Chapter Twenty-Five: Not Always As We See
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~ Narnia ~
"Something terrible has happened to him," Susan whispered to herself, looking up at the tall mountains that were being enveloped by storm clouds. Everyone, in light of the fact that Eustace – who was the least wandering sort of everyone in the crew and company – had wandered, voted that they all stay on the ship and keep the Treader just off shore for the remainder of their stay on the lonely island. It was safer, and since everyone was beginning to think that perhaps Eustace had been eaten – ornery as he was – no one wanted to sleep onshore.
Currently the crew was gathering all the provisions, supplies and etcetera that had been brought ashore to be mended. Most of it had been repaired anyway. But since Eustace's disappearance and the coming storm, everything (and everyone, although none in this party would admit their fears) had to be got onboard that would be ruined or possibly lost.
"Susan, we don't know for certain that is true. Tomorrow we'll search again, since we'll be able to move further inland," Caspian said consolingly, coming to her side.
"Peter would not have blamed me either for Eustace's loss, but I worry. I feel just horrible, remembering the first time we came to Narnia, and Edmund left us. I blamed and judged Peter so harshly. I see now it was not his fault, he could not control another human being's desires or actions, and I should not have expected him to," Susan murmured, remembering her errors.
"'Were we all perfect, it should be a dull world'. Mistakes sometimes make us better, and I am coming to realize this," Caspian replied with a slight smile, thinking about several of his past erroneous actions.
"Since when have you taken up one of Edmund's books?" Susan asked, smiling herself as she looked over at him, her concern vanishing for the moment.
"Since we resided at Bernstead; I was able to obtain one of the translations and read a few pages of the book from Lord Bern's library before we departed. He has acquired over time all your brother's works. Someday I should very much like to read them," Caspian admitted, repeating to Susan what he had told the Lord.
"You should talk to Edmund about them; sometimes he would lock himself away in his study for days on end to write the books. I believed – and still do – that they were his escape from the guilt. He never let it consume him, but I felt he always bore it silently. I have yet to read better written volumes." Susan's quiet voice was filled with admiration and respect.
"I did not think him to be a writer when I first saw him," Caspian remarked, as they turned and began walking back to the ship.
"I know, neither did any of us, but back then, then he was. His words held such a… weight. We were a marvelous diplomatic team. In England, his true character is hidden, I think. Lucy tells me Edmund hardly writes except when he must. I wish that would change, he has so much wisdom that could make that world a better place," Susan mused thoughtfully, glancing up at the darkening sky as the clouds rolled in, bringing with them ominous sounding thunder.
"I think we all have that ability. Some just don't use it. But your brother does, I think one just has to find reason first – to keep going – otherwise you feel that it is meaningless and profitless to try," Caspian reflected. As they lapsed into silence, Drinian called for Caspian. Susan watched him go, wondering if what he had said was also some of what he felt and thought.
"Aslan help us all," Susan whispered, desperately hoping they would not fall into some dark void and be lost to their fears and trepidations.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
While everyone was concerned about him, Eustace slept, and slept, and slept. The storm passed, and evening fell. Soon enough, the full moon rose into the midnight blue sky, which was pinpricked with dazzling stars and constellations. The storm had made everything clear and crisp, though wet. Perhaps Eustace would have never woken, but a pain in his arm disturbed his unusual slumber. As the full moon had risen over the mountains, it shone down through the cave opening, causing some of the jewels and wealth to glitter or shine in its silvery light.
The little bed he'd made of treasure seemed to have grown softer since he'd fallen asleep. In fact, he could hardly feel it at all. The pain he felt in his arm puzzled him at first, until he realized that it had to be that the bracelet had somehow become tighter on his arm. He resolved that he must have gotten bitten or stung by something in his sleep and he arm and swollen. But when he went to pull the golden object off, a great echoing clatter came from his right side.
A bit nervous, he looked hesitantly to his right as he tried to move his arm again. What he saw would have caused anyone to scream, but he was in such shock that he couldn't. A large, dark, claw-like form was moving in the light of the moon. He knew what sort of beast that came from; the same thing dead outside. A dragon. He stopped moving his hand, scared that the beast would attack him. As soon as he did so, the claw ceased all movement.
"What an idiot I've made of myself, of course the monster had to have a mate that's come in since I've fallen asleep!" he berated his foolishness and lack of foresight. "Well then, I'll just slink off to the left and be free of the beast!" he decided, quietly praising himself for his genius.
But when he eased to his left, he was horrified to see that something moved from that side as well. He stopped moving, trying to think logically instead of becoming a nervous wreck. When he held his breath, thinking, the two small columns of smoke before his eyes vanished. When he finally had to breathe again, they returned. Every time he so much as moved an inch, something went rattling off into the dark. Eustace now thought that there were two dragons, one on each side of him. As time went on, slowly, a dim light began to shine at the edge of the cave opening. Eustace knew that if he was to get away from the beasts, he would have to run toward the cave opening as fast as possible.
