"Everybody! Everybody wake up!" Lucy cried happily.
Elizabeth opened her eyes and began blushing furiously when she realized that during the night, she had moved closer to Caspian and had been sleeping on his shoulder. She refused to look at him as she stood up.
"It's the Blue Star!"
Everyone looked over, and sure enough, a small blue light was in the sky, pointing to the way where they needed to go.
They all boarded the Dawn Treader again and took off in the direction of the star.
Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned. Soon the ship wouldn't budge without others rowing below deck.
"The wind has left us," Drinian said.
"So how do we get to Ramandu's Island now then?" Edmund asked.
"My guess is something doesn't want us to get there."
The crew members quickly started getting restless as the food portions became smaller and smaller.
"If I get any hungrier, I'm gonna eat that dragon!" one crew member yelled in frustration.
"You will do that over my dead body," Eva said with a sharp glare. "He may be a dragon, but he's my friend."
The crew member bowed his head. "Apologies, my Lady."
"It's alright. I know we're all just on our last nerve."
Drinian came back up to them. "If we don't get to landfall by tonight, they may well eat that—"
The ship suddenly lurched heavily causing everyone one board to go sprawling. Edmund caught Eva while Caspian caught Elizabeth.
"What'd we hit?" Drinian asked.
Everyone went to the side of the ship to see that Eustace was using his tail to pull the ship along!
"Eustace, that's brilliant!" Edmund called.
The crew members started cheering for Eustace. Elizabeth knew that had to have felt good to him. He hadn't had someone praise him for something worthwhile in a really long time. Perhaps this was even the first time.
Caspian went to his chambers while Edmund and Eva were together on the balcony outside the room.
"We can't be sure the other lords even made it to Ramandu's Island," Caspian muttered.
Eva went next to him. "If they haven't, we will just keep looking for them. We've found all the others. In rather unfortunate circumstances, but we found them. Just have faith."
They approached Ramandu's Island which ended up being far more intimidating than it looked on the outside.
Everyone on the Dawn Treader disembarked and began making their way deeper and deeper into the island.
They ended up coming before an archway made by an old tree. Through the archway was a long table with a lot of delicious-looking food on it.
"Mmm…food," Tavros said hungrily.
"Wait," Drinian told him.
Edmund shone his flashlight on the far end of the table and gasped when the light shone upon three bearded men covered in vines.
Elizabeth gasped at the sight of the men and unconsciously put her hand on Caspian's. Once she realized what she had done, she quickly pulled away. Caspian chose not to acknowledge it.
He edged closer to the men and looked at the crest on the ring of one of the men's fingers. "Lord Revilian," he remarked. He then looked at the other crests. "Lord Mavramorn. Lord Argoz."
Lucy moved the hair out of one of the lords' eyes and lightly gasped when she felt movement.
Caspian leaned closer to the lord. "He's breathing!"
Edmund looked at the other lords and saw their chests rising up and down. "So are they. They're under a spell."
Caspian quickly shot up and held out his hand. "It's the food!"
Tavros awkwardly dropped the apple he was holding as the other men took a step back.
"Hey, it's the stone knife!" Edmund exclaimed as he shone his light on the small object. "This is Aslan's Table!"
"The swords. On the Table."
Lucy took the swords away from the lords at the Table while Caspian, Edmund, and Elizabeth put down the swords they had been carrying.
"That's six," Edmund said.
"Still missing one," Caspian added.
The swords began to turn a light blue color, and so did the rest of the place.
"Look!" Lucy exclaimed as she looked up.
The others followed suit and found a bright blue orb floating down to where they were. Once down to their level, the orb turned into a beautiful young woman with a light blue glow about her.
"Travelers of Narnia, welcome," she said to them kindly. Everyone respectfully bowed down to her. "Arise. Are you not hungry?"
"Who are you?" Edmund asked.
"I am Liliandil. Daughter of Ramandu. I am your guide."
"You're a star," Caspian said. Liliandil looked at him and smiled as she nodded. "You are most beautiful."
"If it is a distraction for you, I can change form."
"No," Caspian and Edmund said together.
Eva looked at Edmund sharply as she raised an eyebrow. Realizing that he had begun to dig himself into a hole, Edmund put his arm around her shoulders. That satisfied her enough.
Elizabeth couldn't help but envy the woman for looking so flawless. She wished that she could hear that she was beautiful from someone.
"Please," Liliandil smiled. "The food is for you." She waved her hands and the candles were lit. "There is enough for all who are welcome at Aslan's Table. Always. Help yourselves."
The men started reaching for the food. "Wait," Edmund said quickly. He motioned over to the lords. "What happened to them?"
