Thanks MaryandMerlin, ToryTigress92, princess emma of narnia, Ella Unlimited, and DragonRider2000 for your reviews!
Just so you know, since I have yet to see the Dawn Treader movie at this point and since I will be putting a bit more focus on my OCs' separate plots, I'll be using just the books from here on out. Thanks!
Also, this was originally one chapter; however, due to added scenes and such, it split into two. I still have a couple of scenes to write on the second part, but here you go for now. :)
Part 1: Aqua
Edmund and Lucy did not at all want to come and stay with Uncle Harold and Aunt Alberta. But it really couldn't be helped. Father had got a job lecturing in America for sixteen weeks that summer, and Mother was to go with him because she hadn't had a real holiday for ten years. Peter was working very hard for an exam and he was to spend the holidays being coached by old Professor Kirke in whose house these four children had had wonderful adventures long ago in the war years. If he had still been in that house he would have had them all to stay. But he had somehow become poor since the old days and was living in a small cottage with only one bedroom to spare. It would have cost too much money to take the other three all to America, and Susan had gone.
Daisy also had gone off to America with Aunt Polly to show off her gadgets and revel in worldly pleasures and they hadn't heard anything concerning Kathryn since their last trip to Narnia at the end of the school year.
Ed and Lucy were stealing a few priceless moments alone together away from their beastly cousin Eustace Clarence Scrubb, a scrawny little boy who found his only pleasures in the torment of others. Of course, they were talking about Narnia.
The siblings were in Lucy's room, sitting on the edge of her bed and looking at a picture on the opposite wall. It was the only picture in the house that they liked; it was a picture of a ship: a ship sailing straight toward you. Her prow was gilded and shaped like the head of a dragon with a wide-open mouth. She had only one, rich purple mast, while the sides, where the gold of the dragonhead didn't exist, were a dark green. The colors of the vessel seemed to be dancing on the gloriously blue water.
"The question is," mused Edmund, who had proudly grown at least an inch or two over the summer, "whether it doesn't make things worse, looking at a Narnian ship when you can't get there."
"Even looking is better than nothing," the ever-maturing Lucy commented with a sigh, playing idly with her mid-back-length hair. "And she is such a very Narnian ship."
"Still playing your old game?" Eustace taunted, suddenly coming through the door, having obviously been listening to the siblings' conversation.
The boy instantly proceeded with his usual cruelties and teasing concerning the Pevensie children's favorite magical world, not even subsiding when Ed suggested to his sister that no reaction to the torment would soon send the bully off for lack of entertainment. Instead, Eustace merely pointed to the dusty, majestic frame and began elaborating on his scant opinions of it, to which the other responded rather coldly,
"You won't see it if you step outside."
"Why do you like it?" the cousin smugly asked Lucy, who responded with far more composure than the Just King could presently muster.
"Well, for one thing, I like it because the ship looks as if it were really moving. And the water looks as if it were really wet. And the waves look as if they were really going up and down."
A strange thing happened during the girl's contented description. Though Edmund at first thought that the stuck-up relative was turning green merely because of Lucy's calm demeanor, he and the Queen both soon discovered that the waves on the picture really did look like they were moving and splashing and the ship seemed to be plunging and swooping in the surf, while its sail flapped and bulged in the wind. As the deck came into view, Ed imagined that he saw a familiar face amongst the crewmembers, but he soon ignored her as a fantasy of his pitiful love-loss.
At the same time as these strange sights, the book that had been sitting next to Edmund began flopping about in the sudden wind coming from the picture; the bed itself was soon hurled against the wall as the breeze turned in a crushing force. Just as the wild, salty smell of the wonderful outdoors hit them, the ocean in the picture broke past the frame, splashing them all with water and proceeding to fill the room.
Eustace Clarence, in his desperation and fear, reached to tear the picture down; however, his efforts and those of the other two to stop him were rendered useless as they all promptly found themselves actually standing over the water on the frame itself, the children having shrunk or the picture having grown significantly. The shrew of a boy, in his panic of nearly falling himself, grabbed ahold of the Pevensies and consequently threw all of them off balance, with all three plunging into the chilly water.
