The Chase


To all swift things for swiftness did I sue,

Clung to the whistling mane of every wind,

But whether they swept, smoothly fleet,

The long savannahs of the blue…

~ Francis Thompson


"Aravis?...Aravis."

Aravis tried to open her eyes; but somehow her eyelids seemed to be stuck shut. She reached up and propped one open, shocked out how puffy it was. Her vision was blurry and she shifted, her skin seemed to scream in pain and she gasped.

"Aravis? Are you all right?"

It was Hwin, Aravis saw, belly deep in the pool, looking anxiously up at her.

"I-I think so," Aravis said, then started, "Is it morning already? Where are the others?"

"Well," Hwin said, "Somehow I feel we ought to go on, but Bree won't wake up, he just told me to go away. We really should be going, especially if Prince Rabadash is right behind us."

"I quite agree," Aravis said, sliding from her perch into the water, she felt quite grumpy enough to wake any number of stubborn talking horses. "Where's Shasta?"

"I didn't even try to wake him," Hwin said, "he stayed awake last night a good deal longer than the rest of us. You were asleep, but we had a regular argument last night. Shasta was all for going on and Bree was for staying. I'm afraid I was for staying too, but I agreed with Shasta that we should try to start first thing this morning."

"Of course," Aravis said, wading through the water. She felt quite drained.

"Aravis!" Hwin exclaimed, "What happened to your skin? You're covered with blisters!"

"I'm all right," Aravis said, pulling herself out of the water at the other end of the pool where Bree lay on his side, breathing gently.

"Wake up!" Aravis exclaimed.

"My dear girl," Bree said, opening an eye, "Let me have my sleep. You wouldn't understand, but I had quite a grueling day yesterday and I'm rather tired."

"I know you want to rest, Bree," Aravis said, "But we must press on! Rabadash is behind us even now."

"Oh no," Bree said tiredly, "We've quite outstripped him; I shouldn't be surprised if he only started yesterday afternoon. We're miles ahead."

"I don't believe that for a moment," Aravis said haughtily, "The Tisroc's Calvary is very swift and well trained, my brother is one of them. They would have started the night before last, mark my words."

"My dear girl," Bree said very condescendingly, "I happen to be a warhorse. I think I know a good deal more about that sort of thing then you do. Now go to sleep."

"All right, fine!" Aravis exclaimed, "Go to sleep! Hwin and I will go on without you! Won't we?" Aravis looked over her shoulder at Hwin.

"Well-" Hwin began.

"All right! If you're going to be so very stubborn about it!" Bree said rolling to his feet, "If you want to leave so bad, go get some food for us!"

Aravis turned away and went to where Shasta had put the saddles the night before. It was then that Shasta woke up.

"Oh, hullo," he said, "Are we leaving?"

"Almost," Aravis said.

But it wasn't almost.

Bree was first rate at dragging his feet. First he ate his allotted share of dates very slowly, then he nosed about to see if there was anything else that was edible. He insisted on going into the pool and having a long drink, then declared that he couldn't possibly have his saddle put back on until he dried. Shasta pointed out that he was going to get wet again anyway, climbing up the waterfall.

Bree at last consented to being tacked up. They all plunged back into the pool, the humans up to their necks, and floundered to the waterfall. After a bit of debating, the humans climbed up first, then the horses followed.

The canyon above the waterfall was very narrow and they proceeded single file. The shoes on the horses' feet rang against the stone and the feet of the humans splashed in the stream. The sun was very much lessened because of the rising walls on either side, but as the sun rose, it cast its light in fantastic colors swirling like watercolors over the smooth rock walls.

The canyon widened and began to lead up, gradually at first, then more sharply. There were green shrubs all around them and the rock walls were not as high. Distantly ahead, they heard a low roar like the rushing of water. Their own stream that was up to their knees now and ran fiercer then it had. White water swept by them and they stumbled because of the press of it.

Then there it was, the Winding Arrow. Mountain fed and dashing down, far down towards the sea, it was a rocky stream, with boulders here and there stopping the flow of water in a shower of white foam.

The horses plunged into the river up to their chests. It was not deep, but wide and powerful. The humans clung to the horses' saddles and felt their way over slippery rocks. Finally, they reached the other side and climbed a grassy slope. There were wild flowers here, beautiful in many hues. Mount Pire rose above them, impossibly high and white capped. The clouds hung over the peaks and an eagle circled them.

Here the humans mounted and the horses broke into a steady lope, always up hill. But, as Bree remarked, it was almost a pleasure because the grass was so soft. They topped the first ridge and Aravis turned in the saddle and looked back over a mighty scene. To her right was Mount Pire and ahead of her, the desert; vast, golden, undulating. To the left was the sea, clear and sparkling, blue to the edge of the world.

"It's good we are out of the desert," Aravis commented, turning again in the saddle, "it looks like there's a sandstorm."

Of course Bree had to pull up and have a look.

They all stood for a few moments, watching the sun shine on a wall of rolling golden mist on the desert.

"Too small to be a proper one," Bree said, then started. A line of something dark seemed to have burst from the rolling golden cloud.

"It's no sand storm!' Hwin's voice rose in fear, "its Rabadash!"

"Five hundred horse by the look of it," Bree said as he watched, enthralled.

"We must hurry!" Exclaimed Aravis, "We must tell someone quick!"

In reply, Hwin spun on her heels and broke forward at a slow gallop. Bree caught her up in a moment.

It was an endurance race now. A horse has tremendous staying power, some are easily able to travel fifty miles in a day, some even a hundred, but they had done about that yesterday and the night before and both horses called on their last ditch of strength. A full gallop was certainly out of the question.

The ridges rose and fell before them, the next always higher than the last. There were more trees around them now and they seemed to have come across a sort of road. The horses thundered on and the children leaned into half seat to take as much weight off their backs as possible.

Aravis' head was beginning to spin. She had stopped feeling the pain in her back a long time ago, now she was content to simply hold on. She could only hear the mesmerizing pound of the horses' hooves and the steady rise and fall of Hwin's coppery mane. Then she heard something that made her blood run cold. For a moment, Aravis felt she had imagined it. It was that same choking roar she had heard how many weeks ago? When they had first met up with Shasta and Bree. She looked over her shoulder and saw something tawny streaking towards them through the grass on the side of the path.

Bree gave one startled snort and broke into a full gallop, Hwin a moment behind. Now the horses' hooves were pounding to the rhythm of Aravis' heart, throbbing in her back. The branches of the trees whipped by, the ground was a blur. The lion seemed to be keeping up with them easily, just behind Hwin and a little to the left.

The trees opened up, a green meadow lay before them. A tall hedge seemed to be ahead…it was green…with an opening…Aravis closed her eyes, she couldn't hold on anymore.


A/N:

Thank you Hannah Skipper for your review, I'm delighted you like the story.

As for your questions: This story is the child of an AU I wrote several years ago (Called 'The Wardrobe) in which I made Eustace the traitor instead of Edmund and sent the Pevensies on a bit of a detour to Archenland before they met up with Aslan. If this story seems to make little sense in some places it is because I was continuing in that Universe when I wrote it. I switched the Horn and Cordial between Lucy and Susan because It seemed to make the most sense that way, Lucy was the one who rode to war while Susan stayed home.

I'm sorry it isn't canon, but I can't change it now. :)

The rest of your questions, I hope, will be cleared up by reading the rest of the story.

~Psyche