8
Gale's eyes slowly fluttered open as the morning sun began to rise. She yawned as she sat up and she looked around at the ocean. She gasped when she saw something in the sky and smiled widely, shaking Lucy's body beside her.
"Lucy!" She whispered, "Lucy, wake up!" Lucy quickly got up and looked over at Gale, "Look!" She pointed to something in the distance and Lucy followed her line of sight and smiled at what she saw.
"The blue star!" She exclaimed happily. She turned to where everyone was sleeping, "Everybody! Everybody, wake up!" Caspian and Edmund quickly sat up, expecting the worst. Maxine did the same, as did Reepicheep and Rhince. Eustace didn't stir at all, "It's the blue star!" Reepicheep noticed Eustace hadn't awoken, and smacked the side of his face.
"Come on, old boy," He said, not seeing Eustace's displeased face from being awoken, "Wake up." Eustace sat up and looked to see the blue star shining in the early morning sky. Maxine smiled at the sight of it.
"This is great!" Maxine said as she went over the map with Caspian, marking all the new islands they had come across, "Now that we know which direction the blue star is in, it should only take us a few more days to get to Ramandu's island!"
"Yes…" Caspian mumbled in agreement, not really paying attention to her words. Maxine wrote down the words 'Dragon's Island' next to the X they had put for the island where Eustace had changed into a dragon. Maxine frowned when she heard Caspian's voice and elbowed him.
"Come on, Caspian," She said, "Aren't you excited? We're so close to finishing this journey, I can almost taste it!"
"That's just it, Maxine." Caspian said, turning to her, "This journey is coming to an end. Do you think you'll be able to stay long once it's over?" Maxine's smile fell as she realized that Caspian was right. The young king frowned and began to pace, running his fingers through his hair. "And what if this is the last time? What if you aren't able to come back? Susan and Peter weren't much older than you when they were told they couldn't return. I… I don't think—"
"Caspian, calm down." Maxine said, "It's no big deal. If I don't come back, then we just go back to what we were doing before. I go back home to do what I gotta do, and you go back to Narnia, find a queen, and move on."
"Oh, and that's just so easy, is it?" Caspian snapped angrily, Maxine scowled and Caspian sighed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."
"Moving on is hard," Maxine said, "I get it, okay? Susan tried to set me up with a couple of guys back home, but it didn't go so well. Every time I was with one of them…" Caspian looked over at her as she paused, Maxine looked down at her hands, a light blush on her cheeks, "I kept thinking about you. I kept comparing them to you. It was always you… But I guess that's normal, considering that you were my…" Her blush deepened and she trailed off.
"I was your what?" Caspian asked, Maxine hid her blushing face behind her hair.
"My… First love." Maxine mumbled quietly, her entire face blushing a deep shade of red. Caspian smiled softly and went over to her, taking her hand and kissing her cheek. She looked up at him and before she could say anything, he kissed her lips.
"You're adorable." Caspian said, "Did you know that?" Maxine smiled at him a little, leaning up to kiss his lips softly.
The next morning, Maxine went around on the deck, surprised to find that no wind was blowing in the sails and the boat was being moved only by the sheer force of the men rowing the huge ship below deck. She could hear their groans and grunts from moving such a huge craft across the sea. She walked over to where Caspian and Edmund were conversing with Drinian.
"What happened?" She asked them, getting their attention.
"The wind has left us." Drinian said, looking to where the sail had been rolled up.
"So how do we get to Ramandu's island now, then?" Edmund asked, looking around at the wide ocean. Drinian walked around Edmund over to the stairs that led up to the helm.
"My guess is something doesn't want us to get there." He said. Maxine looked up at Caspian worriedly, knowing that this could be perfectly possible. He frowned thoughtfully and followed Drinian up to the helm.
"If I get any hungrier…" One of the crew muttered as they passed by Edmund and Maxine, he looked up at where Eustace flew over their heads, "I'm gonna eat that dragon!" Eustace let out an angry growl at the sound of his words.
"Don't worry, Eustace!" Reepicheep calmed from where he rode on Eustace's horned head, "They'll have to deal with me, first." Eustace let out a soft roar and flew away, Reepicheep grabbing tightly to his horns at the sudden movement, "Ah! Careful!" Edmund and Maxine went up to the helm.
"You can't seriously let them eat Eustace." Maxine said to the captain as she came up.
"If we don't find land by tonight, they may very well eat that—" Drinian was cut off when the boat suddenly lurched as if something had hit it. Maxine let out a yelp and fell back into Caspian, who had grabbed onto the railing to steady himself. He pushed the two of them back up and went to where Drinian had stood up.
