A/N: Its 25 degrees outside. Twenty-five degrees. And that's not counting wind-chill. Yeah, I know. Anyway, and so the plot thickens in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I am not the great and amazing C.S Lewis. If I was, would I be really be here?

"It was very surprising, to say the least. It's not every day a pirate captain bows at your feet without a sword at his neck."

"Father?"

Edmund and Lucy were shocked, and were totally confused. A pirate had just addressed them with the traditional greeting for Narnian knights. In fact, they were so confused that they had completely forgotten about the pirate maid in the cabin, who was standing with her mouth dropped open.

Lucy was the first to recover. She quickly drew up Captain Dar from where he was kneeling and replied, in the traditional Narnian manner "May the stars guide you on your journey."

Edmund, still in shock, mumbled some sort of replica of Lucy's answer. Darcy, from where she stood, recovered and immediately started bombarding her father with questions.

"Wait, majesties? Who are these people? If they're royals, than why are they here? How do you know them? Who's the mighty Lion? What's going on?"

The captain seized Darcy by her hands and swung her merrily around. After a couple of swings, after which Darcy got very dizzy, he released her and slung a hand over her shoulders.

"These, my dear, are the kings and queens of Narnia, appointed by Aslan, defeaters of the White Witch, and our ticket home."

"We are home."

"Well, un-technically yes, but technically no."

"Huh?"

Captain Dar rolled his eyes at his daughter, and then proceeded dancing around the cabin. He then grabbed Lucy and swung her around, just as he had to his daughter. Darcy cast Edmund a glance clearly communicating,"See what I have to live with?" Edmund couldn't help laughing,it was rather amusing how much his captors reminded him of his family.

"Excuse me sir, but what are you going to do with us?" The question had come from Lucy once the Captain put her down and the room had stopped spinning.

"Do?" Dar threw his hands in the air." Why we're taking you home, of course."

"Wait, hold up. Taking them home? They live in a castle, with guards, and big pointy weapons, and lots of soldiers, with a firm dislike of pirates. And we could get a huge ransom, I mean, they're royalty."

Dar chuckled."Spoken like a true pirate." He paused."I do suppose that I shouldn't be proud of that."

Darcy smiled.

"So let me get this straight. You're going to take us home, and not hurt us, not hold us against our will, and not ransom us? How are you pirates?"

The Captain smiled."We're considered peculiar, even by pirate standards. Now, would you want me to announce that you're not captives now, or just lock you in a cabin."

Lucy and Edmund looked at each other. If he announced that they weren't captives, the crew could get suspicious. On the other hand, if he locked them in the cabin, the crew would still get suspicious. There was really only one way to go.

"We'd appreciate it you kept our identities a secret. Just say that we're part of the crew."

"Part of the crew?"

"Yes, just another crewmember."

"And so, do you want us to treat you just like the crew?"

Lucy and Edmund exchanged glances.

"Just another part of the crew."


"You missed a spot."

Edmund sat on his hindquarters and glared at the green-eyed pirate who stood before him, her arms crossed.

"Really, I'd like to see you do better."

She wrinkled her nose."Can't, I'm the captain's daughter."

She winked at Edmund impudently, then grabbed a rope and fled up the rigging.

"I'm going to get you for that!" Edmund shouted.

"You there, get back to work!" Tallin yelled.

Edmund sighed and started re-mopping the deck. He really needed to work on his diplomatic skills.


Tallin nursed his cup of beer as he peered through the shadows in the brig. It was rather dark, and scary, and creepy, and-"Ah!"

He jumped as a hand was felt on his shoulder, then quickly composed himself.

"You're late," he accused the unseen guest. The person in the shadows rolled his eyes.

"I got a little delayed. Anyway, Barak said that as long as we pull into the Twin Island Harbor, the attack will happen tonight."

"Fine." Tallin was more or less OK with the decision. Twin Island was rather far from Carlormen, where he had been originally heading, but it was more or less on his way.

"What do you think of the captives?"

"Odd, what are they?"

"I think they're some of those demons from the North."

"Will they be killed too, or will they be captured?"

"None of your business, your job is to keep quiet."

"Whatever you say."

"Just keep your mouth shut."


"Well, it's not as if I expected anything else, "Edmund thought as he ducked a plate flying at his head. This is a pirate ship, after all. He thought as he carried his plate to a table where he, Lucy, the faun Hallen, the Centaur Maris, the fox Vilnius, and other members of their entourage sat. It was one table away from the Captain's table, and here he could hear snippets of their conversation.

"-and from there we'll head to Dead Man's Rock, and then Bellering Island."

"No, we should go Smertling Strait, and then the Lone Islands."

"Why don't we just go to Carlormen, like we were planning to?"

"'Cause the captain said we're not to."

"What if we go to the Twin Islands?"

Tallin looked up in shock. Thornton had just recommended that the captain go the exact place that the mysterious stranger said that the attack would happen. Could it be that he was the one Tallin met with every night?

"Excellent!" the Captain declared."We can get there by tomorrow morning!"

Tallin looked around, nothing seemed out of place, no one looked as if they were listening in. Then his gaze met that boy's, Edmund's stare. They held it until Tallin turned away. He was rather mad at the thought. It was known that to look away from an opponent was the sign of submission. And he was a pirate, one of the fiercest warriors in the entire Eastern Sea. And he wouldn't submit to a boy.