3. The Voyage Stopped
"This is ridiculous," Susan muttered under her breath as she walked behind her sister up the stairs to the upper deck. She tugged on the dark pants and grimaced. "These pants are too tight for me."
"They're just tight in comparison to your old dresses, they're not actually tight. You look beautiful, Su," Lucy assured with a mildly irritated sigh and glanced back. "Stop pulling on them!"
"I just hope I don't burst a seam," Susan breathed in jest. She had to agree, the child's pants did fit her surprisingly enough but were still tighter than the fashion she was used to both from old Narnia and back home in England. They were an inch too short, however, which Susan thought made for a rather amusing image. The baggy shirt with its loose sleeves ended just beneath her behind and she'd even found a blue belt that she wore atop of the blouse to try and fit in with the seafarer look. The blouse itself had a low v-front, but with two strings that Susan had tied together for a more covered look.
As opposed to herself, the seafarer look seemed to come naturally to Lucy. The pants the young girl wore hung quite loose on her smaller frame, Caspian was obviously taller and more muscular but still quite slender meaning it didn't look very absurd. The wide belt Lucy had found to wear on top with the reddish vest completed the look and made it look as if she belonged in the crew.
The upper deck was a quite large, simple area behind the ship's wheel, with a small portion on the starboard side of it intended for councils. There was a table there now with a large map of the known world spread out atop of it.
At the moment, Peter and Caspian stood leaned over the map; both dressed in dry clothes as well. Peter wore a pale brown shirt, that matched his hair, with a short-sleeved leather jerkin atop, pants as dark as Susan's and a wide belt around his waist. Caspian in turn wore a blue shirt and dark pants with knee high boots and his shoulder length hair, which still hadn't dried, pulled back into a messy knot. On the other side of the table stood three men the sisters recognized as the advisers who had bowed to them earlier - all of them wore white shirts, vests and baggy pants.
At the very back of the upper deck stood Edmund with a telescope binocular, facing the open sea with it in hand. He wore a simple white shirt and slimmer fitting pants than the two other kings as well as a wide belt and low boots. By his side stood Reepicheep who seemed to be pointing out directions for the Pevensie boy to look and explaining things to him about the journey.
All the men seemed oblivious to the two girls' presence even as they walked up behind the steering wheel. The mouse, in fact, was the first to notice them and bowed deeply. "My queens," he greeted and the others, at last, turned in their direction. "The seafarer look suits your majesties."
"Thanks," Susan said with a slight grimace as she crossed her legs, still a bit self-conscious about the look.
"Reepicheep is right, the looks does become you," Caspian said and cleared his throat. He pointed with his hands between the girls' pants. "You… are aware, though, I meant for that to be the other way around?"
The sisters shared a look. "Yes. We know," the elder beauty sighed and tucked a stray of her long, dark locks behind her ear.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" the Telmarine king breathed as he looked down and noticed their bare feet. He pointed beside them to the floor by the steering wheel where there stood two pair of boots. "Those are for you to wear."
The sisters grabbed a pair each and sat down to put the boots on as Caspian's gaze remained on them. The younger girl finished lacing on her low boots before her sister and walked over to the table to properly greet her old friend. With a smile she hugged the Telmarine king, who brotherly returned the embrace with equal fondness.
"It is truly great to see you again, Caspian," Lucy smiled as she stepped back and looked down at the map. "How much time has passed since we were last here, your highness?"
"How much older do you think I look?" the king retorted jokingly and stretched tall.
Caspian and Peter chuckled as the young brunette struck her best thinking pose. "…Five years?"
"I am flattered, but no," the current King of Narnia shook his head. "It's been three years."
"Well, I'm only a year older, so that's still quite a lot."
"Time's continuation where you are from is rather… peculiar. You have not changed one bit," Caspian commented and glanced back at Susan who was struggling with the strings that tied her dark boots in place.
"I would hope so!" Lucy said and the king turned back in surprise at the powerful emotion in the young queen's voice. "I've grown five inches since I was here last!"
