The resounding clash of swords filled the cave, the two Kings of Narnia locked it a battle that should have never been theirs.

The younger King glared at his older counter-part, an almost feral growl rising in his throat.

The Telmarine King, for his credit, seemed undeterred by the open hostility being displayed by a man he considered family. Caspian unlocked his blade from Edmund's, intending to call a truce with the raven-haired King of Old.

When Edmund attacked full force however, all thoughts of said truce promptly left his mind in lieu of defensive tactics.

Unbeknownst to the feuding Kings, the last occupant of the cave was almost seething with anger, her annoyance at the two men's greed and pride simmering just beneath the surface of her honey-brown eyes.

Caspian made a particularly close swing at her brother's side and she fairly shook with fear when she caught sight of his blazing eyes.

Anger at her own reaction filled her.

She was Aslan's Dear One, a Lioness, and the Favored Queen of The Golden Age. She rode into battle along with her brothers, sang with the fauns, and danced with the dryads.

So why in the world, both this one and her home world, was she cowering like a child while the two most important men, both to Narnia and her, fought like greedy children?

After all, she wasn't called The Valiant Queen for nothing.

Standing up to her full height, Lucy withdrew her two blades, the short sword Caspian had given her and her dagger, and stepped neatly between the two Kings before they could exchange another blow.

Eyes burning with something fierce and unnamable, Lucy watched with a rather sick fascination as both men stilled when the cold steel made contact with their necks.

Caspian gaped at the blade at his throat, the eyes of the golden lion head at the hilt pinning him down with a cold gaze even as Lucy turn to glower at her brother.

This was not the sweet mannered Lucy he knew, but rather the Queen he had only heard of in his nanny's fairytales.

Never before had he really believed that the little girl he had met before he was king could really be the fabled fearless Queen. Now, seeing her like this, it was easy to believe that she had fought in wars.

Yes, this livid woman before him was Queen Lucy in her entirety, the truly Valiant Queen of old, one of Narnia's greatest rulers.

He was both awe-stuck and terrified.

He filched when she snapped her gaze back to his, eyes far too old for a girl of fifteen, and gulped past the blade still pressed unwaveringly against his throat.

When his eyes met with Edmund's, for he could stand the look hers for a second longer, it was almost as if the young in body King was seeing his sister for the first time in years.

Lucy almost laughed at how quickly her transition from sweet to deadly shut them up, but reined it in before the sound could bubble up from her tightly pressed lips; These two were due for a tongue lashing and she was going to see to it that they got it.

"Stop it!" The command was unnecessary; the Kings had long since stopped their attack, though she knew that the main, if only, reason for that was because she still had them a sword-point rather than any real want for peace.

Over her head, Caspian saw Edmund smirk.

However, it vanished as soon as Lucy turned to him, as if sensing his uncalled for glee. "Both of you."

With the reminder that he was just as much at fault as Caspian for the fight hanging in the air, Edmund looked at his boots, ears burning.

"Can't you see," she cried, trying to snap them out of whatever fog this cursed island had placed in their minds. "This place had tempted you! This is exactly what Coriakin warmed us about! Snap out of this now or so help me..."

Her hands flexed their grip on the handles, slim fingers loosening and then tightening around the polished wood and leather.

Lucy's threat hung unfinished in the air around the three monarchs.

"Put your swords away, boys, now is not the time for battle." Her tone still held the slightest hints of a growl, causing Caspian to suspect that she might be a lioness.

Edmund was the first to succumb to the command of the Valiant Queen, Caspian swiftly following, the sound of steel slipping into its leather casing rang loudly in the defining silence.

"Are you done fighting?" Lucy asked softly, half believing that they'd go at each other with their bare hands the second she moved.

The men were almost glad to her the bell-like sound of her voice return. Her eyes, however, still burned, something crackling just below the surface.

It was gone in a blink, her eyes going from cold and hard to warm and lively faster than Caspian had even seen.

She withdrew her own blades and pinned each man down with a small glare as she sheathed her weapons.

"Now, let's get out of here."

Both kings nodded and, with a boost from Caspian, Edmund climbed out of the cave, pulling Lucy up a moment later. Casting one last look at the small cursed pond, Caspian could still feel the crackle of something fierce and wonderful in the air.

Then, he too left the cave behind.