Hey! It's been a while, and I am so sorry! I've just been really busy with school and haven't found the time to write. I caught a break today though, just in time for benjiathefootballer to remind me that people are still reading this. If you've been here since the beginning, thank you so much. If not, thank you for taking the time to read this story! Alright, enough sap, let's continue on!

When they broke the surface, they were dangerously close to the ship. So close that not even Eustace argued when Lucy ordered that they had to swim as fast as they could, lest they be swept under by the current and smashed against the hull. Everything was a flurry of water and flailing limbs, hearts beating rapidly, breaths laboured.

Movement in the water beside him made Edmund pause. It was not his sister, nor his cousin, who were ahead of him. Then his sister called his name, sounding remarkably happy for someone who was at risk of dying by collision with a ship. Treading water he looked around.

"Edmund, it's Caspian!"

He felt himself calm down substantially, allowing one of the men from the ship to help him aboard. Once with his feet firmly planted on deck, Edmund could not help looking around. There were a couple of minotaurs and a satyr, as well as some fauns. No head of wild, blonde curls.

"Aaah!"

The Pevensie siblings, as well as their Narnian friends, whirled around to see Eustace lying on the deck, a mass of light brown fur accentuated by a single red feather on top of him.

"Get it off me, get it off!"

Reepicheep went flying as the boy managed to shove him off, landing with a light thud at the feet of his beloved kings and queen. "Your Majesties," he greeted regally, bowing. "Am I correct in assuming that the hysterical interloper is in your company?"

"Unfortunately."

While Eustace had never had much patience for his cousins, he drew the line at kidnapping. How dare they bring him away from the safety of his home, where he was their superior? Not to say that he was not still intellectually above the both of them, just… it was not fair of them to gang up on him. And to top it off, an oversized, mutant rodent of some sort had tried to murder him! "That thing just tried to kill me," he cried, hoping that his cousins had enough sense to at least wring the beast's neck. "It tried to claw my face off!"

"I was merely trying to make sure you had no water in your lungs," Reepicheep replied, "it was perfectly harmless."

No. He refused to believe it. The adrenaline must had been making him imagine things. Perhaps the water contained whatever substance it was that had the maniacal Pevensie siblings so immersed in their delusions. Oh, God. He was going to become one of them, was he not? "It… it talked," he gasped, the high pitch of his voice purely to make sure he was heard properly. "Did anyone else see that?"

"You've no idea," Caspian chuckled. "The difficult part is actually to have him not speak."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, the moment there is nothing to be said, you'll find me silent." Reepicheep turned back to the screaming child, tuning him out to the best of his ability to avoid permanent damage to his hearing. From what he was forced to hear, the boy believed himself to be dreaming. Ha, he should be so lucky to dream of the glory of Narnia. "Perhaps… we could just throw him back in?"

Well… wasn't that a tempting thought, Edmund mused, though how to explain that to Aunt Alberta…

"Edmund!" Lucy elbowed her brother exasperatedly. As… out there… as Eustace was, he was family and it would not be right to just leave him for dead in a strange country. The honourable thing to do would be to have Eustace in single combat with someone equal to his skillset and hope that he fell onto his own sword. That was less messy and completely legal. Goodness, had Adeline taught her brother nothing?

"I demand to know, just where in the blazes am I?"

"You're on the Dawn Treader, the finest ship in the Narnian navy."

Though she felt a little bad about it, Lucy was relieved when Eustace passed out, effectively silencing him for the time being. They had more important things to take care of before they worried about their cousin causing trouble. Caspian made the customary introductions, the realisation that she and Edmund were indeed High King and Queen of Narnia momentarily stunning her. The crew took knee, and a furious blush rose on her cheeks at the attention. She glanced at her brother, finding him with an absent smile on his face as his gaze swept over the crew. Instantly, Lucy knew what he was looking for. She nudged Caspian, nodding towards Edmund. He grinned, whistling sharply. A dull, barely audible thud…

"You summoned me?"

