Thank you dear readers! Your enthusiasm is more than worth all the hours I spent writing this story :)
The sun was eagerly climbing the sky, streaming pleasantly through the window of his study while Peter worked through the stack of papers on his desk. He had only been gone two days but his workload appeared to have been tripled in that time. Despite the enticing noises from outside his window, the happy birdsong, lapping waves upon sand, lively murmurs of conversation from the castle's inhabitants, he resolutely ploughed through his responsibilities with the knowledge that if he didn't make progress now, he would be spending a large portion of his evening doing them, as his afternoon was to be spent holding court. Already, many Animals had reserved a time to come to their rulers with some grievance or another that needed to be put to right. However unkingly the thought, Peter couldn't help but hope there were not going to be any Boars this time. Boars were notorious for being stubborn and hard-headed. There was no reasoning with them, nor did pleading do any good. Threats and bribes were unlawful, although when last week's argument between Wobblechops and Clovenroot had dragged into the third hour, Peter was sorely tempted to try either illegal route just make the snorting and grunting stop.
Refocusing his thoughts on the letter in front of him, Peter skimmed through the introduction, scanned the middle, took note of the request, consulted a second sheet of paper with a list of materials and costs, and signed the bottom to approve the construction of a new road. Setting that page to the side, he pulled another document and braced his head in his hand as he read through it, wishing for a break from the monotony. His wish was answered with a banging door and a flush-faced Lucy running into his workspace.
On his feet in the next instant, Peter asked, "What's up, Lucy?"
"Peter, you've got to come quick," she panted. "The Calormenes are here!"
"Already?" Peter frowned. "I thought they weren't to arrive for another two days."
Lucy shook her head. "Susan's going mad, rushing to prepare."
"Well, come on, then." Peter grabbed her hand and started tugging her to the door, but she resisted. He looked at her quizzically. "Aren't we in a hurry?"
"Susan wants us to look our best," Lucy said.
Peter groaned. "Surely that doesn't mean…"
"I'm afraid it does." Lucy giggled at his exasperation.
"But they're so stuffy!" Peter complained of their formal outfits.
"She said she wants us to make an impression," Lucy dutifully relayed.
"Your highness, Queen Susan has bid me assist you in readying yourself for the arrival of our guests," a Faun, Pholus, said, coming into the room and bowing to Peter.
"Yes, yes," Peter sighed. "You have my permission to dress me in those ridiculous clothes and fuss with my hair all you like."
Lucy's infectious laugh was the reward for his antics and it almost made the whole ordeal worth it.
"Your majesty will find her ladies already awaiting you in your chamber," Pholus said to Lucy.
"Alright, I'm going." With a final smile, she scampered out the door and down the hall.
True to his word, Peter allowed the Faun to make him presentable. When he was finally clothed in the ornate velvet tunic, paired with what he had secretly dubbed The Wretched Tights of Discomfort, along with the knee high boots, Peter then endured the inexplicably long process of having his hair fluffed, combed down, and fluffed again by the deeply concentrating Faun. Once every blond strand was in its appointed place, Pholus set about adding the finishing touches to the high king's ensemble, such as tying the corded belt about his waist and sliding his signet ring on the appropriate finger and fastening his luxurious golden cloak to his final addition was the crown, placed reverently upon his head. Only once Pholus had circled around him with a critical eye and found nothing lacking in the outfit was Peter free to leave his bedchamber.
He headed for Cair's main gate, as it was their custom to greet their guests upon the courtyard stairs, to symbolize good will and a desire for peace. However, he had not gotten very far when he was spotted by Susan, who quickly crossed the hallway and grabbed his arm.
"I say, Su, you look beautiful," he said.
"Come on, Peter, they're nearly to the gate," she huffed, not even acknowledging his compliment.
"Isn't that where we're going to meet them?" Peter questioned.
"No," Susan snapped.
"Why not? We usually-" Peter started.
