AN:
Wow.
It's been forever.
Super sorry about the wait, and I'm also super sorry that this chapter sucks. lol. I guess this was kind of a filler chapter, so its not that great, but as the word suggests, it fills in some things.
As far as ages go, I'm thinking Peter is seventeen, Susan is sixteen, Ed's fourteen and Lucy's about thirteen. Sorry if that took too long to figure out, I never really set an age to begin with.
Alright, well I'll stop yappin'. I hope that I can get more of this story written during the summer, but you never know with me. I say things that don't happen, sometimes. lol. Well, at least I hope you enjoy this chapter. Hopefully the chapter lengths will get longer as more interesting things begin to happen. ;)
Enjoy! I love to hear your thoughts, don't hesitate to share them!
-MonkeySaru.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
The feeling of warm sunlight upon his skin was what woke him.
Breathing deeply and blearily cracking open one eye, Edmund examined the morning world around him. Golden sunlight poured out of the sky onto the face of the water, which gently moved and scattered rays over its surface like glittering diamonds. The tide eased itself in and out onto the shore, quieter now than it was the day before. Propping himself up onto his elbows, Edmund sniffed the air heavily, tasting the salt on the dewy breeze, feeling in his bones that it was going to be a very humid day. Grumbling a bit beneath his breath, he shifted around until he had a good look at his sister, who was sleeping not too far away from himself. He blinked a couple of times to get her into focus, making sure she was sleeping soundly, undisturbed by the elements. Sitting up fully, he shook the sand from his hair and stood to his feet, feeling a dull ache in his bones from sleeping on the ground.
He'd have to get used to it, he supposed.
Walking a ways from where they were camped, he examined his surroundings a little more strategically. He noted carefully the length of the coast as it stretched off around a gentle curve, which suggested the island was circular. There was a break in the beach further up, where the sand became closely-compacted trees and vegetation as it extended further inland. He figured that later in the day he would search for a freshwater stream somewhere in the mess of green, and possibly do some hunting.
Sighing, Edmund turned and stood facing the tide, watching it enter and retreat in a consistent rhythm, subconsciously stirring the sand around beneath his toes. Lost in thought, he gazed off into the distance, the sound of the tide drowned out by the musical laughter of his siblings, the happy chorusing bells of the Cair's steeple, and the sweet murmurings of faithful subjects. He wanted nothing more than to be with them right now, holding Lucy's hand, helping Peter with that law they had been trying to write for the past three months.
He looked back, sorrowful eyes searching for his sister. He spotted her, still lying in the sand, hair a mess, chest rising and lowering slowly in a calming manner as she slept deeply. She was exhausted. A small smile managed its way onto his lips, and he felt it deep in his muscles, tense with the feeling of disuse. He would make sure she got home safe. If it took everything he had to give, he would make sure it was given with all the eagerness he had in him.
He could only hope that by then there remained enough of him to make it back as well.
Stay awake…stay awake…
Peter yawned, but tried to hide it behind his sleeve. This presentation was the single most boring thing he had ever had the intense displeasure of living through. The poor diplomat's voice was so monotonous, Peter fancied that he could fall asleep where he was if it wasn't for the fact that he was the only able-bodied ruler at this point in time, as Lucy was ill. So for the sake of duty, Peter found himself forced to listen to the sound of the duke's voice grate distastefully through his ear canals.
Calormene was trying to achieve a tax on Narnian goods being traded between both lands, or at least that was the gist of what he had gathered from this presentation. He supposed that it probably wasn't a very good thing, but law never really was his forte. He desperately wished Edmund was here beside him, asking questions and being interested in what the man had to say. He looked idly off to the side, where golden rays of sun beamed in from the stained glass windows, scattering light onto the marble flooring. Peter lost focus completely, thinking about his siblings and how they were faring on their embassy to the Lone Isles. He wondered if they were safe.
Suddenly, the main doors to the throne room burst open, jolting Peter from his reverie abruptly and causing him to look about for the source of the interruption. The diplomat mercifully stopped speaking, also turning to see who had come in. A timid Faun stood in the doorway, looking quite beside himself with anxiety, bowing low and then scurrying into the room. All eyes were on him as he raced to the middle of the room, bowed low once more, and requested permission to come near the throne. Peter nodded, curious. The Faun came close to the throne, wide-eyed, and dabbed his slick brow with a handkerchief once or twice before bending close to the king's face and murmuring quietly. The room was deathly quiet, but no one could hear what the Faun was speaking; the High King's expression immediately sobered. Once the Faun had delivered his message, he scurried back down the steps and out of the room as quickly as he came, and the King stood up, suddenly wide-awake and alert.
"If you'll kindly excuse me, Sir Ramman, there is an urgent matter I must attend to at once. May we reschedule this for another time?"
And without waiting for an answer, Peter raced from the room, the large oak doors slamming behind him and leaving a dismal echo in his wake.
"The water is beautiful tonight," said Queen Susan aloud to no one in particular, eyes gazing out toward the sunset, which was quickly becoming shrouded with dark clouds. The water was a deep, cool indigo color as the darkness overhead pulled the light from its surface, yet the sun leaked fiery orange and white onto it from afar. "Yes, it is," said her brother quietly, walking close to her and leaning against the rail of the ship, examining the sunset skeptically. "Looks like a storm is brewing, though," he muttered, brow furrowing. At that moment, the ship lurched to the side, throwing some off their feet and causing several to cry out in surprise. The royals held tightly to the railing, everyone looked around for the source of disturbance. It happened once more, and a wave broke up over the side of the ship, spraying a few unlucky creatures and wetting down the deck.
"A storm's coming, captain!"
"Your majesties, take shelter!"
Ignoring these comments, the king searched the deck for the captain, a Satyr named Tireus.
"Captain, how can I be of assistance?" Edmund asked quietly, striding over to where he stood, examining the sails. He gave the king a long, hard look, looking him up and down several times, his hesitation clear on his face. He sighed a little. "If I order his majesty below deck, he'll just end up sneaking back up, won't he?" He asked in a deep, gravelly sort of voice, a bit of amusement coloring his tone.
Edmund had the decency to duck his head a bit, a rosy pinch rising to his pale cheeks. The captain smiled wryly. "Tie down those sails over there, have a few others help you; but for Lion's sake, if it gets too rough, get yourself and the queen below deck."
Edmund nodded ardently, and set to work at once, a few sailors coming quickly to his aid. From the corner of his eye, he could see a couple of creatures standing off near the railing, eying him and his sister with an odd expression on their faces. It gave him a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he brushed it off as the adrenaline from the approaching storm. Tying down the last sail, he stood up straight, seeing the flash of lighting and hearing a rumble of thunder.
It began to rain.