Chapter Ten: Onward, to the East
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~ Narnia ~
The following day passed much like the first, except for the fact that everyone no longer had a ball to recover from. After two days' time, everyone was back on his or her feet, and ready to help again. Caspian was gone most of the day, sometimes even during mealtimes, because of how much there still was to put right in the Islands. He wanted to be fully sure he could leave things to Bern, without fear of all their hard work being destroyed. He, Bern, Drinian, Reep and Edmund spent quite a good deal of time, and a great deal of fine drink, plying the older sailors and captains for information regarding the wild blue eastern ocean that stretched endlessly away from the Islands.
Many a tall yarn they heard in return, though none could tell them something that Edmund could not have already informed them of. Many still thought that if you sailed too far east you would come into the surges of a sea without lands that swirled perpetually round the rim of the world – "And that, I reckon is where your Majesties friends went to their doom, the bottom of the wild blue yonder." A grizzled old man, too old to go to sea anymore said after he was quite filled with ale.
The rest of the men they questioned had only wild stories of islands inhabited by headless men, floating islands, waterspouts, mermaids and a fire that burned along the water for all eternity. Only one, to Reep's delight said;
"And beyond that, Aslan's Country. But that's beyond the end of the world and you can't get there unless'n you be dead."
When the Mouse questioned him further, he could only say that he'd heard tell of the tale from his father, who had "long since crossed the edge of the map".
Arran soon recovered and became well enough to travel with them, though, in the last several days they were on the Islands, he was not to be found. He said that, for sure now his ship would no longer follow them, as a great deal of his crew felt the voyage to risky to undertake, but they would wait on at the Lone Islands for his return. Edmund kept to his promise and held a court where all the men could come and ask questions of him.
Once again, the Just King dazzled men with his great knowledge. The Dawn Treader, meanwhile, was emptied and pulled into dry-dock by eight strong draft stallions, to be refitted and made ready for her trip into the unknown. Everything had to be meticulously sorted and repaired, searched and counted, as this was most important when one is about to sail away from the charts of all maps.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
As they walked down to the docks on the day of their departure, Rhince came up, his daughter running behind him. They waited for him to calm the distraught girl while the ship was being loaded. "Have I ever not come back?" The man asked quietly, tilting Gael's chin up so their eyes would meet. "No." She whispered. "It shall be no different now, please stay with your Aunt, I love you, and I will always come back." He said, smiling and looking braver than he felt. He kissed her on her forehead, hugged her, and went over to help the crew load and stock the Treader.
As the Pevensies and Caspian were about to board, Bern suddenly ran up to them, shouting for them to wait. His family stood some distance back, watching and waiting to give their farewells.
"My King! There is something I feel I must give you." Bern bowed his head and held up a glistening Old Narnian sword. Small, glittering green emeralds were inlaid in the golden hilt. Edmund stared at the weapon with an odd look.
"That's an Old Narnian sword." He said, sharing glances with Lucy and Susan.
"Yes, I-" He was cut off by a sharp cry from the ship.
"What have you done?" Serene shouted, running down the gangplank toward them. They all turned to stare at her. She stopped to catch her breath after she had reached them. Edmund tried to quiet her, but she pushed his arm away.
"What dark magic has given you that blade? Tell me now! In your hands you hold the weapon of the first and last Guardian of Narnia, this you cannot deny!" She said, nodding at the blade. Everyone looked at Bern curiously.
"What…Guardian?" Lucy asked, squinting against the glare of the sun to look in Serene's direction. The enchantress spoke again, her anger unable to be diluted.
"There were seven such Guardians, chosen by Aslan himself, to protect Narnia, after you left. They were each killed, by; forgive me my King, those Telmarine invaders! They were each given a sword by a young man on a black stallion, with a large lion at his side, said to be Aslan. These blades hold a magic so powerful, that only the rightful owners can control it. In the hands of any common person, who knows what might befall them!" Serene tossed her hands in the air in exasperation.
"It is true. I and my fellow Lords stole the swords from a tomb. We were young, and very foolish, but I have mended the error of my ways. I am greatly ashamed of what I've done, stealing the property of a man who is far greater than I. I was hoping though, that perhaps the blade could be put to good use, being once more in the hands of a Narnian."
