Two Little Girls Exploring (closed)

[Anonymous]

"Oh, I know!" he said. "I'll take you up to the observatory tower! It's a lot of steps, but once you get there, the view is spectacular. I like to go up there nearly every night, One can forget their troubles when they look at the stars, and know that they have watched everything happen for centuries,"  he said with a sigh. He had more troubles than she might probably guess, and now that the girls were out of sight, they weighed on him quite heavily tonight. He also hoped that Lena might share her troubles with him. Perhaps there was something he could do to help her, if she told him. For now, though, he was relieved that since it was already dark, if he were to cry, she would probably not see.

[Anonymous]

She nodded eagerly at the suggestion, never once thinking of such a place. "That would be wonderful, I've never been to one before so it would be quite nice to see." As she watched him, though, she noticed a change in his appearance, as if he were more distant and occupied with his own thoughts now. Taking her time in standing up from her chair, Lena went behind it and pushed it to align neatly with the table before resting her hands on the top and looking to Caspian once more. "Steps don't bother me, not anymore at least. I've done too much traveling for it to even be noticed anymore," she said lightly, smiling as she attempted to brighten his mood.

With all the people she had met and conversed with along her travels, though, never had she once mentioned more than hints at the life she'd previously lived. As she thought about this she wondered how much she might be able to share with Caspian, if he wanted to listen, but even more she wondered if she might even get the courage up to talk about it.

[Anonymous]

He looked at her curiously as he started to ascend the stairs. Apparently, she must have some problems of her own she was trying to sort out, but he couldn't help needing to see what she thought of his situation.

"Now that the girls are gone, I feel I can tell you about their situation. Would you mind listening? I think the girls would feel relieved if they knew you knew," he said. "They probably told you more than I expected they would anyway, right? That proves they trust you more than anyone they've met so far," Caspian told her.

[Anonymous]

Lena followed after him up the stairwell, wondering what kind of view might be in store for her. She nodded to his question and listened as her talked about his sisters. "Well, I don't know really how much they've said but they did tell me a little... It made me a little worried, though, with how little it seemed to disturb them because, frankly, I would be sad to hear that someone in my family had died." She wondered how he might be dealing with it since he'd been such a good sport since she'd met him. Perhaps he had never been that close with his parents? Things like that happened, with her as well, but she did not hate her own parents to the point where she would not be affected upon hearing of their passing.

"Has it been...hard for you? I guess they haven't been here that long but you're looking after them now, right? Or are you planning on hiring someone else?" she asked.

[Anonymous]

"I don't want to hire someone else, but I might have to," he said sadly. "It's really hard trying to be a surrogate parent when you already have a full-time job otherwise.  I And the girls...they are more upset than you might imagine. It's just that they haven't had time to grieve yet. When our parents died, I was here, so my two spinster aunts took the girls and forced them to work in their mansion. I had to ask the king and queen for another guard to come with me to get them so that my aunts could not force them to stay. The poor things were taken against their will, but at the time, I was stuck here. What could I do to rescue them on my own? The aunts are very unpleasant women who did not permit them to grieve while in their care, so I suppose they are not used to being safe yet. But in a few weeks, they will realize that they cannot be taken against their will again, and then...then they are going to be very upset. I also don't know what to do because I suspect the aunts have taken some of the things that used to belong to my parents."

[Anonymous]

She knew that they must be sad -she couldn't imagine the feelings the siblings were having- but to be forced to work by your own family must have caused the girls even more emotional pain than the loss alone. Lena frowned, not liking that the girls, who had seemed so friendly before, were dealing with such complicated emotions. As they neared the top of the stairwell she slowed her pace and held on to the rail as she looked past Caspian to the night sky showing through the openings in the walls.

"That's terrible that that has happened, Sir Brendan... I can't imagine what it must be like, but you have me. While I'm here at least I could help out and be with the girls, but if something comes up I might have to leave," she explained, smiling up at him. "That might save you some time in finding someone full-time and I definitely wouldn't expect much from it at all since your sisters are such a joy to be around."

[Anonymous]

"I'd love the help as long as you're available. But just out of curiosity, what would cause you to leave? I can't think of anything that might cause you to leave that I couldn't protect you from. I'm a knight, remember?" He meant it. He would protect her with his life. No one deserved to be so scared that they would have to leave a place where it seemed like they were having a good time.

"I mean it... on my honor. I will protect you from everything." He took her hand and kissed it gently to show how much he meant it.

[Anonymous]

She looked away for a moment, hesitant as she pondered whether or not she should say anything about her situation to him; through all of her travels she had never once told the truth about where she was from but how bad would it look lying to a knight? What if he doesn't find out that I'm lying? she thought, but then he made a promise to protect her and she knew she would feel bad about lying since her fear was not something he could necessarily protect her from. "Ah, um...thank you, Sir Brendan, that is very kind of you to say but I would not hold it against you if you never fulfill that promise." She paused for a moment, taking her time in looking down at the floor before she moved to speak again. "You see, I cannot be protected from what I fear. It's my father. My family lives nearby and I'm worried that if word gets out that I'm here then he might have me come home. If that happened I would prefer to leave than go back since my past concerning my father especially is not a healthy one," she explained, her voice soft as she made herself get the words out; it was not necessarily painful to talk about her father, just frightening to her.

