THE JOURNEY up the wending canyon of the Great river never seems to end. Eventually, the young Queen Lucy runs out of stories and settles instead on watching the scenery slowly pass by, much like her older sister. Having run out of arrows to make, I find myself in the same situation. With nothing but the wind and the melodic sounds of the oars dipping in and out of the river, I quickly grow restless. Especially knowing I can turn into a hawk and reach Dancing Lawn in under two hours.
When I can't stand the biting urge any longer, I look over my shoulder and steal a glance at Edmund Pevensie.
From the very back of the boat, the dark-haired boy grins crookedly at me, one hand on the rudder, like he's been waiting for me to turn around. I return the smile before my gaze falls on King Peter, who's turned his head to follow Edmund's gaze with a knowing smile. I consider offering to take over rowing, as he must be quite drained by now, but fear of offending the High King stops me from saying anything. Then Lucy interrupts my thoughts. And something about her voice makes my heart ache.
"They're so still."
When I look over, the expression on her face is both wistful and downcast.
Trumpkin looks up, following her line of sight. "They're trees," he replies drily. "What'd you expect?"
Lucy doesn't look away from them: lining the tops of the canyon. "They used to dance."
The three other Pevensie siblings share her grief in silence. Stories I read of the dancing, sentient trees ripple through my mind, causing me to feel nostalgic for a time I never experienced.
The dwarf sighs. "After the Telmarines invaded..." he shakes his head, a grim frown set on his face. "They retreated so deep into themselves that they haven't been heard from since."
She frowns, sadness shining in her eyes when she looks between me, Susan and Trumpkin. "I don't understand," she says with hushed urgency. "How could Aslan have let this happen?"
"Aslan?" Trumpkin repeats in disbelief. "I thought he abandoned us when you lot did."
I shoot him a look of utter bewilderment. How can he possibly accuse them of such a thing? The dwarf is completely unconcerned by my criticizing stare.
"We didn't mean to leave, you know," Peter points out, and I'm surprised to hear a note of despair in his voice.
The dwarf contemplates his words but doesn't appear any less resentful. "Makes no difference now," he mutters, "does it?"
"Get us to the Narnians," Peter says thickly, "and it will."
The two Queens share a troubled look before Lucy's midnight blue eyes fall on me, nervous that I might mirror Trumpkin's cynicism. In answer, I offer her a reassuring smile and reach my hand out to lay overtop hers on the rowboat's ledge. Suddenly, an idea occurs to me.
My smile turns into a wild grin. "Want to see something cool?"
Lucy nods excitedly, eyes twinkling. I unbuckle my sword belt and set it down next to the weapons the Telmaines confiscated from Trumpkin before attempting to drown him. The rowboat rocks slightly in the water when I move on the bench, causing Susan to turn her head curiously. I throw my feet over the edge of the boat so they dangle above the water.
Shocked, Peter stops rowing. "What're you doing?" He asks, his sudden concern a stark contrast to his recent indifference toward Trumpkin. But his words only register distantly. Eyes shut, I draw my focus and energy to a place deep in my mind, the muscles and bones in my legs straining as they change — a striking reminder of all my taxing transformations lately. The change is almost instantaneous. In half a breath, my legs are replaced by emerald green tail and fins.
When I turn my head to see Lucy's reaction, her eyes are bright and filled with wonder. She meets my gaze with a grin. "That's wonderful!" She exclaims. I grin and brace my hands against the lip of the boat, staring down into the clear, flowing water of the Great River.
"If you don't mind me asking," Susan interjects cautiously. "...What exactly are you?"
I swallow back my shyness and smile at her. "A chimæra, your highness. I have the ability to take on the form of any living creature."
"Anything?" Lucy repeats in awe.
I turn my gaze to the young Queen, taking in her features carefully before remodelling my face after hers. She gasps sharply, blue eyes widening in fascination. Beside her, a tiny smile flickers across Trumpkin's face — so brief I almost don't catch it.
"Does it hurt?" Susan asks, her and Lucy watching my facial features return to their previous state.
I hesitate slightly and opt for a sliver of the truth. "Only the occasional bruise, your highness."
Before I can dive into the water, Lucy speaks up once again. "Are you leaving us?" Her soft voice is heavy with disappointment and, once again, sadness.
Hoping to alleviate her distraught, I smile sympathetically. "No, your majesty — just giving you a push." Taking care to keep the boat steady, I slip into the cool, flowing river. Instantly, my dress becomes heavy with water; but, with the strength of my tail, it hardly weighs me down.
The Pevensies and Trumpkin watch uncertainly.
"We have a long way to go upriver," I explain, swimming to the rowboat's stern.
"She's right," I hear Trumpkin say. With that, Peter picks up the oars and resumes his rowing.
The water is colder than I anticipated, but nonetheless feels refreshing and electric. As I swim past him, Edmund peers down at me from his place inside the rowboat, something akin to a smirk on his face. He spins around to follow my movement as I latch onto the stern, dark eyes unwavering and full of amusement.
"You couldn't wait for us to stop before you could talk to me again?" He teases, chin resting on his arm draped over the boat's ledge.
I smile and lift myself out of the water so we're face to face. "Lucy is fun," I admit quietly, my gaze lifting to meet his. "But...you're..." The words catch in my throat, unable to escape.
...you're like gravity.
He raises an eyebrow, smirk deepening in amusement, and prompts me to continue. "I'm...?"
I lift my chin. "You," I continue in a hushed tone, "are sitting back here...staring at me..."
Edmund releases a breathy laugh, glancing away briefly before recapturing me in an intense gaze.
"...while you leave your brother to row –"
Now, he starts laughing harder, making me do so as well.
"– all the way up the river by himself."
He lifts his head to grin at me. "Trust me, he wouldn't let me take over if I asked. He's too..." He presses his lips together, searching for the right word. "Proud...to admit he needs help."
Lips pursed, I lean back slightly and kick my tail to help his brother fight against the current. "You don't sound happy about that," I note, being mindful of the rudder and my close proximity to it.
Edmund chuckles humourlessly and keeps his voice low. "He's always acted like he's better than everyone else; he didn't take it very well when we returned home and he wasn't a king anymore."
Somehow, the news hardly surprises me. Peter seemed like the sort of arrogant yet valiant man when we met earlier that day. I admit, I was expecting someone truly magnificent, as his title would indicate. Perhaps the Old Tales glorified the High King too much. For the sake of Narnia's future, I can only pray that does not hold true.
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author's note
ugh arryn & edmund are so cute. also, i finally finished with editing my other story so i have a lot more time to work on this one, which is v exciting !
I hope everyone enjoyed these chapters! just posted, like, seven all at once lol. please don't hesitate to leave a review and let me know what you guys think of chimæra so far! (the good and the bad lol)