A/N: So sorry about the long wait on this update. The summer has been packed with a lot of activities! Not to mention that this was an intensive chapter. Overall, I struggled the most in getting things write for Part 3, but here's hoping that my labor was not in vain. Enjoy and drop a review!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia.
Chapter 4
*Two Years Ago*
The smell of smoke clung to me as I rode into the courtyard of the Telmarine castle. I was relieved to see that no one was pursuing us anymore. I slid off my horse and grabbed Cassia's arm, pushing her bloody sleeve up. She tried to pull away from me, but I held fast.
"Just a scrape," she said.
But it wasn't. There was a deep gash on her forearm. I placed my hand over it to heal it as Cassia cursed humans under her breath. I could feel the anger rolling off her in waves, but I could not fault her for it. I was fighting against my own temper.
"Where is the king?" I asked a page passing by.
"He's meeting with the lords in the throne room," the page said. "But he's—"
I was gone before I heard the rest of the sentence. I rushed through the halls until I came to the door of the throne room.
"My lady, the king is not to be dis—" the herald at the door began.
"It's urgent," I said.
"You can't—"
But I was already pushing the heavy door open.
"—trade with them. Archenland remains our strongest ally, but now with a queen on their throne—"
I interrupted what one of the lords was saying as the door creaked open, and I strode into the room. Only when I stood in the center of the lords and before Caspian on his throne did I notice my left sleeve was still smoldering.
Caspian was staring at me, stunned. I wondered if it was my appearance or the interruption that shocked him. I had never felt intimidated before a throne before, but with everyone's eyes on me and my right sleeve torn nearly off, I fought the urge to lower my eyes.
"Who let her in?" Lord Haddix demanded.
He stood from his seat.
"This is a closed council!" he bellowed.
"Something…something's happened," I said, not looking away from Caspian.
"What is it?" Caspian asked.
I shot a meaningful glance around the room.
"Here?" I whispered, barely opening my mouth enough to get the word out.
Caspian seemed confused by my hesitation.
"What's happened, Emma?" he asked.
I cleared my throat and tried to ignore the half a dozen lords sitting around me.
"There was a fire," I said.
"Another?" Caspian sat up straighter.
I had his attention now. In the past few months, there had been three other devastating fires: the new construction at Cair Paravel, the fort near Beaver's Dam, and the outlook over the east village.
"It was not the work of an Eshwen," I said. "Just like the others."
"Where?" Caspian asked, not acknowledging what I said.
"It was in the mines near the Fords of Beruna," I said.
There was a ripple of murmuring behind me.
"Cassia and I were nearby and able to help everyone evacuate," I said. "But there was a misunderstanding when the miners realized who we were."
Caspian sighed and rubbed his hand across his mouth.
"They thought you started the fire," he said.
I nodded.
"They attacked us," I continued. "We had to run."
"What were you doing near the mines, anyway?" Lord Haddix asked.
Accusation hung heavy in his voice. I did not acknowledge his question.
"I assume you tried to explain that you had nothing to do with the fire," Caspian said.
My cheeks burned, but I kept my tone even.
"Yes," I said. "As I've said before, these fires aren't magical. I can tell the difference."
"It's no real wonder, Your Highness," Lord Rafe addressed Caspian. "The people are afraid of the Eshwen. Can we fault them for that? There is a danger to be considered."
The whole room murmured in agreement.
"Of course, we mean no disrespect to this great lady," Lord Galien added.
His voice was soft, almost apologetic.
"I have argued since day one that they are too dangerous to—" Lord Haddix began angrily.
"Best they stay inside for a bit," Lord Galien continued, his tone calm. "Won't do to stir up more fear and division."
"That is the safest option," Caspian said. "Emma, stay inside the castle for the next few days. We don't want to make this worse."
He did not wait for me to respond before looking around the room.
"Gentlemen, I do believe now is as good a time as any to adjourn for the time being," Caspian said.
He stood, signaling for the rest of the lords to do so.
I tried to speak to him, but he simply strode past me and out the door. Lord Galien and Lord Rafe stopped me before I could follow.
"What providence that you would join us today," Lord Rafe said. "The king has received word from a baron in Archenland. Apparently, your reputation precedes you."
"Could be quite the arrangement, really," Lord Galien said. "His estate is just on the border of Calormen. I was not sure if you would be willing to consider a proposal just yet, but the king knows how valuable such an alliance could be for Narnia."
"An alliance? What—" I began, then the realization struck me like a blow to the chest.
"I believe he will be visiting our court in only a few weeks," Lord Rafe said. "A smart match, if I do say."
All the air rushed out of me, but the two men did not seem to notice. They were still talking, but I could not make out their words over the pounding in my ears.
"Excuse me," I mumbled.
I pushed my way past them and out the door. I barely registered Lord Galien calling after me to remind me not to leave the castle.
I sat on the balcony in my room until the sun began to sink below the trees. A faun came in and left my supper on the table, but I made no move to eat it. The autumn breeze brought a chill, and I pulled my blanket closer around myself. I pressed my cheek against the soft cotton and imagined that Peter's scent still clung to it, though it had faded months ago. I felt tears tightening my throat and, for the first time in quite a while, I did not try to fight them back.
"I hope you're doing better than I am, Pete," I said into the wind. "Because I am not doing great." I laughed at myself even as tears rolled down my face. "No, I am not."
I took a shuddering breath as the tears came faster.
"I just thought things would be a little better by now," I said.
I shook my head and shrugged, trying to reign my emotions back in.
"Miss you," I whispered.
Then a knock came at the door. I hurriedly wiped my cheeks as I walked across the room.
