Although I did warn you guys about delays, I'll still apologize for not getting this chapter up. I wanted to have this out by my birthday on the 18th as a present from me to you, but that didn't happen. I had difficulty getting it to go how I wanted (and it still kind of didn't).

Counting this chapter, I have to write at least two (maybe more) additional chapters in order to wrap everything up. Three if you count the fact that I also have to pretty much scrap the final chapter due to changes made earlier. So I'll do my best to have a weekly update, but I don't know if it'll happen. I'm having some writer's block and don't want to force anything.

Although the title may change, here's what I have for now. Enjoy!


Chapter 24: Ana's Tough Decision

Their return to the Dawn Treader was hardly noticed. It was chaotic. Between trying to bring the rescued Narnians onboard and the deck being cleared, everyone was busy. Drinian was one of the few who noticed Caspian and Ana's return.

He quickly approached. "We have a problem," the Captain stated immediately.

Caspian nodded and guided the three of them through the chaos. He led them straight to the Map Room and shut the door.

"What's the matter?" he asked, concern in his voice.
"We're over capacity," Drinian began. "We do not have enough room for all these people. Nor the supplies to feed them all for long. Not to mention the damage to the ship leaves us vulnerable to attacks."
"We can't leave them here."
"But we cannot bring them all onboard."
"We'll have to make do."
"How? There's no room."
"We can make room," Ana interjected. "Most of them are women. If we put them in the Stateroom, my cabin, and this room they may fit. We'll have to clear most of the things out and it'll be crowded. But it may work. That is..." she turned to Caspian, "if you're willing to keep giving up your cabin. I know you haven't had them for most of the trip and you probably won't get them back until we return to the Islands."
He shrugged, smiling slightly. "We'll create a women's quarters. And I can continue to sleep where I am. There's an empty cot if you wish to give up your quarters as well, Drinian." The captain seemed to consider this and Ana nodded.
"We won't have a place for meetings like this, but we can make do. Some will have to sleep on the floor and they may choose to sleep in shifts. As for the men, they'll have to bunk with the crew. With Eustace and..." Here, Ana paused. She struggled to come to terms with her friend's departure. "...and Reepicheep gone, there's an empty cabin. There'll have to be three, maybe four, to a room. Depending on how many there are."
"What about food? And we still need to repair the ship," Drinian pointed out.
"We should return to Ramandu's Island. With the spell broken, the other lords should be freed. There's plenty of food for everyone and perhaps we can take some with us. At least enough to get us back to Coriakin's Island. At the very least, it gives us a better chance to repair some of the damages closer to shore. Rather than in the middle of nowhere." Both men nodded, seeming to agree with her assessment.
"We don't need to repair everything," Caspian said. "Just enough that we won't take on water and can make it home."
Drinian nodded. "It will take magic to repair all the damages we have incurred." They all knew it was possible but only if Aslan wished it. "I'll inform the crew of the plan."
"And I will work on creating as much space as possible," Ana agreed.

With a nod from Caspian, they both made to leave. But as Ana passed, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She cast him a confused glance before both watched the Captain leave. Drinian either didn't notice or didn't care that neither were following him. But it wasn't until he was safely out of earshot that Caspian spoke.

"That... was exactly what I'm talking about, Ana."
"What was?" she asked, slightly confused. Her gaze fell to his hand on her arm. Caspian noticed and released his grip.
"Your care for the people. You came up with a solution that works best for everyone."
"I'm sure you would have come to the same conclusion."
"Maybe so. But the fact remains that you came up with it, without hesitation. You care for them more than anyone else, especially a stranger."
Ana was taken aback and she didn't know what to say. "Caspian..."
"I know. I know," he said, throwing his hands up in the air and smiling. "It's just... if there was ever any doubt about why you shouldn't be Queen, that is the proof of why you should."

Ana felt her cheeks grow red and looked away. She began fiddling with the documents on the table in front of them. He cleared his throat and reached for them, pulling them out of her grasp. Their hands brushed briefly and her gaze found his.

"I'll take care of putting these safely away," Caspian said. "You go ahead and start clearing out the other rooms. I'm sure the others will be willing to help you." Ana could only nod before leaving to clear out the other cabins.

All the furniture had shifted during their battle at sea. So she went to work righting the upturned chairs and pushing them aside. She put various objects back into the cabinets and noted Lucy had put her sister's weapons away where they belonged. But she had left both her cordial and dagger sitting on the table.

Ana picked them up, intending to put them back on display. But she froze and could only stare at the objects in her hand. That was the last time the Valiant Queen would ever use them. Hands trembling, she placed them in the box and shut them behind the glass. It was the last time she would see her dearest friends, her family.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a cacophony of voices and footsteps. The women came inside and began flooding the inner cabins. It seemed they were searching for Ana as she could only assume they were all crowded right outside the door. Fortunately, only a few pushed their way inside.

"We were told that you were turning these cabins into rooms for us," one woman said. "What can we do to help?"

