Chapter Two: A Great Journey Begins.
{XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX}
~ Cambridge England ~
"Come on, Ed!" Lucy called. He sighed as he locked the door of the house behind him. Why they had to get up at seven in the morning just to get groceries didn't make any sense to him. He slipped the metal key into his pocket as he thought about how much he wished he could be in Narnia. Well, at least if he couldn't fight wars in Narnia, perhaps he could fight the war here in England. All it would take was the ration card of his aunt's, which he had, twisting his name and age a bit, and hoping Lucy wouldn't find him fast enough.
He was sick of being treated like a child– a boy who was too young to know anything! It frustrated him when at the dinner table Eustace and Harold would talk about the war, then he would point out a reason that the entire situation could've been avoided, and they would stare at him as if he were the village idiot; all because his point made sense. He was tired of it; he wanted to be treated like the adult he had been.
At first, when he was going over the idea in his head, he wished Peter was there to tell him not to go through with it, but then he resolved that in the end every king has to make his decisions alone. Even if they were petty and rather messily concocted.
Lucy smiled fleetingly at him as they got on the bikes they had been loaned by Uncle Harold. She was the only one, it seemed, who never became darkened by the anguish of the comings and leavings. Arriving at the store, he shopped with her until almost the end, telling her as he walked away that there was something he wanted to do. She sighed as she watched him leave.
"Like Peter you wish for things that cannot be. These are the times when I question your reasons of bringing them into Narnia to rule, only to pull them away again, Aslan," Lucy whispered sadly as she went back to deciding which brand of canned corn she wanted.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Edmund stood in the line for recruits at the nearby hospital, wondering now if this was really a bright idea in the first place; before he could ponder the though further, his name was called. He managed to make his way through everything, however, when it came to the name, he received a questioning stare; but the problem of typographical errors was not uncommon. The sergeant signing up the young men knew this for a fact, as did Edmund.
"It's supposed to be 'Albert A. Scrubb'," he explained carefully, playing on meeting the man's eyes– which usually meant a person wasn't lying. Sadly– well, not quite so sadly in his opinion, Edmund had learned from his time as a monarch how to lie artfully while meeting another person's gaze. It was a useful accomplishment when dealing with prisoners or ruling over a decision in court. He preferred to call it bluffing, not lying. Lying was a crude word for mere slight of the tongue.
"Edmund, you're supposed to be helping me with the groceries." Lucy had just known he was going to do something like this; Peter had talked of doing the very same thing once or twice when he was still staying with them.
Edmund ignored the snide remarks and needling's as he walked past the other men waiting to sign. "If only you knew what war is really like. When you get there, you'll see that what you thought it was isn't that at all." The thought pacified him somewhat, keeping him from turning around and beating some of them over the head as they well deserved. It was times like these that were most trying.
Lucy, he found, was surprisingly quiet as they walked back to their bikes. She didn't reprimand like Susan would've, and she didn't lecture, like he knew Peter would've. He decided then that it couldn't hurt to vent his feeling on someone who actually understood them.
"He barely had two years on me! I'm a King; I've fought wars, led armies!" Edmund exclaimed in annoyance, remembering what Peter had told him.
Lucy was sympathetic, knowing exactly what he felt and just how hard it was for him. "Not in this world," she stated obviously.
"I know; instead I'm stuck here, having to do battle with Eustace Clarence Scrubb– if ever he deserved a name."
The reason Lucy had been so quiet was because of the question she'd had on her mind, about whether or not she was pretty or plain. She missed Susan, and wished the older girl was there to tell her she was beautiful. As Edmund complained, she watched a rather nice-looking soldier flirt with a girl who appeared to be about the age Susan would've been had she returned to England instead of staying in Narnia. The unknown girl pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she gave the young man her full attention. Lucy subconsciously did the same, a little expression crossing her face which seemed suspiciously like longing.
Edmund suddenly realized that his sister was ignoring everything he'd just asked her. "What're you staring at?" he asked, turning to look. She jumped and spoke louder than necessary, causing him to jump as well and look back at her.
"Nothing, come on then!" she exclaimed, mustering a fake cheerfulness even Edmund could see through. He looked behind him as they walked away, but the soldier and the young lady had already gone, so he shrugged and put it from his mind.
