~I Hate Men~
"The Lone Islands. The port of Narrowhaven." Drinian points to the land in the distance.
"Can I see that," I ask Drinian, motioning to the telescope.
"Of course Your Majesty," he says and hands it to me.
I look through the telescope and scope out the island.
Isn't the Lone Islands a part of Narnia?
"Caspian?"
"Yes"
"Aren't the lone islands a part of Narnia?"
"Yes? Why?"
I put down the telescope and handed it to Caspian
"It's strange, there's not a Narnian flag in sight," I say.
"Seems suspicious," Caspian says.
"I say we prepare a landing party. Drinian?" Edmund suggests.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty... but the chain of command starts with King Caspian on this ship." Drinian explains.
I see Edmund's face drop a little and he quickly covers it up
"Right," he says lowly.
An awkward silence passes us until Caspian takes Edmund's Idea
"We'll use longboats. Drinian, pick some men and come ashore." Caspian says smiling at Edmund.
"Aye." Drinian nods the goes to toe Minotuar next to us "Tavros. Man the longboats, furl the sail, and prepare to drop anchor."
***
With some of the crew, we split into two longboats.
Me, Edmund, Lucy, Caspian, Eustace, and Reep were in one, Tavros, Drinian, and more crew members in the other.
After some rowing, which luckily I didn't have to do, we made it to shore. Edmunds gets out and ties up the longboats. He gave me his hand so that I could get out of the boat without falling.
"Thanks," I say to him.
"Onward! The thrill of the unknown lies ahead." Reep cheers
"Couldn't this have waited till the morning?" Esuacte complains.
"There is no honor in turning away from adventure, lad."
Once off the boat, I noticed something strange.
Silence.
"Guy's listen," I say and everyone gets quiet. "Where is everybody?" I ask referring to the silence.
Caspian shrugs his shoulder and looks up at the building up ahead.
"Come on, jelly legs," Reep says to Eustace holding out his hand.
"I'm capable of doing it myself. Oof!" Eustace falls to the ground.
I face the opposite direction to keep myself from laughing.
"And you're certain he's related by blood?" Caspian asks Lucy and Edmund. They both just stare blankly at Eustace.
Then out of nowhere, we hear a loud bell and birds flying away from a certain building. I give Caspian a look and he already knows what I'm thinking.
"Reepicheep, stay here with Drinian's men and secure the place. We'll head on. If we don't come back by dawn, send a party." Caspian commands and holds out his crossbow.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
***
We left the dock and headed through the village. It looks abandoned. Not a soul lived here.
"Where is everyone?" I ask no one in particular.
After some more walking, we get to the building where the bell came from,
"Yeah, looks like nobody is in. Do you think we should head back?" Eustace asks, seeming pretty terrified of this place.
Poor thing
"Do you want to come here and guard... something?" Edmund asks his spooked cousin.
"Ah, yes. Good idea, cousin. Very, uh... logical." Eustace makes his way over to us and Caspian hands him a dagger. To which he almost drops instantly.
"I've got it. I've got it. Don't worry." Eustace gave us a small smile.
"Let's hurry, I don't want him accidentally stabbing himself," I say.
Caspian leading the way, Edmund, me, and Lucy walk inside the mysterious building.
"Uh, I'm ready to go when you are." I hear Eusatce call out.
In the building were these tall statues on both sides. It looked like people taking off their crowns, but for an odd reason, these statues didn't have heads it freaked me out.
Creepy
We kept walking and there was a podium in the middle of the room. There was an open book on it filled with names and numbers beside them.
"Who are all these people?" Lucy asks tracing her hand over the book. "Why have they been crossed out?"
"It looks like some kind of fee." I say looking at the number next to the names.
"Slave traders," Caspian mumbles.
"Look out!" Edmund points above us and there goes the slave trades going down ropes.
I take out my sword and charge at one quickly taking him out.
All of us keep fighting but stopped when I hear a girl scream.
"Unless you want to hear this one squeal like a girl again... I'd say you should... drop your weapon." One of the slave trades had Eusatce at knife point.
"Like a girl?" Esuatce asks offended.
"Now!" the man demands us.
I throw my sword on the ground out of anger at the slave traders
"Eustace." Lucy calls out to him.
"Put them in irons." the man commands the others
"Come on. Come here, you." One guys says next to me. He roughly grabs my arms and twist them behind my back.
"You're a pretty one aren't you," he says dangerously close to my ear
"Get your hands off me!" I struggle against the man.
"Let's take these three to market." the main slave trader says.
"Oh, they're gonna love you. They always like the feisty ones," the man holding my taunts.
"Get your hands off her," I hear Edmund yell.
"Send those two to the dungeons." the main guy says pointing at Edmund and Caspian.
"Listen to me, you insolent fool! I am your king!" Caspian yells and one of the traders punches him in the face.
"You're gonna pay for that." Caspian threatens.
