𝙸𝚁𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙴. ➪ 𝙴. 𝙿𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚎

𝚜𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗

Phillis was awoken when Lucy was screaming for them all to get up. She sat up, her back aching from leaning on Eustace all night. "It's the Blue Star!" Lucy cried.
Phillis looked up, and sure enough, a bright light was in the centre of the sky, a certain blue glow radiating off it. "Come on, old boy, wake up," Reep said, hitting Eustace's scaly face lightly.

Within minutes, they were back on the ship, sailing towards the star. Eustace was flying along beside them. Phillis stood next to Drinian, as they spoke with Ed and Caspian. "The wind has left us," said the Captain.
"So, how do we get to Ramandu's Island now, then?" sighed Edmund.
Tommy was with Lucy somewhere.
"My guess is something doesn't want us to get there," Drinian replied, leaving the two boys and Phillis alone.
Suddenly, Phillis fell forward. You see, Eustace had begun pulling the ship, but took everyone a moment to realise that. "What did we hit?" yelled Drinian.
Phillis looked down, on her fall, she'd manage to fall into Edmund. She apologised, her face flushing. He chuckled, the sound sounding foreign to Phillis, scrambling out from beneath her. He helped her up, she thanked him quickly before turning away. Phillis looked up to see the orangey dragon with his tale looped around head of the ship, pulling it forward. "Eustace, that's brilliant!" cried Edmund.
The men cheered for the dragon.