When I answered my door, I hoped to see Caspian. Instead, I found Cassia.
"So, we're prisoners, then?" she asked, striding into my room without waiting for an invitation. "You're all right with this?"
I sighed and closed the door.
"We're not prisoners," I said. "Just laying low until—"
"Until the Telmarine decides to let us out," Cassia fumed.
"Caspian just wants us safe," I said. "He's doing the best he—"
"When I came here, I assumed I would only have to answer to you," Cassia said. "As though that wasn't bad enough, now we have a boy king telling us where we can go."
I rolled my eyes.
"He's only a few years younger than you, you know. He's older than I am," I said, but she was not listening.
"Makes me wonder if your mother had the right idea," Cassia growled.
"Yeah?" I challenged. "You think killing your cousin and the rest was the right idea?"
She did not answer.
I let out a breath and sank down into the stuffed chair in the middle of the room, pushing my tray of food toward Cassia.
"Hungry?" I asked.
She grabbed the wooden chair across from me and spun it around before sitting down in it backwards. She rested her chin on the back of the chair but did not seem any more relaxed. I grabbed the cup of wine from the tray and swallowed down a huge mouthful.
"I just don't think—" Cassia began.
I dropped the wine and drew in a desperate gasp. My throat burned and tightened until I could barely drag in a strangled breath.
"Emma?" Cassia's voice sounded far away.
In my panic, I tried to stand but immediately fell to my knees. I tried to cough, but I could not force anything out. My throat closed more by the second. I grabbed at my neck as though I could pull away the invisible claw that seemed clenched around it.
Dark spots appeared in my vision just as Cassia grabbed the back of my hair and pulled my head back. She forced two fingers down my throat. Suddenly, my muscles seemed to remember how to function, and my stomach lurched.
I vomited all over the ornate rug on my floor. Cassia pounded on my back until I was finished. The swelling in my throat was going down, but my whole body still seemed to burn. I stayed on my hands and knees and took a few shuddering breaths. As soon as I exhaled, Cassia stood and picked up my dropped cup. I wiped my chin and looked up as she carefully sniffed at the wine.
"The Telmarines send their regards, it seems," Cassia snapped.
She grunted in frustration and hurled the cup against the wall.
"This wasn't Caspian," I said, getting to my feet.
"Maybe not but—"
Something in me snapped.
"I will handle this," I said.
I snatched my black cloak from the nail it hung from and tied it on.
"More council meetings, then?" Cassia sneered. "More talking until—"
"Cassia!" I shouted.
She looked surprised by the volume.
"I said I will handle it," I said, my voice lower.
I tightened my belt, Lucy's dagger dangling in its sheath.
"You know who did this, don't you?" she asked.
"Get Rhea from the east wing and go to the others near Cair Paravel," I said. "Tell Kai what happened. Stay on alert."
"And what will you be doing? Running off into a fight alone to finish the job the poison didn't?" Cassia demanded.
"Not a fight," I said, sliding another knife into the harness in my boot.
"And the king?" she asked.
I clenched my fist, and the flames I had lit in the hearth extinguished. The room was thrown into darkness.
"What about him?" I said as I strode out of the room.
I managed to get out of the castle unseen, though it surely helped that I did not take a horse. As I ran across the lowered draw bridge in the darkness, I hoped it would be the last time I fled from this castle.
The estate was only a few miles west of the castle. The great house rose before me, the main gate glistening in the torchlight, but I went around to the back and climbed over the wall that had clearly not been built for wartime. I was suddenly thankful for the incredibly dull gala I had attended here a few months ago as I climbed up the ivy and slid along the ledge of the outer wall. Then I saw the balcony I was looking for. I stepped onto the railing then dropped to the tiled floor silently.
Gauzy curtains floated in the open doorway, a dark and silent room on the other side. I could tell the room was empty, but I still crept inside carefully. The bedchamber was large but mostly empty save for a bed, wardrobe, and a table with a water basin. Shadows gathered in the far corner facing the door, obscuring it from sight. I stood there in the dark and waited.
It was less than an hour before he walked in, a small lamp in hand that illuminated his bearded face. He left the door open. He took no notice of me but set his lamp down on the table and shrugged out of his overcoat. Just as he turned his back toward me to walk to his wardrobe, I spoke.
"I must beg your forgiveness, my lord," I said. "I did not stay in the castle."
Lord Galien froze then slowly turned toward the sound of my voice. I stepped out of the shadows enough for him to see me.
"Lady Emma," he said. "Your presence honors my house, but I must tell you that I fear for your reputation should you be found in the dark with a man not your husband."
Without breaking eye contact, I shot a flame toward the hearth on my left. It roared to life, expelling the darkness from the room, the open door still bringing in light from the hall.
"Your regard for my virtue overwhelms me," I said dryly.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of—"
"Did you really think a little poison would work?" I cut in.
Lord Galien sighed lightly.
"I suppose that was naïve of me," he said.
He turned away from me and poured water into the washbasin.
"So then," he said as he dipped his hands into the water and began to wash his face. "Why are you here?"
He pressed a towel against his face to dry it before turning toward me again.
"Most people would be running away from the person who wants them dead," Lord Galien said.
"Maybe I'm here to kill you," I said.
He nodded thoughtfully.
"Maybe," he said. "Though I would not have thought you the violent type. You're here to reason with me, right? To come to a cease fire as it were."
"You are not the first one to think you were protecting Narnia from me. Surely you must know that I mean our country no harm," I said. "If I did, I could have razed it to the ground by now."
"I know that," he said simply.
