𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄, caspian x ✓

fourteen.

14

THE ISLAND

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

That night, she slept with the smell of Caspian and his expensive soaps and aftershaves enveloping her. It was on everything. His pillows. His blanket. His mattress. His shirt. And the worst thing about it? It gave her comfort.

She had been wearing his clothes since she woke up on the Dawn Treader, and regardless of how many times she washed them, they still smelt like him. Everything she did, she could smell him as if he was behind her at all times. Most of the time, he was. Just watching her from the shadows or waking up earlier to keep her company. 

But that didn't stop her heart beat from spiking, from sweat dripping down her brows and her body from tossing and turning in his bed.

Bad dreams weren't unfrequent for Kathryn. She often had nights plagued with chains around her wrists, lungs full of water and being all alone in the world. But, in the time that she had been on the Dawn Treader, her nights had been blissful and quiet. But tonight, tonight it was much worse than it usually was.

Kathryn opened her eyes. She expected to find Caspian still swinging in the hammock beside her and her body surrounded by luscious pillows and blankets. Instead, she awoke to find herself surrounded by cold, damp stones. Her heart beat picked up with terror. 

Of course she remembered that room. She knew that it was twenty stones in width, seventeen stones in length and twenty-three stones tall. There was no window to let in the light or to let her know how much time had passed. Besides room all those stones, there was an iron door which creaked when opened and slammed when shut. In the left corner of the room, there was a chain that forever was attached to her ankles. 

This wasn't just her own personal hell, it was just hell. 

That iron door began to creak open, orange light from the hallway began creeping in. But it was blocked by a figure. Two large black boots with golden heels. Black boots that would click as he stalked the halls. A long, thick coat that came to his knees. It was blood red. A long sword on one side of his hip and an iron hammer on the other. Just looking at that hammer, the broken bones in her hand ached all over again.

"My darling, darling Katerina," his voice came out in wisps of taunts. His fists clamped around the hammer at his side, throwing it in the air before catching it. 

The last thing she saw was that iron hammer, the one forever stained with blood, coming down for her. 

And just like that, she was screaming. Screaming from the pain that exploded on her head, her shoulder, her hands and back. Screaming from the pain of the chains at her ankles. Screaming from the pain of hearing sailors in pain all night. Screaming from the pain of being back in his grasp.

"Kathryn!" a voice called out, shaking her shoulders and rousing her from her nightmare. 

Kathryn gasped, a sting in her throat from how raw it had become from screaming.

"Kathryn, it's fine! You're okay." Caspian was sitting on the edge of the bed, she hadn't even realised that she had sat right up and was leaning into his shoulder as she heaved air into her lungs. "You're okay. You're here with me. You're safe."

She tried to stifle her cries, tried to act like it was okay. 

And for once, she leaned into Caspian's shoulder and just let it all out.

⋆

Kathryn rowed the boat across to the island, her elbow occasionally bumping into Caspian who sat beside her. Kathryn had to look to the floor or the water to avoid making eye contact with Lucy who kept trying to wriggle her eyebrows across at her.