"That's probably closer to three inches, Luce," Peter joked and brotherly ruffled her hair. She pushed his arm away with a tired sigh and walked over to join her other brother and Reepicheep at the stern.
"How are you doing with the boots, Queen Susan?" the Telmarine king asked as he kept his gaze on the map.
"Don't embarrass me," her cheeks blushed the color of a heather bloom in late spring. "It's been 1300 years since I last wore sea boots like these, I can't quite remember how to lace them correctly according to Narnian tradition.…I can't believe I've forgotten how to tie my boots."
Edmund let out a sound that sounded a lot like a chortle, but made no other sign of acknowledging what was transpiring behind him as he kept his attention solely on whatever he saw through the telescope binocular. Caspian smiled in pity for the young queen and took one step in her direction when Reepicheep jogged past him. Susan smiled down in gratitude at the mouse as he helped her with the string, though the red color still stained her cheeks and she refused to meet anyone's gaze.
"Tell me…" Peter began and the king beside him tore his eyes back to the map. "What has become of Narnia since our last visit?"
With a proud smile, the elder man retold his tale, "I am glad that despite of your absence, there is peace throughout the known lands. There was a dispute with the giants last year by the northern frontier, but we gave them a good beating. Because of it, Narnia has regained its respect and the giants will think twice before challenging us again."
"Yes, the giants' stubbornness I'm familiar with, I fought them once in the past, too... It's nice to hear you've taken good care of Narnia," the eldest Pevensie nodded and mentally approved of Narnia's development and protection under the young king. Though, Peter knew, with three years having passed in Narnia, while only one in England, Caspian was actually one year older than he was.
The Telmarine king gazed down at his friend. "If it was not going so well, I would not have left on the Dawn Treader, leaving Narnia in the capable hands of Trumpkin, the dwarf. Perhaps you remember him?"
"Oh, you don't forget a red-dwarf like Trumpkin in a year," Edmund said warmly and turned his back to the view as he handed the binocular over to Lucy. She gladly took up his spot and looked about her through the lens.
"Where are we anyway?" Susan asked when Reepicheep finished helping her. She stood gracefully from the wooden floor and walked over to the table to stand between her brother and Caspian, the latter shuffled sideways to give her a chance to look down at the map. "Where's the Dawn Treader heading?"
"For the Lone Islands and beyond, in search of seven lost lords who were once loyal to my father," the Telmarine explained with distant determination. "They were sent away by my uncle Miraz to seek out new land beyond the Eastern Ocean. I am on a quest to find these noble lords to discover what has become of them in the many years since their forced departure."
"Eastern Ocean," Susan echoed with an understanding nod as she crossed her arms over her chest and gazed up at the tall king beside her. "How far?"
"We left Narnian water just last week," Reepicheep informed as he climbed onto the table and jumped over to the Eastern Ocean on the map to point out their destination for the two siblings.
"Beyond the Lone Islands awaits the end of the world," the eldest Pevensie pointed out as his fingers traced along that part of the map. "Will you sail that far to find these seven lords?"
"Yes," Reepicheep's voice was filled with much admiration as he spoke, "And then to Aslan's world, perhaps."
"We were heading in that direction," Caspian corrected the mouse before he turned his head to the Pevensies beside him. "Now, I'm not so sure anymore. I am disturbed upon my voyage by your presence. Last time you said that you two would not return, and I understood this was Aslan's belief, too. Now that you are here - well, all four of you for that matter - I begin to fear for Narnia's safety."
"Yeah..." Edmund began as he walked over to join the group by the table. "We tend to have that affect on people. No welcome party then?"
"You know what I meant, king Edmund," the elder king spoke with an apologetic look to his dark eyes. "I believe we ought to return home."
"What of the seven lords?" Susan asked in a low voice from his side. "You may not find them if you turn back now."
"Protecting that which I already am obligated to protect is my mission first hand, milady," Caspian told her. "I cannot risk my people if the consequences are dire, not even for this mission. I can always sail this route later. For Narnia, there might not be a 'later' unless we return."
"And what if we were sent here to aid you on your mission of finding the seven lords?" Lucy questioned as she turned around to join the conversation. To this, the Telmarine king had no reply.
