King Edmund's horn sounded in the morning. They swam to Felimath Bay. Lucy ran aboard and stood beside her most loyal companions. Everyone on board was silent and understood why Felimath was in danger.
Instead of green meadows, a dark volcanic landscape stretched out on one of the Lonely Islands.
She picked up the black ash. It stuck to her everywhere. As soon as a gentle breeze blew, the dust swirled on their shoes and their eyes, noses and mouths were full of it.
Their feet dug into the loose material.
" Last time there was a sandy beach and then meadows," she said bitterly, examining the ashes in her hand. It was soft. She had never seen anything like it. It could have been anything, but the dust in her hand smelled of smoke and fire.
" Who knows what happened here," said the captain of the ship as he boarded the boat. After a very long quarrel, the sailors decided to obey the king's order and stay on the ship. Only the captain escorted them ashore.
" Are you sure you don't want reinforcements?" He asked, looking at Edmund. When the king didn't answer, he looked at Lucy.
" Yes. Captain, we can't let anything happen to you. "
Although the captain did not understand, he nodded and bounced off the shore. The trio had nothing with them, only small supplies of water and some food. The others were left on the ship.
" Now what, Lucy?" Edmund turned to her. She looked around. There was a grave silence besides the breeze.
" When Aslan appeared to me at night, he was standing under a big tree. There he told me why I was actually here. "
" Why?"
Lucy took a deep breath.
" I won't tell you right away, Edmund, but you'll learn certain things during this" trip. "Gradually."
" Good. So let's start from the beginning and walk slowly. Try to remember what the area around the tree looked like. "
After a while of climbing a small hill, they were short of breath and snorting, dirty as if they had come out of a mine. Lucy leaned on her knees.
" How much more?" Edmund asked.
" I don't know."
"And what do you know, Lucy? Look, we went up a small hill and we're exhausted! "He said angrily.
" I'm not to blame!" She cried desperately. "Tell me what to do!"
" Start using the brain, Lucy, why are we coming here?"
" You didn't have to come here at all! You had a choice! "
" Shut up!" Ramon shouted. The two monarchs looked at him in surprise. "We haven't even really started yet, and you're arguing like little kids!"
" You're right, Ramon," Edmund admitted. "I guess I should apologize to you, Lucy. Lucy?"
She was not with them. As Edmund thought sadly, Lucy noticed a stone statue not far from them. It was lower than her, fear on it´s face, even inexperienced would say that the author thoroughly captured emotions: fear and horror.
She stood calmly by the statue, looking into the creature's face.
" I swear the statue wasn't here a while ago," Ramon said as they approached Lucy.
" It's ..."
" Yes, Edmund, this is Mr. Tumnus," she nodded.
" But there's a young man here," Ramon frowned.
" Yes," she smiled sadly. "That's exactly what the White Witch had in his castle."
There was silence.
" You asked what we were doing here. I've been here before, in a place like this. I'm a little more connected to Felimath than anyone thinks. The last time I was here, I swore to protect Felimath like my own heart. It may sound crazy, but Felimath only looks this way because of how I feel. "She laughed.
" Yes, that sounds crazy," Ramon said, embarrassed.
" But why is there a statue of Tumnus?" Edmund frowned.
" Because there's something that wants to destroy me with my own fears."
She drew her sword and drove across the statue. The sword passed through it, as if it were made of butter and not stone.
" But I'm not afraid!" She exclaimed in silence.
" Burnt and dark," she repeated the words from her dream with Aslan. Then she walked on. She didn't know what to expect, so she didn't want to linger.
In the afternoon they were very exhausted, they could not continue, so they decided to stop and spend the night there. Felimath was not a big island, not even a mountainous one. But the large layers of ash present everywhere prevented them from moving forward.
In the middle of the night, Edmund woke up. Lucy sat staring through the darkness.
" Something's happening," she whispered. A howl came through the darkness.
" Wolves!" They both jumped to their feet. Another body threw in front of Lucy - Ramon. He tried to repel the wolves that wanted to kill her. When he was no longer in control, he fell and let the wolves go to Lucy. She slit throat to one of them. But another bit her arm. Just like before. A third threw himself on her back. She screamed in pain, but as if no one had heard her. Suddenly it all disappeared. The wolves were gone, the wounds were not real. But she saw lit torches and a gallows in front of her. Ramon stood on it and Edmund walked over to him. Executioner tied a noose around Ramon´s neck.
" Ramon!" She cried. "Edmund!"
She ran to the gallows.
" You did not lay down your life for the queen, you saved your skin from wolves. Betrayal! "Her brother called.
" Edmund, no! Stop!"
She didn't have time to catch up. A trapdoor opened under Ramon and his body fell. He was convulsing for a moment, then weakened.
" Ramon!" She shouted. She fell to her knees in desperate crying. She looked at Ramon's motionless body.
" This is not real!" She cried, but the scene in front of her was still.
" Lucy!" His voice called. She flinched. There was nothing here. She didn't know how much she knelt there, but probably for a long time, because it was getting dawn. She stood up and returned to where they were sleeping. Edmund and Ramon lay bound on the ground.
" What happened to you?" She asked in a shaky voice as she untied them.
" As soon as the wolves howled, we were suddenly handcuffed and could do nothing but look at it all," Ramon said. He knew why she saw this. But he had no idea it would be one of his queen's greatest fears.
" What happened?" Edmund frowned.
" My next fear."
" Explain it to me," he urged. Lucy looked at Ramon. She caught his worried gaze in the gloom.
" Explain to me why you're afraid I'll hang Ramon, who let the wolves tear you apart."
" Do you remember when you were Tashbaan and when you returned, I was fresh after the wolf attack?"
Edmund nodded.
" Ramon didn't kill the wolf. Ramon wasn't even there at the time. "
The anger boiled in Edmund.
" He should be hanging for that, as he received an order from the Highest King to protect you," he said through gritted teeth. Ramon withdrew.
" He is not to blame. I sent him away. "
" Then he shouldn't have listened to you!" He exclaimed, standing up. "That wolf could have killed you!"
" Edmund, calm down!" She cried pleadingly. Tears welled in her eyes again. "Please."
Edmund looked at his little sister. The word little was no longer true. Suddenly he saw a strong young woman in front of him. Warrior.
He sat down. However, he did not forgive another angry look at Ramon.
" I told everyone a lie, because I knew it would turn out like this. I was afraid you would hurt him. I'm still afraid, as you can see. "
" You should have told me."
" I couldn't."
There was silence between them.
" Wait, who killed the wolf?" Edmund asked suddenly. Lucy scratched her head.
" Me," she said quietly.
" Just a bow?" He exclaimed. Lucy shook her head.
" Dagger," she whispered even quieter.
"A dagger!" He gasped. "Such a monster with a dagger."
Ramon laughed softly.
" You don't laugh, I still feel like hanging you," he glared at him. Then he turned to Lucy again. "How old were you then?"
" Eleven."
Edmund squeezed the bridge of his nose.
" For Aslan's mane. Thirteen-year-old Peter managed to kill a wolf with a sword, and you killed a wolf at the age of eleven. With dagger. "
Lucy laughed.
" At that time, Aslan was standing by my side," she laughed.
" I quit, I'm leaving Narnia, I'm refusing to lead the army. When I have such a strong sister? "
Lucy laughed at Edmund. He behaved like a child.
The two of them didn't notice, but Ramon did. As the siblings laughed together, a strong wind blew. A great cloud of ash rose from the earth, and the wind carried it into the sea. Suddenly it was easier to breathe.