A/N: Finals are done and I am back! (Until next semester anyways lol)
-
Invisible shapes pressed heavy footprints deep into the sand, silently, slowly moving across the beach.
"Seems they've brought a pig!" a voice whispered over the loud snorting noises coming from Eustace's general direction.
"This one," came another whisper. "It's female."
"So's this one..."
"And another, over here..."
The book which Lucy had brought with her lifted into the air, seemingly of its own accord, the pages turned by invisible hands.
"This one reads..."
Beside Margaret, her diary, too, was suspended in midair.
"This one writes."
"Let's take them both!"
Invisible hands covered the mouths of the two Queens, keeping them silent as they startled awake.
But not a soul stirred on the beach as they were carried away.
-
Hoofbeats thundered into the clearing at the Dancing lawn. All of the Narnians instantly became alert, though, Caspian noticed that some relaxed at the sight of the horse, and he realized that this must be another Narnian.
The Horse barreled towards him, stopping just short of trampling him. A rider dismounted, and though Caspian knew that he probably ought to be ready to defend himself from this unknown intruder, all logic had gone from his mind.
The rider was a girl, just a bit younger than himself, with flame colored hair, and steel gray eyes that seemed to pierce through his soul. Something about her felt oddly familiar... The way she carried herself reminded him of some noblewoman, but she was different from any noble he'd ever met.
"Brontan!" Trufflehunter declared, "What are you doing here?"
"And with a human no less?" Nikabrik sneered. He had accepted Caspian, yes, but it was quite clear that he did not extend this same, reluctant allegiance to any other humans.
The young woman seemed unnerved by the presence of the Dwarf. Certainly not frightened, but she had a curious look in her eye for just a moment.
"Let me explain myself, on behalf of Brontan," she said, and it was then that Caspian noticed the poor Horse was catching his breath, unable to answer his fellow Narnians' questionings. "My friend needs rest and refreshment. We have ridden nonstop for the better part of two days."
Trufflehunter and Nikabrik looked to him, which certainly was an odd feeling. Caspian nodded, and the Horse went off to graze.
"Who are you?" he asked the young woman. "What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking that of you, Telmarine," she replied shortly. "Why do the Narnian people look to an invader for leadership?"
That was the moment he fell in love, even if he did not yet realize it.
Caspian's dreams had not been so easy as of late, but tonight, he found peace, as his mind allowed him to relieve some of his fondest memories, of the time he'd had with Margaret those three years ago.
Like the first time they had duelled...
"I am not so sure this is a good idea, my lady," he told her.
The Narnian Queen looked at him with a sharp gaze, and he feared she had mistaken his meaning.
"Your skills are of great legend," he rushed to explain, an embarrassed heat burning across his face. "I fear you shall be disappointed in my abilities."
Her expression softened.
"Caspian, this is not a matter of whether or not you are able to impress me," she said, with a wisdom beyond her young years, "I need to know what you are capable of in order to know how best to train you. Do you understand?"
He could only nod.
He dreamt, also, of the moment he had realized he had fallen irrevocably in love with the Resilient Queen.
When he asked where the Queen had disappeared to, Asterius informed him that she had graced to relieve the twilight sentry on the top ledge of the How. That was where Caspian found her, sitting against the wall. Her attention was focused on the treeline, and she absently twirled a dagger in her hand.
Caspian thought he ought to clear his throat or make some other noise so as to alert her to his presence, but at just that moment, she spoke.
"The stars are so alive... I missed that most of all." She looked up at him with a smile. "Come and sit with me."
He did.
He sat just beside her. At the time, he didn't know why his heart beat faster.
She sighed contentedly and looked up at the sky.
"Stars in my world are different, you see. They aren't alive, they don't have voices. They're just... Things. Little lights, incomprehensibly far away... burning on with no sense. You can't speak to those kinds of stars, you see. It's quite lonely... Especially with no dreams. But it's so wonderful to be back, to hear their voices again. Everything in Narnia is just so... alive."
Her words held so much life, Caspian couldn't help but smile, and when she turned to him with a bright expression of her own, his heart fluttered most strangely.
"I am most honored to have you here with me," he said earnestly.
"Please, Caspian," she said, "The honor is mine, for you are a fine man, and an even greater leader."
As she spoke, she touched his shoulder, and that was the moment he knew.
