Arrival in Tashbaan

Summary: The Narnians set sail for Calormen. Ana wonders just how much trouble the young Archenlandian Prince can get into.

~Part Two of The Horse and His Boy~

As soon as Edmund departed, Ana went to work carefully putting everything back where they belonged. Some clothes she set aside to pack into a trunk to go aboard the Splendour Hyaline. She knew she wouldn't wear any of the clothes she set aside and decided to pack them to keep her busy. Throughout the week she would add things such as a spare pair of shoes and some maps of Calormen she had on hand.

Ana wouldn't risk packing her bow and arrows away so soon, but she made sure there was room to bury them in the trunk later. But she did find a small dagger that she could conceal on her person while in Tashbaan—another was already packed. There was no way she was going into Calormen completely unarmed. She doubted Edmund would be either.

By the end of the week, it was determined that the Valiant Queen would be staying in Cair Paravel for this trip. Ana as almost tempted to stay as well, not wanting to leave Lucy alone. But the youngest Queen assuaged any unspoken worries she might have had. Lucy had grown to become a more than capable warrior and had also volunteered to stay behind—she thought Calormen would be too stingy. She was a bit of a free-spirit. Besides, Peter had only taken about half their warriors so the Valiant Queen would have them, as well as the entire Navy, to defend the castle. She would be more than prepared for an attack. Narnia was at peace so such an act was unlikely, but they had to be prepared.

Ana felt relieved by this knowledge and the fact that Edmund didn't even think to leave her behind. Yes, he sometimes treated her like a child but with him, it was mostly a slip-of-the-tongue. He tried hard to look past her physical appearance, but some days—when the pressures of being King were a bit too much—Ana would take the brunt of it. If she didn't approach him carefully, there was no advice she could offer him. All he would see was a child.

But he always apologized afterwards and Ana forgave him every time, even though the words still stung a bit. She was able to brush them off a lot easier since they were just the words of a frustrated King. She tried to forgive Peter and Susan as well, but their treatment of her didn't change. It didn't happen on occasion either and neither ever apologized for calling her a child or treating her like one. That alone made it harder to feel anything besides bitterness at being sidelined.

However, unlike his brother, the Just King was actually allowing Ana to do her duty. With Lucy safe in the castle, she could protect the other two royals while they were in potential enemy lands. The Calormenes' dislike of "the white barbarians of the North" was not unknown. She knew it would prove to be a little difficult if she couldn't go everywhere with them. Not without seeming suspicious and causing the Calormenes to ask questions. Prince Rabadash would likely want to have some private moments with Susan, but she often had a shadow of some kind—for the royal's own protection. Ana wondered if she would be the one to follow the Queen or if one of the others would be selected.

Ana could only hope that the trip would be peaceful and that the Gentle Queen would finally see the Prince for what he was. A proud, self-pleasing tyrant and frankly quite a scoundrel. He would do anything to have Narnia's throne. She seemed a lot more interested in this particular Prince than any of her other suitors. But she was the only one he seemed to have fooled.

Edmund never cared for him, but was always cordial and polite when speaking with the Prince. If you didn't know him—and Ana did—one wouldn't know Edmund disliked him either. Both Lucy and Ana doubted his affection for Queen Susan, but Ana wasn't sure how much of that was because he seemed distrustful. Prince Rabadash was the kind of person who would assassinate the Kings to rule. Who was to stop him from doing the same to Susan if she outlived her usefulness to the Prince? Ana shuddered at the thought and prayed Aslan would open the Queen's eyes.

These were the thoughts that plagued her mind as she sat quietly aboard the ship. She was glad to have one close friend aboard as it made the journey more bearable. Tumnus would join her on occasion, helping to take some of the worries away. They would play chess or talk about their lives back in Narnia. Mostly Tumnus as he had the most wonderful stories. But he couldn't be there all the time. He was a high-ranking advisor and Edmund needed him to strategize and discuss what might happen in Calormen. Ana would attend sometimes but there was no need to continuously plan for the worst-case scenario. If she wasn't with Tumnus, most of her free time was spent with Susan and Corin.

The Gentle Queen had chosen Ana as her main companion, likely because she was the only other female aboard the ship. She would talk and Ana would listen. Unlike Susan, she didn't care much for talk of suitors, courting, or parties. These were things Ana didn't enjoy as much as the others but she did her best to advise her if the royal asked.

Much to Corin's displeasure, he was stuck in the Queen's presence. There wasn't a lot to do on a ship and Susan had taken to practically raising the young Prince since his mother passed. So she spent a lot of time with him since he couldn't fight or box—two things he loved doing. But no one would fall for the Prince's tricks to rile them up. Besides, space was too limited and Susan worried someone would get hurt if Corin managed to engage someone in a tiff.

