Chapter Thirteen: The Boundless Eastern Ocean.

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~ Narnia ~

After two days good sailing from the Lone Islands, everyone got back into their routines. Those that had just arrived on shipboard, (Edmund, Serene, Lucy, Eustace, and Adonijah) soon got into the demanding, yet, laid-back lifestyle of being at sea. On the evening of the second day, the wind was fair, and the waves calm, so, as on most ships, sailors finished their tasks, and all those who weren't on watch or sleeping for their watch-duty yet to come, sat above deck, ready to sing shanties, or tell tall tales and fancy yarns of life and love at sea.

Arran leaned back against the mast, a faint smile on his face, his hand lightly on his hilt, blue eyes dimly reflecting the Star's fiery magic within. Drinian stood at the helm, but he was not so far away from the merry group as to be excluded. Lucy was sitting cross-legged near the sailors, Edmund leaned against the rail with Serene, behind his sister. Susan and Caspian were also nearby, Susan holding a tired Rilian in her lap.

Gavan and Zephyr watched from their place on the stairs, not far away, but not close either, their keen hearing and eyesight making it easier for them to stay apart of the group and yet at a distance that was comfortable to them. The lamplight flickered cheerily on the faces of all those gathered 'round, waiting for whatever was to come. Eustace was hanging back in the shadows, sitting on a barrel, but still there all the same.

After a time, one of the older sailors, who was busy weaving some hemp into rope, looked up to make sure all who were going to come or could come were present. Doing so, he then began to talk.

"Well, be it a song or a tale first mates?" He said, his voice soft, but swaying up and down to the rise and fall of the waves against the ship's sides.

"I know of a song, I know of some tales too. But I also have a yernin' for Captain Arran to tell some stories, for I know he knows mor'n many." Another sailor called out from the rigging where he was hanging easily from it.

"Well what say ye, Captain Arran?" The sailor, Wiverne, who had first spoken, looked to Arran, his question mostly in his gaze.

"I would rather not, I know nothing more than the common seaman." Arran protested easily enough. But the sailor from the rigging spoke again.

"I know you're bluffing, friend from the sea, because my father, an' his father before him, an' so on, have told tale of a blonde pirate with manners as gracious as a King's and mercy nearly as great as Aslan's himself."

"Really, your father and ancestors told tale of me? I am not much older than your king here, how can this be so?" Arran tried once more to bluff his way out, not realizing how much this sailor truly knew.

"More as goin' on two hundred and somthin' years. You know tis true, I can tell by your face." The sailor replied, his tone not cruel, but easy with truth and knowledge.

Arran frowned, looking out to sea thoughtfully. "Very well, tis true. I shall tell a tale, as long as you listen well, for I have seen and forgotten more than any man here will ever learn in a hundred lifetimes." Arran's voice took on a new quality to it, a harsh, but yet graceful tone, as he spoke.

"Look well to a man who binds a promise with a handshake, for they are the betrayers of men. Once, many years ago, there was a young lad, not much older than you, Eustace, who signed on to a merchant vessel bound for Gandon. He seemed young, but he was far wiser to the world and the ocean than he let on. He was a fair worker, and did his share, as well as helping others where help was needed. He was not to realize that his kindness, and trusting nature was to be betrayed by the very man he called his friend."

Arran paused, taking a heavy breath, he continued. Caspian and Drinian knew that this tale was about him, and he was explaining, in the most impersonal way he could, why he went by a man's word, and not by a handshake.

"He sailed with the crew for some time, melding into the lifestyle of merchant sailor with ease. But he was not prepared for the unwelcome reception to his magic, for he was the son of a Star, and these sailors greatly feared magic, or anything of it's like. He thought to first confide in his friend, for the man promised to keep his head, and sealed that same promise with a handshake."

"But he was a liar, and he lied as if it was a common thing. He betrayed me, ruining any chance I might have ever had of showing those men that I was not a thing to be feared. As soon as Gandon was reached, I was tossed off like so much merchandise, though less kindly."

"Not long after, a Captain took me in and showed me the ways of a trade you all know well. I learnt from him that a man's word is far more valuable than anything they could offer, because, even a liar values his word. Once that reputation of a faithful promise is gone, how could one ever make a decent living?" Arran leaned back heavily against the mast as he finished, clearly still angry at what had happened so many years ago.

