A/N: A short little fluffy one shot that takes place during The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe about 2 years before the Pevensies find their way back through the wardrobe to England again. I limited myself to 8 parts of under 1K words each as an exercise, to go with the rolled story cube. Story origin at the end.

X Doesn't Mark the Spot

Prologue:

There once were four children by the name of Pevensie. Their names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. They lived in London, England during the Second World War. During the time that they were evacuated to live out in the countryside where it was safer, they came upon (quite by accident) a magical wardrobe that gave them passage into a marvelous land called Narnia and where they met the wondrous lion named Aslan. Through much adventure and trial they came to help defeat the evil White Witch who had caused a hundred-year winter to cover the land. After their victory which had been prophesied, they were crowned as co-rulers of Narnia by Aslan himself.

This is not that tale, for it has been told already.

Nor is this the tale of many years later when the four were chasing the fabled White Stag and, coming to the area of the magical lamppost, were quite unintentionally transported back to their own world at exactly the same time and ages as they had left it. That tale has been told as well.

However, as the reader may well imagine, while they were kings and queens of Narnia for 15 years many adventures and discoveries took place during that golden age. This IS one of those tales.

Part 1

It was in the thirteenth year of the reign of the two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve.

"Susan, I don't know about this Rabadash fellow" Edmund said as he read the letter Susan had received via courier from Calormen. "He says all the right things and has a way with words, but something doesn't feel right. It's almost like being force-fed sweets until you're sick of them."

"Jealous that someone is interested in me and not you?" Susan teased.

"It's not that at all; I've got too much to do to spend most of my day with a lady." The truth was that there weren't a lot of humans to spend time with in Narnia. Most of their company and counsel were each other or the various talking animals and creatures that made of the population of their country. Only recently had more people started moving there. "Besides, I'm looking out for you as a brother AND looking out for my country as a king. In this case the two are one in the same."

"I don't know why you're getting so worried; it's only a letter of introduction. Yes, he does want us to journey down to Calormen and establish stronger ties with them, but his mention of being lonely was just a small part of him describing himself."

"I'd say just be cautious" said Peter as he entered the room. Being the oldest of the siblings he tended to be the most protective of the family. "I am sure mother would say the same thing."

"Who?" asked Susan.

Now let me say at this point the reader should not be cross with Susan for forgetting about her mother. In her defense it had been many years since they had crossed over into Narnia. And the magic of Narnia, the very aliveness of it was such that it actually caused the children's own memories of England to pale in comparison. If one is fortunate enough to visit a restaurant and order a chocolate sundae off the menu, one is scarcely satisfied with looking at the picture on the menu afterward, having experienced the real thing in all its deliciousness. So it is quite understandable that as time went on the Pevensie children thought less and less of England. Being the oldest, Peter had the most memories of that land so near and yet so far and even he had trouble remembering details of their former lives.

"Our mother. You're certainly old enough now to make decisions for yourself Su, but please remember to be careful. If I have to go north to deal with these giants I won't be around here to give you advice."

"Then dear brother, I shall take Edmund along to be the voice of reason. Providing they don't distract him with Turkish Delight that is." Edmund scowled at the notion. He'd given up the treat for good after the White Witch.

"I'd feel much better if it should come to that" said Peter. "At least…" he continued before being interrupted by a large

[dice: raven]

that landed on a nearby windowsill. Unlike most that were completely black, this one had a thin collar of white feathers around its neck indicating it was Herald, who flew messages between King Lune in Archenland to the south and Cair Paravel in Narnia.

"Greetings Herald, what news?" asked Peter.

"King Lune sends his regards and asks for your counsel in person. Someone has stolen one of his islands."

"And he wants me to show up with a force to evict whoever is living on it now?"

"No sire, that is not what I meant. The island itself is missing."

Part 2

"Many thanks for coming along, Beaver" Peter was saying as they were pulling up to port on the shore of Archenland. The Narnian Dusk Stroller had been one of the first ships Narnia owned, and since it had been joined by other ships later it came to be used more as royal transport than anything; a good ship with crew to match. Some were human, some were not, and all were loyal.

