Tarnished Crown

When Belle came to again, everything has felt like a dream. She had been just a few moments from becoming Oskar’s wife when Caspian crashed into the building. And then there was yelling she couldn't comprehend. And then it all faded to black. She wasn't wearing her large gown anymore, finding it draped over a chair in her bedroom while she just wore a comfortable cotton dress. Her hair was loose from the tight updo it was in before, and someone had combed through it all.

Her eyes flit over to her left, where a large bag was by her side, with a letter addressed to her in Caspian’s handwriting. So he wasn't just a dream, after all. Then to her right, where she found Lily and Eliana just noticing her movement. They hurried over with a bowl of soup, having her sit up so they could feed her.

“What happened?” Belle asked.

“What happened is you haven't eaten or slept for days, and Helene had your waist bound so tight that it wasn't a surprise to see the slightest bit of excitement take what was left of your breath away,” Lily explained. “Now eat something, before you pass out again.”

Belle did as she act, eyeing the bag.

“He brought them for you,” Lily said. “It's all from Rehan.”

“Oh.”

After getting a little bit of food in her until the color returned to her cheeks, Lily and Eliana left. Belle got out of bed and walked to a chair near the bag, sitting down and first picking up the letter. It must have been one that survived Helene’s fireplace. The date was quite recent. She started to open it, then sighed and shook her head, setting it aside on a table. She picked up the first thing in the bag, which was a shiny red stone that must have been from the beach. She'd read about them. The stones were always perfectly round, and could only be found on the west side of Rehan. There was some native Rehani jewelry, each with its own charm and beauty, as well as a couple more books that Belle would love. It seemed like everywhere Caspian had gone, he'd picked something up for her. So he was thinking about her, after all. She went to pick the letter back up, but spotted Caspian's watch on the table beside it, from when he'd left it behind before leaving. Belle stared at the unopened letter, then picked up the watch and stood.

Caspian was being kept in the palace since he wasn't allowed home, and his entire family had to be given a space to sleep as well. Alec was going crazy with the number of people he had to be a gracious host to. As soon as Belle got to the room, she felt fifty eyes on her. His entire family was waiting outside his room, too. No one said anything, and one of the men was holding a horde of small children back away from her. One gorgeous woman stepped forward, which Belle recognized as Caspian's mother. The rest of their names and relationships to Caspian were a blur in Belle’s mind, but Thea stood out. The woman studied her face, giving her a gentle smile when she realized how nervous Belle looked around them all.

“It's not your fault you fell into the hands of that woman,” she said. “Gwendolyn just left. She put Caspian on some heavy medication. If he's conscious, he may not make any sense. We can come get you when he'll be able to talk to you properly and remember the conversation.”

“No, that's okay,” Belle said, glancing past Thea at her family again. “He doesn't have to remember.”

Thea nodded and let her into the room, following her in but making the rest of the family stay outside. Sure enough, Caspian was lying on the bed, hand in the air and studying it like he'd never seen a hand before. He really was on some heavy medication. Belle sat on the side of his bed, and seemed to startle him, considering how he suddenly dropped his hand and winced at the pain it caused him.

“Belle?” he said, voice hoarse. “Is that you?”

“You're dreaming,” she told him, brushing his hair back out of his face. “It's just a dream.”

“Wouldn't be the first. I wish you were really here, though.”

Belle raised a brow at him, then took his watch out and put it back on his wrist.

“That's mine,” he informed her.

“I know, that's why I'm giving it back to you,” she said. “Lucian tried to take it. When they asked him where he got a gold watch, he said it was his. Alec was mad that he lied. He took the watch away and put Lucian on a high shelf for about half an hour as a punishment. The poor kid was sitting up there like one of the dolls in that toy store.”

Caspian just stared at her like she was speaking another language, but seemed like he was in another world at the same time.

“That's cute,” he mumbled. “Real cute. Cuuuteeee. Lucian is the dog, right?”

Belle laughed softly, combing her fingers through his hair. “Yeah. Close enough.”

Belle glanced up and noticed a sort of fond look on Thea’s face as she watched them. Belle looked back down at Caspian, pulling her hand away and resting it in her lap.

“You're stupid,” she told him. “I've told you this a lot, but I'm telling you again. And you know what? I've learned that I'm just as stupid as you, if not a hundred times more. And I wish I could just easily run off into the sunset with you like everyone wants, but I just need a minute to think about who I am, and what's best for me. And I can only tell you this now, because you'll forget it all in the morning, and it won't hurt you while I'm busy being stupid.”

“I can't feel my right foot,” he said.

“This would be funny if I wasn't in such a strange state of mind,” Belle smirked. “Go to sleep.”

“Okay.”

Belle stood up, sighing and smoothing out her skirt. Thea didn't say anything to her, but she was smiling and looking down at her feet. She just gave a slight nod to the woman as she left, ignoring the rest of Caspian’s family as they stared at her, retreating back to her room. She noticed the letter on the table again, looking from the bag of gifts to the envelope. She took a deep breath, sitting down and picking it up. She examined it for a moment, then finally opened it. She read it once, twice, three times. Then a fourth, and a fifth. And after the tears welling up in her eyes cleared and she could see again, she read it once more.