The Abandoned Island for starbrowsings

[nfe-gremlin.livejournal.com]

Title: The Abandoned Island
Author: october_26 / DW: hyrdrangea
Recipient: starbrowsings
Rating: PG
Content/Warnings: None
Summary: When Lucy finds a skull on a seemingly abandoned island, a decision from the Golden Age comes back to haunt them and things begin to change.
Author's Notes: Thanks to J for the beta!



The Abandoned Island


The island rose like a dark tooth from the sea; a black rock surrounded by white waters crashing against its base. The harsh winds drove the ship towards the jagged reefs and Drinian fought to keep the Dawn Treader from being carried along beyond her depth. Sailors were scurrying around the ship and Lucy had tucked herself in the dragon's mouth, out of the way and nearly forgotten. Salt was crusted on her face and in her hair, her clothing was wet and uncomfortable against her skin. She noticed none of that, her eyes fastened on the island.

"Lucy!" someone called behind her.

She didn't turn. "Yes?" she yelled against the wind.

"The boat has been readied! We're going ashore!"

She slid back on her stomach and made her way back to the deck proper. Caspian handed her a cloak, still warm from his body. He said nothing as she pulled it tighter about her.

"Where's Edmund?" she asked, tucking the hair plastered to her cheeks behind her ears. She could see Eustace at the railing, sword at his side.

"Down below." Caspian nodded towards the boat. "He climbs like a squirrel, your brother. You should've worn something warmer."

"It wasn't cold went I went there," she said. She accepted her dagger and her bow from a sailor, then swapped Caspian's cloak for her own as the sailor handed it to her. "Will Drinian be able to return this far in again?"

Caspian shook his head. "He doesn't think it likely until the winds calm. Once we're ashore, we're on our own."

Lucy sought out the island and the small white stripe they were hoping was a waterfall and therefore a source of fresh water. "Aslan will take care of us."

Caspian said nothing to that, but held her bow as she wrapped the belt with her quiver around her hips. "Do you have your cordial?" he asked, once she was finished.

"Always." She took off towards the railing, swinging herself over and climbing the ladder down to the boat. Edmund steadied her as she let go, then turned to do the same for Caspian as she half-staggered to join Eustace at the second bench. He shifted to the side, looking faintly green. "I thought you had gotten better," she said.

"It's awfully rocky." He slapped his mouth after saying that, then leaned over the rail to quietly rid himself of the day's breakfast. Lucy handed him a flagon of water when he sat up again; he nodded his thanks.

Edmund and Caspian took to the oars and soon they were making swift headway towards the shore. Lucy watched as Drinian began the work to take the Dawn Treader back out to sea. Reepicheep had climbed the crow's nest and she could see him standing guard over their passage to the island.

The waves hitting the sides of their boat calmed. Lucy carefully edged to the prow and bent down, peering into the water. She could see the bottom far below, white with sand. "A natural harbor," she realized. "If we continue straight ahead, we won't enter the reef."

Eustace bent down beside her. "I don't think its natural," he disagreed, pointing to the side. "Look! If that rock hasn't been shattered artificially, I will gift my collections at home to science."

Lucy peered in the indicated direction. It didn't look natural, she had to admit, and as she let her eyes follow the line of rocks to the side the pattern continued.

"Do you think the island is inhabited?" Eustace asked, his eyes turned to the great waterfall, visible in more detail now.

"We'll know soon," Lucy said, squeezing his hand.

It took them a good amount of time to reach the innermost part of the reef, then they turned around a large rock protruding from the water and linking a jutting part of the mountain with the reef, and found themselves staring into a round cove with calm, green waters.

"It's beautiful," Eustace whispered.

For a moment, Lucy was so proud over him that it hurt. The Eustace that had arrived with them would never have seen the beauty of a wild, uncivilized place like an island in the middle of the sea. She hugged him fiercely.

"There, there," he said awkwardly, patting her back.

They chose a spot at the far end of the beach to land. As the water grew shallow, Lucy hopped out of the boat along with Eustace and towed it to the shore. Edmund and Caspian grabbed the belongings they had put away for rowing, then joined them on the beach.

"We should go to the waterfall first," Edmund said. "If anyone lives here, they should be close to the fresh water."

Caspian, who had studied the forest line above the beach with a hand shadowing his eyes, said, "I can't see any signs of life."

"It might be abandoned," Eustace opinioned. "Or there would've been boats here."

Lucy wandered up the beach, bending to peer at something stuck in the sand. "I don't think anyone lives here." She gently brushed the sand from the skull embedded in the sand, the bone bleached white from the sun. "Or at least they haven't for a long time."

Eustace looked decidedly green again.

"It looks human," Caspian said, kneeling beside her. "It may be that the knights came here."

"Shouldn't we bury it--him?" Eustace asked, back firmly turned to the remains.

"We can't," Lucy explained, standing again. "We don't know the customs of these people. It might be that they're supposed to be left for the sun and winds."

"Then can we at least move away?"

"Come, cousin," Edmund said, taking pity on him. "Let's walk along the water to see if there's any signs of a proper harbor down there."

