Submission (#4070) Approved

Loken was written with permission.

09.01.2022: Spoke with tatter regarding the Miasma mentions. They are in reference to this prompt: https://worldofeyre.com/submissions/view/595 which was submitted in September of last year and begins with "It was safe to say that after almost six months of being stuck in Bellmoril, Caspian was going a bit stir crazy." I believe I got all the rainwater mentions fixed.

Last time the Grand Starfall Faire appeared, Caspian had been stranded in Bellmoril due to the miasma. Stranded, however, was a loose term he used due to being deprived of his own adventures while being stuck living above a book store where all he could do was read about the travels of others. 

 

This year he had every intention to be back home in the Palu’au Islands, enjoying swimming in the clear turquoise waters and lounging on the warm sun-kissed sand. However, as the days grew near, Caspian found himself feeling more and more lonely despite having made friends with Aurelia and Loken. 

 

There was something, or rather someone, missing…

 

Fleur. 

 

Not one for pursuing her own adventure, she had stayed in Bellmoril once the miasma had cleared but not without making a promise to him. Fleur had made him promise to come back and visit, to bring stories of places he traveled through on his way back home so that she could add them to her collection. 

 

It had been over a year since Caspian had agreed to that promise and so, with a heavy heart, he departed the Palu’au Islands after saying goodbye to Aurelia, a cute kittom who had ribbons of colors along her back that looked like they had been painted by a master artisans brush, and Loken, a kittom with colors similar to his own and with courage that went unmatched by most. 

 

With his treasure chest of trinkets and tokens, he set off. Much like before he traveled west through Silveil over into the southeastern portion of Faerindell and down into Bellmoril into the city of Il’durahn completely unaware of the two shadows that followed at a distance.

 

Everything was exactly as he remembered it. 

 

Hills as far as the eye could see with trees whose leaves were a bright golden color. There were a few along his traveled path that was instead a vibrant red, swaying in the gentle breeze as if it was a living flame but nothing burned and it offered no heat. Never in his time spent here did he imagine there would be a day that he’d miss this place. 

 

Stone paved streets weaved through the city of academics and although it had been a long while since he had last wandered the windy roads, Caspian's paws lead the way as if he had only been away for a day. 

 

Soon he stood before a familiar wooden door with a high archway and he remained there for some time. Twice he turned away, thinking that he should have sent a message first just in case Fleur was busy or had plans, and twice he came back before sitting off to the side so that an adult muttering something about elemental channeling to their companion could leave the store. 

 

For the briefest of moments, he caught a glimpse inside the library and his little heart froze when he saw her. 

 

“So!” The sudden voice beside him coupled with a jarring shoulder bump caused him to jump high enough to whack his head on the bottom of the window flowerbox above him. 

 

“AURELIA!” Caspian shouted in startled surprise as he rubbed the sore spot with his paw. He tried to give her a pointed glare but with his watery eyes from the sharp pain, it did nothing to phase her. 

 

Instead, Aure giggled, and scurried over to Loken’s side since she knew he would protect her from Caspian’s ‘wrath’. “So,” she began again. “Are you going to go in or not? This is your friends’ home, right?” Her head canted to the side curiously before trotting over to the window to not-so-conspicuously peek inside. 

 

“Get- down!” he hissed, tackling Aurelia to the side before Fleur could see or hear them. 

 

Loken sauntered over with an amused glint in his eyes. 

 

Caspian shook his head, and got up so that his green-eyed and steppe-tailed friend could help Arue up. These two co-conspiritors were going to be the death of me.  He thought to himself. 

 

“Soooo…?” she prodded him again, this time with a paw. “The rain is about to start.” To emphasise this, Arue pointed to the looming clouds above them. “If we’re going to find a good place to sit to watch the prismatic rain, then you need to go in there and get Fleur.” 

 

We? Caspian felt incredibly confused. When did this become a we thing? 

 

Probably when they invited him to watch it back home and he decided to leave. The plan would have been to see it together but promises had to be kept “Ok, ok- Just let me…”

 

Aruelia didn’t spare him even a moment to finish what he was saying when the two adults that had walked into the store opened the door to leave. Without warning, she tackled Caspian again. They playfully rolled into the otherwise quiet shop where there were tables and chairs for Elnin to read. “Hi, is Fleur here?”

 

Caspian laid on his back absolutely mortified as all eyes were now on him. 

 

From behind the counter, a little kittom with oversized flopped years and a lovely lavender and creme striped coat peered around a bookstand shyly. “Hello?” she replied almost too quiet to hear. 

 

“Eee!” Aurelia pranced over to her, bouncing around in pure joy only to be shushed by someone trying to read some magic book by the window they had tried looking through not more than a minute ago. “It’s so good to finally meet you! Caspian has told us so much. About how you kept him from going crazy and-”

 

“Arue-” This time it was Loken to speak up with a scolding tone and this time she actually calmed down.

 

“Sorry…” she said in a quiet whisper. “We’ve come to kidnap you!” It was said with such a serious expression that it left no room wether she was joking or not. 

 

“Huh?” Confused, Fleur glanced from the soft-colored kittom over to the bundle of turquoise green and orange still laying belly-side up in the entry way. “Caspian?”

 

“Hi--” he cleared his throat and rolled over so that he could inspect the treasure chest he’d brought with him and make sure it wasn’t broken. “Hi, Fleur. Hi Nina-” he added to the shop owner who had housed him for a while. 

 

“Hello Caspian, it’s been a while.” Amused amber-colored eyes regarded the small group with a level of understanding rather than annoyance. “Fleur, why don’t you four take this outside. I’ll close up here while you two catch up.” 

 

“Oh- ok.” Feeling more than a little shy she skirted around the one called Arue and over to help Caspian stand. A blush swept across his face as it did her own and she couldn’t help but smile at him. 

 

“I came to watch the Prismatic Rain with you.” Despite all rumor and superstition, he enjoyed the bright colors as it remind him of the places he had visited throughout the world of Eyre. “They-” he motioned with his head towards Aurelia and Loken, “decided to tag along.”

 

“I- I see…” Fleur glanced over at the rainbow and noted that the weather had already changed as streaks of rainbow-colored lights fell from the sky above. “Do you want to go to the bridge?” The very place they last stood where he said goodbye seemed like the best place to say hello again and welcome him back to his second home. 

 

“I think they’d like that,” Caspian replied feeling a wave of calm wash over him as everything around him settled into a familiar sense of belonging. Bellmoril was no Palu’au Islands, but with friends like Fleur, it was just as special. 

 

“Are we going?” Ever the impatient one, Aure made a dash to the door and held it open. From there they could see a myriad of colors illuminating the street stalls in rainbowed hues as they lifted shadows when they streaked passed 

 

“Yeah-” Caspian gathered his belongings and walked them over to Nina for safekeeping. 

 

“Be safe,” the shop owner added by way of loving warning before the small group dashed outside in a mix of awkward glances, shy smiles, and a fit of giggles.