Chapter 4

"It has been three years since we have last seen each other my friend."

"Has it really? With all that has happened recently it sometimes feels more like a lifetime."

Caspian snorted from his spot on the ground in the narrow ship corridor, nudging Edmund who mirrored his slouched seat against the opposite wall, with his leg. "That sounds like the greatest understatement. You look weary Ed." Caspian hesitated, mulling over his next words carefully. "I would like to hear more Edmund…about whatever is going on in your world. I know that what you and your family have been through is painful and I might not understand it all fully like this Paris and France and…Haversom was it?" Edmund managed to chuckle and nod a bit at the mispronunciation. He could picture the stuck-up commander sucking on a lemon if he was to hear Caspian say his name. Caspian took Ed's humor as encouragement to spring into the deep end.

"But I am here. And it does not matter how long Aslan plans to allow you to stay. I am here Ed…and I will help you in any way I can whether that is to listen or to provide a shoulder for you to lean on."

Edmund looked into Caspian's face and saw no pity, just compassion, and true friendship and love. Not for the first time, Edmund was reminded of what Lucy told him about Caspian the day they met him: "Nothing deters a good man from doing what is honorable. Caspian is a good man Edmund. You can see it in his eyes." Yes, Lucy was right about Caspian. Lucy was right about a lot of things. He'd never be the one to tell her that though. He smiled, the right side of his face responding more to the order to move than the scarred left.

"So, I can either talk your ear off or I can shove you over to work out my feelings for fun is that what you're saying? It sounds like a lot of trouble if you ask me."

Caspian rolled his eyes at his royal brother's poor deflection and this time he actually did kick him. "Leave it to you to make that conclusion from what I said." Edmund continued to chuckle softly as Caspian pushed himself up from the floor and reach a hand out to help Edmund up as well. Edmund clasped hands with Caspian and gave him a watery look.

"Thank you, Caspian. Truly."

Caspian swallowed back the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat and pulled.

The two men entered back into the cabin and rejoined Eustace's vigil by Lucy's bedside. No one said anything for a moment before Caspian suddenly jerked in place. 'By the Mane why didn't I think of this sooner!' He threw himself over to one of the cabinets in the room (next to the mural of Lucy during the Golden Age ironically enough) and pulled out a small metal flask from within. Edmund's eyes grew as wide as Caspian's and hope crept into the blue of his eyes. Lucy's cordial! Of course!

"I'm sorry I didn't think of this the moment you came aboard my friend." He pulled the stopper from the Healing Cordial and the heady perfume of cinnamon, cherries, and jasmine wafted to fill the small confines of the room. Eustace took in the heavenly scent and gasped. Pointing at the flask in Caspian's hand, he made inquiring gestures to his cousin. "Yes, Eustace that is Lucy's healing cordial. One drop can bring even the most poorly of patients back from the embrace of death. Brilliant, Caspian! That just might work!"

Caspian smiled with great eagerness and all three men watched with bated breath as one drop, then two fell in the narrow parting of Lucy's pale lips. He replaced the stopper and held his breath as he focused his eyes on her lashes. Is that a flutter? Is it working? Will she wake? One minute passed, then another. Still no signs of movement.

It didn't work.

The three slumped and sat on the floor against the bed. Edmund stroked Lucy's small hand and pressed her clammy palm to his cheek.

"Only Aslan can save her now" he whispered.

"He will come." Caspian stared at the mural of Lucy sitting in a garden on the wall. A crown of pale pink roses was woven into her wild curls and a book lay in her lap which she ignored to look straight into his heart. 'He has to come' he thought. 'Because if he doesn't, then I will travel to the ends of this earth until I do.'

"So, you've appointed a private council and knighted many of your greatest allies and supporters and thereby solidified your rule and ensured equality for all races and beings with representation. You've also renewed old alliances with Archenland and made new ones with Galma. I take it Calormen still prods at the Southern border then? Having Archenland as a buffer is wise. They are honorable people. They will not allow Calormen to march through their lands to wage war against one of their allies." Caspian gave a nod and smirked in amusement at Eustace's eye roll. The quiet boy gave a silent snort at the look of deep thought on his older cousin's face. Of course, Edmund would see the big picture quickly.

"Indeed. And last year, we waged war in the North against the Giants and I rebuilt the Narnian Navy to help open trade with Galma. The Giants are quiet for now and the strength of the new Navy and our victory in the North is leverage enough to halt any plans the Calormen may be thinking of pursuing for the moment. Though I imagine it will not last and we will eventually have to march into the desert. You are as astute as ever brother." Edmund nodded in approval. Caspian had made great strides in the three years he has been King.

"So, who are these Lords of Telmar?" Edmund caught the apple Caspian tossed him, and pulled out a small serrated knife from his pocket to begin carving out slices for himself, Caspian, and Eustace to share as they climbed the stairs up to the deck.

"They were my father's greatest supporters. Good men banished by Lord Miraz after my own good father's passing and sent to embark upon a dangerous quest on the Great Eastern Ocean." Caspian took the proffered slice of fruit from Edmund and pushed the door to the top deck open and let his guests up into the bright sun. The gossipy chatter of the men working on deck grew quiet and their stares were both eager and wary of the foreigners.

'Showtime.' Caspian thought with a small inkling of glee.

"Men! Behold our castaways." He spread his arms wide and faced his friends.

"King Edmund the Just, and His Honored Cousin, Sir Eustace Scrubb!"

Edmund raised his stoic face for all to see and the sun hit his gruesome scar and threw his features, which had been made sharp with hardship, hunger, and pain, into full clarity for all to see. The golden rays of the sun above highlighted his almost black hair and shone upon him like a crown.

He was a King, he remembered forlornly and more than a little disbelievingly.

By the Mane, he'd forgotten what that felt like and meant. It felt unreal. Like it was all a lie and that some other bloke was King and he was the imposter stepping into the fairytale and out of his depth and unable to meet the incredible expectations placed upon him and destined to fail. Surely someone would realize he was not what Caspian said he was, and they would throw him overboard. He felt a pang in his heart.

He wasn't the same man he once was; he had done too much; committed too many sins…perhaps…he didn't deserve to be king anymore. This stayed in his mind however. His heart tried to conjure the feelings and memories of before. From when the weight of a silver crown didn't crush him under expectations and stories of "I once was" and hang crooked on his brow like a jester's hat whose little bells ring with the death rattles of men pouring their rust over his eyes and into his mouth. The two battled for dominance and left him feeling empty.

Oh, Aslan…

He left the prayer open, not sure what to ask or how to make sense and verbalize exactly how alone he felt. He felt a longing for his brother Peter. Peter always saw things so much more clearly than him. The path ahead and behind him was always so clear in his eyes.

Edmund blinked the sun from his eyes and 15 years of etiquette ingrained within him produced an automatic slow tilt of his head and shoulders. The graceful short acknowledgment and greeting of a King to his subjects.

Caspian gave a respectful half-bow in turn and the crew of the Dawn Treader kneeled in reverence for the man of legend. Eustace stood stiffly at his older cousin's right hand, unsure of what to do and wide-eyed and disbelieving at the amount of reverence on the crew members' faces at his cousin's presence. He had heard all of the stories about Narnia and his cousin's reign but he never really understood what being a king meant, but if the aura his cousin exuded was any indication, it harbored a sanctity he could never match or hope to achieve in his life. He felt undeserving to be lumped in with such an auspicious person.

"My liege! Welcome back!" Reepicheep danced forward and gave a graceful flourishing bow. Edmund smiled at his dear friend and offered a short bow back. "It's good to see you again Reep. I'm glad you're here with us on this adventure."

"The honor is all mine my lord and welcome to you too as well good sir. Any relation of the Kings and Queens of Old will always be welcome among the good people of Narnia. How do you do?" Reep gave a sweeping bow to Eustace as well, much to his shock. Eustace gave a quick glance to his cousin for some kind of direction and at seeing Edmund's expectant eyes glancing towards his own, Eustace gathered an unsteady breath and unsteadily bowed back finding it rather peculiar that the first bow he's ever made was to a talking rodent.

Edmund gave his cousin an encouraging smile and a warm clap on the shoulder. "You'll forgive my cousin's reticence. He's never been to Narnia before and he's finding the sites rather alarming to the senses." He handed Eustace a slice from the apple in his hand and Eustace took it and placed it in his mouth quickly with a blush. Reepicheep gave Eustace a long look before turning back to address his King. "Sire. If my lord Edmund and his fair cousin were the gentlemen pulled from the salt, then am I correct to presume that the unconscious lady be one of the Great Queens?"

Caspian looked down on his furry friend in sadness. "Yes, my friend. The fair lady among their party was the great Queen Lucy the Valiant. She is very unwell." The crew began to whisper and Eustace, Edmund, and Caspian were relieved to find that the feelings of the crew were of great concern for Lucy rather than discontent at having a woman on board the ship.

"Shall we make for the nearest harbor so that a healer may attend her, Your Majesty? We can still turn back to Galma."

Caspian turned to look at his inquiring captain. "I'm afraid Captain Drinian, that such an action would be futile. Her condition is…peculiar."

"Surely, Your Majesty, a healer's aid would be far more effective than any care we may be able to provide for her at sea? If she truly is as ill as you imply, then we must make all attempts to rectify her condition." Drinian's brow furrowed more (if that was possible) between his eyes. "Thank you for your concern regarding my sister, Captain. But I'm afraid, there would be nothing a healer could do to help her. She has been in her condition for quite some time now-onwards of several months. If she is ever to wake, then the Healing Grace of Aslan is needed. He is her only hope." Edmund ended the conversation, making eye contact with Caspian to see if he agreed.

Caspian nodded back. If the cordial could not cure her, then Lucy's only hope was the Great King. He drew in a breath and smiled at his captain to deliver some reassurance. "Not to worry Captain. Now that Edmund and Lucy are here, I imagine that Aslan is not that far behind. If history (and my own personal feelings) is to be believed, then Aslan and Lucy are inexplicably drawn together. When one appears, the other is soon to follow. Have no fear! I imagine Queen Lucy will soon awake eager to join in on our quest."

Eustace gave an amused huff and Edmund rolled his eyes at the last bit of Caspian's speech adding his own thoughts to the fray. "Lucy lives for adventures. There's no way in hell she'd be satisfied sitting back on the sidelines. I wouldn't be surprised if she awoke on her own and surprised us all—forgoing the need for any assistance."

The tension among the men relaxed and Drinian called for them all to get back to work while Caspian directed Edmund, Eustace, Reepicheep, and Captain Drinian to the State's cabin where all of their maps and documents relating to their quest were lying about on the oval table in the middle of the room.

"We embarked a month ago from Cair Paravel and left the ports of Galma yesterday and are now heading northeast to Terebinthia and then to the Seven Isles." Edmund nodded and Eustace tugged on his sleeve. Eustace traced his finger around the unfinished map of the Eastern Ocean and began to make gestures and signs with his hands in a strange pattern that only Edmund understood and verbalized for the rest of the room.

"Eustace is asking why the maps are so incomplete. There seem to be a lot of uncharted waters. Do we not have any information on what lies ahead of us?" Edmund took a closer look at the map and frowned, seeing that the end of the known territory only extended a few hundred miles east of the Lone Islands. "You're right Eustace. These are very incomplete. The maps from my siblings' reign were more complete than this, though I don't remember them fully off the top of my head." he finished quickly, seeing the hopeful look on the captain's face, "Are there no surviving maps from our era Caspian?"

"I'm afraid not my friend. At least, not to my knowledge. There was nothing in the Castle of Caspian so it is possible that Caspian I or one of his descendants had them destroyed. They did fear the sea after all as Aslan hails from the far east."

Edmund hmm-ed and offered a small slice of apple to Reepicheep and then a proportionally larger one to Drinian, completely missing Reep's amusement at Drinian's confusion to being offered sliced fruit by a living legend. "What about Cair Paraval? I know most of it is ruins but the treasure chamber still stands. There was probably a map in Lu's trunk." He placed another sliver of fruit into his mouth. It was slightly sweet with a tartness at the end that left his mouth feeling slightly parched and he savored every drop of juice he could. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed fruit, let alone the bounty of Narnia's rich orchards. He offered another sliver to Eustace and when the young man didn't immediately take the fruit from the end of his knife, he nudged him with his elbow. Eustace nudged him back harder and Edmund looked up from his working hands to the quiet room.

Reepicheep and Drinian were both silently giving weighted looks to Caspian who was pale-faced and pressing his lips together before a bright red blush spread across his nose and into his ears when he saw their looks from the corner of his eyes. Reepicheep and Drinian both refrained from groaning in pain at their king's folly, for that would surely cement their liege's humiliation and they both knew it wasn't their place to do so. Eustace however had no qualms, for his chest rumbled in silent mirth and he raised an eyebrow at his cousin as if to say 'Really? You left this bloke in charge?'. Edmund mirrored the movement and sat in one of the chairs around the oval table with a sigh.

"Caspian did you not look?" he sighed. Caspian shook himself from his embarrassment and vehemently shook his head. "No. No I absolutely did check Cair Paraval and the treasure vault! I just didn't think they would be among Lucy's things. I thought they would be among Peter's or even yours Edmund considering how many books, scrolls, and other junk were stuffed at the bottom of your trunk!"

Edmund raised his eyebrow even higher. "Hey now those books and scrolls are some of my favorite works and are most certainly not 'junk'. And don't try to deflect from the issue here which is that you forgot which domain Lucy ruled over!" He was beginning to feel amusement at Caspian's embarrassment and Eustace turned away from the group to let his amusement fully show on his face. Caspian balked and pressed his lips together into a thin line again.

"No?" he forced out. Edmund rolled his eyes and was seriously tempted to channel one of his old professors from boarding school and ask him if he were asking a question or giving an answer but it seemed that uncertainty was catching. Drinian was looking at him in confusion as well.

"When we were crowned, Aslan invoked the four directions: Peter to the Clear Northern Sky, Susan to the Radiant Southern Sun, myself to the Great Western Wood, and Lucy to the Glistening Eastern Sea. While we all did rule Narnia as a whole with Peter having the final say when it came to declaring war and the like, each of us did have a…hmm I suppose you could say it was a pet project in accordance with our cardinal direction." He explained to Drinian.

"For instance, Peter would often personally commune with the Dwarves in the Northern Mountains. He enjoyed their smithy work (even dabbling a bit and learning some of the smithy trade) and they produced much of the metal works for the kingdom on demand. As Queen of the South, Susan liked to negotiate trade routes with our neighbors especially Calormen and Archenland. Her stubbornness made her quite an effective negotiator and Narnia benefitted from the variety of foreign goods she arranged the passage for. I often dabbled into law and diplomacy and mediated disputes both internal and external and Peter often sent me to oversee treaties and the implementation of new laws especially when it came to dealing with the Telmarines in the far west who often breached our borders by poorly citing mandates or charters. Lucy however, made sure Narnia had the greatest Navy in the world. She solidified relationships and trade with the Lone Islands (who had been severely neglected during the White Witch's reign) and helped end slavery there. She also commissioned the Navy to combat piracy and chart the East as part of its mandate. The resulting maps were impressive to say the least. She was very proud of them and she enjoyed sitting at the docks listening to the sailors' tales. More than once, Peter or I would have to go down the cliff face to docks and find her among the various personalities regaling her in the tavern over a pint."

He rolled his eyes in amusement and he saw the look of admiration and awe Caspian held for Lucy in his eye.

Drinian, still holding the apple slice in his hand, looked flabbergasted much to Caspian's and Reepicheep's amusement seeing as they were the only ones who could recognize the subtle nuances of the stoic man's face. Edmund handed out another slice to everyone around the table and Drinian stuffed the older slice into his mouth quickly to save face.

"I can see why your reigns were called 'the Golden Age,' Your Majesty." He said choking down a small cough and giving a short bow to the final slice of apple. "I pray that Her Majesty wakes soon. I would very much like to hear these tales you spoke of. They would help immensely. Even if they are a thousand years old."

Edmund turned to the open short balcony and tossed the spent apple core into the ocean and sighed. "It was indeed a wonderful time Captain, and thank you. My sister will wake soon." He intoned quietly. The hope sounded much weaker in his ears this time and the pleasant memories of times long past gave no comfort. It was a former life that paled and grew murky to his current struggles.

Eustace tapped with his knuckle on the wood tabletop to draw attention and pointed to the group of clumped islands a few inches from the small figurine representation of the Dawn Treader's course.

Caspian cleared his throat to give Edmund a moment and surmised Eustace's query. "Those are the Seven Isles, Eustace. Our next stop. It's possible the Lords stopped there before continuing to the Lone Islands but I am more interested in some rumors that have emerged from there in the past year—or rather, the lack of. Despite our best efforts, there has been very little contact or information from the Lone Islands and by extension the Seven Isles. The Lone Islands have always been Narnia's but the fact that there has been no word to anyone from the Seven Isles as well is disconcerting."

"While the loss of contact is unpleasant sire, I wonder if it would be wiser to bypass the Seven Isles entirely and push on to the Lone Islands instead. At least there, we have the advantage of being in an established Narnian stronghold. The Seven Isles have a reputation of…debauchery and wildness. They have never been particularly friendly in the past as it is the central haven for thieves and pirates alike. It could be very dangerous for us there." Reepicheep piped up.

"I know my friend," Caspian said. "But their reputation for debauchery and scummery is precisely why we are going there before the Lone Islands. With so many criminals calling the place home, ale and other foul spirits will be flowing, and when vices flow uninhibited, lips are loosened and tongues wag. It is the perfect place to gather information on the status of the Lone Islands and the general East as a whole. As long as we are careful and don't draw attention to ourselves, we should be fine. I'm surprised at you Reep, I thought this would appeal to your sense of adventure."

Reepicheep fell to the bait and pressed the issue, "I am not afraid sire! And I agree that the information could be very valuable, providing that any of it is ever true. Many a tall tale has been proclaimed by drunken sailors and not an ounce of truthfulness in any beginning, middle, or end!"

Caspian smiled a little recklessly and continued needling his knight, "All rumors and tall tales have some measure of truth to them. One only needs to look at the type of spirit in their cup and gaze at the story from all angles and perspectives to gleam the truth! Queen Lucy herself said that to me once after settling a dispute between a red and black dwarf who got into a scuffle while deep into their cups after the red dwarf heard a rumor that the black dwarf insulted the size of his battle-ax (which happened to be a family heirloom) from a squirrel, who heard it from a dog, who heard it from a bear, who was fed the falsehood by a fox, who was bored and wanted some evening entertainment!"

Eustace went wide-eyed at the absurdity of it all.

Reepicheep felt he was losing the battle. He hopped onto the tabletop and turned to the only potential ally with clout in the room, "Surely King Edmund, you agree this to be an unnecessary risk!"

Edmund felt his heart start to gallop and a roaring filled his ears. Small sweat beads coalesced on his temple and he could feel for a moment again, the saltwater turns in to the rust of men that drips down the side of his face and reaches the tip of his hair by his ears. He wasn't sure what to say or do but he had to say something. He could feel eyes on the back of his neck, waiting to hear, waiting to judge, primed and ready to throw him overboard at a moment's notice. The roar of his heartbeat peaked and then disappeared and Edmund abandoned his absent-minded brooding on the short balcony to turn back to the room. "I think Caspian knows what he is doing and if he feels the risk is worth the potential benefits it is not my place to challenge his decision. He is after all, the commander of this vessel."

Caspian frowned. Edmund looked peaky and as if he had only been half-listening. There was no banter, no challenge to ensure he had thought this through entirely, it was oddly conciliatory with no direct discernable opinion on whether he agreed with the plan or not.

"I suppose that settles it then," Drinian grunted and measured the distance between the ship figurine and the Seven Isles on the parchment with a small tool and nodded to himself, "If me math is right, we should see the Isles in two days' time. I recommend, Your Majesty, that we not dock in the harbor but stay a ways out and have a small landing party go ashore. No need to draw more attention than necessary and forewarn the scum to stonewall us." Caspian nodded to his captain, "Agreed. We will take these two days to select who will go ashore with us and plan how to gather as much information as possible." Drinian gave a short bow to the room and left to go back on deck.

Caspian looked back to Edmund and saw with relief that his cheeks seemed to have gained back some color. He wanted to ask the man if he was well but stopped from doing so; very aware that they were not alone in the room. Caspian directed his hand to the chairs they all stood behind and the three humans accepted the invitation to take their seats and Reepicheep leaned against the back of the chair that crested above the heavy oak table and eagerly rubbed his paws together.

"Well then," he said, all previous objections to the plan laid to rest and feeling some true eagerness and thrill at what is to come, "if we are to enter the Den of Thieves and keep our wits and heads about us, we will need a plan worthy of being immortalized in song. I look forward to hearing your counsel King Edmund, and you as well Young Eustace. I am sure you have been in many battles like your royal cousins and can impart great wisdom during our time together."

Eustace gave a small smile to the mouse. Reepicheep seemed like a good chap and he was warming up to him quickly. Edmund's shoulders released some of their tension and he smiled as well. "My cousin is highly intelligent and has been a great help to us in our world. I am sure between the four of us we can create a plan so foolhardy that the bards will be beyond eager to regale all of our exploit and Lucy will be beyond jealous to have missed it. I am not sure how much my advice is worth however."

Reepicheep was quick to reassure the man that any idea or advice is wanted and Caspian could feel a small furrow between his brows. 'This is not good' he thought. 'What is wrong Edmund?'

The foursome brought their heads together and began to plan.