"It does a fellow good to get out once in a while" said Beaver.

"It does a fellow good to get away from the misses I think you mean" joked Peter.

Beaver smiled. He was the first Narnian that Peter had spoken to, and a friendship had developed between them. Although he was loyal to his wife and would be the first to defend her, there were times when he missed his carefree single days with Badger. "Besides, I'm a lot more used to looking around underwater than you are."

"If we were somewhere without a drop of water in sight I'd still be glad for your company" Peter added. Beaver's smile became all the broader. "All the same I think it best if you stay on board while I visit the court. We're on great terms with King Lune and his country, but they still aren't that used to intelligent animals just yet."

And so it was that Peter, along with a small human honor guard, walked to the king's castle. He was joined on the way by natives who shouted well wishes and greetings, picking up a small parade by the time he reached the castle gates. He may not have been known by sight, but the reputation of the kindness and fairness of the rulers of Narnia was known far and wide. Guards wearing the

[dice: helmet]

of Archenland (decorated with a large red plus sign with embellishments on the end, on a field of yellow) stood at the gates. The king himself came out and greeted Peter, and they turned and entered the castle proper.

Once inside they walked to the room of the archivist, who had already spread out maps of the nearby Eastern Sea. The largest map showed trade routes marked between ports and islands. A large 'X' was marked off the coast of Archenland, lying somewhat toward the southern border with Calormen and far east of the shore.

"This is the location of a small uninhabited island that we use primarily for navigation" King Lune was saying as Peter dragged his attention away from the map. "Our ships coming from the east encounter the island, and then know the exact heading to take to make it home. We've used that system for a generation without fail until a few months ago. One of our ships was returning home and couldn't find the island; it was only sheer luck that it made shore close to home when it reached the mainland. We assumed it was a navigational error until it happened again with the next ship heading east."

"And you're sure there was no navigational error or fog covering the island?" Peter was skeptical.

"Our most experienced navigator was on board, and the weather was clear. The island simply was not there" King Lune stated flatly.

"One does not simply tow off an island no matter how badly you want it" Peter said. He tried to think of ways the island could disappear and vaguely remembered something from his history lessons in England. "Was there a volcano on the island?"

"No volcano. There was a central peak, but no volcano has ever been seen." Probably too large to be mined into oblivion, thought Peter.

There was a way to hide an island though. "If the island is being hidden by some type of magic, then it is still there and just not visible" he conjectured.

"We are practical people in my country" the king apologized. "We don't have much experience with magic."

"I have a small amount of experience, which is better than none. Send with me the best navigator you have available and we shall set off tomorrow to investigate."

"Very good. We shall restock your ship with whatever it needs and I'll arrange for our best navigator to meet you tomorrow."

The next day dawned clear and warm, with a slight favorable wind from the west. Peter was at the dock loading the offered supplies on board when King Lune came walking alongside accompanied by a man and a woman. He hailed Peter and crossed the gangway onto the deck.

"King Peter of Narnia, allow me to introduce our best navigator Con Balcor." Peter reached out automatically to shake hands even though it was not a common custom even among the humans here.

"Um…your majesty…that is our chief captain Samuel Toffec. She is our navigator. 'Consistent' Con we call her, the most reliable person you could trust your ship with; if she can't get you somewhere, you don't need to go there." Peter covered his embarrassment by bowing. With his arm still outstretched it made for an awkward movement.

"An odd custom you Narnians have" Con said and she and Samuel both extended their arms while bowing, looking like two people groping forward in the dark.

"With the formalities covered, shall we get underway?" asked Samuel.

"Unless we're supposed to rattle a foot while hopping or some other unfathomable action" added Con with a wry smile.

