Hey guys! So I take it you all liked how I ended the last chapter? I didn't want to procrastinate getting them together anymore. As a matter of fact, I am going to actually get through the rest of the events pretty quickly probably so that I can get to the island with Liliandil, because I really want to write that. Don't worry though, the chapters will still be as long as they always are, but they will most likely start covering more and more of the story faster. Now let me respond so you can read!
Trapped In Narnia: I totally agree! Thanks so much for the review, and keep doing so!
Rachel Kate Doxey: Thanks so much. There probably will be a few more chapters if its any consolation, and I agree I am so glad that they aren't fighting any more for the moment.
LesMisNut: This isn't really a reply, as you haven't reviewed in a while, but I really wanted to let you know that the advice that you've given thus far on my stories (not just this one) has really helped me, and thanks so much!
Now, here's the story!
Disclaimer: C.S. Lewis said I would need more than just my dollar to buy the Narnia series *sobs*
Later that night, right before bed, Susan came into the room Peter, Caspian, and Edmund were sharing. "Peter, Caspian?" she asked. Her brother looked over at her. "Do you mind if I talk to you for a minute?" Caspian gulped lightly, knowing what she was going to say, and Peter smiled before following her out onto the deck.
"Peter," she said once they had gotten onto the deck. "Caspian and I have something we need to tell you." Peter frowned in confusion. Susan grabbed Caspian's hand.
"Peter," she said. "I don't want to go back to England knowing that I missed out on something wonderful here. You know as well as I do that we're getting older; what if Aslan suddenly decides not to bring us back? I don't want to leave for the last time not knowing what might have happened had I done something differently while I was here.
"I know that you're probably going to say that it's not a good idea, but Peter I love Caspian. I know that now. If I were to go home right now, knowing that I do, then I would hurt because of it. If I have to hurt when I go home, I at least want to make some good memories now. I need you to accept that, Peter."
Susa stopped then, looking up at Peter expectantly, waiting for a response. Peter sighed. "You've already made up your mind on this, haven't you?" he asked. Susan and Caspian nodded. Peter smiled lightly. "Then I guess I can't stop you. Just know that I will be there for you when we leave. And Caspian-" he looked at Caspian -"If you hurt her, then I will kill you."
Caspian grinned. "Don't worry," he said. "You won't get a chance after she's done with me." Peter laughed along with Susan and Caspian for a moment before he looked out and saw how dark the sky was; it was near midnight now. "We should probably be getting to bed," he said. The others nodded their agreement.
Ten minutes later, Susan lay in her bed, smiling as she thought of what the next few days would bring.
Five days later, just as Caspian had said, they docked on a small island with many trees and shrubs. They docked on the beach, again leaving Reepicheep on the boat, much to Lucy's disappointment and Reepicheep's chagrin. Because the island was filled with trees and other plants, the crew was able to get food and water to restock on.
The crew decided to stay the night on the ship and then explore some more the net morning, so that's what they did. They went through the same procedures as they had at the last island they landed on (putting up the tent, making a small dinner before going to bed, etc.)
During the night, however, Susan woke up to a stomping noise. She sat up quickly, and when she opened her eyes she found that her sister was gone! Near her pillow was one footprint, a rather large one, but there was no other next to it. She found that there also were other prints leading back into the forest.
Quickly she woke up the others and made them follow her into the forest so that they could find Lucy.
They followed the path of footprints into a small patch of land that was surrounded by trees. Unlike the rest of the island, this place had a small clearing where there were no trees. The trees outside of it formed a circle, and it looked like a place where there could have been a house or something.
Susan was right ahead of the others as they walked into the clearing, and just as she walked in she could have sworn she saw a light, but when she finally made it through the trees it was gone and all that was left was empty space. Looking around, Susan saw that there were more footprints all around the ground, but still nobody to be found.
Suddenly from out of nowhere there cam huge thumping sounds; and then there were even more footprints made, coming closer and closer to the search party. "They're invisible!" exclaimed Susan disbelievingly when she had realized what was going on.