Lucy fingered the arrows on her hip. There was something odd about this island, she thought, something that she didn't quite like.

"We should walk the forest line," Caspian said, rising and dusting off his knees. "If this was a harbor at some point, there ought to be ruins within the trees."

Retreating from the burning sun was a blessing in the sheltered cove. Lucy found herself walking deeper within the shade, where grass met sand. Caspian, always the protector, walked even further in, needing to bend his head to avoid branches. They both kept a look out for stone structures, but they were soon half-way along the cove without a single sign of inhabitation.

They had just passed a giant tree covered in some sort of vine when Lucy came to a stop. That sense of wrongness that had itched in her mind had revealed itself and suddenly she knew what it was. "Caspian," she said, touching his arm to make him stop. "Listen."

He frowned at her. "I hear nothing."

She nodded. "Where are the birds?" she asked. "The animals? Look at the beach -- do you see a single crab or sand snake?"

Caspian stared at her, then turned to look into the forest. "Edmund!" he called a moment later. "Have you seen anything?"

Edmund and Eustace, further along the beach, raised their heads. "Nothing!" Edmund called back. "You?"

Lucy, her eyes caught by something in the distance, grabbed Caspian's arm again. "We need to move into the forest."

"What?" Caspian looked at her in confusion, then turned to respond to a sign Edmund made in their direction. "What do you mean?"

Lucy slowly began to back into the forest. She held tight to Caspian's arm, dragging him along with her and thanking Aslan that he was too polite to make her let go. Edmund, having caught Lucy's behavior, looked in the same direction, grabbed Eustace and led him at a fast sprint to the rocky outcrops at the far end of the shore.

There was a smudge against the sky above the waterfall. If you didn't look too closely, you would dismiss it as a cloud or a tall tree. If you looked at it for more than a moment or two, however, you would realize that it moved.

"What is it?" Caspian hissed, finally catching on to her apprehension.

Wordlessly, she pointed. The speck could barely be seen between the trees and now it was close enough now for them to see what it was. Caspian whitened and said something he must've learned from a black dwarf, then he reversed Lucy's grip on him and began towing her deeper into the forest. Lucy spotted a hollow tree that would fit them both. She pointed it out to Caspian and they swiftly climbed within.

"I thought they were all dead," Caspian said hoarsely, just as the air began to buzz with the song of metal meeting metal.

Lucy didn't say anything. She squeezed her eyes closed as best as she could. She wished she could plug her ears, but she knew that nothing could stop the song. Caspian took her hand, his fingers clenching around hers. The trees shivered as the flock passed above them. Leaves, shredded, rained down on the two of them. Something big crashed between the trees, passed to the side of them. Then, as fast as they had appeared, they were gone.

Her muscles were frozen with fear. She felt cold, even with Caspian's heat beside her. Her hand, clasped in his, shook--or was that him? The forest was waking up outside the hollowed tree. She could hear the sound of animals moving around, of birds stirring from their hidden spots. Aslan, she thought, gathering her courage. She warmed again and then she could move.

"Stymphalian birds," Caspian whispered, as she wiggled to her feet next to him. "They've been gone--no one has seen them since the Golden Age."

Lucy gave him a hand up. "We drove them from Narnia," she said grimly. "Now we know where they went."

Caspian frowned. "Lucy..." When she refused to meet his eye, he gently nudged her chin up with two fingers. "You couldn't have known."

"No, we couldn't," Lucy agreed. "But we should've known better."

It was a challenge to make it out of the tree again. The drop to the bottom of the hollow was not insignificant and in the end, Caspian hefted Lucy above to lodge herself between two branches and pull him up. Sprawled uncomfortably across the hollow, Caspian panted while Lucy returned her bow to her back. She had missed dwarf work -- it was durable in a way English craftsmanship could never match.

"We need to find Edmund and Eustace," Caspian said finally, dropping easily to the ground, bent knees absorbing the impact.

Lucy judged the same distance and opted to let Caspian catch her about the waist. His hands felt large and warm; she found she didn't dislike the feeling.

Edmund and Eustace had already crawled from their hiding place when they returned to the beach. They were covered in muck up to the top of their heads and Eustace had seaweed clinging to his collar.

"There's underwater caves," Edmund reported. "They're a bother to get into, however."

Lucy picked the seaweed off Eustace, flinging it into the water. "Did you see them?" she asked.

"Yes." Edmund looked in the direction the birds had gone. "We made a grave mistake."

Eustace piped up, unaware of his cousins' ill moods, "We found the harbor." Having caught Lucy's and Caspian's attention, he gestured towards the rocks they had run towards before. "There's an overhang out there that leads into a giant cavern. There's still a pier in there but it doesn't look like it's been used for a while."

"There's a set of stairs leading above as well," Edmund added. "From my estimation, it leads in the direction of the waterfall."

"Then it's a place to begin," Caspian summarized. "Need we swim?"

"Eustace and I do," Edmund answered with a grimace. "The two of you might wade along the rock; it's shallow enough if you watch your feet."

"I'll take your swords," Caspian offered.

