For some reason it's been difficult uploading this story here, but not on AO3 - so chapter 1 has been up there for quite some time and when I decided to post chapter 2 there tonight I decided to try posting it here again. And lo and behold; now it worked! So you get two chapters of this right away X)


"It's Aslan, My Lord", he said. "He wants to see the girl."

He turned his gaze to look at Cate, which made Caspian look at her as well. She stared back at the man in mere surprise.

A short while later she opened the door which led to the room where Aslan was being treated. The people in there all nodded at her, before they walked out, leaving her alone with the magnificent lion, hidden behind a veil of white linen.

But when she pulled it aside, it was not a lion lying in front of her. It was a man; muscular with tanned skin and golden-brown hair and beard, like a mane around his face. His eyes were closed and there were a few drops of sweat on his brow; he was in pain. Cate slowly sank down next to him, grabbed a towel from nearby and wiped them away.

Then he slowly opened his eyes, revealing his dark blue irises that looked straight into her. And she instantly knew that this was the Great Lion, but in a different shape, because no other creature could possibly have those eyes.

"Hello", she said silently, unsure about if it was the right way to greet him.

"You're the girl they saved from the water", he said. "The one who sees things that no one else understands."

"Well, I… I just… it's just imagination", she mumbled, blushing. It made him smile. He raised a trembling hand and touched her face; it was warm because of the fever.

"Imagination is good", he whispered. "Otherwise I would not have sensed you. I… I would not have seen…"

He drew a rigid breath and closed his eyes momentarily, his body trembling.

"Who did this to you?" Cate asked sharply. "Who was it that attacked the Dawn Treader when they were leaving?"

Aslan opened his eyes again.

"They are called the Barenians", he answered. "They have an island not far from here; a castle, a small city, that's all there is. But they are skilled magicians and they wanted more than just that island. So they decided to get rid of me."

He smiled weakly.

"But that you had already figured out."

Cate grimaced.

"Kind of; it sounded illogical that an unknown navy showed up and attacked the Narnians when they were already leaving. It would be more logical if they attacked them because they knew that they would get to you if they did."

Aslan nodded.

"Are they the same ones that have captured Kelly's fiancée?" Cate asked. He nodded again.

"They tricked him, and now he is their slave. He does not remember his old life, my child. Only the life on Barenia; the life as their leader."

"Their leader?"

"Of course it is a charade", Aslan said and grimaced momentarily. "There are men around him, manipulating him, making sure that he stays drunk."

"Of course; alcohol is the key to success", Cate muttered.

"You must go there, child", Aslan ordered and grabbed her hand. "With your will of thought, you are the only one who can save him, take him back to who he was."

"We need to make sure that you survive before we do anything like that", Cate answered. "Caspian won't let you die and he therefore won't turn the ship around to save someone he does not know."

"He has to turn."

Cate sighed and closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"I won't be able to make him turn."

"My Lady!"

There was a knock on the door and she looked up just as Caspian himself came inside. He closed the door behind him, but did not walk past the white curtain. She wondered if he could see her just as clearly as she saw him; in that case he disguised it by looking in a completely different direction.

"Don't call me that, My Lord", she said. "I'm Cate, not some kind of lady."

Caspian smiled momentarily.

"I came to tell My Lord Aslan that we are halfway to Ramandu's Island and making good speed. We should arrive within two days."

Cate looked down at Aslan, who had once again closed his eyes. She bit her lip to force the tears away; she knew she had to choose between his life and her friends.

"Turn the ship", she whispered. Caspian stopped, turning towards the curtains.

"What?"

"The people that attacked you have an island not far from here and they have captured a man I know; Kelly's fiancée. I need you to turn this ship and go there now."

The King stomped around the curtain and glared at her.

"I will not turn around", he hissed. "Can't you see that he will die if we do not go to Ramandu's island?"

"He asked me to tell you to turn", Cate said and looked up at him. Tears were falling from her eyes and Caspian looked taken aback by the mere sight.

"We cannot turn", he said after a while.

"What if there is no cure on Ramandu's Island?" she asked. "What if you go there only to realize that there is no help to be found there?"

Caspian just stood there in silence.

"I know that you hope and pray that the cure is there", she continued. "But if the Barenians hold the only cure we need to go there instead, and if we go from Ramandu's Island it will be a longer journey for him and…"

"If we go there we will have no chance of surviving", Caspian interrupted. "They have a large navy, we only have one ship."

Cate rose and let go of Aslan's hand, which she had been holding for so long now.

"I am only asking you to let me off on that island of theirs", she said. "I can do this on my own."


Caspian agreed to go to Barenia, after a lot of thought and discussion. During the journey south, Cate kept the information about Brad's location secret to Kelly, who was constantly being treated for her injuries by some of the fauns onboard.

