Tarnished Crown

Caspian woke with a groan, his side on fire and his head throbbing.

"Careful, Caspian. You have an awfully nasty cut there. Not as bad as the cut Grollins got when Giano found him though."

Thea leaned over him and looked down into his eyes worriedly.

"I have to go," Caspian gasped, struggling to sit up. His head swam and his mother had to keep him from falling into the floor.

"Caspian you're in no condition to travel anywhere."

"I have to," he said desperately. "It's Helene. She somehow stole my letters and Belle never got them and now she despises me and she's marrying Oskar and I have to get back and fix this."

"Slow down! What do you mean she's marrying Oskar?" Thea looked horrified and mildly disgusted. "How could she do that?"

"She thinks I haven't written to her." Caspian hung his head, running his hands through his hair and then wincing as he pushed against the bruise on his temple. "I don't know what the motive is for marrying Oskar but I have to stop it. According to the postmark on the last letter she sent me, the wedding is the day after tomorrow. If I don't leave now I'll never make it in time." He closed his eyes, feeling defeated. "I'll never make it in time anyway," he mumbled. "It takes at least three days to sail there. It's over."

Helene had won. He couldn't believe it. Everything had spiraled hopelessly, miserably out of control. Belle would marry his brother, and Caspian would likely never see her again. He felt like his heart had shriveled away to nothing inside his chest.

"Don't be so discouraged, my lad." Rafe appeared in the doorway, eyes sparking with triumph and mischief. "I believe I can get you to your lady fair in time to stop this sham wedding."

"We'll all go," Thierry said, poking his head in too. "Papa would have wanted us to."

"How can you get us there?" Caspian asked, clambering awkwardly to his feet. Thea kept a hand on his arm to keep him from swooning.

"I'm retired from the bounty hunting game, son. So I took up some hobbies. Come with me."

Caspian fell in step with his mother and Thierry as they hurried to the docks. A sleek ship was waiting in the harbor, the name Sky Siren written on the side.

"It's a pretty vessel Rafe, but I don't see how it's supposed to get me to Aegaera any faster."

"Looks can be deceiving, young Cas." Rafe hopped onto the deck and tinkered with something on the helm. The sails adjusted, turning so that they caught the wind coming upward. Odd looking contraptions unfurled from the sides, and Caspian realized, they were wings.

"The ship flies?" he asked, amazed.

"The ship flies," Rafe said, grinning. "I'll get to you Aegaera, kid. I always do love a good wedding. Love it even better when I get to crash them."

"I need the gifts, and the letter I had for Belle-"

"Got it!" Mylia was already racing away from the ship back toward the house, a few of her siblings and cousins in tow. Thea helped Caspian scramble onto the ship. His side was still screaming but Caspian ignored it. He felt the barest glimmer of hope. Maybe there could still be a chance.

Thierry wasn't kidding when he said they'd all go. The entire Sefenti family crammed onto the ship, and Caspian feared the weight might prevent the ship from taking flight. The idea of a flying ship was crazy enough without the added oddity of a band of whooping people with daggers and curved blades.

"Hold onto your asses!" Rafe called, twisting the helm and steering the ship into more open water. Caspian's stomach lurched unpleasantly as the ship shuddered and lifted into the air. He gripped the rail tightly and dared to look over, grinning in spite of himself at the sight of the water falling away below them.

"Rafe, I could kiss you," Caspian called.

"Hey, easy now. I like you kid but I'm not sure I like you that much."

Caspian laughed. He clutched his wounded side gingerly and hoped the wind was on his side. He didn't have much time.



Where the takeoff had been exhilarating, the landing was jarring and terrifying. Caspian was sure they were going to die as the ship careened down to the lake near the castle. Thankfully the ship wasn't particularly large, but it was still a stroke of sheer dumb luck that they managed to land in the water and not become beached along the bottom. The ship bounced and bobbed wildly across the lake's surface.

"So much for an inconspicuous entrance," Caspian said, clinging to a rope for dear life and gritting his teeth against the lingering pain in his side.

"This family has never been one for inconspicuous anything," Thea said with a laugh. They finally came to a sand still and Rafe tossed the anchor into the water, not that they really needed it. The poor wings had taken some damage and so had the hull, but for the most part everyone was intact.

"Another successful voyage," Rafe declared proudly. "Now come on! The wedding is probably underway as we speak! Onward men onward!"

Even little Mylia was grinning from ear to ear as the entire family charged excitedly down the ramp onto the lakeshore. Caspian sighed and followed suit, supposing disrupting the wedding with a flourish was the best way to do it. A few stunned guards tried to stop them as they barreled through the halls, but their efforts were futile. The Sefentis were a force that would not be stopped. Thierry and Giano knocked out the guards at the Great Hall doors with hardly any effort. Elbian soldiers were mostly decoration anyway.

A bishop was at the head of the room, droning on and on. The crowd in attendance looked less than thrilled to be there. Caspian was just appalled with the frilly, brightly colored decorations.

"Samson!" Thierry bellowed cheerfully. "You had a wedding and didn't invite us? We're hurt."

Mylia and a few of the other little ones went darting into the Great Hall ahead of the adults as people began to crane their necks and stand up to see what was happening.

"This place looks like a rainbow puked on it," Mylia declared, disgust plain on her face. Thea pushed her way past all her siblings and nieces and nephews. Helene and Samson were up at the head of the room, sitting across the aisle from a stunned looking Alec and Lily. Thea strode boldly up to the front of the room, planting herself in front of a red faced Helene.

"Helene," she said. "You got fat."

"How dare you show your face here!" Helene fairly screeched. Caspian found himself pushed forward on the tide of his family, eyes locked on the altar. Oskar looked more confused than he usually did, and then there was Belle. She looked pale and drawn and haunted. What he could see of her amid the hideous frills of her dress, anyway. She was watching the scene unfold between Helene and Thea with a look of detachment.

