"Aslan," Lucy whispered as Caspian directed them into a small room on the ship. Rosemary glanced over to see what the girl was talking about and saw that Lucy was staring at a small golden plate with a carving of Aslan on the front of it.
She smiled sadly before walking over to the young girl and wrapping an arm around her. Lucy looked up at her and smiled softly as she leaned her head against her shoulder, the two staring at the golden lion with heavy hearts.
"Love," Edmund called out. Rosemary hummed in response and glanced over at her boyfriend. His eyes flickered over to her and he signaled for her to come over. She gave Lucy one last squeeze before returning to Edmund's side.
The boy instantly took Rosemary's hand in his own before using his free hand to point at the painting in front of them which showed the Pevensies and Rosemary riding through the forest on their horses as their adult selfs. The brunette smiled softly and leaned against Edmund as she distantly remembered those days where the sun would kiss her skin while the trees danced all around her.
"Look. Susan's bow and arrow," Lucy said causing them all to turn their attention over to the young girl. "Lucy," Caspian called out before holding out a small box that held her dagger and vial of fire-flower juice.
Lucy's face lit up almost instantly and she rushed over to the boy. "My healing cordial and dagger," Lucy said excitedly while Caspian grinned at her. She went to reach for the items, but hesitated, her eyes flickering up to her friend. "Oh, may I?"
"Of course. They're yours," Caspian pointed out before handing the box over to Lucy. His eyes then flickered over to Rosemary and he smiled warmly at her. "And I think being a protector of Narnia will be a lot easier if you had your things as well."
Rosemary grinned. "You have my things?" she asked excitedly as she tried not to bounce up and down. Caspian chuckled and nodded before turning to pick up a few things. When he turned back around, he had Rosemary's sword still in its sheath and her shield in his hands.
Rosemary's smile grew even more as she gently took her belongings. She strapped her shield to her back before grabbing onto the sword and slowly taking it out, the metal instantly glowing in the small sunlight that was streaming through the windows.
The gold initials flickered before her and she looked up at Caspian gratefully. "Thank you," she whispered as she put the sword away and strapped it around her waist. "I told you I would look after it," Caspian replied as he gave her a small nod.
"Peter's sword," Edmund suddenly said as he made his way across the small room and to where his brother's sword was propped up against the wall. "Yes. I looked after it as promised. Here, hold it if you wish," Caspian told him as he held the sword out.
"No, no, it's yours," Edmund replied. "Peter gave it to you." Rosemary could tell that the fact bothered Edmund slightly, but she couldn't help but feel her heart warm at the fact that her Eddie was so understanding about the whole thing and was wanting to respect his brother's wishes.
Caspian gave Edmund a grateful smile before turning to go grab something. Rosemary took that moment to walk over to her boyfriend and press a small kiss to his cheek before leaning her head against his shoulder, a blush spreading across Edmund's cheeks like it usually did when Rosemary was around.
"I did save this for you though," Caspian said as he turned and tossed something at the boy. Edmund quickly caught the object and looked down at it while Rosemary let out a loud laugh. It was Edmund's torch, the one he had left in Narnia the last time they were here.
"Thanks," Edmund chuckled softly. He went to see if the torch still worked and stumbled back slightly when he momentarily blinded himself with the sudden light. This only made Rosemary laugh even harder while Edmund rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around her neck, putting her into a small yet gentle head lock as he ruffled her hair.
Caspian and Lucy glanced at each other in disgust before looking back at the happy couple. "They're so cute it's gross," Caspian muttered. "You should see the letters they write to each other. It's just as bad if not worse than seeing them together in person. But they've been apart for a year and a half, so I guess I understand. It's still gross though," Lucy whispered.
Edmund and Rosemary looked at their friends unamused. "We are right here you know," Rosemary said. "We heard every word," Edmund told them. Lucy just shrugged in response while Caspian chuckled. He then set Peter's sword down before looking to his friends.
"Okay, that's enough teasing for now. Follow me. We have much to discuss."
- - -
"Since you left, the Giants of the North surrendered unconditionally. Then we defeated the Calormen armies at the Great Desert. There is peace across all of Narnia," Caspian declared as the four stood before a giant map of the land.
"Peace?" Edmund asked in disbelief. "In just three years," Caspian told them. Rosemary smiled, her shoulders relaxing slightly. She looked up at her friend with pride. "Great work, Caspian. I knew we left Narnia in the right hands," she said.
