The Just and the Wise

Chapter 2

Once Caspian and his men got us on board, we were met with a kind welcome and blankets

"That was thrilling!" Lucy laughs, wrapping herself up in a soft, dry blanket.

"How in the world did you end up here?" Caspian asks, draping a blanket over my shoulders and walking Lucy and me across the deck.

"I have no idea," I say with a smile.

"Caspian!"

Caspian runs back to Edmund with the last blanket.

"It's great to see you!"

"Good to see you!" Edmund replies with a massive grin on his face.

"Didn't you call for us?" Lucy asks.

"No," Caspian says puzzled, "not this time."

I chew my lip in confusion at Caspian's answer.

"Well, whatever the case, I'm just glad to be here," Edmund says happily.

I smile at him, enjoying his new, happier attitude. Living with his relatives has been hard on him, but I can tell he's already getting back to his normal self.

I'm snapped out of the moment by muffled screaming and clattering on the other side of the deck. We turn and watch as Eustace launches a blonde-colored something towards us, screaming at it to get off him.

"Reepicheep!" Lucy cries.

I look over at Eustace with disdain, both having forgotten he was with us and direly wishing he hadn't come at all.

"Oh! Your Majesties!" The noble mouse bows before us.

"Hello, Reep. What a pleasure," Edmund greets him.

"The pleasure is all mine, sir," he says confidently, "and you, Queen Y/n."

"Happy to see you again, Reep," I smile down at him.

"Now, what to do about this...this...hysterical interloper?"

I laugh at Reepicheep's description of Eustace, and I look back at the boy to see he's at least made it onto his feet.

"That giant rat thing just tried to claw my face off!" Eustace shouts hysterically, pointing at Reep. The crew gets a good laugh out of that one.

"I was merely trying to expel the water from your lungs, sir," he explains calmly.

Eustace's face freezes in shock in terror, and I realize he was unaware of the whole talking animals situation.

"It talked! Did you see...anyone just hear that?" Eustace stutters over his words. "It-it just talked! Look I don't know what kind of prank this is, but I want to wake up RIGHT NOW!"

I lean over towards Edmund.

"You think we might...we might throw him back?"

Edmund looks as though he's genuinely considering it, but Lucy hits him in the shoulder. Caspian laughs, and Ed says back to me,

"I don't think Aunt Alberta would like that, but I like how you think."

I grin and wink at him.

Eustace begins hysterically crying and runs past some crew members.

"I demand to know just WHERE in the blazes am I?"

"You're on the Dawn Treader," a large bull says proudly to him, "the finest ship in Narnia's navy."

Fear sets over Eustace's face before he slowly falls backward, passing out in front of everyone.

"Thank goodness," I breathe out. The crew laughs and cheers at the boy's collapse.

"Was it something I said?" The bull turns to Caspian, seemingly offended at the reaction he got to explaining where we are.

"See you him, will you?" Caspian asks with a chuckle.

The bull nods and Caspian makes his way back over to us.

"Men!" He climbs the stairs, gathering the attention of everyone on board. "Behold our castaways: Edmund the Just, Lucy the Valiant, and Y/n the Wise, High King and Queens of Narnia."

The men bow before us, and I fill with pride at the sight. I never really lived out my title as queen, and I had to admit, it felt amazing to finally get the opportunity to do so.

"Let's get you all settled in, shall we?" Caspian gestures us to follow him, and we go inside the beautiful cabin of the Dawn Treader.