Conquering His Cold Heart

Caspian had already laid Anastasia on the bed and tucked her in. She was still in her deep sleep. So, before the guard at the door made another sound, Caspian quickly went to open the door and stepped out of the room.

He closed the door behind him and then walked a little further away from the door. Then he asked John, who was still trying to catch his breath after a long journey, “What’s the report? Are everyone here?”

John bowed to the King and then answered while breathing heavily, “Three of our soldiers were hurt in the battle. So, those three have stayed behind, along with the other two who will be taking care of them. The blood servants are returning in the carriage. I have given them the location.”

“What about the Crown Prince? Is he alright?” Caspian asked with haste.

John took a deep breath in and gave a nod, “Yes. He is unharmed. However, he looks very shocked since all of his guards were killed, or may I say, dismembered mercilessly.”

“Hmm…” Caspian grumbled while furrowing his brows. He was saddened to hear that, but he was at least glad that no harm came to his beloved wife’s brother. He was now worried about his cousin, so he quickly asked again, “And what about Hamilton? Is he alright? And Vincent? How is he?”

“They are also unharmed. And so are the maids and servants.” John suddenly looked towards the King’s door and added, “Oh, and the Queen’s handmaid also joined us. Lord Vincent carried her all the way here saying that the Queen might need her. I can send her here if her service is needed right now.”

Caspian suddenly widened his eyes when he recalled how he had completely forgotten about Tilla. He took a sigh of relief upon hearing that she was fine. After all, she was the only friend that his wife could rely upon.

.....

He took a quick look at the door behind him, and then looked back at John to reply, “No, let her rest. The Queen is also resting.” He darted his eyes around the empty corridor and then asked again, “Has everyone settled? Since this village seemed relatively safe, I asked Henry to find a few other houses that would let us stay. I hope everyone found a place to stay for the night.”

“I am sure that the houses were enough, Your Majesty. They must have settled down by now.” John had run straight back to the King when the others were still roaming around, trying to find a suitable room in the pre-determined houses. So, he replied, “I will go and check once more, and I will inform you afterward. But they are capable of finding houses on their own even if the rooms aren’t adequate. Your Majesty doesn’t need to be worried about everyone.”

Caspian nodded his head and ordered, “Alright, make sure that everyone can rest properly. We are heading out early in the morning tomorrow.”

“I will relay the message to everyone, Your Majesty,” John said with a bow.

“Oh! And…” Caspian held out his hand to stop John from immediately running away and then asked, “Where is Nicholas? Ask him to report to me when he is ready.”

John gave a nod and replied, “I will find him and pass your order.” He then asked, “Is there anything else that needs to be done right away, Your Majesty?”

Caspian thought for a while and then asked, “By any chance, do you know where the Crown Prince is staying?”

John held his head low and replied, “I am not sure, Your Majesty. I will find that out and then inform you.”

“No, I will look at that on my own. You should first make sure that everyone is settled,” Caspian replied and then dismissed John from there.

John bowed again and left in an instant.

Caspian, on the other hand, turned to look at his guards who were standing outside the door to his room. And he ordered, “Don’t let anyone go inside. And if the Queen asks for me, I will be at the Crown Prince’s place. Come and get me right away if she needs me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guards replied simultaneously and bowed their heads as a gust of air hit their faces.

Caspian ran out of the house at a lightning speed and then ran around the village while trying to catch the voices that he was looking for.

After running around for a while, his ears finally caught Hamilton’s voice. Since Hamilton had informed him beforehand that he would be guarding the Crown Prince, he thought of going to see Hamilton and then asking about everything in detail.

He walked inside that house as if he was a passing breeze, and then stopped in front of the room from where he was hearing Hamilton’s voice. He softly knocked on the door and said, “Hamilton, it’s me. I am coming in.”

Before Hamilton could say a word, Caspian barged inside the room, only to find out that Hamilton wasn’t alone in that room. Alexander was also quietly sitting down on a chair in one corner of the same room.

“Ah!” Caspian cleared his throat and then greeted his brother-in-law, “Prince Alexander, you are also here. I was actually looking for you. I heard that you lost all of your guards. I express my deepest sympathy.”

Alexander slowly raised his gaze from the floor to look at Caspian. He looked at Caspian’s red eyes that shone like a pair of crystals under the faint candlelight. And ignoring everything that Caspian just said to him, he mumbled, “Those eyes… I never imagined they would mean something more than just a pretty color.”

“Excuse me?” Caspian gave a confused smile to Alexander and then turned to look at Hamilton for answers.

Before Caspian tried to defend himself or deny anything, Hamilton blurted out, “He knows. About us. And he also knows that Everard is not a normal human.”

Caspian instantly parted his lips and took a deep breath in from his mouth. He looked back at Alexander; the Crown Prince was still staring into his eyes.

Caspian pressed his lips together and then slowly walked closer to the bed where Hamilton was sitting down. He sat down at the other end of the bed, and then slowly asked the Crown Prince, “Do you resent me for hiding my real identity?”

Alexander softly smiled and finally looked away from Caspian. He then softly spoke, “I don’t even know how I am supposed to feel just yet. A lot of things happened in one night. I am still trying to process everything.”

Caspian gave a nod. After a while of silence, he looked at the gloomy face of Alexander and then said, “However you feel about me, please don’t blame your sister for hiding who she was married to. She was simply trying to protect the identity of our kind and was trying to keep them inside the tall walls of our Kingdom.”