A/N: We're getting so close to the end now, wow! I didn't even realize until now!
-
Deafening silence.
The phrase had never made any sense to her before. Now, however, here beneath the heart of darkness itself, Margaret felt it more than ever, as if the lack of sound had a life and a roar all its own. Ever closer they sailed, towards that island of shadow and evil, and none said a word.
The very shape and essence of the island swirled, a misty bleakness that seemed to feed upon their hope as they drew nearer.
Eustace flew overhead, though he too seemed apprehensive.
"What do you suppose is in there?" Tavros asked quietly.
"Our worst nightmares," said Edmund.
Beside him, Caspian murmured, "Our darkest wishes."
"Pure evil," Drinian suggested helpfully.
Margaret gazed into that roiling mass of shadows, that den of darkness which lay before them.
"This shall be our truest test, that much is certain," she said.
"Tavros, unlock the armory," Drinian ordered. He called out to the crew next. "Archers, prepare yourselves!"
The first mate made his way down to the main deck, following the captain's orders.
"Light the lamps!" he called.
Caspian turned to the others.
"We ought to prepare ourselves as well," he said.
Margaret caught his eye and nodded. Then, she turned to Lucy, steeling herself.
Now or never.
"Lucy, come with me to the cabin... I'll help you with your things."
-
The two girls went into the chart room whilst Caspian and Edmund headed into the main cabin to ready themselves.
Lucy, at the moment, was helping Margaret into her armor, which Caspian had brought along with her cloak. There had been no armor available for Lucy, however, but Margaret had done what she could to help her sister prepare.
Rhince's daughter had gone to speak with him before the battle, but she would be returning soon to keep herself hidden in this small space while they searched for the sword amongst the shadows.
"Before we get ourselves into this," Margaret said suddenly, forcing herself to speak quickly, "There's something you ought to know, Lucy."
Lucy looked at her curiously as she pulled one of the armor's straps tight. Silence lingered as she waited for Margaret to continue.
"I... my grandmother... just before she passed... she told me something. Something that... changed everything. Everything I thought I knew about myself, about why I was brought to Narnia..."
"What did she tell you?" Lucy asked. Calm, but quiet. She began to attach her red cloak to the armor.
A long, deep breath.
"She told me... that she would see me again when the Stars rain down from the Heavens at the End of Time. Lucy... her name, before she had married... was Pevensie."
Lucy's hands stilled after the last lacing had been tied, and she looked into Margaret's eyes.
"Susan was my grandmother all along... but she kept the secret at Aslan's request."
"That... that's incredible," Lucy said, awed. "All this time... and we never had any idea." She smiled in that sweet way of hers. "It's funny, the way Aslan works things out sometimes, isn't it?"
Margaret paused, somewhat taken aback by her reaction.
"You aren't surprised?" she asked.
Lucy laughed. "Well I certainly wasn't expecting it... but it all makes sense when you think about it. And... it's something that's nice to know, I suppose." She grinned. "And, if I live long enough, I might even get to see you again, after Narnia."
Margaret felt a pang in her heart, but she forced a smile, hoping her sadness wouldn't be noticed.
"Maybe so..."
Just then, a small knock came at the door. Gael.
"Excuse me, Lucy, Margaret... My father said it was time for me to hide away now..."
Margaret smiled at the girl, then to Lucy. "I'll let you help the little miss get settled in here. I'm going to go check on Caspian and Edmund."
Lucy nodded, still smiling from the news, and Margaret left the cabin, her heart beginning to settle with dread for what was to come.
-
When she opened the door, the sight that greeted her reassured any doubts she may have had of Caspian and Edmund mending the bond which had been damaged by sharp words exchanged at the pool. There, she saw Edmund, accepting Peter's sword from Caspian, and their faces held no animosity.
The two of them looked to her when they realized they were not alone.
"Margaret," said Caspian. He moved as if to come to her, but stopped himself, glancing at Edmund. "I'll leave the two of you alone, then."
"Wait," said Edmund, stopping him from going.
Margaret smiled a bit.
