Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia.
A/N: Hello, Narnia readers! I love Love LOVE getting your reviews, so please comment even if you just say hello. ;) Virtually all of this is taken from chapter 2 HHB. I just made it Aravis POV. Enjoy!
Through the next day, Aravis and Hwin put lots of ground between them and Azim Balda, hoping to be beyond Tashbaan before Kidrash Tarkaan should discover their plot to escape.
That day, they rode many miles, and then, at about four in the afternoon, the two travelers decided to rest in the forest. At seven that evening, just as the sun disappeared behind the hills, Aravis felt someone poking her in the side.
"Oh…do let me sleep a little longer," she moaned.
Hwin let out a soft whinny and nudged her again.
"Come on, Aravis, we must be moving on," the mare murmured.
Aravis jumped to her feet.
"Oh Hwin," she cried, "I forgot! We must be off at once!"
She saddled Hwin, and then climbed onto her mare. They at once began traveling northeast once more. About an hour later, when it was quite dark out and the moon was out, Hwin and Aravis found themselves on the edge of the forest, looking out into some sand hills.
"Oh, this won't do at all!" Aravis moaned. "We've come too far east."
"It's not that bad, dear," Hwin replied. "See, we can just follow the sea in the edge of the forest!"
"All right," Aravis agreed.
It was then that they heard the hoof beats.
Not too far off, on Aravis' right, she saw a dark figure moving stealthily toward the sand dunes. Even from this distance, she could see that the figure was a war horse, and on its back sat a man, not too tall, but a man nonetheless.
"Oh Hwin!" she murmured, "What shall we do? What if we're caught?"
"We'll stay in the forest, Aravis," Hwin replied. "And you still have your sword!"
"But I'm no match for a real Tarkaan," Aravis replied with a groan.
She tucked her hair back, and prayed to Tash that, if he saw her, the Tarkaan might think her a boy.
"Let's go," she said.
Hwin started off slowly, and as they continued forward, Aravis was relieved to see that the other Horse was now walking close to the water's edge, not at all interested in them. Then, Aravis heard a large roar from behind them and to their left. Hwin jumped into a fast canter, and moved to the right.
Aravis looked over her shoulder and saw the source of the roar. She knew the creature at first glance, having seen one in the zoo at Tashbaan before. It was a lion, bigger than she had ever dreamed a lion could be. It was darting in and out of the trees, right on Hwin's left flank, and then back in the woods.
Almost forgetting the danger of the Tarkaan on her right, Aravis pulled on her right rein, guiding Hwin toward the other rider and horse. She heard a roar on the other side of the other horse, and gasped to Hwin, "There must be two lions!"
"Shall I move closer? That Tarkaan might be better at swordplay than you!"
"No!" Aravis cried.
If she was caught, she would have to marry Ahoshta, and that was a fate worse than death by lions.
"Move away from them!"
Hwin did so, and swerved back to her left. Aravis watched the other horse, which oddly enough moved further to his right. The distance between them grew, but then the lion on Aravis' left roared again.
"Move back!" she cried to Hwin.
Then, they both saw something. It was long, and flat, and silvery blue. It was the sea. Hwin splashed into it, still at a canter, and Aravis almost collapsed in relief. She knew, as well as any other Calormen knew, that lions hate the water. After a few moments of walking in the water, Hwin sighed, and without thinking of the danger, she said, "Oh, I am so tired!"
Aravis' eyes widened. Before she knew what she was doing, she hissed, "Hold your tongue, Hwin, and don't be a fool!"
Then she bit her lip. They were in for it now! Hwin splashed forward in the salt water until her feet landed on stones and solid ground. The Tarkaan hadn't spoken yet, and Aravis dared to wish that he wouldn't.
Maybe, she thought, he'll let me go! Hwin stepped forward onto the land, and Aravis urged her onward.
Go! she thought, before he stops us! However, the Tarkaan moved his horse between them and escape.
"Broo-hoo-hah!" the horse snorted, "Steady there! I heard you, I did. There's no point pretending, Ma'am. I heard you. You're a Talking Horse, a Narnian horse just like me."
Aravis thought quickly. She grabbed her sword hilt and said, fiercely, "What's it got to do with you if she is?"
Then, another voice spoke out.
"Why, it's only a girl!" it said in relief.
Aravis narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth. She could see the person now, and could tell that he was no Tarkaan, not even a man.
"And what business is it of yours if I am only a girl? You're probably only a boy: a rude common little boy-- a slave probably, who's stolen his master's horse."
The boy glared at her, and she glared back. No slave boy was going to keep Aravis from Narnia.
(A/N: Read chapter 2 of Horse and His Boy for the rest of this chapter)
A bit later, after the four travelers had settled the matter of traveling together, they all settled down for a rest, Aravis brought out her saddle-bag which she had filled that day at a village.
"Would you like something to eat, boy?" she asked, offering it to Shasta first.
Shasta glared at her, crossed his arms, and said, "My name is Shasta, and no thank you I won't," so crossly that she cocked an eyebrow at him. Then, he sat leaned back against a tree and glowered at her. Aravis had to bite her tongue to hold back a giggle. He was just like Didi having a temper tantrum.
"I say, Aravis," Hwin whinnied after a while, "Bree is my second cousin!"
"Once removed, of course," the war horse added, pawing the ground.
Aravis fidgeted, and Shasta simply sat and looked blank. After Aravis had finished her meal, she leaned back against a tree and watched the two talking horses.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shasta peek into her saddlebag and take a small loaf of bread. Again, she had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. Finally, Bree turned to her and asked for her story.
Aravis sat up very straight, but still relaxed, and began to tell. She told of her lineage, of her father and dead mother, and her stepmother. When she spoke of Shar, her voice wavered ever so slightly, and Shasta looked at her curiously.
At this, she lifted her chin and decided that she would not weaken before this…peasant. She told of her suicide attempt and of Hwin's intervention. She told of all their travels and adventures, and when she had finished, Shasta leaned forward.
"And what happened to the girl—the one you drugged?" he asked.
Aravis winced at the word 'drugged', because it really was what she had done.
"Doubtless she was beaten for sleeping late," she said, pleased at the calm coolness in her voice. "But she was a tool and spy of my stepmother's. I am very glad they should beat her."
"I say, that was hardly fair," said the boy.
Aravis reddened and jumped to her feet.
"I did not do any of these things for the sake of pleasing you," she stated angrily.
"And there's another thing I don't understand about that story," Shasta said, looking at her curiously again, "You're not grown up, I don't believe you're any older than I am. I don't believe you're as old. How could you be getting married at your age?"
Aravis bit her lip and counted to ten. She wanted to blow up and shout, "Because my father wants to ruin my life!" but she didn't. She looked down at the ground, and Bree spoke up.
"Shasta, don't display your ignorance. They're always married at that age in the great Tarkaan families."
Aravis looked up just in time to see the boy turn red, and then glare at the horse. She pretended not to notice.
"And now, War Horse," she said, "What is your story?"
Bree told his story, of his life in Calormene, of his and Shasta's escape, and also, describing very vividly Shasta's difficulty with horsemanship.
"And one night," Bree chortled, "he fell off seven times! Imagine!"
Aravis didn't laugh, having felt the ache of beginning to ride, and looked over at Shasta, who was now even redder than ever. He glanced over at her, and when he noticed Aravis watching him, he turned redder still.
Finally, Bree finished his story, and they all lay down to sleep. The last thought in Aravis' mind was, Oh I do hope they aren't early risers! And then she was asleep.
A/N: Next chapter, we're going to skip a few days…maybe weeks, and end up in Tashbaan.