In case for some strange reason you did not read chapter nine, which was just my author notes, Emmet's name changed to William.
Calormen
Peter looked out over the city from his place on the cliff top. He hadn't really ever seen Calormen when he was king. It was strange to actually look out at the landscape, and take in what was there. Well, actually there wasn't much. Stretching from the Western Mountains to the Great Eastern Ocean, along The Great Northern Desert, that separated Calormen from its northern neighbors, was just as big, empty, and hot as ever. From where Peter stood, he could just make out Tashbaan, the great walled capital of Calormen, with its palace at the center. Peter stared at the peek of the castle, and thought of how he would soon be leaving Rachel in this god forsaken place to fend for herself. I will have to leave her some guards, Peter thought. Peter turned to see Rachel ridding her mare up beside him
"So thats it?" Rachel asked, staring out at the wasteland
"Yes" Peter said solemnly
"Well, its not much to work with. I'm going to have a lot of work ahead of me if I have to whip this place into shape" She laughed half-heartedly
"I can tell you now, it will not be easy. The legend is that Calormen was founded by outlaws. They have been trying to conquer Narnia and Archenland forever"
"Really? Hurry and give me a culture lesson. I don't know anything about a country that I will have to rule"
"Alright," Peter chuckled, "Most of the citizens have dark skin, and the men have beards"
"Why don't I have dark skin?" Rachel interrupted
"Well, I'm not sure what the story is behind your parents, but your mother was probably foreign. Anyways, the people mostly wear flowing robes, turbans and wooden shoes with an upturned point at the toe, and the preferred weapon is the scimitar"
"What a choice of wardrobe I shall have" Rachel joked
"Lavish palaces are present in the capital Tashbaan. Thats the city with in the large wall over there. The people of Calormen are concerned with maintaining honour and precedent, often speaking in maxims and quoting their ancient poets. Power and wealth determine class and social standing, and slavery is commonplace. Narnians hold Calormenes in disdain for their treatment of their animals and slaves"
"I will have to end the mistreatment as soon as possible. And slavery, that won't do at all!"
"Anyways," Peter laughed at Rachel's concerned expression, "The ruler of Calormen is called the Tisroc and is believed by the Calormene people to have descended in a direct line from the god Tash, whom the people worship in addition to other gods and goddesses. Below the Tisroc are his sons (princes), a Grand Vizier, and the noble class, who are addressed as Tarkaans and Tarkheenas. Beneath them are the soldier of the empire's vast army, merchants, and the peasantry, with slaves being the lowest rung on the social ladder. The Calormene leaders are portrayed as quite war-like, and the Tisrocs all seem to have a wish to conquer the "barbarian" lands to their north"
"Until now of course" Susan came up behind Peter, "I was talking to Tumnus, he said that all the Calormenes are so frightened by the Witchs return, that they have signed a treaty with Narnia. For once, the war like nature of the Calormenes might be a good thing. It will be useful to have them on our side in the battle. Calormen is apparently very different now that the world has started over. The are frightened because a major event that caused the world ended last time was their successful invasion of Narnia. All that was erased when the world started over, but for some reason, everyone remembers everything. Very strange isn't it. Just think, if we hadn't fallen back out of the wardrobe, we would not be back here now. We would have grown old and died, just like everyone else, but we wouldn't have come back like they did, because we served our purpose in history. Prince Caspian didn't come back, but Tumnus did. So confusing, I'm just going to stop talking before I confuse anyone else. Lets get a move on, move out!" Susan shouted to the group of troops and others behind her
"Oh Rachel, one more thing, Calormen has never been ruled by a female before. Actually, your father is probably the one on the throne now. The Calormenes are god fearing people, they will give you the throne, but your father will probably hold on to it for a while, and have great influence when he gives it up. By the way, whenever you say the word 'Tisroc' you have to say "May he live forever" alright?"