"Because King Lune advised against it," Susan answered, pulling him with her as she moved quickly toward the throne room, her cloak swirling above her heels. "Apparently Calormenes are the type who respond only to a show of power."
Unable to argue against the wisdom of the more experienced monarch, and their mentor and friend, Peter willingly followed Susan to where the Narnian court was already assembled. She slowed when they approached the throne room. The guards inclined their heads as they pulled the heavy doors open for their sovereigns. Peter offered Susan his arm and she rested her hand in the crook of his elbow. In this way, he escorted her to her throne. As they serenely walked down the long aisle, it did not escape Peter's notice that the aisle was lined with Centaurs, garbed in their military gear. He lowered Susan into her throne, giving Lucy a brief smile, before crossing to his own throne. A glance to his right gave him the view of Edmund, similarly dressed and waiting. Peter gave him a slight nod, which was not returned. Then the trumpets were being blown and the entire room held its breath. The doors were pulled open and the Satyr herald stepped through.
"From the Court of the Tisroc of Calormen, I present to their majesties of Narnia, Tarkaan Uhanta, his personal guard Khasis, and Ambassador Anmut," he announced.
He moved aside and the three men walked in. They carried themselves proudly, chins high, shoulders back and spines straight. Their skin was dark, contrasting starkly with their brightly colored robes. Each of the Calormenes had a thick dark beard hanging down to his collarbone, or farther. On their heads, they wore large turbans, the sight of which tickled something at the back of Peter's mind. Their movements were accompanied by a jingling noise, as the many jewels and baubles they were ornamented with clanged against one another. Behind the men trailed a handful of people, both men and women, though these had not the confident bearing, nor the fine clothing, of the three men. When the group reached the end of the aisle, they dropped to their knees.
"Great King Peter, almighty sovereign over this impressive land," the man on the right began with magnitudinous decorum, "I, Anmut, have been sent by the most exalted and venerated Tisroc (may he live forever), to seek you out in this mystical land in which you dwell, filled with all manner of remarkable creatures and extraordinary magic, to request most humbly that you would consider graciously extending your hand of friendship to such a simple country as ours, in a manner that will be mutually beneficial for our generation and also for the ones that will follow after us, if such an agreement is pleasurable for you to consider, oh wise ruler of Narnia."
Peter fought down a laugh. Such superfluous language was not commonly used, nor required, in the Narnian throne room. Thankfully, his self-control was stronger than his sense of humor and he was able to wrestle the urge down. Instead he rose from his throne and lifted his hands, palm up, to his waist level, indicating the kneeling visitors should stand.
"In the name of Aslan, be welcomed to Narnia, Anmut, Tarkaan Uhanta, and company," Peter said, voice ringing clearly through the hall.
At that moment, the sun blazed through the stained glass behind him, enveloping him in a halo of colored light, making him seem otherworldly and every bit as majestic as he had been named. The Calormenes squinted up at him, enthralled by the sight of the glowing king. Then a shadow crossed the face of the sun and Peter was once again simply human. The man in the middle of the trio cleared his throat.
"Truly, your excellency, King Peter, the stories do not do you justice," he gushed.
He snapped his fingers and a slip of a girl hurriedly stepped out of the crowd following him, a gilded box in her shaking hands. The speaker frowned at her and she ducked her head, holding out the box to him. He lifted the lid with fingers heavy with many rings, and withdrew from the padded cushioning a large topaz, suspended from a delicate chain of interlocking metal rings. He offered the necklace to Peter. "Please accept this small token of cordiality."
Peter inclined his head. "May it be the first stone that paves the road of peace between our countries."
Uhanta, easily identified by his wealthy appearance, grinned with gleaming teeth. "It is well said, your eminence." He replaced the jewel, and Tumnus walked over from his spot at the edge of the platform and received the box for Peter. "It could be a lovely gift for any one of your consorts," Uhanta continued.
