You wake up in a coughing fit, quickly moving your sore body to the side as water comes out of your mouth. Your chests heaves and your eyes slowly adjust to see you palms braces against wet dark stone. You look up to find Caspian by your side with his webbed hand on your back rubbing soothing circles on your back “You’re finally awake..I was so worried, You weren’t moving for so long.” You scoff “Worried? You dragged me into the water!” He flinches and shrinks into himself “I’m sorry! I thought humans could go longer than that underwater and I went as fast as I could! When I saw that you were falling asleep I went to the closest place I could spot.” Falling asleep? Did he mean fainting?
“I even hit your chest like other humans do at the beach but you wouldn’t wake up!” Your heart clenches at his words. Even with the shadows cast on his face making him look terrifying he sounds so innocent “I even kissed you so you could breath but it didn’t help..” His words trail off “I’m sorry what?” He huffs “I’ve seen people do it! And it always works, maybe I didn’t do it right?” Oh lord..
You sigh and rub your temples to try and sooth your headache that’s forming “Caspian why am I here? Why did you drag me into the water?” He relaxes and fixes you with a stare “Well you accepted my mating offer, It’s only right that you see my home just as I’ve seen yours.” You gape at him “What mating offer?!” His eyes squint slightly “The pearl. You accepted it. I saw you. And you accepted all of my present while I was courting you.” You slowly shake your head “And now we’re mates. What’s so hard to understand?” He moves closer to you until his face is inches away from yours, and both his arms at your side. His eyes rake over your face, studying your expression “I didn’t know you were courting me! Maybe give a warning next time?!” He frowns “There will be no next time we’re already mates. Don’t humans also do the same when they love someone?” “They do but they make it clear by telling the person that they’re courting them.” You explain like you would to a little child. He nods slowly and you let out a sigh of relief “I see..Well, to be clear when I gave you all those gifts I was courting you.” You bite back a groan “Now with that out of the way.” He scoops your hands up in his bigger ones rubbing small circles with his thumbs “Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something? I’m sure there are things humans can eat down here.” You’re not sure there’s much that’s safe to eat here “Or maybe you’d like to rest?” He stutters.You try to pull your hands out of his grasp but his grip only tightens “I want to go home..” His shoulders slump and his grip loosens for a second before he regains his composure. “You will..but I want you to see my home and friends first just as I’ve seen where you live.” You hesitate “I don’t know..” You glance around you. You’re stuck in a cave that you almost died getting to there’s no way you can swim the entire distance back. You don’t really have a choice but to go with him. You hide your frustrations with a smile “Okay. Let’s go to your home.” His body relaxes and he leans in to plant a soft kiss on your forehead “It’s not far.” He gently tugs your arms and leads you both into the water. True to his words it wasn’t far and the fact he was basically swimming for the both of you helped focus on holding your breath.Coral reefs filled your vision. Tall and dark almost blending in with its surroundings going unnoticed unless you look closely. He leads you through a small opening and you feel like a new world opened up to you. Unlike the bleak appearance the outside had the inside is a whole world of glowing colors. Different merpeople swim about around you some not sparing you glance and other throwing nasty stares which isn’t surprising judging by what Caspian told you.
He turns to you “You can breathe here.” You frown and slowly try to take a deep breath. It feels heavier and thicker. Like the air has a heavier weight in your chest but it’s not too imposing on your comfort you could get used to it with time “This place is so beautiful Caspian..how can I breath here?” He glances at you and smiles, pleased you want to know more about his world “We weren’t always hostile towards humans. We used to be very close and humans would visit us. This entire place has been enchanted for a long time so that humans could breathe and function normally. Even when the relationship became strained we never removed the enchantment.” You nod along looking around and admiring all the beautiful glowing colors “Why not? If you hate human so much wouldn’t you want them out?” You ask “It didn’t seem fair at the time. Of course humans have long since forgotten about us so it doesn’t make a difference really.” He trails off before his eyes light up “There are humans here sometimes though. Really it’s only when other merpeople bring them here, as mates. Like us now.” He smiles and squeezes your hand. You return a tight smile. You’re not sure how you feel yet and you don’t want to get his hopes up too high “So this is normal here?” He shakes his head “Not normal but also it’s not completely rare. One of the reasons we never removed the enchantment.” He sneaks a protective arm around your waist when he notices a mermaid glaring at the both of you “Wait when did this whole thing go down?” He sighs “Centuries ago. Long before I was born.”
