The High Seas [ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ ᴄᴀsᴘɪᴀɴ]

X.

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        RANI WOKE WITH A GASP. Her heart was pounding and the ghosts of fingers graced her skin. Galma has long since been a distant memory but tonight's dream had been so real, so life-like. It took her a moment to calm her frantic heart and she glanced at the sleeping forms of Lucy and Gael. Good, she couldn't help but think. She hadn't woken then.

She slipped from the sheets quickly, a cold sweat now about her skin and Rani tried to push the dream to the back of her mind. There was so much she wanted to forget, move past, but the memories made everything so much more raw.

The air suddenly grew warm. It felt suffocating, as though it were pressing down on her lungs. Rani hurried from the room and burst through the door into the creaky hallway. The ship still swayed as she glided through the waters below but it seemed as though the seas had taken a turn for the better.

Slowly, the cool air crept back into her and Rani breathed a sigh of relief. Back now resting against the wooden wall of her shared cabin, Rani allowed herself a moments peace. Her mind raced as it replayed her living nightmare, but this time she detached herself from the events. Even so, it still hurt. She could taste the blood in her mouth and feel the throbbing of her head, how the Dukes hands had explored her body as though she were nothing more than a thing.

But she had survived and come out stronger. Satisfaction filled her as she remembered the look on the Duke's face at the sight of Caspian. She remembered how he had tasted his own blood and most of all, she remembered how much she had enjoyed watching the life leave his body, if only for a short while.

There had been no remorse in her heart as Caspian had pounded into the mans face and she would've quite happily sat there and watched if Drinian hadn't stepped in. Did that make her a bad person? Rani didn't think so. It simply made her human. Everyone had good and evil in them, some more so than others.

After Rani had sat there until dawn had risen, Caspian faithfully by her side, he had gently pried her up. Her legs had been weak and her body had seemed to of shut down, so Caspian had carried her back to her room. It was he who had washed her head and face, wiping away the dried blood. He had been so gentle, so kind, that it had sent another wave of tears cascading down Rani's face.
The words he had whispered to her had passed through her ears like white noise but somehow she had known they were words of comfort. He had let her change alone before helping her sore and aching body into her bed, sitting by her side until her eyes could no longer stay open.

His hands had smoothed down her hair and his eyes had seemingly kept the shadows at bay. In the afternoon, when she woke, he had been there to greet her with a soft smile and those eyes, those eyes had held the most tender look.