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~ Narnia ~
"Oh, Susan, it's truly wonderful to see you again!" The auburn-haired young woman said, smiling as she took the offered hand. The raven-haired queen smiled back at the woman, nodding to the lady's husband before replying.
"Lyra, it is wonderful to hear a familiar voice after so many diplomats and their wives." A twinkle in Susan's eye as the other woman nodded knowingly.
"Yes, well, there are many more behind us, so we'll move out of their way and talk with you later in the ballroom," Durken declared with a laugh, leading his wife away.
After they had gone, Susan and Caspian welcomed several other Narnians and Telmarines before a bright glow from the entrance hall, and several masculine laughs mixing with a feminine one, drifted down to them. Everyone who didn't know the five Stars of Greenwood knew them now. Several Telmarine nobility sniffed distastefully as they walked past.
After the war with Calormen and Verius, Aslan had asked them if they still desired to become true Stars. Durken had politely refused, saying he'd rather give up the night sky to marry Lyra, as his father had done for his mother. But the others, Moriah, Erikk, Arran, Gavan and Zephyr, had readily accepted, having wanted that more than anything in their lives– besides their freedom.
Moriah walked between her brothers, her hair longer than ever, having grown past her waist some time ago. She laughed again, twirling and waving her hands in the air as they discussed something, beams of light shooting around the room. Gavan had recently turned sixteen, and he was taller now than his sister. Zephyr was still the quietest one, but you wouldn't think it to have seen him then, laughing as he was. Susan thought, after she'd gotten to know him, that he reminded her of Edmund.
Erikk brushed at his clothes and the stardust that drifted off onto the floor sparkled; a little Telmarine girl bent to touch it, but her mother nervously jerked her away, still suspicious of Narnian magic. Erikk, hearing the child cry, turned and walked back. Smiling kindly, he bent down to her level and held out his hand. The sparkling dust glittered in his palm, and the little girl forgot why she was crying and giggled happily. Standing, he sprinkled it down on her. She laughed brightly as it landed on her hair and skirt. He nodded to the mother before rejoining his watching siblings.
Arran, the rogue of the group, who looked to be more of a pirate than sailor-Star, put his arm around Erikk's shoulders, his other hand resting lightly on his sword hilt. He said something to his younger brother, but because of the noise from people talking about them, it was unintelligible. Their easy attitudes and silver, grey and white Narnian clothes made them seem slightly out of place. Even for all the changes in four years, Telmar was still a protocol and etiquette country, very much unlike Narnia had been.
"Caspian, Susan! How good it is to see you again! We decided to forgo our place in the night sky tonight to attend this gala, as we had some part in the Calormen war, even if we did start off as traitors," Arran said, reaching for Caspian's offered hand.
"Of course, you have every right; though, Arran, try not to scare my Telmarine subjects; they continue to stare at all of you rather oddly," Caspian remarked after they shook hands.
"My King, do you think I would be anything but a gentleman?" Arran queried, pretending to look confounded.
"Yes!" his siblings shouted, laughing.
"What are you implying? Are you saying that I have a disregarded for others?" he inquired of them, feigning offence.
"Yes, within reason," Gavan replied, grinning.
"We'll have to settle this where, certain others, aren't present," Arran said, motioning to the nobility standing around.
"Surely, brother, you can wait to avenge your honor until we leave this place?" Moriah asked, looking at him with what could be called shock, except for the fact that she couldn't cease her smiling.
"I can wait, if I must. Caspian, Susan," Arran said, nodding as they left the King and Queen and entered the ballroom. The two monarchs looked at one another and laughed; those Stars could brighten everything, including a person's spirit.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"So, what sort of venture across the high seas are you setting out to do?" Durken asked, looking at Caspian.
"I'm going to see why the Lone Islands haven't been giving any acknowledgment that Narnia is once again under Narnian rule, and so are they. Susan and I have begun to grow concerned over the silence. She says this sort of thing never happened in her time. I also want to find out what happened to seven Lords, friends of my Father's, who set sail before Miraz crowned himself."
"So, King Caspian is going to sail the Eastern Ocean? Would you need any sailors by chance?" Arran asked, grinning. He was a fine sailor, and there were not many who did not know it in Cair Paravel– at least, of the Narnians.
"If you're going to let him come along, bring me as well, I think I'd rather like to sail the ocean, besides, I'm an excellent navigator. And, you'll need someone to keep this one in check," Zephyr said calmly, though his eyes took on a new interest in the conversation.
