Chapter Six

The Horn of Swanwhite

Susan stared out the window as Anvard came into view. It was made of reddish brown stone and had a lot of towers. It was surrounded by green lawns and behind it were woods. It wasn't as grand as Cair Paravel but it had looked just as warm and inviting.

Susan was glad for Peridan's company. The long journey to Anvard seem to fly by since she had someone interesting to talk to. He told her he and his family were now happily settled in their new home near Cair Paravel, though he sometimes missed Archenland and talked lengthily to her about it. By the time they made it to the gates of Archenland's castle and her name was announced, Susan knew more about the native flowers that grew here, the animals and the weather. She gracefully stepped out into the sunshine on Peridan's arm and was greeted by a familiar female shout.

"Queen Susan!"

King Lune and Queen Corinna stood by the gates of their home ready to greet her with pleasant smiles on their faces.

Susan forgot to bow and happily waved back to them. Corinna gaily skipped towards her and enveloped her in a hug.

"Oh how I missed you!" cried the older queen. Susan hugged her back and kissed her cheek. Corinna was twenty-one years old but she always seemed to possess that openly cheerful manner that Susan had grown to like. When they first met in Cair Paravel two years ago shortly after Susan and her siblings were crowned, she immediately got along with both of them so well they made her promise to visit them. It was only now that she had managed to fulfill that promise though she corresponded regularly with them in the last two years.

She introduced Peridan and her Narnian escorts to the monarch couple and they exchanged pleasantries before Corinna claimed Susan's arm.

"How are you?" Susan asked with a tinge of worry. She knew that Corinna and her husband had recently encountered grief when they lost their older son who was kidnapped by one of their own lords.

"Surviving," she said sadly. "But I have faith in Aslan. He will protect our boy, wherever he is."

Susan gripped her hand in a gesture of solidarity before turning to meet Lune's warm kiss on her cheek. "She hasn't accepted that he is gone," the King whispered to Susan. "It's best that we leave it at that."

Susan nodded.

There was the sound of a wailing infant and Corinna claimed Susan's arm. "You must meet Corin," she said proudly as she led Susan inside where the one-year-old boy was crying in his elderly nurse's arms. He was a pale child with blonde locks and blue eyes and he was stubbornly resisting his nurse's pats to calm him. Susan smiled. A memory of Edmund as an infant crossed her mind.

"Hello Corin," she murmured as she stroked his tiny head.

The baby met her gaze and he abruptly stopped crying. Then he held his arms out to Susan as if begging to be taken by her.

"You want to come with me?" offered Susan as she held out her own arms.

The nurse shook his head. "Begging your pardon, but I don't recommend it your majesty," said the nurse. "He's quite an unruly child, he may be too much for you."

But the baby gurgled noisily as if begging to disagree. He continued to reach out to Susan.

"I'll take a chance," said Susan. She took him from the nurse and he calmly held on to her, clasping his tiny arms around her neck.

"How strange," said King Lune. "He never warms up to new people so easily before."

Susan bounced the child playfully in her arm. "Well I think we shall be friends, won't we Corin?"

The baby giggled.

It was lunchtime and King Lune invited Susan and her Narnian companions to dine. However, when Susan attempted to give Corin back to his nurse he cried so violently, she had to reclaim him again. He refused even his own parents' arms. In the end, Susan decided to eat lunch with Corin on her lap. She didn't mind so much as she was fond of babies and rather liked Corin. Halfway through the meal though, the child curled up on Susan's chest and fell asleep while sucking his thumb contentedly. He was quickly whisked away by his nurse to his crib, allowing Susan some rest.

"Forgive my son," said King Lune. "It's the first time he ever did that to anyone."

"Oh it's no trouble," replied Susan. "I adore him."

"Well when you've had enough of the meal I'd like to take you on a tour of Anvard."

Susan nodded. Her Narnian escorts left her to rest themselves and Susan was left with her two friends. They set off beginning with the gardens. Susan found she could find no better guide than her two friends. They pointed to her the flowers and plants that Peridan had told her about and had more to share about the history of Anvard itself. They moved on into the castle where Susan noticed some parts were still under construction.

"The façade and the main building," said King Lune. "Is quite new. Most of the castle burned down decades ago. For a time, most of us Archenlanders lived in exile in Mt. Pire when the White Witch's followers occupied Anvard and burned most of it. When I returned two years ago, I started rebuilding it. Most of the towers are still original though. He led them to see the base of some of the towers, but there was one tower he insisted Susan come up and see.

It was the tallest tower of all and it led to a bare room with a single large window. Almost as soon as she stepped into the room, she felt herself shudder and she wasn't sure it was because of the cold.

"Now this one," said King Lune excitedly. "Is quite historical. A famous queen was imprisoned here once… Are you alright, my dear?" he asked abruptly when he noticed Susan.

