Hidden Facades
The cell was gloomy, the retched scent of mud and dirt hung in the air and Nyssa wanted more than anything to get out of there. At this stage she was sure they had been there for a day at least, half of which they had been unconscious it seemed. The only thing she could do was hope that Lucy and Edmund were not too far. It had been her initial suggestion for the four of them to travel to an island nearby to relax a little, but it hadn't been known that the said island they thought was abandoned had now become occupied by traders of the untoward kind, leaving them to be captured.
"This was a terrible idea," Nyssa huffed as she struggled with the bonds that bound her hands behind her back. "Whose bright idea was this again?" She asked, turning to face Caspian who sat nearby in a similar situation.
"Yours."
She grinned. "That explains it." It had sounded lovely at the time, who wouldn't want to spend a few days on the beach relaxing, a different view from the one they were used to with the castle at Cair Paravel. But it seemed their idea of a break had turned into the opposite.
"Let's do get help," Nyssa suggested, containing a smile when she saw Caspian's face scrunch up in annoyance. She wasn't the greatest fan of the King, but she had made an effort to be friendly in the presence of her friends, as not to upset Lucy.
"I hate that."
"Why? It works."
"Fine, if only so that I can stay away from you once this is over. This whole trip was a ridiculous idea."
She rolled her eyes and told him to zip it and play dead, to which he did quite well.
"Help, please!" Nyssa yelled, making a noise with her chains to grab the attention of the guards. "Please my fiancé, he's hurt. Please, we need help!"
She glanced over to see the distaste written on Caspian's face at the mention of him being her fiancé but she did her best not to let it show on her face as the guards came rushing into help. When they had learned he was the King of Narnia, they decided to use him as a bargaining chip to earn some gold, but it would only work if the King was returned alive and healthy. Nyssa spent most of the afternoon listening to the guards talk about it whilst Caspian had been sleeping so she knew her plan was fool proof.
The two guards that had rushed in came to untie Caspian's bonds. As soon as they had done so, Caspian's eyes flew open and he jumped up, taking them by surprise. Easily enough he had disarmed them and knocked the two out as Nyssa sat there calmly watching and waiting for it to be over. They would have to be quick before the others realised two guards had disappeared.
"Would you mind untying me please, your Majesty?" Nyssa asked with a sweet voice.
"Fiancé? Really?"
"It worked didn't it. I'm not sure why you're complaining when I'm the one who had to say it."
Caspian just shook his head before leaning down to untie her bonds. He kept his voice low, as not to arouse more attention. "Stay still, I need to cut the rope."
She could feel the cold metal of the blade slip through behind her hand before Caspian drew it back, slicing through the thick rope. He then grabbed the keys laying nearby and unlocked the chains that had been around her feet.
The ache that she had felt around her ankles was relieved immediately and she let out a thankful sigh.
Her eyes flittered up to Caspian who was looking over her ankle with concern, noticing the bruising around her skin. She cleared her throat and his eyes met hers. "Thank you, your Majesty."
"I told you not to call me that," Caspian chastised his mood immediately sobering. He hated when she called him that, mostly because she was doing it ironically.
"It is your title you know."
"This is not the time for arguments." Caspian's voice was gruff as he pulled Nyssa forward by her hand and kept her close behind him as they left the cell, looking for Edmund and Lucy. Slowly they travelled down the dimly lit hallway finding it hard to see before they reached a cell by the end of the block that held their two friends.
"Nyssa!" Lucy called out.
"Lucy, are you alright? Where's Edmund?" Nyssa asked as Caspian unlocked the door and rushed to free Lucy.
"He's over there in the corner. They knocked him out, I think he may have a concussion," Lucy said, uncertainty laced in her voice. Nyssa had run over to Edmund and kneeled down by his side, checking for a pulse. When she found a strong one she let out a sigh of relief and brushed away some hair from his face gently. He was a few years younger than herself and a brother she never had. She was glad that he was alright, and that Lucy was safe. The guilt of what had transpired settled in and she felt as though it were her fault that it had all happened. If she hadn't suggested they go so far out then they wouldn't have gotten stuck in such a situation. But this was not the time for self-pity. She would at least get them all off the Island safely before doing such a thing.
"Well get him back to Narnia in no time, he'll be fine."
Caspian noticed the way that Nyssa looked over Edmund with panic as he helped Lucy up onto her feet and he felt an awful pang of jealousy in his chest at the sight, but it was quickly replaced by anger. He had no reason to feel jealous when he wasn't even interested in her in the first place. They had always been at ends with each other and it would continue that way for a long time to come.
"Hurry, we must leave." Lucy ushered them. "They will be back soon enough."
Caspian moved and picked Edmund up, the girls following him as they left to find their way off this retched island and back home.
Hours had gone by since the incident and Caspian had not spoken a word to Nyssa. She knew that this was going to be a painful day trip back home, but she didn't expect such coldness from the King. Even when he was upset with her, which seemed to be most of the time, he would still converse with his friends, but he had not spoken less than a few words to Edmund and Lucy.