"I don't see why you can't. I must confess: besides my Captain – Drinian – and his eight men, I haven't any other sailors."
"I'd go, but I don't want to leave Lyra. Forgive me, Caspian, but this venture I must step back from," Durken declared, smiling slightly.
Suddenly a thought hit Caspian; besides Trumpkin, he had really no other person to supervise things here why he was away. And if Durken and Lyra wouldn't mind, they would be perfect to round out matters.
"Durken, would you consider it too much of me to ask you to keep an eye on things here why Susan and I are away?" he asked abruptly, looking at the other man.
"Well, I don't see why I can't. Consider it my penance for being a traitor," he acquiesced, looking away. The memory of what he'd done still haunted him often, even though both Caspian and Susan had told him it was forgiven.
"We were all traitors, brother, not just you; stop carrying the burden of that. It was not of our choice," Gavan said gravely as his brothers nodded.
"I know, Gavan, but it is a struggle to let the memories go. It is harder to forget when one still carries the scars," Durken replied, looking at his brother.
"I know. We all know. And we're all in this together," Gavan answered, placing his hand on his oldest brother's shoulder. "When did you get so old, Gavan?" he asked, grinning, his morose countenance vanishing. The men laughed; the pain of their scarred and broken past was put behind them for a little while more.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"It is so nice to see you again, Susan," Moriah said, looking over at the queen.
"Yes, how are you Moriah, are you enjoying gracing the skies?" Susan asked kindly.
"Yes, ever so much, it is the best thing in the world!" She smiled happily.
"How is the little prince?" Lyra asked, looking at Susan with interest. Susan laughed, glancing over to where Caspian was standing before replying.
"Growing faster than I want him to, and he's so much like his father. I don't know what I'm going to do as he gets older!"
"I've told Durken, that, if we have a girl, he's not to spoil her, but I don't think he understands. Son or daughter, I believe he'll spoil both," Lyra said, placing her hand lightly over her stomach.
"I didn't know you were expecting! Excuse me, ladies, but I must go question my brother on his reasons for not notifying me of this news!" Moriah declared, narrowing her eyes at her eldest brother's figure before walking away. The older women watched with bemused smiles as she walked up to Durken.
"I heard that you're going with Caspian. Is that true?" Lyra asked, looking over at her companion.
"Yes. I've told him I'm not going to let him sail an ocean filled with unknown magic, mermaids, and who knows what else."
"You're bringing Rilian?"
"I'm not going to leave him; he's barely a year old, and besides, this can't really be all that dangerous. The Lone Islands have never been hostile, though the silence worries me some. But I believe they just haven't heard any news from Narnia yet," Susan said, scanning the large room as they talked.
"Well, may Aslan protect you on your journey then," Lyra replied before she moved off, Susan smiled and gave her her thanks for the kind words as she too took her leave to mingle with the other guests; a queen could not monopolize only one guest, it was not proper.
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~Galmanian Port~
Susan hugged the Duke's daughter before she walked up the gangway with the rest of the Narnians. They'd stayed in Galma for a week, as the Duke of Galma had wanted to throw a banquet and tournament in honor of their arrival. Holding Rilian as she stood next to Caspian, she glanced over at him as she spoke, "I think you might have married her had I gone back, it would've pleased her father."
He looked over at her and smiled, shaking his head slightly as he responded, "No, no. I wouldn't have. I'm quite sure." After so saying, he walked to the helm to discuss their course with Drinian, and she stared back at the port as the ship glided farther away from Galma. Rilian fussed, distracting her out of her thoughts.
"I think someone's quite ready for their nap," she murmured, walking away herself.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"How long does Drinian expect we'll have to keep rowing like this before we reach Terebinthia?" Susan asked as she approached Caspian, concern marring her features.
"As long as we're becalmed, I suppose," Caspian responded, looking down at the charts again. Susan moved to stand next to him.
"What are you studying?" She asked, trying to guess at what he was looking at.
"This." As he spoke he motioned to the blank edges of the map, past the Lone Islands, further east. "You don't really think there could be anything out there do you? I know that the Lone Islanders couldn't tell us anything about that blank area in my day. Do you think they might know now?" She queried, meeting his gaze as she spoke.
"I don't know. But you -" he broke off as the door opened and Reepicheep entered.