The two of them held them out without a word. Lucy tried not to smile.

There was, as Edmund had said, a ledge to walk on along the cliff. Lucy peered down at it as she walked, but couldn't tell whether it had been made by nature or something else. Caspian, having taken the lead, appeared to be strangely occupied with something and Lucy, having been raised properly and, what was more, having ruled a country for almost two decades, wisely didn't bother him. Instead she enjoyed the sun, kept watch over the two swimming figures and attempted not to fall down the slippery slope of guilt and regret.

The cavern was as large as Lucy had imagined it. At least three ships of the Dawn Treader's size could fit inside and several smaller boats as well. The ledge deposited them at the end of the pier, Caspian giving Lucy a hand up the side.

"I wonder if they began to use this because of the birds or if it was in use before that," Caspian said, looking around.

Lucy walked up the pier, studying the stonework. "I think it might have been built long before the birds came. Look, there--" She pointed into the water. "It looks as if there's older structures below, abandoned when the waterline rose."

Caspian grabbed her by the belt as she nearly bent too far. "Careful," he warned. "Your brother will kill me if you fall in, hit your head and drown."

"He wouldn't," Lucy disagreed. "He would, however, make you fetch me up and press the water from my lungs before he saved the day with my cordial."

Caspian shook his head. "Nevertheless." He took her hand almost thoughtlessly and began to pull her toward the shore. Lucy looked at their clasped hands, then smiled and didn't comment. "I wonder where these stairs your brother spoke of are."

"Well, the waterfalls would be this way," Lucy said, beginning to walk with Caspian following obediently. "It shouldn't be too hard to find them."

The stairs weren't much more than roughly hewn steps in the rock, winding upwards into full darkness. Lucy went to the first bend, peering around it.

Caspian squeezed her hand after a moment. "Do you see anything?"

"Nothing at all," Lucy said cheerfully. "Best we wait for Edmund and Eustace. I'm sure one of them brought firesteel and I know I saw a pile of old driftwood on the shore."

"We might as well sit then," Caspian decided, then promptly did so, pulling Lucy down beside him. She let herself settle a bit closer to him than she normally would, his shoulder warm against hers. He didn't say anything, so she stayed like that, half-closing her eyes and listening for the sound of swimmers.

Against her intentions, her thoughts soon turned from her brother and cousin, however, and toward their findings on the island. It had been a grim time, those first years after the defeat of the White Witch. Her army, scattered across Narnia, had raided and pillaged, fighting despite the fact that their leader was dead. They had put the rebellious factions down, one after one, had driven off more than a few of them. At the time, it seemed like the expedient thing to do. Now, however...

Oh, Aslan! Did we truly drive those wretched creatures off simply to send them to other innocent people? Her throat felt tight.

Self-pity does not become you, my daughter.

She straightened; Caspian threw her an odd look that she ignored. But Aslan--!

What has come to pass has come to pass. You can only move forward.

"Lucy?" Caspian had turned towards her, she realized, and was looking at her with a frown. "Is something wrong?"

She smiled a bit wetly. "I got a talking to." He touched her face, swiping his thumbs beneath her eyes. She'd been crying, she realized."I spoke to Aslan," she admitted, laughing ruefully. "I think I was feeling a bit too sorry for myself."

Wonder grew on Caspian's face. "You spoke to Aslan?"

"In my heart."

"And he answered?"

Lucy took his hand. "He always answers," she told him gently. "The only question is whether you listen."

A noise came from the bottom of the stairs.

"And some of us need him to shout," Edmund said, coming around the corner with a lit torch in his hand. "Don't feel too much like a lout if it takes you some time to hear him. Not all of us are as open as my sister."

Eustace came trudging behind him, another torch in his hand. From his expression, he had heard as much as Edmund but understood about as much as Caspian. Lucy smiled at him; he smiled tentatively back.

"Few of us are like your sister," Caspian said, taking Lucy's hand again and entangling their fingers comfortably.

"All too true," Edmund admitted laconically. He stepped past them to swipe the torch upwards. "Well, then -- should we continue?"

Edmund took the lead this time, lighting their way with Eustace bringing up the rear. Neither of them commented on Lucy's and Caspian's linked hands and Lucy was quietly grateful.

The stairs appeared to climb forever, and just as Lucy wanted to voice her wish for a rest, the light began to turn grey and soon the torches were no longer needed. The scent of fresh air began to reach them and soon enough they stepped out beneath another overhang to find themselves looking out over a deep valley with an almost perfectly circular lake at the bottom.

"It reminds me of Narnia," Caspian said quietly.

"The Lake of Stars," Lucy agreed, remembering the lake high up in the northern mountains. "We used to go there in summer with the najads to greet the old lake god."

"He was awfully grumpy," Edmund remembered. "The najads adored him, however."

Eustace had gone a bit further down the path as they watched the view -- not far enough to disappear but far enough he could see below them. "There's ruins down there," he called up. "I don't think anyone lives there."

Lucy jogged after him, letting go of Caspian. "Where?" she asked, nudging Eustace out of the way. "Oh! I see them. They look really old, don't they?"

