Chapter Nine: A Tropical Stay
{XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX}
~ Narnia ~
The next morning Susan woke with the sun. She smiled when she noticed Caspian was still asleep. He'd never been much of a morning person, but the ball the night before would've set everyone behind. She knew that from experience, though she herself never could sleep in after the long nights. She stood and walked over to Rilian's crib, checking on the little boy. A smile came to her face when she looked down on the baby. He looked a great deal like his father, more so every day. Grabbing a shawl, she walked out to the balcony and leaned against the wall of the doorframe as she sat on the wide marble railing. As the sun broke over the horizon, turning the world a warm golden-yellow, she remembered that one time she had caught Peter watching the sunrise at The Cair.
Now, she never realized what that had meant, until Amalia told her that he had hated the sunrise because it brought horrible changes for him. She hoped he no longer hated it, and that he had come to terms with it now, because the sunrise had nothing to do with what happened that day. It was the actions that happened during the day that brought terror at the dawn of the next.
As the sun rose higher, she wondered what would come of this journey, what would they find by sailing east, nothing or everything? It scared her but at the same time; she felt a wild call, a thrill that beckoned to her. She wondered if perhaps this journey would quiet Caspian's restlessness. She knew he was searching for approval from someone more, for the assurance that he was doing the right thing, and that his father would've been proud of him. She hoped he would find it.
"Oh Aslan, I hope you show him his value." She whispered, staring to the east.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
The Bern family slowly congregated in the dining hall, yawning and looking rather tired. The six youngest girls, on the other hand, were excited and wanted to hear all the details of the ball, but they were patiently waiting for the right time, when everyone had more or less woken up. Roxanne, wearing a mint green dressing gown, and her auburn hair in a messy chignon, wisps of hair floating around her face, reached for the cup of coffee in front of her, white lace cuffs trailing across the tabletop.
Bern yawned behind the report of his harvest and export goods, sipping some strong black coffee in hopes of it waking him up. His burgundy robe with gold trim was tied loosely around his figure, the gold tasseled tie-end trailing under his chair. His grey-brown hair was still tousled from sleep. He slumped back in his chair, closing his eyes, but looking for all the world to be engrossed in his report.
Azalea and Celandine soon straggled in, covering yawns as well and retying their dressing gowns. Dahlia and Eglantine came in, fully dressed, and acting as if nothing had happened the night before, they sat down and started passing food platters, helping the younger girls and themselves get breakfast. Celandine stared at them with envy clearly written across her countenance. Fern soon trailed the older two, rubbing her eyes and pushing her wild bedhead out of her face. Azalea smiled and walked over to the girl's seat, standing behind Fern's chair and combing out her hair with her fingers.
"Thanks t' whoever y' are." Fern mumbled, closing her eyes and nodding off where she sat.
"You're welcome sleepyhead." Azalea replied, giving her a gentle shake. The girl nodded, but her eyes once again closed.
Buttercup followed, book back in hand, walking to her seat, never bumping against a thing. The festivities hadn't seemed to have any lasting effects on her this morning either. Her short brown hair was still sticking up in every direction, so Azalea knew she'd forgotten to brush it, again. Preferring reading to personal appearance as she usually did. Azalea just shook her head, knowing everyone deserved some slack today because of the night before.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Lucy woke, realizing that she must have slept in, she listened for voices, hoping that Edmund or someone else even more annoying wouldn't come to wake her. He had always needled about how she was a late riser when they were rulers, but she constantly told him to shut it. Though, upon later reflection, that had never worked, it simply made him ruder, and even more annoying, if that was at all possible.
She stood and dressed in the clothes she'd been given by Susan on the Dawn Treader, which had been washed and dried. Tying her hair back, she looked at herself in the mirror. How she wished she looked prettier. At least beauty wasn't all that mattered here, though she wanted to look beautiful. Standing, she walked over to her large window, which was almost like a small porch in her opinion. The sun shone down on the water, and a cool, sweet smelling breeze blew in, pushing the drapes back, and gently combing through her hair.
Leaning out and taking a deep breath, she smiled when she caught sight of palm trees and the lush tropical vegetation of Avra. A long sandy beach stretched out to the left, looking inviting, and reminding her of the second time they'd arrived in Narnia, the long strip of white, and the cool blue water around the ruins of The Cair. Thinking of The Cair, she suddenly wondered what had happened to it. She put that in the back of her mind as a question to ask Susan about.
