Caspian

Since the day you were born, everyone had known two things about you.

You were the empire's only princess.

And you were dying.

Not immediately.

Not dramatically.

But slowly.

An incurable illness had settled into your body as a child and never left.

Some days were good.

Some days, your hands trembled too much to hold a teacup.

Some days, you couldn't leave your bed at all.

The imperial physicians tried everything.

Medicine.

Magic.

Prayers.

Nothing worked.

So, from a very young age, you learned to live with pity in people's eyes.

Except in his.

Caspian never looked at you that way.

The First Prince had been your shadow since childhood.

He carried you when you were too weak to walk.

Read stories to you during your fevers.

Smuggled sweets into your room when the physicians forbade sugar.

He looked at you and saw… you.

Not your illness.

Not your weakness.

Just you.

And unfortunately, you loved him for it.

You had loved him for so long that you couldn't remember when it started.

Perhaps when he climbed a tree to pick flowers for you.

Perhaps when he promised, at ten years old, that he would protect you forever.

Perhaps when he cried after seeing you collapse for the first time.

You didn't know.

You only knew that you loved him.

And that was exactly why you couldn't marry him.

Today was supposed to be your engagement ceremony.

You had to choose a husband.

The future emperor…

Or a decorated war hero from a noble family.

The court thought it was a difficult choice.

To you, it wasn't.

You didn't want either.

Because one deserved a healthy empress.

And the other deserved a wife who would not die in a few years.

You couldn't bear the thought of either man watching you fade away.

Especially not Caspian.

So before dawn, you left.

You wrote a letter.

A very short one.

I love you too much to make you spend your life grieving me.

Please forgive me.

Then you slipped away.

No servants.

No guards.

No crown.

Just you.

And the road.

—

The neighboring kingdom was small.

Peaceful.

Nobody recognized you there.

For the first time in your life, you were simply another traveler.

It felt strangely freeing.

Then you collapsed in the middle of a market.

And woke up in a small cottage.

An old man sat beside your bed.

He smiled kindly.

"Good morning."

You blinked.

"You have a very troublesome illness."

Your eyes widened.

"How did you know?"

"I've seen it before."

Silence.

Then:

"You have?"

He nodded.

Then he said something nobody had ever said to you before.

"I think I can cure it."

You laughed.

Not because it was funny.

Because everyone always said they could help.

Nobody ever could.

The old man simply smiled.

"Let's try anyway."

—

Days became weeks.

Weeks became months.

You stayed in his village.

You helped in the gardens.

Learned about herbs.

Learned how to make medicine.

And slowly…

You got better.

You slept through the night.

You stopped trembling.

You stopped getting tired after a short walk.

For the first time in your life, your body didn't hurt.

You cried when you realized.

The old healer cried too.

"You're going to live," he whispered.

You laughed and cried at the same time.

You were going to live.

Actually live.

And suddenly…

There was someone you desperately wanted to see.

Caspian.

You wondered if he was angry.

If he hated you.

If he'd moved on.

You wondered if he still kept the flower crown you'd made when you were children.

You wondered…

if he had cried.

—

You got your answer the next morning.

The ground began shaking.

Voices echoed outside.

Shouting.

Horses.

Armor.

The villagers rushed into the streets.

Then the doors of the village burst open.

Imperial guards.

Hundreds of them.

And at their head…

Caspian.

For a moment, you didn't recognize him.

He looked thinner.

Tired.

His hair was longer.

There were dark circles beneath his eyes.

He looked like a man who hadn't slept in months.

Then his eyes found you.

Everything stopped.

The horse beneath him stopped.

The soldiers stopped.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

He stared.

You stared back.

The basket in your hands slipped to the ground.

Apples rolled everywhere.

"Caspian…?"

The sound of his name broke whatever spell held him.

He was off his horse instantly.

He crossed the distance between you faster than you thought possible.

Then he stopped.

Right in front of you.

As though he was afraid.

Afraid that if he touched you, you'd disappear again.

"You…"

His voice broke.

You'd never heard that happen before.

"You…"

He couldn't finish.

You smiled weakly.

And suddenly he looked furious.

"Do you have any idea what I've been through?"

You blinked.

"I searched every kingdom."

A step closer.

"I searched every village."

Another.

"I thought you were dead."

His eyes were red.

"When I found your letter, I thought I was going to die."

Silence.

You had never seen him cry before.

Until now.

A tear slipped down his cheek.

Then another.

"You left."

His voice was so small.

"So I came to find you."

Your own eyes filled.

"Caspian…"

"You don't get to decide that for me."

You froze.

"You don't get to decide whether I would grieve."

Another tear.

"You don't get to decide whether you're a burden."

He laughed weakly.

"Because if loving you is a burden, then I've been carrying it happily since I was ten years old."

You couldn't breathe.

"I never cared that you were sick."

A shaky breath.

"I only cared that you were here."

Silence.

Then, softly:

"And you left anyway."

You were crying now too.

"I didn't want to trap you."

He looked almost offended.

"Trap me?"

A disbelieving laugh.

"I have been in love with you for most of my life."

Another step.

"There has never been another choice."

Your breath hitched.

"You…"

"I was going to ask you to marry me."

He smiled sadly.

"Not because I needed an empress."

His hand gently reached for yours.

"But because I wanted you."

You looked at your joined hands.

Then back at him.

"I…"

Your voice shook.

"I'm better."

He blinked.

"What?"

The old healer stepped forward.

"The princess is cured."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Caspian stared at you.

At your face.

Your color.

The fact that you were standing without looking exhausted.

Then his eyes widened.

"Cured?"

You nodded.

He looked at you for another long moment.

Then suddenly pulled you into his arms.

So tightly you almost laughed.

Instead, you cried harder.

He buried his face in your hair.

You felt his shoulders shake.

"You are never doing that again."

You laughed through your tears.

"I wasn't planning to."

"Good."

A pause.

Then, very quietly:

"I missed you."

You smiled.

"I missed you too."

He pulled back just enough to look at you.

Then he did something that shocked every soldier present.

The future emperor dropped to one knee.

Right there.

In the middle of a dusty village road.

And took your hand.

"You ran away before I could ask properly."

You laughed.

He smiled for the first time in months.

"Will you come home with me?"

A pause.

"And this time… will you let me be the one who chooses you too?"

You didn't even let him finish.

You threw your arms around him.

And for the first time since you disappeared…

Caspian finally felt like he could breathe again.