So, I've had an idea in my head for a long time now. My favourite book in the Narnia series has always been 'The Horse and his Boy' but it always bothered me that Susan was so gullible and acted so helplessly in the book. That being said, I've written my take on the story, with my version of Susan – strong and intelligent. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Narnia

Prince in Narnian Clothing

'Sincerity is an openness of heart; we find it in very few people; what we usually see is only an artful dissimulation to win the confidence of others.' – La Rochefoucald.

The four Pevensies waited at the dock for the ship to berth with various levels of trepidation and wariness. The Prince of Calormen was about to disembark and not one person, animal or creature standing awaiting him and his entourage at the harbour knew quite what to expect. Of course, soon after the Pevensies had been crowned, representatives had been sent from Calormen. They, among others who had swamped to Cair Paravel, had vastly underestimated the young rulers and thought that Narnia would be ripe for the picking. Thinking that, in their youth, the Kings and Queens would be easy targets, easy to deceive, easy to outwit, easy to dictate to. Every one of them had been mistaken. Narnia, and its young Monarchy, had shown that they were astute and highly intelligent and more than a match for the circling vultures.

Subsequent visits from Calormene ambassadors and dignitaries had taken place over the years. However, while they were unfailingly polite and proper, the Pevensies and their advisors and friends always had the impression that they were being viewed with disdain. Seen as barbaric and uncouth. There was also always the sense that the Calormenes were probing for weaknesses and that if they found them, their Tirsoc would be swift to act. They had never received a diplomatic visit from any of the Royal family of Calormen before – this visit, they felt would be the ultimate test.

Susan's guard, a pristine panther named Saris, was particularly aware of her Queen's disquiet. In the ten years since she had been Queen, Susan was often dismayed by the tendency of ambassadors and visiting Royalty alike to dismiss her as just a pretty face. Without being vain, Susan had always been aware that she was pretty. But she did not attach any importance to it. Felt instead that it was more of an impediment than otherwise, although she had to admit to herself, that it had often been an advantage when her enemies had underestimated her, thought that a pretty face was all that she was. However, Susan, behind the soft voice and beautiful face was fiercely intelligent, a fact which took many by surprise when they discovered it. She was Narnia's secret weapon, a sword encased in velvet. You would be engrossed in admiring its beauty, not realising until too late that the edge was sharp.

An added frustration for Susan was that many of the foreign diplomats and dignitaries flocking to Narnia, assumed that Queen Susan's highest ambition and ultimate purpose was to become married and secure a political alliance for Narnia. "If this pampered Prince starts to court me, I shall send him back to the Tirsoc (may he not live forever) in a box" Susan muttered to herself. Lucy who was standing next to her sniggered. "Can I help?" she pleaded mischievously, her eyes sparkling. Although she, along with all Narnians, knew that Susan, who was as deadly with a sword as with her bow (which was to say extremely) would not require any assistance in carrying out her threat, Lucy too had had her fair share of suitors who seemed to think that her ultimate destiny was to get married. "I'll let you and Saris mop up after me" replied Susan with a wink to her sister. Their attention at that moment was interrupted by the arrival of Prince Rabadash at the top of the gangplank. As was their tradition, the Pevensies stepped forward to the foot of the quay to greet their guest. Edmund leaned discretely towards his brother, "Is he, is he wearing Narnia clothes?" he queried, a puzzled frown on his face. Peter was unable to answer as, at that moment the Calormene Prince strode down the gangplank with a smile on his face. Stopping in front of the Pevensies he bowed and then took each of their hands in turn as had become the tradition in the land, since the Pevensies had introduced it ten years previously, upon first entering Narnia. "Your Majesties, well met" he said in a friendly tone. "It has been long since your Majesties ascended the thrones of Narnia and it has been remiss of myself or my family not to visit until now." Susan was relieved to note that he did not linger on her or Lucy's hands and that he greeted them both with the same friendly smile as their brothers. Peter seemed as relieved as her to find the Prince so 'normal.' "Prince Rabadash, it is a pleasure" he said. "We are delighted to make your acquaintance and hope that this visit will be the first of many we exchange. Shall we?" Peter gestured to Cair Paravel and proceeded to lead the Prince towards the castle. Rabadash followed in Peter's wake talking happily with Edmund. Susan, glad as she was not to be singled out by the Prince, as she was by many male visitors, could not help noting that the Prince was however extremely handsome, with his ebony hair and almost black eyes. He lacked the sense of frippery of the other Calormene nobles she had met as he was without the ostentatious, perfumed, jewelled and feathered, traditional Calormene clothing. The Narnian clothing certainly served to display his toned warrior's body to advantage. Several of the court ladies were very much occupied in appreciating this fact and fluttering their eyelashes at the Prince, of which Rabadash seemed, thankfully unaware. 'Wait' thought Susan to herself, 'why thankfully, what do I care?'

