Hello everyone! It's been a while, and it's still a sorry but also not sorry situation. I'm in my last year of uni and am working on my graduate thesis, which leaves me with little time for writing anything else. This summer I was focusing on my mental health, especially as I was dealing with a lot of anxiety regarding heading into this final year of school. But we're getting close to the end of this story, and I wanna see it through! So I hope you enjoy this chapter while I hopefully manage to get another one out for you fairly soon!

Lucy stepped back when her brother and Adeline climbed out of the cave. She felt as though the breath of relief she had let out upon being asked to lower the rope again was still tickling her lungs, remnants of it still waiting for something else. Adeline had blood trailing from her collar but it appeared as though it had mostly dried, which was another relief. With a small smile into the silence, Lucy nodded towards the path they had come from. She really should have known that her brother, under no circumstances, would ever be able to hurt his best friend.

"Did you find anything by ways of food?"

Adeline nodded. "Rhince has proven himself to be rather resourceful," she informed them, painfully aware of the tension between Edmund and Caspian. "There was some sort of grove, the plants had acclimated to their surroundings."

"How much was found?" Caspian knew there would be discord onboard the Dawn Treader should their food supplies run even lower. "It is already a matter of if rather than when we'll be able to make our return to Narnia, and I'd much prefer if we could all return alive and well."

The twitch of Adeline's fingers was barely noticeable. The hitch in Edmund's breath was even less so. But Lucy saw both and pondered on what they knew as they all started on the walk back towards the shore. She knew it would be hypocritical of her to demand that they tell her their secrets, yet the awareness that they were keeping something from her gnawed at her insides. She had seen them before, the shared glances, the quiet exchanges, and she had tried to convince herself that they would tell her if it was something truly important. But as the journey seemed to only bring them farther and farther from home, closer and closer to the edge of the world… the more secretive they became.

"I left the men to make do," Adeline said, shrugging. "I've no more knowledge of what this island may provide than they, and I had a feeling I was needed elsewhere."

"We'll need to take inventory," Caspian replied. "I can only hope, with the storm passed, that our journey to Ramandu's island will be smooth sailing."

Edmund frowned. "Adeline, was this blue star something you could see in the skies of your Narnia?" It was not that he desperately wanted to know. Not in the slightest. It was more that he genuinely did not know quite what to do with himself around her in the presence of others. Asking about the past, the parts of it he knew were safe to ask about, was familiar. Lucy had always loved the stories Adeline told, and Caspian appeared fascinated by the ways of the Old Narnia.

"I've not the faintest idea," Adeline said with a laugh. "Back then, the stars were far more playful, and most much preferred roaming the lands and ensnaring unsuspecting Narnians to remaining frozen in place and time up where they could only ever be admired from afar." She glanced up at the clear blue above them. It would be a few hours yet until the sun began its descent, unveiling the once so free people of the heavens. "My brother, Fabian, was rather enthralled with one," she recalled, a reminiscing smile teasing at the corners of her mouth. "He might've married her, hadn't—"

Silence fell and Adeline sucked in a shaky breath before shaking her head. "It likely wouldn't have ended well, no matter what happened."

"How come?" Caspian looked thoughtful. "I didn't know one could marry a star."

"Well, of course, you can, but it comes at great risk." Adeline came to a halt, looking down at her restless hands. Without anything to occupy her hands, it was difficult to keep the images flashing before her mind's eye at bay. "For a star to be bound to a person, they must unbind themselves from the heavens, and give up their light," she explained quietly. "Unfortunately, it is often the light which enthrals the people, and when it vanishes… well, so does the affection the star bound itself to, and it is devastating for a star to go unbound."

"But there must have been some who genuinely loved their star," Lucy said, frowning. "I refuse to believe that there wasn't at least one pair who truly loved one another."

Managing a wan smile, Adeline nodded. "I'm sure," she agreed. "The world is vast, someone, somewhere, must have found what one could call true love."

"Was there ever a star that would've given up their light for you?"

Adeline blinked, taken aback by the question. "Not to my knowledge." She looked away from Lucy's curious gaze. "I can't imagine why anyone would want to give up their light for me." Her mind was overtaken with memories. Her brother so purposefully declaring his love for his star. The awe on his face quickly turned dark.

"I can."

Edmund felt his sister and Caspian staring at him. Adeline's head snapped up, wide eyes meeting his. Then she ducked her head again, but not before he could catch the flush of pink on her cheeks or the surprised yet pleased smile on her lips. He had not meant to say the words out loud but was glad to have done so. After all, he had made her smile, and there was no sight in the world more glorious than that.

