Barren is the most fitting word to describe this island. The little vegetation is of a sad green or brown. Due to a constant breeze howling around the jagged cliffs, dust and earth are everywhere in the crew's clothes, hair, and eyes. It's late afternoon and the six friends stand in front of a beast of easily twenty feet length. Its scales shimmer in the last rays of the sun. Wasn't it for the maw lined with sharp teeth and two columns of smoke rising from the creature's snout, it would look marvellous. A dragon, Luna sighs, off all beasts. It was quite the day they had. As the Dawn Treader reached this new land, Caspian and Drinian decided to split up the crew. The captain should take some men and search for fresh food and water while the kings, the queen, the cousin, and the Crown Shield would explore the island. Reepicheep went with Drinian – they found little. Eustace disappeared. The result of his adventure is standing in front of them right now, apparently. The dragon's eyes are from the same light blue as the boy's. They are trained to the ground as the winged creature taps from one claw to the other. It's quiet, only the murmur of the sea is heard and the scratching of the dragon's, well, Eustace's claws on stone.
» Aunt Alberta won't be pleased, « Edmund breaks the silence. Lucy lifts her head, casting her brother a dissatisfied glance. She sets to nudge him but stops as she realizes he didn't mean it as a joke. The King of Old watches his cousin's new form. Head tilted to the side, shoulders raised, and his stance guarded. He spoke less than usual after he scolded a non-present Eustace for running off as they discovered he wasn't with the other group either. The crew went out to search for the boy. At first, they found a dead dragon up in the mountains by a lake. In a nearby cave laid a treasure they didn't dare touch. Such riches are potentially dangerous, cursed. Later they stumbled upon a golden dragon. He passed over them as they made their way to the boats. His attempt to grab Caspian failed – the king ducked in time – but the creature caught Edmund. Luna isn't sure where they went. The King of Old remained quiet ever since, only telling the others one thing: Eustace is the dragon. Lucy, the good heart, didn't scold her cousin for running off. She helped him get rid of a golden bangle which turned out to wear Lord Octesian's blazon.
» Is there any way to turn him back? « Lucy asks. The Crown Shield wonders if the Kings and Queens of Old ever came across a similar creature. Caspian exchanges a look with Drinian before shaking his head,
» Not that I know of. «
» If you sleep on a cursed dragon's treasure, the curse passes on to you, « Rhince has his hands in his pockets. Eustace growls lowly, lifting his eyes. Everyone falls silent again.
» We can't leave him here, « Lucy determines.
» We can't take him with us on the Dawn Treader either, « Drinian tells her. The captain wears his usual scowl but something in his demeanour tells Luna he feels for the blond boy. He didn't know better, after all.
They decide to spend the night on land. Thanks to Eustace's new abilities, they quickly get a fire going and sit around the warming flames. Most of the crew went back to the ship, only a handful stayed with the six friends. Drinian and Rynelf weren't comfortable to leave the royals without protection, besides Reepicheep and the Crown Shield. They don't trust the dragon yet. However, they will come to as they have to spend a few days on this island. The time is well put to use. While Caspian, Lucy, Edmund, Drinian, Reep and Luna try to find a solution for Eustace's situation, the crew works to render the Dawn Treader seaworthy again - the storm left its traces.
~
The days go by without events and without a realistic solution. The men grow impatient. Especially Pittencream vents his opinions to everyone who is unfortunate enough to work near him. The others keep mostly quiet about it, only a few annoyed glances towards Eustace now and then. He tried to write in the sand with his front claws; first, what happened to him exactly – even though they can imagine – then, ideas of his own. He's a creative mind but the waves come fast and wash most of his hard-to-read scribbling away before he finishes. The friends' ideas reach from 'building a raft for him' to 'putting him on the deck and move every heavy stored thing on the other side to balance the ship'. As the days go by, Drinian is even grumpier than usual and only shakes his head at the ideas presented to him. His concerns are understandable, our rations are limited and there's only so much to find on a volcanic island like this. However, Eustace proves to be a valuable asset. He starts to help around, lifting heavy objects for the men, taking people on flights over the island, and catches whatever wildlife he spots – mainly wild goats and boars.
One evening they sit together around the fire once again. It's been six days now that they are stuck on the Dragon Island as Caspian named it. He had something carved into a stone near the shore to claim it as Narnia's. The inscription states the island's name which was discovered by Caspian X., the King of Narnia, in the fourth year of his reign and that this is supposed to be Lord Octesian's final resting place. Luna stares into the fire, playing with her hair absentmindedly. In her opinion, their forced stay here isn't all bad. They get to explore the small piece of land, train more – or better, differently than on the ship. She can brush up on her archery and endurance training. Reepicheep and the Crown Shield wander off sometimes like back when they lived in the Owlwood a few days north of Cair Paravel. They used to go adventuring around the forest lands the Telmarines avoided for days, spared together, and met other Narnians. Most of the remaining time the tall mouse spends with Eustace. Those two seem to get along quite well. Just now Reep is telling one of his legendary stories and the dragon lies next to him, resting his head on his front legs, and listens intently. Lucy took up her latest sewing work while listening to Reepicheep as well. It's remarkable how the Queen of Old is a quiet worker, mending all sorts of clothes for everyone on the Dawn Treader, always ready to lend an ear or a smile to someone and helps in the kitchen. No complaints. Then again, she can be a fierce warrior who fought in wars alongside her older brothers. Luna thinks herself lucky when the other female accompanies her to train. She is a skilled archer, and they always enjoy exchanging little tricks. Lucy seems to feel the gaze and looks up. The women smile at each other, and she lifts the hand she holds the needle with a little. Luna shakes her head slightly; she won't join in on her mending work right now. Yes, the queen got the warrior to do more sewing than necessary and taught her more of the skill. There's one thing in particular that Luna adopted: her hand wanders to the collar of her shirt. There, in the hem, a thin needle is hidden without pricking the skin. Lucy keeps one in every one of her outfits, she says you never know when it will come in handy.
