Author's Note: Well, I'm still working on planning this story out, so the updates won't be coming as frequently as my other stories for a while, but I'll pick up the pace when my imaginitive juices start flowing! :D
Ages!: Peter-23. Susan- 22. Edmund-20. Aaryn-20. Lucy-17. Corin-13.
Disclaimer: Aaryn is my own character, having burst forth from my very own imagine (as are Kyran, Lady Senna, Rouen Tarkaan, and Sir Egron). I know, I'm pretty amazing like that, aren't I? The rest are from C.S. Lewis' creative imagination. He's almost as awesome as I am!
Chapter 1- Meddlesome Prince
"That boy is going to get a sound thrashing when I get my hands on him!" Aaryn growled with annoyance as she headed down the busy Tashbaan streets. "That meddlesome boy needs to learn that he can't just go wandering off because he has nothing better to do! He could get himself hurt!" she stormed irately. Much to the amusement of her Narnian counterparts.
Honestly, she was worried about the young Archenlandian prince who had been missing from his bed this morning. When he didn't come back within the next few hours, Edmund and Aaryn had decided to split up and go looking for him and Susan stayed behind in case he returned.
She felt her annoyance level peak and she bristled as the crier that walked ahead of her party cried out.
"Make way! Step aside for the white barbarian princess, guest of the Tisroc (may he live forever)! Make way for the Narnian lords and lady!"
"Calm yourself, Princess." a faun by the name of Kyran put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll not prove him wrong nor find Prince Corin by getting red in the face." he noted slyly.
Aaryn nodded, seeing the sense in what he said as she walked beside him. Kyran had proven himself a wise and faithful manservant and she knew he was right. She took a deep breath and continued on with a worried eye fixed upon the crowd for a sign of his young golden tresses.
"I said, make way!" the crier yelled angrily, pulling back his arm to backhand a young man who had stumbled into their path.
Aaryn stepped forward and grabbed his hand before he could carry through. "Good sir, I would not suggest angering my party or myself any further by afflicting this poor man with senseless brutality." she warned, pulling her hand from his as soon as it had stopped.
The man looked angrily at her, particularly flustered at being ordered around by a woman, before turning back to split the sea of people for them again.
"I cannot tell you how ready I am to go home." she said in a more quiet tone as her eyes scanned the streets for the fair-haired young boy who was often mistaken for her younger brother. Both Aaryn and the prince had yellow-blonde hair and pale skin, not to mention similar titles, so when they went to foreign countries with the same party, the two were often asked if related in some way. She supposed they quite acted like siblings as well, so that could have something to do with it. Though their eyes were quite different, hers were hazel while his a radiant blue.
At twenty years old, she had been princess of Narnia for seven years now and the land had quite become her home, though it came with the stresses of running a country that would be quite overwhelming to anyone. Not to mention, the pressure from the council as of late to see the royals married. They were constantly nagging at she and the kings and queens, saying that Narnia needed secure marriages that would forge alliances and bring forth heirs. That was a large part of the reason that the three Narnian king, queen, and princess- along with the Archenlandian prince- were in Tashbaan right now. Susan was visiting Prince Rabadash to find if he would be a man worthy to court. He'd been a most constant suitor for over a year now, though not the only one who had tried to catch her eye. The Gentle queen had many suitors vying for her hand.
Aaryn wasn't quite sure how Corin had weaseled his way into coming. Peter had mentioned that he didn't like having the girls in Calormen by themselves and that Edmund would have alot to handle protecting the two, but he hadn't counted on the difficulties that come with watching Corin- particularly when in a very foreign land. Though sometimes the boy made himself useful- at other times, he simply made himself a nuisance.
The twenty year-old princess pulled her long blonde hair off the back of her neck for a moment before dropping it again. It's so blasted hot here and it's getting late. she thought, eyeing the position of the sun. It would be dark in a mere few hours and each prolonged moment heightened her anxiety. Where are you, Corin?
