Those Kind Ladies
king caspian x reader
summary ☞ When King Caspian overhears the castle's maids whispering about his yet–to–be girl, none other than his personal maid, he makes sure to tell her.
word count ☞ 2.1k+
warnings ☞ fluff, little use of YN, set after Voyage of the Dawn Treader, lots of bickering, teeny tiny Shakespeare allusion, (lmk if i missed any!)
mene's notes ☞ previously posted on @/selenewowww. king caspian >>> prince caspian all the way. i love him. leave a comment and a reblog!!! pt2
dividers by ☞ @cursed-carmine, @cafekitsune
Life at Cair Paravel was nothing short of magnificent.
As the King’s first maid, YN was more privileged than most maids and knights. She hadn't been in the palace for long, or anyway, not as long as some other servants, but her dutifulness and gentleness got her in such a high position.
Serving Narnia’s King meant staying by his side all day. Helping him whenever he needed. Brought him tea late at night, before he would lay down. Readied him baths after his strenuous training. But over all, she was his best friend.
King Caspian wasn't by any means a lone man, but he certainly wasn't surrounded by people his age. Most council members were grey–bearded, but nonetheless wiser. Their help had been a crucial element during wartimes, and he was forever grateful for that. However, having a lady in his age range was a lovely change, a breath of fresh air.
Despite her status, Caspian always made sure not to treat her as an inferior. Not only she accomplished all his requests without once complaining, she also was his confidant, the one person he could talk to freely, without ever feeling judged. He wasn't King Caspian, Lord of Cair Paravel and Emperor of the Lone Islands with her; he was simply Caspian.
A gentle knock, followed by a light ‘May I come in, Your Majesty?’, awoke him from deep slumber. The door opened, light steps making their way to the grand window, and a few seconds later the morning rays shone on his face, warming his skin.
He begrudgingly peeled his eyes open, adjusting to the light, and sat up with an unregal yawn. “YN?”, he asked, voice still thick with sleep.
She chuckled, bringing in a tray with his favourite tea. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Must you wake me at such an ungodly hour? I've already told you I wouldn't be upset if you stayed in bed a little longer”, he asked while watching her closely with an easy smile adorning his face.
“Unfortunately, it is necessary", she stated. “Come on, stop acting like a child and drink your tea, my Lord. Your day has just begun”, she answered with an amused smile, mirth dancing in her irises.
He let out a sigh, and reached for the steaming cup, drinking its warm contents with serenity in his heart.
“Lord Megilaz told me to remind you about the council meeting this morning”, she informed while folding his clothes, receiving in exchange a groan from the man.
“Wasn't it supposed to be tomorrow?”, he complained throwing his head back.
“I do not have the answer to that, I fear”
He groaned again, this time a tad louder, while throwing his head back, and covering his face with his hands, muttering a muffled ‘why?’.
With a roll of her eyes, she urged him to get changed out of his night robes so as not to arrive late at the meeting. He complied, but not without a few grumbles, amusing her quite a lot.
As soon as he got changed, he was sent to the council room with a light shove, and a reminder to be serious during the meeting. He responded with an eye roll, grinning at her with his usual easy–going smile.
In the meantime, YN was busy picking up a few books in the royal library for Caspian for him to read while snacking on fruit slices, his favourite part of the day. With a huge stack of books in hand, she attempted to make her way through the stacked shelves when she stumbled onto something, scattering all of her books on the floor and sending tiny paper notes flying off the pages.
With an exasperated huff, she bent down to pick up the books, gathering every piece of written paper and shoving them in the first book she could find, not caring if it was the wrong one. While doing so, she noticed a pair of feet standing in front of her, and then an amused chuckle drifted to her ears, like a sweet familiar melody.
She looked up and was met face to face with the King himself, gazing down at her with an overly amused expression and his hair tied in a top knot. “‘Bit clumsy, are we?”
She huffed and sent him a nasty glare, chucking the remaining notes in a historical novel, depicting the Battle of Beruna, and then stacking them all in a pile. “Instead of mocking me, you could lend me a hand, no?”, she muttered.
“Why? I'm having a blast here”, he teased again, leaning on a table, with the same pleased grin as before.
“Oh, come on”, she complained under her breath, moving a strand of hair behind ear, and lifting the pile again, not without struggling to stand up right.
He widened his grin and got off the table, grasping most of the books in her hands and carrying them by himself, following her as she headed back to his room, moving forward with gentle strides.
“Heard some kitchen maids talking about you”, he said out of the blue while walking through the corridors, sunlight seeping from the windows and illuminating the green grass outside in the courtyard. A hint of mischief coloured his tone, as if he had a secret to share.
“Hm?”, she hummed, half listening to him and half admiring the sight outside.
“I said I heard the kitchen maids gossiping about you”, he repeated.
The news enraptured her attention instantly, making her lips fall softly agape and her eyes to fill with surprise. Her head turned to focus solely on him, the gears in her head warping for a moment, her face twisting adorably as she thought long and hard about why they would do such a thing.
“What do they say?”, she asked, already feeling like a sea mermaid would with coming in contact with a human being.
Caspian shrugged, throwing at her his trademark grin, and walked ahead of her, facing her.
“Oh, well… Those kind ladies were discussing how ‘extremely laid back she is’ and how ‘she has it easy’ ”, he reported.
She gasped scandalised, her eyebrows furrowing and eyes widening almost comically. “Pardon? How dare they? I don't have it easy!”, she exclaimed. “Just because my job requires to be in close contact with you, doesn't mean that I laze around! Not at all! You're so difficult to please sometimes!”
It was Caspian's turn to be offended. “Pardon? I don't ask you the Moon!”