The laugh that Peter had forced down earlier returned with an unexpected vengeance and he very nearly spoiled Narnia's first diplomatic interaction with Calormen. By some miracle, he managed to swallow it, though it did block his throat for a moment. When he could speak again, he tried to keep his tone as courteous as possible.
"Tarkaan Uhanta, Queens Susan and Lucy are the consorts of neither myself nor any other," he corrected.
"Ah. Concubines, then," Uhanta amiably agreed.
There was a muffled snort from Lucy's throne.
"No, Tarkaan, not concubines either," Peter said.
Uhanta's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Courtesans, perhaps?"
Susan opened her mouth angrily but Peter spoke first. "Susan and Lucy are my sisters!" In his amused indignation, he forgot to use their royal titles, though Uhanta seemed too preoccupied to notice.
"Is he also a relation of your noble family or is he perhaps...your majesty's...companion?" Uhanta hesitantly questioned, shifting his eyes to Edmund.
Peter's jaw dropped and he looked more flabbergasted than majestic. "Edmund...he's-Ed's my brother!" he spluttered.
"Oh." Uhanta was properly embarrassed. "My deepest apologies, Prince Edmund."
"That's king to you," Edmund barked.
His siblings glanced at him in surprise. Out of the four of them, he was the most level headed, and rarely did he raise his voice, and never in the throne room.
"Certainly, certainly," Uhanta speedily assented, folding over his voluminous belly multiple times in contrite bows. "I do beg your forgiveness. But, if it pleases you, might you explain to such an ignorant man as myself how it is that you bear your brother's title while he yet lives?"
Taken off guard by the blunt question, Edmund merely stared back at the Tarkaan. Susan smoothly took over for him.
"It was Aslan Himself who installed us upon these thrones, bestowing to us the rule that we all share in like measure," she explained.
"But Peter is the High King," Lucy piped up proudly. "Which means he's the final authority. On any big issue, he's the one who makes the decision, and we all obey him."
The Calormenes took a minute to absorb the new information. This time, it was the third man, Uhanta's bodyguard, that spoke.
"In Calormen, according to the infallible laws of the enlightened Tisroc (may he live forever), women must be made subject to the man of the house." Susan and Lucy bristled. "But a man is free to challenge the constraints another would place upon him. Is that not so for you, King Edmund?" Khasis inquired, watching the face of the younger king carefully.
Every eye in the room was trained on Edmund now and Peter found himself suddenly nervous, afraid to discover if Edmund actually did resent him, if their relationship had made no progress from the shambles it was in when they first arrived in Narnia a year ago, if maybe Edmund had only been pretending to be content with Aslan's decrees. Finally, Edmund straightened.
"It's my honor to serve the high king," he proclaimed.
The tension left Peter's body so fast, he nearly fell off the dias. He was overwhelmingly relieved, and then felt ashamed for ever doubting Edmund in the first place. Susan stood and invited the Calormen envoy to follow a guide to their prepared chambers in order to freshen up before the noon meal was served. A flash of surprise flickered over Uhanta's and Anmut's faces before they regained their equilibrium.
"We thank you, beautiful queen, for the chance to refresh ourselves from our journey," Anmut said.
The Calormenes made their parting bows and turned to follow their Cheetah escort, but not before Khasis witnessed Edmund directing a particularly hateful glare at Peter's back. Recognizing an opportunity, he hung back from the rest of the group, hoping for a chance to talk to the king alone. The chance came sooner than he expected. After excusing himself from his master's side for the moment, Khasis found the monarch lingering outside the throne room.
"King Edmund!" he called.
The half-horse creature that was standing at attention nearby took a few steps closer to the ruler but Edmund waved it away.
"Yes?" He tilted his head as Khasis came up to him.
"Your system of governing is foreign to my mind. Would you be so kind as to take the time to simplify it for me?" Khasis asked, keeping a wary eye on the guard.
"Certainly," Edmund granted. "But let's do talk in the gardens. We have such lovely ones here."
