Just a reminder, the order of islands will follow that of the book and not the movie. Enjoy!

One Fine Day

Chapter 13

Over the Edge

"Land ho!"

I looked up from where I was nestled in the rigging repairing it. It wasn't easy to scale the rigging in a dress, but fortunately my old skills had returned quickly. I looked to where the lookout was temporarily stationed at the bow and followed his out stretched arm. There, to the southeast of us, a mountain rose up out of the sea on a patch of land. We were too far out to discern much of the land's topography apart from the mountain, but it was the first bit of land we'd come across.

"Praise Aslan," I whispered.

"Aaralynn! How goes it?" Edmund called up.

"Just finishing!" I called back. I finished my knot and gave a few good tugs to check its security. Satisfied with my result, I maneuvered myself in the rigging and prepared my decent.

Seeing Edmund still standing watch beneath me I called out, "Are you ready?"

Edmund smiled and readied himself. "When you are," he said.

I made sure my aligning was correct and after first dropping down my repair kit, I made the short jump into Edmund's arms where he caught me in a cradle. It was a move we had perfected in our time. Edmund didn't immediately set me on my feet as he usually did though. Instead he continued to hold me, one arm around my back and the other beneath my knees. Likewise, I kept my arms around his neck.

"How is it?" he asked, lifting his eyebrows to the rigging above us.

"Stable for now, but when we repair the mast I'll have to make some adjustments."

Edmund nodded, but still didn't release me.

"Edmund?"

"Yes, love?"

"You're still holding me."

"So I am. Would you like me to put you down?"

I bit my lip. It had been a long stressful two weeks, and Edmund and I hadn't really had the opportunity to be alone since we first reunited in my rooms in Narrowhaven. There was nothing I wanted more than to stay in his arms and be his wife forever.

"No," I said at last. "Which is why I think you should."

"Oh?" He seemed confused, so I explained.

"Most of the sailors have wives they left back home. I don't want to be insensitive to their feelings."

Edmund nodded again, and set me down with reluctance. His hand, however, remained at my waist.

"Perhaps you are right."

"I usually am," I replied and he laughed.

"I will do my best to control myself. But you should know, if I get you alone…"

"Not much chance of that on a ship."

"True, but land has just been spotted. Come; let's see what Caspian and Drinian have decided."

We did not reach the island until late dusk of the second day, but in those two days, Eustace seemed wore than ever. He found fault with everything, and pleasure in nothing. The sun was too hot, the food too cold. The island was too far, and the effort of the men too little. When we pulled into the bay still he wasn't satisfied; he wanted to go ashore that night. But it was late dusk and any good sailor knows it's foolery to go ashore an unknown island at night. Caspian even ordered a few more men to keep watch to help prevent an attack by savages.

When we woke in the morning, fortunately to no signs of attack, we saw more clearly the island we had come to. We were in a bay surrounded by high cliffs inundated with various waterfalls. The beach that was before us was clear and inviting, but soon gave way to a lush forest.

We wasted little time on the ship and quickly disembarked on the long boats for the shore. We had a quick breakfast of freshly caught fish from the night before, and then began our work for the day. The state of the Dawn Treader was far worse than we had imagined when we saw it from afar. The biggest issue that remained, however, was the mast. A small team was sent out in search of a pine that would be suitable. Meanwhile, the sail and any spare clothes were brought ashore so Lucy and I could begin mending them. A little distance away, Edmund was hard at work on another project. His last near promise played through my head. It appeared even now our time would have to wait.

Hours later, with sore fingers and sore wrists, Lucy and I put down our needles to partake in a delicious dinner. A few archers had been sent out earlier and they returned with three goats. Not since Narrowhaven had we enjoyed so rich a meal. We were halfway through our first serving when someone remarked how pleasant the evening was. And that's when we all realized why.

"I say, where is that blighter Eustace?" Edmund asked. We were all silent; none of us wanted to go look for him then.

"No matter; I'm sure once he smells this he'll come running," Drinian said, and we all agreed and went back to eating. By the time we all finished eating, Eustace still hadn't arrived. Our laughter quickly faded out as an unease settled over us.

"I don't like this, Edmund," Lucy said. "What if something's happened to him?"

"Oh bother! Why would he slink away like this?" Edmund asked.