Part 3

Con and Samuel set up their work space on the foredeck of the ship. With the weather good it was the best vantage that also offered a dry spot clear of any spray from the bow cutting through the small waves on the sea. The map, along with several charts and papers with columns of figures were spread about on a provided table, held down with stones against any wind that came across. There were also instruments for taking measurements of angles and other things that Peter couldn't determine; navigation was not one of his skills unless it was in the form of orienteering on land. He also noticed that both had the same type of boot that made no sound when they walked, yet seemed to be good at gripping the deck and ladder rungs.

"We had them specially made by a cobbler by the name of Tally Hough" Con explained as she hiked up the boot on a trunk for closer inspection. "They have a soul made out of some type of gum that really helps keep your footing on a ship, even when it's wet. I'd have a pair made for you, but the cobbler retired or something and no one else seems to know how to make them."

In short order the Dusk Stroller was away and upon the sea. Slowly and carefully Peter introduced some of the non-human crew to the two from Archenland, so as not to overwhelm them with the sudden strangeness of his companions. They were particularly impressed with the inclusion of Beaver as the underwater scout; the water in this area was very clear and he should have no troubles seeing down into the depths for any clues.

"That takes care of looking around underwater, but what about above the surface. Do you have someone sharp eyed in the crow's nest?" asked Samuel.

"We've actually got a set of really sharp eyes up there." He whistled and a very large eagle flew down to land on the railing of the deck. "May I introduce Farview, our official lookout."

The eagle bobbed its head. "I was watching you from up top. Pleased to meet you."

Con and Samuel bowed while extending their arms. Farview looked at Peter, who shrugged in an embarrassed "I'll tell you later" gesture.

"We won't have to go more than half a day out before we come to the spot. It's a relatively low island, but you can see it from miles away. Con will give us the exact spot when we hit it."

"Not the EXACT spot necessarily" Con amended. "I may miss it by a few feet."

"Close enough for our investigation" Peter explained. "First we have to establish if the island is missing or simply being hidden by magic."

"How can you tell if something is hidden?" asked Samuel. "If it's hidden, it looks the same as if it's not there."

"Not quite" Peter went on. "There will be a sort of shimmer where the magic is working. It could easily be mistaken for heat waves on the water, but there is a difference. Farview here will be able to spot it with no problem."

"Thank you for the confidence sire" Farview said with what must have passed for a smile. "I beg your leave while I get back up to my perch and have a look around."

...

A few hours later Con called Peter over to the charts. "According to our calculations, we are at the spot" she stated. "No 'X' like on the map of course, but this is the spot."

"All stop!" Peter called. The order was relayed and the Stroller dropped its sails and anchor.. "Beaver, take a look around underwater and see if you notice anything." Beaver complied and slipped over the railing into the water with barely a splash. "Farview, circle around the ship about a hundred feet out a couple of times and see if you can see anything from the air." The eagle rose and began its scouting. "All hands, eyes to sea and report anything unusual" Peter shouted as a final command to the rest of the crew. Those not involved at the moment with ship operations scanned the surrounding water.

Minutes went by with nothing unusual until suddenly...it had been an hour.

Beaver reported back. "I thought you said the water was supposed to be clear here, but it's kind of murky. It gets clear about a half mile out in all directions except north-northwest; it's still not clear in that direction."

Farview returned and alighted on a railing near Peter and relayed his findings. From above he could see the water was a muddy color around the ship for some distance before becoming clear blue. He also noticed that the muddy trail lead to the north-northwest.

"Okay, here's my plan" Peter said. "We follow the trail of the murky water; it should lead us to something, although I don't know what exactly. Farview will scout above and ahead to give us warning if we come across anything. How does that sound?"

"I'll get you there" said Con.

"A decisive plan worthy of success" added Samuel.

"We are in accord then. To the northwest!"

"North-northwest your majesty" Con corrected.

"Where she said!" Peter finished.

And so it was that several hours later, as the sun was nearing the horizon, Farview came back from his last trip of the day with news.

"A sighting sire! Land, straight along our course."

Part 4

The Dusk Stroller sailed until the land was just in sight, and then once again dropped sail and anchor to stay for the night. It was getting darker and Peter wanted daylight to examine the land. The ship settled into its nighttime routine and most of the crew retired for the evening.