Caspian smiled wide at that. If anyone had told him five years ago that he would be friends with the Protector of Narnia, the High Queen Rosemary, he would've laughed in their face. Yet here he was, standing before the girl who had become like a sister to him, the person he most looked up to and she was praising him. He almost couldn't believe it.
"And have you found yourself a queen in those three years?" Lucy questioned, bringing Caspian back to reality. He looked to the girl and smiled softly at her. "No. Not one to compare with your sister," Caspian replied.
"Hang on. So if there are no wars to fight and no one is in trouble. . ." Edmund began, trailing off slightly as he glanced at his girlfriend. Rosemary frowned, realizing what Edmund was getting at. "Why are we here?" She asked, finishing the boy's thoughts.
"It's a good question. I've been asking myself the same thing," Caspian admitted. A silence fell among the group as they tried to figure out a solution. They wouldn't have been brought to Narnia for no reason. Aslan had to have a purpose for their being here. But if there was peace, then what else could that purpose be?
"So where are we sailing to?" Edmund asked in an attempt to change the subject. "Before I took back the throne from my uncle, he tried to kill my father's closest friends and most loyal supporters. The seven lords of Telmar," Caspian explained as he gestured towards one of the walls of the room which had seven drawings pinned to the wall, each of them with a different face of one of the seven lords.
"They fled to the Lone Islands," Caspian went on, pointing towards re location on the map. "No one has heard from them since."
"So you think something has happened to them?" Rosemary inquired, her curiosity starting to get the best of her as she racked her brain for plans and answers. "Well, if it has, it's my duty to find out," Caspian replied, his eyes locking with the girl's.
Rosemary stared at him for a moment, studying the boy and the way he tried to hide the small hint of sadness and worry in his eyes but ultimately failed. She smiled softly as she realized just how much this meant to him.
"Well, I'm in," she announced making them all look at her with wide eyes. "I mean, they are technically Narnians now too, so they are under my protection and I would like to find out what has happened to them. Plus, if they mean so much to you, Caspian, then they mean a lot to me as well."
Caspian smiled, his eyes silently thanking her. Rosemary smiled back before looking to Edmund and Lucy. Lucy bit her lip before nodding her head. "I agree. I'm in," she announced.
Rosemary grinned and looked to Edmund. The boy looked right back at her and was silent for a moment, his eyes flickering over her face as if he were trying to decide if this was what she really wanted. Upon realizing that Rosemary did indeed want to do this, he broke out into a small smile. "Sounds like fun. Count me in," Edmund said making Rosemary's smile grow even more.
"Thank you," Caspian told them, a small sigh of relief escaping his lips. "It means a lot to me that you all are willing to help." The King and Queens of Old just nodded in response before looking down at the map.
"Well, what's east of the Lone Islands?" Lucy questioned. "Uncharted waters," Drinian, the captain of the Dawn Treader and one of Caspian's close friends, said. "Things you can barely imagine. Tales of sea serpents and worse."
Rosemary tensed slightly, images of her nightmare with the sea serpent flashing through her head, but she quickly snapped out of it when Edmund let out a small chuckle from beside her. "Sea serpents?" Edmund asked in disbelief.
"All right, Captain, that's enough of your tall tales," Caspian said as he took a bite of his apple and gave the man a pointed look. The others chuckled softly at that, but Rosemary's was more forced than anything else. Sea serpents had to be just a tall tale. After all, she had never heard about them being in Narnia before except for just now.
Yet, she still got goosebumps at the thought of it, even if sea serpents were supposed to be nothing but a tall tale. And for some reason, she felt like they were anything but.
- - -
Rosemary let out a sigh of content as she stared out at the ocean before her. She had taken her hair out of its braid long ago, allowing for the wind to blow through her locks while the ocean seemed to fill her senses. The brunette leaned against the railing just enjoying the fact that she was here while the crew all bustled around behind her.
If she hadn't been too lost in her own little world, she would've heard the approaching footsteps, but she didn't realize that Edmund was there until his arms wrapped around her from behind. Instinctively, Rosemary leaned back against the boy while Edmund dug his face into the crook of her neck, letting out a small sigh as he did so.
"I've missed you," Edmund whispered, finally able to voice what he had been wanting to tell her since they arrived. This being the first time they were alone, he could finally tell her how much he had missed her and could hold her as tightly as he wanted without anyone judging or making comments.
"I've missed you too," Rosemary admitted. "A year and a half is too long," Edmund sighed. "I wish my aunt and uncle weren't so stubborn. Then maybe we would've seen each other sooner, whether that have been me going to visit you and the Professor or you coming to visit me and Lu."
