Nota Bene: As far as I can tell Lewis only named two of the Seven Isles, namely Muil and Brenn. I took the liberty of naming the rest, Firith, Vurga, Sarven, Kamn and Hatha.
To Market, To Market
To market, to market, late went Count Salis,
Home again, home again, away from the palace.
To market, to market, to play the lute,
Home again, home again, to foil his suite.
To market, to market, to buy the Queen wine,
Home again, home again, he shall not dine.
- Old Narnian Rhyme
(supposed have been composed c. 1005 A.L. (Anno Leonis) )
It was generally agreed that the Great Market of Paravel (not to be confused to the castle proper, Cair Paravel) was a delightful and altogether fascinating place.
Upon their first arrival Susan had turned rather green when she discovered that a group of leopards were selling raw antelope (not Talking Antelope of course but an immigrant Calormen variety). Peter and Edmund had promptly become fascinated in the process of preparing cuts of meat to her unbounded disgust. When Lucy had wandered away to look at a faun who was juggling knives giving Susan the excuse she needed to drag the boys away from the leopards, she had noticed with satisfaction that their faces had been slightly greenish, though they never admitted it.
On all days there were minstrels, both human and otherwise whose lutes and harps and pipes rose over the din of people haggling over prices and exclaiming over the items for sale. There were fruit-sellers, wine merchants and pastry-exhibits. There were sellers of exquisite scents (mostly humans), of rare brocades and silks and of curious carvings.
The customers were nearly as interesting as the items they sought, Narnians both human and otherwise, dressed in bright colors or well-groomed fur or feathers. There were stags and large families of rabbits, a boar, several horses and geese, there were fauns in silver scarfs, and dryads in leafy green gowns, centaurs with long beards and wise faces, their children with no beards at all and merry horsy laughs. Foreigners came, Calormenes in silks and turbans, traders from Galma and Terebinthia, knights from the Seven Islands and lords of the Lone Islands who were staying at the castle.
One pair, a young man of perhaps sixteen years and a maiden a year or so younger slipped easily between stalls and booths smiling and laughing quietly to each other.
"Stop it Lu" admonished the fair-haired youth, "You know perfectly well that our sister does not ask for all her suitors."
"Surely I know that as well as you, brother mine" laughed the maiden her golden hair dancing about her face, "For are there not even those who come to sing of my beauty to mine own deaf ears?"
"Strange indeed" laughed her brother in return, "Though it comes to my mind that you liked that young duke of the Seven Islands well enough! Which island was it? Brenn?"
Lu turned her noise up grinning, "Vurga, Ed! How can you forget, as I recall his sister was very beautiful and very…"
"Foolish!" interrupted Ed, "The poor maid was a year younger than you and went about smiling like a she-wolf about to make a kill, fluttering her lashes and whatever else you ladies do…"
"She was young, poor dear" laughed Lu "And very smitten with the handsome Duke of the Lantern Waste."
Her grin became mischievous and Ed groaned as her voice went high and sing-songy.
"O, Queen Lucy, have you seen your brother today? His hair is so golden and his brow so very noble. He has the strong chin of a conqueror, I would be absolutely terrified to see him in battle!"
"Lucy Catrina Pevensie!" he ordered, "I command you to cease this foolery at once." But his steely grey eyes were glinting with a merriment that gainsaid his regel tone.
"Your royal chin is clenched conqueror-like, Your Majesty" teased Queen Lucy, her grey eyes flashing as she danced away from a light slap. Her foot hit an ill-placed pebble, her ankle twisting beneath her and she stumbled and fell, only to be caught by her brother's strong arm.
"Your ankle?" he asked worriedly.
She nodded , "It is not so terrible, but I should sit for some moments." He smiled and picked her up despite her protests and the fact that she was nigh as tall as himself.
"I am perfectly capable of walking, Edmund! It will barely hurt, put me down."
"Not in the least, O Royal Sister, it is our solemn duty to guard you from such distress, and it was on our account that you fell."
"Nonsense! I should not have teased you, great and mighty Queen Bearer that you are."
"Indeed, since you would have it so, let it be said that the whole matter was your fault." Edmund smiled, his eyes twinkling like his sister's.
"I wonder what our beloved sister the Queen Susan will say to you when she hears of it…"
"Ed!"
"Yes, sister mine?"
"If you want to take the blame I will not gainsay you…"
"Perhaps no scapegoat shall be needed, your ankle seldom stays twisted for long unlike others that I know."
