Chapter 18
I swear we walked from one side of the ship to the complete other end. Several sets of stairs later I am walking right into a massive dining hall. The tables are all pushed together into four rows and there are people sitting all over, mingling, and dancing with beer in their cups. They are enjoying their time, just like we used to for every dinner we had on our ship. Caspian walks with me over to where Arielle is sitting.
“Go ahead and sit, love. They will grab food and something to drink for you soon.” He pauses and then grins. “Hopefully you won't dwindle away to nothing in the meantime.”
He’s being curiously playful, but I suppose he has since the first time we have met. How is it possible for this man to get anymore confusing to read? I look down at my hands and the table and just smile. I can’t help myself, he’s strangely charming at times. I look over at Arielle to see her reacting with disgust.
“What the hell happened between you two down in his cabin, huh?” She asks accusingly. I just shrug her off. I wanted to snap a smart ass comment back but hearing her defend me back there, has me silent. Maybe if I stay on her good side, she will continue to try to keep me alive. I look around, there’s lit torches all around the room giving a warm tone. The laughter and conversation fills the air and almost makes me forget that I am in any danger at all. It feels so similar, like I am home. I keep people watching and see Caspian over on the other side of the room talking to a large group. They are all laughing and there’s so much light on his face. These are his people, his friends and family. He may not admit to holding value to someone's life, but you can just tell that he holds everyone here much more closely than he likes to admit.
Some of the girls that were sitting in the middle of the men’s attention walk over to Caspian and begin to surround him. I know by the look on their faces, they are wishful but none of them are with him. I’ve seen that look so often on the girls' faces from home. The ones hoping for an eternal life with Ace.
One of the girls starts to rub Caspian’s arm and he immediately looks over at me. His warm smile still hangs onto his face but his eyes are unmoved from mine. I can't pull myself from this moment, away from him. He has a way of catching my attention which is such a strange feeling. I’ve never really seen another guy like this other than Ace of course. But there’s something about Caspian that makes me just as in awe as the girls surrounding him currently. He continues on with his conversation continuing to find his eyes wandering back in my direction every few seconds. I smile and then pull myself away, grab the cup of wine that was placed in front of me and take a drink while I look over at Arielle who is staring right at me.
“Stop that!” She barks.
“Excuse me?” I respond by choking on the large gulp of wine. Has she been watching me this entire time?
“You know exactly what I mean. Caspian is not just some guy to try and manipulate. Stop looking at him like you are going to pounce.” She has a stern look on her face. I smirk at the ridiculous conversation we are having.
“I'm only people watching, Arielle. Don’t be so dramatic.” I defend myself a little too quickly before thinking first. She slams her cup down onto the table and stands up and leans close to me.
“Don’t lose sight of why you are here, Princess. It’s not for fun and daydreams, you are but a moment away from hell.” She whispers and then laughs to distract anyone from thinking there was a scene. As awful as she was being, she's not wrong. I am here to be given away to Keegan. But the more I learn, there’s so much more to this puzzle, too many other pieces at play and I want to know more. I am going to ask Caspian tonight when we are alone. It's decided.
A server comes over and sits a plate of food down in front of Arielle and I. Roast beef, carrots, and red potatoes. I am so hungry I dive right into the food and it is so delicious. I forgot how hungry I was until that very first bite. They must have visited Cibus Island, The farming Island, recently because you can taste the fresh garlic cloves that were diced up in the meal and the fresh basil. This is one of the best feasts I have ever had, the flavor was impeccable.
I finish off the last bit of food in front of me and then look around the room. I see Caspian carrying a napkin, grabbing all the leftover buns and wrapping them up. He slowly makes his way over to me.
“You all finished?” Caspian asks.
“I am, it was a perfect bite.” I responded.
“Great! I want you to follow me.” He puts out his hand to help me up. I grab it without a second thought and follow him towards the exit of the dining space. Caspian looks over at Arielle. “We will see you later, darling.” She nods in an understanding way. I notice it immediately and touch the dagger on my thigh as a reminder to myself that it's there and ready to be used if I need to. Caspian must have noticed my reaction because he immediately turned toward me.
“Don’t worry, Abigail. I’m not going to hurt you. But it’s time we have a serious chat, alone.” His voice is a perfect combination of reassurance and stern. I quickly pull myself together, still my thoughts, and prepare my mind.
“Good, I'll follow you then.” I nod my head forward to get him moving along. I don’t want to drag this out.