"Sire, Terebinthia is on the horizon. Drinian wishes to know your orders!" He looked from one to the other with his eager brown eyes, waiting for a response.
"I'm coming," Caspian said, moving to follow Reepicheep back to the helm. After he'd left, Susan took a closer look at the charts and maps. The blank edges loomed; there seemed to be more unknown waters than known. She only hoped Caspian wasn't like Peter, wanting to sail to the ends of the earth, hoping to find…what exactly? It was beyond her. She was distracted from her thoughts by shouting from the deck.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"Ahoy there, ship of Narnia!" The sailor on board the approaching vessel shouted from the mast. He slid down the rigging and dashed to his captain's cabin. An older man emerged following him.
"Ahoy ship of Terebinthia!" Drinian called back; leaving the helm in the hands of his Minotaur first mate, he walked to the railing, subtly gesturing for Caspian to follow.
"I'm Captain Nimrrck, Admiral of King Kilendorr's navy. I insist you must turn back! Port Vern and most of Terebinthia is possessor of Black Death! This is not friendly advice; if you refuse to heed our warnings, we shall be forced to remove you by other means." Captain Nimrrck's sailors gathered around him, the threat intended to be made more meaningful by their weapons and grim expressions.
Drinian looked over at Caspian, waiting for him to reply. As king, it was his right. "Is there no way for me to obtain more water, and rest for myself and my men? We have been rowing without wind or headway for the past two days," Caspian stated, motioning to the limp sail of the ship.
"Sir, I understand, and know no discourtesy when I ask, your name, please?" The Admiral looked over the ship critically; he was beginning to wonder if they weren't pirates, the way everyone seemed treated as equal aboard the Narnian ship.
"Caspian, king of Narnia, and this is my Captain, Drinian. We're sailing for the Lone Islands."
"My deepest apologies, your Majesty. My men and I were beginning to become under the opinion that you were perhaps pirates of some nature. Clearly we are wrong in that assumption."
"Clearly," Caspian said, the coldness in his voice barely detectable.
"For to make amends, we can tell you of a place to water and rest, until Aslan sees fit to return the wind to you."
"That would make us most grateful to you," Caspian replied.
"Around the southern-most side of Terebinthia there is a small cove; useless for the large warships of this country, but perhaps better suited for a ship merely trying to regain lost time," Nimrrck said, nodding his head slightly in a form of respect before shouting to his men in Terebinthian to turn the ship around. Drinian left the railing to do the same.
"I was beginning to think that he wouldn't let us go for a moment," Gavan said, walking up. He had also decided to come, since good sailors in Narnia were hard to find so early in the deliverance, and also because of the fact that he and Zephyr were trying to keep a family secret well in check.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"Caspian, if we don't get a good wind soon we might as well head back to Narnia, before my men forget they are sailors and think they're daisy-chain makers!" Drinian declared in exasperation, turning to look at his men lying under the trees, leaning against rocks, staring blankly out at sea, plucking grass, or, as Drinian so aptly said, creating daisy chains.
Caspian sighed, nodding in agreement. "Yes, if by noon tomorrow there is no sign of a good headwind, we'll return to Narnia. Agreed?"
"Agreed, and, Caspian? There is always next year. I think Narnia will be peaceful for many years to come." Drinian walked out after he finished, leaving Caspian with his thoughts.
Susan came in, a smile on her face and a cheerfulness about her. "Why do you seem so depressed? Aslan will bring the wind back, you'll see. Come, get off this bloody boat and enjoy the shore for the first time in days! You really worry too much, you know," she said, placing her hand over his on the table.
"I suppose you're right. I can't help but worry, though."
"I know I'm right, I'm always right!" she said, grinning mischievously.
"That, that I doubt indeed!" he replied with a smile.
"Yes, well, there's nothing you can do about it." She laughed, moving away.
"I don't know about that either," he said, walking out of the cabin after her.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"Caspian, what if I told you that, well, the wind was back?" Arran grinned.
"I wouldn't believe you," he replied with a smile. Arran was a liar as much as he was handsome. And many ladies gossiped that he was very handsome.
"Well, it's true, the wind is back; we can move out!" Arran shouted, standing as he did so. The others looked at him in disbelief. Drinian was the first to stand and walk to the shore, looking at the turn of the tide. He returned, unable to keep the amused, exhilarated smile off his face.
