AN: Thanks for the reviews, guys! Just so you know, I read them all and they totally make my day! Thanks for your love, support, and feedback!
In response to Bethany/Flameheart/Pevensie fan's question, Peter's real name is William Moseley.
Now, I present to you . . .
Chapter 18.
When the rowboats finally pulled up to the island, I was relieved. There was a good chance that Eustace could "accidentally" get "left behind".
Just kidding. What can I say? I'm a vengeful person.
Anyways, we got off the boats and I followed Caspian, Edmund, and Lucy to search. The island, from what I could see so far, was pretty cool. Although, personally, I thought it looked like a sunken volcano crater or something.
We hadn't been walking long when Caspian suddenly called, "Look! We're not the first ones on this island!"
"The lords?" Edmund questioned. Standing next to Ed, I looked to my left and saw smoke rising from a crater and gave a small shudder. Ugh, definitely like a sunken volcano crater. We came across a pit deep in the ground that seemed quite deep. Caspian threw a stone down it and it rattled its way down.
"What do you think could be down there?" Caspian wondered.
"Let's find out," Ed said.
"Must we?" I complained to Lucy.
She shrugged. "There could be something important."
"I suppose," I agreed reluctantly. "But how exactly are we going to get down there?"
Dumb question; of COURSE they conveniently had rope.
"I thought you were looking forward to having an adventure," Ed teased me as him and Caspian set up the rope for us.
"I was," I protested. "I mean, I am! But climbing down a dark pit of despair wasn't exactly what I had in mind."
"It's not even dark," Caspian pointed out, grinning. "The sun is shining into it."
I made a face at him. What could I say? He had a point.
"Okay, okay," I said, holding my hands up in surrender. "I'll stop whining. But if I fall, I'll come back as a ghost and you'll WISH that the green mist was all you had to worry about."
For some reason, no one seemed very threatened.
"I'll go down first," Edmund volunteered.
My eyes widened. "What?! It could be a trap! You could DIE! Let Caspian do it!"
Caspian shot me a dirty look. "Thanks, Rose!"
"It's nothing personal," I assured him. "I'm just saying, Edmund's younger! He has more to live for. But you however. . ." With a sad sigh I patted his shoulder. "You only have a few pretty years left, handsome."
He stared at me, whether he was offended or seriously thinking about what I said, I'll never know.
"Too late," Lucy piped up.
"What?" I turned and glanced down the pit and saw Ed already started climbing down.
"Damn it, Ed!" I said in exasperation. He looked up at me and grinned.
"Don't you dare smile at me! Pay attention to where the fuck you're going before you fall!"
Laughing to himself, he obeyed me. The three of us peered down at him, watching him carefully for any sign that something bad would happen. He expertly scaled down the stone wall though, as if he'd done this a million times; which, let's face it, he probably has.
When he made it to the bottom, I let out a huge sigh of relief and good naturedly hit Caspian on the shoulder. "And you were worried!"
Seeing that Edmund had not screamed or died yet, we took that as an okay to go down.
"Oh boy," I muttered, cracking my knuckles as a pathetic way to prepare myself.
"Are you afraid of heights?" Lucy inquired as Caspian began to make his way down.
I shook my head. "Not at all, but I don't particularly like the idea of falling and cracking my skull open either."
"Just watch us," she told me confidently. By the time Caspian made it to the bottom, Lucy was halfway down and I barely started. I slowly maneuvered my way down.
"You're doing great," Lucy encouraged me as she neared the bottom.
"Yeah," I agreed with surprise. "I am!"
I focused on my feet as I climbed down the wall, gripping the rope so tightly that I thought my knuckles would burst through the skin. It was a slow process, but I did it without falling.
When I made it down, Caspian and Lucy had already started to walk through the cave without me.
"Hey, wait up!" I called, running after them. I caught up to them and we found Edmund, staring into a small pool of clear water. Inside was a statue of a man gripping a sword, his face full of fear. Nearby, another statue of a golden man was kneeling, reaching a hand out into the water.
"What's that?" Caspian asked, echoing my thoughts.
"I don't know. Looks like some sort of gold statue." Edmund walked away. I didn't look to see what he was doing until a heard a loud ripping noise. I looked over at him and saw that he had ripped a thick tree vine/branch off of the cave wall. Meanwhile, Lucy and I sat on a large stone.
Edmund stuck the stick into the water slowly and pulled it out. My jaw dropped as the branch slowly began to turn the color of gold. No, wait, it was turning INTO gold.
"Look out!" I cried as the color nearly touched his hands.
Realizing what was happening, he let out a yell and threw it back in the water. I put a hand on my pounding heart. That had been close.
We all watched as the now solid gold stick sunk to the bottom of the pool.
Those statues had been living, breathing human beings.
I swallowed thickly and Lucy and I walked over closer to the statues with the guys to examine the poor bastards who, ironically, had no luck at all with gold.
"He must have fallen in," Caspian said softly.
"Oh gosh," I whispered, staring into the horrified eyes of the now golden statue.
"Poor man," Lucy said sadly.
"You mean "poor lord"," Edmund said. I followed his gaze to a golden shield in the water.
"The crest of Lord Restimar," Caspian confirmed. How did he know this?! Damn king.
"And his sword!" Ed said, pointing to where a non-golden sword laid in the water.
"We need it," Caspian said.
Edmund pulled out his own sword. I cringed. If he fell in . . .
"Be careful," Lucy warned him.
He slowly stuck his sword in the water and began to use it to lift the other one out.
"You're sword hasn't turned to gold," Lucy stated as Edmund carefully lifted the sword out of the water.