The next morning Peter was up and out before light. While leaning against the rail and looking out over the water, Con walked up silently with her gum boots and watched Peter watching the water. For someone who isn't used to being on the water, she thought, he seems comfortable on a ship. Poised and confident as though he's been a leader all his life. She had heard the story of his appearance with his brother and sisters to save Narnia, but to see the actual person was something else entirely. He wasn't 7 feet tall, but seemed like just another person and not some legend that had slain enemies in battle and helped rid Narnia of the 100 year winter. She cleared her throat and he nearly jumped over the rail.

"Good morning your majesty. It's beautiful out on the water when the sun is below the edge of the world" she said as way of opening a conversation. Peter explained that he had been born and raised on a large island but had never really been to sea growing up. They talked of many things for some time as people of the same age often do when describing their hometowns to strangers; so much so that as the horizon grew lighter they scarcely paid attention to the fact. The fact that the diminishing distance they stood from each other at the railing could easily be said to be because they didn't wish to wake others while they talked; any other explanation would have been pure speculation. However, as absorbed as they were with discovering their differences and similarities the sun rose as they still talked and might have continued if not for Samuel approaching.

"Good morning. Are you discussing where the land has disappeared to?" he asked. Both were startled into scanning the horizon for the land. Nothing was visible no matter which direction they looked. "Maybe the ship has drifted or turned in the night" Peter offered as he started to move towards the other side of the ship to scan that side.

"No, it should be right there" Con said as she pointed off towards the direction indicated. "Trust me."

"If we haven't moved..." Peter started.

"...then the land has" Con finished. "I think we found our island, at least until we lost it again in the night."

Peter whistled and Farview stirred from his roost and swooped down beside him. "Farview, the land is gone again. Follow the murky water and see if you can spot it again. It should be our missing island." The eagle lifted and with massive beating wings gained altitude to chase the trail. In the meantime the ship's crew was moving about, preparing to get underway again in whatever direction was needed.

After about an hour the eagle scout returned and announced that the land was an island, and still lay in the direction they had been traveling previously. The anchor was hoisted, the sails unfurled and the ship was underway again. "Well," said Peter "no better time to grab a bite to eat before things get interesting." Samuel stayed on deck to monitor progress while Peter and Con left to go below to the galley and eat. They decided to take the food above deck and eat in the cool of the morning, waiting in anticipation for the sighting of the island again.

In less than an hour's time they had regained sight of the island, and were making good progress toward it. As they neared, the water was noticeably muddy even from the deck of the ship. Little bits of plant floated in the water, swirling about as the ship sailed through. Peter gave instructions to Farview to fly over the island but not get too close and see if there was any activity on it.

His trusty scout returned to report that there was a structure of some sort on the island near the far shore, and what might have been a person going inside as he flew over. There was also a cave near the top of the peak, and a few animals had been spotted in and around the trees on the slopes of the singular mountain.

"Let's get as close as we can to the structure; I'd rather dock behind and make my way around on foot but that would take too much time" Peter commanded. The Stroller made its way around the side of the island and came up against the shore, stopping just short of grounding the bow.

While Samuel stayed with the anchored ship, Peter led a party into a boat and made towards shore. Con, Beaver, Yelp the dog and Stealth the leopard came along in the boat with the rowers. Peter would have preferred Con to stay on ship as well, but it was good to have someone from Archenland along; it was their island after all. The breeze was soft and made for easy rowing as the boat quickly crossed the remaining distance and landed on the beach. Tying the boat to a tree, Peter ordered the rowers to stay near it while the rest explored. He sent out Yelp and Stealth to quickly survey the area, but not to chase or engage anyone.

Meanwhile, Peter and Con made their way towards the hut that was near the shore. As they approached they saw there was a

[dice: doorway]

with a loosely fit door in the side with a sign that said "Stay Away".

