The Faded Portrait of a Bygone Era

We Have Our Heading

A/N: Filler? In my fic? It's more likely than you'd think!

Jokes aside, this is somewhat another filler part. Next time, we should be arriving at Ramandu's Island, with all that entails!

-

Margaret felt herself drawn to consciousness. By what, she did not know. Perhaps the exaggerated volume of Eustace's dragon-snoring, or perhaps the first light of dawn. Nevertheless, she woke, her eyes rising to meet the sky. That's right... she had fallen asleep watching the stars. With a wistful pang in her heart, she recalled dear Oreius and the dawn upon which he had introduced her to the first star she had ever come to know. Now, here upon another dawn, thousands of years later, though she found herself on the distant shores of an island miles from that valley, Margaret couldn't help but search for Aravir as the moon set.

Instead, another star, one which she had not met before, caught her eye.

"Lucy," she whispered sharply. "Lucy, wake up!" She reached over and shook her sister's shoulder. "Caspian, Edmund!" She called the other two as well, hoping to rouse the rest of the group from slumber.

"What is it?" Lucy asked, still half asleep.

"The Blue Star... I've found her."

Margaret knew her name, too, from that same instinct by which she knew the names of all the other stars. Lilliandil.

Lucy gasped.

The others all began to wake, each in turn realizing what had drawn the two Queens' attention.

"It seems we have our heading," said Caspian. "We should set sail at once."

Everyone began to pack up the campsite. Caspian spared a brief glance at Margaret, then seemed to turn away.

Her heart stung. Was she losing him?

No, she told herself. Whether he is destined for another or not, I daresay he won't be falling to darkness if I have any say in the matter.

Resolving to speak with him later, she joined the others in the boat. Reepicheep chose to sit atop Eustace's large dragon head as he flew. And so, they returned to the Dawn Treader, ready to set off in pursuit of the Blue Star.

-

While the crew set to work to sail towards where the Blue Star awaited in the sky, Margaret went to talk with Edmund. Some of the things he had said at the pool had been echoing in her mind.

When she finally caught up with him, she found him sitting by himself in some deserted corner of a storage hold.

"Edmund," she called softly.

He lifted his gaze, seemingly drawn from his thoughts.

"Margaret..." he said quietly. "Is everything alright? Do they need me on deck?"

"No, nothing like that," she said. A silence lingered for a moment. Sighing, she moved to sit beside him on the crate he was currently using as a chair.

"Are you alright?" she asked at last. "Yesterday at the pool, you... Well I thought perhaps there might be a few things we ought to discuss."

Edmund glanced at her with an expression that almost seemed shameful.

"I let it take over me, Margaret. I couldn't fight the darkness in that place. Is that what you want me to say?"

"I don't want you to say anything that you don't want to," she replied. "Nor anything that is untrue. I didn't come to admonish you, Edmund. I don't want there to be any secrets or shame between us."