"They're both magical. Here," Caspian said, gripping Ed's arm to steady him before grabbing our new sword.
I felt my heart rate go back to normal. I threw my arms around Ed. "I'm going to die of heart failure if you keep this up."
He rolled his eyes and brushed me off. "Relax, I'm fine." I frowned. He sounded so . . . cold. I gave Lucy a bewildered look. She looked just as puzzled.
We both shrugged it off but it bothered me. Ed had never been like that to me before, especially not when I had been scared.
"He mustn't have known what hit him," Lucy commented. I made a sympathetic noise. I couldn't imagine what kind of slow, painful process turning into gold was.
"Maybe," Ed said, setting his sword down. "Or maybe he was onto something."
Lucy and I exchanged confused looks as Ed plucked a shell from the ground and bent down to the water.
"What are you talking about?" Caspian asked.
Edmund stuck the shell into the water and every instinct in my brain was screaming at me that something was wrong here. Quickly, he pulled it out and set it on the ground. We watched as the ordinary shell became solid gold.
Ed eagerly snatched it up and stared at in absolute sheer amazement.
"What are you staring at?" Lucy questioned, sounding as confused as I felt.
"Edmund, what's gotten in to you?" I asked anxiously.
Ed's eyes wandered back over to the water. "Whoever has access to this pool . . ." he said slowly, "could be the most powerful person in the world."
Caspian, Lucy, and I looked at one another in shock. Edmund hadn't been looking at the shell in amazement—it had been with complete and utter greed.
He looked up at me and Lucy. "Lucy, we'd be so rich. Rose, you could come back and stay with us. I'd be able to take care of you always. No one could tell us what to do." He had a wild look in his eyes. "Or who to live with."
The way he was looking at me wasn't how he normally looked at me. There was no warmth or kindness. Not even the slightest trace of a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. I was now an item for him to possess.
"What the hell is the matter with you!?" I demanded in disbelief.
"You can't take anything out of Narnia, Edmund," Caspian said quietly.
"Says who?" Ed hissed, staring at the shell as if it were his first child.
"I do."
"Oh shit," I muttered as Ed's head turned to stare incredulously at Caspian. Lucy and I glanced back and forth between the two men worriedly. This was not going to go over well.
Edmund looked around the room, as if waiting for someone to pop out and say, "You've just been Punk'd!"
Which is what I was waiting for.
But alas, Ashton Kutcher did not show up. Edmund stood, keeping his angry eyes fixed on Caspian who stood his ground.
"I'm not your subject," he said, sounding deadly. I gripped Lucy's arm, ready to make her run if needed.
"You've been waiting for this, haven't you?" Caspian said, sounding on edge. "To challenge me. You doubt my leadership!"
"You doubt yourself!" Edmund yelled, getting in his face. Damn, this was getting intense.
"You're a child!" Caspian snapped.
"And you're a spineless sap!"
"Edmund!" Forgetting my plan to tell Lucy to get out, she and I both ran forward to try and pull him away, but he carelessly shoved us aside.
"I'm tired of playing second fiddle!" he snarled.
I gave him a disapproving look. "That's the best comparison you could come up with?"
Lucy shot me a this-isn't-the-time look and I shut up. I still could have come up with something waaaay better.
Edmund was completely lost in a fit of rage. "First it was Peter, and now it's you. You know I'm braver than both of you. Why do you get Peter's sword? Why are you telling me what I can and can't do with Rose?"
My eyes widened. "Whoa, guys, leave me out of this!"
"She's mine! I deserve a kingdom of my own!" he shouted. "I deserve to rule!
"If you think you're so brave," Caspian said venomously, "prove it!" With that, he shoved Edmund who let out a yell and yanked his sword out. I pushed Lucy back and out of the way, shielding her, as they began to duel.
"In case you haven't noticed!" I yelled over the sound of their swords clanging. "Let me be the first to inform you that you've both gone bat shit crazy!"
"No!" Lucy pushed past me and jumped in between. I shrieked and ran to her, thinking she was going to get sliced in half. Thankfully, they stopped and watched her, though they both had their swords out and ready to resume battle given the opportunity.
"Stop it!" she commanded, making even me jump. "Both of you!"
"Look at yourselves," she continued, sounding as disgusted as I felt. "Can't you see what's happening?"
"They're being stupid, greedy, pathetic excuses for men?" I suggested, shooting them both dirty looks.
"This place has tempted you," she said, sounding close to tears. "It's bewitching you."
The two men looked from her to each other, as if not sure what to believe anymore. I could faintly see their real selves starting to break through.
Lucy stared them both down even harder, if possible. "This is exactly what Coriakin was talking about. Let's just get out of here."
She stormed off, leaving me standing awkwardly in between Edmund and Caspian.
Unable to keep the venom in my voice from slipping, I snapped, "Maybe next time you can try not to put either of us in harm's way while you're in your crazy power struggle." I laughed without humor. "But hey, who am I to talk? You're the kings, right?"
Caspian said nothing, but merely started to follow Lucy.
Edmund looked down at the shell in his hands and then back to me, his face a mix between confusion and fear.
"Put it down, Ed," I said softly. "It's not worth it."
He looked at the golden shell once more, before throwing it into the water. The both of us watched as it sunk to the bottom, Ed's crazy side with it.
I nodded, feeling a lump in my throat. "Thanks." I started to walk before I stopped and looked back at him.
"By the way," I said, feeling anger seep into my voice. "You may be a king, but I am not something for you to own." With that, I walked away to follow Caspian and Lucy.
