[six: Unhand the tail]

Dear diary,

There has been an extraordinary turn of events. I've been abducted by my cousins, his girlfriend and her cousin and set adrift in uncharted waters in some ridiculous-looking boat. What's worse is I share quarters with an obnoxious mouse thing. And I thought bunking with my cousin was bad enough. So far, every person I've met in this strange place suffers from the most florid delusions. Chasing green mists and looking for lost lords.I can only assume that this is the result of poor diet.Or they're all just barking mad.

Cousin Edmund is no exception. He spends every spare second that he isn't with his proclaimed wife rubbing that tin sword of his like it's some magic lantern.

Poor fool clearly needs a hobby.

"It's going to be magnificent. Do they come in a smaller size?" Reepicheep asked Edmund and the boy only chuckles whilst Eustace rolls his eyes and goes back to his diary.

Peeving marmot! He's even more deluded than my cousin. In England, we have mouse traps for that sort of thing. He's even more deluded than my cousin.In England, we have mouse trapsfor that sort of thing. 

"Speaking of food, you don't knowwhere I could get any, do you?" Eustace asks a stray seagull that lands by him, his initial instinct to ask due to the fact that he had seen so many creatures talk that he assumed a seagull could too - he guessed wrong.

"Uh, why are you talking to that bird?" Tavros asked, Eustace's eyes darting up as he looked at Tavros with an embarrassed look.

"I just naturally assumed you can..." Eustace starts before he was cut up by Tavros' laughter.

"He's talking to birds!He's mad as a loon,that one."

"Yeah!"

"Shoo! Go on, get off!" Eustace ushers the birds away with an embarrassed look on his face which Ron catches from the side of the ship and he frowns as he eyes Tavros - it wasn't his fault at all.

+++

It was the middle of the day when Eustace found himself rather hungry, the simple diet of rations not being enough to fill him up after the days of turnip soup back in Cambridge or the occasional sweet (or bag) that he stole from his mother's bag. Eustace slowly retreated to underneath the deck, the steps creaking as he walked down them into the ration storage - keeping an eye out before he ran to get something to eat for himself. Eustace picked up an orange and stuffed it down his shirt when a voice started talking - frightening the boy as he looked around for the voice.

"Are you aware that stealing rationsis a capital offense at sea?" Reepicheep asked, watching as Eustace looked around before he sighed and Eustace turned towards him. "Up here."

"Oh, you." Eustace snarled as he tried to walk away - Reepicheep stopping him by getting in his way so that he couldn't take the orange with him.

"Men have been keelhauled for less."

"For what?" Eustace asked and Reepicheep only rolled his eyes.

"For treason...and sneakinessand general nuisancery." Reepicheep exasperated before he sighed and held out his hand for the orange. "Look, just hand over the orangeand we'll let the matter pass."

"I don't knowwhat you're talking about." Eustace stated as he lowered his eyes to the ground and tried to walk out. 

"Allow me to cla..." Reepicheep started before Eustace took a hold of his tail - Reepicheep's eyes darkening immediately.

"Look, I've had quite enough of you."

"Unhand the tail." Reepicheep snarled and he pulled out his sword and pointed it at Eustace's face, the boy's face falling at that moment. "The great Aslan himselfgave me this tail.Repeat, no one touches the tail.Period.Exclamation mark."

"Sorry."

"Now, I will have the orange then I will have satisfaction." Reepicheep clarified as he picked up a knife with his tail and passed it to Eustace, the boy squabbling at the thought.

" Please, I'm a pacifist." 

"En garde!" Reepicheep began to swipe his sword when Eustace began to run - the mouse sighing immediately.

Eustace ran freely across the deck, constantly apologizing for running into the crew who were trying to do their jobs freely without hassle. Reepicheep was shortly behind him at great speed, pushing himself up onto the side of the ship until he swung on a rope and finally got to Eustace.

"Trying to run away?We're on a boat, you know." 

"Look, can't we just discuss this?" Eustaceasked and the mouse only laughed before he started jabbing at the boy's shirt.

"That was for stealing,  that was for lying and that was for good measure." Reepicheep stated as he slapped Eustace across the face with the orange, Eustace immediately trying to hit the mouse with poor attempts whilst Reepicheep only laughed. "That's the spirit!We have ourselves a duel.Catch."

Drinian caught the orange easily, all eyes going to the duel between Reepicheep and Eustace with smiles on their faces - the fight was one before it was started. Ron leaned across the rail from up deck with a smile as he watched the two- knowing full well that Reepicheep actually didn't mind the Scrubb boy as much as he led on. Ron sighed blissfully as he looked between the two, not knowing whether to stand in or not before Genevieve placed her hand on his shoulder and shook her head - best leave them to it.

"Now, come on.Take your best shot. Is that it?" Reepicheep asked as Eustace jabbed into the pot behind him, Reepicheep laughing at the boy. "Come on, boy.Focus! Focus!Yes! Ha!Stop flapping your wingslike a drunken pelican!"

"Poise.Keep your blade up.Up, up! That's it.Now...Ha-ha-ha! Yah!Yoo-hoo!Over here.Now, lunge with your foot.Not your left, your right.Got it? Come on.Be nimble! Be nimble!It's a dance, boy, a dance." Reepicheep instructed Eustace as he pivoted on his feet as if dancing, many of the crew laughing at the mouse as he did so - though Genevieve admitted it was a good technique. "Come on now, again and again.That's right, that's right.Oh, no!"

Reepicheep fell of the edge of the ship, Eustace looking down in guilt as he looked for the mouse but found he was nowhere to be seen. Little did he know that  the mouse was behind him, making him turn around before he jabbed his back pushing him forward.

"And that...is that." Reepicheep stated as Eustace fell forward to the floor, knocking over a basket - a scream escalating immediately.

"Look." Lucy said as she pointed to the basket, where a girl in a girl dress began to crawl out - Rhince noticing her immediately with shocked eyes.

"Gael?What are you doing here?" Rhince asked as he looked at his daughter before opening his arms where the girl ran, before looking at Drinian with pleading eyes. "Here."

"Looks like we have an extra crew member." Drinian smiled at Gael, handing her the orange Eustace had stolen as she smiled sweetly back at him a little shy.

"Welcome aboard." Lucy greeted the girl, Genevieve beside her who knelt in front of her.

"Your Majesties." The girl bowed and Genevieve only laughed as she smiled at the girl and held out her hand.

"Just call me Genevieve."

"And Call me Lucy." She said before both Queens held their hand out for the girl so that they could walk inside and off the deck."Come on." 

"Come on, look lively.Back to work." Drinian stated as all the crew turned back to do their piece, Ron walking over to Eustace and Reepicheep who were conversing.

"Good match.I'll make a swordsman of you yet." Reepicheep complimented and Eustace lightly smiled before his usual glum look formed on his features.

"Yes, well, if the playing field were a little more even...it would've been an entirely different result."

"Heh-heh-heh. Indeed." Reepicheep agreed before he left Eustace and Ron together.

"If you need some help training for your next duel, let me know." Ron said and Eustace only looked at him in confusion.

"Next duel?"

"This is Reep we're talking about, it doesn't end after one." He stated before smirking at Eustace. "Later sweetcheeks."

And Eustace actually smiled.