Susan nodded but only because she wanted to be polite. In truth, she wanted nothing more than to leave this bare room. Something about it frightened her.

"Lune, I think we should go down now," Corinna said calmly as she worriedly eyed Susan. The King looked apologetic to Susan and quickly shuffled them down the long staircase. It was only when they returned to the main building that Susan managed to breathe easily. Corinna had her sit down on a chair.

"You shouldn't have made her come up there Lune," admonished his wife.

"I apologize," said King Lune. "Perhaps it was too much for you. I just thought you might be interested as it was historical."

"I think it was ghastly," said Corinna. "I know it's romantic and all, but it was a prison. Oh don't bother her with those dark events."

"Why? Who was imprisoned there?" asked Susan who by now had calmed down enough to be interested again.

"Queen Swanwhite—the first."

"The Swanwhite!" gasped Susan. "Queen Swanwhite of Narnia! But I've heard of her! From Mr. Tumnus and from some of the nymphs. Isn't she the Narnian Queen who was so beautiful any pool she looked into would reflect her face for a year and a day?—But wait, didn't you say she was imprisoned here? I've never heard of that."

"That's not surprising," said King Lune. "Most Narnians wouldn't know. They only remember her reign in Narnia as the first queen to rule without a man by her side. Very few remember that before she became queen, she was a duchess of Archenland named Suzannah. And she was one time a prisoner here, in that very tower by her own cousin, the crown prince."

Susan's face wrinkled in confusion. "A duchess of Archenland? But how could that be? I've read the list of Narnian rulers before us. She succeeded King Gale, the ninth Narnian king and first emperor of the Lone Islands. I assume he's her father and if so, she was Narnian from birth."

But Corinna shook her head. "Oh, no, no. Not according to the stories we've heard. She was born an Archenlandian. King Gale isn't her father, he's her husband. He died, tragically quite early and left Swanwhite with a very young son. She took over his reign until her son was old enough to rule. Legend has it that she was accused as a witch because of her famed beauty. She was locked up in the tower for three years so no one could see her face. But then King Gale came and rescued her with a dragon. He married her and she assumed a new name as his queen."

"How interesting," said Susan who was delighted more and more at the knowledge they shared with her. "I will certainly have this recorded when I get home. You don't know how much this means to us in Narnia. We have so little history left when records were destroyed during the White Witch's reign."

King Lune and his wife were delighted. "Ahhh…" muttered the king. "If you like history, there's one more story you should know about. Are you well enough to walk again? It's just to the council room. And no prisons, I promise," he added with a nod of assurance to his wife.

Susan heartily agreed.

The council room was located in the center of the main building. The smell of fresh paint and newly-fashioned stone told Susan this part of the building was just recently furnished. It held several pieces of new furniture and a few paintings of the royal family beginning with King Lune's father. The walls were mostly bare as if they were waiting to be filled.

"It's too bad we barely have anything left of my family before my father," said King Lune. "But here, I have something important to show you."

Susan followed the king to a wall at one end of the room where a single object hung in a place of importance.

"This is Archenland's most prized treasure."

Susan stared at a wooden horn. It was smaller than the horn given to her by Father Christmas but it was beautifully carved with the image of a lion as its mouth. Susan felt somehow drawn to it and longed to touch it. She wondered how it would feel to put that mouthpiece to her lips and blow. She could almost imagine what a beautiful note it would create. Yet, she held back, not wanting to offend King Lune by touching something considered as a valuable artifact.

"The horn of Lady Swanwhite," gushed Corinna. "It has such a romantic story. Lune, do tell dear Queen Susan about it."

"Oh please do," said Susan. "I didn't know there was more to Queen Swanwhite's story."

Corinna shook her head. "Oh, but this is a different Swanwhite altogether. She came long after your Swanwhite of Narnia. This one was the queen of Archenland."

"The most famous queen of Archenland," said Lune proudly. "You see, it was said that this horn came from a fallen branch from the magical apple tree that grew in Narnia on the day it was created. You have heard the tale?"

"Yes, of course. My subjects have told me stories how Aslan had left the tree that grew for almost a thousand years and kept the White Witch away."

King Lune nodded and continued. "Well the origin of the horn is mostly myth as well. They say that during the reign of the first rulers of Narnia and Archenland—that was King Frank and Queen Helen—a branch from the tree had fallen due to a strong wind. King Frank valued the tree so much he ordered the branch brought to him. He had a talent of carving things and so he made the branch into a horn and gave it to his wife as a gift after their second child was born. His second son of course became the ancestors of the Archenlanders. They carried the horn here and regarded it as a treasure—a symbol of love between the first king and queen of the land." He paused to eye Corinna who looked just as excited as Susan as if she too was hearing the tale for the first time. "But perhaps my wife would like to continue?"

