The Dawn Treader anchors in a natural bay that is sheltered from the open sea by headlands left and right. The newfound island is vast, green hills covered with lush forest and grassland. Behind lay mountains which tower over the isle like guardians of stone. Drinian says, in these waters, guardians may indeed be needed. The captain is no superstitious man, but in this world, there are things incomprehensible for most minds, and at any rate inexplicable. So, he would never presume something possible or not only because he can't understand it, or it seems illogical. That attitude allows him a certain flexibility which saved him from foolishness on a few occasions in his quite long years of seafaring – for a Telmarine. This cannot be said about all sailors in this crew, some are – frankly – foolishly holding onto the one or other superstition. They spent some time discussing whether to steer the ship into said bay or not, Tavros and Rynelf having different opinions was not helping. The second ship's mate didn't question Drinian's order while Rynelf voiced concerns – especially regarding the strange islands they encountered so far. Unnecessarily, he reminded the captain of the slave traders, a cursed treasure which turned a boy into a dragon, and mysterious events that led to memory loss. However, the Dawn Treader stayed on course – some men grumble about it. Their long faces are forgotten when everyone lays eyes on the beauty of this patch of earth. It seems so peaceful, yet practically bursting with life – the impression could be deceptive, though, as there was absolutely no life on Deathwater Island.

» Everything seems to... glow, « Eustace comments and frowns at the nearest trees. Part of the crew set over to the shore. As Rynelf insisted to stay on the ship to keep it safe, Drinian left Tavros behind as well as the voice of reason. Caspian is with the captain, walking ahead through the forest adjoining the beach. Edmund follows along with Reepicheep and some men, Luna amongst them. Lucy and Eustace stay by the longboats with the rest of the landing party. They will prepare camp for the night while the others scout the surroundings. The boy is right, the flora has a strange glow to it. Not that the plants are really glowing like fireflies, but their colours seem stronger than usual. Yet, as they comb through the forest along the shore, they find nothing unusual and soon return.

As the fire burns down, everyone heads to their makeshift beds – except of the two fellows who are on the first shift of watch duty. The landing party set up camp between a few boulders on the western side of the bay. The large stones are covered in moss lichen and provide shelter from wind and the eyes of potential enemies. There is still no sign of the latter, but the crew stays alert – better safe than sorry, as Luna likes to say. This time, she didn't have to say anything, though, the crew internalized it by now.

As usual, the warrior and Queen Lucy arranged their mats next to each other. So, Lucy lies between a boulder and her friend. Reepicheep and Eustace are curled up just above the girls' heads while Caspian and Edmund flank them. There is only little space between their mats, just enough to walk through the sand. Luna is eager to get some sleep, she volunteered for the third shift to keep watch. It is the last shift that ends in the morning after sunrise. To her delight, Elrik did the same. Drinian looked them over a bit sullen, given the history of the two on lookout duty in the crow's nest. In the end, he agreed – they are both dutiful, especially the young woman will probably attack every shadow coming too close to the king. So, Luna plans to get every minute of sleep until the start of her shift. Caspian and she share a smile as they settle down. It feels as if nothing and everything changed between them at the same time. The both of them detect a tingling in their stomachs at the lightest touch, the faintest smile, the shortest gaze. In itself, this isn't new, however, Luna starts to acknowledge it. She becomes more and more aware of the tiniest reactions towards him, sometimes it astounds her how she is able to analyse others quite quickly yet fails to notice her own body's language. For now, she pushes the questions circling the matter to the back of her head and tries to accept the facts. It is difficult as her inner voices hold opposite opinions about all this. Caspian, on the other hand, accepted the facts long ago. His challenge lies in finding the right approach, and to restrain his euphoria about Luna's returned feelings to not overwhelm her. The two must find a pace slow enough to let Aslan guide them and be comfortable with returning to the old closeness while overcoming the time that passed since, the wounds and the doubts – those more on Luna's behalf. And the pair wants to keep the relationship quiet for now, they are not keen on others interfering when they themselves still need to figure things out. Being on a relatively small ship, this challenges them to find moments and shadowed corners to get some privacy. The rest of the time, they must stick to smiles, small gestures, and conversations that are overheard by at least two people. So far, it works – maybe these circumstances favour a slow pace.

Luna is awoken by a soft shake of her shoulder. Instinctively, she tenses up and her hand shoots to her sword that always rests within reach by her side. Only then she blinks the sleep away, looking up. In the dim light of a lantern, she recognizes Tingel. The dwarf straightens as he accomplished his task.

» It's time for ye shift, lassie, « he mumbles, suppressing a yawn. Quietly, Luna rises, fastening her sword belt. She thanks the sailor for waking her, takes the lantern from him, and wishes him a good night before heading to the side of the camp. She hangs the light source on a stick near the firepit, stretching her limbs.

» You sleepwalking? « Elrik arrives by her side and grins.

» Unfortunately, no, « she chuckles. He cracks his knuckles,

» Alright, then let's keep uninvited guests at bay, aye? « So, the two are on their way, patrolling around the sleeping camp in circles – varying from clockwise to counter-clockwise. Between patrols, they rest at the firepit, maintaining a small flame. The first hour of their shift passes without incidents. Something sounding like an owl hoots in the second. In the third hour, someone sneezes rather loudly, a few people complain, then the peace returns. Since the last island, Luna is feeling more on edge on unknown territory. Yet, the peace here seems true whereas on Deathwater Island her senses told her that something wasn't right. She tends to trust her gut, but caution is wise regardless.