"Way! Make way! The white barbarian king approaches, guest of the Tisroc (may he live forever)! Make way for the Narnian lords!" a voice cried out from down the street in the direction they were headed. Moments later, Edmund and his party crested the hill. Between he and Lord Peridan was the boy, quite dirty and looking roughed up.
"I found the young rascal, Aaryn." Edmund said as each party came to a stop in front of one another.
"Oh," she cried, happy to see the prince again. She jumped forward and hugged him tightly, not caring that her red dress would be spoilt by the dirt on his clothes. She was surprised when he didn't fight the embrace. Pulling away, she saw that he didn't look annoyed, as would normally be the case, but terrified.
"Corin, are you quite alright?" she asked, concern filling her voice as she peered at him. He didn't answer, so she looked to Edmund.
"Why isn't he speaking? What happened to him?" she questioned, brow furrowing in concern. She peered worriedly at the boy whose head reached her chin. It wouldn't be long before he was much taller than her, quite up to Edmund's height or so.
"Lord Peridan believes he must have caught too much sun. Perhaps he's dehydrated?" he responded.
Aaryn took one of the boy's hands and gently pinched the skin together on the back of his hand. Instead of immediately returning to it's normal condition, as would be the case if he were properly hydrated, it sunk back into place in a terribly slow fashion.
"Oh my dear boy, you are on the brink of exhaustion!" she cried. "Here's my flask, you may drink the rest of that until we get back." She untied the pouch from the belt about her waist, uncorked it, and handed it to the boy. The Narnians had to constantly carry a full flask, as the unbearable heat of Calormene, was most oppressive to their bodies which were accustomed to much more tempered weather. The boy took the flask and eyed it carefully.
"Oh, Corin. Don't be daft, you're severely dehydrated! We can't have you fainting because you don't want to drink after her." Edmund reprimanded. It appeared to work, because he brought the flask up to his lips carefully. Once he'd tasted a bit, he downed the entire thing with large gulps and sighed contentedly when he had quite drunk the whole thing.
"Thank you." he said tentatively as he lowered it. Aaryn and Edmund looked at one another in bewilderment, the shocked expressions of the rest of their party were not wasted on them either.
"Let's get back now." Edmund decided and they were off.
"Corin!" Susan cried when she saw the bedraggled boy. "What in Aslan's name has happened to you?" she asked, blue eyes sparking with worry.
"It's Corin. Need you ask?" Edmund quipped with a smile. He looked at the boy, whose eyes had gone spectacularly wide when he laid eyes on the room and it's occupants. "Kyran, would you mind washing the boy up. I'm afraid he'll give us all fleas if we wait much longer!"
A few of the animals took steps backward from the boy causing them to laugh and Corin to crack a small smile. The smile faded when the faun led him away.
"What's happened to him?" Susan questioned. "He hasn't said a word since he's been here. That's not like him."
"We don't know. He's scarcely said a word to us either. And it was 'Thank you' of all things." Edmund answered as all three sat upon a heavily cushioned orange couch that was highly ornamental. They appeared to nearly sink into it.
"I'm just glad we found him. I wouldn't want to be the one to tell King Lune that we lost his only son because he ran away in Tashbaan." Aaryn replied, cringing at the thought as she picked up a bit of needlework she'd been working on for the duration of their stay.
They'd been in this accursed citadel for three weeks and she was anxious to return to Cair Paravel. Lucy was there now, keeping an eye on the country for them while they were in Calormen. Peter was to the north, facing the giants of Ettinsmoor who were crossing the borders and wreaking havoc again.
It seems the work of a Narnian royal is never done.
Edmund had fought vigorously to go along with Peter and stand by his side in the battle. He never felt more useless than when on a courtesy trip, especially to a country that he didn't like and whose inhabitants generally referred to him as a 'barbarian'. The younger boy was prone to fret over his older brother, which was quite the change from so many years ago when they didn't even know how to relate to one another without it breaking into an argument. Now they were the closest of friends and the most beloved brothers to one another.
