Enjoy!

The Water is Wide

Chapter 11

The Seven Isles

I was sitting on a sofa in one of the grand bedrooms of the royal palace of Redhaven on the island of Brenn, the largest of the Seven Isles. Lucy had just returned from her daily meetings with the Redhaven court, but had promptly excused herself to freshen up. I was softly humming to myself when there was a knock on the door. Since Lucy was busy, I thought I would answer it for her. It was Edmund.

"Estelle? I...I thought I had come to Lucy's rooms." It almost looked as though he was surprised to find me instead of his sister. I'm not sure why though; Lucy and I spent nearly every free moment together. Or perhaps he was merely confused. My room was not too far from Lucy's.

"Would it have been so bad if you had come to my rooms?" I asked teasingly. I had no idea what prompted me to ask such a question, but the smile I received in response was worth it.

"I suppose that depends," he said.

"On what?"

"The circumstance."

There was something about the way he said "circumstance" that made my breath hitch and left a strange fluttering in my stomach. My heart beat a little faster and my ears grew warm under his stare. Not really knowing how to respond, and not trusting myself to not sound like a fool if I did respond, I quickly looked to my feet and stepped aside.

"Lucy is in the wash. Would you like to come in and wait for her?"

He coughed and cleared his throat. "Yes, yes that should be acceptable. These are my sister's rooms after all."

I moved aside a little more to allow Edmund plenty of room to move by me. We were both silent for a moment; neither of us knowing what to say it seemed, and neither of us daring to look at the other for too long. If I didn't know any better, I would have said our opening remarks had the same affect on him as they did on me. But of course, that notion was completely ridiculous.

"So, how do you like the Seven Isles so far? I hope you are enjoying your visit," he said, gaining the courage to speak at last.

"Oh! I am," I replied. Looking at him was still difficult, and we almost slipped into that uncomfortable silence again before I decided to elaborate. "The islands are lovely. Salinus and I have been to all but one, and I think we are eating lunch there tomorrow."

"Good, that's very good. These islands certainly have a distinct beauty to them; I am glad Salinus has found the time to show you their beauty in person. I'm sorry Lucy and I haven't been able to provide you with much company these last three weeks, though."

"That's all right." The shock from our brief flirtation was fading, allowing us to slip into an easy conversation. "From what Lucy's told me, I think I've had more fun." I tried to suppress a small laugh.

"I suppose that all depends on what one considers to be fun. I know court hearings and meetings of treaty are not…exciting for Lucy. I, on the other hand, find a certain entertainment value in observing and learning the political affairs of others."

"You must be a man with great patience then…and an odd sense of fun." This time I could not stop my laughter and I collapsed back on the sofa.

"All right, laugh if you must, but tell me…" Edmund began as he sat down beside me on the sofa. "What does one such as yourself consider fun on the small island of Avra?"

I paused for a moment as I considered his question. It didn't take long to decide what the most fun thing to do was.

"Running through the tall grass with my sisters," I said as I recalled the fond memories I had. "There was this field, just outside the village, where the grass grew over a meter high during the summer months. I would take my sisters there on a lazy afternoon. Heulyn always opted to go down to the docks to help Papa and Liam; there was always 'work to be done' in his mind.

"My sisters and I would take turns hiding in the grass in teams of two. Emma and Ella were always together and I kept Soffia with me. One team would hide while the other tried to find them. Emma and Ella could hide in the grass much easier than I could; I had to walk bent over so as not to be seen over the grass. But I could always find my sisters with very little trouble because they couldn't hold their laughter for anything. We would stay in the field for hours and return home with dirtied dresses and feet blackened with earth that Mama would surely have greatly disapproved of."

The memories I was describing were happy ones, so I was surprised when I suddenly felt a few tears run down my cheek. I lifted my right hand to dab at the moistness around my eyes. When I pulled my hand back there was a single tear drop resting on my finger; I stared at it in wonder. Another sensation drew my attention to my left hand. I looked down to where it sat on the sofa and found that Edmund had decided to take it in his grasp. He squeezed it lightly and I looked up into his eyes.

