{3} The Last Protector {Voyage of The Dawn Treader}

Monsters, Loons, and High King

{Silver's POV}

I was lying in my hammock as a wolf, and I snarled at whoever had come. "I don't think it's me you're angry at."

I stopped snarling when I heard Edmund, and I dropped my head, onto my paws, going quiet.

"Hey. Talk to me." Edmund said, and I shut my eyes, and tears, leaked out of my wolf eyes.

"Silver. Come on. Please." He said, and I was sitting up, in human next to him and I felt my shoulders shaking.

"What do you want me to say? Your Majesty? High King." I asked quietly.

"Silver..."

Edmund said, but I shook my head at him, as I lowered it, so I was watching my feet, not him.

"Eustance was right. I am a monster, bound only by your trust." I said, and he looked at me.

"You're not a monster Silver Stormwalker. You are a Protector. Our Protector."

He said, and I looked at him, and I looked down again "You are one of us, now. Who has saved both me, and my family from anything." He said.

"That has ever come at us. You are the one who walks alone, silent and swift, but always there when we need you."

Edmund finished, and I felt his hand on top of mine. "You're not a monster Silver. If anyone is, it's him."

He said, and I shook my head.

"Maugrim used to call me that. Back when he was still my father. When he would go into fits of rage."

I said, and I felt Edmund hugging me tightly, and I leaned my head down. "I am a Protector."

I whispered, and he looked at me.

"Yes. Yes. You are." He said, and I nodded. "Thanks Ed." I said, and he looked at me, and smiled.

"Now I'm going to sweep the deck with his face." Edmund said and I saw him approaching the ladder.

"Edmund."

I said, and he stopped, and turned back to face me. "Did you mean it? What you said about loving me back on Narrowhaven?"

I asked, and he looked at me. "Yeah I did." He said, and I looked at him. "By the way Lucy was acting, you'd think that you would've told me sooner."

I said, and he looked at me.

"Why?" He asked, and I was a wolf now again, looking over at him. "No reason."

I said quietly, and he nodded, and went back up onto the deck above, and I shook my head.

"What was the reason?"

I thought to myself.

I heard a commotion up on deck, and I raced up the ladder, and found Reep following Eustace.

"Trying to run away?" Reepicheep asked, and swung on a rope, to land in front of him.

"We're on a boat, you know."

He said, holding the sword to Eustace's nose. I was watching now, looking to see the fight.

"Look, can't we just discuss this?" I heard Eustace say, and I raised my eyebrows. "Discuss what?" I asked.

"That was for stealing!" Reepicheep said, slashing a hole in his shirt, and then stabbing the stolen orange.

"That was for lying!"

He said, swinging the orange out of his shirt on his sword. "And that was just for good measure!"

Reepicheep said, smacking Eustace in the face with said orange on his blade.

I saw that Eustace was swinging at Reepicheep with a carving knife, and I raised my eyebrows.

"Who gave the damn idiot kid a knife?!" I snapped. "Reepicheep most likely." Edmund said, coming up next to me, and watching.

"That's the spirit! Now we have ourselves a duel." Reepicheep said, and smiled. "Catch."

He said, and the orange flew to Drinian, who caught it in his hand, and smiled slightly.

"Five gold pieces on Reep. Any takers?" I asked. "Four coppers on the kid." Caspian said.

"You only bet that because you know he's not going to win." I said to him, as he nodded. "Now, come on."

Reep said to Eustace, who was now holding the knife as if it were a sword, very dangerous.

"Take your best shot."

Reepicheep said, and Eustace swung at him hard. "Is that it? Come on, boy! Focus! Focus!" Reepicheep said, and I laughed at his next words.

"Stop flapping your wings like a drunken pelican. Poise!" Reepicheep said, and Eustace continued to lunge frantically.

But as soon as he thought he'd won for once, Reepicheep had kicked him into a basket, which had let out an shrill scream.

"What in Aslan's name?..." I asked, quickly pulling off the covers, and Lucy followed me. "Look."

Lucy said, and I recognized the girl.

"Gael?" The newest sailor said, and I saw that it was his daughter. "What? Are you doing here?"

He asked, and she hugged him.

"Well, looks like we have an extra crew member now."

Drinian said, and gave the orange to the young girl, the orange, that Reep had tossed to him.

"Welcome aboard." I said, and she saw Lucy next to me. "Your Majesty." I smiled at her. "Call me Lucy."

She said, and then she looked at me, and I smiled. "The Protector." She said and curtseyed to the both of us.

"Call me Silver." I said, and we both led her away and into the hold where the hammocks were.

"Come on, look lively. Back to work." I heard Drinian say, as I left Gael with a friend called Lucy, and I went back, to the deck.

"I'm sorry I called you a monster. I wasn't thinking." Eustace said, and I looked at him.

"I'm a wolf Eustace. A predator to you and your people. It is only natural to a think that I am one."

I said, and clapped him on the shoulder, before walking back over to Edmund.

I smiled and he looked at me.

"You were good with that girl you know." He said, and I looked at him, and snorted.

"Where's your point now Edmund?"

I asked, and he chuckled. "On the end of my sword. I should hope." He said I shook my head at him. "Shut up."

I said.