Caspian studied the footprints around camp. They looked similar to human feet, but the proportions were slightly askew. They led off into the distance.
You helped Edmund and Drinian wake up the crew, following after Caspian. You didn't even notice Eustace wasn't with you, your mind focused on finding Lucy.
For a second you paused, reaching out to touch Caspian's arm. You felt darkness sweep over you and vanish as quickly as it appeared. Everyone stopped as Caspian took steps toward you. His fingers against your cheek ripped you out of your daze.
Your frantic eyes met his. "We need to find Lucy quickly. Something dark is here."
"What did you feel?"
"I think it's the mist, but we can't delay any longer." You ran past him, glancing over your shoulder. "Lucy might be in trouble."
Every man– and you– who had a sword unsheathed them as you reached an open area within a sort of topiary garden. It was pretty. Well, you would have thought so if Lucy's well-being wasn't in question.
"Caspian! Lucy's dagger," Edmund said, kneeling down to pick it up. It didn't look like she had time to pull it out of its sheath.
Suddenly, spear-like weapons landed around the group. blocking all of you in a tight conglomerate of people.
"Stop right there or perish!" a voice in the air warned.
Your swords were ripped from your hands by nothing. You searched and couldn't see anyone there. Caspian's arm blocked you from whoever was there, gently placing you behind him. Without your weapon, you found yourself useless.
"What sort of creatures are you?" Caspian asked, his eyes following the swords as they were tossed aside.
"Big ones!"
"With the head of a tiger and the body of a…"
"Different tiger!"
"You don't want to mess with us!"
You turned your head toward each voice and realized there were several beings speaking. Just as you looked in the direction of the first voice, you saw something shimmer. A form was taking shape before your eyes.
"Or what?" Edmund pressed, also noticing the beings appearing.
"Or I'll claw you to death!" Strange dwarf-looking creatures were revealed, one sitting upon another's shoulder. And was that one foot on each of them? Such strange creatures!
"And I'll ram my tusks right through you!" Two more appeared.
"And I'll gnash you with my teeth?" Another pair.
"And I'll bite you with my fangs!" More appeared and the one speaking growled rather pathetically.
Small smiles started to show up on every crew member's face, even Drinian's.
"You mean you'll squash us with your fat bellies?" Edmund said.
The creatures started to agree and then questioned the comment about their stomachs.
Caspian stifled a chuckle. "Tickle us with your toes?"
The creature in front fell off the shoulder of the other just as Edmund marched up to him, his sword back in his hand.
"What have you done with my sister, you little pipsqueak?" Hearing Edmund so angry was unusual.
The greying redheaded creature hesitated a second. "Now, calm down."
That rubbed you the wrong way. You took two steps forward, towering over him. "Where is she?" You would have made your mother proud.
The other creatures muttered to the one being interrogated, calling him Chief.
"I-In the mansion," he said.
"What mansion?" Edmund's face scrunched up between his eyebrows.
Chief shifted his eyes to the side, waiting for your eyes to follow.
Between the trees and up the hill, an enormous mansion rippled into existence. It was so big it almost put your family's castle to shame.
Edmund's eyes widened. "Oh… that mansion."
At the sound of rustling, you flipped around to see Eustace pushing through some bushes. "I'm really getting tired of you all leaving me behi-"
"It's the pig!" the creatures shouted. "The pig has come back!"
"This place just gets weirder and weirder," Eustace said.
You silently agreed. The things found on the Lone Island were odd indeed.
"Lucy!"
You moved before you saw her. Your feet carried you to the young queen and you wrapped her up in your arms. Lucy chuckled and smiled at her brother and Caspian. You almost didn't see the older man in an ornate maroon and gold cloak beside her.
"Caspian, Edmund," Lucy looked up at you, "and Y/N. This is Coriakin. This is his island."
You scanned the unnamed creatures as they called out to Coriakin, calling him the Oppressor and claiming he wronged them.
"I have not wronged you." His voice was strong, holding power, but gentle. Coriakin walked forward. "I made you invisible for your own protection."
"Protection?"
"That's oppressive!"
"Oppressor!"
"I have not oppressed you."
The creatures were having none of it. They bounce away from Coriakin as he continued toward them.
"Begone," the man said, blowing something white in their direction. All of them bounced away shouting about a spell.
