Even after staying up to talk all night, the time that the five of them spent together seemed as if it had passed by in the blink of an eye. It wasn't easy to focus on the darkness when there were a million reasons to be said. 

Caspian and Sophie took their time to reach the cabins because he had insisted that he accompany her to her cabin. This worked out perfectly while Edmund and Lucy talked some things out on the deck. They missed their siblings. They missed their parents. While the war was going on in the Other World, they were going to be fighting one for a world that they would always belong to. But this would be one without Peter or Susan by their side to tell them to be careful. 

They only had each other. "And we are enough." 

"I know, Lu. Thank you for always being by my side, even when I've been a prick in the past."

She bumped his shoulder with hers and sighed. "I won't argue with you there," They laughed. "But thank you too."

In the lower decks, Caspian and Sophie were once again drowning in the words that they wanted to tell each other but couldn't. But the empty feeling that they had felt before battling Jadis was not there, which could be a sign that they wished to take. "Sophie?"

"Yes?"

"Sleep well." 

Sophie softly punched his arm. "You too."

The next morning, Drinian informed that they were nearing the Island and it was time to inform everyone about the strategy to be followed. "I'll gather everyone on the deck, Your Majesties."

"Eustace and I are going for the first watch," informed Reepicheep and bowed to the Kings and Queens.

"Be careful," Lucy and Sophie cautioned him at the same time.

Caspian, Sophie and the Pevensies wore our battle armour in the Royal State Room and wished each other good luck. "Remember," said Lucy. "The Green Mist will be protecting the island as Lilliandil told us."

"We cannot think about our fears once we enter," continued Sophie. "No matter how much we are pushed to it. Olivis was a crazy bread, which means that we cannot underestimate what the mist could do to us. So stick together."

"You gave up your sword," Caspian spoke to Edmund, remembering that his sword was at the Table.

"It wasn't mine to keep."

Caspian walked over to his table and took out his sword. "Use this," he said, handing Peter's sword - Rhindon.

"But it's....."

"Peter would want you to have it," Caspian persisted and Edmund knew that it was better to not argue since Lucy and Sophie were also on the same page on wanting him to take the sword.

"I'll meet you on the deck," Edmund told before walking out of the room along with his sister. The two had been talking about the couple and believed that they needed to talk some things out, especially since they were marching into uncharted territory.

"So," said Sophie as Caspian helped her strap her battle armour. She was so aware of his breath on her neck and how his fingers were leaving heat trails across her skin. She simply hoped that he couldn't notice the shiver that went down her back.

"So."

"I know that I said 'no goodbye talks', but I wanted you to know that-"

Caspian placed a finger to her lips, just like she had done to him before the Battle of Beruna. "No goodbye talks."

"I wanted to tell you that you should be giving a speech or something." She changed the topic as she wore her bow and arrows and strapped her sword to the belt.

"I know." He nodded, getting a sword for himself.

"Do you know what you want to say?"

"I do," he said. "Will you be there? With me?"

"You have no reason to be scared. You are our King. We will follow you today, tomorrow and every day after that."

Caspian nodded. "Shall we?" He asked with a soft smile on his face.

"We shall."

Every member of the Dawn Treader crew was gathered on the deck. Drinian himself was waiting for the two rulers with the rest of his crew rather than steering the ship at the poop deck. He would be giving respect to them no matter what.

Caspian took a deep breath before he climbed onto the staircase. The only sound that was heard was that of the ship moving through the current without paddling, since the sailors too were gathered on the main deck. "No matter what happens here," he addressed everyone. "Every soul who stands before me has earned their place on the crew of the Dawn Treader. Together we have travelled far. Together, we have faced adversary and together, we can do it again."

Then, he looked at Sophie and so did everyone else, following his gaze. "Now is not the time to fall to fear's temptations," Sophie said, standing next to Caspian. "It is going to push you to your limits but we need to be strong and never give in. Our world.....our Narnian lives depend on it."

"Think of Aslan. Think of Narnia." Caspian finished and as they started to walk down, wholesome cheers spread through the ship that her ears never forgot.

"For Narnia!" The crew cheered.

"For Narnia!" shouted Lucy.

"For Narnia," whispered Sophie.

The Dawn Treader entered the shadows of the Dark Island that was lying in wait for a new bait. Green sparks were visible from the outside as thunder shook inside, making the temperature to drop as the darkness engulfed the ship at its mouth. 

