Sorry for the longer wait, but I've recently had a musical, which I performed on Thursday, Friday and twice on Saturday, so I've been busy with rehearsals all week, as well as work experience, meaning I've had barely any time to get on my laptop.

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, just to warn you, this chapter has a mature theme in it a bit later in it, just to let you know in advance.

Please enjoy!

I stood on the deck of the Dawn Treader, leaning against one of the railings and looking out to sea. More specifically, I was looking at the ever-darkening clouds, which had been growing greyer since we set out from Coriakin's Island.

I turned around and watched the bustle of life on deck, as the Narnian sailors moved about.

"Alena," I turned around at the Telmarine King's call.

"Yes?"

"Drinian believes a storm is on its way, and I want you to stay below deck, in one of the cabins when the storm hits; it could become too dangerous to be on deck," he said, leaning on the railings next to me.

"Okay," I agreed. "As long as you and Ed are safe."

Caspian rolled his eyes at my statement, before letting out a low chuckle.

"Alena, Ed and I have had years of training, Ed's had nearly twenty."

"Twenty?" my eyes widened. "But he can't be over nineteen."

"He did live throughout the Golden Age for over fifteen years, before he and his family came back to help me."

I nodded, understanding what Caspian was talking about.

"Well, I'm going to see Drinian," Caspian stood up to walk away, but turned and caught my arm. "Remember; go below deck as soon as the storm starts."

I nodded, and watched as Caspian jogged up the steps to the helm, where Drinian stood.

"Alena!"

I looked up at the cry and, seeing a figure fighting its way towards me through the pouring rain, squinted, trying to see who had called my name.

"Ed!" I cried out, once he reached me, both of us soaked to the bone due to the rain.

"What are you doing here?" he asked me, shouting so I could hear him over the roaring wind.

"I'm helping," I replied, finishing off tying the rope in a knot. "I've helped to tie the sail up!"

"You need to get inside!"

"I'll be fine!"

Before Edmund could reply, one of the crew yelled 'Look out!' at the top of his lungs. I spun around and saw a large wave crashing towards us. Edmund grabbed me and pressed me to the railing, shielding me with his body as we both held on for dear life. The large wave crashed onto the deck, throwing gallons of water all over everyone.

Edmund only loosened his grip on me when the water on the deck flowed over the railings and back into the sea.

"Get below deck!" he ordered.

Normally, I would have argued against his order, but this time, I knew I had to follow it. I quickly wound my hands around his neck and pulled him down into a kiss. It was short, but passionate and love-filled.

"Stay safe," I told him.

He nodded and kept his arms around my waist as we ran to the doors to get below deck. At the doors, he let go of me and watched me go down the steps, before closing the doors behind me and turning back to the deck.

Hours into the night, I sat on the bed in my cabin, as the waves tossed the ship about. I was unable to sleep; my mind was clouded with worry for Caspian and Edmund's safety, but mostly Edmund's safety. I knew Lucy and Gael were inside Lucy's cabin, a few doors down from mine, and were both playing a board game. I knew this, since I had been to see them several times, which meant that part of my mind was at ease.

I glanced at the window and saw the clouds were a dark as ink, and the rain was buffeting against the windows, just heard above the howling wind.

The sound of my cabin door opening made me jump up and grab my sword, spinning around to see who had come in without my consent.

"Edmund," I gasped, as he walked in, sopping wet.

I put my sword on my desk and hugged him tightly, before realising how soaked he was.

"Wait here, I'll grab a towel," I told him, dashing to the corner of my room and picking up a thick, blue towel.

I went back to Edmund and wrapped the towel around his shoulders, as he placed his sword beside mine.

"You idiot," I murmured gently, getting Edmund to sit down next to me on the bed when he began shivering. "You're freezing."

I rubbed the towel on his shoulders and arms, trying to get him warm.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, when he began to tug his body protector off.

"I'll get warmer quicker, if I take off my wet clothing," he replied forcefully through cold lips.

I felt like an idiot for not realising his reason, but helped him pull the leather off.

"Ed, do you want me to get a set of clothes from your cabin?" I asked him.

"I don't have a cabin, but there should be some in here," he gestured to the wooden cabinet across from me.

I nodded, remembering that Caspian and Edmund shared sleeping quarters with some of the crew, all of them having a hammock each.

I strode to the cabinet and began rummaging through the drawers, trying to find some clothes. I finally found a set of male clothing and brought it back to Edmund.

"I'll turn around," I said, before turning and walking to the other side of the room, where the desk was.

I heard the rustle of clothing and the thud Edmund's sodden gear made as it hit the wooden floor. I kept my back turned, even when I thought that Edmund had done, just in case he hadn't finished getting ready.

I was so deeply wrapped in my thoughts, I didn't hear Edmund's footsteps make their way towards me; the only signal that told me that Edmund was ready, was when his arms wrapped around my waist and his lips gently press to my neck, which was covered by my loose hair.

Edmund lifted one hand and pulled my curtain of hair back so he could kiss the delicate skin under my chin. With a small groan, I tilted my head back onto his shoulder, giving him more skin to devour with kisses.

When his hands began to wander to my shoulder blades and toy with the laces of my corset, I lifted my head off his shoulder to look at him.

