Climbing up the hole of the cavern was difficult, even with the rope. The rock wall did not have as many ridges as the outside of the volcano so it was harder for Kathleen to get a grip, but she couldn't complain. The sooner she got out of that cavern, the better.

As she reached for Lucy's hand at the top, she felt the sun beating against her skin. The children and the older King were probably down there for no more than ten minutes. The heat from the sun felt good nonetheless, almost energizing.

Once Kathleen was completely above the cavern hole and on her feet again, she walked away from the others. As she kept going right, she noticed a pathway going higher up the volcano that she didn't see before. It didn't seem to go too much further, but as she looked at her empty basket on the floor, she sighed and dusted herself off.

"We have to report back to the others. Tell them what we found and hopefully, they would be able to tell us good news." Caspian said as Edmund climbed up from the hole. Caspian's voice sounded strained, almost like he had to force the words out. And with what just happened down in the cavern, no one could blame him. The atmosphere was thick, but it had nothing to do with the island air.

As Lucy and Edmund nodded, but Kathleen had a different plan. "You go on ahead," She said as she picked up her basket. "I'm sure we're almost at the top of the volcano but I still haven't seen any food on the flat ground. I don't want to stop until I searched everywhere I could." She didn't look at anyone as she said this. Her breath felt shortened and it wasn't from the climb back up from the hole. Her palms were sweaty and her mind was going back and forth. The reality of what just happened left Kathleen nervous. More so than usual. It felt as though the last twenty-four hours were playing her head at top speed. Like a pirouette turn that has lost control. She just needed space, even if it was for a few minutes.

When the others didn't say anything for a moment, she hoped it meant that they wouldn't persistent with her. That they believed she was certain, or maybe they needed space for themselves to clear their heads? Sadly, she was mistaken.

"Are you sure?" Edmund asked hesitantly.

Not giving anyone a moment to breathe, she shouted. "Yes, Edmund! I am." Her eyes widened at herself the second the volume left her throat. She hadn't meant to shout. She wasn't even thinking of speaking. She didn't even think at all. Kathleen gulped as she closed her eyes, "I'm sorry. I'm so-" She let out a shaky breath, "I'll, uh..." she left out a shaky breath and forced herself to look back at the others. "I'll meet you back at the boats." Without saying anything else, she walked up the right side of the volcano, praying that the basket wouldn't break in her hands.

Kathleen could hear the footsteps of the others getting further away. She kept her eyes ahead of her, but she wasn't actually looking at anything. It could have been possible that Kathleen passed an entire garden, but her mind was too distraught to know.

She stopped the second her feet began to ache from the uphill climb and sat down on the sandy ground. She took a few deep breaths before looking over the rocks.

It happened again. But this time she felt more aware. Like she lost control of her turns but was able to find a spot at the last second. Yet it was too late. Only this time was a few minutes ago. It had been happening all day and she couldn't get a grip on it. On herself. Then there was Edmund and Caspian.

The two of them were just at each other's throats and she just slowly walked towards them. She didn't jump as Lucy did and she could barely get herself to make a word out. And because of that, she was inches away from turning into gold. The underground cave had tempted the boys with their self-doubt and somehow grew that doubt into anger. Just like her dream did with her fear of being useless. It turned her fear into something worse, just like it did to Edmund and Caspian. The cave, or maybe even the island itself, let out everything they were afraid of and somehow knew which buttons to press, all while concealing the mist in plain sight.

Kathleen was starting to regret going up the volcano alone. Not only were her words and actions playing in her mind, but so were Edmund's.

'Why do you get Peter's sword and why does he get to bring something back? Why should you get Kathleen's notice and get to command the ship? I deserve a kingdom of my own! I. Deserve. To rule!'

Everything that Edmund said was flooding Kathleen's mind. And then the duel back on the ship. Had he truly mean Kathleen to win? He was not the kind of person to hurt someone on purpose, Lucy reassured her of that and she believed them full-heartedly. But still, with everything that just happened... Maybe there is still more to Edmund than what she already learned.

He is intelligent in ways that were quick-witted and he noticed things that many would miss. He noticed when she felt uncomfortable or unsettled and not only would he not take away her validation of her emotions, but he would give her the amount of time she needs to process whatever was running through her head. Plus his quickness would have to be on-par as he can come up with the funny remarks he jabs at his younger cousin. Back in Cambridge, Edmund is respectful of the time she came by to tutor Eustace. He would only offer her something to drink or eat before the session. He wouldn't be able to go so after since she would be out the door before giving him the chance, which Kathleen was slowly regretting doing so.