» Training was good today, « Edmund says. He sits next to Luna on the ground, and she turns to look at him. The others were easy to convince staying in shape is important. So, the King of Old joined the Crown Shield for sparring today. In short, he won. The Just King is said to be the best swordsman of Narnia, after all. However, Luna likes to add she gave him a run for his money.
» T'was, « she agrees.
» Next time I'll look out for you tripping me again, « they laugh. It was funny, really. He threw her off balance, but she ducked under his next blow, bending her knees, and finding her balance again in the process. There, she aimed to strike his shins. He jumped over her sword but didn't see her foot shoot out to trip him. He stumbled and fell. That was the one round of three Luna won.
» You afraid that I'll win one day? « She teases him with a smile. He chuckles, throwing a small stone into the fire pit. Sparks fly in every direction.
» Nah, I can't be here all the time, « he throws another stone,
» So, another needs to be 'the best'. « At the first sentence, his shoulders slumped a little but now he straightens again and sends Luna a wink.
» Hey now, « Caspian speaks up from his spot at Edmund's other side,
» Shouldn't there at least be a fair competition for the title? «
» Makes no difference, « Edmund replies quickly, not hiding his amusement,
» I would've suggested it, but I wanted to spare you the embarrassment. « Luna can't help but snort and quickly thinks of something to retort,
» I'm sure it's not that easy. « Caspian laughs,
» Ah well, he's probably right. «
» However, « he continues,
» I don't think it an embarrassment to lose, « he leans forward a little to look at his protector,
» At least, not to you. « His dark hair falls loosely around his face. It grew quite long, reaching over his shoulders already. His similarly dark eyes sparkle, and Luna can't place if it's the fire or the stars dancing in them. The smile he sends her reminds her to answer somehow. She return the gesture and realises his soft voice made the heat rush up her neck to her cheeks. She is glad for the darkness, so nobody will see her blushing like a young girl.
Sometime later, the first go to sleep. It's usually not very cold, so they scatter in a wide circle around the fire to do so and let it burn down. Lucy and Luna share a mat. They are used to sleeping near each other now and often talk until late at night. As the queen rises, Edmund does the same. He yawned just a minute prior. After saying goodnight, the siblings retreat to their sleeping spaces. Luna is not tired yet, so she decides to stay up a bit longer. It's a clear night and somehow, she has to get used to keeping watch again. On this island, they don't keep watch anymore as they pretty much explored it all. No one sighted anything dangerous – except the dragon, but it's Eustace.
» Lion* for your thoughts? « Caspian's voice is low. The Crown Shield turns her head, watching him scoot closer, Edmund probably won't reclaim his spot. It seems the king always senses when she drifts off a bit. She shakes her head, smiling at him and planning to ask him about it,
» How- « She doesn't need to complete the question.
» You always play with the tips of your hair, « he points out and chuckles as her eyes fall to her hand, which is indeed in her hair. She lowers it, meeting his gaze again.
» This reminds me of the fire after finding the Narnians, « he says.
» You mean, after they found us, « they share a knowing glance, and he nods.
» Well, I remember seeing the fawns dance for the first time, « he continues,
» And you refusing to dance with me at first, too. « She nudges him playfully,
» Oh, come on, you keep bringing that up. It was one time! «
» Really? How about the ball for Calormen's ambassadors? « He nudges her back,
» Or the one in Archenland? Or- « She cuts him off,
» You know what a Crown Shield is, right? I'm supposed to watch out for you, not and draw unnecessary attention. « Luna takes her duty seriously. It's not her job to pose as a lady and try to fit into the court. Sometimes, she wishes it to be different, to be a noble and share a dance with Caspian like on the Lone Islands. Without endangering his life because she didn't fulfil her duty. However, given their history, maybe it's better this way. Since they get to know each other, they always were close. He was still a prince back then, careless of his uncle's watchful eyes. They have gone through a lot; his escape from Miraz' castle, the Narnian Revolution, his coronation, and the wars to come – on paper, with words or with the sword. Maybe there was a point where they both felt more, but those feelings - between a king and a commoner - are forbidden. They never talked about it again. Suppression and distance did their part. So, today they are friends who trust each other unconditionally and have each other's backs, and Luna is thankful for that.
Afterwards they sit side by side in silence until Caspian speaks again,
» You know you always draw attention, don't you? « The Crown Shield glances at him from the corner of her eyes, searching for the tells of a joke but he seems to be serious this time.
» That's... hopefully not true, « she replies carefully,
» You know I love the shadows. They make my job a lot easier. « He grins, mumbling
» I know, « before she continues,
» Unlike a certain someone. « He smiles sheepishly,
» I have no idea what you're talking about. «
*Reminder: The Narnian currency is divided in Lions and Trees. In my imagination, Lions are gold coins and Trees are silver coins.