Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing related to The Chronicles of Narnia. That belongs to a bunch of other people, not me. Only original characters and plotlines are mine.
AN: Yup, here's another update! From here on out, this is where the book, television, and film versions meet and mingle, just to make things interesting. Please enjoy, and don't forget to review!
Chapter 11: Dragons:
Finally, after two weeks of storms, land was spotted. The men all sighed with relief, and each of them was eager to get off the ship and put their feet on some soil. Lucy, Edmund, and I were no different –after being holed up for weeks, any kind of land was much preferred over the Dawn Treader!
The ship eventually anchored a quarter of a mile or so away from the shores of a crescent moon-shaped cove, to keep it from being beached during a low tide. When it was certain that the good weather would hold (meaning that it would stay sunny for longer than a few hours), Caspian and Drinian decided that a trip to shore was in order.
"We need fresh supplies, and to explore it for any signs of the missing Lords," Caspian declared.
Filled with excitement, I piled into a long boat with him, Lucy, Edmund, and, of all people, Eustace. There were a few crewmen, too, so it made for a rather full boat. Accompanying us were two other boats, one filled with baskets and containers for food, as well as kegs for any water we might find. The third boat had more sailors plus Reepicheep aboard, and I was certain that his presence would make the trip more interesting.
Perched at the rudder with Lucy, I tried to contain my eagerness as we rowed to shore. Before us, the island was the most welcome sight, with trees, grass, shrubs, and, hopefully, fresh water. We had been drinking rain water for days (goodness knows there was enough of it from the storms!), but water from a bubbling stream was much preferable.
"If there's greenery, perhaps there are animals of some kind living here," Lucy said hopefully.
The men in the boat perked up. "Fresh meat would be marvelous," muttered Rhince, who cast a look at the next boat, which held his daughter. I smiled; like any good father, he was probably thinking of the rations she'd been on the past several days, and likely wanted to get her a decent meal.
Upon reaching the shore, Caspian immediately sent the third boat back with two men, ordering them to bring tents, equipment for hunting, and any men who wished to come to shore and join us in exploring and finding food. Needless to say, it wasn't long before more long boats arrived, bearing men who were desperate to get off the ship and onto solid ground.
Minutes after the other boats pulled onto the sand, everyone was busy. The stronger men unloaded the equipment and distributed tents, then went about hauling the boats further up onto the shore, to keep them from floating away with the tide. Meanwhile, the rest of us went about doing things that needed to be done.
Over one hundred paces away from the beach itself, in a tiny valley covered in real grass and not beach grass, we set up camp. With small, gentle rolling mounds on three sides of us, we were sheltered from any surprise wind storms, and it had a perfect view of the beach, so that we could see the ship.
Since I had no idea how to pitch a tent, I let Rhince do it for me in exchange for my keeping an eye on his daughter. Gael was so hyped up at being on land that she raced up and down the beach, burning off the excess energy she'd built up at sea. I had to laugh as she ran, skipped, jumped, and danced around, laughing as she dug her tiny toes into the soft white sand.
"Gael, be careful!" I called several times, if only to rein her in a bit and calm her down.
Once her energy was down, the two of us began collecting seashells, which were immensely plentiful. I found several sand dollars, a few whole scallop shells the size of my hand, and numerous shiny stones that glittered like jewels. An empty belt pouch that one of the men had brought along and given to me for my excursion was soon filled to bursting, and I had to inquire around for another for Gael, who was as successful as I was. She was better at finding shells than I was, and had even found a very nice walking stick for both of us amongst the driftwood gathered along the beach.
My young charge and I returned to camp tired and hungry, where a very beautiful sight and smell awaiting us. My stomach growled as the scent of roasted boar met my nose, and along with it was a pot of boiling vegetables and herbs. There was even a dish of fresh strawberries for dessert!
"Well now, where did all this come from, and so quickly?" I asked, accepting a plate of food from Caspian, who had come to meet us. "Not that I'm complaining, of course, but I'm assuming this didn't all land here out of nowhere."