He counted to three, and then dashed as fast as he could for the mouth of the cave. His goal was to run to the pool and jump into it to keep the monsters from following him and possibly eating him. As he ran, two things suddenly occurred to him. One: that he was running on all fours. The second came to him when he reached the water's edge. As he looked into it, about to dive in, he caught a glimpse of something. Staring back at him was the reflection of a dragon, nearly identical in form to the same beast lying dead not far away. It hit him like a lightning bolt. He pulled away from the water in horrified shock.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
After the rest of the supplies that had been gathered from the island and the repairs finished, everyone went out in search of Eustace. They searched and searched, but there was no sign on him, they realized they were going to have to start resigning themselves to his loss. The parties returned to the beach feeling rather frustrated and dejected. They knew they could not leave, for what if Eustace was alive? But they knew they could not stay, for Aslan had given them permission to find the edge of the world, not stay on some abandoned island searching for a child who should not have run off in the first place.
Drinian had already ordered the men to haul out the sail and prepare the Treader for sailing, so it was only the Pevensies and Caspian, who refused to admit Eustace was lost, that was keeping them from sailing with the tide and the wind. Onshore, they stared at one another in a rag-tag circle, unwilling to speak what they were all thinking.
"Well, if he wandered up into the mountains, it's nothing short of a miracle for him to survive the night," Rhince began slowly.
"Yes, we know," Caspian said slowly, motioning with his hand for the sailor to stop. He had not slept well the night before, wondering where the boy could have wondered off to, and he was in low spirits as well. He was tired of having nightmares that only grew worse with each passing day.
"Oh cousin, I never should have left him," Edmund muttered under his breath, staring off into the hills and cliffs with a faraway expression.
"It's not your fault," Caspian tried to reassure the young man.
"No, you don't understand, none of you do!" Edmund practically shouted. They all turned to him, confused. "I should have known, I should have seen the signs!" He berated himself, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke in chagrin.
"What do you mean Edmund?" Lucy asked, taking a small step toward her brother.
"It's his first time in Narnia, Lu. How has Eustace always acted towards us? Toward all the Pevensies of Finchley?" He asked, staring her in the eye.
"He hates us, but I don't think–"
"That's right, you didn't think, I didn't think – I didn't see! And how did I act my first time in Narnia? I do believe I hated the lot of you, couldn't wait to be rid of you; in fact I was nearly willing to have you all be my personal slaves. I should have seen it, should have realized it after Coriakin said it. Eustace has been tempted, and he's gone, to what lesser fate than being trapped on an empty island, I don't know. He was so like me, I cannot believe I was so blind!" Edmund turned away and walked a pace down the beach; hand on his hilt, shoulders tense with aggravation and frustration at himself.
"Why did none of us notice?" Susan whispered, watching her brother walk along the shoreline, the wind blowing some strands of her hair across her forehead. Edmund's words had hit her like a revelation. It made more sense, Eustace's sudden disappearance.
"He should not blame himself," Caspian said firmly, walking after Edmund, something of determination in his stride. He knew what it felt like to hold blame, and it was not right, especially like this. Just and wise king that Edmund was, he could not carry all the pain of the world.
"Caspian, perhaps–" Drinian began, but Susan grabbed his arm to still his forward motion. He looked back at the Queen.
"No, let him talk with Edmund, this is something… I think they both understand." She lifted her gaze from Drinian's, and watched her husband walked after her brother along the edge of the bay.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Eustace cried out, but it was not the sound of a terrified boy that echoed through the valley, but of a dragon, and the sound was fearsome, not fearful. Eustace shook his head wildly; the reflection staring back at him shook its massive head as well. But there was no denying the truth; he had turned into a dragon while he'd slept. Sleeping on the hoard of enchanted dragon's gold and treasure with greedy dragonish thoughts in his mind, he had become a dragon himself. This explained everything that had just happened. It had not been two dragons in the cave; it had been merely himself, his claws moving when he had moved them, his smoke curling up from his nose when he breathed.
As for the ache in his arm, he could see now by turning his head on his long neck, that the bracelet made for a human arm would not fit on the foreleg of a dragon. In spite of this pain, and his fear at what would happen to him now, the greatest thing he felt was relief. There was no longer anything to fear, he was the most fearsome, dangerous creature ever to be wished into existence, and nothing, except perhaps a knight – not that many of those were ever brave enough – could put an end to him. The vanity and glory of a dragon's mind; that they are unconquerable. Because they breathe fire, their scales are like the finest of armors, and they are nearly immortal, they believe they cannot be defeated.
