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Caspian X (caspianseafarer) wrote in labyrinth_rpg,
@ 2009-04-05 11:54:00

Entry tags:

arrival, bella swan, caspian, complete, day five

WHO: Caspian and Bella
WHERE: A wall on the edge of the city
WHEN: Sunrise, Day Five
WHAT: Pondering existence/Bella's arrival
RATING: PG
STATUS: Complete

Caspian sat on a low wall at the edge of the city as his second day in this strange land dawned. His arrival hadn't been as traumatic as others' had been, that was for sure. He'd been at the end of his life, and expecting to spend his days in peace and idleness, a reprieve from the life he'd lead as a man. Instead, he was brought to a strange land, where yes, there was relative peace, in that there was no death, but the entire land and its inhabitants were prisoners.

It was a lot for him to take in. A lot for him to process. Did the King go back to his life before, battling evil and righting as many wrongs as he could? Being the leader that this world clearly needed, as the one they had was more of a jester than anything else?

Caspian didn't have the answers to those questions, and at any rate, who would follow a man who looked like a boy? So he just sat there on the wall, looking out at the sunrise, trying to find the peace he craved.

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[[I hope this is okay, she's new and I wasn't sure if she was supposed to start any specific way. If

_bella
2009-04-05 03:13 pm UTC (link)

Another day in Forks. The oppressive thought was the first thing to greet Bella Swan as her eyes fluttered open to take in the gray light filtering through her limp cotton curtains. She closed her eyes shut once more, hoping for a minute more of sleep, but the slight pattering of rain on the roof was better than any alarm clock, and so reluctantly she pushed herself up and out of bed. She brushed some of the sleep disheveled hair from her face and with a sigh, grabbed her bathroom things from the chair by her bed and made her way to the shower, preparing herself for another day. She only allowed herself a moment to idly ponder whether or not Edward Cullen would be back in school today, as she waited for the water to warm. The strange boy had been gone for a week now, and while no one else seemed to care, Bella couldn't rid herself of the nagging suspicion that his absence had something to do with her. She didn't dwell on this thought for too long though, and instead hurried through her shower, brushing her teeth and dressing in jeans, a simple white long-sleeve shirt and brown sweater that was newly added to her wardrobe; distracting herself from thoughts of the approaching day.

When she'd ventured downstairs it became clear that Charlie had already left for work at the station, and so the rest of her morning preparations were done in silence, moving quietly around their small two bedroom house until she had nothing left to do but leave for school. With a sigh she heaved her backpack onto her shoulder, slipped on her waterproof boots, and stepped outside onto her dry front porch--the last frontier before she was forced into yet another wet day in Forks. She watched her feet as she exited the house, turning to close and lock the door behind her before she moved to make the careful mad dash to her truck. She was stopped before she could even take one step. Outside her front porch wasn't the lush green landscape she expected--outside was hot dry sand. She gasped, her expressive brown eyes going wide in a mixture of fear and shock. She turned immediately, unlocking her door to move inside, but when she got it open the only thing that greeted her was a sharp drop and more sand. Unprepared for this change, she found herself unsteady and tumbled forward, down onto the sun baked sand below. She let out a startled "oomph" and clutched a hand to her head, trying to steady it. What on earth was going on? This wasn't possible! She turned, pushing herself upright and her house was gone. Instead there was nothing but an open view and a city laid out before her. Had that been there before? She wondered. She wasn't sure, but it was there now, and she wanted nothing more than to get there before it too disappeared. Her heart beat quickly, and she couldn't seem to catch her breath--she knew that if she didn't find out what was going on soon, the fear and shock alone would probably give her a heart attack.

