Lost boy || Prince Caspian

epilogue

Sunlight was the first thing that woke Otto. It came streaming through the windows and through the gap in the drapes hanging around his and Caspian's dark oak four poster bed. That was unusual as normally the drapes were kept tightly shut. The two kings would often rise with the early hours for days filled with meetings and training and other duties that came with their titles. But every now and then they got days off where they could sleep the dawn away into mid morning. Judging by the sunlight, it had not yet reached such a late hour and Otto had been promised a day off. 

He frowned at the light, blinking sleepy eyes. Next to him, Caspian was still slumbering on. Soft snores leaving his mouth where it was half buried in the pillow. Otto turned his head and gazed at his sleeping husband for a moment. The years had been kind to the two of them, but Caspian especially. His long hair that he had worn in his youth had been cut short and a dark shadow of a beard covered his jaw. There was more scars peaking from the open neck of his night shirt and slight crows feet lines his eyes. Otto knew that he had lines in his own cheeks from laughter and matching crows feet round his eyes. His hair had darkened over the years of sunlight but his frame was still lanky. After fifteen years of marriage, he had given up hoping he could put on muscle in the same way his husband had. The scars from the battles of his youth had faded into white lines that caught the light when he moved. The one across his cheek from fighting the soldiers of Miraz all those years ago shifted as he smiled with drowsy fondness. 

"Urgh", he groaned as a sudden heavy weight landed on his stomach and he half sat up with the impact. High pitched giggles filled his ears as his hand reached out and caught the wriggling bundle that had decided to jump on him. The little girl let out a shriek of laughter as he pulled her to his chest and poked her in the ribs until she giggled at the tickles. 

"Dad! Nooooo! No tickles", she batted at his hands, short caramel brown hair fluffing up in disarray at the squirming. 

"Traitors who jump on the bed during my days off get tickles", Otto grinned as he rolled her over to lye next to him, the blankets and sheets rustling as she burrowed herself under them. He poked her on the nose and she grinned. Olive toned skin golden in the sunlight and jaw length curls fizzing everywhere. Her chubby cheeks were rosy and his heart swelled with love for her. "We agreed on this the last time you woke us up. Now where are your siblings?" 

"Hiding", She lisped. Gap toothed and giggling. Otto mentally sighed at his five year old daughter. Her older siblings were always up to mischief. As he was thinking, he felt the blankets stir and lifted his head to see a small shape clamber up onto the end of the bed. With a fond sigh, he sat up and seized the second traitor. The boy let out a gasp as he was deposited next to his twin sister. His curls were as fuzzy as dandelion and he pouted in disappointment. Otto sighed upon seeing jam stains on the little boy's blue tunic already. 

Behind him there was the sound of moving blankets and an arm wrapped around his chest as Caspian's sleep ruffled head came to rest on his shoulder. Otto made an amused noise at the completely messed up state of his lover's hair. Short hair had left the king prone to wild bed head. Caspian's voice was deep with sleep and it rumbled in his throat as he eyed their two giggly children. "It seems we have spies in our midst". 

"Don't worry. I have caught them", Otto grinned back. "But there may be a third one still lurking". 

Caspian poked the two five year olds gently in the stomachs just to watch as they giggled. The boy trying to poke his hand back and the girl just laughing. The pair were so alike in looks that if it wasn't for the fact that Caspian and Otto had raised them ever since they had found the two abandoned on the edge of the narnian forest, they would struggled to tell them apart. "Luci, Effie. What did we say about waking us up early on our days off?" 

"That it's bad because you need your sleep?" Luci repeated with big green eyes. Luci, short for Lucien was the boy. He had always been more loving and subdued than his sister. Effie, a nickname for Penelope, was courageous and had a bit of a temper. The nickname had come from a talking squirrel who had mixed up his syllables when the twins were one. Luci had used it since and the rest of them had picked it up as well. 

Luci stuck out his bottom lip. "But Eddie said that we needed to wake you up so we could give you the surprise". Otto felt Caspian sigh and knew that any irritation was gone. The twins were too cute for their own good and they knew it. There was a groan and a rustling of blankets as Caspian sat up and lent back agains the head board. Instantly Effie was climbing over Otto's chest to settle herself in her father's lap. 

Otto tucked Luci closer to his chest, the little boy content to sprawl across his chest and fiddle with the strings of lacing around the neck of his nightshirt. He sat up, wincing as his joints clicked and leaned his shoulder against his husband's. "Morning", he muttered, still slightly sleepy. Caspian hummed back and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

"What is this surprise then?" Caspian asked. 

"Apple pastries!" Effie declared with excitement. "But Eddie says we can't have any until you get up. Come on Papa!" She took Caspian's hand and began wriggling her way towards the edge of the mattress. Caspian let her tug him along, sending a fond but exasperated smile towards his husband as he left the bed. 

Otto sighed and wrapped and arm securely around the dozing boy before getting up as well. He found their oldest child in the small private sitting room just a door away from their bedroom. Caspian was already trying to get Effie seated at the table but the girl's attention was on the sugar glistening apple turnovers sitting on the plate in the centre of the table. "Morning Eddie", Otto greeted as he got Luci on his own seat and crossed round the table to press a kiss to their oldest's forehead. 

While the twins's deep olive skin tone and light caramel hair was so similar in shades that they looked golden. Eddie, short for Edwin, had dark black hair like Caspian and deep black eyes. That made sense since the boy was actually a distant relative of Caspian's who's biological parent's had died of sickness when the child was three. He was fourteen now and had been their son for the past eleven years. He was a clever ringleader in all the twin's chaos and was often sly enough not to get caught even though both Caspian and Otto knew what was going on. He looked up as Otto took his head opposite Caspian at the table and smiled at them. "Morning dad, papa. Uncle Trumpkin got these from the bakery in the market this morning and said to tell you 'happy anniversary'. But I don't know which anniversary since your wedding anniversary is not for another three months". 

"It's the anniversary of the day we met. Uncle Trumpkin only remembers because I was holding a spear to his neck", Otto grinned as he picked up a pastry. He broke it in half and placed one on each other twin's plates because he knew that they had already been given their breakfast this morning by their nannies. 

"I remember that well", Caspian nodded. "I also beat the high king Peter in a sword fight". 

"I've heard that story", Edwin whined. The two adults laughed and exchanged fond looks over the table. Otto's heart was so full of love. He had his family, his husband and his home. It didn't come without it's problems but he wouldn't change any of it for the world. 

"Luci, darling. Let me just move your hair out of the way", Otto sighed as he went to stop his son from filling his curls with sticky apple puree. Caspian chuckled as beside him, Effie snuck out of her seat to give her food a tour of the room. Edwin eating his own pastry quietly as he watched his younger siblings cause chaos. Otto laughed as Effie dropped her pastry and Caspian got up to console her. He wouldn't change any of it for the world, for his world was right here. 

unedited 

here it is guys. the end. Thank you for reading this far. I hope you loved the story as much as I loved writing it. Caspian and Otto hold a special place in my heart. 

As I do with all my completed books. I am holding a q&a. so comment any questions you have about this series or about Otto here and I shall hopefully answer them soon. 

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