randomosity | [For Caspian] A Single Question, Two Little Words

[For Caspian] A Single Question, Two Little Words

Anne had adjusted rather well in her opinion. The Narnian courtiers didn't seem to resent her so much now, though the women still gave her looks whenever Caspian was seen in her company. But that suited her well enough, she didn't need to have them around anyway - she'd dealt with enough venomous women in the Tudor court to last a lifetime.

But she was spending more time in the open, particularly outside now that the weather had warmed up significantly. The threat of ocean storms had been infrequent enough that Anne often sat outside in the courtyard with a book from the vast library to read, as she was doing now.

Her fingers brushed over the pages of the book in her hand, detailing the different plants and where they could be found in Narnia. Anne found the Fire Flower to be particularly lovely, and lamented that she could not have one herself to keep forever. But she soon found herself distracted by the view of the sea just beyond.

A slow smile broke across her face as she looked to the pristine water. No enemy ships had dared return since Caspian's miraculous escape from a watery grave, for which Anne was very grateful. She could easily see why Caspian was so enamored by the ocean. It was indeed beautiful no matter the time of day or the weather.

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Anne leaned up to kiss him softly. She blushed and grew warm at the idea of spending the night with him on the beach. Such a romantic idea for the eve of their wedding, she loved it.

"I can't wait. Beneath the stars, waiting for you, my knight, my king. And I shall have the strongest embrace and sweetest kiss waiting for you."

He couldn't help at all the soft, pleased hum for having her lips pressed to his. No matter how long they were together, he was fairly certain he would never entirely overcome the joy of having her kiss him.

"I'll come for you. I swear it."

Anne smiled and pulled away just a little. She took his hand in hers and looked up to meet his gaze.

"Shall we go then? The sooner the festivities commence, the sooner sunset will come and you'll be all mine again."

He couldn't help stealing one last kiss. He couldn't help one last tight, adoring squeeze of her close and tight against himself. Letting go came, finally, with a contented sigh and a deep bow of his head.

"I'll see you again tonight, then."

Well. Maybe one more kiss before he pulled himself back toward the door. It would be difficult to stay away from her so long, but the reward would be more than worth the wait.

Anne was just as eager to kiss him and keep him close. Letting go always came reluctantly. But she giggled when he kept coming back to her.

"Until tonight, yes my love," Anne smiled and gave him one last, passionate kiss. "If we don't go now, I fear we won't go at all."

Anne ushered him to go, and made to follow after him in a moment. She would follow the directions of the maids assigned to help her to get where she needed to be for the festivities. Namely, the shore.

Thankfully, the moment he left her Caspian was swept up into preparations with his soldiers. It was more than enough of a distraction to keep him from pining completely over being away from his intended.

He didn't quite think properly of her again until he was, himself, on the far end of the shore just past nightfall. Then, standing with sword in hand and the sea beginning to glisten at his side as the stars came out, he allowed himself to think of her--hidden away somewhere along the shore, close to the cliffs and waiting in the darkness.

She would likely be able to hear him in the darkness. The call of his voice, the brief clash of swords--all moving ever slowly closer toward the cliffs until, at last, he found his way to the dark shadows she must be hidden in.

"--Anne?"

Her maids had taken Anne down to the shore. They had primped her hair and made sure that she looked stunning. A few Narnians slipped down to join Anne when the maids left. They gave her fine jewels and flowers to decorate her hair and for her to hold. Then they too left as the sound of clashing swords got closer.

When he called out to her, Anne stepped out of the shadows. She looked up to him with a smile as the moon and stars caught the jewels in her hair.

"My King."

Anne was always beautiful. When she was done up completely and when she was groggily waking up in the morning, she was always a vision.

It was still more than stunning to see her now, glittering in the moonlight like the sea itself before him. It absolutely stopped his heart a few seconds just to see her.

"I..."

It takes a moment to get his breath properly. It also takes a moment to kneel, a shooting pain briefly distracting him from the shallow wound he'd sustained on his side getting to her.

"...I've come to take you as my bride, my Lady."

He knew, of course, that she would accept, but it didn't stop him from having to bite back nerves.

He wouldn't have to kneel long - Anne smiled as she held her hand out to him.

"To have made it here, you have indeed proved yourself worthy to anyone who may have doubted you," Not that Anne was one of them. "You honor me by choosing me as your bride - I only hope to be truly worthy, Highness. Take me where you will, and I shall follow beside you...always"

She couldn't fight the grin on her face, nor the tears in her eyes. Anne didn't know what she'd done to have earned the love of such a caring and wonderful man as Caspian but she would thank God each day for him.

"Always."

There couldn't help but be a touch of wonder in his voice for being able to say it with absolute certainty. This isn't just a promise between themselves in the dark of his bedchambers--this is an oath they're swearing before the kingdom and Aslan Himself.

He caught her hand tight, pressing his lips firm to her fingers a moment before carefully pulling himself to his feet again. "Always by my side. That's-- amazing, isn't it?"

Anne stepped closer when he stood up again. She couldn't help blushing and smiling as he kissed her knuckles.

"Amazing because it's real, yes. But where else should I be? You are my love, all my heart and soul are yours. By your side is the only place in the world I should be."

"As my heart and soul are yours," he murmured instantly in return, arms shifting to hold her properly against himself. The armour kept him from feeling her warmth, but it still felt right to keep her close now. "And from this moment forward, Anne, the whole kingdom shall know it."

