Lionheart: The Epic of the Narnian Knight

On behalf of Timbalionguy and myself, I thank you for the clever nod to our lion and tiger stories! More importantly for the reading audience generally, you have created a very nice illustration of the progress of a totalitarian regime--complete with pushing militarism on children, as the tyrannical oligarchy in real-world Beijing does to Chinese children, the better to aim for future conquest of India and other neighbors.
 
Thank you again CopperFox,

I really wanted to set up the idea that Miraz had established a very totalitarian regiime, similar to that of Nazi Germany or modern-day China. Since one of the first things that such governments do is to change history to their own personal views, I figured that Miraz would be prone to do the same, especially since he became so incensed when he found out that Caspian was being taught about the "old Narnia". This chapter was mainly intended to display how corrupt Miraz's regime really was and to give some background on what happened during his regime. I also wanted to add in that the council who was supposed to serve as a check for Miraz was basically powerless to stop him

Also, I enjoyed adding the nods to the stories you, Timba, and Inkling wrote. I thought that would be a clever addition :)

Expect some real plot movement tonight since I don't have to be at work until later on tomorrow. We'll find out more about Balbanes' friend and how he was more involved in Caspian's story than we first realized.
 
Chapter 5
Traces of Daylight​


After Miraz had successfully "stabilized" the kingdom as he saw fit, he began to pay attention to things that had previously eluded his attention. He began to notice that some of the council members seemed to be spending a good deal of time together, even though he had not called a council meeting since the time he had been appointed Lord Protectorate. Whenever he or one of his more loyal followers would approach any of the other council members, they would often stop their conversation and simply stare at each other before asking if there was anything that Miraz needed from them. Since assuming his new position, Miraz had grown increasingly suspicious of nearly everyone in the castle. To ease his suspicions, he created a special task force made up of his most loyal followers and led by the Lord Gloezelle. This group was given specific instructions to infiltrate the castle and surrounding city and gather information about any possible resentment or dissonance that the people might have for their newly appointed Lord Protectorate, especially the other members of the council.

Being followed constantly by Miraz's not-so-secret police force made life difficult for many who lived in the Telmarine Kingdom. Balbanes kept mainly to the castle grounds, only leaving for the town to buy food and supplies every so often. This troubled him greatly since he still had the flask containing the odd liquid he found in King Caspian's room. He did not know how he would be able to get away from the castle long enough to have his friend examine the substance. He had devised all sorts of excuses for leaving the castle in his head, but none of them made any sense and would have only served to arouse the suspicions of Miraz and his police. It suddenly occurred to Balbanes that the best way to avoid suspicion from Miraz and his police force, was to befriend Miraz and outwardly support him in any way he could. He gathered his thoughts and proceeded towards the throne room where Miraz sat among the now mostly empty chairs. He went up to the door when he heard a great deal of shouting coming from the room.

"You insolent fool! How dare you fill my nephew's head with this garbage. It is because of people like you who still cling to these old myths that I have had to personally oversee the re-education of this kingdom's children. I cannot fathom how simple-minded you must be to even read this rubbish yourself, let alone read it to my nephew. He needs instruction in things that will help him become a real king someday, not a half-crazy fool like his father was! Now, I want her removed from my castle immediately, and insure that she will no longer be able to affect anyone with her foolish stories!" yelled a very angry Miraz

Balbanes decided to take advantage of Miraz's flustered state and play it off as though he was there to support him.

"Lord Miraz" Balbanes said with a seemingly sincere astonishment "What has this woman done that has caused you such grief, my lord?"

"Ah Lord Balbanes. How good to see you. This woman has been reading these wretched stories about "old Narnia" to my nephew without my knowing. Furthermore, she claims that these are not mere stories but are in fact the true history of this land. This is pure rubbish, who would ever believe in something as ridiculous as a bunch of school children coming here from another land to become kings and queens?" Miraz said with with great agitation in his voice

"I am left without words for this my lord" Balbanes said in an attempt to placate Miraz "The actions that this woman has performed should merit true justice. Allow me to carry this out for you my lord, I would not want you to soil your hands with this one."

The woman, who was in fact Caspian's nursemaid, turned pale from fright upon hearing these words. Finally, she regained her composure enough to speak she replied to the two men
"Well then, I shall gladly accept whatever fate should befall me for speaking the truth. I place my faith in the Great Lion Aslan, and whatever happens to be shall be of His will!"

Upon hearing this name spoken, something stirred inside the two men. For Balbanes, it seemed as though all of the worry and trouble Miraz had caused were beginning to ebb away, while Miraz began to feel as though the whole castle had suddenly fallen upon his back.

