Disclaimer: I own only the character Raxie and the plotline that proceeds after Ramandu's island.
"It's so pretty here, I wonder what the name of this place is." Lucy mused as Drinian led the expedition, Caspian helping her over a fallen log, the incident at Deathwater Island apparently forgotten.
Soon Lucy had to stop due to the fact that she had gotten some sand in her boot. Sitting on a flat rock well within view of the beach she told the others to go on without her, and that she would catch up to them. Drinian was the only one to voice his concerns since the others knew that Lucy was capable of taking care of herself. As soon as the others disappeared from sight, however, things began to get creepy.
All around her there were the voices of men, but she couldn't see anyone. The ground shook with each step they took, shaking Lucy even more. Dozens of men spoke at once, confusing her, making it hard to understand what they were saying to each other. In the midst off all the chatter, indicating the men thought that Lucy couldn't hear them as well as see them, she picked up on the fact that they were planning to cut Caspian and the others off at the beach when they returned to their boat. Waiting to see that the footprints left by the invisible men turned away from her Lucy sprinted away, searching for the others.
Using her rusty tracking skills from the days when she was the queen, Lucy quickly found the men and mouse standing before what looked to be a house right out of the English countryside. Reepicheep was marveling over a water pump that was pumping water by itself when Lucy skidded to a stop just short of plowing into Caspian.
"What's wrong Lu?" Edmund asked as Lucy struggled to catch her breath.
"There were invisible men all around me." She gasped. "And they were thump – thumping, And they're going to ambush us back at the seashore."
"Invisible enemies?" Caspian mused.
Lucy nodded, still trying to catch her breath. What manner of creature, which is invisible, would want to barbarically cut someone off from their own ship instead of trying to be diplomatic about it? Would they slaughter them without a word, or would they toy with them first? These thoughts kept bouncing about in Lucy's head as she followed the others down to the beach.
"Hold right there sirs!" A voice boomed the minute they stepped onto the sand. All around large footprints were appearing in the sand, but there were no creatures that were visible to be making the impressions.
"Who are you? What have we done to earn your enmity?" Caspian demanded.
"No, no enmity."
"We want something only your little girl can do." Said another voice. "Perhaps we should all sit down."
A circle appeared in the sand, and Lucy along with the others, were shoved onto the circle and then told to sit down. Having no choice they did as they were told, Lucy practically being forced to sit in Caspian's lap. With the hand that didn't hold his sword Caspian slipped an arm about Lucy's waist to keep her steady, but also made her feel slightly uncomfortable as well.
"Now, since time out of mind, this island has been the home to a magician." Spoke the second voice which the others called Chief. "One day he became fed up with us and cast an uglyfing spell upon us." Lucy's heart bled ice for the invisible ones. If they were made ugly, perhaps they deserved it.
"So instead of looking like this we decided that one day when the magician had his afternoon nap we crept up the stairs to see if there was something we could do about the spell."
"Dark, scary stairs that are narrow." Another voice added, with a chorus of others agreeing. Lucy rolled her eyes, ready to be gone from the island. Beneath her Caspian shifted slightly, left hand still gripping his sword tightly.
"Oh how we searched, but we couldn't find a way to break the spell. So instead we cast as spell that would make someone as invisible as they wished to be."
Idiots, Lucy thought. Why not just ask the magician?
"But now were tired of being invisible and we want to change back."
"Why don't you ask the magician?" Caspian echoed Lucy's thoughts.
"Disappeared he has, or dead." Another voice replied. "Besides, only a young girl can break the spell."
Reepicheep and the others started muttering among themselves as Lucy contemplated the situation. All they were asking was that she go up some spooky stairs, face an equally scary magician and read a spell. How hard could it be? Unless, she had to go up the stairs at night, then she wouldn't do it.
"Would I be able to go up the stairs at night, or may I do it in daylight?" She asked no one in particular.
"Go up those stairs at night!?"
"Daylight, in daylight." The chief declared quickly. So, it was either do up a creepy stairway in the daylight or is killed by invisible swords along with her friends; it wasn't much of a choice.
"All right, I'll do it." Lucy spoke quickly before the others could voice their concerns. "Don't try to stop me."
"But Lucy, an evil magician…" Caspian began.
"Look it's a risk to my life as well." Lucy cut in. "I don't want to be cut up into bits be invisible swords."
"Very well, we agree." Edmund sighed.
"Good. Now up to the big house and we'll serve you supper." Chief said merrily as the others agreed in loud voices.
