Tomorrow did not, in fact, bring a brighter day.
When Caspian woke up that morning, he had a crick in his neck, probably from sleeping with his head tilted. His back was also sore, most likely due to sleeping on nothing but a set of flimsy sheets. Not to mention there was a strange weight pressing down on his chest, which made breathing a bit difficult.
Blinking as the haziness clouding his vision disappeared, Caspian tried to remember where he was. He stared up at the ceiling, a lovely red ceiling with golden designs, concentric circles and waves blending together in seamless harmony. Who in their right mind would bother creating such an intricate, not to mention expensive-looking ceiling... ah. That"s right. He was sharing a compartment with Ca.s.sidy, Erica Angelo"s maid.
He looked over at the cot, expecting to see Ca.s.sidy there. When he saw that she wasn"t, he frowned, but shook the slight worry he felt off. She was probably already up. Didn"t maids wake up at the crack of dawn so they could attend to their master or mistress? Something like that.
Seeing how his cabin mate wasn"t around, Caspian decided that he should get up as well. Maybe he could take a shower, too. He probably smelled rank from all that fighting and sweating he"d done the other day.
Do trains even have showers?
Caspian tried to move, but found his movements restricted by something-he didn"t know what-when he attempted to sit up. It must have been whatever was pressing against his chest. Now that he was a bit more awake, he could feel that it was a physical object and not one of the metaphorical variety, like a set of crushed lungs or something, which he supposed was good to know.
Looking down to see if he could ascertain the reason for his inability to move, Caspian was greeted to the sight of brown hair. Brown hair and a white nightdress. Brown hair and a white nightdress attached to a familiar girl who was currently using his body as a pillow.
He blinked once, twice, thrice, the time it took for his brain to fully register the sight and realize what it meant.
"What is going on here?! Why are you in my bed?!"
***
"I-I-I am terribly sorry!" Ca.s.sidy apologized, again, for what had to be the one-hundredth time.
Ever since what shall be forever known as the "Spirits be d.a.m.ned, There"s a Girl in my Bed!" incident in Caspian"s mind, the young maid had been apologizing to him nearly non stop. It was honestly getting kind of annoying.
"Ha... it"s fine." Caspian waved off her apologies. "I"m not mad or anything. It just really freaked me out. That"s all."
"Oh." Ca.s.sidy squirmed, her already reddened cheeks growing several shades darker. "I-I see. W-well, I"m still―"
"If you apologize one more time, I"m going to shun you."
"That"s better," Caspian smiled at Ca.s.sidy to show there were no hard feelings, "you really shouldn"t feel the need to apologize so much, especially when I already said it"s not a big deal."
It was a big deal. It was definitely a big deal. How many people woke up to a cute girl in their bed? Well, maybe a few, but most of those people were probably expecting it, and he most certainly had not expected it. Either way, he didn"t want her to feel bad when it was clearly an accident.
"Um, okay," Ca.s.sidy mumbled, looking everywhere but at him. "Thank you, Mr. Sol ."
"You can just call me Caspian, if you want. I"m not really the "Mr." type."
"Okay, Mr. Sol―I-I mean Caspian."
Ca.s.sidy looked at him, smiling ever so slightly, and Caspian couldn"t help but return it. Their moment of bonding might have continued for a while yet if the other member of their party hadn"t become impatient.
"Come on, you two!" Erica called out to them from where she stood several meters ahead, her eyes drilling into the pair like burning hot needles. "Hurry up!"
"Coming, Mistress Erica!" Ca.s.sidy called back as she and Caspian picked up their pace.
After getting up that morning and meeting Erica, Caspian-with an apologetic Ca.s.sidy in tow-had been directed out of the train and into the station.
This was the first time Caspian had ever been to Ashtown, and he had to admit, while nowhere near as large as the city of Casadinia, where the Sorceress Council sat, it was still a pretty big place. He only needed to look at the train station to realize this.
His head turned about, taking in the ma.s.sive s.p.a.ce. It wasn"t just a single hut with only one train stopping there at any given time. Rather, it was a large hub in which dozens of trains were coming and going almost nonstop. The paved walkways were filled to the brim with people heading off to their next destination.
Caspian followed Erica as she led them out of the station, which consisted of multiple buildings connected together by open air hallways and dozens of walkways held above the ground by a number of st.u.r.dy-looking support pillars. Just looking at all of the different entrances, exits, ramps and stairs was enough to confound Caspian. All the more reason to stick close by Erica"s side, he supposed. He didn"t want to get lost in this maze.
"Just what were you two talking about back there?" Erica asked. Caspian didn"t look in her direction. He didn"t want her to see his blush.
"Nothing."
"It most certainly didn"t sound like nothing."
"Then how about none of your business."
"Hmph. You are a very rude young man."
"So I"ve been told."
Walking with Erica was something of a novel experience, and not just because he was walking alongside a Sorceress. Wherever Erica walked, people moved. Like a sea being split apart by Poseidon, the ma.s.s of humanity separated, creating a gap through which Erica, he and Ca.s.sidy flowed through.