Part 5

Peter and Con made their way to the door and listened. No sounds came from inside. Peter knocked on the door and called "Hello" and then waited, but there was no reply and still no sounds from within. Waiting no longer, he opened the door and entered.

The one room hut appeared to be the current home of someone. A pile of bedding that lay against one wall and a makeshift chair made from a tree trunk were the main furnishings. There were a few baskets on the floor that held items made of cloth and a few personal items including a

[dice: goblet]

while another basket hung from the ceiling contained fruit. It seemed a very simple accommodation for someone who didn't have a lot. One item that looked familiar though was a pair of gum boots off to the side of the room. Apart from size they looked nearly identical to Con's pair.

While they were pondering what the boots could mean, they heard running footsteps approaching quickly from outside. They froze as a man threw open the door and almost as quickly slammed it shut behind him as he entered. He stood facing the door bent over and breathing hard, trying to catch his breath. After a few moments Peter could hear an animal outside walking around quietly but making a low rumbling sound. Peter recognized the sound as Stealth; it probably wouldn't be long before Yelp was here too.

The man turned around and was shocked to find two people in his house. Disheveled and unkempt, he looked like a survivor of a shipwreck. "Did that tiger chase you in here too?" he asked, shaken from the pursuit.

"First," Peter told him "he is a leopard, not a tiger. And his name is Stealth." He raised his voice so that it would carry outside. "Stealth! I said not to chase anything."

"I'm sorry sire" the big cat responded from the other side of the door. "I was just following to see where he went. I wasn't actually CHASING him as such; I just had to hurry to keep up when he started running."

"Did I miss out on any fun?" another voice spoke from behind the door, along with some panting. "I got sidetracked when I stopped to get a drink at the stream. Are you okay sire?"

"I'm fine" Peter responded. I'm in here with Con and..." He paused because he didn't know who the man was.

"Tally Hough unless I'm mistaken" Con finished.

Tally straightened up, which only emphasized how thin he had become. He looked closely at the two visitors. "I think I remember you; you were that navigator back home. Sorry I don't remember your name. You on the other hand" he said as he turned to Peter "I don't remember at all. You talk to animals so I can only assume you're from Narnia." He paused as if the effort to think taxed him greatly. "And, if the animal called you sire, then you must be one of those two brothers that sit on the throne."

"King Peter of Narnia at your service, and this is indeed Archenland's best navigator Con Balcor. Did you know you were on a missing island?"

"How can it be missing if we're here?" Tally posed.

"Oh, the island is here all right. But here isn't here. The island is moving."

"Then it wasn't my wild imaginations." Tally grabbed the goblet and poured himself something from a bottle and drank it quickly. He motioned an offer for the others to have a drink but they declined. "It's a mixture of fruit juices from the island, but I have to drink it before it spoils." He sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall which gave slightly.

"How did you come to be here?" asked Con. "The story is you retired and disappeared."

"In a way that's true. I was very satisfied making boots and shoes for the population but I became very troubled. I don't know if I can describe it, but my nights became filled with dreams of being lost. They became so vivid that they actually began to come to me during the day. I would be working on my shoes and suddenly I had the overpowering feeling I was in the wrong place, and following that a despair that I needed to go home. But I was born and raised in that very town! I have known no other place, but soon a compulsion crept over me that I had to go. I closed up my shop and gathered a few things before leaving."

"Where did you go?"

"I traveled around Archenland, even went so far as the border with Calormen. The feeling wouldn't leave me, so I decided to go to sea and find a place where I could be by myself until reason returned. Alas, it has not although the feeling has lessened recently. I think in time it will leave and I will be my old self again."

"Sire?" Stealth spoke from outside. Peter opened the door and the leopard entered. Tally backed carefully to the other side of the hut, but Peter assured him that there was no threat. "Sire, the other boat is coming to shore."

Peter walked out of the hut and looked to the beach. The other boat was landing at nearly the same spot as the first. Men and animals were wading to shore and suddenly the ground shook. As Peter watched the water began to rise. The island was sinking!

"Stealth, Yelp, take Con to the boats and get everyone back to the ship!"

