SWNOVELXO Chapter 3: The Man Worthy Of Being Husband Number One
In the cool, misty evening, Caspian turned to the men in their white robes who had all gathered together and watched Elara and the duke with unfathomable expressions. Their white robes were stark against the quickly disappearing sun. Caspian Isyndor extended a leather coin purse with a solemn nod, its metallic clink lingering in the air as one of the white-robed men took it.
"Thank you for your aid. Your service will not be forgotten."
The priests all bowed and, cutting one final glance in Elara's direction, they left, fading into the mist like the fictional beings they were. When they were alone, Caspian gestured toward the clearing where the carriage and the men Caspian had brought with him awaited. The carriage was a sleek contraption--black and polished with the silver crest of Duke Caspian Isyndor's house on its ebony door. Its wheels shimmered with a faint bluish glow.
These were the magical carriages. The author had gone on and on about them in the books. Apparently, they were so expensive even most nobles couldn't afford one. They were given to the wealthiest of the wealthy and worked about the same way self-driving cars of today's world were coming to work just with magic to power them instead of science and mechanical parts.
"Come," said Caspian, holding out a hand.
Elara hesitated. She wasn't one hundred percent sure she should be heading out with a man she'd just met--even if he was Caspian Isyndor who she'd adored since she read the first installment of the series--but she really was put out in lieu of choices. So she placed her hand into his gloved one, gawking at the carriage as he guided her forward.
"It's powered by...magic?" The sentence sounded as weird to say as she'd expected.
"Yes." Caspian cut a glance at her as he guided her forward. "But I'm sure you already know that much. You've read about it, after all."
A chill settled onto Elara's skin. How much did Caspian know?
They had stepped out onto the dirt path when Caspian suddenly stopped and looked down at her bare feet and the thin fabric of the shorts she was wearing and her T-shirt. He seemed to consider something for a moment, then removed the cape attached to his armor and draped it around her before he scooped her up and carried her down the path to the carriage.
Surprised as she was by being lifted up all of a sudden, she couldn't help but feel her heart soften further for the duke. This was one of the reasons she had grown to love his character so much. Despite the icy exterior he seemed to exude, he was kind, gentle, and caring underneath it all.
Up close, there were runes glowing against the exterior of the carriage door; they pulsed like slightly perturbed heartbeats. With her held tightly in one hand, Caspian flung open the carriage door and placed her inside. The knights who had come with him watched the two of them with wide eyes the whole time.
A figure approached from behind Caspian. An older man clad in worn but well-cared-for armor was watching Elara with curiosity. His face was weathered but ruggedly handsome in its noble alignment.
Elara knew who he was right away. Duke Caspian Isyndor's right-hand man, Chancellor Kyran. In the first installment of the series, when a young Caspian Isyndor is sent to the frontlines by the Queen Mother in hopes he will die, he gains the respect of the commander, Kyran, and the two fight side by side. When the war ends, and they return to Isyndor, instead of being given a noble title and land, Kyran decides to serve Caspian as his chancellor.
He, too, suffers because of the plots of the female lead and the king. His death is the catalyst for Caspian completely losing his cool and storming the capital with his soldiers which leads to his death.
When he caught Elara's gaze, Chancellor Kyran bowed to her, low and respectful right as Caspian straightened up.
"I know you have questions," said Caspian. "But I'm afraid they'll have to wait. The nearest town is an hour away. We've lost daylight already. It's best we get going now before we lose any more light." He looked up at the sky, his eyes narrowed, and then he looked back at her. "I'll explain everything once we're there." And then he shut the carriage door.
From the carriage's window, she could see Chancellor Kyran and Caspian mount their horses, and then they were off. The carriage moved forward, traveling smoothly down the dirt path without so much as a bump. This part, describing what it was like to ride in a self-driving carriage, wasn't mentioned in the novels. The female lead used horse-drawn carriages, usually. They were less expensive, and she was hell-bent on looking good in the eyes of the citizens, so the mention of self-moving carriages was explained in passing. But clearly, there was some kind of anti-movement spell placed on it that made it less bumpy.
There were knights riding alongside her carriage, their backs ramrod straight, their eyes trained ahead of them.
She sighed and leaned back, taking in the inside of the carriage for the first time. It really was the epitome of luxury. The exterior was lined with a deep blue velvet and embroidered with silver threads that twisted into patterns like constellations across the ceiling. Sconces filled with pale, silvery light cast a soft glow that kept the carriage lit even though night was falling fast. The seat cushions were plush, molding to her like a warm hug. It was nothing like riding the metro or the bus. It was so heart-rendingly soft she could cry.