But the sailors nodded, looking at one another after listening to the story. Many tales, even the ones that were fake in origin, had a truth that rang in them, and were to be heeded.

"Should we have some dancing and song now?" Asked another sailor from his place against the rail. A rousing cheer went up, and several sailors removed some small flutes or other instruments from the folds of their vests and shirts.

"The Roaming Lover!" Another sailor suggested. Serene turned alertly toward the man, looking surprised. She did not know her song for Edmund had become a shanty sung by sailors. She moved slightly away from the rail as the sailors started the song, but before they could even say the first word of it, she was singing.

"Far away you wish to roam,

In a place that none should call home.

But still, you wish to wander, my love.

Nor sea nor sky, nor the heavens above,

could cease this endless, boundless wandering soul,

For this craving of adventure, it makes you whole.

Edmund started when she began singing, but smiled when he realized he still knew the words. "Can you still dance it too?" He whispered, coming to stand next to her. She nodded and in reply slowly twirled around him.

"To let you go, is an endless ache,

But you are free, and belong of the wind, the sky, the sea.

I bid you go, but you must always know,

My roaming lover, this heart of mine is yours

Shores cannot bind, nor mountains cease,

my everlasting love for you that runs so deep."

He smiled, dancing with her, this was almost like it had been. She smiled back.

"Wind, rain, and desert sands,

Grass, mountains, faraway lands

Brine, foam, the storm toss'd sea,

After a time, you shall come back to me.

Wherever you hither, wherever you roam

I know to me you will come home.

Though your ship be lost, the snows blow hard,

My love for you shall be thy guard."

She reached the end of the rendition, the sailor's flutes echoing the last forlorn notes. Edmund brought her close, bringing the dance to an end. "That was very good, I did not think you would remember." He whispered.

"I would not forget my love. Forever and into eternity." She replied.

The audience watching them clapped. The sailors who had been playing nodded to her when she looked over at them. "You played a fine tune." She thanked them. Caspian and Susan remembered the end of the song from when they had met her on the mountains in Narnia. They did not know there had been more to it.

"Let's have another song, and see if the Enchantress or the King knows it too!" Several sailors cheered, causing Serene to blush and Edmund to shake his head. But still, they insisted and another song was produced, though, this one was far more lively in tune. As a few sailors started to dance to the spirited tune, Gavan and Zephyr surprisingly walked around the group, Zephyr standing next to his brother, and Gavan dancing with several other sailors, both young men grinning as if they knew a great secret.

"On the fourteenth of Snowbrice we sailed from land

In the bold Princess Royal bound for the mainland

We had forty bright seamen in our ship's company

So boldly from the Eastward to the Westward bore we

We had not been sailing scarce two days or three

When a man from our topmast a sail he did see

Come bearing down on us to see where we bore

And under her mizzen black colors she wore.

Lucy was whisked off her feet by Gavan and into the dance. She laughingly joined, but soon was out of breath, unaccustomed to dancing in such a manner. Arran, who had watched the dancing and singing previously without a single expression on his face, now smiled slightly to himself.

'By the Lion' cried our captain what shall we do now

Here comes a bold pirate to rob us I know

'Oh no' cried our chief mate that shall not be so

We will shake out our reef and away from him we'll go

It was the next morning at the dawning of the day

This pirate shot under our lee-way

Gavan and Zephyr glanced over at Arran slyly every now and then, as if they were waiting for his reaction to the song. They even tried to get him to dance a time or two, Drinian noted, but the pirate captain refused with a wave of his hand.

'Whence came you' cried the pirate, and we answered him so

'We are out of fair Gandon bound for Jessapoe'

'Then back your main topsails and heave your ship to

For I've a letter to send down to you'

'If I back my topsail and heave my ship to

It will be for some Lord and not 'longside you'

When the third verse was finished, Arran laughed aloud, shaking his head in clear amusement. Which caused Drinian to smile slightly, wondering what was so funny.

He chased us to the Eastward all that livelong day

He chased us to the Westward but he couldn't make way

He chased after us, but did not prevail

And the bold Princess Royal soon showed him her tail

'Oh now' cried our captain 'the pirate is gone'

Go down for your grog boys go down every one

Go down for your grog boys and be of good cheer

For while we've got sea room, bold lads never fear!"

