Panic.

As long as he could remember, Edmund hated the feeling of panic. He liked feeling in control, or at the very least, he liked the results of being in control. Control was safe, reasonable, foreseeable, and even logical. But of course, Lucy was anything but logical at times.

"Lucy!" He called out, shocked at how meek his own voice sounded to him.

There was no answer to his call, not even a flicker of life in the still room around him. Edmund turned from the cabin and looked back towards the disheveled stock room.

"Lucy!" He called again, this time louder, more urgently.

The panic he'd begun to feel only moments before was growing, building up inside of him, threatening to break him. Edmund began searching other rooms, franticly looking for any sign of his younger sister. Where could she have gone? He wondered. A hundred scenarios flashed through his mind, every one of them more terrifying than the last. He wondered if she was even on the ship, could she have come above deck and been swept overboard, drown in the very sea they'd fought against?

Edmund refused to think of that as a possibility. He yelled for help, but was unsure if anyone heard him. Now almost completely frantic, Edmund began searching through the remains of the cargo that littered the floor beneath his feet. His hands trembled with sick anticipation, dreading and hoping at the same time.

"Lucy!" He called out one last time.

He heard a soft moan and stopped, dead still, listening for its source.

"Lu?"

He heard it again, and this time he heard a voice.

"Ed, Ed is that you?" The voice was weak and shaky, but it was most definitely Lucy's.

Edmund was suddenly overcome with relief, making his heart skip and his limbs weak. He'd been so afraid, so afraid that something dreadful had happened. Thank you Aslan… He whispered fervently.

"Keep talking Lu; keep talking so I know where you are."

At first, Lucy said nothing, and Edmund feared she might be seriously injured, but then her voice again broke the silence.

"I don't know what happened Ed, one minute I was walking towards deck entrance… then the next, i-it was all dark."

Edmund exhaled deeply as he made his way through the crates and boxes, searching for the source of his sister's voice. "Don't worry Lu, I'm here now, you're safe". His words seemed to reassure Lucy, and her voice gained strength.

"It was so dark, and I was worried about you Edmund… I just wanted to help…" She sounded stronger every second, but there was hesitancy in her voice that Edmund couldn't place. Edmund decided it would be best to change the subject.

"Can you move at all, do you feel broken?" He inquired.

There was a pause and Edmund could hear Lucy shifting around in the dark.

"I-I don't think I'm injured at all, but I'm pinned against a wall and I can't move."

Panic again raged against Edmund's senses. Lucy couldn't have been more than a few feet away, but it might as well have been miles.

"I'm almost there Lu," he called out. "If you can, stretch out your hand and see if you can take hold of mine."

Edmund also reached out his right hand in the darkness, fingers straining for his sister's. For a split second his fingertips brushed against something soft and in the next moment, he had Lucy's hand in his. Her grip was tight and fierce, as if she was clinging for her life. In Edmund's eyes, Lucy was afraid of little, and even if she was afraid, she masked her fear well. But the dark, the dark was one fear she had trouble hiding.

He remembered when they were children, long ago – back in Finchley. Lucy had always sought refuge from the dark in bed with Mother, Peter or Susan. He remembered Lucy had tried to crawl in bed with him once, but he'd been sorely against it at the time. Now, years later, in the darkness of the hold, Edmund wished he could take it back.

Lucy's voice broke through his thoughts.

"I'm glad you're here Ed, you know how I hate the dark."

Her words startled him; it was almost as if she'd been reading his thoughts.

"Let's see about getting you out of here now alright." He said softly, squeezing her hand.

Edmund felt around the large object pinning her, noting thankfully that she wasn't pinned in any way that would hurt her. The object was bigger than he'd expected, and he wasn't quite sure what it was, but it didn't really matter, all that mattered now was getting Lucy to safety.

"I need to call for help Lu, this thing – whatever it is – is too big for me to move alone."

Lucy sucked in her breath, and squeezed his hand tighter, then slowly released, as if realizing that it must be done. "Don't be gone long Ed."

Edmund squeezed her hand once more and turned, wasting no more precious time. It took him only a few minutes to warn the crew of Lucy's predicament, and only minutes later, much of the crew was diligently working to free their Queen from the cargo that pinned her. Though their bodies were weary and much in need of rest, the crew worked vigorously.

They'd been working for over an hour, not stopping for even a moment of rest when suddenly, the ship shifted. It trembled fiercely, shaking loose the crew form their positions. A crunching, groaning sound split the thick air around them, making an eerie, frightening sound. As soon as it had come the sound was left their ear, but instead of the stillness that had previously hung in the air, a rushing watery sound replaced it.

The lighting in the room was poor, and Edmund could barely make out the shapes of his crew around him, but although he could scarcely see a thing, he could feel the cold wetness seeping into his boots. Looking down he watched as water slowly pooled around his feet and the feet of his crew. Edmund gasped with the sharp realization.

The ship was sinking.