A Narnia Tale: For King, Queen and Country

Remnants

An enemy isn't defeated when their leaders are dead, you have won when they give up their swords.

Date: August 12, 1000 NY (Narnian Year)

Three weeks ago our Kings and Queens were crowned. It was magnificent to see, High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just and Queen Lucy the Valiant. They looked like diamonds in a glittering sea. I'd lie if I said I wasn't moved by that sight. Aslan stood in between them when the crowns were put on their heads. It was a sight to behold, something from a fairy-tale. What wasn't a fairy-tale was my head. Every applause, every song and every musical instrument felt like a dagger in my brain. The concussion caused by the dwarf with the rock wasn't heavy enough to keep him in bed all day. But loud noise? A party? That was too much for me. So after I had met with the fresh Kings and Queens of Narnia and gave them my everlasting support and loyalty as protocol demanded, I went off to bed. Sadly I can't give you a good description of the party. But let's just say that I didn't sleep that night, and that wasn't because I wasn't tired. Luckily, as soon the last partygoers went to bed when the sun sat high in the sky once more, a lovely silence fell over the palace and I fell asleep. 

Waking up in Cair Paravel is something I won't ever get used to I'm afraid. Even with a concussion, you can't help but to feel happy. The first thing you feel is the soft mattress and the nice summer temperature greeting you like an old friend. My room lies at the Eastern side so the sun makes sure my day starts with sunrays warming my skin. The second thing you notice is the window. Or better, the almost totally open wall (luckily you can cover large parts of it with beautiful wooden walls, it freezes in the winter you know). This would be the nicest view for most people. The sea that stretches to the horizon, the castle gardens in all their glory, including mazes, fountains and flowerbeds. The problem is, I hate the sea, so I will either need to get used to it or ask Peter for another room. Luckily, one finds it near impossible to start the day without a good feeling. It took me a week to fully recover from the concussion. Sadly enough, in that week, a lot happened. King Lune left after three days, in which he and Peter singed a treaty of mutual defence and trade between the two countries. The Kings and Queens started to meet with there advisors and the first messengers from outside Narnia and Archenland appeared.

I was healthy enough to experience the visit of the new ambassador of Caloromen, an annoying man who loved to speak in verse. That would have been fine if he had been good at it, but sadly, poetry wasn't one of his strong suits. Tarkaan Virsobe would be a continuous annoyance in an otherwise beautiful place. Apart from the Calormenians we also received word from the isles. These isles were the only parts of Narnia that remained free from the Witch's wrath. She had tried to invade Galma once but her small fleet was destroyed in the Battle of Galma where the remnants of the Narnian fleet fended off the Witch. This had happened ten years after the start of the winter. Besides Galma, both Terabithia, the Seven Iles had already send their ambassadors to pledge their loyalty to the new rulers of Narnia. A message from the Lone Iles would hopefully arrive in less than a month.

For two weeks, life inside this new Narnia felt like a dream. No sleeping in tents, no foresight of battle and no boring small meals. You had the best beds and every night you could eat and drink with friends. I grew closer with Lord Peridan. He was a descendant of a Narnian lord that had fled to Archenland when the Witch rose to power. He had decided to stay and help the Kings and Queens with the governing of the nation. Two more lords and their ladies arrived with similar stories. They both came from Galma. Lord Valerian was one of them, a man in his fifties who had sailed to the utter southern borders of Calormen and beyond. Peter immediately made him First Sea Lord, the commander of the Narnian Navy. You can guess how happy I was when I heard that position had been filled, I prefer to stay on land. Oreius became his counterpart on the land, the general of the Narnian land army. Peridan became lord of the Imperial Treasury. The faun Tumnus, someone I hadn't seen before but who seemed to know Queen Lucy very well, became the secretary of the Narnian Royal Counsel. Explaining his job is impossible, he was a diplomat, made agreements and wrote letters to everyone of importance. Other high functions were distributed to important leaders and figures in Narnia. 

