The Water is Wide

Chapter 1

Storm's Howling

Lightning streaked across the night sky. Thunder shook the bows of the small boat. Rain pounded the deck and waves crashed over the side, coating the planks in a thick and slick gloss. I could see nothing around me; I fastened the knot only by years of instruction and practice. The lamps had all burned out or their oil had spilled to the deck below. The only light was provided by the erratic lightning above. The wind howled around me and threw me against the rail. I braced myself against it as a wave washed over the side and threatened to wash me away. The storm had come on suddenly, fierce and relentless. It was the worst one I had seen in my seventeen years of life.

"Aaralynn!" I only just heard my name over the wind and rain and I turned my head in the direction from which the shout had come. "Aaralynn, what are you doing? You should be in the cabin with your sisters!" Liam, my caretaker and Papa's best man, said.

I shook my head in protest. "Brother is watching over them! All hands that are able are needed here to secure the mast! My hands are able!" I had to shout my reply simply to be heard.

I moved up the deck to fasten another rope, and Liam followed after me. Another wave crashed over the side and I lost my footing. I nearly fell and slid into the center mast, but Liam caught me round the waist and held me fast. When the wave dissipated I regained my footing and continued on to the rope.

"Your father would have my head if he knew I permitted this behavior!"

"You are not permitting it, Liam. I am simply disobeying!"

"Aaralynn!" Somehow my father managed to raise his voice above the storm.

"Now you've done it," Liam said as my father made his way over.

Father grabbed my arm weakly. "Aaralynn, you shouldn't be out here. It isn't safe."

"No, Papa," I said. "You shouldn't be out here. You are ill; this will only make that worse."

"Sir, I tried to reason with her, but she will not see it."

"She rarely does, Liam. She rarely does."

While my father and Liam spoke of me as though I wasn't there I continued tying my knot. It did little good though for a moment later lightning struck the center mast. There was a deafening crack and a burst of light. The mast had erupted in flames from the spilled oil in the crow's nest. The fire quickly spread to the sails and suddenly there was more than enough fire light to see by. I saw my father's face, aged and weary, and his eyes full of terror. Liam's eyes told the same tale: they too had never seen a storm such as this. For a moment neither of us could bare to move as our world burned around us. Rain continued to pelt the deck, but it seemed to do nothing against the flames as they spread to the rigging.

"All is lost," Papa whispered.

"No. No, we can save her," I said desperately.

"Aaralynn, listen to me," Papa said as he grabbed my arm again and forced me to look at him. "We must abandon ship. I need you to get to your sisters and Heulyn, get them in the dinghy, and get as far from the Estelle as you can."

"If we take the dinghy, how will you and Liam get off Papa?"

"Do not wait for us," Papa commanded, ignoring my question.

"No. No Papa, I can't. I can't leave you."

"Aaralynn, you must! Now go!" Papa nudged me in the direction of the cabin and I knew I had no choice but to obey.

I tried to walk a straight path to the cabin, but the waves rocking and the wind howling made that difficult. I felt rather like I imagined a man would feel after drinking too much Dwarvin Ale. I even stumbled and lost my footing once or twice; the bruises would make themselves known within a day. When at last I made it to the sole cabin on board I quickly stepped inside to keep my siblings from seeing the fire. I found my sisters just how I left them, huddled together in a corner. Heulyn, my brother, sat on the bed before them. He jumped up at my entrance and my sisters turned their eyes, white with fear, towards me. At that moment I felt more afraid than I ever had before but I tried my hardest to keep that fear from my voice and my face. I had to make them feel safe.

"Come on; we're leaving," I said as I picked up my youngest sister, Soffia.

"What? We can't go out there!" My other sisters said in unison while Heulyn piped in with, "Where are going?"

"Papa's given the order to abandon ship. We're to make for the dinghy," I replied.

"But it's storming out," Emmalynn, the oldest of the twins, said.

"Stay with me. I'll keep you safe." Soffia hugged my neck tighter at my words but the twins remained sitting where they were. "Come on! We have to go now!"

The twins jumped to their feet and huddled on either side of me. "Stay close beside us," I said to Heulyn who nodded silently.