They reached a small shop professing to sell various Narnian beverages. Edmund swept inside, pleased to note that they were the only customers and settled Lucy in a corner, before walking up to the dwarf-women behind her wares.
"And what might I do for you young sir?" she asked kindly, not recognizing him to Edmund's delight.
"A bottle of your raspberry wine and water for my sister's ankle if you will" The dwarf smiled and darted back for the wine and water while Edmund pulled out his money pouch and extracted five trees.
The dwarf-women had a clean cloth as well as the rest, but she frowned when she saw the trees.
"Only four for the wine young sir, the water and the cloth are gifts for your fair sister."
Edmund laughed and smiled winningly, "The last is for your service, there is an old practice in some countries to reward prompt and kindly service so. Please accept it."
She did.
Lucy's ankle was soon wrapped in the cold cloth and the twain sat merrily drinking the good Dwarven wine and talking quietly together.
Edmund looked up surprised when a tall, dark-haired young man with a handsome face and wide smile walked in followed by seven or so companions.
"Ware' suitors sister" he whispered, "The Count of Hatha is here."
Lucy started and looked down at her ankle as the young men called loudly for wine.
"Faugh, they are a noisy lot." She whispered back as she tried to stand, "My ankle is nearly alright again."
Edmund was about to answer when he caught Susan's name from the group.
Lucy and Edmund looked at each other for a moment and sank back into their seats thankful that the corner was shady and their seats facing away from the Count.
The Count was speaking more softly so that the dwarf-women could not hear but Edmund and Lucy went unnoticed in the corner and heard their sister's name again.
"Queen Susan does not look favorably upon my suite…" grumbled the Count. The King and the Queen grinned at each other but the next sentence sobered them.
"Perhaps she can be brought to see reason!" returned one of the companions, one Sir Troyfen whom Edmund had greatly disliked.
"But how so?" lamented the Count, "The Queen does as she pleases and it seems that nothing is good enough for her. Besides, High King Peter and King Edmund are unreasonably protective of her."
King Edmund glared ferociously at him from the shadows.
"Queen Lucy as well…" said another knight scowling, "I have heard she has ridden to war with her brothers and is seldom without at least a dagger on her person."
Lucy grinned despite her anger.
"I like not where this talk is leading" Edmund whispered, "Can you walk now?"
Lucy nodded, "Slip out and find Peter and his guard, I will see what else I may hear"
"Edmund!"
"I am not going onto battle Lu, I am listening to some wine-happy knights and their Count. I will perfectly alright!"
Lucy scowled but she slipped away as the group from Hatha began laughing loudly. Edmund looked around noticing the dark rafters in the ceiling and an idea that Lucy (and Susan ) most certainly would not have approved of began to form.
He was dressed in dark blue with an ivory jerkin that Susan had stitched herself. Ivory, he decided was not a color for those sneaking up on scurrilous counts with possible designs upon one's sister. He slipped it off in a trice and clad only in dark blue he melted easily into the shadows as he climbed nimbly up the rafters.
Silently he inched his way forward until he perched directly above the conspirators who it seemed were indeed plotting in earnest.
"…said that the Queen sometimes slips away to dance in the woods at night with the dryads." Sir Troyfen was saying softly.
Edmund's eyes blazed.
"Methinks she does not leave unescorted" cautioned another, Sir Elsen by name.
"Pah" said the Count, "We overpower her escort, frighten away the tree-women and take her."
"And if she is still unwilling?"
"We make her willing, she should be delighted to have inspired such love and fervor."
Edmund counted to ten and then ran through in his mind how long it would take Peter's guard to arrive. The shop was conveniently close to the Cair and Lucy should have no trouble entering. Perhaps another five or ten minutes…
Sir Troyfen was speaking again.
"The Queen Lucy sometimes accompanies her sister does she not?"
"So I have heard it said" agreed one of the knights whom Edmund didn't recognize.
"Two Queens at one blow" laughed Troyfen, "The Queen Lucy is hardly less beautiful than her sister." He stood as though to go, the others following his example.
Edmund had heard enough, these supposed knights had just pushed their luck over the edge, as far he was concerned it was currently plummeting into the Cauldron Pool. Besides, Peter would be there in a moment and they needed to remain where they were.
