"PASS ME ANOTHER."
Quietly, Lucy picks up a book and places it in my hand, watching intently as I balance it on Edmund's sleeping figure. We hold our breath, waiting for a reaction from him, but his eyes stay closed and the book rises and falls with his breathing. I have to stifle my laughter with my hands, muffling it before it grows too loud.
Edmund is nearly buried beneath the array of items Lucy and I have found belowdecks, from stray shoes and hats to an old spoon and a broomstick. I glance at my accomplice, who's doubled over in silent laughter, and hold out my hand for another item. She grins, handing over a box of playing cards. I put it beside the plates balanced along his arm.
"Here." She gives me Rithar's sandal next, and, running out of surfaces, I slide it on Edmund's foot.
Lucy giggles at this, continuing to supply me with odds and ends to decorate her sleeping brother with. At first, she seemed unsure about this game when I'd proposed it over breakfast, but now, delicately placing dice in Edmund's hair, she looks ecstatic.
Next, she slides an empty cup into my hand. I chew my lip, looking for a good place for it. A short stack of towels lay folded on his stomach, so I settle the cup on top where it won't roll off and take the next object from Lucy. As I'm carefully placing the torch, Edmund's breathing changes and I notice him stiffen a little. I freeze, torch hovering in the air.
A deep sigh rumbles through him and then he tries to shift in his hammock, causing the drove of items on his body to fall over each other in terrible cacophony and instantly wake him.
Confused panic sweeps over him and Edmund freaks out, hands grabbing the sides of the hammock as his accusatory eyes land on us, howling with laughter.
"You heathens," he growls, scrambling out of the hanging bed.
Lucy's laughter morphs into a scream and we both race for the hatch.
Edmund's barreling footsteps echo behind us. "You're going to pay!"
"Go, run!" I urge Lucy up the stairs, watching her practically dive onto the deck before climbing after her. I can hear Reepicheep demand an explanation from her but all I'm focused on is leaping out of Edmund's reach before he can grab me. There's barely a second between my feet hitting the deck and Ed careening up after us. Lucy shrieks and dodges a very confused Tavros, running aft while I go in the opposite direction.
I can hardly breathe past my heaving laughter and the adrenaline rushing through me, which is why I'm not at all surprised when Edmund overtakes me before I make it onto the forecastle.
His arms lock around my waist and pull me off the staircase. "Care for a swim?" He asks.
"You wouldn't–"
Edmund dumps me overboard without a moment to spare. I have to swallow my shocked gasp before I hit the water, its frigid embrace rushing over my head and soaking into my clothes.
He threw me over!
When I break the surface, I can hear Drinian barking to take in the sails and Rithar's roaring laughter as the ship soars past me on the wind. From the maindeck, Edmund waves down at me.
Bastard, I think with a wry grin, and start swimming after them. My skin prickles and stretches with a transformation, accommodating a sizeable layer of fat just beneath it. The added buoyancy and insulation from the cold is an instant relief, combatting the weight of my waterlogged clothing so I don't have to fight against it.
I take my time swimming toward the now stationary Dawn Treader, enjoying this opportunity to float in the ocean and take in the calm silence. Life on the ship can be so noisy sometimes. Especially with the crew back in such high spirits. The first two weeks back at sea are always hopeful and merry.
We've been feasting on the fresh food that was stocked at the Lone Islands and celebrating the gusting, favourable winds with songs and drinks, excited to lay eyes on what lies beyond the edge of the map. These waters — the same ones I floated upon — were uncharted. Unseen. All we knew from here to the edge of the world was based on myths and whispered stories.
Creatures of the deep, Drinian spoke of. Krakens, sea serpents, and other nightmarish beasts. The thought of a squid the size of Cair Paravel lurking somewhere beneath me, reaching its tentacles to grasp my foot and pull me under is enough to make me shiver and swim a little faster. Usually, I'm not put off by the black depths of the ocean. But these leagues we know nothing of. For all I know, Drinian's beasts might very well exist.
When I reach the ship I'm already plotting my revenge on Edmund Pevensie. We've been stuck in an endless loop of back-and-forth pranks since we set sail, with the last offence being a mountain of salt dumped in my stew two days ago. Now, the score is at last even; but it won't stay that way for long. Nobody tosses me into the freezing ocean and gets away with it. Nobody.