And the night she had broken his heart... Yes, it was a bitter recollection in some ways, but still, that had also been the first time they had shared a kiss. And so, it lingered in his dreams.
That night, he had gone when she asked, but in his dream, his mind showed him what he wished could have happened.
He took her hand in his.
"Margaret," he said, pleading, "Will you not tell me what you dreamt of?"
She didn't respond, but she looked into his eyes, and he felt himself drawn in closer as she cupped his cheek.
He leaned into her as well, and their lips met, and he knew true happiness, just for that moment.
"You are destined for great things, Caspian," she whispered to him. Her hand rested over his heart. "You'll be a great king, remembered by all who come after..." Her voice broke. "You will wed a wonderful woman, and your kingdom will prosper for the grace of your Queen."
"Why are you saying these things?" he asked. His chest had blossomed with warmth at her words, but it was now fading away to crackling shards of worry, like a frost.
"It cannot be me at your side... no matter how I wish it to be so."
"Margaret--"
She stopped him.
"We're from two different worlds, Caspian. Aslan would not allow that."
"He did not tell you this."
"Please, leave me," she begged softly.
"Margaret--"
"Please."
Silence.
And then, the dream replaced reality.
He took one of her hands in both of his again, and clasped it to his heart.
"I cannot leave you like this. Please... You owe me nothing, but for your own sake... I cannot let you be alone with such distress weighing upon you."
"Caspian..." she whispered. "There are some things which you do not know..."
"Share your burdens with me, Margaret, I beg of you."
She touched his face with a delicate caress, as though she feared either one of them might shatter. The barriers which she had set in place when she begged him to go were fading now.
"I have dreamt that I am to die, " she admitted. "That is my Fate. If you let yourself love me... it can only end in heartbreak and loss."
He held her tighter, closer.
"Loving you could never be a loss... You have made your home in my heart, and nothing shall change that, Margaret. Not even death. But I shall beg Aslan not to take you from me..."
Her brow creased in disbelief, but her eyes shone with affection.
Though in reality he had gone, in his dreams, he stayed to comfort her, and he held her until dawn.
-
Lucy and Margaret struggled all the while they were carried, into the treeline and through the woods, to a sprawling lawn decorated with trimmed hedges. At long last, they were thrown to the ground. Lucy grabbed her dagger, but it was plucked from her hand just as quickly. When she tried to go to it, one of the creatures knocked her to the ground. Margaret's sword and bow were still at the beach.
The two of them were at the mercy of these creatures. Margaret grabbed Lucy's hand, and the two of them back away together.
"There is no escape!" growled a deep voice.
Other voices chimed in.
"Well put!"
"Scary!"
"Yeah!"
"What are you?" Lucy asked, looking round wildly.
"We are terrifying invisible beasts!" one of the voices said.
"If you could see us, you would be really intimidated!" said the deep voice.
"Invisible?" Margaret asked, a bewildered expression upon her face. "But you're not invisible, I can see you plainly."
Lucy looked at her strangely. "I can't see anything..."
Margaret looked around them, frowning.
"I... I don't understand. I can see them..."
Indeed, she could, and how strange they were to look at. They were quite small, and they each had only one leg which ended in a large foot. They were holding each other up to appear taller than they were, though Margaret wondered how they could see each other if they claimed to be invisible.
"This one's a sorceress!" one of the voices cried. "She sees through the spell!"
A cacophony of voices began to overlap, all of them declaring how awful an idea it had been to bring her along, and arguing about what types of spells she might cast upon them.
"Enough!" Margaret declared, getting to her feet. "I'm not a sorceress, I'm a Seer. I imagine whatever is allowing me to see you is Aslan's doing. Now, tell me why you have brought us to this place."
"One of you," said the deepest voice, whom Margaret had determined to be the leader. "One of you shall do what we want."
"Yes you shall!"
"Very clear!"
"Well put!"
"Yeah!"
These things seemed to love to agree with each other.
Lucy also stood, emboldened by Margaret's ability to see the creatures.
"And if we refuse?" she challenged.
"Then death!" declared the leader.
The other creatures began to chant.
"Death! Death! Death!"
"Well we wouldn't be much use to you dead, now would we?"
The chanting abruptly stopped.
"I hadn't thought of that..."
"No, you hadn't..."
"Fair point."
