Royal [E.Pevensie]

chapter ten

"Edmund." Adela spoke. She leaned her head on his shoulder in exhaustion while he cleaned his tin sword. He had been working on it for their last few days on the sea.

He hummed in response. "Don't your hands get tired?" She placed her hand on top of his, stopping him from scrubbing off the rust from his sword.

"A little. Why, want to help?" He turned to her with a smile. Adela paused for a moment, then nodded. "Sure."

Edmund passed her the sword and his knife. She began scraping.

She laughed at the first piece she cut off.

"It's fun, isn't it?" Edmund chuckled.

"It's going to be magnificent." Bubbled Reepicheep upon noticing the sword, halfway cleaned.

"Do they come in a smaller size?" He chortled.

"I'll alert you when I invent a shrinking machine." Beamed Edmund.

"Oh- hold on. I see your cousin sneaking into the boat." Sighed the mouse. He ran off.

Edmund had taken the sword once again. Adela yawned. She leaned her head onto her palm tiredly. 

"Are you going to do that the whole time?" She exasperated.

"What else is there to do?" He smiled.

"I don't know. Sword fight again?" She shrugged. She rested her back against his shoulder.

All of a sudden, Eustace ran out, holding a sword on his hand. He pushed past everyone in his way while Reepicheep chased him.

"Trying to run away?" Teased the mouse. "We're on a boat, you know." Reepicheep blocked off Eustace's path, and held his small blade up to him.

"Seems that someone else has taken that idea." Edmund chuckled. He stared ahead at his frightened cousin.

"Look, can't we just discuss this?" Babbled Eustace. The mouse cut his sword in between two buttons of Eustace's shirt. There was an orange hidden beneath his shirt.

"That was for the stealing." Began Reepicheep. He stabbed through the orange and took it out. "That was for lying." Finally, he hit the orange across Eustace's face. "And that was for good measure."

Eustace shook nervously. He held onto his sword tightly. He began to swing aimlessly at the mouse, who laughed heartedly. "That's the spirit!" Reepicheep exclaimed.

Everyone on the boat watched the two with amusement. "This can't be safe." Adela commented. Edmund laughed.

"We have ourselves a duel!" Announced the mouse. "Catch!" He threw the orange to Drinian, who caught it with his left hand.

Eustace stood in front of Reepicheep, unsure of what to do. The mouse stared at him menacingly. "Now, come on. Take your best shot." Reepicheep urged.

Eustace hit forward his sword, but the mouse ducked. "Is that it? Come on, boy." He goaded. Every time Eustace would move his sword, the mouse avoided it. He jumped, he rolled, he ducked.

"Now, stop flapping your wings like a drunken pelican!" Nagged Reepicheep. "Poise!" He yelled.

Eustace sighed. "Keep your blade up. Up, up! That's it!" Instructed the mouse. Eustace did as he was told. Reepicheep jumped up just as Eustace pounced at him. He rarely took to hitting the boy, but mainly to provoking his anger whilst Eustace chased him across the boat.

"Not your left. Your right." Reepicheep scolded. He swung at Eustace's feet. "Be nimble. Be nimble." Reepicheep jumped back onto the edge of the boat.

"It's a dance, boy— a dance."