"What did we hit?" He asked urgently as they ran to the side of the ship to see what they had hit to cause the sudden lurch. Maxine quirked a curious eyebrow when she saw the boat was moving along the water even though the oars weren't moving. Edmund looked up to the front of the boat and smiled widely from what he saw.
"Eustace! That's brilliant!" He cried. Maxine looked up and smiled at the sight of Eustace's tail wrapped around the head of the dragon at the front of the boat, pulling it forward in the direction of the blue star. Reepicheep scurried off Eustace's head and onto the head of the wooden dragon's head, holding onto the horn on its nose, holding out his sword.
"Onward ho!" He exclaimed, the crew cheered happily, pulling their oars back inside the boat. Maxine wasn't entirely sure, but she thought she saw a smile on Eustace's face at the sound of their cheers.
Later on, in the navigational room, Maxine was looking at one of the books that he had kept with him, skimming over the pages interestedly as Caspian looked over the three swords they had collected. He picked one up and held it to the light, seeing the metal gleam.
"We can't even be sure the lords even made it to Ramandu's island." Caspian said, looking over the other two swords. Maxine heard his words and shut the book she had been looking at, placing it back on the shelf she had found it. "How do we know they weren't tempted, too?" He placed the sword back on the table with the others, and Maxine walked over to him.
"Maybe… this is all part of the test." She said as she came up next to him, "Remember what Coriakin said: Look for the blue star, stay true to its course. Don't yield, and don't falter." She gestured to the three swords of the three lords, "They were tempted. They faltered."
"And we almost did, too." Caspian said, leaning back in his chair. Maxine frowned and put her hand on his shoulder.
"But you didn't." She said, "You didn't falter, you did like Coriakin said. That's a good thing Caspian. Look," She moved to lean against the table, "Everyone makes mistakes. You almost went for that pool back on Dragon Island, but you stopped, and you came back to the ship."
"Only because you stopped me." Caspian said, "If you had not been there, I would have been the same as Lord Restimar."
"Don't talk like that." Maxine said, "You would have known what it was, even without me there. You can survive without me, Caspian." Caspian reached for her hand and held it tightly in his.
"I don't want to." He said, he kissed her fingers and Maxine felt her breath catch in her throat, "I don't want to know what it is to live without you, Maxine." He kissed her palm gently, "I don't want to know what life would be like if you weren't by my side." He kissed her wrist, moving the sleeve of the shirt she wore to expose more of her fair skin, "To know that you wouldn't return someday. To know that I could never embrace you again." He kissed her forearm and Maxine found she had a very hard time keeping her breath steady and her heart calm. "I always want you beside me. I always want you in my arms." He looked up at her, his hand caressing her cheek, "I always want to feel your skin, to feel your warmth and your heartbeat. I want you with me until the day I die." He gently pulled her forward and she moved obediently, sitting in his lap. He kissed her temple, then her cheek.
"I don't want to leave you either." Maxine murmured, she was surprised when she suddenly felt Caspian's lips meet hers in a passionate kiss. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck while his went around her waist. Maxine panted for air when he pulled away.
"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that." Caspian whispered, his mouth went back to hers, and their lips intermingled once more. Maxine felt his tongue go past her lips and she sighed. His tongue ran over every part of her mouth and she struggled to keep her moan in her throat. He pulled away for air and his dark eyes stared into hers, a lustful fire burning behind his pupils. "I love you." He said as he moved to kiss down her jaw to her neck.
"I love you too," Maxine said, saying it in such a breathy way that Caspian was struggling to keep himself in control. His kisses went down to her collar bone, and down to her clothed chest. Maxine squirmed slightly when she felt his hands go underneath her shirt and begin to trace patterns on her back and on her side. She let out a small whimper as his lips went back to her neck, sucking on it, "Caspian…!" Caspian shut his eyes at the sound of her mewl.
"Maxine…" He breathed, "I'm not sure if I can keep going…" Maxine sighed and pushed away from him, getting out of his lap and back onto the floor.
"At least you gave me a warning this time…" She muttered, straightening out her clothes as she stood up. Caspian looked her over and inwardly sighed.
"I am sorry." He said, Maxine shook her head.
"Don't apologize, it's okay." She said, she smiled at him and leaned down, kissing his cheek, "Despite how I act, I actually really appreciate you doing it. It shows what a gentleman you are." Caspian smiled up at her and she smiled back. He was about to say something more, when a knock came from the room.
