Whisked Away

33. Eustace's Story

Eustace's POV
"First I just want to say, Shifra, thank you for telling them all how it happened. I don't know how you knew, but I don't want to go back through it," I started. It was odd how my feelings toward her had changed so much. When she snapped at me after the storm I had thought she was a mean person who was self-conceited, but now I saw that she was tired. I never thought of the effect using her abilities brought to her. "And also, I was, well I was bloody beastly to you, both of you, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Well, I wasn't exactly the kindest person to you either," she replied. Then she muttered the most peculiar thing, "You weren't nearly that irritating in the books."

"Books?" Edmund asked. Something I could only describe as fear crossed her face.

"We're here to hear Eustace's story so I suggest we do that," she countered, clearly trying to change the subject.

"Well, I want to tell you how I stopped being a dragon," I said.

"Fire ahead," Edmund replied patiently.

"Well that bracelet was killing my arm worse than ever..." I started.

"Is that alright now?" Edmund interrupted. I could not help letting out a laugh. It was the most natural laugh I had ever heard come out of my own mouth.

I slipped off the bracelet and handed it to Edmund, saying, "There it is and anyone who likes it can have it as far as I'm concerned." I then continued, but while Edmund seemed to be drinking in everything I said, Shifra had the sort of smile on her face that seemed to say that she had heard this all before. The sort of familiar smile one has if they are reading a book they love once again.

"Well anyway, I looked up and saw the very last thing I expected: a huge lion coming slowly toward me. And the queer thing was that there was no moon last night, but there was moonlight where the lion was. So it came nearer and nearer and I was so afraid of it." He told them how I followed the lion up into the island to a well in a beautiful garden on a mountain I had never seen before.

I told of how the lion told me to bath, but to undress first. I took that to mean he wanted me to peel my skin off and soon I was trying to do it myself, but I couldn't. There was always another layer after the first one. Then I told them of how the lion began to tear it off and pull it. It hurt worse than anything., but the pain was still a good pain.

"I know exactly what you mean," said Edmund as I spoke of it. It was odd to see him looking at me with anything but hatred and annoyance. Then I told of how he had picked me up and throw me into the water. Then I told of how as I swam around, I turned into a boy again. The lion then dressed me, somehow and then I was back here.

"I think it might have all been a dream," I admitted.

"No, it wasn't a dream," replied Edmund.

"Why not?" I asked. It seemed very well like it could have been.

"The clothes," Shift replied, "Your uh...human form."

"What was it then?" I asked.

Edmund replied slowly, "I think you've seen Aslan."

"Aslan!" I exclaimed, memories of hearing that name on the voyage flooded through my head, "I've heard that name several times since join the Dawn Treader. And I felt...I don't know what...I hated it. But I was hating everything then. And by the way, I'd like to apologize again. I'm afraid I'm been beastly."

"That's alright," Edmund replied with a small smile. "Between ourselves, you haven't been as bad as I was during my first trip to Narnia. You were only an ass, I was a traitor."

"That wasn't your fault, Ed," Shifra replied as if she had had this conversation with many times.

"Yes it was, Shifra," Edmund replied, his face filling with shame, "If I wasn't such a greedy idiot then it would never would have happened."

"Edmund, she manipulated you!" Shifra countered. "It wasn't your fault. You were eleven."

"Yes and because of me Aslan died a horrible and painful death," he countered.

"Edmund," she whispered, I had a feeling he had never told her that he blamed himself for that. My cousin just shook his head, clearly not wanting to argue.

"Well, don't tell me about it then. It's clearly a bit of a sore spot with you," I said, ending the little argument. "But who is Aslan? Do you know him?"

Shifra smiled and replied, "Aslan, well I would say that I know him best out of everyone, even Lucy, but it's more that he knows us. He is the son of the great Emperor over the sea and who saved Edmund and all of Narnia over a thousand years ago."

"And it may be Aslan's country that we are sailing to," Edmund added. None of us could think of anything to say after that so we all sat in silence until the sun rose up, but as it did another thought occurred to me.

"By the way I'm jolly well sorry for what I said to you that first day, Shifra," I said, squirming uncomfortably. "You're anything but a demon. If anything you're an angel."

She smiled and replied, "That's alright, I've been called worse."

"And better I should hope." After that there was silence once more and we just watched as the sky changed colors for the sun was rising behind the mountains. "We could probably head back," I said. The other two agreed and when we had all come to camp where breakfast was being made, everyone was very happy and cheered.
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Edmund's POV
As we sailed out from Dragon Island on our repainted and repaired ship I thought about how different Eustace had seemed. He was kinder, he apologized, and he admitted he was wrong. All things that Eustace from before would never have done. I looked over at him, chatting with Caspian and Shifra and with a real genuine smile on his face. He had been apologizing to everyone he came in contact with and even Rhince, the first mate who had disliked him the most, said that he may turn out to be half all right after all.

That same day we came across another island, but this one was burned and everything was broken. We did find a very small boat that could have been a dwarfs or a child's. Reepicheep decided to keep it and it was brought on board. We called the island Burnt Island and sailed on. It was only five days later that something unexpected had happened.