He is most definitely courageous as he risked going through enlistment, though now, Kathleen could see why he would do. His actions here in Narnia confirmed it even further as he was the one who went up to the Dufflepuds, even though they weren't a threat. He was the one who never stopped going against the traders in the Lone Islands. Going into action is a part of him. Not only that, but he also does not wait to be asked to cook dinner with his sister or his Aunt. And the more that Kathleen thought about, she couldn't think of a time he refused to go grocery shopping with either one of them even. If there was ever a time something was forgotten, Edmund would offer to go pick up whatever was left behind.

And he loyal was something that she admired most about him. She had seen most of that side of him there in Narnia. To those that deserved it, he shows them the utmost respect. He does not talk down to anyone due to their rank. He treats everyone as their equal and a friend to most. Yet he is still willing to listen to those who may have been less than kind, providing you give him good reason to.

He is rightly titled Just.

The thing was, that all this seemed to take a step backward since more than a week ago. It was as if something was weighing down on his shoulders and fogging up his mind, just like it has been to her. What made Kathleen feel worse was only this day, and possibly last night. The dark temptations could have been weighing down on Edmund for longer than she could have realized. The idea made her palms sweat. She hugged the basket closer to herself.

The cave tempted Edmund and Caspian. Almost controlled them both. Kathleen began to wonder if what Edmund said was his fears or her own.

'Why should you get Kathleen's notice?'

And then there was that. Had he really said that? Or was Kathleen mind being tempted again? She was trying to remember all the times she was with Caspian. Of all the times she could recall, Edmund was there too, as well as Lucy and, sometimes Eustace. She could not think of a time where she was alone with Caspian or a time where it looked like she was purposely giving him all her attention, or even the other way around.

'I trust you. And you too Caspian.'

Edmund had said that he trusted Caspian while exploring the Lone Islands, but what had made him say that? Surely he had always trusted Caspian. What made that moment different from any other?

She was felt mentally exhausted. She laid down on the somewhat sandy ground and closed her eyes. She didn't think coming to a magical world would also mean possibly knowing her crush's possible feeling to herself may feel the same, only if they are feeling the same type of feeling. She balanced the basket on her stomach and placed her arm over her eyes. She let out a groan and threw her arms down on each side of her. Kathleen let out another groan as her right hand hit the sheaf of her sword, causing it to make a clinking sound. As she rubbed her knuckles, she remembered.

The one time she was only with Caspian was just before they disembarked to the Lone Islands. Caspian showed her to the armory to lend her a sword, the same one that she currently carried on her waist. She remembered hearing a soft squeak in the room and thinking it was Caspian moving weapons about. Thinking back it sounded ridiculous because even the hilt of an old rusted sword would not squeak against its holding frame, but a door would.

'You know, Edmund looks at you the same way you look at him.'

That's what Caspian said as they were leaving the armory. The words still made Kathleen blush in thought. She placed her left hand in a fist above her chest. The possible feelings that she thinks Edmund may have for her were becoming more possible, yet only to have another puzzle tossed at her. She could tell him about her feelings. The way it felt like she couldn't get a word out when he was around or that since being in Narnia, it made her feel that she was getting more comfortable being near him. That having him being at her side makes her like she could be the stronger version of herself, but after everything that happened, the timing didn't feel right. In addition, there were so many things she still didn't know.

The Mist tried to take away her admiration of learning and turned it against her by making her think what she loved and who she is was useless. She wanted her self-worth back, and there was no way she was going to force it on the others. She had to bring herself back little by little in order not to overwhelm her mind and the others. She remembered something Edmund asked of her the first day he taught her how to properly duel.

"Tomorrow," she said out loud to herself. "Tomorrow, if he's ready, I'll ask him. About everything." Just saying those words made the growing bubble feeling appear in her stomach. She discovered this feeling gradually showing up more and more since the Lone Island. This feeling has helped her throughout her stay in Narnia. Even if she couldn't fully understand what it is, she welcomed that feeling when it appeared. Of course, Kathleen wanted to know what it is, but for the moment she had more important things to find. Like food.

She couldn't remember how long she had left on the island to search for food, but she probably wasted more than enough of it laying on the ground. With that thought, Kathleen sat upright and moved the basket off her stomach. She then stood up and brushed off the sand from her clothes and hair. As she did so, she thought of how much longer it would take to reach the top of the volcano. Standing on her toes, she could see the top of a rock that led to nowhere. Speed walking up the rest of the way up and pacing herself down will be just enough time not to make anyone worry.

