WAR OF HEARTS ━ prince caspian x

twelve

˗ˏˋCHAPTER TWELVEˊˎ-

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HER TANNED ARMS held out the sword in front of her, and she grinned wickedly as she flipped it between her fingers, narrowly dodging a jab thrown at her. Her hair, which was currently tied up into a ponytail, now a shade lighter due to her constant presence in the sun, whipped in her face as she dived to the left. Weapons clashed again and again, and she could just manage to make out the small crowd of crew members forming around them to watch the pair duel. Not like this was surprising to her, considering how their fights were undoubtedly the most interesting to watch because of the commentary they made throughout it.

She had most definitely improved on sword fighting, that much was obvious. The stiffness she had when she first started was replaced by swiftness, and she had certainly gotten smoother as well. She'd gotten better at covering herself while going on the offense as well—Caspian had made sure she was trained enough before allowing her to join the crew—where she would be the only girl. The weapon within her grasp was a part of her now, the handle had molded in the shape of her fingertips and moved exactly how she thought it to. She was sure her father couldn't have been more than proud, wherever he was.

But for now, she wasn't going to worry about that. One of the things she hadn't improved on was letting her mind wander as she fought, it definitely wasn't one of her strongest suits, but she had learned to multitask. Being on a ship with a bunch of men with the lack of brain cells had taught her that. She forced her attention back on the duel, her weapon colliding with another.

"I may be short, but I'm deadly."

"Short doesn't even cover it," she shot back, smirking before blocking another jab.

"I'll get you for that one!"

"If you could reach, I'm sure you would." The crowd cackled, just as she ducked, and snickered once the small creature slipped off the crate he was standing on. "You just wiped out," she said, breathing heavily. "What's that? Thirty points to me. I win!"

"There aren't any points in dueling," Reep told her, though he was smiling through his whiskers. "But whatever your little heart desires."

"You're one to talk about little," Wren retorted, sliding her sword back into her belt.

Reep shook his head, before stalking away to climb up one of the posts. Wren's brow furrowed upon hearing sudden splashes and shouting from the water below them, and she curiously turned her head at the sound. She peered over the side of the boat and came to a halt when she took notice of the two familiar faces flaring their arms around in attempt to stay afloat.

"Caspian!" She shouted, whirling around on her heel to look at her king, and he glanced up from his conversation with Hans. "Come quick."

He gave her a stern look, unable to hide his amused grin. "Darling, if those mermaids are flashing you again I told you to just-"

"No," she hastily cut him off. "You idiot! Look!"

"Is that-"

"I think so," she answered, and Caspian without warning, grabbed some rope and dove into the waters. Jace and Richard—two other crew mates on the ship—followed in suit as Wren readied the others to help pull them up once it was time. It didn't take long before Lucy, Edmund and another child, who was screaming relentlessly, were back on board.

Almost immediately, Lucy spotted Wren—and bolted over to her, wrapping her in the tightest hug imaginable. Wren quickly returned the embrace, and began to look for Susan before she caught herself. Susan wasn't coming back. "Oh, sorry," she backed away with a guilty smile. "I've gotten you all wet."