A/N: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia. The main characters are created by CS Lewis, as is the Narnian world.
Please be nice, this is my first fanfiction.
Life in Narnian Court: Love, Secrets, and War
Chapter One- Plans for the Future
Narnia was a land belonging to talking beasts, trees, fauns, and centaurs. Humans were scarce, except at Cair Paravel, where four humans ruled the land surrounded by nobles and advisers. High King Peter the Magnificent was above all the others, and King Edmund the Just, Queen Susan the Gentle, and Queen Lucy the Valiant ruled under him. They ruled according to the will of Aslan, the Great Lion, Son of the Emperor-Over-The-Sea. The rule of these four Kings and Queens became the Golden Age of Narnia, and throughout the country, all was well. For now.
King Peter was strolling through the vast castle gardens, taking some air before the Council meeting at four, when he saw a young girl, a few years younger than himself, reading on a bench in the sunlight. He quickened his pace and strode up to her silently before clearing his throat to speak.
"Good day, my lady."
The girl jumped, surprised, and jerked her head in the King's direction. "Oh, your Majesty, forgive me. I didn't see you." As she said these words, she stood and curtseyed.
"Pray, what is your name? I know every noble in the castle, yet your face is unfamiliar to me. Are you from elsewhere?"
"Yes, Sire, I come from Galma. My name is Kiara Butler," answered the girl.
"Why, Miss Kiara, are you in Narnia?" questioned King Peter.
"My father is a fabric merchant. We live just outside Cair Paravel, in a small trading community."
"Well, Miss, would you like to take a walk in the gardens with me?" asked King Peter. He wanted to stay with the beautiful Kiara, with her ebony-colored hair and dark eyes.
"Certainly, Sire," replied Kiara.
During the walk, Peter and Kiara talked and laughed. The King enjoyed being with Kiara, and hardly noticed as the hour drew on, until it was well past four. When he glanced at his watch, he sighed.
"Oh dear, I must go. I am late for my council meeting." Kiara could hear the sadness in Peter's voice as he spoke.
"Perhaps we can meet again tomorrow," she suggested.
Peter's face lit up at this proposal. "Indeed. I'll see you tomorrow," he answered before striding away hurriedly.
Meanwhile, in the grand council room of Cair Paravel, three monarchs and a great deal of councilmen had taken their places around a large rectangular table. All the chairs were filled. All except one.
"Where is the High King?" demanded a man with short blond hair and green eyes. "Why is he late?"
"Be patient, Lord Boklin. He will arrive soon," replied King Edmund.
"It is not like him to be late. Maybe we should send someone to fetch him," proposed Queen Susan. She was anxiously glancing at the door, and those around her felt that her brother's absence made her uncomfortable.
Just then, the double doors swung open and King Peter entered. Without breaking his stride, he nodded at the crowd before him and settled in his high-backed chair.
"Greetings, your Majesties, my Lords. Forgive me for being late, but now we may begin."
"Your Majesty," said King Edmund, who had been watching Peter intently since his entrance, "what kept you from joining us? Everyone present knows you are very punctual, and for you to be late, we must imagine something important has come up." As the young man watched his brother, he saw a flicker of panic cross his face, but it went away instantly.
"Ah, dear brother, I wasn't doing anything of importance, so let's wait no longer and begin our discussions. I do not wish for anyone to stay here longer than needed on my account."
"With all due respect, your Majesty, King Edmund is right in asking for the reason of this untimely occurrence." The man who had just spoken was Lord Perdian, one of the first men to be appointed to council.
"Yes, please explain yourself," added Queen Susan. "Whatever it is, my sister, brother, and I deserve to know."
"It's not important," protested King Peter.
"Please," Queen Lucy said gently, "tell us what happened." Her voice was soft, and all the councilmen turned and stared at her. King Peter's gaze met hers, and though she blushed from all the attention, the young sovereign didn't look away. Finally, the corners of King Peter's mouth turned up and he let out a small laugh.
"Well, since my fair sister wishes to be bored to death, I will tell you." His tone was light and cheery, which puzzled King Edmund. What was going on with his brother? Frowning slightly, the young King surveyed the room. Everyone seemed perfectly at ease. Still, things were not always what they seem, and Edmund swore to himself to figure out what was happening.
"I was visiting the trade center of Galma," began King Peter, "when I started talking to a merchant. He and I discussed the textile industry of Galma. As you know, Galma is famous for its fine cloth, but it is not yet a greatly industrialized country. Therefore, there are no factories to make clothing. The cloth must be shipped either to Narnia or Archenland, where it is sewn into garments, before being sold. Now consider this: clothing in Galma is shipped from a foreign country; however the fabric started out in Galma. Is it not a waste to do all this needless transport? Also, my royal sisters can confirm this point, fabric is cut away when clothes are made, and the pieces must be thrown away because they are too small to use for other purposes." He motioned to the two Queens. "Is this true, your Majesties?"
"Indeed, you are fully correct," responded Queen Susan with a smile. "Please, continue."
