THIRTY-ONE DAYS pass before we reach the Lone Islands. Our rations and patience have begun to run low, but our hopes climb ever higher as the lush, green islands of Felimath and Doorn draw nearer.
Land, I think. Birds, grass, trees. All here. I can almost hear the wind-rustled leaves as I climb the forecastle stairs, joining Tavros, Drinian, Caspian, and Edmund beside the dragon figurehead. They're silent — tense, almost — as they watch Cas expectantly. This close to Edmund, I can feel what seems like embarrassment and frustration drifting across the link. What in Aslan's name are they talking about?
"We'll use longboats," Caspian says finally, turning to us. "Drinian, pick some men and come ashore."
"Aye." The Captain's gaze falls on me. "Grab your sword, Witchslayer."
A wide grin devours my face, exhilaration thrumming in my bones. "Yes, sir."
"Man the longboats!" Tavros shouts. "Furl the sail up, prepare to drop anchor!"
The crew launches into action with new vigour, enlivened by the sight of so much green and life around us. I can't wait to step foot on Doorn and explore the city.
I spin back to Edmund, my excitement slipping for a moment when I read the devastation concealed in his eyes. "You okay?" Our shoulders brush as I meet him along the balustrade, my hands curling around the metal.
He nods, forearms resting along the rail beside me, but I wait in case he wants to tell me.
"I thought I was High King," he mutters. "But it turns out that title only means something when it's Peter's, not mine."
Slowly, I start to understand what had happened. He must have given an order only to realize his word means nothing on a ship that belongs to Caspian and with a crew that works for him. I can imagine how he must feel: like a mere passenger, powerless, standing by while all the important decisions are made right before him.
First Peter, now Caspian. It breaks my heart that it makes him question his worth, wondering why he's always second to someone.
I reach for Edmund's hand, suspended above the ocean. With a gentle sigh, he turns it over for me to trace his palm with my fingertips, following the lines and the grooves.
Not to me, I think, and I hope he knows that. Never to me.
Edmund catches my fingers between his, turning my hand over and raising it to place a kiss on my knuckles. He squeezes — I know.
"Lower away!" Tavros orders from the maindeck, supervising the longboat disembarkment.
Edmund and I visit the armoury belowdecks along with the other men chosen to come ashore. We arm ourselves with sharpened blades, preparing for the worst — Edmund tells us he hadn't seen any Narnian flags flying in Narrowhaven. We definitely won't be receiving a celebratory feast when we arrive.
Drinian announces cast-off, prompting us to hurry ondeck and into the longboats. To my dismay, Eustace insists on coming along so he can finally return to civilization and be rescued by the British Consul. I can't fathom why Caspian allows it, but the brat manages to keep his whiny mouth shut for most of the trip, so I'm not too irked just yet.
Lucy stares at the approaching city walls, her eyes searching for signs of the place she once knew. "Do you think they've renounced the Narnian empire?" She wonders, meeting my gaze.
I offer her a grim smile, keeping in sync with Dusnun as we push the boat through the water. "Well, they haven't paid their annual tribute in at least a hundred and fifty years," I say, resetting my oar. "I definitely wouldn't rule it out."
Eustace mutters something about us talking nonsense. "I can't wait to be back on solid land — civilized people with proper hygiene."
"Slower, now," Caspian orders. "Bring us about portside."
The port is completely empty, save for a few old longboats moored and bobbing in the water. We maneuver our vessel along the stone staircase, jolting forward when the hull makes contact.
"Onward!" Reepicheep calls, leaping onto the dock. "The thrill of the unknown lies ahead!"
Glondallos disembarks next and swiftly moors the boat, followed by Edmund and Caspian. The men pass me their oars as they step off so I can secure them inside.
"Can't it wait until the morning?" Eustace complains, struggling to find his balance as everyone exits the boat. He wobbles uncertainly when Dusnun steps off, making the boat rock under him.
Reepicheep spins around to stare at the boy in shock. "There is no honour in turning away from adventure, lad."
"Listen," Lucy interrupts, silencing the chatter.
Everyone stops what they're doing, listening to the silence carried by the wind. The queen turns to look at me in case my ears have picked up anything their's haven't, but I shake my head. I don't hear any signs of life.
"Where is everyone?" She asks, but no one has an answer for her.
I exchange an uneasy look with Mesithis, who feeds me the mooring rope to coil and secure. The thought of the Lone Islands falling into ruin has never crossed my mind until now. Maybe they had been invaded by Calormen and drained of their resources while Narnia was under Telmarine rule, or a terrible disaster killed everyone who once lived here. It certainly looks ill-maintained enough to hold true.