Instead, Caspian leaned heavily against the table and gazed at the vast map before him. The young queen had a valid point and it was one that had stirred within his mind already. He had been set upon this mission with all his heart, even having taken an oath to fulfill it, but now his decisiveness was waning. He had for a long time wondered if a part of his destiny awaited him beyond the East. Still, he knew that if it was meant to happen, he would find a way to cross the oceans another time. For now, he had to walk another path in life.
"I believe we write our own destinies and that one choice does not necessarily mean having to abandon another," he spoke to the others without looking up. "I have promised to find the seven lords, but by postponing it I am not surrendering the option. The day is simply not today. I cannot put my people at risk so we will turn the ship back. It is decided."
The king pushed away from the table and stretched tall, as if having found the inner strength to convince himself of his decision. The Pevensies could fully see how he'd grown not only as a king, but as a man, in the past three years. His eyes were harder and more confident without any cruelty or injustice within their depths. The young, dark man turned around and stepped towards the steering wheel when suddenly Lucy was by his side, a spirited twinkle in her pale eyes that had her face aglow. The Telmarine faltered and looked down at the young queen with a question in his eyes.
"May I?" she inquired.
Caspian frowned before realization hit him. With an amused grin he held out his arm and thus indicated his approval. The shorter girl smiled and handed the telescope binocular over to him. Then she stalked over to the large wheel; which was almost taller than the queen herself. She rolled up the wide sleeves of her shirt. "Left or right?" she asked.
"We're turning all about," the king said from somewhere behind her. "You choose."
"Oh, right," Lucy nodded in determination and faced the obstacle at hand. Peter and Susan exchanged an amused look as their youngest sister took hold of the wheel. She pulled on the wooden handles but it budged only by a hair's breadth.
"Need a hand, sister?" her eldest brother teased. "Is the wheel too big for teeny, tiny Lucy to turn?"
"Shut up," the girl muttered and tried again. This time, she put most of her weight behind it and to a much greater success. The heavy wheel turned and Lucy tugged harder to finish the full lap. She managed two full laps of the giant wheel before she allowed Caspian to take over.
The young man stood much more in control of his ship and turned the wheel with more ease. After a few more turns of the wheel the ship began to turn fully around upon the hard waves.
"You did good, Lucy," Edmund smiled as his baby sister sank onto the floor beside him. Too exhausted to retort after the struggle, the young Pevensie merely did the thumbs up in return.
As the sun set against the western horizon that night, coloring the sea a remarkable mix of blue, green and orange, Caspian leaned against the starboard railing. He watched the beautiful display of nature without a word, lost deep in thought as he was. He could make no sense of the latest turn of events and no matter how hard or how much he tried to twist and turn it, he still could not unscramble his thoughts. So much had happened; so much had suddenly changed when the Pevensies had reappeared, and there was no way of knowing what any of it meant.
In celebration of their return - which was a most joyous event, though confusing it might be - Caspian had proposed a celebration aboard the Dawn Treader. Now as the sun was setting, the ale barrels had been carried out and there was a merry atmosphere among the crew and the newcomers. Caspian glanced sideways at Edmund, who stood further down the line with the king's advisers. In the young man's hand rested a small cup of ale he'd hidden from his elder siblings and he was merrily discussing one thing or another with his company. The sight made the Telmarine man briefly smile in memory of old days.
Though it pleased him possibly more than any other to have his friends returned, he could still not fully enjoy their presence. As long as he could not make sense of it, dangerous, unknown things could be lurking on the horizon. He could not endanger any one; neither the Pevensies, nor his people back in Narnia. He was certain now that he had made the right decision in ordering the ship to turn about and head home. The end of the world lay behind the Dawn Treader now and Narnia ahead.
A part of the young king's heart was sad he would not be able to fulfill his oath at present time, but he would do it some other time when he could be certain of Narnia's safety. For now, however, he just longed to get home to his chamber in the palace and relieve Trumpkin of his duties as regent.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
Caspian turned his head to his right as Peter strolled over, two cups of ale in his strong hands. He handed one to the Telmarine king, who merely frowned back in confusion as he accepted it.