"Enough of this audacious and idiotic nonsense! Balbanes, I place her in your care. Remove her from this castle at once and ensure that she cannot return - EVER!" Miraz said exasperatedly

"Yes my lord. Her words and actions have sealed her fate." Balbanes said with no emotion in his voice. "Have your men bring her to the stables and ready my horse, we must depart soon so as not to allow her putrid lies to infiltrate your castle any deeper."

Miraz nodded to the two men standing on either side of him and they quickly went and grabbed the nursemaid and escorted her to the stables.

"Your excellency" Balbanes said turning towards Miraz "Your nephew is now in need of a proper tutor. He is old enough to learn combat skills and riding, but still needs to be given a proper education. I have an old friend that I can talk to and see if he would be able to tutor young Caspian. He is a very intelligent fellow, and you can be sure that he will not be teaching Caspian any nonsense. Furthermore, I feel that I owe it to King Caspian to train the boy Caspian in the combat skills. I know that your excellency had planned on teaching Caspian himself, but you would not be able to devote enough time towards teaching Caspian since you are in charge of the entire kingdom now."

"Hmmm.... you do pose a good point. Caspian is in need of a tutor, but he also needs someone to teach him his combat skills. Very well, while you are gone, please take the time to find this friend of yours and bring him to me. if you feel that you are up to the task, I will allow you to work with the prince." Miraz said with an approving tone.

"Thank you your excellency, I will not fail these tasks which have been entrusted to me!" Balbanes said in a very stalwart voice.

He returned to his chambers to retrieve the flask, as well as his sword and chainmail. He then proceeded to the stable where Miraz's men were waiting with his horse and the nursemaid. He threw the nursemaid across the back of the horse and secured her to the saddle so that she would not fall when they took off. He then rode off towards the south in hopes of finding his friend and bringing him back with him.
 
Huzza, excellent! It does make sense that Miraz would not insist on putting the nursemaid to death on the spot, since it's early in his regime and he doesn't yet want to be seen as too bloodthirsty.

I am reminded, a little bit, of "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back," when Lando Calrissian cooperated with Darth Vader for as long as he was forced to, but as soon as he was out of Vader's sight he helped Leia and Chewbacca to escape.
 
*whew* It's been a long weekend because of work and homework, but I returned to the story just in time to save it from "Page 2" *thematic music plays*



Chapter 6
The Beginnings of a New Day​


It seemed as though time had ceased to flow since Balbanes and the nursemaid had left the Telmarine castle when in reality it had already been several hours. He felt a tenseness in his chest and was beginning to sweat from the anxiety. What would he do now? He couldn't very well drop the nursemaid and continue riding on, but at the same time, he never actually figured out what he was going to do with her after they left the castle. Finally, he pulled on the horses reins to tell him to stop and dropped down from the horse. He picked up the poor nursemaid who had been bound through the entire trip and gently set her down. He cut her ropes with his sword and asked if she would like to sit and rest for a while. She agreed with some hesitation and took a seat on a nearby log. Balbanes sat down on a log across from where the nursemaid was sitting and drew a long, tired sigh.

"Madam, I am deeply sorry for making you ride in such an uncomfortable fashion, I just had to be certain that we were not being followed my any of Miraz's secret guard." he said looking down at the ground in shame

"So you mean to tell me that you are not part of Miraz's supporters?" she replied

"Far from it." he said, his voice almost a growl "The foul traitor must have had something to do with King Caspian's death."

"So... it was Miraz..... " she said with her voice trailing off in a whisper

"I have every reason to believe so. His quick rise to power, his lack of genuine sympathy for his own brothers death, and this strange substance I found in the king's room.... there are too many things wrong for this to simply be a coincidence." he said in a somber tone

"Sir Balbanes, was it?" the nurse asked "It truly warms my heart to see that there are still others who are loyal to Caspian IX. Even though it had only been a few months since King Caspian died, I felt as though he had been all but forgotten by the people. Since you have risked your life to save mine, the least I feel I can do is to introduce myself. My name is Geldja, and I am from the now forgotten country of Archenland. My people were driven from our home over fifty years ago by Telmarine soldiers. They were lead by Lord Espino, who was the man who mentored and trained Lord Miraz. I was only a young girl at the time, so I was spared on the condition that I would come back and live as a Telmarine. Many of my people were not so lucky. Some fled deep into the woods, while others were captured and forced into slavery or killed on the spot. I was working in the castle cleaning the floors one day, when I accidentally bumped into a finely dressed young man. I quickly apologised for my actions, and he smiled and told me not to worry. He introduced himself as Prince Caspian IX, the first in line for the throne. We talked for a short time, before he excused himself citing "some royal humdrum that he must attend to". He would come back every so often to talk, saying that he enjoyed my stories of old Narnia that I would always tell him. Years later, after the birth of his child, Caspian asked me if I would work as his son's nursemaid, so that I could tell him all of my wonderful stories. Prince Caspian X loved listening to my stories, and would always ask to hear more. Unfortunately, he was just a boy and the other day he asked Miraz if he knew any stories of old Narnia like the ones I told him. Miraz apparently became outraged that I was spreading these lies to his nephew, and ordered my arrest. He was about to order his guards to kill me when you arrived. Sir Balbanes, may I ask if you have ever heard of the Great Lion, Aslan?"

