Lalevis

"Father, meet Duchess Saedra Harden of Archenland."

Saedra and Rahai had just entered Rahai's father's large office and were standing in front of his wooden desk. Seated behind the desk was a man in his late fifties with greying hair and expensive clothes. He didn't have as many jewels on as did many men in his station and had a dignified, tan face that was studying her very closely.

Saedra curtsied, and he stood up and walked around the desk towards them.

"Saedra, this is my father, Cradish Tarkaan, the famed war hero of Calormen."

Cradish bowed, and though Saedra had never heard of him, she wasn't surprised that he had once been a warrior. He was tall and despite his age, looked to be in excellent shape, which was very different from the obese men in the Tisroc's court.

"I'm honored by your presence. I've heard much about you since your arrival in Tashbaan, my Lady," Cradish said in a deep voice.

Saedra laughed nervously. "Nothing good, I suspect."

Cradish raised his eyebrows, "Quite the contrary. All of Tashbaan is astir that a beautiful woman from the North that looks just like my long-dead sister has arrived."

"Pardon me?" Saedra asked, confused.

"Let's sit down," Rahai suggested, and they settled themselves in the comfortable couches. "Now Father, what is this about? Why'd you want to meet Saedra?"

Cradish looked at Saedra. "I think the Duchess has the answers."

"Me!"

"Yes, you. Tell me, who is your mother?"

"My mother is dead. Truly, I know very little about her." She paused. "My father never spoke of her. You know, I don't even know her real name! She was always referred to as 'The Duchess,' and no one would ever speak of her at home. I never thought of it as strange—until now that you ask me about her."

Cradish looked at her intensely. "Do you have any idea why they would do that?"

"No, I don't," Saedra stared off behind him, out the open window that let in a warm breeze. "My father never wanted to talk about her, but I assumed it was because he missed her too much to talk about her. Sometimes it seemed like the thought of her made him angry, making me suspect that she'd hurt him."

Cradish sat back in his seat, satisfied. "I can assure you that your mother would never hurt a fly, let alone her husband."

Saedra laughed shortly. "How can you be so sure?"

"I knew her. She was my sister."

Saedra didn't know what to say. "Your sister?"

Cradish nodded and explained. "As soon as Rahai mentioned your name, I wondered. You are a duchess from Archenland (and my sister married a duke from Archenland), yet look as Calormene as Rahai here. You also look the right age to be my sister's daughter."

"I'm twenty-three," Saedra said.

"Lalevis died twenty-three years ago."

"My mother did die in childbirth…" Saedra said, processing this information and trying to make sure that they weren't missing anything obvious that would prove that the whole idea was preposterous. The whole idea that someone would announce, "You have living relatives!" was strange, to say the least. She'd always been under the impression that her mother had been from Telmar, but she really had no basis for that assumption.

"But if you're my family, why did you not contact me?" she finally asked.

"We didn't know about you," Rahai said.

"But my father wasn't a cruel man," Saedra protested. "If he married a Calormene, surely he wouldn't object to her family! There's no reason that he wouldn't tell you about me when I was born. Maybe the letter got lost somehow."

"No, we did receive word," Cradish said in a low voice. "We received word of her death from pneumonia. But nothing about a child."

Only Saedra's noble upbringing stopped the disbelieving grunt that wanted to be free. "Are you certain I'm the right person?"

"Your father is Dane Harden, is he not?"

"Yes…"

"There's no way you could have a different mother, because Lalevis was still alive around the time you were born. It would have been impossible for Dane to take another wife so fast, and it would take another nine months at least for her to bear a child."

Silence followed that speech.

Finally, Saedra said quietly, "Tell me about her."

It was apparent that Cradish had been fond of his sister, for a pleasant expression filled his face as he thought back. "Lalevis, daughter of Tishrash Tarkaan, good friend of the Great and Majestic Tisroc (may he live forever), was very pretty—the prettiest girl in the Tashbaan it was said. She was ten years younger than I from a different mother. She was the apple of everyone's eye, and because of that our father didn't pressure her to marry until she was sixteen when she had two offers of marriage.

"The first was from the Grand Vizier (not Ahoshta, but the one before him). He was old—near death as was soon revealed, and had had his eye on dear Lalevis since she was little. Lalevis was repulsed by the idea, so was her mother Sadris, but there was no way to refuse him without causing a scandal and shaming the family.

"Fortunately, (or perhaps not so fortunately, we will never know) Dane Harden was acting as ambassador and visiting Tashbaan at that time. The minute he laid eyes on Lalevis, he was mesmerized by her as all men were who beheld her. He was a handsome, gracious man, and the decision was easy for her. She married Dane within a month of the proposal in a lavish Calormene wedding. Afterwards, she sailed north with him, and we didn't see her for eight years until she came back down when our father was dying.

