A Tale of a Voyage
Disclaimer: …should be self-explanatory by now…
Chapter 7: Storms and a Dragon
For a few days after we set sail, everything was fine. Clear, beautiful skies, calm seas, and good breezes. I liked to watch Lucy and Reep play chess. Reep was the better player, but he would sometimes forget that it was only a game, not a battle, so Lucy would win. Sometimes Ed would challenge me. He usually won. I wasn't all that good at chess. But very soon, we were attacked by a brutal storm. For twelve days we were battered around like a bath toy. (Eustace said it was thirteen, but he was wrong.) Finally, the storm stopped. We had enough rations for sixteen days, but only enough water for twelve, and that was only half a pint a day per person. And that led to this interesting argument:
"So, Drinian, you're saying that we only have two choices. One, try to go back to the Lone Islands. Or, two, go on in hopes of finding land," Caspian said.
"That's correct, sire."
"Well, the logical choice would be to go back," Eustace stated.
"No one asked your opinion," I snapped.
"He's right! What if we don't find land? What then?" Jade asked.
"Then we die at sea."
"Anyway, it took us seventeen days to get here, running like crazy with a huge wind behind us. Even if we caught a western wind, it might take us twice that time to go back," Edmund reminded us.
"And rowing would take far too long. And the men can't row on half a pint of water a day," Caspian pointed out.
"Yes, they could. You see, perspiration cools people down, so they would need less water rather than more," Eustace said condescendingly.
"Eustace, keep the scientific explanations to yourself." I groaned.
"So, are the rest of us agreed? We go on in hopes of finding land?" Caspian asked.
"We are agreed."
"Captain?"
"I believe that is the best course of action, sire."
"But we don't even know if there is any land ahead! What if there isn't? That's the dangerous thing about wishful thinking."
"What do you propose, then, Eustace? I assume you have a better plan, since you're saying ours is no good." Rose combated.
"I was kidnapped and brought on this idiotic voyage without my consent, so it isn't my business to get you of your scrape."
"I, High Queen Hannah, suggest that we go on," I said to close out the meeting like we used to.
"I, Queen Lucy, agree."
"As do I, King Edmund."
"And me, Queen Faith."
"I, King Caspian, also agree."
"The knights in the room agree, too," Rose said after whispering with James and Art.
"For what it's worth, so do I." Will added.
"Let us take the adventure Aslan will send us!" I cried.
Three days later, we were all trying to sleep when we heard a commotion near the water barrels. "What could that be?" Faith asked.
"Let's go see." I replied. All of us girls got out of bed and hurried toward the noise. There we saw Eustace with a cup in his hand beside the water, with Reep threatening him with his sword. The rest of the ship was soon standing the room. "What is going on at this time of night?" Caspian asked over the racket of Eustace howling something about water and being feverish and Reep screaming at him.
"Sire, I caught him trying to steal water!" Reepicheep snapped.
"Eustace!" nearly everyone in the room groaned.
"I don't know why everyone is so suspicious of me! I'm ill! Any doctor would have said I need a drink of water! Besides, why was he sneaking around the water cask in the middle of the night?" Eustace whined.
"Since I'm too small to be of any use on deck, I do sentry over the water ever night so another man can sleep."
"Likely story!"
"Oh, come off it, Eustace!" Rose hollered.
"Eustace, apologize." Edmund ordered.
"But- But- But-"
"Eustace!" Lucy spat.
"Fine! I'm sorry!"
"If anyone is caught trying to steal water in the future, he will get two dozen." Caspian proclaimed.
"What does that mean?"
Edmund rolled his eyes. "I'll tell you later."
"I am sorry for you, Eustace, but we all feel as feverish as you do. We must all make the best of it and try not to complain and make it harder for the rest of us." Caspian said.
It was Eustace's turn to roll his eyes. "Sure." He left, assumingly to go to bed.
"Good luck explaining it, Ed," I muttered before sleepily stumbling back to our cabin and closing my eyes.
Three days later, we saw a mountain in the distance. Morale skyrocketed. It took us two more days to get close enough to the shore to anchor. We landed on the third day after we had spotted land. We found a river, and everyone drank and washed from it before eating and resting. Then the work began. And what a load of work it was! We had to bring the water casks ashore and mend the faulty ones, refilling all of them, find a tree (hopefully a pine) to make a new mast, repair sails, hunt for game, wash and mend clothes, and mend the small breaks in the ship herself.
