Originally this was one of the longest chapters, but while doing rewrites, I decided to end it sooner. I felt like this was a better ending to the chapter than what I had previously.
Chapter 19: Fears Come to Life
The thickness of the fog grew and eventually they could barely see in front of them. They could hear voices in the mist surrounding them and the whole place felt eerie. Ana climbed the steps to join Caspian and the Captain on the poop deck. He watched her carefully, studying her with concern. She knew he was concerned with how this place would affect her. But Ana was less afraid now that she understood that everything was part of the nightmare. She didn't think now was a good time to mention any of this to Caspian.
Drinian was steering the ship, unable to really see where we were headed. "I can't see a thing. This fog's too thick."
Right after he spoke, Ana noted Caspian turning his head to look over both shoulders. Puffs of green mist showed up on either side of him. It was obvious that he was seeing and hearing something from it. But as it was just fog to her, Ana couldn't tell what he saw. He hadn't mentioned what his dream had been about. Or even what his fear was. The mist played to those insecurities. Ana approached to hopefully ward the voices off.
"It's not real," she whispered.
His gaze snapped quickly to Ana having not seen her move. "I—I know," Caspian answered, sounding unsure.
"But they're hard to ignore," Ana agreed. "Keep your thoughts on what makes you happy and it should make them back off a bit."
"Is that what you've been doing?"
She shrugged. "It's been working most of the time." Caspian smiled a little, grateful for the advice.
Monster, a voice said suddenly and Ana stiffened. She didn't look around, knowing there was no one there. Abandoned, unwanted. No one cares about you. No one could love a filthy creature like you. You're too broken.
Ana shook her head, trying to shove the voices down. She closed her eyes and felt a hand on her arm. They were whispering lies, playing to fears she didn't know she had. Following her own advice, she thought of the things that made her happy. Aslan, her friends and family, and a free Narnia. The voices stopped and she opened her eyes.
Smiling, Ana looked at Caspian. His face was etched with worry that quickly faded. He dropped his hand from her arm and stepped away from her. As he focused on the path ahead, Ana frowned a little. She was disappointed the contact didn't last longer. She always felt safe when he was near and it felt slightly colder after he stepped away. The mist moved in to fill the void, but Ana wouldn't let the voices flood her mind. She kept her thoughts on Aslan.
The crew was silent, keeping an eye for anything. They wanted to leave as soon as possible. But they couldn't until they found the last lord. The mist faded in and out amongst them and Ana could see their struggle. She had no idea what fears plagued their minds but wished she could help them.
A shout of 'No!' traveled to her ears. Several others had heard it too. She immediately sought out Edmund but found Lucy was already at her brother's side. Ana could've strained to hear what she told him, but didn't wish to eavesdrop. But whatever was said caused Edmund to relax a bit.
Ana was the first to hear it. A voice in the wind. She thought it was just the mist, but realized it wasn't when she heard it again. This voice was warning people to keep away rather than trying to draw them in.
She rushed down the stairs and ran to the ledge to try and find the source. Caspian was right behind her. "Ana?" he asked but said nothing else. He knew she was focused on something else.
"Keep away!" a voice shouted. "Keep awaaay!"
The others heard it then. Edmund grabbed his torch and walked across the deck to join Ana. He shined the light along the large boulders sticking out of the water.
"Who's there?" Edmund demanded.
"We do not fear you!" Caspian informed the voice. He seemed to think it was in their heads, but Ana was sure it was real.
"Nor I, you!" the voice replied.
The light of Edmund's torch found a figure among the rocks. His sword was raised high and he was prepared to fight. The man's clothes were in tatters and he had a crazed look in his eyes. Several of the crew raised their bows at the man, but they wouldn't fire without orders. Ana thought he seemed a bit mad, but she couldn't blame him. Who knew what horrors he had faced trapped in the island.
"Keep away!" the man warned again.
"We will not leave," Caspian answered. The man moved and they could see his blade better. It was the seventh sword they needed.
"Caspian! Caspian, his sword!" Edmund observed.
"Lord Rhoop!"
"You do not own me!" Lord Rhoop shouted, half-mad.
"Stand down!" Caspian ordered the archers. "Let's get him on board, quickly."
The crew rushed to do as they were told. They set their weapons aside and reached for the grappling hooks. They intended to pull the ship closer to the rocks and bring the lord on board. But Eustace had other plans. He swooped down from behind, startling the lord, and deposited on the deck. The lord swung his blade, trying to fight Eustace off.
"Be calm, my lord," Caspian tried to placate.
"Off me, demon!" he cried, still swinging his sword. Several crew members had to leap out of the way. They kept their weapons aimed at the lord.
"No, my lord. We are not here to hurt you. I am your King, Caspian."
"Caspian?" Lord Rhoop repeated, recognition in his eyes. He lowered his sword and reached out to touch Caspian's face. "My lord? You should not have come! There's no way out of here!" he warned, near frantic. Lord Rhoop turned to shout at the rest of the crew. "Quickly... turn this ship about, before it's too late!"
"We have the sword! Let's go!" Edmund told Caspian, not wanting to linger any longer than they had to.
"Let's turn her about, Drinian," Caspian ordered.
"Aye-aye, Your Majesty," the Captain responded and both turned to return to the wheel.