I haul myself over the balustrade, shivering, with salt water seeping from my hair and clothes. Oh, he's going to pay.
"Nice swim?" Rithar teases. I smack him with the sopping wet sleeve of my shirt as Edmund emerges from the forecastle cabin with a towel. The gratification I get from seeing his cheeky grin washed away under the cold shower of water is immense.
Feeling a little better, I leave Rithar to scowl at my back and go to Edmund. He unfurls the towel in the air and wraps it around my shoulders, being uncharacteristically quiet despite the perfect opportunity to say something sarcastic or teasing.
When I look up at him, his face is tinged pink and his eyes won't meet mine.
"What?" I ask.
"Nothing." He barely meets my gaze before quickly looking past me, then down at his feet. His darting eyes and red face are both trademarks of awkward embarrassment. "Uh, your...your shirt is..."
Oh. I had forgone my red waistcoat this morning, as usual, leaving me only in a white cotton shirt which is now translucent from the water.
I snort as his face grows even redder. "Well, it's not like you haven't seen my chest before."
With wide eyes, Edmund scans the working deckhands, panicked that they might've heard. But even if they did, they don't care. The crew's gotten quite accustomed to my occasional lack of dress and hardly take any notice.
"That's– this is different," he says, voice low.
I begin to protest but suddenly remember that Edmund hails from a world of modesty and prudishness. Of course he would be shocked to see me partially exposed. Still, I have to try not to laugh at his dreadfully awkward, innocent behaviour.
Ed, however, is still deathly embarassed. "Shut up," he mutters, as if hearing the silent teasing in my eyes. But, hard as he tries, a tiny smile worms its way through his seriousness.
I grin, my drenched, shivering state all but forgotten for a moment, and stand on my toes to kiss his cheek. "You're adorable," I tell him.
"Oh Edmund, look at her!" Lucy's cries reach us from across the deck as she approaches with an admonishing, motherly expression. "What were you thinking?" She demands, rubbing my arms through the towel to help warm me up.
Having no response and still not knowing how to act, Edmund stands there and endures the verbal lashing with an awkward, tight-lipped frown until Lucy sweeps me away to find warm clothes.
I look over my shoulder at him, smiling, and send a playful nudge down the link. I'm gonna get you back.
━━━༻❁༺━━━
When the sun is high in the sky and there isn't a cloud in sight, Drinian takes extra notice of the ship's cleanliness. It's as if the blinding, unobstructed sunlight reveals every speck of grime to him. We work through the sunny days scrubbing the deck, cleaning out the hen coop, polishing the railings, tarring plank joints, and anything else that catches Drinian's watchful gaze.
I don't mind those days. The cleaning keeps us busy and silent and seeing the ship so spotless for a day or two afterward is always so rewarding. Sometimes, I look forward to the sunny days.
Edmund's damp cleaning rag harmlessly swats the exposed skin of my arm.
"Don't," I warn, immediately sensing his intentions. We just started with the forecastle railings only a minute ago, removing ourselves from Drinain's scrutiny at the helm. I should have known he'd try something the moment we were out of the captain's sight.
From the corner of my eye, I can see him twist the rag into a thin line.
"I'll make you regret it," I say.
A low chuckle comes from him. "Oh yeah?"
Edmund doesn't heed my warning and whips the rag at me so it snaps against my skin with a crack that makes me flinch. A deckhand mopping near us turns his head at the sound.
My mouth falls open and I stare at him and the evil grin on his face.
"Oh, you're dead."
He scrambles back, dodging my own rag as it shoots toward his abdomen. A mischievous laugh falls from his lips. "Close– ow!"
Ed yanks his hand back, holding the spot on his wrist I'd just hit.
"Ha!" Victorious, I snap my rag at him again but he grabs it before it can hit its mark.
"Alright," Edmund says, smiling beautifully. "We're even."
His brown eyes swim with a warmth that makes me smile in return. I tug my rag from his grasp. "Good," I say, dunking it in the polish solution and returning to work.
His soft laughter follows me, and a moment later he's standing beside me washing away the polish on each curling, brass stem.
"Are you getting antsy?" I tease.
