Caspian
After he had washed away the days of travel and dressed in fresh clothes, his time had been spent catching up with all the matters that had required his attention while he was away.
That had eaten away what remained of the afternoon, and there was still more to be done.
Ordinarily, he would eat his meal alone as he worked through them all, late into the night if need be, but not tonight.
“You should be aware, sir,” Lionel continued in a lower tone, “that Lord Redfield was quite aggrieved by your absence when they arrived.”
“You would do well to make him feel welcome tonight. He is eager to begin the betrothal arrangements.”
He shook his head. “No, there will be no betrothal.”
“Sir?” Lionel stopped, looking at him in uncharacteristic shock. The expression lasted only a moment before he righted himself, though still a gravity weighed on his features.
“I cannot go through with it, not anymore. I need to find a way to-” Caspian rubbed his brow.
“I feel I must caution you against any hasty decisions, my lord,” he warned.
“There is nothing hasty about it,” Caspian said surely. “If anything, it is long overdue. I just- I don’t know how to go about things to avoid resentment or embarrassment… for either of us.”
“If you are intent on backing out now, it will have to be managed with care…” Lionel paused thoughtfully. “May I make an assumption?”
Caspian nodded, much preferring he spoke his mind plainly.
“It stands to reason that this sudden change of course would be due to your newest guest?”
Again he nodded as they entered the dining hall.
The room was dominated by a polished oak table.
The Northall coat of arms hung on the far wall, lest anyone forget whose keep this was.
Caspian was meant to sit beneath the bear’s gaze, which always gave him the eerie sense that it was watching him, measuring him against his predecessors.
He avoided eating here unless he was entertaining guests, which was also a habit he avoided.
The heaviness of the evening’s expectations settled on his shoulders again, eased only by the thought that Keira would be there.
“It might be prudent to send her elsewhere, until the matter with the Redfields is resolved-”
“No.” The word came out harsher than he’d meant it, though no softer than he felt about the idea. He could hardly stand having her out of his sight. Sending her away- It was untenable.
Lionel sighed. “Very well, my lord. Would you like my further guidance in this matter?”
“As long as it doesn’t involve Keira, yes.”
The steward nodded, his reply silenced as the Redfields entered the hall from the opposite door nearest the East Wing. Victor was dressed in a black doublet embroidered with blood red vines stretching across his chest. His red half cape was fastened with a pin in the shape of a silver hound.
Priscilla looked up at Caspian shyly from her brother’s side.
Her golden hair was half up, allowing the rest to fall over her shoulder in buoyant curls.
Her dress hung from the very edges of her shoulders, exposing the skin down to her collarbones.
The gown itself was red velvet with another lighter material making up the low hanging sleeves that fluttered about her with every gesture.
Behind them both was the red haired woman Caspian had seen on the steps of the keep that morning.
He thought perhaps he remembered seeing her at the Feather Ball some months ago as well.
He’d assumed then that she was Priscilla’s lady’s maid, but that hardly seemed the case if she was accompanying them to dinner.
She wore a simpler gown than Priscilla’s, a charcoal color only a few shades removed from Victor’s attire.
Perhaps that was intentional. Though if she were Victor’s wife, they certainly would have been introduced.
“There is our elusive host,” Victor greeted him.
Caspian did his best to ignore his dagger edged smile. “Of course you have my apologies,” he began, trying to choose his words carefully. “There was urgent and unexpected business that required my attention.”
“Is everything al-alright?” Priscilla asked as she came to his side, her round face creased with worry.
“Yes, there was a beast feeding on livestock from the farms bordering the forest, but it’s been dealt with.”
Her face whitened slightly.
“You will have to regale us all with the heroic details over dinner,” Victor suggested, the red haired woman taking Priscilla’s place on his arm. “I’m sure you remember, Yvette.” Her brown eyes watched Caspian with a particular focus that made him uneasy.
He nodded, even though he was sure he’d never heard her name before. “Of course.”
She nodded knowingly, as if she knew he was lying. It only made her unflinching gaze that much more unsettling.
Caspian hesitated before he took his seat. He wanted to wait for Keira, but there was no sign of her. In the end, he relented and took his place at the head of the table. Priscilla took the seat beside him. Victor and his…. companion filled out the other side of the table.
Within moments, the serving doors opened and trays of food appeared.
Steaming platters of meat and loaves of bread filled the room with their warm, savory scent.
Pitchers of ale and wine were set out beside plates of cheese, bowls of apples and pears, and freshly cut vegetables from the winter gardens.
“So what drove you to go after this beast yourself?” Victor asked as they filled their plates.
“It is my duty to protect the lands that the prince entrusted me with,” Caspian answered.
It seemed like the obvious response to his question, but still he felt as though he’d missed the mark.
These nobles always hid questions beneath questions, never spoke directly what they meant.
The more time he spent in their company, the more he felt as though he were being left out of some larger joke.
“How noble, ever a soldier, eh?” Victor said with his sharp smile. “Though when I have a pest problem on my lands, I hire a huntsman to see to it. Not all of us are suited for trudging through the woods.”
“Very b-brave, to go on your own,” Priscilla commented quietly.
But I wasn’t alone. The words died on his lips as Keira entered the dining hall unsurely.
Her dark hair had been washed and pulled back simply by a pair of small braids that circled her head like a crown.
The rest of her unbound hair curled over her shoulders as it would.
The dress was belted just below her full chest and fell gently around her curves to the floor.
The long, full sleeves ended in a cuff tight against her wrists.
But what took his breath away was the pattern of colors that danced over the thick fabric, blue with steely grey embroidery throughout. His colors.
They’d dressed her like the lady of the house, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
“I was wondering if you would be joining us this evening,” Victor said, filling Caspian’s lapse in faculties.
