"Oh dear, I do wish you were not riding, and with such a small guard." An older greyed haired woman said as she rummaged in an Oak trunk.
"Mother," Anna sighed as she stopped packing her saddle bags to grab an apple from a bowl by her bed, most of her room was in natural tones and had lots of food, fruit and flowers.
She had been discussing this with her mother since the invitation to Cair Paravel arrived a week ago. She was not a child anymore; the letter had been written specifically to her, inviting her for a visit to Cair Paravel. "Well, alright. Perhaps it will work out to our benefit and you can fall into the High King's arms out of exhaustion won't you darling, and don't forget to flirt with him. You will never become queen if you don't flirt." Her mother told Anna over her shoulder.
"Well I wish I could go, King Edmund has become by far the most handsome King ever. If he would only look at me, I swear my knees would give away." Thirteen year old Carol said as she mock swooned, forgetting momentarily that nothing was there to catch her. She fell to her knees, her curls covering her face.
"How would you know anything about King Edmund, you met six years ago and haven't spoken since." Twelve year old Pamela retorted back to her kneeling sister as she carried two green dresses to her eldest sister Anna, who was eighteen.
"Oh, Pam this gown isn't mine, its Beth's. You must have gotten them confused. I cannot believe how grown up she has become, and how much you have also." Anna said as Pamela turned to get more.
"Well, it's not like you should go to Cair Paravel with so few gowns." Her mother said carrying another green gown with a different trim to the bed, "I mean you really shouldn't wear a dress twice when you're royalty, or with royalty. When I was presented before King Lune in Archenland I..."
"Mother, you lived in the castle with King Lune," Anna cut in, "it was easy for you to not wear the same dresses twice. We are not necessarily royalty either. You may be a lady, but I certainly am not, no matter what Queen Susan says in her letters. As for gowns, I packed the purple and the green dresses in the bag by the door with three pairs of white stockings and undergarments.
I am wearing this green dress with a blue cape to travel there and back in, and I have the gold and the blue dress in this bag with a red cape to where at other times. And I have matching jewels."
"Oh, but dear, the gold makes you look so pale with your hair." Anna's mother, Lady Margaret, said with a light growl as she brought some nightwear from the trunk to be packed.
"Well, at least you will have the green ones to go with your eyes."
"I think she is very beautiful in the gold, you should bring a pink one also. Pink is just such a vibrant color." June, Anna's youngest sister, said as Jane, her twin brought a pink dress over. They had slipped into the room as her mother spoke.
"It will be fine. I have plenty of dresses, I'll consider the pink one, but it is too pale to be vibrant June, it's more quaint or dull, like me." Anna commented with a smirk at the five year olds. "And, Mother, I would have thought you'd want me to look pale and delicate."
"Delicate? Or sickly?" Elizabeth, the second eldest daughter, whispered as she sat down beside her sister on the bed.
She had been rummaging under the bed and had cobwebs in her hair. They both broke out in giggles at their joke. They both knew their mother was much too interested in her girls "lovers", and will be until all eight of her daughters were grown up and married off to nobility. Her mother just clucked disapprovingly, as she packed things into the bags and took out others. She took out a dagger and Anna's quiver of arrows, sticking them into a corner, where Anna hopefully wouldn't find them. "What is mother clucking about?" Ten year old Helen asked as she and Violet came in to sit on a much too small stool by Anna's desk.
"I am not clucking about anything. I just think that Anne should consider my advice more."
"Oh, and what advice is that, to fall into High King Peter's arms, and not practice sword fighting. To be weak and helpless in everything, and never show him that you can stand on your own two feet." Elizabeth said sarcastically.
"Mother, I am sure they will think less of me for being a flirt, but not for being whom Aslan created me to be. Plus, I am more concerned with having enough food for the journey." Anna said as she placed the apple to the side so she may finish packing.
"Dear, I am not concerned if King Edmund, Queen Susan, or Queen Lucy thinks any less of you, nor if you eat less, you are becoming quite plump. I am concerned with how becoming the High King will find you. I remember how you looked at each other when you first met." Lady Margaret said, striding over the bed to put a pair of silver slippers in her daughter's bag.
"I was twelve mother, what other kind of look could I have given him other than awe at his age and status." Anne said rolling her eyes.
It had been a year since the fall of the white witch when Lord Harold and Lady Margaret had decided to go to Narnia to offer assistance to the new Kings and Queens. They had lived all their lives in Archenland, with ties going back to the very first founding of that land, but they decided that it was time to change their family loyalty. After weeks of conversation and numerous pledges to the Kings and Queens, they had been granted a small bit of land, and had kept their titles. Anna and Queen Susan got along very well during their stay, Anna being just a year younger than the Queen. They had kept up correspondence, over the last six years, having not seen each other since Anna's family's stay at court and a visit when a raid on the giants was launched. Finally Anna had been invited to stay with the monarchs for a Mid Summer's Night Ball to celebrate Edmunds 18th birthday.
After Anna's saddlebag broke from being overstuffed, she kicked her mother and all her sisters out of her room and repacked in a borrowed bag. She took a number of different dresses than she originally planned, and fretted about which to bring to show Queen Lucy. She had to recheck her letters at least three times to be sure she had all the jewels that Queen Susan specifically asked her to bring. When it was all done and her bags ready by her door. Anna remembered her sword and bow. It took her a half hour to find where her mother stashed her quiver, and was glad when she also found the dagger she thought she lost. Her blades were dwarf made and gifts from the Dwarves of the Northern Mountains to her father. But what was more important was that her father had presented them to her on her fourteenth birthday. She was the "tomboy" of the family, in a way hoping to be the boy that her father always wanted but never had.
