Hello everyone. This is my first Chronicles of Narnia fanfic, and I must warn you that I have never read any of the books themselves, but I have read the general plot of "The Horse and His Boy;" and I feel confident enough to write this one-shot for your reading pleasure.
This is basically my own revamp of the scene where Prince Rabadash is put on trial and turned into a donkey by Aslan. I tried to write this with the intention of giving Rabadash some sympathy, so I hope you enjoy it. Also there is a little bit of Rabadash x Susan, so if you enjoy that, then good. If not…well its barely noticeable. ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own "The Horse and His Boy." All rights go to C.S. Lewis.
~Trial of a Prince~
He rode through the streets of Tashbaan upon a tall white horse befitted only for a King. His many subjects waved and cheered his return. They were happy and relieved that there Glorious Tisroc had returned from war safe and victorious. Behind him marched the brave and mighty soldiers of the Calormene Empire, as well as the great plunder they had earned from the trials of war. Gold and gems were carried atop large litters, and prisoners of war were paraded into the heart of the great city. Strange creatures that most Calormenes had never seen were to become the new slave labor force for the Empire. For he himself had decreed that no subject of Calormen shall ever again toil away in slavery; that was to be the fate of all foreign enemies of his great domain. Yes, Rabadash I had conquered vast stretches of land for his Empire, and there was nothing better than to here the happiness of his people; hearing their calls of "Rabadash the Beloved, Rabadash the Conqueror, Rabadash the Great!" These cheers were of course followed by an eruption from all the people of Tashbaan:
"MAY HE LIVE FOREVER!"
"MAY HE LIVE FOREVER!"
"MAY HE LIVE FOREVER!"
Truly nothing was more heartwarming or satisfying than to hear the adorations of his subjects. Well, only one thing warmed his heart more than the love of the people. Awaiting in his great Palace overlooking the city, were the Tisroc's own family (May he live forever). Standing on a golden balcony of the Palace, was a pale woman with dark hair, a round face, and the most beautiful smile in all the Empire. In her arms were three dark skinned children who if you looked closely, resembled the pale woman. She was telling them stories of their illustrious father and of his many campaigns, and how they would now be together again. Rabadash the Great (May he live forever) rode up to the balcony and smiled up at the Imperial Family. There was no doubt that the almighty Tash had blessed him with good looks, great victories, and a wonderful family to return to. Nothing could be more right in the Universe.
"WAKE UP YOU CALORMENE SCUM!"
He was awakened quite rudely from a wonderful and dreadful dream. A dream that had haunted him since the fair Queen of Narnia had departed from Tashbaan and ripped his soul apart. Prince Rabadash struggled to get up; which was harder than one might think considering the chains that bound his arms and legs. He could only walk so fast, so his Archenlander guards hoisted him up and practically dragged him out of the dungeon and into the upper parts of the Castle Anvard. His current predicament was quite different than his fantasy. His invasion of Archeland had failed, his army lay dead or imprisoned; and the prize which he sought after, had not been captured. Yes, there was no denying it anymore, the tall and handsome Calormene Prince was now but a prisoner. The only thing he could do was hold his head high and accept his fate. Then he suddenly chuckled. Not likely!
The court of Anvard suddenly hushed as the treacherous Prince of Calormen was brought before the King of Archenland, as well as before the Kings and Queens of Narnia. Among the Archenlanders were many Narnians who had journeyed to help defend Anvard from the Prince's invasion. He scanned the large room and noticed that many of its occupants were sneering at him. Centaurs and dwarves looked ready to cut him into tiny pieces, fierce animals capable of speech were growling and hissing as he walked past. Yet he paid them no mind; with as much grace and dignity as he could manage, the Prince kept his eyes forward with his normal arrogant walk still being used, if not in full effect.
Rabadash was brought before the various Monarchs who sat higher than he stood. A bored expression came upon his face as he avoided looking at a certain raven-haired Narnian Queen. One of his guards motioned for him to kneel. Absurd! A Prince of Calormen does not kneel before barbarians; even if they are Monarchs.
King Lune of Archenland stood up from his throne and motioned for the guards to leave the Prince be. He then gave a stern command, "Release him of his bindings." The sound of chains rattling to the floor echoed in the vast court room of the King, and Rabadash immediately started rubbing his raw wrists, while still trying to present himself as if he were not in any pain.
"Prince Rabadash, your treacherous and cowardly invasion of my Kingdom has been thwarted. You are now a prisoner in Archenland. This gathering is a trial that will decide your punishment for making war upon my lands during a time of peace. Your fate, rests in the hands of myself and the great Kings and Queens of Narnia."