But even as he was thinking about everyone whom he could make pay for their cruelty to him, he suddenly realized that he did not want to. He realized that he would be feared, and that he could no longer be a part of the humankind. He was a monster. A great, aching loneliness crept over him. In a farther part of his conscience, he understood why the dead dragon had looked at him as he had, Eustace, even for so short a time, was company to be with in a painful passage. Also now, with the wisdom that comes along with a dragon's vanity and greed, he realized that Caspian and Edmund were decent people, and that none of the Narnians were as fiendish as he had thought them.
It was he who had been the fiend, the selfish brat who had only thought of himself. He finally understood Arran's dislike. The thought hit him that he might never return to his friends, or England, and that he would have to spend the rest of his life alone on this deserted island. Perhaps we cannot blame him of his tears. As the sun rose, Eustace eventually subsided from them, and came to the idea that he should try to find his friends, even if Arran or the others did try to kill him. As he lowered his head to take a large draught of water, he realized with greater perception that Caspian would never had sailed without him.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"Edmund, you cannot blame yourself for what has happened, it will come to nothing except bitterness and ruin. I have not seen all that you have, nor experienced half of what is yours, but this I understand. You cannot carry a burden that is not yours to bear," Caspian said when he reached the young man. Edmund did not turn to face the king, but he did stop his stride. With a sigh he bowed his head.
"I know you are right in what you say, but Caspian, you have never stood where I am. I am a failed man only in my place because of death and redemption. Death and redemption from Aslan. Do you know the meaning of the word "justice", Caspian?" Edmund turned his head a fraction to speak over his shoulder.
"To show no partiality," he answered, wondering what Edmund was trying to tell him.
"No. Justice, being 'Just', is knowing what I was, knowing I deserve nothing but death and separation from everything, Aslan, my family, this world, but that Aslan died so I might not taste that bitterness that is just and fair punishment. I am just because I know what I deserve, but have been saved from that fate. That is the only reason I am here today. And I should have seen Eustace in a different light, as Peter asked me to. I should have, as the adult, as the king. But I was so blinded by disgust and self-pity that I did not see another's crumbling, downward spiraling path. My temptation was my willful ignorance, and if that is not it, then I don't know what else is for me but to be lost on this voyage entirely," Edmund finished with a sigh.
"And so, you are the Just King," Caspian remarked aloud, finally understanding Edmund's title in full. "But what has transpired here is nothing you could prevent. What Eustace did was not something you could foresee. I do not think that even if any one of us had known, we could have prevented his running off. We are kings, but the fate of others is not always ours to collect. We all have freewill, Edmund, what we do with it; I think Aslan lets us decide." Caspian smiled slightly when Edmund looked at him.
Edmund smiled as well, his mood lightening. "Even I must have more than my own council. Who would think that a King of Old should be taking the advice of one who is merely a child in the light of all his years?" Edmund teased lightly.
"I think only in this aspect is that true. I won't let that compliment go to my head. It should make me foolish," Caspian returned, spirits lightening considerably as they jested.
"Good man," Edmund answered, grinning broadly, "Because to test my knowledge would soon find you with a more skillful opponent than the play-fight on the Treader last month."
"I cannot argue that," Caspian admitted good-naturedly, walking alongside Edmund as they turned back to where the others were standing.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Eustace, in typical dragon fashion, gorged his hungry stomach on the dead Black Dragon. It was gruesome, but he only thought of the fact after he'd eaten his fill. It came to him that his must be the reason there was only one dragon in the few fairytales he'd ever heard, because a dragon loved eating fresh dragon. As he ran toward the cliffs, intending to climb out with his new claws, the breeze caught under the edges of his wings, which he had quite forgotten. With a hard push upward, he found himself airborne. Just to see how it felt, he gave a powerful roar, and spit a few hundred feet of flame.
As he ended fire, he realized that he might be able to burn something into the earth – he'd tried and found he couldn't speak, since he hadn't been born a dragon, he was mute – so that he could communicate. As he flew above the mountains, looking for a clear spot of land on which to write – or in his dragon case, burn – he noticed the Dawn Treader anchored somewhat out into the bay, and that the mountains spread out in vast directions. Far in the distance, however, he could see even plains of land. But all he really needed currently was a valley little bigger than the one he had left.
Suddenly, he spied one. Twisting in the air toward it – dragons, even ones who were not always dragons, are excellent flyers – he spiraled down to burn the words he needed to speak into the earth.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"Come, we've searched as long as we can. We must sail with the tide," Drinian said, his voice sympathetic as he spoke to the monarchs, Serene, and the Stars, who were reluctant to end the search for Eustace.
"May Aslan keep Eustace always between his noble paws," Reep declared, resting his own paw on his hilt and bowing slightly toward the mountains.
