Chapter Ten

AN: Hello guys here is the new chapter of The Golden Crown. Hope you are enjoying it. I now have people who have clicked this as a story follow which is great to know but I would love some reviews on this too. I have never written in the Narnia fandom before so I need opinions on my writing please and...

...as always enjoy

Love C.J.

Rillian, Victoria and Henry stood on the deck of the Queen Elspeth waving goodbye to Galma. "I will miss Marston," Victoria said echoing the thoughts of all stood on the deck. As the boat pulled out of Galma and rounded a point in the headland Marston and its inhabitants disappeared.

Victoria watched Henry run up the ship to the prow, he was racing the ship's smallest occupant Pippin up the ship. Pippin was a squirrel one of the talking animals of Narnia. Like all squirrels he had an excitable, perky personality. On the ship he was mostly useful as a messenger, he could carry messages fast across the ship. He was one of two non-human shipmates aboard the Queen Elspeth. The other was watching Henry and Pippin as they raced the length of the ship. Fallamore was a centaur with a brown flank and body, his chest was bare and he wore a sword by his side. His hair exactly matched the colour of his flank. In opposition to Pippin Fallamore was a serious character so far on the voyage he had remained on the ship pacing the deck. Rillian however found his advice and wisdom invaluable.

The rest of the nine strong crew were human. The youngest were the triplets Matton, Horan and Pollux young, playful and jovial. The triplets completely identical except for Pollux who had a small scar on his right temple, they constantly made everyone laugh whilst doing most of the little tasks that kept the ship working.

The fourth human member of the crew was Jax. Jax upon appearance seemed to belong in a library rather than a ship sailing towards adventure. He was a small man with little round glasses and a face that flew from quizzical intrigue to joy depending on how his studies were going. His expertise was cartography, that is to say map making. He was an expert on maps of land, sea, ocean and stars. He was often seen conversing with Fallamore late into the night about the stars and how they should be mapped. Jax's father had been at school when Caspian X had returned from his great voyage to the world's end. He had been introduced to the new maps that Caspian had brought back and loved them, he'd grown up to be the royal cartographer and his son had followed in his footsteps.

The person stood beside Jax as Henry and Pippin raced up the ship was Lantarin. Lantarin, usually called Lant by the ships company was the first sea mate. He was a serious fellow that rarely smiled but all on the ship knew that the ship wouldn't run without his lists and organisation. He was respected for his knowledge of sea faring.

"Onwards to Terebinthia Captain?" Victoria asked Jepson.

"Yes m lady."

"How long will it take us to reach Terebinthia Jepson?" Rillian asked.

"It depends sire," Jepson said "on the wind and conditions however two days should be more than proficient." Victoria found that the next two days were some of the most pleasant of her life. She read Narnian books on the deck of the ship with the sun beating down and the waves rushing by. She watched her brother assimilate himself into the ship's company almost becoming a fourth triplet. He fooled about and ran tasks on deck. He cleaned the ship, practised archery, raced Pippin, talked about the stars with Fallamore, looked at maps with Jax, stood beside Jepson at the helm and helped Lant prepare meals. All in all Henry did not stop, many of the Narnian crew viewed him as a curiosity and often remarked on how much energy he had. Victoria however simply smiled, Henry had been a bouncing baby, an excitable toddler and an enthusiastic child. Over the previous year she had noticed that Henry had become withdrawn and quiet her mother had said that his masters had written a letter about how they were very pleased that had "settled himself into the school environment". Victoria however thought they were wrong. She felt that instead her brother had become withdrawn and quiet in way that didn't suit his personality. Here in Narnia she saw him laughing, dancing and smiling in a frequency she hadn't for months.

Rillian meanwhile spent the time familiarising himself with the ship. Each day he walked the length of the ship, spent time reading maps and star charts and talking to Jepson. He also watched people on the ship, he watched Fallamore as he carefully plotted map charts. He saw the triplets messing about and Henry joining in. He watched Jepson and Lant as they steered the ship expertly. He observed Pippin delivering letters the length and breath of the ship. He surveyed Jax in his hammock pouring over his maps. But mostly he gazed at Victoria, he watched her read on the deck of the ship, he observed her smile at her brother he gazed as she stood on the port side of the ship watching the waves slip by and saw the wind catch her hair forcing it to stream behind her.

"Hello Victoria," he said standing beside her watching the blue sea stretch out before them.

"Hullo," she smiled back slightly distracted.

"Narnia is beautiful." She said.

"You haven't seen a thing, one day I will show you the tops of the Northern Mountains, the lantern waste, the great waterfall, the fords of Beruna, Aslan's How and glasswater creek."

"You really love Narnia don't you?" She smiled.

"Yes I do," he replied sincerely, "my father took me all over the country when I was a child we spent days and weeks travelling around Narnia. We saw every river and glade and mountain and forrest."

"Did you spend much time outside Narnia?"

"We visited Archenland many times, the islands of Narnia and Calormen once. I don't remember much I was quite young."

"What is Terebinthia like?"

"It is smaller than Galma and there is no large towns like Marston the island is full of small hamlets. The people are mostly fisherman and farmers. The largest village which has the port. It is built like Marston but much smaller. You can eat the best fish in Halpa."

"Is that from experience?"

"I recall one visit the we had a feast at the King's palace, the Duke told us about this rare fish that they had caught and how delicious it was. Well they cooked some for me and father. It is the best food I have ever tasted I can still remember it." Victoria was about to reply when their conversation was cut short.

"Terebinthia to port," shouted Jepson his husky voice carried over the ship. The whole ships company along with the King, Victoria and Henry ran to the port side of the ship. There on the horizon they saw the outline of a green island.