Over the next day Shasta was told was and the story of what happened to him. It was a rather long story, something that Shasta had not been expecting.
Cor and Corin were twins. And about a week after they were both born they were taken to a wise old Centaur in Narnia to be blessed. That Centaur was a prophet as a good many Centaurs are. As soon as he saw the twins, it seems the Centaur looked at Cor and said "A day will come when that boy will save Archenland from the deadliest danger in which ever she lay." So of course the King and Queen were very pleased. But there was someone present who wasn't.
It was a man called Lord Bar who had been he King's Lord Chancellor. And apparently, he'd done something wrong, bezzling, and the king had had to dismiss him. But nothing else was done to him and he was allowed to go on living in Archenland. But he must have been as bad as he could be, for it came out afterwards he had been in the pay of the Tisroc and had sent a lot of secret information to Tashbaan.
As soon as he heard that Cor was going to save Archenland from a great danger he decided the prince must be put out of the way. Well, he succeeded in kidnapping him and rode away down the Winding Arrow to the coast.
He'd had everything prepared and there was a ship manned with his own followers lying ready for him and he put out to sea with me on board. However the king got wind of it, though not quite in time, and was after him as quickly as he could. The Lord Bar was already at sea when the king reached the coast, but not out of sight. And the king was embarked in one of his own war-ships within twenty minutes.
For six days they followed Bar's galleon and brought her to battle on the seventh. It was a great sea-fight from ten o'clock in the morning till sunset. The people of Archenland took the ship in the end. But the prince was no longer there.
The Lord Bar himself had been killed in the battle. But one of his men said that, early that morning, as soon as he saw he was certain to be overhauled, Bar had given the prince to one of his knights and sent them both away in the ship's boat. And that boat was never seen again.
After his story was told and the newly proclaimed Cor explained that after that same boat had been pushed ashore by Aslan at the right place for Arsheesh, the Calormene fisherman, to pick him up.
Cor was given new clothes and his old clothes were burnt upon the King's request. The hand he had injured in the battle was bandaged, although the injury was nothing more than a scratch.
King Lune told Cor that he would like the Ladies Aravis and Alvina to live with them as there's been no lady in the court since the queen had died.
After everything was put in order they all went to bed. The following morning Cor went to collect Arvis, Bree and Hwin from the Hermit's house where they had been staying.
Alvina had been watching out one of the Castle windows and had seen Cor bringing Aravis, Bree and Hwin to the castle. She rushed down the stairs in order to alert King Lune of their arrival.
Just before the travellers reached the gate King Lune came out to meet them, not looking at all like Aravis's idea of a king and wearing the oldest of old clothes; for he had just come from making a round of the kennels with his Huntsman and had only stopped for a moment to wash his doggy hands. But the bow with which he greeted Aravis as he took her hand would have been stately enough for an Emperor.
"Little lady," he said, "We bid you very heartily welcome. If my dear wife were still alive we could make you better cheer but could not do it with a better will. And I am sorry that you have had misfortunes and been driven from your father's house, which cannot but be a grief to you. My son Cor has told me about your adventures together and all your valour."
"It was he who did all that, Sir," Aravis said. "Why, he rushed at a lion to save me."
Alvina's eyes widened at this. It was certainly during her time with Corin that this had occurred as she would have remembered an event such as that.
"Eh, what's that?" King Lune said, his face brightening. "I haven't heard that part of the story."
Then Aravis told it. She explained how the tired they all were after trudging through the desert and that in order for them to make it to Anvard on time they had been chased by a Lion. The story of Bree's wish to save himself running off on Hwin and Aravis while Cor jumped out of the saddle in order to go back to help the girl who had become his friend.
Cor, who had very much wanted the story to be known, though he felt he couldn't tell it himself, didn't enjoy it so much as he had expected, and indeed felt rather foolish. But his father enjoyed it very much indeed and in the course of the next few weeks told it to so many people that Cor wished it had never happened.
Then the King turned to Hwin and Bree and was just as polite to them as to Aravis and asked them a lot of questions about their families and where they had lived in Narnia before they had been captured. The Horses were rather tongue-tied for they weren't yet used to being talked to as equals by Humans, grown-up Humans, that is. They didn't mind Aravis and Cor.
