Chapter 16: Lady Mallory the Fearless
Her head was throbbing and aching so badly and the bright light didn't help one bit. Bit by bit, she forced her eyes open to see her surroundings. She found herself lying on grass and the blue sky spread out forever before her eyes. A cool breeze blew and lessened the headache a bit. The sound of hooves came thud-thud-thud gently and she felt a nudge on her shoulder, then there came a shout: "It's her, that girl Mallory, over there on the grass!" And then the ground pounded with the sound of stamping boots and suddenly she was surrounded by people.
The first face she saw was Prince Lune. "Are you all right?"
She nodded weakly. "Yes, I think." She tried to sit up, but a sharp, swift sensation stabbed up her leg and she dropped back onto the ground, overwhelmed by the pain. "Have I broken my leg?" she asked groggily.
"Which leg is it?"
"The – the left one."
Prince Lune examined it and winced a little. "No, I don't think it's broken. But it's got a terrible gash on it. Were you spiked by a mace?"
She shrugged. "I don't know." Maybe she had been slashed, maybe she hadn't. She couldn't remember.
Prince Lune scooped her up into his strong arms and said consolingly, "You'll be all right, all right? The physician will patch you up."
"He'd better," she answered and swallowed and she blanked out again.
It was days before the pain finally went away as the wound healed. Mallory was just thankful that she hadn't broken any bones, especially the bones in her head because she was sure that she had been hit by a club, but no, thankfully, nothing had been broken.
Rum, Rumil and Rumilia visited her on her third day in the infirmary. They came with a basket of fruits. Mallory was a bit dismayed that the King of Fruits wasn't included in any of it. Then she remembered Firumel and wondered if he was all right. It seemed so long ago when she had last eaten the King of Fruits with the Eagle.
"You were excellent out there!" said Rumil, and he gave her a hearty pat on her shoulder. "You should have seen yourself! I'll never look down on a girl again."
"I'm just glad that you're all right!" said Rumilia. She threw her arms around Mallory and gave her a tight hug. Mallory laughed. "So am I. Oof, Rumilia, not breathing! Not breathing!" Rumilia squealed and released her.
Then Rum came to the fore and he smiled at her. Mallory noticed that he looked a good deal older and more mature than when she had first met him. A sword of fair length hung from a belt around his waist. He seemed taller and more broad-shouldered too. Suddenly, he reminded her of Peter, and that reminded her of the Susan, Edmund and Lucy, and she wondered how they were doing now too.
"You put up a great fight with the Minotaurs," he said.
She felt her cheeks grow a bit red. "Er, thanks. You were good too."
"Not as good as you!" He laughed. "Most importantly, you saved Father's life. He admitted it himself. If you hadn't intervened in time, he could have been, I mean," he gulped, "Archenland would have lost a King."
"Don't you say that, Rum," said Mallory. "It's done and over with."
"I know." He grinned. "But I've got better news. Father's going to knight you!"
Her eyes widened. "Knight me?"
"As soon as you're well!" exclaimed Rumil. "You're going to be a Lady, Mallory! Imagine that! At first we insisted on 'Sir' because 'Lady' sounds a little too sissy, but - "
"There's nothing wrong with being a Lady!" said Rumilia hotly. "Really! Boys!"
Mallory couldn't help but grin as her spirits soared. Lady Mallory! Hmm . . .
A week later, Mallory was finally allowed to leave the bed. Never had the freedom of walking and running been so refreshing and wholesome to her! The very afternoon after her discharge, she played tag with Rum, Rumil and Rumilia, a game in which even Prince Lune, Prince Mar, and Prince Marril took part in. Prince Marril taught her how to hawk with his falcon, Beatnik, and Mallory fell in love with the sport at once, much to the disapproval of Rumilia.
After she had ran and laughed as hard as she could, Mallory went to visit Snowmane in the stables, accompanied by Rum, Rumil and Prince Lune. Rumilia hated the smell of horses so she went back to her room so that she could get ready for dinner.
Rumil shook his head sadly. "She's going to grow up to be a vain-pot, that's for sure."
Snowmane had indeed sprained his leg, but the vet was a very experienced and skilled one, so the Unicorn had managed to recover quicker than Mallory. She laughed with pure joy when she saw that he was truly all right. In fact, he was already so well that he consented to give rides to Rum and Rumil. They were about to ask Snowmane if he would give them more rides when Prince Lune announced that it was time to get back to the castle for dinner.
"Can we stay a little longer? Please?" begged Rumil.
"Come on, Rumil. You heard Lune," said Rum. "I'd sure like my dinner now."