… Later that day, having extracted themselves from the Calormene Prince and his entourage, Edmund and Susan were meeting in his study. "What do you think of him Su?" asked Edmund. Susan looked at her brother noting the tiny crease in his forehead which always indicated that he was worrying about something. "Well … He seems cordial enough," Susan started cautiously. "I for one am relieved he doesn't spout poetry every five minutes like most Calormenes we've encountered before. He is very unlike them." Edmund looked up at her, the worried crease still in evidence. "Don't you see, that's just it Su" he answered earnestly "He's the Prince of Calormen, the Crown Prince at that. Should he not be as, if not more Calormene than the others?" Susan pondered this, "you think he's dissembling for some reason?" she asked her brother with a frown. Lupa, Edmund's Wolf guard looked over his shoulder at them from his post at the door. "The clothes he had on smelled new" he told them helpfully. "He had not worn them before today." Not to be outdone, Saris, Susan's panther guard opened an eye from where she dozed on the floor. "There was a smell of perfume from him" She declared. "I could smell it off him, he wears it daily, but not today. Today he was decidedly unperfumed." Edmund raised an eyebrow at Susan, "Thankyou for your observations friends. That is most helpful." Susan sighed and moved to the window where she had a better view of the Prince, who was watching a display of Narnian archery in the courtyard. "It is interesting" she agreed. "However, it may just mean that he is making a special effort to fit in and may not be trying to deceive anyone." Edmund did not look convinced. "Maybe" he pondered, "but there is another issue." Susan turned and looked at him quizzically. "My sources tell me that Rabadash is an unabashed womaniser and he did not once look at you in that way." Susan smiled lovingly at her brother. "This may shock you Ed" she replied archly "but it could be that Prince Rabadash is just not attracted to me!" she said turning back to the window. "Perhaps" Edmund replied, coming to the window, and putting an arm around her shoulder, as he too watched the Prince. Rabadash was now trying his hand at archery and laughed as he failed to even hit the target. "But we should be on our guard. We must all be wary of the Prince and his intentions. Calormen is too valuable an ally to lose and too dangerous an enemy to make." Susan turned and made her way towards the door. "In that case dear brother, you will have to excuse me," she said her hand on the door. "I must dress for dinner. One must look ones best when one is spying on one's guests!" Edmund laughed as Susan flounced out the door with a mischievous grin. As much at his sister's antics as at the obvious reluctance of Saris to move from the sunny spot on the floor where she was dozing. Saris was of the opinion, that all energy was to be conserved for eating or fighting and as neither was in the offing was loath to be disturbed. Stretching and yawning so that everybody could see her teeth, especially Lupa who she had a love / hate relationship with. "My Queen has already promised that I and Queen Lucy may mop up Rabadash's remains when she is finished dismembering him." She remarked. "I suppose I should remain close to her in case she and Queen Lucy start without me!"