"But we're big," said a gruff, deep voice from somewhere nearby Susan, though she couldn't pinpoint where. "Yeah," said another voice. "And we have the body of a tiger with the face of a…" the voice trailed off uncertainly before another one came back. "With the body of a different tiger!" it said.
"Yeah," said the first voice. "So don't make us scratch you with our claws!"
"And beat you with our paws!" said another.
Right as the voice said that, however, suddenly the air around where the footprints were began to shimmer with magic and slowly Susan began to be able to make out the shapes of some sort of weird creature: it had one leg, and was very short and fat. But what surprised her most was that the creatures were stacked upon one another.
"And tickle us with your toes?" jested Edmund lightly. "Or stomp on us with your foot?" asked Caspian, looking straight at one of the creatures. "Yes," said one of the creatures. "Er, no! Yes?" The creatures now seemed very confused with themselves before finally one of them seemed to put one and one together.
"You can see us?" said one of them confusedly. Susan nodded, laughing lightly before her face went to one of anger. "You took my sister!" she said. She stepped up to one of the creatures, making it step back in fear. "Where is she?!" The creature seemed very scared now and shrunk back slightly. "In the mansion!" it said.
"What mansion?" asked Susan. "That mansion!" said Edmund suddenly, pointing to a seemingly deserted part of the clearing. Just as it had happened to the creatures, the space where Edmund was pointing began to shimmer and gradually the shape of a mansion became visible.
No sooner had the mansion appeared then out of the front door came Lucy herself. By her side was an old man, by the look of him he was a wizard. "Lucy!" cried Susan, rushing toward her sister to embrace her in a hug. "You're alright!" Lucy laughed. "Of course I am, silly!" she said as she hugged her sister back.
Lucy looked as though she were going to say something else, but then they all noticed what the creatures were doing. They seemed to be scared of the wizard, as though they thought he were a bad person. "Oppressor!" one shouted. "I have not oppressed you," said the wizard. "I was only trying to keep you safe."
"No," said another. "You have oppressed us! Oppressor!" The wizard rolled his eyes. "Be gone with you all!" he said, opening his hands as some sort fox dust flew out of them and toward the creatures. The creatures ran off screaming fearfully, and when they had gone Lucy looked back at the wizard. "What was that stuff?" she asked.
The wizard grinned. "Lint," he said, winking. "But don't tell them that." Everyone there laughed lightly at that before suddenly the wizard's face became sober once more. "But there is an urgent matter that needs attended to," he said. "Let us go inside."
"Wait," said Lucy. "What were those things?" "Dufflepuds," said the wizard. "Oh," said Lucy. Nobody commented further on the subject.
The royals followed the wizard inside the mansion while the crew got back to the campsite, where they all started packing it up and readying the ship.
Meanwhile, the royals were escorted into the mansion. "You see," said the wizard. "I made the dufflepuds invisible because it seemed the easiest way to protect them." "From what?" asked Peter. "From the evil that's been lurking about," said the wizard.
Edmund looked confused. "The Mist?" he asked. "No," said the wizard. "From what is lurking behind the Mist."
At this point the children were escorted into a large library-looking room. Lights were about the ceiling, making it look as though it were the night sky, and the whole room seemed to glow from the light that the fake starts emitted. The royals stood back now as the wizard took a large roll of paper and spread it out on the floor.
The paper turned out to be a map, and it was very dusty. When the dust cleared, however, Susan saw that it hadn't been dust at all: the dust turned into a 3D form of the whole of Narnia, showing all of the islands and even, in the middle slightly, the green Mist.
"The Dark Island," said the wizard. "Is the place where the Mist lurks. It can make your darkest nightmares come to life, and it seeks to corrupt all goodness in the world. To steal the light from this world. "How do we stop it," Lucy said, setting her jaw in determination.
"You must break the spell," said the wizard. Suddenly he turned to Edmund. "That sword you carry, there are six others." "The six Lords," said Caspian. "You've seen them. "Yes," said the wizard. "Where are they headed?" asked Peter. "Where I sent them," answered the wizard. The map moved as he did, showing them the island.