She clung to her backpack as she stood, not wanting to lose anything else and started toward the city before her. She had been moving carefully, picking her footing as quickly as her clumsy feet could handle when she spotted someone. No...not someone...something. It wasn't a person, that was for sure... it was too low to the ground and it's skin was too dark. It looked misshapen. She felt a thrill run through her and she shook her head no. Turning then and without thinking, she ran moving toward the city but away from the creature. Her journey was full of trips and falls, by the time she neared the wall enough to notice an actual human being, her knees were colored with dust and her palms were scuffed from the sand.

She slowed gratefully as she neared the person, her chest heaving from the unfamiliar effort. She didn't want to startle the person, and she wasn't sure that they were any safer than the creature she'd run from. For all she knew they were part of what was going on, but at the moment they were her best option. She gripped onto the strap of her backpack, trying to look clam, though she knew her expressive features would give her away as per usual--her mother always said she was an open book. "Umm... hello?" She called out, trying to be heard by the boy, but not garner anymore attention than was necessary.

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caspianseafarer
2009-04-05 04:14 pm UTC (link)

Caspian saw the young woman stumbling her way toward him and hopped off the wall, his hands held out in a placating fashion. When she rocketed her way to a stop, he jumped forward to steady her, one hand on her hip and the other on her shoulder. "You alright there?" he asked, his face etched with concern at her own terrified look. Then it clicked over and he smiled kindly.

"You're new, aren't you?" he asked. And then, over her shoulder, he saw the goblin hurrying to catch up. "Rum gig, mate?" he asked, moving to take the girl's key and journal from the creature. "I've got her, on with you now," he said, and then turned back to the newest arrival to the city.

"I'm Caspian. You're safe, nothing to worry about. You'll be taken care of here, and can be quite happy, I'd imagine. These are yours," he told her, passing over the key with her room number etched on it, as well as the journal.

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_bella
2009-04-05 09:39 pm UTC (link)

Bella's hand went out to the young man's as he moved to steady her, and despite the circumstances she felt heat rise to her cheeks in the form of a blush. Leave it to her to make stumbling her first impression. These thoughts had little time though as the boy's expression shifted from concerned to...a smile? What was going on? Was he entertained by her misfortune? "I..." She began, confused by his question, only to be distracted by the goblin appearing behind her. Her eyes went wide again, and she found her breath catching in her chest, but she stood her ground this time. The boy in front of her seemed nonplussed by the disturbing creature and that only caused her further confusion.

Caspian, as he soon introduced himself, began speaking again, and Bella's eyes warily shifted to him. In the midst of a stimulation overdrive she needed something to hang onto and so what came to the surface in her jumble of thoughts was how odd a name Caspian was. It sounded familiar, but she was fairly sure she didn't know anyone of that name. Again there was no time to dwell though, as items were gently placed in her hands and she had to begin processing his previous comments once more. She was safe. Okay. That didn't necessarily mean much coming from someone who seemed to know the odd looking creature that had followed her--although he did manage to shoo it away. She realized that she had been standing there dumbfounded the entire time and so, figuring that he was at least trustworthy enough for her to introduce herself, she did just that. "I'm Bella." She managed, "Bella Swan." She added in case he knew Charlie. Everyone in Forks seemed to know the chief of police...but then again they weren't in Forks, were they? "Is Charlie here?" She asked, suddenly concerned for her father, forgetting her own situation for the moment. He had left before her, had he met the same fate? Part of her longed for something familiar, but the greater whole of her hoped he was safe in Forks, far from what seemed to be a giant waking nightmare. "And wait, did you say taken care of here?" She asked, suddenly realizing he meant this was something permanent. "Where is here?" She looked down at the objects in her hands finally, "And, what are these?" A key? He had given her what appeared to be a room key... and a journal? This was just getting weirder by the minute. She was thankful that she managed to keep her rising panic out of her tone, but she wanted very much to sit down and process the information the past 5 minutes of her day. At least it was sunny. That was helping...slightly.

