Don't you dare make me fall in love with you
Don't you dare enchant me with those eyes
If I fell through your skies,
There's no way you would catch me
There's a tear in my heart,
But your patch wouldn't match me
Being near you still adds to the size of my sighs,
There's still seismic events at hellos and goodbyes,
And I still need reminders of why it's unwise
To stare
So don't you dare
- Don't You Dare (Make Me Fall In Love With You) • Kaden MacKay
After being collected by Caspian, Harvey and James, accompanied by Lucy and Edmund, all walked into the Navigation Room. However, his focus was elsewhere.
Everything had happened so quickly, and finally he and Caspian were together. They were together, and Harvey was safe. Harvey was safe, but they didn't know about Alfie. They didn't know about Alfie, but James was finally back where he belonged.
It was taking a moment or two to sink in.
Lucy had stepped towards a golden plate on the wall. It was a lion, perfectly sculpted.
"Aslan." She smiled, fingers tracing the pattern.
Caspian smiled as he showed Edmund a large painting on another section of the wall. It depicted the day they left Narnia, that first time. Four people, dressed royally, upon horses, beside them, a panther.
Then, Caspian put his hands on James' shoulders and span him around to face another wall. His eyes opened, and quickly, he was in awe. There was a painting of a face he had been frightened to look at, one littered with scars, but he recognised it.
It was him.
"Do you like it?" Asked Caspian, almost tentatively. "I had it commissioned when you left."
James took the King's hand from his shoulder, and held it close to his chest. There was so much he could say, so much he could do, but due to his siblings, best friend, and the captain of the ship being there, he kept it short. "I love it."
Caspian kissed James' forehead, lightly brushing away the stray blonde hairs. "I am glad."
"Look!" Lucy's voice snapped them from their small moment as she looked to one of the cabinets. "Susan's bow and arrows."
When the Telmarine moved away from James, he was sad. It was selfish as he was grabbing Lucy's things for her, but he didn't want Caspian gone. "Lucy."
She turned to see the man holding a small chest with a blue velvet inside. Upon it, her gifts from Father Christmas. "My healing cordial and dagger!" Then, she stepped forwards, before shying away. "Oh. May I?"
"Of course." Smiled Caspian, handing her the box. "They're yours."
At that, Edmund stated, in awe. "Peter's sword."
"Yes. I looked after it as promised." The Telmarine moved over to the item, and picked it up, nonchalantly. "Here. Hold it if you wish."
"No, no." Edmund backed away, as if it were a sin to be so close to the item. James didn't understand it. Peter had never been that good of a King, and his decisions only ever ended with disaster. Disaster and excessive amounts of blue blood. "Peter gave it to you."
Caspian stepped away, putting the sword against the wall, and opening another cupboard. "I did save this for you, though." James watched as he threw a metal torch Edmund's way.
The King grimaced as he saw the item. "Thanks." He hit it a few times, and quickly, the light shone in his eyes.
"And for James..." Caspian didn't give the eldest Pevensie anything, but opened an entire cabinet. He revealed three items, all with black handles and silver blades. The first was a sword, the second was a scythe, and the third an axe. "Your three most infamous weapons."
In awe of Caspian's tenderness, James was lost for words. "Thank you." He grinned, words soft. "You've done so much."
"Caspian?" Questioned Edmund, something coming to him suddenly. "Why are we in here?"
The Telmarine King made his way over to a desk in the corner, with a board of faces behind him. Caspian took a map from behind him, and unravelled it, revealing what it contained to everyone in the room. Though, from the look on Harvey's face, he'd been told many times before.
He first pointed to the top left hand side of the map.
"Since you left us, the Giants of the North have surrendered unconditionally." Then, he gestured to the lower left. "And we defeated the Calormen Armies at the Great Desert." He looked up with a grin, biting his lip in glee. "There's peace across all of Narnia."
Edmund breathed out, disbelieving. "Peace?"
"In just three years." Furthered Caspian.
Solemnly, James whispered. "Three years is a long time."
"And has there been a change in your heart in those three years?" Lucy wondered, as a schoolgirl might.
Smiling, the black haired man shook his head, dark eyes shimmering as they shifted over to the blonde who was scanning the map. "No one could ever compare to your brother."
"Hang on." interrupted the younger brother. "So if there are no wars to fight, and no one's in trouble, then why are we here?"
"Don't say that." Shushed the elder. "I've never been happier to be back."
"It's a good question." Agreed Caspian as he managed to tear his eyes away from James. "I've been asking myself the same thing."
"You could be here to take me home." Harvey suggested, speaking for the first time since entering the room. "I'm rather sick of being on boats now."
"He hates boats- you should here how he complains." Chuckled Caspian, unaware of the corners of James' lips downturning slowly. He hadn't meant to look so upset... but he hadn't ever seen Caspian get along so well with someone else.
"There's too many journeys with boats!" Huffed Harvey, as a child would. "Boats! Why did it have to be another boat! Why not a nice walk?"
Changing the tone, Edmund asked, again. "Where are we sailing to?"
"Before I took the throne back from my uncle, he tried to kill my father's closest friends and most loyal supporters. The seven lords of Telmar." Caspian turned to face the board behind him where those faces happened to be. "They fled to the Lone Islands." With the open map, the Telmarine pointed to the islands. "No one's heard from them since."
Confused, Harvey queried. "You own the Lone Islands, don't you?"
"I don't own them." James said, disgusted at the idea of owning a place. He was not like that. "But, technically, I am their Emperor."
"So you think somethings happened to them?"
"Well, if it has, it's my duty to find out."
"Well, what's east of the lone islands?" Lucy wondered as she saw the clear space upon the map.
"Water." James deadpanned.
"Uncharted Waters." Corrected Drianian. "Things you could barely imagine. Tales of sea serpents and worse."
Edmund raised his eyebrows. "Sea serpents?"
"Don't you believe, Edmund?" James teased, knowing it would annoy his younger brother. Despite being close, James always knew just how to press all of Edmund's buttons. It was one of his favourite things to do.
"Alright, Captain." Caspian grinned, picking up a bright red apple and throwing it up in his hand and biting into it. "That's enough of your tall tales."
• - - •
1264
• - - •
Disclaimer!!!!
I don't own anything to do with the Narnia book series or film trilogy. These predominantly belong to C.S. Lewis. However, I do own James Pevensie, Alfie and Harvey Gallagher, and their respective alterations to the storyline.