Another of the creatures piped up.
"Alright! Then we'll just kill your friends!"
Margaret and Lucy exchanged a glance, each of them thinking of Edmund and Caspian and Gael and all the rest of the crew.
"What do you want with us?" Margaret asked.
"You will enter the house of..." One of the creatures shoved Lucy forward. "The Oppressor."
Lucy scoffed indignantly at being pushed. "What house?"
"Is that mansion meant to be invisible too?" Margaret asked in surprise.
Just then, a door creaked open, and Lucy seemed to take notice of the house which Margaret had seen since they arrived.
Margaret moved to follow, but one of the creatures leapt into her path.
"Not you, Sorceress!"
"That's right!" declared another. "We've got to make sure your little friend comes back!"
"And to keep an eye out for any of your magic tricks!"
Margaret sighed, nodding to Lucy. She figured it would be useless to try to convince these things that she was anything but a magic user.
"Go on, Lu... I'll be alright."
Lucy nodded and slowly stepped towards the house, examining it in awe. Margaret wondered just how much of it she could see.
"Upstairs," the leader instructed, "You'll find The Book of Incantations. Recite the spell that makes the Unseen Seen!"
"Well put, Chief! Well put!"
Lucy walked to either side of the doorway, still carefully looking at it.
"Well go on, we haven't got all day!"
"Remember what'll happen to your friends!"
"Starting with the Sorceress!"
"You've been warned!"
Lucy turned to face the creatures.
"Why don't you do it yourselves?" she asked.
There was a long pause, then, the Chief admitted, "We can't read."
"Can't write either, as a matter of fact..."
"Or add."
"Yeah..."
Margaret sighed. "You could have simply told us that and asked for our help..."
"Beware The Oppressor!" the Chief warned Lucy.
"He's very oppressive!"
"What makes the Unseen Seen! Got it?"
"Don't forget!"
"Don't forget that!"
Lucy walked into the house and the doors closed behind her. Margaret sighed and moved to sit down. She had a feeling this was going to be a long night, with only these chatty creatures for company.
-
Caspian awoke at dawn, feeling more rested than he had in weeks. He had been thinking over Margaret's doubts while trying to fall asleep last night, and now, he knew just what to do. But, when he went to find Margaret, to speak with her, her bedroll was empty.
And there were giant footprints all around in the sand.
He rushed over and shook Edmund awake, scanning the tree line.
"Ed, wake up," he said urgently.
"Hm?"
"Wake up, look!"
Edmund took in the sight of the footprints.
"And Margaret is gone," Caspian said.
"Where's Lucy?" Edmund noticed. "Lucy? Margaret!"
"Everybody up!" Caspian commanded quietly.
At once, Drinian got the others on their feet.
"Get up! Get up, I say! The Queens are missing, no time to dilly dally!"
As rapidly as they could, the men pulled on their leather armors and grabbed their swords.
"This way!" Caspian said, following the footprints.
They led through the trees to a lawn, where it became more difficult to track them. The footprints had vanished, and it was at that moment Caspian wished he still had Margaret's compass to lead him to her. All the men had their swords drawn and ready.
"Caspian!" Edmund called. "Lucy's dagger!"
He went over to examine it, when out of nowhere, several spears impaled the ground just beside them.
"Stop right there or perish!" yelled a gravelly voice, and suddenly, Caspian's sword was wrenched from his hands.
The crew were set upon by an invisible enemy. Many of them, including Caspian, were knocked to the ground.
"What sort of creatures are you?" he demanded, looking around at nothing.
"Big ones!" replied the voice. "With the head of a tiger and the body of a..."
"Different tiger!" chimed in another voice.
"Oh they're no such thing," came yet another voice, this one much more familiar.
Margaret stepped out from behind a hedge, swatting at something on her arm which no one else could see.
"Get off of me..." She paused. "Or I'll cast a spell on you!"
The creatures began to mutter, something about a sorceress, and Margaret nodded, looking pleased.
"Right then," she said, turning to the crew with a smile. "They're just small creatures stacked on top of each other. Really, their only advantage is that they're invisible."
When she drew close enough, Caspian pulled her into an embrace.
"You're alright," he said in relief.
"Yes, I'm fine. They think I'm a sorceress because I can see through the spell, so they're somewhat afraid of me."
