Lost boy || Prince Caspian

2

"Swim!" Edmund shouted. Otto kicked out as the four of them tried to swim away from the approaching ship. It creaked above them, the commanders unknown. Around him, Otto could see Lucy and Eustace struggling. The sounds of loud splashes made Otto swim harder. Some men must have jumped off the ship and were swimming after them.

Lucy shrieked loudly and Otto stopped. He could see her struggling in the waves a short distance away. She'd stopped swimming as a man caught her. Otto hurriedly made to swim towards her, protect her from her attacker, when she shrieked again. But this time the noise was of joy rather than alarm. "It's Caspian! Edmund! Otto! Stop it's Caspian!"

All of them stopped swimming. "Otto?" Otto barely caught his name over the waves. "Otto's here too? He came back?" Caspian's head whipped up and scanned the waves. Otto could see wet long dark hair and the brown scruff of a slight beard on the other man's face. Caspian was older, and adult. Just how long had Otto been gone? The thought made a stab of guilt tug at his stomach. He had never meant for this to happen.

For a minute the two men stared at each other. The water separating them as they floated. Edmund's voice broke their moment. "Are we in narnia?" Otto jerked and bobbed underwater for a second before resurfacing. He coughed out some water, one had pushing his hair out of his eyes as Edmund laughed. The man who had been swimming after them with Caspian was trying to pull a screaming and struggling Eustace towards the ship. The boy was screaming about swimming back to England.

"Of course", Caspian laughed as Edmund swam over to them. Otto watched from where he was floating for a moment as the Pevensie children and Caspian reunited. The group swam together towards the ship, Otto trailing behind them. Caspian kept on throwing glances over his shoulder, smiling every time he saw him as if Otto was going to disappear at any moment. Otto felt the same. He was scared to believe if this was real.

The men on the ship had thrown down a rope ladder and Otto and Edmund swam towards it. Caspian led Lucy to a platform which had been lowered down for them. Otto watched as the two of them were lifted from the water and up onto deck. "How come they don't have to climb?" Edmund muttered as he heaved himself up the ladder. Otto laughed behind him and smacked his leg so that Edmund would hurry up. The water was cold and he was looking forward to getting out.

As soon as the two boys were on the deck sailors came forwards to hand them blankets. Otto thanked them as he pulled the blankets round his shoulders. The sun was bright and warming now that they were out of the ocean. Otto tipped his head back and sighed as it shone on his face. "Otto", the voice was soft. He blinked open his eyes and turned to face Caspian.

He was right, Caspian was older. His hair had been cut so that the dark strands now brushed his shoulders. The dark shape of stubble covered his jaw and he stood tall, with a relaxed air of commanded what Otto couldn't remember him having before. He was dressed in a large white shirt with black trousers and boots. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and the neckline was unlaced. The sun made his eyes seem darker than ever and brought out the tones in his hair. Otto wasn't sure what to do. "Caspian", he said, as if to double check that it was really him. Caspian smiled slightly, a beautiful upturn of the lips.

Otto threw himself forwards at the same time Caspian stepped towards him. They threw their arms around each other with overjoyed laughter. Otto burying his face into Caspian's hair as the man gripped him tightly. Both were soaked and cold but they didn't care. They were the same height still but Caspian had filled out at the shoulders and put on more muscle. Otto knew he was skinny but he hadn't realised how much until just then. During the six months in England he had lost all the weight he had gained in narnia. Caspian must be able to feel it, from the way he clutched Otto tighter.