I was pleased to hear that Kyrus became Guard Officer of Cair Paravel, we had developed a mutual friendship on the field of battle. For days, I didn't get an official office. I didn't mind, for a while I thought I could go on an early retirement. My job was done, I had protected the Pevensies from harm and now that they sat on the throne I could find a quite place to live out my days. That changed on a Monday morning, a day littered with bad news. I was barely awake when High King Peter entered my room. 'Erik?' he asked with hesitation. 'Yes, my lord?' I answered, now I couldn't call him by his name, he was a king after all. 'I was thinking- Would you want to be my advisor? My right hand, you could say,' he said. To say that I was baffled would be an understatement. I can't remember the rest of the conversation very well, remenants of concussion mixed with a morning head and surprise, all I can say is that when my King left, I was one of the most important people in the Kingdom. 

That same afternoon I was called to the royal salon. Every Monday and Friday, the Narnian Royal Council gathered there to discuss matters of state and news. This council was made up of all four Kings and Queens, me, the Faun Tumnus, Lord Peridan, General Oreius and Lord Valerian. I sat next to High King Peter as Royal Advisor with a glass of delicious Narnian Whiskey in my hand. 'The first rapports are in,' Tumnus said: 'And it is terrible.' He gave everyone in the room a copy of the rapport. 'As you can see, the winter came with a high toll. We lived with very little food for over a century. Constant famine and freezing cold made the population crumble. We are looking at a total population of somewhere between fifty thousand and a hundred thousand on the mainland. For comparison sake, all four Iles have a total population of eighty thousand. Next to that, there is almost no infrastructure. No roads to move on, no castles to defend against bandits and no police force. We have nothing to build on apart from an army and tales from ages ago.' This was indeed bad. 'Okay, than we need to start working don't we? Lets start by constructing a road next to the Great Rives, we can also extent that with a road next to the river Archenland and the river Rush,' Peter said while pointing at the map. It was a smart idea, I was impressed at his fast handling. 

'My Lord, that would be a good idea, but with what money? How will we fund it? Where do we find the manpower?' Oreius replied. Tumnus agreed with the general: 'Yes, everyone started farming. And how will we decide how much to tax? Even better, how can we tax? No one owns a single Tree.' The Narnian economy, that went almost extinct on the mainland during the Long Winter, knew two coins, Trees and Lions. A small argument arose after this, Peter, Tumnus and Oreius talked about taxes while Queen Susan asked if taxing was even a good moral decision. I remained silent and looked at Edmund, he smiled nervously. It seemed that he didn't feel in place here. 'We shouldn't tax at all,' said a small voice. Everyone looked at Lucy, someone we had all forgot about. She looked back: 'We have the Iles, they must pay us, don't they?' 'That is true,' I said: 'They swore loyalty, that means that the crown gives them land and power. In return they must supply troops, ships and pay tax to the crown.' 'Then it is decided, they will fund the start of the rebuilding of Narnia,' Susan said: 'Perhaps, if we construct many boats and ships, we can trade on our own?' 'Yes! The lands north of the Giants are known for their diamonds and gems. We can act like a trade centre. Trade northern gems for silk, spices and fabrics from Calormen and other southern nation,' said Lord Valerian. After a revision, we unanimously decided that this was the best way to make money and let the economy flourish. The day seemed to go better, then Oreius grabbed another rapport. 'Dear council members, we have an even bigger problem.'

The centaur explained how many parts of the Witch's army had escaped the battlefield. They now were driven into hiding. Unfortunately, the majority had risen up again under a new leader. They roamed the countryside in small groups and robbed citizens, killed innocents and burned homes. 'It is simple, we need to fend off this threat once and for all. Your Majesties, I urge you to take up the sword once more and fight for Narnia,' the general said. 'Of course, we will do that. This is terrible,' Edmund said without hesitation. I closed my eyes, there went my peace and quiet. I didn't even look at Peter, I knew what he would ask from me. 'I will be at your side, my lord,' I said. Peter thanked me. And thus the meeting was finished.

December 3, 1000NY

Dear diary, today I write again, almost five months after my last entry. Let me tell you, writing with only one eye is a struggle. And this eyepatch makes me look like a pirate. That bloody Archenland lunatic.