"He's not lying, the wind is indeed back, coming from a southeast direction. With it we can get far enough out to sea to change routes to the Lone Islands. And we can finally leave these doldrums," he muttered, walking back to the ship.
The sailors eagerly broke camp and returned to the ship, ready to set sail. Daisy-chains weren't exactly a paying craft to hone. After three days of running before a swift, warm wind, the lookout sighted another ship on the horizon.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"Caspian, Drinian, a ship; she bears no flag! What do we do, for she's fast approaching!" the sailor exclaimed after sliding down the rigging.
Suddenly Arran came up, lightly pushing the concerned young man away. "Let her come, perhaps she means no harm," he said, smiling slightly, staring off at the ship as she came closer to view.
"Why, Arran?" Caspian asked, but before he could reply, Gavan and Zephyr came up as well.
"You can't be serious Arran! Don't you know who you're standing next to?" Gavan shouted angrily.
"Yes, I want to see what he'll, excuse me, they'll, say," he answered, nodding to Susan and Reep as they joined them as well.
"You're possessed; some would call you mad, Arran!" Zephyr said, his voice rising as he spoke to his brother.
"Very well. Let it be said, I care not," Arran replied, walking away.
"What's going on?" Caspian asked, sharing looks with Susan, Drinian, and Reep. Gavan and Zephyr sighed. "You will see; you'll see." Was all they said, before they, too, moved out of sight.
As the ship came closer, it was apparent that she was a pirate. Drinian ordered the men to be ready with arms in case they meant to board. As she drew to the portside, heavily armed, ready for a fight, Arran came out on deck, holding his arms up; he motioned for the Narnian crew to lower their weapons. He jumped onto the railing, grabbing a halyard rope, he sliced it with his dagger and the wind picked up the loose bit of sail and tossed him, still holding the rope, onto the foredeck of the pirate vessel, the Sea Serpent. The men of the ship gathered around him, and he spoke in a language foreign to the Narnians before coming back onboard the Narnian ship, in the like manner he had left it in. The other vessel drew off, about twenty paces away, waiting.
Standing on the Foredeck of the Dawn Treader, Arran looked up at Caspian and Drinian, smiling slightly, before proceeding to join them by the helm. Blocking his path from Caspian and Drinian stood Reepicheep, blade drawn, eyes blazing angrily. "Are you meaning to say you captain that crew of motley dogs? You're saying you're a pirate?"
Arran smiled indulgently, coldness in his voice as he replied, "Yes, does that bother you?" He moved past the stunned Mouse, towards an equally stunned Drinian, Caspian, and Susan. Leaning nonchalantly against the railing, he looked at them with amusement. "Well, stop staring; what are you going to say?"
"Arran, I should order Drinian to turn back and return to Narnia to see you hang!" Caspian said, the wrath in his tone not lost to the other man.
"Very well, but, I'll warn you, my crew will kill every one of you. They don't particularly like to see me threatened." Arran looked up at them and grinned suddenly.
"I have an idea! You leave me alone, and in exchange, I won't attack Narnian ships– once they set to water. Or, I could just kill you now and take your ship, though it's rather useless as a pirating vessel, and that's rather poor sport on my part. Whichever you choose, you have all the time in the world to decide," he mocked, knowing very well they didn't.
"Arran! Get that ship out of here! That's an order! You know Father said the only way he lets you do this is because you promised him you wouldn't hunt Narnian ships. You can either leave with that sea wolf or stay here peacefully!" Gavan shouted, looking at his brother, hatred and anger unmistakable. Zephyr looked at Arran with disappointment, his judgment silence instead of angry threats.
"Very well, I'll send her off, as long as it returns you to your more, pleasant state of mind, brothers," he answered calmly. Taking a bow from a stunned sailor, he wrote on some parchment that Gavan gave him. Wrapping it around the shaft of the arrow, he notched and fired it over to the other ship. Dropping the bow, he stared across and waited for his first mate to give the signal that he'd received the message. The man shouted to the crew, and the ship soon drew out of sight. Arran watched it go with a fond expression.
Turning, he found he was looking into Drinian's brown eyes. "Is there a problem?" he asked, easing away from the angry Captain. "I should think so! How can I trust you, a pirate? Men like you aren't bound by words, yo–" he was cut off by Arran.
