"So, in your world, people hold tiny looking glasses in which they can access various forms of entertainment, and on this looking glass, there were forums discussing the book this world is within. Have I missed anything?"
Elara couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. The very idea of Caspian talking about things from her world was ridiculous enough but to actually hear him talking about it was something else entirely.
"No, that's correct," she said, shifting to face him fully. He had taken the empty spot next to her a while ago. "In my world, we have something called internet. It's basically a network that connects people and lets them share information. Forums are what people use to discuss various different interests--clothes, books, movies, shows, and all that."
Caspian, who had been listening to her intently the whole time, tilted his head to one side. "Your world sounds like quite a curious place."
Elara's smile widened. "I think yours is far more strange than mine."
A ghost of a smile touched Caspian's lips. "I don't disagree with you there. It's why I'm here. We should finish our talk from last night."
Elara straightened. "What's your plan, exactly? I'm guessing you're not going to just come out and tell the king you hired priests of Lunara to summon me."
"Of course not," said Caspian, the unguarded warmth from their earlier conversation melting away under the cold steel as he planned. Elara found this expression just as charming as when he was unguarded. "If my brother knew I summoned you, he would guess something was going on. If we're to achieve our goal of keeping Chirondale safe and creating a better future, we must create a path so seamless that, even when questioned it doesn't fall apart."
Elara nodded. She thought so, too.
"We'll disguise you as an Otherworlder. We'll say I found you loitering around the borders of Chirondale. You were in the forests and were almost attacked by Orcs when I, on my daily inspection through the lands, found you and saved you. We'll say I was captivated by you--as Otherworlders are rare--and I brought you with me to my estate."
Ah, that was a plot point she'd completely forgotten about because it was never touched on in the novels. Otherworlders were just as their names implied--beings who came from Otherworlds and ended up in this one. They were rarities and in this world's history, there were only nineteen recorded. There was a passage in the novel that said:
Otherworlders were coveted by every kingdom. From Isyndor, which sat in the center of the world, to the far-off kingdoms of Brevka with its snowy-mountain peaks and Glythorn and her sister kingdom Weldorn. Otherworlders are those who possess powers far surpassing those born of this world and it is said he who possesses an Otherworlder can rule the world.
Three novels later, the author had done nothing with the plot point of Otherworlders, so Elara had forgotten all about it until Caspian's mention of them.
"Technically, it's not a lie," he went on. "You are an Otherworlder. Just one who was summoned instead of coming here through natural gods-given ways."
"So, you'll say I'm an Otherworlder who you found and decided to keep with you and then what? You'll say you fell in love at first sight?" Her incredulity was evident, but her humor vanished when she saw the unwavering seriousness on Caspian's face.
Seriously?
"Yes," Caspian said, his voice even. "That's what we'll go with. Those gossiping nobles will love it. The famously shrewd duke falls in love at first sight with an Otherworlder that he rescued. I can hear them now."
Elara swallowed. "Is that...I mean, do you really think that will work? Won't it cause more trouble? I mean, the king is already wary of you, if you bring in an Otherworlder, it'll just make things work. Plus, you turned down Countess Volecrest's granddaughter and she's supposed to be the most beautiful woman in the capital. Who would believe you just fell in love with me?"
Caspian lazily waved a hand, unbothered. "My brother's distaste for me is as long as the Allegorian Sea is vast. If having you with me makes him tread more carefully in my presence, I'll count it as my good fortune. And as for the ordeal with Countess Volecrest's granddaughter, well, think nothing of it. The rumors of Olivia Volecrest's beauty are over-exaggerated, I assure you. I find you far more pleasing to look at, Elara."
Blood rushed to her face so quickly, Elara was sure she'd pass out from it.
He didn't mean it that way, she chanted to herself. He's only saying that put me at ease.
She cleared her throat. "Well, if you're sure it won't be troublesome for you..."
"I don't do things that are troublesome for me, Elara. This, you know already, do you not?"
She did.
"There's more," Caspian continued, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "The king has summoned me to the capital city for Valtren's Bounty Hunt. I assume you know of it, already." When she nodded vigorously he went on, "It's set to take place in two weeks' time and if we want to reach the capital in time, we'll have to set out in four days."
Elara's heart clenched. She now understood which novel and what part of that novel she was in: the middle section of the first book. The first section had mostly been exposition, but the middle had been where the real action began. Valtren's Bounty Hunt was meant to celebrate the harvest season and gather enough meat and pelts from animals before they hibernated for Freitveil, this world's winter. Nobles from every corner of Isyndor all gathered in the capital to participate. The winner who collected the most useful game for the palace's storage was given five hundred gold coins, an amount big enough to buy a noble title and land.
Valtren's Bounty Hunt was an event even commoners were allowed to participate in. Those who were adept at hunting typically gathered in the capital to partake in the festivities.