"I'm capable of doing it myself– oof!" Without any amount of grace, Eustace slams into the stairs in an attempt to clamber from the boat. I snort, turning away so he doesn't catch me laughing at him. The longboat rocks wildly in the water as he continues to struggle onto land, his legs gradually steadying enough to hold his weight.
With the boat secured, Mesithis and I climb onto the dock behind him, taking a moment to adjust.
From the city walls ahead, Edmund turns around to look at me, as if to ask, aren't you coming?
"I hate this part," the young deckhand mutters, swaying on his feet.
I laugh. "Me too." The rocking I spent so long getting used to now feels ingrained in my muscles and bones, like it refuses to relinquish its hold on me. The moment I feel steady enough, I start after the Pevensies and Caspian. Movement of any kind always helps dispel the vertigo.
A loud bell rings out from the city above, jarring the crew and sending a flock of gulls into the air. If the bell still works, there must be at least one person still living here. One person with answers, hopefully.
I reach for the rope-strung railing and begin to climb the stairs when Drinian calls after me, making my heart sink. "You'll stay here for the time being," he tells me. "Take three men and secure the port."
I stare after Caspian, leading the way into the city with Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace. Eustace, of all people. He should be held back, not me. If they run into trouble up there they're going to need my help, and I'll be too far away to do anything. I should be going with them. They need me.
Edmund looks behind him and pauses when he doesn't see me, his eyes trailing back to the dock until they land on mine. He glances between me and Caspian, who shows no sign of concern for my absence.
Drinian barks at me again, waiting for my acknowledgement. "Witchslayer."
"Aye, Captain."
I push down the link, telling him to go on. A soft flare of regret reaches me before Edmund turns and continues after the King.
"Don't worry, lass." Reepicheep scampers down the railing beside me. "They're only scouting ahead. I'm sure they'll be back in a few hours."
"Right," I mutter. They only get to have all the fun.
━━━༻❁༺━━━
When the sun breaks over the horizon, Caspian, Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace are still nowhere to be found.
When they didn't return after the first five hours, Drinian signalled the Dawn Treader to anchor around the cape, just in case the Lone Islanders turn out to be more hostile than we thought. Then we found a spot further down the coast to hide out and we waited — for the sun to come up or for our king to return.
When the sun comes first, Drinian calls me over.
"Yes, Captain?" I assume he and Tavros have formulated some inkling of a plan, by now. At least, I hope they have.
"I need you to scout the city," he says. "Try to find the Kings and Queen and anything we can use to get in and rescue them. If you're not back in an hour, I'll assume you've been captured, too– Witchslayer." His hard tone stops me in my tracks as I'm turning to leave. "You are not to engage," he orders, leaving no room for argument. "Scout and report back only, aye?"
"Aye, Captain." I don't waste any more time, shedding my clothes for the white and grey feathers of a seagull and taking off into the air. My head finally clears as Drinian and the crew recede along the coast behind me — I need to focus on my connection to Edmund, feel it as a physical thing between us so I can follow it to the boy on the other end. That'll be the easiest way to find them.
Beneath me, as if the appearance of the sun has risen the dusty old town from its slumber, Narrowhaven now shows signs of life. People walk along the streets and speak in low voices among themselves, proving the town to not be as dead as we had thought. I can't imagine why they're only about during daylight hours, but at least there are people here. People who might know something about the chimæras.
The citizens look normal enough, though notably dirty and skittish. They're only on the streets for a short while and only a small few of them, the rest shutting themselves up in their houses. They're afraid of something, I realize. I've seen enough frightened animals to recognize one when I see it. But what are they afraid of?
Unsettled, I focus again on finding Edmund and follow the tether not further into the town, but to the outskirts. I find myself where we made port last night, flying along the towering outer wall until I spot a row of tiny, barred windows spaced along the outside.
Edmund. I pull on the connection, hoping to get his attention. Shock flares from the other end — a beacon for me to follow. I bank toward one of the windows, watching a head pop up behind the bars and relief flood across from him. He shrinks back as I approach, giving me space to land on the small ledge. I have to trade my webbed feet for talons to be able to latch onto the stone, peering my tiny head between the bars to see Edmund grinning up at me within a dark, dry cell.
"Is Caspian here?" I ask.
He turns around as said king appears beneath the window, face slackened with surprise.
"You should've taken me with you," I chastise him. "This is what happens when you let Drinian hold me back. Now we have to bust you out of a prison cell."
Cas brushes off my anger. "Sorry," he says, "The governor has made the Lone Islands the centre of a slave trade ring, he has pirates and traders working for him. We were attacked and they put us in here. Lucy and Eustace are going to be sold as slaves."