"I would never hurt the king," I said. "I would never let anything happen to him."
"I know that very well, my dear," he said.
"Then why?" I said, taking a step toward him. "Why would you…"
Realization swept over me.
"You bastard," I whispered.
He chuckled.
"You're smarter than I gave you credit for," he said. "Though not as quick as could be desired."
He laced his fingers together in front of him.
"I knew as long as you were around, I wouldn't be able to get to Caspian," he said. "With you gone, your little band of witches will scatter. And Caspian will be just as vulnerable as his father was."
"Yet here I am," I said. "I do hate to ruin plans. It will be much harder to take the crown from a prison cell. Or an execution block."
"Oh, do try not to worry and wrinkle that lovely face of yours," he said. "Not everything is spoiled. You could go and raise the alarm, tell everyone of the terrible plot I'm behind."
He gave me a false look of pity.
"But no one will believe you," he said. "Not after they saw you destroy their brothers on the battlefield. Not after all the fires all over Narnia."
"Fires you set," I hissed, knowing it was true.
Lord Galien gave me a small, knowing smile before he turned and picked up his dressing gown from the bed and walked over to the hearth. He held his robe over the flames until the fabric caught fire.
"And especially not after tonight, after I tell the others of how you broke into my home, how you savagely attacked me…" he continued.
He threw the scorched gown on the floor.
"And they'll believe me," he said. "They'll want to believe me."
"I could kill you now," I said, calling a flame to my hand. "You'd be dead before you hit the ground."
He sighed as though he were a longsuffering father.
"Go ahead, then," he said. "Kill one of Caspian's most trusted advisors, a man he's known all his life, without any proof of treason. This country is a powder keg about to explode. Imagine how fast they'll turn on all of you if you kill me. Caspian would probably give the order himself."
The fire in my palm wavered, but I gritted my teeth.
"Then I'll die knowing the crown is safe from a snake like you," I said.
"Where does this loyalty come from?" he asked. "What has this man done for you? He jumped at the chance to marry you off, to get you out of Narnia. Half the Telmarines are ready to snap your neck, and he isn't defending you, is he? Where is he now? Why would you have to come alone if you really thought he was on your side?"
I had nothing to say. He turned his head to the side.
"If you go now, I can assure you that no one will go after the others," he said. "The blame will be solely on you. They will have plenty of time to disappear. If you kill me…they'll only know that one of you did it. I don't think they'll care which one. Do you really think those little girls can fight the entire country? Do you think Caspian would protect any of them?"
"I'm not going to stand aside and let you kill the king!" I shouted, then instantly regretted the noise.
There were voices and a commotion coming from down the hall.
Lord Galien took a step toward me.
"Let me tell you what's going to happen," he said. "I'll call for my guards, and you'll run. And you'll keep running and if you're very careful, you might just make it out of Narnia alive. And if you never come back, you might just stay that way."
The sounds of footsteps were getting closer. He saw my hesitation.
"He's not worth it, dear," he said.
I glanced at the door. He took advantage of my momentary distraction and reached for his sword. Without thinking, I drew Lucy's dagger and let it fly from my hand. The dagger sank into Lord Galien's stomach as he cried out. He fell back, clutching at the dagger and dropping his sword. As I walked closer to him, I could see the surprise on his face.
I pulled the knife back out as his body went limp. Before I could even stand, five men rushed into the room. Without even looking at them, I ran and threw myself over the railing of the balcony. I tried to soften the fall by rolling when I landed, but pain still shot up my knee. Lights blazed to life all over the house, shouts echoing everywhere. To avoid the guards racing through the courtyard, I doubled back around the house before climbing the wall. Just before I jumped over to the other side, I heard someone call my name, but I did not look back. I was running as soon as my feet hit the ground, flying toward Cair Paravel. I knew I had to get to the others.
I barely registered that someone was gaining on me until arms tightened around my waist and a force slammed into me. I rolled onto my back. The man was trying to still my flailing legs, and I recognized his face just as I kicked him in the side of the head.
"Damn it, Emma!" Caspian shouted, letting go of me and grabbing at his head. "It's me!"
I stood slowly, carefully, my eyes trained on Caspian as he got to his feet.
"You are not easy to catch," he said, doubling over to get his breath back.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Rhea," Caspian said. "She told me what happened."
"I didn't tell anyone where I was going," I pressed. "How did you know?"
He looked up at me, and I shook my head at the look on his face.
"You knew," I breathed. "You knew this would happen."
"No, I didn't," he protested. "I had no idea he would—"
"Your Highness!" a Telmarine guard called out as he came our way.
Three more men ran behind him, but Caspian waved them away.
"See to the household," Caspian called. "I'm fine."
They turned back, but not before a long moment's hesitation.
"You knew Galien was a traitor," I said.
"I wasn't sure," Caspian said.
"You heard that someone tried to kill me, and you knew where to go," I spat.
Caspian let out a breath.
"Drinian and I had suspected for some time that he was after the throne," he said. "So when Rhea told me…You have to believe that I had no idea he would come after you."
"You should have told me," I said.
"And you should have come to me!" Caspian snapped. "Why would you come here? You act like you have to do everything alone—"
"What was I supposed to do?" I shouted. "Was I supposed to ask you for help again? Galien set fires and tried to frame us for it, and it worked! He tried to turn the country against us. And it worked. Because you let it."
"I have never—"
"I told you that we couldn't possibly be behind the fires, but you never stood with me," I snapped. "I told you Cassia and I were attacked, and all you did was tell me to stay inside. A year ago, you asked me to be your regent. Now? You don't even allow me in council meetings!"