"Oh boy." Sophie realised what Lilliandil had meant.

The first time that the Mist had captured the Dawn Treader in its grasp, it didn't drive maddening thoughts into their head and the temperature was definitely not low. The warmth was a reminder that the mist would be playing tricks on their minds. But inside the Dark Island, it was different. Now that Sophie had defeated the Enchantress, the Mist was free to do as it pleased and it was the worst feeling ever.

"I can't see a thing!" Drinian said.

Suddenly, a voice came in return. "Keep away! Keep away!"

"Where are you?" Edmund wondered. "We are not afraid of you!"

"Nor I you!" The voice screamed back. Edmund took his flashlight and found an old man with a sword, who was arming himself against us. "Keep away!"

"We will not leave," said Caspian firmly.

"You will not defeat me!" The man shouted, sleep deprived for who knows how long.

"Caspian," Sophie whispered, recognising the man. "His sword."

"Lord Rhoop!" Caspian climbed down the poop deck and Sophie followed him as the ship steered to retrieve one of the lost Lords onboard.

"You do not own me!"

"The Enchantress has messed with his head." She pointed out. "She did mention something about having no one to torture properly." She remembered the look on Olivis' face when she had said that Sophie was her new victim. "Stand down." She ordered the archers that were on guard.

"Let him get on board. Quickly," Caspian ordered. "Help him up."

Rhince nodded at him. "Ready sir."

But before they could do anything, Eustace picked the Lord up from the boulder and dropped him on the deck. "Keep calm, my Lord." Caspian tried to talk with him.

"Off me, demon!" Lord Rhoop shouted, horrified at seeing a dragon and seeing him armed, the archers pointed their crossbows at him.

"No, my Lord. We are not here to hurt you. I am your King, Caspian."

"Caspian?" The Lord whispered, getting back to reality. He turned around, breaking into tears. "My Lord!" He exclaimed as he touched Caspian's face to make sure that he was real. "You should not have come. There's no way out of here. Quickly! Turn this ship around before it is too late!"

"We have the sword. Let's go!" 

"Let's turn her about, Drinian," Sophie ordered.

"Aye, aye, Your Majesty." 

"Do not think!" The Lord warned. "Do not let it know your fears, or it will become them." He tapped his head.

"Oh no." 

Sophie gasped, realising what had happened. Edmund had asked her and Lucy for their worst fears and Sophie remembered what he had told us. "Edmund.....no."

"What did you just think of?" Lucy asked her brother.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said and moved towards the port.

"It's too late," Sophie sensed what Edmund's fear was as it moved through the ocean. She could feel it resonating through her bones and could feel the anger that it was feeling. The water was angry, and oh this was an anger that could not be controlled. Her hands shook as her eyes started to tear up.

"It's too late!" Lord Rhoop shouted. "It's too late!"

"It's gone under the boat." One of the crewmen shouted.

A loud shout erupted from one of their own when the calmness of the water was destroyed, as the sea serpent rose from where it lay silent all the while, waiting for someone to revive it with fear. It snarled at the people gathered on the deck and started toying with them by showing that it was going to attack but not doing so. 

Right as it was going to charge, Eustace flew out of nowhere and blew fire at its face. "Eustace!" Sophie shouted, fearing for his safety. He started scratching the serpent and clawing at its eyes while Reepicheep poked it with his rapier.

"For Narnia! Take that! And that!" 

This was the mouse's only chance to battle a creature that was not of Narnian origin.

But just as Eustace flew away to have a better vantage point of attack, the sea serpent bit him and pushed him into the water. All of the crew members were too shocked to say anything. Eustace escaped from its grasp but was thrown against the rock that he rescued Lord Rhoop from.

Lucy held onto Sophie's hand as Eustace blew fire right on the serpent's face. They had some hope of winning before Lord Rhoop threw his sword at Eustace, thinking that he was the figment of his imagination. "No, the sword!" Edmund exclaimed.

"Eustace!" Lucy shouted as the wounded dragon cried in pain and flew out of our sights and into the darkness.

Lord Rhoop hurried to the poop deck and pushed everyone away as he tried to take control of the ship but Drinian hit him on his head, making him unconscious. Drinian had saved everyone that day from Lord Rhoop's fear. The ship shook once again and they knew that the battle wasn't over. 

"Now, crew!" Drinian shouted. "Get to your rowing positions. Oars at double speed!"