Despite not having any idea of how far away they were from Barenia for a start, Cate soon started to feel that they were almost there. Almost as if something was both pulling and repelling her.

"I gave you a few of my powers", Aslan admitted when she went down to see him again. "Just so that you will survive Barenia; it is a tough place to be in."

"We will be there tomorrow, won't we?" she asked silently. Aslan nodded.

"I hate to send you there, child, I really do…"

"Well, I guess I would have gone there anyway; just to get Brad back with Kelly. I can't bear to see any of them unhappy… it was heartbreaking to say good-bye to them when I left school…"

Aslant smiled and stroke her cheek with his hand, before he closed his eyes and fell asleep once again. Cate sat there for a while, just looking at him, before she rose and walked back up to the main deck.

For a while she just stood there, leaning against the rail, gazing out over the sea, before she realized that she wasn't alone. As she turned, she saw Caspian coming towards her.

"How was he?" he asked, leaning against the rail beside her.

"The same as before", she answered and turned to look out over the sea again. "Tired, weak, but still him."

Caspian nodded.

"I talked with him earlier", he admitted. "Asked him about the other islands here… he told me of one that is quite far away but that the Barenians tend to trade a lot with."

"And that is important because…?"

"Because you and I are going to pose as the prince and princess of that island", Caspian answered. Cate looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I am not going to let you go alone, Cate", Caspian said sharply. "A woman alone on Barenia is, according to Aslan, not the best of things to be. The men will take advantage at once."

"So you are my protector or what?" she asked and turned back towards the sea.

"Call it that if you want. We will be entering the harbor with only humans on deck and you and I will be escorted to the castle. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew will take the Dawn Treader out to sea again. They will return in two days and if we are not there when they arrive, they will leave for Ramandu's Island at once."

"Sounds like you got it all planned", Cate said.

"All to keep you, my crew, Aslan and everyone else safe."

They stood there in silence for a while, looking at the stars that started to show up.

"I have to show you something", Caspian said, turning towards her with a slight smile. He then walked over to the hatch that led downstairs. Cate frowned but followed him down.

Caspian led her past the different cots belonging to his men and opened a secret door in the far end of the ship. It led to a room where several of the fauns could be found. They were all working with huge pieces of cloth.

"They've been working all day", Caspian said and nodded at the fauns. One of them rose with a bow, then picked up the red cloth, revealing it to be a long dress. Another one held up the white cloth, which turned out to be a pair of pants and a jacket.

"Our disguise", Caspian explained. "What do you think?"

Cate just looked at it in surprise.

"What did you make these things of?"

"The table-cloth and curtains used in my own quarters, and the Captain's."

She held up the dress, which was almost finished by the looks of it, and studied it with a slight smile.

"It's beautiful", she admitted. "I hate wearing dresses, but this one will be an honor to wear."

Caspian smiled, both at her and the fauns, before he led her back out through the door.

"We will hide people in that room tomorrow", he explained. "Including Aslan."

A shadow passed over his face and Cate realized that he was worried about moving the lion, or man, whatever he was now.

"He will be alright", she said, giving Caspian's arm a gentle stroke of comfort. "He's Aslan."

Caspian gave her a faint smile.

"I've given you and Miss Kelly my quarters to reside in", he said once they got back up on deck. "I will stay with Captain Drinian."

"That's… thank you", Cate said with a smile.

"I'll take you there at once."

There was something about the young King that made her shy in his presence. She didn't know if it was is good looks or if it was his way of acting towards her, but in any case she had a hard time coming up with something to say as he led her to the quarters he had given her.

Kelly was already there and looked up from her position on the bed with a faint smile. Caspian hastily bid them both good night and closed the door.

"You're alright?" Cate asked and sat down on the other bed in the small room.

"I guess", Kelly answered. "I just hate that I can't move around like I want to."

"There's not much to do on a ship in the middle of the ocean anyway", Cate answered with a shrug.

"Except for flirting with the King?"

Cate stared at her former teacher, who grinned at her.

"Come on, it's obvious that he is into you and you are kind of into him as well", she continued.

"I am not flirting with him", Cate said, but felt her cheeks burning and looked away. Kelly giggled.

"Maybe not, but the chemistry is there."

Cate muttered some foul words as she pulled off the boots she had been given by Drinian earlier. Then she lay down on her back.

"We'll arrive at Barenia tomorrow", she said. "Me and Caspian will go there to look for answers."

"To what?"

"Everything", Cate answered and turned so that she could look at Kelly. "Why they attacked the ship, how to cure Aslan, why the two of us are here, why Brad was taken away by that mysterious fire, who created the fire…"

A shadow passed over Kelly's pale face and she looked away.

"We will find him, I promise", Cate said. "I will not leave here until I know where to find him and how to get him back."

As Kelly forced herself to smile, Cate prayed that she would be able to keep that promise once they reached Barenia.