A/N: I bounced back and forth as to whether to make the middle of this chapter a stand alone story or not. I still may do a larger one around it later(or let Straitjackit since she expressed interest), but my ever-wonderful Beta, Straitjackit, convinced me to leave it in as a part of this story. So, on to the show!
Elgyn the Idiot
1
As was her habit on long sea trips, Lucy dined with the crew, learning each creatures' name and job so that she might better appreciate those she served. In particular, she thanked the cook, an old Satyr named Gidgch.
"The dinner stew was quite filling, Mr. Gidgch. The cooks at the castle don't always appreciate that simple food can be far more satisfying that their elaborate creations."
"Each ha' it's place, Melady."
With dinner over, the evening watch took their stations, allowing the previous helmsman and lookout to come in and grab their dinner.
Lucy, the Faun who headed her personal guard, and the Captain of the Herald began discussing their mission to Terebinthia.
"I intend to begin with King Gess and Queen Elise, hopefully one of them will know who the Guardian of Terebinthia is and where he may be keeping the Box of Elgyn."
Bustling by with extra servings for the two latecomers, Gidgch's ears perked up. "Did ye say Elgyn? Me granna told me sem stories when I was but a ki'id. One as always stuck in me mind was the story she told of King Elgyn, the Unsatisfied."
"Elgyn the Unsatisfied?" Lucy had learned many of the prominent Monarchs from Narnia's history, but this one was not familiar. "Was he Narnian, or from elsewhere?"
"Oh 'e was Narnian a'right, and a blacker sheep," the dark haired satyr twirled his beard and laughed at his own pun, "ne'er resided w'in our borders. Lemme gi' these two their stew an I'll spin ye granna's ya'n."
"I'll be patient, Mr. Gidgch." Lucy's eyes were alight at the prospect of learning a new story about Narnia.
A half hour later, the crew turned down the lanterns, but for a pair by the table. Gidgch settled in under the light as Lucy took a chair against the bulkhead. Many of the crew gathered around as well, a testament to the old Satyr's storytelling. As he began, his accent faded. Lucy was never sure if it was how he'd learned the story, or if her ears just tuned it out. His voice mesmerized the audience.
2
More than a hundred years after the reign of Swanwhite, Elgyn, eldest son of Gynot ascended to the throne of Narnia. The people had high hopes for Elgyn as he had been out among the country, always helping with plantings or harvests. Learning what the folk did and showing proper appreciation for their labors.
Elgyn's first few years were much of the same as when he was a mere prince. The people grew to love him and would do anything for him. In the middle of his third year on the throne, things began to change. He paid a state visit to his old friend Bron, then king of Archenland. King Bron had recently wed a beautiful wife, and as a wedding gift, she had presented him with a new throne. This throne was made of the finest woods with gold inlays, exquisite carvings that were so detailed you could almost swear they were alive. The cushion was of the softest and finest materials. Bron invited him to have a seat on the throne and feel its comforts.
For the first time in Elgyn's life, he was in the presence of something he wanted, but he couldn't have. He complemented King Bron and his wife profusely on the fine craftsmanship until they finally relented and gave him the name of the craftsmen who had made it.
Elgyn immediately ordered a throne to be made, quite as nice as King Bron's. The craftsmen promptly complied, and a great throne was made and delivered to Cair Paravel. To most of his subjects, the throne was grand and impressive, quite the match for its Archenlandish inspiration.
But Elgyn found it unsatisfactory.
He called in the craftsmen. After much discussion, it was decided that the wood was of insufficient quality, so Elgyn requested of the Dryads a donation of the finest furniture wood in Narnia. The Dryads selected an appropriate tree from their charge, and with proper obeisance, they felled, prepared and cured the wood for the craftsmen.
The day came when the throne was unveiled. It was quite nicer than the previous throne; made in a similar style, but the nice wood gave it an internal glow. For a while, Elgyn seemed happy with this throne.
But one day, he was looking at the carvings, and he noticed a slight imperfection. In one place on the backrest, near the carving of his favorite dagger, the grain of the wood did not quite match the image. Though no one else could see the flaw, even when he pointed it out to them, he grew increasingly unsatisfied with the throne.
This time, he put out the call for the finest wood to be found in all the lands. From the deeper reaches of Calormen, a great tree was felled and its wood gifted to the King of Narnia. This wood was indeed finer than that the Dryads had chosen, for the environment in that area was harsh and thus the grain of the wood was tightly packed and more attractive.
On the day the craftsmen delivered the throne, a great party was held. This throne far outshone its two predecessors. The amazing grain carefully followed each line of the exquisite carvings. Again Elgyn seemed happy. This third throne was all he had desired. One day, coming in from a royal hunt, Elgyn happened to bring in his favorite hunting horn, the model for the image on the backrest of the Throne.
