𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐑 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐚 (𝐢𝐢) | ✔

viii. eustace

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓
𝐄𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐄     

     Caspian and Edmund went together to find Eustace while Lucy and Reagan stayed with the crew. While they were talking with the captain, something happened that scared them all: a dragon appeared out of nowhere, so everybody needed to get ready in less than five seconds to defend the ship. Reepicheep stabbed it on the leg and the creature flew away and approached the shore, where he took Edmund with it.

     "Edmund no!" Reagan and Lucy yelled at the same time, worried about him. For all they knew, the dragon could eat him in a heartbeat and without any kind of remorse.

     Turns out the dragon was actually Eustace, who had taken a real dragon's treasure. Well, everybody knew that a dragon's treasure is enchanted. At least everyone from Narnia anyways. When he returned Edmund to the ground, Reagan ran towards him, not even caring about getting her dress wet and hugged him as tight as she could, Edmund leaving a soft kiss on the girl's head in the process.

     "I thought he was going to eat you," she breathed into his chest, relieved that the boy she so deeply liked was still alive.

     "Don't worry, okay?" he lifted her head by putting a hand on her chin, "I'm perfectly fine. Now all we have to do is find a way to take care of him until we can turn him back."

     The rest of the crew had arrived at the shore, Lucy hugging her brother as well and turning her head to Eustace. The poor creature, or rather, the poor boy had some sort of bracelet on his paw, repressing it to the point to which blood could not pass through it, so Lucy took it upon herself to approach her cousin and remove it, immediately calming the kid.

     "Is there any way to change him back?" Edmund asked, already thinking on how to tell Aunt Alberta that her precious son was now a mythological creature.

     "Not that I know of," Caspain responded, making Eustace scoff.

     "Do not fret, Eustace, we will find a way to return you to your human form," Reagan smiled patting the dragon while Reepicheep apologized for stabbing him just minutes before.

     "The boats are ready, sir!" the minotaur roared, spiking the same question on everyone. How was Eustace going to mount the ship? They needed time to think, so everyone but Caspian, the Pevensie brothers, Reagan, Gael and Eustace returned to the Dawn Treader for the night, while they stayed in the shore until morning.

     "But you have no provisions," pointed Rhince, "and no means of staying warm, your majesty."

     Reagan nodded in agreement, but before she could open her mouth to say anything, Eustace spat a ball of fire into a stick, creating a source of heat and allowing Reep to make a snarky comment back to the man. Everyone chuckled at the sight of what had just happened and the aforementioned six made themselves comfortable in the sand just as the Sun was going down.

     The sky was full of stars and constellations, all unknown to the Narnians and Caspian, Edmund and Reagan, the last two cuddled against each other, observed them in awe while Lucy, Gael and Eustace slept peacefully.

    "We must be so far away from home..." the princess murmured, making the two boys agree with her, "I wonder what is happening at the castle right now..."

     "I'm sure everything is perfect and they are anxiously awaiting your arrival," Edmund calmed her while caressing her hair. Little by little, the three fell asleep in the same positions they were in, just as Lucy got woken up my Gael's laments. The little girl missed her mother and, if Reagan had heard that statement, I could tell you right now that not only would she be completely heart-broken but also that she would have mounted the Dawn Treader at that very moment and directed it herself until they found that poor kid's mother.

     Reepicheep got woken up as well by Eustace's crying and the little mouse spent nearly all night awake in order to get Eustace to sleep, even if he had to tell a thousand stories.

     Morning arrived soon, however, and Gael was the first to open her eyes and see the long-awaited blue star that they were told to follow. She immediately woke up Lucy, who call for the rest of the crew who had stayed at the shore that night. Rapidly, they took a boat and mounted the ship, with Eustace flying by their sides.