AN: An alternate universe fic I've started, on the format of both historical record and flashbacks.
Chapter One: The Monarchs
In Narnia, there was a High King, a King, and two Queens, brothers and sisters who had freed the kingdom from the reign of an evil witch, fulfilling a prophecy and taking the throne at the tender ages of 15, 14, 11, and 9 years. But the four were wise and just rulers, High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, Kind Edmund the Just and Queen Lucy the Valiant who had come from another world and crowned by the Great Lion Aslan. But after they had ruled for fifteen years in the land of Narnia, they were suddenly and magically returned to their world, at the time they had left, children again. Or, at least, in one dimension they did. You see, the children had never realized why they had to leave that time. It was Aslan's doing, but they didn't know. No one did except the great lion himself. But the reason was this: After a long enough period, a person from that world would go slightly insane and not be able to return to their own world if they had entered Narnia as children. To keep this from happening, Aslan returned them after fifteen years, keeping them there as long as possible until he sensed the signs of impending instability. He waited as long as he could before he knew the effects would become irreversible and they could not return, then finally transported them back to have the damage undone. But you see, Aslan was not sure of his choice at all, and hesitated to return them.
When a choice of that magnitude is made, a new dimension is created in which the other choice was made. You know the story of Aslan returning them, but not of him not returning them. This is that story.
Narnian history maintains that the Pevensie bloodline continued on for thousands of years until the final battle for Narnia took place. The original Kings and Queens were legendary for their great compassion and care for their people, victories in war, expansion of the kingdom, and wisdom. Other notables in the bloodline include High Queen Edita the Magnificent, High King Mikail the Brave, High Queen Magdalene the Wise, and High King Peter XIV the Great. But the story of this family is far less inspiring and far more intriguing than anyone would realize.
It begins with, of course, the Kings and Queens of old and their reign.
High King Peter was a natural fighter, known for his bravery, skill, and the trust he inspired in his armies. He grew to be a handsome man whose military victories included the great battle of Archenland, the conquering of Phyliss, and the exploration of the Lone Islands. His skills in battle with a sword, lance, and spear was unmatched and his instincts sharper than the weapons he carried. Under his control, Narnia expanded twice its size with its victories and conquests. He was known to be a natural leader who and united all the races of Narnia. A skilled architect, King Peter built great structures within the kingdom, from palaces to schools, to designing towns and houses. Peter asserted the authority of his throne and kingdom like no others and sought as many ways to develop his kingdom and possible.
Furthermore, the high King was a master at making appointments, a human lie detector who could estimate a person's potential, skills, and sincerity with unsettling accuracy.
Queen Susan the Gentle was the second eldest, a kind and benevolent woman, described as being "more beautiful than the moon" who accomplished establishing the court of Cair Paravel and setting up schools all throughout Narnia for her subjects, as well as hospitals and orphanages, visiting them all frequently. But she did more than just good work, for all her undertaking were her own planning and design. She was known as being a brilliant organizer and money-raiser, who had knowledge of medicine, magic, and history, organizing and appointing all the faculty and hierarchy of the institutions, their budgets, medical plans, and methods of working. Susan also was something of a military genius as well, and often was Peter's chief battle strategist, designing multiple methods of gaining victory to counter mishaps and finding ways to use geography in particular to their army's advantage. She entreated her brother Peter to design the structures and consulted all the best minds in the kingdom. An exceptional warrior, Queen Susan was the finest archer in Narnia.
King Edmund the Just, much like his sister Susan, was known for his good will toward his people, who spent much of his times hearing and heeding the woes of his people. King Edmund was also a brilliant legal mind, who constructed Narnia's legal and criminal justice systems by the time he was fifteen, founding the High Court of Narnia and even introducing a voting system designed for citizens to decide on important issues. But what most earned King Edmund his title was his commitment to listening to his people and showing extreme mercy to his subjects, always giving them a second chance if case of failure. Also considered the more handsome of the brothers, Edmund managed after a few years to step out of the shadow of his brother.
Queen Lucy had been the most brilliant of all her siblings, whose own accomplishments came by way of making the work of her brothers and sisters a reality. Lucy was a financial, and foreign relations genius who's determination, focus, and courage gave her the title of Valiant despite being the quietest and most reclusive of her siblingsLucy furthermore was the one who discovered ways in which the treasury could easily fund Susan's projects and the armies, creating and running a government-owned tourism industry that brought gargantuan profits to the country and creating employment for the citizens. With Edmund, being a genius as well, she drew up legislation to end any injustice socially and economically for her people and together the two drafted treaties with neighboring nations. Though she was less likely to entertain and converse with many people, she was able to see advantages for her country others overlooked and together with the brilliant diplomats her siblings were, made Narnia into a world power.