King Edmund had selected the ship they would travel on with great care. The Splendour Hyaline was a navy galleon, the strongest one in Narnia's navy actually. Given that it was carrying three royals and several Narnian and Archenland advisors, it had been selected for its and speed. It was also meant to be a show of strength to the Calormenes. They were entering foreign harbors and while peace was tedious between the two, Edmund wasn't afraid to show them their strength.

This particular ship had private rooms for each of the royals—though all four were never used by them in one trip—and plenty of rooms for the rest of their guests and crew. Ana was offered what she believed to be Lucy's cabin, though it could have been Peter's for the lack of decor. The young Prince Corin occupied the other royal cabin. Judging by the thus she heard coming from his room, Ana suspected repairs might need to be done.

Young Prince Corin was going to be trouble. Ana already knew that long before this trip. With the death of his mother, the Queen, he had become acquainted with Narnia's Kings and Queens. She knew it was Susan's motherly nature that drew Corin's attention and kept his interest. The Prince got into fights and liked to run off whenever he could, leaving Susan—and the others—worried out of their minds. He was an excellent boxer and the Kings knew he wasn't in any grave danger. But Edmund was determined to make this trip another learning opportunity and Ana wondered if he realized what kind of task he was taking on.

But the boy meant well. He was only thirteen years old and was already being groomed for the throne. Corin was still a child and wanted to be free. He wasn't ready for to be King but, with any luck, it would be several years before he was needed. So there was still time for him to goof around but Ana also knew it was important for him to learn what it meant to be King. He was promised his first suit of armour and war horse for his next birthday by King Lune himself. And then the real lessons would begin. If the Prince trained properly and everything went well, Ana has overheard Peter talking to his brother about Corin a Knight of Cair Paravel when he was old enough.

꧁𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝘽𝙤𝙮 ꧂

Ana knew they were close to Tashbaan before they had even docked. By sea it wouldn't take much more than a day, by land it was only slightly longer—it just didn't have the best traveling conditions. She had heard The Great Desert was sweltering. But the short trip wasn't what told her they had arrived. For one thing, it was much louder—though no busier—than the Narnian port. For another, the smells were overwhelmingly different and it lacked the feel of magic in the air. She knew a lot about Calormen and its capital so she wasn't surprised by these differences. But they did alert her to the fact that they were close before having to be told.

Calormenes cared little for magic which meant they would have to be careful, especially Tumnus and the few other Narnians. The rest of their party contained humans—minus the part about Ana's magic—and Calormenes would likely be more welcoming towards them. But Ana knew they would be waiting for any opportunity to feel slighted. She would have to keep her magic in check and hope the others stayed out of trouble.

Prince Rabadash himself wasn't present when their ship reached the port—much to Edmund's dismay. Ana heard him mutter something about a pompous prince. Susan seemed a little disappointed by her suitor's lack of presence, but there was still joy on her face. His servants and slaves did help unload their supplies and they were led to the Tisroc's palace. Along the way, the crowd had to be ordered back by a warning from a Calormen official. Ana didn't miss the looks some gave the mysterious visitors.

"Stay close to the group," Ana whispered to Prince Corin when he tried to get a better look. "The last thing Their Majesties need is for you to be running off and getting lost in the city."
"I can handle anything any of these fools could do," Corin retorted.
"Do not underestimate the strength of your opponent," Ana warned. "You are still young and can end up seriously injured. What would your father say if something were to happen to you while in our company?"
"You're one to talk," he clipped back. "You barely have two years on me and you fight in battles all the time."
"The difference between myself and you, young prince, is that I know what people think of me. I'm not so foolish as to think I can outmatch several armed men. So while we're here, you are to listen to me just as well as Their Majesties." She saw him about to retort and added: "And let me just remind you that my Aslan-appointed title puts me above you in rank—second to the Kings who are second only to Aslan." She rarely pulled rank but knew Corin would continue to argue with her otherwise.
The Prince backed off. "Alright, Ana. I'll be careful."

She gave him a grateful smile and he fell in line with the others. Corin remained behind King Edmund and Ana behind Queen Susan. The Narnians took up the rear and the Archenlanders surrounded the group, just behind the royals. This made it harder for any Calormenes to suddenly attack and for the Prince to escape. Nonetheless, Ana vowed to watch after him whenever she could. That turned out to be a lot harder than it seemed.

As Ana entered the Tisroc's palace, she could've sworn there were eyes on her. But she chalked it down to nerves and the fact that they were foreigners. However, unbeknownst to their small party, they would soon discover that the Gentle Queen wasn't the only one to be offered a marriage proposal.