.　*　.　　　　. 　° 　. ● ° .　
¸ .　　★　° :.　. • ° 　.　*　:.　☆

Anna could feel the burn and ache of her lungs as she turned to her side and heaved up large amounts of water from her system. Her blue eyes snapped open and she licked her chapped lips — the hot sunlight engulfing her before a figure peered over, blocking the violent rays of the sun and her vision focused.

The figure she noticed was a young man, illuminated by the sunlight. He was roguishly handsome and from what she gathered quite tall with soaking wet brown hair which framed his sun-kissed face — it was clear that he was her saviour. His dark brown eyes peered over with alarming curiosity. Then the handsome man spoke, in a slight but strange lilting accent, one she couldn't seem to place, "I fear you had quite the nasty brawl with a nasty mermaid, milady. They tend to be quite territorial within these parts."

Mermaid?! Anna repeated in her mind.

"Oh, that's nice," She had spoken, her voice mere whisper, pulling herself to a sitting position but oh how her throat ached! Her body felt like it was on fire and she coughed, more water out of her lungs and onto the wooden deck. It was then she noticed those surrounding her.

A circle of men — whom she guessed were the crewmen but there were also creatures whom she had a bit of knowledge about minotaurs and fawns and dwarves but then there was perhaps the most surprising creature a large mouse moving towards her, holding a cup in its grasp. The mouse held out the cup to her and spoke to her disbelief, "Perhaps, you'd like a cup of water milady after riddling all that water from your lungs."

Anna took the cup from the mouse, slightly baffled of how it was actually talking and took a sip of it before she spoke," Thank you, Sir." Anna turned to look from the cute little mouse but to all the crew, "Thank you all so very much for rescuing me but may I ask where I am?"

A bald-headed man dressed as a pirate without the hat with feathers who dripped with an aura of authority stepped forwards with a loud voice, "You're on the greatest ship in the Narian Navy, the Dawn Treader."

"N-Narnia?" Anna repeated under her breath, unfailing to hide her surprise as her eyes widened, "Unfortunately, I've never heard of such a place."

"That's a shame," Spoke her rescuer, a gentle dashing smile curling upon his lips, "Because you're in it."

Despite Anna being slightly frazzled by what she had experienced but she knew she was delighted by the thought of discovering a magical world full of marvellous creatures and a pirate ship, "How extraordinary! I've always wished for a grand adventure!"

Those around her chuckled but her rescuer merely smiled.

"What's your name milady?" The mouse spoke, taking a few steps towards her.

"Anna. I'm Anna Rose Sanders and who are you?" She held out her hand to the talking mouse who carries a rapier and wears a red plume tucked in his golden circlet to shake, which he did.

"It's an honour to meet such a valiant lady. I'm Reepicheep."

Anna smiled happily at the large mouse. A child-like giddiness rattling through her deeply. How splendid it was to make such an aqaintencice with such a wonderful talking mouse.

"What are all of your names? Surely it would be nice to know the names of my rescuers."

Her rescuer stepped forwards, beckoning a hand towards her, "Perhaps, after you get changed into more suitable attire and have a rest first, milady Anna. You must be exhausted from your travels." 

Anna could feel a slight disappointment bubbling through her and she could feel that he was right and gently placed her hand in his and he pulled her to feet. Her eyes met his brown ones and he smiled warmly, droplets of water dripping down his face after rescuing her from the mermaid.

A rough, itchy material as sewn over her shoulders as she stood and he let her hand go and she followed after her rescuer across the wooden deck, himself too drying himself off with the rough material and bounded up a selection of stairs and towards what was perhaps the captain's cabin?

He held out the door for eagerly, but Anna was slow, her feet shuffling beneath her sluggishly and then closed the door behind them and ventured down a small hall towards another door which he too opened.

"You can sleep in my quarters. The crew won't bother you here. I assure you of that." Anna furrowed her eyebrows in surprise at his words. Clearly she had assumed wrong. This man, her rescuer was much more important than she originally realised.

"Are you the captain?" Anna asked, her curiosity besting her.

"No, not exactly," He admitted with a slight chuckle and before Anna could even ask him what he was implying a knock echoed upon the door and it swung open, revealing the bald-headed man from before and Reepicheep who bounded towards her with another cup with she took gratefully with a smile.

"I've brought the clothing for the lass. Your majesty, I think it would be suitable to discuss––,"

Anna spat out the contents of the drink back into its cup, "What is in this? It surely isn't water?"

What if they were poisoning her?

Laughter echoed around her before her rescuer smiled, his chocolate eyes twinkling as he spoke, "It's spiced wine actually."

"Oh," Anna realised sheepishly her feet shifting beneath her.

A hand rested on her shoulder and her rescuer grinned softly, an empathetic look dancing across his expression, "Change and let yourself rest, Anna. I'll answer all your questions when you awake."

Anna weakly nodded and swallowed the lump within her throat. As the others left, her rescuer lingered for a moment offering her one last reassuring smile before closing the door behind her leaving Anna to lulling sound of the waves crashing against the ship.

────────── ♡︎ ──────────

Anna awoke from her slumber with a riddled confusion of where she was until it crashed down on her in mighty waves.

She was in Narnia.