With that, Kathleen picked up her basket and began to take a step around the curve, though she didn't get far. On the edge of the curve was a white cloud laying on its side. It had green leaves flowering behind it. As Kathleen kneeled to examine it, she realized it wasn't a ball of fluff, but it was a solid plant. A cauliflower, if she wasn't mistaken. In a rush of excitement, she tore off a piece a smelled it.

It was real.

"Yes!" Kathleen shouted. She rushed to lay on her stomach while she placed the basket to the side of her. She grabbed around the vegetable trying to look for the root of it. When she found the end of the leaves, she took a firm hold of it a pulled it out of the ground.

In awe, she looked at the white resource in her hand. It was the size of a toddler's head. Grinning madly, she dusted off the sand and placed the vegetable in the basket. Pushing off the ground, she carefully searched for others like the one before. Turning the corner, she almost burst into tears.

Cauliflower, radishes, and berries right at the top. It was a natural garden right at the very top of the volcano. There was greenery flourishing all around the fruits and vegetables and small patches of sand scattered around the plants.

Kathleen couldn't help but let out a gleeful laugh at the sight in front of her. With their size of rations, this was enough to feed the crew for at most a week. It didn't sound like much at first, but hopefully, it would be enough to set sail and disembark on another island on the way to finding the Blue Star. Plus they still had some fruit from Coriakin's Island as well as any finds other crew members may have gotten.

The thought made Kathleen speed up with collecting her discoveries. As she finished getting the cauliflower and radishes, she began to get a pit feeling in her stomach. Ignoring it for the growing bubble from earlier, she moved on to the berries at the top of the volcano.

The volcano wasn't active, but there was a sliver of smoke coming from the bottom of it. Moving quickly, Kathleen picked a berry to try and figure out which kind it was. It was familiar to her, but it wasn't one they had in her garden back home. It looked like a baby tomato, but the leaves were wrong. She didn't recognize so took a sniff of it. It was a strong musky scent. Kathleen was surprised she couldn't smell it lower by the cave.

Putting the berry in front of her face, Kathleen pierced the skin with her thumbnail and used her other hand to split it in half. The inside of the berry was similar to a grape. There was no juice dripping but it wasn't dry. In the center of the berry was one large seed. Kathleen picked it out and placed the seed carefully in the basket. Turning back to the berry she regretted not listening to Eustace in having more than one person try the new food. Her reaction may be different from his.

With a deep breath, Kathleen was about to take a bite of one of the halves of the berry, but a deep voice she didn't recognize stopped her.

"No!"

She dropped the half in fright. She jumped to her feet with her sword drawn, looking for the source, but she was alone at the top of the volcano. There was no one but her. With her heart racing, she turned back to the garden around her. The plants blew in the wind and that's when she noticed something peculiar. Something else was blowing in the wind. Small green balls were blowing away from under the plants.

Kneeling with the sword still in her right hand, she used her free hand to pick one of the green balls that were hanging from one of the berry's leaves. She held it close to her face.

Moss.

Realizing what it was, she dropped the green plant immediately. Getting closer to the plants, she reached under the leaves and pulled out something in her horror. It was more moss. The same one that she had seen earlier by the clearing. What she had mistaken as moss in the water in the cavern. In a panic, she dropped her sword and turned to the patch of radishes, and pulled the green from under them. More moss.

Kathleen turned to her basket and quickly dumped everything out. She took one of the radishes that were close to her and used her short sword to split it in half. She gagged as saw its interior. The inside was rotten black. The rot had eaten bits of the middle and had a smell that made Kathleen's eyes water. She grabbed another and found that it was the same. One after another, all the radishes were bad.

Then she grabbed a cauliflower. To her surprise, the inside was clean. There were no marks or hints of black inside the vegetable. She crawled to the patch where she first found the food and reached around the leaves. There was no moss as she pulled out. Just regular leaves.

She looked at the mess around her.

In a whisper she said, "What am I going to do?" and sat looking down, looking to the ocean.

He mucked up, Edmund thought, he really mucked up. First, it was on the ship, then it was in the cave. Now, he's allowed Eustace to wander around on the island alone and no one knows where he is. They really needed to get out of here.

The royals had just gotten back to the boats to find out that not much was found. The only foods the rest of the crew was able to find were nuts and very little fruit. Enough for two days, at most. Not only that, but Eustace was nowhere to be seen or heard.

Edmund told Lucy that he would go looking for him and Caspian had said he would go as well. It wasn't quite unsettling, but it wasn't calming either.