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caspianseafarer
2009-04-05 10:49 pm UTC (link)

Standing patiently with his hands clasped behind his back, Caspian waited her out, knowing how difficult the situation she now found herself in could be. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," he smiled, taking her hand in his and brushing his lips atop her knuckles. "I'm afraid I don't know who Charlie is, but I've only been here overnight myself. Is he someone from your world?" he asked with a friendly smile, trying to ease her worries.

Oh yes, she was most definitely new. Caspian sighed a little, shaking his head at the gall of the man that thought it prudent to rip people from their worlds and shove them into this one without so much as a warning. Bella looked frightened, if trying to hide it, and Caspian offered his arm to her, tucking her hand in the crook of it and leading her back to the wall he'd been sitting on. "Let me see if I can't explain this a bit," he offered, helping her onto the wall before sitting next to her.

"There is a man here, Jareth," he said, leaning forward with his hands clasped together and his elbows on his knees, looking out to the early morning light again. "He's created this city for people that he finds interesting, apparently," he said with a small shrug. "As I said, I'm fairly new myself, but it seems to me that we're rather stuck here for the time being. There are rooms provided, as well as anything you'd need as far as clothing and provisions..." Though Caspian still wore the things he'd arrived in, a loose tunic, trousers, and his belted sword. "There are good people here, m'lady, and many friends to be had, if you're of the mind to make them," he said, turning his head to look at her with another smile.

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_bella
2009-04-05 11:31 pm UTC (link)

Bella's relief was palpable when he seemed to have no recollection of who Charlie was. It meant her father was safe--or at least that was the meaning she was taking from his response. It didn't help that he added the information about having just arrived, but still, if Charlie was in this weird world, he would have appeared by now.

With this information easing her mind, she allowed him to take her arm and lead her to a place to sit. Normally she would have resisted the touch, but she wasn't good on her feet under normal circumstances, and after the running, the falling, and the shock of the day, it probably was for the best that she walked with assistance. Once she was seated up on the wall she slumped a little, allowing her backpack to slip off her shoulders and rest beside her. She placed the key and journal on top of them and settled for a moment, turning her attention to him and listening as he explained the situation. It was easier to take the news sitting down and when he finished speaking she turned looking out at the view beyond them, her brow furrowing as she thought in silence.

She was not just in a different place, but from the way he said it, she was in a different world. Okay. From Caspian's dress this...Jareth did he say? This man could just take people...it was...like magic...or something out of really bad science fiction. She looked up at the sun, distracted from her thoughts, and without thinking began to shed layers. It was hot here, and though she was still confused, she was grateful for the presence of the sun. She had missed it during her week in Forks, and its return made things a little easier. When her raincoat and sweater were off and the sleeves of her shirt pushed up to her elbows, exposing her alabaster skin to the light of the day, she turned back to Caspian. She had so many questions beginning to churn through her head, but she wasn't sure he had any of the answers. Still, he was very calm and patient and now that her heart had slowed to a reasonable pace she felt it was best not to just sit there looking slightly puzzled. "What are the journals for?" She asked, feeling a rush of embarrassment that that was the first question out of her mouth. Of all the things to ask, it seemed like that was the least important, but they seemed an odd item to receive.

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caspianseafarer
2009-04-06 10:29 am UTC (link)

She was awfully quiet, wasn't she? Then again, Caspian could understand that, being in a bit of shock, he assumed. Who wouldn't be, had they not been expecting to arrive in this strange place, as she clearly hadn't been. So he just waited her out patiently, playing with his fingers.

"They're a form of communication," he said, reaching across her with a little smile, and picking up the journal. "You write in it, and the other people that are here can see and respond," he explained, flipping through the journal, showing her the various entries from the many different people in the city. "Quite handy, I'd imagine. Though I haven't used mine yet," he admitted, shrugging a bit and passing it back to her.

