[eleven: You have got to be joking]

"What food did you find?" Caspian asked his men after he had safely got Genevieve onto the Dawn Treader - her safety being his most important priority in the moment due to the guilt he felt after what happened earlier. Rhince turned to him suddenly, the food they had collected looking smaller than the King had hoped but nevertheless it was essential.

"It's volcanic, your Majesty. Not much grows." Rhince explained and Caspian nodded as his eyes set on Lucy for a moment, watching as the girl looked around in confusion.

"Where's Eustace?" She asked as she looked around again, Caspian doing the same as there was no sight of the boy.

"I believe he's out, not helping us load the boats." Reepicheep stated and Lucy shared a look with Ron who shrugged his shoulders at the girl.

"I looked a while ago and couldn't find him, seems to have wandered off." Ron explained and Lucy's eyes widened for a moment - that can't be good.

"Eustace! Eustace! " She screamed but there was no answer.

"Sweetheart, where are you?" Ron screamed as well, the lack of response his answer as a rumbling shook the ground of the shore they were on.

"Edmund, I've got a bad feeling." Lucy admitted and Edmund only nodded to his sister as he wiped his sword and placed it to his side.

"I'll go find him." He stated and Caspian and Ron shared a look and they nodded.

"I'll come with you." Caspian nodded and Ron smiled lightly as he placed his own sword to his side.

"Me too."

+++

"Sweetcheeks!"

"Eustace!"

"Eustace!"

The three wandered endlessly around the island, the boy in question was nowhere in sight and to say the three were worried was an understatement. Ron felt immense guilt for taking his eyes off the boy for once to help load the longboats with food. If only he had continued staring at the boy then maybe he wouldn't have wandered off. Upon walking to a cliff, Ron stopped for a moment as his eyes widened at what he saw.

"Hey, look at this!" Ron said as Caspian and Edmund joined him with frowns on their face.

"Treasure." Edmund whispered guiltily as Caspian turned to him.

"Trouble." He concluded as the three settled themselves down into the treasure cove, their eyes looking for Eustace or any indication that he had been there.

Piles and piles of treasure awaited them at the bottom, gold and rubies and emeralds glimmering in the summer sun as the three walked through - an unsettling feeling in each of their chests. Ron looked skeptically at the treasure, the smell of burning in the air as he looked around for anything to do with Eustace. That was when Edmund found the shoe.

"Eustace." Edmund whispered as he cradled the shoe to his chest, his eyes meeting Caspian's as they looked around for the boy but only found his burnt clothes and diary ion a pile on the floor.

"Oh my god! No!" Ron whispered as he started to tear up, tears threatening to fall from his feeble eyes as he looked at the clothes of his friend. He couldn't be dead.

"No! Oh, cousin." Edmund reminisced as Ron placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"I'm sorry." Caspian whispered to Edmund who only shook his head as he held the clothes tightly to his chest.

"He was just a boy. I never should have left him."

"It's my fault," Ron stated as he looked Edmund in the eye. "I should have kept my eye on him. I'm so sorry."

"What could have happened to him?"Edmund asked aloud and Caspian and Ron shared a look whilst Ron shrugged but Caspian spotted something behind him.

"In this place? Anything. And he wasn't the first." Caspian says as he walked over to a man who had been burnt to the bone -no flesh left at all as he sighed with tears in his eyes. "It's Lord Octesian."

"We should find his..." Ron started before he looked to his side and saw that Edmund was already one step ahead of him.

"...sword."

+++

"Are you okay Genevieve?" Gael asked the older woman in worry, watching as Lucy cleaned the cut on her arm and gave her a drop of her cordial which cleared up the wound completely - the older girl looking at the youngest with a smile.

"I'm fine now darling." She stated as she wrapped her arm around the youngest girl before turning to Lucy. "Thanks Lucy."

"It's okay." Lucy smiled as she put away her cordial. "What are sisters for?"

There was a roaring in the distance, everyone on the ship of the Dawn Treader turned their heads to look as large excesses of smoke rose into the air - Genevieve looking on in confusion with an unsettling feeling in her stomach. 

"What on earth...?" Genevieve asked as she looked over, her hand on Gael's shoulder as she pulled the girl closer to her.

"What was that?" Lucy asked as fire could be seen in the distance, Genevieve sharing a knowing look with Drinian as he nodded.

"Is it the volcano?" Gael asked innocently and Drinian only shook his head.

"Oh, no. That's no volcano." Drinian said as he turned round to the crew quickly, a stern tone in his voice. "All hands on deck there! Archers, arm yourselves!"

The dragon was scaled in delicate gold shields, not much thicker than a human fingernail. Yet from every place possible were sharp claw-like projections. They lay down his spine and from the edges of his wings. They fanned like aggressive blooms from his feet and elbows. It flew closer to the ship, the crew hurrying around trying to arm themselves.

"Here, here!"

"Take one and pass them on."

The dragon roars as it passes the ship, Genevieve holding Gael close in her arms to try and protect the girl as she looked at the dragon with wide eyes. Every Narnian stood in a central alignment, ready to shoot as they waited for Drinian who stood by the steering wheel eyeing the dragon that was flying aimlessly.

