. The remaining soldiers are told to stay in the woods and keep watch. The professor sees us almost immediately as we step out into the open, and he quickly walks over to me.

"Anna! You got my message!" He says.

I'm still very confused. "Yes…but Flox didn't know why I was to come…"

"Yes, I spared a lot of details." Suddenly, he pulls me close and whispers in my ear so no one can hear. "Trust me. I have a purpose. I can't explain now, but it was necessary for you to be here." Then, his voice dipped down even lower, "And we will need your soldiers."

Just when I backed up to ask him more, we all hear voices getting louder from inside the tent. Then, both Caspian and Stephen come bounding out of the tent, clearly not happy. They are followed by a few Narnian soldiers and about thirty Ethanite men. One of them is dressed in more ornate clothes than the rest and appears to be the leader of the group. Caspian finally sees me, and I can see him mouth my name, then he looks to the Professor as anger takes over his face. Stephen then sees me and comes over to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. No one speaks.

Finally, the Ethanite leader talks as his troops spread around us. "So, you never trusted me all along, did you?"

Clearly, things are tense. Thankfully, I'm towards the middle of the group, so I'm at least a little protected if fighting breaks out, or at least will be at first. I have my sword and am well trained, but I don't have much armor on, and I don't really want to fight in a battle.

Caspian must not have known that the Professor was going to send for me and the additional soldiers, judging by his reaction, but he plays dumb. "These soldiers are here for my protection. I only came to establish that Cair Paravel will be built again for the Narnian people. I do not wish to start a war with you or your people, but I will defend my land and my people without hesitation."

"Well, you might have to, dear Prince. You don't seem to be very open-minded. We've been talking for days now, and I think you were just trying to buy yourself some time," he says, gesturing to the extra Narnian soldiers.

"This is your last chance, Acotas. You can either leave peacefully and never return, or we will end this here and now."

"It's too bad you feel that way, Prince. We could have had a wonderful time together." Then he screams, "ATTACK!"

With that, a small battle begins. Caspian takes Acotas by surprise and kicks his leg with such force that it shatters on impact. Then in one swift stroke, he cuts off his head. Then, he looks over to me and sees that I'm standing in the middle of the mayhem with a sword drawn, close to Glenstorm, soldiers fighting all around us. Just then, Glenstorm moves to attack one of the Ethanite soldiers, leaving me partially vulnerable. Acatos' second in command is standing several feet from Caspian, and he sees that Caspian is looking at me. The soldier starts to sprint at me full force. About a second after he starts running, Caspian sees him running at me intending to kill, so he takes off sprinting after him. The Narnians outnumber the Ethanites, but there is still a clear path for the soldier to keep coming at me. Just as he is getting close to reaching me, I feel Stephen move his arm from me, and I think that he's going to step in front of me to block the attack. Instead, in one swift motion, he grabs my shoulders and pushes me in front of him. I'm completely shocked, but I have my sword out and am widening my stance to brace for the soldier's attack. When the Ethanite is a few feet in front of me, he yells and brings his arm back, preparing to strike. However, at that exact moment, Caspian is now close enough that he throws his entire body at the soldier, effectively knocking him out of my path and onto the ground. They begin wrestling, although the soldier is clearly at a disadvantage from the surprise tackle. I approach them as they struggle and manage to crush the soldier's arm under my foot and I take his sword. Caspian wastes no time thrusting his sword into the man's chest.

Caspian looks up at me relieved, and then we quickly look around. All of the Ethanites have been killed, and most of the Narnian soldiers made it, with the exception of ten that died in battle. As I look back at Caspian, he drops his sword and jumps up, taking me in his arms. We hug each other so hard that we can barely breathe.

"I love you," he says.

"I love you, too," I immediately reply.

He pulls back just a little then puts both hands around my face. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?" He asks.

I smile, "No, I'm fine, thanks to you! You tackled that man!"

"Well, I saw him running at you. I had to stop him."

I hug him tightly again. "Thank you."

"I'll always protect you."

He kisses my forehead then we let go of each other, although I immediately grab his hand. We thank Glenstorm, who starts to take care of the dead bodies with the help of the other soldiers. Caspian and I then walk over to the Professor and Stephen. There is tangible tension between Stephen and me, and I almost lose it when Stephen pointedly looks at my hand holding Caspian's.

