#archenland

[mary-maud]

For this is what it means to be a king: to be first in every desperate attack and last in every desperate retreat, and when there's hunger in the land (as must be now and then in bad years) to wear finer clothes and laugh louder over a scantier meal than any man in your land.

C. S. Lewis, The Horse and his Boy

[rainintheevening]

Envoys to Archenland

Rumours and stories had already come trickling and flying over the passes to Anvard, mostly through the Narnians who had once fled the Witch’s winter.

But still it was a surprise when a page came into breakfast with a letter of introduction from:

"Sir Renard and the raven Carrisol, Envoys of Their Majesties the Kings and Queens of Narnia."

King Lune raised his eyebrows at his wife. "Kings and queens? Whatever can they mean?"

"What sort of person is this Sir Renard?" Queen Celeste asked the page boy, still standing by the table.

"He is a fox, your majesty."

A fox he certainly was, when they met him in the throne room an hour later. Sleek and ruddy, keen eyes that surveyed the room, and a confident tilt to his head. The raven hopped beside him, as they both came forward and bowed.

"Your majesties," said the fox, "we come to you in Archenland as envoys sent from Narnia, from the High King Peter, the Queen Susan, the King Edmund, and the Queen Lucy."

"We come in peace and friendship," continued the raven, his croaking voice echoing in the high ceiling, "with hope for the renewal of old treaties, and the return of the goodwill that had long existed between our lands."

"So it is true then!" Queen Celeste leaned forward, her excitement drawing a smile from the king. "The Witch’s reign has ended and the winter is over?"

"Indeed, your majesty." Sir Renard smiled, white teeth gleaming. "Slain by Aslan Himself."

Just the name 'Aslan' caused a thrill to run through the room, and King Lune's heart beat quicker in his breast.

"It was He who called the Four from the Worlds Beyond, and crowned them Lords and Ladies of Cair Paravel, jewel above the eastern sea."

Carrisol hopped in place twice, excitement getting the better of him. "When Aslan bares His teeth, winter meets it's death! So it was written on the High King’s sword, and so it is! This, your majesties, is the age of restoration!"

"Astonishing," Queen Celeste murmured. "Can anyone here recall a time before the reign of the White Witch?"

"A hundred years, and the curse broken." King Lune shook his head in wonderment. He himself had only just reached 30, and his father had died not five years prior having seen less than 80 years. Lune had never visited Narnia, only heard the terrible stories from a handful of Narnian creatures who had escaped to join the Archen court.

"And so in peace and friendship we welcome you," he said aloud. "We will hear the whole story at luncheon, if you will take it with us."

"Certainly, your majesties." Both fox and raven bowed low.

"But briefly." Queen Celeste leaned forward, curiosity getting the better of her. "These kings and queens. There are four of them you said? How is this possible? Who are they? What are they like?"

A laugh from the fox, quickly stifled by a swift peck from the raven.

"Ah, pardon, your highness." Sir Renard regained his dignity with a quick shake of his body. "They are brothers and sisters, called from another world into this land to sit in the four thrones at Cair Paravel, and rule us by Aslan's decree."

"But what are they like?"

King Lune did not try to hide his own smile, but he too was eager for a clearer picture of these new monarchs.

Renard and Carrisol looked at one another for a moment, before the raven tilted his head.

"You have known them since the first days, Renard."

The fox sat back on his haunches, thoughtful. "They are young, your majesties. The eldest has seen but sixteen winters. They are not royalty in their own world, and have a lot to learn of rulership and courtly business. As do we all," he added, with a rueful grin. "So we learn together. And truly these half-grown cubs are... extraordinary.

"The High King Peter is a fierce protector, brave and quick to act. His heart is great, his sight is keen, and his sword is sharp. Even in these few months, he has loved us and our land with his sweat and his blood and his tears. He is one I would follow into the very fires of the Underworld."

"So would we all!" croaked Carrisol fervently.

"The Queen Susan, now," Renard went on. "Gentle Aslan called her, and gentle her hands can be. She is the motherly one, making sure all are heard and cared for, and very much the mistress of the castle. But she has no little skill with a bow, and does not hesitate to defend her family when her gentle words have failed."

He fell quiet then, eyes cast down for long enough to cause unease to creep into the room, but he raised his head as Queen Celeste drew in her breath to speak.

"His Majesty, King Edmund is wise beyond his years, swift to see that which is not shown, and hear that which is not said. His story is his own to tell, but I can say that though he followed after the Witch in the first days of their coming to Narnia, he learned the error of his way, and was restored by Aslan, showing great bravery in the Battle of Beruna against the Witch. He is his brother's beloved right hand, and shows mercy in ways I do not think I ever could. He too would I follow wherever he might ask."

There was something in the fox's tone that Celeste could not understand, something suggestive of far more than was said. But her heart squeezed with sympathy for a boy gone astray and brought back. She wondered who their parents were, and if they still lived in that other world.

"As for our Queen Lucy," and Renard's voice lightened, "why her laughter makes the trees dance. She is small, but strong in hope. She is like a light, and she brings healing wherever she goes. She cares for all, even the smallest, most forgotten creatures, and all love her in return."

"Indeed we do!" agreed Carrisol.

"They do sound extraordinary," said King Lune after a respectful pause. "We look forward to hearing more at the noon hour."

