No Matter What - Edmund Pevensie X Reader

Chapter 6 - The Dream

Coriakin, Caspian, Edmund, Y/N, Lucy and Eustace were now walking down the same corridor from earlier.
"What did you mean when you said you made them invisible for their own good?" asked Lucy, referring to the dufflepuds.
"It seemed the easiest way to protect them from the evil," replied Coriakin.
"You mean the mist?" asked Edmund, after sharing a look with Y/N and Caspian.
"I mean what lies behind the mist," said Coriakin simply, gesturing for the others to go inside the big library.
Once everyone was inside, Coriakin walked to his desk, with purpose in every step he took. He picked up a long scroll from behind it and rolled it out onto the floor. It fell flat, but hovered a few inches above the ground. On it's surface was a map of all of Narnia.

"That's quite beautiful," said Eustace.
Everyone looked straight at him, eyebrows raised.
"I mean, for a make-believe map of a make-believe world," he covered up quickly.
He was not wrong, though. A blue area, representing water, spread over the centre of the map, leaving the land to border the edges. Y/N's eyes, however, lingered on one specific corner of the map.
"Aslan's camp," she said to herself.
It looked just like she remembered it. Just as real as the memories etched in her head. She forced a sad smile.

"There is the source of your troubles," said Coriakin, as the map zoomed in to show a rather peculiar-looking black lump that had green light glowing from within.
"Dark Island," Coriakin continued, "A place where evil lurks. It can take any form. It can make your darkest dreams come true. It seeks to corrupt all goodness - to steal the light from this world."
"How do we stop it?" asked Lucy.
"You must break its spell," replied Coriakin, before turning to Edmund, "That sword you carry... There are six others."
"Have you seen them?" asked Edmund.
"Yes," said Coriakin.
"The six lords... They passed through here?" asked Caspian.
"Indeed."
"Where were they headed?"
"Where I sent them."

The map then shifted its focus to another island.
"To break the spell, you must follow the Blue Star to Ramandu's Island," explained Coriakin, "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?" asked Y/N.
"Until you lay down the seventh sword, evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in its power to tempt you. Be strong. Don't fall to temptation. To defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness inside yourself."

**********

"So we're stuck here," said Drinian, placing a marker on a spot on the map that was laid out on Caspian's desk, "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 any time 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," said Edmund, trying to lighten the conversation.
Y/N gave him a soft smile. Drinian, however, did not take this statement jokingly, and nor did Caspian.
"I'm just saying the men are getting nervous," said Drinian, "These are strange seas we're sailing - the likes of which I've never seen before."

"Then perhaps, Captain, you would like to be the one to explain to Mr Rhince that we're abandoning the search for his family," said Caspian.
Drinian hesitated, then shook his head, saying, "I'll get back to it. Just a word of warning - the sea can play nasty tricks on a crew's mind. Very nasty."

**********

Although Edmund's arm around her waist was really comforting, Y/N still had an uneasiness lurking in the back of her mind. Their shared hammock rocked back and forth, and Edmund's breath was steady and calm on the back of Y/N's neck. She could tell he was in deep sleep.
"It's now or never," she thought.
She reached into her pocket and took out the berries from earlier. Her eyes had not yet adjusted to the dark, so she couldn't see the berries, but from what she could feel, they were still firm in shape and had amazingly not been crushed yet. She stuffed the handful of berries into her mouth and chewed on them silently.