In the novel, this was where the female lead hatched her first plan against Caspian. Afraid that he's garnering too much power and fame in the eyes of nobles and commoners alike, she schemes to bring him down a peg for the sake of the royal family.
"Your face tells me something troublesome will occur there."
Hesitantly, she said, "The royal advisors will spread rumors questioning your loyalty. They'll paint you as a man capable of betrayal and question your lineage further because of your mother's background."
Caspian's jaw clenched and unclenched a few times before he finally relaxed. "That much is to be expected. My brother's advisors have used such tactics against me since we were children."
Elara shook her head. "No, it's not the king's advisors this time."
Their eyes met, and something unspoken flared between them. She could see the shock on his face, the pain as if a blade had run through him and been twisted. The flash of pain was so brief that Elara almost thought she imagined it.
"Ah," was all he said.
Elara's heart ached for him. In The Day of Eternal Night, he and Lyanna Orinthal had been close friends once. She had met him while following her father, Count Orinthal, on his many excursions to the palace. At the time, the queen had all but banished Caspian to the annex where he was looked after by maids and a butler who ridiculed him at every opportunity. It was in the dilapidated gardens of the annex that the two of them met and became close.
Though it was never said, it was heavily implied Caspian had feelings for her. If he did, he never got the chance to act on those feelings because Lyanna caught the king's eye and his heart. If there was ever any romantic love for Caspian anywhere within her, it shattered before the promise of being the most powerful woman in the kingdom. Their once unbreakable bond frayed into nothing in the face of politics and power and in the end, it resulted in Caspian's death.
Elara's mind raced through the scenes between Lyanna and Caspian. At this point in the novel, he hadn't learned about Lyanna's betrayal. He'd learned of that much later. Most wouldn't suspect the kind, upright Queen Lyanna of Isyndor was as cunning as the snake at Eve's ear.
But now she'd changed that. She'd told Caspian long before he was supposed to find out that Lyanna was his enemy.
"I had thought...I mean..." he blew out a sigh. "I had expected it to some degree. During one of the loops...I got a feeling...but I didn't think she would--I didn't want to believe..."
"I know." Her heart twisted in her chest at the brokenness he was desperately trying to suppress.
Caspian stood abruptly, pacing the floor. His fingers flexed and curled at his sides as if he desperately wanted to hit something.
"Lyanna, no, her Majesty is incredibly intelligent. It was one thing when I assumed only my brother was against us, but the queen is a different story altogether. If what you say is true, you will be unaccounted for in her plans and she'll want to feel you out, see how big of an obstacle you'll be." He smiled wryly. "That's what I would do if it were me."
Elara rose and came to stand right in front of the Grand Duke. She'd like to reach out to touch him, but she wasn't sure if he would welcome such contact. "Caspian, it's fine. I expected that when I told you I'd help you last night."
Caspian looked down at her; his entire body exuded tension. "I don't doubt your willingness to help. I know I shouldn't be saying this because it defeats the whole purpose of bringing you here, but Lyanna is the type who can smell even the slightest whiff of weakness. The moment she sniffs it out, she strikes without hesitation. That's who she's always been."
Elara swallowed, her stomach was in knots. Of course, she knew that. She'd read three books from Lyanna's perspective, so she knew how quick the female lead was to strike down her competition.
Elara smiled wanly. "Well, this is my only way home, isn't it? Besides, I believe if the two of us work together--if you treat me as a proper partner--we can do this. We won't give the queen any weaknesses to find."
A shadow of a smile tugged at Caspian's lips, some of the tension had left his body. "You sound confident."
"I am," Elara lied.
Caspian studied her for a long moment, and she thought she saw respect shining in his gaze.
"You're more formidable than you look, Elara." He breathed out. "But you're right. Forgive me. I was temporarily...when you said it was the queen carrying out this plot, I lost sight of reason for a moment, but you're right." He squared his shoulders. "If we want this to look believable to the queen, we must first fool those in my castle walls. The only one who knew of my plan to bring you in from another world was Chancellor Kyran. No one else knows the truth, not even the knights I brought with me."
She flushed. "You want to practice."
His lips twitched at the sight of her brown skin darkening further under the rush of blood. "Yes, it's a necessity that we--"
"Miss. Elara, your room has been--oh!" Crisseda stopped when she saw the two of them standing together. She curtsied immediately. "I apologize, your Grace, I didn't know you were here."
Caspian waved off her concerns. "Pay no heed to me." He turned back to Elara. "I will visit your chambers tonight," was all he said before he left.
She thought nothing of it, but when she looked over at Crisseda, the servant was openly gaping at her. When their eyes met, she cleared her throat and said, "Your room has been prepared, Miss. Elara. Would you like to see it now?"