Hours later, I wake up to the sound of people boarding the Dawn Treader on the deck above us. I nudge Edmund awake.
"Huh?" Edmund groans and sits up, rubbing his face as he wakes up.
"I think Caspian and Lucy are back," I say quietly, scratching his back as he sits up next to me, "it's actually morning now."
Edmund shoots me a confused, sleepy glare as he looks at me next to him, and I laugh quietly. I sit up next to him and rest my chin on his shoulder, enjoying the peaceful moment as we both wake up. The ship begins to move, and I hear muffled shouts of crewman giving commands to set sail.
Knock knock knock!
"Y/n! Ed!" Lucy calls through the door, "The blue star appeared!"
I look up at Edmund excitedly, and he gives me a small smile.
"That's great, Lu!" Edmund says to his sister, "We'll be on deck in a moment!"
"Okay!" Lucy says cheerily before walking away.
Edmund throws his legs over the side of the bed and pulls on his trousers. I sit cross-legged with the sheets held against my chest, and I chew my lip as I ponder Lucy's words.
"You know what this means?" I look at Edmund seriously.
"What what means?" Edmund turns his head slightly towards me, still fiddling with his belt in the dark.
"The star," I continue, "if it's appeared, that means we're headed straight for the source of the mist, which means..."
I trail off.
"Which means the hardest part of the journey lies before us," Edmund finishes with a grave tone.
"Exactly," I say numbly, "Edmund, promise me something?"
"Depends on the promise," Edmund jokes before seeing the seriousness on my face, "what is it, love?"
I take his hands and mine and hold them together against the sheets over the chest.
"Promise me that you will not try any sacrificial hero endeavors for me, Lucy, Caspian, or anyone," I look firmly into his dark brown eyes, "don't try to prove anything. You're a much better hero to me and your family alive, ok?"
Edmund pulls one hand from my grasp and cups my cheek with it, turning my head down so he can kiss my forehead.
"I promise," Edmund whispers against me, "can you promise me something?"
I nod.
"Promise me you will trust me," he says.
"Of course I trust you," I tell him.
"No," Edmund insists, "trust that I know what I need to do and when to do it, and please, please understand me when I tell you that I will put my family's safety above my own. That includes you, and if I need to keep you safe I will, but I know that you can handle yourself perfectly well, too. Ok?"
I understand what he means; I feel the same way about him. We're both strong, and we're both good fighters, but we also would both do anything for the other one. In this moment, Edmund is asking me to remember that even though he trusts me to protect myself, he still feels a duty to protect me and that could overcome him if he sees me helpless.
I press our noses together and kiss his lips lightly.
"I promise to trust you Edmund," I say.
"Good," he smiles and kisses me one more time, "let's get up on deck shall we?"
We get dressed and head out of our cabin, met on deck by Lucy giving Edmund a big hug.
"The blue star appeared!" Lucy says with a big smile.
"I can see that, Lu," Edmund laughs as he hugs her back.
"Come on!" Lucy grabs my hand and pulls me away from Edmund, who hits my butt as Lu drags me to the front of the ship.
"Ed!" I say over my shoulder with a teasing scold.
He smiles and shrugs as he turns to join Caspian and Drinian by the wheel. Lucy and I look out over the glistening sea below us as the sun rises, summoning beautiful shades of purple, pink, blue, and orange. Lucy grabs my arms abruptly.
"Y/n, look!"
She points at the water below us, a glowing smile spreading across her face. I look down at the small waves crashing against the front of the ship and see small figures swimming in front of us.
"Mermaids!" I say excitedly.
I wave and Lucy smiles at them, but our joy quickly turns to tension as we see the looks the creatures are giving us. She raises a hand and violently shakes her head back and forth, signaling us to stop. Lucy and I look at each other nervously as the mermaid dives back into the water.
"She wants us to turn back," I say to her.
"But we can't," Lucy says, almost phrasing it like a question.
I nod at her somberly, and I put one of my hands over hers that rests on the wooden border in front of us.
"Lucy, I want you to know that you're like a sister to me," I tell her, "and I know being the youngest and not having your three older siblings around as much anymore is difficult. I hope you know that you're Queen Lucy the Valiant, and no fear or insecurity can touch who you are."
Lucy looks over at me, and for a split second I see the little girl that I first met all those years ago when I met the Pevensies. Her big eyes dart between mine, and she gives me a right hug, much like she always gave to Peter when she was little.
"Thank you, Y/n," she says with a shaky breath, "you mean everything to me. You're like a sister to Susan and me. Peter thinks of you as one of his best friends, and Edmund loves you."
She steps back and looks at me, the little girl I saw gone. Before me stands a strong young woman, and I feel myself well up with pride at how she has learned to carry herself in the last few weeks.
"I thank Aslan every day that you came to Narnia with us. I couldn't ask for a better queen to lead beside."
I smile at Lucy.
"You're phenomenal, Lucy," I tell her, "I'm very proud of you."
"I am too," Lucy beams, "let's go back on deck shall we?"
————
By the time mid-afternoon rolls around, the wind has stopped completely. The majority of the crew is below deck rowing with all their might to move the Dawn Treader forward.
"The wind has left us," Drinian states dryly to Caspian and Edmund at the stern of the ship.
Lucy, Gael, and I are seated and leaning against the side of the ship as Eustace flies back and forth over us.
"So how do we get to Romandu's Island now then?" Edmund asks.
"My guess is something doesn't want us to get there," Drinian says mysteriously as he walks away from Ed and Caspian.
"What's he mean?" Gael asks.
"I'm not sure," I tell her comfortingly, not wanting the young girl to know the potential horrors were facing.
Edmund and Caspian exchange a concerned glance, Caspian subtly gestures me over to them. I walk over and join them.
"What's happening?" I ask quietly.
"We're not sure," Caspian mumbles, looking up at the sky, "the men are tired, and we're low on rations."
As if on cue, a crew member shouts up at Eustace and Reepicheep hovering over the ship.
"If I get any hungrier, I'm gonna eat that dragon!"
Eustace huffs in offense, and I look over at Edmund with a look of annoyance at the man's words. Edmund rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest, leaning against the edge of the tail and looking up at Eustace.
"Don't worry, Eustace, they'll have to deal with me first," Reepicheep shouts down over the ship.
Edmund chuckles, and I look to Caspian.
"What are we going to do about food, Caspian?" I say concerned.
"If we don't find land by tonight," Drinian replies form above us, "they may well eat that dragon."
Suddenly, the ship is lurched forward by a powerful force, and all of us topple over. I fall next to Caspian, who's lying on his back looking up at the sky. I roll into my side from my stomach and follow his gaze: Eustace is pulling the ship by his tail and moving us forward with great speed.
"What did we hit?!" Drinian shouts angrily.
"Eustace!" I yell out laughing.
"Eustace, that's brilliant!" Edmund calls out to his cousin with a surprised smile, having propped himself up on the ship's guard rail.
Eustace growls proudly, and Reepicheep yells,
"Onward, ho!"
The crew cheers and applauds Eustace, and I look over at Caspian. Caspian laughs and glances at me briefly.
"Looks like he's worth something after all then!"
I laugh at his comment and watch Edmund, who's still in awe of his cousin's idea.
"Seems so doesn't it?"