Orphic || Prince Caspian

three

The winter moved on slower than Ahren would have liked. It was a dark one that year. The sickness lingered and took more people than anticipated. The snow was heavier and the sun was weak. It made it difficult for Lord Restimar and Ahren to travel from their lands to the city. Their family's lands were positioned a few hours ride from the city and while mercifully one of the closer Lord territories, it was still hours of travel through snow covered roads. So the visits to the castle and Caspian dwindled as the season reached its peak. During which the Queen had grown sicker. The castle doctors were doing their best but it did not look good. There were rumours that she would not survive the winter.

Ahren knew that this troubled his father. The Lord spending hours in his study with Lord Rhoop and Lord Bern. The two lords staying with them rather than return to their own estates much further out in the country. The three men spent hours in there, sometimes arguing so loudly that Ahren could hear it through the heavy oak door. It was a scary time and he missed his friend.

By the time they were able to see each other again, it had been almost three weeks and the snow had only just lessened. The white having grown light enough that they could make the four hour ride back to the city. The sickness had also begun to calm. The death toll had slowly gone down as the winter faded into spring. The plants and flowers beginning to make their attempts to brave the frost. Caspian and Ahren had grown as well, though the lord's son was still taller than the prince much to his joy. Caspian began sword training and was taking to it like a duck to water, unlike Ahren who regularly overbalanced on his swings. Much to the prince's amusement during the few times they had run through training forms together. Their visits picking up as the winter edged into spring and the snow finally melted to make way for grass.

Of course the winter could not leave without the final word. As the changing of the seasons ended and spring took over, the Queen finally died after battling the sickness for three months. Snowdrops were laid in her hands as her funeral rites were preformed and Ahren found himself once again watching from the other side of the hall as his friend stood all alone in his mourning wear. Miraz and his wife standing together as the Regent read out the speech, leaving Caspian standing by himself. His small figure surrounded by the mourning ladies in waiting. A small boy in black. He did not cry. It was only the next day when he sobbed into Ahren's shoulder until he had created a patch of damp fabric that soaked through the jacket to the shirt underneath.

"You won't leave me? Will you?" The question was through big teary eyes and flushed cheeks. The seven year old boy clinging on to Ahren's jacket with a white knuckled grip. Ahren thought the fabric would tear.

"Of course not", he couldn't say anything else. He did not want to say anything else. He wanted to be with his prince until he died. "We're best friends! We swore it!" Caspian's tears slowed for a moment as he pulled back enough to look up. Ahren smiled at him, soft. "If I beak my promise, then you can stab me".

There was a gasp from the boy in his hold and Caspian wretched himself away. "Why would I stab you?"

Ahren didn't understand why the boy was so horrified. "Tello said that liars are some of the worst people. If I break my promise then you can stab me", he grinned. "I don't want to hurt you".

Caspian just stared at him. A sigh emanated from the doorway and Ahren turned confused eyes to Othello. The dark skinned man was pressing one hand to his forehead with a faintly amused air of suffering. "Lord Ahren. I did not mean that liars deserved to be stabbed. That is a bit extreme", His deep voice rumbled. "I was explaining the punishment of criminals".

"Ah but you said that one should not lie. That it was a bad. If it's bad then it's a crime and crime is punished by death. Stabbing someone can kill them. So if I lie then Caspian gets to stab me". It was fair reasoning in Ahren's standards.

Othello just sighed again, deeper, and put both hands to his face. "Where you get your logic from always surprises me", he muttered. "Alright. Shall we go over this again?" He stepped away from the door and crossed towards the two boys. Caspian shuffled back to Ahren as the large man took a gentle seat on the armchair next to the couch they were currently perched on. The plush red fabric contrasting to his dark uniform.

"I understood it the first time", Ahren interjected.

"I don't think you did", Caspian sniffed, rubbing his tears from his face. Ahren felt indignant over the face that he was apparently wrong with his ver logical reasoning, but it had gotten Caspian to stop crying. So that was a win in his book.

Othello let out a small amused chuckle at the expression on Ahren's face. The guard was usually silent around the prince, or any one not familiar within Lord Restimar's house. Ahren was glad that he had gotten the guard to warm up to his friend to act like he usually did when it was just the two of them. The guard was only in his twenties and acted more of an older brother than a bodyguard most of the time. Though, while Othello had seemingly warmed to Caspian, the boy was apparently still wary. He had shuffled close to Ahren's side and was wiping all the traces of his crying from his face, as if the guard had not just watched him sob into the taller child's shoulder for the past twenty minutes.

"Now, let's explain this to Ahren in a way that he understands", Othello smiled conspiratorially at the prince. "I am sure I can do so with your help, your highness". Caspian giggled as Ahren looked more affronted.

"My tutors say that I am very smart", he stated proudly. "I know that stabbing is bad". He shot a teasing look at Ahren.

"I know that it's bad! I was just saying that if I break our oath, then I deserve something bad. One must never break their oaths".

"I would never stab you". Caspian stated it as if it was a fact. Like it was an impossible thought.

Ahren grinned at him. "Good. I would never break my oath so you shouldn't have to stab me. That would hurt".

"How about neither of you break your oaths and neither of you stab each other", Othello advised. Both boys nodded at him. "Good. Now do I need to explain crime and punishment again Ahren?"

"No. I know that".

Othello fixed him with a warning look. "That's good. Because I remember your tutor wanting to test you on it next week".

Ahren let out a dramatic groan. Caspian began giggling again. As he flopped over to place his face in the couch cushions, embroidery irritating his nose, he smiled. He always preferred the sound of laughter over tears. Caspian's laugh was much better than his sobs. As Othello began to lecture them both on the law system of the land, Ahren felt the smaller boy lean against his side tiredly. Outside, rain splattered on the windows and in the hearth a fire cracked. The couch was plush and the room was warm. Caspian had obviously tired himself out and his head was lolling on Ahren's shoulder before Othello was halfway through explaining the different types of crimes.

Unedited

Ahren is confused but he's got the spirit.