She knew that they were never what one would exactly call 'friends' but in between their spats and arguments they would still exchange pleasantries or at least conversation of some kind. But here it had been with silence between them for so long. It made Nyssa feel queasy. She didn't like it.
They were lucky enough that their boat was still intact and hadn't been torn to shreds by their captors, leaving them with an easy enough task of heading back home.
Nyssa had seen to Edmunds wounds and told Lucy that he needed bed rest, and that she should keep a close eye on her brother.
That left Nyssa on the deck alone with a brooding Caspian who didn't bother to even look her way as the sun began to set, orange and pink lights cascading across the sky until darkness settled. It would still be a few more hours til they arrived back home.
She leaned against the wooden railings, closing her eyes and savouring the feeling of the wind in her air, and the salty scent of the ocean that reminded her of her childhood. She turned her head to look back only to see Caspian with his hands occupied at the helm, finding something to keep him busy.
"I'm sorry," Nyssa spoke up, her voice catching Caspian's attention. "It's my fault we ended up in this mess. I apologise for any inconvenience."
"Inconvenience," Caspian scoffed under his breath as he turned to look at her. "We could have died."
It was true, there was indeed a great fight to get off the island and find their freedom, which was difficult when the only two fighters were herself and Caspian since Lucy had to keep watch over her brother who had remained unconscious til they reached the boat.
His dark eyes bore into hers and she felt flustered under his gaze.
"Did you not just hear me apologise?" Nyssa asked, a look of frustration falling on her face. "I'm sorry, Caspian. I didn't mean for this to happen. I just-I wanted a few days together with you all before-," She cut herself off before she would say too much.
She looked away from him, biting down on her lip. Stupid. "Never mind."
"Before what?" Caspian asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"It's nothing Caspian, forget I said anything." It's not like you care, she thought to herself.
"It's obviously important otherwise you wouldn't have mentioned it."
When she turned to look at him this time she found him standing behind her.
"My father wants us to leave Cair Paravel."
"What?" That had certainly caught him off guard as he looked to her with confused eyes and almost a hurt expression.
"He says it reminds him of my mother too much. I tried to convince him to stay but he doesn't want to and so we leave in a few days for Etinsmoor to live with my Uncle and his wife."
"When were you going to tell us you were leaving?" Caspian asked, unsure of how to take this news. But if there was one thing he knew, it was that he didn't want her to leave.
"I don't know," She said, her voice soft and low. "I thought the longer I put it off, the less real it seemed. I don't want to leave Cair Paravel, its' been my home now for so many years, I don't want to leave Lucy or Edmund… I don't want to leave you," She finished, looking down at her hands as she closed her eyes, finally admitting what she had known for so long.
She loved Caspian and she didn't want to leave him, not when she finally found a life here after the war.
"I-," Caspian was at a loss for words. He gulped and took a step forward, grasping Nyssa's hands in his own causing her to meet his gaze. "I'll speak with your father. I'm sure we can arrange something."
"He wants to leave, and I must go with him."
"Maybe you can stay. There's always place for you at the Castle. You won't be alone."
Nyssa shook her head, blinking away fresh tears. She had bottled it all up and pretended like it was not going to happen and now that she was faced with reality, all her emotions were becoming too much to handle. "I can't leave my father."
"You can't leave me," Caspian said, placing a hand on her cheek softly. "I need you Nyssa. As much as we fight, I need you by my side. I-I think I'm falling in love with you."
She couldn't believe the words that fell from his lips. He loved her? She blinked away teary eyes and met his gaze, searching for the truth in his eyes. The adoration and power that lay there was more than enough to convince her that his feelings were true.
"I love you, Caspian," She said. "I think I've always loved you."
She could see him sigh in relief when she returned his feelings and there was a twinkle in his eyes that made her heart race.
"I'll talk with your father. I'll make things right. I promise."
Nyssa leapt forward and threw her arms around Caspian's neck, hugging him tight and holding him close. His strong arms wrapped around her body, pressing her against his chest as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. She closed her eyes and memorised the feeling of his arms around her, the musky scent of his perfume and the warmth that he radiated.
She pulled back from the tight embrace but Caspian's arms were still firm against her back as he held her close. His dark eyes pulled her in further as she watched them flicker between her gaze and her lips. She leaned forward into his touch naturally and closed her eyes as she pressed her lips to his. Warmth, love, passion, these were all exploding inside of her as Caspian kissed her gently with his soft lips.
He pulled away from the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm so glad I finally told you how I feel."
"I feel the same."
They spent the rest of the night in each other's arms, watching the stars up above as their boat sailed safely back home, knowing in their hearts that they would do anything to stay together.
Authors Note:
I hope this story was enjoyable, it was based of a prompt I found on tumblr.
Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts. The ending for me was kind of hard to write so I wonder if it was any good. But I really enjoyed writing the beginning and all of the banter that came along with it. It was good fun.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia or any characters from the series. All rights belong to their respective owners, I only own my OC and creative genius.