With Courage [King Caspian X OC]

Chapter 34

The jangling nerves that had plagued her the previous day, her mind filled with concerns of meddling Lords and Aslan's revelations, had seemingly transferred in the night.

Throughout breakfast and their morning visit to the vaults where the Pevensies were immortalised in stone and iron, Caspian was jittery. His mind was elsewhere, drifting not beyond the walls of the castle, but instead further into himself, so deep in concentration she frequently found herself nudging him to snap out of it.

He shook off her concerns. Still there were the smiles, the easy compliments, the frequent touches. He wasn't upset, that much was clear. Merely distracted.

"There's something else I'd like to show you." He said when they left the vault, emerging from the castle into a bright, blue day.

"Do I get to know what it is?"

"Not yet. It's a short ride away, if you're happy to..."

"Of course." She nodded enthusiastically.

Whether or not he was otherwise occupied upstairs, he had still managed to wrangle them a day free from curious eyes. Those who cared about propriety – Amber was still trying to convince herself she was one of them, though Caspian held no such concerns – would have pushed for a chaperone. He had, rather miraculously, convinced those sticklers that Marco would be there to fulfil the role, before proceeding to ask Marco to stay by the gates and treat himself to a morning in the sun with his friends.

While they walked, he gave a short tour of the castle grounds. There was the orchard then the royal gardens, complete with a glittering sundial centrepiece. An open field on which the knights could train and a greenhouse bursting at the seams with plants.

"And of course the stables." He waved her forward, one hand on the open door.

She stood by quietly as he released and tacked a nearby chestnut mare. It wasn't until he moved to fetch another that he saw her concern in the bitten ridge of her lip. "What's the matter?" He asked.

"I have no idea how to ride a horse."

"Truly?" He grinned.

She threw up her hands, affronted. "It's very outdated where I come from! People use all manner of things there. Trains, bikes, cars... Rarely horses."

"Well, there will be none of that here. I can teach you, but we'll be late if we start now. We'll ride together." He led the horse, introduced to her as Isla, to the gravel path outside the stables. She had yet to learn where it led but had a strong suspicion she was about to find out.

She trailed after Caspian reluctantly. "Ladies first," he gestured, then frowned when she didn't move, staring at him blankly. "What is it?"

"Well, how do I get on?"

"Like this." He placed one foot in the stirrup and hoisted himself effortlessly into the saddle.

"Show off." She scoffed.

He jumped off to help as she tentatively repeated the first step with her boot but seemed unwilling to do anything more than that. "C'mere." He murmured, grabbing her waist and lifting her over Isla's broad back before slotting himself in front. It was so sudden, so close, she was suddenly grateful he couldn't examine her expression closely.

"You'll get used to it. Now hold on." She gripped the loose fabric at his ribs. Caspian paused for a moment before looking over his shoulder with the slightest smirk. "Tighter than that." He said, amused.

She huffed and wrapped her arms fully around his middle, heat rising to her collar. "This is starting to feel like a ploy." She mumbled, forehead pressed to the back of his neck.