WAR OF HEARTS ━ prince caspian x

fifteen

˗ˏˋCHAPTER FIFTEENˊˎ-

***

WREN HAD BEEN sorting through a box on the lower deck before her head snapped up at the sound of (very poorly) tiptoeing steps coming from the entrance. She instantly straightened up and quietly dropped the item in her hands, easing her way around one of the crates to see who was snooping around. At first she thought it had been Caspian trying to catch her alone again—he'd been awfully touchy since their conversation that happened nearly four days ago, not that she minded.

Her guard was lowered immediately once she saw who it really was, and she smugly crossed her arms, smirking as she watched Eustace smuggle an orange into his shirt.

"Hope you don't plan on stealing one of our longboats to try and sneak away," she mused, and the blonde boy jumped, whirling around. "You won't find your way back to England like that, you know. Through the sea."

"I-I," he stammered, clearly expecting something else, but she just raised an eyebrow. "I was hungry."

"You could've just asked," she shrugged, finding herself smiling. Maybe this kid wasn't so bad—maybe he was just scared and didn't know how to channel that emotion into anything other than lashing out. She was once like him, she realized."You're not a prisoner. It's not like we wouldn't have fed you."

"I..."

"But don't eat that," Wren ordered. "This is our stored food. None of its been washed."

A small patter came from overhead, and Wren glanced up to see Reepicheep climbing up onto one of the crates. "You're not going to tell him that stewing rations is a capital offense at sea?"

Eustace jumped again, this time knocking over a bunch of pots and pans that clanged loudly onto the floor. "Oh, relax, Reep. The boy's just hungry."

"Men have been keelhauled for less!"

Wren rolled her eyes at his dramatics as Eustace blinked. "For what?"

"For treason...and sneakiness, and general nuisancery. Look, just hand over the orange and we'll let the matter pass."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Eustace said, though the round shape of the fruit was noticeable through the material of his shirt. Wren sighed, watching as how Reep pulled out his blade, and shook her head in disbelief as she turned to leave.

Eustace and Reep dueled on the main deck, a series of shouts and yells going through the crew as each member began to bet against the younger boy. Wren leaned against the wall from next to the stairwell, listening in as some of them murmured insults about Eustace's lack of ability to hold a sword.

She scoffed. "Men."

The fight had ended when Reep pretended to fall overboard, temporarily distracting Eustace as he worriedly looked over the boat, only for the mouse to kick him in the back so hard that he tumbled to the ground, knocking over a woven basket, a loud shriek emitting from it.

"Did that basket just...scream?"

The crew all shared very confused looks, and Wren inched next to Lucy curiously. A small girl in a pink dress crawled out of it, and Wren vaguely recognized her.

"Gael?" Wren glanced over to the newest member of the ship, and felt guilt flood through her when she was unable to remember his name. "What are you doing here?"

Drinian, who had caught the orange that Reepicheep threw at him not five minutes ago, pushed through the crowd, and crouched down to offer the little girl the item. "Looks like we have an extra crew member."