Ed and Lucy did quite well themselves in treading water and staying on the surface; however, Eustace just had to continue his crazed fright and snatched the girl, dragging both under. As Edmund peeled the other boy away from his sister, someone dove off the nearby ship and went straight to helping Lucy on board with the assistance of the crew. The older boy went next, followed by the miserable coward and, lastly, the dark-haired rescuer.
"Ca…Ca…Caspian!" Lucy gasped once she caught her breath, recognizing the young man before them.
In the middle of a jovial greeting, King Caspian asked with a smile,
"But who is your friend?"
Poor Eustace was in no mood for introductions and went straight to whining in his miserable state.
"Let me go! Let me go back. I don't like it," he cried, rushing to the side of the ship, searching for a gateway back to Earth that didn't exist there.
"Let you go? But where?"
With that, the little imp seemed to suddenly realize his position of being on a ship in the middle of the ocean; the green tint of his face needed some way to take back its naturally pallid shade and…well, it wasn't even worth thinking about.
"Hey! Rynelf! Bring spiced wine for their Majesties," Caspian called to one of the sailors before turning back to his guests. "You'll need something to warm you after that dip."
"I think I know what will bring the color back to their cheeks," a woman called.
Edmund looked up at the crow's nest (for that was where the summons had come from) and discovered the slim figure of a girl against the background of the sun with wild brown hair that reached just past her shoulders. When the lady sailor gracefully slid down to the deck by a rope, he got a clearer view of her tight black cotton pants stuffed into close-fitting boots, a high-necked, knee-length, black woolen coat with gold vine-embroidery and tiny frog-closures along its entire front; this was complimented by a wide black belt. The refreshing sea breeze had done her complexion a world of good as her cheeks shown with a healthy flush.
Her narrowed eyes and slight frown, however, specifically indicated her negative opinion of Edmund's presence as she stared at his soaking wet figure.
"Margaret!" Lucy cried happily.
"I figured seeing me again would send the blood back up north," she jested in return.
"Daisy…weren't you in America? How and when did you get here?"
"Well, I was…until three days ago, in Narnian time. For all I know, this is all a dream and I'm still in that alley, beaten unconscious by those thugs."
"Thugs?" Ed asked in alarm.
The girl grinned, patting his cheek playfully on her way towards the railing.
"Don't worry, Just King. Your ex-fiancé is in good hands."
"Name the first twelve digits of pi." No reply. "Peter?" Still no reply. "Peter Pevensie, are you even listening?"
"What?" the young man mumbled initially, quitting his staring contest with the kitchen back door. "Oh, sorry, Professor! I don't know why I'm so distracted today."
For the first time since the beginning of Peter's tutelage, Digory grunted moodily.
"Son, if you expect to do anything worth regard with your life, going to a good university is the best way to start; and, if you're planning on getting through with satisfactory grades, examining the woodcraft of an old badger hole won't help you."
The boy returned a rare scowl.
"Professor, you know that I'm hardly ever this distracted! It's just…I don't know how or why!"
Kirke pursed his lips, leaning back in his seat.
"I think I may know the reason for this problem."
"And what is that?"
"What else with you? Kathryn has you wrapped around her little finger in a way even she never imagined or wanted."
"How can I do this when she's there alone?"
"She's not alone, you know," the old man snipped. "Aslan would never allow her to be utterly on her own." With a shake of his head, Digory rose jerkily from his seat and began clattering around the kitchen, while Peter once again lost himself in thought, contemplating the momentary fate of his precious Warder and would-be queen until the Professor set a cup of tea in front of his nose with a jolt before sitting down with a sigh. "Peter, I know I've used this card on you at least once before… What would Kate want you to do?"
The boy sighed in resignation and began reciting the desired numbers.
As she staggered slightly at the end of the line of prisoners, Daisy noticed the boy just in front of her look back worriedly. After days of wondrous sailing, the adventurers had reached the Lone Islands: their first step of searching for Caspian's lost lords. While Edmund, Lucy, Caspian, Eustace, Reepicheep, and Margaret stretched their legs by walking across one of the more unpopulated islands, the plan was to meet the ship on the other side in their quest to reach a more productive harbor. A group of slavers had, however, halted the group's ambition and they were now being marched along, bound in a line by rope.
