The Naiad and Her King

Chapter 7

The Naiad Trilogy

Part 2: The Naiad and Her King

Chapter 7

Ava and Lucy joined Caspian and Edmund on the main deck; they all had swords strapped to their sides, and Caspian had a crossbow on his back. The land that had been spotted was the Lone Islands, but its appearance put Caspian on edge. The Lone Islands had been a territory of Narnia for nearly two centuries, but Narnia had not heard from them or received their monetary tribute for several years. And now, Caspian could not see a Narnian flag anywhere on the island. A small party had been put together to go ashore. Caspian turned to Ava as she approached.

"Is there any chance you'll just stay here?" he asked hopefully. Ava just stared at him. He sighed. "That's what I feared. Promise me you'll be careful."

"Caspian, I'll be fine," Ava assured him as she placed her hand on his shoulder. He smiled weakly. They were about to board the long boats when Eustace walked over and joined them.

"Where do you think you're going?" Edmund asked.

"I'm not staying on this blasted ship!" Eustace exclaimed.

"Pardon me?" Ava asked.

"I mean...uh— please, you can't just leave me here!" he practically begged. There was an intense pause while they all looked at each other.

Ava sighed. "Maybe the boy should come with us."

"Ava?" Caspian questioned.

"Maybe it will do him good; he'll see that he really isn't in his world anymore."

"What do you think Caspian?" Edmund asked, turning to his friend.

"He's your family, Ed. It's your decision," Caspian replied. Ava gave Edmund a pleading look.

"You stay with us," Edmund finally instructed Eustace. "Don't wander off."

Caspian, Edmund, Eustace, Lucy, Ava, Reepicheep and four crewmen filled one long boat, while Drinian, Kobar the Minotaur, and five other crewmen filled the other. Tavros and the remaining crewmembers stayed on board. The two long boats rowed to shore as quietly as they could. Reepicheep was the first to jump ashore when they reached the docks; his excitement was too much to contain. Caspian was next, closely followed by Edmund. Both kings then turned to Lucy and Ava to help them out while the crew secured the boats to the dock.

Lucy was the first to point out the eerie silence that surrounded them.

"Where is everyone?" she asked. The group fell silent for a moment as they looked around, but that silence was broken when Eustace stumbled out of the boat.

"Do him some good, you say?" Edmund whispered skeptically as he looked at Ava.

"Give him a chance, Edmund. He might surprise you," she whispered back before following Caspian up the stairs.

As Caspian moved toward the ramp leading into the walled city, he pulled his crossbow from his back and held it before him. There was something wrong on this island. It was much too quiet; Narrowhaven was supposed to be a bustling port city that served as a center for trade and commerce. The port city now, showed no signs of life apart from the stray gull that squawked overhead.

DONG!

A bell rang from inside the city walls, scattering a flock of crows and sending a chill down Ava's spine. Caspian quickly raised his bow towards the sound and Edmund, Lucy, and Reepicheep all drew their swords; Ava, however, did not. Everyone looked around for the source, but saw nothing.