"Karen, wake up, you've slept for an unnaturally long time."
Edmund shook her shoulder, trying his best to wake her. Karen had slept past noon, missing breakfast, and didn't seem close to getting up without a push. She groaned as her slumber was disturbed.
"Whaaat? I'm tired."
"We've anchored neard an island. I don't want to just leave you here while we go. I'm worried about how much you're sleeping."
Karen sat up and stared at Edmund. Her body felt extremely heavy.
"But I don't want to do anything. I'm tired."
Edmund put a hand to her forehead.
"You're not ill are you?"
Karen shook her head and lay back down. Edmund shook her again.
"Ed!"
"You're just being lazy. Come on."
That word seemed to send a shock through her body. She suddenly felt awake as she sat up quickly. Edmund stared at her in alarm.
"Wha-?"
"I can't believe I slept that long. So…what is this island like?"
Edmund was confused as she dashed around and started changing her clothes to scout out the island. He blushed and put a hand over his face and waited. When he heard the sound of metal, he dared look and saw her grabbing her sword. She grabbed him as well on her way out.
"What was with the sudden change in attitude?"
"I figured out that I was being lazy and that is no good at all."
They reached the deck and climbed into the boats with the rest of those who were scouting the island for food and water or the Lords. That was at least Caspian's goal.
"I doubt the Lords stopped here, My Lord," Reepicheep told Caspian," There's no sign of anything living."
"Right, well, once we get ashore take all your men and search for food and water. The five of us will look for clues."
Eustace's attention fell on the King.
"Hang on, you mean the six of us."
Everyone in the boat turned to look at him with a skeptical look.
"Oh, come on, please don't send me back to the rat," he complained, looking over at Karen for sympathy.
She shrugged and glanced at Edmund who was still watching his cousin.
"I heard that," Reepicheep answered.
"Big ears," Eustace muttered.
"I heard that, too."
The royals and crew members all smirked in amusement. Once they'd reached the island, it was decided that Eustace was definitely staying with Reepicheep and the others. They royals then made their way deeper into the island. They had searched for about three minutes when they came upon a hole in the ground with a rope leading downwards.
"Look, we're not the first ones on this island," Caspian pointed out, looking down into the hole.
"The Lords?" Edmund asked.
"Could be…"
They all crowded around the hole to see that it lead down into a cavern of some sort. Caspian threw a rock in and they listened as it bounced down into the hole for a ways before hitting the bottom.
"What do you think could be down there?" James asked.
"Let's find out," Edmund responded, grabbing the rope and heading down.
Caspian followed, then the girls, then James. They looked around the cavern and found the most interesting thing to be a small body of water. There was a statue of a man made out of solid gold in the water. They all looked at it. It didn't seem to fit with the empty cavern.
"How could that have gotten here?" James asked, looking around to see no opening wide enough in the ceiling near the water.
Edmund pulled a branch off of a vine growing along the wall and stuck it into the water to try and reach the statue. He'd only just stuck the end in the water when the branch began to turn gold. Before the gold reached his hands, Edmund yelped and dropped the whole branch into the water. The others all stared at him in shock.
"That looked heavy," Karen commented, going over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"That's because it was."
Caspian moved over to the water's edge, understanding. He knelt and examined the statue.
"He must have fallen in."
"Poor man," Lucy commented, coming closer.
"You mean, "Poor Lord"," Edmund said, noticing a solid gold shield lying halfway into the water nearby.
"The crest of Lord Restimar," Caspian noted, spotting the shield as well.
"And his sword."
Everyone spotted the Lord's sword. It lay in the water near the shield.
"We need it," Caspian commented.
Edmund unsheathed his sword and stuck it into the water. Hooking the blade into a space on the hilt, he lifted it out of the water and gave it to Caspian.
"Your sword hasn't turned to gold," Lucy commented.
"Both the swords are magical," James reminded her.
Lucy looked back at the statue.
"He mustn't have known what hit him."
Edmund put down his sword and went over to the edge of the pool.
