Chapter Twenty-Three: 'Ware Dragons in the Storm
{XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX}
~ Narnia ~
Caspian came up on deck, and was surprised, and greatly pleased, to note that it was no longer raining. The wind was not as heavy as it had been, but it still blew up from the west with no sign of ceasing. The clouds raced by, the wind much higher among them. The world seemed to shine dimly in the light from the full moon, which was only visible when the clouds parted every so often overhead. If not for the nightmare that weighed on his mind, and the thoughts about how to defeat this seemingly unconquerable mist, he would have smiled at the favorable outlook. As it was, he hardly thought about it, except to note that they should finally make good time.
"Is it not relieving to know the worst is past?" Drinian said behind him. Caspian turned slightly as the Captain walked up to join him.
"Is it?" Caspian repeated with some cynicism.
"I think it is, yes. The weather should only become better from now on," Drinian clarified. Caspian exhaled slowly, realizing Drinian had not meant that what they were facing couldn't get any worse.
"You're right." Caspian sighed.
"Something bothering you, you seem… Off, somehow," Drinian noticed, leaning forward slightly to better look at his friend's face.
"I'm fine, just, unable to sleep." Caspian did not want to admit his fears to Drinian; he did not want to seem foolish.
There was silence for several minutes, Drinian and Caspian both watching the clouds move apart to allow the stars to come into view. "Very well then, I have the con, so, if you would excuse me please?" Drinian asked.
"Of course," Caspian allowed, nodding his head a fraction in dismissal. The captain backed away, before turning and walking back to the helm, hand lightly resting on his sword hilt.
"Will you not tell me what is wrong?"
Caspian turned his head as Susan walked to his side. "I did not expect you to be awake at this hour," he remarked.
"Mother's intuition, I can tell when people aren't sleeping," Susan said, laughing lightly. "No, actually, Lucy left; I was coming to find her, when I saw you talking with Drinian. I heard the last of your conversation when I came up," she added as he looked away, unwilling to meet her questioning blue eyes.
"Hmm."
"So you won't tell me?" she tried again.
"Tell you what? Why I want to continue, or why I cannot sleep?" He looked over at her, an eyebrow raised in question.
"That isn't fair! You know that's not what I asked," Susan replied in a hurt, accusing whisper, looking away as she spoke.
He sighed, closing his eyes. He could not blame lack of sleep for his callous reaction to her question. What he'd said was wrong, and he knew it. "You're right, that was not what you asked. I suppose I cannot sleep because there is much to think about, a great deal to muse over," Caspian amended.
"Could I keep you company while you muse?" Susan looked up at him, her lips curving in the beginnings of a smile.
"Won't you want to sleep awhile before Rilian wakes?" he asked, finally looking down at her.
"I'm quite sure there shall come days when I will sleep the whole night through, without a single child or baby to worry over, but this is the only night like this I shall be able to spend with you, it won't happen again. So if you want someone to talk to, or to simply think with, or just for silent company, I'm quite willing to listen." Her eyes sparkled slightly with mirth in the light from the moon, while she waited for his answer.
"Very well then, as you like." He smiled back at her.
"Well, share what troubles you," Susan said softly, watching the waves fall and rise, and every so often, the moonbeams hit them with silver light.
"I cannot help but feel that, if we are tested, as Coriakin says, what if we fail? What if my own ignorance causes us to find some ill fate? Then I should have that to acknowledge as well as so many other faults of my own," he said, his voice laced with frustration and confusion, at himself. Susan looked over at him; her concern well hidden, because she knew he would not want that in this moment.
"You will not fail, none of us shall, Aslan has us on this venture for a reason, and He will not let us fail. If you weren't concerned with failing, then you should most definitely fail, but rely in Aslan, He's not just a rescuer when we need help, I'm very certain He's something to fully trust in." Susan smiled at her husband.
He looked back at her thoughtfully, brown eyes nearly black in the silver-grey light. When she said things like this, it made him wonder how he could ever become angry at her, she was a wonderful, wonderful person, still offering her advice and thoughts after all that they'd said to one another, and still willing to listen. "That is some good then," he eventually replied.
"Yes, a world of it," she answered. "The ocean is beautiful at night, under a full moon, isn't it?" she continued softly, changing the subject as she looked back across the waves.
"Yes, but you outshine it," Caspian replied. She smiled and shook her head slightly, letting her long hair fall over her shoulders, hiding her face.
"Trying to win me back with flattery?" she murmured, her voice light.
"Never," he replied, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her closer.
