She'd been in his thoughts and concerns ever since she was a little girl; but she was a woman now, a beautiful, breathtaking woman. He could hardly contain his emotions when he found her living alone with the Narnians, after all their years of being torn apart.
She was the child of his nurse. His uncle Miraz had graciously allowed the child to stay in the castle, only because she was too young to brave the world alone without her mother. When his uncle learned her and her mother had been telling Caspian of the old world of Narnia, he'd become outraged and separated the two forever by banishing the women from the castle. He'd never fully healed; she was his closest friend and secret keeper. She was the only one he could ever talk to, the only one he could share his feelings with.
They were just children then.
Ten years went by, and Caspian had given up hope on ever meeting her again, or ever hearing her stories about an old world he knew still existed, not only in his dreams.
Now that he was with her again, a pain arose within his chest. He didn't know quite what it was. She took his breath away whenever she walked into a room, when she touched him, he'd felt as though he'd been burned with fire. When she spoke in her angelic voice, his skin tingled. He'd never felt this way about anyone before. Could he possibly love her?
What was I thinking? I needed him. In all my years, I had never encountered anyone as fierce and mysterious as him. This man was so different. He was much kinder than all the men I had ever met. There was something about his exotic speech and his virile appearance that had my heart skipping beats whenever I was in the same room as him.
Lucy had teased me and said that she'd caught him staring at me, more than once. I caught myself staring at him when we were alone. I'd suspected he had feelings for me, but did I dare believe such a man would choose me? No matter what the outcome, I couldn't put it aside any longer; I loved him. I loved him and he had to know it. I'd intended to make him mine, no matter what the cost.
I got out of bed, silently, and stepped into the stone hallway. I'd walked a few yards and turned into where the three royal men slept.
There he was, lying there in his bed, his light undershirt barely outlining his toned chest. He took my breath away.
I stepped silently over to his bed, careful not to wake Peter or Edmund, and slowly kneeled down next to his face.
"Caspian," I whispered, while softly shaking him. The contact my fingers made with his chest chilled me to the bone. I knew this feeling would be so much more severe when there wasn't a layer of cloth between us.
"Katerina!" He exclaimed in his thick Spanish accent. Every time he spoke my name, a shiver ran down my spine.
"Shhh!" I placed one finger on his mouth to silence him.
He looked at me with a wide-eyed, stunned expression. Apparently I was the last person he ever expected to see in the middle of the night.
"Come with me," I whispered seductively in his ear.
He got out of bed as quick as he could without waking anyone else. He reached for his armor at his bedside.
"That won't be necessary," I said and placed my hand on his, stopping him from retrieving his extra clothing.
He glanced up at me with an almost terrified look as he fully realized what my intentions were. Would he find me disagreeable now? Or would he enjoy the idea of exploring me as much as I relished the thought of having my way with him?
I quickly realized I had misinterpreted his look, for a smile spread over his lips a second later.
I took him by the hand and led him out into the fresh air. We walked for about a half a mile, until we were well away from camp. I stopped and turned to him.
I gazed into his dark, intense eyes for what seemed like an eternity. His eyes had a way of captivating anyone who stared into them for longer than a few seconds. I regained my composure when he started moving closer to me, his face just a few inches from mine.
"Katerina," he breathed my name softly; his warm breath on my lips set my mind on fire. I wanted nothing more than to surrender all I had to this mysterious, robust man.
"Caspian," I answered back. A second later, I felt his lips lightly touch mine. He pulled away quickly, unsure it was what I wanted.
This man could lead an army into battle fearlessly, confront a king with bravery, appoint himself to restore Narnia victoriously, but what he could not do was understand a woman. He had a naïve, innocent side that came out almost every time he was around me. I think he feared he had not the proper knowledge of women he needed to entertain me.
I laughed internally, admiring and adoring his childlike innocence.
After a moment, I leaned in to capture his lips again, desiring him to know and understand that all I wanted was to be intoxicated with the very essence of him; to be enraptured in his masculine scent and feel every inch of him roaming my body in an intimate moment of bliss.
He slowly lifted his hands up and lightly caressed my face. It was a simple gesture, but it made my heart skip a beat as we stood there, locked in a gentle kiss.