Finally Anna was finished. She walked out to her balcony and looked up at the skies. The moon had risen almost to her peak, but Anna couldn't see it, she instead had a glorious view of the mountains not that far to the North. They were very near to the Giants, but they were also one of the only defenses that High King Peter had against them, and her father was one of the few ambassadors on good terms with the Dwarves of the Northern Mountains. A smile spread across Anna's face as she thought of all the nights she spent sitting on that balcony watching the mountains change from grey to purple as the sun set to the west casting long pink shadows on the clouds behind the peaks. The streaks of red just added to the beauty of the moment which seemed to last a lifetime. She would watch until the mountains became white and black shadows in the night and the stars start to dance across the heavens. She had lived so close to the mountains for so long, that she had forgotten what the sea looked like. It seemed like her life could never be any different.
Anna awoke early the next day to Jane and June jumping on her stomach. The sun had just started to peak over the horizon, but their room faces east so they always awoke the earliest. Their faces were full of joy and excitement as they practically screamed good morning. Anna sat up and tried to hold them both in her lap as they prattled away about how exciting it had been and how great it was that Anna was finally going.
Elizabeth came in rubbing her eyes, frowning, a few minutes after the girls woke Anna up. She wasn't a morning person, but her sister was leaving. She couldn't help but smile as she sat on Anna's bed besides her. She took June into her lap and held her while Jane chattered away to Anna. Always the good natured one, Anna smiled and nodded as Jane spoke in half sentences and fragments of thoughts. Beth was completely content until she realized that her shoulder where June was leaning was getting steadily moist. Looking down she realized her tender hearted sister was crying. "Oh, June, what's wrong." Beth asked her softly, leaning so close she could see the tears gathered on the young girl's eyelashes.
June almost screamed, "Anna's going, and I'm not going to see her for years and years."
Beth and Anna couldn't help but laugh at the girl's outcry, not quite noticing as shy Violet came into the room, tears streaming down her cheeks. Anna wrapped her arms around June and beckoned for Violet to come to her. She had the two of them in her arms, Jane squeezing in, not wanting to be left out. Elizabeth wrapped her own arms around the three in Anna's arms and Anna. At some point Helen had slipped in and had wedged herself behind Anna with her arms around her neck. They all sat there crying until Anna looked at each of them and promised them through tears that she would be back in eight weeks, and no more, and that she would miss them terribly the entire time. Anna finally sat back and said, "Come, I've got to get ready. We shouldn't sit here sobbing over my departure, for it is only for while. Soon I'll be back and we will all be together again."
They all departed and Anna was left to dress for the ride. She had decided on a brown dress with a grey cape rather than the green. The trim was in green, and she could use a green ribbon to hold her hair after she braided it. She had almost finished when she felt two rough, callused hands move over hers and take her hair from her. She sat while he finished braiding it and tied it with the ribbon she handed him. When she turned to smile at him she saw tears beginning to gather in his eyes. She hugged him tightly, feeling his beard poke into her head. "When did you grow up," her father said as he leaned back to look into her eyes, "You use to be a little girl, and now you are a young Lady going to meet our Kings. I have missed so much of your life; it all seemed to go by in a blink of an eye."
"No, no, father, you didn't miss it, you were a part of it. You were the one who taught me how to fight and when I should fight. You taught me how to work and the value of my work and most importantly you taught me to do what is honorable and right no matter what." Anna said, leaning back in to hug her father tighter.
They held each other, letting silent tears fall; finding comfort in each others presence. Finally her father let his grip loosen and kissed his daughter once more on the forehead. "Come darling, we should get to breakfast before your mother gets too angry at us." She nodded as they left, each carrying a bag, and Anna wearing her sword.
After breakfast, Anna's whole family stood outside to see her off. She said goodbye to her mother, hugging her even as a steady stream of advice on how to flirt with the king kept coming. Next she went down the line, one by one to each of her sisters and hugged them, whispering a personal message to each. Elizabeth sobbed as Anna held her close, Carol attempted a smile through tears as Anna hugged her, Pamela hugged her sister close and kissed her cheek before letting go, Helen and Violet had to let go of each other to hug Anna, Jane held onto Anna as she picked her up, and June wouldn't let go of Anna until her mother came and pried her off.
Her father walked Anna out to her grey Connemara pony and helped her mount. He secured her foot; silently checking the saddle to be sure it was on properly. Anna watched, noticing for the first times the lines forming by his eyes, and the circles under his eyes. When had he become so old? And he still had seven more girls to see off to new kingdoms. Anna spoke softly to him, "Father, I will be fine. Don't worry; Simeon will protect me, won't you."
"Of course, Milady" Simeon neighed back at her. He had always protected her ever since the day they met.
Lord Harold looked up at her through tears and whispered, "I know, my darling, I know." Anna turned Simeon to go, her guard followed in ranks, a centaur and five fauns, more than enough to battle anything that might come on the road. When they had reached the gate, Anna heard her little sister scream from her mother's arms, "YOU PROMISED ANNA, DON'T FORGET YOU PROMISED."
Anna turned back to look at her sister, silently nodding. She would come back to her sisters.
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Here is a list of people's ages at different points of time, just to clear it up, for you the reader and me the writer. Also look up the kind of horse Simeon is if you don't know it already, I found it online and like it a lot. It is not a work horse, and he fits Anna's personality really well.
The first Age is their age when they first came to Narnia, the second when this story takes Place.
Lord Harold N/A
Lady Margaret N/A
Anna 12 18
Elizabeth 9 15
Carol 7 13
Pamela 6 12
Helen 4 10
Violet 3 9
June N/A 5
Jane N/A 5
Monarchs
King Peter 14 20
Queen Susan 13 19
King Edmund 11 17
Queen Lucy 9 15