Edmund's heart picked up pace again. Was he supposed to say something? If so, what? He did not know what to do with himself, the weight of his feelings for the blonde girl behind him shifting everything he knew about interacting with her. They had held hands before they were even friends, they had hugged a few times over the years… she had kissed his cheek the last time he saw her. Yet, if felt as though touching her would mean so much more at that moment. How was he to know if she truly felt for him what he felt for her? Was he to simply drop to his knees and confess his everlasting love for her and pray she reciprocated his sentiments?

"Glad to know you still feel you can grace us with your presence," Caspian teased, throwing an arm around her. "I'm surprised you waited so long."

"I don't care for ceremony and fanfare," Adeline retorted, shoving him off. "Greetings between friends as old as these best be conducted in private, lest Drinian think I deserve to be put in my place for insolence."

Caspian laughed. "I've told you time and time again, I quite prefer your so-called insolence to the stuffy propriety of the people," he insisted. "You're no longer my subject, and I regard you quite as I would a sister, feel free to act as you please."

Turning around, Edmund was struck dumb. Adeline had always been pretty. As a young boy, he had recognised that. He had seen her grow up once before and knew she grew into a beautiful girl, yet it was nothing compared to the young woman in front of him. Be it because he now saw her as the love of his life or because she looked so genuinely carefree, Edmund knew that he had never been blessed with a sight more glorious than Adeline. She almost appeared a little wild. Dangerous, even. For the life of him, he could not stop staring.

Hesitant, Lucy shifted uncomfortably. Adeline had grown used to Edmund's touch over the years, and sometimes Lucy would get away with initiating an embrace, but she was not blind. Like her brother, she was fully aware that there was an unpredictable air around their friend. Suddenly, she was tugged forward. Tears welled up so quickly she was powerless to stop them as Adeline's voice whispered a warm 'welcome home' into her ear. Uncaring that she was soaked to the bone, Lucy quickly returned the hug, feeling for the first time that they truly were good old friends.

Oblivious to his sister's tears, Edmund's heart was still racing too fast. His entire being was straining to reach out, aching to feel the familiarity that was Adeline in his hands, yet he could not move a muscle. He watched, frozen, as she let go of Lucy and finally turned her gaze to him. Gold met brown. Before he could fully register what was happening, his senses were filled completely by her. Her weight in his arms, his vision obscured by a tidal wave of blonde as his face burrowed into her hair. Sunshine and wildflowers. "I missed you," he whispered reverently, hoping she understood. "So much."

"I missed you too."

Edmund knew that there would be time for the conversation they needed to have later. So he set her down, noting with some amusement that her toes had dangled just a few centimetres off the deck. He had grown in his absence. She had most definitely not. Adeline noticed his smirk and hit his arm lightly. Lucy rolled her eyes and Caspian chuckled. All was well.

"You must be wanting to get changed," Caspian said suddenly, remembering his manners. "I'll have some clothes brought to the cabin for you." He turned to Adeline. "Do you have anything for Lucy?"

A growl slipped past her lips. "I'm afraid nothing of mine would fit seeing as I'm…"

"Say it."

"Seeing as I'm shorter than Her Majesty."

Chuckling, Caspian dismissed Adeline for the time being. She accidentally smacked him in the stomach on her way past him, earning a glare from Drinian and a wheeze from the king. Caspian, upon seeing that the captain was rearing up to fight the girl, shook his head. "Come," he said, turning to his still dripping friends. "Let us find some clothing for you."

Half an hour later found him handing their possessions back to them. He still did not understand how the fireless, metal torch worked, though he was pleased to see that Edmund appeared to find it in working condition. And, of course, no one had been allowed to touch the treasures of Old Narnia, the ones that had been gifted the Kings and Queens of Old. Caspian himself had looked after them, as promised.

"Peter's sword!"

"You may hold it if you wish," Caspian said, holding it out to Edmund. "It belongs to your family, after all."

