School boy | Prince Caspian

27 - Epilogue

Otto woke to softness and hushed voices. His head hurt and it felt like it was full of fog. The voices were english. Elderly maybe, one male and one female. No thick Telmarine accent, much to the sudden dropping of his gut. The fear that accompanied that realisation almost made him gasp from the pain of it. But Otto held still, keeping his breathing as regular as possible. The people were arguing in whispers but he could hear the, perfectly clearly.

"-falling out of a wardrobe. If I hadn't checked the house for any sign of a break in the, I thought it wouldn't be possible. And his injuries. It's going to take me ages to get the blood off that floor. Varnished oak floorboards. Such a shame".

"Mrs Macready I think the floor is not the most pressing matter here".

"Just look at him Professor. The wounds were severe. And the scar on his face. Ghastly business he's been mixed up in".

Otto instinctively shifted and groaned as his arms throbbed. The areas where the creature had got him stung badly. The two voices fell silent. "If you would please get us some tea my dear" the man and said softly. The woman made a huffing noise and the sound of her shoes then the squeak of the door signified that she had left the room.

Otto opened his eyes. He was in a small single bed, the frame surprisingly simple despite the grand state of the room. The walls were a dark wood, carved with designs he recognised from school. It was recognisably gothic English. Apart from the bed and a chest of drawers the room was mostly bare. Sun was pouring through the old windows. Otto squinted in the light, gaze drifting until he found the man.

The man was old, older than Otto's father but he stood straight and tall. He was dressed in a pair of striped pyjamas with a deep red dressing robe tied over the top. His hair was white and whispy, with a little white beard covering his chin. Golden round spectacles covered his eyes. His eyes seemed kind.

Otto blinked and tried to push himself up but the man held out a hand. "I wouldn't do that if I was you", he said gently. "You were quite beaten by the time we found you". His accent was southern English maybe? He sounded rich. Probably the owner of this place. Otto blinked back tears.

"I'm back in England", he muttered, throat dry. "I fell out of the wardrobe. Just like Peter and Lucy said".

"Ah", the man sighed. He patted the bed sheets and took a seat on the edge of the mattress, watching Otto curiously. "You are a friend of the Pevensie children. Why don't you tell my your name and how you came to find narnia". The man seemed so soft and understanding that Otto did. He told him the whole story from the train station to the battle. After that point his voice grew choked as he fought not to cry.

"I didn't want to leave. I was never supposed to leave". The words were thick in his mouth and he gave a choked sob. "I was just trying to escape from that creature. It's my home". He raised his less injured arm to cover his face as he started crying. The wound from the talons throbbing painfully near his shoulder. He could feel the bandages against his skin, the bite marks on his other forearm stinging. He couldn't even think about how much of a bloody mess they would be under the cloth. The thought of Caspian still in that clearing with the beast making him feel sick.

The man waited for a few minutes until the severity of Otto's sobs had lessened. "What year is it Otto?"

Otto rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. He was wearing a different shirt too. A white night shirt rather than his tunic. "1943. I'm seventeen, I think". He hadn't really kept track of his birthday in narnia.

The man sighed. "I'm afraid that it is January 1946. The war has ended. Time between here and narnia is a fickle thing. Not so easily measured". Otto fought a fresh wave of tears as the words sunk in. Two years. He had been missing for two years. He wanted to go home to Caspian.

At that moment the door creaked open and the woman entered with a tray, on which sat three tea cups and pot. She was dressed in smart clothes of dar colours, her greying Sandy hair pulled up in a tight bun. She gave them both a suspicious look upon seeing that Otto was awake. There was a slight clatter as she set the tray down on top of the chest of drawers.

"Right", she stated. "What are we going to do with you?"

——

June 1946 found Otto back in London. He had stayed with professor Kirke and Mrs Macready for a few months until the wounds turned to scars. During that time he had tried the wardrobe several times but all he found was a wardrobe full of old coats. A wooden back where he had once fallen through. After a while he had to concede defeat. The wardrobe was not going to lead him back. So he made his decision to return to London and look for the Pevensie children again. They had brought him to narnia once before. He was certain that they could do it again.

Professor Kirke kindly gave him some money for the train and some funds to get him somewhere to stay. Otto was incredibly thankful. He was bit going back to his father if it was the last thing he'd do. After a while of getting kicked out of most boarding houses, probably due to his age and scars, Otto found a room for rent in the basement of a old townhouse. It was owned by a old couple allowed him to stay rent free if he worked for them. It was better than he could hope for and it passed the time. Otto could have found contentment there if it wasn't for the aching need to return to narnia. It clawed at him like hunger, swelling up during the night until all he could do was shake.

So in his free time he searched for any sign of the Pevensie children. He frequented the underground station where everything had started. He visited their old schools a couple of times until it became clear that none of them went there anymore. It wasn't until his eighteenth birthday had come and gone (he supposed that it was his eighteenth. He did not know how old he was supposed to be anymore), that he spotted a familiar face.

Otto had been walking down the streets of more rural London. The richer areas with trees growing in the gardens. It wasn't a place that had really frequented before the old couple hired him. On that occasion it was his day off and taking a walk did not seem like a bad idea. The sun was out and it was warm.

"Lucy slow down will you". A familiar call from across the road. Otto froze and lifted his head. There were two people walking down the street opposite. The girl pushing a bicycle, the basket laden with groceries, the boy jogging after her. They had both grown. Lucy)s hair was longer and she seemed more like a young woman now, compared to the little girl she was. Edmund was also taller. Still lanky but in his mid to late teens. They were both arguing in a recognisably sibling way.

Otto was crossing the road before he could stop himself. "Lucy! Edmund!" The two froze and turned, surprise filling their faces as Otto jogged over.

"Otto!" Lucy shrieked as she pulled him into a hug. Otto sagged in her arms. The weight of the last few months finally seeping away.

"Otto", Edmund gaped. "What the bloody blazes are you doing here? And you look the same. How?"

Otto and Lucy separated and he laughed shakily. "It's a long story. I am just so glad to see you two".

"We're glad to see you too". Lucy replied with a smile as Edmund threw a arm over Otto's shoulders. Otto relaxed between them, glad to have found his friends.

Unedited

AN: This is the end guys! Sorry!
Hope you enjoyed it! Thank you fir reading.
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