"When she returned, she was a changed woman. She was no longer just a pretty girl but a beautiful woman, but the North had changed her. She was more reserved and she confided in us how lonely she had been up there, even though people were kind. She ended up spending a year with us before she got word that Dane missed her terribly and wanted her back. She left, and half a year later we received word of her death."

Saedra was dumbfounded, and even Rahai looked like some of this was new to her. Cradish didn't say anything more while Saedra reflected on what he had told her, just watched her reactions.

A million things were going through Saedra's mind, and the main thing was, Why wasn't I told any of this! She could see no reason or motive for Cradish to lie to her. On top of that, there was definitely a family resemblance between Saedra and Rahai…a person would have to be blind not to see it. That must have been what the fuss was about when the Tashbaanians saw her with Susan in the litter when they had first arrived.

"Anything else you want to tell me?" Saedra said, giving a short laugh. "I couldn't be more stunned than I am now."

"You're named for your grandmother Sadris," Cradish shrugged, looking sympathetic. "She is out for the day with a family friend, but she will be back later tonight."

Saedra nodded. "I would love to meet her."

She met her grandmother that night at dinner.

When Saedra and Rahai entered the dining room, Cradish and another man who looked to be the same age as him were lounging on the couches around the low table. With them was a woman who was maybe ten years older than Cradish (Cradish had explained that she was not his biological mother; she was his father's second wife). She had the remnants of a beautiful face, though it was lined with wrinkles. She had long white hair that hung about her still-slim figure gracefully.

Cradish and the other man were chatting quietly, and when they noticed the cousins walking towards them the two men stood up to greet the guest.

"Saedra, let me introduce you to an old family friend," Cradish said, patting the man on the back. "This is Tarkaan Abrastan. He was a—a good friend of your mother's." His voice faltered, and Saedra wondered if it hurt him to be reminded of his dead sister after all of these years.

Saedra curtsied and Abrastan bowed politely, staring at her intensely the whole time. He was an extremely handsome man, and also had the muscular physique of Cradish. But despite his good looks, he had the dull look of someone who had seen what the world had to offer and found it wanting.

"Get out of my way, Cradish!" Sadris snapped from the chair. "I want to see Saedra."

Cradish rolled his eyes, and he and Abrastan moved out of Sadris' line of vision.

Saedra instantly felt nervous. What would Sadris think of her namesake? Saedra had had no idea that she had any living relatives, and now she had a cousin, uncle, and grandmother, and who knows what else! She suddenly didn't want anything to mess it up-she needed Sadris to like her.

"Come here, girl," Sadris said, holding up her thin arms to beckon Saedra closer.

Saedra obeyed, kneeling down in front of her couch. Sadris put her hands on Saedra's face and turned it around to see all of the angles, as if she was a nurse examining her.

After a few minutes of silence, Sadris announced, "She's my Lalevis' girl, all right," even though at that point there wasn't any real question about it. "You don't have her good looks, but there's no doubt about who your parents are. Unfortunately, you have your father's eyes; Rahai inherited the pretty ones."

"I do?" Saedra asked, surprised about the comment about the eyes. "But-" She was going to point out that Dane's eyes had been blue and not brown when Sadris quickly said, "I don't mean the color, dear, of course. Just…the shape." Then she chuckled, "You do seem have some of Lalevis' spirit, though. The Northerners haven't driven it from you fully."

Saedra didn't like the tone of voice Sadris used about the North. "I think my spirit is due to the fact that I am Northerner, not in spite of it."

"Oh?"

Emboldened by Sadris' disbelieving look, Saedra elaborated. "If I had been born here, I would learned long ago that the world is only for men and that women are only accessories, and would have either killed myself or become dull and lifeless."

She knew she had spoken too much, but she was becoming tired of the way women were treated in Tashbaan. Even her own uncle had introduced his male friend to her before introducing her to her own grandmother, and while that wasn't a huge issue, it showed a lack of respect.

Sadris' eyebrow was cocked. "I see you have been talking to our Rahai."

"Yes, but mainly I have been talking to the slaves about what it is like to live here."

"Have a seat, Saedra," Cradish said firmly. "You must be hungry."

Saedra, surprised at the interruption to their conversation, looked between Sadris and Cradish for a second before taking the empty couch. A slave instantly came out of the shadows to help her fill her plate with the food that was piled on the table.

"I don't know if Rahai has mentioned it, but she has two younger sisters," Cradish said, chomping on some food. "The gods didn't see fit to bless us with sons, but at least they're pretty like their sister."

