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WALKING IN THE WIND
iv. WISH UPON A STAR

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  HOPE PEVENSIE WASTED SO much of her life bumbling over uncertainties and shyness, stuttering before her superiors, and flinching at corners, but if there was one thing she was the most confident about, one thing in her entire unlucky existence, it was that she really fucking hated the ocean.

  Where the others saw beauty and mystery in those jewel-like waters, Hope saw a cold, infinite void with creatures that were never meant to be observed by human eyes. A ravenous, deep blue monster that pulled in small ships with smaller humans that believed they were mightier than the ocean's will, swallowing them whole before they could realize their foolishness. She saw it in how the tides foamed at the mouth, how the waters slammed and clawed against the sides of their ship, the growling waves as if to imitate the ocean's bottomless stomach.

  Every time Hope thought about the oceans for too long, she felt sick, which didn't help the fact that she was constantly seasick. Every time she thought she'd gained her sea legs, she found herself wobbling to the edge to empty her stomach. She couldn't keep her food down. It was never completely silent. She was never alone. Her cheeks were constantly sunburnt. There was nowhere to go beyond the confines of the ship. Just the blinding sun and howling winds and whatever sea creatures were waiting to chew her up.

  Seriously, how the ever-living fuck did Caspian and Odette convince her to board the Dawn Treader?

  This was an ongoing dilemma for the first few weeks Hope was trapped on the Dawn Treader. And though she never directly voiced her loathing aloud, Caspian and Odette knew her better than anyone in Narnia. And even if someone somehow didn't notice her distaste, they certainly learned the truth once the Dawn Treader began making its first few stops.

  From Cair Paravel, the Dawn Treader sailed northeast to Galma, a sovereign island where the king was holding a tournament. Initially, Caspian volunteered to compete on behalf of Narnia's rulers, but Hope insisted she take his place. It was there where she was able to take out her pent-up annoyance toward seafaring and win the whole damn competition. Galma's ruler offered his daughter as a prize — perhaps as a new handmaid or a potential bride for Caspian — but Hope politely declined, and so their voyage persisted.

  In the southeast, they were attacked by pirates in Terebintha. Yes, apparently pirates did exist! Hope had the pleasure of nearly getting stabbed by one. Luckily, she only manage to nick the spot where her eyebrow arced. It was during this ambush when they learned Odette had an unsettling gift for shooting arrows directly through eyeballs. Caspian could vouch for her firsthand, as she nearly shot him instead of a pirate during the attack.

  From there, they headed northeast and docked at the main island of Brenn, where they feasted with the locals in Redhaven, the capital city. They did not reside there long, only long enough to gather supplies and food that were lost to the pirates' ambush.

  As of now, they were sailing farther southeast toward the Lone Islands, where Caspian believed the Seven Lost Lords escaped to during Miraz's tyranny.

  "Finally got your sea legs, eh?" Caspian greeted.

  Hope's lip curved, and she rolled her eyes, not bothering to peer away from her workspace. The Stern Cabin was too dim to truly see much that evening. Only a strip of moonlight through the square windows revealed enough for her as she finished up her final portrait of the seventh Lost Lord, drawn to the best of her ability based on Caspian's memory and the word of mouth of the crew.

  "Mock me all you want," Hope said. She stuck her pencil behind her ear and blew gently at the parchment, dusting away loose pieces of graphite. "My powers grow stronger from embarrassment, I'll have you know."

  Caspian laughed. He leaned over the table, curious. "Beautifully done. I wouldn't expect anything less from you," he said. "Do you remember that prank we pulled on Drinian last year? You drew his portrait, except you made his features larger than they were to bewilder him."

  Hope covered her mouth, snorting to keep from laughing too loudly. Even overseas, she worried about waking the crew below deck. "The poor lad was horrified!" Hope remembered.

  "I don't know where you found the gall to attempt that," said Caspian. "You were quite afraid of Drinian when you first became acquainted. You could hardly look him in the eye, and look at us now. He's the Captain of our ship!"

  "She's your ship, Cas."

  "Nonsense! She's a family heirloom!" Caspian grinned. His pearly white teeth seemed to gleam in the darkness. He offered a hand. "Walk with me?"