She smiled when several porpoises breached the waves, looking shimmery and diamond-like in the noon sun. As a wave came crashing into the shore, she gasped when a horse shape jumped out of the wave, going from streamlined and lupine to more equine. The black stallion with white accents shook on the beach, before cantering off. That was something she was going to have to look in to, she just had to know about these water horses, as Celandine and Dahlia referred to them.
She left the window and opened the bedroom door, hoping that there was a breakfast fixed, because she was more than ready for some food.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Edmund woke, yawning; he ran his fingers through his hair, looking around the room. Last night seemed like a soft blur of dancing, music, laughter and questions. He thought about that one question that he'd been asked, that one was rather pondering. He stared off thoughtfully as he absently tugged at a bit of his hair.
"You are going to pull it out if you keep doing that." Serene mused sleepily from where she was lying beside him. He looked over at her.
"Really? I've done this for years before knowing you, and I never lost a single hair to the habit." He countered, eyes sparkling.
"Well, you never know, things could change; you're not getting any younger." She retorted, smiling and closing her eyes.
"Tired?" He asked, as if he didn't know.
"Of course. Getting up at dawn and going to bed in the early hours of the morning makes even the hardiest person tired." She muttered, wrapping the comforter tighter around herself.
"Well, I feel fine. In fact, I almost feel as if I didn't do anything last night." He said.
"Oh yes, blessed you. I shall try to remember that when next I complain of sleeplessness." She whispered, drifting back to sleep.
He shook his head before leaning over and kissing her lightly. "You're trying to wake me up. It's working and it's not fair, I want to sleep." She complained, sitting up and reclining against the pillows. He just laughed softly before getting up and walking into the next room to dress for the day. She stretched and combed her fingers through her black hair, disentangling the snags she came across.
As she sat there, she suddenly realized that now would be the most opportune time to tell him, it would mostly likely be the only time when they'd have absolute privacy. She picked at the sleeve of her nightgown nervously as she thought about what she had to do. Standing, she walked across the carpeted floor to the closed door he had gone through.
"Edmund, i-I think we should talk, remember what I'd told you yesterday? There is so much I must explain an-and tell you." She stuttered over her words, all the evidence of her fear over the impending discussion.
He opened the door suddenly, causing her to jump nervously. "Yes, I remember. What is it you want to talk about?" He queried, searching her face for any sign of what might be coming. She walked back to the bed and sat down on the edge, pulling her feet up underneath her. She looked down, before meeting his gaze.
"Remember that day, the Hunt?" She asked, looking at him for signs of acknowledgment.
"Yes, I can never forget, I shouldn't have left you." He said, coming over to her with concern upon seeing her eyes fill with tears.
"Oh, Edmund, how I wish I had pleaded, begged you to stay! I have wronged you in so many ways." She sobbed, just knowing that he was going to both stare at her coldly and walk away after she said what she had to say, or distance himself from her in any way he could.
"i-I wanted to tell you, to keep you there with me, but I knew I could not, I am a subject and you are the king, I have no right. So I didn't, which was the worst mistake I have ever made." She said, not allowing him to put his arms around her.
"Serene, what is it that's distressing you so? It is not your fault I went back to my world." Edmund said in confusion, not understanding what she was trying to get to.
"I should have told you that day. You are a father. You have a son. And I never told you, because I was afraid that you would do as you always do, become protective and not want to leave me. So I didn't tell you." She whispered; her voice breaking. She wiped her tears away and glanced over at him. He looked shocked, staring off into oblivion, with his own thoughts.
"His name was Daniel, and he was so much like you. He smiled, just as you do, and he had that terrible habit of running his fingers through his hair, just as you do. He was every bit like you, so very little of him was me, except for the magic given to him by Aslan from before he was born. I understand if your feelings toward me have changed, but, I had to tell you…" She trailed off, not knowing what more to say.
"Why would anything have changed between us? I will never stop loving you, though this is shocking, and not what I was expecting, it doesn't make me care for you any less. I would've been a father. But I left. You did what you thought was best by not telling me, I cannot hate you for what you thought was wise. So, you called him Daniel? Why?" Edmund suddenly asked, taking Serene in his arms comfortingly, letting her know that there was no anger on his part.