"What do you want to find at the end of the world, I know everyone wants for some dream," Susan asked softly, resting her head on his shoulder, she looked up at him as she spoke.
"To find what I don't understand. To truly feel… accepted, approved," he whispered in reply, not looking at her, but at the water.
"Caspian, no matter what comes, whatever answers you find at the end of this ocean, know this; the King of kings has given you a great people to rule, and the High King has set you on his throne, they accept you, and they trust you with the souls of countless beings. They approve of you, they chose you. I know my brother; he would not have given you that sword if he did not approve of you. If understanding this comes at the end of this journey, then so be it. But know it now." Susan's blue eyes met the king's brown ones filled with compassion, hope and faith shining through.
"Thank you," he said simply.
"Always," she whispered.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
The morning dawned bright and clear; leaving everyone aboard the Dawn Treader ready to work once more, and go about setting the ship to rights again. Arran still seemed distant since that night, Drinian noticed, but the pirate pitched in and helped where it was needed. They were once more low on supplies, but not nearly as drastic as the last time. And, they were not worried, for in the distance, they could see the thick clouds that gave way to the fact that an island was not far away. Two days' time Drinian had said.
After so many dark days, when everyone was fighting to keep the ship upright, or keep from being washed overboard, the cool, balmy days were welcome, and odd, for all those who had been busy so long to now have few, if any, occupations. The calm allowed Edmund time to think of many things, one of which, was Daniel. He had not brought up the subject with Serene after Narrowhaven, but now, he finally felt that he wanted to know more of this young man who was his son.
Serene was standing near the bow, her eyes closed as the wind brushed by her, enjoying the sound of the waves hitting the prow, and the spray of the saltwater. It had been many, many a year since she had last been on the ocean. She turned when he walked up, however, a small smile on her face.
"Serene, I don't know how to ask this, but…" Edmund trailed off, wondering why he suddenly wanted to do this. She didn't prod him. She knew it would take him a moment to gather his thoughts. "Serene, remember when you… you told me of Daniel? I should like to know more of him," Edmund finally managed, running a hand through his hair restlessly.
Serene smiled slightly. "Of course, I was wondering if you might. You're silence was beginning to concern me, but, it was something difficult to believe," the young woman allowed, her smile faltering ever so much.
"When you told me, I was not able to think clearly, it was a great deal of information suddenly thrust at me, and I'm still not entirely sure if I remember it correctly," Edmund admitted.
"What should you wish to know first?" Serene whispered, watching him carefully.
"Anything you feel you can tell me without it causing too much pain to recall," Edmund said, his voice rising and falling with withheld emotions.
"I don't quite know what more to say to fill that, except he was so very you. He– he, well, he knew the meaning of justice, and he was brave and selfless. And he loved the griffins," Serene said, tears slowly sliding down her cheeks, even though she smiled absently.
"After you knew I would not return, where did you go, what did you do?" Edmund asked.
"The war against Telmar was rising, Amalia was trying her best, but you could see – especially near the borders of Narnia – just how much her loss was preventing her from functioning. And then, then came the days when I realized that she was ill, I knew that Narnia was not long to suffer a new loss, and gain a new ruler. I went with the griffins, to the mountains, after Daniel was born. Dez helped, as your friend, and one of the few who knew. As soon as Daniel was old enough to understand, I told him of the state of Narnia, her possible fate, and of the many things that happened as the centuries passed.
"I refrained from telling him that you were his father, I was afraid he might resent my relationship with you, and think me little more than a mistress to you, or something more degrading. The day on the battlefield, the day Aslan called him home – called us both home – I thought he was so like you. He fought so bravely, and he never gave thought to himself. I wish you could have known him, even for a short time," Serene finished, looking away.
"I still cannot believe…" Edmund murmured hoarsely, leaning against the rigging for support.
"I know, it's greatly my fault," Serene whispered, coming toward him, resting her hand comfortingly on his arm.
"No, it's not yours alone, it is mine too," Edmund replied, taking her hand in his, meeting her gaze. They stood there for some time, each dealing with a different loss of Daniel, but yet, it was much the same.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"Things seem to fall apart and then come together," Zephyr declared absently, watching Edmund and Serene from where he sat with Arran. They were coiling rope and sharpening harpoons near the weapons cabin.
"Well, isn't that life? When you're nearly immortal, like the Kings and Queens seem to be – coming and going as they do – doesn't life fall apart and come together like sand sifts through an hourglass?" Arran answered practically, running the whetstone quickly over the harpoon edge.
"I suppose," Zephyr admitted slowly, as he finished winding the thick rope into a coil and started splicing hemp for more.
