Before the Pevensie's first arrived in Narnia, Aramis could not say that he definitively had friends. He had siblings, who had long left him to return home, and a complete trust in Aslan which had never yet failed him. However, none of this could be classed as a friendship which was difficult to admit.
The Pevensie's had become a family to him as well, which was rather cathartic, especially as they had been the ones his duty was bound to. There wasn't much more he could have ever asked for... but friends might have been a nice touch. He lived far too long to keep those sort of relationships going, as he often outlived the others. Despite all his longing, there was one person that Aramis would never befriend, and that was Eustace.
Eustace Clarence Scrubb, as so plainly stated by Edmund, was a pain. He always found a way to change even the brightest of situations into a pessimistic slump. Everything that left his mouth was depressing or rude, and it was those kinds of people that the spirit could not stand.
He was rather bitter about being stuck on the boat, which was acceptable in some ways, as he had never been to Narnia, and he hadn't wanted to leave his home. It was the way he went about it that frustrated Aramis. He had no care for anyone else around him, and disregarded all of the help they were offering him.
After a few days, he gave up on trying to be kind. There wasn't enough time in the world to spend on people who would rather be elsewhere. Aramis could still be close to the others anyway, they would be glad of his company.
Lucy was one that he preferred to be around, especially as she was one of the kindest soul he'd the pleasure of be in the company of. Although, she had been busy in recent days as she spent almost all of her time tailoring the standard navy attire to fit her better. She was much smaller than the others, and at fourteen, held a much different figure to the men. She was a fine seamstress, so Aramis didn't bother her. It would be interesting to see how well it fit her when it was finished.
And, of course, there was Edmund. He was less family than the rest, and resided as more of a lover, though Aramis would never divulge the secrets of their relationship. Whatever happened between the two of them would stay private for as long as they desired. They were precious moments. The sort of thing that he would refer back to when times were hard, just to make himself smile.
After leaving the Lone Isles, Edmund had acquired an old Narnian sword which most of his time had been devoted to. He chipped away at the harsh crust as if his life depended on it. And when another section of the metal beneath became visible, he would show Aramis with a great grin because he was so proud of himself. Of course, he was proud too.
It was good for him to have something to occupy his mind whilst they were blocked off from society. There wasn't much else that they could focus on.
On one of their more sunnier sailing days, Aramis decided that it would be a fine idea to mend some of his robes that had been damaged for various reasons. He sat beside Edmund on deck as he tended to his sword. It was more than just relaxing, as they were able to spend their time the way that they wanted to, in each others company.
There had never been moments like this before. They had never shared a day where they could relax without threat. This was a first for them.
"Do you like sewing?" Edmund asked, his eyes flickering over to the needlework.
"I don't dislike it, my King." He replied, softly, and honestly. "Why do you ask?"
"You look content." It was a simple answer. It was just an observation. "More than usual."
"I'm afraid that's your doing, my King." Aramis couldn't lie, it wasn't in his nature. Even when it was embarrassing for him, he always spoke the truth. "You make everything seem much simpler than it is."
"I think you underestimate yourself." Edmund replied, smoothly. "Cos I'm at my best with you."
The freckled boy always knew the right things to say, and it was infuriating. With only a word, he could send Aramis' insides into a squirming ball of nerves and confusion. Even after all of those years that he had spent with Edmund in mind, it came as a surprise to him when the slightest piece of attention was given to him.
Soon the sword was half relieved of its crust, and Edmund held it up to the light to admire it. This project was bringing him more joy than he was willing to express. It was a tiny piece of the King he once was.
"It's beautiful, Edmund." Aramis smiled, and looked to him with kind eyes.
"It's going to be magnificent." Reepicheep agreed as he scurried across the deck to join them. "Do they come in a smaller size?"
"Your sword is fine enough, Reepicheep." The spirit chuckled. "You suit it as it does you."
Whilst Aramis found happiness in moments like these, they could not help but he overshadowed by idiocy. Eustace had spent his time hiding away from the others, as he had so clearly stated his hatred for them all, and rendered himself useless. However, he was stupid do nothing. It drew him more attention than it rid him from.
It had been such a nice day, and Eustace Scrubb running onto the deck with a butchers knife was not how he wanted it to end. He had no sea legs, as had already been established, so ran straight into Tavros as soon as he had clambered up the ladder. He'd knocked into four, or five sailors as he tried to escape someone. The amount of supplies that fell to the deck was stupid. They had been tainted now, but they could not go to waste.
When he saw that it was Reepicheep on his tail, he could have laughed. There was no way that Eustace would ever be able to outrun one of their most agile soldiers. He underestimated Narnia in every capacity, and one day, it would bite him somewhere that really hurt.
"Trying to run away?" The mouse scoffed as he brandished his sword. "We're on a boat, you know."
"Look, can't we just discuss this?" The boy held up his hands, meekly, and stood in terror as the sword slashed at his shirt two times.
The first was with anger. "That was for stealing." The second for distain. "That was for lying." The third earned him as slap across the face with an orange. "And that's as for good measure."
Eustace attempted to fight back, which was admirable, even for someone as sceptical as him. Though, it did come from a place of hatred, especially when he swung the cleaver at Reep. He had no idea what he was doing.
"That's the spirit! We have ourselves a duel! Catch!"
The orange was thrown to Drinian, who caught it without a second glance. It was rather impressive.
"Now, come on, take your best shot."
Aramis couldn't say that he was impressed by Reepicheep's encouragement of violence. In fact, he could barely look at it without feeling sick. His mind and body had a visceral reaction to brutality, even if it was just a jest. Edmund understood this, and rubbed his back as he keeled over, clutching his stomach in case he was sick. Only when Eustace was knocked into a barrel did Aramis feel like he could breathe again.
He felt stupid, but the King assured him that it wasn't. They had grown up in different circumstances, and his reactions were completely valid.
The men laughed and applauded to him when he fell to the ground. However, it masked the scream of the barrel, which far too similar to girl to ignore.
Lucy excluded herself from their joyous reaction to seek the source of the noise out. And though there was a sound, they hadn't expected to actually see someone new emerge upon the deck. A girl, no older than nine, all dressed in pink, crawled out and revealed herself.
"Look." Lucy gasped. Aramis stood, swiftly, and joined her side to greet the girl. She must have been so frightened.
"Gael?" The man they had picked up from the Lone Isles, Rhince, called out. The name rang a bell, and soon the spirit remembered that his girl was his daughter. "What are you doing here?"
She stood there, with all eyes upon her, frozen. Knowing how much he hated having so much attention, Aramis could barely imagine how bad it would be when he was surrounded by strangers. She looked like she was going to cry as water welled in her eyes.
Her father embraced her tightly. "Here."
Although, he soon became tense when he saw Drinian make his way over, callously. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of the girl, and handed the orange in his hand over to her. "Looks like we have an extra crew member."
"Welcome aboard." Lucy grinned at her, proudly.
Gael curtsied. "Your Majesty."
"Call me Lucy." She confirmed, offering herself as a friend to the girl. They were the only women on board, and they had to stick together. "Come on."
"Hold on a second." Aramis called to them both as they walked off towards the rooms below deck. They paused, confused, as he ran over to Edmund, and kissed his cheek lightly before rejoining them. "I'm Aramis, a guide to their majesties."
"I'm Gael." She whispered, almost afraid of him.
"It's lovely to meet you, Gael." He smiled back, hoping that it might bring her some comfort. "And it's lovely to have you aboard with us."
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Disclaimer!!!!
I do not own these characters. I do not own the Narnia series. I do not own the actors, or the characters. The only thing I own is my adaptation of the story, and my original character.