"Because, you always said you would pick that name if you had a son. I did that to remember you. The last thirteen hundred years were so hard, knowing you were just somewhere out of my reach." She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked, looking down at her.
"By the magic that Aslan gave me, after you left, my aging slowed, and that of Daniel's. Though I looked no older than seventeen, and he looked like he was fifteen, we were hundreds of years old. When Caspian and Susan had to wage war against Calormen, Daniel and I fought with them, he died fighting for Narnia, just as he wanted, and you said you would do if you could. Aslan allowed me to go to His Country until you returned, and so, here I am, it has seemed an eternity to get to now." She whispered, looking up at him.
"Serene, I am so sorry for leaving you, but, now we're together, and, as you told me, Aslan be praised." He replied gently, holding her close and thinking about how the changes in Narnia had impacted everyone, and not just him and his siblings.
"Yes, Aslan be praised."
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Eustace woke from a deep sleep and stretched, looking around the room. He had to grudgingly admit that this wasn't all that bad, and that, perhaps his cousins – No! They were just trying to get him to believe all this silly nonsense; he wouldn't be suckered down to their level. He knew that Alberta would give them what-for when they arrived back home. He would see to it.
He got up, and, out of habit, made up the bed. He didn't even think about what he was going until he'd done it. He stared at the made-up bed, and then shrugged, why not leave it? It wouldn't hurt anything. He walked to the end of the bed, sighing in relief when he noticed his clothes were still there. What he failed to notice was the fresh, cleaned look to them. He did not know that Henrietta had snuck into his room the night before and taken his clothes to the wash after he'd fallen asleep.
There were probably many such kindnesses that he wouldn't notice during his adventures here, and by the time he did, it would be too late to thank any of the people who had done them for him. He opened the door to the guest room and peered out into the hall, wondering if anyone else was up yet. Shoes in hand, as he didn't want to make a fuss by clunking across the stone and marble floors, he crept to the stairs leading to the main floor of the manor.
As he stood at the top of the grand stairway, he thought he smelled food. As he stood there, he realized just how hungry he was. Perhaps this once he could go against his diet and eat that wonderful smelling breakfast that was making his mouth water. As he walked down the stairs and through the large corridor leading to the dining hall, he secretly marveled at the beauty of Bernstead.
Potted palms and other such tropical plants, he thought he recognized a bougainvillea or two, lined the halls and stood in corners. Several tasteful rugs covered the floor at regular intervals. A thick, heavily fragranced, cool tropical breeze seemed to swirl around him, and the sunlight came pouring in from all the windows and doorways. As he walked past a large porch, the waves crashed and seagulls screeched. He stared out at the panoramic view, white sand, blue waves with white loamy crests, and tall coconut and date palms filled it.
"I suppose it could be beautiful." He muttered, trying very hard not to admit how lovely it truly was.
Turning a corner, he came to the dining hall's double doors. He walked through the open one and stopped hesitantly upon seeing all of the Bern family. Suddenly, for reasons unknown to him, he felt shy.
"Come, cousin of the kings and queens, breakfast is ready; I think you shall find the fare is most bountiful!" Ginger said enthusiastically, smiling at him and waving for him to come over. He approached the table and sat in one of the many empty chairs. Before the large fare on the table could register to him, the girls were passing platters down and serving small portions of almost everything on his plate. He stared in surprise at the now-full plate before him. He picked up a fork and hesitantly speared a small red fruit nearest him. The smell of it was deliciously sweet, and oozed of the tropics.
Putting the full fork in his mouth, he was surprised by how good this unknown fruit tasted. "Excuse me, but, might I ask, what is this red fruit here?" He motioned to another piece on his plate. Ivy, sitting next to him, stared at him in surprise.
"You can't mean to say you've never heard of oceananis? Why they're the most wonderful fruit! What else is unfamiliar to you? I can't believe you've never heard of these things." Ivy whispered in shock to herself, as he turned back to his plate.
"Well then, what's this?" He asked conspicuously, pointing to a green fruit on the large platter, cut into long oval disks.
"Now, this is a crime. You've never tasted celelalis? Celelali is the most goodest fruit ever! I love them, they are my favorite." She confided, leaning over and whispering the last bit of her sentence to him as if it was some great secret.
"Hmm." He replied, looking over his plate for anything else unfamiliar.