The noise around you dies down as you swim into a more secluded area between tall seaweeds. An old run down statue of a mermaid sunken deep into the sand. He sits at the base of the stone his tail swaying slightly and gestures for you to sit beside him, when you do his hands are immediately on you“There are so many places I want to show you. You’ll love it.” He leans in kisses you, smiling into the kiss “My beautiful mate.” His hands trail down to your waist and pull you closer until your bodies are flush against each other. He trails kisses down to your neck “Uh- Caspian.” He continues “Mhm?” You’re tense in this new environment and you feel awkward being this affectionate with him when you weren’t even aware any of your interactions were romantic to begin with “..I’m really hungry.” He straighten up immediately “Oh- of course.” He places one last kiss on your lips before taking your hand in his.
Caspian’s home in a much quieter area but not completely secluded. It was big and somehow even in the cold water it was cozy, filled with little trinkets and items he collected and had placed around the house. A wrists watch that doesn’t work anymore. You’re not sure if he knows it’s not supposed to be like that and it’s pretty much useless like that. A lot of jewelry. Diamond earrings, engagement rings, gold bracelets. You can’t begin to imagine the amount of money it’s all worth.
You also found toys that no doubt children lost while swimming and ended up in Caspian’s possession. You much on the last bite of your food. Something Caspian had his friend who also had a human mate prepare ahead of time. You weren’t completely sure what it was made of you were just glad to finally fill your stomach with food.
Caspian was sitting beside you watching you eat the entire time looking like a love sick puppy “Are you still hungry? There’s more.” You shake your head. “You have a lot of human stuff here.” He nods “I love the things humans make. I don’t understand what most of it is for but I’d like to.” He looks at you with hopeful eyes and you can’t help but smile “I’d love to teach you Caspian.” His eyes twinkle “My sweet little mate.” He gently kisses you and moves you to lay down “You need rest. Close your eyes. I’ll be here.” He lays down behind you, his arms wrapping themselves around you. You feel exhaustion slowly take over your body barely acknowledging the kisses Caspian is littering on the side of your neck “I love you.” He whispers and nuzzles into your neck and you finally drift off into sleep.
Caspian when you try to explain that he needs to communicate before he kidnaps someone underwater:
Almost done with mystreet only like. Four episodes left wowza. Will say the only time I've cried this entire series was the episode focused around lady irene. Saw Phoenix drop pop up on screen and instantly started tearing up
Hello again… sorry may I have a caspian x reader when the reader after the event of the second movie decided to stay in narnia. She was a friends of Susan. In the beginning she was auxious and sceptic Al about narnia but after she felt like she belong. Caspian and reafer are so soft for each other
'One Morning in Castle Telmarine' - Prince Caspian x Reader
masterlist
Morning light has already started to thread through your windows by the time you wake up. By schoolboy standards, you’re an early riser, narrowly beating out the crowing roosters, but in Narnia, you’re practically behind schedule. There are many things in Narnia that you’re still getting used to, like the fine brocade of the clothing or the talking animals, but this is an obvious change too. Since there’s no electric lighting, all your daily tasks must be done in the early hours, while there’s still good daylight for working. Maybe you’re just newfangled, but no matter how many candles you light, it’s still no match for one of Edison’s bulbs.
It’s not like this was anyone’s choice but yours, though. You were the one who came over from England with your friends, the Pevensies, and you were the one who decided to stay behind when they went back home again. Half the time, you can hardly believe you actually did it; left home for good, abandoned your timeline and reality for a medieval dream that wasn’t even supposed to be yours, but for better or worse, the choice was made. There’s no unmaking what you’ve done.
Your friends had been stunned at first, when they found out you didn’t intend to return to the modern day. Susan in particular has been your friend since you were quite small, but even she couldn’t read your mind this time. For her, the decision to go back to England was obvious. There was a future there, a family, the promise of growing up into a woman of importance. She thought you were joking at first, when you said you’d rather take your chances in Narnia. It wasn’t until you’d had the conversation a few times over that she realized you were being sincere, and even then, she didn’t seem certain that you were making the right choice.