Still refusing to meet anyone's gaze, and still unable to control her reactions, Adeline started walking again. "We should go," she muttered, "before the sun sets and we end up lost." She pointedly ignored any whispers behind her and focused on her attempts at quelling the heat in her face. She had not expected him to make such a bold declaration and, pleased as she was, she most certainly was not accustomed to it.

"This island is volcanic, Your Majesty," Rhince explained, crouching by the baskets containing what little they had been able to harvest. "Not much grows, though we did the best we could with what we found."

Caspian nodded grimly. "Rations will remain small then." He stepped closer to Adeline, leaning close to ensure only she could hear his words. "Could you watch the storages," he asked, casting a glance out at the ship. "They do still fear you, and I'd hate to see them succumb to temptation."

She tipped her head in acknowledgement, golden gaze falling to Rhince. "Let me help you with that," she said kindly, kneeling in the rough sand beside him. "You've done so much already, finding this."

There was something awed in Rhince's expression as he haltingly attempted to both refuse Adeline's help and thank her for her offer. Lucy bit back a laugh as the blonde merely waved off the man's fumbling words and helped him load the baskets into the longboats. It was something special, watching those who believed themselves to be common realise that someone as highly regarded as Adeline was willing to help them. It was what made her so well respected, after all, and Lucy had not yet met anyone who did not know to show grace and humility in her presence. Except for Drinian. And… wait. "Where's Eustace?"

Reepicheep sighed. "He's off somewhere, as averse to helping as always."

And while the Pevensie siblings certainly could recall many moments where Eustace acted like the spoilt brat he was, expecting everyone and everything to bend to his will, something was different. He was, after all, much too cowardly to wander off on his own. Perhaps he had found courage in a deserted island, which seemed to hold no threats, but after the incident with the spring, Edmund knew better than to dismiss the possibility of danger. "I'll go look for him."

"I'll go with you."

Caspian felt several gazes on him and ducked his head. The way he had acted in the cavern had been abhorrent. Edmund had been under the influence of the spring, of its magic. He had no such excuse for himself. His insecurities, and Edmund's awareness of them, had struck closer to home than he was quite ready to admit to anyone.

"Be quick and be careful," Adeline said, watching them steadily as they made to leave. "You've only got so much time before dark, and there are magics here we should not involve ourselves with."

Edmund's stomach twisted as they walked together along the ridges and cliffs. Eustace could be anywhere, at the bottom of a ravine… or dangling off the edge of a cliff… or crushed beneath a rock. Worry gnawed at his insides. He did not have much patience for the younger boy, but he did not want the boy dead. Not genuinely, at least. He was a nuisance and a horror, but still family. If something had happened, Edmund did not know if he would ever be able to forgive himself.

"Edmund!"

Pulled out of his thoughts, he hurried over to Caspian. The shine nearly blinded him. Piles of gold, in so many forms he did not dare an attempt at counting, lay haphazardly thrown about, a hoard so large it brought to mind the stories he had read as a child. "Treasure," he whispered, voice trembling. "Cursed, most likely."

"Trouble," Caspian agreed.

A roar so loud it just about sent ripples across the water made Adeline pause. She was, as ordered, watching the food supply, idly fiddling with the sleeve of her tunic. But the roar. It was oddly familiar, tugging at a memory of times long since gone. Perhaps it was nought but a rumble of the volcano waking from a deep slumber as the magic on the island was disturbed by their presence.

The second roar had her jumping to her feet. There had not been one in Narnia in many years, at least not so close that it was a threat to the people, nor the people a threat to it. She and Reepicheep had made sure of the fact, long before Caspian had taken the Narnian throne, long before the injury that had forced her to seek refuge in the mountains. But then, she thought, we're not in Narnia anymore.

"What is that," Lucy asked Drinian. A cloud of fire rose from behind the cliffs and she held Gael and little closer to her. "Is the volcano—"

"That's no volcano," Drinian replied darkly. He turned away from the queen, facing the crew. Among them, he caught golden eyes. As much as he did not care for her manners, he knew not to dismiss her knowledge and experience on the subject of beasts. A faint nod. "Archers, arm yourselves," he ordered sharply, shifting his gaze to the island just as the large creature came flying towards them.

Reepicheep sidled up with Adeline, sword drawn. "Oh, how thrilling," he exclaimed excitedly. "A dragon!"

