The Naiad Trilogy

Part 2: The Naiad and Her King

Chapter 6

The next two weeks passed without incident. Things quickly returned to normal between Caspian and Ava—for the most part at least. For reasons she couldn't comprehend, Ava could not stop thinking about Caspian. She thought repeatedly on how he had held her close to his chest after their fight. She had heard his life beating inside him, and she had felt a happiness far greater than any she had ever felt before. She thought about the tenderness of his touch, and she longed to feel it again. She thought of the warmth of his eyes and how they seemed to melt her from within. And she thought about his lips, how they would rise when he smiled, and her lips, how they felt against his cheek, and their lips together, how it would feel if they pressed together. These thoughts disturbed her most of all. She wasn't like other girls. She was the Naiad Princess.

Ava had these thoughts both night and day. At night she could not fight them, but in the day she did all she could to make sure no one knew.

XOXOX

Just as the sun began to set on the fifth day since the pirate attack, the Dawn Treader reached the island of Brenn and made port at Redhaven. There the Narnians feasted like kings—and queen—for three days. Everyone enjoyed their stay at Redhaven much more than they had Galma. There were no pompous lords trying to win Ava's heart, and there were no young daughters coming between Ava and Caspian; though, there were still many lords and ladies infatuated with the duo.

On the morning of the fourth day, the Dawn Treader unfurled its giant purple sail and left for the Lone Islands. Before they parted, Princess Tianna had bestowed upon Ava several gifts including a new dress, a new sailing outfit, and several copies of well loved Redhaven fairy tales. The days that passed as they sailed for the Lone Islands were long and uneventful. As they had before, Caspian and Ava found ways to entertain themselves through dueling, playing chess, and Ava had even begun reading. Five days had come and gone in such a manner, and the sixth began as any other. The sun was bright and the wind was steady and strong, so strong that Ava had to read her book in her cabin.

Ava had just reached one of the most exiting parts she had come to yet when a great ruckus broke out on the main deck. She tried to ignore it and go about her reading; she knew if there was trouble someone would have come to tell her, but the commotion only grew louder. When Ava realized that she had restarted the same paragraph five times, she decided it was time to figure out what was going on. She still didn't want to pause her reading, so she carefully walked to the doors with her nose buried in the book. Somehow she managed to open both sets of doors and step out onto the main deck. She placed her finger at the end of her paragraph before speaking.

"What is all…"

"Ava!"

"…this excite—umph," Ava grunted as she was cut off mid sentence by someone slamming into her chest and wrapping their arms around her.

Ava looked up from her book, startled, and the first thing her eyes found was Caspian. His clothes were drenched, his arms were folded over his chest, and he had one of the broadest smiles she had ever seen. He was breath taking, but then she noticed who stood next to him. It was someone who had not been with the crew when they started, but now that he was here Ava knew there was no way the crew could have been complete without him.

"Edmund!" Ava exclaimed before looking down at the person wrapped around her waist. "Lucy!" Ava quickly closed her book, not caring about losing her place now, and embraced her friend. "You've returned! Oh how I have prayed I'd live to see this day!"

"And now you have!" Lucy exclaimed as she pulled back, a broad smile on her face. "I'm sorry, I've gotten your dress all wet."

"Since when has a little water ever harmed a Naiad?"

"It's good to see you, Ava," Edmund said as she walked over to him.

"And it is good to see you," Ava replied as she hugged him. Ava hadn't even noticed their other visitor until he began shouting from the other side of the deck; he must have been the one Ava heard.

*"I demand to know, just where in the blazes am I?"*

"Oh, you've brought a friend," Ava said quietly to Lucy. Tavros responded to the boy's question while Caspian walked over to him.

"He's our cousin Eustace," Lucy replied.

"Oh my, will he be alright?" Ava asked as the boy suddenly fainted.

"If we're lucky he'll remain like that the entire trip," Edmund said under his breath, but Lucy still heard him.

"Edmund!" she scolded just as Caspian came back and clapped his hands on their shoulders before rushing up the stairs to address the crew.

"Men," Caspian began, but when he paused Ava coughed softly. "And Ava," he added as his eyes darted over to her; Ava smile innocently. "Behold our castaways, Edmund the Just, and Lucy the Valiant, King and Queen of Old!"