"Take your positions... and wait for my command." Drinian commanded as the dragon landed on the mast of the ship - Lucy eyeing it with wide eyes as Gael ran to the other side of the ship, hiding behind a barrel in fear.

"What's it doing?" Lucy asked as Drinian raised his hand into the air.

"Fire!" He commanded as the Narnians let their arrows go, the dragon dodging every arrow as the Narnians reloaded.

"Fire."

"Gael come here darling, I got you." Genevieve whispered as she held onto the girl behind the barrels, letting her cry into her shirt. "Shh it's okay darling."

"He'll break the mast." Drinian screamed as the dragon moved across the mast, the noble mouse looking with a determined look in his eye.

"Right!" Reepicheep stated as he ran up the mast, Drinian holding his arm out to his men.

"Hold your positions!" He shouted before he saw Reepicheep was up the mast. "Fire!"

"Fire!"

"Take that!" Reepicheep sneers as he stabs the dragon in the foot with his sword, the dragon falling from the mast, fire escaping its lips as it flies to land.

The dragon flies to land as three familiar silhouettes walk over the hill, their backs to the dragon as its eyes widen as he looks at them. Ron, who was at the back was immediately snatched up in one of its claws - a gasp escaping his lips as Caspian looks back and his eyes widen upon seeing the magnificent beast. It's eyes settle on Edmund as he pursues forward, its remaining claw aiming for Edmund as Caspian ducks his head.

"Edmund!" He screams as the dragon clutches Edmund in his claw and begins to fly towards the ship - Genevieve's eyes widening as she looks at the dragon.

"Ron! Edmund!"

"Edmund!" Lucy screams as she meets her brothers eye who looks panicked.

"Lucy! Genevieve!" He shouts as the dragon flies into the distance.

"Genny, help!" Ron's scream is faint and Genevieve barely hears it as tears well in her eyes.

The dragon flies the two boys over a volcano, the intoxicating smell of smoke filling the boys lungs as they continued to cough as the dragon took them to wherever he pleased. Ron wasn't scared however, the dragon's aura somewhat familiar to him as they flew over another volcano finally - Ron gasping at what he saw.

There in the volcano, written in lava, were the words: I AM EUSTACE!

"You have got to be joking." Edmund stated as he looked at the golden dragon who rolled his eyes before Ron smiled up at Eustace.

"Wicked!"

+++

The crew of the Dawn Treader stood on the shore later looking at the Eustace who was desperately trying to bite off the golden bracelet that had made him a dragon in the first place. Ron stood by his side as he ran his hand across his scales, trying to calm the dragon he had known as a friend with a smile on his face. Being a dragon didn't change his view on Eustace at all.

"He must have been tempted by the treasure." Edmund stated as he watched Eustace struggle.

"Everyone knows a dragon's treasure is enchanted." Caspian starts before Eustace growls at him and Caspian only smiles sheepishly. "Well, anyone from here."

Lucy hesitantly walks to Eustace, the dragon eyeing her as she removes the bracelet from her wrist - the dragon whining as he shook his wrist finally free from the wretched thing.

"Is there any way to change him back?" Edmund asked as he shared a look with Drinian shrugged.

"Not that I know of."

"It's Aslan's decision." Genevieve stated and everyone turned to her in confusion. "If he were meant to change back into a boy, Aslan would have changed him back. He must have some purpose."

"Aunt Alberta will not be pleased." Edmund muttered and Eustace only glared at him whilst Ron giggled.

"Sorry about the hand, old boy." Reepicheep apologized as he patted Eustace's claw. "I can be a little overzealous at times."

"The boats are ready, Sire." Tavros informed Caspian who nodded, Lucy looking at him incredulously.

"We can't leave him alone."

"We can't bring him on board, your Majesty." Drinian countered and Caspian nodded as he looked to the dragon with a thoughtful look.

"Drinian, you and the others including Genevieve take one boat back." He said as he eyed the dragon with a smile. "The rest of us will stay here till morning... and work out what to do."

"But you've no provisions,and no means of staying warm, your Majesty." Rhince stated and Eustace only retaliated while blowing a fire on the logs on the beach - its orange hues providing both light and warmth.

"You were saying?" Reepicheep says sarcastically and the crew laugh as they make their way towards the ship - Caspian noting that Genevieve hadn't followed.

"Genevieve go!" Caspian demanded as he looked to the girl who only raised her eyebrow.

"Why?"

"You're injured." He stated obviously and Genevieve only rolled her eyes.

"Your point?"

"Just go back to the ship!" He whined and Genevieve only shook her head as she put her foot down.

"Why should I?" Genevieve asked as she looked at him. "I'm perfectly fine after taking Lucy's cordial."

"Genevieve-" Edmund started but Genevieve only shook her head at him as she sent him a glare.

"Don't Ed. I wouldn't even be in this position if it weren't for you two anyway so I'm staying." She concluded as she folded her arms across her stomach before turning and walking away. "End of discussion."

"Real fire isn't she?" Caspian asked Edmund as he chuckled, the young boy looking guiltily at his wife with a smile.

"You have no idea."