"In my day there were many of them," Adeline replied grimly. "Now, they're almost extinct, hunted for their hide or hoards and for the supposed glory."

"Not taking this fight then?"

"No."

She watched instead, understanding yet resentful. Granted, it was the far least graceful dragon she had ever laid eyes on, clumsy in its body as though unused to it. If it was young, it was likely protecting a hereditary hoard in place of its elders. Tears stung in her eyes. There would be nothing she could do to stop the attack, not when the dragon made the first move. Drinian would insist that it was self-protection and he would not listen if she told him the dragon likely thought the same.

Then, suddenly, it turned away, flying back towards the island. A blob of light-brown fur soared through the air, landing easily on deck. Reepicheep grinned. "Scared it off hopefully."

Adeline's relief lasted a mere second. A blood-curdling scream, Lucy's, of Edmund's name had her going pale. The dragon soared by again, a figure uselessly struggling in its grip. She lunged after it, though Tavros and Jemain held her back. Strong as she was, she was no match for the minotaurs. "Let go!"

"You don't kill dragons," Reepicheep reminded her. "You respect them."

"Exceptions can be made."

Reepicheep shook his head, jumping up onto higher ground to catch her eyes. "It seems to be a youngling, frightened and alone," he said firmly. "We'll get His Majesty back, you'll see."

Despite the rapid beating of her heart, the fear eating away at her chest, Adeline stopped struggling against the minotaurs' hold. Reepicheep was right. Most dragons were reasonable, after all, if one knew how to deal with them. She would need to be calm, level-headed.

"Adeline!"

Lucy ran up to her, grabbing her hand. "We must hurry," she ordered urgently. "The dragon, it set down on the shore with Edmund, Caspian is with them, we have to go!"

Edmund was with them the instant they set foot on the rough sand again. "It's Eustace." Both his sister and the love of his life looked at him as though he had gone mad, before twin expressions of understanding dawned. "Yes, I know." He let them fuss for a moment, blushing deeply when Adeline's fingers swept across his torso in search of any damage Eustace's grip may have caused. "I'm not hurt," he whispered.

"You could have been."

"What happened?" Lucy stared imploringly at her brother and cousin, odd as it was to see one of them in dragon form. "Just how does one become a dragon?"

"We came upon a treasure," Caspian replied, holding Octesian's sword out to Adeline. She took it, though reluctantly. "Eustace's clothes were there, burnt, so I imagine… well, he must have been tempted, though anyone knows that a dragon's treasure is enchanted." Eustace, clearly unhappy with several things, glared at him, so he rushed to clarify. "Anyone from here, I mean."

Lucy cautiously approached her scaly cousin, aware that he was not entirely used to his new form and therefore still a little clumsy. She removed the cuff cutting into his hide, wincing when she saw the pinkish indents. Dragons had the toughest hide known. She did not want to even imagine how it must have hurt to have the cuff digging in so badly it left a mark. "How can we turn him back?"

"I've never heard of anyone turning into a dragon before," Adeline admitted. "The dragons I've encountered were hatched, not transfigured."

Edmund's gaze flickered between Adeline and Eustace. "So you don't know how to turn him back?"

"Even if I did, I can't practice that kind of magic." Her eyes went to his belt, where her dagger glinted in the quickly diminishing light. "My father would know how."

"So we find Aslan," Caspian said.

Lucy shook her head. "You don't just find him, he comes to you when the time is right."

"Then why don't we sail to the end of the world, to Aslan's kingdom," Reepicheep suggested. "There must be someone there who can—"

Drinian cleared his throat, bringing the discussion to a halt. "We cannot bring him, nor can we sail to the end of the world." He looked at each of his companions, nodded respectfully to his king. None of them would like what he had to say. "We've not enough provisions to bring us even to Ramandu's Island, if such a place even exists, let alone the end of the world." Shaking his head, he gave the dragon a half-apologetic shrug. "What do you imagine we'll do about food once we have a dragon in tow?"

"Dragons are far more useful creatures than you'll ever know," Adeline spat. "We'll not be leaving him."

"Adeline's right," Caspian agreed. "Drinian, you and your men will go back to the ship, the rest of us will stay here to work out a plan of action that leaves no man behind."

"Man?"

"You know what I mean."

Caspian could tell that Drinian was reluctant to go. "Go."

"But you've no provisions, nor a means to stay warm." Rhince held his daughter closer, not wanting to put her in more danger by leaving her with Her Majesty without anything to aid them in the night. "I'd like to stay with you, Your Majesty, as support should there be trouble."

