"Edmund, Caspian- you might want to see this."

Your two friends shared a glance and headed across the sandy plain toward you, who stood at the edge of a ravine, gazing down with a troubled gaze. It was only when they peered over the edge that they realized the reason for your anxiety- this chasm was filled to the brim with gold. Although you'd only known Eustace for a few weeks, you were fairly certain he was the type of boy who'd see this and rejoice, not knowing or believing it to be a dragon's horde. You knew that this treasure was exactly that as you'd seen a good half-dozen of them in your adventures in the far north and this was quite similar to each of those- not to mention the valuables down there gave off the distinct scent of smoldering lizard.

Barely a minute into searching the ravine, you spotted something that made your stomach clench up as you knelt to see it better- one of Eustace's shoes, smoking and still hot to the touch. Although you didn't like the boy much, there were few in this world who deserved to be cooked alive by a dragon, and he was not one of them. Edmund noticed what you were looking at and gaped at the shoe and the equally-charred pile of clothes a few feet away. He dropped to his knees beside you and Caspian bowed his head in sympathy and grief.

"He was just a boy... I never should have left him."

As you stood, you reached for Edmund's hand, and he let you pull him up into a hug as he tried to process the grim truth of his cousin's apparent demise.

"It wasn't your fault, Ed. It wasn't your fault."