Daisy had managed to knick one of the burly men with her borrowed sword, being far more agile and confident than on Earth, though she had quickly submitted to capture when her more-quickly subdued friends were threatened. Dear, brave little Reepicheep hadn't stood a chance against the men and, since he was no longer biting for the threat of being muzzled, was presently talking their captors' ears off in an attempt to convince them to let them go; however, he only proved to be an amusement since the foreigners only believed him to be somehow trained to talk rather than being a real Talking Mouse.
King Caspian, not wanting his lineage to be known to these barbarians for fear of their possibly rebellious reaction, had on his part submitted quite willingly in his naïve fascination for the thrill of the adventure, however mature and kingly he was at any other time. Eustace, with whom Daisy had instantly clashed, especially concerning the room arrangements of the girls having the king's quarters (his ideas of women were more modern, while the Benten girl vouched for the wondrous chivalry in this place that Earth seemed to lack)…well, Eustace wouldn't quit whining until she threatened to run to the front of the line and shove his mouth full of turf. Being the modern city boy that he was, Eustace pleased her by keeping his vocalizations to a muttering minimum.
As for the two Pevensies, they were perfectly quiet and mature, though Lucy was obviously very worried indeed about this whole situation. Daisy begrudgingly admitted to herself that Ed was behaving rather admirably. He seemed more of a King than ever in her eyes…of course, she could never tell him that.
The teenager's thoughts were interrupted by a 'hallo' from the top of the hill they were climbing and her heart nearly leapt for joy at the sight of the woman approaching them with wild brown hair, a bold nose, and fierce eyes, wearing a short brown coat and a black riding skirt.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" the lead slaver offered, eyeing the woman up and down and obviously considering how easy or difficult a capture she posed. Daisy fought back the urge to warn Aida of the danger, but she back at the sight of the vicious sword at the bird-woman's side and the Eagle on her shoulder (which oddly had its head in a hood of sorts and a strip of leather tied to its leg, which was held by the girl).
"I would like to trade my Eagle for one of your catches," the newcomer offered, to the 'catches' shock.
"Birds are wonderful things for sport and pleasure, I will admit," the slaver replied good-humoredly, "but what would I want with a domesticated avian when I can get twice that bird's worth in gold at the market for one of these fellows?"
The Eagle seemed to ruffle its feathers indignantly under the hard veil.
"But this is no ordinary eagle." With this, she removed the hood and snapped her fingers, whereupon the creature instantly flew from her shoulder. Seconds later, in a flurry of feathers, there stood in its place a tall, strong man with gold hair and fine features. Casually examining his tied wrist, he looked up to his 'mistress' with look that asked, 'Do you really think this will hold me?' With a shrug, Aida went on addressing the stunned slavers. "Well? Is it a deal or do I have to stand here waiting all day for answer from you worthless pigs?"
"Well," the headmaster stuttered, walking over to Caspian, who was the closest match possible in their number to compare with the stunning figure, "this one would make a fine trade, but…"
"I am not interested in exchanging muscle for muscle and a fine face for yet another fine face," the trader interrupted with disgust. She instantly nodded toward Margaret. "That one."
"She's fiery, I'll allow, but do you really think…?"
"I am not here to listen to your excuses, peasant. Untie her and take this trophy off my hands."
With many confused looks from the Narnians and Earthlings, Aida claimed her prize, roughly grabbed Daisy by the arm, and shoved her viciously forward until they were far enough out of the others' view, at which point the Warder angrily asked,
"What was that about? Why didn't you save everyone else? What kind of a rescue was that? And what were you thinking when you handed Cadal over to those creeps?"
Aida coyly studied her fingernails. For some reason, it was quite unnerving.
"One: you are a Warder and it is my sworn duty to keep you safe. Momentarily, Kathryn is perfectly secure, allowing all my attention to be on you. Two: I gathered from King Caspian's attitude and situation that he wanted to blend in and acted accordingly. These lowlives will be easy to get around quite soon and I'm sure that Caspian's search will presently turn out to be productive. Three: Cadal was driving me crazy and I convinced him oh-so-sweetly to do this great deed for me in spite of him. Ah, I love winning arguments! I suppose, though, that you're worried about the Just King."
Rather than snapping a retort, Margaret remained silent.
