A/N: This is one of my personal favorites. It's actually one of the first chapters that I wrote for this story. I'll explain at the end where the idea came from :) As always, some of the characters are owned by C.S. Lewis and Disney. Now onward and upward…

CHAPTER 9

I get up at my usual time feeling happier than usual. Caspian has still been extremely busy, but has done everything he can to see me a little more often. I'll take any time with him that I can get. And I feel better now that he knows all my fears and concerns. He has been such a huge emotional support for me, and our relationship has never been stronger. I step out of my room to make my way down to breakfast when I unexpectedly find Caspian leaning against the wall across from my room. He's dressed more casual than usual, which I always like because it seems like his normal self and more like the guy I grew up with. Today, he's wearing a light white tunic, tan riding pants, and his usual dark riding boots. He reaches across the hall and pulls me close, giving me a kiss that takes my breath away. Pulling back, he quickly and quietly asks, "Do you trust me?"

I smile and reply confidently, "Of course I do."

"Then follow me," he answers in return, taking my hand and leading me down the hallway.

He leads me through the castle, using mainly unused and quiet corridors, some that I've never even seen before. After several minutes of winding quietly through the castle, we come through one final set of doors, which open into a small courtyard. There, the Professor is standing with Caspian's horse, Destrier. I notice a bag of equipment behind the saddle. He must be taking me somewhere, I realize excitedly. Caspian walks over to the Professor and pats him on the shoulder.

"Is everything still okay here?"

"Yes. With any luck, they won't even know you're gone. I can keep everyone distracted long enough. Go my Prince, enjoy your day!"

"Thank you Professor!"

With that, Caspian mounts Destrier and reaches down to help me up. I get up and hold onto him tightly, arms wrapped around his torso. We ride off, using some kind of hidden side path away from the castle that I've never seen before. When we finally get far enough away, I ask, "Are you going to tell me where you're taking me, my dear Prince?"

"I'm kidnapping you for the day. I hope you don't mind…"

"I suppose I can put up with you for a whole day," I say, kissing the back of his neck.

"Well good. I wouldn't want my lady to be unhappy, now would I?"

"Oh most definitely not!" I reply, hugging him closer as we pass into the tree line.

We spend about an hour more in comfortable silence, briefly speaking here and there. I've never been to this part of the forest. It must be safe, or else Caspian would never have brought me here, especially without any guards. Suddenly, we begin to hear the light trickle of moving water, like a small stream. Wherever it is, we are moving towards it, and we are also getting closer to an open area up ahead.

Finally, through the trees, we can see a small cottage in the clearing. The source of the water is there as well: a small stream which feed into a fairly large lake a few hundred feet from the cottage. We dismount from the saddle, and then Caspian ties Destrier to one of the trees with enough slack that he can eat the tall grass.

"Why don't you go have a take a look inside while I get the bags and get him water," Caspian says, handing me a small key.

I walk to the grey stone cottage and opened the door. It's fairly small, only having one main room. There is a kitchen, including an open fire pit for cooking, and a large wooden table with benches. Then on the other side of the room, there is a large oak four poster bed and some other various pieces of furniture. It is sparsely decorated compared to our castle, but I love it because it is cozy and warm. The room feels bigger than it actually is because of several large windows looking out onto the lake. I've never been to a more peaceful place. Even though I love the castle, it is relentlessly bustling with some sort of activity in most rooms throughout the day. Here, all I can hear is the stream, the wind grazing the leaves of the trees, and the chirping of several breeds of Narnian birds. I look around the room again, wondering why Caspian brought me here. I look over at the bed and start to get a bit nervous. Are we going to spend the night?

At that moment, Caspian walks in and leans on the door frame. I think he senses my trepidation. He nods at the bed, "Don't worry. We're not spending the night here. I just thought we could use a quick getaway for the day. I know that we still don't get enough alone time together at home, much less anywhere else. The court never would have allowed me to come without guards, so I had Dr. Cornelius bring a squad out this way yesterday to check the area. And most importantly, he promised to keep it a secret. I know I didn't give you a lot of notice, so I hope its ok…"

"It's absolutely perfect. Thank you. We did need this. So, what are we going to do today? You're not just going to have me cook all day in here, are you?" I ask, teasing him.

Caspian chuckles, "Well, we did have a good time cooking together last time…but no. I thought we could go for a swim on such a beautiful day."

It's true. The day is warm, with very few clouds in the sky. And since it's the beginning of September, the water should still be warm at least for a little longer this year. But I didn't bring clothes. Caspian once again notices my slight distress. "Don't worry. I planned for that too. I brought us both some clothes to swim in, and towels. And we have a picnic lunch as well."