Lucy was lost in her thoughts as they were ushered, somewhat clumsily, into the house to be served by equally klutzy hosts who apparently couldn't see themselves either. She barely tasted the rich food, too worried about what she would find and scolding herself because of her foolishness. In the old time Lucy was known as valiant, fearless, and it would dishonor her very own legacy to show anything but a calm and pulled together attitude, not showing the fear she really felt. Unfortunately her sleep was plagued with misty, spider web thin dreams that she was unable to remember that seemed to sap her strength. The next morning Edmund, Eustace, Drinian, Reep and Caspian followed her to the bottom of the stairs, giving her silent support.
"The last door on the right." Edmund muttered.
"Why am I not surprised?" Lucy sighed. "Always the way of magical types, a test before a test."
"Don't worry. Just find the book of spells and see what you can do." Eustace volunteered.
Lucy sighed again. She knew that Eustace was trying to help, but she wasn't worried exactly, just irritated that this magician had more than likely booby trapped the room the spell book was in, if not the hallway leading to it. She just wanted to get the whole thing over with and get back on the Dawn Treader and away form the soon to be un-invisible creatures who forced her to do their dirty work. Even invisible, the creatures grated on her nerves that were already fraying from the emotional turmoil swirling within her every time she looked in Caspian's general direction.
"Good luck." Caspian said softly as she began her ascent, feeling his eyes boring into her back.
Going carefully Lucy made her way down the hall, studying the various paintings, portraits and tapestries that lined the walls along that path she was forced to take. The most striking painting was a large masterpiece, a photo realistic rendering of Lucy and her siblings' coronation. Crowns floated on golden beams of sunlight, materializing above their heads as Aslan stood before them, regal in the center of the painting. Tears pricked her eyes and her chest tightened as she forced herself to move on. Oh, Aslan, I do miss Narnia so.
Finally Lucy came upon the last door on the right, opening it with a great deal of caution. The book lay upon a table in the center of the room, open and waiting. She filled through the pages of the ancient book, pausing at a page containing a spell for beauty. The spell would make the speaker beautiful beyond anyone could imagine. She could become so beautiful that Caspian couldn't help but fall in love with her. As she opened her mouth to speak the spell an image of Aslan appeared on the page, roaring at her, snapping her out of the trance she was in.
Flipping the page Lucy came upon the spell she was searching for. Following the instructions of the spell Lucy spoke the words, blew soft upon the page and uttered the magical words that would free the creatures of their self-imposed invisibility spell. As she was turning to leave the room and rejoin the others downstairs she caught sight of an older man in shimmering robes sitting in a large, comfortable chair before a nearby window with its drapes pulled tight.
"Ah, Queen Lucy, what a delight!"
"Corriarkin," Aslan's voice rumbled into being as his head slowly appeared in the middle of the room between Lucy and the magician.
"Welcome to the least of your houses." The magician stood, bowing deeply.
"Lucy, why do you envy Susan?" The Great Lion asked her. Lucy hung her head in shame, angling her eyes to still focus on Aslan.
"Are you angry with me?" She whispered sadly. She couldn't bear it if Aslan was mad at her.
"No my child." He began to fade away.
"Aslan, may I see you again?" Lucy asked urgently, not wanting the lion to disappear so soon.
"Soon."
"How soon?"
"I call all times soon." Aslan rumbled before disappearing completely.
"How did you like my book of spells?" The magician asked Lucy as he settled back into his chair.
"Parts of it very much." Lucy replied honestly, not wanting to make someone who was reportedly said to be very powerful angry.
"Thanks to you the Dufflepuds are visible again." The magician smiled serenely at Lucy as she mover closer to where the old man sat, drawn to him.
"Dufflepuds?" Lucy was confused and trying not to laugh at such a silly name.
"Come, and I'll show you." The magician led her to a nearby window and pulled back the drapes covering it. Below there were mushroom looking things spread out all over the grounds, but they were the most unusual looking mushrooms Lucy had ever seen. Looking closer Lucy could make out the heads and torsos of both males and females alike lying underneath the mushroom caps, but she couldn't see their legs and feet. Suddenly it dawned on Lucy, the reason why the creatures thumped was because they only had one large foot and a solid stem for legs.
"That's why they thump." Bidding the magician goodbye Lucy raced down the stairs.
"The spell worked! The magician is lovely and I've seen Aslan!" The others met her in the foyer before following her outside. The dufflepuds were bouncing around crazily while speaking at once in their loud voices and giving Lucy a headache. Briefly greeting the dufflepuds Lucy managed to slip away with a sigh of relief to the beach, the others following behind more slowly.