"You know why, Edmund, because now he's managed to skive off the whole day's work," I replied.

"We shall have to look for him. Suppose he's gotten hurt, or fallen into a pit," Lucy said.

"Or suppose he's been eaten by wild animals," a crewman mumbled, but fortunately Lucy didn't hear him.

"Of course we shall have to look for him," Caspian said. "And that's the bother with it all. It will mean a search party, and who knows how long it might take us to search this whole island."

"Not if we split into groups," Edmund suggested. "With several smaller groups as opposed to one large one, we can cover a wider area."

"Good idea, Edmund. Well do that."

"Alright, so the two of you will be with Rhince, and…" Edmund began separating the crew into small groups of three. He did it so casually and so effortlessly that no one would assume he had an ulterior motive. But the instant I realized what he did, I knew otherwise. "And I guess that leaves Aaralynn and myself in a group."

We would be alone.

The search parties broke off and headed in different directions as best they could. For a while, Lucy, Caspian, and Reepicheep walked along with us. It wasn't until the forest trail seemed to split with one path going uphill and the other down that we too went our separate ways. Edmund and I took the higher ground.

When the conversation of the others faded out, I said to Edmund, "If I didn't know better, I would think you were in cahoots with Eustace."

He grinned and replied, "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't spent half the morning thinking of how I would get you alone."

"Half the morning thinking and still no plans?" I teased.

"Oh, I had a plan, several actually, each more tantalizing than the next. But they were all quite obvious, and I knew you wouldn't fall for them."

We continued to climb as we talked. The climb wasn't terrible, if you were used to such things, but it was steep. Every once in a while we would offer a hand to help the other up.

"For possibly the first time ever, Eustace has done something that I can benefit from," Edmund said.

"And tell me, dear husband, how can either of us benefit from this?"

"Simple," he said as we reached the top. "We're alone." He stepped nearer to me.

"Yes, we are," I agreed softly before stepping back. "But we are unable to do anything about it because we must search for Eustace."

"No need to bother with that, my wife."

"You have conspired with him!"

He laughed. "Not likely. I just know we won't be the ones to find him."

"And how do you know that?"

Edmund moved in closer. "Because Eustace never would have made that climb. He'd have given it up." He stepped closer still.

"You are… certain of this?" I tried stepping back, but found myself against a tree. Edmund smiled deviously.

"Quite certain." His eyes moved from mine to my lips and back again. "Any more excuses?"

I tried to resist him. I tried to spout off how we really needed to find Eustace before nightfall. I tried to tell him that the forest was full of crew members who were out searching, and that we should do our part as well. I tried, really, I did. But none of those protests made it to my lips. From deep within, my longing for Edmund grew too strong to fight. I closed the short distance between our lips and allowed him to kiss me.

After kissing for a bit—mind you it was only kissing. It is very uncomfortable to lay with your husband on a forest bed with broken twigs and fallen nuts poking you in the back. So, after a bit of kissing, we paused for air and to gather our wits.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered as though out of breath.

I knew how much he loved me, but sometimes it was still hard to believe that he could find me as beautiful as he claimed. I turned my head away shyly. "I'm sure I look a mess now. It's been weeks since I've had a proper wash…"

"And you've never been more beautiful." He turned my face back to his. "Have I ever told you that watching you scale rigging does to me what watching me duel does to you?"

"No, I don't believe you have. Does it really?"

"Indeed," he nodded. "There is something in the way you move when you're up there. You make it appear effortless, as though any ought to be able to do the same and with the same ease and skill. When I know for a fact that climbing rigging is not so easy.

"I did not think it possible that I could love you any more than I already did. But somehow I find myself falling more in love with you each day."

My heart swelled with pure affection. "Oh, Edmund. You are not making this any easier."

"Making what any easier?"

"This…" I reluctantly slipped out of his arms and away from the tree. "We really must find your cousin." I began walking backwards, keeping my eyes on Edmund.

"And when we find him," I said. "I'm going to push him in a pit myself so we can resume this time alone uninterrupted."

Edmund must have seen it the moment I felt it, because his look of love and adoration quickly turned to one of terrified horror. The ground gave way beneath me. I felt myself falling backwards without so much as a tree branch to grab on to. With a shout, Edmund rushed at me and caught me around the waist. His motion carried us over the edge, however, and together we tumbled down the steep cliff.