I was so happy to see one of my original readers comment on that last chapter! Again, I know it is insane to start back up a story after 4 years of nothing, so feel free to reread the first story (The Prisoner) as well as reread this story. Moving forward, this chapter involves a lot of talking again and working things out, so be patient! The next chapters will have a little more action (and just as a reminder, I am following the outline of the movie, not the book).

"I have been abducted by my cousins and thrown into a horrific world where animals seem to speak and pirates tried to sell us all as slaves. And yet, last night the whole crew danced and drank as if there is something to be happy about. I think these creatures are all as delusional as my cousins, if not worse," Eustace scribbled on some pages he had found while his eyes darted around the boat, watching everyone work as things returned to normal.

As he watched the movement on deck, he focused on the large mouse that always seemed to be watching, waiting for a chance to pounce on him. "And don't get me started on this obnoxious mouse thing. I can't imagine what use it would be in any battle, seeing as it could easily be stepped on; regardless, it makes me nervous." Scribbling these final thoughts, he felt his stomach growl. Looking around, noticing Reepicheep had turned to look the other way, he scrambled from his hiding place behind some barrels and began walking to the other end of the boat. He passed Edmund, who was intently peeling barnacles off the sword Lord Bern had given Caspian before they left the island. Confident he had not been noticed, he quietly walked into a storage room.

Rustling through the crates, he grabbed a couple apples and hid them in his shirt, pushing the crates around as he looked for more food.

"And what do you think you are doing?" Eustace froze, turning slowly to come face to face with the large mouse he had been writing about moments earlier. Reepicheep was smiling, his small sword pointed at Eustace.

"N-nothing," he stammered, changing his posture in hopes of hiding the lumps in his clothing, but Reepicheep saw it immediately. With a few quick slashes of his sword, the fruit fell out of Eustace's clothing and rolled across the floor. Eustace let out a high-pitched scream, diving onto the floor and crawling away from the mouse.

"Stand up and fight me, boy. You are a thief, but I will offer you a fair fight!" Eustace felt like the mouse was toying with him, and he had no interest in fighting the small but formidable creature. He burst out of the room, rolling onto the deck of the boat where the crew had started to gather after hearing his scream.

"Oh Eustace, what have you done now?" Lucy asked, unable to hide the amusement on her face as her cousin looked between her and Reepicheep.

"What have I done? This, this mouse thing is trying to cut me into pieces over a stupid apple! What kind of treatment is this?"

"Eustace, pick yourself up and stop causing such a commotion," Edmund said, holding the half-cleaned sword at his side, annoyed by the interruption. Eustace stammered as he watched his cousins walk away, leaving him with Reepicheep smiling down from a post.

"Edmund!" Caspian yelled, running up to him with a telescope before he sat back down. "My men have announced we are coming up on another island. I think we should go ashore and spend the night there. Explore in the morning." Caspian handed him the telescope and pointed it towards the island. Edmund looked, nodding and handing it back.

"Okay. Are they preparing now then?"

"Some of them weren't sure it would be a good idea. They thought we shouldn't leave the ship until morning. I wanted to ask you." He smiled and patted Edmund's shoulder, clearly eager for agreement.

"Shouldn't you ask Mary?"

"She told me at the beginning of this voyage that she is not interested in making decisions like this-that she was coming as part of the crew. This would be her first time traveling."

"Well then I agree with you, let's camp tonight."

"Right, that's what I like to hear!"

Some of the crew stayed on board, watching the rowboats dock on the shore. Caspian walked ahead, leading the others over small hills of sand and deeper into the island. The sun had not yet set, so they made some progress inward to find more level land on which to camp. Mary walked a few steps behind Edmund, watching him and thinking about their conversation from the night before. She felt an intense desire to know more about his time in Narnia, things the books she read did not go into, but that she felt were so integral to really knowing him.

They walked in silence at first, taking in their surroundings, and she kept a small distance between them in hopes of allowing herself some time to think clearly. She watched his hands swing at his sides and the long strides he took, and she felt that feeling again of disbelief that he was really there.

