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Idalia's vision slowly cleared up and she caught her breath. Her whole body was hurting but after one look around the still dark and very wet deck she knew she avoided being killed by the serpent and that this wasn't a dream, it was very real. She could almost say it was hell on earth in that matter of moments. Someone else must have saved her from the monster. The head of the serpent was gone and it circled around the boat to the front where Edmund distracted it so Caspian could steer the ship into the rock. Idalia gasped and picked herself up, drawing her eyebrows together in pain as she observed the destroyed deck.
What just happened?
Her eyes flickered around but before she could figure out who saved her she was sent toppling to the floor again as the ship hit the serpent and the rocky mountain. Idalia hit her head on the floorboards and groaned in pain very loudly. Then she saw it.
A single bloody looking dagger was laying in front of her eyes when she raised her head. She reached for it and held the familiar blade in her hands. She sharpened it herself, she renewed the leather handle too and then she gifted it to someone.
Kirin, her eyes widened. ''Kirin!'' She screamed and scrambled to her feet the bloody dagger clutched in her hand.
Her head turned every way as the crew was slowly picking up themselves each at their own pace. She searched the faces, she searched the bodies but everything always came up blank.
''Idalia!'' Caspian exclaimed and rushed to her.
He grabbed her by her upper arms and turned her so she would look at him but Idalia kept on having a distant expression. Caspian looked her up and down and almost smiled at the fact that she was alive. ''Are you hurt?''
Idalia shook her head when she looked up at him. ''Where's Kirin? Have you seen him?''
Caspian took a moment to register what she was asking. His eyes panned downwards and only then he noticed the dagger in her hand that belonged to the faun. The king turned around and searched his eyes but his lips turned into a frown. Idalia had no time to scream out for her friend again when she spotted the serpent glowing gold in the distance. It was about to pounce and there were too many people on board for everyone to jump to safety.
''No!'' She screamed and pushed an oblivious Caspian out of the way.
The two fell to the ground from the slippery boards and the serpent missed them mostly. Idalia cried out in pain as she clutched her abdomen and hit the floor beneath her with her closed fist in anger. Due to water everywhere she had no idea if it was blood on her clothes and armour or just seawater. Edmund rushed to the serpent and slashed with his sword, cutting off one of the weird claws. After the cut-off part laid there for a while it disappeared into a green mist.
Caspian picked himself up. ''We can beat this,'' he said.
He reached down and offered a hand to Idalia, who gladly accepted it and pulled herself up. Caspian was already rushing away so he had no absolute time to realise how much pain Idalia really was in. She kept her hand on her torso pressing and ignoring the pain as she picked her sabre up again. Caspian gathered people with the harpoons and they all threw them at the serpent at the same time. Idalia joined one group and started pulling at the rope together with them. Her face was contorted in pain, her feet were losing grip on the slippery floor but she still gave all her might to pull the serpent closer.
From the corner of her eye, she observed as Edmund climbed the pillar to the platform with his sword. The sword that mere moments later started glowing bright blue, just like the other six ones were at Aslan's table. The serpent broke free of the ropes sending Idalia to the floor for the umpteenth time in that battle. But luckily it didn't last any longer as Edmund stabbed the serpent through the roof in its mouth making its agonizing screams echo through space for one last time before it fell back in the ocean.
All went still for a few moments but then a beam of light surged through the thick black clouds and shined on the ship.
''The spell, it's lifting,'' said Lucy. ''Idalia! Look!''
Idalia was lying on the floor, motionless and unable to pick herself up. All she could do is open her eyes and look at the sky above her that kept showing itself through the black clouds. She only then realised that they haven't even been in the cave but they were just under heavy dark clouds all this time. Pain filled her mind and she closed her eyes again trying to calm her rapid heartbeat. She felt the warm sun graze her face but she couldn't manage to pick herself up. Her strength ran out, she put everything she had in that fight and now it was all gone.
''Ida.''