The fourth and last hour of the watch passes. Nothing out of the expected ordinary happens. The night gives way to a new dawn, the dark fades to a dimness. Luna and Elrik made their last round and now watch the sunrise. They climbed up on the boulder closest to the fire to have a perfect view of the horizon, as well as the edge of the woods and thicket. Well, through the undulating headlands, they only see part of the former. Soon, the sun peaks over the rim of the world – as it seems – pouring out her warm light over a small streak of the sea. There, the water shimmers golden. All the while, the sky appears to blush under the attention before it starts to glow orange as the sun rises. Neither Luna nor Elrik feel the need to talk much. They have been silent through most of the night and are comfortable with the presence of the other. As the fresh daylight reaches the camp, the crew awakes one by one. Slowly, life returns to the camp, sped up by Drinian's call for his men to get up. The captain detests tardiness. The two watch keepers glance at each other as their companions sit up, rise, and stretch groggily, shuffling to start their duties.

» Last shift isn't so bad, I guess, « Elrik comments,

» Better option than waking up to the captain's lovely voice. « Luna doesn't even try to hold the laugh in, nudging her friend gently. She doesn't deny Drinian can be rough, but he's a good man. Nevertheless, one who will certainly unleash unpleasant duties on someone he overhears talking like this. Fortunately, the captain is occupied with organizing the day shifts to keep watch and the fire going. Her gaze wanders further to her friends. Lucy is up already, trying to wake Eustace. Reepicheep is with her. Luna can't make out his words – maybe he advises the queen that it is pointless. If the blond boy wants to sleep, it's better to leave him be. Else, he gets cranky and won't be bearable for a while, if not the entire day. Lucy smiles and rises to her feet to get to her next victim. As she walks up to Edmund, Eustace rolls onto his stomach and draws the blanket over his head.

Caspian shakes Ed's shoulder to no avail. The King of Old bats away his hand and turns his back on his friend. Caspian chuckles, looking up at Lucy and wishing her a good morning. He leaves her to it and sits up. His eyes sweep over the empty mat next to him, searching for its owner. He finds her sitting atop one of the boulders. As she was already looking at him, a smile flickers over her lips and she waves. He returns the gesture and watches her turn her head to her companion. Elrik says something and lays back, crossing his arms under his head. Luna laughs, the picking up breeze carries the sound over to the king. The smile remains on his face faintly as he gets up. He stretches before he straightens his clothes, fastening his sword belt and pulling on his jerkin. The morning air is fresh, but not cold. A few days back, Rynelf noted the temperatures rise as the Dawn Treader makes her way farther south. They are probably on the height of Calormen now. Edmund said, they should put a 'graticule' over the maps – in the world of the Pevensies it is used for navigation, apparently.

For a while, Luna gazes out at the bay where Tavros appears on deck and waves to them. Then her eyes wander over to the other side of camp, to the forest. She isn't on watch-duty anymore, yet she can't help but look around warily from time to time. Elrik uses the free time to take a nap next to her. He shifts as Anaru pours grain-powder into the boiling water – he set the pot over the fire before – and a sweet smell wafts over the camp. On land, it's mostly porridge for breakfast. On the ship it depends if Jaro and Anaru baked bread. The chef seldomly accompanies the crew to explore the islands they land on. He prefers to stay on the Dawn Treader – even if he then must care for the hens – so young Anaru is to feed the landing party. Now, Luna's stomach growls at the smell of food and she attempts to make herself more presentable. She loosens her braid, combing through her hair with her fingers before pulling it in a new one. With a quiet chuckle and a frown at once she remembers that she asked Lucy to cut her hair, yet they never got to it. She may have to bring it up again.

As breakfast is ready, Caspian strolls over to the boulder Luna still sits atop of. She is just finishing braiding her hair.

» Good morning, « he calls up. While she returns his greeting, he leans against the stone,

» Hungry? « She nods, so he offers her his hand for support,

» Then allow me to escort you to breakfast. « Luna laughs at his courtly talking, but blushes, nevertheless. Although she would be perfectly able to get down by herself, she accepts his hand. After nudging a snoring Elrik, she hops down and lands next to Caspian in the sand with a soft thud. Her blush only intensifies as he holds onto her hand a little longer than necessary. He looks quite handsome with the slightly ruffled hair, and the light catching in his eyes, the golden shimmer melting together with the dark brown. Silently, she curses the blood that so traitorously rushes to her cheeks.

» Did you sleep well? « She inquires to distract from her embarrassment, sheepishly brushing a lose strand of hair behind her ear. Caspian notices and suppresses a smile, enjoying this side of her. Of course, he doesn't draw it out. So, he squeezes her hand before letting go, instantly missing the feeling.

» I did, « he answers her question,

» Thank you for taking watch. « Her eyes flicker to his briefly. For a moment, they stand there a bit awkward. Then, Luna yawns. She mumbles an apology, but Caspian only chuckles and waves it off,

» I take it, you didn't get enough sleep? « It sounds more than a statement than a question, really.

» Ah, after breakfast I'll be fine, « she assures him,

» Are we setting out soon? « He gestures for her to walk with him as he replies,

» Yes, I think we should use all the daylight we get, « he glances at her,

» Anything suspicious so far? « He doubts she would spot something without letting him know, but he wants to hear her thoughts on this island – well, on what they have seen of it up until now. He trusts her judgment more than anyone else's, especially when it comes to sensing danger.

» Only wildlife and lots of trees, « Luna states, and the two arrive at the firepit laughing together.