He leapt forward, landing with a crash and the sound of steel. Around him the Count and his friends leapt back at the sudden appearance of a very angry young man who seemed familiar. An even more familiar voice, stern and unyielding as his Dwarven-wrought blade rang out.
"You have spoken ill of my sisters and plotted evil against your hosts, surrender yourselves to the justice of the Crown of Narnia, you who call yourselves knights."
The young man turned, naked sword in hand and anger glinting in his steel grey eyes. It was the King, who despite his youth was already becoming known far and wide for his wisdom and justice as well as strength in arms.
Count Salis of Hatha could therefore be somewhat excused for his sudden change of heart. He backed away clutching his sword limply.
Sir Troyfen, however, was not to be so easily cowed, his was the master plot and he was not weak as his lord being twice as cruel and evil-minded.
Edmund's sword was before him glinting in the sunlight, his fair-hair gleaming and his face set and grim. Troyfen felt that he had been weighed on the scales of justice and been found profoundly lacking.
If there was anything that Sir Troyfen disliked besides having his will thwarted, it was being found lacking and Edmund had just managed to do both.
He leapt forward snarling and the battle was joined. It was well that Edmund had not counted on a fair fight.
He spun and twisted, parrying and slashing as he ducked beneath their blades bringing every trick and ounce of hard-won skill to bear.
Elsen was down with a cut to his side and another was limping miserably. Count Salis watched amazed as the King fought away his entire group (save for himself) and swiftly decided (like many another knight and prince) that however great his love for Queen Susan it was not worth meddling with her ferocious brothers.
Another knight was down and Troyfen had a slash across his cheek when Edmund first heard the sounds of his brother's guard.
He ducked a blow that would have left him without an ear and tripped. Silver glinted as he fell and the knight who had attempted to stab him fell back with a groan clutching his arm. But no one could continue such an uneven fight from the ground.
Cold metal touched Edmund's neck and he froze still gripping Vonrecan.
Troyfen stood triumphantly over the King, one booted foot pressing down on his chest. Edmund looked up, his teeth clenched as Troyfen drew the tip across his cheek in a cruel parody of the cut Edmund had dealt him.
As Troyfen opened his mouth to gloat and taunt the door crashed open and he turned. There in the doorway stood the High King and his sisters, the Queens. Whatever he might have said was lost as he fell with a scream, one of Edmund's many daggers in his foot.
Edmund leapt to his feet, blood snaking down his cheeks but otherwise unhurt. Caught and outnumbered, the last of the Count's retinue dropped their swords and bowed miserably. Troyfen spat curses until one of the centaurs held a blade to his throat. Salis himself had dropped his sword long ago and said nothing at all.
Lucy was the first to Edmund, grey eyes flashing dangerously towards Troyfen.
"This is what you call "perfectly alright"?" she asked anxiously.
"It is a scratch" muttered her brother looking about for something to staunch the bleeding.
"Indeed" said Susan tossing him a long clean cloth, "Stab wounds are gnat bits and bleeding gashes are scratches. From whom did you learn these peculiar meanings?"
"I believe that was my High King!" retorted the King smirking boyishly, "And it truly is a scratch, see it is barely bleeding."
"I claim no part in his foolhardiness" exclaimed Peter, "I am always telling him to be more careful – how exactly did this become a battle?"
"Not only did they boast of dragging both of our royal sisters off to be their wives but they were also leaving. I stopped them." said Edmund simply, "I nearly finished the lot of them."
"Which is why you were on the ground with that false knight carving holes in your cheek!"
"I said almost! If I had not tripped…"
Peter looked at Lucy who looked at Susan and the three began laughing merrily. Edmund feigned a scowl for a moment before he too joined in.
"Well done, you two!" said Peter as they left, "You have successfully removed our latest suitor!"
"My latest suitor" corrected Susan grimacing, "Though Lucy can have the next three if she so desires."
"Queen Lucy respectfully declines" said Lucy, "She desires no such thing."
Peter grinned at Edmund over their sisters' heads.
"How did you come to overhear our rogue count and his friends…"
Also, the idea that the castle proper is Cair Paravel while a surrounding city would just be Paravel is due to Rose and Psyche.
Vonrecan is the name I gave to Edmund's sword, it is a combination of the Germanic-English words for wand-breaker (Vond) and (Brecan). More about that in another fic though. :)
Shire Rose
Character Note: Edmund is still trying to understand why he is my favorite character; for some reason "repentant traitor" doesn't strike him as the best of résumés.