Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.
Summary: You know the story of the Horse and his boy. But what was happening in Narnia? A northern campaign. Trouble on the homefront and a prince's invitation. Will anything be as Peter left it?
A/N: If you have not read the first ten stories in the A Light in the Darkness main story arc (Awakened, Shadowed, Revealed, Concealed, Rekindled, Refracted, Reflected, Veiled, Unveiled, and Eclipsed), I highly recommend you do so for the full experience. However, I have included a quick summary of the previous stories so if you want to give this one a whirl on its own, you can.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Battle for Anvard
"O My Master, look! Look to the mountains!"
Rabadash scowled at the slave next to his stirrup and considered whipping the man but then Tarkaan Anradin with his crimson beard bristling wheeled his charger about and stared. Reluctantly, Rabadash followed his gaze. There on the rise were the figures of men on horseback charging them, beasts charged also, and blotting out the sky were no less than six Giants.
Yet there was no fear in Rabadash's heart. His veins burned with the hot ire of the glorious Tash. This was to be a victory and if Edmund thought he could save the day, he was wrong. Yanking on the reins, he ignored his horse's squeal and instead unsheathed his scimitar, admiring the way the late afternoon sun painted the blade red in anticipation of battle. "Mount up! Mount up, you dogs! Kill the barbarians!"
His men who had been ready to flood Anvard turned on their heels and sprinted for their horses. Yet, only a hundred made their post. Those wretched beasts, the Big Cats, were in their camp, terrifying the horses causing them to stamp and rear or tear free and flee. He cursed and raged, his own mount shying back several steps until he yanked hard on its reins. Rabadash watched as the line formed on either side of him and then he pointed his scimitar at the Narnians. "Charge!"
In the distance, he heard the cry, "For Aslan!"
His lips twisted in a sneer. He would show Edmund that his pathetic demon Lion would not be able to save him this day. All his promises to his father that he would not spill Edmund's blood vanished. If he slew one of Narnia's king today, who would oppose him when he rode into Cair Paravel? He could sit and wait after slaying the unnatural tree demon the High King had taken as wife and if Peter survived the Northern Giants, Rabadash would be there waiting with a most pointed welcome. No need to wait until next summer if he slew Edmund here and now.
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Edmund's arms burned with the familiar strain of wielding his twin swords. He ducked beneath a Calormene's swing and buried his secondary sword in the man's gut. Would that he had Peter at his back.
He could see Rabadash only feet away. "There, Philip."
The faithful Horse ploughed further into the melee but then he reared, nearly costing Edmund his seat. He caught a glimpse of the two Calormene soldiers falling beneath Philip's hooves. The press of bodies surged and he caught sight of Rabadash being pushed away. The crown prince's cruelly handsome face had lost its beauty as it was twisted with hatred. Edmund read the message in the man's dark eyes easily. Without another thought, he kicked his feet free of the stirrups and then leapt off Philip's back.
All around him was fighting. The Calormenes were torn between lust for battle and fear of the Narnians. He heard the horns of Anvard sound. Lune must have joined the battle. A large Calormene came at him. Edmund ducked under the scimitar, twirling as he did so and slicing through the man's hamstring. The man fell with a scream.
The ground shook beneath his feet and he knew one of the Giants had fallen. No way to know if it were fatal or not. The Calormenes were beginning to lose their courage now. Edmund charged one of the Tarkaans, recognizing him as one of Rabadash's favorites, Corradin. He raised Shafhelm, the silver blade now dark with blood, and slashed. Corradin's headless corpse collapsed to the ground.
More of the Calormenes began to lose their courage, casting down weapons and fleeing. But, there were still soldiers with more mettle. Edmund shouted again, "For Aslan!" All around him soldiers took up the cry.
Two soldiers fled from him. He could see Rabadash again. Edmund turned slightly so he could meet him. Then a large Tarkaan with a crimson beard stepped in front of him. The man's cruel eyes narrowed as they fixed on him. Edmund raised his swords in silent challenge.
The Tarkaan charged. Edmund caught his scimitar between the crux of his twin swords. He shoved up and forward. The Tarkaan sidestepped and Edmund was hard-pressed to block his next strike. He felt the impact of the blade hitting his mail even as he hastily deflected the scimitar's tip from piercing him and he was certain he saw strips of red tabard fall to the trampled ground. The Tarkaan's crimson beard split in a mocking grin.
Edmund rammed his forehead into the other man's nose and grinning mouth. The Tarkaan choked on an inarticulate cry of rage and pain as he stepped back. One gloved hand going up to where blood and even some teeth now decorated the Tarkaan's dyed beard. His dark eyes burned with malice and he threw himself forward. Edmund batted his blade aside and drove his own into the man's throat.
He let the Tarkaan fall and once more turned his attention to Rabadash. That blighted pest was not far. Edmund raced toward him then he faltered as a dizzying blow caught the back of his helmet. He fell, seeing black specks dance across his vision. He rolled onto his side, bring Shafhelm up in defense but his attacker only staggered back two steps then his sword fell from his limp fingers and he collapsed with an arrow's bright red fletching sticking out from where his left eye had been. Lucy's handiwork.