"And I really think that not everything falls apart, it merely comes together in ways we can't see yet," Arran added thoughtfully.
"That makes more sense!" Zephyr agreed with a ghost of a smile. "What do you think of Gavan and the Queen? I wonder about them Arran." Zephyr glanced at his brother with concern.
"I don't know. He's falling in love with something that's not mortal, but not mythical either. I don't think either of them realizes it yet, but Lucy is not like her siblings." Arran grabbed a cloth and rubbed it over the silver tip of the harpoon, shining it.
"You mean that odd magic?" Zephyr asked, glancing at Arran once more, pausing in his work.
"Yes. It's a draw that I fear," Arran admitted. "But Gavan just lets himself be drawn – I'm starting to think he can't ignore it – and he never could," Arran confided, which surprised his brother.
"He'll end up unhappy when she goes, it'll kill him," Zephyr pointed out, looking worried.
"I don't know if that will happen," Arran declared slowly, before changing topics. "What do you make of that island in the distance; don't you feel something odd about it?"
"Hmm, yes, something… dark," Zephyr agreed.
"Watch for dragons in the storm," Arran whispered, his gaze going toward the clouds in the distance that hid the island behind it.
"What?" Zephyr asked.
"Nothing, just, Mezelzaz used a storm coming off the ocean to hid his approach, when he burned Midalin, and, dragons often come up when you least expect them, or need them. During storms," Arran explained.
"You mean complications, or, things we must overcome – don't you?" Zephyr answered, looking searchingly at his brother.
"Yes, yes I do," Arran murmured softly, still staring at the clouds thoughtfully. He shivered absently, remembering the black dragon's wrath, and the scars that he'd received from the monster.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
"What do you think this island will be like Gavan?" Lucy asked, leaning forward slightly beside the large dragon figurehead, her eyes watching the large white clouds in the distance.
"I don't know, wild – to be sure – but what else, I cannot say," Gavan replied vaguely, watching Lucy more than looking at the clouds. She had so much enthusiasm, he thought, smiling slightly, it was as if she never tired of anything, and even the smallest thing was exciting.
"What?" she asked, smiling at him curiously when she realized he was staring at her.
"You, you're so full of life, so easily enthralled, I could spend years just learning what all that makes you happy," he answered, with a slight smile of his own.
Lucy blushed slightly, looking down, unsure of exactly what to say. This warm, happy feeling she felt when Gavan said something, or was near her, was so strange. It felt wonderful, but at times, she was afraid that she might not really understand what she was feeling, and that she was being too quick to assume.
Gavan watched her thoughtfully for several minutes more, wondering about where this relationship would bring him. Did he really want to pursue an interest in one of the Queens of Narnia? Now, when nothing was challenging, and being near her made the draw of the sky less, his choices were simple. But, he could not always be by her side, life wouldn't allow that. So what then, how hard would things become, and was it really worth so much sacrifice?
Then his thoughts moved to the direr situation at hand; she would leave, if not today, then tomorrow. She'd left before, who's to say when – or if – she would come back? He did not think he could live with that knowing. No, on all fronts, this was impossible. But then, there was always that one glimmer of hope. Fragmented and bouncing like a prism of light in the darkness. Hope; annoying, uncrushable hope. He scoffed to himself, weighing the odds. Then, as his mind wandered, he looked back at Lucy, and once more, his whole perspective on the situation changed, and he wanted to see just what would happen if he allowed himself to act on his feelings.
"What do you want to find?" Gavan asked her, nodding toward the clouds and the dark line of land underneath.
"I don't know, I suppose something from my day, something that reminds me of the old days, when things were simple," Lucy said wistfully, blushing slightly at voicing her wishes.
"That would be comforting I suppose, to one who has lived through many changes, not all of them good," Gavan allowed in agreement.
"Yes," Lucy whispered, looking away from him and back toward the large island.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
On toward seven o'clock the next evening, they arrived at the island. Mountains and jagged cliffs rose, as if trying to reach the sky. Dark fir trees and scrub covered the yellowish-gold-brown rock, standing out deep green against the mountainous island. As they sailed into a cove that the lookout pointed them toward, several white goats crashed nimbly through some scrubby trees and out of sight.
Needing only six people to steer the ship through the cove mouth, the rest of the sailors were standing at the rail, staring at this strange new place. The silence pressed down on them, not a single birdcall could be heard. Deer, with smooth, long black horns and strange pale markings on their hides, jumped through the thickets that grew down to the saltwater, and several thick-haired ponies clambered across a nearby stone ridge, but those – and the white goats – were the only signs of life.