"Like that pier," Eustace agreed.

"It looks like a good place to make camp," Edmund noted as he caught up together with Caspian. "There's cover from the birds, should they return, and close to the fresh water."

Caspian, who had carried most of their food on his back up the stairs, looked slightly relieved.

Edmund caught the look. "I offered to carry some," he reminded Caspian.

"You carry more than I do as is," Caspian said shortly.

Edmund sighed and put the torch away. "There, now give me a bag before you break your back."

Caspian hesitated, glancing at Lucy of all things, then handed him a bag.

"Now then," Lucy said brightly, "let's go! I want to see this lost village below."

"Don't go too far ahead," Caspian warned as she and Eustace began to pick up speed.

The last thing Lucy heard before she and Eustace turned a corner, was Edmund chortling and saying, "That's not the right thing to tell my sister, Caspian." She smiled. He did know her well.

The buildings sprawled all the way from the mountain to the lake. Partly grass-covered roads winded between crumbling stone walls and ivy had climbed a good number of the walls until you could barely see there were stones beneath. Lucy peeked into the closest building and found high grass growing within, bright flowers breaking up the green. There was no remains of furniture, nor, as far as she could tell, any physical remains from the inhabitants.

Eustace, who had walked further into the village, managed to turn something over with a big bang. "I'm fine," he called a moment later.

"What was it?" Lucy called back, making her way over.

"Door," Eustace replied a bit sheepishly and stuck his head out of a large building. "I knocked a bit too hard."

Lucy looked down at the former door lying shattered on the floor. "I'll say."

"Anyway, look!" Eustace said, pointing further into the building. "This must've been some sort of place to gather. You can still see that there's a fireplace in the middle of the building and I think there's a well at the back as well."

"Sounds like a good place to stay," Caspian noted as he stepped inside.

Edmund's voice came from the outside, "We need cover from the birds."

"We can pull the ivy across that small room over there," Eustace said, pointing to the back. "It'll be warmer as well."

"If we gather reeds by the lake, they'll make good bedding," Lucy added.

"We're not staying long," Caspian pointed out.

"Doesn't mean we can't be comfortable," Edmund told him, passing him to inspect the house. "Looks nice."

"I'll go down to the lake," Lucy volunteered. "I want to see how it looks."

Edmund gave her an odd look. "You should take Caspian with you."

Lucy fought the urge to flush. "I'll be fine."

"I don't mind." Caspian had left his burdens by their intended resting place and now came back to smile at her. "You can tell me about the Lake of Stars."

Lucy startled. "You haven't seen it?"

Caspian looked into the distance, a faraway look in his eyes. "Much has been improved in Narnia, but it's still dangerous to travel too far north."

"Giants?" Edmund asked quietly.

Caspian shook his head. "Dark creatures," he said grimly. "They staked their territory there while the Old Narnians were still in hiding. It's not easy to drive them out."

It had been a long time since Lucy had seen that look on his face -- not since their run in with the slavers. She reached out and took his hand. "Then I will tell you all about the lake," she said, "and in return, you can tell me more of what has happened in Narnia since our last visit. You never did get around to telling me about rebuilding Cair Paravel."

Caspian squeezed her hand back, then let go to take her arm instead. "Then let's go, your majesty. I believe there's a lake waiting for us."

It was impossible to walk towards the lake in a straight line, the streets appearing to be circular or at least oddly weaving. Lucy found that she didn't much mind, enjoying having the time to talk with Caspian without duties and chores tugging either of them away. Eventually, however, the lake spread out in front of them. Lucy kicked off her sandals and went to bathe her feet in the water. It was warm, she noted, from the sun or from the well that must feed it at its bottom.

"I'll turn my back if you wish to swim," Caspian offered.

"I shouldn't." Lucy sighed regretfully -- the water was awfully nice. "The birds might return and I do not wish to spend the night hidden among the reeds."

Caspian winced. "I see your point."

They gathered the reeds and returned to the house, finding a fire crackling cheerfully in a pit with food warming above it.

"How was it?" Eustace wanted to know.

"Beautiful," Lucy replied, dropping the reeds in their cubby. "I hope that we can take a longer look tomorrow."

"The birds came from this direction though," Edmund reminded her. "They might be back."

Lucy didn't say that she almost wished that they would. There was some reason they had been pulled to this island, she knew it, and she was most certain the birds had something to do with it.

They bedded down after finishing the food and banking the fire. By some unvoiced agreement, Lucy ended up next to Caspian with Eustace on Caspian's other side as Edmund took first watch. Dark had fallen quickly and as Lucy curled herself into a comfortable position, she found herself shivering.

Caspian rustled behind her. "Cold?" he asked, his voice raspy as if he was already beginning to fall asleep.

"A little."

Wordlessly, he scooted closer and put an arm around her, pulling her close to him. "Try to sleep," he said.

Lucy nestled closer, soaking in the warmth of his body. Aslan, she thought, but then didn't continue. Some things were best left unvoiced.