Part 6

While Peter had his back turned Tally raced out of the hut and started up the slope of the central peak. Peter chased after Tally, not looking back in case he lost sight of him in the crags and growth. After many minutes pursuer caught up with persuee and he paused, only to find that Con was right behind him.

"I thought I told you to go to the boat" Peter told Con sternly.

"No, you told Stealth and Yelp to take me back to the boats. I'm not a Narnian, so they couldn't force me; I'm staying with you. How are you going to get those boots if we lose Tally?"

"Speaking of losing me, look down there." He pointed downhill.

The water had risen so that it had covered the hut and was continuing its course up the hill. Peter looked out and was relieved to see that all had made it into the two boats and were headed back to the Dusk Stroller. It looked as though the entire world was being flooded with water, Peter thought. For all he knew it could have been, but the island sinking was much more likely. Otherwise his brother and sisters and all his friends back home were in trouble and he didn't care for that thought one bit.

"We have to get into the cave" Tally continued. He started scrambling up the remaining part of the peak, leaving Peter and Con stunned for a moment before following after him. All three made their final ascent into the cave near the top of the peak shortly before the water rose to the entrance. They scurried towards the back and an elevated beach that lay there. The water rose until it sealed the entrance at which point the curved ceiling created a large air pocket they could breathe in while they sat. They did so in near darkness however, as the water cut off almost all light from outside.

They talked for some time, catching Tally up on what had happened that brought them to the island. Speculation about what had happened soon died down as the lack of facts made it rather pointless, leaving three people sitting in the dark thinking to themselves. Their introspection was broken when a small voice said "There you are. Why are you tickling me?"

Peter was the first to react with a "What?"

"I asked why you are tickling me."

"Who are you? I'm not touching anyone right now."

"Sorry, allow me to introduce myself; I'm...well, my name is...he calls me 'Little one'."

"Who is 'he'?" asked Con.

"You'll have to speak up, it's hard to hear down here" the voice said.

"I asked who is 'he'!" Con yelled.

"You don't have to yell, just speak up some is all. 'He' is that voice that speaks to me in my head. You are in him."

"He is a cave?" asked Tally. "A cave isn't alive. We're alive, and you're alive...unless you are a spirit."

"I don't know what a spirit is, but I have a body and I eat. I have to stay in the water or I can't breathe."

"Make some noise so we can hear you" asked Peter.

"I am making noise by talking, although you're the first I've ever talked to through my mouth."

"No, I mean some other noise please."

Some splashing sound came from nearby. "You're a

[dice: fish]

down there?" asked Peter.

"I think I am. Like I told you, he calls me Little One. But fish sounds like the kind of thing I am. Wait...he still wants to know why you tickled him."

"Did he just talk to you right now?" Peter was curious; he certainly didn't hear anyone else.

"Yes he did. It sounds different than your talk; I don't feel it like I do your words, it's more inside me."

"When did we tickle him?"

"All the time when you move around. It tickled so much when a lot of you moved around on the beach he had to make it stop by sinking into the water."

That was about right; the water didn't start to rise until after everyone got off the second boat thought Peter. "It's not the cave; it's the whole island! Were we tickling him before that?"

The voice waited. "Some, but a few things moving around is okay. Too many and it had to stop."

"Like ants crawling on you when you sit near an anthill" Peter explained. "One or two and it's not bad. But a lot of them and you start shaking them off and it feels like your skin is doing the crawling. Tell him we're sorry and we won't do it again."

"He thanks you. He also asks do you know where home is?"

"We all have homes" answered Con. "Two of us live in Archenland, and the other in Narnia."

"One has a home to the north, one to the east he says" the fish repeated. "The other has a home somewhere else. He has felt it and wants to go there too, so we are going home."

"Where is that?" Tally asked. He certainly didn't know where his home was anymore.

"We will know when we get there. But the tickling has stopped, and that is good."