The Calormene Prince merely yawned and stopped listening to this fat old King drawling on and on. In a way he reminded him of his father (May he live forever) which only seemed to make the Prince more determined not to care about this so called trial. He already knew his fate. If anyone had attempted to invade Calormen and failed, the prisoners would be publicly executed. It was the most logical decision; this concept of a trial was made merely to delay the inevitable. So while the King of Archenland continued with his boring speech, the Prince decided to have a little more fun before his demise.
"You are correct O wise and powerful King. I did invade your puny country without warning and without declaration. But you must remember; we Calormenes believe that the weak must give way to the strong. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, one must exploit that opportunity for one's own benefit and success; O benevolent King." He mocked bowed and gave a smirk, lifting his eyes to the throne occupied by the eldest Queen of Narnia for a brief second.
King Lone was not amused by such false flattery and such horrid explanations. "That may be what you and your society believe. But it does not give you the right to force that view upon other nations and peoples!" His face was starting to become red with anger, something that Rabadash noticed immediately. But the King took a deep breath to calm himself, looking to King Peter I for support. The High King of Narnia stood and took his place next to the old King of Archenland. "Rabadash, it is clear to everyone that your guilt is beyond verified. There is no point in pleading your case to this court. The next step is to arrange your punishment." The fact that the High King did not acknowledge his Imperial Title annoyed the Prince; but did not necessarily deter him from striking back at these barbarians in his own way.
"At least you have the courtesy to conclude this sham of a trial and begin the conclusion to my little adventure. Perhaps you could let me die with my honor by allowing me to duel with one of your best Knights, or maybe with you…noble majesty."
At this, many Archenlanders and Narnians drew their weapons and volunteered to accept the foolish Prince's challenge. But King Lune silenced them and ordered all weapons to be sheathed.
King Peter looked down upon the defeated Calormene whelp of a Prince. His armor and sword had been taken from him of course. His magnificent robes were stained and torn in some places while his face held a look of determination and arrogance rolled into one. He then spoke to the man who attempted to kidnap his sister, "Unfortunately it is not our place to give you your so called honor nor is it to punish you ourselves; that responsibility falls to him." The eldest Pevensie looked to the entrance of the great hall and everyone in the room gasped. It was the great Lion himself; Aslan.
He slowly walked down the corridor, nodding to the various people who were bowing to him. Then he came upon the defeated Calormen Prince and passed him by as well; finally stopping to stand by Peter's side. For his part, Rabadash was disgusted. His fate lay in the hands, no, paws of this animal! This had to have been some form of torment from Tash himself, a Prince of the Calormene Empire is not looked down upon by some magical…talking…creature!
Finally, the Great Aslan spoke; his deep voice penetrating the thin air of the court chamber. "Listen well young Prince for I will not repeat myself. You are guilty of attacking the Kingdom of Archenland, for attempting to cause harm to a Queen of Narnia, (oh please) and for using deceit and treachery to get your way. As punishment, I hereby…"
"I would rather my execution be carried out by a human, not by some beast like you Cat!" Rabadash had had enough of this. He could take the humiliation of defeat, he could take this trial overseen by monarchs, he could even take losing his Queen, but he could not, would not tolerate some talking Beast mouthing off to him! It was intolerable!
Aslan merely sighed at his outburst while everyone in the room gasped in shock or cursed the man of Calormen. "You should learn to hold your tong young Prince. It will only lead you down a path were you will find nothing but despair."
Rabadash only smirked and once again pretended to be humble. "Forgive me O great Cat of Narnia. I now see the error of my ways. Could you find it in your beastly heart to spare me O great and wondrous cat?" Once again he had shocked the whole court with his impudent behavior…and he was loving every second of it.
"I'm afraid that you misunderstand the situation son of the Tisroc. I am releasing you not out of mercy, but because there has been enough blood spilled today. In return I ask only that you give your word that you will never set foot outside of Tashbaan for as long as you live." Peter was a little shocked to say the least. No one expected Aslan to simply let him go without any form of punishment.
Now this surprised Rabadash. He expected to die today, and to be honest, it was preferable to returning to Calormen in shame and dishonor. But he would let this play out, and have some more fun with these barbarians. A smirk once again appeared on his face as he looked at Aslan. "Perhaps I will give you my word O magnificent Lion. But I have a condition of my own, I must hear this request from the lips of Queen Susan…The Gentle.
Now everyone turned to look at the Narnian Queen, the one who had been courted by Rabadash and had escaped from him. During this whole circus she had not once looked at him, but now there was no avoiding his gaze or the gaze of those around her. Slowly, Susan stood from her throne and gave a good look at Rabadash who only smiled at her, showing all of his white teeth. She knew that she had to speak…and reaffirm his verdict. "Prince Rabadash of Calormen, I-I demand that you give us your word, th-that you will never leave Tashbaan, and never make war on us again."
