randomosity | For Caspian: The King is Dead?

For Caspian: The King is Dead?

The messenger had been clear: The flagship of Caspian X, King of Narnia, Emperor of the Lone Islands, had been sunk by the enemy.

There were no survivors.

Anne fell to pieces.

She barricaded herself in the library, knees tucked to her chest, fingers tearing at her dress. Anne had seen death before, God knows that in England death was a frequent visitor. But this place, this Narnia, it just seemed so surreal, like paradise. Death couldn't possibly have happened here, could it?

Evidently. Because the man she loved had drowned.

While the courtiers debated over who would take over stewardship of Narnia until a proper heir could be chosen, the kingdom prepared for a grieving ceremony. Anne attempted to get up a few times, but she just couldn't find the strength.

So she stayed in the library, buried her face against her knees and sobbed hysterically.

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"They do, no one's arguing that," Anne replied softly. "Your enemy is on the run, though our losses were heavy, we were victorious."

Anne leaned in then, her forehead resting against his. Her hand moved away, down to his shoulder.

"Your men are stronger than you give them credit for, Majesty. Have faith in them, as I have faith in you. They will protect Narnia in your absence," Anne laced her fingers with him. "They will fight through their pain until your strength has returned to you."

Pressing his forehead to hers helped keep him in place. Twining their fingers together helped settle his breathing a bit. Listening to her voice--finally, after all that time apart and all the pain that nearly stopped him from getting home--helped ease the last bit of his nerves.

"They're more than strong. But they-- should not be alone."

They should have a monarch to stand before them. They should have a leader to keep a straight spine and a fervent call to stand strong while their warriors kept the borders safe.

Anne took a moment to sit back a little, just to look at him more directly. She smiled softly to him, shaking her head a bit.

"Majesty, how could they be alone?" Anne tilted her head. "You're alive. You survived the sinking of a ship that no one else survived. They will know it soon enough if they do not know it already."

Anne paused, giving his hand the slightest squeeze, unsure if he had sustained any injuries there.

"You forget that I know you better than you think," Anne pointed out. "You may not be able to be with them physically now. But you are with them in spirit. All of your faith is in them regardless of whether you are there or here."

Anne tilted a brow at him. "Am I wrong?"

It had been clear from the first that Anne was a good queen. It had been obvious watching her with her husband, watching her with the courtiers; watching her even here, no longer a queen in rights but already finding where this new court needed holding up.

Where this new king, not hers in rights of marriage, needed holding up.

His eyes flickered between each of hers, brow furrowed and breath largely calm. "...no, Anne. You... you are not wrong."

Anne had always been perceptive and cunning. It's how she had become queen in the first place. She knew when a high-ranked adviser was trying to bend the will of a monarch for his benefit, and knew how to dispose of him without spilling even a drop of blood. In a small amount of time she had weeded out the poisons in the Tudor court. And for her efforts she was rewarded by a disloyal husband who plotted her execution.

Yet she had the good fortune to escape - with no small amount of thanks to Caspian's kindness.

Anne's fingers came down, fluttering across his forehead, stroking his hair with soft tenderness.

"Your men will fight for their king. They have a devotion I've not seen," Anne smiled. "They love you, Caspian. And so do I."

It was something he knew. It was something which had been proven a hundred times over--by his men, and now by the woman gently smoothing back his hair.

The clarity was coming back, finally, to his brow. The evenness of his breathing was now back in place properly. The shift of his hand brought his fingers, weakly, to smooth against her cheek.

"I love them. I love... this kingdom."

And he loved her. Hopefully, for all his voice was fading, she remembered that.

"I know you do," Anne smiled, leaning in slowly, softly pressing her lips to his temple before leaning back again. "It's what makes you a good king."

Her hand found itself at his chest, applying no pressure, simply regulating his heart rate to see how he was doing thus far. He seemed to be recovering quickly - that was a good sign.

"You should rest, it's not every day you come back from the dead, after all," Anne gave a little laugh. "Shall I leave you so you can have some peace?"

The press of her lips had his eyes drifting shut. She was right, after all; he needed to rest. He needed to sleep, to allow his body to recover, to get his mind back into fighting shape.

It didn't stop his fingers from searching for the fabric of her sleeve to keep her close to him.

"No. Stay. I'll... rest better with you... here, Anne."

Anne was momentarily surprised by his reply. She recovered though, and settled a bit, bringing her legs up to rest more comfortably on the bed beside him. Her head rested softly beside his. She could still feel the chill of the sea about him, and she draped her arm carefully across his chest.

"Then I'll stay. I'll always stay."

He didn't notice the moment of surprise. He did notice the sensation of her settling comfortably down. He did notice her weight on the bed, her soft arm safe across his chest.

This was better. This was something he had absolutely been fighting for once he pulled himself out of the water.

"Thank you."

It would be easier when he woke again. It would be easier to keep his eyes open, to keep his mind sharp; to actually speak with her rather than gasping for the thread of conversation.

Anne pulled the blankets up a bit more. To keep him warm, to keep him safe. As if she could protect him better this way. Anne pressed her forehead against the side of his head.

"You needn't thank me, my love," Anne smiled into his hair. The smell of salt and sand didn't bother her in the slightest.

It reminded her of England, not that she missed it. No, she didn't miss England, there was too much good here - Anne was overwhelmed with happiness here.

"I will always be here. I will always be beside you. For as long as you will have me."

He couldn't help but smile. He also couldn't help but drift easily into sleep with her warmth beside him and her voice soft in his ear.

