Just as dawn was beginning to break across the island, Gael opened her eyes and sat up. "Lucy! Lucy, wake up!" she said quietly as she shook the girl lying next to her.

Lucy bolted upright.

"Look!"

There in the distance was the Blue Star of Ramandu's Island they had waited so long to see. "The Blue Star! Everybody!"

Reepicheep quickly perked up. "What? What is it?"

"Everybody, wake up! It's the Blue Star!"

"Come on, old boy, wake up."

When Eustace moved, Elizabeth slowly awakened and recalled that she'd fallen asleep curled up next to Eustace's dragon form. But she was surprised to find her blanket over her. She was sure she hadn't taken it with her when she'd come over here last night. "Did you see who gave me this?" she asked Eustace.

Eustace looked in Caspian's direction.

"Caspian?"

He nodded his head.

Elizabeth could feel her cheeks warm as a smile crossed her face. Then she noticed Eustace staring at her knowingly. "What?"

Eustace moved his head in Caspian's direction.

"Oh, stop," she laughed as she playfully pushed his head.

"Let's hurry back to the ship before we lose sight of the star," Caspian ordered.

Everyone quickly gathered up their blankets and weapons so they could load up the longboat and row back to the Dawn Treader.

Elizabeth was heading towards the boat with her own blanket in hand when Eustace roughly pushed her from behind and she cried out as she fell directly into Caspian. The unexpectedness of the sudden impact caused Caspian to fall over onto the sand.

Elizabeth blushed furiously. "I'm so sorry!"

Caspian laughed. "No harm done. Are you okay?"

"Uh, yes." After he'd helped her to her feet, she told him, "I'm going to stay with Eustace instead of going back onto the ship, if that's okay."

"All right. Just be careful."

"I will, thank you." Caspian headed back to the longboat, and Elizabeth turned to glare at Eustace. "What was that for?"

Eustace smirked at her.

"Stop looking at me like that."

Reepicheep scampered up to her. "Did I hear you'd be riding with us then?"

"Yes," Elizabeth answered. "As long as Eustace doesn't mind having another passenger."

In response, Eustace knelt down to allow her to climb onto his back.

"Well…to Ramandu's Island."

The ship quickly began sailing in the direction of the Blue Star, Eustace flying above it carrying both Reepicheep and Elizabeth.

Unfortunately, by the afternoon, the wind stopped and the ship stopped moving with it. Almost all of the crew members had no choice but to go below decks and manually row the ship which was strenuous and backbreaking work for all involved.

"The wind has left us," Drinian said.

"So how do we get to Ramandu's Island now then?" Edmund asked.

"My guess is something doesn't want us to get there."

Elizabeth watched from atop Eustace's back as crew members grew more and more restless with each passing minute. The food rations had nearly completely run out, everyone was starving, and no one had the energy to keep the ship moving themselves.

"If I get any hungrier, I'm gonna eat that dragon!" one crew member yelled in frustration.

Eva laughed. "You could try," she told the crew member. "Good luck getting through Elizabeth."

"Lady Eva's right, Eustace!" Reepicheep told the dragon. "Don't worry, they'll have to deal with us first."

Eustace jerked to the right, and Elizabeth had to quickly clutch onto him tighter to keep from falling off.

"Ah! Careful!" Reepicheep exclaimed.

Drinian walked up the steps to the helm. "If we don't find land by tonight, they may well eat that—"

The ship lurched which made everyone go sprawling onto the deck. The crew members rowing below fell out of their seats while one unfortunate crew member on the main deck fell through the grate and down to the lower decks.

"What'd we hit?" Caspian asked.

Everyone went to the side of the ship to see what had caused the sudden collision, but they quickly realized that instead of hitting something, they were now sailing through the water at record speed.

"Eustace, that's brilliant!" Edmund called.

They all looked to the front of the ship to see Eustace pulling the dragon figurehead at the front with his tail to keep them moving and get to Ramandu's Island as fast as possible.

Reepicheep crawled down Eustace's back until he was perched on the figurehead. Then he took out his sword and pointed it forward. "Onward, ho!"

All of the crew members cheered for Eustace.

Elizabeth laughed and patted his neck. "Well done, Eustace!"

With Eustace pulling the ship forward, the Dawn Treader made it to Ramandu's Island early that very evening.

