THE LAST TEMPTATION OF SUSAN
Chapter Eleven: The Defiant Ones
And now we must return to Prince Rabadash and his journey into the wilderness to seek out the wisdom of Aslan.
When he left the home of Benruz Tarkhaan, early in the morning, the Calormen prince was very proud of himself. He had never expected to see Susan Pevensie again. When she came back into his life he knew it was a spiritual test. Without hiding his true feelings, Rabadash had resisted temptation. He was certain that Aslan would appreciate how hard he had worked to keep things from going too far – especially since Queen Susan was now a beautiful young woman with a woman's natural and healthy desires.
A roar in the jungle made the prince freeze for a moment. Rabadash wasn't afraid of dinosaurs. But he was glad he'd left Susan behind. She was all on fire to share the danger with him, of course. Susan was a caring person, and she was very brave. But after the late night they'd had, including that most intimate conversation on the couch, leaving her to catch up on her sleep seemed safer for both of them. Now all he had to do was keep his mind off the Narnian queen while climbing the mountain trail to the sacred pylons.
He hoped Aslan would tell him of another way to close the gate between the worlds. Already the trail was growing steep, rocky, and hard to climb. The sacred task would be hard enough for him, but even tougher on Susan. Rabadash was hot and tired, but he was still a Calormen warrior. He had been trained from boyhood to march and fight under the burning sun. So he kept on walking, climbing higher all the time, until at last he came to the foot of a tall cliff.
When he looked straight up to the summit the prince thought he saw the shadow of a lion. And a voice whispered to him, "throw away your sword and come to me." But when he looked up again Rabadash saw only the white-hot glare of the noonday sun. Instead of heeding the inner voice, he decided that scaling the cliff with his bare hands was too dangerous and rash. Rabadash had been reckless before and ended up a fool. The mighty Aslan had punished him, and he had nearly lost Susan forever.
This time he would be more careful.
At first it seemed he had made the right choice. Working his way around the base of the cliff, Rabadash soon found a winding trail that led upwards to a green oasis on the bleak mountainside. A crystal-clear stream trickled down over the rocks and fell straight into a deep pool. Rabadash wanted a drink badly. But another young man was there ahead of him.
"Greetings, friend," said the Calormen prince, striding boldly forward. He had no enemies in this remote corner of his father's vast empire. But when the golden-haired boy lifted his dripping face from the pool Rabadash saw a familiar light in his bright blue eyes. It was the gleam of pure defiance.
"You!" Prince Corin of Archenland had left his sword just out of reach. But he was not called Corin Thunderfist for nothing. Before Rabadash could back away the younger boy was right on top of him, pounding away with both fists!
"Wait! Wait! I've changed!" Though flat on his back, Prince Rabadash might have drawn his dagger, if not his sword. Instead he tried to stop Corin by reasoning with him. That mistake cost him a black eye and a bloody lip within the first few seconds of the fight.
Prince Corin was friendly and good-natured. But like Rabadash, he had been raised by a warrior culture that placed courage far above patience as a virtue for young men. He was not the type to listen to reason once the fighting started.
"Stop, you fool!" Rabadash had to hurl the fair-haired boy across the clearing, using the hill-fighting skills his friend Reza had taught him. "I am not here to fight you, Corin. I am here to see the great Lion."
"What business does an ape like you have with Aslan?" Though the fall hurt a lot, Corin bounced up from the ground like a rubber ball, ready to rush Rabadash a second time.
Rabadash felt rage flare inside him. "I am not an ape. I am a man just like you. I am trying to save Queen Susan – oof!" It was impossible to throw Prince Corin this time because the sturdy young Archenlander put his head down and butted Rabadash like a bull, knocking the wind right out of him.
"Don't you dare talk about Queen Susan!" Corin towered over Rabadash, who was now lying helpless on the ground. "Aslan turned you into a donkey because you are a filthy lying beast who attacked my country. You wanted to kill us all and do horrible things to Susan. And if Aslan finds out you've broken your word and invaded our country again he'll turn you back into a donkey . . . for keeps!"
"This is not Archenland," Rabadash rasped. "These mountains . . . are the southern border of my father's empire. Beyond that . . . lies the gateway to other worlds."
"What other worlds?" Corin put his hands on his hips, frowning. When not fighting, he often found life confusing.
"You were brought here by magic, were you not?" Rabadash sat up slowly, his breath coming in painful gasps. "Where were you before you saw me?"
"I was out hunting, and I got lost." Corin paused. "Hey, wait. I never get lost! Not in my own forest. And no magic could ever take hold in Archenland unless it was Aslan's will!"
"Well said, Prince Corin," said a deep, rich voice from behind the rocks. Suddenly Aslan himself walked into the little clearing.
"Forgive me, lord," Rabadash cried, falling down on his knees. "I heard your voice from the summit, but I failed to heed the call. And I fought." The dark prince closed his eyes, in total dread of what punishment he would receive.
"I wouldn't call what you did fighting," Prince Corin Thunderfist jeered. "I'm younger than you and I knocked you down twice! It just goes to show that a true, blue-eyed son of Archenland is always superior to a dark-skinned, shifty, lying son of a – whoops!"
"Grow up, son of Archenland." Just as quick as lightning, the great golden lion sprang on the golden-haired northerner. He tossed Prince Corin high in the air, catching him in his mouth as he fell. Then he shook him back and forth.
"What did I do? What did I do? I only wanted to prove I was better than he was. And I did it too!"
Aslan dropped him. "Listen to me, defiant ones. I made all the men in this world, light skinned and dark. And when I look at you, I can see that fools come in all colors. Now Queen Susan is in great danger. But there is still time to save her. The first thing we must do . . ."