IX. THE STORM

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Thunder cracked and booked and lightning flashed streaks of white light and rain hailed down mercilessly casting the crew of the Dawn Treader with nothing but everlasting misery.

Two weeks. Two weeks of being constantly miserable and wet. Anna who was always bright as the sunlight was somehow to the disbelief of many was still unwaveringly hopeful and just as chirpy as always —— although she couldn't deny the growing effort and toll it was beginning to take upon her. Suddenly, Anna wished she could be as noble with such an unwavering faith like Reepicheep.

Cocooned between Gael and Lucy, Anna grew restless with the inability to sleep. She loathed the idea that she wasn't allowed to assist the rest of the crew because she had fallen ill the day prior to the constant cold and wet. Long story short it had led to Caspian forbidding her to step onto the main deck until the storm had passed.

Although, she had been forced to rest which was in Anna's mind utter ridiculous as Lucy had given her some of her healing cordial which made her better in a matter of moments. But Anna couldn't deny how horrible it was to see so many faces worry about her and it made her glad that she was all better and it was over.

Anna stared at the wooden ceiling, lying upon her back with Gael curled into her shoulder as she winced at the croaks and moans of the wood as it slammed against the water and its mighty waves.

The thoughts of her mind shifted and suddenly so much to Anna's slight teeny tiny disgust that she was thinking about him and his handsome face with his stupid grin and dark twinkling eyes that shone like bright stars.

Anna carefully sat up ensuring that both the girls were asleep before carefully moved to the edge of the bed before swerving her feet to the cool wooden floors.

Illuminated by the light of the fire within the fireplace Anna nimbly changed into more suitable clothes before she walked out into the small hall and softly closed the door behind her.

Walking down the hall with her bare feet softly thudding against the floor Anna came to a halt in front of two glazed glass double doors. Anna stood there for much too long and knowing that she couldn't bring herself to knock, she pushed the doors open.

Anna's heartbeat skyrocketed at the sight of him curled up on the window seat, his appearance was a little dishevelled from the constant exhaustion everyone was dealing with. She closed the door and leant against them. When his dark chocolate eyes met hers, he smiled, Anna instantly noticed that it didn't reach his eyes. There was no denying that such a little thing had made Anna worry about him.

"A-Are you alright?" Anna asked —— even trying to play it cool by playing with the hem of her shirt she was no secret of the distress that wavered through her melodious voice.

At her words, his dark eyes seem to soften like glazed butter before he blinked twice and shifted his gaze the windows looking out to the raging storm that had truly settled upon the seas.

"I'm alright, Anna," He promised firmly. The sudden quiet was foreign between them. They always seemed to have so much to talk and converse about but it was so peculiar for it to be so silent between them.

"D-Do you want me to leave?" Anna whispered softly, shifting her weight awkwardly. She always hated when things were unclear, Anna liked it when things were clear and known.

"No!" He shifted his gaze from the window and to her and spoke loudly in a way that startled them both. "No. No. I'd like for you to stay," He repeated much more softly and gentler, smiling so much more like himself that Anna blushed.

"Very well," She concluded, pausing for a long moment before walking over to the plush red window seat, curling up as far away from him as possible.

Caspian suddenly seemed to fight laughter as he spoke, "I don't bite, Anna. You don't have to sit so far away."

Anna started him down, signs of how tired she was beginning to show as she snapped, "I'm comfortable, Capsian. I'm not moving."

"Anna," He asked quietly as the air in the room shifted, "Do you think I'm doing what is right? We only have two weeks of rations at most left and this storm——"

"——Will pass," She interrupted before continuing, "We cannot give up hope and we cannot doubt ourselves for even a second. It's like the wizard bloke said, we'll be tested. I guess this is just one of those tests."

Anna daringly shifted on the seat before and curled herself into him. Caspian's arms wrapped tightly around her as he gently pulled her closer to his chest with his chin resting upon her head.

It was calm and comforting but they had never been close like this, they hardly ever touched, sometimes a brush of fingertips or a comforting hand to a shoulder at most. Anna just hoped that he couldn't hear the racing of her galloping heart.

"You smell like the woods with this mingling smell of the sea," She mumbled softly with a shaky and nervous laugh.

Anna could almost hear his smile as he teasingly asked, "Is that a bad thing?"

"No of course not," Anna blurted feeling the blush rise upon her cheeks, "It's a good thing."

Caspian chucked, "That's good to hear you think that I smell nice."