After taking a few moments to compose herself, Lena slipped her hand gently from Caspian's and walked further into the room. "My hope is that it would not happen soon, but if it does I have a feeling that my brother would come and warn me so I would have time to get out and I don't think it would happen for a while since not many remember my name right now," she finished with a laugh, shaking her head in amusement.

[Anonymous]

"Don't worry," he whispered at seeing her fear. He fought the desire to take her in his arms. But then she composed herself and the chance was gone. He would have challenged her father to a duel if it came to it, though.

"Well, I'll appreciate your offer of help as long as you are here," Caspian finally said. "Though I think the girls will hope that you never leave." He would hope for that too, but he suspected that it would be too good to last. Just like everything else in his life. The magnitude of his parents' deaths hit him for the very first time. Why was it that everything good had to come to an end? His life with his parents and  his being free of responsibility (except for his job) were both good things that had come to an end. It just wasn't fair. And why was it that bad things, like his loneliness, never came to an end as easily?

[Anonymous]

She had noticed that small, whispered comment when it was too late to do anything since she had pulled away from him. She wondered how sincere his comment about his sisters was, since they had given a good impression to her already and she felt she might quite enjoy their company. "I hope I might stay here for a while, it's a lot nicer than I imagined," she said with a smile as she gazed up at the night sky, but a frown slowly took over her expression as she got to thinking again. "I guess what I'm truly worried about is my father seeking me out... Even though I ran away from home I must still hold some value to him if I married higher up... Ah, but pardon me, I never did ask if you had a lady you were courting." Her smile began to widen again as she thought about it. "If you do have someone she's a lucky girl to have a knight after her," she mused, laughing softly.

She turned to face him again but saw his sad expression and her smile began to fade as she slowly angled her head. "Are you feeling all right, Sir Brendan?" she asked, her tone a bit concerned for his sudden change.

[Anonymous]

"No, I don't have anyone I'm courting, unfortunately. And no... I'm not all right." It took a lot of courage for him to admit that though, regardless of the darkness.


"It's just that... everything good in my life has come to an end now. My life with my parents is done. So is my time without any responsibilities except for my job. I love the girls and would have done it anyway, but it's harder than it looks to be a surrogate parent," he said. "Everything good in my life has come to an end. But my loneliness, which is the one thing I wish would end, has not. In fact, my parents' deaths only made the loneliness even worse than it was, and I've just now realized it. That is what is bothering me now. Good things always come to an end and bad things seem to go on and on forever."

[Anonymous]

She gave a sympathetic smile for his benefit, understanding how it felt to feel so alone. "Well, it may look that way now but just do the best that you can, Sir Brendan. I'm sure things will get better for you and the girls, it will just take a little time..." Lena did not know quite how to be very reassuring, her own situation giving hardly any merit to her words though she did understand the feelings of only having yourself to rely on; she could not imagine what it might be like trying to take on a job and raise two young ladies as well and for that reason alone she was willing to help if nothing else. "You're not alone anymore, though," she said with an encouraging smile. "I think, if I may speak of it, the four of us make a pretty fine bunch of friends, we seem to get along fairly well so far and we can adjust as time goes on. To be honest, after spending the day with your sisters I do not think it would be so hard to be around them, so don't worry, you'll have me to watch them if you ever have to be away. I'm sure they would understand your needs concerning your job and social life."

Lena reached out and took hold of one of his hands between both of hers, trying to make herself appear more friendly for all that she wanted him to not feel so lousy about himself. "Things will get better, I promise."

[Anonymous]

He reveled in the feel of his hand in hers, although he tried not to. He did finally smile though. "You're right, I'm sure the girls do understand, but it's hard not being able to be near them all the time. They were lucky to run into you, but suppose it had been someone else behind that door? I worry about that too," he said. As of right now, what with all they had just come through, the girls did not really need to meet a person who wished them ill will. "Suppose they had met someone who wanted to hurt them and I was too busy to protect them?" If that were to happen, Caspian was sure he would never forgive himself.

[Anonymous]

"Ah, they told you about that... I'm glad that I met them, though, they're very nice girls and they deserve to make friends after what they've been through." She smiled at him for a moment before slipping her hands away from his, a faint flush coming to her cheeks as she realized what she'd done in the heat of the moment. "Regardless, they still met me, right? I had no idea before how hard of a time they were having but now that you've told me I feel a bit better. At least now I might have some idea if something is bothering them."

Lena sighed softly, contentedly, as she looked up again to the night sky, to the bright moon that reminded her so much of home. "If you have any spare time this week I'm sure they'd love you spending it with them," she suggested as she began thinking of ways she could help ease the transition for her new friends.

[Anonymous]

Caspian smiled. He had enjoyed the feel of her hands covering his and half hoped she would do it again. He didn't tell Lena that though. Now wasn't the time.