Presently Queen Lucy came out from the castle and joined them, and King Lune said to Aravis, "My dear, here is a loving friend of our house, and she has been seeing that your apartments are put to rights for you better than I could have done it. And with the help of the Lady Alvina."
Alvina smiled at Aravis who had only just noticed her. Alvina looked nothing like Aravis remembered. Her face was clean, and she was dressed in a long burgundy dress that Queen Lucy had chosen for her. Her hair had been pulled back from her face and she looked happier than she had the whole time they had been travelling.
"You'd like to come and see them, wouldn't you?" Lucy said, kissing Aravis. They liked each other at once and soon all the women went away together to talk about Aravis's bedroom and Aravis's boudoir and about getting clothes for her, and all the sort of things girls do talk about on such an occasion.
After lunch, which they had on the terrace, King Lune ruffled up his brow and heaved a sigh and said, "Heigh-ho! We have still that sorry creature Rabadash on our hands, my friends, and must needs resolve what to do with him."
Lucy was sitting on the King's right and Aravis on his left. King Edmund sat at one end of the table and the Lord Darrin faced him at the other. Dar and Peridan and Cor and Corin were on the same side as the King. And Alvina found herself seated beside Corin.
"Your Majesty would have a perfect right to strike off his head," Peridan said. "Such an assault as he made puts him on a level with assassins."
"It is very true," Edmund said. "But even a traitor may mend. I have known one that did." And he looked very thoughtful.
"To kill this Rabadash would go near to raising war with the Tisroc," Darrin said.
"A fig for the Tisroc," King Lune said. "His strength is in numbers and numbers will never cross the desert. But I have no stomach for killing men, even traitors, in cold blood. To have cut his throat in the battle would have eased my heart mightily: but this is a different thing."
"By my counsel," Lucy said, "Your Majesty shall give him another trial. Let him go free on strait promise of fair dealing in the future. It may be that he will keep his word."
"Maybe Apes will grow honest, Sister," Edmund said. "But, by the Lion, if he breaks it again, it may be in such time and place that any of us could swap off his head in clean battle."
"It shall be tried," the King said: and then to one of the attendants, "Send for the prisoner, friend."
Rabadash was brought before them in chains. To look at him anyone would have supposed that he had passed the night in a noisome dungeon without food or water; but in reality, he had been shut up in quite a comfortable room and provided with an excellent supper. But as he was sulking far too furiously to touch the supper and had spent the whole night stamping and roaring and cursing, he naturally did not now look his best.
"Your royal Highness needs not to be told," King Lune said, "That by the law of nations as well as by all reasons, of prudent policy, we have as good right to your head as ever one mortal man had against another. Nevertheless, in consideration of your youth and the ill nurture, devoid of all gentilesse and courtesy, which you have doubtless had in the land of slaves and tyrants, we are disposed to set you free, unharmed, on these conditions: first, that—"
"Curse you for a barbarian dog!" Rabadash spluttered. "Do you think I will even hear your conditions? Faugh! You talk very largely of nurture and I know not what. It's easy, to a man in chains, ha! Take off these vile bonds, give me a sword, and let any of you who dares then debate with me."
Nearly all the lords sprang to their feet, and Corin shouted:
"Father! Can I box him? Please."
At Corin's comment Alvina placed a hand on his shoulder calming him immediately however he still remained standing.
"Peace! Your Majesties! My Lords!" King Lune said. "Have we no more gravity among us than to be so chafed by the taunt of a pajock? Sit down, Corin, or shalt leave the table. I ask your Highness again, to hear our conditions."
Corin took his seat and took the hand that was on his shoulder in his causing a smile to form on Alvina's face.
"I hear no conditions from barbarians and sorcerers," Rabadash said. "Not one of you dare touch a hair of my head. Every insult you have heaped on me shall be paid with oceans of Narnian and Archenlandish blood. Terrible shall the vengeance of the Tisroc be: even now. But kill me, and the burnings and torturings in these northern lands shall become a tale to frighten the world a thousand years hence. Beware! Beware! Beware! The bolt of Tash falls from above!"
"Does it ever get caught on a hook half way?" Corin asked.
"Shame, Corin," the King said. "Never taunt a man save when he is stronger than you: then, as you please."
"Oh you foolish Rabadash," Lucy sighed.