The musicians played on for the dancers, but the tune was much slower now that there was no more verse to go along with it. Arran laughed once more, before saying, loud enough for all to hear, "I swear I was only going to give him a letter, and The Princess Royal did not escape me, her new name is The Sea Serpent!" He contradicted the shanty with eyes sparkling from laughter.

"It's true, my brother is the pirate in the song!" Gavan grinned, throwing his arm around his brother's shoulders.

"Whose ship was the Princess Royal anyway? I always thought she was made up, I never hear of her unless'n it be in this song." A cabin boy spoke up from where he was now perched on the rail, out of breath from dancing.

"A ship from the Islands, long before your time!" Arran replied, still laughing.

"Let's have another story, just until we all get a second wind, anyways." A sailor, one of the musicians, said breathlessly.

"Who's a stranger yet to speak? We've heard from the pirate captain, we've sung a song for the Just King and his Lady, who is still to go?" Wiverne called out, looking around the gathered group.

"Well, why not I? I suppose I don't know as many tales as you men do, but I've a story or two." Rhince spoke up.

"What sort of stories?" Wiverne queried.

"Mermaids, magic and the world's end, a tale my father and his before him passed down through the generations." Rhince replied. The deck quieted as he began to speak.

"Hundreds of years ago, when the ocean had been more wild and mysterious than we could ever imagine, a young man dared to search out the ends of the world, to see what lay beyond the farthest reaches, to find what all others truly hope to find. Aslan's Country."

"He readied a ship, bid goodbye to his family and friends, and set out with his crew of twenty men who dared defy all odds. In searching for the reach between worlds, a towering wave with no end nor a beginning, he listened to any yarn and every yarn, but no man had advice enough to quench his desire to know what lay beyond."

"After seventy-five days at sea, without sight of land or another ship, he began to grow doubtful, thinking his was nothing but a foolish fancy. But then, as if by The Lion's doing himself, the lookout shouted "Land Ho!" and surely as we are all standing here, land it was."

"But a strange and unwelcoming land, the mystic island of the Fae. Where magic knew no bounds, and death was disguised as a charming lass. It was beautiful, this land, but it was no easy place to rest. Mists that rose in all manner of color, whispering devilish things, and enticing adventures that met a man only in death."

"He and his men decided to explore, believing that they could defy the odds with their wit and knowledge. as they walked the shores, they soon came to a dark water passage through the island. Returning to their ship, they decided to sail straight through to the other side, as they were less than halfway in, a gentle sigh, like a singer just finishing her song, was heard echoing across the bow."

"Then, an apparition, stood before them, beckoning with pale hands. Her long, flaming red hair tumbled about her shoulders, seaweed tying it back. A blue and green silk dress, as billowing and soft as the ocean to their backs she wore. Walking to the rail, down into the water she pointed, with the simple, haunting words, "Heed, Look, Learn, from their Greed" she faded into the coming mist."

"All the men rushed to the edge and stared down. Thousands of wrecks, unnoticed before, were they passing over. As they sailed further into the passage, tall masts could be seen rising up from the depths. In the dim light, a figure was distinguished, perching on the yard. As they drew closed, the mermaid's long shimmering tail could be easily recognized."

"All the men pulled back from the railing, fearing for their souls. For all wise sailors know that a mer lass's greatest fancy is to drag a man to the depths and hold his soul in ransom forever. With a silvery splash, she vanished. Some saw her come closer to the ship. She called our young lad by name, and something urged him to answer."

"He asked her what she wanted, and she said that for every life lived, there is a price that must be paid. She wondered as to what he would be willing to give, so as he and his men might leave Death's Passage safely. What is there to choose from? He asked."

"Oh, many things, she answered. While they conversed, his men became wary, thinking he was becoming bewitched by the creature of the sea. Tell me one, he demanded. If they wished to live and tell this tale, they must steal the Sapphire of Edantura, she replied. Tis an easy task, he mocked. Nay, not so easy as you might think, for this gem is kept somewhere in the heart of Divandandia, she answered. That was the name of the Fae island they had discovered."

Everyone waited, spellbound, for Rhince to continue. But he simply stopped, looked around at all the expectant faces and said with a smile; "If we have fair weather again tomorrow's eve, than perhaps I will finish, for now though, should we not have more songs and dancing?"

