The Mist Of My Heart

Bad dreams

"What do you mean when you said you made them invisible for their own good?" Lucy asked Coriakin as we walked down the hallways of the mansion. I was walking next to Caspian, who had his hand on my lower back, guiding me to where we needed to go.

"It seemed the easiest way to protect them from the evil"

"You mean the mist?" Edmund asked.

"I mean what lies behind the mist" Coriakin said while looking at me. Caspian gently pushed my forward and carried on walking.

We entered a room where Coriakin grabbed a scroll and rolled it out flat. "It's quite beautiful" Eustace said as everyone turned to look at him. "I mean, for a make believe map of a make believe world" I smiled slightly at that and looked back at the map.

"There is the source of your troubles, Dark Island. A place where evil lurks. It can take any form" Coriakin said while walking over to Edmund. " it can make your darkest dreams come true. It seeks to corrupt all goodness"
He walked back into the middle of the map "to steal the light from this world."

"How do we stop it?" Lucy questioned.

"You must break its spell" Coriakin replied, walking over to Lucy. "That sword you carry" he pointed at Edmunds sword "there are 6 others"

"Have you seen them?" Edmund asked.

"Yes"

"The six Lords, they passed through here?" Caspian asked as he stood next to me.

"Indeed"

"Where were they headed?"

"Where i sent them" he said as he walked to the other side of the map. "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?" Lucy asked.

Coriakin walked over to her. " Until you lay the seventh sword, evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in its power to tempt you." He leaned closer to Lucy as he said "be strong." He then walked back towards where me and Caspian were standing.
"Don't fall into temptation. To defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness inside yourself."

After leaving Coriakin's Island, a storm brew. The wind was deadly, rain was pouring down heavily and the sea was going crazy. Multiple members of the crew were steering as the wind was making it hard to do so, while others were below deck, clearing out water that had made its way onto the ship.

The storm has been going on for about 2 weeks now, without any signs of it clearing up. I've been helping out where I can, whether it be tying ropes, sorting out food or clearing out water from below deck. I've been spending time with Gael as the thunder frightens her, reading stories to try and soothe her. I've also been with Caspian a lot. He's worried that we won't get anywhere with the storm and he's worried about letting his people down. I've been reassuring him that all great kings face challenges, some a lot more difficult than others, but they all succeed in the end.

Since we left the Island, Caspian has stayed closer to me. He always finds a way to be near me. I don't know if it's because I got slightly hurt on the island or he's just worried, either way, I don't mind. When he walks past me, he gently touches my arm or my shoulder and when we talk, he holds my hand, rubbing his fingers over my knuckles. It's sweet.

At the moment, we're in Caspian's study. I'm sitting next to him, his hand on my knee while Drinian is talking to us.
"So, we're stuck here, at half rations with food and water for two more weeks, maximum. This is your last chance to turn back, your majesties. There's no guarantee we'll spot the blue star anytime soon, not in this storm. Needle in a haystack trying to find this Ramandu place. We could sail right past it and off the edge of the world. "

"Or get eaten by a sea serpent" Edmund replied, making me dip my head down to hide my smile.

"I'm just saying, the men are getting nervous. These are strange seas we're sailing, the likes of which I've never seen before."

Caspian then stood up and looked over in Drinian's direction.
"Then perhaps, captain, you would like to be the one to explain to Mr Rhince that we're abandoning the search for his family."

" I'll get back to it" Drinian said as he walked towards the door and grabbed his coat. "Just a word of warning, the sea can play nasty tricks on a crews mind. Very nasty."

Edmund left not long after Drinian to check on Lucy, leaving me and Caspian alone. He went back over to his seat and put his head in his hands. I walked over to him and rubbed his back gently.
"I'm failing Eden, I'm failing at being a good king"

"What are you taking about Cas? You're a great king. You do everything you possibly can for your people because you care about them so much. You can't can't control the weather, love. I know it seems like it's a never ending storm, but it will pass."

"I feel like I'm not doing enough. We're nowhere near finding the blue star and like Drinian said, I doubt we will be able to in this storm."

"Ignore what Drinian said, don't plant any doubt in your head. Go out, help the crew and concentrate on finding the blue star. I'll be right next to you, helping out the whole time. Think of everything you've done since being king. You've made Narnia a better place, Caspian. That's all you."

Caspian looked up at me as I said this, looking straight into my eyes.
"Thankyou" he said, smiling at me.

I leaned over and hugged him, putting my arms around his neck as his went around my back. "You're a great king, Caspian. Don't ever think any differently. Your father would be proud of the man you've turned out to be".

As I fell asleep that night, my dreams slowly started turning into nightmares as the green mist made its way into mine, Lucy and Gael's chamber. What started out as fond memories of my family, turned into horrible ones. My mother and father stood next to me staring so deeply at me it sent a chill down my spine. My father walked up at me, grabbed my chin so that I looked directly into his eyes.
"I'm glad I'm dead. I don't have to wake up everyday and see the disappointment of a daughter. Why couldn't you be more like your sister?"

My mother then walked up to me. "You're the reason your sister got taken to the mist. Do you remember? You were supposed to get the bread that day, not her. You were sick, so she said she would get the bread for you, only she never returned. It should have been you."

At this point, my eyes were laced with tears, falling uncontrollably down my face. To make things worse, my sister came into the room, her skin looked slightly green and her hair was damp.
"It's all your fault. You did this to me. You're the reason I got taken and I hate you, I hate you so much"

I woke up and gasped slightly, looking around the room. I saw Lucy crouching down by the fire. "You alright Lu?" I asked her as i crouched down next to her.
"Bad dream" she replied shakily. I brought her into my arms for a hug and rubbed her back. "Me too, do you want to go and find Ed? I'll come with you."
Lucy nodded and we both got up and headed towards where Ed was sleeping.

When we got to where the crew was sleeping, Lucy went up to Ed as I saw Caspian turning in his sleep, having a nightmare. I went up to him and placed my hand on the side of his face and stroked his cheek gently with my thumb.
"Cas? Cas wake up"

Behind me, Edmund grabbed his sword and pointed it in the air, looking at something.
"Edmund" Lucy whispered from beside him.

Caspian woke up with a gasp and i continued to stroke his cheek. "Hey, it was just a nightmare, you're okay" i whispered to him. He looked at me and smiled slightly, grabbing my hand that was on his face and bringing it to his lips, kissing it gently.

"I can't sleep" Lucy said to Edmund.

"Let me guess, bad dreams" Edmund replied while looking at Caspian. "So either were all going mad, or something's playing with our minds"

Edmund gestured for Lucy to climb into the hammock with him and Caspian did the same for me. I got in and cuddled up next to him, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face into his chest. One of his arms went around my back, the other playing with my hair. The last thing I felt before drifting back off to sleep was him kissing my head.