A strange echoing cough and a blaze of sudden heat. Eustace could only stare at the burning log on the ground, still a little confused by his own new abilities. Though he allowed a dragon's grin when the others laughed.

Come nightfall, the bonfire had been made larger, with the remaining travellers spread out around it. Lucy sat with Gael on one side, talking quietly, with Edmund, Adeline and Caspian sitting a bit farther away, their heads ducked together as they went over how to continue the journey. Reepicheep and Rhince were keeping Eustace company, though his dragonhead hung sadly. "Come on now," the former Mouse Chief said, nudging the beast's side with his elbow. "Cheer up, there are much worse things to turn into than a dragon."

"Growing up I always heard stories of dragons," Rhince added. "This is the first time I've met one."

Eustace merely grumbled in response.

"In my experience, my boy, magical things only occur to extraordinary people, people with a greater destiny than they ever thought to imagine." Reepicheep placed a paw on Eustace's nose. "This is but a great adventure leading you to yours." He sat down in the sand, meeting Adeline's gaze across the flames. She gave him a slight nod. "Why don't we all gather around," he said, a little louder, "to listen to stories of old adventures of ours?"

Everyone listened. Edmund and Caspian sat a little straighter, though Adeline made no move to lean away. The heat in Edmund's cheeks had little to do with the fire, but he did nothing to put any distance between them, rather moving just a little closer.

"Adeline, surely you must have a vast amount of stories to share."

Caspian nodded. "Yes, do tell us of your adventures," he encouraged. "I've not heard any."

"What kind of story would you want to hear?"

Reepicheep grinned mischievously. "Tell us about our High King and Queen when they were still new to Narnia, all those centuries ago."

Adeline laughed. "Oh, have I got a story for you." She glanced at Edmund, who paled before burying his face into his hands. "You see, Edmund and I went hunting this one time, and everything was going perfectly well, up until the moment His Majesty the Graceless got himself caught up in a trap and wound up dangling upside down in the middle of the Shuddering Woods."

Laughter rang out around them, though Edmund groaned miserably. "I'd hoped you'd forgotten."

"I could never." She tugged his hands away from his face, keeping them in hers and relishing in the heat it brought to his face. "Be glad that's the one story I tell."

Eyebrows shooting to his hairline, Caspian eyed the two. "Just how much did all of you get up to in your day?"

"Whenever Adeline was around, it was mostly Peter or Edmund," Lucy divulged, grinning wickedly when Edmund once again groaned. "The effects, I imagine, of being around a pretty girl."

"I did not have feelings for Adeline back then!" It was, in some sense, true. But he had not been blind to her either. He had been well aware that his best friend was pretty, but only in the abstract. It was only recently that he had come to truly see that he loved her. "You're making me out to be a lovesick fool."

Adeline, taking pity on him, kissed his cheek, whispering into his ear as she pulled away. "You are a lovesick fool, but so am I, so you needn't worry."

"After the war, Adeline would disappear for long periods of time," Lucy said, drawing attention away from her brother and his finally blossoming romance with their old friend. "We did all manners of stupid things when she wasn't there to see." She laughed to herself, happy to reminisce. So many things came to mind. The time they had fenced in the hallways, leading to the collapse of a suit of armour. The time Edmund and Peter scared off Susan's first suitor. "One time, I made Susan kiss a frog."

"Pardon?"

Adeline looked so perplexed, as did Caspian and Rhince. Gael just giggled. Edmund shook his head in amusement. Though he had never heard the story, he was not surprised. "There's a fairytale in our world," he explained. "A princess kisses a frog to release him from a curse, and he turns into a prince."

"That is the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard," Adeline said, frowning. "Who would think of such a thing?"

Edmund looked at her. "You say this as though my cousin did not turn into a dragon just hours ago."

"Are you suggesting I kiss him to see if he is released from the enchantment?"

Wrapping an arm around her, Edmund held her tighter. "Absolutely not." He glared at Eustace, who looked far too bright at the idea. "I'd much rather keep you to myself, thank you."

"Adeline, Reep, surely you two must have stories about dragons?" Lucy smiled at them hopefully, patting Eustace's large head gently.

Reepicheep jumped up dramatically. "Of course, Your Majesty!"

He launched into an elaborate tale of ferocious dragons and two-timing pirates, acting out as much as he could. The laughter continued for a long while yet, before fatigue took over and brought them all into the sweet embrace of slumber.