Some, including Eustace, sighed when he spoke. But everyone agreed that the best stories are better when they are told in bits and pieces, than all in one night. After several more songs, the group soon tiredly departed. Susan with a sleeping Rilian to care for, and the sailors knowing that the sun rises early on the high sea.

Edmund was following after Serene and Eustace, when something made him turn back to the deck. Gavan and Zephyr were still there, unmoving from where they had been standing since the dancing and singing. Momentarily he wondered as to Stars and their nature, what they were like. He shook his head to clear the thoughts and walked down the steps to bed.

"I know you can hear it to." Zephyr said suddenly.

"What?" Gavan queried, slightly confused.

"The sky, her calling is getting louder every night we stay away. If it gets any worse I'm going to have to tell Caspian I'll be going away for a few days." Zephyr elaborated for his brother.

"I know what you mean." Gavan replied.

"I wonder though, if we do go and come back, how will we be able to continue this journey with her?" Zephyr glanced at his brother as he spoke.

"I ponder that question as well. Tonight I swear hers was the only call I heard." Gavan whispered.

"Well, keep your mind and don't answer it, no matter how enticing it may be." Zephyr said, starting to walk off.

"You're right, but how long can I ignore it when she continually seeks me out to talk to?" Gavan muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, you might have greater success if you didn't ask her to dance for one, or stay around to talk or let her talk to you for another." Zephyr replied, pausing in going below deck when he heard what his brother said.

Gavan scowled in response as Zephyr disappeared from view, before looking towards the bow when he heard a low cry of pain.

~|X:o0o:X|~

Lucy sat down on a crate as things started to calm down, in preparation for the dancing and tales that were to be told. When the sailor asked captain Arran to tell a story, Lucy was surprised by his stubborn refusal. Surely it wasn't so hard to tell a story, or to make up one, sailors in her time had always been filled with more stories than she could ever comprehend.

She was startled when the sailor denied Arran's age and mentioned something about two hundred years old. Even though the idea was astounding, it was plausible. Tumnus had, after all, been over a hundred when she'd first met him, and he was "still young", if she used the faun's own words. Besides that, Arran and his brothers were Stars, and stars never died, they were always there in the sky, so there was most likely a great deal of truth in the sailor's words.

It was not until Arran neared the end of his story that Lucy realized it was about him. She felt sorry for his bad experience with the Narnian merchants, but knew that no one's life was ever perfect or unscarred. Arran's story was taken with a great deal of weight, she also observed, as many of the sailors nodded when he finished and resumed his laid-back stance against the mast once more.

Lucy watched Edmund and Serene dance, amazed that Edmund was actually dancing. He usually was a watcher, never liking to be the center of attention. They, all too soon for her, finished their dance, which was some sort of promise between the two, and hadn't always been a shanty sung by sailors, from the way they danced to it obviously.

She laughed when it was suggested another song be sung to see if Edmund, Serene or perhaps both, new the words and dance steps to it. She looked around at everyone, smiling at Edmund and Serene standing next to one another, Arran, his brothers joining him as the first few bars of the music began, and Caspian, Susan and Rilian. They looked very content, and that made Lucy happy, seeing that. She only wished Peter were here, and Amalia as well, then, finally, would this group be complete.

She was not expecting Gavan to pull her to her feet and make her dance as well. "Why are you doing this?" She asked with a smile, breathlessly trying to keep up as he led her through the first, surprisingly intricate, steps of the dance.

"Because, I know how fine a dancer the Valiant Queen is!" He laughed.

"I am utterly lost in this though." She replied ruefully, as he twisted her around sharply, before letting go of her hand.

"Well, you're doing fine for a beginner." He returned, though not long after he noticed she was out of breath from dancing, so he led her back to where she had been sitting.

"It simply takes some getting used to." He said, moving off between the dancers to go help Zephyr entice their brother into the dancing circle, though, Lucy was sure they would have no luck in the matter. She was right. Arran laughed at whatever Gavan said, and pushed his brother back into the dancers.

She listened eagerly as Rhince began his tale, wondering if any of it were possibly true. The idea that it could be, that was fascinating! She smiled to herself when she notice Eustace listening and looking interested as well. He would come around, she was sure of it!

The story came to a pause far too soon in her opinion, but it was late, and everyone looked tired, well, excluding the Stars and herself. Something about Narnian stories always excited her and made her think of many things. She decided to go sit in the bow for awhile, hoping to soon tire enough to sleep.