There was only one way to win. "Aslan," Lucy whispered. "Please. Help us."

A seagull flew into the island out of nowhere, showing them that there was a way out just like there was a way in. Lucy and Sophie looked at each other and nodded. "Thank you."

The serpent was relentless as it headed towards the crew, ready to take its next victim. It had been under the grasps of magic for far too long and this was its reward. "No!" Sophie shouted as it started to curl itself across the deck but Malcolm pulled her and Lucy out of the space of capture.

"Sophie! Ed!" Caspian shouted as he took control of the wheel. "We'll ramp the serpent. Smash her into the rocks."

"Steer her to port!" Sophie shouted.

"We'll keep it on the prow." Edmund shouted as they rushed to attack the serpent.

"The flashlight?" Sophie asked him as they caught up with Lucy.

"The flashlight." He smiled as he rushed to the dragon's lookout.

"What is he doing?" Lucy asked Sophie as she rushed back to the poop deck.

"Saving us." She smiled as they got their weapons ready. "We have to attack the serpent until we have it in a corner to ramp it into the rock. I'll control the ocean to block his pathway to us."

"Got it." She shouted as the two of them got their bows ready and pointed at the serpent.

Sophie lifted her hands and spun her index finger in the anticlockwise. The water resonated with her, listening and abiding by her commands. A huge whirlpool began to form but she couldn't reduce the tension on her fingers yet. She knocked her head to the right to make the water suck the serpent in. It seemed to have worked for just a moment but the serpent kept attacking. She couldn't blind him. Water was a boon to both of them, but she could keep the serpent of its course, making a hurricane hit the serpent.

"Edmund!" All three of them shouted when the serpent attacked the dragon's head and threw it away. But Edmund was a smart lad. God, I can't believe that I just spoke in an English lit, Sophie thought.

He started running back onto the deck and taunted the serpent. "Archers! At your position!" Sophie shouted ,but it was Lucy's arrow that hit the serpent, right in the eye.

"Brace yourselves!" Caspian shouted as he pushed the serpent against the rock.

It hit the rock and cried in pain, but it had also tricked them into thinking that it had lost. It slithered towards the ship from under the boat and attacked when Caspian and Sophie lashed their swords at it. It withered in pain as they were able to cut off its ears. The two of them looked at the ear and saw it disappear into green smoke.

"Ha!"

"We can beat this!"

They ordered the archers to continuously shoot at the serpent while the rest threw ropes against it and had it binded. "Oh, Ed," Sophie whispered as she noticed him climbing onto the crow's nest.

All of the crew members, including Caspian, pulled the ropes into restraining the serpent while the archers attacked the serpent into getting restrained. They waited for Edmund to take his action. Sophie looked up at him and noticed that his sword started to go blue. "Yes, Eustace!" Sophie shouted, knowing that he had gotten the swords to the Table in time.

Edmund drove his sword into the mouth of the serpent Harry-Potter-style. We should rename it to Edmund-Pevensie-style, I'm telling you. 

"Yes, Edmund!" Lucy cheered next to Sophie. Thunder and lightning erupted into the island as the serpent fell back into the deep shadows of the sea. A light broke into the island and lifted the spell that had the mist and the island connected.

"We did it!" The crew cheered as the darkness dissolved.

"Caspian." Sophie rushed to him and pulled him into a hug. "You're okay."

He chuckled. "I should be saying that. We're all fine." 

"Welcome to the other side." Drinian told the unconscious Lord Rhoop and smiled proudly at himself.

Lucy and Sophie helped the crew members and made sure that none of them were hurt. There were very few injuries but nothing serious. "Can we call Dawn Treader the 'The Serpent Slayer'?" Edmund suggested as the crew members helped the people who were sacrificed to the Mist get onboard.

"Ooh I do like that name," Sophie said as all of them stood leaning at the starboard side, soaking in the much needed sunlight. "But I think that you should name it 'Cobra Kai'."

"I'm going to stick with the Dawn Treader," Caspian conveyed hesitantly.

"Eustace got the sword to the Table." She informed everyone. "Nice shot, Lu!"

"Nice swing."

"Great job with the wheel." Edmund praised Caspian.

"Great job at tricking the serpent." They clamped each other's shoulders.

"We did it." Sophie breathed out once again.

"We're a good team," affirmed Lucy.

"No," said Caspian. "We're family."

*****

I live for sappy moments