"Well, on a large scale, it is very costly to transport extra cloth that will not be used anyway. So my thought was that Narnia could build a factory in Galma and get a portion of the profit, but of course hire Galmans to run and maintain it. What say you to this proposal, my Lords?"
"It is well thought out, your Majesty," replied King Edmund, "but I cannot help but think that this is a matter that we can discuss at a later date. It is not imperative that this problem is solved immediately. Now we have some more urgent topics to confer about."
"I never meant to insinuate otherwise," retorted High King Peter, "but the majority of people in this room including you, your Majesty, insisted I recount this tale." These words were met by a silence as the two Kings glared coldly at each other. "Now, let's begin what we have gathered about," announced King Peter as he detached his eyes from his younger brother. "Prince Rabadash has expressed that he would like to visit us here, in Narnia, for the first time. Any thoughts?"
"The Prince and many Calormens, including their ruler, the Tisroc, dislike Narnia greatly," said Boklin. "Whatever the intent of the Prince may be, I believe it is not for the good of Narnia. His request should be refused."
"However," remarked Queen Susan, "Calormen is a powerful country that we do not want to upset. The Prince is, I know, insufferable, but Narnia would benefit from a good relationship with Calormen. For the good of Narnia, this man should be not only invited, but welcomed."
"I agree with the Queen. Prince Rabadash is a foolish young man, and I do not believe he wants to harm our country in any way. Therefore, it is common politeness to invite him," said Perdian.
"Your Majesty, what do you think?" questioned Queen Susan. "You have hardly spoken, dear sister."
Queen Lucy sighed and answered, "Lord Boklin is right, partially. There may be more to this invitation than we know. However, the best way to understand the happenings around us is to be close to them, a part of them if we can. I believe he must be allowed to stay at Cair Paravel, and we must treat him with all the honor a prince deserves."
King Edmund gave a small nod of approval at these words, and King Peter declared, "I suppose that settles it. Word will be sent to Tashbaan that Prince Rabadash is welcome to stay here as long as he desires." He paused for a moment. "What is the other issue we meant to talk about?"
"Sire, it is the letter from King Lune of Archenland," answered a young Lord quietly. He had just been appointed and was still very much in awe of the splendor of the palace and the happenings around him that he was now a part of.
"Ah, yes. Barely an hour ago, a messenger arrived from the castle of Anvard. He carried a message from the King, and had ridden non-stop from Archenland to give us this letter."
"Sire, what does the letter say?" demanded Lord Boklin.
King Peter glared at Boklin. "If you would let me continue, my Lord, you would learn it soon enough. The letter is brief, and it asks that King Edmund come visit King Lune at Anvard immediately. There is no explanation stated, and…"
"Pardon me, your Majesty," interrupted Queen Susan, "but if this matter is so urgent, why is King Edmund still here? King Lune is a noble man, and I'm sure that this matter must be very important and perhaps secret, which is why he couldn't put it in the letter. Otherwise why would the messenger have ridden continuously from Anvard? It's very far away."
Before Peter could respond, King Edmund declared, "My royal sister speaks rightly. King Lune is my friend, and I trust that if he wants to see me, it must be something of importance." He turned to a guard. "Have my horse saddled immediately. I will leave at once."
"Wait!" ordered King Peter, and the guard stopped dead in his tracks. "So be it. King Edmund will go to Anvard, but he will not be alone. Have an escort of five men readied so that they may protect the King if need be."
"Thank you, King Peter," snapped King Edmund, "but with all due respect, I think I am to decide if I shall travel with an escort, and I am in no need of their services. Your concern is appreciated," he continued, speaking in a dry tone, "but is unnecessary."
"On the contrary, dear brother, it is I, not you, that can decide whether you will travel accompanied or not. As King, you cannot arrive at Anvard looking like a simple traveler. You shall have an escort fit for your rank."
"If you think you can control my actions, Sire," said King Edmund with a slight smirk at the word sire, "you are mistaken. Ready the escort if you wish, but I will not travel alongside them."
"You will…" began King Peter, but he was interrupted.
"Stop! Both of you." It was Queen Lucy who had spoken, and when her brothers were looking at her she said, "don't fight. It's not the end of the world." She walked up to King Edmund and put her hand on his shoulder. He made no effort to dislodge it. Dropping the formalities the siblings had agreed to use in public, the young girl spoke softly, so that her voice was hardly above a whisper. "The reason Peter wants you to travel with an escort is because he cares for you. Please accept, for having one can't do you any harm." When she noticed her brother's clenched jaw, she added, "Please, Ed. For me." Edmund looked at his sister, nodded ever so slightly, and walked swiftly out of the room.
"Council is over," said King Peter, and he followed his brother's footsteps out of the grand hall, that now looked very grim to Lucy.
Susan put her arm around Lucy. "Come on," she said gently, but Lucy perceived a touch of sadness in her sister's voice, and also in her eyes. She said nothing, and the two sisters walked out slowly.
