The Chronicles of Narnia: The Telmarine Princess 2
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Chapter Seven: A Dragon
Edmund and Caspian were searching for Eustace, when they found the cave of treasure. Unfortunately, they also found Eustace's clothes which were ripped to shreds. Caspian picked up the clothing mournfully. He may not have liked the little bugger, but he was of Edmund's blood.
"What do you think got him?" Edmund asked. he knew that Lucy would be unhappy when she heard what they had found. She and Sophia were currently on the ship, awaiting any news.
Lucy was just tying down a mast when Gael screamed at her to watch out. Lucy ducked just in time as a large, golden dragon swooped over the ship. Reepicheep ran up the rails as the dragon perched at the tip of the ship and stabbed the dragon in the foot. The dragon roared with pain and swooped back to the Island.
Edmund and Caspian were heading back towards the row boat and ship when Caspian heard a swooshing sound behind him. He dropped to the ground, but Edmund wasn't so lucky, as he was swept into the air but the dragon. Lucy saw this and gasped.
"Edmund" She screamed.
"Lucy" Edmund called back. The dragon in question did not release his grip on Edmund, instead flying him over an open plain. Edmund looked down and could not believe what he saw. Written in large lettering, obviously by fire, were the words, I AM EUSTACE.
"No way" Edmund whispered as the dragon returned him to shore and dropped him on the beach in front of Caspian, who readied his sword. "Stop" Edmund said, standing between Caspian and Eustace. He looked at Caspian square in the eyes. "It's Eustace" He said calmly.
"What's Eustace?" Caspian asked, lowering his sword a fraction.
"The dragon" Edmund said. Caspian stared at the dragon in disbelief and dropped his sword.
"Eustace?" He whispered, eying the dragon suspiciously. The dragon nodded.
Once everyone was back on land, Lucy reached up to touch Eustace's scaly face.
"There's something coming from his eyes" Sophia said. Lucy looked up and felt pity for Eustace was crying. Lucy noticed that her cousin seemed to be in pain.
"Show me your poor paw", She said gently, "I might be able to cure it"
The dragon-that-had-been-Eustace held out its sore leg gladly enough, remembering how Lucys cordial had cured him of sea-sickness before he became a dragon. But he was disappointed. The magic fluid reduced the swelling and eased the pain a little but it could not dissolve the gold band which was tight around him.
Everyone had now crowded round to watch the treatment.
"Look!" Caspian said, staring at the bracelet.
"LOOK at what?" Edmund asked.
"Look at the device on the gold" Caspian pointed out. They looked closer to see a little hammer with a diamond above it like a star.
"Why, I've seen that before" Drinian said.
"Seen it!" Sophia exclaimed. "Why, of course you have. It is the sign of a great Narnian house. This is the Lord Octesians arm-ring" Eustace looked down at the ring of gold on his forearm and shuddered. Had the dragon he had seen been a narnian lord? Was that his fate? To stay here forever? At the thought of this notion, he began to cry even more. Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck.
Lucy was trying very hard to console him and even kissed the scaly face.
"How did it happen?" Caspian asked. Eustace gave him the 'Look' which meant, How am I supposed to tell you that when I can't talk. Caspian then had the decency to look sheepish. "Well, we will all stand by you"
"Is there anyway of changing him back?" Lucy asked. Caspian sighed.
"I do not know" He said. "We'll have to pray Aslan comes up with something" Lucy and Edmund nodded. They may not have liked Eustace very much, but would not wish this fate on any one. It was as they were all standing around, wondering what to do, Caspian realized how useful it would be to have Eustace as a dragon, at least for right now.
It became clear to everyone that Eustace's character had been rather improved by becoming a dragon. He was anxious to help. He flew over the whole island and found it was all mountainous and inhabited only by wild goats and droves of wild swine. Of these he brought back many carcasses as provisions for the ship. He was a very humane killer too, for he could dispatch a beast with one blow of his tail so that it didnt know it had been killed. He ate a few himself, of course, but always alone, for now that he was a dragon he liked his food raw but he could never bear to let others see him at his messy meals.
And one day, flying slowly and wearily but in great triumph, he bore back to camp a great tall pine tree which he had torn up by the roots in a distant valley and which could be made into a capital mast. And in the evening if it turned chilly, he was a comfort to everyone, for the whole party would come and sit with their backs against his hot sides and get well warmed and dried; and one puff of his fiery breath would light the most obstinate fire. Sometimes he would take a select party for a fly on his back, so that they could see wheeling below them the green slopes, the rocky heights, the narrow pit-like valleys and far out over the sea to the eastward a spot of darker blue on the blue horizon which might be land. Yes indeed, Eustace's character had changed, but no one was quite sure what to do because they couldn't leave him alone on the island and they weren't sure they could take him with them as a dragon.