"Ah, there you are, Susan," Caspian smiled as Susan stumbled into the ship's galley. "We were just waiting for you. This is my captain, Lord Drinian."
A dark haired man went down on one knee and kissed her hand. "Pleased to meet you, my Lady," he smiled.
"The pleasure is all mine," Susan said kindly. Looking around, she saw that the only others present were Lucy, Edmund, and Reepicheep. "Where is Eustace?"
"In bed," said Edmund, "and I don't think that we can do anything for him. If you try to be nice, it only seems to make things worse."
"Funny, Eustace is so terrible that he can't understand what it is to be kind."
"Meanwhile," Caspian said, "we all need to have a word."
"Yes, we do," Edmund and Lucy agreed.
"Where are we headed for?" Susan questioned.
"That is a rather long story," Caspian answered. "Perhaps you remember my dreadful uncle Miraz? Well, when he was trying to gain the throne of Narnia, he got rid of seven of my father's friends by sending them off to explore the unknown Eastern Seas beyond the Lone Islands."
"None of them ever came back," Susan observed.
"Right. Well, I swore, with Aslan's approval, of course, that once peace was established in Narnia, I would sail east to either find my father's friends or learn of their deaths, and avenge them if at all possible. Their names were Lord Revilian, Lord Bern, Lord Argoz, Lord Mavramorn, Lord Octesian, Lord Restimar, and Lord Rhoop. Rescuing them is my main intention,"
"But I have another one."
All eyes were then turned to the mouse, for it was he who had spoken.
Reepicheep continued, "I expect to find Aslan's country at the end of the world, for he always comes to us from the far east across the sea, and I have a great hankering to see such a land."
"My, that is an idea," Edmund said, rather bewildered by the thought of seeing where Aslan came from.
"But do you think that Aslan's country will be the sort that you can sail to?" Lucy asked.
"I do not know, but I plan to sail as far east as I can in the hopes of finding it."
After a brief moment's silence, Susan said, "Where exactly are we?"
Drinian got out his chart and spread it on the table. "Here we are," he said, pointing to their current location. "Or at least that's where we were at noon today. We had a fair bit of wind from Cair Paravel and stood north of Galma for a day. We then went to Galma and were at port for a week while His Majesty had a tournament. He unhorsed many knights and we thought the duke of Galma would have been pleased of the King would have married his daughter, but nothing came of that—"
Caspian looked to Susan, and explained. "Squints, had freckles. Not a pretty sight at all."
Susan laughed.
"Then we sailed from Galma," Drinian continued, "and made it to Terebinthia four days later. A pirate schooner overhauled us after we sailed out of Terebinthia, but she saw us well armed and stood off. In five days more, we were in sight of Muil. From there, we rowed to the island of Brenn, where we were very well wined and dined. We left there six days ago and have made such good speed that I hope to see the Lone Islands tomorrow evening."
"And after the Lone Islands?" asked Susan.
"No one knows, Your Majesty," Drinian said, "unless the Lone Islanders can tell us themselves."
"Then the real adventure begins," smiled Reepicheep.
Caspian then suggested that a tour be taken of the ship so that the Kings and Queens of Old could become more familiar with it. He bowed to Susan and offered her his arm, which she took, and he began to show the company over the ship.
Lucy said that she wished to see their cousin Eustace, for she knew seasickness to be quite dreadful and wanted to help him. Caspian planed to first lead them below so that they could see Eustace.
"If only I had my cordial with me," Lucy wished.
"Oh, I had almost forgotten!" Caspian exclaimed. "As you left it behind, I thought it might be regarded as a sort of royal treasure, and so I brought it."
"Oh, good!" Lucy cried. "Only a drop and Eustace's seasickness will be better."
Caspian left for a moment and fetched from his chambers, which were now Susan's, the beautiful diamond flask and brought it back to Lucy.
He led them down a ladder into the after hatch. They found themselves in a place where benched for rowing ran from side to side and the moon's light came in through the oar holes. There was a space under the benches for the rower's feet, but all down the center there was a sort of pit, which went down to the keel and was filled with all sorts of food. From the roof hung hammocks in which some men were asleep. Caspian lead them, stepping from bench to bench, Susan still holding his arm. They then came to a partition with a door in it, which Caspian opened and lead them through. The room they entered was a cabin, with low, sloping sides and windows that were submerged in the water.
"Edmund, you and I will lodge here," Caspian said. "Susan will have my chambers, of course, and Lucy will have the starboard cabin above, and Drinian and Rhince (the shipmate) will remain in the port cabin."
"But I couldn't take your cabin from you, my King, with the knowledge that you will be resting here," Susan said, feeling bad that Caspian was giving up his lovely room on board for her.
"Nonsense," Caspian smiled. "I wouldn't have you sleeping down here. I will lie very snug in here."
Seeing that there was no arguing, Susan smiled to him in gratefulness.
"Our poor cousin!" the kindhearted Lucy exclaimed at the sight of Eustace. His face was rather green.
Eustace sat up and turned to Drinian. "Is there any sign of the storm lessening?" He asked.
Drinian laughed. "What storm? This is as fair weather as a man could ask for!"
Eustace groaned quite miserably, and Lucy was at his side with her cordial. "I've brought you something that will make you feel better," she said gently.
