WAR OF HEARTS ━ prince caspian x

twenty-two

˗ˏˋCHAPTER TWENTY-TWOˊˎ-

***

IT WAS DAWN by the time they reached the island. Wren stared directly at it in a mix of awe and curiosity. If it didn't look so scary, it honestly would've been quite beautiful, in its own sort of way, she supposed.

The crew were all stood towards the back of the main deck, nobody wanted to be the first one under the dark smoke and the flickering green lightening, the fear of the unknown had surely taken over. Wren finally broke her gaze away from it, and caught Caspian's eye. She was surprised when he kept their contact. Recently, he would glance in the opposite direction. Maybe he was finally coming around—but Wren was too petty to let it go now.

"What do you think is in there?" Malcolm asked, breaking the silence the ship had fallen into. There was hardly anything to say. Or perhaps there was too much to say, and little time left to blurt it. Wren knew she should stop being stubborn, there was a chance one of them wouldn't make it out alive, but she still couldn't bring herself to drop the sudden grudge she had against her fiancé.

"Our worst nightmares," Edmund replied, expression grim. Wren noticed that he was standing in front of his sister protectively.

"Our darkest wishes," Caspian answered, looking from Wren, back to the island.

"Pure evil," Drinian said from his spot a couple feet ahead of them. Wren tried not to shudder. He stood from his post, and pushed through the crew. "Tavros, unlock the armory."

Tarvos bowed his head. "My Lord."

"Archers," Drinian called out to the men climbing the ropes. "Prepare yourselves."

Caspian spared a quick glance to Wren and the Pevensie siblings, nodding his head in a commanding sort of way. "Let's get ready."

And Wren flipped out her daggers.

***

"No matter what happens here," Caspian began, pacing as he spoke to his crew. Wren stared at the back of his head as he walked, attempting to focus her attention on what he was saying, and not on the armor that he had pulled on when they separated. She was supposed to be mad at him for goodness sake! This is no time for distractions, she scolded herself. Stop trying to look at his arse. "Every soul who stands before me has earned their place. Together we have traveled far. Together we have faced adversity. Together, we can do it again. So now is not the time to fall to fear's temptations. Be strong. Never give in.

"Our world—our Narnian lives—depend on it," he went on. "Think of the lost souls we're here to save. Think of Aslan. Think of Narnia."

"For Narnia!" The crew cheered loudly.

Caspian looked over his shoulder at Wren, and almost hesitantly offered her an arm. She shot him a private glare that the others couldn't see, but took it regardless. They had made an agreement to never let the others know whenever they were arguing, strictly for the reasons to keep the crew as one. To stay as a team. And strictly so none of them would ever try to seduce Wren—but apparently they hadn't been subtle enough.

"I am still furious with you," she told him quietly as he led her down the stairs.

Caspian gave a weak smile. "Really couldn't tell, love. You're awfully good at being subtle."

Despite herself, Wren's lips turned up into a grin, before she squashed it, and elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "Don't be snide."

It was not long after the King's speech when the entire Dawn Treader was enclosed in a thick fog. Wren could barely see in front of her. She peered over the side of the ship, even the water was pitch black. She could see her own reflection like she was staring into a mirror.

"Wrennlyn," a voice greeted from behind, and Wren inwardly groaned, glancing up to see Jace approaching. "Looks like you could use some company."

"Not by the likes of you," she responded, stiffening when he only smiled. There was something strangely off-putting about him. Granted, he was always weird. But the dreadful feeling she was getting around him currently made her insides clench. "Do you not know how to take a hint?"

"I do," he nodded, leaning against the railing. "But I also know how to get what I want."

Wren watched him warily from the corner of her eye, and took a step back when he moved towards her. "Need I remind you that I am engaged?"

Jace made a face, as if he were thinking. "Are you sure? Haven't seen the pair of you together, willingly, in ages. I bet he's lost interest, but that's not your fault. I heard what he said to that star earlier this morning. He doesn't see what good of a girl he's got. I do, though. And I'm determined just to show you how well you deserve to be treated."

Wren straightened and let a smile grow at her mouth. "I suppose you're right."

Jace chuckled, and laid a hand on her jaw, tilting her head up, just as Wren raised her hand and smacked his cheek so hard that he stumbled back. Wren watched as he tripped over a bucket, and tumbled onto the deck.

She could feel other eyes on them now, but she didn't care as she stood over the blonde boy. "I am perfectly capable of ascertaining my own value," Wren glowered down at him. "I don't need a man to inform me of my worth."

And when she looked back up, Caspian was smirking proudly at her. She gave him a withering look in response, before facing forward once more. It was going to be a long trip back home if they made it out of this, that was for sure.

authors note

my mom used to tell me that having someone copy you was the biggest form of a compliment/flattery. this is not one of those instances

i've gotten a lot of comments saying this story is similar to another, and it's come to my attention that people think i have stolen the work. that is not the case, and i'm not going to accuse the other author of plagiarizing me, either, but i did take a look and so much of the dialogue and plot is identical to mine. i would like to say it's a coincidence but...well you know when something is fishy, right?

im not going to point fingers or anything of the sort. i was debating on even posting this little "rant" because i don't like drama or confrontation or whatever, but i feel like i needed to mention it to clear things up. and also i don't like being accused of doing something that i would absolutely NEVER do. it's shitty and disrespectful and just plain rude

so i will say this: if you're not creative enough to come up with your own plots and storylines, don't become a writer. stealing other people's work isn't cute and it makes them feel feel like shit, and as i said before, it's extremely disrespectful. take that as you will😁😁😁 and i hope u guys enjoyed the chapter we're coming close to the end, hopefully i can get the final chapters out quickly :)))