Caspian grinned. "You do realize that you and Gael have been out exploring for several hours?" he teased, clearly enjoying the look of surprise I gave him. "Don't worry; I don't blame you for having fun. You freed up Master Rhince so that he could perform his tasks without worrying about his daughter, and so you're excused for not being here."
I rolled my eyes. "Thanks ever so," I sarcastically replied, retrieving my eating utensils from my personal belt pouch. "Now, answer my question while I sit down and eat."
He escorted me to my tent, which Rhince had so wonderfully set up for me, and told me of the day's happenings, starting with the boar. "After you went down to the shore, Drinian, Edmund and I gathered up the best hunters in the group to find food. We not only managed to find a boar, but also several rabbits and plump birds that are being made ready to be stored on the ship. Once we've all had our fill here, I'll send the rest of the boar meat and vegetables on to the Dawn Treader, so that those left aboard can share in the bounty."
Nodding over my delectable meal, I motioned with my fork for him to continue. "While we hunted, Lucy went about finding wood for the cooking fire and for the other fires that will be used around camp tonight. She also found a cluster of strawberry bushes that were heavy with ripe fruit. Apparently she brought back only a fraction of what was on the plants, and she would like to take you and Gael berry picking after everyone has had an after-meal rest."
I paused, my fork hanging above my plate. "Is the island safe enough for all of us to rest?" I cautiously asked, remembering what had happened last time we'd thought it was safe.
Caspian's deep brown eyes darkened into near-black pools. "I will have men standing guard around camp at all times," he said, reaching to touch my arm, his warm fingers brushing the exposed skin of my wrist. "I was careless before; I will not be so again."
Putting aside my plate, I moved my hand so that his fingers slipped from my wrist and into my palm. "In that case, I will nap well indeed," I said, smiling at him. "Once I finish, of course." Chuckling, he turned and left me to it.
It was easy to polish off the boar meat, which was rich with dripping juices that soaked into the vegetables and flavored them perfectly. The berries that followed were red, ripe and sweet, the perfect ending to a succulent meal. I was happier than I had been in ages.
Unable to hold back a yawn, I allowed a man to take my dirty dishes to be washed and crawled into my tent for a nap. I was asleep within minutes.
The sound of a horn being blown woke me from my slumber. Thinking that we were under attack, I grabbed hold of the knives on my belt and bolted out of my tent, searching for whatever enemies might be nearby.
Instead, I found men poking their heads out of their tents, some of them looking half asleep, but all of them as confused as I was. Across from me, Rhince poked his head out of the larger tent he shared with Gael, and looked over at me.
"Stay here," I ordered him, my hands not leaving my weapons. "It's safer here than outside of camp. Keep Gael inside, and don't let her come out until someone comes to tell you it's alright."
He nodded and ducked back in. Turning towards the other men, I said, "You stay here. I'll see what's going on." They all nodded, though only one or two went back into their tents. The others came out, swords and weapons drawn. No doubt they were also remembering the events on Coriakin's island with the invisible Duffers.
Now wide awake, I followed the sound of the horn, making my way along a narrow game trail until I came across its source. There were Caspian, Drinian, Edmund, Reepicheep, and Lucy, and Caspian was the one blowing the horn. Rolling my eyes, I went up to him and smacked him gently, but firmly, on the shoulder.
"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded as he turned towards me, startled. "You've scared everyone at camp half to death! They think we're under attack!"
"I'm sorry," he apologized, "But I thought it would bring Eustace back from wherever he's disappeared to."
I blinked. "Eustace is gone?" I asked, confused.
Edmund looked ready to strangle his absent cousin. "The little worm," he growled. "I've a good mind to let him stay lost."
Lucy, being the sweet girl she was, looked panicked. I hated to see her so distraught, so I quickly reached out and put an arm around her shoulder. "No need to worry yet," I said, both to her and to the others. "It's still early, and we all know how Eustace feels about work. He probably just went off to avoid it and will come back as soon as he's confident that we've finished it all."
