Fortunately, the storm wasn't coming toward the ship, so it was actually a few days before the Dawn Treader was near enough to feel the effects of the storm. Unfortunately, the storm was slow and strong. The ship quickly found itself in the middle of the chaos, tossed about by the waves with lightning attempting to strike the masts. The star Coriakin told Caspian to follow was nowhere in sight and rations were depleting too fast.
A few times you found yourself on deck helping the crew. Both Drinian and Caspian weren't happy to find you putting yourself in danger especially since Drinian didn't want Caspian, Edmund, or Lucy helping much– only when working hands were few. Royalty stayed inside safe quarters. That was Drinian's mindset during the first week. After two, Drinian had no choice but to allow everyone to help.
You sat beside Lucy and Gael on Lucy's bed while Caspian and Drinian discussed what to do with the lack of supplies and the constant thrashing from the storm. Morale was reaching dangerous lows and there was no land in sight. Well, as far as anyone could see through the rain.
Everyone changed into warm dry clothes– unfortunately, your last completely dry set– and rung out what water they could from their hair. Caspian's was pulled back the way you showed him, Lucy's was in a side ponytail, Edmund's was hanging messily over his brow, and yours was put up in a neat bun to keep it from soaking your shirt.
"This is your last chance to turn back, your Majesty," Drinian told Caspian. "There's no guarantee we'll spot the blue star anytime soon… not in this storm. Needle in a haystack trying to find this Ramandu place. We could sail right past it and off the edge of the world."
"Or get eaten by a sea serpent," Edmund chimed in.
"I don't think that's helping," you said, failing to hide your amusement.
Caspian wasn't entertained.
The captain continued. "I'm just saying the men are getting nervous. These are strange seas we're sailing, the likes of which I've never seen before."
Caspian stood from his seat and neared Drinian. "Then perhaps, Captain, you would like to be the one to explain to Rhince that we are abandoning the search for his family?"
Drinian glanced at Edmund. "I'll get back to it." He grabbed his coat, looking back at the king. "Just a word of warning, the sea can play nasty tricks on the crew's mind. Very nasty."
Edmund and Caspian held themselves steady with a ceiling beam, looking at each other in mild worry. Drinian wasn't one to joke around.
While Lucy reassured Gael that they weren't giving up on her mom, you stood. You nearly fell, but one of Caspian's hands steadied you at your waist, which you silently thanked him for. "There's not much we can do except hope and pray to Aslan we come out of this storm soon."
Caspian's grip tightened. "I have faith we'll make it through. Aslan wouldn't have sent me on this quest if we were going to be bested by a storm."
"We won't fail," you supplied with a firm nod.
Soon after the meeting with Drinian, everyone dispersed. Caspian and Edmund were going to attempt a few hours of sleep before going back on deck again to help. You, Lucy, and Gael were requested to get a full night of rest. You wanted to protest, but Caspian had that look in his eyes. The look of begging. The one he only used on you because you were special to him. It was a look that could silence you and reminded you how much he cared. It made it easier to quietly obey the request.
As he always did, Caspian bid you a good night in your room with the door swinging with the rocking of the waves. It quit being awkward for you knowing Lucy and Gael were so near and could probably see Caspian shower you with sweet kisses and soft words of reassurance. It was hard to sleep with the violent rocking, but Caspian's way of sending you off to bed made it a little easier to rest.
One hand held him steady while the other traced the lines of your face. It was clear in his dark eyes how deep his adoration for you went. As scary as it was to think about it, you were confident love played a part.
Caspian loved people well. He made friends with everyone he met. He fought against his people, his family, in order to help a race of people and creatures once thought extinct. There were few beings Caspian couldn't love.
The way he stared at you was so much more than that. But you weren't just his friend. He had you in the way he wanted since before he became king… since he first heard of the princes visiting you. There was no doubt in your mind that Caspian loved you deeper than anyone in his life.