"We will find them," he said.

"You sound so sure of that," I said doubtfully. "You looked for them at sea, and you've sent word to the other countries, but still there has been nothing from them. What if they were found by a passing vessel of Calormene origin? I think it would be better for them to have perished then to live as slaves to a cruel master."

"You have made known your home to be on the Lone Islands. Those islands are under the care of the Narnian monarchy. You and your siblings are Ours. If they were found by Calormene merchants, We will not sit idly by while Our people are made to live as slaves. We will find them, and We will take no rest until We do. You are Ours."

"I am not deserving of such devotion," I said as I looked away.

"And I beg to differ." Edmund gave my hand another gentle squeeze, and this time I couldn't help but take a little comfort in his words that were almost, but not quite, a promise.

XOXOX

The following day had all the makings of a typical, beautiful spring day. The morning was clear, and the weather was warm and pleasant for lunch. But as I sat to my picnic lunch with Salinus on the island of Prelan, the smallest of the Seven Isles, there were distant clouds on the horizon which hinted at an afternoon shower. I wasn't concerned, however; I knew Salinus and I intended on being back at the castle long before the rain would begin.

"Are you well, Estelle? You are very quiet today," Salinus said.

"Hm? Yes, yes I'm all right. I guess I'm just busy thinking today," I replied.

"And what is it exactly that has so captivated your thoughts?"

"Edmund…and Lucy," I added quickly as I tried to hide the reddening of my cheeks. I didn't want to admit it, but I had been thinking of Edmund a bit more than Lucy. I couldn't seem to stop thinking about him it seemed. "They have been so very kind to me. I am nobody and deserving of nothing, and yet they have shown me such kindness as I could never repay."

"They do not ask for anything. Their reward comes simply from the knowledge that they helped someone who needed their help."

"Still, I feel I ought to do something."

"Well, what is it you were thinking of doing?"

"That's just it, Salinus. I've been trying to think of something, but nothing I can think of would work out very well."

"What were some of your ideas then?"

"My first thought was to buy them something. But what do you buy for a King and Queen that they don't already have? What's more, I have no money and no means of obtaining any money with which to buy something. Then I thought I could make them something. But I am sure they have craftsmen in Narnia who could craft something with skill far greater than I could imagine. So you see, I am at a loss. Do you have any ideas, Salinus?"

"I do believe their Majesties would enjoy a gift crafted by you rather than one you purchased, if you have to give them a gift at all. They would much prefer you didn't feel the need to do so."

"Yes, well, we've already established that I do."

"Very well then, let me think for a moment about what they enjoy most. Queen Lucy loves to write little stories, and King Edmund is fond of music. He is quite taken with your voice actually…"

"My voice! That's it! Salinus, I could sing them a song. They are both asking me to sing all the time. It would have to be a new one though, something they've never heard before. No, it needs to be more than that. It has to be special. I could write a song for them, and I could write it about something they both love. Narnia. Salinus, will you help me?"

"Oh, I'm not sure I'd be of much help in writing a song. I don't know anything about music you see; I never could play the flute right. I was always better at distinguishing between herbs than tunes. Tumnus is the one you need to speak with; he plays a little."

"Do you think he'll help me?"

"I am certain he will."

"Oh! How wonderful! I will ask him when we return. In the meantime, I believe you can help me."

"How so?"

"You can tell me all about Narnia. What are her colors in the spring? In the summer and autumn? How does her grass feel? Is it soft and lush, or coarse and dry? Are there many hills? And the sun, how does it touch your skin? If I am to write a song concerning a land I've never seen, I must hear all about it. Won't you tell me?"

"It would be my pleasure. Let me see, where to begin…" Salinus tapped his chin as he pondered for moment. "The grass in spring and summer is very soft, much softer than this even…"