Lord Rhoop reached out a hand to stop Caspian. "Do not think!" he warned. "Do not let it know your fears... or it will become them."
Which is, of course, exactly what they did. As soon as he advised them against it, their fears rushed to the forefront. Ana knew her greatest would be hard to manifest anywhere but her mind. Unfortunately, Edmund wasn't so lucky.
"Oh, no," he groaned, eyes closed.
"Edmund..." Lucy asked, fear in her voice. "What did you just think of?!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Edmund lamented and rushed to the ship's edge. Ana was quick to follow and both noticed the rocks in the water began to move.
Something bumped the underside of the ship. It lurched violently and most of them fell to the deck, including Lucy. Ana had gripped the rail as soon as she felt it tip, helping her stay upright. Leif helped Lucy to her feet and everyone quickly to the other side.
"Look," Caspian stated, pointing. There was something moving in the shadows of the water. "What is that?"
They could see something moving but it was too dark to see what it was. Ana had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. It had to be a sea creature of some kind. She had a feeling she knew exactly what it was and she dearly hoped she was wrong. A quick glance at Edmund did nothing to assuage her fear.
"It's too late," Lord Rhoop stated from behind Caspian. "It's too late!"
Ana noticed Gael for the first time when she moved. While everyone crowded along the port side, she had backed away. She had retreated to the starboard side to try and hide.
Unfortunately, the creature had gone back under and was now on that side of the ship.
"Gael!" Lucy cried, drawing everyone's attention. They turned around just as the serpent reared its ugly head.
Ana froze as the others began to move forward. It was dark green and purple in color. The serpent was massive, towering over the mast of the Dawn Treader. It was a terrifying creature with rows of sharp teeth. But what caused Ana to freeze was the familiarity of it. She had seen that sea serpent before. And it only took her a moment to realize it was the same one from her dreams.
That moment was all it took. Lucy had pulled Gael into her arms and Edmund shoved the two behind him. The rest of the crew surrounded them from the back and sides. Ana shook off her shock and drew her weapons, joining the crew. She nocked her bow and aimed, waiting for orders from either of the Kings. As Edmund raised his sword, she noticed that he now wielded Peter's blade.
The serpent moved forward, ready to strike. But to everyone's surprise, a blast of fire came from their right. It hit the creature straight in the face and Eustace was quick to attack, resulting in the serpent screeching. He dug his claws into the serpent's face as it flailed. It tried to shake Eustace off and even slammed him against the side of the ship.
Ana heard Reepicheep call out and looked up in time to see the Mouse get thrown from the fight. He flew through the air and would've had a hard fall. It was only due to his quick thinking that Reepicheep was able to grab the ropes to stop his flight.
"Eustace!" Reepicheep called out. "Hang on!"
It was just after that that the sea serpent was able to shake Eustace off. He was flung away, twisting in the air. But thankfully he was able to stop himself before he hit the water. He flapped his wings and went around the port side towards the bow of the ship to attack again.
This time, however, the serpent was prepared. It grabbed Eustace mid-flight and dragged him underwater. Lucy and Edmund were quick to rush to the ship's edge, worried for their cousin. The creature jumped out of the water and flung Eustace into one of the rocks. Hard. He slumped against it, tired and worn out. The serpent advanced but Eustace wasn't quite done. He once again blew fire into its face. The sea serpent screeched again and dove under the water.
Ana watched, feeling helpless. Phoenix was no good in a fight like this. She couldn't fight the serpent any better than Eustace could. If she got pulled underwater just once, her magic became useless. And if she transformed, what could she do? It wasn't like she could carry him away from the fight—he was much bigger than her—and she couldn't bring a dragon on board. So just like everyone else, she was forced to watch as Eustace took on the serpent alone. And she hated watching him take such a beating.
Serpent momentarily gone, Eustace had a chance to catch his breath. He made to stand when Ana felt herself being shoved aside. She fell into a crew member, who barely managed to stay upright himself. Caspian was shouting 'the sword' repeatedly and it only took Ana a moment to figure out why. Lord Rhoop had pushed his way through.
"Out creature!" he demanded, throwing his sword at the dragon. The blade struck Eustace in the side, above his left wing. He roared in pain and flew away.
"Eustace!" Lucy cried. "No! Come back!" But he didn't listen and fled, leaving them to fight the serpent on their own.
"We're all doomed! Doomed!" Lord Rhoop shouted, climbing the steps. "Turn this ship about!" He shoved Rynelf away from the wheel and took over.
"Stop him!" someone ordered.
"Someone stop him!" voiced another.
Ana and several crew members moved at once. But it was too late. He had turned the wheel sharply and those not near the edges of the ship went tumbling to the deck. As Ana regained her footing, she saw Drinian knock Lord Rhoop out. Two sailors carried him safely inside as he took control of the ship.
"Now crew," Drinian ordered, "to your rowing positions! Oars at double speed!"
Ana tried to stay positive, even though everything was going terribly wrong. They were heading for the light, but the serpent was pursuing them. She knew they couldn't do this on their own. But just as she made to ask Aslan for help, she realized someone else already had. Ana heard a bird's call and looked up to see an albatross. It flew down through the mist in a path of light, piercing through the darkness. She knew it was a sign from Aslan that He had heard their cry and would help them through this.
