Hey guys! I am there are not enough so's to put in front of sorry to tell you how sorry I am for this long wait. Because of a full time job writing has been quite low on my list of things to get done at the end of the night when I am ready to fall into bed. But finally here is a new chapter for you guys. I hope you enjoy it!

Here we go!

The group walks inside the mansion and I am introduced to one of the most baffling and beautiful sights I have ever seen. Sure the architecture in New York was something that everyone marvels at but none of them have seen the columns and arches in Coriakin's house. The pale blues and tans that flow up and over us gently give comfort to all who enter the dwelling. You'd think with such an exquisite building, I'd feel like I am walking around in a museum or something but really with all of the rugs on the floor, piled high with books, it is cozier than the penthouse I grew up in.

The man ushered us through the living room, up a flight up stairs and into what seemed to be the actual library even though the entire house seemed to be used as one. Coriakin goes over to a table that is covered with rolled up pieces of parchment and riffles through them before pulling out the one he must have been looking for. He goes to stand before us all.

"You might want to stand back." He instructs.

The five of use take a step back and instantly the wizard releases the rolled parchment, allowing it to unravel on the floor. Once it is there, I see that it is a map; but it is no ordinary map. This map is basically a pop up of this world, a 3-D and miniaturized version of Narnia and the surrounding countries. But not only are there the countries but also pictures, moving ones of centaurs and armies going into battle.

"Is this your story?" I ask Lucy.

She smiles before nodding her response.

"It is actually kind of beautiful." Eustace remarks of the paintings, earning himself a raised eyebrow from Edmund. The boy suddenly feels the need to correct himself. He fidgets before saying. "You know, beautiful for a make believe painting of a make believe place."

I shake my head at him, as does Lucy and Caspian.

"Now, here is the source of your trouble…the mist resides here on Dark Island." The wizard points to, unsurprisingly, a dark island that glows the same greenish color as the mist. The island lies ahead of us on our journey to Aslan's country, I note. "It is a place where evil can take any form it wishes in order to corrupt your dreams and hopes…all good you carry inside of you."

"And how do we stop it?" Edmund asks.

"By breaking its spell, of course."

"What kind of spell is that?" Lucy questions.

"By facing your fears, my dear." The magician smiles down at her. "Along with the mist you are also missing some of your lords, I believe?"

Caspian nods.

"They continued on from these lands and towards Aslan's Country. Keep on your path and you shall find them."

"How will we do that though, my lord? How can we know if they stopped or continued on?" Caspian's voice is full of urgency.

"Just follow the blue star, my king. It will lead you where you need to go."

As quickly as it appeared, the map rolled up into itself and disappeared, flying towards one of the shelves.

"Thank you so much for your help Coriakin. It was greatly appreciated. But I'm afraid we must be gone with the morning tide." Caspian announces.

The wizard nods. "I figured as much, my king. Go with my blessing and please allow me to supply your ship before you leave. There are not many islands with food or fresh drinking water between here and your destination."

"That would be a great help. We have been running low for quite some time now." Edmund answers.

Coriakin nods. "Then consider it done. And please, do me the honor of staying in the mansion today and tonight, receive some rest and a warm meal."

"Your kindness is beyond words, sir. We thank you." Lucy tells the wizard.

The man smiles before telling us to go down to the drawing room where we can rest until our meal is ready. "Lucy, may I have a word with you before we join the others? It will only take a moment."

Lucy looks to her brother who nods reassuring before she turns her glance to the wizard. "Of course."

"Great, then we shall join you downstairs momentarily."

The wizard ushers Caspian, Eustace, Edmund, and I out into the hallway before closing the door to the library. We stand there for a moment, wondering what he could possibly need to talk to Lucy about. Finally, Edmund looks over at me.

"Why don't you head downstairs…I'll wait here for Luce."

I nodded, knowing full well that he wasn't so much waiting for Lucy as he was making sure she was protected from Coriakin. Though I am sure we do not need to fear this man, he is still very new to us and that scares Edmund.

"Alright. We'll see you in a few." I say before following the King and Eustace down the hallway and stairs that we had taken to get to the library. We wander through the foyer for a moment before we find ourselves in a lavish living room that reminds me of the one from Beauty and the Beast, the Disney movie I would watch obsessively when I was little. Eustace sits down instantly while Caspian and I pace in front of a lit fireplace.