"To break the spell," said the wizard. "You must follow the Blue Star to Romandu's Island. There, the seven swords must be laid at Aslan's table. Only then can the magical power be released. But beware. You are all about to be tested." "Tested?" asked Susan.
"Until you lay down the seventh sword," said the wizard. "Evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in it's power to corrupt you." The wizard leaned in close to Lucy. "Be strong," he said. Susan was confused. What would Lucy have to be tested with? Her faith? No, Lucy had always believed and always would. Then what?
"Don't fall for temptation," said the wizard, now walking around the circle the royals had made. "To defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness inside yourself."
For whatever reason, the wizard was now looking at Peter. What could he possibly have to be tested about that hadn't already been shown in the Cave? Now Susan was thoroughly confused.
Not too long later the royals took their leave of both the mansion and the island. No sooner had they set sail, however, then yet another storm took the seas. Soon, Captain Drinian called a meeting of the royals.
"This is your last chance to turn back, Majesties," he said. "The men are getting nervous. There's no guarantee we'll actually see the Blue Star in this storm. Like a needle in a haystack, it is. These are strange seas we're sailing, likes of which I've never seen before."
"Then perhaps," said Caspian. "You'd like to be the one to explain to mister Rince that we're abandoning the search for his family?" The captain looked down. "My king," he said. "I've seen waters like these drive crewmen round the bend before. The crew's started to rebel already."
Suddenly another voice spoke from the corner. "Let me talk to them," said Susan, walking forward. Caspian looked back at her. "No!" he said. "It's too dangerous. You heard the captain. The crew is already getting unruly!" "That's why I need to speak to them," said Susan. "I can give them peace. I have before, in the time of the Golden Age. That was actually my job half the time. Let me do what I can do best. Let me be the Gentle Queen."
The royals looked back and forth between themselves. Finally Caspian sighed. "Fine," he said. "But for only ten minutes, and there is to be both me and Peter there in case the crew goes wild." Susan nodded her agreement, and they went above deck.
Above, the crew were behaving just as the captain had said. They were running around, only some of them doing their work. Some of them were fighting the others, and all of them were screaming. That is, until Susan started walking past them. Instantly, they all stopped, showing the respect they knew was befitting a royal.
"Is this what we are resorting to?" asked Susan. She didn't raise her voice, and it was just barely heard over the wind. She didn't speak unkindly, either. Her tone was one of disappointment, like one a mother would use on a naughty child. "Violence and mischief?" she continued.
"This crew is the best one that I have seen in any ship in the whole of the Narnian navy, including the ones in the Golden Age. You are all the best and the brightest, and yet you're letting a storm turn your heads. Why is this?"
"Your Majesty," said one crewman. "We've been at sea for days, on half rations, not being able to sleep save if we got sick, and when we did we are back up by the next day." "And what do you think your Kings have been doing this whole time?" she asked, her voice still the same stern motherly tone. "Twiddling their thumbs? Caspian, Edmund, and Peter have all been working very hard to try to locate our navigating star to find where we are supposed to be going.
"We are trying to help the families that have been lost in the horrible Mist that has been corrupting this land. We are trying to find the families that have been ripped apart by the wrongdoings of the slave traders. But we need your help to do it.
"We all must band together in this time of need. If we don't, then we will fail, and the hardships we have already gone through will be all for naught. You have to stand up, all of you. You have to believe that Aslan will come and help us. In all of history, tell me, has he ever not come when we needed him?
"So again I ask you, is this what we are resorting to?"
"No ma'am," said the crew as one. Susan smiled at them all lightly. "Thank you all," she said. The boys watched in awe as she walked back down the deck, on her way to her room. Nobody noticed, however, a small smirk that appeared on her face.
Sorry about the weird ending, but I just couldn't think of a better way to leave it off and it's already pretty long. Anyway, review for me!
-CahillGirl2001