kitchen_maid | (no subject)

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In the two weeks since the Ordinary Princess was last here, autumn has arrived in the Forest of Faraway. But this is that perfect moment in autumn, the one you remember. The leaves have turned, but few have fallen. The weather has turned cooler, but it's still warm in the sun. It's a beautiful day for a picnic.

The Ordinary Princess stands very still in the clearing, head tilted back to look at the trees and the sky, the squirrels chasing each other around her feet. "This is the Forest of Faraway," she says, eyes still on the trees. And then she turns to look at Caspian. "This is home."

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"A very good right indeed, madam," he says with a smile and dancing eyes. "But yes, I am indeed keeping an eye on her."

He looks curious.

"Don't you speak to her when she's here?"

"I have once. She told me the whole ridiculous dragon story. But I'm a busy woman, young man, and I'm not always here."

"No?"

He looks surprised.

"Where else are you? Off gifting other godchildren?"

Cheeky Caspian.

"Young man, I am the fairy-in-charge-of-water, which makes me the head fairy for all seas, lakes, rivers, ponds, pools, and streams."

"Then you and I should get along very well indeed," Caspian says, and there's no more teasing in his tone, only respect.

"I'm known as the seafarer in my own world, and would be friends with those who ruled the waters."

"If you take care good care of Amethyst, I see no reason why we shouldn't get along."

But he probably did just go up in her estimation.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," she says.

And she's gone, and there's nothing to show she was ever there except widening ripples in the middle of the pool.

Caspian bows low, and stands, watching the ripples widen and fade, thoughtful.

The Ordinary Princess is back, Simon Perryvall peeking out from the apron pocket.

"I'm sorry, Caspian, that took much longer than I thought it would."

He turns from the pool with a smile.

"It's quite alright," he says, with an odd sort of smile. "I had company, it turns out."

She looks around, a little confused. "Company?"

He nods.

"Your godmother."

He points to the fading ripples in the pond, and grins.

"I think she wanted to make sure you were being properly escorted."

The Ordinary Princess looks at the pool. "Oh, I missed Godmama Crustacea?"

Her face falls a little.

"She's a dear, isn't she?"

"She's very impressive," he says, truthfully. "I liked her very much." More truthfully still.

"I don't like to think about what my life would be like without her," the Ordinary Princess says, picking out an apple.

"what did you talk about?"

"It'd be very boring, and proper, likely," Caspian says, and comes to join her, taking an apple for himself.

"You, mostly. I had to prove myself a good brother for you to have, but I think she and I understood each other quite well."

"I'm glad you passed whatever, but I already knew you were a good brother."

"Well, I was hand-picked," he says, amused, and offers a piece of bread to Simon Perryvall.

"So I would hope I would be."

"You were," she says. "But, then, so was I. I think we both chose very well."

"Marvelously," he says, and grins a bit cheekily at her.

"Now," he says, "I have told you a story of my childhood, it is only fair that you tell me more about yourself. Anything I haven't heard."

She thinks for a moment. "I don't know," she says. "what do you want to know?"

"What's your favorite thing to do?" he prompts. "Or your favorite food, or memory. Something I can know before Peter."

He grins.

"My favorite food is apples," she says, in a tone that implies this should have been obvious.

"I used to keep to a store of them on top of my book shelf, and sit in the windowsill in my room and eat them and look at the Forest. And try to figure out how to get out of the palace and down to the Forest. It just looked so beautiful. And when I was six, I did.

"There's a wisteria vine, outside my window there, and one evening, one beautiful evening, I got sent to bed when it still light out, and I thought of that vine, and off I went. I was six. And I never stopped. When I ran away, I went down that vine."

He listens carefully, pushing Simon Perryvall gently out of the bread.

"It was the forest that saved me, too," he replies. "Did you talk to your godmother after you ran away?"

"Yes. I mean, I'd heard about her all my life, and not always from people who were fond of her. But I met her this summer. Around the time I realized I needed to replace my dress. I told her the whole story, and she laughed in all the right places, and then she sent me to Amber."

He laughs.

"She seems like someone who would know what to do," he says, nodding, "and she certainly seemed to point you in the right direction for this."