"I came to speak with both of you anyways," she said. Stepping closer, she took hold of one of each of their hands. "I do not know what lies ahead," she admitted. "I know no more than anyone else. Aslan has kept His signs from me for a reason. But I swear to you, whatever we may find there, I know it will not be beyond our power to defeat. Please... I love the both of you so much. Promise me that you will remember the strength inside of yourselves... Trust that your hearts are true, and trust that Aslan will not let this darkness defeat us. No matter what we shall face, we are stronger. For we have greater purpose."
Edmund smiled softly and pulled her closer. "Wise beyond your years, as always."
Margaret snorted. "You seem to keep forgetting that I have more years than you do now."
He rolled his eyes good naturedly in return.
She turned to Caspian, and found him smiling, his face written with a gentle determination and something like resignation.
"Whatever we encounter..." he said, "I love you. And whatever Fate has been determined for us... I shall accept it."
Margaret gave him a small smile. "I am at peace with whatever may be." She looked at the two of them. "Now then, let us go out and meet our destiny."
-
Caspian stood before the crew as the Dawn Treader sailed ever closer to the Dark Island.
Edmund, Margaret, and Lucy watched from the deck as he addressed them all. Now was not their time, but Caspian's, to lead.
As he spoke, Margaret saw his fear. She saw his hesitation and his doubts. But still, beneath that, she saw his faith. In Aslan, and his crew, and in the goodness within the world. He was ot perfect. He was a man, and as good a king as any could hope to be. And she loved him for it.
"No matter what happens here... every soul who stands before me has earned their place on the crew of the Dawn Treader. Together we have traveled far. Together, we have faced adversity. Together, we can do it again. Now is not the time to fall to fear's temptations. Be strong. Do not give in." He locked eyes with Margaret. "No matter what we may find within, we can win. We must win. Our world... our lives... and the lives of all creatures within this land depend on our strength, here and now. Think of the lost souls we're here to save. Think of Narnia. Think of Aslan. May His strength guide us."
With that, he bowed his head and moved to step down. As he did, a cry rang out from somewhere among the crew.
"For Narnia!"
Caspian paused, and Margaret saw hope kindle in his eyes.
"For Narnia! And for Aslan!" Margaret declared, taking up the call.
Soon enough, the whole crew cheered the same.
Margaret came close to Caspian.
"You did this," she told him. "Remember that. You are the king who inspires his people to face darkness itself. That is who you are."
He took her hand.
"With my dearest friends at my side, I feel able to face anything." He turned towards the great, shadowy island. "And face it we must."
The Dawn Treader slipped silently through the water, and floated, far too gently for the matter at hand, into the darkness of that place.
Eustace flew overhead, though as the light from their entryway faded, they could scarcely even see him. The lamps upon the ship had been lit, though the darkness seemed to swallow their light, unnaturally so. As far as the eye could see, there lay nothingness. Shadow and endless mist, roiling like a wicked fog. The darkness was such that they could barely make out the tip of the masthead.
Wicked whispers began to drift on the wind, and in the darkness, they could see writhing coils of the green Mist. Yes, they were in its heart now. It curled around the ship and settled upon the deck.
"This fog's too thick," said Drinian, "I can't hardly see a thing..."
The Mist had reached them at the helm now.
Margaret heard its whispers in her ear, but the words meant nothing to her. Nonsense, which she could not make out. It was as if this thing had lost its power over her.
Beside her, Caspian flinched, and she took his hand.
"Be strong, Caspian," she whispered. "You are more than the lies of this place."
On deck, Edmund looked around wildly, until Lucy put her hand on his shoulder to calm him.
Caspian and Margaret went down to join them. Just at that moment, a haunted wail rose up in the distance.
The crew searched the waters.
"Keep away!" came another cry, echoing in the nothingness. "Keep away!"
"Who's there?" Edmund challenged.
"We do not fear you," Caspian called back, calmly.
"Nor I you!" said the voice.
Edmund brought up his torch and began to search with it for the source of the voice. The beam landed upon a scraggly figure, clinging to a bit of rock which jutted up from the water.
"Keep away!" the man cried.
"We will not leave," said Caspian firmly.
"You will not defeat me!" The man raised a sword, and its blade glinted in the light of Edmund's torch.
"The sword," Edmund realized.
Caspian's face flickered with recognition. "Lord Rhoop!"
The man, Lord Rhoop, as they now knew, continued shouting at them. "You do not own me!"