"Not everything can be perfect all the time," Rosemary told him as she turned her body so that she was facing him. Edmund's arms wrapped around the girl's waist while her arms wrapped around his neck.
The boy let his gaze flicker over Rosemary before he whispered, "But you are." Rosemary rolled her eyes. "And you are cheesy," she commented. Edmund let out a small chuckle. "I'll admit, that one was pretty bad," he said.
The couple laughed softly before Edmund's gaze fell upon her face once again. Without missing a beat, he leaned forward, letting his lips brush against hers before pulling Rosemary in for a gentle yet loving kiss. Rosemary kissed him back as a smile broke out on her face, relishing in the fact that she was back with Edmund.
The two then pulled away and rested their foreheads against each other. Rosemary's eyes flickered up to the boy and she smiled fondly before whispering, "Gosh, I love you." Edmund smiled widely and kissed her again, this time quicker than the other so that he could respond with, "I love you too."
He then hugged the girl again and the two both looked out at the ocean, watching as the sunlight bounced off of the water, making the blue sparkle with the movement of the waves. "I've missed this," Rosemary eventually said. "Being in Narnia with you. . .I've missed it."
Edmund sighed and held the girl a little tighter. "Me too. Every time we leave I miss this place more and more," he admitted. Rosemary hummed in agreement.
"You know what would make our return even better?" She asked. "What?" Edmund questioned. "Trees," Rosemary replied simply making the boy chuckle as he pulled away to look at her.
"What?" Rosemary asked, a smile growing on her face. "This necklace," she held up the necklace that was around her neck, "is pretty useless without any trees around."
Edmund laughed again and shook his head before pecking her lips. "I am madly in love with you, Rosemary Kirke. You and your weird obsession with trees," he whispered. Rosemary rolled her eyes. "It's not a weird obsession and I'm hurt that you think it is. But I guess I can forgive you because of the fact that I'm in love with you," she sighed.
"How generous," Edmund jokingly muttered. "I know. I'm a keeper," Rosemary said before the two chuckled softly. Edmund brushed a small strand of hair behind the girl's ear and opened his mouth to say something when a voice called out to him.
"Edmund!" Caspian yelled from the lower deck. "Quit being all lovey dovey with Rosemary and leave the poor girl alone. I need to talk to you."
"Coming!" Edmund yelled back before looking to Rosemary who gave him a look of amusement. "Yeah, leave this poor girl alone," Rosemary jokingly said. Edmund rolled his eyes at her before pressing a quick kiss to her temple.
"I'll be back," Edmund assured her. And with that, he disappeared down the stairs leaving Rosemary to look back at the ocean by herself, smiling softly as she enjoyed that she was in Narnia once again.
- - -
Rosemary smirked slightly as she leaned back against one of the railings of the ship, her eyes flickering over the scene in front of her where Caspian and Edmund were currently dueling before the whole crew. They were trying their hardest, each of them holding back just enough so they wouldn't hurt the other, but giving as much as they could so that the duel wasn't easy.
However, she could still pinpoint all of their weakness, mentally noting when the best points to attack should've been and when the two would each slip up, barely missing the swing of the other before jumping back in. Rosemary rolled her eyes as she let out a small laugh, her hand falling down to rest on the hilt of her sword.
Caspian and Edmund eventually ended the duel with both of their swords at each other's necks while everyone cheered. They chuckled softly before letting their swords fall back down to their sides. "You've grown stronger, my friend," Caspian pointed out. "Seems I have," Edmund replied as the two shook hands.
Everyone around them continued to clap, but from the middle of the noise came the sound of someone slow clapping. The two looked over towards the slow clapper, a look of amusement flickering across both of their faces as they watched Rosemary step out from the crowd.
She didn't stop clapping until she had made her way over to them, and not even then did her smirk waver for a second. "That looked like fun. So when's the real duel going to begin?" She asked, making the crowd chuckle.
"Oh?" Edmund muttered, raising an eyebrow at the girl. "Caspian, did you hear that? I think she was just making fun of us for the way we duel." "Don't take it to heart, Edmund. Rosemary here is only saying that because she wishes she could fight as well as us," Caspian said.
Rosemary raised both of her eyebrows. "I'd watch what you say, Caspian. I could take you both down on my own without so much as batting an eye," she told them.
"Oh really?" Caspian said. Rosemary smirked and took a step back as she held her hands up. "Go ahead, the both of you. I'll even let you two make the first move. Unless you're scared and would like to back out. I'd understand," Rosemary challenged.