"No, we're bound by the sea, and all her boundaries; I keep my promises just as you guide this ship! I may not tell the truth a great deal of the time, but you trust me when I tell you that I will not ever break my word. When it comes to the sea, I never go back on it; it is law, and it is final out here! I'm not Verius," he shouted, the hurt carried through to the older man. Arran turned and stared back over the horizon, wondering if perhaps he should've left with his men.
Drinian straightened, looking over uneasily at Caspian and Susan. They were just as stunned as he; words could not measure the depth of it. They had never heard Arran speak so strongly about something. If that was the force he carried with him when he led his men, then perhaps they could trust him.
"I am not Verius. I'm not! This is my freedom from him; this is my way out. Please, try to understand that," Arran whispered, walking toward the stairs.
"Arran, wait, perhaps we could try this again?" Drinian asked. As a man of the sea, he knew what it meant to love it, to feel a part of it, and so, he was willing to take Arran's word, odd as this situation was.
"We know you're not like Verius, but, you are like nothing we've ever met," Susan said kindly, smiling when he turned around. He grinned. Drinian walked up and held out his hand.
"You know, though I am a man of my word, shaking hands is rather beyond promises. Liars shake hands, black marketeers shake hands, scoundrels and thugs; they all do that as well. Your word matters more to me," Arran said, smiling. He wasn't stupid; plenty of men had shaken his hand and then tried to capture him for a reward, or just kill him because they hated him.
"Very well, I'll trust you, if this is all right with King Caspian." Drinian looked over at his friend and king.
"Arran, you're not going to betray us? You say you're not like Verius, but this incident has me wondering," Caspian asked, looking at the Star with caution.
"I'd die first before I ever lowered myself to betraying the King of Narnia," Arran swore, meeting Caspian's gaze.
"Very well, I have no other choice but to trust you then," he said, a smile slowly coming over his face.
"Well and good." Arran left the helm.
"What do we do about this strange turn of events?" Caspian asked, looking at his wife and his captain.
"I say we follow that ship and hang every mother's son of them! How can you trust him? He's a pirate!" Reepicheep spoke up loudly, looking around at the group of people angrily.
"He keeps his word. He's not lying, we can testify to that as his brothers. He values his word above everything; he doesn't ever go back on it," Zephyr said.
"That's why he has so many loyal followers." Gavan grinned down at the Mouse.
"It still remains to be seen. I'm going to be watching him very carefully," Reepicheep replied, scurrying off.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"An eventful day," Susan remarked, walking to the railing, staring at the sunset.
"Yes, but I suppose it doesn't matter. Arran has never given us cause to distrust him, except all the times he's lied. But I can't see his reason for telling us he's a pirate," Caspian answered, putting his arm around her waist and bringing her closer.
"I think he trusts you a great deal, and would like to have everything out on the table. He wants you to be able to trust him in all aspects of his life," Susan said softly, resting her head on his shoulder as she spoke.
"Hmm. That could be, perhaps." They stood there until the last rays of the sun had left the sky, wondering what the next day would bring.
{XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX}
~ Cambridge England & Narnia ~
"We're home! I tried to find some carrots for supper, but all they had were turnips again, Uncle Harold. Uncle Harold?" Lucy looked at the newspaper behind which her uncle hid with disdain. The Scrubbs treated her and Edmund as if they were servants. She hated it, but she said nothing; she could valiantly endure their meanness.
However, Edmund had suffered enough of the subtle jabs at their upbringing and the silent determination that the Pevensies of Finchley – excluding poor John, who had been misguided by Helen's wiles – were all a strange, lower-class group of ill-bred individuals. But Edmund Pevensie's retaliation at his uncle was rather immature for a monarch of Narnia. Monarchs, no matter how fed-up they were, did not grimace at people with exaggerated facial expressions.
"Father, Edmund's making faces at you!"
Edmund turned angrily to where Eustace was sneaking down the stairs; he felt like he was again in the War of Deliverance with Caspian, except everyone coming at him from every side didn't have weapons, they were using their words, something Edmund was not altogether unfamiliar with, only, none of his retorts would suffice here as they had in Narnia.
He walked over to his cousin skulking on the stairs behind the bannister, intending to tell the brat just how much he hated him, but Eustace fell as if he'd already injured him in some way and shouted out.
"Father he's going to hit me!"