"I am trying to keep the peace!" Caspian shouted.
"No, you are trying to keep your lords comfortable," I shot back.
"Do you not see that it's the same thing?" he said. "When you ruled Narnia, there was no noble class to contend with. You have no idea how much power and influence they have. Gaining their loyalty would only protect the Eshwen, and it would be a lot easier to do without you causing trouble everywhere you go!"
"Causing trouble?" My voice was low, but I enunciated each word.
"I didn't mean—I know this isn't all…" Caspian shook his head, frustration clear in his voice. "You've just made things more difficult than they had to—"
"Telmarines have tried to kill me twice today, so forgive me if—"
"And you just killed a Telmarine lord in his own home!" Caspian shouted, pointing back toward the estate.
"To protect you!" I screamed. "I just put everything on the line for you and still—"
I paused, breathing heavily.
"You want to know why Galien thought he could get away with all this?" I asked. "You want to know why the Telmarines treat the Eshwen the way they do? They are watching you. You are teaching them what respect my people deserve."
"Our people!" Caspian shouted. "I am one of you!"
"They don't even know that!" I cried.
"Don't put that on me," Caspian fired back. "You are the one who told me not to make that public. You have pushed me out of your circle when I'm supposed to be one of you. I still don't know what that means for me, and you refuse to let me find out! I am trying to protect and lead these people and—"
"So am I," I shouted, then closed my eyes and released a breath before saying it again quieter. "So am I. I am trying to lead our people out of the shadows because that is where we die, Caspian. We die in the dark where people can pick us off and no one will do anything about it."
We stood there staring at each other, both seeming to wait for the other to speak while my words hung in the air. Caspian exhaled and relaxed his shoulders first.
"We are on the same side, Emma," he said. "We need to start acting like it…I need to start acting like it. If we don't do this together…"
"And what of keeping the peace?" I asked.
"Obviously, what I've been doing isn't working," he said.
We paused.
"Would you have believed me?" I asked. "If I had come to you and told you that Galien was a traitor with no proof, that he had tried to kill me…If you had not already known, would you have believed me?"
I swallowed before continuing.
"Galien…he didn't think you would," I said. "He didn't think you would protect me, either."
Caspian looked at me, his eyes unreadable. He reached under the neckline of his shirt and pulled a cord over his head. He looked down at it before closing the distance between us and lowering the necklace over my head. I picked up the pendant and realized what it was.
"Your seal?"
"One of only two," Caspian said. "Anyone who bears my seal bears my name."
"They would also be a member of your house," I said hesitantly.
"Sister, niece, cousin, whatever you prefer," he said.
"Technically, I am your grandmother," I said with a hesitant chuckle.
He grinned in response.
"I suppose you are," he said. "And tomorrow, everyone will know that. It's time."
I held the ring so tightly in my hand that I could feel the seal leaving an imprint on my skin.
"I don't know if I'll ever get married," I said suddenly.
"What?" Caspian asked, clearly caught off guard.
"I can't even think…I just need you to know that, now."
"I just called you my grandmother," Caspian said, taking a step back. "I'm hardly proposing."
"No," I said. "The baron from Archenland. I heard about the letter he sent. I just need you to know that I can't form any alliances like that, so if—"
"I refused the offer the second I saw it," Caspian said. "I would never ask you to do that."
"Thank you," I said quietly.
"Don't thank me," he said. "I should have made all of this clear from the beginning."
"Well, I haven't exactly made it easy," I said. "It's hard to…"
I had to stop and swallow down the tears that threatened to rise.
"It's hard to do any of this without them," I said.
I could not say the Pevensies' names, but Caspian nodded knowingly.
We rode back to the castle side-by-side. I still struggled to fall asleep that night, but the next morning, for the first time in a year, I woke up feeling a little less exhausted.
OoOoO
*The Present*
There was nothing natural about this storm.
The thought occurred to me on day four, but I kept it to myself. By day seven, I could tell I was not alone in it, but only when we had been driven before the hurricane for ten days did anyone say it out loud.
I stumbled down the stairs to my cabin behind a few of the men, changing shifts after hours of working on deck to keep the ship afloat. It was an overwhelming relief to step out of the wind and rain. I was already dry by the time I reached her, a perk of our magic that I had never fully appreciated until we put to sea.
As it was technically the middle of the night, I opened the door to my cabin as quietly as I could to avoid waking Lucy, but as my eyes adjusted to the dark room, I could see that she sat up in bed with her back against the wall.
"Can't sleep?" I asked.
She shook her head. I could not blame her. A hurricane did not exactly lend itself to peaceful slumber. This was the first time since the storm started that we had both been awake in the room at the same time. I had barely had time to speak to anyone at all other than barking orders at each other to keep the Dawn Treader above water. I pulled off my boots and unbraided my hair before climbing into my hammock fully clothed. I laid down and closed my eyes, but I could feel Lucy's gaze on me.
"This storm…" she said finally. "It's magic, isn't it?"
There it was. No matter how we tried to go around the hurricane or get ahead of it or move away, it stayed right on top of us. Even the most seasoned sailors were baffled by the weather. A few times, I could almost have imagined the dark clouds above us looking like a hand coming down to grab us.
"I think so," I admitted. "Not that it really changes much. We still have to sail through it, magic or not."
"I guess," Lucy mumbled.
"I suppose we should have expected as much this far east," I said, thinking this would be the end of the conversation.
Lucy was quiet for a moment.
"Unless…" Lucy began. "It could be your mother—"
"What? No," I said. "We don't have that kind of power."
"Are you sure?" Lucy asked. "How much do you really know about her?"