Ana smiled and explained to the woman what needed to be done. She nodded and began to give instructions to the other women. Then everyone got to work, moving furniture and clearing space.

As Ana worked, she couldn't help thinking of Caspian. Images flashed before her. The way he smiled or the look in his eyes when he told her he loved her. The sound of his voice rang in her ears. She couldn't help but smile happily to herself.

At the same time, Ana was overwhelmed with emotions from everything that had happened. Caspian knew she loved him and loved her. It was something she never thought possible. She was sure this was all just a dream and at any moment she would wake up.

κ§π‘½π’π’šπ’‚π’ˆπ’† 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π‘«π’‚π’˜π’ 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 κ§‚

When they arrived at Aslan's Table, Lilliandil was there to greet them. As Ana assumed, the three lords were awake and seemed both relieved and confused. They knew something had happened, but Ana was sure they didn't know what. Caspian's appearance merely told them some amount of time had passed.

Many of the Narnians rushed straight for the food, having not eaten for quite a while. As they began to eat, Lord Rhoopβ€”who seemed to regain some of his sanityβ€”went to greet his fellow lords. Caspian followed and Ana tagged along, curious as to what would happen.

There was a brief discussion on what had occurred. The lords talked about their enchantment and how Lord Rhoop ended up alone, half-mad. But they realized that it was due to Caspian that they were now free and reunited.

Lord Revilian was the one to speak. "Thank you, my lord," he told Caspian. "For breaking the spell and saving us."
"I couldn't have done it on my own," Caspian stated.
"Neither could we," Lord Mavramorn agreed. "It is why we ended up the way we did. We all had different ideas as to what was best."
They all nodded and Caspian softly smiled. He clasped the nearest lord on the shoulder. "Rest up and eat well. We will head for Narnia, for home as soon as we're able."
"I have no doubt the journey home will be much easier," commented Lord Argoz. "Sire." He bowed his head and then seemed to notice Ana for the first time. Though she had thus far been silent so it wasn't unexpected. She found she was often overlooked in front of nobility if she didn't make her presence known.

A questioning gaze was shared between the four lords. None of them knew who she really was. Ana made to introduce herself when Caspian did it for her.
"Ah!" he said, moving to place a hand on her shoulder. "This is Ana Cendre. One of my best advisors and warriors. I wouldn't have been
able to complete this journey without her."
"A child?" muttered Lord Argoz and Ana was forced to hold back a frown.
Caspian, on the other hand, did not hide his displeasure. "I'm sure as Telmarine Lords you've heard of the Legend of the Phoenix?" Though they were confused, they nodded and he continued. "Well, Phoenix was real and she survived. This is her."

They looked surprised but seemed to put things together rather quickly. While others would've asked questions, they took the King at his word. And, oddly enough, they didn't ask why she was still a child.

"My apologies, my lady," Lord Argoz confessed. "I had no idea we were in the presence of a legend." He and his fellow lords tried to bow but Ana was quick to stop them.
"No, please. That really isn't necessary. Honestly," she protested. She saw Caspian roll his eyes as he tightened his grip slightly on her shoulder.
"If you'll excuse us, my lords..." Caspian said.

At their nods, he pulled Ana away from the lords. Everyone was either eating or in deep conversation. Many were smiling or laughing. There was a sense of peace in the air. The people were happy. Gael had been reunited with her family and Ana couldn't be happier for her. But she also knew others were waiting to be reunited with their families.

Some of the crew were speaking with Lilliandil. They still seemed entranced by her. But Caspian had barely spared her a glance since they arrived. It made Ana feel a little better, though she wasn't sure why. Nothing had happened before.

"You look tired," Caspian stated suddenly, pulling her from her observations.
"Hmm?" Ana hummed, only partially listening.
"When was the last time you slept?"
"I don't know," she answered and he frowned. She sighed. "I might've slept a little earlier, but I can't remember. A lot has happened and I've been busy. I've got a lot on my mind and it keeps me up sometimes."
"You need to rest," he said, practically shoving her into one of the seats at the table. "And eat."
"That's usually my job," she muttered to herself.
Caspian smiled. "Well, from now on I'm going to do a better job of making sure you're taking care of yourself. So... eat something and then get some rest. That's an order, Ana." He patted her shoulder and then walked away.

Ana would've protested, but found herself too exhausted to do so. So she merely nodded. Now that the chaos was starting to wind down and she was sitting, she felt the days catching up to her. Nearly every part of her body ached and she felt drained. No wonder Caspian could tell she hadn't slept well. She couldn't even find the energy to pretend.

She absentmindedly picked at some food on the plate. But eating didn't even sound appealing right now. So Ana found herself looking for Caspian. Most of the crew and Narnians were starting to settle in for the night. But he was not amongst them. Instead, she found him speaking with Lilliandil. Both were smiling and she wished she could hear what was being said. But not only was she too exhausted to force herself to eavesdrop, they were out of earshot of her. She wondered if Caspian had planned it that way.

