The Seven Deadly Kingdoms

Chapter 22

Things have changed. My life has changed. And for the better, I believe. I'm so sorry that I left you.I miss you more than ink on paper can describe. And please, don't worry about me. I have Henry. I believe that we're going to start something big, mother and father. Just remember that I am doing all of this for you, so that we might have a better future. I'm doing it for the cousins. I love you, and I miss you. I'll see you soon.

Adelaide signed off the letter she had written to her parents. Tear stains dotted the edge of the crumpled paper. It was jagged and ripped on the corners from when Adelaide tore it our of her journal. The same journal she was supposed to keep to write down reports of anything of note that she saw in Avartia. She had realised that most letters she wrote nowadays had been the same; always a farewell.

It had been a week since she met Caspian. It had all been a blur, really. Insane, as well. She was a fool to have ever partnered with a man she had never even met, let alone the fact that he was her sworn enemy. But, she was happy. The two had spent most of the time simply searching for a place to stay. After three days of sleeping under the stars, Caspian had stumbled upon an old cabin whilst hunting.

Adelaide tucked the folded piece of paper into her coat pocket, hoping to be able to find somewhere she could ship it to her parents from.

Caspian and Adelaide hadn't spoken much about themselves on their brief journey. They spoke lots of things they wanted to do in the future, people they aspired to be, even their fears every once and a while. But they had never talked about their pasts. Adelaide wouldn't have minded sharing how she had grown up, given how good of a childhood she had, but she was curious about what had led Caspian to be here, why he was so comfortable with leaving his kingdom to be alone with a stranger.

Adelaide snuck a glance at Caspian, who was sitting on the edge of his cot, looking at a small piece of paper. He seemed upset. His jaw clenched and unclenched repeatedly, and his knee bobbed up and down rapidly. Adelaide wondered what on that little piece of worn down paper could possibly make him this distressed.

"Caspian?" She asked quietly. His eyes lifted to hers and his jaw unclenched."Yes?" He replied.

"Um.. Are you alright? You seem stressed."

Caspian's leg stopped bouncing and his lips parted slightly. Emotion pooled into his eyes that Adelaide was unfamiliar with. After a moment, he looked away and his expression reverted back to his usual cocky smile.

"Of course, Adelaide. I'm just fine. Just thinking about how big of an operation we're trying to pull off and realizing what I might have gotten myself into. But not to worry, I believe the pure hatred of our soon-to-be troops for their old homes should be enough to pull us through." Caspian laughed off the question, but Adelaide could read between the lines. But instead of pushing further, she simply smiled softly.

"Well, while we're on that topic, I think I know some people back at my camp that might be interested in joining our little crusade." Caspian quirked a brow, intrigued.

"Oh?"

Adelaide nodded before replying. "Yes, I've met a good few people at my camp who despise the monarchy just as much, if not more, than I do. And even if they don't want to join, I'll at least have my brother. And he can be very persuasive."

Caspian nodded along, but looked a bit distracted as he looked at Adelaide. "What's your story, Adelaide?" He asked. Adelaide was slightly taken aback by the unrelated question, her brows furrowing in response.

"My Story?" She asked, unsure of what he had meant. Caspian nodded. They needed to spend their time discussing their fragile plan, not small talk and family histories. Adelaide gave in, though. One thing she had picked up throughout their short time together was that Caspian sometimes had a difficult time staying focused on one thing at a time. With a sigh, Adelaide thought about where she should begin in 'her story'.