"Is this chicken?" He asked suddenly, taking a small second helping of the item in question.
"Good heavens! That's Jack Fruit; it's much nicer than eating poor chickens like Perdita and Angeline!" Ivy said, careful not to raise her voice when she noticed her father snoring behind his papers.
"It's a…fruit?" He asked, looking at the food substance in mystification. He had been positive it was a meat. Before he could ask another question however, Lucy walked in. He didn't want to seem foolish, or that he was interested in anything, so his questions stopped, as much as he wanted to ask what the small round orange berry-tomato-shaped fruit was called.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Lucy grinned when she noticed Eustace at the table. She had been hoping that he would be up. But she was also hoping he would be in a better mood. Sitting across from him, she pointed to the platter in front of Ivy.
"Please pass the oceananis." She said with a smile. Ivy stopped mid-pass, when Eustace dropped his fork onto his glass plate. They looked at him curiously, why he tried to bluster out his explanation.
"Y-you mean to say, you know about that darned fruit too?"
"Yes, I love it; I used to eat it all the time. It is my favorite, and it only grows here in the Islands. Why?" She asked, waiting for a response as Ivy finished passing her the platter.
"He's never heard of them until today." Ivy confessed.
"Oh, right I keep forgetting you've never been here-" She was cut off by Eustace's sharp; "Save it, I don't want to hear it."
Lucy and Ivy shared glances before setting into an easy conversation of things on the Island, like the girl's flock of peacocks, while they ate. "I would love to see your birds, could I?" She asked the ten year old.
"Of course! How about this afternoon? I could show Azure and his flock to you in the garden, that's where they live. You could see them there." Ivy said excitedly, taking a drink of her juice as she spoke.
"Alright then, this afternoon." Lucy replied, sitting back with a smile.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Susan and Caspian walked into the dining hall, looking slightly tired, but happy. Susan sat down next to Lucy. Caspian sat next to her. He glanced around the table. Suddenly he leaned forward, looking more awake than he had all morning. "Azalea, please pass the coffee." He asked abruptly, motioning to it. The young woman smiled and passed it down.
"You know, you are far too much addicted to that beverage." Susan commented as he drank.
"You can say nothing until you see this from my perspective. You are the one who has no problem getting up with the sun no matter how late the hour the night before; I however, need this to keep from falling asleep where I stand." He muttered, drinking the black liquid with a contented sigh. She smiled but said nothing.
"Sleep well?" She inquired of Lucy. "Yes, it was wonderful to sleep on that bed, almost as if I was sleeping on a cloud." She replied.
"Good. And how did you sleep Eustace? I know it must be difficult to sleep in a strange place." Susan sympathized.
Now, if Eustace had known that Susan spent two nights the first time in Narnia on freezing cold ground, with nothing but a coat to keep her warm, then perhaps he wouldn't have replied as rudely as he did. "I slept just fine, no thanks to you." Caspian leaned forward and stared down at him coldly, his expression clearly saying that he was not impressed with the boy's attitude. Susan, rebuffed by the reply, simply nodded and asked Lucy to pass her a platter.
"Watch how you speak boy, I might be lenient now, but I care not whom you're related to, if you ever cross me like that, I will kill you." Caspian whispered, leaning over to Eustace. The boy blinked several times and stared at the angry man. He nodded, stunned.
"What did you say Dear?" Susan asked, turning to look at him from her discussion with Lucy.
"Nothing, I was merely explaining something to your cousin." He said calmly, raising his eyebrows and looking at Eustace pointedly. He got the message, be polite, or else.
"Yes, just telling me something of critical importance, ma'am." Eustace disliked the way they constantly referred to Susan as one of his cousins. He wasn't related to the woman any more than the little girl in dark pink sitting next to him.
"Imperative importance." Caspian muttered, sipping the black coffee again. When Caspian wasn't looking, Eustace scowled at him, he hated being displaced by this jerk who claimed to be a king. Actually, what was really bothering him, though he didn't consciously know it, was the fact that Caspian was treating him as a normal human, and wasn't giving him special treatment, like Eustace had been given all his life.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Edmund and Serene walked in, laughing. "Remember when Dez accidently pushed Joram off that cliff? That was the first time we realized why he never flew. Imagine, a Griffin afraid of heights!" Serene laughed with a shake of her head as Edmund pulled out a chair and seated her, before sitting next to her.