"You got us there!" Reepicheep praised from atop his neck. "What did I tell you, Eustace? Extraordinary! Ha-ha! Extraordinary!"

Eustace set down onto the shore of the island, exhausted from flying all day. He lowered his body so Elizabeth could safely disembark from his back.

Elizabeth gently rubbed his neck. "You've done so well. I'm very proud of you. Rest for a little bit. I'm going to explore the island with the others, but I'll be back later tonight, okay?"

Eustace nodded his head.

Elizabeth waited for the rest of the crew to arrive on shore in the longboats, and then they all trekked further into the island to see if they could find any trace of the last four missing lords.

The inside of the island was far darker and more intimidating than it had seemed on the outside. At the front of the group, Edmund's torch lit up a pathway of creeping vines and moss-covered statues.

Towards the center of the island, they came upon an archway created by the base of a large old tree. Just through the archway was a long table with multiple place settings and a lot of delicious-looking food on it that greatly contrasted with the old and worn surroundings.

"Mmm, food," Tavros said hungrily.

"Wait," Drinian ordered.

Edmund shined his torch down onto the far end of the table and gasped when the light revealed three bearded men covered in vines.

Lucy gasped as well and quickly drew her sword.

Caspian edged closer to the men, his sword held out in front of him protectively. None of the men moved even an inch. He then noticed the crested ring on one of the men's fingers. "Lord Revilian." He looked at the other men and recognized their crested rings as well. "Lord Mavramorn. Lord Argoz."

Lucy moved the hair out of one of the lords' eyes but gasped and quickly jumped back when she felt movement.

Caspian leaned closer to the lord. "He's breathing."

Edmund looked at the other lords and saw their chests rising up and down. "So are they. They're under a spell."

Caspian quickly shot up and held out his hand. "It's the food!"

Tavros awkwardly dropped the apple he had just been about to bite into, and the other crew members took a nervous step back.

"Hey, it's the stone knife!" Edmund exclaimed as he shined the light onto the small object in front of the three lords. "This is Aslan's Table!"

Caspian looked at the swords beneath the vines. "Their swords."

He moved away the vines and retrieved the sword at Lord Revilian's side while Edmund and Lucy grabbed the ones from Lord Mavramorn and Lord Argoz.

"On the Table."

The three of them placed the swords from the three lords onto the Table along with the three they'd found on the other islands where they'd stopped.

"That's six," Edmund said.

"Still missing one," Caspian added.

When the swords began to glow a light blue color, Lucy looked up to see what was causing it. "Look!"

A bright blue orb slowly floated down from the sky and stopped in front of the archway at the foot of the table. Then the orb transformed into a beautiful young woman with long blonde hair and a pure white dress, a light blue glow surrounding her entire form.

"Travelers of Narnia, welcome," she said to them kindly.

Everyone respectfully bowed down to her.

"Arise. Are you not hungry?"

"Who are you?" Edmund asked.

"I'm Liliandil, daughter of Ramandu. I am your guide."

Caspian took a few steps towards her. "You're a star."

Liliandil looked at him and smiled as she nodded.

"You are most beautiful."

"If it is a distraction for you, I can change form."

"No!" Caspian and Edmund said together.

Eva slowly turned her head and looked at Edmund with raised eyebrows. Edmund awkwardly coughed and looked away from her. Eva just chuckled to herself and rolled her eyes. She knew the depth of Edmund's love for her and saw no reason to become envious of the striking woman before them. One simply couldn't help admiring her whether they were a man or woman. She might've reacted the same way had Liliandil been the son of Ramandu rather than the daughter.

"Please," Liliandil smiled. "The food is for you." She waved her hands and the candles on the table alighted. "There is enough for all who are welcome at Aslan's Table. Always. Help yourselves."

The men started to reach for the food.

"Wait," Edmund said quickly which made them stop yet again. He motioned over to the three lords at the head of the table. "What happened to them?"

"These poor men were half mad by the time they reached our shores. They were threatening violence upon each other. Violence is forbidden at the Table of Aslan. So they were sent to sleep."

"Will they ever wake?" Lucy asked.

"When all is put right. Come, there is little time."