She did have to wonder, though, why was something like this in Caspian's possession? He loathed wasteful spending--probably because he'd grown up watching the Queen Mother's shameful spending habits and the way it had affected the people--and there was nothing more wasteful for Duke Caspian than this carriage. He went everywhere by horse and never rode carriages even when he showed up to the capital for official events.
Was the carriage bought for me?
As quickly as the thought came, she shrugged it off. There was no way. Caspian wouldn't spend such obscene amounts of money on anyone, even if he was dragging them from a different world. He'd ensure her comfort, but he'd do it by getting her a horse-drawn carriage.
Maybe he just had it lying around...
Even as she thought the words, she didn't believe them.
The minutes passed in peaceful silence, broken only by the steady rhythm of horse hooves beating against the worn dirt path. Every now and then, she moved the curtains back to gaze out of the window, and it, too, only served to prove she really was in a different world. There were two moons, and the sky was filled with a tapestry of stars. She would've stayed that way, gazing out at the scenery of the moons and the stars beaming down over hillsides and moors, but the knights alongside her would ask her if she was okay every time she opened the window, so she just opted to keep it closed.
She entertained herself with her thoughts instead. At least there were a bunch of them to sift through. Mostly, she was wondering how this current turn of events was even possible but when the disbelief filtered out, simmering on the side, she came to realize something: Caspian had said her name. She'd been so numb with shock at the time that she hadn't noticed it, but he'd definitely said her name.
Was that possible? Apparently, it was because she was living it, but it shouldn't be. If she were the author of this book that would be one thing, but she was just one reader among a series that had garnered millions. Even as she tried to make sense of it, she just couldn't.
Her musings were interrupted when the carriage suddenly halted to a stop. She sat up straight and moved to push back the curtain covering the window when the carriage door swung open. One of the knights riding alongside her carriage was standing there. He looked young, no more than twenty.
"Please stay inside the carriage, miss." The poor young man's voice cracked a little, betraying his nerves, but he had the courage to keep his expression fairly neutral, at least.
Elara's heart picked up its pace as she wound her fingers into the velvety folds of the carriage seats, and she was nearly overcome with the desire to demand to know what was going on, but one look into the boy's face--fearful beneath the careful facade--kept her quiet.
She gave a short nod, and the knight closed the door, leaving her alone again.
Unable to help herself, Elara peeled the curtain back enough that she could see out but was careful to take to ensure no one outside could see her. She caught sight of Caspian immediately. He was standing at the forefront, Chancellor Kyran at his right. The other knights, she noticed, were hanging around the carriage, their hands at the swords on their hips as they guarded her protectively.
Despite the tense air, Caspian looked utterly relaxed. The image of him reminded her of herself on the weekends, sitting in her living room, rotting her brain away with TV.
Bandits filtered in from the trees all around them. She could tell it was all around because the knights guarding the back of her carriage cursed under their breaths. The ones she could see were dressed in dark, ragged clothing, their faces partially hidden beneath hoods.
Her heart raced. This was another part she'd forgotten in the novel. Caspian's lands might be mostly at peace, but the other parts of Isyndor were suffering due to the king's lack of ability when it came to running a country. The king of Isyndor hadn't led forces out to stop the bandits when they first reared their heads, and the situation had steadily grown worse and worse until Caspian--as always--had to pick up the king's slack and wipe out the bandits himself.
That raised another question that she hadn't thought of--where was she in the story? The beginning of the first book? The middle of the last? She couldn't tell yet. All she knew was that the bandits looked like shadows, and the tips of their blades glinted under the glow of the moons.
The ringleader stepped forward--a grizzled man with scars covering the length and width of his face--and sneered, "Well, look at this, lads, the pretty little lord's traveling through our domain and thinks he ain't gotta pay a toll. I don't know if you heard, but this land belongs to us now, so be a good little pretty boy and give us everything you've got. Empty all your valuables and leave the carriage and whatever's inside, and we'll let you go. How's that sound, my lord?"
The crowd of bandits laughed. Elara's blood was ice in her veins. The Day of Eternal Night didn't go into depth about the really dark stuff, but she'd watched enough medieval fantasy dramas and read enough books to know what bandits did to women. Her stomach churned at the thought of it.
"You can always turn back now," Caspian said, his voice eerie in its calmness. "If you turn back now, I'll let you disappear with your pride intact. But if you draw your weapon, I can guarantee the thing that will disappear will be your head from your shoulders. I'll see to it that none of you live long enough to tell tales of what's happened to you today."