Eustace woke her when the sun was only a speck at the horizon and she reluctantly rolled out of Caspian's embrace. She took her bow, leaning against the wall, and climbed the wall to a flat broken section they had used as watch point. The lake was a calm mirror in the distance, black painted with pink as the sun slowly rose. There was no sign of the birds and Lucy found herself watching the sky as it exploded in a cascade of colors.

Then, at the moment when the sun created an omega above the horizon, something appeared coming out from the mountain. Fire, bold and bright, flew over the lake; a song, wild and beautiful echoed over the waters. Lucy climbed to her feet, balancing on the stone, her heart thudding. The fire turned in midair, coming towards her. She should've moved, should've taken cover, but Aslan's calm came over her and she only watched as the fire became a firebird and then landed softly, soundlessly on the broken wall in front of her.

"Queen Lucy of Narnia," it said, its voice a spoken song. "I would not have anticipated seeing you here."

"Phoenix," she breathed, then, "Anora."

"No," the phoenix denied with a fluffing of her feathers. "Anora was the mother of my grandfather. I am Melora."

"Melora," Lucy corrected herself. "I loved your ancestress very much."

Melora inclined her head, golden feathers fluffed and proud. "She returned the feeling -- enough so to preserve it through her line. I did not, however, ever believe that I would meet you, though she thought that you might return, by Aslan's will. This island is far from Narnia's border."

"We're on a quest," Lucy said, then further explained what had brought them to the island.

"I see." Melora's crest feathers drooped. "Then I have an answer for one of your questions. One of the knights did land here and never returned to sea."

Lucy's mind turned to the skull on the beach. "Do you know his name?"

"Revilian was his name and a close friend of mine." Melora turned her head towards the cove, as if she could see the remains below. "I came with him to this island and I find that I do not want to leave without him."

Lucy frowned. A phoenix was a powerful bird, eternal and magical, but even Melora would have a hard time standing against a whole flock of stymphalian birds. "If I may ask," she began, "what..."

Melora suddenly burst into flame, a flap of her great wings taking her into the air. "Go!" she commanded. "Hide with your friends!"

Lucy caught the speck in the distance as she turned. Eyes widening, she dropped off the wall without climbing and ran into the covered sleeping place. She woke the others quietly and they withdrew deeper into their ivy-clad room. Lucy put an arrow to her bow and the others drew their swords. It was not likely the birds would find them, but if they did, they would be prepared.

The song of steel came and went without incident. After what seemed a reasonable amount of time, they came out of their shelter and Lucy once again climbed the wall in hope of seeing Melora.

"What are you looking for?" Edmund called from below.

Lucy opened her mouth to answer, but something held her back. Aslan? she asked within. There was no answer. In the distance, she caught a speck of light against the mountain and somehow, she knew that was where she must go.

"Drinian will take the Dawn Treader to shore tomorrow," Caspian told Edmund. "It seems these birds fly in the mornings -- we should start back soon and make sure to head Drinian off before he comes to close."

"We're not going further?" Edmund said with some surprise.

Caspian shook his head. "There's something about this place--can't you feel it? An ill-boding sense of not being wanted."

"I have felt it," Edmund admitted, "but I would loathe to depart before we solve the mystery of this place."

Lucy left them to their discussion and hopped down from the wall. "I'm going down to the lake," she told Eustace, who was in charge of the morning's breakfast.

"Is that safe?" he asked with a furrowed brow. "I thought we agreed not to split up on strange islands."

Lucy patted her bow. "I'm safe enough. Besides..." She thought for a way to explain the emotion that was driving her towards the speck of light without mentioning Melora. Coming up with nothing, she decided to tell at least part of the truth. "Something pulls me there. I don't know what or who, but I don't think it's anything that might be a danger."

Eustace looked at her for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, you do seem to know these things." He glanced at Caspian and Edmund. "I won't stop them from charging to the rescue, however."

Lucy smiled. "They won't." Somehow, she was utterly sure of that.

She hugged the lake shore as she walked towards the light. It was a very nice walk -- sea birds had come out in the wake of the stymphalian birds and were swooping above her; rabbits and other small creatures were looking at her without fear from their holes and perches. Lucy rather thought that the island must be a very nice place to live -- at least before. The last bit of the way, she had to climb a rough slope of rocks and lichen, careful lest she slip. When she at last heaved herself over the edge, she found herself staring at a great bird's nest, lined with moss and grass. Within rested two chicks, red-feathered and shining with a bright light. It was not young phoenixes, however, it was two young stymphalians.

"Oh," Lucy said softly, then promptly sat down, her legs going out beneath her. "Oh, you are beautiful, aren't you?"

"Thank you, your majesty."

Lucy whipped around, surprised by the voice that did not belong to Melora. "Oh!" she said again, then needed to wet her throat before continuing. "You must be the father," she told the great stymphalian bird that had landed behind her, larger than even Melora and looking quite fierce with jagged steel quills and bright yellow eyes.

The stymphalian inclined his head. "I'm called Danez," he offered. "Our chicks are a bit too young for names yet, but will soon be grown enough to show their personalities."

"I'm pleased to meet you," Lucy said automatically, then laughed. "I really am so pleased to meet you!"

