Inheritance: Scales of Change

Chapter Two - Chocolate

    "Fucking hell..." A sharp pain shot down your leg when you tried to pick up a sack of grain. Caspian noticed you wince.
"Are you alright?" He asked, shouldering two sacks of provisions of his own.
"Yea... I fell earlier. I must have landed wrong." You shook your leg to make the tingling sensation go away, then picked up your bag. "Comeon, they're waiting on us."
    You both made your way up the stairs, you more gingerly as each step caused your ankle to throb. Raxe and your father were above deck with Sevas, loading up the last of the supplies they had lost during the fire.

"I keep saying it, but thank you so much Señorita. Your generosity knows no bounds." Sevas took the sack from you and heaved it to his crewmen. "And your man here is an artist with steel." He patted Raxe on the back.
"This I know." You smiled at Raxe, "one of the reasons I keep him around."
"Yea... she definitely would have had me thrown overboard weeks ago otherwise." He joked.
"It would be my great pleasure to invite you all to dinner in my quarters tonight." Sevas looked to you, Caspain, Raxe, and your father. "When was the last time you had a proper Telmarain meal?" He asked Caspian.
Caspian brushed his wet hair out of his face. "It's been a long time... probably since I still lived in my father's castle."
"Well then I must insist! Please. It is the least I can offer." Sevas requested enthusiastically.
"Of course." You smiled. "Though I would like to change out of these wet clothes. Men, if you would excuse me." You left the boys to talk while you made your way back to your quarters.

