Divided

Chapter One

The Kings and Queens Council

The arrow hit the target dead in the centre, anyone who knew anything about Archery would admit that it was an excellent shot. The young woman stood in a small courtyard smiling to herself at her accuracy; she wore a lovely silk green dress with a small silver trim along the sleeves. She had long raven black hair and piercing ocean blue eyes, this woman just radiated with royalty, this was Queen Susan the Gentle.

She heard footsteps running behind her and turned to see a red bearded dwarf running towards her, he was wearing chainmail and a battle helmet. He stopped and immediately bowed to her but was panting through lack of breath.

"My Queen," he said

"Rise Rogan," Susan replied gently

The Dwarf stood back to his feet but still attempted to capture his breath, Susan was very fond of this Dwarf as he was very entertaining to watch although at his own expense. He was however a very loyal servant and soldier to the thrones of Narnia.

"High King Peter requests your presence at the council chambers, I am to escort you," Rogan explained.

Susan nodded and followed the Dwarf, herself and her siblings had been staying at the great castle of Anvard the capital of the country Archenland and home to King Lune and the throne of Archenland.

Susan and Rogan walked through the many hallways of the castle; they passed many guards as they walked. King Lune had ordered an increase of guards around the castle as tensions with the southern country Calormen across the great southern desert had been rising for a while.

Plus since the death of his beloved wife and the loss of his son Prince Cor, Lune had become more protective over his remaining son and heir Prince Corin who right now was nothing more than a happy and talkative six year old.

Eventually Susan and Rogan reached a huge wooden door, in the centre of the oak sat a golden lion which gave Susan warmth as she looked upon the symbol. There were two Archenland soldiers guarding the door and bowed their heads as Rogan opened it and proceeded inside. Hence the Monarchs of both the Northern Lands had gathered for this conference.

Susan followed Rogan into a small chamber where one single long table sat in the centre of the room. Every seat was full except for one and Susan knew that the place was reserved for her. Everybody looked at her as she entered; she nodded and smiled to the people in the room before she took the empty seat at the table.

"Thank you for joining us Queen Susan," said a man who sat at the head of the table, he was a large man with a kind face. He looked to be in his forties and looked to be a man who had seen a lot in his time, this was King Lune of Archenland.

"My pleasure King Lune," Susan replied nodding.

"Now as I was saying I have increased my patrols around Archenland, there are many villages which need to see our military presence due to the growing tensions between us and Calormen" Lune explained

"Do you believe the Tisroc will instigate war?" A young man asked he had dark hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a grey tunic which matched well with the silver crown he wore on top of his dark hair, this was King Edmund the Just.

"I am not sure, but at this moment in time we must assume he will attempt invasion," Lune replied.

"I feel we should not jump to conclusions until we are certain of all the facts," said another young man, he was a handsome man with golden blonde hair and electric blue eyes. He wore a dark blue tunic which matched well with his eyes and was accompanied by a golden trim which matched the golden crown on his head. This was High King Peter the Magnificent.

Lune nodded then turned to another man who sat on the right of Susan, this was man was tall with broad shoulders. He had blonde hair and blue eyes like Peter but he was older than the High King although only by about three years, this was the noble Lord Peridan a well-respected Lord and Knight.

"What is your view Lord Peridan?" Lune asked

"I believe that the Tisroc may attempt invasion, he will be tempted to strike war with Archenland and Narnia once again now that the White Witch is no more," Peridan replied wisely.

"Excuse me Lord Peridan, what do you mean by strike war with Archenland and Narnia again?" Asked a young girl who sat next to Edmund. She wore a lilac coloured dress and had long chestnut coloured hair which flowed down her back, her face was alive with happiness and kindness. This could only be Queen Lucy the Valiant.

"A long time ago Your Majesty, before even Jadis returned to Narnia from the Wild Lands of the North, Calormen had attempted many times to invade our countries. However the Calormenes were stopped many times by Queen Swanwhite and her father before her King Gale the Third," Peridan informed.

"Yes Lord Peridan but that was a long time ago and we cannot rely on any of those warriors for help, I feel we cannot prepare for war until a declaration of war has been made by the Tisroc," Peter said firmly

"I agree," Edmund added

"As do I," said Susan

"As do I," repeated Lucy

Lune looked grave at that, it was obvious he was afraid his country would fall under attack from the nearby country. However Peter was not going to let Lune suffer, he then stood up from his chair and rested a hand on Lune's shoulder.

"King Lune, I swear on the Lion's mane that if any act of war is made against your country from Calormen then you will have an ally in us," Peter said firmly

Lune smiled and stood up, he placed his hands on Peter's shoulders in a brotherly embrace. Peter smiled as did everyone else in the room. Since the Pevensie's first ascended to their thrones they had worked hard to bring peace to their country and renew the old alliances.

"Thank you my friend, if Narnia ever needs assistance you may call on us for aid," Lune replied

Peter nodded in acknowledgement as everybody else in the room stood as the council session was at an end. The Pevensie's, Lune, Peridan and the rest of the Archenland nobles exited the room excited for the grand feast and amazing ball which would be happening tonight in honour of the Pevensies returning home to Cair Paravel the next day.

The great hall of Anvard was magnificent, it wasn't as glorious as the great hall of Cair Paravel where the four thrones of Narnia were. However that did not stop the feast which was happening in the great hall look anything less than majestic.

King Lune sat at the centre of the high table, his young son Corin who was the Crown Prince of Archenland sat on his father's right. On his left Peter and his siblings sat in the place reserved for guests of honour.

There were tables struggling under the weight of so much food, a honey roasted pig sat at the centre, there were other meat dishes, fish dishes and a wide table full of every desert you can think of. It was clear that the members of both the Archenland nobility and the Narnian delegation would be full to the brim once this night was done.

Susan smiled at the many different Narnian and Archenlander's dancing away the night, she saw Mr. Tumnus dancing with an Archenland woman and smiled at the scene. Everyone seemed happy and for the first time in a long time, there did not seem to be ounce of fear on any of the Narnian faces and Susan's heart warmed at the sight.

She sipped her wine from Calormen, the trade routes between the two nations still open, despite the political tensions between it's two rulers. The men had opted for Archenland ale, a drink known for it's strong taste and even stronger effects. She hoped her brothers wouldn't join Lune and Peridan in their usual drinking contest as they were returning home and had a long ride ahead of them tomorrow.

King Lune then stood up from his seat and announced that it was time for the monarchs to take to the dance floor. Peter and Edmund both stood up and extended their hands towards the two young nieces of Lune.

"Queen Susan will you accompany me on the dance floor?" Lune asked extending his hand.

"I will be honoured King Lune," Susan replied gently taking his hand and allowing him to escort her to the dance floor.

The music turned to a slow gentle tune, Susan took Lune's hand and placed the other on his shoulder as he gripped her waist gently. They took off around the dance floor as many Narnians and Archenlanders watched, Peter and Edmund were grinning stupidly at the Lune's nieces and Susan saw Lucy had arrived on the dance floor with Peridan.

The band continued to play as the different couples moved gracefully around the dance floor, Susan spotted Mr. and Mrs. Beaver happily dancing with each other in the corner of the dance floor and smiled at the pair. They had become part of their family and Susan was grateful for the paternal roles they had adopted in the absence of the Pevensies own parents, who Susan still missed everyday, despite the amazing new life they had found in Narnia.

However, although Susan was happy at the life she was living and the Kingdom she had been blessed with, she couldn't help but feel that something bad was going to happen. She didn't know how she knew but she could sense something foul in the air, but what the Pevensie siblings didn't know was that events had been put in place which would effectively change their lives and the fate of Narnia forever.