"Remember when you first met Dez? Now, that, was priceless. I swear to you that he never stopped talking about you for months after!" Edmund grinned, spearing some fruit onto his plate.
"Oh, he was so stubborn. You know, even when he was seven hundred years old, he still refused to believe that you were never coming back, or that you four had forgotten us. And he was right!" Serene replied, reaching for her fluted glass.
"Yes… He was often right about things like that…" Edmund mused, a fond smile across his face as he chewed the fruit.
"Well, what are we doing today?" Serene asked, looking brightly at the others. Caspian gave a groan of dismay, before replying. "I am going to do absolutely nothing except recover from last night, all you people who seem ready for the next adventure can go jump in the ocean. Just leave me in peace, with the coffee." He said, gesturing to the water behind him out the open doors.
"I felt the same way when I woke this morning, but I soon recovered." Serene returned, pouring some thick pinkish-red juice into her empty glass. Caspian nodded, half listening as he ate.
"He's not a morning person?" Edmund asked, looking to Susan with a small smile of amusement.
"Not especially, but considering the late hour last night, it's worse than usual." She replied, while Caspian looked on with mock disapproval.
"If it were my way, parties would be held in the morning and end at dusk, and then every man could get decent sleep. But for some reason, the women have it in their minds that they have to be held at dusk and end when finally no one is left standing." Caspian retorted, looking around at all the women in the room. Bern, waking from all the banter at this end of the table, grunted in agreement, before straightening and finishing his breakfast.
"Well, what fun would it be to host them during the day, knowing you men would go off and leave us women? To hunt or do something else that we wouldn't be able to participate in without much ado from you." Susan said, looking at him knowingly. He shrugged and smiled good-naturedly.
"Your loss then." He muttered, quickly drinking the coffee so she wouldn't hear him. She gave him a sidelong glance, her expression not a pleasant one. "I shall pretend that wasn't said."
"Hmm. That would be wise for everyone present, I do believe." He murmured, smiling as if she hadn't said what she had.
As they finished their meal, the Pevensies, Serene, and the girls decided what was going to happen that day. Eustace broke in now and then with a complaint, but he was for the most part ignored, as everyone was growing tired of him. Roxanne suggested a swim or perhaps a carriage ride, so that the girls could show their guests everything at once. Bern even suggested the girls give a tour of the grounds, as he was going to be in his study or out in the fields, busy with the work that came about over owning such a large estate.
"We must show them the water horses!" Dahlia squealed excitedly to Celandine, who had by now returned to her energetic state of mind. The older girl nodded eagerly. Lucy suddenly realized, as they planned, that three of their party was missing. "Where are Arran, Zephyr and Gavan?" She asked, looking over at Susan.
"I believe the younger two went to go see their brother, and how he was faring after the ball last night. They'll turn up when it's time to go, or when they get bored doing whatever they're doing." She replied calmly. Lucy nodded, before jumping into the planning enthusiastically.
~|:Xo0oX|~
Caspian, it turned out, did indeed join them. They all agreed to spend some time out on the beach, as that would be most relaxing than traipsing all over Bernstead their first day here. They had six, maybe twenty days, depending on how much of an overhaul the Treader needed, to spend slacking off. Though Caspian really only had today and the next before his responsibilities began to pile up could no longer be ignored.
They spent the day in a carefree manner, something, Lucy soon realized; Susan and Caspian hadn't done in years. After their walk on the beach, they allowed Eglantine to take them to the large stables and show them her mare's foal. While they were there, they were introduced to many of the servants and Talking Animals that Bern had saved from slavery over the years. Serene and Edmund stayed on after the others decided to go on, saying they wanted to "talk" with the horses and other creatures. Round about four in the afternoon, Lucy left the others at the manor and decided to make her way to the garden and orchard that Ivy had told her about.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
She walked up a gravel path, the small grey stones crunching under her boots. She stopped when she came to a beautiful covered gate. As she swung the wrought iron gate open, she looked up at the bougainvilleas twisted and twining around the arch. The orange and purple blooms were lovely with the late sun shining through them.