Aaryn had no doubt that Peter was fretting for the boy now, even though he'd likely just received the post Edmund had sent him a few days ago, informing him that all was well.
Edmund had only been convinced when Peter brought up the fact that two women should not be unescorted in such an unfriendly country, particularly when suitors were involved. Aaryn, Susan, and Lucy were all very close and so, when it was realized that one king or queen would need to stay behind, Susan asked Aaryn to go along. Though the girl hated travelling, she couldn't let her dearest friend down on such an important journey and joined her despite her dislike for the idea.
"Do you require your dinner now, Your Majesties?" a cheetah by the name of Senna questioned a few moments later, dipping into a cat-like curtsey as she approached.
"That would be most delightful, Lady Senna." Susan answered. "I do believe Prince Corin will be returning quite soon."
True to expectations, the blonde prince came timidly into the room, stifling a yawn as he stood awkwardly in clean Narnian attire, looking as if he didn't know what to do in the slightest.
Aaryn jumped up from her seated position, concern for her normally wild young friend beginning to concern her more and more. She tucked some of her waist-length blonde hair away from her face as she gently nudged him toward another large sofa and entreated him to sit.
"When you've finished your dinner, you may rest. I cannot imagine what it is that has caused you to fall practically mute in such a way." she mused.
"Sorry." the boy responded, blue eyes tentatively taking in his surroundings. This began to make her think that something truly terrible had happened in order to make him act in such a way. The thought terrified her.
Before she could further question his change in attitute, a few of their Narnian servants came forward with the food, for which they were thanked profusely by their kings and queens. They entreated Lord Peridan and Sallowpad, the raven, to join them and they quickly complied as the others went nearby to eat their portions separately.
"We have a far more important issue to discuss than that of young Corin's sudden shift in behavior, which I hope he will explain at some near point." Edmund pointed out as each settled in their seats with their plates of food that they'd filled from the buffet on the small table before them. "Dear sister, do tell us what decision you've made on the affections of the prince."
"I could never marry that man." Susan stated perfectly clear. "He is vulgar and base, his manner corrupt and his worship of the Tisroc quite abominable in my eyes. I could not marry a man who does not know Aslan. I feel as if I've wasted all our time here."
"Thank Aslan, Su." Aaryn said, approvingly. "By the mane, if you'd considered marrying him for a moment longer, I would have thrown you over my shoulder and carried you back to Cair myself."
"And I suppose I'd have to carry you!" Edmund retorted. "For you would get nowhere with Susan over your shoulder."
The princess rolled her hazel eyes as she redirected the conversation back to Susan. "Especially after last night's events. I dare say he knows he's overstepped his boundaries."
"Quite. But I believe his impression is that we've overstepped ours as well." Lord Peridan cautioned.
Aaryn was glad when the dance she'd participated in with Rouen Tarkaan was complete. Hastily, she retreated from him before he could ask her hand in the next dance and made her way to the Narnian party, where she could evade notice for at least a few moments. She wanted to be questioned no longer upon the color of her hair, nor be roughly pulled closer than comfortable to men that she hardly knew.
Her blonde hair and pale skin had made her quite the object of interest among the men of the court and it was at times like these that she envied Edmund's dark hair coloring, though his skin still made him attractive to the Calormene ladies, not to mention his status.
Sipping at a goblet of wine, Aaryn noticed Corin hiding behind a rather stately faun who'd accompanied them on this night.
"And what, pray tell, are you doing, Corin? You're not afraid of a few girls are you?" she teased, dark green skirts swishing as she approached his hiding place.
"Hush." he cried animatedly. "And I'm not afraid of them!" His chin jutted upward in defiance.
"Then why are you hiding behind Sir Egron?" she asked, sly grin creeping across her face.
He sputtered, trying to come up with a response, but failed miserably. Standing up, he looked around cautiously before coming up and standing beside her. He grabbed a handfull of grapes and shoved them into his mouth haphazardly.