All the crew members dropped to one knee in honor of Lucy and Edmund, and Ava dipped into a low curtsey, for which she received a glare from Lucy who clearly did not approve.

"Come," Ava said rising back up. "The four…" Ava glanced over her shoulder at Eustace who was still lying on the wooden deck, "…three of you should change into some dry clothes, before you fall ill."

Caspian jumped down to the main deck from the step on which he stood, and headed to the State Room. Ava ushered Edmund and Lucy along after him and brought up the rear herself. Lucy and Edmund walked through the double doors side by side. Lucy let out a gasp of surprise as she looked around at all the paintings while Edmund's smile grew.

"It sort of takes your breath away doesn't it?" Ava asked.

"It's incredible," Lucy commented. "Aslan," she said as she saw the golden Lion's head, and then "Susan's horn?" she questioned as she saw a lion mouthed ivory horn on the shelf below.

"A replica," Caspian corrected, leaning against a cabinet. "The real horn is at Cair Paravel with my Lord Regent, Trumpkin, should he need to call for help."

"Trumpkin," Lucy said wistfully as she remembered her dear little friend.

"The horn may not be real, Luce, but those are definitely Susan's bow and arrows," Edmund said as he pointed them out."

Ava didn't think Lucy's smile could get any bigger, but it did when Caspian suddenly pulled out a small chest containing her healing cordial and dagger. As Lucy was running her hands over the diamond bottle, Edmund spotted Peter's sword resting against the wall. Caspian offered to let him hold it, but Edmund refused, insisting that Peter had given it to Caspian. Then Caspian reached into another cabinet and tossed something to Edmund that did belong to him, his strange and curious torch. Edmund pushed a button and blinked in surprise as the light turned on in his eyes.

"It still works," he said.

"Alright," Ava said interrupting their exploring. "I really think you three should change now. Here Lucy, I believe these will fit you." Ava reached into one of the wardrobe drawers and pulled out a pair of pants, a shirt, and a vest. "I'd offer you one of my dresses, but I'm afraid they'd be too long."

"That's alright. I've always preferred pants when sailing anyways," Lucy said as she accepted the clothing.

"I think I have an extra pair of boots that will fit you too."

Meanwhile, Caspian had grabbed some dry clothes for him and Edmund, and moved back to the doors.

"We'll change upstairs. Meet us in the Map Room when you're ready," Caspian said to Ava; she nodded in response and smiled as the boys left the cabin.

Lucy glanced at her friend; the look Ava and Caspian had shared had not gone unnoticed by her. "So, should I be addressing you as Queen soon?"

"What?" Ava asked.

Lucy just cast Ava another look as she began to change.

"Caspian and I are just friends, Lucy, nothing more."

"Oh?" Maybe Lucy had been mistaken, but then why did she detect a hint of sadness in Ava's voice. "Well, does he have a queen waiting for him at the Cair?"

"No, Caspian has been too busy to even think of finding a queen." Ava began to brush through Lucy's wet hair. "The Duke of Galma was rather hoping to change that, as did his imprudent daughter, but thankfully Caspian was able to remain reasonable while in her presence."

"Do I detect a bit of disdain? Did you not get along well with the Duke's daughter?"

Ava sighed. "At first I thought I could, but then she—she changed, or something. I don't know. I guess it just wasn't a friendship that was meant to be, unlike ours."

"Oh how unfortunate," Lucy said.

Ava finished brushing Lucy's hair and pulled it into a side ponytail, tying it off with a strap of leather. Ava hung Lucy's wet clothes out on the balcony to dry while Lucy put on her boots. The two girls then joined Caspian and Edmund in the Map Room as requested; Drinian was there as well. There, Caspian explained to them the reason behind their voyage: to find the seven missing Lords of Narnia.

"As king, it is my duty to find out what happened to them," Caspian finished explaining with a sigh as he leaned against the table.

"Don't worry, Caspian, we will find them," Ava comforted as she rubbed a hand on his shoulder. "Especially now that we have the aid of a King and Queen of Old," she added with a laugh.

"And how exciting that is!" Caspian exclaimed as he turned around.

"Yes, it is. How exactly did that happen by the way? I seemed to have missed all the excitement there."