"Where are they?" Saedra asked.

Cradish stopped eating and looked at her as if surprised that she spoke. "They are out of town visiting some friends in the South, suffering through their last months of being maidens. At least they won't shame me by not marrying." He looked over at Rahai and glared at her, but she only looked down at her plate and continued her quiet eating.

Saedra was puzzled by Rahai's uncharacteristic silence and asked her, "How old are your sisters?"

"Thirteen and fourteen," Cradish answered instead. "It's about time one of my daughters married. Rahai is shaming our family with her inability."

The rest of the dinner continued much this way until Abrastan and Cradish started talking about the southern part of Calormen and completely ignored the women. After dinner was done, Saedra and Rahai went up to Rahai's bedroom.

Once Rahai had shut the door behind her, she leaned against it and said, "By Tash, that's the worst he's been in a long time. Saedra, you mustn't think ill of father. He just gets like this whenever there are other men around. When it's just us women with him, he's usually fine."

"I was about to say! I was startled by his change in countenance. He went from being a loving—well, not outright loving, but an interested father and uncle—to being hostile!"

"That's the way it is in every home," Rahai said, walking over to a couch and sitting in it. "Honestly, I didn't think twice about it until I went up to Narnia and saw how equal the sexes are up there. You spoke to all the men as an equal, and they respected you. I had never seen that in all my days, and it makes me take another look at how things happen here."

"You make things sound like they are perfect up north," Saedra quickly said. "They may be better than down here, but they aren't perfect. I still have to deal with residual anger with the men who don't like the fact that my father passed down the leadership of his province to his daughter. Now I know that some of the spite had to do with the fact that I am half-Calormene, but there have been some snide comments about women in a man's occupation all the same."

"Saedra, all I know is that I'd trade places with you any day. If my father forces me to marry some old man who's too inept to take note of my supposed barrenness, I don't know what I'll do! Maybe I should run away and live with you," she sighed.

Saedra knew that she had been joking, but assured her all the same, "You're always welcome to my home. I'd be glad of the company, for there are only two of us women that live in the castle that aren't attendants."

"Sounds lovely," Rahai said. "I think I'll take you up on that offer one day."

The days Saedra spent in the company of her newfound family were the most instructive days of her life. It had been one thing to stay in the palace and with the Narnians; it was another thing to actually live with the Tashbaanians and experience a slice of their existence. She began to understand and even appreciate their way of life, but some things about Calormen continued to confuse and aggravate her.

For example, the way Cradish acted continued to be a mystery to her. Sometimes he would go so far as to be affectionate with Rahai and Sadris, but other times he would be brash and treat them like they were no more than scum. He usually treated Saedra with more respect since she was a guest. But most disturbing to her was the fact that twice during her visit, Cradish left them without hiding the fact that he was headed to the brothels!

Abrastan was very different from Cradish, and Saedra liked him even though he was moody and silent most of the time. His respect for women was obvious, and he was the first Calormene man that she had seen that trait in. He had a strong dislike for the brothels and did not hide that fact from Cradish, who would just laugh off his comments. The only thing that puzzled her about Cradish was that he hated to hear anyone talk about Lalevis and would avoid Saedra whenever possible.

Sadris was the one that Saedra came to know the most besides Rahai, and she was a multi-faceted woman. She had a lot of spirit, yet knew her place in society and submitted to her son's authority, though not always happily. She could be very snippety, but also be very generous and kind. It was obvious that she had been very pampered and spoiled her whole life and treated slaves like dirt. Saedra was fascinated by her and asked her innumerable questions about her mother Lalevis.

One day Sadris took Saedra up to Lalevis' old room. The door had been locked, and when Sadris unlocked it, she opened the door slowly and held it open for Saedra. Saedra walked in, looking around.

The room was on the third floor of the house in the northwest corner. Since it was afternoon, she could see the tops of the trees through the windows. A large porch wound around the corner of the house holding pots overflowing with exotic flowers.

Inside, the room was spacious. On the wall to Saedra's left was a large canopied bed with yellow drapes, and next to it on each side were little tables that had various articles on them: pens, paper, hair pieces, nail paint, body oil, etc. They all rested there as if Lalevis had just been in there a second ago. On one of the couches in front of the door lay a dress that looked as if had just been taken off and thrown there.

"She never liked the slaves to touch her things," Sadris said, following Saedra's eyes. "She used to throw tantrums when she was little when a slave put something away and she couldn't find it."

Saedra chuckled, walking around the room. "It's like she never left." She turned towards her grandmother. "Thank you so much for taking me up here. It really means a lot to me."