I nod happily. I like this plan. "So are you a mind reader now, or am I just that predictable?" I ask, referring to him answering the questions I didn't even have to ask just now.

"You're pretty predictable, my love." He walks over, grasping under my chin with one of his hands. "Your face tends to show what you're thinking. It's one of many things that I like about you." He crushes his lips against mine. We haven't been by ourselves like this in a long time, completely free to do what we want. He pulls back before we get too heated.

Now that we are both in on the plan, I collect my conservative Narnian swimwear that he packed for me: shorts and the top like a sleeveless t-shirt, both made out of lightweight material made for swimming. Then, I change in the house. When I'm done, I walk outside, finding that Caspian must have changed outside behind the house. I simultaneously smile and blush a little when I notice a shirtless Caspian waiting for me in the yard. I'm thankful that he's facing away from me so he doesn't see my reaction. It's a funny reaction though, because of the countless times that I've seen him shirtless while we grew up. But now, it's different because of the way our relationship has changed. And it doesn't help that he has definitely gotten stronger recently, as his back and shoulders are clearly built and defined more than they were before. I also love the two little dimples on his lower back just above the waistline of his swimming shorts. I suddenly hope the water is cold….

He finally hears me approaching and turns to speak over his shoulder. "You ready?" he asks. I just nod in return, noticing him smirk as I pass him to go to the wooden dock at the water's edge, which extends into deeper water. Since I'm in front of him, he takes the opportunity to scoop me up bridal style into his arms. I playfully scream, "Caspian! Let me down this instant!" We can't stop laughing and know how this is going to end anyway. Of course he doesn't listen, and he jumps, sending us both in at the same time. We both quickly rise to the surface, laughing and sputtering. I splash him, since that's the only way I can get him back.

We splash and play around for a while, until he decides to chase me to a cluster of boulders nearby. I have the brilliant idea of climbing up onto one to escape, as the water is only waist deep, but they end up being too tall and round for me to get any leverage. I immediately turn around to try to escape another way, but he is already within a few feet of me, ready to strike. He rushes at me and easily entraps me in his arms. "Gotcha," he says. I wrap both of my arms around his neck in defeat. We waste no time meeting our lips in another kiss. Caspian already has his hands around my waist, and I decide to be a little bolder than usual. Not breaking our heated kiss, I quickly kick my legs up and wrap them around his waist. He backs up a little to get into slightly deeper water, so he can hold me easier. We're normally almost the same height, so in this position, I'm actually a little above him, providing me with more control. The combination of thrilling sensations is intoxicating. The feeling of his wet lips moving and sliding against my own is exhilarating. It doesn't take us too long to get out of breath, so I pull back for a minute. I leave one arm around his neck and brush the hair out of his face with my other hand. He just stares at my face, but with that one look, I've never felt more wanted. In that moment, I know that I would rather be here with him than anywhere else, although I've been getting that feeling a lot lately. I take my free hand and thread it into his dripping wet hair on the back of his head. I smile, realizing it feels even softer than normal. It must feel good to him, because he shudders for a moment, and then closes his eyes. He licks his lips, and just like that, I'm on fire again. I smash my lips against his with even more urgency this time. Acting on instinct, I press my body up closer to his. Even with my swimming shirt on, it still feels amazing to be pressed up against his toned chest. Suddenly, I feel his tongue licking along my lips, so I part them, allowing him entrance into my mouth. Our tongues duel as we taste and feel each other with our mouths. After a minute, I pull away again panting.

"I love you," he says quietly. "But I won't be able to stop if we keep going." He looks a little guilty, but he shouldn't. I'm the one spurring us on. I press one more passionate kiss against his lips, and then carefully lower myself down from his body. Then I submerge myself back in the water, splashing him one final time and swim back towards the dock, with him following right behind me. We get back on land, and I get excited when he points out a wide hammock slung between two trees. He drapes our towels on the hammock and lowers himself onto it first. Then he gestures for me to come and join. I tuck myself in under his arm and rest my head against his shoulder. There is just enough of a warm breeze to keep us warm while we dry off. Usually I can't fall asleep outside, but I'm so comfortable that I drift off for a while. I wake up to a soft pair of lips pressing gently against my own. I kiss him back, completely content in yet another peaceful moment.

"We need to go soon, or else we won't be back until after nightfall," he says softly.

"I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with you forever."

"I wish the same, my love."

I sit up, but can't bring myself to get up yet. I look down, admiring his chest, and I can't help but run my hand over it. His skin is so soft but I can feel the hardened muscles under my fingertips. My hands run down to his abdomen, and then he sits up. He holds my hand with his own but keeps it resting on his skin.

"You are quite the temptress."