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_bella
2009-04-06 12:30 pm UTC (link)

Bella nodded as he explained the journals to her, amazed by the content within them. She had never thought to journal before--she wasn't the writer type after all, but it was weirdly fascinating that she could write in a paper bound journal and others could see it. It should have scared the crap out of her, but really she just added it to the pile of bizarre stuff she'd already witnessed. She'd reached her maximum capacity for freak out, and so she took this too in stride. There were only so many mini-heart attacks you could have in one morning.

She took her journal back from him, hands tracing over the edge of the seemingly leather bound book and puzzled at its make-up. While she did so she tilted her chin toward him, shifting her gaze and finally gave Caspian himself a good look over. She hadn't really noticed much about him before--there was too much going on for that--but now that things were quiet and she was able to think things through, she gave him her attention, taking him in. He was young--about her age she would guess--and handsome in that classic way that suggested he was from an older time before hair product and workout equipment, when people where more natural. He wasn't as handsome as Edward Cullen, but then again, Edward Cullen was unnaturally handsome, and in some ways Caspian had one up on him there. There was nothing too perfect about the boy next to her. He was real. His rich brown eyes were so dark they were almost depthless, and yet they had a life to them, and his smile was warm without an hidden intentions.

"So, where are you from?" Bella asked, dropping her eyes back down to her journal, feeling rude and a little embarrassed for having lingered on his face a little longer than she'd intended. Her cheeks colored momentarily and she bit her lip, increasing her focus as she fingered the pages of the new book. She didn't mean to pry, but she was curious about the boy who seemed so comfortable in this new time and place, and she wanted to gather what answers she could about her new surroundings and what he had meant by 'interesting people'.

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caspianseafarer
2009-04-06 12:45 pm UTC (link)

Watching her watching him, Caspian merely smiled. He was used to being a bit of the center of attention, after all, and given that she'd had an already rough start to the day, he couldn't particularly blame her for reverting to basic human instincts. He wasn't conceded, so much as aware. He shuddered to think what sort of attention he might gain if people found out that he was a king. That tended to spark interest where there normally would be none.

"I come from the land of Narnia," he answered easily, and then remembered that it was a familiar name to the women he'd met the night before. Perhaps this Bella girl knew it as well? "And you are a Daughter of Eve, aren't you?" he asked, looking her over in a sort of investigatory fashion, not a forward one. "Is the land you are from round? Like a ball? I spent a few moments in a round world once," he frowned then. Edmund had been right. There was nothing special about that sort of world when you were there.

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_bella
2009-04-06 01:23 pm UTC (link)

Bella's brow furrowed in a moment of recognition when he said he was Narnia. She knew Narnia--not because it was any place on the map, but because when she was a little girl her mother had gotten her an old set of the Chronicles of Narnia from a yard sale and she'd stayed up for two days straight reading through them all. She turned her head back to him, her expression skeptical wondering if maybe she was in some sort of prison for crazy people. She gave him a long look and then finally, her expression softened. He didn't look crazy...he looked like he wasn't from her time period. He had a sword in a sheath, and he had old fashioned, seemingly courtly manners--it made sense--in as much as everything else made didn't make sense. It wasn't like it was any weirder than the rest of her day. So, biting her lower lip and nodding, she accepted his answer.

She had to think about the phrase he used then, trying to recall the terms of the novels she'd read more than 7 years ago. "Daughter of Eve..." She repeated thinking and then nodded. She was pretty sure it meant she was from Earth and not Narnia. She hoped it didn't mean she was from England--she couldn't even manage an English accent. "Yeah, I guess I am." She verified, tucking her hair back behind her ear, fidgeting for a moment. "So, does that make you Prince Caspian...or King or whatever?" She asked, not entirely sure how she felt about that title. Kings were important people who generally had a lot of buzz about them. Bella was sort of the anti-attention seeker. She was clumsy and she tended to think the wrong questions were the important ones--that really didn't seem to mix with her idea of socializing with royalty--even fictional royalty.

