Note: Characters from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the Horse and His Boy appear in this story. A few minor characters and other things are borrowed from the movie. Some other minor characters are made up.
The books belong to C.S. Lewis and the movie to Walden.
Three weeks after the coronation
The brothers Lord Dar and Lord Darrin were riding to Cair Paravel, escorted by the talking eagle Eol. Dar and Darrin were among the most trusted companions of King Lune of Archenland. They had been given sensitive missions before but none more unusual than this one: to make contact with these mysterious new kings and queens, and if these truly were the good kings and queens foretold by the ancient prophecy, than lay the groundwork for an alliance between the two neighboring countries. Eol had flown ahead and was waiting at the top of the hill.
As Dar and Darrin galloped up the hill, they heard the sound of yelling. When they reached the top of the hill, they saw a conflict about to enfold. On the western side of the valley below was a motley group of creatures including ogres, cyclops, minoboars and almost two dozen goblins. The creatures were yelling as they prepared for battle.
Lord Dar asked "Are these some of the remains of the White Witch's army?"
"Aye. Most were slaughtered at the Battle of Beruna but some escaped" replied Eol. "Look, the High King rides to meet them."
The Archenlander lords looked towards the east and saw an organized formation galloping towards the evil creatures. At the front of the formation was a human wearing a red tunic and armor. To their astonishment, the king was riding a unicorn bareback. On either side of the king was a centaur. Two rows of five centaurs galloped behind him. Three panthers and two leopards ran along the sides while several gryphons flew overhead.
Eol cried out "I will go offer my assistance. This should not take long."
Dar and Darrin watched the eagle grasp a large stone in his claws and fly towards the evil creatures. There was a loud clash as the two sides met in battle. Although the evil creatures had more than twice the size army than the High King, it was clear that the king had the advantage of better trained and more organized soldiers.
Lord Darrin watched the king fighting on his unicorn and commented "I would never have believed a warrior could fight so well while riding bareback. If I didn't have my feet firmly in my stirrups, I would be on the ground the moment I swung my sword."
Lord Dar lowered his own visor and replied "Let's see how he fights from a closer view. Perhaps we can best establish our new alliance by helping to slew a few of these evil ones."
The two knights galloped down the hill. They saw a few of the goblins running from the battle and easily rode them down and killed them. Then they turned and rode back to the main battle area. It appeared all the evil creatures were dead. The Archenlanders approached the High King. Eol the Eagle flew over and landed near the unicorn.
"Your Majesty, may I introduce Lord Dar and Lord Darrin from Archenland. They come on behalf of King Lune" said Eol. "My lords, it is my honor to introduce King Peter the High King."
The High King reached up and opened the visor on his helmet. Both Dar and Darrin were startled by how young he appeared. He was only a teenager.
"Welcome to Narnia, my lords" said the young king in a clear, firm voice. "Your assistance was much appreciated."
Lord Dar smiled and said "I am not sure if you really needed our help, your Majesty but we were glad to assist."
A centaur approached and asked "Sire, the enemy are all dead. Should we build a bonfire to burn the foul carcasses as usual?"
"Yes" replied the king. "Lord Dar and Lord Darrin, this is General Orieus who is one of my most trusted advisors and teachers."
The centaur nodded his head in greeting and said "Welcome, my lords."
The young king then turned back to the centaur and asked "Do we have any serious injuries?"
"No, Sire. Reamon's arm is broken. Ravenstorm is setting it now. All the other injuries are minor scrapes" replied the centaur. He then turned and spoke to the unicorn "I am glad to see that you have no injuries this time Demetrius."
The unicorn laughed (a sound that was a curious mix of human and horse laughter) and replied "Aye. The last two battles did not end well for me. Since Queen Lucy is not here with her cordial, it is fortunate this one was easier."
The High King touched the top of the unicorn's head and said "I will always be grateful for your service Demetrius but perhaps one of the trade items we can discuss with these Archenlanders is horses so you can stop carrying me and being such as easy target. If I was not on your back, you could put that horn to much better use."
Peter then turned to Lord Dar and Lord Darrin and said "We will be ready to leave for Cair Paravel in about half an hour. Will you ride with us, my lords?"
The Archenlanders rode to Cair Paravel with the High King and his warriors. King Peter explained that they had been searching out the remains of the witch's army. Without leaders, the evil creatures had scattered and the group today was the largest so far.
As they rode to Cair Paravel, the Archenlanders were impressed by the beauty of the land. It was hard to believe that a few weeks ago, it had been frozen in the midst of the long winter. About four hours later, they saw the seashore. The great castle of Cair Paravel shone like a star on a peninsula. The brothers had heard stories about the great castle but were not prepared for the size and beauty of the castle.
The young king laughed and said "It certainly is very large. We all keep getting lost but it is starting to feel like home."
Lord Dar and Lord Darrin glanced at each other. They wanted to ask this fair-haired young king many questions about himself but this was not the proper time. They dismounted in the main courtyard. The centaurs and talking beasts scattered in different directions. Several of the centaurs took the reigns of the Archenlanders dumb horses and led them to the stables.
There were several steps leading into a main hall. A girl and boy stood on the top step. The girl appeared to be a year younger than the High King while the boy was several years younger. Both were dark haired although the girl had the same blue eyes as the High King. The girl was wearing a crown of gold flowers while the boy's head was bare. As they got closer, the Archenlanders noticed that the girl was very pretty and looked serious. The boy had a smile that was a bit mischievous but his eyes were solemn, almost a bit sad. Lord Dar would later say he had the immediate impression that these were two children who had grown up very quickly.
King Peter said "These are Lord Dar and Lord Darrin, the ambassadors from Archenland. This is my sister Queen Susan and my brother King Edmund."
Susan held out her hand to Lord Dar and said "Welcome to Cair Paravel, my lords."
Dar took her hand, which was held out for a handshake, and turned it so he could kiss the back of her hand.
"Your Majesty, it is our honor to be here and to meet you" said Lord Dar.
Queen Susan looked flustered for only a second and then held out her hand to Lord Darrin. This time she held her hand so it could be easily kissed.
King Edmund did not hold out his hand but rather nodded to the two lords and looked a bit uncertain. The moment was interrupted but the sound of laughter as a brown-haired young girl appeared on the steps and ran to King Peter. She threw her arms around his waist.
"Peter, oh Peter, I am so glad you are home. You aren't hurt at all, are you?" asked the girl.
"Lucy" said Queen Susan "We have guests, come meet them."
Peter laughed and said "My lords, in case you haven't guessed, this is my youngest sister Queen Lucy. Sister, this is Lord Dar and Lord Darrin from Archenland."
"Hello. Nice to meet you" said the young queen with a truly lovely smile. She looked to be around nine years old.
Susan turned to the Archenlanders and said "You must be tired after your long journey. Uilliam will show you to your rooms so you can rest and then you can join us and our court for dinner in an hour. Tomorrow we can meet about the purpose of your visit."
The young queen motioned to a faun who stepped forward and said "My lords, please follow me." The Archenlanders bowed to the sovereigns and followed the faun.