Edmund hugged her tightly too, the moment Caspian moved away.
"What about Lucy?"
"No no!" a voice interrupted, before Margaret could reply. "Don't listen to the Sorceress! We are very large!"
"And dangerous!"
"Yeah, you don't want to mess with us!"
Margaret scoffed.
"Or what?" Edmund asked, unimpressed.
"Or I'll claw you to death!"
Just then, the air all around them shimmered and the creatures began to appear one by one, standing upon each other, just as Margaret had said.
But, it seemed that the creatures didn't notice their own visibility, for they continued to boast about how fearsome they were.
"I'll run my tusks right through you!"
"And I'll gnash you with my teeth!"
"And I'll bite you with my fangs! Grrrr!"
Edmund raised an eyebrow. "You mean... Squash us? With your fat bellies?"
The creatures, so caught up in their scheme, began to agree with him.
"Yes! Yes!"
"...Fat bellies?"
They looked around, then down at themselves.
"Tickle us with your toes, perhaps?" Caspian joined in.
It seemed as if their invisibility had been the only thing maintaining their balance, and the moment they could see themselves again, the creatures' little stacks began to wobble and fall.
Edmund grabbed his sword again and leveled it at the Chief.
"What have you done with my sister, you little pipsqueak?" he demanded.
"They sent her into the mansion, Ed," Margaret explained.
He gave her an odd look. "Mansion?"
"It's invisible too," she said.
"Oh, right, of course... silly me."
The mansion also shimmered, and began to form in front of their eyes.
"You know, I'm really getting tired of you all leaving me behi--"
Eustace crashed into the clearing through the underbrush, instantly stopping short at the sight of the creatures stacked on top of each other.
"It's the pig!" declared one of them.
"The pig's come back!"
Eustace blinked.
"This place just gets weirder and weirder..."
Margaret waved him over.
"Eustace, there you are..." She fixed the crew with a look. "I know that Narnians are able to wake quite easily, but I'd beg a little more understanding from you all... It's not an easy thing, to come from another world. If someone could think to wake him next time, it would be most appreciated."
The younger boy looked sheepish for her scolding them on his behalf, but he made his way over to the Queen nevertheless.
The creatures, however, began to shriek and shout in fear, backing away towards where Eustace was coming from.
Margaret turned to search for the cause of their alarm and found, to her relief, Lucy, walking towards them. The man at her side seemed familiar...
"Your Majesties," said the man, bowing to Edmund and Caspian, who bowed to him in return. He hadn't noticed Margaret yet, as she had moved towards the crew when she had been speaking to them.
"Why... you're not just a sorcerer," she realized, stepping forward into view. "You were a star once, weren't you? Coriakin..."
The man's eyes widened when he saw her, and knelt before her.
"My Lady..." he said.
"Please," she said, and he rose to his feet once more.
"I did not look to see the Lady of the Stars on my island," said Coriakin. "But what you say is true. You knew my name in the Golden Age, but since then, I have committed a grievance against Aslan, and I retired from the Heavens. In penance, He has charged me to watch over this island and its inhabitants."
"A grievance against Aslan?" Lucy asked.
Coriakin nodded. "Indeed, Your Majesty, though the nature of it is known only between Aslan and myself. I seek every day to pay for my past crimes."
"That's what he thinks!" declared the Chief. "Yet you have wronged us, magician!"
Coriakin strode towards them, and the creatures began to hop backwards, away from him.
"I have not wronged you, I made you invisible for your own protection."
"Protection?"
"That's oppressive!"
"Oppressor!"
"I have not oppressed you," Coriakin said calmly.
"But you could've! If you wanted to!"
Coriakin reached into his robes and tossed some sort of dust at them.
"Begone," he said simply.
"What was that?" Lucy asked him.
"Lint," he replied, his eyes alight with amusement. "But don't tell them."
Eustace watched the creatures, retreating into the distance.
"What were those things?" he asked.
"Dufflepuds," said Coriakin.
"Right, of course... Silly me."
Margaret laughed. "Don't worry, Eustace. None of the rest of us have ever encountered them either."
They turned to follow Coriakin into the mansion, but Caspian pulled Margaret aside.
"Can we trust him?" he asked. "You knew him as a star... Has his crime changed his heart?"
Margaret watched Coriakin lead the others.