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caspianseafarer
2009-04-06 09:41 pm UTC (link)

Caspian stared. "King, but how did you know?" he asked, looking at her quizzically. Sure, people in this strange land had heard of his own, but that wasn't so odd, was it? This girl, on the other hand, seemed to not only know where he was from, but who he was. Interesting.

Getting up, Caspian took her things, slinging her bag over his shoulder and tucking her book under one arm, her key in the same hand. "Perhaps we should get you something to eat, and find your quarters?" he suggested, offering a hand to help her off of the wall. "Things tend to seem a bit less hopeless when you have a full stomach and the promise of a place to lay your head." At least, that's how he felt about things, but then again, he was male, and ruled by food and sleep.

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_bella
2009-04-06 10:10 pm UTC (link)

How did she know. That was an interesting question, and frankly if someone came up to her and knew her whole life story then she wouldn't want to hear that oh hey she was a work of fiction and they knew all about her life and oh by the way did they mention they hated her because they thought she was a whiny angst ridden teenager. No, she didn't want to hear anything of the sort and so she would extend the same courtesy to Caspian-even if he was one of the cooler works of literature. Thinking quickly on her feet she went with the first thing she could come up with. "They've...I mean to say..." She thought hard trying to fish out one of the four main characters that had shared adventures with Caspian, "Lucy," She finally stammered, "Lucy, she... she wrote about you, and the time she spent in your world...The Chronicles of Narnia she called it." She offered him a smile, trying to gloss over her pathetic attempt at a lie. She was never good at that sort of thing. "I read it. Some of it." She added, finally silencing herself with a shrug.

When he stood, suggesting that they find her assigned room she nodded wearily. In truth she didn't want to. She would have preferred to sit on the wall and wait for her house to come back. It was one thing to have appeared there, but accepting a room seemed to suggest a permanence that she really didn't want to accept. She felt a surge of fear tighten her chest at the thought of being stuck in this strange land forever--never seeing Renee or Charlie again. Renee would lose it, and Charlie...poor Charlie, just when she'd come to stay with him. Still, it would be rude to refuse, and she wasn't keen on the idea of hanging out on the wall by herself. So, she nodded, taking his hand and allowing him to help her down. Her feet hit the dry ground, landing off balance for a moment forcing her to catch herself with her free hand on the wall. "Sorry." She apologized quickly, regaining her balance, before answering him. "Yeah, sure." She agreed, "But I can carry that." She said pointing to her bag. It was the only thing she had from home at this point, and while she appreciated the kind gesture she didn't like it being out of her hands at the moment. "It's just my books for school." She added, as if their importance would change his mind about carrying them.

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caspianseafarer
2009-04-06 10:24 pm UTC (link)

Caspian eyed her for a moment, clearly not completely buying what she was saying, but not completely doubting her either. After all, who was he to say that Lucy hadn't grown up and done exactly that? But somehow, it seemed a bit off. The idea of his life being degraded to a fairy story seemed ludicrous, and even more so from the pen of Lucy Pevensie, the most loyal of them all. But still, there wasn't any real reason to disbelieve this girl, so Caspian went along with it.

He could see the fear in her eyes, and the longing looks to the area where she'd appeared, and sighed. "I'm sorry, m'lady. There's no way to go home, that we know of, at least," he said quietly, as if the tone of his voice would soften the blow. "But as I said, there are good friends to be made here, and you will be safe and taken care of, that I can promise you." As kidnappings went, it wasn't a bad deal, actually. Caspian had had a great deal worse in his time.

Chuckling lightly, he steadied the toppling girl on her feet and then passed over the bag with a nod. "If you're sure," he allowed, shrugging a bit. He'd met some more than capable women in his time, as a matter of fact, he'd married one of them, and so he thought little of allowing her to carry her own things. "Shall we?" he offered, along with his elbow, as she seemed to be quite unsteady on her feet.