That broke the final straw. The smile Rabadash had on his face instantly melted into a look of pure rage. How dare she! Suddenly all rational thought left his mind. He would not go back to Calormen, he would not give his word, he will provoke this cat until his life is ended.
"You will demand nothing of me! I am a Prince of Calormen! The eldest son of the Tisroc may he live forever! What are you O fair Queen but a barbarian who rules over beasts and demons of these northern lands! I give not my word, and I will not journey back to Tashbaan. Do you hear my words O great Kings and Queens of Narnia, O King of Archenland, O wise and strong Cat-beast!" Now his dark face was becoming red, his words punctuated by saliva shooting forth past his teeth. The entire castle seemed to step back in fear of the Calormene prisoner. Next Rabadash turned his full attention to Aslan.
"I have refused your verdict fowl Cat-Demon! I will not return to my country and you will not force me. So you have little choice but to kill me!"
"So take my lifeO great Aslan! Crush me with your mighty jaws! Tear me limb from limb, but I swear to you. I swear by Tash the Almighty and by ALL THE GODS OF CALORMEN, THAT I WILL NOT SURRENDER TO DEATH'S COLD EMBRACE. I WILL FIND A WAY TO RETURN AND I WILL SEE ALL OF NARNIA TURNED INTO FIRE AND ASH! He then stepped towards Aslan, the great Lion…and backhanded him across the face.
Peter and Edmund drew their swords while guards rushed towards the Prince but something halted them in their place. Susan could only watch as the anger of Rabadash faded away, and he started to realize the gravity of his mistake. Aslan slowly turned his head and drew his teeth. Then he let out a mighty roar that threw Rabadash across the corridor and nearly all the way to the large door. People started to laugh as they took heart in Aslan's mighty response to the foolish Prince of Calormen.
Rabadash was not injured, but as he stood he felt something strange deep within his being. Something that felt like the worse sickness combined with a thousand knives piercing his skin. HIS SKIN! It was growing hair! Suddenly he felt his ears elongate, his jaw widened and became enlarged. He tried to scream, tried to curse, tried to say something but all that came out was the call of an ass. He then felt a great pressure in his legs, forcing him on all fours. This was when he noticed his hands had now become hooves, and something that felt like a tail sprout from his posterior. What had happened? What had that Lion done to him? He…he…he was a donkey! A speechless animal! This was truly a fate worse than death. Rabadash started kicking and tried to scream, but only the sounds of a donkey escaped his animal lips. By now, everyone was laughing at his suffering. Even the young Queen Lucy started chuckling when the Prince turned donkey had started kicking his legs, only Peter and Susan kept their serious expressions.
Aslan slowly approached the panicked donkey and calmly spoke once again, "Now young Prince. You have no choice to but to return to Tashbaan. For if you enter the Temple of Tash during the Calormene Autumn Festival, your human appearance will be restored. But if you ever stray more than ten miles from the Temple you will resume this form and live the rest of your life in it.
THAT DEMON! He had to be a demon. What else in the name of Tash could have done this to him. Rabadash's mind was racing; he couldn't stay this way forever. He had to get to the Temple. He had to make it back to Tashbaan! Suddenly, several Archenlander guards grabbed hold of him and dragged him out of the room, much to the delight of most of the guests.
Rabadash was placed in a cage and put on a wagon heading straight for Tashbaan. How had he fallen so low? How had fortune chosen to leave him? In this small cage he could do very little. At the pace this wagon was moving it will take a week or so to get to the great Temple of Tash, but that would put him just in time for the Autumn Festival. How would he explain this to his people or his father? (May he live forever) For the first time since he could remember, Rabadash wanted to weep. But no tears came from his eyes, he was but a silent beast, incapable of tears. Alone and deformed, he began to remember his dream, the one that has haunted his sleep for several nights now.
He rides up to the balcony, and there they are waiting for him. Susan, wife of Rabadash the Great, and mother to his children was whispering to her sons telling them stories of their Father's many battles and triumphs. Now that he had returned, they would rule Calormen together.
Yes, such a fantasy had brought him joy, but now it only made the Prince despondent. He began to remember an ancient maxim that the poets of old had once said:
Tis foolish to live in fantasy. But tis wise to seek dreams when one is tired.
And Rabadash had to admit; above all his anger, above all his humiliation and his misery…he was tired.
Okay so that's it. I hope you all enjoyed my one-shot…sorry if it wasn't satisfactory. I created this in mind of giving Rabadash some pity, so if you feel sorry for him, then that means I did my job. I also meant to make him a sound individual while still leaving him arrogant and…somewhat stupid. Because who would strike Aslan!?
Thank you for reading and hopefully reviewing (wink).