Jarvus carefully hid a roll, a slice of ham, and an orange in his coat on his way through the line in the galley. Kelta would be hungry; she wouldn't eat the whole salted fish they fed the leopards which didn't surprise Jarvus at all. The things were whole for Aslan's sake! Lakri had been in charge of her food the first week and all she had gotten was salt tack; Kann had given her the fish, from what he had heard last night. The girl had been so parched and hungry she could barely talk. Jarvus knew that if she died on the trip they would be in trouble. Disposing of a body was not something they could do without being discovered. He had also struck up a sort of friendship with the girl during the long journey. She was really quite nice and he enjoyed talking with her. He told her about Larssa and the expected baby and his dreams for their future, and she spoke of her own home and family. Her mother was dead, as were three brothers and a sister, but she and her father lived in the Archenland countryside with her aunt. She had a lover of sorts back in Galma but they'd had a falling out just before she left. She was on her way back to Archenland when they abducted her, and Jarvus did feel bad for keeping her from her family. He'd promised her that he would make sure the Dealer took care of her and her leopards and sold them to a good home. She might even be able to buy their freedom if she could get in contact with her father. She was a sweet girl; he hoped the best for her despite their situation of captor and captive.

He'd though she was still asleep when he got to her cage, seeing as it was still only mid-morning, but as soon as he saw the greenish tint to her features Jarvus knew something was wrong with Kelta. She was rolled over on her side with one arm clutching her stomach and the other over her eyes. Her leopards were curled up next to her and looked up at him anxiously.

"Kel's sick." Said one, Maveus he thought.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked as he set her food on top of the cage.

"Her stomach hurts." replied the other leopard.

"Kelta?" he said, opening the cage slightly too lean in. He shook her ankle lightly and she lifted her arm to look at him.

"Are you sea-sick?" he asked, though that seemed unlikely so far into the journey.

"Don't think so. Started when I woke up."

"So you just started to feel sick?"

"Yes. Oh!" she rolled onto her back and clutched at her stomach. "Jarvus…Jarvus, I'm going to be sick!" She leapt past him out of the cage and up the stairs. Jarvus shouted and ran after her, and he could hear the leopards coming after him. She dashed to the edge of the deck and proceeded to empty herself into the ocean, so when he reached her all he could do was hold her hair out of her face and pray she hadn't eaten much. When she was finished she sagged onto the deck and put her head between her knees. After a minute she stood and walked slowly back to the cage to lie down. Jarvus knelt down and looked at her through the bars. She smiled weakly at him.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Yes, actually, I feel much better. Almost like new. Just a little woozy, but I always get like this after I've…been sick."

"Mmm" he nodded, "well, your food is here if you want it. I'll leave you to get some rest. Sleep." He said with a pointed look at Larken and Maveus.

"We'll be quite!" Larken said.

"Promise!" whispered Maveus loudly.

"Good; you need to let Kelta sleep so she can feel better." He said over his shoulder as he climbed the stairs. Thankfully no one had been on deck to see what had happened and reveal their secret.

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Lucy watched quietly from the bow of the ship as the girl emptied her stomach into the ocean. The man who had been chasing her caught up, paused for a moment, and then gently gathered up the girls long red hair to keep it out of her face, much like Susan did for Lucy whenever she got seasick. Lucy nearly gave herself away by gasping at the sight of two beautiful white leopards. They had the most wonderful sleek white coats with dark grey rings and spots; their fur looked so soft and silky that Lucy wanted to run down and pet them but she held herself back. There was something strange going on, and she was determined to find out where this girl and her leopards came from. Lucy hadn't seen them on the ship at all in the entire three weeks they had been at sea, and Lucy always made a point to meet everyone. Perhaps Peter or Susan knew her, and perhaps they didn't. Lucy watched as the girl and her leopards turned and walked back down into the cargo hold without any persuasion from the man. She wasn't sure what was going on, but for now Lucy would keep this event to herself.

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Over the next few days Kelta's sickness seemed to get both better and worse. Some mornings she would feel fine, only to become nauseous later in the afternoon. Other days she would be sick in the mornings and fine the rest of the day, and sometimes she would be fine the entire day. Jarvus knew exactly what was wrong with her but decided to let her figure it out on her own. He wished Larssa was there. She would know exactly what to say to Kelta, things only women could talk comfortably about.

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