Little Book of Imagines

Prince Caspian

The ship tosses and turns in the fierce storm. You are curled up in you bed, cowering with fear. You hate boats. Your cabin lights up and then CRASH! You jump at the loud thunder. You should never have agreed to come on this wretched ship.

Suddenly the ship lurches and you're thrown out of your bed. The window bursts open, dousing you with freezing water and partially flooding your cabin. You try to close it again but the latch is broken.

You cough and splutter as another wave hits and pours through your open window.

"Argh!!" you scream. You shiver in your soaked night gown and clamber out of your flooded cabin.

The wind is so strong you can hardly walk and the deck is slippery from the torrents of rain. You can barely see two feet in front of yourself as you stumble through the storm. Suddenly your foot gets caught on something and you fall, scraping your hands and knees. It stings as you push your self up again.

You continue to slowly inch along but you have no idea where you're going. You slip again and fall down a small flight of stairs. You hit your head at the bottom and lie there stunned for a few moments. Leaving your room was a bad idea.

Lightning flashes and lights up the boat. There is a bar just above you which you grab on to and hoist yourself up with. You wander along, keeping one hand on the bar until it ends and you move blindly through the dark.

Suddenly someone grabs you and pulls you with them.

"What are you doing out here?" a man shouts above the storm. You don't have time to answer when you're pushed into a large cabin. It's dry and well lit. The man follows behind you. You turn around and see that it was none other than the captain himself, Prince Caspian.

"Do you have a death wish?" he asks, irritated at your stupidity.

"I'm sorry, my cabin got flooded and..." you break down crying. You're soaked and cold, you're knees and hands are bloody, and you're a right mess.

"Hey, calm down, let's get you cleaned up." says Caspian softly. He guides you to another room, with a basin. He fills it with warm water and takes a sponge. Dipping it it the water he begins gently dabbing your forehead. You must have cut yourself falling down those stairs. It stings and you wince. He then proceeds to clean your knees and hands, which he wraps in bandages.

You shiver in your wet night gown.

"Stay here, I'll find something dry for you to wear." says Caspian. He leaves a comes back with one of his own shirts.

"Here, put this on." he says, handing it to you. He steps out of the room and waits for you to change.

The shirt is quite large and falls loosely on you and comes just above your knees. It's warm and soft. You dry your hair and then go out.

"Better?" asks Caspian when he sees you.

"Much, thanks." you reply.

"You better stay here 'till this storm is over." says Caspian.

You agree.

Suddenly the boat lurches again and you fall forward onto the prince. He catches you in his strong arms and stands you up again. You blush and step back. Caspian turns red too but tries to hide it.

"Um, you should rest, you look tired and that head injury was kind of bad." says Caspian. "You can sleep in my bed."

"Oh, no, that's yours, I'll sleep somewhere else." you say.

"I'll, sleep on the floor, you take the bed. That is an order." insists Caspian. You fall onto the bed, it's so comfy. You sigh and craw under the blankets. Caspian pulls a quilt and some pillows off the bed and lies on the floor. You fall asleep quickly.

CRASH!! Thunder scares you awake and you cry out in terror as the ship is thrown around. You're dazed and don't remember where you are. Then you feel the bed dip and a hand grabs yours.

"Don't worry, it's ok. Calm down." It's Caspian. He climbs into bed with you and wraps his arms around you. You calm down and relax. He gently strokes your hair and you soon fall asleep again, warm in the prince's arms.