In truth, not even you were sure that staying in Narnia is the right call. It hadn’t been something you were considering until the time came to go. Narnia had been fun to explore with your friends, and even though you risked danger going into battle with the Pevensies against the traitorous Telmarines, you had fought every battle with the assumption that you’d be going home at the end of it all.
It wasn’t until the fighting lulled, Prince Caspian restored to his rightful throne, when you started thinking about just what you would find when you went home. Although the bombings had stopped over London by the time you went to Narnia for the first time, your family’s business was having a hard time bouncing back, much like everyone else around you. Times were tough and seemed like they’d only get tougher. The strain on your family led to everyone snapping at each other more than usual. When you thought of returning, of leaving this bright, sunny place for the same dusty house you’d never grow out of, your stomach curdled. You hadn’t really wanted to stay in Narnia, but anywhere was better than the ghost town you’d left in the modern day.
So, you’d told your friends that you wanted to stick around. The five of you had already been urged to remain in Narnia by the friends you’d made, so you knew you wouldn’t be intruding. The only thing in your way was your own personal doubts. Sure, it was better than struggling to earn enough in recuperating England, but that didn’t necessarily mean it was going to be good. After all, your main experience in Narnia featured power disputes and bloody wars with arrows being shot at your head. Even in a time of peace, living in this land forever was completely foreign to you, and you still weren’t sold on the credibility of the others around you since you hadn’t known them as long as the Pevensies. For all you know, they could have only been playing nice while the True Kings and Queens of Narnia were around, and once they left, they wouldn’t care less about you.
However, as time would tell, that wasn’t the case. True to their word, the residents of the Telmarine Castle welcomed you as one of their own, and treated you with all the respect and honor they had before. You made friends among the scholars and courtiers of the castle, but there’s no one you’re closer to than Caspian himself. At first, he’s almost shy around you, rigid with formality, but over time his guard drops and his genuine self starts to show through. Soon enough, you spend a lot of time talking together, to the point where the rest of the castle assumes that if they see one of you, the other is not far behind.
You smile to yourself, dragging your body out of bed at last and preparing yourself for the day at hand. You have a role as an advisor of sorts in the castle, chosen for the time you’d spent with the Pevensies as well as your modern perspective. You settled into the position well, and have led the castle to success with diplomatic affairs as well as domestic matters. You weren’t sure that you would have any idea how to guide the proceedings of the castle, but you’re able to talk things over with the other members of Caspian’s cabinet and entourage to come to the best decisions together. It’s a challenge, but a good one, and it’s given you enough purpose to avoid boredom.
Not that you could ever be bored in Narnia, not really. It seems there’s always a hundred things to do; catch up on political proceedings, check out the seemingly endless collection of tomes and scrolls in the castle library, meet with your friends for a meal or pleasant afternoon, stroll the grounds, take up swordfighting lessons, or ride out by horseback to the rolling hills and forests around you. You may have been hesitant when you first decided to stay in Narnia, but you couldn’t be happier about your choice now. Sometimes, you wish that you could see Susan and the others again to tell them about the fun you’re having, but you know that some doors must remain closed. Besides, the Pevensies would understand. They had their lifetimes in Narnia, they know the thrills this world has to offer, and although days come when you miss your friends more than anything, you’re happy enough in Narnia to stem off the worst of the homesickness.
After getting ready for the new day, you step out of your quarters at last. Rich tapestries drape across the stone walls of the corridors, damping the chill of the rock and depicting the glorious history and mythology of Narnia. You smile as you pass one showing Susan and Peter, crowned in gold and sitting on their thrones in the old Cair Paravel. No, your friends may not be physically at your side, but that doesn’t mean you’re without them forever.
You step down a twisting staircase and make your way to the main floor for a light breakfast. You’re almost to the great hall to eat with the rest of the court when an arm darts out of a side hall, wrapping quickly around yours and pulling you down the narrow passageway. At first, you’re startled, but your surprise immediately melts away when you see the face of your would-be assailant.
“Caspian,” you exclaim, “You startled me!”
