Chapter Text
Caspian stared down at his bride.
Lira did not meet his gaze. Her head was bowed. Her veil fluttered in the wind.
The priest announced joyously.
"You may kiss the bride."
Caspian did not share the joy. However, he steeled himself. He had to maintain appearances. He lifted the veil. Lira was distinctly uncooperative. He had assumed she would at least tilt her face up, but she continued looking down.
Well, what had to be done, had to be done.
He wrapped an arm around her waist, and lifted her up. He was surprised at how light she was. Did she starve herself? Whatever. It wasn't like he gave a damn.
Lira looked into his eyes for the first time that day. Throughout the ceremony, she had not even turned her face towards him. Her face was flushed, and her light brown eyes were watery.
He pressed his lips to hers, and the guests cheered. How unaware they were of the reality of the wedding.
Lira's lips were soft. She shut her eyes, and teardrops fell from her eyes onto his cheek.
He set her down, and took her hand. They turned to face the guests. Lira looked down for a moment. When she lifted her face a few moments later, she was smiling. Who would guess this woman was being forced to marry him?
Caspian plastered a grin on his face. There were several flashes across the room as they were photographed.
He decided it was a good idea to fuck with Lira right there. After all, she should know her place, and how she was nothing now.
He bent down, and lifted her with both arms. The crowd cheered again, louder this time. More photographs. Lira caught on in a couple seconds, and wrapped her arms round his neck. She faced away from the guests, her face tilted towards his shoulder instead.
He decided it would be a good idea to carry her down the stairs. The guests threw flower petals at them, and followed him to the dinner table. He pulled out a chair, and placed Lira on the seat. She looked like she was barely holding in tears.
One by one, the guests sat down. Lira's uncle started the toast, followed by other close invites. Caspian's own father gave a small speech, and everyone clapped.
Lira ate quietly. Her expression was serene. Very unlike the face she had made last night when she had thrown a vase at his head. He smiled a little. He wondered if she would make the same face again later that night.
The chauffeur opened the door. It was almost ten at night, and most guests had left. The man would drive them to their new home, and leave. It would be a perfect start to his marriage. Caspian got in after Lira. She waved goodbye to the guests, but didn't utter a word. The drive home was quiet.
The chauffeur dropped them off, and left through the gates of the estate.
Caspian cleared his throat, and reached in his pocket for the keys. He unlocked the door, and held it open for Lira. She walked in, not looking up. He saw her put down the bouquet on the mantle in the foyer, and she made her way upstairs. He smirked. It was time for the real fun to begin.
After he was done bathing, he put on a pair of pajamas, and walked out. He found her upstairs in the master bedroom. She had changed into nightgown, and was wiping her hair with a towel. It seemed that she had been there for a while. She had her back turned to him, and she did not turn her head when he walked in from the balcony gates.
"Lira, you can drop the act. There are no photographers here."
He went closer to her. He hissed in a scathing voice
"But how I wish I could somehow expose your plot to the press."
She froze. Caspian sat down, and took the towel from her hands. The scent of her shampoo wafted in the air. He continued speaking in a more measured tone.
"I still remember it like it was yesterday. You standing in the courtroom, accusing me of sexually assaulting you. And with that one little story, you destroyed my future as a boxer, you dragged my father's reputation into the sewers, and got him demoted."
He lifted a lock of her long brown hair. It was damp between his fingers.
"And you know what else you doomed me to? I was forced to give up on attending a sports college. You had me sentenced to military service in units where men drop like flies. And your dear uncle, how can I forget about him? He made sure I became a guinea pig in the military labs first. Two years, two whole years, I was experimented upon. And when they were done with me, they tossed me into terrains where I met with certain death every two hours. Your uncle had me sent on suicide missions, but I came back alive. Every. Damn. Time."
He moved her hair away, and placed his hand on the back of her neck.
"And in my last year, when my six year sentence had almost come to an end, when I finally got those cursed Defense Engineering degrees, my father finally got justice. And your uncle, like the bloody traitor he is, changed coats the moment he had to salute my dad. How do you feel about that, Lira? That your uncle gave you to me? He saved his own neck and tossed your fate into my hands, do you know that?"
He stroked her neck.
"I, for one, do not believe in forgiving and forgetting. I will make sure you will regret testifying, and I will make you feel every ounce of pain I felt in that damned lab. I'll make sure you die in mysterious circumstances, but not before I've exacted my revenge."
He wrapped his fingers round her neck, and pinned her to the bed. She made no attempt to resist. He leaned over, and stared at her.
Her face was pale, and he could feel her pulse under his fingers. She was terrified, he could see it in her eyes as they darted all across the room. He laughed.
"You think you can throw another vase at me? There are no vases here, Lira."
He pressed a little on her neck. Her eyes widened. He hadn't put enough pressure for it to hurt, not yet. A part of wanted to strangle her, on the spot, but it still irked him that he was acting like that towards a person who wasn't even half his size. He saw her hand coming near his face, but didn't move.
He was a little surprised when she scratched him. Her nails dug into his cheek - he believed she had tried aiming for his eyes. He grabbed her wrists, and sat with his legs crossed. She gulped, and he smiled
"You do realize that you are not a match for me, right? Here, I'll let you go."
He released his grip on her, and she gasped and practically leapt off the bed. She backed away from the bed, and tried to unlock the bedroom door.
Caspian leaned back against the pillows.
