Stella
Sleep didn't come easy anymore.
Ten minutes here, twenty there—always broken by my body, by my mind, by the restless shifting beneath my ribs that reminded me I wasn't alone even if I was alone. I finally opened my eyes. The room was still dark, even the castle was quiet.
Caspian was awake.
He sat in the chair by the window with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped loosely, staring out at the snow falling in soft sheets. His hair was uncombed, the collar of his shirt undone like he'd dressed in the dark. He didn't look at me right away, but I could feel his awareness sharpen the second I shifted.
"You're up," he said quietly, voice careful—as if the wrong sound might break whatever fragile calm I'd managed to find.
"Barely," I murmured.
I pushed myself upright slowly, wait