The prince laughs, his dark hair shaking as he does. “It’s getting harder and harder to catch you off guard these days. I have to take my chances when I get them.”
You sigh, fighting and failing to keep the good humor from your face upon seeing him. “Or, you could just greet me face to face like the rest of your court. I’m not sure why you feel the need to startle me. It can’t be proper.”
“Proper?” Caspian asks, eyebrows raising. “When I first met you, you held a sword to my throat. I’m not sure you’re the one to talk to me about propriety.”
Your face heats up as you remember that day. When you and the Pevensies had been suddenly brought back to Narnia, you’d been making your way through the forest when you were accosted by Caspian, who had made a bold introduction by attempting to duel Peter. In a rush to defend your friend, you’d joined in, refusing to lift your blade from Caspian’s direction until Peter made sense of the situation. At the time, you’d only known Caspian as someone trying to hurt Peter, but Caspian found the whole thing quite amusing and has naturally refused to let you forget it. For someone of such political importance, he seems quite delighted by the thought that you’d been so willing to challenge him. He’d never brought up Peter’s involvement in the forest duel, either, just you, as if the most pressing memory of that day wasn’t his encounter with the mythical Pevensies but the moment he first crossed paths with you.
“You’ll never let that go, will you?” You ask, trying to regain control over the conversation.
Caspian’s smile is broad and self-satisfied. “I fail to see a reason why I should.”
“I fail to see a reason why you should be trying to scare me so early in the morning. Have you been waiting around for me to walk by so you could jump out and startle me? How long have you been here? I’m sure the rest of your cabinet has pressing matters to discuss with you,” you say, pointedly looking anywhere but at Caspian. If you were to meet his eyes again, you’re fairly sure your grin would become ridiculous.
“I am talking to my advisors,” Caspian says, absentmindedly reaching out a hand to straighten your collar. His fingers linger against the base of your throat for a heartbeat longer than explainable, then quickly dart away again. “I’m speaking to you, aren’t I?”
All of a sudden, you feel much too visible here, just off the well-beaten path of a central corridor. Anyone could see you here– and what would they see, anyway, but the prince far too close to you than royal etiquette should allow, and you, giggling over him, unable to make yourself step away even though you know better. Simultaneously, you feel that the world exists only of you and Caspian, and the sure knowledge that someone is watching. The solitude and sense of surveillance seem to twist in your mind, forward and back like a rocking chair, until you manage to get a hold of yourself again and turn away.
“We should go,” you say, making direct eye contact with the floor. “The others will be expecting us to breakfast soon.”
“Right,” Caspian says hastily. “Of course. See, this is why I need you, Y/N. How else would I stay focused?”
“You need me?” You ask, half laughing. “You’ve only known me for a few months, Caspian. What were you doing in the time before that?”
“Waiting for you,” Caspian says below his breath, almost too soft for you to hear. When you turn back to confirm that you heard him correctly, he’s already moving, offering you his arm so he can escort you down the hall. “You’re right, as always. Breakfast it is.”
The fabric of his shirtsleeve is soft beneath your fingertips, warmed by the skin beneath. You try to keep your breathing steady as Caspian walks you to the double doors of the great hall, as if there were nothing at all unusual about the prince and soon to be king of the castle walking so closely with one of his advisors, with you. When you enter the hall, you’re certain everyone must be staring at you, that they must feel the tidal wave of emotions coursing through you as strongly as you do, but conversation carries on as normal and it’s as if nothing happened at all. Everyone rises when Caspian sits at the table, as per custom, but soon enough everyone is seated again and the bubble of chatter envelopes you again.
Caspian makes a point of offering you the seat to his right, but he’s distracted by the appearance of the captain of the guard with an update on the night’s watch, and in the meantime, another advisor sitting one to your other side leans over to speak with you. This is a man called Narla, who’d been brought to the castle from the southeast ports for his strength with trade negotiations. He’s about your age, if a little older, but he’s always been friendly to you, and you find that your political views tend to align with his more often than not.
“Have you had time to think about that Rhilustan’s proposition?” Narla asks by way of introduction. It’s something you appreciate about the man, his directness. You were worried that the other courtiers would sense your new arrival to their field of study and attempt to trick you or otherwise use their experience to their advantage, but Narla always gets to the point, never one to let prestige or past history get in the way of good decisionmaking.