I look at Caspian and the Professor. "Can you give us a minute?" I ask.

They nod. "We'll be in my tent," says Caspian, walking away with the Professor.

I pull Stephen off to the side so no one can hear us talk.

"I don't get a hug?" He stupidly asks.

"How can you even ask me that after what you just did? You're pathetic."

"Oh, so you're going to hold that against me? I don't have my good sword, and I know that you did. Besides, we outnumbered them. I knew we would be fine!"

I am shaking I am so angry and filled with adrenaline. "That may be true, but that will never excuse you throwing me in front of you like your personal shield. You should be willing to protect me, not the other way around! You've made it very clear that you only ever think of yourself, and I'm done with you."

He looks shocked. "What do you mean you're done with me? We're finally doing better, and you're just going to walk out on me like that?"

"Don't even act surprised. Things haven't even been good between us for a while, but apparently you can't even see that. Besides, you've shown who you really are."

"I thought you loved me."

"I do, Stephen. Or did. But I could never be with someone as cowardly as you. And it's not just today. We're clearly wrong for each other. I've known that in my heart for a while, but I just tried to ignore it. That was clearly a mistake."

He's silent for a moment. "You're fucking Caspian, aren't you?"

I don't even hesitate when I swing full force with my right hand and slap him hard across his face. His cheek will definitely swell and will maybe even bruise from the force of my swing. He wasn't expecting that, and he instinctively covers his cheek with his hand and tears start filling his eyes from the pain.

"I don't ever want to see you again," I say as I turn and walk away.

I massage my still stinging hand while I walk to find Caspian's tent. I enter and find Caspian standing, talking to Dr. Cornelius when I enter. The Professor comes and gives me a hug.

"So why did you send for me?" I ask.

He smiles and says, "You will come to understand, but I must go back to the castle now. I will tell you more when you both get back."

With that, he leaves the tent. Caspian comes and stands in front of me. "I'm sorry that I had to leave with no warning. I would have stayed if I could."

"I'm just glad you're ok," I say, pulling him into another hug. We stand there holding each other, simply happy to be together again. Then I finally tell him, "I broke up with Stephen." With that, he hugs me even harder. I giggle, "Uh Caspian, I can't breathe." He laughs as he loosens his hold around me. He reaches up, cupping my cheek in his hand. "Are you ok?" he asks, now concerned. His priority is always making sure I am alright, which I had always taken for granted. That is, until now. I take his hand that was on my cheek and hold it in my hand. "Yah, I am. I mean, it wasn't easy. He got angry and he said some things that I won't repeat. You were right about him all along. I shouldn't be with him, and definitely shouldn't marry him. He turned out to be a coward, but I know that I don't feel for him for how I feel about…" I get too nervous to finish my thought. Caspian tries to hold in the big smile that's threatening to make an appearance. He knows what I was thinking even without me having to say it.

He stays silent, but still looks amused and extremely happy, so I continue, "Listen, you know that I love you and I trust you more than anyone. And even though I broke it off with Stephen, we were still in a relationship for a long time." I take a deep breath. "I hope you meant what you said about us the other day. I just need some time, alright? I can't move right into exploring our relationship. It wouldn't be fair to you, or me. I just want to be completely yours. I hope that's ok."

He slowly nods his head yes and brings up his right hand and places it gently on my neck, then takes his thumb and begins to slowly rub my cheek, sending chills down my spine.

"Of course it's ok. I knew this wouldn't be easy, and I know how you felt about him. I'll wait for you, as long as you need."

Similar words were spoken by Stephen to me not long ago. But when he said it to me, I felt apprehensive and nervous about the future. It felt forced. But now, hearing Caspian say it, all I can feel is love and thankfulness towards this man in front of me. And excitement. I know it's going to take me a while to adjust and learn to trust my feelings again. But when Caspian tucks my hair behind my ear and places a soft kiss on my cheek, I know that I'm finally right where I need to be.

A/N: Feel free to give feedback! I love getting reviews (and follows and faves!). And no matter what-thanks for reading!

And here's a few fun facts about the chapter: the name "Acotas" is actually a Native American name that means "group of horses," which I thought was a perfect name for someone coming from a horse breeding community. And I struggled to come up with a name for the group from Ettinsmoor until I did some research and found the name "Ethan," which means "Strong, firm, impetuous," so I just did a variation of that name. I thought that was fitting of their people.