"I never exactly said that. I just said what you smell like," Anna protested, burying her head into his chest so embarrassed she wanted to fade away into dust.

"There's no need to be so defensive!" Caspian defended.

"Okay. Well, nighty night. I'm going to sleep. Here."

"Why not go back to bed it would be much for comfortable for you——"

"No. Gael treats like a living and breathing teddy bear which can only be cute until she kicks me like a punching bag and Lucy is an absolute bed hog. I have no room to be comfortable and it gets so warm from all the body heat and blankets but Gael refuses to take them off because she's scared of the dark." Caspian was about to speak before Anna started off again, "I'm so much more comfortable here with you, anyways. That's if you don't mind staying with me. I don't want you getting a backache."

Anna could feel the laugh rumble through his chest before he let out a soft overly content sigh, "Does your tongue ever get sore from talking so much?"

"No, not that I'm aware of. Now shh your comfortable wonderfulness, I'm trying to sleep."

"Back at it again?" Caspian mused, "I haven't heard one of those creative——"

Anna was already drifting into a content peaceful slumber before muttering under her breath cutting him off, "That's because your name is pretty, Caspian."

"Just like you but I believe pretty would be an understatement. No word would ever describe your radiant beauty."

Anna was smiling in her sleep.

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The wasn't much that could be done as the storm continued throughout the following day. Anna spent a lot of time with Lucy as they both kept Gael entertained throughout the day by braiding her hair and telling her even more stories.

When night fell once again with Anna wedged in between Lucy and Gael and Anna could not sleep. Again.

It was late so much later than yesterday, she knew that Caspian would be asleep but she couldn't stop herself. Anna clambered skillfully out of bed, weary of the two snoring as deeply as bears behind her, she slipped her bare feet onto the wooden flooring.

Anna opened the door and winced when it creaked slightly. It was almost like she had no control over her body as she slipped down small passageway down the ladder and into the crews quarters.

Unfortunately, Anna had no idea where he was, so it had taken some time to find him sleeping peacefully in his hammock.

Anna stood on a slightly squeaky floorboard and his eyes fluttered instantly open. He blinked twice as he saw her illuminated figure in the darkness it was almost as if he didn't think she was there.

"Anna is that you?" He whispered softly, thinking that the night was just playing tricks on him. She had never looked so beautiful to him before as she did now. It wasn't that she wasn't the most beautiful woman he had ever seen before, it was that she was so imperfectly perfect.

"I-I couldn't s-sleep at all," Anna stuttered nervously, her fingers running through her blond locks.

Caspian inhaled a shaken breath and lifted his hand shaking slightly as he held up his blanket for her to climb in. "Anna, c'mon now, it's freezing!" He whisper-yelled to her but she looked around her cautiously before a face-planting right onto his chest with made him yelp slightly at her freezing temperature.

"Sorry," She murmured softly to him before adding, "Lucy was snoring almost as bad as Eustace."

Caspian's light stubble scratched against her cheek as she snuggled into him.

"I understand. . . or it's that I'm your living and breathing teddy bear right?" His voice was husky with sleep as he teased her.

"You wish," She grumbled defensively as she yawned, "You're just my best option."

"Mmm-hmm," The King hummed into her hair as she was rendered speechless or it was the fact he later found out that she had fallen asleep and in a matter of a few mere moments, the King had fallen asleep too.

In her sleep, Anna was plagued with a collection of strange dreams.

She stood in a cemetery beside her mother who was dressed in black like she was standing before the grave of her father with tears rolling endlessly down her cheeks.

Her mother turned her eyes ravenous and mad as her fingers held onto her shoulders so tightly Anna could feel her mother's nails dig into her shoulders.

"I loved you, Anna! And you left me when I needed you most! You left me to die alone!——"

The dirt began to tremble under her feet, before her father peered over her, dressed in his navy uniform that was torn at places and caked with dirt and dried blood, his eyes were a pure unnatural white as he sneered down at her, resembling much like an undead zombie, "You are a disappointment to me! I am ashamed! I wished you never were my daughter! You bring shame to my family!"

Then her shifted and morphed into her Aunt Mary and so did the scenery, Anna crumbled to her knees on the kitchen floor of her Aunt's house. Her aunt sneered down at Anna with her grey empty eyes as she cackled wickedly, "You will never ever leave this house, you hear me girl! Never!"

Anna jolted awake so fast from her nightmare to see Lucy standing in front of her with her hands on her hips, Anna crashed to the ground which such as loud thump against the floor as the Dawn Treader rocked against the waves.