  Scraping her chair back, she accepted his hand. They slipped through the door, where a golden image of Aslan was hanging, watching over them. Like the lone moon in the sky, not a soul wandered the main deck. It was so very difficult to keep track of time while navigating the seas. All Hope knew was the path the sun and moon took every day, and nothing more.

  "I'm going to say something crazy," Hope said as they strolled together. "I prefer the sea at night."

  Caspian pressed his back to the railing, tipping his head to admire the dazzling stars above. "I have to admit, that is crazy. You can't see a thing out there! It's terrifying!"

  "That's exactly why I like it! It's all pitch black. It's easier to pretend I'm not on a floating death trap." She breathed in the salty air. It was all over her at all times now. Even the inside of her mouth always had a pinch of salt on her tongue. "Ignorance is bliss, right?"

  Hope leaned against the railing, simply watching Caspian for a moment. He had grown to become such a sturdy man in the years she knew him. Sturdy but good. Caring but stern when necessary. Gentle but strong, too. His hair was still long, though not so curly anymore. Finally, he'd settled on keeping his facial hair clean and trimmed. It suited him and his cheekbones very much.

  "Ah, almost nothing need be said when you have eyes," Caspian said. Hope knew that quote. It was from some book somewhere in Cair Paravel that she recommended to him ages ago. He lulled his head aside to look at her. "Have I told you how grateful I am that you're here with us?"

  "Yes, I suppose the King needs a court jester while he's bored overseas."

  He laughed, elbowing her. "Yes, watching you work out your issues with the sea has been entertaining. I can tell Drinian has taken favor to you. Even if you refuse to get starboard and port right."

  "Well, I think we should just say right and left instead of starboard and port!" Hope defended. "I'll admit... I do like being here with you. And Ode, of course. And... when I'm not thinking about what drowning feels like, I sort of feel closer to my father out here. Closer than I've felt to him in a long, long time."

  "I think you're the only other person that understands that feeling." Caspian looked down, frowning. "We're all that remains of our fathers' legacies. A certain weight crushes my chest when I think about it for too long. I'm... not sure what I'll do if I fail—"

  "Hey." Hope touched his arm supportively. "You're not going to fail. You've spent the past three years preparing for this voyage."

  "Is that enough?"

  "It has to be. It will be. I wouldn't come after you if I deemed you incompetent."

  Caspian gave her a crooked smile. "Are you saying that during all those months you refused to join me, you thought I was incompetent?"

  Hope shoved him. "Oh, shut up. Maybe I'm the fool. I'm the one following you to the end of the world."

  "I'm the blind leading the blind," Caspian laughed. "Do you... think I'm doing this right, Hope? Be honest. I value your and Ode's opinion more than anyone on this ship."

  "Aslan himself told you this is how you would fulfill your title as the Navigator," Hope reminded him. "One year and one day on the ocean blue. I think you're doing perfectly well. But I understand your hesitance." She looked up at the inky black sky. "You know, Glenstorm taught me quite a bit about the stars after the Telmarine war. He said if you seek the brightest star you can find on a night as empty and clear as tonight, you should make a wish, and perhaps Aslan will grant you it."

  Caspian looked up again. "Which one?"

  Hope shook her head. Gently, she cupped her hand beneath his chin and guided his vision toward the brightest star in the sky, just beside the moon. The very star Aslan named after Hope on the evening of her coronation.

  "Oh, I see it now." His eyes softened. "Hope's Star. Fitting, that your star is fabled to guide and fulfill wishes. What would you wish for?"

  Hope hummed. "A sign, maybe. I'd like to wish for a sign that it was worth overcoming my fear of the sea for you. That this is the path we're meant to be on."

  "I'll wish for the same, then."

  "Copycat."

  "It's a good wish!"

  "It is, isn't it?" Hope sighed. "Aslan, wherever you are, please send a sign our way. Let us know we're making the right choices. Give us a good luck charm, and we'll forever be grateful. Please and thank you."

  Even if Aslan didn't give them a sign, this was nice. Hope wasn't sure what she would do if she didn't have Caspian these days. He was as constant as the rhythmic waves rocking the Dawn Treader, as dependable as the rise and fall of the sun. For the first time, she admitted it to herself. Caspian X was a blessing in disguise all along, everywhere he went, no matter the circumstance.

  They didn't need a sign so long as they had Caspian. This, amidst all of her uncertainties and fears, Hope was certain of.