After several moments, I attempted to deepen the kiss by running my hand through his hair. He responded by gently licking my lower lip, his tongue asking for entrance. I granted him passage and his tongue began wildly exploring my mouth, sending a chilling sensation through my body.
I raised my other hand up and massaged both my hands through his hair. I jumped a little when he groaned a deep throated sound. A smile played on my lips as I continued passionately kissing him, wondering how long it would take to feel the adrenaline rush.
I felt Caspian move his hands off my face and snake them around my waist. He pulled me in closer and I could feel his hands moving furiously down my back, desperately trying to remove the ties that held my dress up.
He finally found the ribbon and began unlacing it. My head was spinning; this was really going to happen.
All trace of the boyish innocence was gone completely. In its place was the most fierce and violent desire. He broke the kiss and concentrated on removing my clothing.
After only a few seconds, he'd entirely unlaced my dress and it fell to the floor, leaving me completely nude before his hungry eyes.
He stepped back and stood in awe for several moments, taking all of me in with an intense stare. I started feeling self conscious and crossed my arms into my chest, concealing my breasts from his gaze.
"You are beautiful," he finally said and stepped toward me, his arms outstretched. I smiled and moved to wrap my arms around his neck and pull him into another lusty kiss.
He immediately shoved his tongue into my mouth and roamed it wildly. My hands moved from his neck to his waist and began loosening his belt buckle. I un-tucked his shirt and pulled it over his head.
He was half naked.
My fingers trembled as I worked to remove the last bit of clothing he wore. Even in our heated kiss, my mind was racing. I couldn't help but be a little frightened, I was still a virgin. I wondered if Caspian had ever been with a woman before. At this point, I didn't care. I had decided I wanted this more than anything in the world.
In my blindness, I'd finally worked off his pants and nervously pulled away from his lips to gaze over his naked body.
My eyes worked downward from his intense dark eyes, to his neck and down to his tone chest. I reached out to touch the defined ripples in his abdomen, admiring them completely. After several moments I finally glanced down below his waist.
My jaw dropped as my eyes took in his full erection. Would he even fit? I quickly turned my gaze back up to his face to avoid embarrassment. His cheeks were glowing red; in that moment, I'd realized this was his first time also.
I slowly stepped forward and closed the gap between us, sealing it with a kiss. He started backing me up and finally lay me down on a small, grass covered hill behind us. He stepped backward, admiring my full frame again in the moonlight.
"You are so beautiful," he whispered again. I knew he meant it completely. He never repeated anything unless he really wanted to emphasize it.
He stepped forward and lay down on the hill next to me, propping himself up on his elbow. I leaned forward to capture his lips once again. He started moving his hand down my waist and touched me softly. I gasped and he pulled away from my lips.
He looked down at my entrance, his hand still cupping it gently. He exhaled and thrust a finger inside me. I arched my back and gasped; I had never felt anything like this in my life!
He continued shoving his finger into me with more force every time. After several moments, he added another finger and soon had two fingers swirling and twisting through me with exhilarating speed.
"Caspian!" I screamed out his name.
He smirked as I began bucking my hips and shoving down to meet his rhythmic thrusts.
A moment later, a feeling began overwhelming me, it hadn't completely released me yet, but I could feel that it would overtake me soon.
He thrust his fingers into me twice more and then my release came. I closed my eyes and cried out his name, over and over again as I felt waves of pleasure surround me like never before.
Almost as quick as it had come, the feeling had gone.
I opened my eyes to see Caspian smiling down at me.
"Did you enjoy that?" He asked with a grin.
I was actually at a loss for words.
"I- uh- where did you learn to do that?!" I finally spit out.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "Call it instinct."
I leaned up and pulled him into a kiss. He began slowly moving on top of me as our tongues entwined and danced together.
He pulled away from the heated kiss and positioned himself above me, his tip gently touching my entrance.
"Katerina, are you sure you want to do this?" His face turned to a tender look of concern. I knew he would do whatever I asked him to, and if I said no, he would respect my feelings and wishes, no matter if it hurt his own.
I had no intention of saying no. I wanted this more than I had wanted anything in my whole life, and I intended to let him know it.