"You're a darling," said Corinna as she lovingly brushed the tips of his moustache with her finger. She then turned to Susan. "Well, anyway, the second Swanwhite came much later and was linked with the horn. She's an important figure in Archenland history. In fact her time, which was directly before the arrival of the White Witch, was known as the 'Golden Age of Archenland.' She figures even more prominently than her husband, King Colin who was king of Archenland and my dear husband's ancestor."

"Indeed, she did" agreed King Lune. "Nobody knows when my great great great grandmother arrived or where she came from. Some say she was a common peasant who rose to the ranks, others say she was from the strange islands in the Eastern Ocean. Still others claim she was from a different world altogether just like you and your siblings."

"But when she did appear," Corinna interrupted. "She came at a time when Archenland was in grave threat from Calormen. She was the one who rallied the troops to fight the invaders from the south. She accompanied King Colin before every battle. He was a good commander and a fierce fighter. But it was the beautiful Lady Swanwhite's speeches that instilled fire in the hearts of men and gave them courage. Then she would blow that horn and such a sound would accompany the men's battle cries and urged them forward. She was never in the thick of battle herself, but she was a fine archer and can shoot down enemies by the dozen from a long-range vantage point."

"She sounds like a magnificent woman," Susan said.

"Oh, she is," said Corinna. "When I was a child and I heard tales about her, I wanted to be just like her. Every little girl in Archenland grew up with her as the ideal heroine."

"And perhaps the young ones in Narnia would also dream the same once I tell them about her story," said Susan, who enjoyed the tale very much. "I'm sure Lucy would enjoy hearing about the heroic deeds of the Queen of Archenland."

"But it's not over yet!" said Corinna, who was bouncing up excitedly. "You see, she almost didn't become the Queen of Archenland and that's where the romantic part comes." Corinna suddenly stopped and realized she had been acting a little too eager. She blushed and looked to her husband to ask to continue the tale. But the Archenland king merely appeared amused and bid his wife to continue.

"You see there were two other men in the story. When Archenland was finally at peace, King Arthur—who was still a bachelor then—gave a tournament and invited some of the nearby nobles. It was during this tournament that Lady Swanwhite met two men. She was known to have shown great affection for them. One was the Duke of Lantern Waste—"

"Lantern Waste?" cried Susan in surprise. "You mean he was a Narnian lord?"

"Why yes, both of them are," said Corinna. "The other was the Emperor of the Lone Islands."

The wrinkle reappeared in Susan's face at this new information that was clashing with her own stock knowledge on the matter. "But, I've read the history of Narnia from Mr. Tumnus' collection of books and I've heard some of the stories from the dryads. Narnia's last king died at least 40 years before the coming of the White Witch. There was no king in Narnia from that time until my brothers were crowned."

"Oh he wasn't the king of Narnia," explained King Lune. "They say he just got the title after he liberated the Lone Islands from Eastern Ocean pirates. I think he may have been a vassal of Aslan. The Duke of Lantern Waste was the same. Some say he was proclaimed duke after he freed the magical creatures of the Western Woods from slave traders."

Susan mouth fell open. "Why haven't I heard of these noblemen before? Surely such deeds would have been remembered."

"Well, my dear," said King Lune. "I suppose, just as you said records were destroyed during the reign of the White Witch. What we know, we got mostly from bedtime stories we heard from our parents and grandparents. Even Archenland's not spared. You do know there was a time when the White Witch's supporters took over Anvard and burned it to the ground. My grandfather told me how he and the Archenlanders escaped to Mount Pire and our people had lived there in hiding for two generations. That horn," he shook his head. "It was the only thing of value that he managed to save from the Golden Age. It remains a symbol of hope for us."

"Fascinating," said Susan as she stared at the horn again. There seemed to be so much she didn't know about the history of her own country. She was so glad she had met Lune and Corinna again. "But tell me more about these two… shall we call them friends of Lady Swanwhite?"

"Oh there's not much that we know about them," said Corinna. "Only that the Duke of Lantern Waste was this handsome dark-haired youth who was wise beyond his years."

Corinna paused to sigh and a dreamy expression lit her face. "But the other one was more interesting. They say he was even more handsome—tall, golden haired—and a great fighter. I think I could just imagine how poor King Colin felt when he saw that Emperor getting along with the maiden he was in love with."

"I could imagine as well," scowled King Lune. His arms were crossed on his chest and he was looking quite put out. "I'm horribly jealous that my wife is fawning over a dead emperor who she has never even seen."

Susan had to laugh at his expression. But Corinna merely scowled back at her husband. "If you must know, I used to dream about marrying someone like him when I was a girl."