He made up for it at once, standing and pulling out the chair on his opposite side. “You look perfect,” he breathed just before she sat down.
“Thank you,” Keira said, a deep blush spreading over her warm cheeks.
“So you were about to tell us about this beast of yours,” Victor prompted as Caspian returned to his seat.
He nodded. “It was a manticore, living in one of the caves on the edge of the mountains.”
“Educate us, Lord Caspian,” Yvette asked, her shrewd eyes fixing on his once more, “We are not all so well versed in the manner of monsters that wander the reaches.”
Caspian laughed nervously. “I wasn’t sure what it was either when I laid eyes on it. Keira could probably tell you more.”
Keira looked to him in alarm, or perhaps indignation at being called out. Honestly, it was relieving not to be the only one who felt out of depth, but he offered her a reassuring smile.
“Manticores are largely feline in quality,” Keira explained, “set apart by their size and large barbed tail. Their sting is highly venomous.”
Victor cocked his head to the side. “Am I to understand that you were a companion on this hunt?”
“Yes, I was.”
“She helped me track down the beast, and to slay it as well,” Caspian added.
“That sssounds terrifying,” Priscilla offered.
“My, my, your guest must have many hidden talents. Where, by chance, did you find her?”
Caspian smiled. “We’ve known each other for a long time.”
“Did you serve in the war as well?” Priscilla asked.
Keira swallowed a drink of her wine. “No, we met before all that.”
“Where have you been hiding your childhood friend Caspian?” Victor asked lightheartedly. “I’m sure we’ve never seen her at court.”
Caspian laughed nervously as stiffness took hold of him. He recalled those events, how he would have given anything to have her there beside him, how he’d lost hope that it would ever be a reality.
“I’ve been away,” Keira answered for him, “in Stormhaven for some years. But now I’m back, and I couldn’t miss seeing all this. The timing was especially fortunate.”
“It seems so,” Victor said, offering a guarded, courtly smile.
“I would quite enjoy to- to visit Stormhaven,” Priscilla said. “Perhaps you’ll accompany me to next sssummer’s Fire Festival.” She looked up at him with glimmering blue eyes.
Caspian felt the air leave his lungs. How was he supposed to tell her that there was no chance of that happening without crushing her?
“I remember last year’s Fire Festival,” Keira said, drawing the table’s attention. “The whole city was lit up with torches and fire dancers. The firework displays were amazing. Even the bay was filled with boat parties. I don’t think a soul in Stormhaven slept a wink.”
The Fire Festival was one of the most debaucherous feast days on the Fate’s calendar, falling on the Summer Solstice.
Though it was observed throughout the kingdom, the largest of the celebrations was held every year in Stormhaven on the Southern Coast. People drank and danced through the shortest night of the year, believing that to stay awake till sunrise would grant good fortune in the year to come.
Caspian had not attended the court’s Fire Feasts for the last two years, using the excuse that it was too far to travel, but in reality he had no desire to see what the court was like on a night where convention and propriety were traditionally sworn off.
“Hardly a place for a young lady of your standing,” Victor said pointedly.
Priscilla’s small lips pursed in a subtle pout.
“I hope you will enjoy the Holly Feast just as well,” Caspian offered.
The Holly Festival was held on the Winter Solstice, only days away now.
It was Northall’s honor to host the Holly Feast for the court each year.
In the past, he’d been an awkward host, and a reluctant one, but Keira’s arrival truly had changed everything.
Caspian found himself already imagining sharing it with her.
“I’m sure I will,” Priscilla said. Her pale cheeks flushed pink as she looked at him through fluttering lashes.
Caspian cleared his throat, fixing his gaze purposefully back to his plate.
“So, Keira, what was so captivating about our Southern shore?” Victor asked before taking a thoughtful sip of wine.
“I wanted to travel,” Keira explained. Caspian could hear the uneasiness under her carefully casual tone. “I found work there and ended up staying longer than I planned.”
“What is it you do?” Yvette asked. Her voice was somehow soft and sharp all at once, like a ribbon with a razor’s edge.
Keira gave him a sidelong glance, which he answered with a miniscule nod. There was no need for her to hide here.
Everyone watched silently as Keira turned her attention behind him, to the tapestry.
She pursed her lips, letting out a whistle, the pitch like wind through a forest’s canopy.
Caspian turned as he detected the first flickers of motion, watching transfixed as the bear began to move.
It grew lifelike in quality until it didn’t seem impossible at all that it crawled from the woven surface to stand at his side, letting out a territorial roar.
Caspian was just about to reach for it, to see if he could feel the thick coat of its fur when he stilled at the sound of a shrill cry. Priscilla’s chair toppled to the ground as she retreated, chest heaving.
“It can’t hurt you,” Keira said quickly, dismissing the illusion. The bear’s form dissolved like morning mist.
“It’s magic,” Priscilla said, sounding practically horrified.
Keira looked to him at a loss. Caspian shared in her dismay. Certainly there were many who were wary or even suspicious of magic and those who practiced it, but he had never expected such a violent reaction.
“Please excuse my sister’s outburst,” Victor said, sounding almost bored as he stood.
Caspian cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should all retire early. I know that I am still road weary.” He looked to Keira, who nodded and stood.
“W-wwould you escort me back to my rooms?” Priscilla said, her voice as light as her gentle touch on his arm. “My nerves have- have gotten the better of me.”
Reflexively, he looked to Keira as his mind cycled through any possible reason to refuse.
“Yes, of course,” Caspian relented. It was his duty as a host. He didn’t want to stoop to rudeness.
Keira thankfully offered an understanding though strained smile as Pricilla’s arm laced into his.