The enchantress again spoke. "Caspian, unsheathe Rhindon. Do it, my King!" Serene directed, tacking on the formality of 'my king' as an afterthought. Even though her request was rather unusual, he did as asked. The long Narnian blade seemed to glow a dull azure blue, and at the same time caused Caspian to jerk back slightly, though he never let go of the weapon. Bern gasped and would've dropped the Guardian's sword to the sand, had Edmund not taken it from him. That blade shone a grassy green.
Serene smiled as Edmund simply stared in fascination at the two blades. "What do you feel?" She asked the two young men softly. "Strange." Caspian replied, studying his sword carefully. "Power, so much power." Edmund whispered, touching the glowing metal lightly with his hand.
"When you have all the blades together, they will glow in kind with Rhindon, but until then, each will radiate its magic's color. That magic you feel is the power of Narnia, her very foundation if you will, linked to the Deep Magic by Aslan. If the Lords have these swords, we can only hope some horrible fate has not yet befallen them." Serene met Caspian's gaze meaningfully.
She would not imply what she was thinking, but he could feel her unsaid words hang in the air around them. Just because he was able to stand the magic and power of Rhindon, did not mean that the Lords could withstand the power of the blades they carried. Telmarines were not magical beings, nor did they possess the faith and beliefs that the Pevensies had that allowed them passage into Narnia. The Telmarine ancestors fell through a portal. Faith was the Pevensies "magic". Peter had been able to control Rhindon not because of the right he had to the throne, but because of his faith. The same faith that allowed Caspian control over it, though, his wasn't as great as the High King's because of his ancestry.
"Come, if the Lords made it past the Ocean, we must try. Now we can be sure. We have a heading." Edmund spoke up, gesturing to Rhindon in Caspian's hands. He meant that, since Rhindon glowed like this when near one of the seven swords, they could know if they were going to in the right direction perhaps.
"Yes, we surely do." Drinian agreed.
"Well, Caspian, your Highnesses, I know that this has been a marvelous stay, but we must sail with the tide." Reep spoke up, scurrying over to the gangplank and looking at them expectantly.
They all turned to stare after the Mouse, knowing he was right, but at the same time, they were afraid. Leaving everything you've ever known is not the easiest task to undertake. But there was something that spurred them on, easing their fears. Caspian sheathed his sword and walked toward the ship. Edmund quickly took the scabbard from Bern and sheathed the Narnian sword, before jogging after Caspian, the others close behind. Life means making choices and decisions, and sometimes those choices and decisions aren't always easy or simple.
Islanders cheered, some even sobbing, as the ship left. Bern and his family waved, watching them go with fond, yet sad expressions on their faces. Like when you have had a good friend or relative stay with you, and now it comes time for them to leave, the sad, and yet peaceful feeling you get.
And Susan had been right about the Stars, they had been with their brother, but when it was time to work they were there, helping as much as they could. And Arran, in an act of goodwill, even had several of his men help with the overhaul of the Dawn Treader. Neerva would've followed his captain to the ends of the world, but Arran told him plainly that someone had to keep the men in line.
As they set Narrowhaven to their rudder, everyone dulled slightly, missing the tropical islands before they were even a hundred leagues from them. There is something about the tropics that causes even the most sea loving of men to yearn for them, I don't know why that is, nor can I tell you.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Lucy walked to the bow of the ship after they were well on their way, and the ship was once again cresting open ocean waves. She loved the smell of the salty brine and the feeling of the wind in her hair, hearing it whistle through the sail, there was something exciting about it. Ships and seas always seemed to shout adventure, mystery and magic!
As she stood there, the sun overhead, she became aware of someone singing. Climbing the ladder in the dragon carving's neck, she was surprised to see Reep standing on the nose of the carved and gilded dragon head, singing softly to himself as he leaned out and stared across the vast Eastern Ocean.
"Where sky and water meet, where the waves grow ever sweet, doubt not you Reepicheep. To find all that you seek there is the utter East, doubt not you Reepicheep." He sang; his voice surprisingly on key and carrying the tune perfectly for someone of his size.
"Oh, that's pretty." She said, after he had finished, well, she thought he had finished.
"Wha- oh, your Majesty." Reep said, upon turning and seeing her there. "It is lovely, isn't it? A dryad sung it to me when I was just a mouseling. I can't divine the meaning, but, I've never forgotten the words." He continued, explaining himself.
