To the person who left a comment about the age gap between Edmund and Lucy, I hope you see this. Since I can't PM you, here's the only way I can answer you.
For reasons I can't explain in a short author's note, I had to age Edmund up quite a bit from his suspected book age for my first story. And since Lucy definitely wasn't 12, I had to make their age gap bigger. It ended up being three years and I had to maintain that difference for all three stories, making Edmund much closer to 18 in this book than Lucy. Hope this helps!
Chapter 14: Deathwater Island
Much to Ana's dismay—though not unexpected—the three royals clambered into the same longboat as her. Rynelf and Eustace were also with them. Leif joined Reepicheep, the Captain, a few other sailors, and both Rhince and Gael in the second boat. The rest of the crew remained behind to maintain and protect the Dawn Treader.
The air felt tense to Ana as she hadn't spoken to most of the passengers in at least two days. She hoped it didn't feel as awkward to the others as it did her. Lucy was seated in the first row, helping control the steering, and Ana sat nearest to her. Eustace sat the furthest away and Rynelf sat in the middle seat. Caspian and Edmund occupied the row in front of Eustace, facing her direction. She resolutely avoided their gazes and kept her eyes focused on the water. But she could feel their eyes on her.
As they drew closer to the Island, Ana noted the lack of any vegetation. Nothing appeared to be living, unlike Coriakin's. Reepicheep was the one to voice this observation.
"I doubt the lords stopped here, my liege," the Mouse announced. There's no sign of anything living."
"Right," Caspian answered. "Well, once we get ashore, take your men and look for food and water. The four of us will look for clues." Ana wasn't quite sure if the fourth was meant to be her or Eustace. Though she could guess whose company they preferred.
Eustace seemed to come to the same conclusion. "Hang on, you mean the five of us," the boy protested. When the others turned to look at him, Ana knew her assumption was correct.
"Come on," Eustace almost pleaded, "please, don't send me back to the rat."
"I heard that," Reepicheep said, making the others chuckle. It brought a small smile to Ana's face as well.
"Big ears," he grumbled quietly to himself.
"I heard that too."
When they reached the shore, the crew immediately began unloading the boats. Eustace was ordered to stay behind by both Kings. While he groaned and muttered his displeasure, he didn't follow after them. Caspian led the four away, scouring the island to see what they could find.
They walked for quite a while without finding anything. The rocky terrain didn't leave much hope of finding any tracks or footprints. Any that had been left in the dirt were likely blown away by the wind. But as they approached some large boulders, Ana noticed something peculiar. Caspian appeared to notice it at the same time she did, guiding them over to it.
What drew their attention was a rope secured to one of the boulders. As they approached, Ana noticed there was a large hole that led to a cavern or cave below the ground. The rope stretched down into the hole.
"Look," Caspian observed. "We're not the first ones on this island."
"The lords?" Edmund wondered aloud.
Caspian dropped a small stone down the crevice. They listened as it bounced off several rocks on the way down. "Could be," he answered Edmund. "What do you think could be down there?"
"Let's find out," Edmund commented. He grabbed the rope and carefully began his descent.
Caspian waited until Edmund was a safe distance down before following. Ana allowed Lucy to go before her, taking up the rear. As she climbed down, she felt unease and her magic seemed on edge. By the time she reached the bottom, the others had discovered something. She moved closer to see what they were talking about. And, hopefully, figure out what was wrong with this place.
"What's that?" Caspian asked.
"I don't know," Edmund answered. "Looks like some sort of gold statue."
There was a small pool of water at the bottom of the cavern. It was deep enough that Ana couldn't make out the bottom. But the strangest thing was a statue of what appeared to be a man. Even without examining it too closely, Ana could make out intricate details carved into it.
In order to get a better look, they all approached the pool. As they examined the statue, Edmund backed away and pulled a root from the rocky wall. He placed it in the water with the intention of at least pulling the statue closer. The effect was immediate. As soon as the branch touched the water, it began to turn to gold. It grew too heavy for Edmund to hold and he dropped it in the water. The wood sank to the bottom as he barely managed to avoid falling in himself. They all stared in shock at this discovery.
"He must've fallen in," Caspian suggested.
"Poor man," Lucy commented as they realized the statue was once a person. Ana was forced to agree with her assessment but pointed to a shield that had fallen in the water as well.
"You mean, 'poor lord,'" she said and the royals turned to see what she was pointing at.
"The crest of Lord Restimar," Caspian observed.
"And his sword," Edmund observed, spotting the dropped blade.
"We need it," Caspian ordered.
"Be careful," Lucy warned as Edmund moved to retrieve it. Neither wanted him to suffer the same fate as the lord.
