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jolly sailor bold
chapter one , return of the pevensies

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        THE DOORS TO THE King's quarters swung open with a light squeak as the two Pevensies followed behind the man, himself. Small smiles threatened to break across their faces as they gazed around the room before them, bordered with cabinets and a mesmerising view of the halcyon ocean that lay outside.

Not even an hour had passed since they had stumbled — or rather swam — back into Narnia, and yet that same child-like wonder still filled their hearts just as it had all those years ago when they'd first walked through that wardrobe.

King Caspian shot a glance back at the king and queen of old as they entered, a small smile filling his own features at their clear contentment.

Lucy slowly edged around the room, surveying everything with gracious eyes before her attention was finally caught by the face of an unmistakable lion, embossed in gold upon one of the cabinet fronts.

"Aslan."

Just saying the name of the great lion brought a overwhelming comfort to the young queen; she knew the reason for the return of both herself and her brother was his doing. She knew he had a plan.

         Edmund too could not help but be mesmerised by his surroundings, taking a deep interest in the tapestry that lined a panel stretching across one of the far walls, as his sister progressed further across the room towards another artefact that had once belonged to another queen of old.

"Look, Susan's bow and arrows." She remarked, reaching out to touch them but stopping when her name was called.

        "Lucy."

        The youngest Pevensie's attention was caught by Caspian's call from the other side of his quarters. She turned on her heel to face him and only to see his hands outstretching, bearing a small chest containing two items that caused her smile to widen further.

        "My healing cordial and dagger." She grinned as she moved towards the King, her own hand reaching out for her possessions before she hesitated slightly. "Oh, may I?"

        "Of course." Caspian assured her, placing the chest firmly in her grip, "They're yours."

         "Peter's sword!"

         Edmund remarked as his brown eyes caught sight of his older brother's most prized possession sitting in the corner of the room; sheathed and ready for immediate use.

        "Yes." Caspian confirmed, taking a few steps over to the weapon that had been left in his possession. "Looked after as promised."

        Seizing the sword in his grasp, the King spared a few glances between the weapon in his hands and the siblings of its benefactor.

        "Here, hold it if you wish." Caspian offered, outstretching the sword towards Edmund.

        "No, no, it's yours." The just king answered quickly before his temptation could get the better of him, shaking his head slightly. "Peter gave it to you."

         A small smile settled Caspian's features as a thought struck him and he edged away from Edmund back over towards the cabinet. The older Pevensie quirked an eyebrow in response, unsure of the King's intention as he turned and reached inside the cabinet. 

        "I did save this for you though."

        With a devious smile, Caspian revealed what it was he had retrieved from within the cabinet and tossed the item over to the just King who caught it in a firm grasp.

          It was the torch he had left the last time they had set foot in Narnia, and while slightly humoured by the sudden reunion with his possession, he couldn't quite mask his disappointment — it wasn't exactly Peter's sword.

        "Thanks." He muttered, looking into the lens and flashing it quickly, catching himself off guard much to the humour of his companions who let out light-hearted laughs at his antics.

***

        "SINCE YOU LEFT US, the Giants of the North surrendered unconditionally." The King explained to the Pevensies — sometime later, when they were joined by their Captain — his hand lightly hovering over the map of Narnia that sat upon the tabletop before them. "Then we defeated the Calormen armies at the Great Desert." He paused for a moment, looking up at them with a content smile. "There is peace across all of Narnia."

"Peace?" Edmund repeated, overjoyed at the prospect but nonetheless slightly disbelieving.

"In just three years." Caspian confirmed with a certain nod, his gaze shooting back to the map of his country that adored so.

"And have you found yourself a queen in those three years?"

Another voice spoke up. The King let out a light chuckle at the query of the younger Pevensie who looked at him with a cheeky smile on her lips, and an eyebrow arched.

"No." He told her, light-heartedly, with a small shake of his head. "Not one to compare with your sister."

Lucy soon mirrored his chuckle and cast a glance at her brother who had paid very little attention to their minor interlude and was still surveying the map before them.

"Hang on." He said, his eyebrows furrowing. "If there are no wars to fight and no one is in trouble, then why are we here?"

"It's a good question." Caspian agreed, his face falling into an expression of slight concern. They all knew it was unlikely that the Pevensies had returned unless a great challenge lay before them. "I've been asking myself the same thing."