○ ○ ○

  During the day, Hope liked to hide out in the Stern Cabin. It was where she drew her portraits of the Seven Lost Lords, where she studied and copied maps on behalf of the ship's cartographer. She spent many long hours listening to Caspian, Odette, and Drinian discuss the ship's course before finally beginning to chip in once she felt like she truly understood the sea a bit better.

  Odette hadn't struggled as much as she did. She was an island princess her whole life, after all. King David and Queen Lydia ensured she could swim and read maps for the sake of attracting a good husband. Men liked their women educated (but not too educated, as it would bruise their fragile egos if their wives were smarter than them). For a time, Hope didn't mind the sea. All of that was undone when she lost her father.

  Copying maps was becoming a rather important job as they continued to sail through the eastern seas. Eventually, they would reach waters that had never been navigated before. Documentation was crucial if they were to spread this knowledge to the Narnians and their allies once they returned from their trip. That was what Hope was up to when she heard screaming from the main deck.

  Hope looked up for a moment. Then, she turned back to her work. The boys were probably sparring again. Or Odette was convinced she'd finally spotted a mermaid, just like the other 13 times she thought she "saw" one.

  But there it was again. Shouting.

  Hope paused. But she chose to ignore it. She had work to do, and she didn't want to risk worsening the damn sunburn on her nose. Surely, Reepicheep had pretended to fall overboard again.

  Finally, a faun burst through the door of the Stern Cabin. Sweat slicked his face as he panted. "Your Majesty! Y-Your Majesty, I'm terribly sorry for the interruption!" He bowed. "But there's... there are castaways!"

  Hope tensed. Immediately, she stood. "Castaways? This far out? Was there any sign of a shipwreck nearby?"

  "Nothing the eye could see, Your Majesty," the faun said. "Queen Odette sent for you. She suggested you were the most fit to see to the castaways. If you're not busy, I can take you to them."

  "Yes! Yes, of course!" Hope said. The faun nodded, and they hurried out onto the main deck.

  Practically the entire crew was gathered on the main deck. Perfectly chaotic yet somehow organized shouts muddled together, but Hope had been onboard long enough to understand a sailor's language fluently by now.

  Odette was easiest to spot, being one of the only two girls aboard the Dawn Treader. She was at the opposite end of the deck, passing towels around. Beside her, Caspian was soaked. He must've jumped after the castaways. It was difficult to see through the crowd, but there appeared to have been three.

  "Didn't you call for us?" a voice came. A girl's voice!

  "No," Caspian was saying. "Not this time."

  "Well, whatever the case, I'm just glad to be here," said another voice. A... boy's. No, that wasn't right. Was it? That sounded awfully a lot like—

  "I ought to strangle you two!" Odette scolded as she threw a towel around one of the castaways. "Have you lost your minds? How did you end up out here without a ship of your own?"

  "Never mind that, Ode," Caspian said, beaming. "Oh, would someone do me a favor and fetch—?"

  "Cas?" Hope called. She squinted against the sun from the top of the stairs, her eyes readjusting to the onslaught of light. She descended a few steps. Finally, she saw them. She blinked. "W-What's going on? Are there really...? Are there...? Cast... Castaways?"

  There he was. Edmund Pevensie.

  Edmund Pevensie was standing on the Dawn Treader.

  No, he was a mirage, surely. Drinian warned her before they set sail, that the sea played nasty tricks on the mind. That wasn't Edmund. That wasn't Edmund in the slightest.

  Oh, but it looked so much like him. A tall, pale man with a litter of freckles speckled across his rosy cheeks. Deep brown eyes, gleaming with mischief. Black hair, like a raven's feather, that stubbornly curled even under the sticky assault of saltwater. The brown towel around his shoulders hit the floor.

  All of the shouting fell away the moment he spoke.

  "Hope?"

  "Edmund?" Hope said, softer than a whisper. Her heart quivered. Again, louder, she said, "Edmund!"

  And she dashed down the stairs, hardly touching the last few before Edmund Pevensie raced to meet her at the bottom, pulling her into his arms. His hair dripped onto her shoulder. His clothes soaked hers, but she didn't care. Her fingers tangled in his hair, as if she could press herself against him so tightly that they could become one. He smelt of salt and sun and faintly of cologne in the crook of his neck.