"I can't help it. I get so little time with you, so you're extra tempting now that we're alone. And you don't have a shirt on…"

"Oh, I get it. Believe me, I can't wait to marry you and get you alone. You think its good now, but just you wait," he says with an air of confidence.

"I'll make sure to hold you to your promise," I say.

He nods then presses several kisses against my lips. I wrap my arms around him, feeling his strong back. Then I press on his chest a little and he lies back down on his back on the hammock. I know I probably shouldn't push our luck, but I can't fight the temptation to kiss him in places I haven't before. I start along his jaw line and hold on to the sides of his waist as I kiss down the planes of his stomach. He moans and I can feel the vibration under my lips. I get to the top of his belly button, and then start a trail of wet open mouthed kisses on the way back up. When I'm finally up by his face again, he sits up and our lips meet again, mouths open and exploring. I'm completely surrounded by the taste and smell of my Caspian as we get lost in each other. It starts to be too much, so we both pull away, resting our foreheads together while we regain our composure. We always have to stop around the same time, or we know we'll get too carried away. I know that we probably aren't as cautious as we should be, because when we are alone, we can barely control our lust for each other. Thankfully, we're both determined to wait, or it would be even more of a challenge. It's just that everything that happens with him feels right. We really do seem to be made for each other.

"I think that was a good preview for the both of us," he says, in light of his comment earlier, which makes me laugh.

"I think so. But I guess we really should go."

We get off the hammock and I go in the cottage, changing back into my regular clothes while he changes again around the back. The ride back to the castle is peaceful and beautiful. There are barely any clouds in the sky, and hardly any wind. The world is still and serene. I'm not really excited to get back to the castle, but I know we can't escape forever. Caspian drops me off in the small courtyard that we left from, and then he takes Destrier back to the stables. We're both starving, so we decide to meet right back up in the kitchen. I get there first, and have Ty start our dinner for us. When Caspian enters, we go into the dining hall and sit across from each other like we always do. Caspian holds out his hands on the table, and I reach out and hold them. I look over his face, which is now just a little pink from the prolonged exposure to the sun today. I know that mine must look the same. I feel so refreshed after today and am pleasantly relaxed after spending the day in the water and the sun. Being deeply in love doesn't hurt either.

"Thank you for today. That was the best day that I've had in a while," I tell him.

"Me too. I'm glad we got to spend all day together."

We're smiling like idiots when Ty brings our food in. I think she is beginning to suspect that there's something different with us.

"Well you look like you had a good day," she says.

Caspian looks up at her happily as she puts a plate in front of him. "We did, actually. We spent all day together. And I'm going to tell you something that not many people know: we're in love."

I look at him, shocked that he just told her. I'm fine with it, because in a lot of ways, I want people to know so we don't have to keep sneaking around all the time. I just didn't know he was ready yet. Ty's reaction is priceless. A huge grin spreads onto her face and she looks back and forth between Caspian and me.

"Did you say what I think you just said?" She asks excitedly.

"I believe so."

She rests her hand on Caspian's shoulder, looking happily at him. "That's the best news that I've heard in a very long time, my Prince. I'm very happy for you both."

"Thank you. Now can you do me a favor and ask Dr. Cornelius if he can meet me here as soon as possible?"

"Of course I can," she says, and then leaves the room.

Caspian starts eating while I watch him, not touching my plate yet. He finally looks up at me.

"We're going to tell everyone?" I ask with happiness evident on my face.

"Yes, if you're ok with it. I don't want to have to keep it a secret any longer."

"Me neither."

When Dr. Cornelius comes in towards the end of our meal, Caspian gives him permission to tell the news of our relationship to the council. The moment feels right to the both of us.

Caspian walks me back to my room. I stand in front of the door and try to open it, but he places one of his hands against it so I can't open it. I turn around and lean my back up against the door. He puts his other hand on the other side of me on the door, so now I'm trapped between his arms.

"So. Everyone will know now," he says.

"Mmhhmm. At least tomorrow they will. We'll be the talk of the town."

He steps in just a little closer. "I don't care about that. I'm just glad that I can finally do this…" He says, pressing a kiss against my neck. "And this…" His lips kiss on the other side of my neck. "And this…" He kisses me passionately against my lips several times. "…Whenever I want." He then lowers his head to where his lips are as close to mine as they can be without actually touching. "I hope you're ready for that," he says, then he drops his arms and walks away, leaving me dumbfounded and desperate for more.

A/N: I hoped you liked this one! It was fun to write. The idea actually came from some recent glorious pictures of our favorite Ben Barnes, wet, with a white (see through) t-shirt. I think my jaw dropped the first time I saw them lol! If you're on Instagram (or haven't seen the pics), find user/photographer "lesaamoore" to see them. You won't be disappointed, I promise ;)