Part 7

Back on board the Dusk Stroller, Samuel was plenty worried as acting captain. From the distance he could see as the second boat landed on the shore. Very shortly afterward the landing parties hurried back into the boats and started heading back to the ship. He sent Farview to see what was happening, but before the eagle had returned it was obvious; the island was sinking.

What wasn't so obvious was that the returning boats didn't have Peter or Con aboard.

Samuel and crew watched helplessly as the island sunk below the waves, then waited for Farview to return with a report. When at last he did return it wasn't with great news; there were no people in the area either swimming or holding onto debris. The only good news was that there were no bodies either.

Beaver wasn't about to lose one of his best friends so easily. "Why don't we take the ship and go to the spot where the island went down?" he asked the captain.

"I'd like to, but that's not a good idea. We don't know what caused the island to sink. What would happen if it were to suddenly rise up again while we're over it?"

"Why it would...oh, I see" Beaver realized. If the island were to emerge again, the ship would become stranded on top somewhere and be stuck for good, not to mention possibly damaged beyond easy repair. "But we could send one of the boats, couldn't we?"

"That we can Beaver" Samuel agreed. "Care to form a search party?"

"Gladly!" And so Beaver did, gathering rowers and searchers to look over the area. But a most curious thing happened before they could launch.

While looking over the area with his own eyes, Samuel had a

[dice: bee]

land on the railing in front of him. It spun around several times to get his attention, then flew in front of his face and hovered before flying away several feet. It was immediately joined by a swarm that created a large cloud. As Samuel watched the cloud, it started to resolve into a head of some sort with a large amount of hair. The image shifted and it further resolved into a maned lion's head which caused the crew within view to kneel. The image spoke to the captain.

"Samuel," a voice sounded through the image "do not be worried. King Peter and Con are safe inside the island. You may pick them up when the island rises again, but do not let more than two go ashore. After that you will head to Narnia and have Peter prepare a place for some new land." The image smiled and then the bee swarm disbursed until nothing was left in the space except the view of the sea.

The crew stood again. Samuel looked down at Beaver, who was grinning broadly. "Um, Beaver, was that...?"

"It sure was, and with great news. I wonder what he means by some new land? I guess we'll find out in good time."

And it wasn't long before the top of the peak was visible again, followed by increasingly lower elevations as the island rose to its former height. Beaver trimmed his rescue team and together they rowed back to the island. In that time Peter, Con and Tally were able to make their way carefully down the slippery slope of the central peak. Tally looked at what was left of his hut and shrugged; there wasn't anything that couldn't be replaced except his boots, and he could make another pair of those in time. After the survey of his former home he made his way down to the beach with Peter and Con in time to greet the boat.

Stealth and Yelp insisted on coming along with Beaver, and they were overjoyed to find Peter alive and well. After he thanked them for getting everyone safely back to the boat while the island sank, he and Beaver brought each other up to date on what had happened. After some thought Peter consulted Beaver and sent him off up the slope while he and Con returned with the rescue party to the ship. While the boat was on its way back to the Stroller Tally was properly introduced to Stealth and Yelp, who he greeted with a little more enthusiasm than in his hut previously. The reality of talking animals was beginning to sink in now that he had talked to a fish, beaver, dog and leopard.

They made their way back onto the ship after tying up the boat on deck. Samuel greeting them warmly and then asked Peter if he had met Aslan before.

"Oh yes, he's the most frightening and yet the most peaceful creature I've ever met once you get over the initial shock. If you think the bees were impressive, wait until you meet the real thing. But we have our work cut out for us; we have to make it to Narnia at best speed."

"We're leaving the island behind?" asked Con.

"We are but it will follow behind us. We need to prepare Narnia for when the island gets there. I've left Beaver behind in the cave to help with the navigation. We're going to upset our cartographers just a bit."

Part 8

All Narnia was a blur of activity. Lucy, who among the four siblings had the closest ties with the vast Narnia population, took it upon herself to get the word spread of the coming guest and the need to evacuate a path through Narnia. The talking animals in turn helped their non-talking kind to be out of the way when the time came. The intelligent trees were marked so as to be avoided.