The nickname. A few used the nickname for her but Kirin was the only one who called her that and nothing else. She opened her eyes and with a strangled grunt pushed up to lean on her elbows. Caspian crouched down beside her, worry swimming in his eyes. She realised then and there that it was him that called out to her. A sob escaped her throat and she hung her head, letting the tears fall freely down her cheeks. Caspian hugged her and pulled her into his chest offering all comfort he could at that moment.
They just won against dark magic. But it was that dark magic that took Kirin away from Idalia. His last action was saving her life from the monster and by doing that he paid with his own. All that was left of him were countless memories in Idalia's mind and that one dagger that she gifted him. It took Idalia a couple of minutes to stop shaking with her sobs.
Once Caspian felt she was calming down he leaned back and took her face in his hands and wiped her cheeks free of tears. He stayed silent, knowing that if he would say anything it would be simply wrong. Idalia let out a long breath, tears still falling but her sobs ceased now. She reached for the blade on the floor and picked it up with shaky hands, proceeding to wipe it free of blood.
''He saved my life, Caspian,'' Idalia muttered looking at the dagger.
Caspian nodded, knowing she could see him from the corner of her eyes. ''You would do the same for him if you were in his place.'' He whispered.
The words hurt both of them but they were nothing other than true. Idalia nodded and gulped down when a sob wanted to escape her again. Had she known he was in danger she would throw herself in front of the serpent instead of him. But that was not the case today and guilt was already eating her up inside.
Caspian stood up from the crouching position and offered both his hands to Idalia to pick her up too. She slipped the dagger in her boot, then with a struggle and Caspian's help stood to her feet. Her attention was directed to the sea where boats started to appear through the fog with a lot of people on them.
''Narnians!'' Someone pointed at the boats.
Idalia looked up at Caspian and he returned her glance. They did it. With his arm still around Idalia, afraid that she would fall, he guided them to the railing. If these were all the people that were taken by the mist and this must mean...
''Look! It's the governor.''
Idalia stilled making Caspian do the same. Her eyes flickered over every boat until she saw a pair of people sitting alone in one of them. There was a man with greying hair styled with a short beard and the smile on his face was prominent as he waved at the people around him. Sitting next to him was a woman, smaller with dark hair, the same colour as Idalia's.
Idalia almost didn't believe it. All of it felt so surreal. She wiped under her eyes to rid of the tears fallen from them. For a second she thought that only her vision was blurry from the tears and that she must be hallucinating. Her trance of staring at the same spot was broken when the new arrivals started climbing on board.
''Governor Xalvador.'' Drinian bowed before he turned to the woman. ''Emonie.''
The couple smiled back at the captain. Emonie first broke the glance and looked around and no more than a few moments later her eyes landed on Idalia. She froze and stared before she tugged on the Governor's sleeve. Soon his green eyes, much like Idalia's searched her out as well. Idalia managed a weak smile at them, feeling how a tear trickled down her cheek. She found her parents.
''I don't believe it...'' Governor Xalvador whispered under his breath.
''Princess,'' said Emonie.
Idalia nodded very subtly. She tried to take a step towards them, a step away from Caspian but as soon as she did she wavered and groaned out loud. Pain shot up her torso and she clutched her abdomen, screwing her eyes shut tightly.
''God, Idalia! You're bleeding!'' Caspian exclaimed as he checked the wound.
Idalia looked down at herself and true enough a large gash appeared on her stomach, blood was everywhere around her and all of it was hers. ''This. Isn't. Good.'' She managed to whisper, losing her breath over it.
All of what just happened sent waves of shock through her. The veins in her body were pumping adrenaline which made her forget the pain that was still very much present. She cried over Kirin and didn't even manage to properly mourn him when her parents appeared in front of her. The moment she imagined in her head for her whole life was now stitched with pain and grief instead of happiness. Then the worse thoughts began circling her mind.
She just endangered her baby. What if she killed her baby or if she bleeds out on the spot there? She raised her head and caught the sight of her worried parents. The world began spinning and a moment later everything went black.
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