༄ 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒙 𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓 (𝑽𝑫𝑻) ༄

Chapter 18: Dark Island

As the two sat on the bed, Ana worked on securing her arm guard and her weapons. Then she nodded to Lucy, who stood and approached. Wrapping her arms around Ana, Lucy pulled her into a hug. She was a little taken aback at first but returned it almost immediately. Being hugged by Lucy always felt different, but this time it was even more so.

It was the hug she often gave before a battle, but this time Lucy was hugging her as the Queen. Normally she pulled you close, holding on tight. It was the hug of a young girl afraid she wouldn't see you again. A warning to be careful. But this hug was warm and comforting, for both parties. A silent reminder that everything would be alright. That they would get through this. Lucy was going into the battle as the Valiant Queen, not Lucy Pevensie.

"We need to talk," Lucy whispered in her ear before pulling away.
Ana frowned a little in response but nodded. "Now?" She didn't feel like the current moment was the time for any deep discussions.
She shrugged. "At some point before we enter this place... Preferably soon."
"What for?"
"Because if this is the source of our nightmares, yours did a real number on you. And if you don't face them..." Here, Lucy hesitated. "...t-they could seriously affect you."

Ana glanced at Gael, still sitting quietly on the bed. She was staring out the large windows, likely only half paying attention to the current conversation. But Ana didn't feel comfortable opening up to Lucy, let alone Gael. She knew that Lucy sensed this though and wouldn't let her use it as an excuse to back out.

"We can go to your rooms if you prefer," Lucy suggested.

Ana held back a sigh. Apparently, they were going to do this regardless of what she thought. There was no way Lucy was going to let her go. And there was no place she could go to hide from her. They were on a boat and Lucy could gain access to her cabin if she pressed enough. It just didn't seem fair to force her to confess her secrets. But Ana did agree that she couldn't expect to fight them on her own.

So, she conceded and the two made their way back to Ana's cabin. As soon as the doors were shut, Lucy turned to face her. But Ana didn't speak, couldn't speak. She found herself clamming up again. She didn't want to relive her nightmare, didn't want to relive any of it. It was too much. The words caught in her throat as they always did.

"Oh, Ana..." Lucy gasped, recognizing her struggle. "What is so terrible that you cannot speak of it?"
"Because it wasn't just in my head," Ana admitted. "S-some of it actually happened and I-I think some of it didn't. I just... I don't know what was and what wasn't real. But since parts of it were..."
"It's harder for you to speak about it." Ana nodded, averting her eyes. "Well... How about if I start with what I know happened? That way we can separate what you remember from what you dreamed."
"It might help..."
Lucy smiled. "It all started when I woke Edmund..."

~Lucy's Point-of-View, a few weeks Earlier~

'Edmund,' Lucy whispered to her brother. He appeared to be awake but in some sort of trance. He didn't see her. Caspian was tossing and turning on an adjacent cot, muttering something. Suddenly Edmund drew his sword and pointed it in the opposite direction of Lucy. 'Edmund!'
'Oh, Lucy!' he replied, startled as his eyes found her. He cast his gaze back to the wall and then to Lucy.
'I couldn't sleep...' she said.

It thundered loudly and Caspian woke with a start. Both flicked their gazes towards him briefly. He was a little dazed for a moment, confused as to where he was perhaps. Or what Lucy was doing there at the very least.

Let me guess,' Edmund said. 'Bad dreams. So either we're all going mad... Or something is playing with our minds.' He slouched back into his cot. Lucy noted he looked exhausted and wondered what was keeping him up.