Final Sail - E. Pevensie [3]

13 - The Blue Star

"Everybody! Everybody, wake up!"

I sat up quickly from the arms of Eustace, startling the dragon as well. He lifted his head an inch off of my lap before dropping it stubbornly, wrenching his eyes closed.

I rubbed my eyes and squinted around the camp, looking for danger. There was none, and everyone was accounted for. I looked over to Edmund and Caspian.

Edmund was across the smoldering logs, patting his chest confusedly and looking around the camp with concern laced in his features. Next to him, Caspian was rubbing his eyes as I had with his hair sticking up in several directions.

I laughed quietly at the disheveled kings, which drew their attention to me. Caspian noticed my gaze on his hair and stuck his tongue out at me, his hands flying to his head to fix it. Edmund's eyes met mine and his shoulders sagged with relief, a small smile pulling at his lips. I must have been the thing he was looking for. I smiled and waved softly at him, and his eyebrows came together as he noticed the dragon head in my lap.

"Everyone look! It's the Blue Star!" Lucy succeeded in waking up the crew and pointed to the sky. I strained my neck to spot it, and sure enough, a glowing blue light sat in the sky just southwest of our camp.

I put my hand on Eustace's head and shook him gently. "Eustace, wake up. Come on you lug, I can't move until you do."

I smiled as the dragon lifted his head to squint at me. Taking the chance, I slid out from under him and stood, brushing the sand from my pants. The dragon's head flopped back into the sand as I stretched and Edmund made his way over to us.

"How'd you get over here?" He grinned, kissing my cheek and shooting the dragon a look.

"We both couldn't sleep, so I gave him some company. It's not easy being turned into a dragon, you know." I smiled back.

Edmund nodded with my words, but still eyed his cousin wearily. I laughed and took his hand, leading us to the awaiting longboats with his sister.

Soon we had reboarded the Dawn Treader and Drinian began giving out the orders: follow the blue star. Lucy and I leaned against the ledge and watched the island grow smaller.

"It seems Narnia only needs us when there's some sort of fight, doesn't it?" I breathed a laugh.

Lucy nodded, her eyes on the sea. "Perhaps that's why Ed is so persistent in registering for the war in England." She mumbled. I whipped my head to hers, seeing her eyes water.

"Registering for war?" I repeated. She nodded.

"Yes. He won't stop going on about it. Given, he's still underage, but that hasn't stopped him yet. It terrifies me, Mae. Fighting here is one thing but in England... it's so much different."

She buried her head in her hands, and her shoulders shook as I pulled her into my chest. I felt her tears wet my shirt as I rubbed her back slowly.

"It's all right, Lu. I understand. I'll speak with him, okay? I don't want him to go either." I nodded as Lu pulled herself away, wiping her cheeks and tugging on her hair.

"He's all I have left. I just wish he would see that he doesn't need to prove himself to be better than Peter or Caspian." She took in a shaky breath. "Although I can't blame him." She muttered.

I pulled Lucy over to sit on a barrel and put my fingers under her chin, lifting her head.

"Lucy, what on earth are you going on about? You have no reason to prove yourself for anything." I said, frowning.

"But Susan..."

I cut her off. "You and Susan are completely different people, equally spectacular. She may strive in ways different than you, but that doesn't mean you don't do amazing things as well. I mean, you found this place, Lu! We wouldn't even be here without you. Narnia wouldn't be here without you. You are Queen Lucy the Valiant, and we wouldn't want you as anything else."

"That's what Aslan said." The girl whispered as she wrapped her arms around me, burying her face in my neck. I held her tightly before pulling away and wiping her tears, laughing as she wiped mine as well. We nodded and walked over to where Caspian, Edmund, and Drinian were gathered.

"The wind has left us." Drinian said grimly.

I looked around us, his words confirmed. We had barely moved in the past half hour, the only way we had being the rowing of the crew below.

Edmund furrowed his eyebrows. "So how do we get to Ramandu's Island now then?" He asked Caspian. The king shrugged.

"My guess is something doesn't want us to get there." He replied. I bit my lip as we stood in silence, thinking. The rumbling of the crew grew louder.

"If I get any hungrier, I'm gonna eat that dragon!" I heard a sailor scowl. I frowned and stepped towards him.

"You can try." I snapped. The man's eyes widened and he lowered his head, continuing his work. I looked back to the sky to look for Eustace and frowned when I noticed he was no longer at the ship's side.

"If we don't find land by tonight, they may well eat that dragon." Drinian said.

Suddenly a large force rocked the boat, sending us all stumbling. Edmund grabbed my waist as I slipped towards the railing, steadying me and himself.

"What did we hit?" I looked over the railing into the water, searching for any damage.

"Eustace, that's brilliant!" Lucy shouted.

I turned and squinted up to the bow of the ship, which Eustace had his tail wrapped around. He was pulling us through the waves at a steady speed.

"Seems like my cousin is a much better dragon than a boy." Edmund laughed from beside me. I giggled and nodded.

"Onward Ho!" The crew hastened their work, the solution easing their load and upping their spirits.

We approached land rapidly, and soon enough we had rowed into the island that the blue star floated above. The moment my feet touched the beach I ran over to Eustace, throwing my arms around his neck.

"You did brilliant, Eustace!" I cheered. Reepicheep came bounding to my side from the dragon's back.

"What did I tell you, boy? Extraordinary!" He laughed.

I nodded. "Extraordinary indeed."