In all I was in the cabin less than two minutes, but in the short time the fire had fully engulfed the main mast and sails and we stepped right into a mass of swirling black smoke. I instinctively covered Soffia's mouth with my hand to keep her from inhaling too much smoke before covering my own mouth with my arm. Fortunately the dinghy wasn't far from the cabin. Heulyn quickly began prepping it for departure before stepping in. I handed Soffia over first and then helped Emma and Ella climb over. Once I knew they were all in safely, I turned around to look for Papa and Liam.

I knew I shouldn't. I knew what Papa had ordered. But I couldn't leave them. I couldn't leave Papa and Liam to face the fire and a sinking ship. My eyes roamed the deck, seeking them through the thick smoke. They came up empty. I didn't see them anywhere, but then again I could hardly see anything through all the smoke, which not only served as a hindrance itself but also caused my eyes to water.

"Aaralynn! Come on!" my brother called out. I knew I should do as told, but I couldn't.

"Papa! Liam!" I called into the blackness. There was no response. There was only the crackling fire, the howling wind, and the pelting rain. I took a few steps from the ship's rail, bracing myself against the rocking.

"Papa! Liam!" I called again before coughing violently and rubbing my eyes.

"Aaralynn!"

I ignored the cries of my siblings and called out again for Papa. Finally I saw two figures through the smoke; they were on the other side of the deck where I had last seen Papa and Liam. One was sitting with his back against the galley walls and his hands clutching at his chest. The other was crouching before the first with his head bowed and a hand on the other's shoulder. The sitting man turned his head in my direction; I couldn't see it clearly, but I knew who it was. His vacant eyes met mine before his hands fell limply to his side and his head lolled forward.

"Papa! No!" I stood frozen to the spot as the realization of what I just witnessed sunk in. My father was dead. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe, and it wasn't just because of the smoke.

Suddenly there was a loud snap and my brother called out, "Aaralynn! Look out!" I looked up in time to see that the mast had finally given in to the flames, and it was falling. I stood in its path.

I sprinted into action and jumped backwards to avoid being hit. As I did a wave rushed the side of the ship making it pitch sharply on its port side. My landing was faulty and my feet slipped out from under me. I rolled towards the center and the burning mast, but my foot had become tangled in some side rigging keeping me just out of reach of the flames. I scrambled to the side and tried to free my foot. Another wave slapped against the side making the ship tilt to the right this time. The side rigging was loose of its rail holds and it washed over the side. My foot was not yet free and so the rigging pulled me over with it. I grabbed hold of the open rails and tried to kick my leg free of the sinking ropes while I dangled over the side. With each rock of the ship my legs slammed into the side and my grip weakened. The wood was slick and the rope heavy. When the rails began to crack and buckle from the force of the waves, I knew little hope was left. I looked to my left to find my brother and sisters watching me.

"Protect them," I said softly as my eyes locked with Heulyn.

"Aaralynn, no," Heulyn replied shaking his head.

My brother looked around like he was about to try climbing back onto the deck, but before he could do anything another wave crashed over the side and my fingers lost their hold. I clawed frantically at the side of the ship, looking for anything to grab onto; there was nothing. Water surged past me as I began sink. The rigging was still wrapped around my ankle. I coiled into a ball and struggled with the rope trying to free myself. It seemed the more I struggled the more entwined I became, and I thought I'd never break free. But somehow I did, and when I was free at last the rope began to sink quickly without me. Now I had to fight my way back to the surface. During my fall and my attempts to free myself, however, I'd become twisted. I didn't know which way was up. What's more, it was so dark and the water churned so violently I had no way to figure it out.

Suddenly I was slammed against something large and hard. I felt around to figure out what I had hit, and perhaps to find a way to the surface. It was wood, but not the smooth, slick wood of the deck. This wood was slick yes, but it was also covered in prickly rocks. Sea Barnacles. I had been slammed into the underside of the boat. I was pulled away again before I could do anything about it though, before once more being slammed against it. I tried to use the boat to pull myself up, but the churning water was too strong for me and it kept pulling me under. For a moment I lost all contact with the boat and I thought I had lost it completely. Then my back was suddenly slammed against it and I realized I had merely passed under the boat and I was now on the other side. Again I tried to use the boat to pull myself up, but again I was no match for the current.