"I never really hated the little bugger, reminded me of myself sometimes," Arran admitted to himself aloud. He bowed his head as he turned to walk down the beach to the boats, keeping the sunlight out of his eyes.
"Aunt Alberta will have something to say, I'm certain," Susan remarked aloud as Drinian helped her into one of the boats along with Lucy and Gael.
"Please, I cannot bear to think of that now," Lucy said softly, trying to hold her tears back.
"It will be all right Lucy, Aslan will think of something," Susan reassured, resting her hand on her sister's shoulder comfortingly, recalling when Lucy had done the same for her not long ago in Narrowhaven.
"Drinian, let us search, one last time, before we return to the ship, if only to convince me he's truly gone," Edmund requested, coming to the captain where he was standing holding a whispered conference with Caspian.
"It seems I am outvoted then, as King Caspian was asking the self-same question," Drinian allowed, smiling understandingly at Edmund.
"Then we go with you." the Stars came forward quickly.
"No, there's no need. This is only for our state of mind, and not a thorough search, since we did that this morning," Caspian said.
"Fine then, but if you do not come back within the hour, we send search parties after you," Arran replied sternly.
"Thirty minutes?" Caspian smiled, letting the Star give him orders this once.
"Agreeable," Arran answered, seeming to not even realize he was giving orders to the king of Narnia.
Caspian and Edmund turned and walked back up the shore and toward the pine trees with five sailors, for one last sweep of the island to rest their conscious.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Eustace blazed upward into the sky to look at his handiwork. He gave a small guttural sound low in his throat of pleasure. Besides a bit of unsteadiness, it was not bad pen– firemanship, he thought to himself. Giving a fearsome roar, he cleaved the early morning sky, blue and cloudless after the rain of the night before, with his large wings. His destination: the bay.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Drinian and Arran stood next to the helm, discussing the wind and how much of a favorable tide was left. The sailors were scurrying about the deck placing things under secure ropes or finishing placing supplies into the hold. Gael and Lucy were talking, as they walked along the railing and stared at the island before them.
"Lucy, wh-what is that?" Gael asked, pointing to something glowing just above the tops of the trees as Caspian, Edmund and the five sailors who had accompanied them emerged from the tree line.
"Lord Drinian, what is that?" Lucy called out with worry, drawing almost everyone's attention to shore. Her brother and brother-in-law were on the beach with what looked like a volcano erupting in the distance.
"Is it a volcano?" Gael cried fearfully. Susan turned a horrified gaze on the captain.
Before he spoke, Arran rushed to the rail. He glanced at Drinian. "Oh no, that's no volcano," the pirate said, his voice steely with hate. Drinian met his gaze knowingly.
"Archers, arm yourselves, men, find a weapon!" the Galmanian ordered, rushing to the rail and leaning over it slightly as he shouted commands to the crew.
"Captain, what is it?" Susan walked quickly up the rail, followed by Serene.
"A dragon M'lady," Drinian admitted, his voice mixed with regret and tension. She caught herself before she cried out, composing herself, she turned to Serene, her sister, and Gael, who had not heard.
"Lucy, take Gael to the cabin. Watch Rilian for me as well. I must get my bow," Susan said calmly, but her eyes told Lucy what was wrong. The younger queen nodded and began taking Gael down the steps. Susan turned to Serene as soon as they were out of earshot. "How well do you think you could use your powers to battle a dragon?" she asked.
"I have never tried such a thing, but I believe I could," Serene replied.
"Good, I'm sure the Stars will help," Susan answered, walking quickly to go retrieve her bow. But as she turned her back to the island, a loud animalistic screech filled the air, filling her with dread. She had prayed countless nights to never hear that sound again. She whirled around sharply, watching the dragon sweep down over the trees towards those on shore, and in the direction of the ship.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Edmund and Caspian walked down the slight slope of the beach as they made their way to the boats. "At least we tried," Caspian said quietly, resting his hand on Edmund's shoulder.
"It can't ever be enough," Edmund said knowingly. Caspian nodded, bowing his head slightly as Edmund walked down to the boat. All the men on the beach whirled as a screeching cry filled the air. The Dragon flew low to the ground, Caspian dropped to his knees just in time to avoid being knocked off his feet by the living battering ram.
"Edmund!" He cried, warning all the sailors and his friend to duck as well. They did, barely getting missed by the stream of fire the Dragon spit as it headed towards the ocean and the Dawn Treader.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Everyone onboard shifted nervously as the dragon headed toward them, bellowing fiercely. "Steady!" Drinian shouted to little avail as the Dragon flew around the ship. "Archers, fire at the ready!" He shouted, lowering his arm as the beast came at them.