Edmund gave the girl an amused look before glancing at Caspian. The two boys seemed to silently communicate with each other and before anyone in the crowd knew what was happening, the two were both swinging their swords at her.
But Rosemary? She had known what their first move was going to be before they had even taken it and in a flash had taken out her own sword and deflected each of their attacks.
She held their swords off with her own and smirked at the two boys. They just glanced at each other before going to attack again. From there, a full blown duel commenced. If the crowd that had formed before hadn't consisted of everyone on the ship, it did now and each of them watched with wide eyes as the two kings fought the queen, two swords against one.
But that was the thing about Rosemary, this was just like any other day on the battlefield and fighting had become second nature to her since the time of the White Witch and the Great Prophecy. Wielding a sword was like writing with a pencil and that was something that the boys still hadn't figured out yet.
Rosemary's sword flew through the air, the initials glowing in the sunlight as she blocked each of their attacks, her sword clashing with one before turning and clashing with the other. Her body twisted and turned between the two as she fought them both off.
Her smirk never left her face and, in fact, she looked entertained which only seemed to make Caspian and Edmund fight back even harder. That was a mistake on their part because Rosemary knew that as soon as they started fighting back harder, that their moves would become sloppier and they wouldn't put as much thought into their attacks before they just swung.
She waited, fighting off their attacks until she was able to pinpoint their weaknesses. Then, before anyone knew what had happened, Rosemary had knocked both of the swords from the kings' hands and had them both on the floor with her sword pointed at them.
Rosemary was panting as she looked down at the boys with a grin on her face. She winked at them before looking up at the crowd. "And that," Rosemary announced as she put her sword away, "is how you duel."
The crowd broke out into applause, each of the men hollering and cheering for the girl while Captain Drinian watched in amusement. He let his crew cheer for a moment longer before saying, "All right, back to work."
The crowd slowly dispersed after that and Rosemary looked down at Caspian and Edmund in amusement. "Shouldn't have challenged me," Rosemary said in a sing-song voice as she helped Caspian up onto his feet. "Yeah, I regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth," Caspian muttered in between gasps of breath as he reached down to pick up his sword.
Rosemary chuckled before holding a hand down for Edmund. The boy took it and she helped him up. Edmund stumbled slightly before stopping himself right in front of the girl, their breaths mingling together due to their close proximity.
Edmund was staring at her with a look that she couldn't decipher and before she knew it, the boy had crashed his lips onto hers. Rosemary's eyes widened in surprise and she let out a small gasp that was muffled by the kiss that Edmund was giving her. In a matter of seconds, her eyes were closed and she slowly pulled the boy closer to her.
He kissed her for only a moment longer before pulling away much to Rosemary's dismay. He then let out a breathy chuckle as he rested his forehead against her own. His eyes flickered up to lock with hers as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his body.
"Okay, I'm just going to flat out say it, that was hot and I am more in love with you than I was before," he breathed out making the girl blush. "Edmund," Rosemary laughed, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. Edmund just smiled, pressing a small kiss to her forehead before saying, "What? It's true."
Rosemary let out another laugh before whispering, "You really know how to charm a girl. I love you too, Eddie." Edmund smiled and went to lean in and kiss her again when there was the sound of someone gagging from behind them.
The two turned to see Caspian fake gagging as he looked at the two. Upon noticing that they were watching, he waved his hand at them. "Oh, don't mind me, I'm just trying not to throw up after having to witness that," he said. "Thought I was seasick at first, but then it just started getting worse and I realized it was the two of you making me sick."
Rosemary rolled her eyes at the boy as she wrapped her arms around Edmund's neck. She then made a point to make sure Caspian was watching before pressing her lips to Edmund's. Edmund instantly kissed her back while Caspian let out another gag.
"Fine! I'm leaving!" Caspian exclaimed and the two pulled away chuckling once they heard his footsteps as he left them alone. Rosemary rested her head Edmund's chest while the boy pulled her closer, his laughter growing quieter until it eventually stopped.
When Rosemary pulled away, she looked up at Edmund and smiled. He smiled back and kissed her forehead once more before pulling away. He kept one arm wrapped around her waist and made sure she was by his side as they walked across the deck and over to where Lucy was sitting by herself. Along the way, Edmund grabbed two cups of water and handed one to Rosemary before returning to having his arm wrapped around her waist.
Lucy's eyes lit up at the sight of the couple and she quickly grabbed Rosemary's hand before pulling the girl down to sit next to her. "Rosemary, Edmund. . .do you think if we keep sailing to the end of the world we'll just. . .tip off the edge?" Lucy questioned.