With that, he led him away from the watchful gaze and sharp ears of the sentry. By that alone, Khasis knew he had found a like-minded individual. The gardens proved to be the perfect location for their conversation, as they were empty due to the fact that nearly everyone was gathering in the feasting hall.
"What can I make clearer for you?" Edmund asked as they strolled among the cultivated plants.
"Is it true you share power with your brother?" Khasis asked.
"It is true," Edmund affirmed, eyebrows lowering into a sour expression.
Khasis worded his next question carefully, wanting to gauge how deep King Edmund's resentment went, and if there was any loyalty between him and the other king. "Were you given any say when the division of power was decided upon?"
"Not a word!" Edmund snorted, swatting at a particularly big flower. "It was all decided for me, without my consent. The least they could have done was asked for my opinion."
"You feel as if you've been wronged?" Khasis tested.
"Grievously," Edmund confirmed.
Khasis glanced around for possible witnesses before he leaned close for his next inquiry. "You are next in line for the throne?"
Edmund frowned, not quite grasping the question.
"If something were to happen to your beloved high king, his position would then become your own?" Khasis expounded.
Comprehension lent Edmund's eyes a cold gleam. "Indeed."
"King Edmund, are you out here?" a voice called.
Khasis looked over his shoulder. Edmund's fervent whisper swung his head back around.
"I would speak more to you on this matter," he murmured. "I will arrange another talk." Then more loudly, he said, "Yes, Tumnus. I'm in the garden."
A goat-man tottered over on his ridiculous legs and proceeded to babble incessantly about food, seating arrangements, and traditions. Edmund went with the beast, but not without first giving Khasis a conspiratory wink.
The Dryads, Badgers, Fauns, and other wait staff kept the food ever present before the royalty and their guests. The fare was nothing extravagant, but it was fresh, and skillfully prepared. At their first taste of Narnian food, the Calormenes could find nothing to complain of. Various topics maintained the conversation, ranging from geography to fashion to food to whatever other themes those at the table found engaging. After the laughter had finished over a particularly rousing tale from a Satyr about the dangers of rock climbing after dark, a natural lull came over the group, as they enjoyed the humor of the finished story and awaited the next subject of talk. However, in the absence of other distractions, Edmund soon became the focus of everyone's attention, for the simple reason that he was stuffing food into his mouth faster than he could chew. Many put down their cutlery and watched with uneasy fascination as the younger king stuffed himself. Susan was embarrassed on his behalf, cheeks flushing lightly as little bits of bread and meat dropped from his mouth when he opened it to shove in more.
"Edmund, manners," she hissed under her breath, trying to catch his eye to reinforce the correction.
Lucy's seat beside him gave her the vantage point from which to lean over and whisper, "Don't forget, you did have a rather large breakfast."
"But I'm so hungry," Edmund groused defensively, heaping another spoonful of wild rice onto his plate.
Seeing how Edmund's behavior was affecting the table, Peter took it upon himself to soothe their minor distress. "My, but how the growing boy requires sustenance."
Uhanta's deep laugh broke the tension, others joining in until the entire group was chuckling.
"This reminds me of the time last autumn, when my wife had just given birth to my ten sons. No more than a week later, I came home to find they had eaten our pen!" Wobblechops, the Boar, related.
This set off a string of comedic narratives involving hungry offspring, and even Anmut participated. While the rest of the table was thus occupied, Peter quietly asked Edmund if he was alright.
"No, actually, I'm not," Edmund replied sharply.
"What's wrong?" Lucy asked.
"I ache all over, I'm still hungry, and it's freezing in here!" he snapped, throwing down his fork.
Peter frowned. "Ed, it's the height of summer, and we're in our formal robes. I'm practically drenched in sweat."
Lucy held the back of her hand against Edmund's forehead, pushing his dark hair away. "Maybe you're coming down with something."
A scab on Edmund's temple caught Peter's attention. "What happened there, Edmund?"