While the crew members quickly began loading up the place settings with food, thrilled at the splendid meal after living on such small rations for several days, Caspian, Edmund, Eva, Elizabeth, and Lucy followed Liliandil to a worn lookout perch where they could see out across the ocean.

"The magician, Coriakin, told you of Dark Island?" Liliandil asked.

"Yes," Caspian answered.

There, just a few miles away, sat the very island in question, shrouded in green mist and fog, that they'd all dreaded reaching since they'd first seen it on Coriakin's map.

"Before long, the evil will be unstoppable," Liliandil told them.

"Coriakin said to break the spell, we lay the seven swords on Aslan's Table."

"He speaks the truth."

"But we found only six," Edmund said. "Do you know where the seventh is?"

Liliandil pointed to Dark Island. "In there."

"Of course it is," Eva muttered. "Because why would it be anywhere else? Heaven forbid our journey be simple in any way."

Liliandil laughed lightly, a beautiful musical sound, before looking at each of them seriously. "You will need great courage. Now, waste no time."

"I hope we meet again," Caspian told her.

Liliandil smiled at him. "Goodbye."

The beautiful young woman transformed back into an orb and shot up into the sky where she belonged.

The entire crew of the Dawn Treader helped themselves to all they could eat at Aslan's Table, and no matter how much they devoured, food always remained. Some of them grabbed some of the food to take back to the ship, and Elizabeth picked out a chocolate cupcake for Eustace, and then everyone started to return to the ship in order to get some rest for the perilous expedition to Dark Island in the morning.

"Is it all right if I stay on shore with Eustace?" Elizabeth asked Caspian. "I don't want him to be alone."

"I will need you onboard the Dawn Treader this evening. There…are some things that I would like to discuss with you."

"Oh. All right."

"Worry not, Miss Elizabeth," Reepicheep told her. "I'll stay here with him."

"Thank you, Reepicheep. Tell him that I'll see him in the morning then and make sure he gets some sleep. And give him this for me."

Reepicheep carefully took the cupcake from her and scampered on his hind legs off towards Eustace.

Once back on the ship, Elizabeth stepped inside the Chart Room and Caspian closed the door behind them.

"What did you wish to speak with me about?" Elizabeth asked.

Caspian took a deep breath. He had promised himself that he would have this conversation with her, but now that they were alone, it was suddenly difficult to form words. "You were honest with me and confessed your deepest fears," he finally said. "So I believe it is only fair that I do the same with you."

"Caspian, you don't have to…"

"I want to."

Elizabeth nodded, silently telling him to go on.

Caspian turned away from her. "Back on the last island inside the cavern, you saw a side of me that I had hoped you would never see."

He paused, and Elizabeth stayed quiet, but she also thought about how she'd shown him a side of her that she never wanted him to see either.

"Being king is very challenging. I'm always expected to have the answers and to lead everyone in any kind of situation. I can never show my fear because then my men will be afraid. I must never lose focus so that my men keep theirs. That makes it…extremely hard to rely on others when I find myself needing assistance, like back on the Lone Islands. This entire voyage is the longest I have ever been separated from my sister since I became king. It's…difficult trying to be in control all the time without her to confirm or contradict my orders, and there are many moments when I doubt myself and my leadership…just like Edmund said. But the worst of it…is that I want to be the kind of king that my father would be proud of. And I'm terrified that I'm not and never will be."

Elizabeth sighed. While it pained her to know that Caspian felt such things, it also warmed her heart to know that he trusted her enough to share all of this with her. "Caspian, I cannot even begin to imagine the pressure you are constantly under. And I cannot fathom how intimidating it is for you to be on your own for the first time. But…if your father was anything like you, then I think he would be very proud of the man and the king you have become."

Caspian could practically feel his fears dissolving as her beautifully tender words reached his heart. Her opinion of him meant everything, and he appreciated that she acknowledged his fears and that they were completely justified but also assured him that he was a good king and a good man.

He finally turned around. "Elizabeth, tomorrow, when we go to Dark Island, all of our deepest fears are going to manifest themselves right before us. Are you prepared for that?"

Elizabeth swallowed thickly. She'd known that it would take courage to go into the sinister island, but she hadn't considered that she'd have to directly face Martin, even a hallucination or a dream of him. "I don't know," she confessed.

"I don't either."

It didn't concern her that he felt unsure about what they were going to face soon. In fact, it would've concerned her more if he wasn't afraid about what lay ahead.