Once she felt the people in front of them were too far away to listen, she decided to approach him cautiously with the question that had been on her mind.

"How did the White Witch die?" Mary asked, coming to walk beside Edmund and speaking rather quietly. He looked to his side where she appeared, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

"What?" he asked. "What is making you ask?" She knew it was not a subject to speak of thoughtlessly and proceeded gently.

"I'm trying to understand," she spoke honestly. "I would say she is the greatest challenge you have ever faced, and I have come to realize I never was told how she came to an end...physically," Mary clarified, remembering her appearance at Aslan's How. After that scene, Edmund had briefly opened up to Mary about the temptations the witch had provided and the choices he had made. She knew Aslan sacrificed himself for Edmund, but she desperately needed to know more about this strong force she had only gotten a glimpse of, but that had a much tighter grasp on Edmund.

"Aslan finished her. I believe he was the only one who could." Edmund cleared his throat and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, looking straight ahead. His stance was that of a soldier, so Mary tread carefully.

"What was your last experience with her, if you don't mind me asking?" Mary allowed herself to walk closer to his side, matching his pace so they walked closely and away from the others.

"Mary, really, why are you-"

"I need to know, and I want to hear it from you." Edmund looked at her for a moment, his pace unfaltering. He sighed, looking to where Lucy was walking with Jasper, smiling and laughing as she appeared to be entertaining him with a story. He wondered why her time in Narnia always seemed brighter than his, as it appeared she was the only one among the whole group who had no demons following behind.

"She nearly killed me." Edmund scratched his face, thinking of his earliest memories in Narnia. "I'm sure you know about the war." Mary made a sound of affirmation, so he continued. "Well, we were losing, badly. She alone was destroying our army. She had this glass scepter, I suppose that's what one would call it. With it, she could effortlessly turn anything before her into stone. Our army was being turned into an army of statues. I saw this and decided I may stand no chance against her, but that, the scepter, had to be destroyed. I attempted to surprise her, but she moved away too quickly. She thought I was trying to kill her. I knew I couldn't do that, and so without realizing my intent, she tried to hit me with the scepter. I moved out of the way and drove my sword down, breaking it." Mary listened intently, trying to imagine the scene.

"And it worked?"

"Yes, the spell broke."

"And then what?"

"Mary," Edmund said, smiling despite the dark memories. "When I decided to destroy that scepter, I decided to die." His smile faded. "I had only entered Narnia days before. I was just a child. I was nowhere close to the swordsman I am now, no matter how naturally it came to me. It took no effort for her to disarm me, and the moment my sword flew from my hands, I looked into her eyes as she drove her sword into me." Edmund's hand moved to his lower abdomen, where Mary imagined the witch's sword had pierced him. "When you saw her trying to tempt Caspian and Peter, that was the look I had been given upon meeting her. Promise, motherliness, comfort. But in that moment, with the greatest pain I had experienced in my life, I was looking into the scariest, most hateful eyes I have ever seen to this day. She had no love for me as I had believed before. She shook me off her sword and was done with me. I laid there for the rest of the battle, surely dying I thought. Lucy saved me. A potion she had been given as a gift could magically heal." He stopped speaking for a moment, but Mary knew there was more to the story, and he was ready to tell her about it. Now that he was finally talking about it, he didn't want to stop.

"After I fell, she picked up my sword, and she fought Peter. Wielding two swords with such strength, Peter fought for me anyway. I think he thought I was dead, so he was avenging me. Her took her beatings until Aslan came, and his mighty roar made even her quiver. And then he destroyed her, quite easily too. Hearing his roar, she knew it was over." Mary could find no words. She wondered if she could ever understand Edmund in his entirety. She felt so many thoughts and emotions hearing him speak of his first experience in Narnia, and of war against such a great foe. What she did come to understand was why Edmund's demon could never be gone. He had looked into the murderous eyes of the truth of temptation. He had seen its ugliness, and he was to carry the burden that comes with gaining wisdom about something so evil. She reached down and took his hand, kissing it and hugging it to her chest, looking forward as he had. He noticed this and stopped walking, pulling her back.

