a tale for love | n. riki

two

On the journey back to Odessia, Caspian found himself concerned for the children he found in Xernia. The young girl had regained consciousness after a few days of treatment and nutrition, but was struck with so much trauma, she could not even speak. No matter how much the nurses or Caspian tried to ask her things, she would not respond. The boy on the other hand, presumably her brother they suspected, was facing severe fevers everyday and was not conscious. The nurses feared that he would not make it back to Odessia in time for real medical treatment at the hospital. It would take 3 more days til they made it back to the kingdom and there was no progress for the boy.

At nightfall, Caspian went to check on the little girl before he reached his sleeping quarters. He opened the door of the room where many injured Xernians lay as the girl had been assigned to stay there for the remainder of the trip. Rather than seeing her on the bed, sleeping peacefully, Caspian saw her hiding in the corner of the room again. It had been a frequent sight, but no one knew how to help her. They figured once the boy woke up she would be in a better position, but there were still no positive results from him.

Caspian pitied the girl, but was unsure what to do and how to help her. He was 35 and still unmarried. He was considered the most eligible bachelor of Odessia at the time. He was so driven by his career, he did not think about love in the first place, but seeing a helpless child softened his heart, hoping to help her if he could.

He walked into the room quietly, and approached the young girl again. He smiled at her warmly trying to comfort her if he could.

"How're you doing?" he whispered. She didn't respond, but he was expecting it. Exhaled and took a seat on the floor in front of her.

"I brought you a little gift," Caspian said, revealing what he had been hiding behind his back. It was a small stuffed bunny, made out of mismatched leftover cloth scraps and two different sized buttons for eyes. "I know it's not the nicest, but when we arrive back in the capital, I'll buy you a new one."

The girl didn't say anything to Caspian, but to his surprise, she accepted the gift and stared at the bunny blanky. Caspian smiled with slight satisfaction as his hand went over to her head, to pat her gently. The girl's eyes opened widely as she felt a hovering shadow over her head and flinched, moving away. Caspian, now aware of his action, moved his hand away. The girl was still scared. He sighed as he stood up and began to walk out of the room.

"Good night, young one."