As she entered the garden, she looked around. She gasped at the almost ethereal appearance of the area. A small pond was centered in the middle, with willows reaching their trailing branches to the water, rippling it in the light evening breeze. Two white swans moved gracefully across the surface. More climbing roses and bougainvilleas covered the stone walls that enclosed the garden. Small pruned peach and plum trees were scattered throughout, giving it a storybook appearance.
As she was taking in the view, Ivy ran up to her from somewhere ahead. "I was waiting for you!" She said in excitement, though her voice was low. Grabbing Lucy's hand, the little girl pulled her down winding paths and through several more bowers of climbing foliage. When they stopped, Lucy swore that the sight before her was even lovelier than the front of the garden.
A large blue and green peacock sat atop the flower covered garden wall. The setting sun's rays turned him into a shining statue. He was so still Lucy started to think he wasn't real, until his head tilted to the side and he called out in a peacock's wild cry. She smiled when the peahens and their chicks appeared out of the bushes.
"Oh Ivy, this is beautiful." Lucy breathed, unable to take her eyes off the scene.
"I just knew you would like it." Ivy whispered, smiling with the innocence of a happy and contented child as she watched the fowl as well. "I could stay here always, simply watching them, never moving. When I sit here, it's almost like time stops. I know this is what Aslan's Country will look like, feel like. And if it doesn't, then I don't think I would want to be there. But I'm sure it is beautiful, just like the Lion himself, though I haven't ever seen him." Ivy added.
In that one moment, Lucy and Ivy became the best of friends, they shared something that set them apart, an undying love of something that they couldn't see, yet believed in with all their hearts. Sometimes age isn't a boundary when your spirits are mature in ways that are hard for others to understand.
Lucy quickly wiped away her tears of surprise and awe to look down at the child with a smile of her own. Something seemed to tell her, as she stood there, hand in hand with the little girl, that Aslan's Country was made for people such as them, and that it was just as beautiful as this. The paradise, a place of ultimate peace, where beauty, majesty, and serenity would go on forever, never having a break such as wars or feuds. Something every soul truly longed for, the end that was the beginning of eternity.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
You can't know. You can only Believe, or not. ~ C.S. Lewis
~o0o~
What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth, they share it. ~ C.S. Lewis
~o0o~
I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy.
The most probably explanation, is that I was made for another world. ~ C.S. Lewis
~Author's Note~
Well, I must say, I enjoyed writing this chapter immensely! Those last three quotes are what inspired the ending of this chapter, and, for the most part, the entire chapter itself.
I think I had too much fun playing around with everyone when they came to eat breakfast. I just totally though of Caspian as not being a morning person as I was writing, it just came in to the story. I really had far too much fun at his expense.
Now, moving on to things of greater import:
I think, that yes, Caspian has changed in the last three years turning to a more lenient Narnian mindset, but he would've said that to Eustace. Because;
1. The king has a very short temper {he also didn't get much sleep the night before, so already he's not in the best of moods}
2. He's getting to the point where Eustace is becoming utterly annoying and useless to him. It's already been proven that when something isn't up to speed, or not happening fast enough for him, he quickly loses his temper.
3. The little... Eustace {You're the writer W.H. you must treat everyone fair!} just insulted his wife, he's not going to let that pass without a warning for the future.
And also, I really think that he is going to react to Eustace in a Telmarine way. And they {meaning Telmarines} come off to me as rather mercilessly sharp. In my mind, I see them as people who aren't going to let an insult pass by them as if it was never said. Caspian is simply reacting in a normal way for him, in a way he was brought up thinking. {He after all isn't Narnian, but he's trying to work on it}
Yes, fine, alright, I lied about water horses not having another appearance! I just didn't see as how I could write their stay at Bernstead without ever seeing another of the creatures. {Sorry there!}
Oh, right! All the fruit is made up, except for "jack fruit" there actually is a fruit like that, although I can't recall if that is the correct term for it.
I know I seemed to pass over Edmund and Serene, but I think that you as readers can make that scene any way you wish. I just felt like that was good enough. Mainly because Edmund isn't one to go into a rage over things like this, and because he can probably see her side of the problem. He also knows that he left, he could've stayed, she didn't have to say anything, and you can't change the past, so why create new wounds when they both have already suffered enough from being apart?
In the opening scene, where Susan "hopes Aslan will show him his value." {"him" being Caspian} That line is playing on the one Aslan tells Lucy. Remember:
"You doubt your value. Don't run from who you are."