Sadris waved her hand as if it was no big deal, but she looked away and swallowed. "I've only been up here once since she left. It brings back so many memories..."

"Like what?" Saedra asked gently. It was the little details about her mother that interested her as much as the big ones. These were all things that I would have known if she'd lived.

Sadris walked over to the closet and picked up a pair of satin shoes that were lying on the ground. "She wore these when she danced for the Tisroc." Tears filled her eyes. "We were all so proud of her that day...She was always dancing and singing around the house. She didn't sing nearly as well as she danced, but it made the house so cheery."

Saedra sat down on the bed slowly, soaking in every word Sadris said.

"She was the delight of her brother, and even my husband spoiled her-and he was a proud man who wouldn't even give in to me, but she had him wrapped around her fingers." She walked over to the dress that was thrown on the couch and fingered it. "She was wearing this the day she left. During the year she spent with us, she reverted back to wearing Calormene clothes. When her ship arrived to take her home, she took this one off and changed back into her northern dress. I remember that day as if it was yesterday."

"Didn't she miss her husband while she was here?" Saedra asked. Her father had been a kind man, and she was slightly perplexed why Lalevis would stay here so long once she was married. Surely her own parents had loved each other!

Sadris snapped out of whatever nostalgic mood she was in and looked at Saedra as if she saw her in a different light. "You wouldn't understand. You didn't grow up here. Tashbaan may have its issues, but it's home. To have to leave here when you're only sixteen and still attached to your family...I don't blame her for what she did."

"What she did? You mean staying here?"

Sadris gave Saedra a measuring look. Finally she said, "Yes, staying here."

After that, Sadris was no longer so talkative and was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Saedra was perplexed, but knew better than to pressure her to talk when she didn't want to.

Lasaraleen would stop by every day to chat with her friends. Her visits were often long and could be laborious, but Saedra and Rahai put up with her because they pitied her. Lasaraleen's husband was still out of town and she had few friends that would actually put up with her like they did, therefore she was a lonely girl. She did provide a good amount of entertainment, so the three usually had fun together.

One afternoon while Saedra, Rahai, Sadris, and Lasaraleen were having lunch on a patio at Cradish's estate (which was located on the river banks), a slave brought in a note for Rahai, saying, "Master Cradish wishes you to read this note, Mistress Rahai." He then handed Saedra another similar note and said, "This was also arrived for you, Duchess."

As Rahai was scanning hers, Sadris said eagerly, "What is it, girl?"

"Ahoshta Tarkaan has invited us to dine with him tomorrow," Rahai said slowly. "What did yours say, Saedra?"

"It's from Susan and Edmund. They're telling me the same thing, that Ahoshta has invited us to dine with him tomorrow and 'specifically' asked for me." She looked up. "Why in the world would he specifically ask for me?"

"Perhaps he has taken an interest in you," Sadris said gleefully. "That is good news indeed, for if you marry him you will live near us."

"Grandmother!" Rahai exclaimed. "She will do no such thing! Besides, Ahoshta has already asked the hand of Aravis, daughter of Kidrash Tarkaan."

Sadris waved her hand airily. "He will prefer Saedra, mark my words. Men cannot resist a foreign woman."

"She's not really foreign," Rahai reminded.

"Even better! She has Calormene beauty but talks foreign and wears their clothing—an unbeatable match."

Saedra and Rahai looked at each other, both knowing there was no talking Sadris out of her ideas. Just then, Saedra noticed that Lasaraleen was looking left out. "Maybe you have an invitation back at your home," she suggested to her, trying to make her feel better.

Lasaraleen grunted. "No, I know there isn't. I never get invited anywhere when my husband isn't in town."

"Well, why don't you come anyway?" Saedra asked. Rahai and Sadris stared at her like she was crazy and she asked defensively: "What?"

"You can't just bring Lasaraleen along when she isn't invited, my girl!" Sadris exclaimed.

"Whyever not? I don't mind in the least when someone brings an extra guest to my house; all we do is bring in another plate."

"Saedra, things are different here," Rahai said slowly. "It just isn't done."

"It's all right, Saedra, really," Lasaraleen said. "I can stay at home tomorrow."

"No, it's ridiculous that Lasaraleen can't go tomorrow," Saedra insisted. "It sounds like a large party, and if she was invited to the Tisroc's party, I doubt she'd be rejected at the Grand Vizier's!"

"Saedra—" Rahai said in a warning voice, but Saedra spoke over her.

"Lasaraleen can come as my guest, and I will hear no more words against it. If the Grand Vizier is offended by it, he can tell me himself!"