A black haired boy stood at the railway of a huge ship and looked back at the port of Cair Paravel. He was able to see a few figures that were still watching the ship disappearing behind the forenoon sun.
Maybe Gwen's one of them, he thought with a grin.

He asked himself if he'd miss the city and its people and markets and foods and smells.
No, not noble Reepicheep, the boy who'd lived in the woods for most of what people knew about him.
He smiled bitterly.

Often he'd wished secretly alone in his hammock to be back on a ship, back on his ship, with his second family, but now he almost wanted to go back to the little room, covered in mattresses and young children, all asleep.

He played around with his sword's handle, while the wind played with his hair.

The planks vibrated with the sound of coming steps as another boy jumped next to him and bumped Reepicheep's shoulder with his own.

"Now we are free", Caspian said jokingly, holding the "e".

"Free from what exactly?", Reepicheep laughed and brushed a curl behind his ear, but the wind apparently didn't like it that way and pushed it back.
Reepicheep almost wondered why he'd brought a comb.

His hair which reached down to his shoulders would probably be so tangled, the comb would be useless.

Well, at least Cas will have the same problem, he thought and glanced at the King's hair.
It was just as long as his own, although it wasn't black, but almost golden.

Caspian shrugged and let his gaze wander over the sea.
"Free from behaving like landlubbers", he said, then shrugged and Reepicheep burst out laughing.

As if we ever did, Reepicheep thought, but he knew that he didn't need to say it out loud for Caspian to understand.

Reepicheep looked back at the water.
"Do you think Gwen's still standing there?", Caspian asked.
Reepicheep giggled. "Maybe", he said.

"But maybe she also ran into the castle after kissing Drin", he said and just about managed to hold back a laugh.

When Caspian snorted, Reepicheep gave in and both of them had their friend's confused face in mind after he'd just been kissed and the girl had run away.

"Well, at least we know now that the feelings were mutual", Caspian said with a snort and Reepicheep wiped away the upcoming tears of laughter.

Chuckling Reepicheep rested his elbows on the railing and held his head with his left hand while Caspian still laughed full-heartedly.

Gwendolen was a young girl, maybe one year younger than Reepicheep, and she lived in the castle with them. Her hair was of a pretty blond - Drinian had called it golden once before he quickly shut up - and there probably wasn't anyone who didn't like her sweet smile or her eyes always glistening with joy.

With his right hand, Reepipeep ran over the railing, one of his favourite parts of the whole ship, because it ended in a dragon head.

The Dawn Treader was something that Caspian was very proud of, and Reepicheep found that it was indeed a good thing to be proud of.
The hull was coloured in green, the sails in deep, steady violet, and the deck was evenly and still shiny, although that was probably going to change soon.

Thinking of the deck gave him a sudden idea.

"We could have sparring sessions on deck", he whispered and Caspian grinned.

"We can not", said a voice from behind them and Reepicheep laughed as he recognised the voice.
It was Lord Drinian, the captain of the ship and the last one of their small friend group.

He was just as old as Reepicheep, maybe a little younger, and unfortunately a lot taller.

"Anyway-", Reepicheep started, but a gust of wind swept him away and he almost fell at the planks, barely getting away with a few staggering steps.

Caspian, who also lost his balance, fell on top of him and brought both of them to the ground, while the King let out a small, not very kingly scream.
Drinian just rolled his eyes and walked away.

A little embarrassed, Reepicheep got up, having the false hope that no one had noticed, but obviously the crew had noticed their King and his best friend falling to the ground.
This reminded him a little too much of his first day on a ship, back when he had been eight, because on his first day he'd fallen to the floor like this with the whole crew watching and laughing.

Too embarrassed to turn back to the crew, he looked back at Cair Paravel and had to think of his friends, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, who had been Kings and Queens there once, a long time ago.
Just before the ship left the harbour Gwen had mentioned them, saying that if they came to Narnia while Reepicheep and Caspian were gone - although she didn't believe so - she would try to tell them everything important and maybe send them after the Dawn Treader.

"Do you think we'll see Ed and Lu again soon?", he asked Caspian, just because that wouldn't leave his mind.

"Maybe", Caspian said. "I just hope they come here and not to Cair."
He grinned.
"Imagine coming home and they have already left again. Wouldn't that be totally stupid?"

Reepicheep chuckled.
"But whatever happens, Aslan will put them where it's best", he said, looking at the golden ring on his left hand with the engraved lion face.

Caspian nodded but he couldn't help but hope that "where it's best" would he here on the ship.

≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫

"Reep!", Caspian called for his best friend and the boy came running up to him.
"Did something happen?", he asked.

But instead of saying something terrible, Caspian asked:"Were those dolphins?"

Kind of relieved, Reepicheep rolled his eyes. "I don't know, I haven't seen them, Cas-"

"There!", Caspian yelled and pointed to the ocean.

Reepicheep shot around and he briefly saw the fin of a dolphin disappearing into the water.