"That's useless! He's not a bird, he's a Dragon, and it's like throwing rocks at a boulder!" Arran shouted, unsheathing his sword and heading toward the mast as the beast alighted on it.
The ship rocked back and forth as the mast groaned under the firedrake's weight. "He'll break the mast!" Drinian shouted, rushing to his feet.
"What's it doing?" Lucy cried, grabbing Gael and trying to reach the cabin once more.
Reepicheep recovered from the swaying on the ship quickly, remembering another fight similar to this. "Right!" he decided, putting his blade between his teeth as he moved to scurry up the ropes to the sail that the dragon was perched upon. Arran jumped up from a pile of supplies that had fallen on top of him. He glanced at Reep as he grabbed for a rope as well. The pirate and the Mouse reached the sail at the same time, but, before Arran could use his sword, the dragon shifted, trying to keep from falling, and his tail knocked Arran off.
Reep saw his chance and lunged, his sword plunging between two scales on the dragon's right fore claw and piercing the sensitive skin underneath. "Take that!" he shouted rather breathlessly as the dragon lost his place and plummeted towards the ocean. With a cry, the beast fell into the water. Everyone began leaning over the edge to see. Horrified fascination I call it.
"Get back, get away!" Arran and Reep both shouted, and not a moment too soon, for as everyone turned to look at them curiously, the dragon emerged from the deep with a screech of frustration, and headed back toward the land.
"Told you," Arran declared with a self-satisfactory smile, sheathing his sword. He and the Mouse were wet from the Dragon's spray, but were surprisingly calm after all that had transpired.
"What do we do now?" Susan asked, coming up. For all that had happened, she still commanded an air of dignified regality.
"I don't–" Arran began, but what was happening on shore stopped his sentence.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Caspian breathed a sigh of relief when the dragon passed back over the hills, away from both the beach and the ship. Neither he nor the others heard the wind whistling under the firedrake's wings until it was upon them. Only when its shadow had almost overtaken him, did he realize. Once again, he ducked to the sand. But others were not so unfortunate.
Edmund turned just as the dragon reached the boats. Before he could react, it snatched him off the ground as if he weighed no more than a bag of sugar. The wind from its wings knocked all the sailors off their feet, some falling into the water.
"Edmund, Ed!" Caspian shouted, but it did no good, Edmund was being carried over the treetops and back into the mountains.
From the ship, faint cries could be heard, but the loudest was Lucy's despairing "Edmund!"
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Edmund struggled in the Dragon's claws, which were holding him surprisingly gently, but he found that he could not reach his sword. He decided to try reasoning with the firedrake, when something caught his eye on a valley floor they were flying over. The words were all written in capital letters.
'I AM EUSTACE'
"Oh no, you've got to be joking," Edmund muttered, thinking that the dragon, like all of the other firedrakes he'd met, wanted to tease him before he ate him. But as he spoke, the beast bent and twisted its neck to look him in the eye. The eyes were an unusual blue for a dragon, and there was something startling familiar about them. Flecks of green and gold were in them, and Edmund suddenly recalled Eustace telling him not long after they'd arrived at the Scrubb's house that his eyes were 'hazel', and not 'blue'.
"Is that really you?" Edmund whispered in amazement and relief. The dragon nodded slowly, before turning his head to fly back to the beach. Even for the circumstances, Edmund had never been happier in his life to see someone, except perhaps for when Peter returned from the war in the West.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"It's really you, Eustace? The whining boy I fished out of the water, who nearly tried to drown me?" Arran asked, looking the dragon over carefully as he spoke, slight disbelief in his voice. Dragon-Eustace nodded quickly, leaning ever so slightly closer. It was the first time since he'd been here that he'd ever been glad to hear Arran speak to him.
"Not that close yet, you'll take some getting used to," Arran requested, taking a step back, hands before him. Eustace nodded slowly, his keen dragon-mind recalling the tales Arran had told of his battles with a dragon long ago. The pirate walked away from Eustace and joined the group slightly down the incline talking over what to do with him.
"Do you know if there's any way we could change him back?" Lucy asked aloud.
Caspian looked up, glancing at Arran's brothers and Serene. "They've said they don't know, and neither do I," he answered.
"Well we can't bring him on board, Your Majesties," Drinian began, when he noticed the monarchs about to speak. At his words they all exhaled, since that was what they were about to suggest.
"Yes, he'd probably weigh too much, and just think of the task of shifting the cargo and ballast to keep her afloat." Rynelf, who was second mate, added. At his words, Caspian gave a frustrated sound, running his fingers through his hair.
"But we can't leave him here, we've got to think of what to do," Gavan argued.
"Dragons can swim," Arran said thoughtfully, glancing back at Eustace. But no one listened to him. Reep looked up at Arran skeptically as the pirate looked down.