"Well, it's very lovely. I hope you discover what it means." Lucy said, climbing back down the rungs. As she walked away, she smiled and shook her head when he started back up.
"Where sky and water meet…."
~|:Xo0oX:|~
As evening drew on, Susan and Caspian brought everyone together to decide sleeping arrangements.
"Lucy, Serene, since it's obvious that we're going to be staying on this ship for more than a day, and you will need somewhere to sleep, You two and Susan will sleep in our cabin, and I'll sleep with Edmund and Eustace down with the sailors." Caspian said, looking at Lucy, Serene and Susan for their response.
"You seem very keen on getting rid of me." Susan joked, smiling slightly.
"Never, but, Lucy and Serene can't very well sleep down there." Caspian replied, sliding his arm around her waist and smiling down at her.
"I have to beg Serene off this, she'll be with me, we've been apart too long. Don't worry, it's nothing like that, except, she is my wife, and thirteen hundred years is quite a long time to be separated from her." Edmund said, looking over at Serene, who nodded in agreement.
"Well then, it looks like it's just you and me Lucy." Susan said, smiling.
"You're sure I... can't just stay with Edmund, Serene and Eustace, and let you two keep your cabin?" Lucy said, shrugging and looking at them with understanding smile.
Caspian and Susan shared a look. They smiled, but turned back to answer Lucy's question. "No, you need a room, and so, you shall have ours. It's the very least I could do, as a king. And the best I could do as your relative." Caspian replied.
"All right then, if you insist." Lucy said, looking at them with a smile, though she was rather unsure about how well this was going to work.
"Well, I for one want to know why I should sleep in that Black Hole! I should be treated just as-" Eustace started up, but a glance from Edmund and Caspian silenced him. He stopped upon noticing their gazes, if looks could kill; he would've been dead already a million times over.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
As the sky started to brighten red and gold with the sunset, the wind changed, as it tends to do in the evening. Something one doesn't know on land, but on the open ocean, every little gust is visible. Drinian shouted for the boom rod to be loosed, so they could swing the ship into a more favorable wind current for night sailing.
As several sailors went to attend the position, Arran watched with interest. Suddenly a scowl replaced his smile of amusement. He had realized that all five of the men were going to loose the sail.
"Stop, stop, hold!" He shouted, striding middeck. The sailors climbing up into the rigging stopped and slid back to the deck. "You let your men keep such disregard of marine ways? I am ashamed that the "Royal Navy" knows less about boom loosing than a pirate!" Arran shouted up angrily to Drinian and Caspian, who were standing at the helm.
"And you know something we do not? Is that the matter at hand sir?" Drinian called down, looking at the younger man with skepticism and slight aggravation.
"How many men does it take to loose the boom and raise the rigging?" Arran returned boldly.
"Five, ten if you have men enough, but that is only on larger sailing vessels." Drinian responded, looking utterly bewildered as to how this was heading.
"Wrong, my good captain! Watch, you are all about to learn a most important lesson regarding sails and rigging!" Arran shouted to the crew. He jumped to the side, looked up at the sail for several seconds, before he kicked a derrick loose. The sail, now free because of the lack of rope to keep it down, cracked sharply in the wind, pulling the pirate into the air. He reached for the rope on the sail, a sort of handhold when the men are in the rigging, and held on.
"Now, that part you don't have to do, but I prefer it because it gets you to where you want faster." Arran shouted down, as he swung quickly to the boom. Hanging upside down from the yard, he hauled up the sail, curving the corner towards himself. The wind hissed in his ears, and the rigging held taut against the wind. Arran grabbed for the haulrope, the one that made turning the boom possible. He grabbed it and swung off the yard, falling toward the deck. He jerked the rope right before his feet had deck wood under them, and the sail turned above the crew and himself, easing into the evening wind.
The stunt had taken a total of four minutes. "Now, how many men does it take to turn a boom and loose the rigging?" Arran asked again, grinning as he caught his breath.
"One." Drinian replied, staring down at the young man with a look of disbelief.
"I shall teach you if you like. It really makes ship life far easier, and well, generally faster too." Arran said; walking back over and re-securing the derrick he had kicked loose.