Balbanes, who was quite stunned by this story, took a moment to think and then replied "I cannot say if I have ever heard of him before the moment that you mentioned his name in Miraz's throne room, but there was something familiar and comforting about hearing that name. What can you tell me of him?"

"He is the creator of all of Narnia, from the Western Woods to the eastern sky where the sun rises and sets each day. He created all of the plants and animals, and even gave some of the animals the ability to speak. It was his song that gave life to all of this world that he created out of nothingness. He was the one who gave the first King and Queen, King Frank and Queen Helen, the rule over all the animals. It is their descendants that make up the people of Archenland, after they were driven from Narnia by Jadis, the white witch. She brought great strife to Narnia, and left it in a thousand year winter, until she was eventually defeated by Aslan and the Kings and Queens of Old Narnia. Aslan has watched over all of Narnia since its inception, and he will continue to do so until the stars themselves fall from the very sky."

Balbanes was so entranced by Geldja's story of Aslan, that he failed to notice the shadowy presence that had been watching them for quite some time. Slowly the figure moved through the darkness of the forest towards where Balbanes and Geldja were sitting, when suddenly it stepped on some dried leaves, making a loud crunching sound. Balbanes was startled by the noise and quickly rose to his feet, drawing his sword in the process. He turned around, and was completely startled by what he saw standing behind him.
 
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Great way of briefly accounting for the Archenlanders, and a great historical synopsis. But you raise a biological question: BOTH OF young Caspian's parents "gave birth" to him?? (-:
 
Before you get your next chapter posted, let me share a further thought about totalitarianism.

A system like that of the real-world Stalin or the fictional Miraz HAS TO be either theocratic in some sense, or else atheistic--because the ruler cannot and will not tolerate people having any loyalty to anyone or anything but the ruler. So unless religion can be TOTALLY subordinated to the government, it must be eliminated. Nothing Mr. Lewis wrote supports the idea of Telmar being a theocracy; this leaves an atheistic tyranny as the only other option.

The Soviet Union survived long enough to leave a historical record of what a society does when it is commanded not to believe in God. The Russians under the Marxist yoke sought spiritual consolation in patriotic spirit, in the arts, in the love of nature, and of course in sex and booze. It would be nice to see what you imagine the Telmarines would do to fill "the God-shaped hole in their souls."
 
Thank you to everyone for your complements. It's encouraging to read them and it helps keep me going on this story.

CopperFox,

You and I must think a lot alike :) I had played around with the idea of how/why Miraz was so anti-Narnia and had come up with the idea that he could not tolerate people believing in something that could be more powerful than him. If people believed in the old Narnia, then that would lead to their belief in Aslan and the old Kings and Queens, neither of which would bode well for an absolutist monarch like Miraz.

Forgive me if I sound like I am repeating myself, but I have genuinely enjoyed your assistance and commentary for my story. Since I consider myself to be more of an apprentice or a journeyman to the writing craft, I greatly appreciate any advice and guidance that I can receive from someone who I would certainly consider a master of the craft such as yourself.

I am in a writing mood tonight so I'll be bringing everyone the next chapter soon.
 
Welcome back everyone, I am pleased to bring you the next installment of my story.


Chapter 7
The Day Begins​



Balbanes stood facing the dark figure that had slowly crept up behind them, but did not make a move. He gripped his sword tightly, and was ready to swing at the first sign of danger. Finally, after a few tense moments, the figure spoke

"Balbanes, is that really you? How long has in been since we last saw each other"?

Balbanes remained silent for a moment and suddenly his eyes widened and a great smile came across his face. He sheathed his sword and walked over the figure.

"Come out of the shadows so I can see that face of yours!" Balbanes said with a newfound lightness in his voice.

The figure stepped out from the shadows of the trees, and came into the daylight. He was a tall man with dark, shaggy hair and a ragged-looking beard. What was notable about this man was his strange manner of dressing. He wore a leather tunic over a very worn shirt and his leggings and boots seemed to have been worn for several years. He also wore a hooded cloak made from the hide of a wolf as well as a necklace made of claws and fangs. He carried a long bow across his back with a quiver full of arrows.

"Arañar my old friend! I cannot believe my eyes. You have changed so much, what has happened to you?" said Balbanes to the man.