"Cas!" Lara had caught sight of him and ran to him, her hair messy and her feet bare. She hugged him and he hissed in pain.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"Oh, nothing serious," he said. "I was just stabbed by Helene's lackey in Rehan. That's probably why she's staring at me like she's seen a ghost. If she had things her way that's what I would be now."

"I knew it!" Lara shouted triumphantly. "I knew that vile cow was up to something. Cas I found all your letters in her house but she burned them when she caught me."

"That is an outrageous lie!" Helene hollered. "How-how dare you all ruin this royal wedding-"

"How dare I?" Thea asked mildly. "Sit down and shut your mouth, or I'll shut it for you. And then stick an apple in your mouth and roast you over a spit."

"Would someone perhaps care to explain what the hell is going on?" Alec said loudly, eyeing the Sefenti family.

"Oh of course. Where are my manners?" Thea whirled to face him. "I'm Thea Sefenti. Caspian's mother. These are my brothers and their wives and children. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your wedding, Highness, but I thought it might be in your best interest to know that this woman is a liar and a snake."

"She just wants her son, and therefore herself, to have power and title," Lara piped up. "As I recall Aegaera has a rule about those who marry into royalty. If any tragic fate were to befall the royal in question the spouse could lose rights to the title and land, unless they have an heir together. And I happened to notice some books about potions and plants that can be used as untraceable poisons in Helene's study. But it's probably a coincidence."

The great hall erupted in noise, people all talking over each other. Caspian looked up and found Belle staring straight at him like she had never seen him before. Lily was shouting something at Helene and Helene was screaming at Thea and Lara. Caspian didn't hear any of it, his gaze locked on Belle. Then Samson stood and grabbed Caspian roughly by the front of his shirt.

"What are you trying to do?" he demanded. "Disgrace this family?"

"I think you've already done a good job of that," Caspian snapped. Samson shoved him hard and Caspian felt warmth bloom across his side as his stitches came undone. Thea flew at Samson, punching him so hard his nose broke. The room went quiet as people gaped.

"Keep your hands off of my son," Thea snarled.

Then at the altar, Belle swooned and collapsed.

Oskar didn't even try to catch her. Alec was the one who was able to dive and stop her from banging her head on the floor.

"All right, this wedding is hereby cancelled," Alec snapped. "Dominic, Samuel. Please escort the duchess and her husband and son to their home and keep them there."

"You can't do this! This is an outrage!" Helene cried.

Caspian's family was shepherded into the throne room, away from all the stunned wedding guests. His stepmother, father and half brother were practically shoved from the room, Helene still screaming about the injustice. Rhett and Tobias shut the doors behind them, watching the Sefentis warily.

"Cas, your mother is amazing," Lara said, looking at Thea in awe. Lily, Alec, Lucian, Gwendolyn, Princess Annemarie and King Hamilton entered the room then. Lucian squirmed free and ran to Caspian.

"You came back!" he said. "Auntie Belle said you were never coming back again."

Caspian felt a sharp pang of guilt. He remembered how empty and hollow Belle had looked. And it was his fault. She looked that way because of him. Alec crossed his arms and stared at all of them.

"So, you disappear for over a month and send my sister into a fit of depression and then show up out of nowhere to ransack the castle."

"He did not disappear," Thea said, before Caspian could reply.

"She's been miserable for weeks," Alec said. "I've never seen her like this." He looked at Caspian. "What did you do to her?"

"He didn't do anything to her," Lara said, scowling. "I tried to tell her. Helene stole all the letters Caspian was sending to her. She did all this to push Belle and Oskar together. And where do you get off acting like you know Caspian? Shouldn't your family of all people know that sometimes the reputation other people give someone isn't the truth?"

"We can all vouch that Caspian wrote to her every day," Thea said, her tone less hostile.

"Yeah," Mylia chimed in. "He talks about her all the time!"

Caspian groaned. "Please tell me this is a hallucination brought on by blood loss."

"If you want to accuse anyone of breaking your sister's heart I'd look at Helene," Lara said stubbornly. "Caspian isn't the cad you think he is."

"It doesn't matter now," Caspian muttered. "Belle thought I never wrote to her. Helene was likely telling her all manner of terrible things about me, poisoning Belle against me. The damage is done."

He rose stiffly, hand pressed to his side to try and stop the bleeding. He faced Alec.

"I think what's best is for Belle to rest and try to recover from all this. We'll leave as soon as possible. Sorry for all the trouble and the mess."

"Right," Rafe said. "I'll just get the ship patched up and we'll be out of your hair, Your Highness." His tone wasn't congenial like it usually was. The entire Sefenti clan looked disgruntled and disappointed.

"We need to get you patched up too," Lily said gently to Caspian.

"I'll take care of it," Gwendolyn said. "I have some enchanted stitches that will help it heal faster."

"You don't need to-"

"I want to help." Gwendolyn smiled. "Come on, Lily and I will get you cleaned up."

The two of them forced him to lie down and Gwendolyn started tending to his stitches.

"Your Majesty," Caspian said quietly to Lily, "I hate to ask you for anything but could you do me a favor?"

"Of course."

"Mylia is the small one over there with the short hair. Could you ask her to get the gifts from the ship? They're for Belle. I was hoping you could put it all in her room."

"I'll take care of it," Lily said, her gaze soft and a little sad.

"Now don't be rough with these," Gwendolyn warned. "They'll heal fast but you need to hold still for a while and take it easy."

Caspian sighed. He lay there and stared up at the ceiling, half hoping it would collapse and fall on him and just put him out of his misery.