"Alright, lets go" Rachel flashed Peter a smile before dashing down the rocky slope at a dangerous speed. Peter followed her, just as quickly
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"Approach" the guard at the large gate said sternly, "State your name and purpose"
"High King Peter, King of all Narnia, come to see the Tisroc, may he live forever" Peter replied steadily. Peter had approached the gate by himself, leaving the troops, Susan, Edmund, Rachel, and William a few yards behind him. They had left Lucy behind, to return for her after everything was safe. Now, Rachel appeared beside Peter. He felt stronger, knowing that she was beside him. He would be happy once she was in control of this country of bandits
"Please, sir, I am..." Rachel began, but Peter jabbed he in the ribs
"What was she saying?" the guard asked
"She was just saying that she was tiered and wanted to come inside" Peter said quickly, before Rachel could speak. The guard looked at Rachel and grunted, before beginning to slowly push the heavy door open
"Why did you cut me off?" Rachel whispered to Peter once they were safely inside the city walls and away from the guard
"You don't want to let on that you are royalty to common people, like soldiers, before you have even seen the Tisroc. Ransom is a word they common people are quite familiar with"Peter whispered back. Both of them fell silent as they approached the enormous palace
"Crimmy" Peter heard William say under his breath. The soldiers motioned for Edmund, Susan, Peter, William, and Rachel to come forward. Peter nodded to his warriors and escorts to stay behind. The small five children slowly mounted the large stone steps to the palace before disappearing into the archway at the top. They were escorted by dark, bearded, men in turbans down a long walkway in an extraordinarily large room, towards a mound of stones, fashioned to be a throne. Rachel gasped when she say the figure seated on the throne. Peter would have gasped to if this man was most likely his biological father. The man was tall, dark, and not unhandsome. He had dark hair, crowned by a elaborate turban, royal looking garments, dark skin, and a brow creased by many years of stress and worry. At first glance, he appeared to be a stern, almost cruel looking man, but with a second glance, one could see a glimmer of kindness still dancing behind his dark eyes
"Why are you bothering me now Famulus?" He asked wearily, not looking up from the letter held in his hands
"Visitors, your highness, King Peter, Queen Susan, and King Edmund, from Narnia, as well as their two companions" the escort, presumably named Famulus, answered. The Tisroc looked up from the letter
"Oh, they told me that you would be returning. To what do I owe this honnor?" the Tisroc asked, sounding almost bored with the fact they were here, or at least far from respectful
"I presume you know of the inscription written upon the Tombs of Tashbaan?" Peter said carefully. The Tisrocs face suddenly became blank and his eyes remorseful
"Yes, I may have heard of the inscription" He said quietly
"Ah, but did you hear that the lost princess has been found, and brought back to this world?" Rachel starred at Peter, wondering at how he had just slipped her into the conversation through only two simple sentences
"What! Shes back!" the Tisroc looked straight at Peter, his eyes boring into him
"Oh yes, she is back, and already in Calormen" Susan casually stepped up next to Peter
"Where is she?" the Tisroc glanced from Peter to Susan
"Right here" Edmund also managed to find a place next to his siblings. Rachel wished she had been taking notes on this encounter. Peter had included her in the conversation, then made an opening for his siblings, who had placed themselves into the midst of everything without even batting an eye. It was all for one now. William to could see how Peter had maneuvered the conversation
"Right here! Where?" the Tisroc jumped to his feet
Rachel realized that Edmund had just invited her to join them, "I am she" she said more confidently than she felt
"You! You cannot be her, your skin is to fair" the Tisroc spat
"But does she not fit the description?" Peter asked
"Yes, look the, hair of night and eyes of stars" Edmund motioned to Rachel
"And she was in another world, but was able to come here. She is exactly what the inscription described" Susan added
"As to her skin being fair, that would rely on who her parents were, would it not?" Peter said
"True, true" the Tisroc muttered, "You do look an awfully like my Amicitia"
