༄ ⍴һ᥆ᥱᥒі᥊ ᥕᥲrrі᥆r sһ᥆r𝗍 s𝗍᥆rіᥱs ༄

Arrival and Preparations for Battle

There might be a few issues regarding the timeline, but I think I got most of them worked out. Though we'll know for sure by the next part. Thanks to Dragongirl2468 for your help in that regard.

Summary: The Narnians finally arrive home only to discover their problems are far from over.
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~Part 5 of The Horse and His Boy~

It took them well over two days to return to Narnia. That first night, Ana could sense the tension in the men from the events that had occurred. It was likely many would not sleep well that night, including the King. But she felt safe so she was able to sleep soundly and woke to sunlight streaming through the small cabin window.

In the morning, some of the tension was gone. But some still seemed concerned that Prince Rabadash would chase them and Edmund was a bit on edge as well—it was hard to say why though. Ana knew just as well as the King did that there were no other ships in sight and they were much too far from the port in Tashbaan for anyone to catch them now. By the time the Calormenes caught up, they would be safely in Narnia.

By the second night, Ana found herself unable to fall asleep. She realized why Edmund must've been on edge. There was a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. If her feeling was correct—as it often was—Calormen would retaliate for their departure and there would be a battle by the week's end. They needed to be prepared for anything and Edmund would likely start making war preparations. Ana knew she should sleep while she had the chance and tried once more. This time, her mind settled and the soft rocking of the ship soon sent her to sleep.

The morning of the third day, Ana awoke when the sun was just creeping over the horizon. Changing into fresh clothes—for Susan would lecture her if she dared to make an appearance wearing her clothes from yesterday—Ana made her way above deck. The deck was quiet, as most of the occupants were still sleeping. The captain had retired at some point during the night and the Quartermaster had taken care of the navigating during that time.

Once she was outside, Ana took a deep breath of the sea air. It smelled good and felt free; the air in Tashbaan had felt stuffy. She suspected they were close to Narnia as the magic in the air was much stronger now. They were close to home and she was glad for it. No doubt the lookout would be announcing their arrival soon.

Ana didn't linger in the open long and after a greeting to those on deck, she went to fetch her breakfast ration. Though they were close to home, she knew the royals would likely eat before docking so they did not forget once they were ashore. It had happened a few times because they often got wrapped up in the greetings and excitement. By the time anyone—the royals included—realized no one from the journey had eaten, two mealtimes had often passed. Sometimes the reason a royal forgot to eat was because they had important matters of state to attend to immediately. So, it was an unspoken rule that the Monarchs would eat before docking and Ana figured she might as well eat if the royals were going to.

Upon receiving it, she was informed that meals had been delivered to each of the royals' cabins. Ana could've had hers delivered but she liked the morning walk and avoided being waited on if at all possible. It had been a little over a decade and she had finally grown accustomed to being served instead of fending for herself. Still, some days she felt the need to fetch things for herself. Now that she was out of Calormen and their stuffy palace—the palace was rather marvelous but it felt constricting to Ana—it was the perfect opportunity to do so.

By the time she made her way back above deck from her cabin, the sun was much higher in the sky. It was a clear morning and Ana could just barely see Cair Paravel in the distance. The lookout shouted as much and the deck became a flurry of activity as men prepared the ship to dock. She made sure to stay out of the way and even offered to lend a hand if they needed it—they didn't.