This is the tale of a journey that takes Luna not only to discover the world beyond Narnia's borders; she will find a purpose that goes deeper than protecting her king.
» That's why. I can't protect you the way I should... « As she looks into his ey...
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» Beware and remember; until you lay down the seventh sword, evil has the upper hand, « Coreakin's final warning looms over the Dawn Treader like an ominous shadow,
» It will try to tempt you, be prepared, be strong. « Right now, there is a literal shadow upon them, taking the form of yet another storm. It tosses the freshly repaired Dawn Treader from wave crests into water valleys trice as deep as the mast is high – like a pancake, as Eustace likes to describe the dire situation.
At first, no one gets seasick. Then, the waves grow higher and higher, breaking not only on the ship's bow but over the deck, seeping into every crack between the wooden planks and soaking into every piece of clothing within moments. Even some of the seasoned sailors' faces take a greenish colour. Luna ventures out to collect Reepicheep from his favourite spot before he will go overboard.
» Stubborn rat, « Rynelf curses as Luna explains in short words why she is outside. As usual, the man doesn't mean to insult the tall mouse. He keeps an eye on the Crown Shield in case she collapses once again. Luckily, nothing of that sort happens. Sure, her head feels lighter than it should, and her stomach won't tolerate anything – being food or drink – but all in all, she stays on her own feet. After she takes a protesting Reep to a safe place, she feels strong enough to stay on deck. Drinian eyes her warily as she reports for duty. However, they can use every additional hand to help haul in the sails. As she climbs the rigging, Caspian and Edmund join the working crew as well.
~
Another wave breaks over the middle deck of the ship. The icy water sloshes around everyone's' feet, dragging and shoving at once. Luna has lost her balance twice already, but it doesn't matter – she is soaked anyways.
» The footing's never as tricky as on a stormy deck,« Rynelf told her a few times on this journey. She never quite believed him, knowing the difficulties of learning to stay on your feet in a fight. This, however, is a force of nature that makes the warrior feel like she knows absolutely nothing. Cas and Ed, too, struggle to hold on at times. It was Anaru who nearly got dragged overboard and into the sea, though. The poor boy cried and held onto the roughened railing until the minotaur Vigilhoof hauled him up on solid ground. Even though his knees were a bit wobbly afterwards, he kept on working, refusing to go back down in the galley.
» Check the truss! « Drinian's commands booms over the decks, competing with the rolling thunder,
» Down with the yard or she'll rip our mast off! « She is referring to the howling storm, Luna has no time to wonder why so many things are referred to as female in seafaring. Heavy rain pounds on her head and back as she makes over to the mast. She still feels the cold, but it doesn't bother her anymore, the only thing that matters right now is to focus on the tasks ahead. Grabbing one of the ropes of the truss, the halyard, like the sailors showed her, she follows Tingel's lead to untie the knot. Together, seven sets of hands give more and more rope to lower the yard. Luna marvels at the strength necessary to hold the rope tight and steady, especially as the yard is a long wooden beam that carries the main sail. The dripping wet purple fabric, darker than usual, adds to the weight. Cold sweat mixes with the water of rain and sea as Luna's already irritated hands grow tired, her arms burning. She clenches her jaw, blinking against the rain and splashes of seawater. Determinedly, she stems her feet against the planks, relying more on her weight than on her remaining strength to hold her rope as she should.