Danez rustled a little in embarrassment. "Melora told me you wouldn't be afraid of me," he noted curiously, "and it does seem that she was right."

"How can I be afraid of someone like you?" Lucy asked, reaching out, then pausing, "May I...?"

Danez obligingly shuffled closer, letting Lucy run a finger over his cold, steel feathers.

"I've never been so close to one of you before," Lucy said quietly. "I wish I had been -- then I'd know that you're as much a work of Aslan as phoenixes are."

"Oh, don't be sorry," Danez said. "My kin are quite a bit rougher than I am -- they haven't had the benefit of Melora as of yet."

"She told me that she came by ship."

Danez nodded. "She came along with a man that she loved very much -- Revilian." He hopped into the nest and retrieved something from a hollow in one side. "Here," he said, dropping a medallion into Lucy's lap. "Melora wanted you to have this."

Lucy ran her fingertips across the smooth gold. "This must be his crest of arms," she said softly. "Caspian will be pleased to know what happened to another knight."

"He was a good man," Danez said hesitantly. "He was afraid of us at first, but he learned to live alongside my kin. Melora protected him and, eventually, we grew to respect him."

"I don't think that many could do what he did," Lucy confessed.

"You are," Danez pointed out.

Lucy laughed, startled. "I guess I am." She looked over her shoulder towards the village ruins. "I should go back."

"We will keep the kin from the cove until you leave," Danez said, gently pushing a chick to the side when it pecked at his leg. He looked at her for a moment. "Will you come here again?"

Lucy shook her head. "I wish that I could," she said, looking out over the lake, then at the bright chicks at her feet.

Danez nodded. "I'll help you below," he said. "It looked dangerous to clamber over the rocks as you did."

Lucy looked ruefully at her knees. She had scraped both of them open and her breeches would truly never be the same again. "I would be honored," she told him, "and very grateful."

Danez clasped her gently in his claws, then flapped his great wings and took to the air. For a moment, Lucy could see all of the lake as it bathed in the sunlight. Then, they approached the ground once again and Danez dropped her into the sand at the shore. She landed on her feet, hair wild after the short flight.

"Thank you," she said to Danez.

He nodded his great head, then took off to fly back to his chicks, leaving Lucy to walk back to her own companions. Caspian met her at the door, taking one look at her face and choosing not to say anything. Instead, he let her wrap her arms around his middle and held her gently for a moment.

"We're ready to go," he said eventually.

Lucy nodded against his leather-clad shoulder. "A moment," she said, needing just a little more time to let the memory of what she'd seen settle in her heart. His arms tightened around her as reply.



***



She presented him with the medallion on the ship as they followed the wind away from the island.

"Revilian," Caspian said, running his thumb over the emblem etched in the gold. "It's said that he had a great bird with him as he went. I wonder what happened to it."

Lucy looked back towards the island. "Maybe it's still there. Maybe it even flies with the stymphalians."

Caspian gave her an odd look, then put the medallion in his pocket.

"Drinian wants you below," Edmund said, coming over.

Caspian nodded and departed, leaving Edmund to lean at the rail next to Lucy. She looked at him, waiting for him to say something. He remained silent however, leaning his head back to watch the sky.

"Do you remember Anora?" Lucy said after a short while, turning her head to watch his face.

"Yes," he answered. "Was that who you met?"

Lucy was not really surprised that Edmund had seen through her. "The great-grandaughter," she said. "She knew me."

Edmund laughed. "I'm not surprised." He looked at her. "Are you all right?"

Lucy thought for a moment. "I am," she said finally. "It was nice to see her descendant."

Edmund nodded. "Why don't we go below?" he suggested. "I want to trounce Caspian at chess another time."

Lucy followed him, sparing a last look back at the island. Thank you, Aslan, she thought.

She didn't think she imagined the soft purr in her ears.




Original Prompt that we sent you: Any permutation or combination of the following:

Possible ships: Lucy/Caspian, Aravis/Cor, Jill/anybody, Lucy/Male OC, Lucy/Tumnus, Lucy/Edmund (if you're up for Pevencest), open to others too. Lucian is the ship o' my heart so anything you do with them would be awesome, but I'd love to see Caspian in Spare Oom or the two of them going on a quest together.

Steampunk AU, either in England or Narnia. (Apocalyptic Winter, mechanical lion, airship battles, that kind of thing)

Swanwhite II (let's assume she existed, year 1502 on Lewis's timeline): who was she and what did she do? Was Narnia at peace or war then? Were there any signs of future Telmarine invasion? Did she rename herself after the first Swanwhite for symbolic power?

Mrs. Le Fay from Magician's Nephew is Morgan le Fay (or an incarnation/descendent) and fakes her death to get rid of Andrew; she has bigger game to catch - Digory and/or Polly. Perhaps even Jadis is one of her former students. Feel free to borrow from Lewis's Le Fay Fragment for this one (the plot is online, the manuscript itself is in Walter Hooper's Past Watchful Dragons)

Gary Stu falls into Narnia, what happens next? Put all your brilliant satire skills to work! (Bonus points if there's somehow real romance!)