"Maybe…or maybe he was onto something."
"What are you talking about?" Caspian asked.
Reaching down, the young man picked up a shell on near him and dipped it into the water. He placed it on the ground as it turned to solid gold. Edmund picked it back up and looked at it with hungry eyes. Greedy eyes.
"What are you staring it?" Lucy asked her brother, who was completely entranced by the gold shell.
"Whoever has access to this pool could be the most powerful person in the world."
James looked at Karen with concerned eyes. Karen stared at Edmund, not liking the sound of where this was going. Edmund looked around at Lucy and Karen.
"We'd be so rich. No one could tell us what to do or who to live with."
"Edmund, it's not right," Karen softly responded.
"You can't take anything out of Narnia, Edmund," Caspian said, stepping up beside Karen.
"Says who?"
"I do."
The three listening looked between the two young men in alarm. Edmund looked at Caspian.
"Wait just a-" Karen started, but was stopped by Edmund grabbing his sword and moving toward Caspian.
"I'm not your subject."
"You've been waiting for this haven't you? To challenge me. You doubt my leadership!"
Karen and James moved back toward Lucy, getting out of the way of the two holding swords out at their sides.
"You doubt yourself!"
"You're a child!"
"And you're a spineless sap!"
"Edmund!" Karen butt in, grabbing his shoulder, but he shook her off.
"Don't even get me started on you. Don't think I didn't see the two of you the other night! You've had eyes for him this whole time. You don't care about me!"
"That's not-"
"I'm tired of playing second fiddle. First it was Peter and now it's you. You know I'm braver than both of you. Why do you get Peter's sword? I deserve a kingdom of my own. I deserve to rule."
Caspian and Edmund glared each other down.
"If you think you're so brave, prove it," the King responded, pushing Edmund.
"No!" Karen and Lucy both shouted as the two began to fight.
The two girls jumped between the two of them; Lucy facing Caspian and Karen facing Edmund. James stood off to the side completely alarmed by the whole ideal. The youngest male was not a confrontational type of person and was a bit put out at the fighting that was taking place.
"Stop! Stop it!" Karen screamed, "Both of you."
"Look at yourselves. Can't you see what's happening?" Lucy added," This place has tempted you. It's bewitching you. This is exactly what Coriakin was talking about. Let's just get out of here."
Lucy took Karen's hand and James's hand and led them back to where the rope was. Karen looked back at Edmund but neither he nor Caspian were looking at them. The two only watched each other until Caspian turned and followed. Edmund hesitated before tossing the shell into the water and following them out of the hole. Reaching the shore again, they saw very few baskets of food even though they had been gone for quite awhile.
"What food did you find?" Caspian asked Rhince.
"It's volcanic, Your Majesty. Not much grows."
Lucy glanced around and frowned. Karen put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder.
"Lu?"
"Where's Eustace?"
"I believe he's out not helping us load the boats," Reepicheep responded.
That statement made the others sigh. The two girls called out his name a couple times before Lucy turned to Edmund.
"Edmund, I've got a bad feeling."
"I'm worried as well," Karen added, looking at him.
"I'll go find him," Edmund said, obviously annoyed by his younger cousin.
"I'll go with you," Caspian volunteered.
"I as well," James added.
He turned to Lucy and his sister as Caspian handed Lucy the newly found sword and went after Edmund.
"Got to keep them from ripping each other to shreds," he muttered, before running after them.
The girls watched them go. Lucy looked up at Karen. The teenage girl looked distraught.
"You didn't actually..?"
Karen looked down at Lucy and shook her head.
"Caspian was tempted…but I pushed him away. Let's go back to the ship."
She left Lucy standing by herself. Karen helped load the last of the baskets on the boats and hopped in. Lucy followed reluctantly and sat beside the other girl.
"Do you think Eustace is okay?"
Karen looked back at the island and watched smoke rise up from random spots on the island.
"I hope so, but my gut is telling me something is wrong."
"I was afraid of that…"