High King and Queens of Narnia

VII. Nightmares and Great Value

Eustace sat by himself writing in his diary. Mila walked off, not keen on hearing the boy complain yet again.

Outside the cabin, Mila found herself staring out at the water. A crack of thunder resounded and she jumped. During the time she'd been in England, she'd grown to fear loud sounds. Usually it meant an air raid, and she especially despised those.

Edmund noticed how tense she was and said, "It's all right. It'll be over soon."

Mila glanced at him. "How do you manage to get through it?"

"I try to think of things that make me feel better."

"Like Turkish Delight?" she joked.

Edmund frowned. "That's not funny. But, yes. Something of the sort. What makes you happy?"

"Well, Peter, but he also makes me sad because I miss him so."

"How about Narnia? We can reminisce on the days of old."

Edmund and Mila reminisced on their time as king and queen of Narnia and the pranks they'd pulled on his siblings. Another loud clap of thunder sounded and Mila shrunk into Edmund, terrified. Edmund quietly consoled her.

Caspian, who'd noticed, asked, "Mila, are you all right?"

Edmund nodded. "She's all right. The thunder reminds her, reminds all of us of the bombs and the air raids back home."

He looked momentarily confused, yet did his best to understand. Drinian walked up and hung his wet cloak on a hook.

Caspian glanced up at the captain. "What's the update, Drinian?"

Drinian placed something on the map and said, "So, we're stuck here, at half-rations, with food and water for two more weeks, maximum. This is your last chance to turn back, Your Majesties."

Mila raised a brow as he continued. "There's no guarantee we'll spot the Blue Star anytime soon. Not in this storm."

Caspian stared out the window, deep in thought. Drinian, once again, spoke. "Needle in a haystack trying to find this Ramandu place. We could sail right past it and off the edge of the world."

Mila's voice was laced with worry as she said, "No, I don't believe so. We must to stop this green mist."

"Or get eaten by a sea serpent," Edmund joked, earning a frown from Mila and Caspian.

Drinian didn't appreciate Edmund's joke either. "I'm just saying the men are getting nervous. These are strange seas we're sailing. The likes of which I've never seen before."

Mila glanced at Caspian to see him focused on the floor intently. He looked up at Drinian. "Then perhaps, Captain, you would like to be the one to explain to Mr. Rhince that we are abandoning the search for his family."

Drinian looked ashamed as his gaze shifted between them. "I'll get back to it. Just a word of warning. The sea can play nasty tricks on a crew's mind. Very nasty. Your Highness, may I escort you to your cabin?"

Mila shook her head. "I'll be all right, Captain. Thank you though for the kind offer."

Edmund waved goodbye to Mila and she walked through the ship and to her cabin. Lucy and Gael were already in the cabin. Gael was asleep, and Lucy looked close.

Lucy pulled out the spell and read it quietly, glancing to see Mila asleep. She knew Mila didn't approve of her wanting to be beautiful in such a way, but she had to do it.

LUCY'S DREAM

Lucy woke and realised the ship wasn't moving. Light was beaming through the windows and a large mirror was in the cabin. It was as though it appeared by magic. Lucy walked towards the mirror. Her nightgown changed into a blue dress with daffodils. She became slender and her hair curled. Her skin paled and she became Susan. She was beautiful. She opened the door and walked into a garden in what she guessed was America. 'In The Mood' by Glenn Miller played.