For the brave of heart: SMUT! I would so totally thrilled with anything your heart may desire to write. Het, slash, multi, OC, Pevencest, Human-on-Narnian, etc. It can be as oblique or explicit as you like, but I'm all about the senses and emotions.


Prompt words/objects/quotes/whatever:

"It would be far truer to say that fairy land arouses a longing for he knows not what. It stirs and troubles him with the dim sense of something beyond his reach and, far from dulling or emptying the actual world, gives it a new dimension of depth. He does not despise real woods because he has read of enchanted woods: the reading makes all real woods a little enchanted." -C.S. Lewis, On Three Ways of Writing for Children

"Call us what you will, we are made such by love." -John Donne

"Inexorably Joy proclaimed, ëYou want ó I myself am your want of ó something other, outside, not you nor any state of you.' I did not yet ask, Who is the desired? Only What is it? But this brought me already into the region of awe, for I thus understood that in deepest solitude there is a road right out of the self, a commerce with something which, by refusing to identify itself with any object of the senses, or anything whereof we have biological or social need, or anything imagined, or any state of our own minds, proclaims itself sheerly objective. Far more objective than bodies, for it is not, like them, clothed in our senses; the naked Other, imageless (though our imagination salutes it with a hundred images), unknown, undefined, desired." C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy

Comments

[moriwen1.livejournal.com]

Wow! This is a brilliant story, and so believable. I love how you write scenery -- it really sucks you in, and you manage very vivid imagery without getting long-winded or boring. Eustace getting to identify rocks was a nice touch, too. And the little scene with Lucy talking to Aslan was heartwarming; I love Edmund telling Caspian that most people have a little more trouble hearing. I imagine that was something Edmund learned the hard way.

Finally, I just love the basic concept. Of course they made some mistakes in the early years, and it's so perfect for them to get this little second chance.

[starbrowsings.livejournal.com]

:D I GOT MY UNTOLD VDT ADVENTURE I AM A HAPPY CAMPER! AND LUCIAN! AND ASLAN'S VOICE! AND PHOENIXES!

It was so Lucy to realize that their actions in the Golden Age had long-reaching consequences and feel responsible for that, but it was also so her to want to make things right by making new friendships and repairing the damage. I very much enjoyed the invention of the stymphalians and the backstory of how they were part of the Witch's army. I love when stories add their own details to canon, like the Lake of Stars here or the Phoenixes that Lucy knew and loved in the Golden Age. The scene where she meets Melora was amazing!

I was really delighted by the characterizations of Lucy as always so sensitive to Aslan's leading, no matter where she is, and Caspian half in wonder of this, unsure but so willing to learn from her. I was grinning happily at Eustace's scientific commentary and then his unexpected admission of how beautiful it was - d'awww {huggles sensitive Eustace}. Eustace is hard to get right and here he was just splendid and I loved how Lucy just welcomes him into the circle of things.

And then my beautiful Lucian! This was so splendidly done, all the tentative smiles and excuses to hold each other's hand and eeee the cloak still warm from his body made me melt :D. I really loved how the romance was in the background of the adventure but kind of permeated it throughout, very subtle and delicate, just beautiful!

THE LAST LINE WAHHHHH She didn't think she imagined the soft purr in her ears. THAT IS SO LUCY

Thank you mystery author for such a lovely story!

[jn208505.livejournal.com]

This story was really well done! I enjoyed reading it! Moved along well and fit right in VDT! Good work!

[autumnia]

This was a very visual story, and I love all the vivid descriptions you included here, from the geography to the feathers of the stymphalians. I thought you wrote everyone very well and loved seeing a bit of Aslan even though he wasn't really in the story. Melora and Danez were wonderful birds and I'm glad that Lucy was able to meet one of her friend's descendants and was able to see that not all of the stymphalians were bad.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

This is a really well-done story! The characterizations of Lucy and Eustace are particularly good. The descriptions are also wonderful, the island, the trees, the birds, and the benevolent presence of Aslan.

I know Starbrow loved those little Caspian/Lucy moments you stuck in there. As has been explained to me, Lucian is all very subtle, the feel of the body next to you, the warmth of the cloak, the hand in yours. So much is felt and understood and never said and I think you respected that dynamic and wrote is really well.

There was a great building sense of dread, too, as they wonder where the living things are, and then finally the Stymphalian birds come upon them. The cold steel feathers! The metal on metal! That is a great way to get a bit of steampunk in there to satisfy the prompt. Danez and Malora were both very well drawn too.

Well done!

[aurilly.livejournal.com]

I loved this! The thing with the metal birds was so original and brilliant. I have to say, at first I though they were on Lost island, what with the metal clanking and empty village and general creepiness. I loved the whole bit with the Phoenix. It was so beautifully described and magical and fit perfectly---this lovely thing in the middle of this creepy place. And the Lucy/Caspian was so subtle and lovely. Most of all, I adored Edmund's snarky practicality and good sense; you really nailed a perfect balance between a little boy and the Just King.