Edmund shot him an unsure smile before his gaze was once more seized by the map, and he raised a question.

"So where are we sailing to?"

Caspian took a deep breath in, and straightened up to address his two friends, his hands resting upon the tabletop.

"Before I took back the throne from my uncle, he tried to kill my father's closest friends and most loyal supporters." He explained, tentatively before turning around to face the wall behind him.

Hanging upon the wall were sketches of seven individuals on worn and aged pieces of parchment, and Caspian surveyed each one with an immense surge of duty running through his veins.

"The seven lords of Telmar."

With furrowed brows of curiosity, the two Pevensies slowly edged around the table in order to get a closer look at the sketches that Caspian was so marvelled by.

"They fled to the Lone Islands." Caspian explained, his voice now holding a much more somber tone to it. "No one has heard from them since."

"So you think something has happened to them?" Edmund asked, pressing his lips together in concern. Caspian gave a light nod in response.

"Well, if it has, it's my duty to find out."

The two Kings shared a mutual look of agreement; it had become clear what their reason for returning was. However, their look was not shared by Lucy, she was much more intrigued by the swirling blue lines of sea that were drawn out on the map that lay before her.

"What lies east of the Lone Islands?" She asked, her voice laced with curiosity as she looked up towards the two Kings but it was neither of them who answered her question.

"Uncharted waters." Captain Drinian replied, speaking up for the first time in the conversation. "Things you can barely imagine. Tales of sea serpents and worse."

"Sea serpents?" Edmund chuckled, rather entertained by the thought of creatures he assumed to be mythical

"And worse?" Lucy spoke up, her tone sounding a lot more concerned than that of her brother. "What could be worse than a sea serpent?"

A small smirk crossed the Captain's usually stern face as he addressed the young king and queen.

"The bandits of Narrowhaven, your Majesty." He told them simply, earning a light scoff from Caspian who had perched himself on the edge of the table and was listening along.

"The bandits of Narrowhaven?" Edmund repeated; the name alien to him.

"Now, now, they just got here." Caspian interjected with a chuckle, rising to his feet as he shot the Captain a humoured look. "Don't go boring them with superstition, Captain."

"I assure you, you Majesty." The Captain countered, yet still bowing his head slightly in respect. "The bandits are no superstition."

"Who are they?" Lucy enquired, an eyebrow arched in curiosity.

Drinian shot a look at Caspian, asking for permission to answer the young queen's question. The King gave him a short nod as he sank back to his seated position; if his guests wished to know more about something he believe to be no more than a folktale, who was he to stop them?

"No one knows for sure." The Captain told the two Pevensies, his eyes glazing over with malice. "No sailor has ever survived long enough to tell."

Lucy gulped slightly, while Edmund leant forward with a light smirk, suddenly very interested in the Captain's words.

"They're a vicious, merciless band of mercenaries; shadows in the night." Drinian continued, disdainfully. "These waters were a whole lot safer before they set sail."

"Yes, Captain." The King cut in once more, with a shrug, intent on countering the Captain's opinion. "But like you said, no one knows for sure. They're probably just a folk story made up by local fisherman to ensure no one trespasses upon their territory." He shrugged, casting a glance back at his guests whose gazes beheld ever so slightly worry. "It's nothing to worry about, I assure you."

"I will politely disagree with your Majesty." Drinian bowed his head once again, before turning his attention back to Edmund and Lucy. "You must never let your guard down, that's what they'll be waiting for. They see a weak point and they strike; that's how they play their game."

Lucy wasn't completely sure if the Captain had once blinked during his entire retelling, and felt her own eyes widen in concern as Drinian's light blue ones bored into hers and then her brother's, ensuring they understood him.

Luckily for them, the sound of chuckling entered their midst and all three looked back to the king who had now acquired an apple and was tossing it in hand as he surveyed the Captain.

"Alright, Captain." He dismissed the man with a light-hearted roll of his eyes, preparing to take a large bite of his apple. "That's enough of your tall tales."

But a tall tale, they were not. The bandits of Narrowhaven were a living nightmare that the King of Narnia would encounter much sooner than he ever thought.

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖘!
and we're off! i
have never written
a chapter in such a
frenzy oml. to be
fair this is literally
boring and just part
of scene setting but
hey ho, now we can
get onto the good shit.

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