"How are you holding up, really?" Looking at her hands, he remembered trying to wipe her father's blood away from her fingernails, not wanting her to see its stain. But of course she had. "I still haven't figured out what to say about...your father."

"He told me when you kill one of your own, you can never truly wash it away. Edmund, I know he did such evil things to your people, to my own family. But he was my father, and I remember how loving he was when I was growing up. That's the man I knew him as for so long. And he was right, what he said to me. I know what I did, trying to save you and your people, I know that was the right thing. But his death will never leave me, knowing I was the one who killed him." Edmund pulled his hands away from her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close and placing his other hand on the back of her head. They were far behind the others now, and for a moment they didn't move. Her hands rested on his shoulder blades, and no more words were said. They had talked enough, and they understood each other. They understood the horrific things plaguing their souls, but had yet to discover any great relief.

Caspian announced it was time to set up camp as the sun began to set. Lucy came and placed her things next to Mary, smiling as she unrolled her blanket.

"It seems you and Edmund have things pretty much mended now. And would you say your relationship has faded to friendship, or do those romantic feelings remain?" Lucy laid down and turned to Mary, laughing softly at her blush.

"I'll be honest with you. I have very strong feelings for your brother, Lucy, and I think they are only getting stronger." Mary could not help but smile as well, although she tried to hide it while rearranging her things. She could see Edmund talking to Caspian, most likely about Eustace, who was sitting on a log behind them looking unhappy. "I hope your cousin survives this trip, although I am sure Aslan knew what he was doing letting him come. I could see why he needs it."

"Oh really?" Lucy asked, tilting her head and looking over to Eustace.

"He really has a lot to learn; isn't that why Aslan brought you all here in the beginning? To learn? To become better?"

"Yes, I suppose I could see that. I thought it might have been an accident, him coming along, but I guess Aslan doesn't do anything by accident."

"Tell me, Lucy, was Edmund like that when he first came here? I know you said he was rather difficult, but I can't imagine him like that."

"No, not like Eustace. He was troublesome, but much quieter." They both laughed, catching Eustace's attention, who immediately began speaking to Edmund and pointing in their direction.

"Ah, I think we've upset him," Mary whispered, laying down and turning her back to them. She noticed Lucy's smiled had faded. "Is there something on your mind, Lucy?" Lucy looked beyond Mary where Jasper was setting up his things away from the others, and as she watched him her heart felt heavy.

"Mary, please, if you don't want to talk about this tell me to stop. Yesterday while you were resting and the crew was celebrating, I spoke with Jasper. I asked him about his relationship with you. I couldn't help but notice when you spoke of him before how you sounded fond of him, but very formal. So I asked him. He said it is hard for you to be around him, but he said if I wanted to know why I should talk to you." Lucy got quieter as she spoke, unsure if she should have spoken about it at all. Mary looked at her briefly, sighing as she rolled onto her back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, no, it's okay. Maybe by knowing you can help him." She was silent again, but Lucy waited this time until she spoke. "Jasper became such a good friend during those three years you both were gone. I ran into him in the hallway one night, thinking for some reason it was Edmund. He was a servant; he had worked in the kitchen for many years. So I started visiting him. I wanted to know more about what my father had been like to others, especially after I had left. But he was always so vague about those things that I finally gave up. We kept talking, nonetheless, and became friends.

"I asked him one time if he knew how to fight with a sword. He told me he was never allowed to learn, so I said I would help train him. We all have some reason for fighting when training like that. For him, he had always been pushed around, made to do things he didn't want to do. He wanted to learn how to fight for himself. He told me this one day while we were training, but I didn't understand what he meant. He had been a kitchen-boy. I couldn't imagine what he had been forced to do besides cook. And then I found out." Lucy's heart was beating quickly as she listened to Mary's quiet voice. Mary spoke very calmly, but she felt something bad coming.