    You were attempting to wring your soaked hair out when a thought occurred to you. This was the first time you would be dining with Caspian in a week. He had taken to eating with the crew in the galley, and Raxe and your father had been taking turns dining with you at your request. After two or three nights of eating alone, you found you hated it, but you didn't want Caspian to feel alone either. What a pain you must have become to them... having to take turns spending time with each of you because you and Caspian had been actively trying to avoid each other... You were perfectly capable of having a casual, non romantic dinner with Caspian... right?
    The deck has been cleaned up, and the lanterns lit on both ships. The rain was gently falling, casting an unearthly glow through the haze. Your father, Raxe and Caspian stood together near the ramp, leading to Sevas' ship. You could see their silhouettes turn to you when you emerged, but you could not make out who was who. One of them made their way over to you before you left the shelter of the stairs above your doorway.
"Here." You heard Caspians voice before you saw him. He took off his coat and held it above you. "It's still raining."
    The faint glow of the light from the study shone on his face. You could tell he was nervous, and unsure of the gesture he just made. "Thank you." You smiled at him, ignoring the faint pounding in your chest.
    He held his coat over you the entire way across the ramp, and to Sevas' quarters. Leaving his shirt and hair wet. "They'll dry once we're inside." He assured you.
"Come in, come in!" Sevas opened his door. "Come out of the cold!"
You all stepped inside a grand studio. Sevas' decor style was focused around dark woods and reds, with colorful mosaic tiles adorning around his fireplace at the head of the table. The white room was separated into four sections. The bed was against the wall on the right, while his desk was planted in the middle of the room against the back windows. A piano sat against the far left wall, and the rectangular dining table lay closest to the door.
"Wow. I've never seen anything like this." You turned in a slow circle, stopping at the piano. "You play?" You asked Sevas.
"Yes, I find it helps calm me, or release strong emotions when I cannot find the words." He responded. "Do any of you?"
"I did, when I was very young. My mother taught me." Caspian responded.
You turned to him, surprised. "You never told me you played piano..."
"I don't anymore." He chuckled. "I don't even think I'd remember."
"Would you like to see what unlocks in your mind when you sit at it?" Sevas offered, pulling the piano bench out.
"Oh, no...no.." Caspian raised his hands in polite protest.
"Come on... now you have to show us." Raxe encouraged.
Caspian rolled his eyes, turning a light shade of pink.
"I'd like to hear it." You smiled softly at him.
"Oh...alright..." He reluctantly made his way to the bench and sat down. "This might be bad enough to put you off your dinner...I warn you." He laughed.
    You walked over to stand next to the piano, fascinated by the giant instrument. You had neve seen one in person before, only in books, and it was much larger than you imagined it would be.
Caspian stared at the white keys. "I don't remember anything..."
"Just begin playing." Sevas urged gently. "It will come."
    Caspian's fingers touched down on a key, the note reverberated through the room. Then another, and another, seemingly randomly hitting keys with his fingers, and suddenly the random notes began to form a melody. It seemed the more keys he hit, the more he remembered. A slow song formed out of the melody he was repeating. It was low, and haunting, yet beautiful. He seemed to fall into a trance as he was playing, his eyes darkening with intensity, but not the kind you were used to seeing from him. This darkness was less sharp, and more abyssal, as if you could see straight through to his soul with each stroke of the keys.
    No one spoke a word, and you were mesmerizing watching him. The song he played made you feel an ache in your heart, it reminded you of the longing you felt for him before you shared your first kiss. It hurt, and forced tears into your eyes, but as soon as they began to run down your cheek there was a sensation of catharsis. You noticed he had tears in his eyes as well, but he continued through to the end of the song, and sat there on the bench, staring silently at the piano.
Sevas, Raxe, and your father all applauded him.
"Damn Cas..." Raxe finally broke the silence.
"You see. It never leaves you." Sevas smiled and clapped Caspian on the back gently.
"That was magnificent, Son." Your dad added.
Caspain didn't respond to any of them, but looked up at you slowly, and searched your eyes. In that moment you knew you both understood what the song was about.
You wiped your eyes. "That was beautiful." You smiled at him.
"Thank you." He responded softly to you. "I'm not really sure where that came from." He wiped his own eyes and chuckled. "Now I think I have earned my dinner." He announced to the room.
"Please my friends, sit, sit." Sevas gestured to the table.
You reached for a chair, but Caspian pulled it out for you, then sat next to you.
Raxe caught your eye and raised his eyebrow at you.
Once Sevas was seated at the head of the table, his men brought in the food. It smelled amazing, and you didn't even know what you were looking at. One plate looked like rolled parchments stuffed with cheese and covered in a red sauce, another was a big bowl of rice, but it was an orange color. Then a big bowl of brown mush, that you later learned was a type of bean. You could feel the spices in the back of your throat before you even took a bite.
"Sevas... I haven't had enchìladas in years..." Caspian smiled.
"Nothing like a hot Telmarain dinner on a cold rainy night eh?" Sevas beamed.
"I should warn you all, Telmarain dishes are rather spicy." Caspian looked to the rest of you. "Taste a bit before you take a big bite."
    He was right, this food was hot, but so delicious. Sevas and Caspian spent the entire dinner talking about their families. Sevas explained that his parents were from Telmar proper, and that his father brought him and his mother to Narnia to join Caspian's father's army. But by the time they arrived in Narnia, they learned that Caspian IX and the queen were dead. They supported Caspian X's right to the throne, and Miraz threatened his father on multiple occasions, so he took his wife and Sevas and fled. They joined with a crew of pirates off the Narnian coast, and he has been at sea ever since.
"I had a chance to finally visit Telmar right after we won the battle against my uncle." Caspian added. "It is a beautiful country."
"And more so now that I hear it is a Narnian colony. Thank you, Sire." Sevas raised his glass to Caspian.
    As dinner wound down, the conversation turned to Sevas and Caspain comparing their upbringings. Sevas asked Caspian if they spoke the traditional Telmarine tongue at the castle, and Caspain explained that his mother did but he never learned. Though she would sing him lullabies in her native language when he had nightmares as a boy.
"Heh. My Mamà used to bring me a cup of chocolate." Sevas's eyes shined as he reminisced.
"I haven't had Telmarine chocolate in forever..." Caspian laughed.
"Is that like hot chocolate?" Raxe asked.
"Yes, but richer, thicker. Wow...I haven't thought about that in a long time." Caspian answered.
"You know your mother and I used to make you hot chocolate on nights like this back at home." Your father added.
"I remember." You smiled.
"I have some chocolate bars..." Sevas hinted.
"Shall we show these Narnian's what they're missing?" Caspian chuckled.
"Oh please do." You giggled.
    What a funny sight a group of pirates and a king sipping hot chocolate in front of the fireplace made. There was something comforting about it though, doing something a family does together.
"So where were you headed in this storm?" Your father asked Sevas.
"We're on our way to pick up some cargo from one of my smaller ships off of Terebinthia."
"Oh how funny, that's where we're headed too." You added.
"You have multiple ships?" Caspian asked.
"Just two. A smaller one I recruited, manned by Terebinthians, and this one, my pride and joy, my 'Reina Del Mar.'" Sevas answered proudly, patting the table as if the ship could feel it.
"Terebinthian pirates..." Caspian furrowed his brow and thought "This ship wouldn't have happened to attack a Narnian vessel around a year back would it?"
"I cannot say Sire... they have their quotas to fill for me, I suppose it is possible...we are pirates after all. If they did it was nothing personal I can assure you."
"Hmm." Caspian sipped on his chocolate, but didn't elaborate.
Sevas was blissfully unaware of Caspian's change of mood, and continued talking with your father about both of your journey's to Terebinthia. Once he was engrossed in that conversation you leaned over to Caspian and whispered, "What is it?"
He looked up at Sevas to make sure he wasn't paying attention then whispered back.
"The Treader was attacked on our way out of Terebinthia at the beginning of our voyage, we scared them off but I can't help but wonder if it was Sevas' men."
"I'm sure it wasn't personal, like Sevas said..." You were trying to excuse something you were also uncomfortable with.
"I forget we are dealing with pirates sometimes..." He shook his head.
"What do you think Bug?" Your dad asked, and you were completely unaware of the question.
"Huh?"
"We sail into Terebinthia together?"
"Oh yea, sounds great." You responded, still distracted.
"Are you well Señorita?" Sevas asked.
"Yea, I think it's just been a long day, and this hot chocolate is making me sleepy." You smiled. "Thank you Sevas, for a fun evening. We should be getting back to the Shade now."
"Of course, you are all welcome aboard any time." He smiled, and walked you out to the deck. You all said your goodnights and crossed back aboard the Shade.

Raxe yawned and stretched dramatically. "I'm pooped. Goodnight guys." He closed himself off in his forge.
"I'm beat too, goodnight Bug" Your father kissed you on your forehead. "Goodnight Sire." He nodded at Caspian, who nodded back, and went downstairs.
Then it was just you and Caspian. You stood in silence for a while, neither of you wanting to be the first to say goodnight.
"Tonight was... eventful." He chuckled.
"Yea..." you smiled. "Are you...ok?"
"Yea. Are you?"
You nodded. "Yea."
"Good." He smiled back. "I had fun spending time with you... I hope that's ok to say..."
Your chest filled with warmth. "I did too. I...missed you."
"I missed you too."
He began to reach his hand up to you, then hesitated, and put it down. "You should get some sleep, Captain." He said with an air of flirtation that made your heart skip a beat.
"Goodnight, My King..." You responded with a small smile.
He let out a quiet laugh through his nose, "Goodnight." Then turned and went down to the crew's quarters.