The Voyage - Edmund Pevensie

26

A/N: This probably should have been split into multiple chapters, but I kept writing and couldn't find a place I liked to stop. So, enjoy this long last chapter :)

After a few minutes, we broke our hug and, after a toe-curling kiss, we began to climb down towards the deck.

"Ed! Cat! Caspian! Look!" Lucy was gesturing towards the water. Coming out of a white mist were dozens of boats all carrying people.

"Narnians!" someone cheered. I was smiling so big my face hurt. We'd done it. We'd saved everyone who had been taken by the mist. When Gael and Rhince jumped in the water, my eyes teared. When Nico jumped in, I let them fall. Ed, who was standing in between Lucy and I, put his arms around the both of us. By now, almost all of the mist was gone revealing a beautiful blue sky above. 

"Clear the deck! Help them aboard!" Caspian commanded before coming to stand by us.

"We did it," Lucy told him. "I knew we would." Everyone smiled and chuckled at her.

"It wasn't just us though," Edmund said. My head whipped around the ship, then scanned the sky hoping to see an orange dragon swooping over us. While just a few minutes ago I'd been so happy to see clear skies, now I was nervous that Eustace was nowhere to be found.

"You mean..." Caspian started. 

"Hey! I'm down here!" A familiar voice rang out into the warm air. "Lucy! Catarina!" Lucy and I shared a look, then crossed to the other side of the deck where the voice was coming from. There, swimming in the crystal blue water, was Eustace. And not dragon-boy Eustace, but regular boy Eustace.

"I'm a boy again! I'm a boy!" His excitement was contagious, and I couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Eustace! I see your wings have been clipped!" Reepicheep said, appearing in front of us. Then, the mouse leapt from the deck and dove right into the water next to the boy. As I watched him come up for air, both him and Eustace laughing, I couldn't help but laugh along. The water looked so nice around them, that I suddenly didn't want to be standing on deck either. I threw a smirk over my shoulder at Ed who raised an eyebrow in amusement already knowing what I was going to do. Following in Reep's small footsteps, I launched myself into the water below. 

I came up for air right by Eustace, who was smiling at me. It was so good to see his smile again. The poor boy had been through a lot in his short time here in Narnia. 

"And it looks like you've really found your sea legs now," I told him. He laughed out loud at that, as did Reep and everyone on deck. 

"Like I said, never lost them." There was no bite to Eustace's words this time, just a real smile on his face. I splashed water at him in jest, and he returned it. In no time, we were splashing water at each other like we were the siblings. And in a way, I did think of him as a little brother now. 

"Don't hurt him Cat, I don't know how I'll ever explain that to my aunt," Edmund called down jokingly. I stopped splashing and peered up at him.

"Well why don't you come into the water instead?" I waggled my fingers at him. "I can splash you instead." He leaned against what little railing was left and smirked down at me. I could see Lucy and Caspian share a look next to Edmund, then Caspian roll his eyes. 

"Into water where there was just a giant sea monster? No thank you." I leaned closer to Eustace and said conspiratorially, although not quietly, "Sounds like he's scared."

"Doesn't have a dragon's bravery, does he?" Eustace asked still smiling.

"Quite. No sense of adventure," Reep added and when I laughed Ed narrowed his eyes playfully at me. That made butterflies erupt in my stomach, and I smiled back at him.