Admittedly, the Warder actually enjoyed wandering aimlessly about with the Bird in the beautiful fields for hours on end. She even found herself laughing and rolling down a hill with her Earthen school pal a few times as evening fell upon them. Even night, when they took refuge under an overhanging boulder, was a rather refreshing time for the world-weary protector. It gave her time to contemplate her failure with Edmund and her near-failure with her selfishness and greed that had been provided by her talents and the opportunities that had come forth.
She realized that she did still feel affection for Edmund, however deeply she had buried it; always had she possessed a…soft spot for that…stiff. Always had she put him before any other preference. Now, she realized that he would never be replaced in that respect. She was stuck in a loop around that one boy. The odd thing was: he was a good person and there was no danger in loving him…and she already knew his character from experience. But did she deserve him?
The next morning was spent walking to the beach. The catch was that there were no boats or transports of any kind. With a role of the eyes, Daisy groaned,
"Let me guess: you flew here."
Edmund sat in the sand near the castle where the feast in celebration of the Narnian king's return to the Lone Islands was being held, relishing the softness of the fine clothes they had managed to scrounge up. However, the Just King was presently considering the many possibilities of why Margie and Aida hadn't shown up yet.
At that moment, Cadal, who had calmly accompanied the group in their taste of slavery, suddenly sat down beside the boy, his golden eyes piercing the deepening night over the ocean in the direction of the island of their previous jaunt.
"What was she like…during the Golden Age?" the Eagle abruptly asked, still staring at the barely visible waves.
Ed couldn't help but smile at his memories of Daisy fighting, laughing, arguing, pulling pranks, awkwardly holding his hand for the first time during a hunt, dragging him out of the throne room to give him a congratulatory kiss after his first great conquest…
"She was funny, stubborn, kind…smart as a whip. She even helped some of the Narnians in making a waterwheel and pulley system so that they didn't have to haul water from the river all the time. Whenever someone needed help building a house, hollowing out a cave, or catching some mangy pest, she knew exactly what to do. Kate was always the healer and confidante; Margie was always the fighter and intellectual."
Cadal surprised the King with a deep chuckle.
"Why not tell her that? Why you two clash so much, I'll never know. Your affection for Warder Margaret is lovely and interesting, but when I asked what she was like during the Golden Age, I was not speaking of her. I was speaking of Aida."
Edmund turned a mild tint of red under the Bird's gaze, despite the fact that his mistake had actually been, in part, Cadal's fault.
"Oh…well, Aida… She was always hard to figure out, but when we first met her, she said something about being created at the beginning of Narnia and betraying Aslan for the White Witch. Kate found her when she wandered into Narnia just after Aida had escaped Jadis. I guess she felt a little more than guilty and consequently ended up giving an oath to help Margie and Kate."
"What was she like, though?"
Ed couldn't hide his smirk. Who was twitter-pated now?
"Sweet, always there to help someone, tough…and fiercely loyal to Aslan. She knew what she stood for and she never let anyone tell her otherwise. She always seemed so sure of herself, but I sometimes think that it was a front to hide any vulnerability."
The other man nodded.
"It sounds like her…but I want to know what she's like when she doesn't need the front. Being around her has brought up countless questions as to why we're the only two of our kind. I have yet to figure it out."
"That…you will have to find out for yourself."
Cadal seemed inclined to voice his dissatisfaction with the answer, but he thankfully didn't have the chance as the sound of splashing and voices reached their ears from the water. Edmund managed to make out words as he just began seeing the silhouettes of two drenched women.
"I c-c-can't believe you d-didn't think to bring a…boat! We j-just wasted at least two hours swimming through that…freezing ocean and I nearly drowned…three times!" one girl growled through audibly chattering teeth as she clumsily waded towards shore. "They could be anywhere!"
Trembling from the cold, Aida (they were close enough now to see clearly enough, though Daisy continued glaring at her companion and thrashing at the water so that she didn't notice the waiting gentlemen) looked straight at her male counterpart before speaking.
"Anywhere being here."
"Edmund!" Margaret cried, stunning the King when she stumbled forward to tackle him in a hug. That was the last thing he had ever expected her to do! It wasn't until Aida winked at him and reluctantly bowed her head to Cadal in greeting that he finally returned the embrace. Whatever the reason for the change, their avian friend obviously had had something to do with it.
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