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As the sun began to set, the Dawn Treader sailed to an island, one that was covered in trees and grass, turning it all green, except for the golden sand leading to the sea.

"It looks uninhabited," Caspian said, looking through the telescope, as he stood beside Drinian, Edmund and me by the top of the stairs that led to the helm. "But if the Lords followed the mist east, they would have stopped hear."

"Could be a trap," Drinian said, causing me to look at him from where I was leaning on the side of the ship.

"Or it could hold some answers," Edmund replied, before turning to Caspian. "Caspian?"

Caspian carried on looking through the telescope, before shutting it and handing it to Drinian.

"We spend the night on shore and then scour the island in the morning."

"Aye, your majesty."

Drinian and Caspian moved away and walked down onto the main deck, leaving me with Edmund.

"I'm proud of you," I smiled at him, still leaning on the side of the ship.

"Why?" he turned around to look at me.

"You asked Caspian what to do, even though it's hard, you still did it."

He looked away, and I could see that his pride was still wounded in his eyes. I walked up to him and hugged his middle, burying my face in his chest.

"And that's why I love you," I said lowly.

He kissed my hair and wound his arms around me, keeping me tightly in his embrace.

The Dawn Treader sailed into a large cove and dropped the anchor in the deep water. We all sailed out on the long boats to the shore, taking blankets, food and whatever else we wanted with us.

I hopped out of the boat and walked along the sand, carrying a blanket under my arm. I found a suitable spot to place the blanket down on, and threw it onto the sand. It was in between three rocks, with Caspian setting his blanket a few feet above me, and Lucy placing hers on the other side of the rock on my right. Edmund walked up to me and placed his blanket beside mine, so there was almost no space between them.

A couple of the sailors started a large fire, one that would keep us all warm during the night on shore.

"Right me, we'll get up early in the morning, so get all the sleep you can now," Caspian told everyone, once all the blankets were down.

I unbuckled my belt, with my sword on, and set it down on the sand, leaning against a rock.

"Ed, can you undo my laces?" I asked Edmund; I was too tired to pull the laces.

"Sure," he replied.

He shrugged off his leather body protector, with ease, and placed it down beside my sword, with his, before walking over to me. He nimbly undid the laces at the side, and even began to pull at the leather so it would be easier for me to take off.

"Thanks," I smiled at him, dropping the leather onto the ground with the rest of our stuff.

"Here," I looked up at Caspian, who threw Edmund and me another blanket each, but these were going to be used for covering us in the night.

We both thanked him, before beginning to get ready to get some sleep for the night. I lay down on the blanket on the ground, and threw the second over my body once I was down. I then wriggled about, turning over, until I was in a comfortable position.

I turned on my side and faced Edmund, watching him as he lay down and pulled his blanket over him.

"Do you think we'll find the rest of the Lords?" I asked him in a low voice.

He turned to face me; his brow wrinkled slightly in confusion and worry, but didn't say anything. A silence passed, before he answered my question.

"I don't know; we could find anything, since no one has ever sailed this far into the Eastern Ocean."

"Is it alright for me to be scared?"

Edmund's brown eyes softened at my question and he reached forwards, holding my hands in his own.

"Of course; even I'm scared," this, I snorted at, "okay, well, only slightly, but I'm here to protect you, Lucy, and even Eustace. Don't worry."

Avoiding his gaze, I lifted my hands, still tightly grasped onto his, and pressed a kiss onto his knuckles. In return, he let go with one hand, cupped my cheek and pressed a kiss onto my lips, gently and sweetly.

Once we parted, I shuffled forwards until I was pressed against his body and buried my head into his chest, pulling my blanket up to my shoulders. Edmund wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, dropping a kiss onto my forehead.

"Night Alena," he whispered.

"Night," I murmured in response, slightly muffled due to the fact that I was leaning into his chest.

Slowly, I slipped into a deep slumber, happy that I was with Edmund.

"Ed, Alena, wake up!"

I awoke to Caspian shaking me by my shoulders, trying to wake me up.

"What?" I asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Look," Caspian shook Ed's shoulders once more, looking around.

I got onto my knees and followed Caspian's gaze, gasping when I saw what he was looking at.

There were giant footprints in the sand, close to where Gael lay and where I lay. However, when I saw that they were close to where Lucy lay, I noticed that Lucy was missing.

"Edmund," I grasped his arm, pointing.

"Where's Lucy?" he asked, causing Caspian to look over in shock. "Lucy?"

"Lucy!" I called out, looking around at the crew, who were slowly waking up.

"Everybody up," Drinian ordered, seeing the footprints and recognising the possible danger we were all in. "Get up – get up, I said."

Edmund walked forwards to where Lucy lay, before running back to where I stood with Caspian. As I grabbed my sword and leather corset, I picked Edmund's body protector up for him. When he ran over, I gave it to him, before he picked up his sword.