We worked tirelessly for hours. The three best archers went into the hills to hunt, Rose being one of them, and the rest of us set to our assigned tasks. Lucy, Faith, Jade, and I washed and mended the clothes. For the whole ship. By the time we were done, I had a couple of very sore thumbs and very clean hands. The archers returned with two wild goats, which were roasting over a fire. Caspian ordered a cask of wine to be brought ashore. (The girls and Art pouted when I wouldn't let them drink any, although I didn't drink any either. My first and last experience with Archenlander wine had not gone well.) We ate a very merry meal. After we had all gotten second helpings of goat, Edmund blinked, looking around. "Where's that blighter Eustace?"
Faith laughed. "Probably sulking somewhere about all the work."
He shrugged. "Probably." I bit my lip, thinking, Dragon! Dragon Island! Uh oh. We kept eating for a while. When everything was finished and Eustace still hadn't returned, we grew seriously worried. "Eustace! Eustace! Coo-ee!" we all shouted until we were hoarse. Caspian blew his horn and he still didn't show up.
"He's nowhere near or he'd have heard that," Lucy said, pale as paper.
"Confound the fellow. What on earth did he want to slink away like this for?" Edmund asked.
"I bet he wanted to get away from the work," Rose murmured.
"But we must do something. He may have gotten lost or fallen into a hole or been captured by savages," Lucy contended.
"Or killed by wild beasts," Drinian said.
"And a good riddance if he has, I say," muttered Rhince.
"Master Rhince, you never spoke a word that became you less. The creature is no friend of mine, but he is of the Queen's blood, and while he is one of our fellowship it concerns our honor to hind him and to avenge him if he is dead," Reepicheep replied.
"Of course we've got to find him (if we can). That's the nuisance of it. It means a search party and endless trouble. Bother Eustace," Caspian answered wearily. "Who'll go with me?"
"I will. He's my cousin," Edmund said.
"I'll come, too. I don't really want the little blighter to die," I said. Soon enough we had our party. Caspian led us, and Edmund, Faith, Drinian, Rhince, several crew members, Art, and I were the rest of the party. We returned several hours later without seeing a single sign of Eustace. All we had found was a dead dragon. We all tried to comfort each other by reminding the others that a dragon that was dead at three o'clock wouldn't have been eating little boys a few hours before.
After our return, we all tried to get some sleep. However, we were awakened by the news that there was a dragon between us and the ship. Reepicheep offered to attempt single combat with it. Caspian wouldn't let him. We waited until first light to attack it. When we did, we girls were put in the middle, with Reep riding on Lucy's shoulder. The dragon was waiting for us at the edge of the wood. It retreated upon spying us to the shallows of the bay. "What's it wagging its head like that for?" Edmund asked.
"And now it's nodding," Caspian added.
"And there's something coming from its eyes," Drinian observed.
"Oh, can't you see? It's crying. Those are tears," Lucy said.
"I shouldn't trust to that, Ma'am. That's what crocodiles do to put you off your guard."
"It wagged its head when you said that. Just as if it meant no. Look, there it goes again," replied Edmund.
"Do you think it understands what we're saying?" Lucy queried.
The dragon nodded. Reep slid to the ground. "Dragon, can you understand speech?"
The dragon nodded.
"Can you speak?"
He shook his head.
"Then it is idle to ask you your business. But if you will swear friendship with us, raise your left foreleg above your head." It did, but we all noticed that there was a bracelet on its arm causing it to be swollen.
"Oh, look. There's something wrong with its leg. The poor thing-that's probably what it was crying about. Perhaps it came to us to be cured like in Androcles and the lion."
"Be careful, Lucy. It's a very clever dragon, but it may be a liar," Caspian warned. But Lucy, Reepicheep, and I had already run toward it, and of course everyone followed us. "Show me your poor paw. I might be able to cure it," Lucy said. She put a drop of cordial upon the leg of the dragon, and the swelling went down some but the bracelet was still there. Caspian suddenly, while staring at the bracelet, said, "Look!"