The others began to relax a little, and Caspian nodded. "That's true. If he isn't back by the time it gets dark, then we'll go look for him. For now, however, I think Lucy should take Gael and Ali to find the rest of those berries, to be dried and added to the supplies onboard."
Lucy clearly wanted to protest, but she could see that Caspian was right. "Well, alright," she conceded. "Let's find Gael and I'll show you where the bushes are."
Keeping my arm around her shoulders, I led Lucy back to camp, where I put everyone's mind to rest. When he was sure there was no danger, Rhince let me take charge of his daughter, apparently proud that she was going to be of help to us.
With the younger girl skipping along ahead, Lucy and I walked along behind, a basket dangling from each arm. It wasn't long before Lucy let loose her worries over her cousin.
"What if he's fallen into a deep hole, or been captured?" she asked me. "Or eaten by wild animals?"
Holding back a sigh, I put a hand on her shoulder, the basket dangling awkwardly from my elbow. "Don't worry," I tried to soothe her. "No matter what happens, we'll find him. I'm sure that anyone who leaves the camp will keep their eyes open for Eustace, and it likely won't be long before he turns up. After all, he'll have to get hungry sooner or later, and once he is, he'll follow his nose right back to camp."
Lucy didn't look convinced, but she calmed down a little, and was in somewhat good shape by the time we found the berry bushes. I, however, was not as convinced of my arguments.
In the back of my head, I knew that this island was one of two things: either it was just a convenient stop that wasn't in the films, or an event from the books had popped up and this was the island where Eustace was going to get what was coming to him. In other words, Eustace might now be sporting a scaly hide, a pair of wings, and the ability to breathe fire.
'We'll find out soon enough,' I thought to myself as I got to work picking berries.
Eustace hadn't showed up by the time we returned, and by now, even Edmund was starting to get worried.
"Should we start looking for him?" I asked Caspian and Drinian.
Both decided it was a bad idea. "It's getting dark, and we can't risk the men getting injured," Drinian advised. "When dawn comes, we'll set out."
I could tell that Lucy didn't like it, but there would be no arguing; we truly couldn't risk someone getting hurt, or worse, even with Lucy's magic cordial to heal them. And so, after a rather good supper, we all went to bed, with the guards around camp keeping a sharp eye out for danger, or a returning Eustace.
Dawn came, and when it did, Caspian sent me, Lucy and Gael back to the ship, with Drinian to keep watch over us. He claimed it was to have us 'supervise' the men loading the supplies, but we all knew it was because he wanted to keep us from seeing or learning anything unpleasant in the men's search for Eustace. For once, I chose not to argue, and neither did Lucy.
Aboard the Dawn Treader, Drinian sent us three females to the helm, so that we could enjoy the pleasant warm breezes coming off the sea. While Lucy and Gael looked out towards the water, hoping to spy some dolphins or whales, I turned my eyes to the decks, where the men were inspecting the main mast. Drinian didn't look happy, and when he approached me a few minutes later, I saw a deep scowl on his face.
"The main mast will have to be replaced," he said, displeasure in every word. "We didn't notice the damage until now, and it's quite severe."
I couldn't help but be worried. "Is it really that bad?"
Drinian nodded. "There are cracks forming the length of the wood, and that's not a good sign." He sighed. "It's going to be a hard task to fix it, and a long one. Locating a tree the right height and weight will be difficult, but since the island is wooded, finding it will be the easiest part."
"Of course, you need to think how you'll get it here over the water, or how you're going to haul it up onto the deck, then stand it into place," I put in, watching his scowl deepen. "I'm sure you'll think of something."
Before he could reply, there was a tremendous roar that sounded from the forest on the island. Lucy and Gael raced up beside me, Gael burying her face in my side. I put my arm around her to stop her trembling.
"What was that?" Lucy asked, staring towards land.
