VI. ADVENTURE AWAITS
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A feeling, bubbling and brewing of excitement settled within Anna as she climbed halfway up the rope ladder to witness the Island before her. Anna had always wished for a grand adventure, ever since she was a little girl when her mother had read her bedtime stories and the thought of it happening within this very moment was something she couldn't begin to describe.
Taveros the minotaur and first mate of the Dawn Treader had begun barking orders at the crew about longboats and preparing to drop the anchor.
Reepicheep, Anna's most trusted friend had clambered up beside her and words flew out of Anna's lips before she could stop them, "It truly is such as splendid sight. I've never seen an ounce of land in Narnia before."
"I assume that is about to change. Adventure awaits!" The mouse spoke to the blond and she finally shifted her gaze from the Island dancing in the hues of the setting sun to look at Reepicheep for a moment before they lowered themselves onto the deck.
In the short time, Anna had stepped back into the deck, it appeared to be bustling, everyone seemed to have a job judging the way they all ran around. Anna followed Reepicheep but unfortunately the mouse, due to his lack of height, easily moved much more graciously than Anna who was almost hit by a crewmember with a long paddle.
In the midst of all the bustle, Anna was chosen along with a group of others to scout the area. Wedged next to the dramaqueen-like boy Eustace which should have been a downer, it did not steer Anna from the idea of adventure.
As they neared the shore Anna could see the age within the stone and she only guessed the effort it had taken to create such structures. As they came to the dock and all began stepping out Eustace, "Couldn't this have waited until morning?"
"No," Anna replied bluntly as she took the hand of the Joe crewmember who had offered to help her out of the boat, "If we had to prolong it until the morning I would have died of a broken heart or threw myself overboard and swam here."
Caspian sent a teasing smile in the young woman's direction, "I hope I wouldn't have to pry you off a mermaid again."
To everyone's surprise, she stuck her tongue out at the King and then crossed her arms over her chest before she followed him up the stone steps, "So what happened to 'oh Anna rescuing you I'd deem it one of my most noble acts!' And your greatness if it did happen again, I assure you that it would express your nobleness once again."
"And," Reepicheep said turning to the boy ignoring the playful bickering of two of his friends, "There is no honour in turning away from adventure, lad."
Anna seemed to copy everyone as they all had their hands on the hilts of their swords as Lucy paused and stood still, bringing everyone to a halt. "Listen," She echoed, her eyes glancing around at lighting speed, "Where is everyone?"
Anna shrugged her shoulders and softly added, "Maybe they are having a tea party?"
Edmund's lips curled at Anna's comment.
Then there the annoying protest of Eustace and slight thump against the stone and an 'ouch' as Anna turned to see that he had fallen over after refusing the help of Reepicheep.
"And you're certain he is related by blood?" Caspian asked the two Pevensie children which caused them to share a look. It made Anna wonder if it was sibling intuition.
Seagulls called and suddenly the bell tower echoed and Anna drew the dagger tucked within her scabbard belt and glancing around nervously โโ it appeared everyone had done the same. It riddled her with relief, she wasn't very good at all this yet.
"Reepicheep," Caspian called lowering his crossbow and turning towards his friend, "Stay here with Drinain's men and secure the place. We'll head on. If we don't come back by dawn, send a party."
As Anna nimbly followed after Caspian, Lucy and Edmund on the rough stone raised path, she glanced at Reepicheep who sent her a warm smile and a reassuring nod.
"Yes your majesty," Was all the mouse concluded before bounding off the ledge and back towards the dock.
As they wandered the path, with their weapon's raised, Anna noticed how deserted it was with Eustace thundering around and peering into buildings.
Anna watched the boy dust of his pants and bound quickly towards four of them but then halted halfway like some sacred little puppy pointing enthusiastically to the way they had come in, "Yeah, it looks like nobody is in so I think we should head back."
Edmund stepped forwards and proposed, "Do you want to come here and guard something?"