"They're powerful flyers, I'm certain he could go the distance," Reep remarked when it was mentioned that Eustace might not be able to keep up with them, but he was ignored as well.
"How are we ever going to bring him home? Aunt Alberta would not be pleased!" Edmund spoke his thoughts aloud, beginning to ponder that angle as well, a slight look of horror coming over his face when he imagined what she'd do and say. From behind them, Eustace grunted sarcastically. Clearly, he'd already thought that out.
"Well if you would listen, you might garner some answers from some who know dragons!" Arran declared, raising his voice to be heard over the quarrelers. Everyone, including his brothers, turned to look at Arran and Reep.
"What?" They exclaimed at nearly the same time.
"Somehow, he was enchanted, that is usually dragon-gold that does that. Then perhaps we could find a cure if he wasn't tempted and it was only dragon-gold that changed him. I'm not saying there is one, just that we might have a chance. Also, we could spend a night ashore, who would dare attack a dragon, small as Eustace is?" Behind the pirate, Eustace growled at being called 'small'.
"Deal with it Eustace, you are the smallest dragon I've seen yet, and I've seen several!" Arran retorted. "I've also never seen a dragon his color, which makes me think that this enchantment can be broken."
"But you've no provisions, and no means of staying warm Your Majesties!" Rhince objected. The days were warm on this island, but the nights were cool.
Eustace gave a screech-like roar and dove among the people toward some driftwood. Without warning he spit fire at it, and it lit like a Christmas tree.
"You were saying?" Reep remarked with a chuckle, looking around. Everyone laughed, which felt good to do after so many days worrying. As Eustace stepped back, looking triumphant, pleased that he was finally getting along with them, and that they weren't angry at him, he wince, and uttered a low moan. With a snarl, he bit at the bracelet that was gouging his thick hide. The gold band had broken when he'd changed, but he could not get it off.
Arran walked up to him as he scratched at the object furiously. "May I," the Star reached out toward Eustace's foreleg. He recoiled slightly, his dragon side suspicious of him. Then, scared because he felt this nagging urge to spit fire at Arran, he held out his foreleg, repressing the urge. The Star stared at it for several minutes, walking to the left and right to look at it from all angles. "This will hurt," he remarked, abruptly tilting his face to meet Eustace's eyes.
"I'm going to use magic, and it will be painful, don't bite."
Eustace took a step-hop back from Arran. Looking more suspicious, he thought; "Why can I hear you as if you're speaking to me?"
"I'm more powerful than my brothers, but besides that, you've now got more magic in your blood than you would think. You can talk with me and I with you because of the magic. Do you understand?" Arran stared into Eustace's eyes with a gaze that began to make him uncomfortable.
"Yes, but stop staring will you? It's bothering me."
"Sorry, Dragons, nymphs, dryads and the like notice Stars staring more than mortals, I sometimes forget that dragons have a higher perception than most mythical or mortal beings," Arran apologized, shrugging slightly, turning his gaze back on the bracelet.
"Why do you do that?" Eustace asked, curious now.
"I don't know, but I do know that when we do, we can almost see a mortal's aura, or, spirit, whatever you like to call it. I can see what lies in your soul, for good or for evil. I have not told my brothers this, they will learn soon enough, however. A young Star cannot do this, it is a learned talent," Arran explained, lightly touching the gold.
"Edara morla brisna" Arran was not speaking, but Eustace could hear the words; it was like they were being sung, far away; cold, distant, but silvery and beautiful. A light glow emanated from Arran's hands, but Eustace was too engrossed in hearing Arran think, whisper, or whatever he was doing, to feel much of the pain. The gold bent and the bracelet fell off into Arran's hands.
"What did those words mean?" Eustace asked as soon as Arran had returned, after giving the broken bracelet to Lucy, who walked off to show the strange markings on it to everyone else.
"What… words?" Arran's head jerked up from inspecting the indentions on Eustace's foreleg, and he stared hard into Eustace's hazel eyes, his turn to be suspicious.
"The ones you used to bend the gold," Eustace clarified.
"You heard me?" Arran's voice inside Eustace's mind sounded surprised.
"Yes."
"Very well, they were the same words Aslan used when he sung the gold under Narnia into existence. In the heavens, we Stars still speak the tongue of Aslan. These words are sometimes acquired and then learned by mortals or people with slight special power, becoming what you call 'magic'. A Star is born knowing these words; they are a part of him, just as he is a part of the sky. We do not necessarily 'speak' or 'think' them, we almost feel them. The only difficulty is learning the correct words. My father taught myself, and my older brother and my other brother, Erikk. Gavin and Zephyr, and my sister, Moriah, they know, but only so much. A learned skill, remember that before you go blurting words in Davanrata, or the Silver Tongue," Arran reprimanded, knowing that like any one, Eustace would want to try to use them, especially since he was a Dragon, and the words were open for him to discover.