"I'll try to spend as much time with them as I can... with all of you, if I may," he said. "It's just hard to know when I'll be free. Guards have such weird hours. But I do try to be near them while they're sleeping, so you shouldn't have to worry about that, unless one or both of them are sick. Then, if they're sick and they have to nap, I'd be very observant if I were you. I wouldn't want either of them to have a nightmare. "
 
His eyes were still sad, but this time it was more for his sisters than for himself. "They don't deserve to have to remember what they've been through in their sleep. Sleep should be restful, not interrupted. With that said...if you are the one who has the nightmare, I would gladly come running if you needed me."

[Anonymous]

"After being with them today I think they just want to be children, but I think they are very mature for how old they are right now. I'm sure they would appreciate their brother spending time with them, though, knowing how close siblings can be...I think they will cherish every moment they get to spend with you..." Her voice grew soft as she began thinking of her own brother, of how much she loved and missed him, but now was surely not the time to be thinking about that. Lena cleared her throat before turning to face Caspian when he began to speak again. "If they do have nightmares...I think it might be normal for a time if they do start, but it cannot be helped whether they have them or not no matter how unfortunate they may be. Of course, I would definitely take care of them if they become sick, though I surely hope they do not become stricken with something."

She stared at Caspian for a moment after his last comment, eyeing him suspiciously before a gentle smile spread across her lips. "Well, thank you. I haven't had a nightmare in a long time but you never know when they'll pop up."

Again she turned, this time to face the main opening as she gazed up at the stars for a few long moments as she pondered speaking further about herself. "Well, I guess it is your right to know...if I'm going to be watching your sisters...um" -she paused for a moment, looking to the floor as she wondered still if she should say anything more- "well, it doesn't affect me in any way, but I think you might like to know that I'm not human. I just don't want to get...attached or anything and then let you all know later since I know it bothers some people. Not all, I know, but some people I have met think it's disgusting," she admitted, nervousness causing her to ramble a bit. Lena looked over her shoulder at him, wondering what he might say.

[Anonymous]

"You look as human as it is possible for a non-human to look, in my opinion. And honestly, it doesn't bother me." Caspian said gently. "If you are a suppressed werewolf, especially, as I suspect, it doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with you or anyone in your family. It just means that something went horribly wrong. It was probably some sort of accident. And for whatever reason, when your parents had children, you were the one infected. There's not even anything remotely disgusting about you. You're beautiful." He kissed her cheek gently then. He couldn't help it. She just looked so embarrassed and he wanted to help her feel better.

[Anonymous]

Lena flinched as he guessed dead on; it worried her a bit that he saw it so easily. Still, it was comforting that he was accepting of the fact especially since most of her own family felt it was a disgrace. The kiss was quite a surprise, though, and she took a small step back to put a little distance between them even though she felt he had done it more out of sympathy than anything. "Thank you, I appreciate the compliment as well as the acceptance, Sir Brendan. I know it came from my father but he refused to ever tell me anything about it... See, when I was much younger he sealed it all away into the jewelry I carry, that's why it's so special to me," she explained, sighing while lowering her gaze to her hands as she coiled and uncoiled them into fists.

She did not know what to do or what to say, but she was thankful that he was accepting of what she was at the very least. At the same time she was a bit startled still, having never been kissed by anyone for a reason that was not linked to respect or fulfilling a favor for her father. Nervously, she clasped her hands together before looking up at him again while feelings of hesitance and uncertainty arose within her.

[Anonymous]

Caspian instantly felt bad when he saw Lena's reaction to the kiss. "I'm sorry..." he whispered. "It's just that... I wanted you to feel better, that's all," he explained. "If you don't like it though, I will never do it again. I'm not very good at knowing when women want to be kissed and when they don't.

[Anonymous]

Lena could not help but smile for all that Caspian was reminding her of a puppy she'd had back home, the kind that had always tried to make her happy, no matter what, and make up for anything he had done. Shaking her head slightly, she lifted a hand and rested it on his forearm. "Ah, no, no. You really surprised me, that's all," she explained, laughing a little as she thought about how he must feel. "I understand, it's okay," she said, wanting to assure him that he had not made any sort of mistake. "It's just that I had never had anyone kiss me unless they were asked to by someone in my family."

She turned, then, feeling as though she had probably embarrassed him enough with her reaction as a blush began to creep up in her cheeks, though she hoped the darkness hid it from his sight. "Well, I guess that isn't something I should be talking about, with how cruel they were to me...but I am sorry if I made you feel strangely...Sir Brendan." Lena did not want to scare him away, especially now that he knew about her, and she made a point of giving his arm a squeeze before dropping her hand back down to her side. Then she turned, angling away from him as her cheeks began to burn while she thought about him kissing her, even though it had only been a peck on the cheek. What she did not want to say out loud was that she hadn't exactly disliked it but now she feared things might become awkward with how she had reacted.

Sighing softly, Lena looked out to the night sky above and tried to distract herself with thoughts of how far she had gone to end up so close to her family's home, which would never be her own again.