Rosemary blinked in surprise. "This is what's got your head in the clouds?" She asked in amusement. Lucy gave her a look while Rosemary smiled sheepishly at her. "Don't worry, Lu, we're a long way from there," Edmund assured her.
"And I'm pretty sure we won't fall off the edge. It's just like when people believed that the earth was flat, but it was really round. I'm sure the rules apply to Narnia as well," Rosemary said.
"I see you're still talking nonsense, the lot of you," a voice muttered in annoyance. Rosemary furrowed her eyebrows and turned to look at the rude person, but her face softened at the sight of Eustace Scrubb. "Eustace, how are you feeling?" Rosemary asked as she smiled softly at the boy.
Eustace blinked in surprise at the warmness that came from her small gesture. Her smile made him want to smile back, but he quickly stopped himself before he could. "Who are you?" Eustace asked in genuine confusion, wondering why this girl who he didn't even know not only knew who he was, but was being kind to him as well.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Rosemary Kirke," she greeted as she held a hand out for him. Eustace glanced at her hand and merely crossed his arms and let out a small groan. "So you're the girl that Edmund won't shut up about," Eustace muttered in annoyance.
Rosemary raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Edmund who grew red at what his cousin had just said. "Eustace!" He exclaimed. The brunette let out a loud laugh at that which made Eustace frown. "It's not funny. It's quite annoying actually," Eustace mumbled.
Edmund reddened even more, his eyes narrowing in his cousin's direction as he hissed, "Eustace, shut up." Eustace just rolled his eyes in response while Rosemary looked to the boy in amusement. "Okay, you know what, you can tell me all about Edmund and how annoying he is later when he's not around to hear it. As for now, you never answered my question. Are you feeling better?" she asked, her laughter disappearing as she gave the boy a concerned look.
"Yes, no thanks to you," Eustace replied bitterly, but Rosemary didn't seemed fazed by his words. Edmund, however, did and glared at his cousin.
"It's lucky I have an Iron constitution," Eustace muttered. "As effervescent as ever, I see," the familiar voice of Reepicheep commented as he appeared on the banister beside them.
His eyes flickered over to Rosemary who was next to him and he bowed slightly, "Your Majesty." She smiled softly at the mouse before moving her hair over, allowing the warrior to step onto her shoulder. Reepicheep bowed his head in thanks and looked over to Eustace.
"Find your sea legs?" Reepicheep asked. Eustace frowned in disgust at the fact that Rosemary had allowed the mouse onto her shoulder, but decided not to speak out about it. "Never lost them," Eustace replied after a moment of hesitation. "Simply dealing with the shock of things."
Rosemary gave him a sympathetic smile which made the boy soften slightly, his anger subsiding as his tone grew softer. "Mother says I have an acute disposition, due to my intelligence," Eustace said making Edmund spit his drink back into his cup while Lucy chuckled.
Rosemary gave them pointed looks as if to silently tell them not to make fun of the boy, but she couldn't stop herself from letting out a small laugh when Reepicheep muttered, "I don't think he has a cute anything."
Eustace frowned, his anger coming back as he glared at the mouse. "I'll have you know, as soon as we find civilization. . .I'm contacting the British Consul. Have you all arrested for kidnapping," Eustace exclaimed.
"You do you, sweetie. I support you one hundred percent," Rosemary said, Edmund subtly rolling his eyes at the girl while she sent a small wink in his direction.
Eustace went to storm away, but bumped into Caspian which caused the boy to stop in his tracks. "Kidnapping, is it?" Caspian questioned. "That's funny. I thought we saved your life." "You held me against my will!" Eustace complained.
"Did I?" Caspian asked as he leaned against the banister next to Rosemary before looking down at the girl and Reepicheep in amusement. "In, what I must say, are the most unhygienic quarters. It's like a zoo down there!" Eustace exclaimed.
"We could always throw you back into the ocean," Rosemary suggested with a shrug as she took a sip of her water. Eustace glared at the girl, but it wasn't as threatening as he would've liked. Despite being frustrated with her and everyone on the ship, she actually seemed to be the nicest one here, so he couldn't hate her that much even if she made a comment like that.
"He's quite the complainer, isn't he?" Reepicheep asked as he looked over at Lucy and Edmund. "He's just warming up," Edmund muttered.
Rosemary chuckled in amusement, but her laughter was cut short when one of the crew members yelled out, "Land, ho!"
They had made it to the Lone Islands.