"Sleep well," you said, barely audible over the waves and creaking wood.
He pressed his lips to yours, his hand coming in full contact with your face. The ship tilted and the force put his body flush against yours despite all he did to resist the sway. Your lips disconnected and he apologized, giving you one more kiss before stepping away.
"Goodnight, Y/N," Caspian smiled.
You stared after him as he left your room, his hand still using ceiling beams to keep him steady.
As soon as your door shut, you sat on your bed rubbing your neck. Hugging Caspian was never an issue for you. Being physically close wasn't strange. No, the fact that the air was charged when he kissed you and then you were sandwiched between him and the wall… If Coriakin's warning rang true, then your relationship with the king could become a problem. You couldn't deny the way your heart raced or how your hands almost pulled him back to you. The mist could take advantage of those feelings and make the relationship improper. No matter how much control Caspian seemed to have, he would do anything for you if you asked. It was dangerous.
In the morning, you would speak to Caspian about it. It would be better to let him know about your worry, so you could work together on being intentional to avoid impropriety– no matter how tempting it was.
Despite your worries, you slipped into sleep easily. The rocking of the ship worked in your favor, lulling you into pleasant dreams of Narnia and your family.
You felt it before anything shifted in your dreams– that same feeling you had on the last island. Lucy came into your dream, staring into a mirror. You watched her morph into Susan. You caught a glimpse of her world, Edmund and Peter with her. She began to panic and begged to go back to Narnia – a place they suddenly didn't know. And then she was Lucy again. She stood in front of the mirror from earlier but Aslan stood beside her. He spoke gentle words you couldn't understand until he looked to you.
His voice rang in your head. "The mist already works in the minds of your friends. Be cautious. Be strong. Keep going."
You nodded before getting thrown out of the dream so aggressively that you sat up straight in your bed. The storm still raged. You sighed and fell back onto your pillow.
Something nagged at you, a feeling. Was Lucy struggling with herself? Why was she so amazed to see herself as Susan?
Wrapping a blanket around your shoulders, you left your room. Of course, Lucy wasn't in bed. Gael was still blissfully asleep, face pressed against the wall. Maybe Lucy went to find Edmund.
Carefully and quietly, you used the access to the sleeping quarters that didn't require you to step into the rain. Just as you thought, Lucy as standing beside her brother's hammock speaking to him. Caspian was awake in his hammock, too. His eyes found you.
"Y/N," he said, getting out of bed to come to your side. "Bad dream?"
You shook your head. "I was worried about Lucy." You looked at the youngest Pevensie. "Are you okay? I had a dream that concerned me."
"I'm okay. I had a slip in judgment."
"Talk to me if you need to, okay? I'm here to listen, to be your friend."
She smiled and hugged you. "Thank you."
You looked at Caspian and Edmund. "Did you have bad dreams?"
"My father…" Caspian said, looking down.
"I saw the White Witch," Edmund answered. "I wasn't asleep, but she disappeared when Lucy came down."
"The mist," you frowned. "It's getting stronger. The air feels thick… wrong."
"We'll need to stay alert," Caspian stated. "If Coriakin was right, we'll be facing harder battles the closer we get."
You nodded.
"What should we do?" Lucy stared at the king.
"We'll worry about it in the morning," you said. "We still need sleep. We'll figure out our strategy tomorrow."
"What if the mist comes back again?" Edmund asked.
"We'll fight back."
A proud smile lit up Caspian's face as he stared down at you. He did not doubt you would make an excellent queen… his queen.
Surprisingly, the ship wasn't swaying when you woke up in the morning. You could see sunlight filtering in through the window. The day was off to a good start.
On deck, you could see the storm clouds behind you, dark and ominous. The rising sun highlighted the outermost clouds, giving them a pink and orange glow. It was almost like a painting.
"Y/N!"
Your gaze fell on Caspian as he bounded toward you with a large grin. The sunshine was working its magic on everyone as crewmembers looked on at you and the king.
