~By the Lion's Mane~ >A Narnian Fanfiction<

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

My chance for change came soon after my thirtieth birthday. We received news at the castle of war and uprising in the Lone Islands. The Narnian-appointed governor had been assassinated, and a tyrant had taken the government by force. He had the entire government under his rule now, had reinstated the slave trade with Calormen, ruled with an iron fist and by military force, and the people of the Islands were miserable.

"It seems like every time I solve one conflict and come home for awhile, something else goes and happens!" Peter complained when he got the news. He paced back and forth, his brother and sisters watching him.

"Send someone else to solve it then," Lucy suggested. "You shouldn't have to do everything."

Susan rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "But he's the High King, Lu. People expect him to do it."

Lucy snapped back, "I'm not a child Susan! I'm twenty-six! I know all of that, and you don't have to explain everything to me!"

Edmund just leaned silently against the wall, watching his sisters argue while Peter paced, running his fingers through his hair.

"It's not about whether people want me to do it or not. I've got bigger problems to deal with, like the giants and the bandits in the Wilds and all of that rubbish! I need someone reliable and experienced that I could send in my place to get the job done quickly."

I stood up straighter. This was my chance. "Send me," I said.

Suddenly all eyes were on me.

Lucy was the first to speak. "Yes, Peter! Send Rose! She's definitely experienced, and we know she's reliable. She can do it for you." She gave me an approving smile.

Peter looked thoughtful for a moment, but then Edmund spoke. "I think the job would be better for someone like Oreius. I doubt that the Islanders will take a woman seriously. They're more... traditional there. And you'll need the support of the people to get rid of the bastard who calls himself the governor now."

I was indignant. "What? You don't think they'll take me seriously enough? Or is that just an excuse for you to order me around again? You still haven't forgiven me for following you to Anvard, even after all this time and when you said you were over that!"

Edmund's mouth opened and closed as he looked from me to Peter. "You hear her? She is constantly accusing me of not treating her with enough respect! If anything, I deserve more respect from her." Then he spoke to me directly. "You think this is about Anvard? If so, then it's obviously you who hasn't gotten over it!"

 I raised my voice to a yell. "That is such a lie! I never-,"

"Enough!" Peter shouted. We both stopped in midsentence and looked at him. He took a deep breath.

"Rose, if you really want to go to the Islands, then you can go," he raised his hand when Edmund opened his mouth to protest. "I trust you to get the job done, and I'll organize a small army for you, and we'll begin stocking a ship. You'll depart in three days."

And it was decided.

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I packed my things and made sure the ship was stocked and ready to go, and three days later, we set sail for the Lone Islands. I hugged Susan and Lucy and Peter goodbye. But I only shook hands with Edmund stiffly, and our smiles were forced. He bade me a polite goodbye which drove me to spend my first evening aboard the ship in my cabin crying.

We made good time because the winds were in our favor. We spent four days sailing to the islands of Terbinthia, where we made port for a night to restock for the final leg of our journey. I sent a letter back to Cair Paravel, and then we were on our way again. We had two more days of clear weather, and then we noticed low gray clouds piling up on the horizon.

The storm struck that night, and no one slept a wink. Rain poured down in sheets, the waves rose thirty feet high and were capped in white. The sea was steely gray, and the wind drove the rain sideways into our eyes. The deck of the ship pitched and bucked up and down under our feet, crashing through the waves and sending cascades of saltwater over the railing on top of us. The captain and I stood on deck, he steering and I shouting orders at the top of my lungs. I was up there most of the night, shivering and terrified, though I couldn't show it. But finally there was a lull in the storm, and I staggered into my cabin and fell asleep in my soaked clothes.  

When I woke again, the sun was shining and the sea was calm again. The storm had moved on, and we had a good strong wind behind us, pushing us steadily toward our destination. Finally, after a week and a half of sailing, the sailor in the crows' nest cried, "Land ahead!" I squinted toward the horizon, and could make out a small gray smudge which steadily grew larger and thicker as the day went on.

We found a natural harbor on the coast of Felimath, which was the larger northern island that was uninhabited except by sheep and cattle and ponies. We spent a night there, planning the next day. I slept with Anduril's flank as my pillow on the beach. He had been happier than anyone to see land after the storm, and I apologized over and over for bringing him. I had only brought him because I would need a mount for the extensive time I would be overseeing the reorganization of the government after we got rid of the tyrant who had taken over.

I stayed awake long after the rest of the solders had gone to sleep, staring into the fire. As my eyelids grew heavier, I imagined figures dancing in the flames; unicorns, fauns, Aslan, deer, all sorts of things. But my last thoughts were of Edmund, and how our goodbyes had been had been about as hostile as our very first meeting all those years ago.