"This way," Caspian ordered running into the woods with the rest of us running behind him, even Gael who was holding Rhince's hand.

As we ran through the trees, we all paused to put our body protectors on, and in my case, leather corset. I fastened my belt around my waist, but pulled my sword out, just in case I had to fight.

Once everyone was ready, we began to search through the trees again, until we reached an opening.

The ground was covered in bumps, which in turn were covered in grass, with many twisted bushes and trees dotted about. The grass was cut so it had thick lines running through it in different patterns, and was kept quite deep so it was bouncy to walk on.

Everyone slowed down to a walk and spread out, looking around for any possible signs that Lucy was here.

"Caspian," Edmund called. "Lucy's dagger."

I spun around and saw that Lucy's dagger was indeed lying on the grass, meaning that she had dropped it there in some form of combat.

"What's it doing down here?" I asked them, looking at Edmund who had bent to pick it up.

Suddenly, dozens of wooden spears landed in the ground beside us. I looked around to see who had possibly thrown them, but no one was there.

"Stop right there," a gruff voice demanded. "Or perish."

I let out a cry as something punched me in the face, causing me to stumble backwards.

"Alena!" Edmund called, as he and Caspian lurched towards me, to see if I was all right.

However, an invisible enemy began attacking everyone, so we all had to think for ourselves.

Something grabbed my sword out of my hands, and kicked me hard in my stomach. As I fell backwards onto the ground, they held the sword out at me.

"What are you?" I called out, exchanging a glance with Caspian, who was also on the ground.

"Big ones," the same gruff voice replied. "With the head of a tiger and the body of a..."

"Different, tiger," another, higher, voice joined in.

However, as Edmund helped me to my feet, I began to see the outline of different creatures all around us.

There was a cry of 'yes' from around us, joining in with the descriptions.

"You don't want to mess with us."

"Or what?" Edmund called, keeping my hand tightly in his.

"Or I'll claw you to death," my head snapped around to see in front of me, just as two small men with one large foot appeared in front of me.

One was on top of the other, holding a large stick-like weapon. The voices all joined in once more, adding more threats.

"I'll run my tusks right through you," the ones in front of Caspian shouted, obviously, none of them knew they were visible now.

"And I'll gnash you, with my teeth!"

"I'll bite you with my fangs, grr!" the one in front of Edmund and me tried to growl, but it didn't turn out so well.

"You mean, squash us," Edmund stated, a grin on his face.

"With your fat bellies and giant feet," I added.

"Yeah!" they all agreed, before pausing and realising what we had said. "Fat bellies?"

"Tickle us with your toes?" Caspian joked, as all the creatures looked at their feet and bellies.

The one in front of Caspian lost his balance and fell off the two that were holding him up.

"What have you done with my sister, you little pipsqueak?" Edmund threatened, stalking forwards and pulling his sword out.

"Now, calm down," the one he threatened looked scared as Drinian stood behind him with his sword out.

"Where is she?" Edmund demanded.

"Go on, chief, tell them."

"In the mansion," the chief muttered.

"What mansion?" I laughed, stepping forwards in disbelief.

Just as I said that, a golden glow appeared to the right of us. I turned and saw a large mansion slowly become visible, and realised that was what the creatures were talking about.

"Oh, that mansion," Edmund stated, a little bit of sarcasm lining his voice.

"Idiot," I said fondly, elbowing him gently in his ribs, after picking up my sword.

"You know," Eustace's obnoxious voice rang out as he stumbled through the bushes. "I'm really getting tired of you all leaving me behind."

He stopped when he saw the creatures, and his eyes widen hugely.

"It's the pig!"

"The pig's come back!"

I snorted at the names the creatures had called Eustace, who didn't look pleased at his new nicknames.

"This place just gets weirder and weirder," he stated.

"You call us weird?"

"It's the oppressor!"

"The oppressor, the oppressor!"

"Oppressor!"

All the creatures panicked and began to hop away as Lucy and an old man walked out of the mansion, towards us.

"Lucy," Edmund cried happily, glad to see his sister was safe.

"Your majesty," the old man bowed with his hand across his heart.

"Caspian, Edmund and Alena," Lucy nodded to us all. "This is Coriakin, it's his island."

Edmund and Caspian bowed, so I followed suit with a small curtsey.

"That's what he thinks," one of the creatures butted in. "You have wronged us, magician!"

"I have not wronged you," Coriakin said, walking forwards as the creatures hopped backwards. "I made you invisible for your own protection."

"Protection? Oppressor!"

"I have not oppressed you," Coriakin stated calmly.

"But you could've, if you wanted to," the creatures were running out of reasons to argue.