I pressed my lips together to keep from snapping back and asking her what she thought I had been doing for three years.
"Trufflehunter and I pieced together what we could," I said. "Beasts have…long memories."
In fact, we had travelled all over the country, speaking to different talking animals and creatures to get the clearest picture that we could of who Leandra had been—and, more importantly, what she was capable of.
"How did she come back to life?" Lucy asked. "With the right magic, can anyone do that?"
I sighed quietly and sat up so that I could see her.
"No," I said. "It doesn't work like that. A soul cannot return from death."
It had been difficult to know for sure what was true. Some stories conflicted with others, but from what we could tell, Leandra was an immortal of some sort.
"When Narnia was first created, there was an orchard in the mountains," I said. "The fruit gave you eternal life, but if you took it in the wrong way, you lost your soul."
"That's why the White Witch didn't age," Lucy said.
"Yeah," I said. "And Leandra was her lieutenant, so Jadis must have given her the same fruit. It's dark magic, but without a soul, you can be brought back."
"What else could she have learned from Jadis?" Lucy mused.
"I don't know, Lu," I said. "But she can't control the sea."
I waited to see if she would lie down, but she did not.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
"Nothing," she said too quickly. "We should get some sleep."
She laid down without another word. I hoped it was just the dim light that made her look so pale. I knew I should press her harder, but exhaustion tugged on my eyelids. I did not even have a chance to think about what I should say before I drifted off.
Someone was shouting down the hall. I was trying to pull myself out of sleep to understand what they were saying when a pounding came at my door.
"All hands on deck!" Rynelf shouted. "All hands on deck!"
I jumped out of my hammock. While I slept, Lucy and Rhea had evidently switched places. Rhea was already tying her pants on beside the empty bed. I pulled my boots on as she opened the door. I followed her out. We raced up the stairs and back out into the open. The deck was in chaos—Drinian trying to shout over the storm, men scurrying about and fighting against the wind, sideways rain pelting down on everyone. At first, I did not understand the cause for alarm. The storm was powerful, but no worse than it had been.
Then I saw the cracks appearing in the base of the mast.
"Pull to starboard!" Drinian shouted.
The other sailors had tied ropes to the main sail and were trying to guide it down. Rhea and I fell in line with the others, doing our best to save the mast, but the fissures only grew. The sea heaved us up against the wind.
"To the port bow!" Drinian commanded. "Let go! All to the port bow!"
Drinian saw what I did—the mast was coming down. Everyone moved toward the port side, but then a high-pitched shout rose above the wind.
"Stop pulling me! Leave me alone!" Eustace was shouting.
Edmund had caught hold of his cousin's arm and was trying to drag the boy to safety, but Eustace was shoving him away. The ship pitched at just the wrong moment and allowed Eustace to shove Edmund away and break free of his grip. Edmund fell back toward the rest of the crew just as the mast cracked. Eustace stumbled back, further to starboard and further into the path of the falling mast.
"Eustace!" Rhea shouted, running past Edmund toward Eustace.
I was running toward him as well, but I knew I would not make it in time. Luckily for Eustace, a gust of wind changed the trajectory of the mast as it fell. Unfortunately, that meant it was now falling toward me. I dove. I barely made it to the other side before the mast crashed onto the deck, cutting me, Rhea, and Eustace off from the rest of the crew. Eustace was trying to regain his balance, but the wind caught him as the force of the fall tipped the starboard of the ship down dangerously. Rhea reached out for him, but it was too late. A wave crashed over the deck and washed Eustace over the railing.
"Man overboard!" I screamed as I jumped to my feet. "Man overboard!"
Rhea grabbed a rope that whipped around in the wind, one end of it still tied to the main sail. Without hesitation, she dove off the ship after Eustace.
"Wait!" I shouted much too late.
I could tell already that the rope was not secure. I grabbed it seconds before the wood it was tied to snapped in half. My palms burned as the rope ripped through my hands for a moment before I was able to plant my feet and fully hold onto it. Even then, I found myself unable to keep my balance, slowly losing ground until I was sure I would slam into the rail and let go at any second. I would have called out for help, but my teeth were clenched together too hard to open my mouth.
My feet were sliding out from beneath me on the slick deck, unable to find any grip. Just as I was about to fall forward, an arm wrapped around my waist and yanked me back. I only realized it was Lander when he reached his other hand around me and grabbed the portion of rope just behind my hands. This gave me time to regain my footing. Then a blast of fire shot up from the ocean before us.
"Pull!" I screamed.
He let go of me and picked up the rope behind me. Together, we began to draw the rope back up. By the time the top of Rhea's head appeared over the railing, other crewmembers had been able to climb over the fallen mast to us. Rhea fell onto the deck, dragging a screaming Eustace behind her.
"Let go of me!" he demanded.
Eustace coughed out a mouthful of water but otherwise seemed wholly unharmed. Rhea was on her hands and knees, coughing horribly, by the time I reached her. She was freezing. I pressed my hand into her back until a rush of sea water came out of her mouth.
"I will see you all in court, I swear!" Eustace shouted once the coughing subsided. "No proper life vests or rescue boats. No real safeguards! Only a fool would—"
Heat flooded through me.
"Someone get that idiot below!" I screamed, my voice shaking with fury.
"I could have been hurt!" Eustace protested. "I could have—"
The look in my eyes when I raised my head must have been enough to frighten him into silence as he stepped back and stuttered to a stop. I stood.
"Get below, Eustace," Caspian said, stepping between the two of us.