He needed her. It was strange, having lived nearly his entire life without her and now finding how much he needed her.

Waking would be good. Waking would mean he could tell her exactly that. Waking first needed sleep, of course, but waking would bring him back to her side.

As it happened, for better or worse, waking also came some hours later with a stormy dream. The stillness of his sleep began to crash down into twisting and twitching and gasping for breath.

It wasn't long before Anne drifted off herself. The scent of the sea, his warmth beneath the chill of his skin, the rhythm of his breathing all combined to lull Anne slowly to sleep.

But when the twitching began, when Caspian began gasping and twisting, as if thrown into turmoil, Anne awoke immediately. Ignoring his wounds, fearing for his mind now, Anne gripped Caspian's shoulders and shook him.

"Caspian? Caspian!!" She called to him, worry gripping her tone. "Wake up, wake up! It's only a dream!"

The shaking sent a slight shock of pain through him. It did, at least, wake him up properly, body bolting slightly upright before another shock of pain arrested his motion. His breath came in rough gulps, heart pounding in his chest as he cast his eyes in terror around the room.

It didn't take long to focus in on her. It didn't take long for her voice to penetrate through the fog of his mind, for her face to swim properly into focus.

He was home. He was with Anne. He was safe.

He was alive.

It took a moment nonetheless to find his breath again.

Anne's hand cupped his cheek, stroked his hair, hushing him softly. All the while her eyes kept focused on him. Her forehead pressed against his, bringing him close.

"Shhh, shhhh, it's all right," she tried to soothe him further. "You're safe, love. I'm here."

She pulled back a bit, to look at him properly. Her hand slowly stroked down his cheek, down to his shoulder to rub where she had shook him. Anne wanted to rub away any pain she may have caused.

"Caspian? Are you all right?"

Her fingers were something to focus on. Her soft voice was something to focus on. Her eyes were, for a moment, the entire world as he came properly into wakefulness.

"...yes."

His voice was still hoarse. His focus was still just a little hazy at the edges.

"Anne..."

Anne tipped her head up and kissed his forehead. She knew how painful nightmares could be, she could see the panic beginning to ebb in his eyes, which was a good sign.

"Yes?" Her brow furrowed as he spoke her name.

She was ready at a moment's notice - she was ready to do anything he needed, retrieve something from the kitchens, get him a book from the library, or even something as simple as hold him closer. Whatever he needed, she was there.

She was so close. She was so warm and so real. She was something he could let block everything else from his mind, even the last tendrils of fear.

"I missed you."

There was some obvious soreness in his shoulder as he lifted his hand to catch at the back of her neck. It was crucial to drag her slightly closer for the brief brush of a kiss against her lips.

"Is that... very selfish of me?"

Anne smiled and wrapped her arms around him, more completely, more fully. She kissed the top of his head, wanting that same warmth they shared not so long ago, before he'd left in the first place.

"It's not selfish, no," Anne whispered. "Why would you think that? I missed you too. So much."

He hadn't been gone that long but still...the danger in the situation, obviously displayed by his near-death experience, made it seem that much longer.

Her arms were easy to settle into, familiar and gentle. The feeling of her whispered words was thrilling, somewhere below the ache in his entire being.

His smile settled more properly over his lips with a calm sigh.

"To think of personal matters when leading men into battle?"

Anne couldn't help but laugh a little, shaking her head ever so slightly.

"I have news for you, Majesty," Anne replied. "All men do it."

She let that thought sink in before she continued.

"All men, when faced with dire circumstances, think on loved ones, on those they had left behind," Anne explained. "It's natural. A good man will use it to draw strength and survive. A cowardly man will use it as an excuse to run away."

She kissed the top of his head once again.

"You didn't run, Caspian. You stayed strong, you stayed with the ship until it sank," she moved to cup her hand under his chin and tilt his head up to face her. "You were not wrong."

"How did you become so wise, Anne?"

His voice was still slightly strained from the half-drowning. It was nevertheless beginning to be tinged with warm affection and genuine marveling.

"You seem always to know just what to say."

And it always settled into his heart so wonderfully. It always felt exactly right.

"Don't call me 'wise' it makes me sound old," Anne teased. "I know what to say because I'm a woman, we naturally know these things."

An attempt to lighten his mood, but it was also a little true. Anne looked down, smiling at Caspian, running her fingers through his hair.

"Any woman who says she loves a man has a duty to comfort him," Anne continued. "If he's hurt, it's her duty to heal him. If he's afraid, it's her duty to remind him of his courage. If he's angry, it's her duty to calm him, or make sure his anger is redirected productively. If he's happy, it's her duty to make certain he is happy for as long as possible."

Now, he could manage to lie properly down again. Now, his eyes could briefly drift shut with a comfortable sigh.

"Why are there so many rules for women?"

It was, after all, a less distinct problem in Narnia. Men and women had been working and serving the Kingdom side by side since the Golden Age. Seeing the world beyond the Eastern Sea--such as the land Anne had come from--had been a strange sort of adventure.

But it still sounded familiar. It still sounded like something his mother had spoken once in the haze of his earliest memories.

"Because there are just as many rules for men," Anne countered. "Men are meant to defend not just their king and country, but the women they love as well. Just to name one."

The fact that women were less subservient here in Narnia, that two of the greatest rulers in Narnian history had been women - women from England - gave Anne a great deal of comfort. Like she could do more here, and it would be acceptable, even encouraged.

"The rules required of men are often more perilous than those for women," Anne added softly.

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