A/N: Thank you for the very kind reviews and your patience in continuing to read this fic.

I realised after writing the storm with the intention that they land at Dragon Island, I had forgotten to include the Island of the Dufflepuds and the Magician's book. I think my confusion lay in the fact that the book and the movie do them in a different order. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Maedhbh.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit from writing about Narnia - all is the property of C. S. Lewis, Walden Media, Disney ... etc.

When daylight dawned the Pevensies and their cousin, Caspian, Drininan and several of the sailors, boarded the longboat to see what the Island had in store for them. When they landed, the island was not what any of them had expected. Instead of being greeted by a wild uninhabited land they found manicured grass sweeping down to meet the bay and a gravel path leading upwards and inwards towards the heart of the island.

After some discussion it was decided that the five Royals would make their way up the path and explore the island, and Drinian and the sailors would take the longboat back to the ship and await their signal for when they wished to return.

They decided first to breakfast on the beach as they were unsure how long that they would be exploring the island for.

However, Lucy, who wasn't at all hungry decided that she would explore a little as she waited for the others to be finished. She followed the path up into the island and was nearing what appeared to be a large house when she heard a loud thumping noise on the path ahead of her.

Shockingly a voice spoke in the silence.

"There is no escape!"

Starting, Lucy looked around for the source of the voice, even as other voices chimed in.

"Well put, chief, well put – scary!"

Lucy gathered her courage.

"What are you?" she asked.

The voices, when they replied, came from all around her.

"We are terrifying invisible beasts … If you could see us, you would be really intimidated … you forgot to mention that we are very large … I did … oh yes … we are very large …"

Lucy felt that she had better interrupt or they might continue indefinitely.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"You'll do what we ask … she will … very clear chief … well put … yeah."

Lucy was getting the impression that these creatures, whatever or whoever they were, were not very smart.

"Or what?" she asked.

There was a pause, as if they hadn't considered this.

"Or … death!" the chief voice said.

"Death?" replied the chorus of voices sounding surprised. "Yes … death! Death! Death! Death!"

Lucy considered.

"Well, I wouldn't be much use to you dead, would I?"

A shocked silence followed this; it seemed the creatures had not thought of this.

"All right then, we'll just kill your friends."

Lucy closed her eyes. This threat and only this was the one that could force her hand.

"What do you want of me?"

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As she ate Susan glanced at Caspian who had been uncharacteristically quiet and was avoiding her gaze. She looked helplessly at Peter. How could they help Caspian if he wouldn't even talk?

Peter nodded at his sister, understanding her thoughts. His conversation with the young King was well overdue.

He approached Caspian.

"Caspian" he said, "Walk with me."

Caspian nodded reluctantly and got up and followed Peter. He had been avoiding speaking with Peter throughout the voyage. Peter above all of them was his superior, one who he was accountable to. At first, he had avoided the High King because he did not want him to discover his past deeds, but now that those deeds were out in the open, he still avoided Peter. Because of all of them, it was Peter who could pass judgement on him. Peter who could bring him to task for his actions.

It was well known that Aslan had decreed that Peter, as High King, to be High King above all Kings in Narnia. Dr Cornelius had told him that historically there had been much debate about what this meant in practical terms.

Did Peter have the right to command other Kings?

To overrule them?

To call other kings to account?

To meet out justice on them?

To depose them if necessary ….?

All of this, however, the scholars had argued was theoretical, Peter the High King was gone, disappeared from the Land of Narnia.

But Peter had returned. Caspian was in the unique position of being a ruling King in the presence of the High King of Narnia.

And he feared what that High King might decree.

But maybe, he reflected, he deserved all that Peter might say and do. Perhaps he no longer deserved to be King. Perhaps it would be better if he were no longer King. Better for Narnia.

An awkward silence stretched as Peter waited for Caspian to begin. In his years as a High King, he had long ago learned that people invariably fill a silence and that you could learn much about a man and his intentions by how he filled that silence. And so, he waited for Caspian to begin.

He thought that his patience was about to be rewarded when he saw Caspian take a deep breath, as if preparing to speak.

However, just at that moment, just as it appeared that Caspian was about to break his silence, a shout came from down the beach, where the others were breakfasting. It was Edmund.

"Lucy, LUCY!"

And then Susan.

"Where is she … she's wandered off … not again!"

Caspian and Peter ran quickly back up to the beach to the others.

"There!" said Caspian "footprints in the sand, they are leading to the path. Lucy must have decided to explore."

Peter uttered an exclamation of annoyance.

"She should know better than to wander off alone in a strange place!"

Quickly the Pevensies, Eustace and Caspian gathered their gear and began rapidly up the path to find Lucy.

They were halted in their headlong rush up the path by a spear which appeared to be thrown from mid-air to land quivering at their feet

"Stop right there or perish!" a loud voice came from before them.