"We were in our cousin's house and there was a painting of a ship, of this ship. Ed and I were just staring at it when it began to move and the water poured out of it, filling the room. We swam to the surface and found ourselves in the ocean, next to the ship," Lucy explained.

"How fascinating."

"Where were you, by the way? I don't know how you couldn't have heard Eustace's screaming," Edmund said.

"She probably had her nose buried in one of those books of hers. She's been at it for days," Caspian said with mock exasperation.

"They were a gift from Princess Tianna and they are very thrilling. And what else am I to do? To be quite frank, I have grown weary of always beating you in our duels, and I doubt I'll ever master the art of chess," Ava defended.

"Always beating me? You only win occasionally because you cheat."

"It's not cheating to use every resource available to you."

"It is when one of those resources is controlling water to use it against your opponent."

"The fact that you can't control water, Caspian, is not my problem. It's just one of the perks of being the Naiad Princess."

Edmund and Lucy looked back and forth at each other while Caspian and Ava had their playful banter.

"Do they do this often?" Edmund asked Drinian.

"Unfortunately for me, yes," the captain replied.

"We do not," Caspian and Ava protested at the same time; Lucy giggled.

"Come on, Ava, you and I have so much to catch up on," Lucy said as she grabbed her friend's hand and began to pull her towards the door.

"Right, that we do. Oh but wait," Ava paused as she bent down to pick up Caspian and Edmund's wet clothes. "First I must hang these out so that they can dry."

"Oh, and I suppose I must go and see to Eustace. Seasickness is a terrible thing."

"I'll find you on deck in…five minutes?"

"And then you'll tell me everything."

And so the girls left the Map room and parted ways…briefly.

XOXOX

It took Ava a little more than five minutes to reunite with Lucy, because after Ava hung up the boys' clothes, she decided to change dresses; hers had gotten uncomfortably wet handling the clothes. Ava exchanged her sand-toned dress for a simple, yet stunning red dress. The red dress was made of flax linen and it was short sleeved, but Ava's arms were covered by the long sleeves of her white underdress. The neckline, sleeves, and skirt hem were bordered with a three inch trim made of intricate swirls and shapes in red, gold, and blue. There was a matching belt which Ava wore high on her waist; the belt was tied together with a golden cord that reached down the length of her dress.

When Ava and Lucy did reunite, it was at the forecastle; Lucy had just climbed down from the dragon's head where she had been speaking with Reepicheep. They sat on the stairs leading down to the main deck and quickly entered into a long conversation. Lucy was very interested in what Ava had been up to and asked her many questions. Likewise, Ava asked Lucy to share about her world and what was happening there.

Ava and Lucy's story time came to an end as Caspian and Edmund began to duel. The two girls made their way to the edge of the crowd so that they might see the duel better. The duel was exhilarating. There was hardly a moment when the two swords were not ringing together. The crew had all gathered around to watch and were cheering and laughing loudly. They had not seen a duel this good in a while. Both kings were moving swiftly and fluidly, striking high and then ducking low as a sword passed over their head. The duel lasted for several minutes, both kings working up a sheen of sweat, before the blades seemed to stick together. Edmund and Caspian both swirled their swords, pushing and pulling, each trying to break the other's grasp. At last the duel ended when Caspian and Edmund landed in mirrored positions with their blade resting against the other's chest.

Throughout the duel, Ava could not peel her eyes away from Caspian, and she could not get her thoughts under control. The way he moved with such agility, the gleam in his eyes, and the mirth on his face, it was all too much for Ava to bear. Like a Faun to his flute, a Dwarf to his hammer—a Naiad to her water—Ava could not keep away from Caspian. She quickly grabbed two cups and filled them with water from the barrel nearby. She handed one to Edmund as he came nearer and took the other to find Caspian.

After the duel, Drinian had ordered the men back to work, and Caspian had taken the two swords to the State Room. He laid them on the table as he entered and then stepped onto the balcony to wipe the sweat from his face off on one of the towels. He did not know Ava had followed him until she spoke.

"It appears that you have been holding back when we duel."

Caspian laughed. He turned around to face her only to have his breath was taken away. She had changed since he last saw her and the red dress she wore looked stunning on her. It contrasted perfectly with her skin. Her face glowed with her smile, and her eyes shimmered. She was beautiful, in every sense of the word. Caspian had to struggle to get his bearings again before speaking.

