Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia, or any of the lands, characters and ideas that are associated with the books. The plot itself if based roughly on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Disney's Mulan and She's the Man.
Prologue
Narnia
March 15, 1015
Year 11 of the Golden Age
The four monarchs of Narnia stood around the giant table, studying the maps placed on it, carefully. Oreius, was muttering under his breath as he read the maps patiently, raising a hand at times and running it down the page as if he was tracing something with the tips of his finger. He would pace ever so often, his hooves gently tapping against the stone floor creating a soothing sound.
Several other talking beasts were in the room, but they didn't dare interrupt while the five stood around the table. They were in a very well-hidden part of the castle. A room where all the war related meetings took place. The walls were adorned with several maps of Narnia, and the countries closest to it. The back wall was covered with shelves that held war books, books of strategy. The room had no windows, and the only light provided came from the torches hanging on the wall, and the few candles that were placed on the table. The ceiling was a good thirty feet high so that it could fit even the biggest beasts of Narnia comfortably.
There was a gentle knock on the giant wooden double doors, before the left one opened cautiously. A young faun entered the room, looking around nervously.
"What is it, young one?" Oreius asked gently as he stopped his pacing.
"Merinik asked me to open the door," the young faun answered, moving away from the doorway.
A black hawk flew into the room, landing on a high perch. The young faun scurried out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"Well?" King Edmund asked, "Is it true?"
"Unfortunately, sire, it is," Merinik said, opening his wings and doing a slow lap around the room before, settling back down on the perch.
"What did you see, Merinik?" High King Peter asked solemnly.
"I saw the thing I most did not want to see," the hawk said, "I saw the army, coming in slowly from all sides, your majesty."
Edmund let out an expletive that wasn't completely appropriate in the presences of the two queens.
Queen Susan gave him a look, while the youngest of the four, Queen Lucy, let out a giggle.
"How long do we have?" King Edmund asked impatiently, his hands grasping the sides of the wooden table.
"I would estimate about three weeks to a month," Merinik said calmly.
The High King raised his eyebrow at the statement. The other three monarchs looked slightly confused as well.
"Why so long?" the High King asked, "If they are already closing in, why would they let a whole month pass before making a move?"
"It seems," the hawk stated uncomfortably, looking around the room as if he was searching for his next words carefully, "this seems to be the first wave of soldiers."
"First wave? You mean there are others?" Susan asked, sounding alarmed.
"From what I overheard of the Calormenes, there will be four waves in total."
"Four waves?" High King Peter asked the hawk, his face not quiet as steady as his voice.
"Yes, Sire," Merinik responded.
"So how many soldiers are we looking at?" King Edmund asked, glancing over at Susan who looked a bit pale.
"I would guess around three thousand," the hawk said gravely.
"Three thousand?" Queen Lucy exclaimed, "That's twenty six hundred more than last year."
"This is entirely my fault," Queen Susan whispered, looking down at the map, "This is because I rejected Rabadash."
"A man that starts a war because a woman told him no, is not a man you want to be aligned with, Su, and I for one thank Aslan that you had enough sense to say no," King Edmund said, placing a hand on her shoulder in support.
"Ed is right, Su, this isn't a fault of your own at all. It's merely the result of a man who, for once, didn't get what he wanted, and in order to remedy that, he decides to try to take out an entire nation," the High King answered.
"But I though that Rabadash could not leave his country, and if he did, he would permanently turn into a donkey. That is what Aslan told us," Queen Lucy said from her spot by the table.
"Yes, that is true, Queen Lucy, but there is nothing stopping the boy's father from pursuing action," Merinik said helpfully. "He seems to think that Narnia simply won't have the numbers to compete with this army. He believes that if they pass through Archenland peacefully, King Lune will also refuse to help us."
"I suggest King Lune be alerted immediately of the incoming invasion, I have no doubt that he will assist us," Swallowpad, the raven said. Swallowpad was one of the royal advisors, and he hardly gave out faulty advice. He had also been present in Tashbaan last year, when Queen Susan had rejected the proposal of Rabadash.
"I am inclined to agree with Swallowpad," Oreius said.
"Alright, Lucy, go and send the letter, then go to bed. It's late and we have a lot to do in the morning. Su, I suggest you retire as well; Ed and I will take care of this," the High King said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Merinik, tell us everywhere you spotted the Calormenes while you scouted," King Edmund said, picking up his quill to make notes of it on the map.
"Aslan, help us," the High King muttered as the map slowly got covered with black ink.
Just to clear a few things up:
1. I'm using my own timeline, and not going the by the book timeline
2. In my story, the golden age lasts for 15 years, and they are currently at year 11. It takes place a year after "Horse and his Boy."
3. Lucy is 20 years old, Ed is 21, Susan is 23 & Peter is 24.
4. If you need anything else cleared up, just ask!
Hope you enjoyed the prologue. This is my first attempt at Narnia Fanfiction so please leave a review and let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading.