Narnian Princess - Caspian

Chapter 11

It had been days and there was no sign of any blue star. No, the only thing they had found was rougher and rougher waters. The storms seemed to never stop and only grow stronger each day.

Diana sighed as she felt the boat lurch beneath her feet. She put a hand to the wall for balance and carefully made her way back to her cabin. It was chilly, well it always was lately, but that night felt especially colder. Hugging the thin blanket wrapped around her closer to her body, the brunette made her way through the dark.

A yawn escaped her lips, and the girl stopped her walking for a moment to stretch. She had been helping Walt all day and had a dull ache in her back. A small smile played on her lips as she thought of the old man. Sure, he was wrinkled and gray, but he was so full of life.

After knocking into a handful of crates, and having probably bruised her shins, Diana made it to the cabin she slept in having muttered an all time low of curse words. Despite being a sailor and the well known stereotype, Walter wasn't a fan of such language and often reprimanded Diana for using it. He really was becoming like a father to her.

Exhausted, the girl fell on the bed and was out as soon as her head touched the pillow. She shivered, there was no denying that was a colder night. In her sleep, the girl turned and tossed, her mind restless.

The sun was the first thing she noticed. It was bright and welcoming, still she couldn't help but feel cold. She was wearing a dress, a dress she had not worn for a year, as she stood in a crowd of people. She was in a garden, the grass was greener and brighter than it should  be and the sky was a clear, magnificent blue.

There was music. Diana recognized the song! Of course she did, it used to be her favorite. It still was, but she seldom listened to it anymore. All around her, people were laughing and dancing. She felt as if she should laugh and dance with them.

Everything felt right. Everything felt like it did a year ago. The sun was bright, the music cheery, everything was as it should be. Except, she knew what was coming. She wanted to cry and scream, but she couldn't. She knew what would happen any moment, but she felt calm.

Diana had been wrong, nothing felt right. She was happy and the dress fit perfectly and her feet danced to the music, just like a year ago. Except this time, she knew. She shouldn't be calm or happy or anything other than distressed. But at the time she didn't yet know so why would she be sad?

Diana felt like she was going crazy. She knew, she knew! Yet her heart beat steadily as her feet moved and laughter flowed from her. She felt peaceful but at the same time she wanted to rip out her hair.

The doorbell rang.

How she heard it from the garden with the laughter and the music? Diana didn't know but, somehow, she did.

'STOP!' she screamed in her head, but her feet carried her on. Through the garden then through the house and to the door.

Diana shivered again, this time more violently. Her body jerked, but the girl remained stuck inside her dream.

Diana felt wet droplets on her face, but when she went to wipe them, her face was dry. Giving up the fight, Diana stopped trying to take control and let the scene play out.

Of all memories she could relive, it had to be this one. Of course it always had to be this one. She had thought that maybe these nightmares were done, she hadn't had one in months.

With a deep breath she prepared herself, in just a few seconds she would open the door. There a messenger with a dark blue uniform and a solemn face would stand. A straight face, though his eyes betrayed sympathy, and a letter in hand. Then, it would always be different.

Diana remembered everything before that moment so vividly but she couldn't tell you anything that had happened once she had received the letter, it was all a blur. So her cruel mind would play possible scenarios for her, each one worse than the last. She didn't know how they could be worse.

Her hand was on the doorknob, it was inevitable now. Oh, how she wished she could close her eyes. She hated to see that putting look on-

Her brother?!

As if a spell had been lifted, Diana was suddenly back in control of her actions. She was no longer a marionette in her nightmare.

"Ed- Eddy?"

"Hi there, kid." It was him. The same wavy brown hair that their mom always fussed over. The same crooked smile that made you want to tell him all your secrets. The same eyes full of laughter.

Once again, Diana felt tears on her face. She was frozen, she didn't know what to do. She wanted to hug him and never let go, she wanted to just look at him and memorize every single detail, she wanted to scream and cry and laugh but was too scared that anything she did would would make him go away.

Her brother smiled at her, "How much you've grown, Diana."

"I haven't," the girl struggled to speak with the lump in her throat, "I haven't, I- I'm still your little sister."

"Of course you are!" Edward chuckled, "You will always be my baby sister."

The boy reached forward to wipe a tear from his sister's face only for her not to feel his hand. As the tear rolled down her chin, Diana looked at him. His eyes were so sad.

"Diana, you need to listen to me."  He looked her straight in the eye making sure she was paying close attention. Just the way he did when she was a little girl and he had something important to tell her. "You need to be strong. To defeat the evil, you can't let the darkness in."

"Ed, what?"

"You're so much braver than you think. Remember to be good, always good. Don't let yourself be tempted."

"That's what..." His words reminded Diana of others she had heard before. "How do you know about the mist?"

The young man looked at his little sister with a melancholic smile, "I am so proud of you, little one. I will always love you, never forget that. And if you're ever scared, just know I'm always with you."

"Wait!" She tried to throw her arms around him but only went trough him. The girl sobbed, "Don't leave me!"

"I've never left you. I'm always looking over you," he waited until she looked back up at him. "Always."

He gently held his sister's face in his hands and kissed her forehead. It felt like the ghost of a touch, but Diana felt it all the same.

Diana awoke with a gasp. Tears were running down her face and her heart was beating fast. Her brother. She had seen him, she was sure it was him. Diana couldn't help it, she wrapped her arms around herself and sobbed.

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Surprise Shawty !!
I did not, in fact, forget about y'all.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Diwali, Happy Kwanzaa (and/or whatever holiday you celebrate), Happy New Year, and any and all other festivities I might have missed !!

Now that that's over with I want to apologize for not updating for like a hot minute. I hate when I'm reading a fic and then it hasn't been update for months so I'm really sorry I became that person. But, uh, I promise I'll try to do better from now on !!

Piece of advice: AP Calculus and college apps I 10/10 do NOT recommend.

Anyways, please tell me your thoughts. I want to know what you guys think of the story :)