"I see," Eustace answered, although he truly didn't, not really anyway. But after all that had happened to him, he knew he would not be using Davanrata for anything. Arran grinned, before turning and walking away.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Eustace had gone the rest of the day being helpful, finding better supplies, such as animals to eat, wood for the fire, to leading Edmund, Caspian, Arran and Serene to the dragon cave. After looking at the eaten Black Dragon, Arran determined that it too, had once been human, even though it bore the scale-color of the Black Dragons from the West. The point was proven when, after stepping inside the cave, a faint humming was heard. Both Caspian's sword – Rhindon – and Edmund's blade from Lord Bern began to glow.
"What is that?" Edmund asked, glancing at the others.
"Magic," both Arran and Serene said at the same time, in odd half-whispers. Arran walked deeper into the cave. And there, lying next to some armor and a scabbard, was a sword, glowing red as blood in the darkness of the cavern.
Caspian walked forward and picked it up. "By the mark on the bracelet around Eustace's arm, we reasoned that it was Lord Octesian who stopped here. This must be the blade he stole from the tomb." The King turned to look at the Star and the enchantress as he spoke.
"Yes, Jaddai's sword, the last Guardian seen in Narnia," Serene agreed, coming forward and lightly pressing a finger down the blade's flat. Under her fingertip, the sword flashed a deeper red. "Jaddai knew magic, and her sword responds to mine. Forgive me, for I am not your mistress," Serene whispered, taking the blade from Caspian and gently stroking it, as if it were a lost cat or frightened child.
"Forgive me for saying this, Edmund, but your wife is an odd woman." Caspian watched Serene as she walked ahead of them, still talking aloud.
"She is magic, and what is not magic of her, is Narnian, True Narnian," Edmund answered, smiling at Caspian's observation. "She hears things more clearly than we mortals ever shall," Edmund explained, shrugging slightly in acceptance.
"Of course, for instance, she and I both can hear that blade's magic talk," Arran butted in to the conversation.
"Arran, you're beginning to scare me," Caspian declared dryly as they made their way out of the cave and back to Eustace, who would not reenter the cavern for all the gold in Lumea.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
That evening, however, was another matter. Eustace, now with time to think, and with everyone asleep, began to go over and over all that had happened, and realized that things were looking rather bleak, and he might never become human again. He was slowly admitting to himself that he would soon start to have to resign himself to living out his days in Narnia. He didn't want to think it, because then he might really be frightened, but deep in his conscious, he was scared. As he lay there, staring out across the darkened waves, several large tears rolled from his eyes and fell with a steamy hiss into a small puddle of dragon-tears on the ground. He gave a shuddering sigh, trying to control himself.
Reep, who had been curled up next to the fire for some added warmth, perked up when he heard the little moan, he knew it was coming from no one else but Eustace. "Hmm," he mused, rising to his feet, a mousy smile on his face. He walked over to the dragon's head quietly, careful not to draw attention. He noticed the tears falling down the scales.
"Trouble sleeping?" he asked in a fatherly tone, reaching out his paw as if to touch Eustace. The dragon regarded him with a large blue eye; once more understanding the dead dragon's lack of interest. He wanted company, but he wanted silence too.
"Don't weep, all's not as lost as it seems," Reep tried once more, coming closer. "I'll stay up with you if you wish… Keep you company, I can't sleep myself." It wasn't true, Reep – a rather old mouse by now and beginning to feel his years – was tired, but he saw someone in need, and was willing to help. Eustace stifled his tears slightly.
"And I shall wager you didn't believe in dragons yesterday evening," the Mouse remarked softly, chuckling. "Yes… You know, extraordinary things only happen to extraordinary people. Maybe it's a sign… Perhaps this means you have an extraordinary destiny," Reep paused and looked at the stars for an instant, before carefully turning and keeping Eustace's large dragon-teeth and eyes in sight. "Something… Well, something even greater than you could have imagined. Everything is… not always… as we see." He smiled, adjusting his sword belt as he spoke, uncertain of Eustace's staring.
"I could… Well, I could tell you one or two of my adventures if you like," Reep offered slowly, gesturing with his paw. Eustace perked up, raising his head slightly as he moved into a more comfortable position. "Just to pass the time," Reep waited until Eustace had gotten more comfortable, and then he continued, "Believe it or not, you're not the first dragon I've encountered. Many years ago – too many that I care to mention – I was with a band of pirates, when I met another dragon, much fiercer than you.