He refers to a deal that had been suggested to Caspian’s council yesterday, where certain trade routes would receive more security from Caspian’s soldiers in exchange for increased traffic with more remote townships. Caspian had heard arguments in that session, but he’s taking time to think before he makes his final decision.
You tilt your head to the side, considering this. “I hear his point, it is risky to send large merchant parties on more isolated roads, but we’re still rebuilding our armies after Miraz’s deception. If it’s a choice between sending our guards to protect entire villages or a few wealthy trading parties, well, I think we have better priorities.”
Narla laughs, and over your shoulder you see Caspian take a sharp glance in his direction. “Don’t say that around Calacni’s supporters, you know how strongly he favors the merchant guilds. Still, I can’t say I disagree. It does seem a big commitment to send troops for the sake of a few extra nodes in the network. If I could counter, I’d ask if you thought it was worthwhile to send more troops only to give the impression to neighboring countries that we had nothing to fear and we had no concerns with limitations on the size of our army.”
You nod, thinking this through. “Not a bad point. The last thing we want to do is hint at a potential weakness so soon after a major battle for the throne. It must be made clear that the crown is not in any danger of toppling.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Narla taps the table emphatically, not too far from where your own hand sits, thumbing at the spirals carved into your glass. Caspian had been in the midst of a conversation with his guard, but you see him send the man away, and all of a sudden his hand appears on the table next to yours as well.
You open your mouth to respond, but Caspian beats you to it, increasing his volume so Narla has no chance but to hear. “I hate to cut off this no doubt splendid conversation, but Y/N and I must get going. We have, uh, the meeting to get to.”
Narla looks confused, but Caspian is already standing, holding out his hand to you. You, of course, have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about, but there’s a beseeching look in Caspian’s eyes that makes you play along. “Of course,” you say, “The meeting. That one.”
Caspian nods, looking oddly pleased with himself as you take the offered hand, standing up beside him. “That’s the one. We’ll see you later, Narla,” he says, and doesn’t let go of your hand until the two of you are back in the corridor again.
You arch a brow at Caspian as soon as you’re out of earshot of any listening nobles. “What was that about? As far as I was aware, we didn’t have any meetings together until the discussions on Rhilustan later today, and Narla would be there for that, too.”
Caspian’s jaw twitches at the mention of Narla. “Oh, I’m sure there was a meeting. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten, Y/N.”
You fight a smile at the look on Caspian’s face. “It would appear I have forgotten. Do me a favor and remind me what it’s about, would you?”
Caspian lifts a shoulder expressively. “Oh, you know. The usual.”
“Trade?” You ask, intentionally keeping your voice light and blameless. “Well, maybe we ought to go back and invite Narla. You know his perspective is quite valuable in mercantile matters.”
Caspian is unable to hide a deep furrow of his brow at the name. “No, I don’t think that’s necessary. It would be better, just the two of us.”
“Just us,” you say as Caspian leads you into a courtyard. The morning sun continues to climb the sky above you, and the birds sing sweetly as you pass rows of flowering vines and trees. “I like the sound of that.”
At last, a soft smile returns to Caspian’s face. “I do too.”
You take a seat on a nearby bench, Caspian beside you. “You have nothing to fear from Narla, you know,” you add presently. “My interest in him is strictly professional.”
Caspian turns to face you, entirely transfixed on the next words coming from your mouth. “Oh? Would there be someone else you had other interests in?”
“Yes,” you say simply, looking over at him. “I would say there is.”
With that, you get up, beginning to walk back through the courtyard to return to the main halls of the castle. Caspian bounds up, hastening to your side. “Who?” He asks, suddenly breathless. “Who is it?”
You consider waiting longer to make him suffer, but decide to end his misery soon enough. “You, Caspian. I have my interest in you.”
A smile spreads across Caspian’s face, as warm as the day enfolding around you. Yes, you decide to yourself. Yes, you have made the right choice after all. Yes, you were right to stay, if nothing else than for this.
requested by @perseusargent, i hope you enjoy!
narnia tag list: @remussbitch, @faerieroyal, @goldfish4403