Not just whisper about it. Not just speculate over it. They'd sit side by side on the thrones of Narnia and the whole world would see their devotion.

"I love you."

In case that wasn't clear. And, in case actually saying it wasn't clear enough either, his lips fervently pressed in against hers in the semi-darkness.

Anne nodded and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. "The whole kingdom, the whole world. Everyone will know of my love for you, of our love for each other."

She leaned up closer, her chest pressed against his as she looked up to him. Her forehead pressed against his.

"And I love you."

Then her lips were pressed just as hard against his, Anne ran her fingers through his hair and held the back of his head in a gentle grip to keep him there, keeping their kiss going. She never wanted his lips to leave hers ever again.

Nothing would come between them now. There would be no whispers to contend with or ghosts to worry about. There would only be their joined future before them, twined together. It was as thrilling to know as it was to kiss her here on the shore.

It couldn't be forever, of course. They did need to breathe. And, well, he also needs to begin tugging at the buckles holding his armour in place.

"--help me with this?"

Anne smiled as he began working the buckles. Oh, she was only too happy to help him remove his clothes on any given moment, now even more so.

"Of course, love," Anne breathed, her fingers coming up to his to help him with those buckles.

Her eyes glanced over his armor, taking in the figure of her knight, her lion, her king - her betrothed - in all his glory. Once she had all the clips dealt with, Anne glanced up with a smile.

"So then, my love, you're all mine for tonight?" Anne leaned up to plant a quick kiss on his lips.

There was only the briefest bit of stiffness in getting the chest plate off--the blade that had snagged at his ribs left a mark, and the wound tugs while he gets down to the chain beneath.

"All yours, my heart," he promised with the further press of a kiss. "Tomorrow, you'll have to share me with the kingdom again, but tonight there's nothing."

Nothing but the pair of them enjoying their first night as husband and wife.

Anne noticed him stiffen and she looked down to examine him. Obviously through his chain mail she couldn't see his wounds but she looked up to him.

"Were you hurt, my love?" She took his hand and pulled him after her as she walked. "Come, let me see."

Before they left, the servants had assembled a tent and built a fire for the two of them just around the bend of a large rock formation. Anne, content to sleep with the sea air and stars around them, had asked to have a blanket pulled out beside the fire, which had been secured with heavy stones.

He had long since been accustomed to following her lead. He chuckled now, just a bit sheepish, as he allowed himself to be brought close to the fire.

"It's nothing-- terrible. Drinian got in a good blow; it must just have nicked me slightly."

The light would reveal the stain of blood across his side. Getting his tunic off would reveal a very shallow wound along the edge of his lowest rib.

Anne helped to remove his armor and get his tunic off to examine his wound. It wasn't bad, like he said. It would only need a little bandaging - and in the morning before the ceremony he could be mended. Anne reached to the blanket and tore a few strips of cloth from it.

"Leave it to Drinian to land a proper blow," Anne chuckled. "Let's get you bandaged for now, keep the sand and elements out of the wound until you can be properly mended in the morning."

Anne then began tying the strips of cloth around his wound to bandage him up, letting her fingers play gently against his skin. As always she enjoyed the feeling of his heat beneath her fingers.

There couldn't help but be a faint twist of a smile. Drinian had always been like a brother--and, the older they got, somewhere closer half the time to a surrogate for the father he had long since lost. It was wonderful to know his wife shared the same high opinion of him.

It was wonderful even above that to know Anne was truly his wife.

"You look like you've done this before."

Anne shook her head gently as she finished tying off his bandages.

"No, not really. I was never so intimately involved with anyone who ever needed patching up like that. I think I mended my brother's wrist once but...that was some time ago," Anne tried to remember if there actually was a time that she had done this for anyone else in her adult life, and came up empty. "But, it doesn't matter - all finished now, my love."

Anne smiled and settled on the blanket, glancing up to the stars and marveling at the constellations. The smell of the salt from the sea was heartwarming and comforting.

This was always where she'd been meant to be.

"Incredible.."

It wasn't the same as being wrapped up efficiently by one of the healers, but he doesn't mind it at all. Tonight, he'd much rather have Anne's fingers moving slowly than anything else.

He shifted carefully to settle beside her, attention flicking up to the sky with hers. "It is incredible. And it's yours now, Anne. Not just your home-- your kingdom."

Anne smiled as he settled next to her and spoke. She turned to face him and leaned towards him. One hand came up, cupping his jaw, feeling the scratch of his beard beneath her fingertips.

"I need no kingdom, I need only you, my love," Anne whispered before leaning in and kissing him softly. "So long as I have you, I have everything."

Kissing her felt just as wonderful now as it had all along, of course, but he couldn't help imagining that it also felt slightly more pleasant. There had long since stopped being any doubt in his mind that Anne loved him and wished to stay by his side--but there was something even more wonderful about knowing no one else could object to it either.

They hadn't changed by becoming man and wife, no, but the world had let them settle that much more easily into it. He couldn't help being entirely pleased about that.

"You do have me, Anne."

Anne chuckled as she nuzzled her nose against his. "Then I have everything."

Suddenly she felt butterflies in her stomach being so near him. Slowly she leaned towards him, her eyes locking with his as she looked up. This was real, not some elaborate dream. He was hers, she was his - bound as husband and wife.

"Tonight you're mine, that's what you said, yes?" Anne brought one hand up to gently cup his jaw.

[For Caspian] A Single Question, Two Little Words

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