"Stand down," Caspian ordered the archers. "We must bring him on board, quickly."
The crewmen began to reach for grappling hooks and other tools to get across to the rocks, but a swooping shape beat them to it.
Eustace dove down from above, snatched up the Lord, and dropped him onto the deck.
As soon as he could get to his feet, the man swung his sword in a wide arc, driving everyone back.
"Be calm, my Lord!" Caspian ordered.
"Off me, demons!"
"No, my Lord," Caspian continued, trying to soothe the man. "We do not mean you harm. I am the son of the king you once served, Caspian the Ninth. I am the Tenth. We have come to find you."
Slowly, Rhoop turned to him. When he caught sight of Caspian's face, he nearly fell to his knees.
"Caspian..." he whispered. "My lord? You should not have come! There is no way out of here!" He turned to the crew desperately. "Quickly! Turn this ship about before it is too late!"
"We have the seventh sword," said Margaret. "Let us leave this place."
Caspian nodded. "Let's turn her about, Drinian." He moved to follow the captain to the helm, but Lord Rhoop stopped him.
"Beware!" he cried. "The longer we are here, the more it will try to keep us from leaving! It knows the minds of men! It will send creatures of nightmare to kill us!"
Margaret caught sight of Edmund's face. He looked pale, staring at something in the water.
"Edmund?"
"I think it's already sent something..." he said, his voice laced with horror.
There, in the water, something moved.
What could have been mistaken for outcroppings of rock suddenly slipped beneath the waves, one after the other.
Something beneath the waves crashed into the ship at that moment, sending everyone to the deck as it rocked.
"Look!" Caspian called, pointing at another dark shape in the water. "What is that?"
"It's too late..." Rhoop whispered, terrified. "It's too late!"
"It's gone under the boat!" one of the crewmen shouted.
Margaret turned to face the other side. A spray of water burst forth as the creature emerged.
A horrid, pinched face with small, beady eyes peered out at them from a screeching head, worm-shaped and dripping with writhing tendrils.
A sea serpent.
Its body swayed in the water while its head remained fixated on the ship, hissing, poised to strike when--
Suddenly, Eustace dove at it from the right, with Reepicheep atop his head. A burst of flame billowed from his mouth as he clawed at the serpent's rubbery hide. It flailed about, trying to shake him loose, knocking into the ship as it did.
Reepicheep nearly fell, grasping onto the rigging at the last moment.
Eustace was flung off, but he caught himself in mid air. As he circled back to face the creature, however, it took him in its jaws and dove beneath the water with him. When it resurfaced, it dashed him against a rock. Just as it made to strike, Eustace stopped it with a breath of flame right into its open maw. The serpent screeched in pain and dove beneath the waves to put its flaming face out.
Eustace struggled to get to his feet, and in that brief moment, Rhoop pushed everyone aside.
"Out, creature!" he shouted, mistaking Eustace for a beast of the Mist.
"No, leave him be!" Margaret cried, but she was too late to stop him.
The seventh sword plunged into Eustace's shoulder, and he roared in pain.
"Eustace!" Lucy cried.
The poor boy flew away, his pain taking his rational thought from him.
"We're all doomed! Doomed!" Rhoop continued, carrying on like a madman. "Turn this ship about!"
"Someone stop him!" came a shout, and it was then that they noticed he had made his way to the helm.
Shoving the crewman aside, Rhoop spun the wheel with all his might, jolting the ship. Everyone lost their footing, stumbling to the deck once more.
Drinian knocked the man out, just as soon as he was able, taking charge of the situation.
"Now, crew, to your rowing positions! Oars at double speed!"
The crew rushed to follow his orders. As the ship began to move, the serpent burst from the depths once more in pursuit, leaping in arcs through the water as it followed.
When it leapt again, it came over the side of the ship and into the water on the other side, coiling itself around the Dawn Treader like a deadly vice. It burst out again, coupling a second time. And then... it began to constrict.
The cracking of wood could be heard from all over as the serpent tried to crush the ship.
Caspian took control of the wheel, and Margaret drew her bow and began to fire, trying to draw its attention.
"Ed!" Caspin shouted behind her. "We'll ram the serpent, dash it against those rocks!" He nodded to a jagged stone protruding from the water."
