~By the Lion's Mane: The Call~

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

The Dawn Treader was completed in late July and I saw her for the first time when Caspian had her sailed up into the bay outside of the castle.

She was small, only about 130 feet long. But she was beautiful, a work of art; brightly painted in reds, golds, and greens. The sides of her hull were smooth, richly stained wood and emerald wings ran along the sides.

At the bow, there was a handsome head of a dragon, its mouth open as if about to blow out a cloud of fire and smoke. Its neck attached to the hull and where its "chest" was at the prow was like a golden breastplate of armor.

A curling tail sprouted out of the stern of the boat, ending in an arrow. The single sail was a beautiful shade of violet, and the woodwork was stained a dark, glossy brown. Overall, she was breathtaking.

I went aboard and Caspian showed me around eagerly. The captain's cabin was small but tidy, with a little bed in the corner, a desk, and windows curving around the back, looking down onto the sapphire waters. A small decorative shield of Aslan's face adorned the wall. He showed me the little room that I would stay in on the voyage, and then we continued the tour of the rest of the ship.

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 We set sail in August. I said my goodbyes to Anduril, because I wasn't going to force him to come on this extensive voyage. He hated the sea, and Aslan only knew how much land we would see after the known islands. Caspian appointed Trumpkin to oversee the country's affairs while we were gone.

Reepicheep, however, insisted upon coming with us, and Aslan knows we couldn't refuse him.  Caspian hired a crew of Telmarines who were not afraid of the sea, and they all learned how to sail the ship from a few Calormenes. It didn't take long for them to become experts at maneuvering the vessel.

I packed several dresses, because we were going to the Islands and civilized places first. I also packed my armor, chain mail, and my tunics and boots and other casual garb. I hung my shield on the wall, and kept my sword and its sheath right beside my tiny bed, as well as my small dagger in its little pocket on the inside of my right boot.

I stood on deck watching behind us as the castle and the cliffs got smaller and smaller as we sailed farther out of the bay. The water turned to a deeper blue as we made our way into the open sea, and the Dawn Treader began to rise up and down with the larger waves and swells. Her purple sail was stretched taut above me, and the wind was behind us, pushing us towards Galma.

We reached Galma the next morning, and found that the island was still loyal to Narnia, despite the fact that they hadn't had any word from the mainland in more than a century. The governor had us to dinner that evening, and the next morning we set sail once again, this time for Terebinthia.

Terebinthia was much the same as Galma, and we spent only a short time there restocking for the longer journey north to the Seven Isles. It took us twelve days to reach the cluster of islands.

The Seven Isles' climate was more like that of Norway in our world. It was colder, being so far north, and there were many jagged mountains and steep fjords and white rivers. The main colony, Redhaven, is established on the island of Brenn, which was where we landed.

I was wearing my winter tunic and was rather glad I had thought to pack it, because it was cold and raining when we arrived at the manor house. I also sorely missed Andy when I had to walk through the muddy roads up from the harbor with the men. Caspian, being king, managed to borrow a scruffy pony. Apparently that was all they had there- short, hardy ponies for farming, carting, and riding that were born and raised on the moors and in the fjords.

I bathed and changed into one of my gowns for dinner. Caspian was dressed in some of his finery, and looked quite handsome, his jaw cleanly shaven and his hair pulled back into a small pigtail. I heard the maids giggling and blushing as he walked by. We had a pleasant dinner with the governor and his wife and children before retiring to a very warm and welcome bed.

We spent nearly two weeks restocking and enjoying the hospitality of Redhaven. We hunted on the moors, galloping along on the sturdy little ponies for entertainment. We had dinner in the great hall of the manor house every night, and exchanged stories. On our last evening there, the governor asked to talk to Caspian in his study.

The entire time, the governor hadn't been very sure what to think of me. He didn't know who I was, and at first he thought Caspian and I were engaged. But even after we had assured him we were not, he still believed that we were somehow romantically linked.

In plain terms, he thought I was Caspian's mistress. I thought it was rather funny, but Caspian was embarrassed. But despite this, I was allowed to come in as well, because I was playing the role of Caspian's bodyguard.

"Your Majesty," the governor began. "I have come to grow very fond of you these past few days. You are a fine gentleman, and I am proud to serve you as my king."

Caspian looked embarrassed and humbly thanked him. The governor went on. "Caspian, I would like to offer my oldest daughter to you, if you would wish to marry her."

Caspian looked rather surprised and was shocked into silence. The girl in question was a plain-faced girl with blondish hair and gray eyes the color of the sea around here. She was of medium height and build, and had a sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She wore her hair in two braids, like I did most of the time, and always wore a very serious expression. I had never seen her smile, and she only spoke when spoken to.

I raised my eyebrows, waiting for Caspian's response.

Finally he hesitantly answered. "Governor, I... I am very gracious of your offer of your beautiful daughter." I bit my lip to keep from laughing, his discomfort and efforts at diplomacy were so obvious. "But sir, I am only nineteen, and I would like to see more of the world and... I do not think that I am ready to be a husband."

I stood and curtsied to the governor, excusing myself on account of being rather tired from the entertainment this evening. I would let Caspian and the Governor work this out among themselves, but I didn't want to stay in that room any longer, for the tension in the air was palpable, and my sides hurt from containing my laughter.

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We set sail the next afternoon, the Dawn Treader's violet sail taut and full, her green sides slicing smoothly through the steely gray water. We sailed between the islands of Brenn and Mont, and then back out again into the open sea, sailing south-east. I was glad in some ways to continue our voyage, but I would also miss the hot meals and warm beds and baths.

Most days, I sat near the deck railing, staring out across the flat blue horizon, just enjoying the peace and daydreaming. I mostly dreamed about Edmund and the others, thinking now it had been nearly three years since they disappeared through the twin trunks of that old oak.

It was really hard to believe it had been that long since they had gone back. I was nineteen now (for the second time), the same age as Caspian.

I wondered what the Pevensies were doing right then. How much time had passed there? Were they much older? Had they graduated school yet? Was the war over? I sighed, frustrated that I had no way of knowing what was happening in the world I used to call my own.

We ran into a few small storms, mostly just rain and more wind. Other than that, the days ran into each other in a blur of blue water and salty wind. I grew rather restless, and wished I had some female company onboard. I talked to Reep, and practiced with my sword. I painted with my watercolors and sketched the ship. I read the few books I had brought with me. And I longed for the adventure to truly begin.

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A/N: Sorry for such a long delay! As I said in a message on my profile earlier, my wireless internet was out for a while and I couldn't post anything. However, it only got broadcasted to people who are Fans of me, so if you aren't, you wouldn't have known. :P So, here is the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and please comment, like, or vote :)

And also, PLEASE go and look at my new story, "Who Am I Living For?" It's a Regulus Black fanfic.