The trees began to sway, and from the cover they provided, a huge dragon burst out, roaring as it flew. Drinian quickly began shouting orders, telling the men to arm themselves and yelling for archers to be ready to fire. The crew raced about, fetching weapons from the armory and fitting bows with arrows, ready for any attack.
I, meanwhile, had a terrified little girl clinging to me for dear life. Even Lucy pressed her shoulder against mine, a clear indication that she was frightened by the giant winged creature that was actually her cousin, in a different form. And it was Eustace, of that I had no doubt; he had likely found the treasure that had been gathered by the dragon before him, and been enchanted.
But he really was a beautiful dragon. Even from here I could see the shimmer of gold scales that were tinted with a very light dusting of red, blue and green. Whether the red was an indication of his foul mood or his new normal coloring, I had no idea, but as he flew closer to the ship, I pulled Gael as close as I could to me. With my free hand, I grabbed Lucy's arm and pulled both her and Gael out of the way, tucking the three of us into the shelter of a small flight of stairs that led up toward the observation decks. We'd be safe here from whatever temper tantrum Eustace might be having when he approached the ship.
From overhead came the sound of huge flapping wings, and from where I was huddled, I could see Eustace attempt to settle on the main mast, which was already damaged. "Oh, no," I whispered. If the mast cracked and fell, many men could be hurt.
"What's it doing?" Lucy gasped, watching as closely as I was.
Arrows began singing through the air, only to glance off of the dragon's scaly hide. The arrows didn't harm him, but it did startle him into flight, causing the ship to sway as his weight overbalanced the ship a bit. With two girls clinging to me, it took a lot of skill on my part not to fall on my face as the ship rocked back and forth for several seconds.
Catching something out of the corner of my eye, I swallowed with nervousness as I watched Reepicheep clamor up the mast, sword in his mouth, and attack the dragon himself. In a scene right out of a buccaneer movie: Reep swung out on a rope, pulled his sword from his mouth, and plunged the blade into the dragon's claws, causing him to let go.
Roaring in pain and frustration, the dragon flew off, causing everyone to sigh in relief…at least until he flew around and snatched something off of the beach. As it made its way towards us once more, we saw poor Edmund in his clutches.
"Edmund!" Lucy screamed, rushing out from the shelter of the stairs.
I faintly heard his reply before the dragon whisked him off, leaving us all stunned and gaping.
It felt like hours before things settled down, but it was really less than that, though it was all a blur to me. All I could remember was trying to calm Gael and Lucy down while simultaneously trying to get Drinian to tell me what he thought the next course of action should be.
However, with Caspian's swift arrival, anything Drinian had to say was put aside. The men had been put to work searching for damage to the ship, so there wasn't much panic, but there was a great deal of worry. Edmund had been snatched up by the dragon (a. k. a: Eustace), and no one had seen him since. Caspian had left men on the island, in case Edmund escaped and came searching for help, but as King, Caspian had come to see if anyone was hurt or killed.
"All well and accounted for, sire," Drinian told him. "The main mast, though, is in sorry shape. The storms we encountered were almost too much for it, and we can only thank Aslan that it lasted so long. Having the dragon rest on it did us no favors, though."
"Sire!" one of the men called, "Look!"
Everyone rushed to the side of the ship that the man was pointing at, and saw that the long boats left on shore were coming towards us. As they drew closer, I was relieved to see Edmund inside of one, and to our amazement, the dragon was slowly making its way on foot to the shoreline, which the crew had abandoned. I breathed a sigh of relief as the crewmen came aboard, and Edmund quickly found himself tackled by his younger sister. When he finally managed to pull himself free, he looked around and saw Caspian, Drinian and me up near the helm
"We have to go back to shore!" Edmund called up to us. "The dragon! It's Eustace!"
'Here we go again,' I thought with an audible sigh.
AN: Slightly shorter chapter this time, but I figured this was a good place to stop before the next one. Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review!