Edmund unsheathed his sword and placed it in the water near the other blade. He tucked the point of his sword under the hilt of the other and began to pull it out. Caspian held Edmund's other arm for balance to make sure he didn't fall in. The two could only watch with bated breath as he retrieved the sword.
"Your sword hasn't turned to gold," Lucy observed as both blades emerged from the pool.
"Both the swords are magical," Ana explained.
"Here." Edmund handed the lord's blade to Caspian.
Lucy looked back to the water. "He mustn't have known what hit him."
"Maybe," Edmund stated and Ana noted a change in his demeanor. "Or maybe he was onto something."
"What are you talking about?" Caspian questioned, seemingly concerned.
Instead of answering his question, Edmund knelt next to the water's edge. He picked up a shell and quickly dipped part of it in the pool. Then he set it down just as quickly on the embankment and watched as it turned to gold. A look crossed his face that made Ana feel uneasy. She couldn't describe what she saw but knew it didn't belong on his face.
"What are you staring at?" Lucy asked her brother. There was concern in her voice.
"Whoever has access to this pool," Edmund said instead, "could be the most powerful person in the world." He turned his head to look at his sister. "Lucy, we'd be so rich. No one could tell us what to do... or who to live with."
"You can't take anything out of Narnia, Edmund," Caspian interjected.
"Says who?" Edmund asked, gaze returning to the golden shell in his hand.
"I do," he answered with caution in his voice. It was a warning to Edmund.
This was the wrong thing to say. Edmund glared at Caspian and rose from his position. As he did so, he grabbed his sword. The blade was not raised, but Edmund was ready to strike should the need arise. The two girls exchanged worried glances and Ana wondered if she should intervene. She held off though, unsure what to say and hoping Caspian could de-escalate the situation.
"I'm not your subject," Edmund practically growled. He still held the shell in his hand as he approached Caspian.
"You've been waiting for this, haven't you?" Caspian responded, raising his voice. "To challenge me? You doubt my leadership?" Caspian started raising his voice.
"You doubt yourself!" Edmund countered. Ana was forced to admit that she had noticed that at times as well. She wondered if it had something to do with her.
"You're a child!" Caspian argued.
"And you're a spineless sap!"
"Edmund," Lucy cautioned, grabbing at his arm.
He ignored her, pushing her off and into Ana. Both nearly stumbled into the pool. This only ceased to make Ana very worried and angry. Edmund never treated Lucy with such disregard. It was out of character for him. Caspian too. Both were acting very unlike themselves.
"I'm tired of playing second fiddle," Edmund continued. "First it was Peter and now it's you! You know I'm braver than both of you! Why do you get Peter's sword? I deserve a Kingdom of my own! I deserve to rule!" He kept pressing closer to Caspian as he shouted at him.
"If you think you're so brave… prove it!" Caspian ordered. He shoved Edmund back and both raised their swords.
"Caspian! Edmund!" Ana shouted, trying to draw their attention off each other.
But both ignored her. She stepped forward to break up the fight just as Edmund cried out. He swung at Caspian and Ana was forced back to avoid being hit. Caspian parried the blow and the two Kings engaged in a duel. She tried to separate them again, but it only resulted in her getting nicked by one of the blades.
Ana stumbled back in shock, realizing that it was the cavern that was affecting them. She exchanged a glance with Lucy, wondering how they were supposed to get the two away. Lucy seemed to realize the same. When the Kings momentarily separated, the Queen jumped between them. Though both were still angry, they were aware enough not to continue fighting.
"No! Stop it!" she cried, turning her head to lecture them both. "Both of you! Look at yourselves. Can't you see what's happening? This place has tempted you. It's bewitching you. This is exactly what Coriakin was talking about. Let's just get out of here."
When they lowered their blades, Lucy stormed away. The two stared at each other before Caspian followed her. Edmund lingered for a moment and Ana stayed behind with him. He cast one last look at the shell in his hand before tossing it into the water. He silently left the cavern as well. Ana hurried swiftly after him, not wanting to stay alone when she heard the whispers again.
꧁ 𝑽𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒘𝒏 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 ꧂
Lucy led the group and Ana trailed behind. Both Kings put their blades back in their scabbards. The walk back was silent and tense. Neither wanted to speak but both seemed remorseful of their actions. That was something at least. It meant they were no longer being tempted.
As they drew closer, they could see the crew loading up the longboats. Their presence was noted and Caspian walked forward to inspect the baskets.
"What food did you find?" he asked.
"It's volcanic, your Majesty," Rhince explained. "Not much grows."
"Where's Eustace?" Lucy asked, looking around for her cousin
"I believe he's out not helping us load the boats," Reepicheep replied, clearly annoyed.