"Yes?" Caspian called, the door opened, revealing a smiling Edmund.
"We're here." He said, "Eustace got us to Ramandu's Island." Maxine and Caspian shared a surprised glance before moving to go out of the room and on deck to see the island.
Maxine smiled when she saw the island was covered in lush greens, and waterfalls cascaded down almost every cliff top of the island. She looked up, and saw that the blue star was still shining, and it seemed to be a bit larger and brighter than when they had been farther away. She looked to see Eustace had gone to rest on a boulder that was sticking out of the ground, lying down on it, breathing heavily. He deserves to rest, Maxine thought to herself.
"Drinian," Caspian said from beside her, "Make anchor and prepare the longboats."
"Aye, your majesty." The man said, nodding once and turning to the crew, "Furl the sails and drop anchor! Prepare the longboats to go ashore!" The crew bustled about, doing as the captain ordered them and getting everything ready.
As they walked through a stone path that surrounded the island, Maxine found the island to be very quiet and creepy. The fact that it was just after dusk didn't particularly help that notion, only adding an air of darkness to the large, overgrown vines that covered the trees and their thick branches. With Edmund and his flashlight leading the way, he, Caspian, Maxine, Lucy, and the rest of the landing party crossed a bridge that went over a large river. Looking down at it, Maxine had a horrible flashback to the river near her mother's house, and she shuddered in fear. Caspian noticed this and put a hand on her shoulder, she looked up and saw that his eyes were silently asking if she was alright. She nodded once and he released her shoulder, but once his hand was at his side, she reached for it, linking their fingers together for comfort.
She looked up at the gargoyles that rested on the sides of the bridge, finding them to be very unwelcoming. The group kept walking until they came to where two trees had grown so large and so tall that they grew together and formed an arch over a walkway. When they walked through the arch, they found a table on the other side that was covered in tempting and fresh-looking food. All of it was set up very elegantly, with candelabras in every few spots on the table. The table was covered in fine-looking meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, and tempting deserts all across it. Taveras noticed it right away.
"Mm… Food." He mumbled, seeing it. Drinian held out his hand to stop the minotaur before he started eating.
"Wait." He said, looking over the food suspiciously as Maxine, Edmund, Lucy, and Caspian went to the end of the table where three masses covered in vines sat at the three chairs at the head. To get a better look at them, Edmund shined his light and found three bearded bodies covered in vines, with eyes wide open. They jumped and pulled out their swords when they saw the men, but saw that they didn't move to attack them at all. Edmund and Caspian moved closer to them, swords out and at the ready if they needed it. Edmund looked curiously at one of the men, while Caspian looked down at their hands, seeing they bore rings. He moved some of the vines aside with his sword and recognized the symbol of the one at the head of the table.
"Lord Revilian," He said, he moved to the lord next to him and Edmund shined his flashlight on them to help him see the ring on his finger, "Lord Mavramorn," The crew began putting their swords away when they realized the bodies were three of the seven lords, some even began inspecting the freshness of the food on the table, seeing as how rations had been pretty stale lately. Caspian looked over at the third lord, recognizing the pendant on his neck, "Lord Argoz." Lucy moved some of the hair out of Lord Mavramorn's face, and jumped back when she felt his breath on her hand. Caspian leaned in closer to look at the lord and saw his long beard gently sway with his inhale and exhale.
"He's breathing…" He murmured in surprise. Maxine looked at the other two lords and saw that their beards were doing the same as the first one.
"They all are." She said in surprise.
"They're under a spell." Edmund said, looking at the lords. Caspian thought about what might have caused the spell, then looked to see where the crew was inspecting the feast before them.
"It's the food!" He exclaimed suddenly, Taveras dropped the apple he was about to eat in shock at his words. All of the crew instantly took a step back from the table. Edmund's light shined over something near the head seat and Lucy squinted her eyes to try and get a better look at it.
"It's the stone knife!" She said, recognizing it from when the White Witch slayed Aslan. She looked up at her brother, "This is Aslan's table!" Caspian looked at the men, and saw their blades resting at their waists.
"Their swords." He said, reaching into the sheath and yanking it out. Maxine and Edmund quickly did the same with the other two lords, "On the table." Caspian told them, they lay down the swords, along with the three others they had collected, creating a small circle with them.
"That's six." Maxine said, counting them all up.
"Still missing one." Caspian said. Maxine took a cautious step back when the six swords began to glow a blue light. When a bright light began to shine over their heads, she looked up and saw a ball of light coming closer to them. They stepped back as the ball came down to the ground and changed its form, turning into a beautiful blonde girl dressed in a white dress, and glowing brightly.