"Well said, Rum," said Mallory. Rum grinned at her.
At dinner, there was even more good news for them. King Rufus announced that it was high time that he stepped down from the throne and Prince Lune ascended it, as he had proved himself more than worthy in the battle of Anvard. The Prince blushed furiously as the dining hall erupted in cheers and claps.
"And as for Mallory," said King Rufus as he smiled at her, "she will have her reward for saving not only my life but also the fate of all Archenland. She will be knighted tomorrow at the coronation of Prince Lune." Rum and Rumil cheered and yelled and clapped Mallory heartily on the back, who could only manage to smile.
The castle was turned topsy-turvy the next morning as everyone prepared for the coronation. New tapestries were hung on the walls, suits of armour were polished to perfection, the great hall decorated with carpets and the dais cleaned and scrubbed until it shone. Mallory had an especially difficult time. She was forced to try on countless dresses until the handmaidens finally settled on an emerald-green dress with a fitting bodice. And that wasn't even the end of it; she had to sit patiently on before the mirror as her wavy, dark hair was fussed and tousled and pinned up so many times that she lost count, but at last her hair was left alone to hang loosely around her shoulders, of which Mallory felt extremely uncomfortable because she was so used to having her hair tied up in a ponytail. But she had to admit that she looked a thousand times better than before, so she didn't complain.
Prince Lune's coronation went first, and it was a grand event. He was decked in clothes truly fit for a King. It was an emotional moment when King Rufus removed the crown from his head, a golden circlet studded with rubies, and placed it on his son's head. "May you have a long and prosperous reign, and don't you dare go about losing your head!" said King Rufus kindly.
"I won't, Father," said the-now King Lune and they hugged. Rufus clapped his son on his back and kissed his forehead. "You will always have my blessings, my son!" Then Rufus descended from the dais and King Lune ascended it and sat on the seat that his father had vacated.
"Long live, King Lune! Long live, Archenland!"
After the applause had subsided, King Lune stood and drew his sword and held it upright. "I call upon Mallory of Narnia," he announced solemnly.
Mallory left her post at the stone chairs and walked up nervously towards the dais, her fingers clutching the sides of her skirts. She ascended one step, and she knelt and bowed her head. The silence of the great hall felt heavy and tense, until King Lune finally said, "For your heroic courage and selfless deeds in the battle of Anvard, whereupon you had saved the life of the King Rufus, I knight you Lady Mallory the Fearless, and from now on, you shall be Lady Mallory of Archenland."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I hear, I honour, and I obey," she recited the lines that had been taught to her earlier. King Lune touched her shoulder with his sword and placed a thin, silver circlet on her head. Mallory couldn't help but be astounded, because even if the silver showed her lesser rank, the circlet itself proved her to be a member of the royalty of Archenland.
"Welcome to the family, Mallory," whispered King Lune as he winked at her.
News came soon from Narnia of the defeat of the White Witch and the crowning of its new Kings and Queens, who were doubtlessly King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy. Mallory wished she could have been there to witness their coronation, but it was just her bad luck. All of Archenland rejoiced: the evil time was over and done with.
Mallory learnt that being a Lady was not as easy as it seemed to be. The very next day, she was told by King Lune that she was to attend the lessons with Rum and Rumil. Mallory fussed and grumbled, but King Lune's words were law, so there was nothing much she could do about it. However, the good thing was she was allowed to do anything she wished on weekends.
One day when she was studying History with Rum and was trying to memorise some very troublesome facts, her mind flew to Father Christmas's house at Mount Pire and she suddenly remembered something very important.
"My Chest!" she exclaimed, startling Rum.
"What? What chest?"
"It's the Chest – the Enchanted Chest – oh, what would you know about it?" And without even bothering to excuse herself from the class, she dashed for the stables, fetched Snowmane and tried to convince him to give her a ride to Mount Pire.
"No, my lady! Not without proper provisions!" said the Unicorn sternly. "And certainly not without telling King Lune first!" Mallory was very cross when she heard this, but she couldn't deny the truth in this, and so she trooped back towards the castle and told King Lune of her wish to visit the House of Father Christmas to fetch 'a very important belonging'. Fortunately for her, he was in a good mood and he allowed her to go, as long as she took Rum with her because it wouldn't be fair for him.
"Where are we going?" asked Rum as they both went down back to the stables, already changed into their riding attire.
"To the House of Father Christmas. I have to get my Chest back."
"Father Christmas!" his eyes lit up. "Surely – you know him?"
Mallory almost said, "He's my brother,", but checked herself just in time.
