𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 | edmund pevensie

chapter sixty-eight

-Confrontation with the Sea Serpent-

"Keep away!" echoed a man's voice, resonating through the expanse.

"Who's there?" Ed inquired, his voice resonant, joined by Caspian's assertive tone.

"We do not fear you!" he proclaimed.

"Nor do I!" the voice retorted. Ed swiftly seized his torch, directing its light toward the towering rock ahead, unveiling a weathered figure, gripping a sword in hand-a desolate sight.

"We will not leave," declared Caspian, resolute even as the man persisted in his repeated phrases.

"You will not defeat me!" the man proclaimed, the sword he wielded raised defensively, poised in the air.

My gaze narrowed as it fixated on the sword, a silent warning flashing before I turned to face Caspian and Ed.

"Caspian, Ed-his sword!" I urgently informed them.

"Lord Rhoop," Caspian uttered, realization dawning upon him. The man before us, identified as Lord Rhoop, began to retreat, defiance etched on his features. "You do not own me!"

"Stand down," commanded Caspian, signaling the archers to ready themselves. "Let's bring him aboard, quickly."

Yet, before the crew could enact their plan, Eustace, in his dragon form, outpaced them, seizing the man and soaring atop the ship, depositing him forcefully onto the wooden deck.

"Be calm, my lord," Caspian urged as the agitated nobleman faced us, his demeanor shifting towards anger. "Off me, demon!"

"No, my lord. We harbor no intent to harm you," Caspian reassured steadfastly. "I am your king, Caspian."

The resonance of his name seemed to jolt the lord's consciousness. He turned, his expression a canvas of astonishment, whispering the name in disbelief, "My lord?"

Men cautiously closed in around Caspian, gripping his cheeks in a plea. "You shouldn't be here. There's no escape," he warned urgently, pivoting with a sense of desperation. "Quickly! Turn this ship around, before it's too late!"

"We have the sword. Let's go!" Edmund's urgency spurred Caspian into action.

"Let's turn her around, Drinian!" Caspian's urgency echoed in his command.

Lord Rhoop interjected once more, his voice edged with urgency, "Do not think! Do not let it know your fears, or it will become them."

I attempted to divert my mind from those haunting words, focusing intently, but Edmund's sudden mutter drew my attention sharply toward him.

"Oh no," he muttered under his breath, prompting me to swiftly turn my head in his direction.

"Edmund, what did you just think of?" Lucy queried, a tone of worry lacing her voice.

"I'm sorry," he replied hurriedly, darting towards the wooden railings of the deck, our collective gaze fixed upon him in silence.

"What-" my sentence was abruptly cut short as the ship lurched violently to one side, sending us sprawling onto the hard wooden floor.

With Edmund's assistance, I regained my footing, and together we hastened to the ship's edge, Caspian already scanning the surroundings intently.

"It's too late, it's too late!" Lord Rhoop's exclamation echoed, a foreboding note underscoring the urgency of the situation.

I turned my gaze toward the brunette Pevensie beside me, our bodies still leaning against the wooden railings.

"Edmund, what on earth just crossed your mind?" I asked firmly, concern threading my tone. Before he could answer, a sudden commotion erupted behind us, forcing me to spin around. Gael, sitting opposite, looked stricken with fear as a sea serpent rose from the depths, its gaze locked directly on us.

"Seriously?! A sea serpent, Edmund?!" I exclaimed incredulously, a mix of disbelief and exasperation coloring my words.

Edmund remained silent, swiftly positioning himself in front of Lucy and Gael, brandishing his sword towards the sea serpent. Others followed suit, their weapons poised in defense against the looming creature.

A tingling sensation enveloped my right hand, and without diverting my gaze from the creature, a crystalline ice sword materialized within my grasp.

Just as the sea serpent seemed poised to strike, Eustace, in his dragon form, unleashed a torrent of fire towards the creature's face, initiating an assault.

The serpent thrashed wildly, trying to shake off Eustace clinging to its head, and we watched the fierce struggle unfold, hearts pounding with anticipation. The clash between dragon and serpent was a thrilling, precarious spectacle, the outcome teetering dangerously in the balance.

As the creature flung Eustace from its face across the deck, the dragon tried to steer away with a powerful beat of its wings, but the sea serpent swiftly clamped its teeth around him, diving into the depths with Eustace in tow.

Rushing to the opposite side of the deck, we witnessed the creature resurface with Eustace in its clutches, shaking and gnashing at him before casting him upon a nearby rock, where he lay weakly.

In a surprising turn, the weakened dragon retaliated, unleashing a fiery breath across the creature's face, forcing it to vanish beneath the water's surface. Tension mounted as we waited, the sea serpent's disappearance offering a brief, uneasy respite in the midst of the fierce battle.

Amidst the chaos, Lord Rhoop's sudden cry pierced the tumultuous air, "Begone, creature!" He hurled the sword towards the dragon, successfully landing it in the reptilian creature's scaly hide, prompting Caspian's urgent cry for the sword's retrieval.

"Eustace!" Lucy and I exclaimed simultaneously, our worry palpable.

The dragon emitted a piercing shriek of agony before abruptly veering away from us, vanishing from our sight.

Unexpectedly, Lord Rhoop forcefully shoved one of the crew members responsible for steering the ship, attempting to alter our course, causing another jolting movement that sent us lurching to the side. I let out a frustrated sigh at the escalating situation.

"This man is truly testing my patience," I seethed, my irritation mounting. I rose from my position and hastened towards the front deck.

Confronting the man, I whirled him around, delivering a swift punch to his face, rendering him unconscious in the chill of the moment.

As the sea serpent resurfaced, its massive form coiled around the ship, its intention clear-to wreak havoc and dismantle our vessel.

Amid the chaos, we scrambled desperately, trying to evade the serpent's slick coils as they slithered perilously close. Edmund's quick reflexes saved us, yanking me back just in time to avoid a collision as the serpent's colossal body surged past, nearly grazing us in its destructive wake.

Caspian's urgent call drew our focus upward, directing our attention to him as he struggled to maintain command of the ship amidst the chaos.

"We're going to ram the serpent, smash it against the rocks. Cora, cover him," Caspian declared, and our eyes followed his gaze toward a sizable rock a short distance away.

"Steer her to pot. I'll keep it on the prow!" Ed suggested, ready to take action, but before he could depart, I interjected.

"Please, be careful," I urged, my worry apparent in my tone. He turned, meeting my gaze for a fleeting moment, and then leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to my lips.

"I will, love," he reassured me before swiftly darting off to carry out the plan, leaving me with a mixture of concern and trust in his capabilities.