“And you are doing a wonderful job,” Rosaline laughed as she took her husband’s hand and gave it a kiss. “But perhaps leave it to someone else.”
“I agree with Laurent,” Damien added, still seated and looking calm. “It was said that my mother took two whole days with Thalia. We are far from that territory yet.”
“How long has it been?” Rosaline asked as she turned and looked out the window to get a better understanding of the time.
“Four hours,” Laurent said. “Not long at all.”
“Speak for yourself,” Rosaline snorted. “Four hours for us. How do you think Thalia feels?”
“I am only trying to help!”
“And as I said, you are not doing a very good job.”
“I suppose I should just go.” Laurent folded his arms and looked away in protest.
“Oh, don’t sulk,” Rosaline giggled.
“I am not sulking.”
“You are.”
Rosaline and Laurent continued to bicker between themselves. Damien sighed and went back to reading his book; he shook his head at the antics that he was surrounded by. And Caspian, feeling on the verge of exploding, started to pace the room again.
Caspian had lived through many challenging days in his life. The death of his mother, and even his father. That long week where he thought that he had ruined things with Thalia. And even recently, when Thalia had felt a pain in her belly that for several hours they both thought was related to the baby, only to learn that it was caused by something that she ate.
I would relive them all again if I could get through this moment right now. I would live them one hundred times!
As he paced, Caspian tried to focus on the words that Thalia had told him shortly before this all began. She had acknowledged that it would be hard, and that he had every reason to panic. But she had also told him that there was no need to worry, and that everything would be fine.
She could not possibly know such things, of course, but her confidence had inspired Caspian for some time… a time thatcame and went hours ago because this was taking entirely far too long.
“I’m going to see what’s the matter.” A decision was made and Caspian stormed across the reading room for the doorway.
“I wouldn’t do that if I was you.” Rosaline hurried to catch him. “We were told to wait!”
“I don’t care what we were told.”
“You can’t do anything!” Rosaline reached for his arm but he yanked it back. “You’ll only make things worse.”
“How can they possibly be worse?” he cried out.
Recently, on many occasions, Thalia had teased Caspian about the man who he used to be. Growing up the way that he had, Caspian had never been one to show his emotions. Dammit, he had never been one who had emotions that needed to be shown. It wasn’t done on purpose, but it was a part of him, and until he met Thalia, he had assumed that’s how things would always be.
Thalia had changed something inside of him. Slowly and ever so surely he had come out of his shell and allowed those emotions buried deep within to shine. Now, Caspian laughed when he found something funny, he got angry when something upset him, and he smiled with love every time that he looked upon his wife.
As things stand, I can’t help but wonder if having no emotions to speak of might have been beneficial… at least then, I wouldn’t be so damn scared as I currently am.
He had never really thought about it before, but he supposed now that how he had once been was a means of self-defense. It was easier to not be hurt if one did not have emotions or feelings capable of being attacked.
Frustratingly, Caspian was not the man he used to be, and now he was paying for it.
“I will let you know what I find out.” He made for the doorway, fully intending to walk right through.
“Your Grace.” Suddenly, appearing on the other side of the door was the chambermaid who was supposed to be with Thalia.
Caspian started and came to a sudden stop. “Thalia?” he asked immediately. “Is she –”
“She is ready for you,” the chambermaid said. “She only asks that you be gentle.”
