In Stone

26: "Stop saying that!"

26: “Stop saying that!”

“I changed my mind!” Caia said quickly, turning around.

As if he had expected her to do so, Caspian reached out, snagged her arm, and turned her right back towards him and the open door.

“We agreed that you wouldn't complain,” he reminded her gently.

“You agreed,” Caia grumbled unhappily.

He smiled gently, patiently as he reached out to smooth out her dress, the very one that Nyna had made her. The vibrant red looked good on her. It had been long enough now that Nyna should have finished the other ones and, since they were already paid for, they had a right to demand them.

Besides picking up her dress, they were also doing some shopping for Elanil. She was elbow deep in making pies – since she had returned, she was becoming determined to fatten Caia up until the tiny girl was appropriately healthy – and couldn't get out herself. A growing baby, the housekeeper told her, needed food – good food – to grow up fat and healthy. Which meant that Caia needed to start eating in better quantities now. Garrik's shoes that he had ordered from the cobbler needed to be retrieved, some things for the house needed to be bought, and Caia had been holed up long enough.

The initial shock at hearing of her being an enchantress had faded now. People were still afraid of her – probably because she hid away from them all – and were still avoiding the house. The best way to treat this, Caspian said, was to just get out there. Garrik was doing what he could as temple head and Elanil was happy to brow beat anyone who spoke ill of the innocent Caia, but seeing her out being a normal person would be even better for her image.

Which was why Caspian was insisting she accompany him out today. The town had had enough time for the fear to die down, and Caia had had enough time to mope. Getting her out in the sun, amongst people again, would be good for her and the baby both.

Though they didn't yet know if the pregnancy had taken, they had been making sure that they tried their hardest for it to do so. They were treating her as if she was already pregnant. They spoke of the baby as if it were already there and showing. It would help, Caspian was sure. He was already planning with Garrik to bring Caia to the temple to bless the pregnancy, an expected thing for mothers to do once they found out they were carrying.

He wasn't dismissing her fears though. He had no doubt that people who had once treated her with friendly smiles and respect would be cold and distant now. He needed to offset that by showing her that he was on her side. They all needed to see that. So he took her hand in his, smiled at her gently, and pulled her out into the sunlight.

Caia was trying to be strong enough to face this, she really was. She couldn't help but want to stay inside where it was safe though. Part of her was terrified that if she walked outside people would begin throwing rocks or bottles at her. She imagined scenarios where she was mobbed and thrown out of town or drowned in the lake under their feet. Each vision that came into her mind was more distressing and scary than the last so that by the time she stepped out she had worked herself into a near panic. She was actually shaking, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

Caspian felt it in her pulse and squeezed her hand gently. “Stop worrying so much. It's bad for the baby you know.”

“Yeah, it's not all that good for me either,” she mumbled, trying to walk next to Caspian. The urge to walk in his shadow away from everyone was nearly overwhelming.

“We'll get Garrik's new shoes first,” Caspian said, pulling her along. The cobbler's shop was closest and it also would force them to walk through some of the most densely populated areas of the town during the day on their way to Nyna's shop.