"Indeed, your majesties." Both bowed low again. "King Lune, Queen Celeste."

As they were shown out of the audience chamber to rejoin their centaur escorts in the courtyard, the raven Carrisol was heard to remark, "Very nice, decent people they are."

And Sir Renard answered, "Indeed. I think the Four will be very glad to know them."

[winter-wise]

The way CS Lewis did worldbuilding in Narnia is wild because only four humans could defeat the White Witch so you'd assume "yeah it makes sense that there had to be kids from another universe to save Narnia" but then you read the other books and it turns out that there ARE other humans in the Narnia universe, but they're either

A thinly-veiled metaphor for Scottish people or

A thinly-veiled, very r/acist metaphor for Muslims

so I guess you can only save Narnia if you're English.

[whats-in-a-sentence]

A map of Narnia and adjoining lands

"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" - C. S. Lewis

[fartherupandfurtherin]

Narnia Headcanons: Archenland

- Has three major cities (Anvard, Perth, and Ende) and then several smaller towns and villages.

- The people are generally hardy and have a reputation for being tough from living in the mountains.

- Archenlanders have an affinity for magic due to most of the human inhabitants having dryad ancestors.

- Good magic practitioners are called Cunning Men or Cunning Women.

- Archenland was hidden by Cunning people during the reign of the White Witch.

- Some of Archenland's humans had ancestors from Finland, Ireland, Scotland. Greece, and France. This is most obvious given their naming conventions.

- They speak a pidgin language called Narn, which mixes English and Old Narnian. Their own language is called Archen, which is a very weird mix of Irish and Old Narnian.

- They have accents that sound Scottish.

- Everyone knows how to use a weapon of some sort due to coming into constant conflict with the Calormen Empire.

- Everyone is also taught survival skills from a young age and children are expected to be self-sufficient, which is why Corin is the way he is.

- Edmund learns Archen so he can talk to his wife's great-grandparents, who never learned Narn due to the reign of the witch.

- Edmund scares some of his classmates later when he starts cursing at someone in Archen. His Irish classmates immediately adopt him, because he's speaking Irish. Very weird Irish but still Irish.

- Archenland's last King and Queen were King Eoin and Queen Ines. They were both murdered by Calormene assassin's and their young blind son Sol (15 during the events of the Last Battle) was placed on the throne as a puppet ruler. This was a mistake and Calormen was pushed out shortly before the last great battle.

- Archenland has creatures unique to them, specifically they have wolverines, moose, and other animals associated with colder places. Some are talking animals.

- Susan Does Not Like the fact many Wolverines can talk but Lucy is very fond of them and they adore her.

- Susan loves the snow bears (polar bears). They're very pleasant and civilized creatures that regularly murder giants.

- Peter likes the moose. They like him and one named Teo would let the High King ride him into battle on occasion.

- Edmund prefers the talking mink as they are clever, excellent spies, and foul mouthed.

- Ariane had a mink friend named Avi. He would ride around on her or Edmund's shoulders and pretend to be a dumb beast to get information or free food. Mr. Beaver thinks he's uncivilized and they bicker about it.

- Boxing is a popular sport, as is skiing.

- Archenland is well known for its poetry and music.

- The nobility favor practical clothes over grand ones. They do have royal clothing but these are brought out for special occasions.

[vra-luci]

Just out of curiosity, If I decided to post my combination of every map of Narnia and Adjoining Lands + the Eastern Sea, how many people would be interested in seeing it, because I would like to share it because I have spent a lot of time on it. It is not yet finished and won’t be for a few months but when it is…

[knightofthenewrepublic]

[cynicalclassicist]

Corin can be made awesome through just a paragraph. And it's just dropped in there.

[lasaraleen]

there’s not necessarily an age limit to Narnia, besties, it’s about how you can serve Narnia and how Narnia can serve you within your own story.

[ellynneversweet]

Little known fact about me that my favourite CS Lewis monarch is actually Lune of Archenland. He gets like one chapter, in which we see he’s a good and loving dad, ready general, cares a lot about the needs of his people, and happily takes in a fleeing Calormen noblewoman despite that being the country that is currently invading his own. Plus, he’s jolly.

[mary-maud]

Do not by any means destroy yourself, for if you live you may yet have good fortune, but all the dead are dead like.

C. S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy

[titanicnerd-blog]

This is EXACTLY as I imagine her BTW. And Hwin, her beloved horse. ❤️

People of Narnia

Aravis Tarkheena Queen of Archenland

[havepatienceandendure]

Everyone get ready for my thesis this year, ‘how the chronicles of narnia: the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe (2005) awakened questions in me that literally nobody else cares about’

[2usan]

susan loves trashy (and tragic) romance stories

[whats-in-a-sentence]

"Well as soon as he saw Corin and me, it seems this Centaur looked at me and said, A day will come when that boy will save Archenland from the deadliest danger in which she ever lay. (...)"

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy" - C. S. Lewis

[cynicalclassicist]

Maybe he took over Narnia after the Pevensies disappeared? Perhaps he was good at negotiating with Calormene due to his parentage giving him an affinity with them, he and the Tisrocs would likely be distant cousins and Rabadash wants a peaceful reign.

Still can’t believe C. S. Lewis wrote an entire book about Cor & Aravis and their character and strengths and growth and courage only to tell us in the end that their son was the most famous king of Archenland? I’m sorry, Ram who?