Lucy in the meantime had been making her way through the book of spells trying to find the one she needed. The one to make the creatures visible again as they had asked.

At last, she found it.

"A spell to make the unseen seen" she read. "Like the 'p' in psychology and the 'h' in psychiatry …the spell is complete. Now all is visible."

Caspian looked around him wildly, wanting to end the threat quickly, but he could see no sign of anyone or anything.

"What sort of creatures are you?" he asked, wanting to know his enemy.

There was a pause and some sounds of murmured conferring and then the answers came thick and fast from voices all around them.

"Big ones … with the head of a tiger … and the body of a … of a different tiger … you don't want to mess with us …"

The creatures seemed ridiculous by their talk, but Caspian still itched to end the threat.

"Or what?" he challenged.

Again, there was a pause before the medley of voices began again, each speaking over the other.

"Or we'll … we'll claw you to death … And I'll … ram my tusks right through you … and I'll gnash you with my teeth … and I'll bite you with my fangs …grrr!"

All this might have been rather alarming, if not for the fact, that the suggestions were so ridiculous … and for the fact that, as the voices were speaking, the creatures began to appear.

And when they appeared they looked to be nothing to fear. They were in fact small, stout, ridiculous looking creatures. They were akin to dwarves in appearance but with only one foot, and they hopped around in the most absurd manner.

Caspian was enraged. How dare these ludicrous creatures threaten him? How dare they abduct the Queen Lucy? He took a threatening step towards them with his sword raised, they would pay for their impudence. But then, a gentle but firm hand on his arm and a voice from behind stopped him. It was Peter.

"You mean squash us with your fat bellies?" he asked humorously.

"Or tickle us with your hairy toes?" added Edmund, joining his brother. Then the young King stepped forward around Caspian, towards the chief, but kept his sword sheathed.

"What have you done with our sister?" he asked.

Caspian was startled to say the least. These creatures had threatened them, they had abducted the Queen Lucy and yet, the Kings of old were inclined to show mercy, to ask instead of threatening. Was this the right course of action? Could this possibly work?

As if in answer to his internal question the chief answered.

"She's in the mansion." And with perfect timing a door appeared from out of nowhere and Lucy stepped out, an old, distinguished looking man following her.

As Lucy explained what she had been doing and who the man was, Caspian reflected. He had been ready to slay these strange dwarf-like creatures, who in reality, had just been looking for help and were in fact no threat at all. He looked to the Kings. Perhaps it was time he learned by example. Time that he learned to be a better King by watching and listening to those who had proven time and time again that they did it best. He looked towards the four monarchs thoughtfully.

King Peter, he had not listened to because he had been too intimidated, too worried about what the High King might say.

King Edmund, despite his reputation for being the most intelligent, fair, and astute monarch Narnia had ever been blessed with, he had not listened to, for he had feared that Edmund's unerring judgement might be directed at him.

Queen Lucy, who had reigned for over fifteen years and grown to a strong and wise woman and Queen, he had dismissed as being too young although in years of ruling experience, she was actually older than he.

Lastly he looked at Susan who gazed back at him with a questioning look. Queen Susan … he had been so focused on seducing the Queen that he had not really listened to what she was saying.

Caspian smiled at Susan and her face lit up with hope in response.

Caspian nodded slightly at the Gentle Queen. Well, now he was ready, ready to listen, ready to emulate, ready to change.

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Corakin, the island's magician, brought them into his library to discuss their quest. As he laid out a magical map of the islands before them, they gathered around.

"That's quite beautiful!" Eustace exclaimed, uncharacteristically enthusiastic for once. And then as if realising by their stares what he had said, he continued.

"I mean for a make-up map of a make-believe world!"

Corakin, after a brief smile returned to the map.

"This is the source of your troubles, Dark Island, a place where evil lurks." he said pointing at an ominous looking island on the map.

"To find it, you must find and follow the blue star."

"Until you defeat the evil, it has the upper hand …It can take any form … it can make your darkest dreams come true …it seeks to corrupt all goodness … to steal the light from this world … you must break its spell … to defeat the darkness in the island, you must defeat the darkness inside yourself."

As the magician spoke, he looked from one to another of them as if anxious to include them all in the warning. And yet Caspian could not help but think that Corakin focused on him more than the others and he could feel the weight of the others' gazes on him as Corakin warned of the darkness inside.

Caspian vowed to himself that he would not fail when he was tested as Corakin warned.

He would not give into the darkness inside.

He would become a better King.

He would find the missing Lords and the people taken by the blue mist.

He would prove that he was fit to lead Narnia in the name of Aslan.

A/N: That's it for now. Next time - Dragon Island. Thanks so much for reading - please review - Maedhbh