"Steer it to port!" Edmund shouted back. "I'll keep it on the prow!"
As the serpent began to tear at the ship, Edmund climbed up into the figurehead and shone his light in the creature's face. It swung around to face him, positioning it right in front of the ship.
Lucy burst out from the cabin with Susan's bow in hand.
Edmund was shouting at the serpent, trying to keep its attention.
It suddenly lunged, clamping it's jaws down upon the dragon-head figure.
"No!" Lucy cried.
"Edmund!" Margaret shouted, at the same time as Caspian.
But when the creature pulled back, all that it had in its teeth was a simple piece of wood. Edmund had dodged its grasp.
"Lucy!" Margaret shouted, nocking an arrow. "With me, aim for its eyes!"
Her sister nodded and also nocked an arrow. The two of them fired at the same moment, and the serpent readed back in pain as one red-fletched arrow and one gold-fletched arrow both suddenly found a home in its large, yellow right eye.
"Brace yourselves!" Caspian shouted as they approached the rocks.
The serpent recoiled, poising to strike again, but at that moment, the Dawn Treader crushed it against the jagged outcropping behind it.
Edmund fell from the figurehead, bounding off of the rubbery body still coiled upon the deck.
As the ship moved away from the rock, the serpent, hissing in pain, unwound itself from the ship. Its body began to glow, and then, like some sort of wicked cobra, it split open to reveal a hood, lined with writhing appendages, like the legs of spiders or the stingers of scorpions.
It fixed its good eye on Edmund, who stared in horrified amazement.
"Edmund, move!" Caspian shouted. He dove at him, pushing him to the deck just as the serpent lunged.
"Caspian!" Margaret shouted.
The head of the beast lay heavily on the deck, its jaws grasping at whatever it could reach.
Quickly, she drew her sword and hacked at its rubbery flesh. It screeched and drew back, and there on the other side of where it had been, she saw Caspian, with one of the blades used for cutting rope while sailing. He had cut off one of the creature's appendages, which lay twitching on the deck.
Before their very eyes, it suddenly dissolved into Mist, and where the creature had been wounded, its body seemed to bleed the same.
"It isn't real," she realized. "The Mist hasn't summoned these creatures, it's made them."
Caspian locked eyes with her. "We can defeat this."
"We have to get it closer!" said Edmund.
"Bring out the harpoons," Margaret ordered. "Anything we can use to bring its head down!"
"All hands to the main deck!" Drinian called.
Meanwhile, the serpent took the mast in its jaws and began to tug, as if it were trying to overturn the ship.
Margaret didn't know where her bow and quiver had gone, but she had lost them in the chaos. She focused instead on helping the others.
The crew rushed about, attaching pikes and harpoons and spears to ropes. They all lined up.
"Ready!" Caspian shouted. "Now!"
All at once, they heaved their weapons together, impaling the creature's open flesh.
"Now pull!" Margaret called. "Bring it down!"
The creature reared and screeched, jerking back. The slickness of the water-soaked deck and the motion of the serpent made it difficult to hold on, but they tried with all their might, even as the struggle rocked the ship.
Edmund climbed into the crow's nest, trying to get to a place where he could draw the serpent's attention.
But at that moment, the serpent reared back, and the men were not strong enough to hold it. The very place that it had been tied to ripped free from the deck, sending several men flying.
Margaret felt herself pulled overboard. She heard Caspian calling her name. Then she hit the water.
For a moment, she couldn't tell which way was up or down. Her armor weighed on her.
Below, she caught sight of the rest of the serpent's body, and her blood ran cold. The way it moved didn't sit right with her.
She had never feared the ocean, but this thing did put some sort of dread in her heart. Somehow, she managed to break the surface, gasping for air. She was far too close to it for comfort. Beside her, it moved, slipping quickly into the water. Trying not to let panic overwhelm her, she swam for the ship.
Then, she felt a set of powerful jaws clamp around her leg. She only just managed to capture a breath before it pulled her under.
Aslan, don't let me die like this... not like this.
Not clawing for breath, crushed by fear. That was not how she should die.
As the serpent pulled her lower and lower, down into the depths, though her lungs burned, she felt a new surge of strength, like the tide coming in. Wresting her sword from its scabbard, she plunged with all her might into the creature's other eye.