"What do you think they are talking about?" I finally ask.

"I do not know but it is not our business." Caspian answers before giving me a small smile. "Coriakin is helping us. Please don't look at him in a negative light, Lina."

"I didn't say anything…" My voice slowly fizzles out.

Okay, so Caspian might not want to question this man but it seems only natural to do so. After all, you are never supposed to trust strangers; at least, that is what they always taught us in school. On the other hand, Coriakin did help us to fend off the Dufflepuds so he can't be all that bad. I am conflicted between what Caspian wants me to feel and what Edmund is making me feel.

Finally, I sit on a plush chair near the fireplace while Caspian opts to simply lean.

"This is a nice room, I must say. Mother would very much approve of the tapestries." Eustace pipes in, nodding his head firmly.

I smile over at him. "Yeah, they're great."

Eustace pats his legs a couple times as he looks around the room more. He seems uncomfortable here in the mansion; but what else is new in the Narnian world? If only he had his journal with him now for some sort of comfort.

Caspian finally stops his pacing and comes to rest in the chair next to mine. The king sits down with a heavy sigh. Though we had just been resting on the beach an hour and a half earlier, I know he didn't get the rest that he needs. He sinks into the chairs and allows his head to fall back, and his eyes to close. I think he wants to sleep but know he won't allow himself to.

"Caspian, it's okay. Go to sleep." I say.

"No, no. I'm only resting my eyes." He explains as he shakes his head and tries to perk up a bit.

It is now that I get out of my chair and go over to sit down in front of his, trying my best to reassure him. "It's okay. We are fine here. You said so yourself. Get some rest. Eustace and I can keep watch."

"Oh, that is comforting. Thank you, Lina."

I hit his leg before turning to lean against his chair and turn my face to the fire. I don't think thirty seconds have passed before I can hear Caspian's breathing steady out; he was completely dead to the world. I turn back and see that Eustace too has fallen asleep, which is good because I'd rather have a slumbering Eustace than an anxious one.

I can feel my own eyes start to drift off but fought the urge to go unconscious just yet. Edmund and Lucy haven't returned and I want to wait for them. But still by eyelids are heavy and the fire is warm…it cracks and sizzles only feet away from me. I feel my eyes slip closed and before I know it, I'm slouched against Caspian's knee and the chair in what you would think would be an uncomfortable position but turns out is a very pleasant one. I'm pretty sure anything that isn't the hard ground is heaven right now.

The next thing I know, my head jerks up at rolling off Caspian's knee and I am woken with a start. My hand instantly goes to the back of my neck, regretting my decision to sleep like that.

"Ouch," I say quietly to myself.

"Yes, that did not look very comfortable."

Hesitantly, I lift my head and see Edmund in the chair I had vacated earlier with a book in his hands. I chuckle a little, rolling my neck, and see that Eustace is still asleep on the plush couch with Lucy curled up on the other side. I assume Caspian is still passed out, as well, considering his lack of movement next to me.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time…" I tell him.

"It always does." He gives me a half smile before looking back at his book.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"It's the midafternoon…you all have been sleeping for hours."

"Did you get any sleep?"

Edmund shakes his head. "I had no need to."

I tilt my head. "You aren't at all tired? We all haven't been sleeping in the most comfortable of quarters, especially those of you sleeping in hammocks."

"I believe it is now my turn to tell you that I am truly fine."

I chuckle a little before putting my hands up in defeat. "Alright, I give up."

"Thank you."

I nod to him before the two of us go quiet again. I look back over at Lucy who seemed completely exhausted, just like the rest of us. "Is everything okay with her though?" I ask.

The king shrugs. "I suppose so. It is what she leads me to believe."

"That is a relief."

"That it is." He says before closing his book and putting it on the end table next to his chair. I wonder what it is he is reading but figure even if he told me the title I wouldn't recognize it anyway. We are, after all, worlds away from the likes of Austin and Dickens.

I stand to stretch out my stiff limbs and realize that I am sorer than I originally thought. If only Coriakin had a yoga studio for us and the crew to take advantage of during our stay…Then it hits me.

"Where is the rest of the crew?"