Susan, Peter, and Edmund were the ones who made their country great and loved around the world through their charm, good manners, negotiating skills, and reputations for benevolence, not to mention their aptitude and love entertaining others.
But though the reigns of the Kings and Queens of Old were in every way a success, they were not the golden figures of legend. Their eccentricities continued well past the time they took their thrones and their exploits were of a peculiar kind which would scandalize and alienate those from their
old world. It was true, all four of them went insane. Still wise, still intelligent, and still good, but still insane. Everyone could agree on that. Susan became a workaholic who started to forget people's names and talk to herself in public. Peter's own moods became so random and extreme that he would no doubt have been diagnosed as Bi-polar in his old world. Lucy and Edmund saw things and people that were not there and had nightmares. These were some of the things they struggled with, but there was far more, of course.
One of the siblings' greatest victories was still being great rulers despite it.
But we will begin our telling of their reigns at the proper point at the beginning, after they had been crowned and had assumed power.
The four did not waste time when it came to attending to policy, with the Great Lion at their sides for the first few months. The royal had called a meeting of his generals and officers during the battle with the White Witch only two days after the coronation to discuss the state of the treasury, military, and various dilemmas and issues ahead of them as the leaders of a new order.
The treasury was fairly healthy (the old witch had been a notorious miser), but much of the country was run-down and undeveloped, mostly due to the constant winter which made farming impossible and building difficult. Though the land was now ripe and ready to plant and harvest, farms needed to be developed and the planting needed to happen. However, thanks to the famine that had strangled the people, they had little means to begin planting. Furthermore, due to the country being under a completely new government, new laws and government structures had to be designed and developed and approved by their majesties while government officials and advisors had to be found. They did not have much help initially and did not know who was qualified or right for many of the jobs. Justice for the White Witch's allies had to be decided upon, and the young monarchs must be educated. The fact was that apart from the amount of money in the treasury, nobody in the kingdom was aware of what they had to work with.
It would be ridiculous to ask anybody to create a new and prosperous land out of such a situation, let alone children. But the four siblings, all of exceptional strength of character and courage, did not hesitate to act. Orders were sent out immediately for there to be a great tour of the kingdom to survey and appraise the land, while all the old queen's documents were brought to survey the legal system of the old Narnia. Magicians were commissioned to develop seed that would grow at an excellerated rate and province boundaries in Narnia were set up, giving orders that each region would work towards creating local government councils. The Kings and Queens decided to tour the land and stop in every province to survey their progress while Aslan picked advisors for them at Cair Paravel. When they got back, they would begin communications with foreign nations and begin their education.
Over the next few years, the kingdom grew and flourished and the progresses were a success. After a bountiful harvest, an invasion from one foreign land looking to take advantage of an inexperienced new monarchy was vanquished by the High King and the other three each began to work on the projects that highlighted the early part of their reigns.
During this time period, the four siblings seemed to absorb all they needed to know in almost no time, but while they took to their duties with a passion, they had a happy attitude.
King Peter was said to have been particularly protective of his siblings, particularly Lucy, afraid her role as queen would steal her childhood from her. It seemed, however, that Lucy took a delight in fulfilling her responsibilities as they all did, Mr. Tumnus, her chief confidante, by her side. There was tension between King Peter and King Edmund for some time due to Peter's lack of confidence and encouragement of his brother taking on the legal structure of the kingdom himself. Many loud arguments were had between the two over various movements and laws Edward had planned. However, the two brothers usually called a truce.
King Peter was certainly described as the most serious and sober one of the four, who kept himself on a strict schedule when not at war, dressed in plain, unadorned clothing and relaxed with a goblet of wine and a book every night. It was said King Edmund used to joke that his brother was an old man at 15 and even accused him once in a while of having no imagination. There is, in actuality, a lot of evidence to support Edmund's criticism: While his siblings were inventive and entrepreneurial in their ruling, each dreaming up and establishing new programs and undertakings, based on ideas and experimentation, Peter's own methods as a ruler were based in making good judgments on ideas and propositions already put to him as well as bravery and hard work. Apart from his architectural work, there is little record of Peter ever creating any sort of object or project on his own with his own ideas and creativity.
The siblings were all extremely tight-knit, affectionate and protective of one another as well as being particularly attuned towards the feelings and thoughts of the others. But it was Queen Susan who was the High King's particular companion.
Many poems still exist today about the four siblings, as well as first hand accounts. In a letter to his King, one Calsinian Ambassador wrote of the four of them.