A smiled curled delicately upon her lips and she shivered with delight. The soft purple covers wavered with a woodsy scent that lingered sweetly of saltwater. It was comforting and for a moment she almost fell back into her slumber before she rolled gently out of bed, her bare feet hitting the smooth wooden floorboards.

Anna stretched and stared at her expression within the mirror, her blond hair was a knotted mess of curls, her cheeks were flushed but there was a purple and greenish bruise upon her left cheek and she lifted the large white shirt only to see the bruises and pink jaggard lines across her rib cage. Anna winced at how close of a call it really was and assured herself that it was just a memory and turned back to the bed and fixed it, trying to make it neat and tidy, leaving no trace that she had even been in the room. Pulling the deep ebony boots onto her feet Anna marched out of the room with newfound excitement and closed the door behind her, only to find Reepicheep who fell backwards onto his behind.

"My apologies," Anna stuttered in a sorrowful tone, "I didn't realise you were here, Reepicheep."

The mouse looked up at the young woman with kind eyes, "No harm was done, milady."

Anna smiled, her cheerfulness baffling, "If it is alright I'd like to talk with someone, I have a few potent questions."

The mouse motioned for her to follow him knowing that perhaps she was implying her rescuer and led her down the hall to another room. Anna knocked onto the door and turned behind her noting that Reepicheep had gone and turned to face the door which swang open at an alarming speed.

"Hello, rescuer!" She said with a soft smile almost as bright as the sun. Her rescuer smiled in turn too.

"Hello, milady Anna," He mused with a mellow grin.

"Please just call me Anna."

"Of course. . . Anna," The handsome man moved aside, allowing Anna to enter the room which was vast full of elegant furnishings, it seemed to be something out of a storybook in a sense. Paintings lined the walls and they seemed to tell a story she didn't know, items hung and in the centre remained a large wooden table with a map sewn over it and behind it were glass doors that opened to a balcony.

Sunlight gleamed upon her rescuer, illuminating him bright golden light that made him angelic and in most ways even more heroic.

"I'm sure you have many questions," He started, leaning against the map table.

"Yes," Anna blurted quickly, "But in all honestly I'm just trying to make sense of things. One moment I was standing before a mirror looking at this pretty butterfly I had followed and this lion in its reflection, I touched it and wham! I was in a body of water and a pirate ship racing towards me and this slimy, strange hand pulling at my leg –– I'm sorry, uh, I know I sound mad."

"I understand why you would assume that but you don't sound mad. If I'm guessing correctly, Anna, you could be from the same world as the kings and queens of old."

Anna's eyebrow's knitted together and she shrugged her shoulders despite her slight confusion, "I am from London if that rings any bells, but this is a magical world and from my literary knowledge a lot of things are possible. There is no point of me worrying about it."

Her rescuer smiled and Anna began to speak again, crossing her arms across her chest despite wincing at sting across her ribcage, "What is your name? It's only fair seeing that you know mine."

"Caspian," He spoke with a bashful grin, his eyes glittering, almost as if he was keeping a secret Anna was unaware of. Anna stood up straighter, ignoring the stinging and remembered her manners, "It's lovely to meet you, Caspian and be aboard the wonderous Dawn Treader."

The door opened revealing a crewmember Anna did not recognise, "My king, we've readied dinner, if you and the castaway would like to join the crew."

Anna's jaw dropped slightly and let out a slight squeak, confused at why he hadn't told her of his true status. A slight hurt echoed within Anna and she realised that maybe her rescuer Caspian didn't trust her? Anna quickly bowed her head in respect, "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I would have addressed you properly if I had known."

The king, turned to the young woman, slightly fazed by her calm reaction as he strung sentences together, "You would have had no real way of knowing, Anna. All is forgiven. I had assumed you'd be much trusting and feel much more welcomed if I had not revealed who I was."

"I am delighted to meet you, either way. I've never met a king before or been on a pirate ship or been attacked by a mermaid or made the acquaintance with a talking mouse. It's been quite the grand adventure even if it has to come to an end soon."

Caspian smiled, his dark brown eyes softening like butter at her words, although her appearance was dishevelled from her brawl with the mermaid he had rescued her from and that she was clearly very much exhausted ——he could see exactly how beautiful she was both inside and out.

The sound of her rumbling stomach brought Caspian from his wandering thoughts, "I'm happy to hear that. Would you like something to eat?"

Anna's eyes brightened at the King's words, "Oh yes please! I'm starved!"

Anna opened the door, stepped through and Caspian followed behind her as she began spilling words despite having no idea of where she was going, "Finally something other my Aunt Mary's cooking. It's so bland and mushy all the time. She boils and boils everything! This is the greatest day of my life!"

Caspian chuckled at her words, "Was the what made it such a day getting caught in a brawl with a mermaid?"

"No, silly! It was being rescued by you!" Caspian arched an eyebrow in direction and Anna blushed a violent crimson, her golden hair covering her face like a curtain as she protested politely, clearly very very embarrassed, "Yes but no, I mean there were other things—"

Caspian couldn't hide his amused smile, "Relax, Anna. I was just playing around."

"Oh," Anna muttered with relief.

"But don't fret, I was delighted to rescue you," Caspian continued then added for Anna's reassurance, "I'd deem it probably one of my most noble moments."

Anna just beamed with a bright smile.