Edmund backed away, but stared at his cousin with barely concealed contempt.
"For the love of Narnia! Aslan, can't you just make the boy vanish into dust or something?" Edmund thought in quiet disgust, leveling a scowl on the younger boy.
Lucy, meanwhile, had been going through the mail on the kitchen table and discovered a letter addressed to both her and Edmund.
"Edmund, a letter– it's from Mother!" She held it aloft, as if that could brighten the mood. Edmund hoped it contained the news of their early arrival or something else in the good-news department. Going to stay with Polly instead, perhaps.
"Come on, Ed, let's go read it!" he exclaimed, removing her hat and gloves.
{~~~~~~}
"Dear Lucy, how are you and Edmund? America is wonderful, how I wish you three could be with Father and I! It is very refreshing and new, after seeing our war-torn England.
How is Peter, have you heard from him or the Professor? I hope he's thinking hard on his studies and not on America and joining the army. I know he's nineteen and the correct age to join, but I'd rather not have two of my men in battle. Heavens, your Father is enough! I would never cease to worry about both if that were to be allowed.
It was odd your brother's reaction to my refusal.
Well, never mind that; one shouldn't dwell on the indecipherable, as your Father says.
It's a terrible pity that Professor Kirke lost such a great deal of money or I'd have allowed him to take all of you in while we've been away. He so wanted you to come and stay with him, but I strictly told him "no." Just because he's terribly fond of you doesn't give him cause to be squeezed into that tiny cottage of his with all of you for who-knows-how-long!
I hope you shan't mind another few months in Cambridge, but it seems as if the Germans have made the crossing difficult right now and Father and I won't be able to arrive on the date we planned.
Send all my love on to everyone! I dearly hope you aren't having too badly a time with Aunt Alberta and Uncle Harold; they can be a bit "New Fashioned" at times. How's Ed getting along with Eustace? I know he's sixteen and Eustace is only twelve and a half, but I had hoped that some of Ed's kindness would rub off on the boy!
Well, my dear Lucie-Lou, I hope this letter finds you and Edmund happy and content,
Lovingly, Your Mother and Father."
{~~~~~~}
"Another few months– how will we survive?" Lucy said, looking around in dismay.
"At least you've got your own room; I'm stuck in with mullet mouth. As Peter so aptly named him," Edmund groused, picking up the letter Lucy had dropped, wanting to read the sentence which would doom them to another internment in the Scrubb's secret POW camp.
"How lucky Peter and Susan are, off doing interesting things no doubt. Susan in Narnia, Peter with Digory," Lucy mused, getting up from her bed and looking at herself in the small mirror next to it.
"Well, they're the oldest and we're the youngest– we don't matter as much," Edmund muttered, falling crosswise onto his sister's bed.
"You know, in this picture it almost looks as if the water's actually moving." Before Edmund could reply, the most annoying person currently in their life walked through the bedroom door. Eustace Clarence Scrubb.
"Still playing your old game?"
Eustace had been listening outside the door and now walked grinning into the room. He had managed to hear them all talking about Narnia when Peter had been there, and now he loved teasing them about it. Eustace, of course, thought they were making it all up. As he was far too stupid to make anything up, let alone a whole country, he didn't approve of it.
"I'm trying to think of a limerick," the blonde boy declared nonchalantly. "Listen to this:
"There once were two orphans who wasted their time
Believing in Narnian nursery rhymes."
"Please let me hit him!" Edmund exclaimed in a threatening tone, rising from the bed and advancing menacingly toward the young boy. Lucy just put her hand on his arm, reminding him that they were a king and queen; they could act royally, even though things were difficult here.
If Eustace had been like any boy, he would've done one of two things: cleared out or flared up. But, he wasn't like most boys, so instead he just stood there, enjoying their anger and the fact that they knew they could do nothing to him.
"Do you like that picture?" he asked, glancing over at the item in question hanging above the small white mantle, an air about him Edmund strongly disliked, especially since it was being directed towards his sister.
"Yes, I do," Lucy replied.
"It's a rotten picture."
"You won't see it from the other side of the door," Edmund muttered in reply, rolling his eyes in aggravation.
"It's my house, I'll go where I please; you're just guests."
"I haven't seen you lift a finger since we've been here. You know, I've a mind to tell Aunt Alberta it was you who stole her sweets," Edmund declared, closing the door and cutting off Eustace's escape.