But Edmund shook his head. "Peter gave it to you," he stated, giving a small smile. "I have another Narnian treasure to look after."

Lucy laughed. "Speaking of Adeline, why is it that the captain is so… averse to her?"

"I… it wasn't… I meant the torch!"

Caspian gave Lucy a conspiratorial wink. Edmund could deny it all he wanted, but there was no hiding the flush on his cheeks. "Drinian is very traditional one might say, and believes that Adeline ought to treat me with the respect I'm due," he explained. "She must've taken it as a challenge, and goes out of her way to treat me with as little respect as possible without being impolite."

"As a man or as a king?" Lucy frowned deeply, disapproval in her gaze as she took in Caspian's questioning stare. "Does he believe Adeline should treat you with the respect you're due as a man, or as a king?"

Sighing heavily, Caspian ran a hand down his face. "Both, I imagine," he replied tiredly. "He is a good man, I promise you that, but he was raised with Telmarine values." It was not a good excuse. It was barely an acceptable one. But there was little he could do, what with Adeline's request that he not give her any advantages over the other members of the crew. He had come to know her as a girl, woman, who fought her own battles. To step in and handle the animosity between Adeline and Drinian would be to declare her incapable and undermine her, something Caspian was wise enough not to do. "If I could think of a way to silence Drinian without having to tell Adeline to cease being herself… I would."

"He'll learn to respect her, all of them will," Edmund said, meeting Lucy's gaze. "We did."

Caspian nodded solemnly. He certainly hoped they were right. "Well then, shall we summon them to catch you up on what has happened since last time?"

"You mean to say that you've spent three years bringing about peace but have yet to find yourself a queen?" Lucy grinned teasingly at her friend, watching a blush stain Caspian's cheeks. "Those poor ladies at court must be beyond themselves at their failure to capture your heart."

The smile on his face belied his sudden bashfulness. "I've found that none compare to your sister, or that those who do are quite taken elsewhere," he replied, turning to Adeline. "The council is still rather miffed that you rejected their proposal." Caspian, who knew her, was well aware that they were lucky to only be subjected to something so trivial as rejection, when both he and Adeline had been on the warpath. He had not appreciated that they had approached her regarding a marriage as a final unifier for the people without consulting him. And Adeline, being an untamed force of nature, had not particularly cared for the way the council wanted to bind her to duties she had long since left behind. "Thankfully, you won't see much more of them, will you?"

"Not for many years," Adeline agreed. "I'm happy to see Narnia at peace, but it is time for me to find new hunting grounds." She had been purposefully brief about her plans with Caspian. Only one knew, and it would remain so until the end. "Perhaps you'll find someone to marry as our voyage continues," she teased, "lest you be forced to look past the inadequacy of the ladies awaiting your return to court."

Not quite certain what to do with the information regarding the unsolicited proposal to Adeline from Caspian's council, Edmund looked down at the maps. "But if there are no wars nor any trouble, why are we here?"

"A good question I've been asking myself, but that I haven't yet found an answer to," Caspian replied thoughtfully.

"Surprising, isn't it, how the one who often speaks out of turn doesn't seem to have anything to say?"

Adeline rolled her eyes, turning to Drinian. "While I do happen to be privileged enough to speak freely at any given time, considering my earned standing with several powerful figures, I'm afraid that I am at a loss on this matter," she said acidly. "There has never been much rhyme to my father, and I've found that his reasons often are for us to find along the journeys he sends us on."

"Speaking of journeys, we set out on one to find my father's closest friends and most loyal supporters," Caspian interjected before the spat got out of hand. "They were banished by Miraz and we have been pointed in the direction of the Lone Islands, but we have yet to find out if they remained or moved on from there."

Letting slim fingers roam over the parchment, Lucy considered the map in light of Caspian's revelation. "Moved on from there," she asked, to which Caspian nodded. "Do we know what's east of the Lone Islands?"

