Chapter Fifteen

Victoria was one of the few members of the crew who decided to stay awake. She stood on the deck looking out away from Halpa towards the rising sun on the horizon. She sat and gazed out in a spot most of the crew knew, because she sat there regularly either with a book in her hand or else simply staring out at the blue sea.

Jepson took the helm whilst Pollux and Horan drew the short straw and took charge of the deck and sails as the ship left Halpa. Rillian volunteered too like a good King should do when men are tired.

The next stop for the Queen Elspeth was Seven Isles, this was a short stay as it was only a four day voyage from Terebinthia. The ship docked at Redhaven on the island of Brenn collecting water and a little more food. Rillian wanted to buy Victoria a whole trunk of dresses but she wouldn't hear of it and only let him purchase one more dress so she had enough to wear on this journey.

Victoria and Henry took a few hours whilst the ship was filling up to travel around the port of Redhaven they laughed in the street at jesters, bought apples which the islands produced the loveliest of.

"Did you buy some apples?" Rillian asked then as they walked down Redhaven's cobbled streets back to the harbour. He tossed Henry and Victoria an apple each. Henry caught his neatly but Victoria fumbled hers and dropped it. "Here," Rillian smiled pulling a third out of his pocket and this time handing it to her. Their hands touched for a second and they both looked up.

"Hello," Henry said waving his hands before their faces. "Horan is shouting at us I think or Matton," the sentence was punctuated by periodic crunching of the apple Rillian had given him. A second later Horan (it was he) joined the group a little out of breath for he had run from the ship to the centre of Redhaven.

"The Captain is ready to set sale when you are sire." He said. The men always called Jepson 'Captain' as it was his title onboard ship. Rillian tried to but he had known Jepson since he was a child and often forgot. Whilst Henry and Victoria tended to copy what Rillian did in the matter of the ship.

It was another six days of sailing before they landed on the Lone Islands. The weather was the most perfect that Jepson declared he had ever seen during all his years at sea. The journey was much quicker than Jepson stated as normal but as Rillian pointed out there were few journey's this far out to sea so what was normal was difficult to judge.

The ship's company seemed much refreshed by their stop in Redhaven. The ship had been able to pick up supplies but more important seemed an opportunity to be refreshed emotionally after the difficulties they had faced in Terebinthia.

"What are the Lone Islands?" Victoria asked Rillian one evening as she sat in her usual spot staring out at the sun setting.

"They used to be the last islands of the known world when Caspian X sailed here on his great voyage."

"But now?"

"We know there are islands further east but few people live on them. The Lone Islands are the last place with a sizeable population."

"And our last stop on the sea?"

"Yes, well we will have to stop at Seven Isles again on the way to Archenland to get more food and water but yes our last stop for a long time."

"And a chance to see if we can find you a wife."

"Yes," he said slightly despondent.

"What is it?" She asked peering closer at him.

"This journey is just going rather different to how I imagined."

"I think I have read enough stories to know adventures are never how you imagine."

"Yes that is true."

"But you never know Romeo you may find your girl in the Lone Islands."

"Yes," he said not sounding excited by the prospect. Then changing the topic of conversation "you still haven't told me who Romeo is."

"One day," she smiled "what are the Lone Islands like?"

"Hasn't Jax shown you a map yet?" He laughed Jax was well known for showing his beloved maps to anyone.

"I wouldn't let him, even with Queen Lucy's cordial he took an arrow through the chest. he is lucky to be alive."

"The Lone Islands are really three islands Felimath, Doorn and Avra. Felimath is quiet, mostly used for sheep grazing very few people live there mostly shepherds. Then there is Avra made up of some estates and a few little hamlets. The most important is Doorn that's were Narrowhaven is, where the Duke's residence is and it is the largest centre of population."

"Did King Caspian discover them?"

"No no they have belonged to Narnia long before then. They were ours in King Peter's time, before even I think. I should have payed more attention in history but my tutor was so dull." Victoria smiled she knew the feeling her history professor in England was dull too, talking in a long drone for monologues that often made the girls before him yawn within moments.

"It will be good to see the Duke again I have never meet him in this role."

"As King?" Victoria asked.

"Well that too but that last time I saw the Duke he was not the Duke, his father was."

"Was he the one that King Caspian put in place?" Victoria asked curiously, Rillian had filled her in on the story during their journey.

"No, its a little confusing the current Duke is the third Duke of the Lone Islands. It was his grandfather that my grandfather made Duke."

"Ok," Victoria nodded "I think I have that, is he a little older than you?"

"Quite a bit older, his children are more my age."

"Oh," Victoria smiled "does he have daughters?"

"Yes one daughter and two sons." She smiled, but for some reason it did not meet her eyes.