Caspian Jones

Chapter 1: Caspian (Five Years Earlier)

"Caspian!" Sir Harvey claps me on the back. "Heard your brother's Crown Prince now! You must be proud."

"Of course I'm proud." I shrug his hand away. "Besides, Eetu has a way with our people I could never have."

"And why's that?"

"Well, for starters, he actually wants to be in charge." I laugh. "I'd rather be out on the water."

"You always were a seaman." Sir Harvey runs back to the training field. Len and Samuel nod at me as they pass, each carrying flasks of water and a dead chicken.

This is everyday life for me, Eetu gets the spotlight, Len and Samuel work as much as they can, and I'm left on the outside. Sometimes I help Aunt Lian in the kitchen, but I find it's more of a way to pass time than anything.

"Sire?" Davy, one of the kitchen boys appears alongside me. He's got his shirt wrapped around his waist, bare skin glowing with sweat in the summer sun. Well built, a few sculpted muscles peeking out, he's a couple inches shorter than me. His breath comes out heavily, he's obviously been sprinting. Davy leans over, hands on his knees.

"Davy, I've told you, just call me Cas. What's wrong?" I place my hand on his back just in between his shoulderblades, feeling his spine under my skin. It makes me nervous, but I push that aside.

"It's... it's..." he can't even get the words to form, they slur together, "your... uncle."

"Which one? I've got two." I get on my knees and gently push Davy's chin up with my finger. It's nearly impossible not to get lost in his eyes, one sparkling blue like Delor Ocean, and the other a deep ebony. Those two different colored eyes never fail to entrap me, usually from across the room, but this time, they're up close.

"Caius."

Without thinking, I grab Davy by the hand and together we run into the castle, pushing aside servants and even some knights, until we find the physician's quarters. I burst into the room, Davy's hand still in mine. Everyone in the room looks up at us, my parents, my brother, my Aunt Lian and Uncle Rhys.

Uncle Caius is laying on the table, a gash no wider than my wrist reaching from the left side of his ribs to his right thigh. Blood is spilling onto the table, some of it even dripping onto the floor.

"Who's this?" Eetu nods toward Davy.

"That's Davy," Aunt Lian answers before I can, "he's one of my kitchen boys."

"Everybody out." Uncle Rhys barely looks up. "And yes, Zephrine, that means you too."

My mother's face is red and puffy, no doubt remembering what happened to my Uncle Eetu, my brother's namesake.

This time it's Davy who leads me. I wasn't even aware I still had his hand until he started to walk away, pulling me as he did so.

"Mother!" I run up to her, Davy in tow. "What happened?"

"Caius was attacked. Ambushed by unknown soldiers while he was out on his hunt." My mother's face is buried in my father's chest.

"Cas, go in and see if Rhys needs any help." My father leads her up the stairs. "And tell your friend to put his shirt back on."

Davy unites his shirt and slips it on. I swallow hard and turn back to open the door, when Davy stops me.

"Hey, my L- Cas?"

"Yes?" I look back at him, not knowing what to expect.

"I'll be here when you're done."

"You don't have to-"

"It's what friends do." He stops me, sending me back to all those times we've conversed, maybe even gone into the territory of flirting in the kitchen before Aunt Lian caught us and sent us back to work.

I nod silently and try not to look back at Davy as the door closes.