His Majesty, Her Grace - Sequel to A Prince Caspian Love Story

Chapter 14 - The Storm

Althea's POV

"Stay close," Caspian says seriously.

We leave the small study and head over to where Tavros is handing out rain slickers. He hands one to Caspian but not me.

"This one is smaller. I got it just for you." He turns around and grabs a separate one from a crate.

"Thank you." I grin up at him and he looks pleased. Minotaurs are too nice sometimes.

Thunder cracks above us. The sky is darker and the grey storm clouds are right overhead now. I know this is serious and how easy someone could be flung overboard. I slip the slicker on and pull the hood up, following Caspian's lead.

It starts to sprinkle lightly as we tie down a few barrels to the side of the ship. Edmund is a little ways away trying to toss a tarp over some crates by himself so I go over to help him. The rain starts to come down in sheets and I'm soaked to the bone in a matter of minutes. I'm on my way back to Caspian when the ship takes a dip forward. A few men slip and slide towards the front of the ship but luckily I reach the railing before the same happens to me. A loose barrel rolls in my direction from seemingly nowhere and I have no choice but to catch it. My feet slide back a few feet but I manage to push it into its proper place, making sure it's secure this time.

I get to Caspian just as the ship starts to take a dive again. A huge wave of water splashes over the edge and he pulls me down, shielding me from the icy blow.

"Go below deck!" He shouts over the roaring of the ocean.

"No!" Men are sliding all over the deck. We need every set of hands we can get. I can't see Caspian's face but I just know he probably rolled his eyes at me.

"Take this!" He hands me a rope and I hold it firmly as he slowly makes his way to the other side of the rope latter that leads to the crow's nest. He ties it tightly to the base, making sure the wind won't break it apart from the railing. I do the same thing on my side, following his actions exactly.

"Your Majesty! This is all we can do for now!" Drinian yells to Caspian.

All the men are filing below deck and we follow without any resistance. Everyone is soaking wet, cold, and shivering.

"Is everyone accounted for?" Drinian asks and all the men nod. I pull off my hood, my drenched hair sticking to the sides of my face.

"Where are Lucy and Gael?" I ask Ed.

"I checked on them, they said they were going to try to get some sleep." He explains while chuckling.

Lucy and Gael must be in the one bedroom on this ship, they probably assumed I would be down here. I don't think three people could share that bed anyway. Caspian's going to be ecstatic when he realizes. I shiver and go to take off my rain slicker but then realize I'm in a cabin full of men. They all begin to undress, either not realizing or not caring that I'm here. I turn around and face the wall.

"Is the little lady embarrassed?" Someone shouts over the wind and everyone snickers.

"I'm trying to be polite," I say and the snickers turn into full-on laughter. My face burns and I genuinely consider going back out into the storm to escape.

"You can turn around now," Caspian says so I do. Some of the men are still changing, Caspian being one of them. If I wasn't blushing before I definitely am now, the sight of his bare chest being the cause.

"There's a small closet you can change in over there," Drinian says, snapping me out of my daze. Caspian holds out a set of dry clothes, I say nothing and get to the closet as fast as I can, climbing inside and slamming the door shut behind me. I definitely looked like an idiot just now.

I peel off all my cold wet clothes and put on the new dry ones. The shirt is nice and thick and looks like a dress on me. The pants are baggy, so baggy in fact that I have to tie a knot on the side so they stay up. I walk back out, holding my soggy wad of clothes while trying not to fall over when the ship takes a dip. Everyone is hanging their clothes on lines of rope so they'll dry overnight.

Caspian, who's fully dressed now, wordlessly takes my clothes and hangs them up for me. My face aches from smiling by the time he turns back around.

"What?" He asks.

"Nothing," I say and he raises his eyebrows at me while grinning. People start to leave, heading in the same direction. "Where's everyone going?"

"Probably to sleep and get warm." He explains. "Let's go. I'm exhausted." He grabs my hand and we follow everyone deeper to the bottom deck layer.

"Oh no. I'm not sleeping in a room full of men." I try to pull us back but he's too strong.

"They already changed in front of you so if anyone should be embarrassed it's them."

"But, what about-"

"They already know about us. It's not exactly a secret." He lowers his voice and speaks against my ear. "Why do you think I left those marks for them to see?"

I almost choke on air.

"What. Lucy said they weren't noticeable. And you did that on purpose?"

He smirks and I smack his shoulder.

"Are you serious?" I whisper harshly.

"Look at it as a good thing. You can share a hammock with me without being embarrassed now." He says. Caspian seems to be very proud of himself like he planned this all along.

It's freezing all the way down here and I suppose if they already saw those, it's not like anything could be more embarrassing than that. "Fine."

Even more frigid air washes over my legs as we step down to the bottom story of the ship.

"How do you sleep down here?" I ask as we weave between other hammocks toward the back.

"I don't. I just toss and turn and pretend." He whispers playfully.

Most of the men are already passed out and snoring, Eustace being one of them. He must've been down here this whole time. Edmund is right next to us, trying to get comfortable. I'm a little too short to hoist myself up so Caspian grabs my hips and effortlessly lifts me into it. I shift to the side and he jumps in beside me. Thunder rumbles in the distance and the ship tilts but I hardly notice since the hammock moves with it. I'm warmed up in no time from his body heat and the thick blanket that's covering us. My chin is propped on his chest as I watch the occasional lighting flash over his face.

"Are these your clothes?" I ask.

"I wouldn't let you wear anyone else's."

"I wouldn't want to even if you'd let me."

He grins at my comment. I wiggle into his side and lay my head in the crook of his elbow.

"Goodnight Caspian."

"Goodnight." He says while rubbing comforting circles on my back.

Even though it's storming and loud enough to keep anyone up all night, I fall asleep, soon to be plagued by dreams of the past.

~~~

Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading!
I'm extremely excited to announce that I have another fanfiction coming out today. It's Harry Potter, Marauder's Era with young Sirius Black as the love interest. If you're interested, check out my profile where it's posted.
Don't forget to vote, comment suggestions, and follow for future updates and fanfictions :)