The two Kings nodded to each other as they headed in a direction to look for Eustace, but stopped short when they heard crunching sand from the other direction. Edmund turned and spotted a brunette girl his age walking towards Lucy.

"Kathleen," he whispered in relief to himself.

She turned to the shore where the boats were being pushed to the ocean, then back to the two Kings. Holding the basket close to her, she jogged the remaining meters to the boys. She gulped, "Has something happened?"

Caspian turned to Edmund who couldn't bring himself to get any words out with the girl in front of them. "It's Eustace," The current King said, "He wasn't at the boats. We've come to search for him."

Kathleen's eyes widened slightly then nodded. Edmund can see her hugging the basket tighter. "Have the rest of the crew set back to the ship?"

"Not yet. We have asked them to wait for you so they can take you back. They will leave one longboat as we search." Edmund can see Kathleen tense her shoulders as Caspian said this.

She took a breath and said, "There is no need for that. I can wait by the remaining boat just in case he comes from the other side. Just because we didn't see him, does not mean he wasn't there," she paused. "As for the food..." she took a moment before showing to two boys and an empty basket. "There wasn't anything edible." Kathleen didn't meet their eyes.

"It was still worth the look in the end," Caspian said with a small smile, though it seemed somewhat forced. He turned to Edmund, but Edmund was looking at Kathleen. He lightly bumped into Edmund's shoulder, "Ed?"

Edmund jumped slightly at his name and turned to his older companion, "Huh?"

"Where do you think your cousin will head to?" Caspian asked while hiding a genuine ghost of a smile.

Edmund shook his head, "Away from everyone else, most likely."

"But," Kathleen cut in hesitantly, "not too far where he wouldn't be able to lose sight of the ship."

"And unfortunately with this island that doesn't narrow it down our options," Caspian finished.

Nodding, Kathleen took a step back, "You two go on then. I'll wait by the boat, just in case." She walked to the waiting longboat, still clenching onto the empty basket.

Caspian agreed then continued to walk in the direction where Edmund and himself had started too, but Edmund had a different idea.

Edmund's mind was racing since leaving the cave, and most of his thoughts kept coming back to Kathleen. How she looked after he tried to duel with Caspian. Then back on the ship before they lowered the bows. And the look she had when she was going to look for food at the top of the volcano by herself. She looked hurt each time, and he was the one who caused it. Not Caspian, or Eustace, and certainly not Lucy. It was him who hurt her.

"I'm sorry." His voice was just above a whisper.

She stopped in her walking to turn around, not fully hearing what he had said, "What was that?"

Edmund adjusted his feet, " I said," he gulped. I said I'm sorry. I'm sorry. For everything. For what happened on the ship. For happened in the cave. For being overprotective of you. For not thinking you can't take care of yourself. I'm sorry that I helped train you and I'm not even letting you use what you learned. I'm sorry Kathleen. This is what he wanted to say and so much more, but what came out of his mouth was, "I said we will find Eustace. Again."

She pressed her lips together, "Oh, okay." Kathleen turned around but then turned back to Edmund. There was a pause before she spoke, "Didn't Eustace find you the first time?"

Edmund turned his head to the ship to hide his smile. Then he turned back to Kathleen, pleased to see her sporting a smirk "Yes. I suppose he did."

Edmund gave a small smile as Kathleen let out a playful scoff. As she walked in the direction of the waiting longboats, Edmund can see her shoulders relax, which made him unconsciously relax in turn. He took a few steps backward until Kathleen was halfway to the shore. He then jogged to catch up behind Caspian, who was listening to the teenager's conversation.

After a moment, Caspian spoke to cover the silence between them, "You know, she cares about you the same way you care about her."

Edmund was happy Caspian was in front of him, otherwise, the older King would see his ears go red. "I don't want to talk about it right now. We have to focus on finding Eustace."

"Because you were in complete focus when Kathleen was standing in front of you."

The sarcasm made Edmund stopped in his tracks.

Caspian turned then pressed his lips together, "I'm sorry." He looked over to the shore. There was one boat waiting with a brunette girl sitting in it, looking to the ocean. The other boats were already halfway to the Dawn Treader. "Some of the things you said in the cave were true."

"Caspian-" Edmund started but he got cut off.