As the time approached much of Narnia formed on either side of the designated path as the island approached the shore. As the water grew more shallow, more the island which had been below the water rose above. Green with algae, brown with barnacles and mud it rose and rose. Soon the edge of the island itself came up out of the water; its lower surface obscured by mud and sand that shook and rolled down the sides. The island continued to move onto land, now becoming more of a point until finally it was all on land.

Slowly but deliberately it shuffled north past Cair Paravel, keeping south of Owlwood and finally arriving at the hills of the battlegrounds where the White Witch met her demise. Finding a spot up against some taller hills, it settled into place with a noticeable shake and a sound that could have been interpreted as a sigh. After waiting for a few minutes and with the new hill seemingly settled, the citizens edged closer to the base of Narnia's newest edition.

Farview flew up and carried Beaver back down to the flat where Peter stood waiting.

"Welcome back" Peter told his friend. "Is everything okay?"

"Just about" Beaver reported. "We're going to have to move the fish though. He needs to be in the sea."

Lucy was informed and she organized a large container and a litter to carry herself and the fish. In short order she and 'Little One' were talking like old friends on the way to the sea, where an area with a natural breakwater existed not far from the castle. An impromptu ceremony was held as the fish was officially welcomed to Narnia and thanked for its role in the relocation of the island.

"Thank you for the welcome and particularly for the friendship, for I am the only one of my kind" the fish said.

Peter saw a

[dice: boy pointing]

just as he heard a voice from over the water say "No one should be without their kind." Peter looked out to the farthest point of the breakwater rocks, and saw Aslan standing as he blew a mighty breath to the water. In a few huge bounds he hopped the rocks to land on the shore and approach Peter before addressing the fish. "I created you to serve as interpreter for the island, to give voice to one that had none. It would be unfair to take away your gift of speech now that you have it, so instead I present to you a special friend; Ladyfish."

The water rippled farther out as something came towards the shore. It was another fish similar to Little One, but of a lighter color. "Hello, I'm glad to be here" she said. "Would you like to go explore a little?" Little One gladly accepted, and they swam around the breakwater and off along the shore.

"Did the island have anything to say after it settled in?" Peter asked Beaver.

"Just two words: 'home' and 'sleep', nothing more" he answered.

"And that's all you'll hear from it" said Aslan in his deep booming voice. "Every creature needs to have a home. Most feel it inside them, a calling that says 'find rest and safety here'. It can be another person or family, a house, a town or even a land. Being away from it creates a lack of contentment and a sense of listlessness. Tally, do you have that lost feeling now?"

"No, I don't" Tally said somewhat surprised. He actually felt really good.

"That's because you've found home in a place you've never been to before. It was the same for the island. I know why it needed to move, but I'm not going to tell you right now; you will find out in the fullness of time."

"The fullness of time?" asked Con.

Peter turned to her. "He always talks like that. He says there will be a time in the future when we find out all the mysteries of the world, but until then we have to endure. Isn't that right Aslan?" he said turning back to paw prints on the sand. He was gone again.

"Was he really here?" asked Samuel.

"He's always here" said Lucy. "We just don't always see him." She laughed and started walking back to the castle, followed by the rest of the group.

The End

And so ends our tale of one of the many adventures that took place during the golden age of Narnia. The reader can rest assured there were many others, some of which can be found elsewhere. And who knows; there may be other stories of that time out there that merely have to be recorded in order to be shared with those who are friends of Narnia.

A/N: There was a rather odd genesis for this story. While at work nature called suddenly, and due to the occupied status of a nearby lavatory I was forced to use one on the floor above, a rare occasion. While seated upon that most undignified of thrones, I noticed a pattern on the door. Like many wooden doors that are stained and varnished, it had a mirrored wood grain pattern created by split pieces set side-by-side. Two larger knots above and two smaller knots below reminded me of the eyes and nostrils of a dragon, which made me think of Eustace and the dragon's treasure cave. Then I got to thinking about caves...