"I locked it from outside. There's no place you can run to. Now, what will you do? I don't think you are strong enough to lift the rocking chair and throw it at me. Oh dear."
He flashed his teeth.
Lira stared at him. He couldn't read her expression.
And then very suddenly, she dashed out of the bedroom through the open balcony door. And in a moment, she had jumped over the railing and off the first floor.
Caspian scoffed. She had jumped right into the open stream that ran right below the balcony. He stood up, and walked out. He looked at the water.
Where was she?
He waited a few seconds for her to reach the surface. She was still in the water, she had to be. There was no way she could've swam out and climbed onto the rocks in a span of less than twenty seconds. She had a frail constitution, and it would take her at least a good minute to swim to the shore.
He did not see her appear above the water in the next thirty seconds.
A fear crept up Caspian's chest and clasped his heart. He didn't bother taking off his pants. He dove straight from the balcony and into the water.
"Lira?"
He looked around, shaking the water out of his eyes.
She was nowhere to be seen. The tide was a little swifter than he'd assumed.
Fuck.
Lira, with her tiny frame and thin arms, could not have combated the flow. Which meant the water had swept her to the rocks round the corner.
He swam as fast as he could. There was real panic in his voice when he called out her name
"Lira!"
He saw something white a few meters away. It looked like Lira's nightgown. He swam to it.
He saw Lira lying on the jagged rocks, her head underwater. She was not moving.
He lifted her up, and shook her. Her head lolled to the side
"Lira! Answer me, Lira!"
Her eyes remained shut.
He swam to the riverbank, and laid her on the grass. She remained unresponsive. He didn't check for a pulse. She had to be alive. He started chest compressions, and blew air into her mouth.
She coughed after a few compressions, and relief washed over him. Soon, she had coughed up most of the water, and her eyes fluttered open. Caspian spoke softly, raising her head with his hand.
"Lira?"
He saw her eyes focus on his face. She parted her lips, wearing a terrified expression. The next moment, she fainted in his arms. He shook her.
"Lira!"
She did not answer.
He lifted her up, and ran inside. His hands shook as he dialed an ambulance. Lira lay motionless on the couch.
The paramedics arrived in fifteen minutes. In that quarter hour, Caspian had tried waking her several times, but she simply would not open her eyes. He could only stare as the paramedics assessed her.
"She couldn't swim against the current and got swept into the rocks, you said?"
"Yeah."
"And then she collapsed when you pulled out of the water?"
"Yes."
"Well, there's good news and bad news. Good news is that she doesn't have any major injuries, and seems to be breathing fine. Bad news is that has a few cuts and bruises, and it'll be painful for a few days, but she'll be fine. She fainted from shock, most likely. Oh look, she's waking up."
Lira opened her eyes. A medic patted her arm.
"How do you feel?"
She tried to speak, but no words came out. The medic nodded
"Okay, just nod or shake your head. Can you see my finger clearly when I move it?"
She nodded.
"Does your head hurt?"
She shook her head.
"Do you have any problems breathing?"
She shook her head again.
"Any pain in the chest?"
She shook her head once more.
The medic stood up, and the team started packing up.
"Seems like she's just in shock. Apply cold compression to the bruises. We've treated the cuts, but you'll need to wash and disinfect again in the morning. Get her into some dry clothes and let her rest. Go to a hospital if you have any further problems, if she starts feeling worse. We'll be off, then."
The medics left, and Caspian heard the ambulance drive away.
He knelt down beside the couch. Lira moved away, and her face paled a little. He stared into her huge brown eyes, trying to gauge what she was feeling.
"What on earth were you thinking?"
She looked away. He asked again
"Why'd you jump?"
She didn't answer. He sighed, and moved closer, extending his arms so she could grab them and sit up. She didn't move. He spoke quietly, trying not to startle her
"Come. You need a change of clothes."
She didn't protest as he lifted her up and carried her upstairs into the boudoir. He set her down on a chair, and opened the closet. He grabbed a nightgown. It was a light pink in color. He handed it to her, and she stared at him, before he got the hint and stepped out. He grabbed a set of dry pajamas for himself, and changed in the bathroom.
He gave her a few minutes before knocking.
He heard clothes shifting, and soft footsteps. Lira opened the door, and side stepped to avoid bumping into him. She advanced towards the bedroom, but wobbled after a couple steps. He caught her before she could fall, and carried her inside.
He set her down gently on the bed. She turned her back to him, and buried her face into the pillow. He understood that she would not utter a word no matter the methods employed to interrogate her. He shut the balcony door, and turned off the lights. He lay down beside her.
Caspian had accepted that he would not be getting any sleep that night. He lay wide awake, and he turned his head when he heard a muffled sob. He sat up. It was around one o'clock.
"Lira?"
No answer. He tapped her shoulder, and she turned her face. He turned on the night lamp. Her face was pink. She was crying. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and onto the pillow. She spoke in a small voice
"What?"
"Why're you crying?"
"None of your damn business."
"Does it hurt anywhere?"
"No."
"Then what's the matter?"
"What's it to you?"
She buried her face into the pillow again. Caspian rubbed his temples with one hand. What the fuck was wrong with her? Was she actually insane? He leaned back, and soon, she drifted off to sleep. It was almost dawn. Caspian drew the curtains, and lay down again.
Why had she jumped?
The thought kept him awake for a long time.