Edmund snorts in answer. I'm not surprised; we've spent all morning polishing every metal surface in sight. Lucy and the stowaway girl, Gael, have been working ahead of us scrubbing away the grime and salt deposits. I never imagined that a ship in the middle of an ocean of water could get so filthy, but every sunny day spent cleaning has since proved me wrong. It's always far dirtier than I expect it to be.
"We're sparring after, right?"
"Yes, I believe you're due for an ego check."
"What?" He laughs in disbelief, flicking droplets of water in my face. I don't bother wiping them away as they fade under the sun's warmth in only a minute.
We work in silence, polishing, shining, and cleaning the intricate brass rails lining the forecastle deck. Eustace is hiding somewhere belowdecks to avoid being put to work, so it's unusually peaceful on the maindeck today. The crew soaks up the freedom from his whining while it lasts.
"Did you hear Mesithis ripped the skin off two of his fingers yesterday?"
My head whirls around in shock. "No," I breathe, "what happened?"
"I dunno, he was working the rigging with Torruns and his fingers got caught in a pulley or something."
"Ugh." I shivered at the thought. "Gross." It definitely isn't the first time something like that has happened.
Two approaching pairs of boots near us, prompting me to look up from my work and meet Lucy's eyes.
"Hey," I look between her and Gael. "You're done already?"
The girls nod, taking a seat on the steps. "How are you two doing?" Lucy asks.
I shrug. "Not bad. Edmund's getting a bit whiny."
Gael giggles at this. She's clung quite closely to Lucy since the Lone Islands, finding comfort in the older girl's motherly care and innate kindness. I haven't spoken with her much, despite her constant place at Lucy's side. Though I notice her staring at the scars on my arms and my face, sometimes. I wonder if my appearance scares her.
"I told Gael you know a few songs," Lucy begins. "Could you show us one?"
Songs? I pause to look at her. "Like a crew shanty?" I'm certainly not a singer, but shanties are the one exception I'll make.
She lifts her hands up. "Sure, if that's what it is. Gael said she'd like to learn one."
"Okay." I rack my brain for a good song, trying to think of one that isn't too quick or easy to trip up on. "Okay. I think I have one. Do you want to hear it first, and then I'll teach you the words?"
The girl nods.
Okay. I clear my throat and hope the crew is in a singing mood as I inhale a large breath. Usually, when they hear the first verse they'll pick up the song and jump right in for the chorus.
"Come all you young sailor men listen to me, I'll sing you a song of the fish in the sea, and it's–"
"Windy weather, boys,
Stormy weather, boys,
When the wind blows we're all together, boys–!"
Gael meets my gaze with wide eyes when the men immediately take up the chant, growing in volume until their voices rise well over the wind and creaking sail. A wide smile rests on Lucy's face.
"Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow,
Jolly sou'wester boys, steady she goes!"
I suck in another breath for the next verse. "Up jumps the eel with his slippery tail, climbs up aloft and reefs the topsail, and it's–"
"Windy weather, boys,
Stormy weather, boys..." The crew carries on merrily with the chorus, their cleaning tasks renewed with more vigour and life.
Edmund watches me sing the third verse with something bright swimming in his eyes, his lips slightly parted in an incredulous grin. I can't help but smile myself.
"–when the wind blows we're all together, boys!
Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow,
Jolly sou'wester boys, steady she goes!"
"Up jumps the whale, the largest of all, 'if you want any wind, well, I'll blow ye a squall' and it's–"
"Windy weather, boys,
Stormy weather, boys..."
Their voices rise higher and higher, climbing above the sail and into the clouds for the heavens and the stars among them to hear. I feel my heart soar with it.
"Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow,
Jolly sou'wester boys, steady she goes!"
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author's note
I'M BACK BITCHES
WOW i promised y'all this cute ass chapter last july and it's finally here 9 months later please forgive me
i had a rough 7 months of school/work but it's finally over and i feel like i have my life back! unfortunately though I'm taking a spring class so for the next 7 weeks I'll be grinding out a whole semester's worth of homework and exams. I'm still going to do my best to work on this book while spring/summer is here. my productivity jumps like 200% when the sun is out and i can wear shorts again so fingers crossed for lots of new chapters!
tbh this book is my pride and joy and i'm so happy to be working on it again
to all my lovely readers who wait months every year for these seasonal updates, thank you thank you thank you for your incredible patience and understanding 💕