[heliopausa.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this! The sense of place was so vivid, at every point; I loved the way the Island breathed menace from the very beginning, and the unsureness of everything, and then how you gradually drew us through into understanding. Loved the metal-on-metal clashing sound that signals the Birds (very sensual writing, with sounds and textures so present).
And loved the Birds themselves, both kinds! And the way you left us with so many untold stories of the friendship between Revilian and the Firebird, and of the community (settlement?/civilisation?) which had been destroyed by the Stymphalian Birds, and those Birds themselves, and how they perceived the thousand years since they left Narnia... lots of stories!
Also the subtleties - Eustace arguing as a scientist about rock formations, for example, but showing his new, broader approach to things with the suggestion that what was left of Revilian should be buried (I'm sure the old Eustace wouldn't have even thought of that) only to be led gently a little further into the idea that people's culture as well as their bodies need to be acknowledged and valued.
Lovely story and left me wanting more! :)

[vialethe]

What a nice untold adventure! Your Lucy was just perfect, with the way she listened for Aslan's guidance and managed to feel so deeply for both innocent people she'd never met and the creatures who had once been their enemies.

I also loved Eustace's awkward response to her hug - it made me giggle! Well done.

[(Anonymous)]

This was lovely and so very sweet! The Lucian was wonderfully subtle but strong and Eustace's characterization was absolutely perfect. The whole story was such a great "this might have been" moment for VDT. Absolutely Wonderful!

-TiaBolt who is too lazy to log in right now.

[redsnake05.livejournal.com]

I loved the worldbuilding in this story: the birds were an amazing invention, and the whole island was described so vividly. I also especially loved that Eustace got to be an expert, even if just for a moment, and his comment about rocks made me smile.

[edenfalling]

I really like your descriptions of the island, and how the stymphalian birds are first described through sound (first the anticipatory silence, then the metal clashing of their wings) rather than sight; that's an unusual choice that works really well here. I also like that we never learn what happened to the people who once lived on the island. It's logical to assume that they left because of the birds, but since they fly at a regular time and it's relatively easy to hide from them (for the dumb animals as well) that doesn't seem a full explanation. I like the sense of mystery. And then the stymphalian birds turning out to have the potential for good is a nice touch, tying in to the way the Disney movies, at least, showed a minotaur as part of the Old Narnian resistance whereas formerly they had all been servants of Jadis. It's a hopeful sign that Caspian may be able to make some reconciliation with the dark creatures in northern Narnia instead of repeating the Pevensies' mistake and driving them out to wreak havoc elsewhere.

[wingedflight21.livejournal.com]

This is such a beautiful story. I love your descriptions - not just sight but so much sound (or the absence of) as well. It sets a mood that reminded me a lot of the part in PC when Lucy goes off on her own into the woods to find Aslan and the dancing trees. I always love reading about mythical creatures that don't show up as often in fic, so the stymphalian birds and the phoenix were a real delight! Especially with the history you managed to thread through their story as well.

[deepdarkwaters.livejournal.com]

This is great! Stymphalian birds always creeped me out in mythology, so I liked seeing the proper full characterisation you gave Danez. Such vivid details too, it's really lovely writing :)

[lady_songsmith]

I love the idea of Stymphalian birds! Great addition to Narnia. Lucy having an adventure like this is so nice, and your descriptions are amazing. I especially like the part where they're headed into the cave for that.

[ruanchunxian0.livejournal.com]

This is a wonderful adventure that fit perfectly into their voyage! It's wonderful that this really could have happened for real and the additions of stymphalian birds provide perfect world building both in the past and present. The Lucian aspects are quite lovely and comforting in their subtlety.

[snitchnipped.livejournal.com]

Another one of those lovely, quiet romances! I do love these...

Fantastic world building, too, and it's nice how this fit in nicely as an "untold story" from VoDT. I especially enjoy Lucy and Edmund's sibling relationship, and how adult Edmund is at not teasing about what he sees going on before his eyes between Caspian and Lucy.

I really enjoyed the differing birds, too...one considered evil, one good, but the lines do get a little blurred there, don't they?

Well done and thank you for writing!

[nasimwrites.livejournal.com]

Beautifully written! Everything was so Narnia... From the dialogue to the description, especially how it was all from Lucy's POV. Her awareness of Aslan was amazing and so inspiring and Eustace's new curiosity and his view of that world from a more scientific yet still loving stance was so nice to see... It's one of those things you don't realize you miss in the books until you see it in a fic xD I think I'm a Lucian shipper now! It was so subtle, but her affection for Caspian and his kind of awe towards her and interest makes them so real. I love how Edmund seemed to approve of their relationship (or almost-relationship) and how they just don't say anything about them holding hands xD and the phoenixes and the birds and Golden Age references... I love seeing her reflect on past mistakes and Aslan and aaaa... Beautiful!

[gingicat]

I like this, very much.

[turkeyish.livejournal.com]

Wonderful work! Everything you've put into this story is done so well - the details of the island, the initial fear of the creatures, Lucy's regret and doubt, but then the phoenix! And Danez! And the way everything turned out well in the end. And I particularly loved your Eustace. :) Well done!