For once, Eustace did not argue and simply scurried away. I saw Lucy meet him at the stairs and walk off with him, probably to be sure that he was okay. I was painfully sure he was. I spared myself one more second of anger before turning back to Rhea. Edmund had already helped her to her feet, but she was still coughing.
"Take her to your quarters," Drinian said to me. "We'll manage up here."
"I'm all right," Rhea said, her voice raspy from the sea water.
But Drinian nodded to me, and I helped her down to our room.
She was able to dry her clothes, but her body temperature went back down again until I knew she had a chill. She expelled even more water from her lungs as I wrapped her in a blanket that I warmed.
"I'm really okay," Rhea said.
But she sat down on the bed and pulled the blanket closer. I did not notice the blood running down her face until I lit the hearth.
"Well, how did you manage that?" I asked, kneeling in front of her and touching her nose as gently as I could.
"Eustace panicked in the water," she winced.
It was broken.
"I see," I said.
Without warning her, I pushed the bone into place. Rhea screamed a curse, but I healed the wound before she could jerk away.
"I didn't know you knew that word," I laughed.
The pain passed from her expression as irritation replaced it. She rubbed her nose.
"I know that word and more," she grumbled.
I smoothed her hair back from her face.
"You okay, now? Really?" I asked.
She furrowed her brow and looked away.
"Yeah," she said.
"Rhea," I pressed.
She looked at me, her brow wrinkled.
"I thought I saw something down there," Rhea said. "Something in the water."
"We're in a hurricane, what could you have—"
"I know," she said. "It's crazy. I didn't really see anything…but I could sense it. Like something helped push me back to the surface."
"Something?" I asked.
She shook her head.
"I don't know," she said. "It was really dark."
I took a beat of silence.
"Get some rest, okay?" I said. "We can talk about it later."
I left the room and closed the door behind me, then almost collided with Edmund as I came down the hall. He was carrying a steaming cup of spiced wine.
"What are you—" I began.
"Nothing!" he exclaimed. "I just thought—the ocean is cold, and I know she doesn't get cold, but the wine might help."
"I see…" I said.
He started to move past me.
"Wait, Ed," I said. "We should talk."
His looked back at me.
"Nothing to talk about," he said defensively. "I would do the same for anyone else, not just Rhea, you know."
My eyebrows rose. His face turned red as he registered my surprise and realized his mistake.
"I wanted to make sure everything was okay between us," I said.
"Oh," he said. "I thought—"
"But I am suddenly very interested in what you thought I was talking about," I said with an incredulous laugh.
My smile faded as he looked at me, waiting for me to speak, but I was searching for the words.
"I overreacted," I said.
I shoved my hands into my pockets and shrugged.
"I can't apologize for killing Pug," I said. "But I'm sorry for speaking to you that way."
Edmund nodded slowly.
"Okay," he said, holding my gaze. "I can accept that."
"So, we're good?" I asked.
"We're good," Edmund said.
From the look in his eyes, I could tell that we both knew things were more complicated than that, but neither of us wanted to be at odds for long.
"So, you're Caspian's successor, now? I'll admit I was relieved to hear that," Edmund said. "When I saw the ring, I wondered…"
He gestured toward Caspian's seal on my left pointer finger.
"Oh no, it's nothing like that between us," I said. "I mean, there are quite a few people who would want it to be, but no."
Edmund nodded.
"Peter's doing really well," he said after a beat of silence. "He got into university."
My stomach flipped at the mention of his name.
"Law?" I asked.
"Yeah," Edmund said. "Mum swears he's Parliament bound."
"Sounds like Pete," I smiled.
Edmund started to say something, then must have thought better of it.
"I'll check on Rhea," he said, raising the still-hot cup of spiced wine.
I stood silently in the hall until he disappeared into my room.
The hurricane continued for another three days before it finally eased off. By then, two of our water casks had sprung leaks in them. We spent another two days on an eerily still sea on strict water rations. All eyes were locked on the horizon, desperate to see land appear. Then, sixteen days after we left the port of Narrowhaven, an island appeared before us. It appeared uninhabited, but it was so mountainous that we knew we would have to investigate further.
"There's something strange about this place," Rhea said as we got out of the landing boat. "Something…alive."
"I don't sense any Eshwen," I said.
"No, something else," Rhea said.
I thought I understood what she meant. There was an energy here that felt powerful. But I was too tired to really focus on it. I looked back at our ship. The Dawn Treader looked even worse from shore with her ragged sails and broken mast.
"We've much to do, yes," Drinian said. "But first, we shall all eat and drink our fill and have a rest."
I was on my third cup of water before I slowed down. After days of thirst, I thought I might never get enough. I dug into the freshly cooked fish in front of me with the same intensity. After I finished the food, I laid back in the sand between Rhea and Edmund and actually dozed off to the sounds of relaxed conversation around me. I was pulled out of my rest by Eustace's high-pitched voice.
"—aren't allowed in armed conflict!" he was shouting at Rhea. "And even if they were, you have to be eighteen to enlist. How old are you?"
"Seventeen," Rhea said.
"See? You can't be a soldier," Eustace said. "According to the rules of war laid down by the—"
"Eustace," Lucy sighed. "Do give it a rest, will you?"
"I was only saying—" Eustace tried.
"Eustace! Shut up!" Edmund snapped. "Rhea saved your life, and you're worried about her being a girl? Just. Shut. Up."
Eustace's face turned red as he stood up and stomped off, still muttering under his breath. A few crew members had drawn closer to us while I dozed. I noticed Lander standing only a few feet away staring after the fuming Eustace. He looked from Eustace to me, a twitch of amusement in the corner of his mouth.
