Artemis and Caspian: The Spy

Chapter Thirty

 Caspian laughed as he practically dragged Artemis to her room, the witch's tired feet trailing behind her.

"Come on," he chuckled as she leaned heavily on his arm. "We're almost there."

Artemis frailly reached a hand out for a second before dramatically dropping it at her side.

"So exhausted, can't make it, need sleep."

The last bit of that comment made the warlock let go of a long-awaited sigh of relief. She was talking about getting some sleep. Thank the gods. After more stumbling down the empty hallway Artemis stopped, looking at Caspian with big brown eyes. "Carry me?"

"Oh no," he teased, propping her up when he felt her sink down on his arm.

"Please?" she pleaded, lifting both arms up. Caspian rolled his eyes but after a few more seconds of her pathetic puppy dog stare he eventually gave in, scooping his love in his arms as she buried her head into his chest, moaning.

"Tired?"

Another small moan.

He laughed and kissed her on the head, "Let's get you into bed."

Just when the witch's weight began to take a toll on his arms, her room finally came into view. If he'd been thinking earlier, he would have landed in her room first instead of his own. The warlock shrugged. There was no use dwelling in the past. Awkwardly bending down to fiddle with the gold doorknob, somehow Caspian eventually managed to jiggle the door open, placing Artemis gently on the bed. Face down she mumbled something that he made out as a "Thank you." while he squinted out the window. Daybreak.

The sun was finally peeking its rays above the horizon, painting the sky in streaks of vibrant oranges and brilliant pinks. He loved nothing more than to watch the sunrise. Caspian stole a glance at the witch who had curled herself up in a ball, letting shallow breaths come in and out of her gently parted lips, the delicate, small ebony hairs that framed her face lit up in the sun's golden light streaming through the open window. Well, perhaps he loved one thing more.

As carefully as he could he tiptoed out of the room, closing the door softly behind him with a little click. It was finally sunrise, and he was wide awake. Strolling down the hallway he waved jovially to servants passing him by who at this point had gotten used to the warlock's rather untraditional way of treating them. Each gave him a gracious smile as he went by. A female servant particularly fond of the radiant young man offered him a pastry off her tray as she always did. The innocent tradition was becoming a secret sort of agreement between them lately.

"Good morning, Sir-I mean Caspian," she giggled, moving the tray closer to her face to hide the color rising in her cheeks.

"Oh good," Caspian said, stuffing a bit of pastry in his mouth before continuing, bits of jelly dribbling out, "You've caught on. Caspian's fine, being called sir makes me feel-" he visibly shivered to make a point which made the servant giggle again, "Makes me feel like my father."

"We wouldn't want that Si-"

Caspian gave her a look that teased her softly from the corner of his eye.

"Right, sorry. Caspian. Got it."

He shoved her playfully in the arm, giving her a wink. "Don't worry too much about it."

Growing bolder, the servant lowered her platter and attempted to give him a stern glance of her own. "Madam in the kitchen noticed some pastries missing she made last night." Testing his boundaries she leaned in close fluttering her eyelashes at him like a ninny. "You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

Suddenly sensing her attempt at flirtation, Caspian took a few steps back, dropping the basket he was holding, discreetly kicking it behind him and holding up his hands in the air, innocently looking at her.