In Caspian's cabin, Edmund stood outside on the small balcony, soaking up the Narnian sun. Caspian sat at the round table, examining the three swords they'd collected. Phillis stood by the stained glass, fiddling with the detailed handle of her sword. "We can't be sure the other lords even made it to Ramandu's Island," Caspian spoke up, causing the two to look at him.
Within no time at all, they were at Ramandu's Island, thanks to Eustace. The island was dark and overgrown. The group crossed a bridge, Edmund leading the way with his electric torch. Birds chirped loudly and crickets hummed in the background. They walked through an archway formed by overgrown, mossy trees. Behind the arch, there was a stone table, also covered in moss, with a feast atop it. There was all sorts of food that didn't look particularly mouldy or rotten - just covered in vines and such. "Mmm, food," Tavros murmured, stalking towards the feast.
"Wait," said Drinian, his arm outstretched.
"Huh?"
The end of the table was barely visible due to all of the branches and vines. But three men, if your eyes had adjusted to the dark, sat at the end. When the light from Edmund's torch hit the trio, it made the crew gasp. Caspian pointed his sword at the three elderly men, but they didn't flinch. In fact, they didn't move in the slightest. "Lord Revilian," said Caspian, examining the men's rings, "Lord Mavramorn, Lord Argoz."
Lucy moved some strands of one of the man's long, grey hair from his face. He looked very much alive, and the mere sight of it sent shivers down Phillis' spine. "He's breathing," Tommy said, turning to Caspian.
Phillis heard it too - the heavy, nasally breathing. "So are they," said the brunette, noticing their chests rising and falling.
"They're under a spell," Edmund said.
"It's the food!" screamed Caspian, before anyone could eat it.
Tavros dropped an apple quickly.
"It's the stone knife," Edmund shine his torch on a knife of sorts covered in vines. "This is Aslan's Table."
"Their swords," said Caspian, rummaging through the weeds, to reach their sheathed swords. "On the table."
They each placed one down, followed by Lucy, who placed the ones they'd acquired down. "That's six," sighed Phillis.
Caspian glanced up at her, "Still missing one."
The swords shone brightly. "Look!" Lucy cried.
The Blue Star landed before them. The light was blinding yet terribly mesmerising at the same time. The Blue Star landed, a pale girl stood in its place. She was tall and irritably gorgeous. Her hair was almost white and she wore a long, white dress. "Travellers of Narnia, welcome," she said, the crew bowing. "Arise. Are you not hungry?"
"Who are you?" asked Edmund.
"I'm Liliandil, daughter of Ramandu," she said, walking towards the Kings and Queens of Narnia, and Tommy too. "I am your guide."
"You're a star?" Caspian questioned.
She looked to Caspian, a kind smile on her face. She nodded. "You are most beautiful," said Caspian, his eyes not leaving her face.
"If it is a distraction for you, I can change form," she said.
She had the most gorgeous eyes. They were a sort of blue, like April's. Her hair was long and a pale blonde. Her skin was pale and freckle-less. Like her star form, she had an enticing blue glow.
"No!" said Tommy, Caspian and Edmund quickly.
Phillis looked to the floor. Suddenly, everything felt very suffocating and she longed for the world to swallow her whole. Lucy rolled her eyes at her brother and Phillis turned away. Liliandil looked awfully proud of herself for attracting three handsome men. She turned to the rest of the crew, "Please, the food is for you."
With a flick of her wrists, the tall wax candles on top of intricately detailed candelabras were alight. The dark area was suddenly lit up. "There is enough for all who are welcome at Aslan's Table. Always. Help yourselves," she said.
The crew went to dig in, when Edmund interrupted them. "Wait. What happened to them?" he gestured to the lords.
"These poor men were half-mad by the time they reached our shores. They were threatening violence upon each other. Violence is forbidden at the table of Aslan," said Liliandil - Phillis scoffed internally, as she had the urge to hit the beautiful woman. "So they were sent to sleep."
"Will they ever wake?" asked Lucy.
Liliandil smiled at Lucy, "When all is put right. Come, there is little time."
Tommy decided against following Phillis, Caspian, Lucy and Edmund, instead, opted for eating. They reached a wrecked balcony, where a view of an eery island was clear. "The magician, Coriakin, told you of Dark Island?" asked Liliandil.
"Yes," replied Caspian.
"Before long, the evil will be unstoppable," sighed the woman.
"Coriakin said to break its spell, we lay the seven swords at Aslan's Table," Caspian said.
"He speaks the truth," nodded Liliandil.
"But we only found six. Do you know where the seventh is?" Edmund asked.
She pointed to Dark Island, "In there. You will need great courage. Now, waste no time."
"I hope we meet again," Caspian said.
She looked at him, smiling slightly. "Goodbye."
And with that, she was gone. A distant star once more. Caspian, Lucy and Edmund went to return to the crew, to fill themselves up. Phillis wasn't in the mood for eating, however. She'd been starving when she was on the ship, but she suddenly didn't feel so hungry. "Aren't you coming, Phillis?" asked Caspian.
Phillis had a sudden moment of deja vu. Caspian's words reminded her of the last time her and the Pevensies returned from Narnia, for the boy who had taken a liking to Susan said the exact same thing. It made Phillis realise just how much she missed Susan and Elmer and Peter, and how much she wanted to go home. "I'm just going to stay here for a moment," she told him, trying her best to smile.
Caspian nodded, turning back to the feast. Lucy followed quickly. Ed took this as his chance to finally clear things up with Phillis. She stood by the wall, staring out at Dark Island. He stood next to her,
standing in silence for a moment. "I hear you're thinking of joining the army," Phillis finally spoke up, not looking at him.
"Kind of," he muttered.
"Why?" she asked, her voice cracking as she turned to look at him.
Edmund sighed, "Because I've fought in battles before, I might as well do it for the world we actually live in."
"Edmund, it's a different kind of war," replied Phillis.
"Lucy said something like that," Ed muttered.
"But she's right! Ed, don't you get it? In our world, we fight with guns and bombs and poisonous gases - not swords and shields and crossbows! Fighting in Narnia is a matter of skill, fighting on Earth is a matter of luck," she said. "Ed, I can't lose you."
She placed her hand on his cheek. In a moment of weakness, or perhaps a moment of comfort, Ed leaned into her warm palm. "You won't," he replied.
"I didn't think I'd lose my father, but I did."
"I'm sorry," he moved his face slightly to kiss her wrist. Edmund pulled her into a tight embrace. He kissed her forehead lightly. "Caspian told me about what you said to him. About how you're scared that I don't love you," Ed spoke up.
She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with salty tears. She looked away almost as quickly, slightly embarrassed. He pulled away from the hug, lifting her chin so she'd look into his eyes. He wanted her to know just how much he meant it when he said he loved her. "I want you to know that I could never love anyone as much as I you," he said. "I adore you, Phillis."
"What about Liliandil?" she asked, sniffling slightly.
"I do prefer you over stars," he joked, Phillis laughed quietly. "And I most certainly prefer you over April Elmslie. Blondes aren't really my type."
Phillis pressed her face further into his chest, to hide her blush. They stood in the bright moonlight, holding each other close. "I guess, when your letters stopped arriving as often, I got worried. Then, I find you here with Tommy Newton. I jumped to conclusions, and you suffered for my mistakes and I'm sorry."
"Tommy Newton?" Phillis raised a brow. "Wait, you think I was cheating on you with Tommy Newton?"
"I just assumed," he sighed.
"Tommy's my friend. Nothing more. We have sort of been together for, like, sixteen years, Ed. And in case you can't tell, blondes aren't really my type," Phillis mocked.
Edmund laughed, pressing his face into her hair. "I just didn't have the time to write to you. Mother works a crappy job since she can't publish books anymore and Elmer's away at war. So, I started making money for my mother."
"How?" Edmund furrowed his brows.
"I started writing for the paper. Just a column on the front page about the war," she explained.
"The front page?" Ed repeated, his eyes wide.
"Just a small column," she said.
"I'm so proud of you!" he grinned. "My little genius!"
He kissed her, leaning down. She laughed, pulling away after a moment or two. "I'm so sorry for ever not trusting you," he kissed her again.
"I'm sorry too. I love you?" she said, she didn't know if he was ready to say that after such a long falling out.
He smiled, then, as if confirming it, said proudly, "I love you too."
Then, he kissed her cheek, then her shoulder. "And I love your scars. I don't even know why I said what I did."
"It's okay, Eddie," again, that nickname made him weak in the knees, "you weren't yourself."
"Are we okay then?" he asked, staring down at her.
With a kiss, she said, "We're more than okay, Ed. We're brilliant."
There was a newfound confidence within both Edmund and Phillis. Perhaps it was the fact that they both had forgiven each other for everything or the fact that they both felt refreshed. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush from the sweet kisses and warm hugs or the urge to protect the one person they loved with everything they had. Or, maybe it was just the immense passion they had for their love. But, whatever it was, Phillis and Edmund were ready to take on this evil mist with everything they had.