"He was large and black; Arran told me he was one of the last great Black Firedrakes of the West. We were going to Orin Island, but were far out to sea, so we had to make a stop, but I wasn't so cautious, and went too far inland. There, I found a cave. High on a mountain it was, but back then I was a curious thing…" The Mouse and the Dragon-boy stared at the stars and the half-moon that was reflecting on the ocean as Reep told of his adventure.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"Two things prevent us from happiness; living in the past, and observing others." ~ Unknown
"Too often we don't realize what we have until it's gone. Too often we're too stubborn to say, 'Sorry, I was wrong." Too often it seems we hurt the ones closest to our hearts, and we let the most foolish things tear us apart." ~ Unknown
"Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny." ~ S.C Lewis
"Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly." ~ Micah 6:8
"Helping others is a privilege, and an honor." ~ Unknown
"When Life puts you in tough situations, don't say 'Why me?' say; 'Try me!'" ~ Unknown
A/N:
Well, hello everyone! I feel that this is a particularly good morning to be good on and I'm wishing all of you a 'good-morning' whether you want it or not! (take that Gandalf). Turns out I like The Hobbit bit better than I like lotr, but hey, I have read that book (must finish lotr, but I can't, alas and alack, I'm too busy writing this and doing work, just can't divide the time!)
Wait - where was I? Right! Sorry, I am supposed to be doing an A/N, not blathering on about Hobbits and the like (sorry, I've been reading an especially good Hobbit fanfic, love it, you should go check it out if you're a Tolkien fan as well as a Lewis one, I believe it's called 'Durin's Price'. Pretty sure, I never forget names).
Ok, major explaining to do here. One, my internet is back, but only in the morning between 7 and nine a.m. so this is a sporadic UD because I've finished this chapter and because I just want it out there. I will go back to UDing on Tuesdays, promise! This week has just been odd.
Now, for explanations:
Yes, I touched on Edmund's writing capabilities again, trying to keep my plot in uniform since I'm trying to wrap this story up (not 'yet' yet, but, well, it's coming, darn, now I've gotta start talking about endings...).
I thought the similarities between Eustace and Edmund were fascinating. And I realized (even if the directors and actors didn't and weren't trying to put it in, Jack was) that Edmund should have been putting aside his normal human tendencies and emotions, to look at Eustace unbiased. He should have been considerate and kind to Eustace as Peter told him to be. Hence the reason I put it in my story.
I also realized that, since Edmund really wasn't tempted by the treasure and Caspian was (in the book not the film, don't go looking for this in the film) then his true temptations would have been willful ignorance of Eustace's predicament.
I think that Jack didn't touch much on dragons because of Tolkien's 'Hobbit' and the fact that his dragon was cunning, smart and so forth.
Edmund's explanation of Just and Justice: This explanation came from my dad one evening. I was so stunned by how perfectly it fit Edmund. It was totally unrelated, and my dad was speaking about a passage in the scriptures. Yet another beautiful Christian allegory for Chronicles of Narnia!
But I always thought that Edmund, with his wisdom, would have known later in his rule that Aslan died for him (since it says in the first book the his sisters didn't tell him because he'd feel awful about it). Edmund knows what justice is, and therefore, to fail so utterly in it, to show partiality to himself and his dislike of Eustace, it was a low blow.
I like the fact that Caspian comes to talk to him about it instead of any of his sisters. I'm trying to bring in the fact that he's family now, and they don't think anything wrong with it. But I'm also trying to bring about the fact that Edmund carries guilt, as I think that Caspian also carries some as well for his father's death. I don't know, you help me clarify that a bit more, try and see if it makes a bunch of sense to you.
The phrase 'lit like a Christmas tree' probably means to you guys 'when you decorate it and then put the lights on it', am I right? For my family, it means something totally different. (Mom won't let dad get live trees for this reason) It was Christmas, and they'd gotten me a live tree because I wanted one. So, after Christmas, you know how trees start looking a bit sad? well Dad took ours, chopped it into three pieces and stuffed it in the fireplace (he'd done this once with live garlands at his old catering job and the result was his family didn't let him do that one again! lol) So now he tries it again. With a tree. MY tree. (at least that's what I thought at the time) It works, and the tree just goes up in flames.
So when we say; "lit like a Christmas tree" we mean: "catches fire rather quickly.
You tell me how the quotes apply! I want to here your ideas and thoughts! Well, I'm going to go finish chapter 26, see ya'll later. (sorry I cut that off, it's just, this chapter is 7000+ words, and with my A/N I just made it 8000+)
ILoveFanfiction:
I read your review, and I mended the errors! I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter, and hope you enjoy this one!
Again, if there is anything I missed, {explanations, punctuations, grammar, misspellings, plot-that-doesn't-make-sense, something that I failed to clarify on, etc...}. Please tell me so I can fix/tell you about it in a PM/Author's Note.
Happy reading,
W.H. 1492