Nevermore (Peter Pevensie x OC)

Chapter 2

Tiny droplets of water fell through the air, falling around Evelyn as she waded further into the crystal river. "C'mon Mavi! It's fun!" she threw more water into the air, attempting to get the dragon into the water. But her attempts were in vain as Mavi huffed, slumping back down as he turned away. The sandbar he lay on was in the middle of the river, but no matter how hard Evelyn tried, she couldn't get him any closer to the water. She needed to wash his burns. "Okay, that's it." Evelyn huffed, grabbing Mavi's leg and attempting to pull him into the water, but she barely got him to move a couple of inches. "Fine then. I'll find a way." Evelyn looked around, her eyes finally settling on the discarded satchel a few meters away. Searching through it, she finally got what she needed. A wooden bowl. It would be a long process, but she'd get there eventually.
"Y'know, Mavi, you were never this much trouble when you were younger," She turned, holding the bowl that was now full to the brim with water in her hands. Her feet sunk into the sand as she approached the dragon, but the second he spotted the bowl of water, he jumped up, moving backwards away from Evelyn.
"Aw, come here boy." she cooed, slowly walking towards him. "I just have to wash your burns." Step. "It won't hurt." step, step. "It'll make you feel better." Step, step, step, and roll. Evelyn watched as Mavi put a foot into the water, before trying to propel himself as far away from it as possible. Trying, because in his haste to get away, he ended up leaping into the river, landing with a ginormous splash! Evelyn sniggered, watching as the dragon rolled around in the cold water, finally relaxing. "See, I told you it would make you feel better." She said, throwing the water from the bowl onto Mavi's scaled head as he snorted.

"Do you think they're okay?" she asked him as they lay on the sand. Evelyn knew he couldn't talk, but sometimes it was nice to pretend he could. It made things seem a little less lonely. "Should I really have listened to Trufflehunter? I mean, what if I stayed? Would they be - actually, I don't know if they're not okay. I mean, what if they're fine and me staying would've only made it worse? What if I made the right decision? No, there is zero point in questioning any of this when I don't know what happened. Plus, what if-" she cut herself off as she caught sight of her reflection. Nikabrik was right, she did look like a mess. Her face was covered in dirt and dried blood, her hair was knotted and also full of dirt. Her pants and shirt were slashed and ripped, one of the shirt arms actually missing, and the skin on her arms and legs was pink and shiny from the burns. "Well, looks like I need a bath too." She remarked, stripping off her armour and top clothes so she was just wearing her undergarments before she slipped into the water. It was freezing cold on her skin, but it felt like heaven to her burns.

After spending a considerable amount of time getting the dirt and blood out of her face and hair, she finally felt clean. It had been a while since the last time, and she was surprised she remembered the feeling. The ointment Trufflehunter had given her the previous night worked like a treat, and stopped her skin from burning almost immediately. She took a glance at the tattered and slashed clothes.
"Well, I can't wear those anymore. We'll have to go back to Cair Paravel so we can stock up on supplies. We need more food too." Evelyn pulled on the ripped pants and shirt, planning to change in the treasury. It had been a couple years since she'd last visited the place. She just hoped it hadn't collapsed yet.

-

Evelyn closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of the salty sea air. Oh, how long it had been. She had almost forgotten what it was like, standing there. The warm sun shining down on her tanned skin, the salty air trying to tug her hair out of its familiar ponytail. She wanted to stay there forever.

She remembered a time when life was simpler. When she would stand here, in this very spot, feeling the warm breeze brush past her, ruffling her elegant gown. Laughing with Susan, or dreaming with Lucy. Challenging Ed to a duel or dancing with Peter. Those times were truly golden.