Love, It's An Interesting Thing

Chapter 10

I go down to the sleeping quarters to check up on Caspian, Eustace, and Edmund. But only when I get there, Edmund is awake and pointing his sword in the air at... nothing?

"Edmund?" I whisper, getting his attention.

"Oh, Lucy..." Ed says relieved.

Thunder crashes and Caspian jumps up.

"I can't sleep." I say. "Let me guess. You both had bad dreams?" Edmunds asks. Both Caspian and I nod.

"So either we're all going mad, or something is playing with our minds..." Ed says.

"Where's Jess?" Caspian asks. "She wasn't awake, just tossing a turning..." my eyes widen in realization, "but now that I know we all had nightmares, she could be having one too!" I say, both Edmund and Caspian jumping up.

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Caspian's POV

We all rush to their room. But before we get there, Lucy stops, making us all stop. "Do you hear that?" She asks.

From inside their room, I hear screams of agony.

Jess.

I take off sprinting to her. I burst through the door to see Jess thrashing around in her hammock, screaming and crying.

I run to her and start shaking her shoulders, calling out her name, shouting at her to wake up, anything to get her to stop screaming... the sound of her in agony is hurting me...

"Jess?! Oh, Aslan! Jess?! Wake up! Please!" I continue to shout.

Her eyes shoot open and she looks around frantically. She shoves my hands and trips out of her hammock. She runs to her sword and unsheathes it. "Where is he?! Where's John?!" She cries out, still in shock. I see Ed and Lucy look at each other as if they know who John is but I'm still confused at the name.

"Jess, it's me, Lucy... You're in Narnia. You're safe. John's not here. I'm here, Ed's here, and Caspian's here." Lucy gently says. Jess's eyes soften and she looks as if she's been brought back to reality.

Jess visibly relaxes as she whispers my name. She looks at me and drops her sword to the ground, running up to me. I open my arms to her and she runs to me so fast that she almost knocks me down. I hold her tightly in an embrace as she continues to cry. I look to Lucy and Ed for answers. I hate seeing her like this and I want to help.

"John is the person her parents are trying to marry her off to... he's very sexist and abusive towards women..." Edmunds says, pulling Lucy close.

"Then why would they try to set her up with him?" I ask bewildered, Jess still crying over my shoulder.

"He's rich." Both Lucy and Edmund say.

I hold Jess closer. And her crying softens.

"Cas... he was beating me and ridiculing me and-and-" She starts to sob again.

"Shhhh... It's okay, he's not here, but I am. And do you know what that means?" I ask. She pulls back and shakes her head. "It means that if anyone wants to hurt you, they have to go through me. And I'm a King that's taken back a whole country." I chuckle at the end, earning a small giggle from Jess.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Jess. I promise... I love you too much for that." I say without thinking.

Crap.

I look over to Ed and Lucy and they are looking at me with smiles.

"Finally!" Lucy states. I hear Jess laugh and I realize that this situation is cheering her up. I see her reach for the necklace I gave her which makes me smile.

"I don't want you to leave, Cas..." Jess holds me tighter. I chuckle at her.

"I've got to, Lucy needs her bed." I comment.

"Actually, I was hoping I could sleep near Edmund tonight... I don't want to be alone either..." She looks down, embarrassed, and steps closer to her brother.

"You can take my hammock tonight and I can sleep in here with Jess. Is that alright?" I ask her. Lucy nods and Edmund pulls her closer and they turn and leave to go sleep, leaving just me and Jess.

"I love you too." She says. She kisses me quickly before heading to bed, still sniffing. I walk over to the fire and put a few more twigs in it. I start walking over to the hammock.

"What are you doing, love?" Jess asks me. I blush at the name. "I'm getting into the hammock to sleep..." I say, trailing off confused.

"Can you come lay with me? At least until I fall asleep?..." Jess asks.

I smile with a small chuckle and walk over, laying down next to her. She puts her head on my chest and I hold her in my arms.

"I love you, Cas, thank you for being there for me. Good night..." Jess says, kissing my cheek before putting her head back where it was.

"I love you too Jess..." I respond.

I love this... having her in my arms... cuddling... her calling me "love" and such... saying "I love you" to each other...

But as I lose myself in my thoughts, I don't realize my eyes fluttering closed. And the next thing I know, I am dreaming about me and her...