For King and Country ⭒Caspian x Reader⭒

Chapter 5

Drills in the courtyard. Sweat stains on his linen shirts. Late nights planning defensive strategy. Caspian was scarce around the castle in the following weeks. Cursory nods and general statements were what mainly filled the meager amount of time we were around each other, but I found myself seeking his presence out-aligning our mealtimes, joining Morgan and him by the fire in the evenings to read before turning in, and any other moment I could steal.

On misty mornings, Morgan and I would wake up at dawn and hide in the treeline to watch the soldiers drill not out of desire, but out of awe. The strength it took to catapult a spear into its target 15 feet away wasn't something to be understated, and we would watch for hours as men and women and alike showed their prowess.

One particular morning, as we crouched in the bramble of a carpet cypress brush, Morgan huffed loudly.

"What's wrong with you?" I said as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"I could be her you know." She gestured to a female soldier tucking and rolling while releasing arrow after arrow into the canvas target ahead of her. A centaur nearby was throwing objects into the air while the woman would effortlessly puncture them with her weapon.

"You are her. I've spent more hours than I can count watching you train." Morgan's face remained unchanged, "What's stopping you from going out there and showing what you can do?"

Morgan rolled her eyes and paused "You are so pretty." She let the jab sink in before continuing, "Take a look around the field and take a wild guess."

Lord Destrian walked the borders of the field examining the soldiers' finesse and strength. Surely to report back to the Board of Advisors on how preparation was coming. His eyebrows would raise when a soldier would stumble and give nods of approval when one achieved a great physical feat.

"Forget what he thinks. He's a politician not a warrior. What does he know?"

"You're trouble," She grinned and pushed herself up to her feet, "Get the horses ready. I might need to get out of here fast."

Before I could even ask what she was tossing around in her head, she strode out of our hiding spot right to the weapons rack. Morgan selected a bow and arrow and slid the quiver over her shoulder. In one breath, she notched an arrow onto the bow. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment but snapped open after a couple of deep breaths and she came alive. Her arrow spiraled through the air and buried itself into the nearest target. Again and again, she hit every bulls-eye nearby.

Lord Destrian looked up from his scroll as his daughter released her fury upon the surroundings. Soldiers stopped their drills to watch the maiden prove her mettle. A force of nature,

"Elwin, toss me a couple of flyers." The lady archer we had been watching tossed two flying targets into two different directions. With ease, Morgan hit one and whipped around and pierced the other. She was a force of nature on the field-born to combat expectations and the best of warriors.

Bells went off in my head as Lord Destrian began to stalk up behind her. I had the reins of the horse in my hand ready to break us out if she came running, but she turned to face him with her back straight and eyes narrowed.

"Morgan," The man hissed trying to pull her off to the side, "What are you doing out here? We've talked about this." His eyes had the same fire Morgan's had and their combined fuse was shortening before the explosion.

"You've talked at me." She let the coals in her eyes flicker, "I've never agreed to any of it. I'm needed on the battlefield just as much as anyone else."