"It is good to see you also my friend. I guess a lot has happened since we last saw each other. I guess I should explain. After the Battle of Ebon Rock, a few of us were called together and given a "special mission" by none other than Lord Espino himself. We were supposed to go through and seek out the remainder of the enemy forces and ensure that they were eliminated. We followed these enemy soldiers back and found not a great fortress or even anything at all that remotely resembled a military building. Instead we found a small farming village with women and children. These "monsters" as Espino called them, were simply farmers who were trying to protect their homes. We reported back what we found to Lord Espino, but instead of feeling sympathetic or remorseful, he was enraged that we did not raze the entire village. We explained that there were women and children, but Espino would hear none of that and called together a band of troops to ride with him to torch the village. He then ordered that anyone who would not join him on this mad rampage was to be put to death as a traitor. We quickly scattered into the woods with Espino's men close behind. I was beginning to lose my way, when I heard a voice call to me and tell me to follow it. Since Espino's men were close behind, and I had no way of knowing what was ahead, I felt that I had nothing to loose by choosing to follow the voice. It would yell out at me every so often to ensure that I knew where to go, and after a while of running, I came into a clearing and stopped. I paused, listening for the hoofbeats of Espino's men, but heard nothing. I was exhausted and sat down to rest. All of a sudden I heard the voice again, and this time it sounded as though he was right next to me.

"Welcome to our home" the voice said.

I slowly turned my head not knowing what to expect, and saw sitting next to me, a great grey wolf.

"Hello. I am known as Lightpaw" the wolf said holding up his left paw which was much more white than the rest of his fur. "I brought you here because my pack and I are in need of some help. We are being hunted by fur traders for the land to the south of here that you people refer to as Calormen. Although we are fierce warriors in our own right, we cannot fight against the metal armor and weapons that they posses. Since you seemed to also be having problems being hunted, I felt that it would benefit the both of us if we were to team up together."

"I was stunned, I had never seen a talking animal before, let alone one that was sitting next to me. I could not find the words to say to this kind wolf, and he just looked at me in an odd manner. Finally I gathered my composure and thanked the wolf for his kindness. We then discussed our plan for how to defeat the Calormens and save his pack." Aranar said.

"Ebon Rock?" Geldja asked "I have lived in Telmar for nearly forty years and I have never heard of such as battle. Also, I have not heard of any talking animals in this land since long ago during the Golden Age."

"There is much that the people of Telmar do not know about." said Aranar in a very harsh voice "They are ignorant to the world around them, and do not fully understand what is out there. There are those among the Telmarine Aristocracy that are intent on suppressing all that is Narnia, out of the fear that they will fall from power and lose their wealth and influence. Miraz and Espino are only two of the many who have been a part of this group. King Caspian IX however, was not among them. He wanted to believe in the true Narnia, and was working to oust the aristocracy and restore full power to the King so that he could work to bring back that which was old Narnia. However, judging by your account of what happened to him, it seems he made someone very uneasy, and that person or persons decided to eliminate the one threat to their grip on the kingdom."

"This is very disturbing" said Balbanes in a cold voice "I did not know that there were other possibly involved in the death of King Caspian."

"We need to find out more about that liquid that you carry with you." said Aranar "Where are you taking it?"

"I am seeking an old friend of mine. We had attended school together, but while I went to the military academy, he pursued his studies at the school for the Scholars and became a very well respected teacher. He left a long time ago, saying that he wanted a more simple life than the castle could provide. He moved to a small village on the outskirts of the kingdom and began to teach schoolchildren."

"Your friend sounds familiar" Aranar said "What is his name?"

"Corneilius" Balbanes replied
 
** Author's note**

If anyone on here is interested in me developing Aranar's story, I will eventually tell his story as I am working on Balbanes. I really like his character, but for the purposes of this story, I will leave him as more of a side character and continue to focus on Balbanes.
 
Knight of Narnia said:
** Author's note**

If anyone on here is interested in me developing Aranar's story, I will eventually tell his story as I am working on Balbanes. I really like his character, but for the purposes of this story, I will leave him as more of a side character and continue to focus on Balbanes.
Click to expand...

It sound as though it would be interesting. So, yes.:)
 
Can't write much because I feel ill, but Aranar does sound interesting. As for Lightpaw: wolves are stereotyped as bad guys, but I know of one exception in old folklore. There is a Russian legend in which a TALKING gray wolf helped a prince named Ivan with a quest. In fact, the wolf was the brains of the team.
 
Lovely story - amazing how it intertwines with the stories. Love to read more, can't wait!
P.S. Love Lightpaw, wolves are among my favorite (real life) creatures, and it saddens me to see them always as the bad guys - even in Narnia... (Lol.)

Btw, Aranar's character sounds interesting...quite a history it seem, yes? :D.

Can't wait to read more :D.
 
Again, I would like to thank everyone for your kind comments. It's really encouraging to see everyone's comments on here. Balbanes' adventures will resume tonight, and Aranar's tale will begin shortly thereafter. I am going to try and keep both stories running at the same time, since they take place at the same time.
 
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