Looking across the crowd, she caught sight of Edmund's look of pain as he danced with a Tarkeena who kept trying to move closer to him and he kept backing away. The Just king was less than eager to tighten the embrace in the slightest.
Across the way, Susan was dancing with Prince Rabadash, who had the two in a very close embrace that made Aaryn uncomfortable just watching. She could tell that Susan wasn't enjoying it either and the princess had half made up her mind to go get Edmund to do something about it, when she managed to catch the eye of another Tarkaan who was staring intently at her.
He began to make his way toward her and Aaryn felt herself dreading the prospect.
"Dance with me, Corin." she commanded hurriedly as the man drew closer, eyes set on her.
"What?!" he protested, not fond of the idea in the slightest.
Aaryn grabbed his hand and practically dragged him onto the floor and they took up their positions, moving steadily along with the music.
She glanced over in the direction of the man who'd been so intent on dancing with her, only to see him still approaching.
"Oh no." she breathed with dread. The man looked quite intimidating and very much the type of man that would place her in an uncomfortable situation that she wouldn't quite know a way out of. Oh, how she missed being in Narnia at times like these
The Tarkaans here were all the same, all intent on claiming beauty as a prize, not findig a mate or a friend. Rather, a trophy, and likely someone to beat on when things didn't go their way. They were very forward in their advances and often much more frank with their less than desirous intentions than the Narnians could fathom.
She'd rather not associate with them if it could be helped.
The man tapped Corin's shoulder and the pair stopped their feet as Corin turned his head politely toward the man who'd interrupted them.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, but would you mind parting with the lovely lady in order that I may have this dance?" he asked, cordially. His eyes glinting with pleasure at the prospect.
The blue-eyed boy took one look at Aaryn before responding shortly. "No, I was dancing with her first."
The look of pure shock on the man's face nearly made her laugh.
"But-"
"Excuse me, good sir." he responded, before spinning the princess back into the dance.
"Thank you." Aaryn sighed with relief when the man walked off the dance floor. "I feel as if I ought to scold you for being rude, but I'm too thankful for it. He didn't quite give me a good impression."
"Me neither." he responded simply.
Before another word could be said, they both heard a few startled gasps and turned just in time to see Prince Rabadash with his lips mashed against Queen Susan's her eyes wide as she attempted to push him away. His arm, however, was wrapped tightly around her waist in order to prevent it.
"What is the meaning of this?" Edmund's voice boomed as he stomped toward the two. Corin and Aaryn rushed forward as Prince Rabadash let go of Susan and the Gentle queen pulled away quickly, moving to her brother's side. "How dare you treat the Queen as property to be abused as you wish." Edmund fairly snarled. Corin came up to stand abreast of him, scowling darkly, as Aaryn consoled a very frazzled Susan.
"The Narnian party takes their leave of the night's festivities." he finished coldly, turning on his heel and nodding to his men, who followed the four out the door.
"I fear we will not be able to leave this place of our own accord." Edmund stated gravely. "We shall have to make an escape. Steal away in the night."
"How? The gates will be closing in a little over two hours." Sallowpad remarked.
"Oh, I've brought this all upon us. I should have refused the council's entreaties to visit the horrid Prince. I knew he was of foul character, but never expected all of this." Susan lamented. "I have wrought this upon myself."
"Now, now, sister." Edmund calmed patiently. "All will be set right. Aslan protects us even in this foreign land. He will see to it that we are safely returned to our home."
"How shall we make this escape, then?" Lord Peridan questioned. "Won't they be expecting such from us?"
"Perhaps. We'll just have to work on our stealth and be wise about our actions. It may be that we could find a way to get aboard our ship before we're detected." Edmund answered, then turned, "What say you, Corin? You have said nary a word all day!"
But when he looked, he found that the fourteen year-old boy had fallen soundly asleep on the couch. Stretched out in his Narnian attire that Kyran had dressed him in. Susan stood and laid a blanket over him and Aaryn handed her a pillow to lay under his head.
"Let us retire to another room." Aaryn suggested. "The prince seems to have had quite a tiring day."