"No. Wait." The older King sighed to himself, "You are not my subject. I can not tell you what you can and can not do." He paused, "And I know you are brave. You do not need to prove that to anyone, and you certainly do not need to prove that to Kathleen." When Edmund didn't say anything, he continued. "I am not trying to gain her affection, Ed. I do not see her in that way. Not in the way that she sees you. You just have to speak with her and-"

"I know," Edmund said sharply. He sucked in a breath, "I just..." Edmund knew what he wanted to say to Kathleen. He knew what he needed to do and what he needed to tell her. His thoughts were still jumbled together and he couldn't seem to grab on to one, but then again, he was never one to talk about what he was thinking. It was almost like a skill he was never able to master. Not like his older sister Susan. It was second nature for her to speak her mind, a trait that he always admired. Now he wished he listened when she said that it was a "positive skill to own". Instead, he let out a long sigh, "We need to find Eustace."

After what felt like hours of calling out for Eustace, the two Kings found a small indented canyon of gold items far away from the shore. The rock sides were uneven and curved dramatically. The canyon curved to one side and then went out of sight. There was barely an indication that there was a floor due to it being covered with gold findings. Plates, vases, horns, and chalices laid on top of each other.

"Treasure," Edmund said in a breath.

Caspian turned to him, "Trouble."

And it was.

From where they stood, Edmund saw something that stood apart from the rest of the reflective items. It moved slightly in the wind, which was how he was able to tell it was at most, not a rock. The dull colors remained him of someone. He wanted to be wrong but the pull of familiarity was too strong. In a small panic, he asked Caspain to follow him and the two skidded down the side of the canyon. A little off-balance but on solid ground, he walked briskly to the dull item, going faster the closer he got near it. As soon it was clear as day, he slowed.

It was a shoe. A single brown shoe singed where the laces should have been. As he picked it up, he realized it was warm and the sounds and the burns could still be heard.

"Eustace," he said anxiously. He shook his head once. He looked around, praying to see him laying about, but instead, he found a pile of his clothing, but Eustace wasn't in them. What was once an off-white shirt was now brown and smoking with burned holes all around. "No." Edmund looked through the pile, looking for whatever he could to say that it wasn't Eustace's clothes right under him. That was not the case. Under the singed sweater vest was a journal. There was no doubt now that it belonged to Eustace. The young boy rarely walked around without it.

The cover was burned and the edges were blackened. "Oh, cousin." Edmund's mouth went dry.

"I'm sorry," Caspian said as he stared at the clothing.

"He was just a boy," Edmund said to himself, not knowing what to do. "I've never should have left him." He felt sick. Eustace was annoying at times, but never to a point where Edmund wished he would be gone. He grabbed Eustace's clothes in one hand, "What could have happened to him?"

Caspian looked behind himself, "In this place? Anything." He stood up and walked to the other side of the canyon. "And he wasn't the first." In a crevice of the rocks sat a skeleton. His clothes burned just as Eustace. There was a symbol on his belt. "It's Lord Octesian." He stated sadly. He hesitated, "We should find his..." Caspian turned around to Edmund as he held the Lord's sheaf in his hand, "...sword."

Edmund unsheathed the sword. He looked at the blade then turned to the things around him. How was he going to tell Lucy or Kathleen? He said he was going to find Eustace. He did, but not in the way anyone had hoped for. "What are we going to do?"

Kathleen stood on the seats of the longboat as he called out for Eustace. There was no sign of him. She kept thinking of what she had said to him before they split up. The teenage girl refused to believe that what she said was the last thing she said to him. She was upset and angry and she let it all out on Eustace. And even if it was the dark temptations of the Mist, it still said she who said it.

Kathleen groaned at herself. She told him to go away. If anything bad happened to him, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

That is when she heard a screeching sound. A sound that could not come from a volcano, yet she kept her eye on the mountain anyway. Then it came again, this time Kathleen knew it was coming from the opposite direction. The direction where the boys left to search for Eustace.

Kathleen stood on the sides of the boat, hoping to get a better view, even if it was only a few inches.

Smoke was rising from the far side of the island. Multiple small smoke indicators showing up sporadically. Each one was as if someone set small individual campfires. Then there was another screech, but this time it was moving. Kathleen tried to follow where the sound would appear, but for a few minutes, there was nothing, only low wind. Then the sound of wind grew, the sound getting louder and deeper. It was blowing in a pattern.

Turning back to the volcano, she heard the sound getting louder until the source made its appearance from behind the rocks. Kathleen gasped, the shock made her fall off the boat and onto the sand.

A Dragon. Gold in scales and unfathomable in size. It was flying dangerously low above the shore.

As it screeched again, the dragon had traveled over the ocean and went straight towards the Dawn Treader. As a moment of silence become noticeable, the dragon blew out a fiery breath.