Camille's Adventure

Chapter 27: To Ramandu's Island

Back on board the Dawn Treader, Lucy was on the little balcony behind Caspian's study, Edmund and Caspian were on the poop deck and Camille slouched lazily against the port railing with Pearl resting on her left and Marcus leaning on the cabin wall to her right, absencently studying his double-bladed weapon. Camille watched Captain Drinian roam the ship and listened to any conversation within earshot, though most of the men were down below deck trying to row the ship through the perfectly still waters.

"The winds have left us," Drinian reported as he climbed up the stairs to the poop deck.

"So how do we get to Ramandu's Island now?" Edmund asked.

"My guess is that something doesn't want us to get there," Drinian stated as he went back down the stairs.

Drinian passed some men working on deck and paused to listen in.

"If I get any hungrier," one man said, "I'm going to eat that dragon."

Everyone stopped and looked up at the dragon who stopped flying around and frowned at man on deck.

Camille turned and looked up at the dragon. "Don't worry Eustace," Camille heard Reep say, "they'll have to go through me first."

The dragon relaxed and headed to the head of the ship. "Ah! Careful!" Reep exclaimed as the dragon took a sharp turn around.

Camille turned back around and looked up at the poop deck. She noticed Marcus had disappeared from beside her.

"Pearl," spoke Camille thoughtfully. "Do you think the Legend of the Glowing Sword is real?"

Pearl lifted her head. "You mean the double blade? Well, we have nothing if we don't believe in such things."

Camille smiled a little then disappeared into Caspian's study. Inside, Camille found Marcus rummaging through an old book in front of her, too engrossed in his search to noticed her entrance. The weapon he held earlier lay across the table next to the book, with an ivory carving engraved on the handle that Camille had never seen before, facing upward. Illuminate the light. It read.

"Looking for something?" Camille asked, deciding to speak up.

Marcus stopped searching and looked up, but not at her. Instead he looked straight ahead. "How can I know if there is any record of my real parents ever existing?"

"What do you mean?" Camille asked, coming over.

Marcus didn't look at her for a full minute. When he did, he had a pained expression that Camille had never seen before. Sympathy flared through her for the boy standing there.

"Ever since I was young, I had a feeling that I was made for another world different than the one I lived in. How can a kid who grew up in a terrible household turn out so well behaved? Camille, how does it all fit in with me being here?"

Camille shook her head. She didn't know either. "All I know Marcus, is that Aslan wants you to be strong. Just trust him."

Camille patted his hand, "Now, let's get back on deck. I can't have anything go wrong during my rul-."

The boat suddenly lurched forward, sending both Marcus and Camille crashing against the wall behind them.

"Oh, what just happened?" Marcus asked as they  got to their feet.

"We must've hit something," Camille blurted before running out the door.

Camille and Marcus had just reached the deck's starboard railing when Edmund exclaimed, "Eustace, that's brilliant!"

So they hadn't hit anything. It was just Eustace pulling the Dawn Treader, his giant tail wrapped around the ship's bow.

****

Caspian sat at the table in his study, looking over the three swords they had collected. Edmund and Camille lounged out on the small side balcony and flipped  through the book Marcus was looking at earlier.

"Now watch the double blade, for strength will arise when a prince returns to reunite the light." Camille read from the pages. "Legend of the Glowing Blades."

"We can't be sure the other lords even made it to Ramandu's Island," Caspian voice had a hint of doubt in it but Camille hardly noticed it. She was still thinking about the legendary sword.

Illuminate the light. What does that mean? Camille thought.

A shout arose from on deck alerting everyone that they had reached the island. Camille reluctantly put down the book and followed Edmund and Caspian out the door, her mind still wandering.

"You look preoccupied, Camille," Edmund asked once the crew reached land. "Something bothering you?"

"I'm just.... confused." Camille spoke slowly. She looked at both Caspian and Edmund as they got out the rowboat. "You both know about the Legend of the Glowing Sword, right?"

The boys nodded as Lucy joined them and spoke up.  "You mean the one about the lost royal family?"

"Exactly, now hear me out," Camille took the boys' outstretched hands to step off the boat. "I found a book that Marcus was looking through..."

While Camille was speaking, Lucy noticed her brother get  flustered when Camille mentioned Marcus and immediately knew what was wrong. She gave Edmund a good nudge in the ribs, making him grunt softly.

"'-arise when a prince returns to reunite the light,'" Camille continued to say. "Do you have any idea what that means?"

"I don't quite understand either, Camille. Watch the Double Blade? I think Marcus's weapon is indeed legendary. Let's keep an eye on it, shall we?" Caspian replied, contemplating her words.

Camille nodded and followed the others up the river bank.