"These poor men were half mad by the time they reached our shores. They were threatening violence upon each other. Violence is forbidden at the Table of Aslan. So they were sent to sleep."
"Will they ever wake?" Lucy asked.
"When all is put right. Come. There is little time."
The crew members began to eat the food on the table while Caspian, Elizabeth, Eva, Edmund, and Lucy followed Liliandil to another part of the island. They ended up on a worn lookout perch where they could see out across the ocean.
"The magician, Coriakin, told you of Dark Island?" Liliandil asked.
"Yes," Caspian answered.
They all looked out across the water where an island sat, shrouded in green mist and fog. That was the island they had been dreading reaching.
"Before long, the evil will be unstoppable."
"Coriakin said to break the spell, we lay the seven swords on Aslan's Table."
"He speaks the truth."
"But we found only six," Edmund said. "Do you know where the seventh is?"
Liliandil pointed to Dark Island. "In there."
"Of course it is," Eva muttered. "Because why would it be anywhere else? Heaven forbid our journey be simple…"
"You will need great courage. Now, waste no time."
"I hope we meet again," Caspian told her.
Liliandil smiled at him. "Goodbye." She transformed back into an orb and shot up into the sky where she belonged.
They returned to Aslan's Table and helped themselves to the food since they were all starving from the severe lack of rations for the past few weeks.
Once they returned to the ship, Caspian stood up at the wheel and faced his crew. "Men and ladies, get plenty of rest tonight. Tomorrow, we journey into Dark Island to find the seventh sword and possibly the last lord. It will be perilous, so you must be on your guard."
He stepped down and started towards the State Room while everyone headed to their beds and hammocks.
"Elizabeth," Caspian said. "May I speak with you, please?"
Elizabeth nodded as she headed into the State Room with him. "Is there something wrong?"
"I want to help you, Elizabeth. We're about to go to a place where all of our worst fears are going to come to light. But I can't help you unless I know what the problem is."
"Your Majesty…"
"I'll even tell you what my biggest fear is if that will help. That my father would be disappointed in me if he was still here. That he would think I'm not the king he wants me to be. That I'll never be good enough for him."
Elizabeth paused. "Your Majesty…I am not worthy to talk to you, much less be alone with you."
"That's not true, and I think you know that now. Elizabeth, what is the mist making you dream of?"
Elizabeth turned so that her back was to him, afraid to look at him as she began her story. "I haven't always for worked for Lucy and Edmund's aunt and uncle. I used to work for another family. The mother went away during the day, but the father stayed at home to do his work. And he worked me so very, very hard. And then when I wasn't good enough or quick enough for him, he…he hit me. Broke my arm once, gave me a black eye several times, pushed me down the stairs twice. Left me with countless bruises. The mother didn't know, and the children were too young to understand that what he was doing to me wasn't right. That's why working for Eustace isn't so bad. Because at least he never physically hurts me."
Caspian could not believe what he was hearing. How could someone even lay on a hand on Elizabeth with the intention of hurting her? She had been nothing but kind since the moment he met her even throughout all of the turmoil they had been through on their journey.
He went up to her and gently touched her shoulder. She flinched a little at his touch. When she turned around to face him again, his heart broke at the sight of the tears resting on her cheeks.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I didn't mean to unload all that on you."
"It's all right. I wanted to know. Do Edmund and Lucy know about this?"
"No, and I must ask you not to tell them. If they ever do find out…I want them to hear it from me."
Caspian took a step towards her. "Elizabeth, I will never hurt you like that. I promise. Nor will I ever let anyone do that to you ever again."
Elizabeth's breath hitched in her throat as she saw the way he was looking at her. He started moving closer to her, but she quickly moved away from him.
"Your Majesty, I am not worthy of you. You belong with a queen or a princess like Lilliandil. Not me. Not a simple…servant."
"Elizabeth, why is it so hard for you to see yourself as more than you think you are?"
Elizabeth sighed heavily. "I'm just not important. You deserve someone so much better than me."
Caspian went up to her again. "You are beautiful. Inside and out. And that's all I've ever wanted. If anything, I am unworthy of you."
Elizabeth felt her heart skip a beat. He had called her beautiful. "I…"
"Can you look me in the eye and honestly tell me that you do not love me?"
Elizabeth looked away from him. "I cannot love you."
"That is not what I asked." He took her chin in his hand and gently forced her to look at him. "Do you love me?"
Elizabeth looked right into his warm brown eyes and found that she could not lie to him. "Yes."
Caspian smiled and pressed his lips to hers in a soft and tender kiss. As tears continued to make trails down her cheeks, she realized for the first time in a long time that she was beautiful and she actually did matter.