Even underwater, she could hear its wild screech. It flailed, bursting out of the water.
Margaret clung to her sword, still embedded in its flesh, and went along with it as it tried to shake her loose. Her sword did soon slip free of the creature, and she felt herself falling again. This time, however, she did not land in the water.
With the air knocked from her lungs, she lay on her back on the deck of the Dawn Treader.
Above her, she saw Edmund in the crow's nest, surrounded by green mist.
Suddenly, his sword, Peter's sword Rhindon, began to glow blue, like the light of a Star.
Faintly, she heard him shouting, drawing the serpent's attention. It lunged for him, and he plunged the blade deep into it front he inside of its mouth.
With one last dying screech, it slid backwards, into the water, and it was no more.
Caspian knelt at her side.
"Margaret!"
Lucy was there as well, pressing the cordial to her lips. As the juice of the fire flower touched her tongue, she felt the bite upon her thigh begin to close up; a strange sort of sensation, like an itch she couldn't scratch, but her vision cleared.
"I'm alright, Lu," she said, still trying to catch her breath. "We've done it..."
Just then, a beam of light opened overhead. The three of them looked up to see that the roiling darkness had begun to disperse. Like the sun burning off the fog of a wicked storm, or the way Aslan's power had reversed the Winter of the White Witch, Dark Island crumbled, leaving them out on the open ocean, on a sunny day..
Edmund climbed down from the crow's nest.
"It's Eustace..." he said, looking around. "He must have taken the last sword back to the Table..."
Caspian and Lucy helped Margaret to her feet.
"Look," she said, as something in the retreating mist caught her eye. "There! Those boats! It must be the Lone Islanders!"
Rhince pushed through the other men, his daughter in his arms. The pair of them desperately searched the boats from a distance, their faces lighting with joy when they found her.
Though the Dawn Treader drifted closer, the two of them couldn't seem to wait. They leapt from the ship and swam over to the boats to reunite with her.
"Get these people on board!" Caspian shouted, smiling brightly. "Clear the decks!"
He came over to Lucy, Edmund, and Margaret, bringing them all closer. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but at just that moment, a familiar voice rang out from the water.
"Hey! Hey!"
Margaret rushed to the railing.
"Eustace!" she cried, relieved.
"I'm a boy again!" he shouted happily.
"So you are!" she called back with a laugh. "I bet you've got a magnificent story to tell!" She turned to see about having him brought on board, but Reepicheep darted past her.
"Eustace!" he called happily. "I see your wings have been clipped! Ha-ha!" And with that, he dove into the water as well. The Mouse began to happily sing. "Where sky and water meet, where the waves grow ever sweet..."
His singing did distract him a bit from the act of swimming, and he slipped under the waves for just a second. He resurfaced, spluttering and coughing, his face full of surprise.
"It is sweet!" he declared, tasting the water more purposefully this time. "Just as in the song! We've reached the Utter East, my friends!"
"Song?" Margaret asked.
"A dryad sang it to him when he was born," Lucy explained. "And the song said he'd find all that he seeks here in the Utter East where the waves grow sweet... That must be what it meant. The water here... it isn't saltwater."
Some puzzle piece seemed to fall into place for Margaret, and as Eustace and Reepicheep were brought aboard, she rushed to the other side of the ship, searching for what she knew she would find.
Sure enough, there in the distance, that lily-white sea awaited. Beyond that, she could make out the faintest outline of the Great Wave.
Edmund, Caspian, and Lucy trailed behind her.
"Just as I remember," she whispered to herself.
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.
Margaret hesitated.
"This is where I came when I died."
"Aslan's Country..." Caspian said, almost like a question.
"No, not there. I chose not to go... If I had, I wouldn't have been able to return. But... I went to the Great Wave." She looked up at the others. "Would you like to see it? Something tells me we may find Him there."
"Well," said Edmund, "We've come this far..."
Margaret wanted to see Aslan. She had many questions for Him. As they readied the rowboat, she felt both excited and hesitant. She was about to receive answers, she felt that in her heart.
But what would happen if they were not the answers she wished to hear?
-
A/N: As always, be sure to let me know what you thought! I love hearing from everyone! Polite suggestions and all questions welcome!