Pulling away from Lucy, Edmund scraped his chair back and tossed his napkin onto the table. "Nothing. Leave me alone. I'm going for a ride."
"Edmund, wait!" Susan called, but his steps didn't even slow as he left the hall.
His sudden, inexplicable departure dampened the mood of the meal. Lunch was finished hurriedly in stunted conversation. The Calormenes retired to their chambers for their customary afternoon sleep, and the Narnians were only too willing to excuse them. Peter went back to his study and, after changing out of his formal wear into more comfortable clothes, began again on the stack of papers that were in the exact same place as when he had started his work in the morning. As he evaluated the current proposed budget for the army, there was a light tap on his door.
"Come in," he said, never taking his eyes off the list of numbers.
The measured pace and the swish of a skirt against the wood floor gave him all the information he needed to deduce who his visitor was.
"What's up, Su?" he asked, scrawling a few quick mathematical figures on a spare piece of parchment.
"Oh, Peter, it's these dratted Calormenes," Susan replied, distressed.
Peter looked up at her then. "What about them?"
"I don't know. Everything, I suppose," Susan said.
Confused, Peter stood and dragged an armchair away from the window, situating it in front of his desk. "You'd better sit and tell me all about it."
Susan took the offered seat, only to spring out of it right away in agitation. "I don't know that we made a very good impression."
"What do you mean?" Peter questioned.
"Well, I don't think we did a very good job of explaining our governmental system," she started.
"Surely they should have known we were a family," Peter interrupted. "I had thought that detail was commonly circulated."
"Apparently not," Susan said.
"At least they weren't surprised we're young," Peter pointed out. "They didn't patronize us. Unlike that governor from Galma." He grimaced at the memory.
"I suppose that's true," Susan remarked. "But, Peter, do you think they're taking us seriously?"
"Of course," Peter said. "Why wouldn't they?"
"I don't know. It's just with the strange way Edmund was acting…" Susan trailed off. "I don't want to sound mean-spirited, but it wasn't very courtly behavior."
Peter sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I'll talk to him."
Wringing her hands, Susan made another circuit of his rug. "Why oh why did they have to come early? I'm not nearly ready to host them yet. There's so much left to do..."
"I have a suspicion that that's how they intended it," Peter said darkly. "I think they meant to catch you off guard, imbalanced."
"Really?" Susan paused, looking at him with a worried expression.
"But they have underestimated you," Peter continued, a proud gleam in his eye. "I know you're going to show them that it takes more than a premature arrival to throw you off."
Susan smiled, but it was half-hearted. "You have no idea how much work I still need to do."
"You're right." Peter got up and came around his desk to catch her hand. "I don't know. But if there's anything you need for me to do, anything, just let me know."
This time, Susan's smile was brighter. "That's a very kind offer." Then her lips curled mischievously. "I think I know how you can help."
"How?" Peter eagerly volunteered.
"You can help me decide which color napkins to use for the Year of Beruna dinner," Susan said.
Peter dropped her hand, eyes widening in alarm. "Perhaps I could help with something else."
"But Peter, you promised." Susan gave him a faux pout. "And besides, I just can't decide between the ivory, cream, or pearl."
"Lucy would be the better one to ask," Peter said. "She has an eye for that sort of thing."
Susan laughed. "Alright, I'll torture you no longer. I shall request the artistic advice of another, rather than your royal self."
Peter breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed behind the Lady of Cair Paravel.
Anon reviewers-
ForNarnia: The chapters vary in length. But to quote a famous green alien "size matters not." There will be action/angst/fluff galore!
Eleanor Estel: Thank you! Actually I have been pleasantly surprised by the response I've received on this.
AlexisLove27: Aren't you glad you gave the movies a chance? :) I own and frequently watch all three but LWW will always hold the spot closest to my heart.
NarniaGirl: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it that much :)
ChildofGod: I can not tell you how much the *actions* you add to your reviews make me smile! They are my favorite part! XD And since you asked, yes I do *swipes both popcorn and toppings*
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