Drinian and Caspian looked one another. This was going to be interesting. "I hate having other captains aboard. It is exceedingly difficult to keep them in line, as they're so used to having things their way." Drinian grumbled to Caspian.
"Perhaps he won't be as bad as all that." Caspian replied, walking away.
"You've never sailed with one before, like I have." Drinian muttered, knowing the king was out of ear-shot so that he couldn't hear to reply.
"Captain, I will not fight your position. I don't want it. Your men aren't the loyalist of sorts. I prefer my men. I just thought giving you some helpful advice wouldn't injure your position any." Arran said suddenly, coming up the stairs on his left. The captain turned to the other captain in surprise. "I continue to underestimate you, Arran." Drinian replied.
"I know. You see me as a pirate, and you have a stereotype in your mind from past experiences regarding my character. I am not like those men. I prefer the code, I obey rules, and I'm not ruthless, though I have been known to burn ships if my temper gets the better of me, but that is only in dire circumstances. I want you to know I will not try to take your position or degrade your status. If anything, I shall support it unto the end. I am a captain too, and I know how hard it is to earn the loyalty of men and keep it, when you are miles out to sea, and not a spit of land in sight." Arran smiled as he finished.
Arran stood next to the helm in a marine's at ease stance, staring out over the waves. Drinian thought about it some, before deciding he had nothing to lose by asking.
"You ever been marooned by your crew?" He asked, glancing over at him from his place in front of the helm. The deck had long since quieted, as everyone had gone below deck that wasn't on watch to eat and sleep. The sun was low on the horizon behind them, turning the cloudy sky a maroon, orange, gold and black color ahead of them.
"Yes, three times. I refused to give them our heading, and so they left me on a little-known island adjacent to Orrin. Another time it was because I had hung a man for stealing. His mates didn't prove of that, though the rest of the crew did, and I was mutinied and marooned. The third time, I myself was pirated by another pirate. Nearly died then, though, that was nothing like what happened back at Narrowhaven." Arran said quietly, looking off into the distance.
"Hmm, and I also have been marooned, though, for me it was four times. We were sailing for the coast of Gandon, the outermost of the Seven Isles, and my men decided they'd had enough of taking orders; so they found a nice spit of land in the middle of the ocean and stuck me there. The only reason I'm here today is because the land was in the shipping lanes of Gandon." Drinian said.
"And what of those other three times?" Arran asked with a smile.
"Much like your second. They disliked my discipline, and so I was mutinied and marooned because of it, just like you." Drinian observed, glancing over at Arran again. A quiet settled between them for a while before Arran spoke.
"Ever, hmm, been pirated?" He grinned.
"Of course, those were the worst times in my life. I try to forget."
"I love pirating, best times of mine. Never forgot this one, ahh, it was fantastic – but perhaps I shouldn't mention these, as I find it gives you discomfort to think about that and be in my presence." Arran broke off suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Drinian asked.
"I see a great lot of hanging ropes in your wants right now, and that idea doesn't really sit comfortably with me, as I would like to keep my life a bit longer." Arran replied, looking over at the captain with a grin. Drinian looked down, embarrassed because he supposed he did want a hanging rope. As much as he felt comradely towards Arran, the young man was a pirate, and standing next to him went against every principle he'd ever learnt. It would take some getting used to, Arran being a pirate, and his magic.
"Have you ever had someone threaten something you love, to keep you in line?" Arran asked abruptly, his hand tightening on his sword hilt.
"No, never found something I love that much yet." Drinian replied easily enough. "Why, have you?" He queried, trying to decipher the young man's expression.
"Yes. It is the cruelest of threats. And I have made every mother's son of them pay for it!" Arran said, smiling in an odd way that told Drinian that he wasn't the kindest of seamen, and that Arran was one to be reckoned with, for all his easiness and mirthful attitude.
"I don't think I shall ask then." Drinian replied after a pause.
"I would like that. I shouldn't have brought it up, making you curious, but I wanted to ask the question. Another thing, after this voyage, if we ever meet again, but that time being as enemies, promise me you will not use my weaknesses against me. Also, I have been honest with you; I should not like to come to regret that honesty." Arran stated bluntly.