"Ah, yes," Eustace agreed jogging towards the group as Anna shared a look with Lucy, "Good idea cousin. Very, um, logical."
Anna stepped up to join the Kings and Queen towards the long, strangely engraved door whilst Caspian stepped towards the boy, offering him his dagger that Eustace clearly was uncomfortable with.
"I've got it. I've got it," The boy assured which caused Anna to crack a smile whilst the others gave him strange looks as they pushed the door open to enter, "Don't worry."
Anna found herself at Caspian's side before he leaned over into her ear and whispered softly, "Stay close."
She nodded and smiled in her own way of agreeing with his words and rising her borrowed sword slightly when Caspian raised his crossbow and Edmund ignited his torch.
Aside from the lethe sounds of their feet against the floorboards and the slight creaking of the tower the room seemed empty aside from a small tone mounted table in its centre.
As Anna peered behind Lucy's shoulder, she noticed a book with strikes that horizontally over the names scrawled across its pages.
"Who are all these people?" Lucy wondered aloud, brimming to the surface of what they all seemed to wonder off.
"Why have they been crossed out?" Edmund added holding his torch a little higher over the scrawled names.
Anna nodded along for speaking her mind, her fingers trailing gently over the crossed-out names and numbers, "Maybe it's some sort of fee, perhaps? See all these numbers beside their names? It seems logical."
Caspian looked in her direction and from Anna's judgement it seemed that he agreed when he spoke solemnly, "Slave traders."
A bell stokes numerous times, ringing through the air and Anna could hear cries of men as they all swiftly made their way down ropes and onto the floor. Anna raised her sword as her attacker lurched forwards, hitting their own sword so hard against hers it was nearly knocked from her grasp and caused her to stumble backwards slightly.
An arrow whizzed through the air and flew into the shoulder of her attacker but she knew who it was from and who had shot it โโ Caspian. Her heart lurched and flooded with a fire-like warmth but it instantly washed away when another man stepped forwards her.
She steadied herself and blocked another blow and then another. It was clear Anna had little knowledge of what she was doing and for a brimming moment, it startled her, even if she had hardly any time to think and only act on pure instinct.
Anna was completing whether or not to attack first before a scream echoed throughout the tower, it was high pitched and girly and it surprised her when the door slammed shut with an echo to reveal Eustace with a knife to a throat.
The man sneered as he spoke grittily, "Unless you want to hear this one squeal like a girl again, I'd say you should drop your weapons."
Anna could practically feel the fear radiating off Eustace when he was pushed forwards by the man as Eustace demanded that he be let go.
"Now!" The horrible man demanded. The sound of metal clattering against the floor in the next few moments made Anna's heart race as fast as a hummingbirds wings. It was clear that they were surrounded and their options of what to do had grown very limited.
"Put 'em in iron," exclaimed the man who spoke with a ghastly smile as he lowered the knife from Eustace's throat.
"Come 'ere yer!" A man roared to Anna as she spat in his face which silenced him for a mere moment until he seemed so ravenous she was taken from behind by another of the ringman's little errand girls. The man struck her across her face right upon the fading bruise on her cheek, whilst she continued to thrash against the vile man's hold about she let out a slight whimper when the weighted iron cuffs were locked in place upon her wrists.
"Take these three to market," The man motioned to Lucy, Anna and Eustace with his blade as they all thrashed about, resisting their fate.
"And those two to the dungeons," He sneered at Caspian and Edmund.
"Listen to me, you insolent fool!" Caspian roared in pure anger, "I am your king!"
A man had hit Edmund in the face and he was furious as he yelled, "You'll pay for that!"
"Actually," The ring leader spoke with a dark chuckle, "Someone else is going to pay for all of you."
Anna could feel her stomach churn at the sound of Lucy's screams for her brother and although she continued to thrash about and make it extremely difficult for them to move her, tears streamed violently down her cheeks as she looked towards Caspian and Edmund one last time.