  "How...? How is this happening?" Hope pulled away, only to be pulled back in as Edmund held her face and kissed her. They pulled away, breathless. "You're not real. I've been on the sea for too long. I've finally lost it."

  "I always knew my mere presence had the ability to take your breath away, dove," Edmund said with a grin. "But, really, you're flattering me too much now."

  Dove. She was lucky he was holding onto her so tightly because she lost her balance at the mere mention of that old nickname. It was him. He was here. This was real.

  "You're lucky I missed you so much because I could have you thrown overboard for that," Hope replied, laughing giddily like a child. "What are you doing here?"

  Caspian called, "I do believe our wish came true, Hope."

  Hope couldn't even begin to reply as she finally noticed the girl beside him. No, this wasn't a girl. There was a young woman, wrapped in a brown towel, beaming up at her brother and sister-in-law.

  "Don't tell me that's... Is that...? LUCY!" Hope untangled herself from Edmund, rushing to throw herself at the girl. She planted a kiss on the girl's forehead. "I almost didn't recognize you! My darling girl, Lucy, you've grown! You've grown far too much!"

  "I said the same thing!" Odette chirped, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Lucy's ear with a hint of pride.

  "We can hug later!" Lucy tried to say. "I'm going to get you all wet!"

  "Don't think you can get away from us that easily," Hope said, pulling her back in for another hug. "I missed you, loony Lu. You have no idea. Are you hurt? Hungry? Thirsty? Tired?"

  "Yes, I'm okay, too," Caspian teased. "Thank you for your undying concern."

  "Oh, you would live as a barnacle below deck if you could, fish boy," Odette mocked.

  Before Caspian could object, there came a shrill scream.

  "GET THAT THING OFF ME! GET THAT THING OFF ME!"

  Reepicheep's body went soaring toward them. Lucy exclaimed, "Reepicheep!"

  "Oh!" Reepicheep patted down his wet fur and gave a bow. "Your Majesties!"

  "Hello, Reep," Edmund greeted. He appeared beside his queen, smiling. "What a pleasure!"

  "The pleasure is all mine, sir," said Reepicheep. "But first, what to do about this hysterical interloper?"

  "Did you bring someone else?" Hope wondered. It sounded like a girl. But when the crowd parted, there was a young boy with blond hair coughing and writhing on the floor, face redder than her hair.

  "That giant rat thing just tried to claw my face off!" the boy wailed.

  "I was merely trying to expel the water from your lungs, sir!" Reepicheep said.

  The boy scurried back into the railing. "It talked!" he squeaked. "Did you see? Did anyone just hear that? It just talked!"

  "He always talks," Hope simply said.

  "It's getting him to shut up," Caspian agreed, "that's the trick."

  Despite the laughter around them, Reepicheep said, "The moment there is nothing to be said, Your Highness, I promise you, I will not say it."

  "I don't know what kind of prank this is, but I want to wake up RIGHT NOW!" the boy screeched.

  Hope grimaced. "Friend of yours, dear?"

  "Our cousin, Eustace Clarence Scrubb," Edmund grumbled.

  "Perhaps we could throw him back?" Reepicheep offered.

  Edmund tilted his head, clearly considering it. Lucy gasped and whacked him. "EDMUND!" she scolded.

  Eustace stomped across the deck, poorly fighting back tears. "I demand to know just where in the blazes am I?"

  "You're on the Dawn Treader," rasped a minotaur, "the finest ship in Narnia's navy."

  Eustace collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

  Laughter exploded across the ship. The minotaur looked around, puzzled. "Was it something I said?"

  Caspian smiled unashamedly. "See to him, will you?" He nodded toward the stairs, urging his fellow monarchs to follow. He hopped onto the stairs and loudened his voice. "Men! Behold our castaways! Edmund the Just and Lucy the Valiant, High King and Queen of Narnia!"

  At once, the crew descended to their knee and bowed their heads. Hope turned to the Just King, offering a curtsey. "Your Majesty," she greeted.

  Edmund couldn't wipe the grin off his face, even if he tried. He took her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckle. "Your Majesty," he gently teased.

  Odette threw an arm around the youngest Pevensie. "Either I'm going to hurl, or you and I are going to hurl those two off the ship," she said. "Come along, let's get you some dry clothes, my lioness." She dragged the Valiant Queen along, whistling. "You, too, fish boy!"

  Caspian shook his head. "That's not going away, is it?"