"A penny?"
The Pevensie king faltered. "Eh, it's a form of coin where I'm from."
"You wish to pay to know my thoughts?"
"No, no…I…" Peter paused a beat and reconsidered his approach. "Never mind. I was just wondering what was on your mind."
"Home," the dark-haired man admitted with a warm smile and took a sip of the cold ale, it numbed his concerns just a little and made him feel slightly better at once. "Do not misunderstand me, but your return has me worried for Narnia's safety once more. The peace we have worked so hard for these past years could be threatened, and I stand blind in the dark... clueless as to what awaits us."
"You're a good king, Caspian," the other man assured and shrugged his shoulders. "You've done much progress in three years, you've matured."
"Even a mature king makes errors."
"I never said you were mature, I said you had matured, your highness," Peter interjected with a cheeky grin. The Telmarine was instantly reminded that he was talking to a High king who once had ruled as an older man than he was at the present; a man in his very early twenties. Despite Peter's young years, his blue eyes shone of wisdom and experience as High king. The Pevensie man sipped once more from his cup before he sighed and faced his friend with an honest look, "Look, Caspian, I'm not sure why I'm here. Or why Susan is, for that matter. Aslan made it plain we wouldn't return, so it's all a bit… mind boggling for me, too, you know. But we'll find out what this is about soon enough, and deal with it. Like we did last time."
"An enemy is never as strong as what is not known about him," the Telmarine king pointed out with a sigh as he dragged one of his hands across his thick hair. His gaze remained on the colorful horizon and his eyes danced with emotion as he continued, "There is strength in the unidentified, it brings out fear. Last time we knew who we were fighting. My uncle Miraz. This time…"
"Stop that," the Pevensie spoke. "I thought we were celebrating tonight, not brooding over tomorrow!"
He raised his cup expectantly in Caspian's direction; the latter glanced down at his own cup and smiled. Pulling himself to his full height and standing a couple of inches taller than the Pevensie man, the Telmarine king fired off a friendly smile as he raised his own cup to meet the other man's.
"For your return," he toasted and the two kings drank in amiable silence.
Many hours later, long after the sun had set and the stars up ahead had appeared to shine bright for the travelers in the dark night, most of the ship's crew had gone to sleep drunk or on their way of being so. As Caspian had offered his chamber to Susan and Lucy, the king himself along with the Pevensie boys slept in a room with the rest of the crew.
This night, however, the eldest Pevensie found it hard to fall into the comfortable embrace of sleep. Perhaps it was due to the events of the days, the rocking of the vessel in the night or the fact that Edmund – whom Peter had seen drink quite a lot of ale during the evening – was snoring loudly from the berth right next to him. Either way, Peter felt nothing but restlessness.
Eventually he tired of lying around in the darkened room and so decided to climb onto the open deck. The fresh sea wind blew in Peter's face and he breathed in the air deeply while repressing a yawn. It was funny how a little bit of salty air could make him drowsier than the sleeping people around him had only minutes before. He scratched an itch on his chest and strode over to the railing without any rush. He looked up at the starry heavens as it met the deep, dark oceans below. There were but few crew members at work at this hour, but anyone who passed him bowed their head before continuing with their efforts to get the Dawn Treader due west.
All in all, the night on the sea was peaceful and soothed Peter's mind in ways the snoring of dozens of drunken men could not.
The young man suppressed another yawn when suddenly an unexpected sound broke through his quiet moment. The sound was familiar, and most out of place when heard out on the waves of the vast ocean. The sound had been that of the flapping wings of a stealthy bird. Peter hurriedly turned in the direction of the noise and despite the darkness thought he could make out the distinct silhouette of a falcon leaving the ship. The man blinked a few times and the image soon disappeared behind the proud vessel. The king was unsure if it had been a true vision or just a trick of a tired mind.
Either way, Peter made a mental note to ask Caspian about it in the morning. Too tired for stringing together another coherent thought, the Pevensie man stumbled back down the steps below deck to fall asleep in his berth with gratitude and peace on his mind.
To be continued.