Hey guys!
This a oneshot I've had in mind for a while.
This has mentions of assault so read under your own consideration.
Disclaimer: This story doesn't belong to me. Obviously.
Cheers for reading! Please feel free to review, fav and follow!
"The Power Of the Gentle Queen"
For the first time since the Narnian and Archenlandian royal families had gathered in Anvard to deal with Rabadash, the mood was somber.
Long gone was the relief of having won the war, of being safe yet again. Long gone was the mockery against the Calormene' Prince. Long gone was the thrill, the adrenaline that only a battle could provoke.
It is known that once the initial excitement passes, reality dawns. Queen Susan the Gentle, the protector of her people, the keeper of her siblings, had undergone an attempt of assault by the Calormene Crown Prince Rabadash. It was only by Maese Tumnus' clever plan that she, her younger brother, King Edmund, and the rest of the Narnian' comitee had managed to escape Tashbaan.
For the Narnians, and especially their rulers, it was a horrifying fact. Not only had their country been in danger but also, their royal elder sister. Queen Susan was the encarnation of everything a ruler and a sister was supposed to be: clever, fair and loving. She was loved by her people and by her siblings enourmously so the way she was treated by the Calormene, they took it with great offence.
Because of this, the two youngest King and Queen of Narnia sat around the table where usually the Archenlandian Council held their meetings, each of them deep in thought. Their elder sister stood behind them, gazing at the sunny day with an indifferent face.
Edmund couldn't help but glance at Susan from time to time. Not for the first time, he wished for their eldest brother, Peter, to get back from his campaign against the Giants. Even though it was Edmund the master with words, he felt as if he had failed his sister. Not only had he failed to protect her from being imprisoned in Tashbaan but also, he hadn't managed to figure out Rabadash's true character. Even if it was only because of his overprotectiveness, Ed felt that Peter would have been able to figure him out in time, and for that he felt guiltier.
Lucy had never been more angry. The Valiant Queen, for the very first time, was actually craving to gather the army and march towards Tashbaan. She knew Susan had only been a pawn in their move to get Narnia, and their use of her beloved sister as nothing but an object made her feel murderous towards the Calormene.
Susan had been taken several baths per day.
Nothing had actually happened but still, the whole experience made her feel extremely dirty. To have been the subject of violence, threats and oppression made her feel incredibly vulnerablem even then as she stood in company of two of the three people she trusted the most in the world.
She knew Rabadash was going to be humilliated for the rest of his life and that humilliation was precisely what Rabadash and the Calormene did not know how to deal with. She knew that Aslan thought it through when he sentenced the prince but still, Susan wished Rabadash felt humilliated because of what he did to her, not for his lost battle and what would happen if he left Tashbaan again.
She crossed her arms, anger flaming more intensely inside her as a recurring thought came to her mind again. If she weren't Narnia's Gentle Queen, if she'd been alone, her fate would have been much more different.
"We need to discuss what to do about Calormen" Edmund finally spoke, his voice severe as he twirled a dagger in his hands"and how will they pay for their offence"
"I thought Aslan already decided their punishment" Lucy replied, leaning her head in confusion.
"He punished Rabadash for his treacherous attempted attack on Anvard and Cair Paravel" Edmund spoke, his gaze ablaze with rage "He was never punished for his assault on our sister"
"Ed, I would love nothing more than to take our army and march towards Tashbaan. As long as I see that Rabadash and his father, the Tisroc dead, I could die happily in battle" Lucy said fervently, her hands unconsciouly clenching into fists "But that's the thing, out army is too little in comparison to the Calormene and Tashbaan is one great fortress. The odds would be against us"
"We could wait for our brother to return from the North with our army" Ed suggested. He reached for one of the maps he had brought with him and extended it on the table, revealing a representation of the entire continent. He pointed with his dagger at the desert between Archenland and Calormen "Crossing the dessert is the fastest way to get to Archenland and later Narnia and they still haven't figured out how to do it without getting their horses exhausted and their men incredibly thirsty. If we waited for them at its edge, and made our ships go across the ocean towards Calormen from the other side, we could attack them from both sides"
"Tashbaan would still be a fortress, but now without its best soldiers" Lucy said, standing up in excitement "While the men who crossed the dessert would still be too tired to defend themselves properly when we attacked them at the border between them and Archenland but do we even have the numbers to attack from both sides?"
