𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐃 | ❝Hope is good, Hope will never disgrace, but make no mistake, Hope will hit you in the face!❞
In which the Just King becomes betrothed to a princess from a neighboring kingdom, only to fall in love with the prin...
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WHEN TWILIGHT SET THE skies ablaze, the Dawn Treader anchored itself in rowing distance from the port of Narrowhaven — the capital of the Lone Islands.
Two longboats drifted the quiet waters toward land. Their splashing oars were the only sound that could be heard. Hope sat with her arms crossed. No Narnian flags in sight. Unusual. The Lone Islands were included in Narnia's territory. And it was awfully peaceful...
Only Reepicheep was encouraged by the islands' furtiveness. "Onward!" chorused the mouse. "The thrill of the unknown lies ahead."
Struggling to step out of the boat onto land, Eustace grumbled, "Couldn't this have waited till the morning?"
"There is no honor in turning away from adventure, lad!" said Reepicheep. "Come on, jelly legs!"
"Do you hear that?" asked Hope. The group fell into a hush, their ears perked. But none of them heard a thing. "Exactly. It's too quiet. Where is everyone?"
Odette blew a loose strand of blonde hair out of her face. "Well, I suppose they're called the Lone Islands for a reason," she said. "Do you remember, your father used to tell us stories about the Lone Islands being haunted by ghosts instead of people?"
Hope smiled, but before she could reply, Eustace was falling on his face onto the cobblestone ground.
Caspian cringed. "And you're certain he's related by blood?"
Neither Pevensie replied, for that would require them to confirm they were, indeed, related to Eustace, and that was a truth both of them would like to forget.
They crept up the staircase, with Odette and Caspian leading the small group, crossbows prepared to fire. But there were no people, no signs of existence at all. There was some rubbish, some scraps of wood. Not even the wind wanted to whisper. All they could hear beside their breaths was the distant call of a bird—
BONG!
A bell tolled across the islands, with a boom so great it sent the birds on the hill soaring for safety. At once, the crew withdrew their blades and crossbows, prepared for trouble. But no one came.
"Reepicheep," Caspian ordered, "stay here with Drinian's men and secure the place. We'll head on. If we don't come back by dawn, send a party."
"This can't end well," Hope muttered, with a tight grip on her sword.
"When did you become Hope the Paranoid?" Odette whispered to her.
"And when did you become Odette the Whisperer?" Hope retorted. "Admit it. You're just as uncomfortable as I am by the lack of life around here."