"Will you help me tomorrow? Will you help me confront what I most fear?"

Elizabeth smiled a little, touched at the request. After what he'd just confessed to her, she knew how much it took for him to ask for her help. "Of course."

"Then I will help you as well."

Her face fell. A part of her knew that he was sincere, but most of her still found it very difficult to believe him.

Caspian seemed to notice her hesitation because he took a small step towards her. "Elizabeth, I know that you think very little of yourself and that you have a hard time trusting others. I can understand why. But I will tell you how important and beautiful you are and show you that you can trust me every single day for the rest of my life if that's what it takes to undo what has been done to you."

Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat. "Why would you want to do that for me?"

"Because I love you."

She stumbled back a little as her heart throbbed. He said it so easily, as if those four words hadn't just completely undone her entire world.

She shook her head as tears came to her eyes. "No. No, you can't. I…I'm broken."

Caspian took another step towards her. "There is not a soul alive who isn't. But I don't believe you're broken in the way you think you are. What you have endured…I have known men who have completely shattered under lesser conditions. The fact that you are still so kind and compassionate to everyone you meet, even someone like Eustace, astounds me."

Elizabeth shook her head again. "Your Majesty—"

"You only call me that when you're trying to put distance between us."

"I call you that to remind you that there is a distance. Out here on the ship away from everything, it's easy to forget that, but happens when you return home?"

"Do you believe my feelings for you would change then?"

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "…Would they? I am nothing more than a housekeeper. A servant. You belong with a queen or a princess or even a lady, and when you're back home, you'll remember that that's who you are supposed to be with."

"I belong with whomever I love."

That word again. The one little word that made her unable to think clearly or know what she was supposed to say or do or feel.

"You don't love me," she whispered.

"Why not? Because Martin said so? And what gives him the right to determine my feelings? Elizabeth, can you truly not think of one reason why I might have fallen for you?"

Elizabeth had no answer for him.

"Then whatever I say, you will never believe."

Those words hit her directly in the heart. Because he was right. He could tell her that she was beautiful and that he loved her for the rest of the night, but she would never fully accept his words. The only one who could possibly convince her of her worth was herself. And it had been three years since she'd thought anything good about herself.

But she was so tired of living like that. She so desperately wanted to believe that Caspian really did love her and that she was worthy of being loved.

So for the first time in three years, she actively fought to silence the voice in her head that sounded like Martin and think of why Caspian could so easily tell her that he loved her.

"…I'm kind," she said softly.

Caspian nodded. "Yes."

She recalled him telling her how amazed he was that she had endured such awful abuse for so long without allowing it to change her kind heart, and she remembered what Aslan had told her about regaining her confidence and using her horrid experiences to help others. "I'm strong."

"Stronger than anyone I have ever met in my life."

Elizabeth tried to think of something else. She knew Martin had only said all the things he did to be cruel, but after constantly hearing how unattractive and worthless she was for two years, it was practically impossible to not start believing it.

But she didn't want to believe it anymore. She wanted to believe that everything he'd said had been lies to hide his own insecurity.

"I'm beautiful," she whispered, her voice breaking.

"The most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on."

Elizabeth lifted her head to look at Caspian, and instantly, everything changed. By getting her to admit her own positive attributes, she could now see for herself that he spoke the truth about his feelings. "I'm loved."

"Since the moment you first stepped onto the ship."

Elizabeth looked away from him. "Caspian…"

"Elizabeth…can you look me in the eye and honestly tell me that you do not love me as well?"

"I cannot love you."

Even if she accepted his feelings, it still didn't change that he was a king and she was only a housekeeper. What would the people in his court at home say about such a union?

"That is not what I asked." He took her chin in his hand and gently forced her to look up at him. "Do you love me?"

Elizabeth looked deep into his warm brown eyes and found that she could not lie to him. "Yes," she quietly admitted.

Caspian smiled and gently moved her hair behind her ear. Then he slowly knelt his head down, giving her every opportunity to stop him, before ever so gently pressing his lips to hers.

Two tears trailed down Elizabeth's cheeks as she reached up and placed her hands onto Caspian's neck to pull him closer to her and return his kiss.

There was no voice in the back of her head to tell her that she didn't deserve it.