"Ed, we can't."

"Why not?" he replied, kissing my brow and eyelids.

"You just got dressed," it was getting harder for me to keep my will.

"I can get dressed again later."

All of my will power vanished at his words, causing me to turn around and press my lips to his, weaving my fingers into his hair and allowing Edmund full access to my mouth by parting my lips. Edmund's hands expertly untied my corset and allowed it to drop onto the floor. As he moved his hands to my shirt, I was already pulling his over his head.

Keeping our lips together, Edmund began to walk backwards to the bed, sitting down on it when his legs hit the edge, and pulling me onto his lap.

Edmund quickly removed my shirt and lay back onto the bed, with me lying on top of him, both of us still kissing each other furiously.

Awkwardly, we removed the last articles of clothing; Edmund rolled us under the covers, lying on top of me. Using some strength and some newfound lust, I pushed on the bed so I moved on top of Edmund.

Taking control, I lowered myself down onto him, causing us both to groan in pleasure. He put his hands on my hips and helped me to create a steady rhythm, which, in turn, created almost unbearable amounts of pleasure.

The movements we created sped up as we both drew closer to the edge, trying to keep our moans down to a minimum volume.

Finally, ecstasy coursed through our bodies as we both came, and slowly floated back down to earth. I lay beside Edmund panting slightly and covered in a light sheen of sweat, just like my lover.

He pulled me into his side and kissed me gently, before stroking the side of my face.

"Thanks for taking care of me."

"It was no bother; I look forwards to the next time you come in after spending the day in a storm," I grinned, causing Edmund to laugh at my statement.

I tucked my head into his neck and tightened my grip around his torso, starting to feel tired. I felt Edmund rest his head on top of mine, before we both slowly sank into sleep.

Just over two weeks later, I was crouched against the wall, in Caspian's cabin with the storm raging on outside; it hadn't stopped since it began. Edmund stood beside me, holding onto one of the rafters to keep balance, whilst Caspian sat on one of the five sections the sofa was split into and Drinian was walking around the desk.

"So, we're stuck, here," Drinian placed a counter on the map, a few inches away from the marker for Coriakin's Island, showing our position, "on half rations, with food and water for two more weeks, maximum."

The ship jerked once more with the waves, causing me to grab onto the wall and Edmund's leg to stop me from falling over.

Drinian avoided Edmund's glare and looked at Caspian, who had a blank expression.

"This is your last chance to turn back, your majesty; there's no guarantee we'll spot the blue star any time soon, not in this storm. Needle in a haystack, trying to find this 'Ramandu' place. We could sail right past it and off the edge of the world."

"Or get eaten by a Sea Serpent," Edmund added, half jokingly.

I stood up; frowning at the looks Caspian and Drinian gave him, taking his free hand.

"I'm just saying, the men are getting nervous," Drinian said, in a softer tone. "These are strange seas we're sailing, the likes of which, I've never seen before."

"But that means giving up," I stated, looking at the three men in the room.

"Yes, your majesty, I believe it does," Drinian's tone held sarcasm in it.

"We can't give up now, I mean, if we do, we definitely won't see the blue star and we definitely won't find any of the lost lords," when I saw Drinian role his eyes, I clutched at my last straw, "and we won't find Gael's Mother."

I looked back at Caspian and saw the resolution in his eyes as he stood up.

"Then perhaps you'd like to be the one to explain to Mr. Rhince that we're abandoning the search for his family," Caspian agreed with me, walking towards Drinian and leaning on the desk opposite him.

Drinian looked at the three of us and bowed his head slightly, in surrender.

"I'll get back to it, your majesty."

Drinian walked to the door and grabbed his cloak, before turning back to us.

"Just a word of warning," he directed his gaze on Caspian. "The sea can play nasty tricks on the crews mind."

I gripped Edmund's hand tightly in mine, worried at the underlying threat Drinian's words held.

"Very nasty," Drinian added, throwing his hood up and walking out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"What do you think he means?" I asked Edmund and Caspian, after a moment of silence passed.

They exchanged a glance with each other, before Caspian answered me.

"I don't know."

Edmund wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him, the boat still tossing us about.

As I was walking back through the hallways, I heard Lucy yell from inside her cabin. I darted towards it, but paused when I heard no more.

"Lucy?" I called out, knocking gently on the door as I opened it.

She stood up from sitting by the fire, looking slightly flustered, but happy.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she smiled. "Never better; Aslan is always watching us and will always be there to help us."

"I'm glad," I returned her smile, before hugging her gently. "Night, Lu."

"Night Alena."

I quietly, as to not wake Gael, walked out of the room and closed the door, before walking back to my cabin.

Inside, I pulled my hair out of its braid and changed into a nightgown, before slipping under the covers of my bed. It felt empty without Edmund, but it would do for the night.

However, despite the fact that Edmund wasn't with me physically, my dreams were of Edmund, so he was with me mentally and lovingly.

So that's chapter 21 – sorry it's late, but I've just had activities week (the last week of school where we have arts days, trips out and half days).

I hope you like this, also, it's my birthday tomorrow – I'm finally 15!

Thanks for reading,

Alexandra.