As she stood there, looking up at the night sky, she decided that she might as well do something to occupy her hands. So, taking out her dagger, and reaching into a bucket of cloths nearby, she began cleaning the blade.

Lucy gasped when the wind suddenly picked up, pushing her off balance. She let go of her dagger to keep from falling over the rail, but quickly grabbed for it, forgetting about the sharpness of the blade. She let out a low cry of surprise and pain when she saw the red line emerge on her palm. The blood slowly trailed down her wrist, but she wiped it off with the rag she held.

"Do you need some help with that?" a male voice asked from behind her, causing her to turn in surprise. Gavan smiled and nodded at her hand.

"Oh, I suppose. I can't believe my stupidity." She said, quickly explaining about what had happened to cause the injury.

"May I see your dagger?" He asked, holding out his hand. "Of course." She replied absently, looking to see if the blood flow had slowed from her slice. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gavan slice his own hand with her weapon. On purpose.

"Why did you do that?" She asked, looking at him in confusion.

"May I see your hand now?" He requested, ignoring her remark. She held it out, unsure about where he was going with all this. He took her injured hand in his injured hand and interlaced their fingers. She gasped slightly at the odd tingling feeling the seemed to course up her arm from her hand. He met her gaze and smiled.

"Don't worry, it'll pass. It's just my magic; it feels odd, doesn't it? You have no idea what it's like to feel yours."

"I - don't - have any magic." Lucy said, looking up at him in confusion.

"How do you think you got here? Why do you believe in this world and Aslan so strongly? It's because of your unique magic. And it is not weak, in fact, it rivals my own." Gavan explained.

"I think that should be enough now." He said several seconds later, slowly removing his hand. She stared at hers in shock, when she saw that the cut, and any traces of it, were gone.

"What about yours?" She asked, looking to his hand. He turned it palm up to show her that his self-inflicted wound was gone as well. "How?" She asked, meeting his gaze.

"I, like most of my people, can heal minor wounds and injuries, and sometimes, if we have enough magic, even fatal ones. But to use my magic would've taken longer on you, because of your mortality, than if I did it this way, so, I did it. My blood has, as I've said, strong magic coursing through it, so it healed you faster than if I had chanted a spell." Gavan explained, handing her dagger back.

Instead of leaving, he leaned against the rigging and stared up at the night sky. She watched him, curious. It caught her offguard when he looked over at her and smiled.

"You know, you have the most interesting wants. You want to know what it's like to be a Star, and you also want to see Aslan. But you almost never want the world you come from. It was only when Arran was near to dying that you wanted for something you called a 'hospital' that I understood what your world looks like, then the night of the ball when you wanted that manor in the country. Not to seem rude, but I hated it, and can see why you love it here."

"They're nothing, my thoughts. They're so petty and childish that I'd like it if you kept them to yourself." Lucy said in embarrassment.

"No, it's not your thoughts, it's your wants I can see. I can't read your mind like an enchantress or a witch; and I don't know everything you want. But I know a great deal of what you want. Including what you want most right now." He said with a bashful smile before looking down. She blushed.

"I could make that real someday. No magic involved." He added, moving as if to go.

"No, don't leave! I-I mean…." She trailed off, knowing how improper that sounded. He tilted his head slightly to one side and looked at her curiously, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "It is a very good thing you cannot see my wants." He whispered suddenly, reaching out and pushing a strand of her hair away from her face.

"Why?" She asked, realizing what it would mean if they was caught by someone. Susan would give her a lecture she would not forget and Edmund would do what he'd always done in situations like these in the Golden Age, though, those had all involved Susan, not her.

"I want to kiss you more than anything. I want to hold you. I want to whisper your name over and over until even the night sky echoes it. And that is something I just cannot allow myself to do."

"Why ever not?" She whispered, meeting his gaze.

"Because, you are a Queen. The silver blood of Stars runs through me. You are chosen by Aslan to lead. You are destined. I cannot, will not, interfere. Besides, to love a Star? It has to be the hardest thing in the world. To love something that is not bound by man's logic or time. I crave only one other thing besides Aslan, and that is my freedom. It calls and I cannot ignore it." Gavan whispered almost fiercely.

"Then you don't have to love me. I didn't ask that, did I? I won't love you either. I should know better than anyone not to cage or imprison a Narnian being. I - I want to take you up on your offer from moments ago." She said suddenly, knowing she wanted that at least.