"Well, we will have to see if we do" Edmund replied as he stood too "We need to talk to King Lune. Perhaps he could lend us some of his men. Also, we need to send Peter a message and-"
"War is not the solution"
Lucy and Edmund turned towards their elder sister, almost having forgotten she was listening because of how quiet she had been.
The Gentle Queen had finally turned to face them, her gaze no longer indifferent. She no longer felt confusion nor indecision. She knew what she had to do to punish Rabadash, and it was something that not only would ease the pain in her heart but also, it would bring peace and safety to countless women.
"I will not bring war on thousands of innocent men, women and children because of this" Susan continued, her voice angry, her gaze hard "Enough chaos, enough death and violence has been brought by that monster and I will not continue what he started"
"I hear you but you deserve to be retributed for the pain that's been caused to you" Lucy said, her eyes wide as she walked around the table towards Susan. She grabbed both her hands reassuringly "I promise you, sister, everyone wants to fight for you. You are our Gentle Queen, this cannot be overlooked!"
"I don't want it to be but I don't think this can be fixed so easily!" Susan exclaimed, her tone furious. She backed away from her sister and clasped her hands together behind her back to keep them from trembling "I, the High Queen of Narnia, suffered an attempt of assault. It didn't matter my status, rank or authority. What mattered to that horrible man was that I was a woman and therefore, in his eyes, inferior to him"
Edmund and Lucy exchanged a troubled glance before the former nodded slowly as he set his eyes again on his older sister "Whatever you decide to do, we will support and help you. What's your plan?"
A ghost of a smile appeared on the Gentle Queen's lips "Changing an entire country's mind is going to take a lot of time and more resources than those we, outsiders without power over them, have. The next time this happens I want to make sure the survivor gets the support and justice they deserve. Once we get back home, I want to review our laws on the matter as well"
"Agreed, then, Su" Lucy nodded, a focused frown on her forehead "Where would you like us to start? Should we summon Mr Tumnus and our commitee?"
Her words fell deaf on Susan's ears as she turned to leave.
"I know just what I need to do"
Rabadash woke slowly, his head in a daze as he tried to recollect just how had he ended up chained up to a chair, human once again.
"Don't worry, your human form in temporary. Your kind only response to harsh actions. You are that predictable"
Rabadash slowly looked up and in the blur his eyesight currently was, he managed to find the owner to that voice. That voice he'd once found so charming, so enticing.
Brown eyes found ice-blue ones.
And that's when he couldn't hold it any longer.
Looking back to that moment, he could never figure out whether it was the shock, the pain or the drowsiness that made him laugh like that. All he knew was that he had tried to have that barbarian queen and, somehow, she had managed to chain him. The absurdity of it all was almost too funny.
And through it all, Queen Susan stood before him cladded in her armour, her crown on her head, her face unreadable.
"I shouldn't be surprised we have ended up here" Rabadash mumbled when he got his laughter under control "You are a barbarian, after all. You wouldn't know how to behave like a proper lady"
He expected the blow that followed. That doesn't mean it didn't hurt.
"You are the stupid prince who assaults women, yet I am the barbarian?" Susan pulled back, her bow bloodied from where she had managed to cut his lip. She turned towards the guards behind her "Leave us, please. I don't want to be disturbed until I am done here"
"How dare you spill my blood you worthless whore!?" Rabadash spit out blood, eyes wide in rage "I don't think you understand just how much damage us carlomene can do! Once my father, the Mighty Tisroc finds out about this-"
"We both know you will tell him nothing, you pathetic excuse of a man" Susan spat as she cleaned her bow carefully "The idea of a carlomene prince being struck by a woman? Your crown would be given to any of your brothers, that's just how fragile you carlomenes are"
"What's your plan, may I ask?" Rabadash asked incredulously as he took notice of his change of location "You are going to kill me in this filthy cell? Does your family agree with this? Why isn't King Edmund here? I reckoned he was man enough to finish the job himself"
"Not that you are worthy of speaking my brother's name, but he knows this is my battle, not his" Susan replied as she backed down to sit on the chair in front of the prince's. "Before, Aslan decided your punishment for your cowardly attack to Narnia and Archenland. Now, I have decided your punishment for the way you treated me"
For a second, Queen and prince eyed eachother in challenging manner, daring the other to drop the gaze. Rabadash studied the once cheerful Gentle Queen, the queen who would dance with him, her dresses flowing, her smiles frequent, her mood light.