"Eustace! Eustace!" Lucy called out before turning to her brother. "Edmund, I've got a bad feeling..."
"I'll go find him," Edmund said and turned around.
"I'll come with you," Caspian offered. He handed the sword they had found to Lucy.
Edmund nodded and the two walked off in search of Eustace. Both ladies watched them leave and Ana hesitated in following them. But she figured it was best to leave them alone. If they wished to discuss what had happened, they probably didn't want an audience. So she turned back to Lucy and the two helped finish loading the boats.
Both boats were taken back to the ship and unloaded. Then Drinian ordered a group of sailors to take one boat back to shore for the Kings. After putting the sword in a safe place, Lucy joined Ana. She prepared herself for a conversation or lecture but Lucy merely frowned.
"You're bleeding," she observed, grabbing Ana's arm.
"It's fine," Ana told her as she examined it herself. It didn't even hurt and she was surprised it was bleeding. "It's just a scratch. I've had far worse." She looked at it and came to the same conclusion that Ana had. So it was merely bandaged up and they waited on the main deck for the others to return.
"Lucy…" Ana began and the young Queen looked at her, curious. "About before… I'm sorry. I just needed some time alone to clear my head."
Lucy's face softened. "I'm sorry as well. I think I pushed you too soon. It was still fresh on your mind and we both know you weren't quite yourself afterwards. I should've given you more time to process what happened."
"I shouldn't have pushed you away… You've always been there if I needed you."
She smiled. "It's alright. Everything's forgiven. Though… You should probably talk about what you saw at some point. If not to me then someone else. Caspian. Edmund. Reepicheep. Anyone really."
Ana nodded but didn't respond. Lucy reached out to hug her but seemed to think better of it. Instead, she comfortingly grabbed her arm and sent her a soft smile. Then Lucy left to join the Captain on the poop deck. Gael spotted her and joined the two not long after. Ana was left alone.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from the island. Everyone turned to look in the direction hoping to find the source. They heard the sound again. This time Ana thought it sounded like a roar and she reached for her bow. The rest of the crew were still confused by the noise and Lucy turned to the Captain.
"What is that?" she asked. They heard the sound again and this time they could see flames coming from the mountains.
"Is it the volcano?" Gael asked, worried.
"Oh, no," Drinian answered. "That's no volcano." He turned to the crew. "All hands on deck there! Archers, arm yourselves!"
The armory was unlocked and crossbows were passed around. They lined up along the deck as the creature made itself known. To the surprise of many, a golden dragon approached the ship. Ana was surprised to see one herself, but had suspected dragons existed. She just hadn't seen one before now.
"Take your positions and wait for my command!" Drinian ordered. They aimed their weapons at the creature, but no one fired. Ana's weapon remained lowered. There was a sense of familiarity about the dragon and something told her not to shoot at it.
The Captain gave the order as the dragon flew closer. There was an onslaught of arrows fired at the creature, but none seemed to hit it. At the very least, none pierces its hide. It circled the ship a few times before landing on the mast. The ship tilted and several lost their balance.
"What's it doing?!" Lucy cried, hugging Gael close to her. She was ignored by everyone, too focused on the scene before them.
"He'll break the mast!" Drinian shouted to the crew, firing a cross-bolt at the dragon.
"Right," Ana heard Reepicheep say.
She watched as the Mouse scampered up to the mast. Drinian ordered his men to hold their positions and then gave the order to fire again. The dragon slipped from its perch, but still held on with its claws. Reepicheep held his raiper in his paw and swung on a rope towards it. As he passed the creature, he stabbed him in the foot. The dragon roared and let out a breath of fire before releasing the mast. It flew quickly back towards the island while the crew cheered at their victory.
However, it wasn't long before the dragon returned. It held something in its claws this time and when it got closer, Ana gasped. She transformed without thinking, shocking many of the crew members nearby. As she was contemplating just how she was going to fight off the dragon, Lucy realized what—rather who—it held.
"Edmund!" she called out, worry and fear evident in her voice.
"Lucy!" Edmund called back, struggling in the dragon's grasp. "Lucy!"
Still as the phoenix, Ana looked at Lucy. She looked about ready to jump overboard and swim to shore. Gael had stepped away from her, terrified of the sight. Decision made, she flew towards Lucy without so much as a warning. As she carefully scooped her up in her talons, Lucy only let out a small yelp of surprise. Then with no further protests, Phoenix carried her towards the island.
She knew that Drinian wouldn't be far behind. By the time she had picked up Lucy, he was already ordering them around. So she was not surprised to see them climbing into a lifeboat by the time they reached the beach.