The still water, smooth as glass, rippled outward from the ship as they sailed further into the cove, not a fish jumped. Mountains rose high and impressive toward the sky, their peaks covered in clouds, and waterfalls making white ribbons streaming down from the distant mountainsides.
Caspian stood next to Edmund; both were observing the island with appraising glances, wary of the unknown. From the helm, Drinian called for the sail to be secured, and the anchor to be dropped. Arriving at the kings sides, he said quietly so no one but Caspian and Edmund could hear; "And what are your orders, your Majesties?"
Caspian and Edmund shared glances, they had agreed without much conversation, to what they'd decided upon. "No one leaves the ship until morning, when there's better light, and less chance of being ambushed," Caspian answered in an equally low tone.
"Agreed," Drinian nodded, before returning to the helm to announce the decision to the crew. "Until morning, we are to stay aboard this vessel! We must proceed with caution. This island doesn't look none too friendly," he muttered to Arran, who had been standing nearby.
"In the unknown, what does?" the pirate captain whispered back, staring at the mountains and the trees with an analyzing look, before turning and walking down the stairs with Drinian. But his hand rested on his hilt as he walked behind the Galmanian captain, a gesture Zephyr caught as they walked by him, one he knew very well. Arran was planning something.
~|:Xo0oX:|~
Eustace was annoyed at the fact that they would not be disembarking from the ship that evening, and voiced his personal opinions loudly. That evening, Caspian and Susan had dinner in the large cabin, wanting to talk in private, freely among everyone they were close to, without sailors who might possibly do something rash. After all, you cannot often trust your crew, no matter how loyal they claim to be. They invited Drinian, as the captain, and as a close friend. The Stars declined, knowing when to keep out of a gathering with the monarchs. And because Zephyr didn't think Arran's personal reasons for attending would be honest.
~o0o~
"So, why are we all here? We've never done this before, do you expect me to think you did this for no reason?" Eustace exclaimed once everyone was eating. Caspian, who had been talking to Susan who was sitting on his left, straightened to look at the interruptive boy.
"Is it not reason enough that we have dined at length with the crew, and have long deserved time away?" he asked, keeping his voice pleasant, which was not difficult, he had no reason to be angry, Eustace had a point.
"I suppose, it just seems odd," Eustace grumbled, slouching in his seat. He stared at all the cutlery and the wine and water glasses that reflected the light, muttering to himself.
"What was the real reason you decided to stay offshore?" Serene asked, looking up from her plate.
"Considering recent adventures, I thought, and Edmund agreed it wise, that staying ship bound until the morning was in everyone's best interest. Given that Lucy tends to find something to keep us busy, or that we all end up captured and bound for the slave market," Caspian replied with a slight nod, a half-smile on his face.
Lucy laughed into her napkin at his words, and Edmund cleared his throat, reaching for his wineglass. "That isn't funny, I don't think that was very funny," Susan whispered to him, though she was smiling as well.
"I admit, it wasn't amusing in the slightest when it happened, but now, looking back, you can laugh just a bit, can't you?" Caspian asked, looking at her. She rolled her eyes, straightening to reach for her glass, but her smile did not go away.
"I think – all of us here are mature enough to look at the situation from every angle –" Drinian glanced at Eustace briefly, brown eyebrow rising in speculation, "that this island has the potential to be either welcoming, or perilously dangerous. Caution, at this moment in time, seems a great deal better than meeting a painful, and very often needless, death." Drinian took a forkful of sea bass off his plate as he finished.
"Yes," Edmund agreed, nodding thoughtfully.
"Well, I don't see what the big deal is. If you all know this 'Aslan' fellow will pull you out of a slump, what's the worry?" Eustace said suddenly, taking a bite of sautéed turnip.
"'What's the worry' young master? What's the worry?" Drinian's hand came down firmly on the tabletop, his expression thunderous.
"Eustace, I think what Drinian is trying to say, is that, Aslan just doesn't go around rescuing stupid people who were smart enough to see the danger in the first place. It, well, it just doesn't work like that," Edmund tried to explain.
"You just used 'stupid' and 'smart' in the same sentence, cousin," Eustace pointed out with cynicism.
"Does that really matter? I can see that both my Captain, and Edmund, has pointed out a very good reason to stay on the Dawn Treader. Must you ruin this dinner by disagreeing with your elders, or, since you're new here, your betters?" Caspian asked calmly, his gaze meeting Eustace's unwaveringly until the boy was forced to look down.