"Liar, I did no such thing!"
Edmund!"
"I found them under your bed, and you know what, I licked every one!"
"Edmund!"
"Ugh! I'm infected with you!" Eustace cried out.
While the boys had been fighting, Lucy had gone to inspect the painting closely, wondering why Eustace and his mother seemed to see it in such an unfavorable light. The one thing revealed to her about it was the fact that the water was moving, it hadn't been a trick of her eyes. She shouted for Edmund, but it wasn't until the spray and salty wind actually hit him that he paid any attention to her cries. He smiled at her, when they're eyes met, knowing exactly what this meant, and both completely forgot Eustace in the joy of the moment. But they quickly were forced to remember him when he started screaming.
"Stop it or I'll tell mother!" he shouted, the fear obvious in his voice.
"Fine I'll just smash the rotten thing!" he declared over the din of wind and wave.
"Eustace, no! Stop– don't!" They both cried as he pulled the picture from the wall. But as they fought to keep him away, the room filled with water, and they found that unless they swam to the top, they would most likely drown. Lucy kicked off her shoes as she swam, knowing that they would only worsen her cause. Gasping as she arrived at the surface, she looked around; she was horrified to notice that the ship in the picture was bearing down upon them; Edmund would be drowned by it if he didn't swim.
"Edmund, Eustace, swim! Now, hurry!" she shouted, moving out of the way as she did so. All three could hear the groan of her timbers as the ship arched up behind them.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"Captain, men overboard!" The lookout shouted from his perch, pointing to a spot in the water nearly directly in front of the ship. Drinian turned to Caspian with a confused expression. These people had appeared out of nowhere. Caspian ran to the railing with Arran and Gavan.
"What should we do?" Arran asked, looking worriedly at Caspian and his brother.
"I think the only thing to do is to rescue them, and ask questions later," Gavan stated obviously.
"Fine; Drinian, we're going to go rescue whoever these strangers may be!" Caspian shouted to the Captain.
"Keep her steady now; we don't want to be run over as well," Arran joked weakly, before he dived into the ocean. Why they were risking their lives for unknown people swimming in the Eastern Ocean was beyond him.
A/N:
What do you think? Yes, I know I brought the Stars back! I honestly think that they're better in this one than in the first story. Yes, Arran is a pirate; this has nothing to do with my love of POTC or pirates in general (I'm not joking).
The reason I did that is, well, (I've got hints all over the place that he acts like one) because in the book Voyage of the Dawn Treader Caspian tells Edmund and Lucy after they arrive that they were nearly overhauled by pirates, and Reep actually did say he thought they should've followed the ship and "hung every mother's son of them."
I like the idea that Arran uses this as an escape from Lord Verius. I also like the idea that he's a man of his word, because that makes him a character to watch out for; now you'll be wanting to make sure he keeps his promises. Also he is a liar, no joke there.
But Enough about Arran. As (I hope) you can tell, I'm going to try to combine the plot of the book and the plot of the movie, blending them into one plotline, with many branching subplots. I'll make the green mist a subplot that goes somewhere, unlike the movie (green mist wasn't in the book). I think you'll be mightily pleased with my work!
Now, WH, you must type it out!
Ugh, must I really?
Yes, they want to read it too!
Fine, fine! (sigh of defeat)
Just a preview of the conversation that is ongoing in my mind about writing anything. I just wish I could think it and it would appear onto the word processor! (don't you?)
I liked writing that part when Susan and Caspian are talking as they sail from Galma, because in the books that part is utterly humorous! I also like the idea of playing with plots that happened. I love the possibilities of changing certain parts! This is so much fun!
{I promise a huge disclaimer at the end of this story, again}
I enjoyed writing Edmund's little adventure! I like the idea of him being the only young man in that room who actually knows what war and death looks like firsthand. He was the only one of all those sign-up boys who actually knows and has experienced war. And he was a mere child the first time! Mostly I was just playing with facts there, though.
I know I'm forgetting a bunch of stuff I wanted to tell you guys, but I'll remember before I go to bed tonight and just be berating myself for my stupidity! I'm going to stop now, as this chapter is already 6,000+ words long and I've just added 1,000+ words! Hope you enjoy this!
If you have any questions, leave them in a review or PM me, I'll get back to you as fast as possible!
WH