"I sense genuine repentance from him. No matter his crime, Aslan trusts him now, and so should we."
Caspian seemed satisfied by her answer, and the two of them turned to follow the rest of the crew.
Coriakin sent the men to eat in the dining hall, and called the kings and queens to his study, urging that they had much to discuss. They of course brought Drinian too.
"What did you mean when you said you made them invisible for their own good?" Lucy asked.
"It seemed the easiest way to protect them... From the evil."
"You mean the mist?" Edmund asked.
Coriakin opened the door for them all, and gestured for them to go in before him.
"I mean what lies behind the mist," he said.
Inside, magical star maps covered the ceiling, like a night sky floating there. Books floated as well, like nothing they had ever seen.
Coriakin took a great roll of parchment and unfurled it before them. It was a map, the size of a large rug... but there was some kind of spell upon it, for it looked as real as if they were there themselves. It reminded Margaret of satellite images from her world, but far clearer than that, and almost alive in a way. Small clouds even floated a few inches above the map. Along its edges, small depictions of famous battles moved across the page. Even the battle against the White Witch was there.
"That is quite beautiful," remarked Eustace, and Margaret couldn't help but smile.
However, his entranced expression instantly vanished when he took notice of the way the others looked at him.
"I mean for a make-believe map of a make-believe world," he snapped, attempting to regain some of his no-nonsense front.
"There is the source of your troubles," said Coriakin, and the map moved to focus on a sinister, black cloud upon the water, further east. "Dark Island. A place where evil lurks... It can take any form. It can make your darkest dreams come true." He carefully looked at each of them in turn as he spoke. "It seeks to corrupt all goodness... to steal the light from this world."
"How do we stop it?" Lucy asked determinedly.
"You must break its spell," Coriakin replied. He turned to Edmund and pointed to his scabbard. "That sword you carry... There are six others."
Edmund leaned in, attentive. "Have you seen them?"
"Yes."
"The six Lords..." Caspian realized. "They passed through here?"
"Indeed."
"Where were they headed?"
"Where I sent them," said the magician, and the map changed again. "To break the spell, you must follow the Blue Star to Ramandu's Island. There, the Seven Swords must be laid at Aslan's Table. Only then can their true magical power be released. But beware... You are all about to be tested."
"Tested?" asked Margaret. She didn't like the sound of that. Especially when she was already struggling with her decision to let herself love Caspian.
Coriakin looked at each of them, his face deathly serious. "Until you lay down the seventh sword, evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in its power to tempt you. Be strong. Don't fall to temptation. To defeat the darkness out there... you must defeat the darkness inside yourself."
-
The magician gave them supplies and rations for the journey when they set off again the next day. With their course now set, for the Island of Ramandu, the crew of the Dawn Treader began with a renewed vigor.
Margaret took a moment to speak with Coriakin, one last time, before the long boats set off.
"I wish you the greatest safety on your journey, My Lady," he said. She had noticed how he addressed her differently than the others. They were "Your Majesty" but he called her the title by which she was known to the stars. It did make her feel at home.
"Thank you, Coriakin," she said. "But I must admit, I fear what we may find on our journey. Ramandu is a star's name, I know that in my heart, but he is one whom I have never seen before. His island is so far East... I do not know the Blue Star. And... I am anxious for what may occur at the end of our journey."
Coriakin looked into her eyes solemnly.
"My Lady..." he began, "Already, the evil seeks to undo you, most of all. For your power is great, but your doubts are many."
Margaret shook her head. "I haven't had a single dream since I've arrived... and even before then, there was no dream to signal my return. My powers have been limited... and I fear this darkness is to blame."
"You saw through the spell upon this island," he reminded her. "And so I pray you shall see through other dark enchantments. Please, My Lady, heed my words... For there shall be dreams that do not come from Aslan, and there shall be desires which seek to drown you, but you must remain strong. You carry the heart of so many aboard this ship... They will look to you."
"What can I do, if Aslan is silent?" she asked.
"You must wait, and listen," he replied. "For if you turn a deaf ear upon silence, you may find that you have missed His softest call."
Margaret didn't understand exactly what he meant at the moment, but his words gave her heart some small courage, which she would come to cling to in the following weeks.
-
A/N: So what did you think? Be sure to let me know! I love hearing from everyone! Polite suggestions and all questions welcome!