"Be gone," Coriakin threw something grey and powdery at the creatures, which cried out and hopped backwards.

"It's a spell!"

"What was that?" Lucy asked Coriakin curiously.

"Lint, but don't tell them."

"We're invisible again!"

"What were those things?" Eustace asked with wide eyes.

"Dufflepuds," Coriakin called over his shoulder, walking back into his mansion.

I followed Caspian and Lucy, who followed Coriakin, with Edmund holding onto my hand.

"Right, of course, silly me," Eustace grumbled, following us grudgingly.

Coriakin led us through the green-tiled hallways of his mansion, which were full of mirrors, statues and archways. Due to the little number of windows, there was a lack of light in the hallways, so they were lit by chandeliers hanging from the roof. The mansion and the magician himself gave the whole mansion a very spooky atmosphere.

"What did you mean when you said you made them invisible for their own good?" Lucy asked Coriakin, speeding up to walk beside him.

"It seemed the only way to keep them safe," he replied, making me even more confused than before. "From the evil."

I saw Caspian and Edmund exchange a worried look, as my brow wrinkled in worry, before I clutched Edmund's hand tighter in mine.

"You mean the mist?" Edmund asked Coriakin.

Coriakin turned and stopped, allowing us all in the room before him.

"I mean what lies behind the mist."

As we walked into the room, I looked around, taking in all of its features. The room was large, with the same bottle green tiles as the hallways, but had a large domed roof, with a few circular windows letting in the light. Around the top of the room was a walkway, with a railing, which led to the books pressed high into the walls. There were also many bookshelves on the floor, all pushed into different alcoves to give some more space to the room. Along with a desk, there was a round table, upon which, several plants stood, with books strewn under its legs. However, the thing that intrigued me the most was the roof, and how patches of the stars floated around in a large circle, showing the books and tiles one second, and then purple and blue stars the next.

The magician picked up a scroll and stood at one end of the room, looking at each of us with a hint of a smile on his face, before throwing the scroll forwards. As it flew through the air, it opened out with a flourish and lay on the floor, glowing as it showed the blue ocean and several islands, which stood out of the scroll. Around the edges of the scroll were drawings, which moved as if they were alive. The one I looked at first was of a Centaur standing atop a hill, blowing into a horn, as someone on a white unicorn led the Narnian army into battle against another. I knew from reading the history books of Narnia, that the person on the unicorn was Peter, and he was leading the army to fight the White Witch's.

"It's quite beautiful," Eustace said, causing Lucy, Edmund, Caspian and me to look up at him with a grin. "I mean for a make believe map in a make believe world."

Despite his added comment, I exchanged a smiling look with Edmund, as we both realised Eustace was beginning to understand and believe in Narnia.

"Here is the source of your troubles," Coriakin spoke, bringing our attention back to him.

He held his hand out, and the image of the ocean moved, as if we were flying over it, until a large island was near the top of the map. The island was mostly black and dark green mist, with parts of it glowing a light green from the inside.

"Dark Island, a place where evil lurks."

Coriakin walked forwards, into the map, where only the clouds parted as he moved through them.

"It can take any form," he stood in front of Edmund, whose eyes widened. "It can make your darkest dreams come true."

I took a step forwards and placed my spare hand on the inside of Edmund's arm, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, angry the Coriakin was bringing up bad memories for Edmund.

"It seeks to corrupt all goodness," here, Coriakin turned and directed his words on Caspian, who looked down. "Steal the light from this world."

"How do we stop it," Lucy said bravely, taking a step forwards.

"You must break its spell; that sword you carry," Coriakin gestured to Edmund's sword, directing all attention on it. "There are six others."

"Have you seen them?" Edmund asked him.

"Yes," Coriakin nodded.

"And the six Lords?" I stepped in.

"Did they pass through here?" Caspian asked.

"Indeed," Coriakin set off walking again, towards the King.

"Where were they headed?" Caspian seemed unsure of his question.

"Where I sent them," as Coriakin spoke, the map began moving again. "To break the spell, you must follow the blue star, to Ramandu's Island."

The map stopped moving a showed a different island, this one nicer looking than before.

"There the Seven Swords must be laid at Aslan's table; only then can their true magical power be released," he looked around at all of us. "But beware; you are all about to be tested."

"Tested?" Lucy questioned.

Coriakin stepped towards her, looking solemn under the light from the map.

"Until you lay down the Seventh Sword, evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in its power, to tempt you. Be strong, don't fall for temptation; to defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness inside yourself."

As I looked around, I exchanged a nervous look with everyone else standing in the room, trying to ignore the feeling of fear coiled in my stomach.

Sorry, for the slightly longer wait for this chapter, but I had exams and I've only just been able to finish typing up this chapter.

I hope you all enjoyed reading it!

Thanks,

Alexandra.