"Is your cousin always so…opinionated?" he asked.
I snorted.
"Oh, he's not my cousin," I said, standing and brushing sand off my pants. "I would hardly claim relation to him even if it were true."
"Just when I think I've untangled the web of royalty on this ship…" Lander said in exaggerated frustration.
"I'd be glad to draw you a diagram of our family trees," I said. "Though something tells me that would not help."
"Are you insulting my intelligence, Your Grace?" Lander asked, placing his hand over his heart dramatically.
"Now that doesn't sound like me at all," I said, casually putting my hands in my pockets and shrugging innocently. "Then again, if you've been in our company for weeks and still don't know who we are…perhaps I should insult your intelligence. Or at least your attention to detail."
He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"So mean," he muttered.
But Lander did not look offended. Instead, he laughed softly and began rolling up his sleeves as Drinian called for the day's work to begin. From the corner of my gaze, I saw Eustace creep away from the beach, probably off to sulk and avoid any work. I rolled my eyes and let him go.
There was everything to be done. Sails needed to be laid out and mended, water casks brought ashore to be refilled and repaired, not to mention needing to craft an all-new mast from one of the pine trees on the island. The ship herself was ragged to put it lightly. The hull needed attention, the rails on the deck as well.
Caspian and Drinian were directing everyone into groups for the tasks at hand. I ended up taking a landing boat back to the ship with some of the crew. I helped Rhince and a few others gather up the torn sails and catalogue what rations we still had on board. Then, as I dragged a water cask onto the deck, Lander picked up the other side to help me carry it up the stairs.
"So, if I am understanding this correctly, despite how you carry on, King Edmund is not your brother?" Lander asked, picking up our conversation as though we had never stopped talking.
"Not by blood," I grunted.
We reached the top of the stairs, and I began rolling the cask toward the starboard rail.
"And you're a queen of Narnia," Lander said as he rolled another barrel beside me. "But we've got another one of those plus two kings with us."
"So it seems," I said dismissively.
I tied a rope to the cask and heaved it over the rail onto the landing boat where Rynelf waited. Lander leaned on his cask and pushed his hair out of his eyes.
"Must be a crowded throne room," he said. "Do you rule together or take turns?"
His tone was teasing, but not mocking.
"Every third Tuesday is my turn," Edmund said from the far side of the deck where he was folding a tattered sail. "Emma gets Sundays."
"And I thought Miraz's rule was chaos," Lander mused. "I assume he isn't another king in the rotation?"
"He wasn't very good at sharing," Edmund quipped.
A snort of laughter escaped before I could stop it. But as I loaded the last cask onto the landing boat, a thought occurred to me. I got quiet and kept a careful eye on Lander.
Caspian met me as soon as I stepped back onto shore.
"How many men would you and Rhea need for a hunting party?" he asked.
"I was thinking that if she and I split up, we could get a better idea of the island," I said. "We would only need one man each."
Caspian nodded in agreement.
"Edmund can go with Rhea, and I can take—" I began.
"I volunteer," Lander said, climbing out of the boat. "I'm an excellent shot."
Caspian nodded again. Lander grinned triumphantly at me before walking off to grab his bow and quiver.
"Perfect," Caspian said. "Signal if you need any help and be back before sundown. We don't know what else could be out there."
I was swinging my ax into its harness when Lander joined me.
"Do you usually hunt without a bow?" he asked.
"Not much of an archer," I said.
I strode toward the south side of the beach, Lander following closely. The island felt more like a rainforest the further in we went. Everything was damp, and I wondered if it was always this way or if the hurricane had blown through this direction, too. As we walked, I began to smell a strange, sharp scent that I could not quite identify. It only got stronger the further we got from the beach. We were well into the trees before either of us said anything.
"Why is the whole crew scared of you?" Lander asked suddenly.
I bent back a tree branch but let it go before Lander was clear.
"Are they?" I asked absentmindedly.
He ducked just in time to miss the swinging branch.
"They make you out to be some kind of devil, you know," he said.
I squatted down to examine some animal tracks.
"Then perhaps you shouldn't irritate me," I said.
Lander was quiet for a moment before kneeling down to meet my gaze on my level.
"Do you ever answer a question directly?" he asked.
"Do you ever stop talking when you're trying to hunt?" I countered.
It came out sharper than I had meant it, but he simply chuckled.
"So, that's a no," Lander whispered, sounding amused.
"Deer," I said as I straightened and started following the tracks.
"Yes, love?"
I rolled my eyes.
"A deer headed this way not too long ago," I said.
We walked further south for a few minutes.
"Some of the crew members warned me to stay away from you," Lander said. "Any idea why?"
"Sounds like good advice," I said. "You don't run out of questions, do you?"
"I'm just trying to get the story straight, Your Highness," he said. "I like to ask questions."
I looked back at him and scoffed.
"You joined a dangerous voyage to an unexplored part of the East with a host of people you had never met without even asking who they were," I said sardonically.
He smirked at me.
"Yes, I did," Lander said. "But I'm asking, now. Who are you?"
I stopped walking and crossed my arms.
"I think I'm more interested in who you are," I said. "How did you know about Miraz?"
His expression was unreadable, but I raised my eyebrows and held eye contact.
"No one in the islands had heard from Narnia in a very long time," I said. "But you knew Miraz's name. You recognized Caspian. How?"
His face was like stone, but he still held my gaze.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who avoids questions," I said after a silence.
I bent over to investigate a splatter of blood on the leaves of a small bush. The deer tracks stopped suddenly.
"Damn," I hissed.
"Something must have beaten us to it," Lander said. "Lion?"