"Yes! There's nothing in the world I want more," I replied.
His concerned face turned to a smile in an instant.
He leaned forward and trailed kisses all up and down my neck in a heated moment. My face flushed as I felt his erection begin to slowly enter me. I closed my eyes and held my breath as I knew he would break the barrier only too soon.
He continued kissing my neck up to my ear and whispered, "This is going to hurt."
I grit my teeth and answered back, "I know."
He gave me no more warning as he thrust his entire length into my body. My back arched and I screamed as the barrier of my virginity stretched so far it broke.
"I'm sorry!" he pleaded apologetically.
I couldn't respond for a moment. I tried to get used to the stinging pain that now shocked through my entire body.
"Are you alright?" he asked me, seeing the clearly painful look plastered on my face.
"Yes, just keep going. I'll tell you if it hurts."
He started thrusting forward again and the pain was dulling and slowly becoming less severe. It was soon completely replaced by pleasure even greater than before.
I wrapped my legs around him and clung onto him tightly, digging my fingernails into his back. He groaned deeply and pushed his lips onto mine. I moaned into his mouth as he thrust forward in a timely rhythm, nearly sending me over the edge.
I placed my hands on his chest and attempted to roll him over, succeeding after several tries. He stopped thrusting and looked at me curiously. This was something I had an instinct about, and I had to try it.
I sat up and positioned him underneath me. I lowered myself onto him and straddled his hips. I quickly began picking up the pace and was soon rising and falling with his thrusts until I was nearly screaming his name.
"Caspian!" I cried out as I was nearing my release. I could tell he was nearing his as well, for he threw his head back and growled, long and deep. He arched his back upward and thrust himself forward one final time before he would reach the end.
"No, wait!" I cried when he was about to climax. Mine was coming; it would be any second now.
A moment later, I finally felt the end as he thrust his hips up to meet me once more as we both went over the edge together.
I threw my head back and let out a long, low moan as I felt him spill deep inside me. This was the most intimate moment of my life, and I shared it with the only man I had ever loved.
I fell forward onto his chest, my breath heaving in and out in deep sighs. I heard his breathing pattern change as well. He seemed to be gasping for air, as though he had long been deprived of it.
I pulled off of him and collapsed on the grass next to him. After several minutes, he turned his head and gazed deep into my eyes.
"I love you, Katerina. Even when we were children, my heart always belonged to you. It has taken me this long to realize it. When you left, and I thought I would never see you again, I wept most nights in the darkness, I wandered around the castle aimlessly, I did almost nothing but think of you for ten years. Just when I'd given up hope on ever seeing you again, you came back into my life." He paused to take a breath before continuing.
"I want to marry you," he said slowly. "I want to make you a queen."
I instantly started crying. I had always loved this man, even when he was the little boy I remembered from my youth. It broke my heart when I'd been forced to leave the castle and be apart from him for the most agonizing ten years of my life.
Now he was a man; a very strong, courageous man. From the moment I'd set eyes on him, I knew I would love no one else, as long as I lived.
He reached a hand up to dry my tears.
"Shhhh," he whispered in an attempt to soothe me.
I couldn't hold it in any longer, he had to know how I felt about him.
"Caspian, I have loved you since the moment I first set eyes on you. I knew even then that I would love no one else as long as I'd live. I wept when I left also; I spent most nights in agonizing fear and anger. Fear that I would never see you again and anger because I was forcibly parted from you." I closed my eyes and let the tears fall before I continued.
"I would marry you even if you were a servant in your uncle's castle," I dropped my head, "for that is all I am."
Being the daughter of his nurse, his teacher, meant I was not born of royalty. He knew this, and yet he still insisted on marrying me.
"Katerina, I promise you, as soon as this war is over and my uncle is dead, I will marry you, and together you and I shall rule this great land," he paused, and when I said nothing, he continued speaking. "Will you agree to this?"
I could think of no words to say. I just nodded my head as the tears silently fell.
He tilted my chin up, looked into my watery eyes and leaned in to kiss me. This was the most passionate kiss I had ever experienced, even better than any before. This was gentle, fierce, soft, and violent all at once. In that kiss, I knew my fate was sealed as the future queen of Narnia.