"They are here, in the mansion. They made it to bedrooms before falling asleep unlike some people." The king gives me a small smile.

I smile back, happy that the captain and his team are well looked after, as well. I can't help but question though how many bedrooms are in this house if there is room enough for the entire ship's crew. It's quite impressive, even more massive, and I and under the impression now that it is enchanted to have more rooms than could actually fit within the building.

"You seemed preoccupied." Edmund observes.

I shake my head as I pace back and forth in front of the fireplace. "Me? No, just thinking, overthinking…doing whatever it is I do." I explain.

"We could go for a walk. Try to set your mind at ease a bit if you would like."

"Coriakin wouldn't mind us wandering around?"

Edmund shakes his head. "He's in his study. He told us to feel free to explore."

"Alright, then." I say.

We exit the living room, leaving our sleeping companions cozy on their respective couches and slowly make our way down the dimly lit hall that seemed so to accommodate the needs of the sleeping occupants of the mansion. There was absolute silence. Even Edmund and I don't make a noise as we pass room after room. One reason for this, I believe, is because we are to busy taking in the spectacular paintings the lined the walls and statues that stood proudly on our road to nowhere.

It seems like too soon before the hall ends and we come to two great wooden doors that reach from floor to ceiling. I don't know how he is able, but Edmund pushes one of the heavy doors open and it swings out to reveal a garden—a paradise, really—inside the courtyard of the mansion.

I stare in awe, even more so than inside, because I have seen beautiful art before. Exotic trees and flowers that only exist in this world, a world I have been to twice now and still have only scratched the surface of, seemed truly amazing.

Everything in here is a luscious shade of green or a rich yellow, orange, or red. I can hear some strange birdcall that sounds similar to a car horn in the distance but it doesn't bother me. Nothing really could with a sight like this one in front of me.

"Wow." It is the only word I can come up with.

"It is extraordinary, isn't it?" Edmund says, awed as well.

We continue to circle the garden, taking in as much of it as we can before we come to sit at a bench near the center. It is positioned next to a large fountain where the water spouts out of vases, carried by an array of creatures including mermaids, fauns, and centaurs. It is safe to say that there is not a Dufflepud in the bunch. The sounds of the water cascading and falling sooth me and I lean further into the bench, allowing a smile to appear on my face.

"Now you look happy." Edmund notices. "Not troubled at all."

"It is so easy to let the other things—you know, the lords and the mist?—get to us. But here it's almost like those worries can't touch us." I reply.

Edmund falls serious. "You are worried about the mist?"

I shrug. "The mist shifts, right? It takes the form of your deepest fears…I don't know what I'm afraid of Ed, and that's what kinda scares me."

The king paused. "Lina, I'm going to say something and I don't know how you are going to respond to it but…maybe you are afraid of finding out the truth."

"About what? About what happened here?"

"About everything. Your past in Narnia, the good parts and the bad."

I purse my lips. "Edmund we have gone over—"

"I know, I know. I sound like a broken record. I'm sorry." He pauses again, gets up and starts to pace. The king runs his hands through his hair a couple times and then looks at me. "Actually, no I am not sorry."

He comes to sit next to me again and takes one of my hands in both of his. A shock of electricity shoots through my system but I am focused on his dark eyes. I'm stock there, unable to look away.

"If you're scared of the unknown then I'm afraid of you not knowing, always missing a part of you…the part of you that contained me. And I know that's selfish but I don't care, Lina. I just need you to remember."

Edmund continues to stare at me and hold my hand. That all I can think about for a long time, the fact that his skin is touching mine and those dark eyes staring at me. Slowly, I begin to come around, come back to reality. I give the king's hand a squeeze and lean a little closer to him as if to tell a secret.

"So…how do we make it happen?" I whisper.

Edmund's eyes shoot up to mine and I know I have just spoken the key words, given him all the reassurance he needs. The king's hand releases mine and slowly reaches up to cradle my face; his hands feel rough against my skin, I notice. He traces a small circle on my cheek with his thumb as he continues to stare deeply into my eyes, silently asking if this is okay.

I take a deep, shaking breath. "Face our fears?"

He nods. "Face our fears."

With that, he leans in the last inches that separate us and presses his lips against mine. At first I am startled but then I settle into the kiss, allowing myself to relax and kiss him back.