He glanced over and his eyes found hers. They stared at each other for a moment before Caspian turned back to the Star. The two exchanged brief words with one another and then he walked away. He approached Ana, a small smile tugging at his lipsβ€”though he did try to hide it. Caspian had caught her spying and was about to lecture her for it.

He sat down next to her. "I see you didn't obey my orders..."
Ana smiled slightly. "Honestly, I'm not hungry." Caspian sighed but didn't press the issue. It was silent for a moment when she suddenly blurted out: "You could marry her... Marry Lilliandil."

To say Caspian was shocked was an understatement. He turned to look at her so fast Ana was afraid he might snap his neck. His mouth was slightly agape as he struggled to find the words to say. It was obvious he had not expected those words to come out of her mouth. And, to be fair, Ana wasn't quite sure where they came from either. She frowned and looked away in confusion.

"I-I'm... I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know where that came from."
"How...? Why...?" Caspian stuttered out. "I just declared my love for you. Why would you suggest I wed another?"
"I-I don't know," Ana admitted. "I just... I... You heard what the lords said. The first thing they saw was a child. Things would be less complicated if you chose another. And I wouldn't blame you for it."
"That may be so, but they recognized who you were. And I'm guessing they knew magic had something to do with your age."
"Even so... It's the first thing everyone notices. Things may never work between us, but I want you to be happy. Even if that means you choose someone else."
Caspian sighed. "We'll see what the future holds. But I made you a promise and I intend to keep it, regardless of what happens."
"I just... I don't want you to waste your life away trying to help me. It's not fair to you."
"Nor is it fair to you." She looked at him then, puzzled. "You've admitted how you feel about me. And unless those feelings change, it would be cruel of me to marry. Knowing that doing so would hurt you." He reached out to grab her hand. "So we're in this together. As for Lilliandil... I was merely asking if she had any ideas about how to break your curse."
Ana was curious now. "And? What did she say?"

She watched as his face fell and he retracted his hand. Without saying a word, she knew what the Star had said. Ana merely looked away again, fully expecting that to be the case.
"I'm sorry," Caspian told her. "I wish I had better news for you."

Ana sent him a comforting smile. The news wasn't unexpected so she couldn't be disappointed. But Caspian seemed upset even though he knew it wouldn't be an easy task. She noted he looked tired and weary as well. He hadn't had a good night's rest for several days. Maybe that was why he had been disappointed by the news.

"You should take your own advice," she said. He frowned a little, not following the change in conversation. "You should get some rest. It's been quite a stressful couple of days."
Caspian nodded. "I will... As long as you promise to do the same."
She nodded but felt a sudden pull on her magic, calling her. "There's something I have to do first. But then I will. I promise."

She stood up and moved away from the table. He watched her, curious. But Ana didn't provide him with any information before quickly disappearing into the trees. She half expected Caspian to follow her, but was glad he didn't. This was something she needed to do alone.

Ana traveled back the way they had come, first heading towards the beach. But the pull of magic wasn't coming from there. So she quickly moved off the path and into a maze of tree branches and vines. She followed the pull until she came across a small river with a bank of rocks on either side. The river was so clear one almost wouldn't see it if it wasn't for the fact the water also shimmered. It was here that Ana found Aslan again. She quickly rushed to His side, barely avoiding stepping in the water in her haste.

"Aslan!" she cried, throwing her arms around His mane. He chuckled a little and wrapped a paw around her. When she pulled away, she grew serious. "Is something wrong? I've seen you twice in as many as days."
"You tell me," said the Lion. "Something is weighing on you, child. Your heart was crying out for help."
Ana blinked in surprise. Not because He knew but because she didn't realize how much this whole thing was hurting her. "I just... I love him... More than anything. But I can't be with him. And I don't want to be the reason his name is smeared or the cause of scandal. I could handle it, I think. Being ridiculed or called names. But I couldn't stand it if the same was happening to Caspian. Especially knowing I was the cause."
"I cannot alter the minds of everyone," Aslan answered. "Not because I cannot but that I will not. But you already know this. So what is it that you wish to ask of me?"
She paused, trying to decide if she really wanted to do this. Aslan already knew what she wanted, but He was also the sort that liked to be asked. "I need you to take this from me. If not my curse then my love for him. So he will be free to move on with no one holding him back."
"That is not an easy ask."
"But is it possible?"
"One more so than the other. But it will not be easy and it will hurt."
"I'll do whatever it takes. Please, Aslan," she said. "I can't spend the rest of my life like this."

Aslan smiled softly and then stood on all fours. Taking a deep breath, He blew warm air onto Ana. She felt pure magic envelop her, wrapping her in a warm light. It turned inwards and she could feel the magic pulling at something, trying to break it loose. Something snapped and her magic surged, forcing itself out of her. Ana screamed in agony. Then she knew no more.