Rolling back over and ignoring the wave of dizziness that threatened to send him to the ground again, Edmund got back to his feet. One of the Calormenes before him threw his sword down, raising both hands in the universal sign of surrender. Edmund swept past him. Where was Rabadash?
"Dog!"
He heard Romulus and Remus snarl at the shouted insult and then a man screamed. He glanced to his right. The Wolves had tackled a man about to skewer Lune. He kept going. Then, Rabadash and another Tarkaan, Chlamash, leapt in front of him. If they had attacked him together, they might had him but they clearly had never had Oreius as a teacher. Rabadash, his rank giving him priority, surged forward. "Feel the wrath of Tash!"
Edmund rolled his eyes. Pompous idiot. "You're all talk," he panted in return. An ugly look appeared on the prince's face and then he charged.
They went at it hammer and tongs. Every blow was answered with one as furious as the last. Edmund did not give himself time to think. His secondary sword was knocked aside but he did not need it. Instead, he merely shifted both hands to Shafhelm, allowing himself to commit even more strength to the ringing blows he rained on Rabadash. The prince stumbled back and then he jumped up onto a mounting block. Edmund cursed under his breath as he fended off the Calormene prince's shower of blows. Then he spied two arrows striking the wall near Rabadash's head. He struck at Rabadash's feet, causing him to jump up a little, but then immediately had to defend himself from Rabadash's answering strike. The crowd of fighters near the wall jostled him and he narrowly avoided Rabadash's scimitar. More arrows struck the wall. Rabadash raised his scimitar high and shouted, "The bolt of Tash falls from above."
Edmund saw him jump sideways but he did not see him land. Only training saved him. Edmund whirled to catch the descending sword moments before it would have severed his sword arm or at least broken his shoulder, the results would have been equally disastrous. He met Chlamash's determined gaze and grunted as he shoved the bigger man back. His arms ached now but he did not give away before the Calormene.
He caught sight of soldiers standing about and he faintly realized that the sound of fighting had died down to the point that he could no longer hear it over the sounds of his own panting breaths, his pounding heart, and the clashing swords. He met Chlamash's gaze once more and knew the Tarkaan was beginning to comprehend the same difference. Then the Tarkaan slipped and Edmund pressed his advantage. He slipped Shafhelm beneath the Tarkaan's scimitar and caught it with Shafhelm's tip biting into Chlamash's gloved hand.
The Tarkaan was gasping now. Then his dark eyes darted a glance around them before returning to Edmund's face. He stepped back, releasing his grip on his sword and allowing it to fall to the ground between them. "I surrender, barbarian."
Trust a Calormene to find a way to insult his captor. Edmund smirked a little. He lowered Shafhelm. "Narnia accepts your surrender, Tarkaan."
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Laughter filled his ears. Horrid, stupid, mocking laughter. Tash take them all! Rabadash kicked his feet ineffectively, his chain shirt growing warm against his nose as it caught his breaths. Cursed barbarians! Cursed! How dare they laugh at him, the scion of Tash? None in Calormen would dare to do so. They quaked and trembled in face of his great wrath.
He saw Edmund laughing at him. His dark eyes were glittering with laughter. How dare he? Rabadash struggled more but still his cursed shirt would not slide off the hook. Helpless to express his fury, he raised his head as best he could and shouted, "Let me down, Edmund! Let me down and fight me like a king and a man; or if you are too great a coward to do that, kill me at once."
There. The laughter had died in Edmund's pale face as his lips pressed together. Rabadash almost smiled. He would have his satisfaction.
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Edmund stared up at the arrogant fool. The one who had dared to attack in peacetime. The one who had attempted to abduct Susan. The one who would have made his sister so miserable as to yearn for death if he had ever gotten his filthy hands on her. At the memory of Susan's misery on their flight back to the safety of Cair Paravel and her tears, Edmund's hand tightened on Shafhelm's hilt. "Certainly!"
He drew breath to order the men to take the prince down so they might have a proper duel but then King Lune interrupted, "By your Majesty's good leave, not so."
Edmund checked his hot retort as diplomacy reasserted itself. His fingers still itched to go for Rabadash's throat even as Lune rebuffed and rebuked the Calormene prince. The sight of Rabadash shouting threats and curses even as angry tears stained his dark cheeks did not soothe his temper.
Then he was distracted by the sight of Corin (who certainly should not have reached them before even Lucy and the archers) running toward them and dragging another boy by the hand. Edmund stared into the face of a bewildered Corin look-a-like. It seemed he truly had not been a Calormene spy nor was Lucy's guess far off. In fact, Edmund suspected that Anvard was about to be in uproar. Hopefully, it would be more joyous than resentful.
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A/N: Please Read and Review! All right, so this chapter is the expanded version of the battle summarized by the Hermit in HHB with a few flourishes of my own design and the dialogue between Rabadash and Edmund as well as Lune's only line have been lifted directly from Lewis' description of the scene. As Lewis said it would be positively no use to describe this battle through Shasta's eyes since he had no idea what he was doing, so I went to the guys who definitely knew what was going on. ;) Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about this one.