I Will Always Love You-Prince Caspian X OC

Chapter 48

His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the light. He groaned in pain.

"Your Majesty, you're awake!"

Caspian turned his head, seeing a soldier sitting a few feet away. "Who are you?" 

"I'm part of your army, Your Majesty,"

"How am I alive? I felt the blade--"

"It was stopped by this." The soldier pulled out an object and when Caspian's eyes focused, he saw it was the dagger Gwen had given him. "The hard sheathe and the dagger you had hanging from your neck stopped most of the injury, sir. You lost quite a bit of blood. We thought you weren't going to make it at first." 

Then it dawned on him. "Where's my wife?" 

The soldier looked down. "The castle was stormed. It's been taken over by the enemy. The status of the other lords and the queen is unknown. However, it doesn't look good."

Caspian slammed his fist against the ground in anger, but then winced at the soreness in his chest. 

"I have to get back to her. I have to find her." He tried sitting up. 

"Your Majesty, you shouldn't sit up yet, you're still healing." 

Caspian shook his head. "Help me up. How long have I been asleep?"

"Four days, sir," 

"See, that's quite long enough. I have to get back to her," 

The soldier bobbed his head. "Yes, Your Majesty," 

"How many are left?" 

"Out of the five hundred of us? Two hundred." 

Caspian sighed. He felt like he was nineteen all over again, storming the castle with the Pevensies. 

"Is the General alive?" 

"No, Your Majesty,"

Caspian took everything in, then made his decision. "Get the men to gather their things and be ready to move out as soon as possible. I can't believe I'm saying this, but we're going to storm my castle." 

~~~

Two more days passed, and Gwen continually worried for her uncle. What if he's been killed? I've had enough taken from me; I can't lose him too.

Despite not being pregnant, she had to keep the act up. It was the only thing keeping her alive at this point, but she wasn't sure why she wanted to continue living. 

For the third day in a row, Shileenah visited Gwen. She wasn't sure why. But as Gwen looked into Shileenah's eyes, she saw remorse and fear. 

Gwen had overheard the guards quietly speaking a day later, saying that something seemed off. Gwen hoped that meant that their army was coming back to overthrow Alejandro. Maybe . . . just maybe . . . Caspian was somehow still alive, and he would come back to her. 

But as she stared at his wedding ring on the stone floor that was still crusted with his blood, her hope fell. 

She jolted awake, hearing the cell door open. She scowled as Gaspar came through. 

"What are you doing here?" 

He looked behind him and as no one was there, he bowed his face to the ground before Gwen. 

"I'm so sorry, my queen. I have had to keep up appearances with Alejandro. I'm not on their side," His voice grew watery.

"And I'm supposed to believe that? My husband . . . is . . . dead because of Alejandro and his evil followers,"

Gaspar stood and looked behind him again before leaning closely. "The king isn't dead. He's alive. I have word on the field from our people and army. I'm only pretending to be on Alejandro's side so I can get information."

A glimmer of hope lit Gwen's heart aflame. "How do I know you're not lying to me?" 

"My queen, I would have gotten you out of this cell by now if the opportunity had presented itself, but it hasn't. I'm working on it. Especially . . . since we have another heir coming."

Gwen bristled as she felt guilt rise in her for lying. 

"Word is--"

"Time's up!" 

The lord sighed. "I must get going. I will do my best to get you free, my queen. I cannot express my sorrow over how much I have harmed you." He bowed again and quickly left. 

Gwen sat, dumbfounded. She didn't want to believe Gaspar and she didn't want to believe that he was actually on her side. He was playing both sides and he was purely a traitor. Part of the traitors that had her husband killed. 

Shileenah was the next to visit her two days later, to Gwen's irritation. 

"Coming to rub more salt in the wound?" 

"No." She rolled her eyes. "I have eyes and ears everywhere. I was coming to tell you that your little army is coming back to try and overtake everything again," she whispered.

Gwen popped her head up. "What? No, you're lying to me," 

"Haven't you smelled the smoke more recently?" 

Gwen sniffed and noted the smoke that hung in the air. "I haven't noticed until now," 

"Those are the campfires. But it will not be long until you're reunited." She knelt, making sure her elaborate dress didn't brush any more of the floor than it had to. "Lord Gaspar and I are setting you free. Be ready to run when one of us comes to get you." 

"What? Why? What are you--"

"Princess Shileenah, the king is summoning you," a guard spoke. 

Shileenah stood up and came to the door of the cell. She turned again, smirking. "You're getting exactly what you deserve." 

Gwen knew the true meaning of her words. Hope began to well in her for the first time in over a week. 

She wanted to get out of the cell, yes, but she didn't want to get out and live a life that no longer included Caspian if he was truly dead.