She huffed again, completely ignoring his words, rather focusing on the maids’ nonsense. “And, what's wrong with me having a laid back personality? On the contrary, I'm loads of fun!”
He smiled teasingly, falling back in step with her and bumping his shoulder with hers. “Are you?”
“Definitely”
“… You sure?”
“Of course!”
He huffed out a laughter. “Wanna learn something real fun?", he offered. “To show those kind ladies you know how to enjoy yourself?”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, a slight smile of her own pulling on her lips, infected by his. “And what does that include?”
“Sword fighting, of course”, he grinned.
She scoffed and shook her head. “Absolutely not”
“Why not?”, he asked in disbelief.
“Well! I can't! I don't know how to!”, she reasoned.
“That's where I step in!”
“Still a no”, she huffed.
He groaned and stopped in his tracks, making her halt in hers too. He stood straight, chin held high and shoulders rolled back; his usual regal posture. The one he used when in meetings or meeting the Narnians.
“It's an order”, he spoke with the authority of a great king, every word carrying weight and importance.
She gazed up at him in disbelief, her lips agape in a soundless scoff. “You can't do that?”
“Can't I?”, he retorted back, challenging her to answer.
Resigned, she let out a long sigh, knowing there was no way to change his mind when it was stone set on something. Her lips pulled in a thin line, head low while gazing at her feet, and the books in her arms held snug on her chest, as if shielding herself from a certain embarrassment. “Go easy on me”, she muttered under her breath.
“Just 'cause you're my friend”, he smiled.
After completing his remaining regal duties, Caspian had asked to meet her in the back courtyard, dressed comfortably and ready to learn from the best swordsman in the whole Kingdom of Narnia, in his own words. And so, he was waiting, wielding two shiny golden swords, with Aslan’s emblem engraved on the pommels, in Narnia’s representative colours.
And just a few minutes later, she had actually showed up, her promise to participate not empty. She approached him, a not–so–enthusiastic expression painting her face, framed by a few strands come loose from her updo.
“Your Majesty”, she greeted with a slight bow of her head.
“My Lady”, he greeted back with a pleased smile, offering her a golden blade.
“Hardly a lady”, she chuckled while taking the weapon from his hand.
“I'll make you one, then. How does Queen of Narnia sound?”, he winked at her.
“Tempting, my King”, she replied amused, eyes shining brightly like a star would on a dark night.
His whole face lighted up at seeing her so carefree, in stark contrast with her usual proper, palace–appropriate behaviour. With a few long strides, he reached behind her, hands ghosting over her arms to guide her to the right position.
“I'll make sure to keep that in mind”, he said, a wide grin audible from his tone. Nudging her feet with his, he kept on guiding her into the right stance.
“Bend your knees, just slightly. Your back should be straight, and your body slightly lowered, so that you'll be more comfortable moving forward or backwards, got it? Your weight should be evenly distributed between your feet”
She silently corrected her posture, flushing like a young noble lady would at the sight of a dashing duke, cheeks and ears glowing a pink hue given their proximity.
Had she ever felt like a young noble lady with Caspian? Oh. She definitely did. Ever since she first laid eyes on him when she arrived at Cair Paravel to serve him, all thoughts and promises made to herself to remain professional and distant went outside the window.
How could she not? Not only was he the King, and therefore admired by everyone, but he also had a heart of gold, truly a gentleman through and through. His beliefs were noble and pure, always prioritising Narnia’s needs before his own.
Given all that, how was she expected to keep her affections on the minimum?
Caspian wasn't in a much better situation.
As Narnia’s ruler, he was expected to marry a noble woman, a princess. However, after spending even just a few weeks, his heart knew that wasn't his fate. His heart knew he was doomed. Knew that its sole owner was the graceful girl who made it her life purpose to surprise him with little things.
That's why, after teaching her the basics of a sword fight, he deemed it necessary to reward her with a stroll on his loyal horse, Destrier. To which she reacted with an excited squeal, given her love for the obsidian stallion.
He chuckled at her excitement and eased her onto Destrier’s back, advising her to hold on tight.
“Having a good time, my Queen?”, he had asked, grinning over his shoulder at her, seeing her nod with a smile so big he was certain it physically hurt her cheeks.
“We could do it more often,” he added, hopeful that she'd get his motive behind the invite.
“Perhaps after all your duties”, she agreed. “Oh, but not on Wednesday!”
“And why's that?” he asked, curious.
“'Cause I offered myself to help set up the ballroom for next week’s ball”, she explained with an obvious tone.
“You didn't have to, though”, he pouted.
“I wanted to”, she answered.
“Your job is to stay attached to my hip”, he argued back, his feathers ruffled by her absence.
“That doesn't feel like a job to me", she waved him off. “And anyway, the other maids need a hand, and I'm willing to give them one”
Before Caspian could retort something back, he caught the kitchen maids discretely, or so they thought, gawking at them. Mostly at her, riding the royal horse with the King himself.
He smirked proudly and subtly pointed them out to her, “Oh, those kind ladies again. Is that the green–eyed monster I see in their eyes?”
She chuckled and swatted his pointing hand, “It’s considered rude to point at people. Figured a King knew that”
He shrugged and smiled wider, “Can't be regal at all times, no?”
“They don't know it yet, but soon— sooner than they could ever imagine— you'll be their Queen”, he added, a well–pleased grin adorning his lips.
Fluster colored her cheeks and the tips of her ears altogether, giving her a lively look. “Is that so?”
“Of course. Those kind ladies don't know what they have coming.”
. narnia ₊ ݁. @tc-selmarillian, @kittens4kitty, @kagstobioisthelightofmylife, @akaashiit, @wellitseugi