"What was that?" you asked, watching them flee.
"Lint." He smiled. "But don't tell them."
Eustace looked between the man and the creatures. "What are those things?"
Coriakin barely looked over his shoulder as he turned toward the mansion. "Dufflepuds."
"Right. Of course. Silly me."
Coriakin led all of you into the mansion. It was dark, but still held a sense of home. You couldn't imagine him being a danger. He didn't fit the evil intent you sensed. It had to be the mist.
Caspian captured your hand as you walked beside him, one corner of his mouth going up when you met his gaze. He made that mansion warmer, homey.
"What did you mean when you said you made them invisible for their own good?" Lucy asked the wizard as he led you down a hallway.
"It seemed the easiest way to protect them from the evil."
That piqued your interest. "The green mist? Is that what you mean?"
He glanced back at you. "I mean the lies behind the mist."
Caspian squeezed your hand.
All those lies you told yourself… You weren't ready to be Queen. You couldn't be anything but a friend to Caspian. You couldn't run a kingdom with him… All those lies with everything he told you, everything your father told you… Aslan… It was all the mist.
You squeezed back.
Coriakin led all of you into a room where the second floor was mostly shelves with a starry shimmer to them. The first floor had several more bookshelves and a large empty space in the middle where he unfurled a map of Narnia and the Lone Islands. It was a wonderful sight to see. The water was so blue against the lush green land. It made you miss home.
"It's quite beautiful," Eustace said, eyes glued to the drawings along the edges of magical creatures and important moments in Narnia's history. "I mean, for a make-believe map of a make-believe world."
Your eyes spotted the Kings and Queens of Old standing beside Caspian and yourself. Your fingers grazed the moving image, surprised to see yourself included in the history of a land so great. You and Caspian were so young then… naive.
"There is the source of your troubles." Coriakin magically flew the view over Narnia to a frightening island. It looked as if tentacles, sickly green, twisted off of it and snaked into the sea. A green glow came from within the tangled mass. "Dark Island. A place where evil lurks."
Your hair stood up straight across your flesh and a wave of nausea came over you. Even through a map, you could feel the evil, the power it had… It wanted you to fail… Caspian to fail.
Coriakin neared Edmund. "It can take any form. It can make your darkest dreams come true. It means to corrupt all goodness… to steal the light from this world."
You finally fell to your knees, your legs too shaky to stand. Edmund moved first to come to your aid, but Caspian got to you before him, his hands on your pale face. His eyes filled with worry.
"How do we stop it?" Lucy questioned, glancing in your direction as you reassured Caspian.
"You must break its spell." The wizard pointed at the sword on Edmund's hip. "That sword you carry, there are six others."
"Have you seen them?" Edmund studied Coriakin carefully.
"Yes."
With one hand brushing back loose strands of your hair, Caspian looked back at Coriakin. "The six lords… they passed through here?"
"Indeed."
"Where were they headed?"
You shut your eyes as dark whispers penetrated your mind. The mist wouldn't overpower your mind.
"Where I sent them… to break the spell."
As soon as the map moved away from Dark Island, everything ceased. Color rushed back into your face and your stomach quit churning. The whispers were gone, too. You looked at the map to see a new island with a bright blue star above it.
"You must follow the blue star to Ramandu's Island. There, the seven swords must be laid at Aslan's Table. Only then can their true magical power be released."
You stood again with the help of your king, his hand staying at the small of your back.
"But beware," Coriakin continued. "You are all about to be tested."
Dread filled your heart.
"Tested?"
"Until you lay down the seventh sword, evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in its power to tempt you." The wizard leaned close to Lucy. "Be strong." He walked through the center of the map. "Don't fall into temptation." Coriakin stopped in front of you and Caspian. "To defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness inside yourself."
You and Caspian met gazes. You wondered what darkness resided in you. Fear? Complacency? And you wondered what darkness could be inside Caspian. He'd never shown a dark side of himself… Did darkness sit in his heart at all? What about Lucy? Edmund? Even with Edmund's mistake with the White Witch, he couldn't have true darkness in him.
What darkness did the mist seek?
Back on the Dawn Treader, a heavy tension fell on everyone's shoulders. The fear of the dark and the evil things of everyone's hearts took control. You worried it was the fear the mist wanted. It used fear to keep you from Aslan's plan. Who was to say it wouldn't use fear on everyone else?