It is quick.

It is desperate.

Edmund places one more quick peck on my lips before pulling back a few inches and smiling at me in a way I haven't seen from him yet—he looks hopeful. The man takes a deep breath. "Well?"

I want to tell him what he wants to hear, that everything from my past came rushing back to me when he kissed me…but I can't. I won't lie to him. "Nothing...nothing came back to me. I'm sorry."

His hands slide from my face and his smile fades a slowly after. The king stands, turning his back to face me. Edmund walks off to stand in front of the fountain and this is when I slowly start to follow. I know he is disappointed. I know I should feel the same way but right now I'm happy enough to be here, with him. It should be enough, shouldn't it?

I gently place my hand on his shoulder. "Edmund, I might not remember but…that doesn't mean I don't care about you."

I see the man tilt his head slightly before looking in my direction. "You love me?" He questions cautiously, like he doesn't quite believe it.

I laugh nervously, taking my hand off his shoulder and placing it safely across my chest. My eyes begin to dart around, looking anywhere but at him. "Well, I don't know, Ed. I mean, I just met you a couple weeks ago—"

He sighs, shaking his head. "But you didn't, Lina. That's the whole point."

Edmund begins to walk away then, leaving me alone in the paradise that we had discovered. I don't know how, but the garden seemed less pleasant, less like a haven when he walked away, and more like an overgrown jungle, trying to overtake the courtyard and bring me down with it. I sit down on the bench and place my head in my hands, breathing deeply and willing myself to remember a life as foreign to me as the flower that were blooming in the garden. Identifying either alone, I realize will never happen.

But that's the predicament I am in, isn't it?

I'm all alone.

The thought sets a memory flash in motion.

I was in a bedroom, one I believed must be in Tashbaan based on the low bed and brightly colored throw pillows. There was a balcony and a chair, I was sitting there, ever watchful.

I watched as the venders set up their booth's every morning and tore them down every night. I watched as women, who I was beginning to recognize by their faces, came to the same shops everyday to buy what they would need for dinner that night. I watched on as everyone's lives went on and mine stood still. I lived vicariously through these people and feeling a sense of life was more important to me that staring out at the ocean waiting for a boat that would never come.

I heard the door open behind me and a tray scrap across the floor and into my room. I looked back to see my usual, daily meal: bread and water. I rushed over to the small tray, sat on the floor, and began to eat like a wild animal.

It took me a few seconds to calm myself enough to think rationally. This single piece of bread and glass of water was all the food I was allowed to have for the day and I had to ration it carefully. If I ate it all now, I would be starving tonight and the pains from it would keep me awake.

I couldn't help but wonder if this was what it was like in the Great Depression when families did not have enough money to have three square meals a day. Sure, I had lost weight, which I have never complained about doing before, but soon enough two pounds turned into five, then ten, then fifteen and now I could see part of my body that were not supposed to be peeking out through my skin such as my ribs, spine, and cheek bones.

Slowly, I took the half devoured piece of bread back on the tray, picked it up, and placed it on the table next to my bed. I frowned as I walked away from the food and back to my chair on the balcony. I sunk into the chair, my heart pounding in my chest as I relaxed. Along with losing weight, I began to grow weaker and weaker as the time passed by. The single act of running to the plate of food exhausted me and I hated how vulnerable I had become lately.

No strength, no food, no company, no energy, no will to live, nothing. I was weak and alone and that is why I was losing my mind. At this point in my captivity I did not even care if I lived or died. I wasn't going back to Narnia, I wasn't going back to New York. I was just stuck in this room like a stick in the mud. The idea of giving in to Rabadash was getting better and better every day...but so was the idea of jumping off this balcony. I just wasn't sure which one would hurt less.

The flash ends, leaving me feeling worse than I did before. I know I just witnessed part of my captivity and how hopeless, how alone, I felt during it. It leaves a hole in the pit of my stomach. I don't want to feel like that right now. I have to talk to someone. I have to find someone.

I have to find Edmund.

I hope you enjoyed it! I rushed through the edits in order to get it out to you guys sooner so hopefully there aren't too many typos! Thank you so much for reading and being so patient! Please tell me what you think if you feel inspired to!