The bandit leader hesitated, and his hesitation was all it took for his men to do the same. Meanwhile, Caspian, cool and collected, tilted his head to one side, and when he spoke, his tone was like an adult indulging a child's tantrum, "You may take your chance if you wish. The gold at my belt, the wealth within my carriage, try your hardest to take it. I will be the last man you ever rob."
Elara could physically feel the shift in the air. She could sense the wariness of the bandits. They were used to threats thrown at them when they robbed--in fear, in anger, in bluster--but they were not used to a threat like this one. Because Caspian wasn't merely making a threat; he was speaking of a promise. The hairs on Elara's arms were on end, and his words weren't even directed at her.
But the leader of the bandits glanced over at the carriage, and she saw the greed overtake him. He couldn't let such a good target just pass him by. She saw him pull his blade free and watched his face twist into a grin, "Enough will the noble airs, pretty boy. Let's see how you use steel."
It all happened quickly, then. The bandit leader rushed forward, blade glinting, and when he moved, they all moved. The air was suddenly filled with the chaotic sound of battle, and Elara's heart and stomach twisted within her chest with anxiety at the sound of it.
She couldn't tear her gaze away from Caspian, though. His swordplay was as beautiful as the author had described it. His sword flashed as he met the bandit leader's first attack with a speed and precision that Elara wasn't aware a person could possess. His blade sliced through the air, deflecting the bandit's next incoming strike effortlessly before it spun in a silvery arc that sent the bandit reeling, clutching his side in pain.
Two more bandits lunged for Caspian, but he was too quick for them. With movements so swift she could barely follow them, he parried each of their strikes one right after the other in a show of grace and power. It was truly like his sword was an extension of his arm, just like in the books.
After a few parries, Caspian landed a blow, sending one of them hurtling into the dirt. He sidestepped the other, spinning around to bring the hilt of his sword up hard into the man's jaw, sending him sprawling, too.
The knights and Chancellor Kyran were fighting alongside him, their swords flashing with skill and certainty. After all, they were knights of Duke Caspian Isyndor's order; they were the best knights in the kingdom of Isyndor, on equal footing with the Imperial Guard.
Even so, Elara couldn't tear her gaze away from Caspian. She'd read the first two books from the The Day of Eternal Night series so many times that she was quite certain she could recite it from memory. There were passages upon passages praising Caspian Isyndor's utter beastlike skills when it came to swordplay. There was no man in the kingdom of Isyndor who was his equal. But seeing it up close was a whole other thing. He was ruthless, efficient.
That's the man worthy of being husband number one! she crowed as she watched him. There was a laundry list of reasons why she'd dropped all seven of her other fictional husbands for him, but this was top five on the list. With his face twisted in concentration and his armor gleaming in the moonlight, he was too beautiful.
Her Caspian fangirl heart couldn't handle it.
In her excitement at seeing Caspian's swordplay up close, she'd leaned out the window more than she should've, a mistake she realized at once, but it was too late. A wiry, thin bandit tore his way through the guards after he'd locked sights with Elara. She gasped and fell back, taking the curtain down with her as she did. She wound her hand tightly around the metal rod the curtain had been hung up with, gripping it tightly. That malicious gleam in his eyes was unmistakable.
Right as the bandit had thrown open the carriage door and stood before her, glaring at her with such murderous intent, Elara thought her whole body would cave beneath the pressure, Caspian was suddenly behind him, his sword pressed against the man's throat.
Caspian looked straight at her. "Close your eyes."
She did.
Even with her eyes closed, the sound of steel against flesh and gurgled breaths still filled her ears, and she closed her eyes more tightly, swallowing back the nausea.
"You can open them."
She did so hesitantly. It was just Caspian standing there watching her with an expression that was almost...gentle.
"Are you unharmed?"
She nodded. "I...I'm fine."
"Good. We should reach the village in a few more minutes and with no interruptions this time, I hope, please bear with this a little longer."
Without waiting for her reply, he closed the door, mounted his horse, and signaled for the rest of them to do the same.
Elara sat back in her seat, head spinning and still fighting off the remnants of adrenaline from what had just happened. She was already trying to wrap her head around the fact she was inside of The Day of Eternal Night, and now she was trying to come to understand that she'd almost been killed after only being her for not even two hours.
She sighed, leaning her head against the soft velvet that lined the interior of the carriage. The only thing she had to look forward to right now was getting into town. Once they were there and Caspian had explained what the hell was going on, she could figure out how she was going to move forward from now on.