"Fine. But I only promise you that, nothing more. And, try not to be swept away." He said softly, leaning closer to her. Before she could ask what he meant though, he kissed her. That was when she understood. It felt almost like a fire consumed her. Everything seemed to whisper; the stars above them, the wind passing around them. Calling the most beautiful song she had ever heard in her life. She understood what he meant; it seemed to call in a way that made you want to cry from the beauty.

He put his arms around her waist and drew her closer, placing her hands on his shoulders, deepening the kiss. She wondered if kissing someone from her world was anything compared to this feeling. Almost as soon as she thought it, he pulled back slightly. "No, kissing a mortal is nothing like this." He whispered. "I thought you couldn't read minds." She said breathlessly. "Oh, but I can't." He replied, kissing her again. She sighed when he finally pulled back; she did not like the idea of going back to standing alone, of his arms no longer being around her.

"See?" He asked in a low tone, looking into her eyes.

"What?" She asked, thinking of nothing but kissing him again.

"Every time any other man kisses you, you will think of this feeling. And it cannot be repeated by any mere mortal." He replied softly, his eyes filled with pain. He wanted her and he wanted his freedom. It was an impossible choice. He removed her arms, knowing that he had to leave before he kissed her again, before he answered the pleading in her eyes.

"Must you go? Please, why can't this be enough for this moment?" She called after him. He turned around sharply.

"I don't know how long I could keep doing that, before we go too far. I have never felt magic sing to mine the way yours does. It is hypnotizing, it was something that drew me to you the first day I saw you. It's almost as if it echoes my own. I know you felt it when I kissed you. The sky sang to you too, the wind whispered its spell. That was my magic. But yours, the beauty, the fire, the passion. You could bring the most powerful of sorcerers to their knees with the magic you hold. It's like the charm of a siren to me. I have to try so hard to ignore it." He whispered falteringly, once again taking her in his arms.

"Don't then. For now just don't. Stay here with me." She asked, looking up at him as she slid her arms back around his neck.

"As long as you wish." He replied, smiling slightly at the irony. She sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head on his chest. He gazed up at the sky, wondering how long before this either consumed him, or destroyed him.

{XXXXXXXXX}

Both were unaware that Caspian had been watching them. He had been unable to sleep, and so he thought that perhaps he needed some ocean air to clear his mind. He caught sight of them when she cried out, after grabbing her dagger. He had watched them with an open mind, until the young man kissed her. Then he started to walk down the stairs to the deck, bent on asking them just what they were thinking. A hand on his arm pulled him back. He turned sharply to face the person who had grabbed him.

Arran stared back silently, before dropping the king's arm. Clearly he wanted to say something, so Caspian walked back up to him. "Do not judge my brother. It is almost as hard for him to do as it is for you to watch angrily and helplessly. Luckily though, you have me. And with some of my exceptional, er, abilities, I will be able to explain." Arran waited for a reply.

"What can you tell me that is nothing better than he can?" Caspian declared in a sharp whisper.

"For one, Sire, to love a mortal and for a mortal to love a Star is not so easy as one might think. Unfortunately, unlike many Stars and half-Stars, we have not been actual 'stars' from a young age. We have been around mortals far too long. Durken fell in love with one, and since he wasn't a star before that, merely in name only, it was easy for him to ignore the offer. I became a Star, but after that, returned ever so often to earth to do some honest piracy. I fell in love. It is no easy thing." Arran paused to watch the two in the bow.

"To love a mortal, enough to give up the sky, enough to be able to forget the song that sings in your blood every night the sky turns dark and fills with stars, to forget freedom, is such a great thing. To fall in love with another Star, that has no difficulty to it, for you are of the same nature. But a human. To try to live on earth indefinitely, ignoring the call is the hardest thing. It will either kill you or you will learn to forget." Arran met Caspian's inquisitive gaze.

"Lucy is far different from any other mortal he's met. She is a Queen of Old. Yes, she is mortal, but she carries a magic so strong because of her belief, that at times it is hard for even me to ignore the enticing whisper of it. All magic has a call, Caspian. Some say love is a sort of magic, I agree," Here he paused before continuing.

"It calls and everything else is displaced by it. Position matters not, nor power, refinement, character, status, does not want to answer her call, but he does not know how to ignore it either. So, he will either learn to forget, or learn to stay. Funny thing is, though," Arran moved to go.

