The Sun Has Set On Us

Author's Note: Basically this is my first romp into the world of Narnia. This is my first piece that I have composed for myself in almost a year, so this writing is super rough. I will edit/revise it soon. Note Caspian has since passed away as the events of The Silver Chair have transpired, but Caspian never took a wife or had any children as he was unable to love anyone like he loved Lucy. Lucy is 17 and this happens on the same day as The Last Battle. Mostly canon compliant. This is also inspired a little by "Loose Ends" written by chinacabinet

The tumultuous winds took possession of Lucy's auburn locks and tossed them two and fro. Despite its wild nature, the gusts still had enough wherewithal to carry the distinct scent of the sea to any visitors who graced the sandy cusps of the English Channel. With the strong wind brought the reminder that it was currently a chilly day in mid November. The month was not the best to take a journey to the beach, but Lucy felt a peculiar pull to the sediment littered shore that merged with the choppy and grey waters. Edmund and Peter had accompanied Lucy on her impromptu excursion, but Edmund respectfully gave Lucy all of the time that she needed to herself. Peter cast several glances of concern and confusion at his youngest sister, but Edmund just shook his head gravelly with the promise of an explanation at a later time. Peter acquiesced with Edmund's silent directions and receded to where the beach met the road.

Both Lucy and Edmund has relayed the details of their final trip to Narnia to an overwhelmingly enthusiastic Peter, but Lucy was uncharacteristically silent during the exchange. Lucy's somber countenance did not elude her eldest brother as he questioned Edmund later when they were alone, and Edmund only said four words, "She fell in love." Caspian's name was never mentioned, but Peter didn't have to have the obvious stated. With Lucy's emotional and compassionate nature, combined with her ardent love of Narnia, it was not too much a stretch of the imagination that she would eventually fall in love with someone native to the magical country. Peter hadn't expected Caspian to be the object of her enthrallment, but he hadn't completely dismissed the idea. Peter then left the subject alone entirely and simply embraced his sister when the vacant look appeared in her once bright and innocent eyes. Love had changed Lucy, and not for the better Peter though.

It had been almost three years since the voyage of The Dawn Treader, and Lucy had almost regained her potent zest for life and adventure, but whenever the sea was mentioned, a vulnerable and forever injured part of her would retreat to a hidden place. Lucy hadn't the strength of heart or the fortitude to visit the water since her final visit to Narnia, but today was different. Something had awoken in her that was defined by its nostalgic and longing nature. The Pevensie brothers and Lucy were set to meet up with their fellow Friends of Narnia for supper later that day, it seemed the time was ripe for collective reminiscence. Immediately, Edmund had become aware of the shift in Lucy's demeanor, and quietly watched her behavior until some clue appeared to shed light on this unexpected change. Edmund had filled Peter in accordingly.

"I cannot put my finger on it exactly, but something about Lucy is different, a subtle yearning seems to have manifested itself in her eyes. I do not know what brought on this change, maybe our scheduled meeting with our fellow Friends of Narnia has reignited her passion for our second home. Lets not push her to speak about this change, in hopes that she will come to understand it herself soon enough."

Peter listened to Edmund with his full attention and also recalled that he had recognized the return of something truly special in Lucy's being: hope that she could overcome her pain of the past. The eldest Pevensie sibling was simply waiting for Lucy to declare an unscheduled adventure to channel her newfound passion.

"I agree Ed. Now might be the time for her to finally heal. Lucy may have it in her to not run away from her pain, but accept and move past it. I anticipate that not too long from now we will find ourselves in a surprising location."

Edmund's only response was a look of puzzlement.

Lucy had then appeared to inform them of her new plans.

"The beach. I want to go the beach." Lucy promptly spun on her heel to prepare for the day's activities when she called back, "No need to overanalyze Ed, I think this one is beyond even your skills of deduction."

Peter choked back a chuckle and turned his head to mask his amusement, and was met with a playful but still painful punch in the shoulder courtesy of Edmund.

Now they were here at the nippy coast of the English Channel, and the young men watched their sister with great interest. Only a few yards in front of them was their baby sister coming to a very important realization.

The salty tinge to the snappy aroma wafting from the temperamental currents brought back faint memories of the one person she had tried her hardest to forget, but never seemed to succeed. He had been at sea so long that his entire person morphed into that of almost a sea god, his hair whipped in time with the jostling waves no matter how much effort he spent tying it back. His voice could be as gentle as a sea breeze, or as demanding and awesome as a typhoon. And his demeanor as strong and steady as the glistening water that kept them afloat. The persistent strikes of the plentiful aquatic limbs reminded Lucy also of his unyielding personality and his firm dedication to always achieve his objective no matter the time it would take.

The title of Seafarer fit him perfectly. She couldn't have devised a better name name for him if she spent her entire life trying. He may have been born on land, but he was made for the sea. Standing on the precipice of the sea that could evoke so many emotions, his name finally came to her.