I noticed that Lucy wasn't the only one with this problem. Caspian had it too. He tries to be something that he's not, thinking that the person he is isn't good enough. I want to deal with that problem in this book, mostly because it's in the actual book, but also because it is something that simply interests me.
I liked giving that little look into Eustace's view of the story. {sort of a sneak peek of what's to come} I enjoyed writing his character so much that I didn't know when to end, luckily though, Lucy wanted to come in for breakfast at that moment.
I like the idea of him starting to feel curious, even though he keeps trying to convince himself that he's not and he only wants to go home. His soul is starting to warm to Narnia, and he's changing, ever so slowly.
Another thing, I can't write about the duration of their stay at Bernstead, because we're already at chapter nine, the entire story totaling 54165+ words, and it's not even half over! I need to move on, so the rest of their stay I shall condense into a few paragraphs in the following chapter. I'll give details and keep to both book and movie plots, but I've got to get them back on the ocean.
{Mainly because Eustace's story will re-cover everything that's already happened, just from his POV, and that will be about 8,000+ words. Then there is Peter's chapter to consider, which I'm thinking will be about 4,000 odd words. So that's 12,000+ words already, and that's totally separate from the tale I'm trying to tell!
Just try to imagine most of their stay like this day, except for the fact that Edmund and Caspian probably wouldn't be just lying around, they have promises to keep, {Edmund in answering all those questions} and a ship to mend, people to question and a city to put to rights {Caspian mainly}.
About the end, and those three C.S. Lewis quotes;
When I originally thought of writing this quintet, I was going to end each chapter with a quote from him that followed the plot of the stories. When the actual writing of this quintet began, several things changed, including ending each chapter with a quote.
So, every now and then I'll be putting a quote of his at the end of several of the chapters. I'll also explain the meanings of each quote and how they pertain to the story.
1. "You can't know. You can only believe, or not." the reason why that pertains to this story is because; None of the Pevensies can know when Aslan will call them back, why, how, or to what time. They don't know what his reasoning's are, but they do know that whatever happens, they can believe in him to carry them through it.
2. "What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth, they share it." This is talking about Lucy and Ivy. They are both different ages. {Lucy fifteen, Ivy ten} Lucy though, remembers when she was Ivy's age, and how she learned to believe like that. They see the same truth, they both know that Aslan is always in control, always guiding, even when they cannot see it. So they are friends. because they share a simple truth.
3. "I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy. The most probably explanation, is that I was made for another world." None of them are ever fully satisfied with anything. They all want something more. Nothing Narnia or England can give them. Aslan's presence. It's just something for you guys to see if it fits into the story or not.
Make your own ideas for the quotes, use them in ways they relate to you! They're open for your imaginations.
ILoveFanfiction:
I could do a companion story, if you really want me to. I never though about it before actually... The idea has merit! In fact I really like it!
Yes, I forgot to include the second line Edmund says, sorry!
I read your review this morning and fixed that error! See, before my writer's block lifted, I had written the chapter, before publishing it, I reread it and discovered that it was {let us put the word "trash" in this blank} so I edited it, but I forgot to paste back in the part where Edmund explains to Caspian about the mist! {I am incredibly sorry for this heinous error!}
I know what you mean about Susan, that is exactly what this quintet is about, redeeming her!
And if by "C." you mean C.S. Lewis, then yes, he will come into the story again, though, not until the third or fourth book in my Star series.
Eustace and your favorite scene will come up! As that is a scene that Eustace and no one else is in, it will be in the chapters from his POV.
I know what you mean about pirates, yes they are very interesting, I really enjoy studying about them. Though be warned, I do not try to glorify them at all, Arran's true nature will eventually come to light, it has several times actually:
"I wished you were dead... two ships really is better than one..." "Yes, does that bother you?" "Very well, but I'll warn you, my crew will kill every one of you..." and so on. He is kind, certainly. A gentleman, at most times. A pirate, first and foremost.
Another thing I shall try to post chapters on Fridays or Saturdays, that way you'll know when I post. I think that would make it easier for everyone, myself included!
Again, if there is anything I missed, {explanations, punctuations, grammar, misspellings, plot-that-doesn't-make-sense, something that I failed to clarify on, etc...} Please tell me so I can fix/tell you about it in a PM/Author's Note.
Happy reading, ~ W.H.