"So why did you settle for me?" he asked with mock indignation. Susan noted that his hair was as dark as hers.

Corinna pretended to be disappointed. "Oh bother, you're right. If I waited a while, High King Peter fits the description too and I could have gotten him."

This time King Lune's expression was authentically indignant. Susan clutched her stomach as uncontrollable laughter wracked her body.

"But then again," continued Corinna as if she was oblivious to her husband. "He's a little too young for me." She rubbed the back of her arm against his cheek then gave him a peck on the lips. His expression immediately melted. "I like them older, but not as old as that emperor. I like the real king right in front of me. And I think I made the right choice just like Lady Swanwhite." She kissed him again and Susan couldn't help but be envious of them. The King and Queen of Archenland were obviously very much in love. She secretly wondered if she could possibly find a love just as strong as theirs.

The King and Queen parted abruptly and blushed as if they suddenly remembered that Susan was there.

"I'm sorry, my dear," the King apologized. "Ahem… well anyway, as the story goes, in the end Lady Swanwhite still chose to marry King Colin and had a son and two daughters with him who continued the royal family line of Archenland. She, however, maintained a strong friendship with both Narnian lords until the White Witch arrived. She probably died by then, since her story ends there."

"It was a lovely story," remarked Susan.

"Yes, it is," said the king. "But I do believe it's time for supper." And he graciously led the two queens out.

The king and queen continued to talk animatedly on other trivial things, but Susan only half-listened. Her mind had drifted back to the horn and the story of Lady Swanwhite. Even as the night wore on and she had retired to bed, Susan lay awake for several hours and thought of nothing but the horn.

Finally, she got out of bed and quietly tiptoed down the hallway. She estimated that it was probably nearing midnight and the corridors were empty. She reached the throne room which was dark save for a bit of moonlight that shone through the high windows. The horn hung on its place and it seemed to beckon to her somehow. She stared at it for a long moment, thinking of the woman who last blew it.

I'll just hold it, she thought. I just want to know how it feels in my hands.

Slowly, she unhooked the horn from its peg. It felt smooth to her touch and she gently caressed the precious object. For some reason it felt right in her grasp. Without thinking she raised the horn to her lips, closed her eyes and blew.

The most resonant, most beautiful note emitted from it and she felt an overwhelming sense of pride and peace come over her. Slowly, she opened her eyes and abruptly stopped her blowing. Something was happening. The throne room was changing, melting before her eyes. She clutched the horn to her chest, immediately guilty and afraid of what she had done. She attempted to return the horn to its place in the wall, but realized the peg was no longer there. In fact there was nothing there now but thin air that was slowly morphing into something else. A moment later, she found herself standing in a completely different room. The floors were of marble and there were rich curtains and fine furniture. The new walls that stretched farther than the original were decorated with paintings of various people she didn't recognize. One prominent picture caught her eye. It was that of a young man wearing royal robes and there was a crown on his head. She stared up at his kindly face and it struck her that somehow he looked like King…

She stopped and shook her head. King who?

She continued to stare at the painting, confused. Why was she staring at the painting? What was she doing a moment ago?

"Who are you?" a voice boomed from behind her.

Surprised, she quickly turned around and saw the same young man as in the painting in front of her though his face wore an accusatory look.

She could do nothing but stare at him. His eyes reverted to something she was holding and his eyes blazed with fury.

"I asked you a question," he said harshly. "Who are you? And what are you doing with the Horn of Helen?"

She continued to stare at him and shook her head. Finally she found her voice. "I… I… don't know."

A/N: There you have it, a really nice long chapter that I think is illuminating enough. I gave a lot of details here so I guess by now you all have a clue where this story is going. But I put a cliffie just the same. I've got so many ideas for this, it's quite overwhelming. I really got inspired by the unfinished tales of Narnia. I actually have plot bunnies of possible outtakes running of this in my head. They are all hopping around like mad trying to convince me to write them. So expect a few more short side stories after this one if ever I get around to writing them down.

To those who are a bit unfamiliar of the unfinished tales that I mentioned, here's the rundown based on the books and C.S. Lewis' timeline:

Gale – King Gale was the ninth king from King Frank I. He liberated the Lone Islands from a dragon and earned the title of Emperor of the Lone Islands that he passed on to all subsequent kings of Narnia. In C.S. Lewis' timeline, he lived around 302 Narnian Time.

Queen Swanwhite – was, as Susan in this chapter mentioned, a Narnian Queen so beautiful any pool she looked into would show her image for a year and a day. The time when she reigned however is a bit confusing. In LB, it was mentioned that she lived before the White Witch though there was no date. However, in the Timeline, C.S. Lewis indicated she lived after the Golden Age. I decided to follow what's in LB so I placed her reign directly after Gale.