I was pulled away from the boat once more and this time I wasn't slammed back into it. My lungs were beginning to burn from lack of air and what little vision I had became less. I was growing tired. Very tired. I could hardly keep my eyes open and I stopped fighting against the water. I simply let my arms and legs hang free. What was the use in fighting? I was too weak. There was no point. Papa was dead and I'd abandoned my siblings. I'd let them all down. I failed them. I failed Mama.

Mama.

Her face swam before my slowly closing eyes. Her long, curly hair swayed in the water before me. Her soft, round face was within my reach. Her deep, rich eyes, eyes that were sad but full of love, bore into mine. Her voice filled my ears.

"Aaralynn, my precious child, you must be strong dear one."

"Mama, I…I don't want to lose you. We need you, Mama."

"You will never lose me, dearest. I will always be with you, in your heart; as you will be in mine."

"But I want you here. It's not the same."

"Of course it's not the same. Nothing is ever the same, but that makes it no less meaningful. My love will always be with you; it will keep you strong. It will give you the strength you need. You must take care of your sisters and your brother when I am gone."

"I shall have to take care of Papa too."

Mama chuckled softly before contorting her face in pain.

"Mama!"

"It's all right, Aaralynn. It's all right," she assured me, but her voice was weaker than before. "And yes, you shall have to care for your Papa too. I'm afraid he may need your help the most. I love you, Aaralynn. As the Great Lion loves you, so do I love you."

I huffed. "Do not talk about Him, Mama. If He truly loved us so, then He would not be taking you from us."

"Do not be angry with Him, child. I know you cannot yet understand why this is happening, I cannot say that even I understand, but I accept His will, whatever it may be. For all surly carry out His will, however we may live, but it makes a difference to us whether we choose to live like the Witch or like the High King. Promise me you'll remember that, Aaralynn."

"I promise, Mama."

Mother smiled weakly and patted my hand gently. Then she sighed heavily and closed her eyes. I became worried when she did not move for some time.

"Mama? Mama?" Tears filled my eyes. "Mama."

"Yes, Aaralynn?" she asked, her voice no more than a whisper, her breaths shallow.

"I…I love you, Mama," I said as tears rolled down my cheek.

"And I love you. My…strength…is with you, Aaralynn…"

"Aaralynn…"

"Aaralynn…"

Mama's voice rang in my ears, filling me with a strength I did not know I possessed. I forced my eyes open and kicked my way towards the surface. My head broke over the water and I took in such a breath of air as I had never had before. It filled me entirely, stretching my lungs to new extremes and making my chest ache with the expansion. The air was clean and crisp. There wasn't even the slightest hint of smoke. I looked around me, bobbing on the still vigorous waves, and saw that I was some distance from the Estelle, which was now fully engulfed with flames. I could do nothing but tread water as I watched the last remnants of my life burn.

A wave washed over me and something slammed into my head. When I broke the surface again I saw a large piece of driftwood floating by me. It looked to me like one of the lower hatches. How it had gotten this far from the ship I didn't know, but I didn't have the mind to question it either. I swam the short distance and pulled myself on top of it. I knew I couldn't tread water all night. Once I was lying on the hatch I turned my eyes back to the ship. Mama was dead. Papa was dead. The Estelle was burning. I could only hope that somehow my siblings had survived, that they would survive the tossing waves.

As I watched the ship burn and eventually begin to sink, I grew very tired again. My whole body ached. My legs and arms trembled, my mind grew foggy, and my eye lids became like anchors. All I wanted to do was sleep, but how could I sleep when everything I knew was going up in smoke, literally. I couldn't fight the sleep though; it was too strong. As the last of the Estelle dipped below the surface, extinguishing all light of the fire, I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.

So, I know I haven't finished The Lion's Lamb, and I know it's been a long while since I've updated it. I sincerely apologize for that, and I regret to say that I don't know when I will update it. All the ideas are still there and floating around in my head, but I have no desire to put them on paper. I don't know why.

However, I hope you enjoy this new story. It is a Golden Age tale that takes place nine years after the White Witch was defeated. For this story I am going with the canonical ages of the Pevensies. So they would be as follows when they enter Narnia:

Peter-13, Susan-11, Edmund-10, Lucy-8

This would make their ages as follows when this story begins:

Peter-21, Susan-20, Edmund-19, Lucy-17

Please, feel free to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you and continuing our newest voyage.