The High Queen of Narnia

Chapter 22

Seeing as Lucy was joining their journey, Caspian, like the gentleman he was, had given up his place in his bed so that Lucy could say there, Drinian setting up a rather lush hammock for the king in the sleeping quarters with everyone else. So the two Pevensie sisters shared a room as they caught up on everything they'd missed over the last few years. Elodie assured Lucy that Trumpkin was well. He served in the court back on the Narnian mainland as an advisor and war counsellor. Elodie even had the sneaking suspicion that he was courting a female dwarf that worked with them as well. Meanwhile, Peter and Susan had moved to America with their parents while the two of them were stuck with their aunt and uncle in Cambridge. The two hardly saw their father though because he worked so very much. She assumed that was why her parents hadn't really questioned it when their siblings had informed them that Elodie had joined the regiment of nurses in the war.

However, sailing with their bore of a cousin actually proved to be rather entertaining, especially when Reepicheep caught him trying to steal rations and began to duel the boy who'd never lifted a sword in his life. It was likely the most amusing thing she'd see on this journey.

"Ellie! Look," Lucy had called after the duel was over and Eustace had knocked over a basket that screamed only for a young girl to crawl out.

"Gael?" called Rhince, the man they'd picked up from the Lone Islands, as he saw the young girl. "What are you doing here?" he asked before pulling her into a hug as Drinian approached them, the girl curling into her father's side.

"Looks like we have an extra crew member," he remarked before he offered her the orange Reepicheep had taken off of Eustace, the girl taking it appreciatively.

"And a rather brave one if I do say so myself," Elodie piped up as she moved to her captain's side.

"Your majesty," the girl curtseyed.

"Any girl that can find her way onto my ship without my knowledge can call me Elodie," she smiled at her. "Lu, you mind taking her to get some clothes appropriate for a sailor like her?"

"Of course," Lucy said as she stepped up to her sister's side. "Shall I have Tavros set up another hammock?"

"No, that's alright," Elodie said. "She can have my place and bunk with you, if you don't mind."

"No, that's fine," Lucy assured them.

"Your majesty, I'd be more than happy to share mine with Gael. You needn't-"

"It's no trouble," she interrupted Rhince. "I'm sure my husband won't mind sharing a hammock with me. He was already complaining that we spent too much time apart this morning."

The crew chuckled at that before Drinian cleared his throat. "Alright, back to work! Let's get a move on!"

As the crew returned to their jobs, Elodie took over steering for a while, until her husband joined her, his arms wrapping around her waist as his chin rested on her head as she steered.

"I hear I'm to get a new bunkmate tonight," he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"That won't be a problem for his highness now, would it?" she asked, and he laughed as he kissed her head.

"Of course not. In fact, I rather welcome it. We've never needed much space anyway," he said referring to the fact that they typically stayed in the middle of the bed wrapped in each other's arms rather than to separate sides.

"That's true. So, how did it feel seeing Lord Bern again after all those years?" she wondered and he sighed as he stared off into the distance.

"It was good, but..."