"Of course not. I'm an honorable man, I would not cheat. Not even on a pirate. Now, what tales have you of the ocean?" Drinian steered the conversation easily back to common ground, just as easily as he steered his ships. They talked long into the night, about many things that seamen like to talk of. It was the beginnings of a strong friendship, although both didn't know it at the time.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Lucy woke early the next morning. She got out of bed carefully, as she didn't want to wake Susan. She sighed in relief when her sister didn't stir. She'd been surprised at how light a sleeper her sister had become. Every noise had caused her to sit up, fully awake, ready for whatever might be going on. Lucy had new admiration for mothers now; their job was a lot harder than they made it look. She picked up her boots from beside the door and eased it open. She smiled after she had closed the door, feeling the sun on her face, and watching the waves curl past the ship.
As she stood there, watching the water, wondering if it was cold or warm, someone came up beside her. Turning she was surprised to see Gavan. "I should've guessed you'd be out here already. You're sure you never get tired?" She jested, smiling at him slightly.
"Yes, quite sure. I didn't expect you to be up this early either." He replied, looking over at her as well.
"Normally I'm not, but I couldn't sleep. I suppose the excitement will wear off eventually though." She said.
"It might." He agreed. They stood there in silence. Lucy didn't know what else to say, and it frustrated her, usually she could think of millions of things to say. Lost in thought, she wasn't expecting the ship to go down in a swell. Off balance, she nearly fell, but Gavan caught her before she did so. She had grabbed the railing in reflex to the falling motion, and once he saw that she didn't need his help he instantly let go of her.
"My Queen." He said, once again looking confused. He seemed to be breathing just as hard as she was, but he'd done nothing. It confused her. It was almost as if he didn't like her, or was nervous in her presence. He walked away, not giving an explanation. She turned and stared after him, puzzled.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"So what do I do? Arran, you must tell me what to do!" Gavan said, looking at his older brother.
"I don't know what to tell you. Can't you just ignore it?" The pirate asked, glancing over at Gavan.
"You tell me to try to ignore that! You can barely force yourself to fight against its charm, and for some reason she has decided to try and become friends with me. I don't know how much longer I can go on before I'll either give in to it, or have to leave." Gavan admitted, running his fingers through his blonde hair, giving it an even unrulier appearance.
"Gavan, if you care for her, act on it, don't give it up, perhaps you were meant to stay on earth." Arran said.
"But what if I'm not, what if I hurt her? I can't risk ruining her experience for anyone else." Gavan said, his eyes pleading for his brother to tell him some advice on the matter.
"You're smart, you'll think of something. I shouldn't worry." Arran said; confident in his brother. He walked away, leaving Gavan no better off than before. The younger Star sighed in frustration before walking off as well. Perhaps everything would be clearer in the morning.
~Author's Note~
Well, how did you like it? Again, it's not my best, I'm suffering from WB again, and dang it all is it annoying! I might rewrite it because there are several things I want to fix, but moving on...
In the opening lines of this chapter, most of the writing is word for word from the book, I embellished several of the speaking parts though, because I felt it would be slightly more in character with the sailors I've got going.
I rather like my version of Rhince and Gael, it's more believable I think. I mean, come on Caspian, if you were any kind of good king, you wouldn't arrive somewhere, fight a couple people and then leave. Then, if that wasn't enough you had to just go and ruin the ride:
"Of course, you must."
**"This total stranger just wants to come with me, spur of the moment, as it were! And I'm going to let him, not bothering to tell you Drinian!"**
Drinian has to give each of his men equal rations, and cannot pull a balanced meal out of the ocean for this guy (every day, three times a day) once they get out there! No, no, no, no!
One poor sailor will have to go without food, if that had happened. It's like: Darn the luck man! You're just gonna starve, what's-his-name is far more important than you, why, exactly, I don't know, he just is.
That is not how it's done! I couldn't move past that when I watched the film, it's a major flaw that prevents me from enjoying it there on out. (besides the mess up with Lord Bern being in prison and the way they chose to do the slave scenes. I could go on, but I won't :)
Hmm, Gavan has something bothering him. But Arran's pretty sure he'll figure it out, so'm I.
Lucy is speechless, that's a first. I always noticed that she has something to say that's encouraging or comforting, or just plain interesting to say, so I thought, wouldn't it be neat if she suddenly didn't?
Arran and Drinian sound like they might be good friends. No, I mean seriously, they become really good friends. But more on that in the third installment of this series. And yes, Arran has a cruel side, and it'll get worse on this voyage before it gets better. (hint, hint green mist subplot!)