"Only a little, though, that's the thing. Truly Ava, you have become a great swordsman…swords-madien…you have become very skilled with the sword."

It was Ava's turn to laugh. "Thank you. Here, I brought you some water, and I've chilled it for you."

"Just what I need, thank you."

Ava held out the cup for him with both hands as he came nearer. As he reached for it his fingers brushed over hers and sent her heart fluttering. It was just a hint of the touch she'd been longing for, and not nearly enough to satisfy, but it would have to do.

"Very refreshing Ava, thank you."

"You're very welcome, Caspian." There was a momentary pause as they gazed into each other's eyes. "So, I suppose we should be getting back out there before our guests come looking for us."

"Yes, yes I suppose we should." Caspian walked over to the door and opened it for Ava. "After you, my Lady," he said with a bow.

"Oh that is quite enough of that, Your Highness."

Caspian smiled and poked Ava in the side as she walked by; she squealed with laughter as she tried to squirm away from him.

"And there will certainly be none of that," she added as she walked though the second set of doors.

XOXOX

When Ava and Caspian stepped out onto the main deck it was to find that Eustace had finally come out. He was talking to his cousin's and Reepicheep when Ava and Caspian approached, and he did not notice them approaching. Ava noticed that Eustace must have just said something amusing, because Edmund and Lucy were laughing, or rather trying not to laugh. Reepicheep responded with something that Ava couldn't quite make out, but it caused Eustace to suddenly erupt with anger.

*"I'll have you know, as soon as we find civilization I'm contacting the British Consul have you all arrested for kidnapping!"*

Caspian seemed to find this rather amusing and stepped forth quietly. Eustace was not looking where he was going and thus bumped into Caspian.

*"Kidnapping is it?"* Caspian asked. *"That's funny; I thought we saved your life."*

Eustace proceeded to proclaim that he had been held against his will, which Ava knew to be complete nonsense. Though he spoke poorly of his surroundings, Ava could admire the passion and intensity with which he spoke. There was a great strength there, if only he could learn to use it for the good.

Ava was caught off guard and disheartened though, when Eustace suddenly proclaimed, *"It's like a—it's like a zoo down there!"*

"A zoo?" she questioned angrily as she stepped up next to Caspian. She wasn't quite sure what a zoo was, but from the tone of his voice she knew it wasn't a compliment. Eustace turned to her in surprise. His eyes grew wide and his lips parted slightly, as if noticing her for the first time.

"My dear boy, I do hope you are not referring to the company in which you were kept. I do not take lightly any who would speak ill of Narnians." Ava knew that Voltinus had been one of the ones assigned to watch over Eustace.

"I…I…I…" Eustace stuttered; he was at a loss for words.

"He seems to have lost his ability to speak," Reepicheep said.

"Surely surprised by Ava's beauty," Caspian explained.

"I imagine that has happened to many men who have come across her," Edmund added with a smile. Ava blushed under their compliments.

"I'm sure she wishes a certain lord had lost the ability to speak," Lucy said referring, of course, to the Lord Peddelton; Ava had told her all about Galma earlier.

"Who's that?" Edmund asked curiously.

"Uh," Ava grunted as she made a displeased face. "It's a long story. One I do not wish to relive at the moment."

"Nor do I," Caspian said. This made Ava smile and she glanced up at him to see that he too was smiling and looking down at her.

Their silent moment was interrupted as a crewman called out from the fighting-top, "Land ho!"

Yay! There it is. The moment you've all been waiting for...well, one of the moments at least ;) As before, the little * indicates direct quotes, in this case from the movie.

And yes, I know, in the movie Caspian introduces Edmund and Lucy as the High King and Queen, but that it is WRONG! my dear friends. Just because Peter and Susan can't return to Narnia, does not mean that Edmund is "promoted" to High King. Peter is and always will be the High King of Narnia. Every time I see the movie I beg Caspian not to say it and I cringe when he does. ... Ok, end of rant. Sorry, I just had to get that out there.

So, Ava's feelings are growing a little stronger now... wonder where that's going to get her?

For any one interested, I have posted a few pictures of Ava's clothing (this red dress in particular) on my profile. Feel free to check it out. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!