The rest of the dinner was lighter, and the subjects were never so tense or deep again. Most of the conversation was spent with everyone recounting memories of the not-too-distant past. Edmund talked about some of his experiences in Calormen, nearly all of which left him in laughter; along with whomever he was conversing. Drinian talked about some of his more let's say – frivolous – ventures, involving monkeys and concerned nobility. Lucy wanted to know about Susan and Caspian's wedding, and what her sister's dress had looked like, and if the Narnians had helped with it.
Eustace listened, and, consequently, had his first taste of strong Narnian wine. He barely refrained from spitting it back into the glass. But his respect grew a notch for the men surrounding him as they all swallowed it without flinching. Edmund reached for his glass and drained the wine as if he had drunk it all his life, which was almost true. Caspian though, and Drinian, amazed Eustace most. They would drink their glasses, and then refill them to the brim, but their countenance would not change, and they did not seem to be getting drunk.
When Drinian went to refill his glass a third time, he noticed the boy staring, and it made him feel uncomfortable, so he lowered the wine bottle, leaving his glass half-filled. Eventually, Eustace managed to drain his own goblet, albeit slowly. His father used to have an interest in wines before he'd married, and, when occasions arose, would offer some to guests. Eustace had learnt from his father how to tell strong wine from the cheap stuff that was mostly sold since the war had begun. He was no expert, but from the strong taste, he guessed this was unusually superb.
Thinking about the wine had kept him relatively silent, so the dinner ended pleasantly. Drinking the glassful of wine, no matter how slow, had made Eustace feel slightly drowsy, so his entry for the day was short, and slightly blurred.
Whatever Date It Is:
We've arrived at this strange island, it's very mountainous. We caught some fish and had them for dinner, in the large cabin, just Caspian, his wife, the captain and my cousins. Oh, and that friend of Edmund's. Dropped anchor at about 7:00 P.M. in three fathoms of water in some bay. That idiot Caspian wouldn't let us go ashore, unlike all the other times. Afraid of wild beasts and savages, or something of the like. I just think he's afraid of the dark. Knowing him that's probably true. Well, tomorrow then,
Eustace
A/N:
Well? I don't know about this chapter, except that it moves plot {kind of} and it goes through some things. What, exactly, I'm not sure. I know that I've touched base again about Daniel, I've been wanting to do that again, but I never really found another appropriate moment for it {don't even know if this moment was appropriate}.
I kind of thought about it for a while before writing it, and I realized that, in a way, Serene and Edmund have 'lost a child'. They really didn't, but, in a way they did. {I don't think that makes any sense whatever, but I tried}. Edmund never knew Daniel, and he's not with them. {I'm going to drop the subject while I'm ahead and let ya'll figure it out.}
Lucy and Gavan are close to working something sensible out. But I think Gavan really likes her, don't you? Lol, of course he does! Sorry, I'm just very perky right about now, don't rightly know why.
Eustace and the wine: That's about as close to alcohol as I'll really ever get. I wrote that because I wanted to address the fact that Jack mentions them drinking quite a bit in his books. Well, I should say, I wanted to keep that habit up. And that, once again, gives off this 'young – but adult – but not' feel that I get whenever I read. I also enjoy entertaining the idea that Eustace – who has never really tasted wine – drinks this stuff, and then can barely hold it down, while everyone around him (excluding Lucy and Serene, Serene mainly because I don't fancy she'd be a drinker, and Lucy because well, I never really saw that in her) drink (seemingly to Eustace) excessively, but their comportment never lessens. I don't know, personal fancy of mine.
Random Thought: I was doing some research (as good as I can do without internet and my Dad's phone) and I figured out that, though Jack writes them as children, by the time the last book takes place (around middle-to-late 1949-50) The youngest Pevensie [Lucy] would have to be in their early-to-middle twenties, no matter which way you slice it. Which means that, Eustace and Jill (I'm guessing they're the same age because they go to the same classes in school, or, I should say, they see a lot of each other in their school) would be about eighteen-nineteen when they enter Narnia for the last time ( that's if they were both twelve when they come into TSC).
Well, I guess that's about it.
ILoveFanfiction:
Thank you for those pointers, I was wondering about that, frankly. Don't worry, if my writer's muse has any say (she does, I admit) then Caspian shall have his own story, details and dream included. Ok, hint on why there will be Susan/Caspian in the next book:
TSC would be my shortest book in the series, so I'm going to build up to the actual adventure, which means: lots of Narnia beforehand! (you'll understand better when it comes out).
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. 1492