The Naiad and Her King

Chapter 6

The Naiad Trilogy

Part 2: The Naiad and Her King

Chapter 6

The next two weeks passed without incident. Things quickly returned to normal between Caspian and Ava-for the most part at least. For reasons she couldn't comprehend, Ava could not stop thinking about Caspian. She thought repeatedly on how he had held her close to his chest after their fight. She had heard his life beating inside him, and she had felt a happiness far greater than any she had ever felt before. She thought about the tenderness of his touch, and she longed to feel it again. She thought of the warmth of his eyes and how they seemed to melt her from within. And she thought about his lips, how they would rise when he smiled, and her lips, how they felt against his cheek, and their lips together, how it would feel if they pressed together. These thoughts disturbed her most of all. She wasn't like other girls. She was the Naiad Princess.

Ava had these thoughts both night and day. At night she could not fight them, but in the day she did all she could to make sure no one knew.

XOXOX

Just as the sun began to set on the fifth day since the pirate attack, the Dawn Treader reached the island of Brenn and made port at Redhaven. There the Narnians feasted like kings-and queen-for three days. Everyone enjoyed their stay at Redhaven much more than they had Galma. There were no pompous lords trying to win Ava's heart, and there were no young daughters coming between Ava and Caspian; though, there were still many lords and ladies infatuated with the duo.

On the morning of the fourth day, the Dawn Treader unfurled its giant purple sail and left for the Lone Islands. Before they parted, Princess Tianna had bestowed upon Ava several gifts including a new dress, a new sailing outfit, and several copies of well loved Redhaven fairy tales. The days that passed as they sailed for the Lone Islands were long and uneventful. As they had before, Caspian and Ava found ways to entertain themselves through dueling, playing chess, and Ava had even begun reading. Five days had come and gone in such a manner, and the sixth began as any other. The sun was bright and the wind was steady and strong, so strong that Ava had to read her book in her cabin.

Ava had just reached one of the most exiting parts she had come to yet when a great ruckus broke out on the main deck. She tried to ignore it and go about her reading; she knew if there was trouble someone would have come to tell her, but the commotion only grew louder. When Ava realized that she had restarted the same paragraph five times, she decided it was time to figure out what was going on. She still didn't want to pause her reading, so she carefully walked to the doors with her nose buried in the book. Somehow she managed to open both sets of doors and step out onto the main deck. She placed her finger at the end of her paragraph before speaking.

"What is all..."

"Ava!"

"...this excite-umph," Ava grunted as she was cut off mid sentence by someone slamming into her chest and wrapping their arms around her.

Ava looked up from her book, startled, and the first thing her eyes found was Caspian. His clothes were drenched, his arms were folded over his chest, and he had one of the broadest smiles she had ever seen. He was breath taking, but then she noticed who stood next to him. It was someone who had not been with the crew when they started, but now that he was here Ava knew there was no way the crew could have been complete without him.

"Edmund!" Ava exclaimed before looking down at the person wrapped around her waist. "Lucy!" Ava quickly closed her book, not caring about losing her place now, and embraced her friend. "You've returned! Oh how I have prayed I'd live to see this day!"

"And now you have!" Lucy exclaimed as she pulled back, a broad smile on her face. "I'm sorry, I've gotten your dress all wet."

"Since when has a little water ever harmed a Naiad?"