"What?" My wings are itching to open so I can find Lucy and tear out the eyes of the governor. How did this all happen so quickly? "Can't you do something?" I demand. "You're the Emperor!"
He shakes his head. "I tried; they do not believe me."
"Do you know where they took her?"
"We last saw them being led away from the bell tower. That's where the traders captured us."
I shake out my wings restlessly. "I'm going to find her. Drinian and Tavros are working on a plan, is there anything else that can help?"
Edmund perks up. "The guards said they'd be back later. I don't know when exactly, but at some point today they're taking us out, so if you wait, you won't have to break in."
"Yes," Caspian agrees, "but don't wait too long, or we could be executed."
Of course, I think, shifting into a red songbird. I say to them, "Please don't do anything stupid."
The two kings give me a reassuring nod before I take off, soaring back over the town in search of Lucy. I sing a verse from an old Narnian tune the locals will only mistake for a birdsong, but I know Lucy will recognize and hopefully whistle along, telling me where she is.
I scan the roads, mapping Narrowhaven in my mind as I search for her red coat and brown hair. The tune of the second verse reaches my ears as Lucy responds, just as I hoped she would. I follow the sound through the winding streets until I spot her chained along a wall with other soon-to-be-slaves, including Eustace.
Her eyes light up when she sees me alight on the ground beside her, recognizing my tell-tale red feathers.
"I knew you'd come," she whispers.
Eustace stares at her incredulously. "Are you talking to that bird?"
I ignore him, asking her instead, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, we're fine. Have you seen Edmund and Caspian?"
"They're in a cell, but they're okay. Drinian is working on a plan to get you all out. Do you know when the auction is?"
Someone screams from further down the street, tearing my attention away from Lucy for a moment.
A cart drawn by horses thunders down the road toward us, carrying a load of terrified people in chains. The screaming comes from a woman inside and a man chasing after her, shouting her name in desperation.
"Helaine!"
"Mummy!" A girl cries, stumbling after them as well. The man reaches the cart, holding onto Helaine for all he's worth until a guard grabs him and wrestles him off.
"No!" She shrieks, watching him crumple to the dirt.
"Mummy!"
My heart drops as I realize this is a family being torn apart and all I'm doing is watching. I should do something. I can stop this.
But the moment I reveal myself and make a scene, the governor and his men will be on high alert. He'll likely kill Edmund and Caspian immediately if he knew a rescue were underway, then we won't have a chance of rescuing anyone. I have to do nothing. I have to watch, my heart breaking, as a daughter sobs into her father's arms and her mother disappears in a cloud of dust down the street.
"What do you think they're going to do to them?" Lucy whispers. I don't miss the trembling in her voice — she's scared, too, just like everyone on this nightmarish island.
"I don't know," I say, trying not to think about what I just let unfold. I need to get back to Drinian and tell him to hurry. "When's the auction happening?" I ask her again.
"I...I don't know..."
"They usually start before noon." The faun chained beside Lucy lifts his hand to check the direction of its shadow. "About an hour from now."
He looks tired. They all do.
"Thank you," I say to him, spreading my wings. "We'll free you all, I promise."
As I soar above Narrowhaven, back toward the crew, a cloud blocks out the sun and screaming rises from the dock. To my horror, green mist rises from the darkened waves of the ocean.
What in Aslan's name is that?
The mist converges on two longboats full of people as they scream and beg to be saved. No one on the dock does a thing except watch as the boats disappear, the clouds recede, and the mist disperses. I can hardly breathe, especially when I notice the empty cart and realize that poor mother was among the people who had just disappeared.
I fly faster to Drinian, my heart pounding in my breast, wishing I had not just learned the reason of all the fear coursing through this little town.
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author's note
i really rushed the end of this chapter because it was taking me way too long to finish sorry
i am really trying to take a different approach to votdt because I know we all read narnia fanfics for the fluff/romance and not the movie we've seen 3582 times, so by putting arryn in different situations and using her to create new scenes I'm hoping to make my story a little more interesting than just reading a play-by-play of the movie. let me know if its working or not? lol
i spontaneously started writing a scene from the end of votdt and like...its so good and i love it with my whole heart but its got me nearly in tears bro like damn. i'm excited but nervous to post it way down the line. y'all are gonna be going through it lmfao
on a completely different note i am a huge james cameron fan and nearly died when i saw the avatar the way of water teaser. like i have waited 13 years for this and its finally actually happening idk what to do with myself. i saw the first movie in theaters when i was 8 and it was incredible. watching that teaser made me feel something y'all the hype for me is nearly as big as avengers endgame. I'll never understand the hate for avatar, i have a feeling this movie is going to be just amazing
anyways i hope everyone is having a great day!