The four Monarchs are young but it would be unwise to underestimate them. All four greeted me with utmost graciousness and courtesy, making sure I was well situated and seen to. The High King Peter in particular has the manner, bearing, and intellect of a king of advanced years and is not easily intimidated or caught off-guard in discussion or on the battleground. Though he speaks in few words, every one of them is articulate and well-founded and at his quietest he still has a great presence. The Queen Lucy is a mere child of ten, but is astonishingly gifted. She spent less time than any of them in meetings with foreign ambassadors but scores of the paperwork, treaties and propositions I was given were drawn up, at least partially, by her! And do not think, my king, that her ideas were anything to be scoffed at. They were, all of them, modern and sophisticated, intricate and organized pieces which proposed ideas and notions I had never heard of in my forty years as a civil servant (I have enclosed several of Queen Lucy's papers, as well as those drafted by her siblings, for you to review. The second King, Edmund, is a sharp debater and a very thorough young man, analyzing everything and venturing many ideas. He has an obvious desire for respect and is going through the awkwardness of early youth, nonetheless he makes you forget it sometimes. Already he has crafted a judicial system for his kingdom
and has a reputation for mercy. There are rumors that he and the High King have occasional disputes over policy, but they have made sure that none of us visiting see any evidence of it and display a most united front. The Queen Susan is a beauty of breathtaking proportion, charming and witty, but with a sharp mind and a talent for gaining the confidence of others. The Queen also has a great talent of bringing peace to any argument or dispute and easing tension. She out of all of them made the most care to check if I was being treated well, inquiring as to my impressions and accommodations daily, as well as my moods. More than a few men have fallen in love with her and fought for her, but she will have none of them. The only men she seems to care for are her brothers, particularly King Peter. The two are almost inseparable, walking together several times a day deep in discussion, taking their meals together and arriving to meetings together. It is said every night the four siblings meet together in private in one their chambers to talk and be together, but that after the two younger siblings say good night, King Peter and Queen Susan retire to one of their rooms two talk long into the night. All four of them have the utmost affection for each other, embracing and kissing often and spending much time outside of their official meetings together. It is said they all seek collaboration with at least one of the others on everything they do. They go hunting often together and are attune to the each other's thoughts and feelings. High King Peter is particularly protective of his siblings and makes efforts to keep a close eye on the two youngest. Despite their youth, Your Majesty would do well to make efforts to align yourself with these rulers, for they show promise to make themselves a formidable force."
If the multiple accounts expressing similar sentiments are to be respected, this was very much the profile of the young royals. Lucy in particular seemed to intimidate many of the people who met her with her astonishing mind, speaking in the words of a seasoned politician and writing like a politician at the early age of ten. It may be for this reason that Queen Lucy chose to do the least social diplomacy, in a letter she wrote to her brother Edmund, she wrote regarding his diplomatic mission to Phyliss:
I am glad to advise you all I can, Brother, but it would do no good for me to come, for I would no doubt make relations between us and the Phylissine court far worse. I have not the manner which makes others like you, I would only make them more nervous and distrustful of us if I were to come. The best course of action would be to inspire warm feelings between us and the Phylissines, and I am not very skilled at inspiring that sort of regard.
Her closest confidante outside of her siblings and Aslan was a faun by the name of Mr Tumnus, who often spoke for her when she was absent from a meeting. Some visitors found the image of the young girl walking with the fawn, heads together and speaking in whispers humorous while others found it troubling.
As for King Edmund, he was respected much like his brother, but did not inspire the same awe that the High King did. He was less conspicuous for being the younger brother though his accomplishments are no less astounding. However, it is said that many found the younger King more approachable than his brother, with a high-humored, spirited manner and a great sense of warmth. Many people found Edmund's attempts of grabbing attention from his more reserved, serious brother charming. Edmund was certainly the more impulsive of the two as well as the more carefree despite his heavy responsibilities. It seemed he had great vanity and pride about his work, which he loved. He liked
to dress like a King in silk and velvet and made no bones about it. He was the most outspoken of the four, not hesitating to criticize anyone, even himself.
Queen Susan was, as the letter states, a remarkably beautiful woman who attracted countless suitors, breaking hearts and keeping the young men of Cair Paravel on their toes. Susan did not spend much time letting herself be romanced, however, committing to her charity work with unbridaled passion and constantly studying. We have some evidence that in the earliest years Queen Susan was rather insecure about her looks, fearing her mind would be ignored. She certainly made points to dominate the conversation in many instances, keeping her subjects as intellectual as possible and attempting to assert her knowledge. However, as time went on, Queen Susan started using her looks and easy charm as a tool, dressing in lovely silks and arranging parties and entertainments. She was known to be a wit as well as a good listener and a warm, welcoming personality. Everyone who met her was said to come to love her dearly and refuse to say a bad word about her, for she inspired much loyalty with her subjects.