School boy | Prince Caspian

16

Caspian gently lowered Otto onto a blanket on a small straw pallet. Otto made a whining noise as he shifted, leaning back against the stone wall behind him. He sighed in relief, closing his eyes and basking in this safe warmth. Caspian lowered himself onto the bare dirt next to Otto's pallet, face full of concern. On his other side, Peter and Lucy sat down. Edmund chose to lean against the wall as Susan sat next to Caspian. Otto yawned, wincing as the movement pulled at the cut on his cheek.

"Careful", Susan muttered softly. She bent closer to examine it. Her fingers gently tilting Otto's chin.

"You should really learn how to duck Otto", Peter commented dryly. He let out a grunt as Lucy drove her elbow into his stomach.

Otto began laughing. He laughed so hard he doubled over. The pain of everything adding a slight hysterical edge to the noise. After a minute Peter began to join in. Above them, Edmund began chuckling as well. "All these years of fights", Edmund sighed, shaking his head but failing to hide his smile. "Any neither of you actually learnt how to avoid getting injured. The point was to avoid the sword Otto".

Otto giggled, trying to keep a straight face. The laughter had irritated his cheek and red began to well up again. Lucy watched it worriedly. Susan sighed at the boys and rose. She disappeared down the corridor to the main hall. Reappearing a moment later with a female satyr clutching Otto's sack and another bag of medical supplies. The satyr was a older looking woman in a simple cloth dress. Her goat half was a grey brown, matching her greying curly hair. She smiled at him warmly.

"My bag!" Otto gasped as Susan handed it over. "Help me empty it Caspian". He asked. Together, the two of them upturned the bag over Peter's and Lucy's lap. At lest five hard books books fell out. A spare tie, a wooden pencil case. A flimsy notebook, a small penknife, a comb and newspaper. And several other odd and ends such as a wallet, keys and several more paperbacks. Peter began picking through the contents amusedly.

"How many books did you fit in there Birch? That explains why it was always so heavy".

"At lest I read Pevensie", Otto shot back. He began stacking up all the books. The five hardbacks first, then the seven more paperbacks. He pulled them on to his lap with a happy noise. "I've missed these".

"Did you have to throw it everywhere?" Susan huffed. She and Lucy began scooping it all back into the sack. They made no move to take any of Otto's books, for which he was glad about. Books were always a comfort item to him. Now in a strange world, beaten and sore. They still calmed him.

"Sir", the saytr spoke up. She knelt next to Caspian at his side, face concerned. "My name is Harth. May I take a look at your injuries?"

Caspian nodded in agreement. "Otto. You're bleeding". Now that he mentioned it, Otto could feel something dripping down his neck. Instinctively he reached up and touched his cheek. It stung and he hissed. The sight of his own blood on his fingertips made him mentally tired. Harth began getting cloths out her bag. Rolls of bandages and small clay pots of ointments. She asked him to remove his shirt, so that she could get to the injuries on his chest. Susan volunteered to go and get a bowl of clean water.

Together with Caspian's gentle hands helping him sit forwards, Lucy and Harth managed to pull the material over his head. Otto's shoulders and arms sore and stiff as he raised them over his head. Caspian sucked in a draw of breath through his teeth at the sight of Otto's bruised torso. Otto was skinny and pale. Slightly on the too skinny side to be healthy. Discoloured red and dark purple patches littered his stomach and ribs. On his upper arms, multiple hand shaped bruises were coming up. Red at the moment but Otto knew that they would be blue and purple within a day or so. Caspian's eyes hardened as he took in the handprints, mouth thinning in visible anger and displeasure.

"I need to go and address the troops", Peter nodded, obviously uncomfortable. He stood up and Edmund followed him from the room, shooting Otto a wave over his shoulder. Otto let them go. Peter was never the greatest at showing his feelings.

"Oh Otto", Lucy moaned sadly. "How could they do this to you?"

