Room 203

[kitchen_maid]

The Ordinary Princess is sitting on the windowsill, knees drawn up to her chin, staring out at the lake, and ignoring her tea. "Does it get easier? Being here?"

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[kitchen_maid]

The Ordinary Princess turns, startled. "Are you going to leave?"

[the_seafarer]

He looks back at her, greatly surprised.

"Of course not! Leave you, leave all my friends? No, I am not going anywhere."

He puts a hand on her shoulder and looks at her steadily until he is sure she realizes he is telling the truth.

[kitchen_maid]

The Ordinary Princess puts her hand on top of his. "I'm sorry, Caspian. It's just been a very odd few days, and I'm a little off kilter." She manages a ghost of her usual smile.

[the_seafarer]

He hugs her.

"Don't worry," he says gently. "I'd not leave you, Amy. Not even to return to Narnia. You're my dear sister."

And that's more important, is the unspoken meaning.

[kitchen_maid]

"Thank you, dear brother" she whispers.

And then, "I hate feeling like this, Caspian. I hate it."

[the_seafarer]

"I know," he says, and he does, but he is still firm against her back, a shoulder to lay her head on.

"You're tired," he says softly, after a moment. "You should get some rest, Amy. It will help, I think."

[kitchen_maid]

"I know," she says, leaning back against him. "You and Anne have both reminded me. I just can't seem to sleep here. It's too strange."

[the_seafarer]

He wraps his arms securely around her, letting her lean into him for a moment, and keeps his voice warm and cheerful.

"I know, Amy. But you might feel better even being in bed, don't you think? Would you like me to get you anything to eat or drink to help? And this is a very pleasant room."

Even if it isn't home.

[kitchen_maid]

It's much nicer than the room the Ordinary Princess has been sleeping in, really.

"I'm not hungry," she says. And she's ignoring a perfectly good cup of tea, so that's probably a fair statement.

"Will you stay?"

[the_seafarer]

"As long as you want me to," he promises.

[kitchen_maid]

"All right," she says. "I'll try to sleep."

And she uncurls, climbs down out of the windowsill, and curls back up in her bed.

She looks far younger than seventeen.

[the_seafarer]

Caspian sits, not too far away, in a chair, his gaze turned inward and thoughtful. He looks over now and again to see if she has relaxed into sleep, wishing she will, hoping for sweet dreams.

[kitchen_maid]

She falls asleep far more quickly than she expected to. And doesn't dream at all, which may be for the best.

[kindred_spirit]

Down in the bar, Gil takes one last look around, somehow misses the fact that Anne is there talking to a suit of armor, and decided to go upstairs and see if she is in her room.

So he knocks on the door to room 203 sharply, "Are you there?" he asks.

[the_seafarer]

Lost in thought, Caspian jumps at the knock, and glares at the door as he swings himself swiftly up to go to it.

If whoever it is had just woken Amy, Caspian was going to be Not Pleased At All.

So he is polite, but his usual friendly smile is lacking when he opens the door.

"Hello," he says to the young man outside. "I'm sorry, who is it you are looking for, sir?"

[kindred_spirit]

Amy may stir slightly, but she doesn't wake.

Gil, expecting either Anne or the new roommate she mentioned, is a startled when Caspian opens the door.

So please forgive him the loss of manners.

"Who are you?"

[the_seafarer]

Caspian raises an eyebrow.

"I'm Amy's brother. My name is Caspian."

He waits, clearly expecting an introduction from the other man. And if he looks a bit wary, well. Men he doesn't know, knocking on Amy's door in the evening? Very suspicious.

[kindred_spirit]

Yes, well, Gil finds handsome young men hanging around inside Anne's room downright unsettling. If the roommate has to have a brother at all, Gil would prefer he be fully forty-two,and more than usually plain for his age.

"Gilbert Blythe," he says, offering his hand. "I'm a friend of Anne's."

[the_seafarer]

the_seafarer

"Ah," Caspian says, and relaxes in a way that likely unsettles Gilbert even further. "Here, one moment..."

He goes back into the room to check on Amy, who is sleeping soundly, and brushes a lock of hair gently out of her face before stepping out into the hall and closing the door softly behind him.

"I...apologize for my rudeness," he says, shaking Gilbert's hand finally with a small smile. "I was only just able to convince Amy to rest, and I was afraid she'd wake up. Now, sir, how may I help you? Anne is not here, at present, but she didn't think she'd be gone long."

[kindred_spirit]

"Oh. Is, um, is Amy all right? Anne mentioned she's Bound."

He gets some points for asking about Amy before bring the conversation back to Anne, doesn't he?

"Did Anne say where she was going?" He indicates the geometry book. "We going to study." It's true. Even if a specific date and time had not been specified.

[the_seafarer]

He gets quite a few points, in fact.

Caspian looks rather pleased at Gilbert's concern, and his expression grows friendlier.

"She's...well, she's very upset," he says, quietly, and frowns slightly. "She's taken being Bound very hard, I think, and I'm grateful that Anne is here to help her."

He looks towards the stairs, thoughtfully. "She said she was going to down to the main room," he tells Gilbert, "and she was carrying some books. I can only assume she meant to study down there. Kind of her, to give Amy and I some time."

[kindred_spirit]

"If there's anything I can do, I live across the hall," he says, indicating room 204. "Anne is a very good friend and we're sort of in here together, so I wanted to be near her. But I'll keep an eye on your sister if you like. Anne speaks of her very warmly, but I haven't had the priviledge of meeting her yet."

[the_seafarer]

Caspian's gaze flicks to the room across the hall, before giving Gilbert a very close look.

He seems to like what he sees, though, because he nods after a moment, and steps back to lean against the wall, looking at Amy's door thoughtfully.

"I'd appreciate that," he says, with a small smile. "I'll be in and out fairly often, but my job here takes up much of my day, and I don't live in the bar-provided rooms, but in the House of Arch, and it'd be a comfort to know there's someone close by I can trust."

Gilbert may not know just how critical that trust is, but Caspian's level gaze and straight shoulders may provide some of the answers. One can't truly hide one's true nature, after all, and Caspian was king for a very long time.

[kindred_spirit]

Gil may not understand all the details and the levels -- he hasn't had to interact with much royalty yet -- but he understands that point of the matter, and stands up a little bit straighter. "Of course. If I ever need to find you, what's the best way to do that?"

He's still not wild about the idea of this man being in and out of Anne's room, though.

[the_seafarer]

"Leave me a note at the bar," Caspian says, with a smile, "or come out to the stables. That's where I work, and, truth be told, it gets a bit dull with no one but the horses to speak to. I'd appreciate the company, anyway."

He looks thoughtfully at Gilbert, and, in an attempt to move the conversation onto a topic the other is more familiar with, decides to ask about Anne.

"Your friend, now," he says, "Miss Shirley. I only met her last night, but she's a good friend to Amy, and I appreciate it. She seems..." he searches for a word, before soming up with "...exuberant?"