This was not one bit how Anna's grand adventure was supposed to go.
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Chained to a wall, wedged between both Eustace and Lucy, Anna made sure that she would ensure that they were entertained by telling them stories. Eustace rolled his eyes at nearly every word but Lucy listened intently and the two seemed to chatter at ease, yet no matter how hard Anna tried to comfort them both, worry never left their minds.
The horse and cart full of people moved across the dirt road. They were chained up, Anna realised and for a moment she considered if her fate was the same. She shifted uncomfortably, her wrists were raw from her pulling and wriggling them around within her restraints. A man darted forwards racing after the cart, attacking the men and holding onto the woman's hand while a little girl screamed after her mother. Anna guessed that they were family.
"Can you see how they're putting those people into the boats?" Anna whispered to Lucy, "Something really really doesn't add up about it."
Lucy seemed to agree but she rubbed her head and the clouds grew grey and overcast as the boat full of people sailed towards it. Anna could feel her eyes widen when she saw that it was a green smoke that circled around the boat as they all screamed then vanished.
Two neared the three of them chained to the wall, rattling the keys as he unchained them from the wall, he laughed so darkly Anna shivered. One spoke to the another referring to the three of them as if they were cattle, "Those three. They're fresh. Those two girls will sell well."
Anna spat in his face, recognising him as the one who slapped her, "Go to hell!"
The man wiped it away from his sleeve, his dark coal black eyes glancing at Anna's before he turned to his partner with a grin, although they did not seem to know that she was doing her best to stall them, "She's got spirit, I pity the one who buys her."
Anna and Lucy shared a hopeful look before they both stood, steered towards a sandstone platform in the distance. When they neared it, Lucy was forced up the steps first and into a slightly raised platform and Anna brimmed with nothing more than a guilty weight on her shoulders.
"I bid sixty!"
"I bid eighty!"
"I bid a hundred!"
Anna tried to block out their voice but it failed. They bid higher and higher, a man settling on, 'a hundred and fifty!' before she was 'sold' and Anna could feel a sudden sting to her eyes.
"Lucy!" Anna screamed, biting into the hand of the man who held her back but Anna was only free for a mere moment before she was tackled to the ground and then heaved to her feet.
A man heaved Eustace onto the platform and starred out into the crowd with a businessman sort of smile that made Anna snicker, "And now for this fine specimen! Now, who will kick off the bidding? Come on now, he might not look like much but he's strong."
"He smells like the near end of a minotaur!" Someone called from the crowd and it seemed to make them all laugh.
Anna winced when she knew what was coming as Eustace began to speak, "That is an outrageous lie! I won the school hygiene award! Two years running!"
Laughs echoed throughout the crowed and Eustace seemed much more distressed than before. "Someone come on take a bid!" The man ordered impatiently.
"I'll take them off your hands! I'll take them all off your hands!" Reepicheep yelled as captain Drinian disregarded his cloak and the crew members followed in suit. Anna had never been so glad to see her friend and her fellow crew members in all her time in Narnia as they all yelled in chorus, "For Narnia!"
Anna slammed the back of her head against her captor, it throbbed with pain but she knew that noses were a sensitive spot, allowed time to move away from the man and she reached down against the ground picking up a clump of wood and slamming into his face.
She blew a stray hair out of her face and stumbled towards Lucy to followed after Reepicheep who scaled into the table to remove the iron cuffs.
"Thanks, Reep," Anna and Lucy chorused together.
"I knew you'd come," spoke Lucy with an unwavering grin.
"We both did," Anna corrected.
Then as a group of the slave traders made their way over to the girls, they fought against them together using a thick book and a bit of wood against them and became the definition of teamwork.
It was evident that the crew of the Dawn Treader had brought the Narnian spirit and soon everyone was fighting until the slave traders had perished or well, surrendered.
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