There was no cheerfulness on the queen sat before him. She still wore her armour, her bow and quiver strapped to her back, horn by her side, red cape falling down her back. Her eyes were freezing cold, yet enraged. Her posture calm, her face unreadable.
Rabadash smirked "My punishment for the way I treated you. You weren't precisely refusing my attentions, Your Majesty"
"Careful now, Rabadash" Susan nodded as she reached back. She took an arrow from her quiver in nonchalant manner, her eyes on its red feathers as she played with it "I don't have a reputation of an excellent archer for nothing. Continue speaking to me in that way and you might find yourself with a few of these stuck to that rotten heart of yours"
Rabadash titled his head, trying his best to conceal how unnerved he felt by the almost detached tone in the queen's voice "Very well. Let's hear it, then"
Susan looked at him, her hands still playing with the arrow as a reminder that while he was unarmed and tied, she was at her full capacity of using the gift Father Christmas had given her "What happened to me was unforgivable. I know you can't care less about this but what you did to me- the threats, the violence, the attempted kidnap-, that's assault and it should never happen to any women, regardless of her status or power. I want you to go back to your horrible city, talk to your council, and implement laws that restrict this from ever happening again and, if that should fail, that give the survivor the justice, protection and treatment they deserve. Have I made myself clear or do I need to repeat it to you?"
For a few moments, Rabadash could only gape at Susan, trying to figure out whether this was a sick joke. She returned his gaze. as determined as it had been ever since this wretched conversation had started.
"You can't seriously ask this of me! Do you realize just how much you are compromising my role as prince, as future Tisroc?" Rabadash fidgeted on his seat, trying to break free from this madness "Are you holding that big of a grudge that you would be willing to sacrifice all the work I have done to be accepted in Tashbaan? I will say sorry if that's what you want!"
"Sorry? You mean too little to me to ever what to hear your fake apology. Your actions, your words, the pain you inflicted on me will all soon dissapear. You are just that unimportant. But I have an obligation to those defenseless against your kind. My position, my story, gives me the platform to be able to do something" Susan screamed, her gaze burning in fury "I don't care about your role, your position or your fake followers. I know that as Tisroc you are untouchable. I am not asking this of you, I am demanding it. You will sign a document stating your oath to implement this law and you will do so to the best interest of the survivors. You will not try to modify it or abolish it. Do anything I don't like or agree with and I will bring destruction to you and your own. Your days as Tisroc will be numbered"
"What makes you believe that I fear you?" Rabadash replied, his eyes wary as Susan stood up "Why should I do as you say?"
"Haven't you understimated us once before? Look where you've ended up. Your place back in Calormen is already breaking apart. Your people will mock and diminish you once they find out what will happen if you leave Tashbaan again. If you try to lead your armies against us you will forever remain an animal, not that you aren't one already" Susan shrugged as she leaned on him, resting her hands on his injured wrists. Rabadash clenched his jaw in an attempt not to cry out from the pain "Of course, you could decide now that you will not do as I say. Then you would find soon enough whether your god is as fair as ours. The choice is yours"
King Edmund and Queen Lucy stood just outside the stairs leading towards the prison, both pacing from one extreme to the other as they waited for their older sister.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, they heard steps coming up and saw the distinct glow of a lit torch. King and Queen stood side by side, eyes wide and bright in expectation, concern and hope.
"Well, what happened?" Lucy asked urgently as the top of her sister's head was glimpsed from the top of the stairs.
Their sister slowly climbed up and stood silently before the duo. Then she smiled.
"Ed" She began "I will need you to take care of the documents. The foolish prince will sign them tomorrow before she turns back into a donkey and begins his trip towards Tashbaan"
Cheers for reading! Hope you enjoyed!