He looked at the horn, then the carving, then the horn again. The shape wasn't quite right. The craftsman had followed the grain and done an excellent job of carving a horn, but it wasn't the horn he was holding. Elgyn fumed. His order had been specific. He had even given up his favorite horn for over a month, for the purpose of having its image carved.
What was he to do? The finest woods in the world had been used to create the first three thrones.
As autumn approached, he continued to fume. As was tradition, he ventured to the edges of the Lantern Waste to collect the fruit of the Great Tree. The fruit was given to the Narnian healers and the poor as gifts to ensure their good health. A small portion of each harvest was carefully dried and stored against future need. As the royal entourage picked and packed the fruit, Elgyn began to admire the tree. Avarice grabbed him, but even in its grip, he knew he could not simply order the Great Tree cut down.
By darkest and most secret means, he met with Calormen mercenaries. He then announced a great feast to celebrate that year's bountiful harvest. All of Narnia was expected to attend. As Elgyn had befriended most of the inhabitants of Narnia, everyone felt obligated to make an appearance for the feast.
With all of Narnia gathered, the Calormen mercenaries silently approached the great tree. Under the cover of darkness, while the residents of the land feasted under starlit skies and torchlight, the mercenaries cut down the Great Tree.
At the moment it toppled, a most hideous cackle was heard to come out of the snowy northern wastes! An evil chill swept through the party. Clouds blocked out the stars and a great, cold storm rained on the revelers. A Priestess of the Centaur stood and addressed the King. "Elgyn, you fool, what have you wrought?" But a crash of thunder washed out her words, and Elgyn swiftly escorted her to an inner room of the castle, on the pretext of answering her question. He then locked her there.
Word came the next day that the Great Tree had been felled. Great sorrow rose in the land, for the protection of the tree was Narnia's oldest charge. Claiming great honor to the felled protector, Elgyn ordered the tree sectioned and made into a new throne for the castle, "So that all may remember its years of great service." While the throne was being constructed, Elgyn had some of the lesser wood made into a box in which he packed the dried fruit and seeds from the last harvest of the tree. He made a great show of doing this so that all of Narnia could see his sorrow at the tree's loss.
The weather continued to grow colder and rumors were heard of bandits beginning to raid along the northern borders. Elgyn ordered out the army to defend against the bandits. Narnia's peaceful happiness had come to an end. The people begged Elgyn to do something to restore Narnia's fortunes.
Elgyn remembered the Centaur Seeress he had imprisoned and sought her out. "Tell me how to undo this darkness and I shall release you."
"You can't release what you have never held, you fool. I have stayed for this very moment, and no other reason. There is only one way to undo the darkness, and the time for that revelation has not yet come! Much must befall Narnia before that is revealed, and much more must occur before it is fulfilled."
"But know this," she continued. "You will never sit upon the throne you have ordered. It is now reserved for one King and one King only. If you wish to amend for the disaster you have brought. Take the box of dried fruit and cross the Binthian Plain. Climb Mount Tere, there you will watch over those whose land you crossed and await your summoning to amends."
With that, the centaur disappeared.
Frightened of what he had done, Elgyn made plans to depart in the hope that he could swiftly make amends and return.
Several months later, a single member of Elgyn's party returned. He reported that all, save himself, had been devoured by a dragon. Elgyn the Unsatisfied was gone. His brother Emgyn ascended to become King and defended Narnia against the White Witch's first attempts to overrun the land.
When the throne was finished, Emgyn admired it greatly; the lifelike carvings of a sword and a lion on its back giving it a truly regal air. He then had all four of Elgyn's thrones stored away. He, and all the remaining rulers at Cair Paravel sat upon the old throne that had been handed down since Frank the first. It was this throne that years later, Jadis smashed upon her conquest of Narnia.
Though she never found it, the presence of the Great Throne, constructed of wood from the Great Tree and hidden in storage in the castle made the White Witch uneasy. She never occupied Cair Paravel, choosing instead to build a new castle in the high, cold mountains.
During that time, Elgyn the Unsatisfied became known by many other names, most prominently Elgyn the Idiot, before his name was otherwise dropped from history.
3
Gidgch's storytelling had been mesmerizing. Not one person had moved from their spot on the deck, nor had anyone dozed off. So enraptured were they that no one had even noticed that one of the two lamps had gone out.
Lucy sat pondering the story. Something about it called to her. While the crew had gone off to bed, she help Gidgch prepare the morning bread and questioned him on every possible detail of Elgyn's mission.