Ah, disclaimer on the nautical stuff, I don't know if a fourth of those terms are correct! Pirates I know pretty well, but ships with one square sail, not so much. So I took a creative license and made up as I went along! (don't judge and don't try too hard to figure it out, believe me, you'll just get confused)
Now, as it turns out, the swords are becoming a bigger part of this story than I originally thought. I like the idea of the Pevensies having a sort of magic, "Peter's faith made him able to control the sword" but their "magic" isn't really magic in that sense. If you think about it, faith is a sort of magic, but in a more spiritual dimension.
By faith, Peter (the disciple) made a lame man walk. By faith Paul became an apostle and preached the gospel to the world. By faith we believe that Jesus Christ is real, though we've never seen him ourselves, yet we experience him through other's experiences (the stories and letters in the Bible).
If you think about it, faith in God is the strongest magic there could ever be, though it might not work like "magic" in the "bibbity bobbity boo" & "Abracadabra" sense. I'm going to be going more into this in this tale, so don't worry!
ILoveFanfiction:
Yes, I know what you mean about the breakfast scene, I really enjoyed writing it, giving them a more, well, family side. Cause basically every time we meet/see these characters, they're killing people, trying to fight something evil, or just plain having to act grown up. They never really get to act like friends together, so I wanted to portray that, you know? To put it in a more modern way, they never get to simply "hang out".
I know what you mean about Caspian being amused by Eustace, and I've tried to keep with that, because I see that as another of this character's strong sides. But see, here is where I have a problem, in the book, yes, Caspian was amused, but then, as time wore on, be gradually became less amused, and more cynical about Eustace, like on Dragon Island for instance Where Eustace gets turned into a dragon:
"If course we've got to find him, if we can," said Caspian wearily. "That's the nuisance of it. It means a search party and endless trouble. Bother Eustace."
So he eventually started to get less amused. I think that a great deal of his amusement would come from the fact that he's never seen what a first-timer friend of Narnia acts like, and so he enjoys watching this kid. But I shall try to keep both sides of Caspian, do not worry!
Moving on...
I have seen your point on how Arran's life has been rather spaced, I am writing a story on that, trying to climb out of my WB, but progress is slow. (Azalea was spelled correctly by the way!) Yes, about Adonijah, he will return, **gasp I almost forgot to put him in the story!** don't worry, he's sailing on the ship too! About Serene and the wolf thing, I will try to put that in the next **as of now unwritten** chapter, how does that sound?
C.S. Lewis will return for the third installment actually, I need to show him as having a closer friendship with Peter Pevensie, so I'll have him...(stop Horses you'll give the third one's plot away!) Well, you'll just have to see!
Yes, thank you for your little prompt about the swords, now, as I've said, I am not sure this was the best way to introduce them, but I shall try to get more in detail in the next chapter, cross my heart! (if you don't like the sword part, tell me and I shall rewrite it for you so it's better!)
Yes, I think open ocean is best, for all concerned, we wouldn't want the crew stage a mutiny trying to stay on the Islands, that wouldn't do at all!
Well, I think I have answered all your questions! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ~ W.H.
PS
Oh wow, I just read your review, I'll tell you something, no, it is not overstepping into my boundaries AT ALL! I enjoy it when readers learn as much as I do/noticed! My siblings and I all think the painting in the cabin of the Treader is of Susan. I thought you would noticed the hunt painting, I haven't seen the Faun yet, I'll go back and look!
Interesting observation about Caspian and Edmund, I noticed Caspian had two swords, but never thought of it in that light before! I really like that idea though...
I know what you mean about details! I love each scene and wish they'd written commentaries just about each individual frame!
And yes, I was hoping to go into the story of Reepicheep, and explain why he and Arran have such a strong disregard for each other. "You mean you captain that crew of motely pirates?" (Reep) "Yes, does that bother you?" (Arran) that was in chapter three of this story I believe. I was hoping someone would notice all the details from the movies I was trying to weave in these stories!
I was planning on making a play on Star's immortality in the pirates story, where ten years is merely one to a Star or something, (I haven't figured out the entire plot yet in my head, I was writing out my rules for Stars, when I saw your review)
There will indeed be more about the Guardians in both stories! ~ W.H.
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.