"Actually... someone else is going to pay...for all of you." One man says emerging from the shadows.
"NO!" I yell as the man starts taking me away.
"Lucy! Astrea!" I hear Edmund yell.
"Edmund!"
***
Being chained to the wall in sweltering heat is not fun.
How would I know?
I'm currently chained to the wall in the sweltering sun.
Yay me.
Me, Lucy, and Eustace were chained by our necks and wrists.
"What are we going to do?" Eustace panics.
At this moment I realize they he is just a kid and he is probably really freaked out.
"Everything will be fine, I have a plan," I say.
That somewhat calms him down.
"What about Edmund and that king?" he asks.
"They will be fine too. They've been in worse situations."
"Worse!"
"Yes-"
I was cut off by a man and a little girl screaming.
"Helaine!" the man yelled
"Mummy! No!"
The woman who was being called after was on the back of a wagon with some other chained-up prisoners.
"Helaine!" the man screamed reaching out for his wife.
One of the slave traders punched the man in the face and he fell to the ground.
This is heartbreaking.
"Mummy! Please!" the little girl yells
And the wagon gets further and further away.
"Don't worry! I'll find you!" the man yells then sobs into his hands.
I turn my head away from the scene, it being too depressing to watch.
"Come here," One man says to Lucy and some other men unchain our necks and shove us to the side of the bidding stage.
The man pulls lucy on the stage and I see some heinous smirks across the faces of the men in the crowd.
"I bid 60. " Someone shouts from the crowd
"I bid 80."
"100 for the little lady." One guys smirks.
Disgusting
"120."
I hate men.
"150."
"Any more bids?" the auctioneer asked the crowd
"Sold!" He says and lays a necklace that says 'sold' on it on Lucy's neck.
"And now for this feisty woman. She knows how to put up a fight," the auctioneer jokes
"I bid 80." Someone shouts.
"100"
"150"
"175"
"200" this one guy calls and gives me a wink.
"Going once, going twice, sold for 200" The auctioneer puts the same 'sold' necklace he put on Lucy he gets another and puts it on me. Then I get shoved off the stage
"And now... for this... fine specimen... who'll kick off the bidding?" the auctioneer motions to Eustace
"Come on now... he may not look like much but he's strong."
"Smells like the rear end of a Minotaur!" Someone yells from the crowd.
"That is an outrageous lie! I won the school hygiene award two years running." Eustace corrects the man
"Come on, someone make a bid!" the auctioneer begs.
"I'll take them off your hands." Some man with a hood on raises his hand.
"I'll take them all off your hands!" the man takes off the hood and I see it's Drinian with Reepichep on his shoulder.
"For Narnia!" Reep yells. Then other people in the crowd take off their hoods and reveal that they were Narnians.
"Narnia!" They yell.
Reep jumps off Drinian's shoulder and steals the keys from the auctioneer,
"Thanks, Reep," I say to him as he takes off the chains on the wrists.
"Thanks, Reep. I knew you'd come." Lucy cheers
"Your Highnesses." Reep boys and go back to fighting.
I find my sword that the slave traders took behind the stage. I quickly pick it up an put it to use.
"Come here you," I hear one of the slave traders say to me.
"Come and get me," I taunt.
I quickly deflect his attack and swing at him. I then kick his legs and make him fall to the ground. I move over closer to where Lucy was and I kick a slave trader in the back who was coming behind her.
"Thanks"
"No problem"
I look up and see that Caspian and Edmund got free and are fighting on this stone balcony.
Soon all the slave traders were knocked out and the people of the lone islands started to cheer.
There was a little parade where all the Narnians met up and walked back to the dock.
Once Emdund see me he runs at me.
"Hey-"
I was cut off by Edmund bringing me close and kissing me passionately.
He pulls away and gives me a hug.
"What was that for?" I ask smiling.
"I heard the men bidding over you, and it made me so angry. Thanks for calming me down,"
"Anytime."
We walk hand in hand back to the dock when the yelling man from earlier came up to Caspian. It seemed like everyone put there hand on their weapon when the man walked up.
"Your Majesty. Your Majesty!" he calls
"My wife was taken just this morning.I beg you, take me with you." the man pleads
"I want to come." the little girl from earlier says
"No, Gael, stay with your aunt." the man turns back to Caspian and pleads once more.
"I'm a fine sailor. Been on the seas my whole life."
"Of course, you must." Caspian welcomes him
***
We finally get to the dock and some old man walks up to Edmund and Caspian
"My king.My king. This was given to me by your father. I hid it safely in a cave all these years." The old man hands Caspian a very barnacle-covered sword
"That's an old Narnian sword." Edmudn points out
"It's from your Golden Age. There are seven such swords, and gifts from Aslan to protect Narnia. Your father entrusted them to us. Here, take it. And may it protect you." the old man says
"Thank you, my lord. And we shall find your lost citizens." Caspian promised.