"Travelers of Narnia," She said in a soft, lyrical voice, "Welcome." The young woman was so elegant, they believed her to be royalty, the crew and the four royals bowed before her respectfully. "Arise." She raised her hands and they all stood up, "Are you not hungry?" An amused smile was on her elegant face when she asked this.
"Who are you?" Edmund asked her.
"I'm Lilliandil." She said, "Daughter of Ramandu." She stepped forward, "I am your guide." The four royals stepped closer to the glowing young woman.
"You're a star…" Caspian murmured, Lilliandil smiled and nodded in confirmation, "You are most beautiful." Maxine gaped incredulously at him and roughly punched his shoulder, "Ow!" Maxine scowled, crossing her arms across her chest angrily.
"If it is a distraction for you," Lilliandil said with an uneasy frown, "I can change form."
"No!" Caspian and Edmund said at the same time. Maxine glared at Caspian and punched his shoulder again, "Ow! What?" Maxine looked away from him angrily, feeling jealousy burn in her stomach at the star for capturing Caspian's eyes.
"Please," Lilliandil said, her voice making some peace between the couple, "The food is for you." She turned to the crew, lifting her hands to make all the candelabras light up, "There is enough for all who are welcome at Aslan's table. Always. Help yourselves!" She waved to the food, and some of the crew reached for it.
"Wait," Edmund said, making the crew stop, "What happened to them?" He gestured to the three lords who sat at the table.
"These poor men were half-mad by the time they reached our shores." Lilliandil said sadly, "They were threatening violence upon each other. Violence is… forbidden at the table of Aslan, so they were sent to sleep." Maxine looked at the three lords, then back at the star-turned-human.
"If they're asleep, then they're going to wake up, right?" She asked, "When would that be?"
"When all is put right." Lilliandil said, Maxine frowned at her vague answer. "Come, there is little time." She turned and walked away from the table. Caspian, Edmund, Lucy, and Maxine followed her while the crew helped themselves to the feast, in need of good food. She led the four royals to a cliff where they could see Dark Island in the distance, only a day away by boat. "The magician, Coriakin, told you of Dark Island?"
"Yes." Caspian said, looking out at the menacing place.
"Before long," Lilliandil said, "The evil will be unstoppable."
"Coriakin said to break its spell," Caspian began, "We had to lay the seven swords at Aslan's table."
"He speaks the truth." Lilliandil said.
"But… we only found six." Edmund said, "Do you know where the seventh is?" Lilliandil looked over at Dark Island, pointing to it.
"In there." She said.
"Oh, fan-freaking-tastic." Maxine groaned, staring at the island.
"You will need great courage." Lilliandil said, turning to face them, "Now waste no time."
Caspian nodded mutely, gazing at her, "I hope we meet again." He said, Maxine scowled and kicked the back of his leg since he was too far away for her to punch his shoulder. "Ow!" Lilliandil smiled in amusement and nodded.
"Goodbye." She said. A bright light came from her center, temporarily blinding the four of them. When it died down, they saw she had returned to the form of a bright, glowing orb of a star and shot up into the night sky. When she was gone, Maxine walked over to Caspian and roughly shoved him.
"What?" Caspian asked when she pushed him.
"You're a real ass, you know that?" Maxine said in a low voice before stomping away back to where the crew was. Caspian looked at the two Pevensies.
"What did I do?" He asked them, rubbing his shoulder. Lucy looked at him incredulously.
"You really don't know?" She asked him, Caspian shook his head. Lucy shook her own head in disbelief as she began walking away, "Boys…" Caspian looked over at Edmund for an explanation.
"If I had to guess…" Edmund said, scratching at the back of his head, "She didn't like you looking at other women." He followed his sister over to Aslan's table. Caspian sighed when he realized what he said, running his hands through his hair.
Maxine stared out at the ocean waters from the railing of the Dawn Treader, her fingers drumming against the wood it was made of. She sighed to herself as she mulled over different thoughts in her head.
I probably shouldn't get so angry, Maxine thought, I mean, once this adventure is over, I'll be heading back home. Hopefully, on the side of the river, and not in it, but still… I need to start moving on from all of this, and Caspian does, too. Maybe I should… support… him and Lilliandil being together. After all, she's beautiful, kind, and she's probably pretty smart. She'd be a great candidate for a queen, and a good woman for Caspian to… She gulped, marry. Maxine groaned to herself and held her head in her hands, she didn't want to give Caspian up, and she didn't want to picture him with another woman, but if she was indeed leaving once this was all over, then she had to make the most of their time together. She lifted her head, unconsciously chewing on the inside of her right cheek as she tried to figure out how to do that.