"Ever since I had been told my mother died, I had been searching for the answer of how. I knew my father killed her, although he told everyone she had been ill. I had to find out how he had done it. And then a few weeks ago I found someone who was willing to tell me. It was someone in the kitchen. They told me he had come down one day, something he had never done before, and asked to see the dish that could be taken to his wife's chamber. She had been locked up in there ever since I escaped. So he took the dish, demanded privacy, and then gave it to Jasper. And Jasper delivered it to my mother."

"Mary-"

"He knew what had been done, and of course there was nothing he could do about it. I know it is unfair, but as this cook was telling me all this, I couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't thrown the food out, or let my mother know somehow. Why he couldn't have saved her. I am ashamed that I have these thoughts because I know now how those servants were treated, and any defiance would have gotten him killed. Yet, I can't help but wish things had gone differently. So yes, it is hard for me to be around him, but it is not because of what he did. I feel no anger or hatred towards him. It is because of my own guilt of wishing he had saved her. I haven't been able to let that go."

By this time the rest of the men had finished talking and laid down to sleep, but Lucy could see Jasper sitting up, watching them intently. When their eyes met he nodded slightly, as if confirming what she had been told. He laid down and turned away; although Lucy wanted to speak to him in that moment, she knew it would have to wait.

"How many people know?"

"Oh, I wouldn't tell that to anyone. It wouldn't be fair to him. I think he came on this voyage to escape all the ghosts in that castle. I didn't want to welcome any aboard."

"You are a very kind person, Mary. I worried about you, during our time away. I guess for what I thought was your whole lifetime. I was worried what happened would...well, fester. Destroy you. But I see you have only become stronger and gained deep wisdom." Mary turned back over to face her, smiling.

"I would say the same for your whole family. Although," she said, becoming serious, "I believe there is still something in us, like a scar, that will always threaten to reopen and wreak havoc. Do you feel it? If I'm being honest, I've felt it more lately."

"Because of our return?"

"No, something else. I can't explain it." Lucy kept feeling the rising insecurity that had started back in England, but she didn't want to admit to it. She was embarrassed. So instead of telling Mary how she felt, she simply nodded.

"Of course these things never go away. As long as we have memories, those scars threaten us, I suppose." She grabbed Mary's hand and squeezed it lightly. "But the hardest part is over. The scarring over takes so much energy." However, as she drifted to sleep, Lucy wondered if her insecurity had even scarred, or if it was just the beginning.

When Mary woke, she knew it had not come naturally. She felt her heart beating quickly and suspected something had woken her up, but she wasn't sure what it had been. She sat up slowly, looking around the camp, but saw no trouble. Everyone seemed to still be sleeping. She thought Lucy's bed looked flat, and started patting the blankets. They were warm, but empty. "Lucy?" Mary whispered, looking towards brush, but suspecting Lucy wasn't near. As her blankets were warm, Mary wondered if Lucy had just gotten up for a bit, but as she explored her surroundings she noticed large footprints around Lucy's bed.

Mary jumped from the ground and found Edmund, falling to her knees and grabbing his shoulder. "Edmund!" she spoke louder, not afraid to wake up the rest of the camp. Edmund turned and grabbed her wrist.

"Mary, what is it?" His grip loosened, and he used his other hand to rub his eyes.

"Lucy is gone."

"Gone? Did she-"

"There are footprints all around her bed, too large to belong to anyone in this camp. I think she was taken. Her blankets were still warm, so I think she was here not too long ago. But she must have been taken quietly because I woke up too slowly to have been startled. We have to wake the others, we have to find her-" Mary spoke quickly, but Edmund's mind was awake with fear and he followed.

"I'll get Caspian, they couldn't have gotten far. We just need to follow the footprints." They woke the men and gathered their weapons, hurrying after the big footprints, unsure of what monsters had abducted the young queen.

The next chapter will be ready and uploaded in either the next few days or in about a week and a half. About to go on vacation, so we will see! Thank you, and please leave a review :)