"What?" Caspian queried.

"He's right. She will never be the same after doing this with a Star. Any man who kisses her will make her remember this moment, no matter how she tries to forget. Azalea told me something like that too. She tried to let another man court her, when she thought that I was just like any common sailor. But every time, she thought of me. She hates me for it, but at the same time, she can't stop loving me." Arran's gaze traveled to Gavan and Lucy before drifting back to Caspian. Then he walked away.

Caspian was left alone watching them, with thoughts he did not know how to answer.

{XXXXXXXXX}

"You must stop; it is hard enough to stand here, so please, no more wanting things that cannot be." Gavan whispered, looking down at Lucy.

"What?" She asked, looking confused.

"If you want to kiss me again, just ask; don't think it, because I want to act on selfish impulse. And I cannot."

"You told me not to use the word 'think' or 'thought' and yet you are." Lucy accused.

"I know, but for some reason, I can see what you want, almost as if you were saying it, every single thing." He replied, brushing her hair back against the breeze.

"Then answer them. Don't wait for me to ask." She said softly.

"Fine." He said, kissing her again. After several seconds passed though, he pulled back, knowing he had to stop.

"I cannot keep doing this. But there is something about you that makes me want to try, to try to ignore everything and just think only of you. Pity this isn't the Golden Age. If it were, I would have nearly as much standing as a king or noble. But it isn't, so I mustn't dwell on that. Good evening, my queen." He nodded and moved to leave.

"Say my name, without any title. Say it." She asked, watching him.

"Good evening, Lucy." He looked at her as he spoke, before walking away. Now that he was gone, only did everything start to sink in. She sighed and leaned against the railing, staring up at the stars, her eyes shining with wonder. He said he wouldn't fall in love, but she might.

A/N:

Well, tell me what you think! This is part what I wrote over the week, part what I wrote before I even really started Shooting Stars. (most of the Gavan/Lucy part, I mean) I don't know what much there is to tell about this chapter, so I'll start with the basics:

The first song sung, the one Serene and Edmund danced to, well, the third verse was in Star~Crossed, I don't know if any of you remember that or not, so I'm mentioning it again. Those other two verses are the rest of the poem I mentioned in that chapter about "not being very Narnian" I changed most of the words to better fit Narnia, as I didn't want to take the time and write several new verses. I completely own that song, it is called "The Roamer". (already mentioned this in SC, but whatevs)

The second song is actually a real shanty, but I changed various words, such as February to "Snow Brice" and London to "Gandon" and Callao to "Jessapoe". (Gandon and Jessapoe are places in Narnia I created especially for my fanfics)

About Rhince's story, all I can really say is, Remember It! (for later chapters, of course) Divandandia is going to come up in the near Narnian future!

Now, about the Gavan/Lucy thing. So far, he's not talking about love, in that sense. He is merely talking of attraction. Lucy doesn't really know what love is, she's never been in a relationship before, so all this is new.

Love it/hate it, tell me about your opinions in a review, feedback please, if no one likes it {i.e. Thinks this is too soon, tell me, we'll talk and I might rewrite the chapter}

I don't know what else to say really, except, if you need me to clarify - on anything - I will PM you or get back to you in my next A/N.

Remember, this was written during a period of extreme "lack-of-inspiration-ness", so it might not be all that great!

I promise to eventually get to Serene! (next chapter, I swear!)

By the way, big - no HUGE - thanks, (and everything else!) to those authors and readers out there who were so kind as to spend time writing, sometimes over a hundred word reviews, to keep me going, and to help me get back into the spirit of things!

You guys, having readers like you means the world, and I want you to know that that sort of caring, is what would keep even the most derelict of authors charging ahead into new frontiers of writing! I was touched by that sort of caring, you made me realize once again, why I started writing in the first place.

Not to be popular, amazing, or cool, but to use my abilities for the best, and to not worry about the small things, because perhaps I've touched someone someway, and will never know it, but I have, and that idea is great. Thank you ya'll!

Now, if there is anything I missed, {explanations, punctuations, grammar, misspellings, plot-that-doesn't-make-sense, something that I failed to clarify on, etc...} Please tell me so I can fix/tell you about it in a PM/Author's Note.

Happy reading,

W.H.