"What are you doing here?!" Anna whispered to Lucy, a deep blush etching upon her cheeks as she stood to face her friend despite the fact she was shaken from her horrible slumber wiping away the tear that escaped her eye.

"I could ask you the same thing!" Lucy hollered.

"I couldn't sleep!" Anna protested.

"Neither can I," Edmund added butting in with an amused chuckle.

Then his expression shifted as if he saw a ghost that made him suddenly pulled his sword out of its scabbard and pointed into the air in the opposite direction to the girls.

"Edmund," Lucy whispered which snapped the boy back into reality as he lowered his sword.

Thunder boomed and Caspian bolted upright blinking rapidly and looked beside him only to find that Anna was gone and no longer in his arms. "I didn't vanish," She mumbled to him with a slight laugh as she met his eyes and he winked in her direction.

It was then after a few moments of silence that Lucy admitted, "I can't sleep."

"Did Gael kick you in her sleep?" Anna suggested.

Lucy's eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she spoke, "Gael doesn't kick in her sleep!"

"Lucy!" Anna hissed pleading for her friend to shush even though in fact Gael did kick in her sleep, Lucy just slept like a bear, "She does! You just don't sleep in the middle!"

"But you insisted remember two days ago. . . that is unless . . . you?" Lucy looked between Anna and Caspian as they both flushed a bright red that could be seen even in the darkness.

Anna sent Lucy a look that could kill before she smiled brightly, dusting of imaginary dirt from her white nightgown, knowing that she had to escape from the situation, "I'm going back to bed, good night, Edmund and Caspian and I'll see you whenever Lucy. Although if any of you had a terrible nightmare like mine. . . I wish you all luck!"

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When Anna stumbled onto the deck in the morning after the storm had finally passed it was clear that morning there was a strange tension within the air and most certainly something did not sit right within her.

Anna found herself at Reepicheep side who glanced over at her friend with immense worry.

"Something isn't right, Reep," She muttered to the mouse but she was unable to hide her panic. The men were still and they weren't bustling and cheery as they always were.

"Agreed," The mouse spoke on the rimmed ledge of the boat as he stood by his friend.

From her distance Anna watch as soon Edmund and Caspian came to view they conversed with Drinian in hushed voices.

Anna had thought she had seen Caspian stressed but she had never seen him at this high level as she did now.

"What is going on!" A crew member demanded.

Anna's grip tightened around the wooden ledge as Caspian stepped forward.

"Where are we?!" Another voice echoed.

"They got us lost!" The same voice echoed.

"It's not anyone's fault, stop pointing fingers at one another!" Anna yelled out but they merely ignored her. Her stomach coiled and her palms grew sweaty as she lowered her voice just for the mouse to her, "Caspian needs to say something Reep. They're getting restless. I don't like those looks on their faces."

"Your majesties," The crew member yelled to Caspian and Edmund, "What some of us have been wanting to ask for some time now is how are we going to get home? We like to know what hopes we have of seeing Narnia again."

Caspian glanced to Edmund before he descending the steps to look to his men, though his tone was much too empathetic than the order-like fashion shove they seem to have needed, "Gentlemen, I understand how you feel but our mission is to continue east."

A collection of 'No' rang out before the man who repeatedly continued to stab at the wound yelled out, "We want to go home! Turns us back!"

"What is the matter with you all? It is just your fear talking!" Rhince, Gael's father shouted to calm the men down but his efforts only seemed to make it worsen, Anna, wrinkled her nose in disgust so they'd acknowledge a man and not her? If only she had really screamed at them and lost her temper completely. . .

"We demand to go home!" Suddenly Anna wanted to throw herself at the man from the horrible look he had sent Caspian but Reepicheep had gently pulled her back by her shirt murmuring, "We must choose our battles wisely, Anna. The men have only lost their spirit in their hearts, not their Narnian ways. They are not savages."

Captain Drinian stepped forwards and began to pace in front of the men, "Are you threatening mutiny?"

"No," A few mumbled together.

"Well, are you?!" Captain Drinian barked and bellowed which caused them all to jump out of their skins and bring a shift in their faces as a few of them paled whilst others blinked in shock.

"Land ho!" Joe called from the crow's nest above at the perfect moment.

"Well! Land ho!" Drinian mumbled to the crew to take their places.

Anna crossed her arms over her chest and nodded with satisfaction as she turned and peered over the wooden ledge to see the Island in the distance which signalled that another adventure awaits.

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