Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia. Deal with it.
Summary: What if Prince Caspian had taken a different route when he fled from Miraz that night? Combination of Book- and Movie-verse.

Chapter One

Caspian fled, his world narrowed to the horse beneath him, the soldiers behind him, and the pain of betrayal in his heart.

There were two things that all Telmarines feared: the sea and the woods. That fear had not stopped the soldiers from following him into the woods, where ghosts supposedly lived, but hopefully the fear of whatever demon lay over the sea would stop them from following him there.

With a desperate prayer that the demon would be too busy to notice him, Caspian turned his horse toward the sea, following the swift river. Hearing the soldiers turn their steeds in pursuit, the young prince hoped that he remembered his Geography lessons correctly.

Caspian's horse was swift, but so were those of his uncle's soldiers. They were gaining on Caspian, and unless by chance of a miracle, they would kill him. Professor Cornelius had said only to use the horn at greatest need, but if Caspian didn't do something now, he wouldn't live to have a 'greatest need'!

Caspian crouched over Destrier's neck, reaching for the horn at his belt as he urged the horse onward. Taking a deep breath, he lifted to horn to his lips and blew with all his might, just as Destrier stumbled, throwing him to the ground.

Perhaps some instinct in the horses recognized the sound of the magic horn, or perhaps it was just the sudden noise. Whatever the reason, they reared and shied away, giving Caspian time to scramble back onto his feet. Destrier was gone by then, however, and a flailing hoof knocked Caspian backward into the swift current.

He struggled to keep his head above the water, somehow keeping hold of Queen Susan's Horn. The rushing current was stronger than one boy, however, and a rock soon put an end to his struggles.

i

i

i

i

A/N: Several elements in this were taken from the book and the first (BBC) Prince Caspian movie. Also, since I've yet to find an exact account of how old the Pevensies are, I'm basing their ages on the book quote of Lucy going to Boarding School for the first time.

Nat