"Hey. It's not too bad", Otto grinned, it quickly turned into a grimace as Harth began dabbing a cloth against his cut cheek. "I bruise easily. It's fine".

"It's not fine", Susan stated firmly. She set down a slightly steaming bowl of water at Harth's side. The satyr dipped the bloody cloth in the water and resumed cleaning the blood off of Otto's face.

"It's definitely not fine", Caspian added. "I apologise for everything you have suffered on behalf of my people. How dare my uncle treat you in that way!" Otto blinked, taken back for a minute by his anger. He didn't expect the prince to be so furious on his behalf. It made him feel warm inside.

"Um thank you", he mumbled, eyed turning down. Nothing much was said as Harth tended to his wounds. She applied ointment to the bruises on his chest and bandaged the cuts on his feet. She had to stitch up the sword wound to his cheek and the cut on his eyebrow from Miraz's ring. Lucy had to leave the room when that happened. Otto had clenched his eyes shut and gripped Caspian's arms as he tried not to grimace in pain. The prince didn't protest. He just watched the ordeal with distant dark eyes. Harth was quick and efficient but it still hurt. Once she was done, she covered his face in a mixture of ointments. One for the stitches and another for the swelling and bruises.

When he had done, Lucy returned with a bowl of warmth broth. The liquid soup gentle on his mouth as he ate. It was soft enough that he didn't need to open his mouth too much. Any sudden movements liable to pull on his fresh stitches. When he was finished, he leaned back and clamped his jaw shut to avoid a yawn. Lucy was saying something but he was suddenly exhausted. All the stress of the last few days hitting him at once now that he had relaxed.

Caspian noticed Otto listing to the side. Ottos' eyes drifting shut as he pulled the blankets higher up his chest. He struggled on the pallet, trying to shuffle down and make himself comfortable. Caspian gently reached out and placed his hands on Otto's shoulders. Otto blinked at him blearily before relaxing into his hold. Slowly, Caspian helped him lie back on to the makeshift bed. Otto wriggled a bit, trying to find a position that didn't aggravate his bruises too much. One arm was clutching a few of his books to his chest. The others having slid off onto the floor.

"I'll stay with him", Caspian suggested, voice quiet as not to disturb the sleeping boy. Harth had already left the cave, her job done. Susan nodded and took the bowl of bloody water and the empty soup bowl. Lucy smiled at Caspian cheekily, like she knew something he didn't. She carefully took Otto's books and stacked them in a neat pile by his sack, pushing them both next to his bed.

"You can move your pallet over", Lucy suggested in a whisper. She winked at him. "Don't be uncomfortable all night. The rest of us don't mind".  Caspian felt his face flush and he turned his attention back to Otto. He heard Lucy laugh silently before she skipped out of the room.

It was after they had gone and there was only two of them, that Caspian did what Lucy suggested. Trying to be as quiet as possible, he moved the bed roll he had been using. It was previously tucked into alcove on the other side of the room. He laid it out in the empty space next to Otto's to make a double bed before removing his chest plate and lying down. He twisted his head so that he was facing Otto's bruised cheek.  Otto was breathing deeply, mouth slightly ajar. His golden brown hair was messily covering  his forehead and his face was lit by the flickering flame of a torch. The bruises were dark on swollen skin. Caspian reached out before he could stop himself. Lightly, the barest touch as if he was afraid to break him, he brushed the back of his hand across Otto's cheek.

Otto mumbled something and Caspian froze, heart thudding. He pulled his hand back as Otto shifted. The other rolled closer to him. His head instinctively nuzzling into the spot next to Caspian's shoulder. Caspian could feel him sigh deeply. After a moment, Caspian sighed and gave up. He rolled onto his side and threw a arm around Otto's waist, hugging the boy in close. Otto made a sleepy noise and instantly cuddled up to him, basking in the warmth and safety of Caspian's hold. Smiling slightly, Caspian closed his eyes.

Unedited