"Amicitia" Rachel whispered, recalling a face related to this strangely familiar name. The Tisroc glanced at her, "I remember" Rachel said slowly, "Not much, but I remember a beautiful lady giving me to someone, after she wrote something on a large stone. She was a very pretty lady, with light skin and kind eyes. She had hair the color of honey. She loved me very much, but she died"
"You are the princess! You must be. Only her own daughter would remember what Amicitia looked like. If you are Amicitia's daughter, then you are the true heir to Calormen. You are also, " the Tisroc paused, looking pained, but he finally said, "My daughter". All eyes turned to stare at the Tisroc at this last statement, but the silence was shattered by a tall, long legged, dark skinned, regal looking young man, who looked to be around the same age as Peter, perhaps younger
"Father! You cannot had away my kingdom to the first street urchin who comes off the street" the boy exclaimed
"Atrox! Be quiet! It is not your kingdom while I still live, and don't get any ideas about putting your own father out of the picture. This is Amicitia's daughter, my first child and decreed by law, the heir to the throne" the Tisroc said sternly
"Oh posh with the laws. I am the heir to the throne. I was born in this lifetime, she was born in the first history. I am your only son, and technically your first child" The boy, called Atrox, waved his fathers words away
"I shall not be dissuaded Atrox, her mother was my first wife, yours is wife, uh, forty seven, correct?" The Tisroc said calmly
Peter leaned over to whisper to Rachel, "The Tisroc sometimes can have a hundred wives"
"Fine, do what you will, but mark my words, one of fair skin and friend of the northerners cannot possibly hope to rule this mighty land capably" with that, Atrox stormed out
"I am sorry for his behavior. He is technically the same age as you, but he was born in this second history, not the original as you were. You are my first and only child from the old world, the first world that is. The law says that if something drastic should ever happen, like the world repeating history for instance, that the eldest child, even if it was a girl, should be heir to the throne. Anyways, oh you remind me so much of your mother, come you have much to learn. You must rule this country when I am unable, or have passed on. To do that, you must have much training. As the great poet Poematis once said,
Swords can be kept off with shields
but the Eye of Wisdom pierces through every defence.
I always liked that saying. It reminds me of how all noble warriors have sudden deaths full of honor in some battle or another. Even emporers, kings, and tisrocs die out there. Come, come, Ancilla will wait on you. Ancilla, show her to a room and give her a dress. We shall have a feast tonight!" The Tisroc left the room by means of a entrance behind the throne. A shabby looking girl emerged from the shadows and led Rachel through a similar entrance. Soon the room was empty, save for Peter, Susan, Edmund, and William.
"Now what?" William asked aloud. As if on cue, the same escort, Famulus, entered the large throne room and motioned for them to follow him. They did so. He led them back out side, and around the side of the palace, where they found a large open courtyard, already filled with tents. The Narnian soldiers were wandering listlessly about, but brightened at the sight of the three royals.
"There will be a feast tonight" Peter told his small infantry, "But until then, you will have to find ways to pass the time" The soldiers grunted in displeasure, but went on their business. Peter felt sorry for them. They had been waiting here for a while, only to be told to wait longer. Peter himself began to feel depressed. All he could see was the great wall, tents surrounding him, and one side of the palace. Not to mention sand, sand, sand. Peter realized that it would be painfully long before night. Night was the time when the sun was gone, taking the heat with it. There was far to much heat here, Peter thought. But what could be expected, for after all Calor is latin for heat.
Long and without action, I know, but the plot is thickening. A new chapter soon. Oh by the way, every name I created in this chapter, (Atrox, Ancilla, ect.) all have a special meaning in latin. If you wanted to find out about the characters roles or personalities, you could translate the words on http/www.math.ubc.ca/people/faculty/cass/frivs/latin/latin-dict-full.html but thats only if you feel like it. you dnt have to to understand the story, but you might get ideas for one of your own characters from this web site.