"It was a dolphin, it was a dolphin!", Caspian exclaimed happily and Reepicheep laughed.

"I remember spending full days searching for them", the black-haired boy recalled with a fond smile on his face.

"Yeah, back when you were a pirate and I sat in a castle and was bored," Caspian said grumpily and Reepicheep started laughing.

Caspian's eyes darted across the ship to the steering wheel where Drinian stood.
"Drinian doesn't look", he whispered.

First Reepicheep didn't know what Caspian was talking about, but then Caspian nodded subtly toward his sword and a grin crept onto Reepicheep's face.

They unsheathed their swords, and at the sound some men turned around and cheered, and so Drinian noticed, but the two boys couldn't care less.

"Come on!", Drinian sighed. "We aren't even two hours from Cair Paravel's docks!"
Caspian only grinned at him and attacked.

His lunges did not take Reepicheep by surprise as he was an expert swordsman.

The clash of metal and ringing of laughter filled the salty ocean air as the king and his best friend "danced" about the deck.

"Is that the best you got?" Reepicheep laughed after Caspian had attempted some kind of spinning manoeuvre.

Caspian grunted as his sword collided with Reepicheep's, sweat forming on his forehead.

They jumped around on the whole deck, on top of boxes, and stairs, and everyone made room for them and their swords that glinted in the sunlight.

Reepicheep felt the wood underneath his feet and the wind in his face.

Right as he wanted to attack, another gust of wind swept him off his feet and the sword out of his hands.

He looked up and saw that Caspian also sat on the planks, holding his head and looking confused.

Reepicheep started laughing.

"Now, everyone back to work!", Drinian called annoyed.

"Bold of you to assume we're finished", Caspian said, grabbed his sword, and got up, accompanied by the crew's cheering.

Reepicheep jumped up and the fight began again.

He almost fell over a box, and Caspian stumbled over him.

Reepicheep's head snapped up, he saw Caspian sitting on the ground and pointed his sword with a wide smirk at Caspian's face.

"You're just lucky", Caspian grumbled.
The black-haired boy shook his head.

"A good soldier is never lucky. He wins or he fails", he said, proudly reciting the words of his old captain.

Satisfied he saw the crew members nodding in agreement and Caspian rolled his eyes while Reepicheep helped him up.

"Everyone. Back. To work", Drinian said, glaring at the two boys disapproving.

Reepicheep chuckled.
This would be fun.

And so everyone left again to do their work, while Reepicheep and the King went to get some water, Caspian still looking grumpy.

"Come on", Reepicheep said. "Losing isn't bad. But how you treat losing is bad."
But Caspian only sighed annoyed.

But then the King pushed the black-haired boy, who almost fell to the ground and a little smirk of satisfaction appeared in Caspian's face.

"Really?", Repicheep asked, unimpressed.

Caspian nodded. "Really."

Reepicheep straightened his clothes.
"Idiot."

"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"You know what I mean."
"I have no idea."

Caspian pushed him again.

"Stop it!", Reepicheep exclaimed. "I'm going to end up in the water!"

"At least I'll be rid of you then."

This time it was Reepicheep who pushed Caspian.

"Could you two please stop?", Drinian said.

"No", Caspian and Reepicheep both said like two grumpy kids.

Drinian rolled his eyes like a very tired mother.

"This will be fun", he mumbled and the two other boys looked at each other, both having the same idea.

"Oh Caspian, how dare you upset Drinian?", Reepicheep said, crossing his arms, and Drinian, who got what they were doing, just sighed again.

"Me upsetting Drin? You upset him!", Caspian exclaimed over exaggerated.

"Oh how would I have? I am well behaved, instead of you, your Majesty", Reepicheep mocked and bowed sarcastically.

"Please you two", Drinian sighed, but there was no stopping now.

"Are you doubting my kingship?", Caspian asked as if it was the most terrible thing ever.

Reepicheep looked at him for a moment and said:"Yes."

Caspian lunged at him, but Reepicheep ducked away, stumbling against Drinian and almost bringing him to fall.

"Sorry!", he quickly said, storming away, Caspian already following him.

Reepicheep jumped up, grabbed the rigging with his hands, swung himself onto the ropes and climbed up a little.

Caspian, who didn't dare to go onto the very loose looking net of ropes, stayed at the ground and groaned while Reepicheep laughed.

The Caspian grabbed an orange from a basket next to him and threw it at his friend who, to Caspian's terror, catched it with both hands, only his feet keeping him in the ropes.

Reepicheep laughed.
"What did you expect? That I let you hit me?"

Caspian threw another orange.

"Boys!", Drinian shouted.
"Did nobody teach you not to play with food?"

"Nope", Reepicheep called back, jumped down from the rigging and put both oranges back into the basket.
"And besides, he was the only one throwing the oranges."

Drinian rolled his eyes again and Reepicheep almost felt sorry for him.

"Maybe we should stop teasing him", he whispered to Caspian who nodded thoughtfully.

"Probably, yes."

"Will we, though?"

"Probably not."