"Go away and leave me alone," he grumbled.
"Really, does he have to be so rotten?" Caspian whispered to Susan.
"You've yet to see the worst of it," Susan whispered back.
Lucy, somehow, got Eustace to take a drop of the healing draught, and though he said it was rather horrible stuff, his face became much less green and he stopped wailing about the storm that only he was experiencing. He, instead, began to beg and demand to be put ashore at the next bit of land the voyagers saw. Eustace, after much coaxing, agreed to put on some clothes and come and see the rest of the ship with his cousins, Reepicheep, to his dismay, and Caspian.
Caspian lead them up to the forecastle, where they met the look-out man standing on a little shelf inside the dragon's neck (the prow of the ship was a dragon's head) and peering into its open mouth. Inside the forecastle was the galley, which is like a ship's kitchen, and quarters for the boatswain, the carpenter, the cook, and the master archer. They were then taken to the poop, where Rhince was on duty, and behind that the dragon's tail rose up, covered with gilding, and round inside it was a small bench. The name of the ship was Dawn Treader. She was a small ship, for the Narnians had lost the skill of sailing when the Kings and Queen of Old left Narnia many years ago, but she was a perfect ship for the task that was at hand.
As they had now seen all of the ship, it had grown very late. Lucy was yawning wildly, and the company thought it best to catch some sleep before the next day approached. Each said their long and sweet goodnights, save for Eustace, and retired to their appropriate cabins.
"May I escort you, my fair lady, to your chambers?" Caspian asked Susan as she was heading off, once again extending his arm.
"You may," she smiled, taking it.
Though it was a short way, Susan was glad of the company, especially since it was Caspian's. She had been longing to speak with him ever since she had seen him when they first stood aboard the Dawn Treader. It was, however, Caspian who spoke first.
"Have you enjoyed being back in your home?" he asked her gently.
"Not much," Susan confessed. "It is quite a bit boring in comparison with Narnia, one would think." She sighed. "But I did not think I would come back."
"Nor did I," Caspian said. "It saddened me greatly."
Susan turned to face him, for they had now reached the door to her chambers. Caspian took both her hand in his. "But you are hear now," he smiled. "That's all that matters."
Susan, not knowing what to say, only smiled at Caspian.
"Did you think of me often?" he asked after a short moment's silence.
"All the time," she answered quickly. "I am so glad to have come back, and to have stumbled upon you so quickly."
Reepicheep the mouse then walked by rather loudly, quarrelling with Eustace about one thing or another, for the two really did not get along at all. Whatever it was that they were bickering about, it disturbed the moment that Caspian and Susan were sharing.
"Well, then," Caspian said shortly, "I'll let you get some rest."
"Yes, goodnight," Susan said with a smile. She opened the golden door and went straight to bed.
The next morning, the company arose to trouble between Reepicheep and Eustace. Susan, Caspian, Edmund, and Lucy sat around a table having a lovely chat about Cair Paravel and its' rebuilding while breaking their fast. Caspian poured tea for them all and was taking a particularly long time fussing with Susan's when Eustace came running into the room wringing his hands.
"That little brute has half killed me!" he shouted. "I insist on it being kept under control. I could bring action against you, Caspian. I could order you to have it destroyed."
"No you couldn't," Edmund said bluntly, annoyed at Eustace for being so beastly at such an early hour.
Reepicheep then appeared, his sword drawn and his whiskers in a fierce position. He remained, however, polite as he always was.
"I ask your pardons all," he said. "If I had known that he would take refuge here I would have awaited a more reasonable time for his correction."
What had really happened was this. Reepicheep loved to sit in the bulwarks far forwards just beside the dragon's head, gazing out eastward as the ship sailed. He never held on to anything because everyone on board the ship knew that he often lay there and he had very good balance. As Eustace came on deck for a bit of fresh air before heading to the galley for some breakfast, he saw the mouse lying there and thought that he would have a bit of fun with it. He picked Reepicheep up by the tail and swung him around a few times. He was having a lovely time with this trick at first, but then it turned on him, for an angry mouse is quite a fearsome thing to behold. While he was in the air, Reepicheep managed to draw his sword and began jabbing at Eustace's hands. The pain caused Eustace to let go of the mouse's tail. Reepicheep managed to land on his feet and was coming after Eustace, quite angry at having been disturbed. Even now, Reepicheep was still swatting at Eustace, who was doing his best to back away.
"Stop it!" he cried. ""Go away. Put that thing away. It isn't safe. Stop it, I say, or I'll have you muzzled and tied up!"
"Why do you not draw your sword, coward?" Reepicheep jeered.
"I haven't got one!"
"Do you intend to tell me that you are too sheepish to stand and fight?"
"Oh, stop it, both of you!" Susan laughed. She got up from her seat and managed to wrench Reepicheep's sword from his hand, after he swatted at Eustace and hit him on the arm a few times. "Now you leave him alone," she scolded Eustace. "What did he do to harm you?"
Seeing that no one would side with him, Eustace apologized rather bitterly to the mouse and went off with Lucy to have his arm bathed and bandaged. He then retired to his bunk, where he was careful to lay on his unscathed arm.