On deck, you spotted Lucy leaning against the railing, looking out across the calm waters as the sun rose high into the sky. You were on your way to speak to her when a frustrated grunt distracted you.
Hidden behind a few barrels you spotted Eustace sitting on the floor shaking his writing utensil violently. He'd scribble on the page of his notebook, grunt again, and try a new tactic to get the ink to work.
"I think you need a new one," you said, smiling a little when he jumped.
"I don't suppose this boat has any ink pens, does it?"
You raised an eyebrow.
"This place has magic and talking beasts but no ink pens? This world is rubbish."
"We might not have what you're looking for, but we have other utensils. A quill and ink will give you similar results. We also have charcoal although it smears."
"I should invent the ink pen for this world. I'd be a hero."
You rolled your eyes at the boy. "Stop being silly and come with me."
At first, he didn't follow, but you eventually heard his feet shuffling behind you.
Caspian and Drinian were in the king's quarters discussing something over maps when you walked in. You smiled at the king and captain before leading Eustace into your little room.
He shifted his weight on his feet, standing in the doorway while you rummaged through your trunk. Eustace scanned the small space with scrutiny, wondering why a princess was happy to sleep in such a room.
"Here." You held out a corked inkpot and a quill. "Use this. Dip the end of this into the ink and write. Don't put too much on it or it will bleed and make a mess. Your fingers will get messy. That's normal. You'll also need to wait for the ink to dry before turning the page, okay?"
Eustace glanced at the items. "Don't you need these?"
You peeked over his head to see Caspian sending Drinian back on deck with a warm smile, his eyes shifting toward you. "Not really. If I need to write anything, I can use Caspian's. Use all of mine if you must. It's yours now."
The boy paused, studying your gentle stare. "Thanks."
"It's my pleasure, Eustace."
One more long stare and the loud boy finally scampered away with a short nod toward Caspian. You leaned against the king's desk and watched the boy hide behind the same barrels you found him near. Such an odd boy.
"What did he need?"
You didn't look away. "He was out of ink in his… what did he call it? A pen? He needed something to write with, so I gave him my quill and ink."
"That was kind of you."
"He may be a pest at times, but he does get bullied more than he should. He needs to know not everyone on this ship wants to be mean."
You felt Caspian touch your shoulder before he stood beside you. "You are a caring soul, Princess."
"You know I hate it when you call me by my title." You rolled your eyes at him with a smile.
He smiled so wide you could see his molars. "I'm taking advantage of your good mood." Caspian bent over to kiss the side of your head. "It's a pleasant change from earlier."
"I felt so sick when we saw the island. I'm afraid of what will happen to me when we reach it. If it can make me feel that way just by looking at it on a map, what will happen when I see it in person?"
"We'll have to trust Aslan that you won't fall ill. Maybe you could stay on Ramandu's Island?"
"And make it easier for the mist to succeed? No. I'm going to fight with you. We're stronger together."
Caspian gazed at you, a small upward curve of his lips sneaking into his expression. His fingertips touched your cheek before he stole a proper kiss from your lips.
"Stronger together," he said, lips brushing against yours. He didn't waste the moment, kissing you again and nudging his nose against your cheek.
Your eyes remained shut as you felt him leaning away, his fingers leaving your face. When you finally opened them, Caspian was smiling at you again.
"We'll be okay," he said.
You nodded. "Yes."
"My King!"
"Duty calls," you teased.
Caspian pressed his lips to your forehead, taking your hand and muttering a playful "and you're coming with me." He tugged you behind him all the way to the front of the ship where Drinian and Reepicheep were.
Far on the horizon, large billowing clouds rose up higher and higher. A storm was brewing.
"What's our plan?" Drinian asked Caspian.
He studied the clouds, the distance. "If we sail off-course, it'll take longer, and our supplies will thin. If we keep going forward, who's to say the storm won't pass? What do you suggest, Drinian?"
The bald man sighed. "We don't have much of a choice. Let's pray Aslan calms the seas for us by the time we get there. It's still a few days away as long as it isn't headed toward us. We might get lucky."
Caspian slipped his fingers between yours. "Let's prepare for the worst just in case."