At first it was almost an inaudible whisper hidden in the windy currents, but it grew in volume until she had no choice but to verbalize it as well.

"Caspian." A sharp stabbing sensation emerged from her heart, and she fell to her knees. Her wool skirt leaving indentations in the yielding sand, and the skin of her knees registering the scratchy nature of her landing platform.

Peter made to rush towards Lucy, but Edmund blocked his path and held him back.

"Ed let me go. Lucy is hurting."

Edmund was resolute, Lucy needed to confront her demons and embrace her past.

"Pete, I know it is painful to watch, but just like you had to grieve and move on from Narnia, Lucy has to do the same for for Caspian. Being here is almost the ultimate expression of who Caspian was. This is the closest that Lucy will ever come to seeing, hearing, and feeling him again. She must do this."

Peter only shook his head for a moment as his overprotective drive went into overload, but his shoulders eventually sagged in surrender, and his face lost a little of its grave expression. As much as Peter always wanted to shield Lucy from pain, something just had to be felt, to move on, grow and eventually find true peace. He had gone through the same thing once he had returned to their world, and it took time to sink in that he would never go back. He experienced the same mourning that Lucy was feeling now, the dreadful feeling of loss and the sting of being directionless. Yes, it did hurt to see his sister suffer, but he couldn't interfere on her journey to finding what it meant to be whole again.

"You are right. The only thing we can do is be there for her when she comes back to us."

Lucy took some moments to catch her breath as she clutched the imaginary wound in her heart that had felt so real. Opening herself up to the well of emotion that was her lost love was excruciating, and she had to fight to not abandon this course of action, but just like he was dedicated to every cause, she had to be strong and make peace with herself. Once the gasps receded, Lucy pushed herself to a standing position and wiped the small rocks that had clung to her now scraped and irritated hands. It had been so long since she had held a sword, her hands had grown soft, and now it showed.

He…no Caspian had been the one to spar with her any time she felt it necessary to refine her technique. Not once did he refuse her, and never did his own excitement wane. Lucy allowed the rush that she used to feel when dueling him to propel her into a state of clarity. It was time to be strong like she had been back in Narnia. This felt harder than any war of battle that she had fought, and more draining than any peace treaty she had negotiate, but she knew

it would be worth it in the end.

She said his name, once, twice and then thrice.

"Caspian." His name danced from her lips once unwaveringly clenched to prevent this one word from escaping. She closed her eyes and let memories, both good and bad of her time with him, watching him and learning about him to wash over her now closed eyes.

When the flashbacks had ended, Lucy looked to the horizon and all she could see was open water. Endless possibilities like what she once saw when she looked at Caspian. This was her life now, and she had choice to live it, or remain forever stuck in the past. Lucy found herself leaning to the former, and permitted her recollections of Caspian to fuel her resolve. Everything here was Caspian, but everything that had been, was and will be was now Lucy. Just like you would never see the same ripple of energized water twice, and just like Aslan had instructed her in the futility of wishing for a repeat of the same situation, a duplicate, she would never see Caspian again.

Aslan had told Lucy that she had gleaned all she could from his world, and to look to him in his new name for comfort and courage. Like she had instructed her siblings to always keep faith in the Great Lion, now was the time to adhere to her own advice. Aslan had brought her and Caspian together for a time for some life changing and monumental reason, but he had also chosen to separate them as well. She just had to have faith that moving on, and accepting Caspian's absence would be what she was meant to do.

Lucy would no long shed tears of sorrow at her departure from Caspian's company, and the majestic nation that she had called home so many times, but instead grin because she was lucky enough to have experienced it at all.

She squared her shoulders, tied her hair back in the style that swung to the side and fell past her shoulder that she knew Caspian liked, and marched back to rejoin her brothers. The time for celebration was nigh, and she intended to take full advantage of her reunion with the other Friends of Narnia. The time for mourning was over, and she planned on entering into a Golden Age of her own.

Little did she know that the time would come shortly for her to meet Caspian once again, later on the very same day in fact. And she would be ready to be with him once again, not in the tragic ghost of a past life, but in the vibrant promise of a forever future. The Sun may have Set on Them, but it would always rise the next day.

Author's Note: I really want to do C.S. Lewis justice so I am going to work on improving my writing. LucyxCaspian is super unconventional, but one of my ultimate OTPs. Be on the lookout for my upcoming Lucian three-shot and an eventual multi-chapter. Love you guys, and I hope you enjoyed it, thanks for reading. :)

Reviews:

sweetsarahndipity chapter 1 . Jun 21

So beautiful and melancholy. I look forward to more Lucy and Caspian, they are one of my OTPs too!

Kaisy chapter 1 . Jun 15

Very sweet! I loved the description of the ocean. Beautiful.

Emily da great chapter 1 . Jun 14

I really tell in love with this fic. Cant wait for the next story of lucian