I looked around for other tracks to identify the predator but saw nothing.
"Not unless a lion can float," I said.
Suddenly, the hair stood up on the back of my neck. I finally placed the scent I had been smelling. Sulfur. There was a rustling just ahead in the trees. Lander notched an arrow, but I put my hand over his and pushed the bow down.
"Don't make a sound," I breathed.
I started to slowly back away from where the sound had come from, Lander following suit without question. Then one of us stepped on a branch that snapped loudly. We both froze. Then we saw it coming out of the shadows. For a split second, I wondered if it would leave us alone, then I saw the hunger in its eyes.
"Down!" I screamed, yanking Lander to the ground as flames spewed where his head had been.
I looked up just in time to see a dragon towering over us, its mouth open as it roared, blood from its last kill still dripping from its teeth.
Lander and I rolled in opposite directions as the dragon snapped down at us.
"Run!" I shouted.
Lander was already on his feet and grabbed my hand to yank me up before we took off back through the trees, but the dragon pursued us.
"We can't lead it back to the ship!" Lander called.
I knew he was right. We both stopped and turned to face the monster. I drew my ax, and Lander notched another arrow.
"Aim at the underbelly!" I commanded. "I'll keep its attention!"
I ran to my left, leading the head away from Lander, his arrows already flying.
"Hey, stupid!" I shouted when the dragon started to look toward Lander again. "Incinerate me!"
A few of Lander's arrows had found their target, but the dragon seemed to barely notice them jutting out of its tough hide. It turned toward me again, its gold eyes pulsing. Fire grew in its throat until it exhaled a stream of flames directly at me.
"Emma!"
I heard Lander's distressed shout as the force of the fire knocked me back a little, but I stayed on my feet. When the dragon's breath gave out and the fire died, it seemed surprised to see me still standing. I smirked.
"My turn," I said.
I raised my left hand and channeled a hot, concentrated flame into the dragon's face. It stumbled back. I ran forward, trying to get a clear shot at its neck with my ax, but it was too quick. I dove away before it could snap me up but did not have time to stand again before its open mouth was above me again, fire shooting out from its throat.
I could not see through the inferno but raised the spike of my ax above my head and braced the handle against the ground. It stabbed into the roof of the dragon's mouth as it tried to bite down. It roared and pulled back, my ax dangling from its mouth until it swung my weapon away. Lander picked it up and hurled it straight at the dragon's throat. It stuck, but the dragon did not fall. It reared its head back to blast Lander, and I was too far away to do anything. Without thinking, I thrusted my hands out in front of me just as the dragon's fire left its mouth. But instead of engulfing Lander, it bent around him as though I was pushing it. Then an idea occurred to me, an echo of the last voice I expected to hear. Leandra.
"Do you know what happens when you separate an Eshwen from her flame for even a moment?"
I held my right hand like a claw and twisted it slowly, a jolt running through me. The dragon staggered back until it fell, a choking sound from its throat. Energy rippled over me. I felt hot and cold at the same time. Through my right eye, I was looking at the dragon, but through my left eye, I was staring straight at Lander, then at myself. I felt hungry, angry. And a little scared.
Then I closed my hand into a fist. The dragon gave a final roar. The gold in the dragon's eyes grew dimmer until they were black. Neither I nor Lander said anything for several beats as we both stared at the dragon, catching our breath. Then his gaze shifted to me. He was still on the ground where he had landed after dodging the dragon's attack. I watched understanding come over him. I waited for fear and disgust to come into his eyes, but instead he let out an incredulous laugh.
"What?" I snapped.
He sat up and casually rested his arm on his knee, still laughing.
"Oh, no wonder you have these superstitious Telmarines in a panic," he said. "You really are as dangerous as they say."
I sighed and walked to where my ax had landed.
"I mean, you could wipe us all out if you wanted to," he said, getting to his feet.
"I didn't know you could do something like that, though," he gestured toward the fallen dragon. "That wasn't in the stories."
"No, it wasn't," I mused.
In truth, I had no idea what I had done. I looked away, cleaning my ax off with a clump of long, wet grass.
"What a crew I've joined," Lander said. "Ancient kings and queens…fire demons…"
"If you're trying to insult me, you'll need to get more creative," I said.
"I'm not."
The tone of his voice was so surprisingly honest that I looked at him.
"That's who you are, isn't it? The kings and queens of old. Sorry, I thought you were fairytales," he said.
I flung the grass onto the ground and clicked my ax into place.
"More of a cautionary tale, really," I said. "Come on, we need to get back to the beach. There may be more dragons about."
I started making my way back through the trees as quickly as I could without running.
"Shouldn't you be pretty old by now?" Lander asked. "And aren't there four of you? Sometimes the stories would say five, but I—"
I stopped and looked at him.
"You're being very casual about this," I said. "Aren't you…scared of me?"
"Should I be?" he asked.
"Well, no, but—"
"Okay, so how are you still so young? You must be—"
"You are very odd," I said, continuing on through the forest.
"Says the thousand-year-old storybook fire creature—"
I clapped my hand over Lander's mouth.
"Do you hear that?" I whispered.
He looked confused before he slowly raised his eyes toward the raspy sound like leather rubbing together in measured beats. We both froze as a massive shadow passed over us. A dragon, even bigger than the one we had just slain flew above us. As soon as it moved on, we took off toward the beach at full speed. I heard the sounds of panic as we got closer, someone calling the men to arms.
I broke through the tree line moments before Lander—and just in time to see the dragon grabbing the top of Edmund's armor and flying off, Edmund dangling from its claws.