"Uncharted waters, things you can barely imagine," Drinian replied, his expression ominous. "Tales of sea serpents and other horrors the likes of which we've never seen before."

"I've always found it quite strange how people assume that, just because they have yet to discover a place, it is savage and horrifying when it is so very likely that others have been there prior," Adeline said snidely. "Similarly, those same people tend to pretend history started with them, since they've elected to ignore evidence to the contrary."

"Ah, the hellion offers unsolicited anecdotes, how charming."

That was enough. Lucy had reached her breaking point. "Forgive me, Captain, but I've quite had it with your insolence," she snapped, frowning deeply. "I'll not have you disrespecting a woman well above your own standing for supposedly disrespecting those below hers." She swept her hands out exasperatedly, indicating herself and the two kings. Just because Caspian, as a man in power, could not step in for Adeline due to the risk of undermining her and proving Drinian's point, that did not mean that Lucy, a woman of higher rank than Caspian, could not. "It isn't fair of you to expect her to treat us with utmost reverence simply because she isn't a queen, when she had to watch us fumble through our tutoring, especially not when she, in fact, is our predecessor and therefore our superior," she scolded, face turning red with fury. "Not only is Adeline nearly fifteen hundred years your senior, she is a former Queen of Narnia, so while she may not look it, she is both older and of a higher rank than you." Out of breath, Lucy stood panting for a minute, taking in the astonished expressions of her peers. Once she regained her normal breathing, she gave Drinian one last look. "I suggest," she said, handing him a book she had seen earlier, "that you study the history of your nation before you claim superiority over those who helped write it."

He looked down at the heavy tome. The History of the Narnian Throne Vol 1: From the Beginning to the Dark Ages, by Adeline of the Land Beyond the Sea.

Not giving Drinian a chance to make apologies, or to retort, Caspian turned to Adeline. "Have you been past the Lone Islands before?"

"A long time ago, however, our biggest concern is the Lone Islands, not what lies beyond," she said, pointing down at the three islands on the map. "None of the islands have bowed to Narnian ruling since…" she trailed off, glancing uncertainly at Caspian. He nodded back solemnly, understanding what she could not say. "Word is that slavery is common practice, which is forbidden according to Narnian law."

Edmund frowned. "And what of the other islands," he asked. "How would they receive us?"

Biting her lip thoughtfully, Adeline pointed to the strip of land above Doorn. "Felimath will be of no use to our search," she observed. "It's essentially a green hill surrounded by water, mostly used to keep sheep by farmers from Avra." A heavy sigh slipped past her lips. While she wished there was another solution, it was not looking as though they could avoid the stop. "Avra won't be much use either, even if your lords stopped there, it is far more likely that they were eventually directed or stolen to Doorn."

"Why haven't anything been done about the slavery?"

Mouth opening and closing again, Adeline tried to be tactful. "Since the Dark Ages, there hasn't been anyone opposed to slavery sitting on the throne," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully. Though she would never hesitate in putting a Telmarine-born Narnian in place, she was reluctant to throw the mistakes of his people in Caspian's face after he had done so much to rectify them. "I'm afraid we'll have to make port in Narrowhaven, the capital of the Lone Islands," she stated, "even though I doubt we'll be welcome."

"A small party will head to shore," Caspian decided, "while the rest of the crew keeps the ship ready should we need to make a quick exit."

Edmund almost laughed. He had to bite his tongue to stop the sound from escaping. Because Adeline reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose before Caspian even finished speaking. It was clear Caspian intended for it to be a quiet visit. It was also clear that Adeline did not believe such a thing would be possible. "Are you sure the men are up to it," he asked, sparing her the trouble. "We'd need to be inconspicuous, or we won't get any information at all."

"I thought it could be just the two of us, Lucy, and your cousin."

Behind them, Adeline made a barely audible noise of discontentment. And Edmund was very inclined to agree with her. Maybe he should have had that conversation with her sooner, as it seemed he was to die upon arrival to the Lone Islands.