Disclaimer: The usual, people.
High King Peter finished negotiations with the Archenlanders early in the day so that he could dedicate his time to appeasing the demanding Tarkaan. He and the ambassadors walked away from the conference table as faithful allies and prosperous trade partners. Queen Susan charmed Bor and Borin into staying on for a few days as guests, and they soon became personal friends to the monarchy of Narnia. The discussion with Calormen, however, was not so successful.
Jazkar Tarkaan lounged on the plush couch in his quarters, casting a disdainful look at the rich velvet hangings that adorned the room. He considered them quite nondescript compared to the luxurious trappings that his Tisroc offered him in the palace. As for the Kings of Narnia, they were wasting their resources on his slaves. Jazkar thought very little of his servants. He had brought many of them along for show only, especially the little barbarian girl he had gotten cheap in Tashbaan. She was a tiny runt of a child, barely suitable for the simple labor that Jazkar put her to. But the Tarkaan thought that he would look even grander and more impressive in the eyes of Narnia when they saw that he kept one of their own blood in his service.
Queen Lucy knocked on Elenie's door, opening it carefully at a soft voice allowing admittance. The servant girl was sitting on a spindly wooden chair by the bedside table, diligently stitching a golden fringe on a purple silk handkerchief. She leapt up as Lucy entered, stowing the needle and thread in a patched sewing box under the bed. "Milady," she said timidly, dropping into a curtsey. Lucy smiled sadly as she surveyed Elenie's patched dress. "Come on," the queen said, beckoning to her friend. "Let's see if we can find you something nicer to wear."
Lucy threw open the door to her wardrobe, rummaging through the drawers and flicking through the garments. Elenie could only look on in wonder as a snowy white shift and a gown of soft rose pink were selected. After slipping into the clothes, she sat at Lucy's dressing table and brushed her blond tresses until they gleamed gold in the sunlight. "If my lord saw this," she whispered, meeting her own gaze in the mirror, "he'd think I stole them."
"He sounds like an perfect beast to me," said Lucy matter-of-factly. "Besides, I'll stay with you and explain it to him if he comes." Elenie smiled as the two girls began their descent down the spiral staircase.
Ambassadors Bor and Borin were dining at the breakfast table when Lucy and Elenie trotted into the room. King Peter nodded at his younger sister, pleased that she had found a friend so soon. But Borin glanced up and froze, his broad, friendly face paling slightly.
"My lord," said Lucy, "you look like you've seen a ghost." The ambassador shook his head, his usual ruddy color returning. "I'm so sorry," he said, "but your chum looks terribly similar to my own wife, deceased for many years. May I ask your name, little one?"
"Elenie," the servant girl answered, and he looked on her kindly and gave her a sweet. "Such a striking resemblance," he sighed, and his brother clasped his shoulder sympathetically.
"How did she die, my lord?" asked Lucy, reaching up and taking the man's hand in a childish yet endearing gesture.
"She died giving birth to our firstborn," Borin answered, smiling down at the compassionate girl. "Unfortunately, our daughter passed away with her. I remember the midwife coming out with the baby covered by a blanket. I never asked for the child's return, so a assume that she was buried by the nurse." He gave Elenie a last look before she curtseyed and left the room with Lucy.
"What a sad story," said the queen as they walked down the beach later that afternoon. "It's the kind you hear in fairytales. But in books the baby is always secretly alive and later returned to the parents."
"I don't think that could happen this time," replied Elenie mournfully, kicking up sand. Suddenly she turned to face Lucy. "The funny thing is," she said thoughtfully, "I remember one thing that happened before I was sold. A woman was holding my hand and pulling me through the crowd in Tashbaan. She was dressed in an apron and hid her face with a shawl because her skin was white. At first I thought she was my mother, but then she sold me to the slave trader."
Lucy waded out into the warm shallows and paused, seawater lapping around her ankles. "You don't think that she could have been the midwife?" she said quietly. "And you—the baby?"
"I don't know," whispered Elenie, "I wish." The two girls stood side by side up in silence, drinking in the flavored breeze and the taste of salt it left on their lips.