"Good morning," he said as he bent down to kiss your cheekbone. His eyes scanned over you.
You smiled. "Good morning."
"We've found an island in the distance. There could be supplies there and the lords might have stopped at it. We plan on searching it. We should be there within a few hours."
That's wonderful. I hope we find enough food and water to replenish what we've lost."
Caspian's hair blew freely in the wind as he looked across the deck. "I'm happy we made it out of the storm before it was too late."
"Aslan is always with us and wouldn't let this journey end here simply because we're running low on supplies."
"You're right."
"Does anyone need help cleaning up?"
"Probably, but I would like to talk to you first. I want to spend some time with you before we get to the island."
Warmth rushed to your face. "Oh? What about Drinian? Doesn't he need you?"
Caspian chuckled and touched your cheek. "He may be captain of this ship, but I am the King of Narnia. Plus, I don't think he'll mind if I'm with you."
"As long as it won't pose a problem…"
"Come with me." He took your hand and led you to the front of the ship where he first kissed you.
Reepicheep was there and he smiled at you both. "Your Majesties," he bowed.
"Reep," Caspian said. "Could you give Y/N and I a moment or two alone?"
"Absolutely!" He ran across the banister and down a floor while wishing you both a nice time together.
The two of you leaned over the railing, the dragon head off to your left. Caspian slipped his fingers between yours, covering them with his free hand. You studied him curiously. Something was on his mind. He kept glancing at your hands and back up to the horizon.
"Is something wrong?"
Shaking his head, he finally looked at you with a soft smile. "Far from it."
"Then what is it? Something weighs on your mind."
"It sounds like a bad thing when you say it like that. What fills my head at this moment is not something to weigh me down. It's… It makes me happy."
You tilted your head.
A light laugh and Caspian met your eyes. "If we come out of this alive… I want to marry you as soon as we reach Narnia again."
"M-Marry? So soon?"
"If you would let me, I'd marry you right here… today, on this ship."
"But… we've hardly had the chance to… to know each other as we are now."
"Y/N… all I know is how to be a king and… and you. Before I realized I felt something deeply for you, I knew we would rule together. No other woman compares to you. I can hardly wait to return home so this can be what it was always meant to be." Caspian stepped closer to you, taking your face in his hands. You had nowhere to look except in his expressive eyes. "If we must wait, I can only bear it until we reach the shores of Cair Paravel. I once thought I was a patient man until I saw you the night I escaped Miraz. I want to beat this mist, to find my father's council… but I want you most of all."
Your breath came short and shaky while your whole body trembled. "Caspian… this isn't the right time to think about… to think about marriage. We don't even know if we'll come out of this alive."
"It's the perfect time because of that very reason."
"I… I-I can't think about this while w-we're fighting an evil that can… alter our mind. We don't need that sort of… distraction."
Caspian's hands fell from your face, but his head fell on your shoulder. "Why must you make this so difficult?"
You frown. "I've barely gotten used to us as we are, and you want to throw out marriage so early."
"You knew what this entailed," he said, lifting his head. "You still agreed to this."
"I did. And I thought you would give us– give me– time to accept this. Give us a chance to court, Caspian. Why can't we just enjoy where we are?"
"Because it's still not enough."
You blinked and felt your frustration bubble over. "You might be a king, but that doesn't mean you always get what you want when you want it. I'm not ready to be a wife… or a queen. If it takes a year, then it takes a year. If that's a problem, then you shouldn't have wasted your time convincing me this was a good idea."
Caspian's lips parted. He didn't speak. His eyes flashed with something you couldn't quite see because you quietly excused yourself, leaving him standing there alone.
The hot feeling in your gut didn't go away as you slammed your door. Among the anger, the sick feeling you had the night before came back.
You scanned your room for a green mist but found nothing. It dawned on you that it might not be around you and instead latching onto Caspian.
The sick feeling grew.
This mist was getting stronger.