At dinner that night Susan was placed between Prince Rabadash and Prince Corin. The young Archenlandish Prince was spending the summer in the Narnian court. Having lost his mother the year before, and for all intents and purposes, being an only child, as his twin brother had been abducted as a baby, Corin was lonely and bored. A dangerous combination in the young, mischievous young Prince. King Lune, his father, had thought that some company nearer his own age and a womanly influence might help tame his wayward son. So far that goal was proving elusive. Although good natured, Corin was a walking talking ball of trouble. At present he was attempting to bait the Calormene Prince who he had met before on a diplomatic visit to Tashbaan with his father. "But you smelled so beautiful the last time I met you, Your Highness" Corin was saying. "Why is it you aren't wearing your perfumes here?" Surprisingly Rabadash was taking Prince Corin's teasing rather well. "Well Corin, I like to abide by the local traditions. Have you ever witnessed King Edmund or High King Peter wearing perfumes?" he said with a grin. Corin nearly choked as he smothered a laugh at the thought of either of the two Kings wearing perfume. Susan patted the young Prince on the back as she looked at Rabadash thoughtfully. "Is that why you are dressed in Narnian clothes then?" she asked him, deciding that the easiest way to find out would be to be direct. Rabadash looked at Susan smiling. "You are correct of course my Queen" he said "I also thought that it would show that, foreigner though I am, we are all the same underneath." Susan's thoughts on that were interrupted by another laugh from her left "Or perhaps Prince Rabadash worries that he might take the attention from you Queen Susan, if he dresses too prettily" interjected Corin, who had recovered from his coughing fit. Rabadash smiled at Corin. "No fear of that" he said with a quick glance at Susan and she could have sworn she say him blush. It was the first compliment he had paid her, and she had never expected that it would be done so shyly. Other visitors to court had showered her with compliments but she always found them hollow and grating. Rabadash however seemed to be sincere.

Later in the ballroom Susan found herself looking for Rabadash. He was hard to find in his Narnian clothing. Especially since most of the guests tonight were human or human like. This had been done purposely to put the Calormene Prince at his ease on his first night. Calormenes were notoriously intolerant of the many creatures and talking animals that inhabited Narnia. The Pevensies planned to introduce the more diverse members of their court to Rabadash gradually. Susan eventually spotted Rabadash standing with her brother Peter, surrounded by a crowd of Archenlandish noble ladies. Susan and Lucy had inherited these ladies from Queen Arabella of Archenland. Following their Queen's untimely passing, these ladies had all but flooded the Narnian court offering to be ladies in waiting to the two Queens. Susan and Lucy had found their company trying and had difficulty in finding enough to occupy them, given their own very modest service needs. The ladies had rectified that difficulty by filling in their spare time flirting with Peter and Edmund and any other human male they could find in the palace. Edmund had no time for them and made this extremely obvious to his would - be lovers. Therefore Peter, who was too polite to object and secretly quite flattered, shouldered most of the attention. Except now, Susan noted, Rabadash was sharing in the attention. Susan couldn't quite put her finger on why exactly that bothered her! Catching Edmund's eye across the room she discretely signalled to him the content of the conversation at dinner.

Not long into their reign Susan and Edmund had agreed that they needed some way to be able to converse privately. Need being the mother of invention, they had quickly developed a secret language, which involved forming words and letters with their hands and fingers. Many times, during negotiations with foreign ambassadors, they had been able to use this method of communication to their advantage, both knowing exactly what the other was thinking and planning. Their secret language was also helpful in keeping things private from their own citizens. When one lived in a country where the Trees and Rivers could speak and listen and where many animals had such acute hearing that they could hear you even before you could them, privacy was a luxury and an illusion. It was not that they exactly had secrets from their subjects, rather that some things were not for everybody's information. A case in point was when Susan had told Lucy that her first monthly had arrived, thinking they were in private and had spent the next week or so being congratulated by all and sundry for reaching her 'breeding years!' Narnians, they had discovered, had not precisely the same view of humans on such matters, viewing breeding and the act of mating as natural and not at all something to be hidden or to be embarrassed about.

Across the room, Rabadash watched Susan, unaware that her distraction was due to the fact that she was carrying out a conversation with her brother. The Prince's lip curled into a sneer, but he quickly moderated his expression into the same open, pleasant visage he had been wearing since his arrival in Narnia. "I must have this beautiful barbarian Queen" he thought to himself. "I shall have her, the accursed proud daughter of a dog. And if war breaks out because of it, so much the better. This barbarian, idle, disordered country has stood free long enough!"