"Maxine?" Caspian soft voice came to her and she looked to see him standing a few feet away. She pushed herself up from the railing so she could face him, "About what happened… I'm…" She held up her hand to stop him.
"Don't." Maxine said, "I should be the one apologizing."
"Whatever for?" Caspian asked, stepping closer to her.
"Because… Well, it's like you said, I'm probably not gonna stick around much longer." Maxine said, "And, if you're interested in other women, I should be supporting it, and not getting upset about it. I mean," She reached out, putting her hand on his chest, "You need a queen, Caspian. I don't think you could do much better than a star."
"Don't talk like that." Caspian said, taking the hand that was on his chest in his grasp, "No woman is better suited to be my queen than you." Maxine looked up at him in surprise.
"Caspian," She said with a startled laugh, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that was a proposal."
"It is." Caspian said, stepping closer to her, his hands grasping her elbows, "Maxine, nothing would make me happier than for you to be my bride." Maxine looked into his eyes to see that he was being completely sincere. She stepped back from him with wide eyes.
"Caspian, marriage is serious stuff." She said, "That's a big step for any couple. Like, really, really big."
"I know." Caspian said, stepping forward towards her, taking her hands, "But, we can get through it. Together." Maxine shook her head.
"No, Caspian." She said, "I don't think I can." Caspian looked at her sadly, and Maxine felt her heart break when she saw the sorrowful look in his eyes. She stepped closer, "But… there is something we can do that… I would be up to."
"What is it?" Caspian asked, Maxine blushed, unable to meet his eyes as she reached out, gently grasping his shirt in her hands.
"…We could… Sleep together." She said, Caspian was about to say something, but she spoke before he could, "I know you think it's improper, and… you're probably right. But think about this for a second." She looked up at him, "We only have, what, a few hours left before this all ends? We can't get married in that time… but we can do what married couples do…" She blushed deeply and looked down at the floor, "I can ask Lucy to bunk with Edmund for the night… And Gale can bunk with her father…" Caspian reached for her hand, holding it tightly.
"Maxine…" He began, he was stopped when she spoke again.
"Caspian please don't say no." She begged in a broken voice, "Please don't." Caspian gently put his fingers under her chin, making her look up at him, and saw her eyes had welled up in tears. She moved away from his hand, putting her head against his chest, "I want to make the most of our time… Please…" Caspian felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest at the notion. He would love to be with Maxine in such a way, but he wasn't sure if it was right. His mind was at odds with itself, until Caspian felt warm droplets landing against his clothes. Her tears had fallen. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, resting his head on top of hers.
It took him a moment to find the right words to say, "If… If that is what you truly want, then I will be with you tonight." Maxine looked up at him, her blue eyes shining in hope and tears. Caspian reached up and wiped away her tears with his thumb. She reached up, cupping his face in her hands and kissing him.
"Thank you, Caspian." She said, "I'll meet you in my room, okay?" Caspian nodded and Maxine ran off down into the galley where Lucy waited, "Luce!" She looked over at her, "I need you to do me the biggest of all big favors…"
Caspian paced around the room impatiently, grasping at his wrists in anxiousness. He had only dreamed of doing such a thing with Maxine, but only on their wedding night. He never imagined it would happen aboard the Dawn Treader. His heart pounded so fiercely in his chest that he could hear it beating in his ears. When he heard the door creak open, he thought he jumped so high his head almost hit the ceiling. Maxine quietly shut the door behind her, looking up at Caspian with her blue eyes that he always found so beautiful.
"Lucy's bunking with Edmund," She said, her voice so very soft, "And Gale's sharing a bunk with her dad." She walked up to him, her hands taking his, "We have the room to ourselves for the night…" Caspian reached up, his hand against her cheek, feeling her body quiver slightly at his touch, or was that his own hand? But he knew one thing for sure, Maxine was nervous about what they were planning to do.
"If you are not ready, Maxine, I will understand." He said, Maxine shook her head.
"No, I want to do this." She said, "I want to be with you, Caspian." Caspian nodded and leaned down, capturing her lips with his. Maxine wrapped her arms around his neck while his went around her waist. She felt his tongue slip past her lips, and she let out a pleasurable sigh. She felt him moving her towards the bed, and she sat down once her legs hit its side. Caspian leaned down and gently pushed her onto the sheets, their lips never moving away from the other's as they spent the remainder of the night away from Narnia, and with each other instead.