Caspian wasn"t sure what was more unnerving: the stares of absolute adoration Erica received from the women, or the looks of overflowing l.u.s.t from the men?
... Definitely the looks from the men. Some of them were drooling.
"So," Erica began again, her eyes glittering like a pair of precious gemstones, "did you enjoy waking up to my maid in your bed?"
"M-Mistress Erica!"
While Ca.s.sidy"s face took on the general coloration of Ifrit"s crimson fur, Caspian scowled as he realized something. "You knew this would happen, didn"t you?"
"Not really." Erica smiled in a way that did nothing to convince Caspian of her sincerity. "But, I do know that Ca.s.sidy has a problem with sleepwalking. She does it a lot at home, too. Why, I can count at least sixteen separate occasions of her sleepwalking into a person"s bed when she first came to live with me. It"s the reason we secluded her bed chamber from everyone else"s."
"M-M-M-Mistress Erica! That"s not―I-I mean it isn"t―it isn"t... auuu..."
The color staining Ca.s.sidy"s face became so dark it appeared crimson, as all the blood rushed straight to her head. Caspian was afraid she might grow dizzy and pa.s.s out if her facial coloration grew any darker.
"And you didn"t think to tell me this beforehand?"
Erica didn"t answer him and merely smiled. Lips redder than a rose curved upwards as a single sultry eye stared at him in what could only be amus.e.m.e.nt, as if she was deriving pleasure from his annoyance and embarra.s.sment. Caspian clenched his hands into fists and looked away.
When they exited the train station, it was to see that Erica had an entourage waiting for her. At the head of the group stood a man. Intricate red and gold armor adorned his frame, and he carried a ma.s.sive sword on his back. He appeared to be waiting most anxiously for something, and Caspian knew they were that something the moment his eyes landed on them.
The relief that man had upon seeing them was almost palpable.
It was all kinds of disturbing.
"My Lady Erica!" The man in red armor bawled as he rushed up to them. Caspian almost twitched when he saw tears pouring from the older man"s eyes, streaming down his face in an almost never ending river. "I was so worried when I heard about the train attack!" Sniffle. "I"m just." Sob. "So glad." More sniffling. "That you"re alright!! Oh, My Lady Erica!!"
Caspian watched in mute shock as the man continued running, only to run straight into Erica"s outstretched arm, which he realized was glowing an ethereal silver, wisps of miasmic energy wafting off it like the vapors of a volcano. The man gasped in agonic asphyxia from Erica"s clothesline, and then again when his back slammed into the ground, the pavement cracking underneath him.
"Derek." Erica did not sound amused. Not at all. With her arms crossed under her very prominent bust, the Dangerous with a capital D Sorceress glared down at the man, her expression the kind Caspian expected to see on someone who"d just noticed there was a bug on their shoe. "What are you doing out of bed. You were supposed to stay in bed for several more days."
Caspian did a double-take. This was Erica"s Knight? Seriously? He didn"t look like much. His gaunt and sallow face reminded Caspian of a skeleton whose skin had yet to decompose. Dark bags hung underneath sunken, hollow eyes, and skin so pale it looked like he"d never been in the sun before gave him an almost apparitional appearance. Make his skin tone a few shades lighter and Caspian imagined he"d be able to see the man"s insides.
At least his outfit was impressive. His armor was well-crafted and st.u.r.dy, clinking together as he moved. The intricate design of a golden dragon on his chestplate was painted with the kind of insane detail few artists could match. The dragon, one of the longer varieties without legs, wrapped around the chestplate, curving like a sinuous snake yet with an appearance that was far fiercer. The same design could also be seen on his greaves, shoulder pauldrons, boots and gauntlets. The claymore attached to his back was strapped at an angle and looked to be nearly a foot taller than the one wielding it.
How could someone so sickly-looking stand up with that thing attached to his back? He looked like a stiff breeze would knock him over.
"I am terribly sorry for disobeying your orders, My Lady." After getting up from being clotheslined, Derek knelt on the ground, one fist pressed into the pavement and the other on his chest. "I know it was recommended that I get as much rest as possible, but when I heard reports that the train you were on was running late, I grew worried. And when I discovered that your train had been attacked by bandits, I couldn"t possibly find it within me to sleep until you were back at my side."
"Tch! Such a disobedient Knight I have," Erica complained, though Caspian thought he detected a hint of fondness in her gaze, or maybe it was annoyance. It was hard to tell with her. "Very well. I suppose what"s done is done. You shall accompany my companions and I back to Dorehan Tower. After that you shall return to your bed and are forbidden to move until you"ve recovered your lost strength. You"re of no use to me if you"re incapable of strenuous activity."
"Of course, My Lady."
"Very well then. Let us be off."
Maybe it was just him, but as Caspian followed several steps behind Erica, he couldn"t help but feel like most of that conversation had flown right over his head.