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_bella
2009-04-06 10:43 pm UTC (link)

Bella cursed her easily read expressions and ducked her head when he caught her looking. "It's not that..." She admitted, she knew she was safe enough for the moment, "It's just...my mom won't know where I am." She admitted. "She's going to freak out. She panicked when I went a day without e-mailing her." She realized that he might not know what e-mail was once she'd said it. It wasn't exactly a high form of communication in the Chronicles. "I just moved in with Charlie." She explained, only adding, "my Dad," as an afterthought. "So, she really worries about me know. We've never been apart." Still there was nothing she could do about that.

She looked down at his proffered arm, and though she wanted to take it, gave him a nod and followed after him instead. Sure, she was bad on her feet, and yes his help might prevent her from skinning her palms any further, but she needed to stand on her own two feet a little better--metaphorically speaking anyway. If she was all alone, then turning into some damsel in distress wasn't going to help. She had been the primary care giver for her mother for most of her life, and she could certainly handle being on her own, even in this strange new world.

She walked after him with her head down, watching the ground as she moved and tightened her grip on her backpack as she moved. She fell silent as they moved, not sure of what to say. She considered asking him if there were more people from Narnia there, but that just seemed to strange, and it meant she might have to lie again. Instead, she eventually settled on stating the obvious. "It's really hot and sunny here." She mused, turning her eyes upward for a moment, glancing at the clear sky.

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caspianseafarer
2009-04-06 10:52 pm UTC (link)

She was right, Caspian had no idea what e-mail was, and gave her a quizzical look. "E-mail?" he repeated, looking interested, but definitely confused. He thought it odd that she called her father by his first name, but then again, there were many things about other worlds that he did not understand, so he'd just have to adapt to the idiosyncrasies of them. "I wish I could help you further. The only thing I could suggest would be to attempt to make it through the Labyrinth and possibly win your freedom. But that's not even a guarantee." That, and if the girl was truly as clumsy as she seemed, she wouldn't last two minutes, but he was polite enough to keep his mouth shut on that assessment.

And they were up to discussing the weather. Caspian winced a bit and then nodded. "Better than cold?" he said, making it mostly a question. "It's not unlike my home, actually. A bit more humid."

He checked her key again and smiled. "You're in my dorm, just up the stairs. I'll leave you with the number of my quarters and if you need anything, please don't hesitate to knock," he offered politely, opening the door to the E dorm and letting her go through first before following. "You're in two-three-nine," he said, passing her the key and gesturing to the stairs. "The rooms leave something to be desired, but they're better than camping on the grounds."

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_bella
2009-04-06 11:10 pm UTC (link)

"Mail...essentially. Letters." Bella explained quickly, giving him an apologetic look. She perked considerably though when he mentioned that she might be able to win her freedom by solving the labyrinth. Sure, that would probably be near impossible, but it would be worth a shot, right? Besides, what was the worst that could happen? She'd suffered broken bones and bruises before.

Little did Caspian know, weather wasn't just a point of small talk for Bella Swan. She craved the sun--it was better than any drug for her, and it was the one advantage this place had over Forks. There was no rain, no clouds, and it was warm. She might even get some sleep...if she could actually get to sleep. "It reminds me a lot of where I grew up." She nodded, "A place called Arizona." She guessed that he would never have heard of it. "It's nice."

When they reached E dorm, Bella followed him in dutifully, giving him an appreciative look when he mentioned he lived there too. That was good, it made things less... lonesome in a way. "Thank you." She said earnestly, pasuing to take the key back from him. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me this morning. " She gave him a genuine smile and then turned, looking up the stairwell that would lead to her new room. "I'll see you around?" She said, turning back to him for a moment and then heading up to her room. She got there as directed and when she tried the key it fit. Inside was a sparse room, as promised, her threadbare blanket from Charlie's house spread out over the bed, the thin curtains from the morning hanging limply in this new place. Closing the door behind her she slid her backpack to the floor, took a seat on her bed and finally gave herself a moment to let a few quiet tears fall while she wondered what exactly she was going to do.

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