Undiscovered Lands
Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy belongs to J. R. R. Tolkien and the Chronicles of Narnia belong to C. S. Lewis. I'm writing this for fun, not money.
Author's Note: This story is based off the idea that Arda and Narnia are located in the same world. I was very disappointed that the Narnians didn't discover any huge new continents filled with people in the fifth book. This is my remedy to that. The story takes place after The War of the Ring in The Lord of the Rings and after the Dawn Treader leaves Dragon Island in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Chapter 1: A Beacon of Hope
Eustace grumbled under his breath. He had been trying very hard to be more pleasant ever since his time spent as a dragon. But now that he had endured days of endless rain, low rations, and constantly being tossed and turned by the churning waters he was getting tired of it. He once again wished that he had never been dragged into this horrid world. He had been stuck below deck for several days now since the others claimed that a landsman would only be a nuisance to the crew if he went on deck. His cousins and Caspian had been trying to keep themselves cheerful by singing songs and telling stories, but even their tempers were becoming short.
"Stop that dratted noise!" He yelled irritably as Lucy began another stupid song about another stupid prince in another stupid land. "You're giving me a headache."
"Shut your mouth, Eustace." Edmund retorted harshly. He was sick of being hungry, and cooped up, and tired. He was not in the mood to deal with his insufferable cousin.
Eustace glowed at him. Edmund was being rude and unkind to him just as he had been before Dragon Island. He was once again taking Lucy and Caspian's sides just to be mean to him. He wasn't going to take that. He had opened his mouth to retaliate when he was interrupted from a voice up above.
"Land Ho!"
Immediately the mood of the cabin's occupants brightened considerably. Lucy, Caspian, Edmund, and Eustace all rushed for the door. Caspian was the closest, and was the first to stick his head out the hatch leading up above.
"Captain," he cried, spotting the captain's form through the heavy rain. "has the lookout spotted somewhere we can land at?"
"Yes, Sire." Drinian shouted back. He gestured for them to go back down below so they could hear each other without having to shout over the storm.
"Rhince has spotted land about ten leagues away." He continued in a normal voice. "It is not yet close enough for us to be able to tell, in this weather, how big it is or whether it is inhabited. It is unlikely, however, that any of the remaining lords will be found there. The storm has blown us too far of course. The seven lords did not plan to travel this far south."
"Regardless, we will have to stop there." Caspian replied. "We do not have enough food or water left to continue on without stopping. When will we reach the land?"
"As soon as noon tomorrow, Sire."
"Very well." Caspian said. He would not admit it, but he too was eager for a respite from being tossed about by the storm. And he was excited at the thought of having more adventures in this undiscovered land. "In that case my friends, I propose we get some sleep. We will need to be well rested for whatever tomorrow brings."
That night was the best that any on board had had in many days. The prospect of replenishing their supplies and seeking shelter until the end of the storm had quickly brightened the disheartened crews' spirits. Even the weather brightened. They awoke in the morning to only a light drizzle, and by noon the eternal rain had finally stopped. By then they were able to more clearly see the land mass on the horizon.
"It's enormous." Lucy exclaimed when she first set eyes on it that morning. She was right. It was larger than Dragon Island and the Lone Islands put together. It was clear that the land they saw before them was no mere island, but a whole continent. They could see before them the shore, with steep cliffs, green with vegetation, continue on without end.
"Do you think it is inhabited?" Eustace asked.
"It is certainly large enough to sustain life." Caspian answered. "And there seems to be plenty of vegetation."
"Yes, but just because it can, does not mean it will." Edmund, always the practical one, argued.
"If it is, do you think its inhabitants will be friendly, or even human?" Lucy wondered.
"I suppose we will just have to find out." Caspian replied optimistically. "However, it would be wise to be cautious. The land seems to become flatter towards the north. I suggest that we land to the south. Then we can climb up the cliffs, and proceed to explore the land more cautiously on foot. This part of the land is mostly forest. It should be easy to take cover amongst the trees. In the meantime, some of the crew can work on finding provisions and repairing the ship."
"Cautiously!" Reepicheep's shrill voice exclaimed, outraged. "Are we cowards that we would go about thus hiding our faces? Whatever foes we come across in this strange land I will deal with by my sword."
"Yes, but we don't know that anyone we meet will be a foe. They could be friendly." Edmund explained. "And as we learned in the Lone Islands a little caution is not ill advised."
Reepicheep continued to argue that to sneak about like a thief was an insult to his honour, but in the end everyone agreed that Caspian's plan was best. And so a few short hours later, The Dawn Treader was docked, and Caspian, Lucy, Eustace, Edmund, Reepicheep, and Drinian continued on foot.
Authors Note: I don't know anything about ships or how far a league is so sorry if my story isn't very factual. Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you think.