cribellate | narnia au;

[Lucy almost didn't come.

She does not always come to these things. Edmund found her in a tree only a few hours before the Calormen arrived, her feet dangling as she talked to the dryad of the tree, and convinced her to come down, to change from her petticoats and her bodice into a proper dress, to come and sit on her throne and not leave it empty when the Prince Radabash came courting. I could go there in my underthings, she says, and Edmund quips that it certainly would be one way to make people look at her instead of at Susan. She does not like that particular comment, but she goes and changes anyway, into a midnight blue dress and her jewelry all diamonds like stars.

Lucy does not like watching the retinue come into the castle. She does not like knowing that so many of those people are slaves, when slavery is illegal in Narnia and will always be illegal in Narnia. She does not like the way that Radabash looks at Susan, no matter how much Susan looks back at him in almost the same way, which is surprising. Susan is not easily swayed with pretty words.

She thinks they will be here a month, for parties, and for courting, and hunts, and Lucy is already exhausted, right until-

-he's so tall. And he doesn't stop looking at her, even when he is gifted to Susan, as if a human can be a gift. Susan blushes, and Peter looks distinctly uncomfortable, and so do all the other Narnians, but Lucy can't keep her eyes off him. There is something about this man that makes her think he is more, and better. He is certainly no one from Calormen.

Susan accepts all the gifts, the flowers and fruits and smoked meats and jewels, and the party starts, and it's a whirl. Lucy waits as Susan opens the dancing, she waits as Edmund makes noises about slavery, she waits until her own guards finally go to mingle, she waits, remarkably patient, until she spots that man, that guard who is meant to stay in Narnia if Susan does not marry him and comes up near him.

He is so much taller than she is, and she reaches and touches his wrist, gently.]

Will you accompany me, please?

[There's a balcony, wide, with benches, and the air is cool and crisp.]

[George's place at a party is generally a few feet behind Rabadash, but apparently his hovering makes Queen Susan uneasy, and George can't say that he blames her. Sometimes it feels like he's forgotten how to smile. Rabadash says it makes him look like a fool, so he's taught himself not to.

Having been banned from the prince's side, George takes up a place to the side of the room, watching the proceedings. Usually in these sorts of situations, George amuses himself by wondering what his friends would think or do if they were here. Jon Cartwright would probably hit it off with the minotaurs. Beatriz and Julie would dance like fierce ballerinas. Simon would...

But he never gets to what Simon would do because someone is touching his wrist and George looks down to see Queen Lucy, and he chastises himself for having let his attention wander so much.]

Me?

[He glances around like she might mean someone else, but then he catches himself.]

I mean...yes, your majesty.

Yes, you.

[Her smile is bright - she saw Susan get fluttery and nervous; he is so unsmiling, so unhappy, and Susan does not care for that and does not have the demeanor to remedy it.

Lucy does. She has always been the one among them foremost in making friends, in cheering others up, in wanting other to be cheered up. This is no exception. He is here now, and he is Susan's guard, or that is the intention. Lucy does not suspect it will happen that way.

She takes his arm and leads him out, and there's no one there. This is Narnia. The royalty here do not fear assassination attempts by their own, and the very wind rises up in their defense.]

You are not from Calormen. I can tell by your coloring. But your scowl, that certainly does match the mood.

Will you tell me your name?

[It's a cool night but he's large enough to be a buffer against any chill.]

[She smiles so easily. No one in Calormen smiles like that, at least no one that he's seen, no one in Rabadash's circle.

He lets himself be led, if only because he's intrigued, and when he glances quickly to the prince, Rabadash's attention is all on Susan.]

I'm not from Calormen, no, your majesty. My name is...George. George Lovelace.

[It sounds almost odd to his ears after so long, and his brow furrows.]

But everyone calls me the Lion.

What should you like to be called, sir?

[She asks it kindly, and thinks that she will keep him, no matter what Radabash should want, no matter what Susan will say or what Peter may argue. He is not even from Calormen. They have no claim to him except their strange and utterly barbaric practices.

He seems like he needs someone. A friend, perhaps.]

Well not sir, for starters.

[He says it without thinking, and then immediately stiffens, his head down because he's gotten in trouble more than once for being too familiar, especially with the ladies of the court.]

Forgive me, your majesty. It's all the same to me, you may call me what you like.

[She laughs, bright and sweet.]

Easily forgiven.

George, then. The Lion is something entirely different, in Narnia.

[She walks, gently, all the way to the end of the balcony. She takes him there, and sits up on the balcony, her feet dangling a little.]

Do you like Calormen?

[George doesn't quite smile when she says his name, but something at the corners of his mouth relaxes.]

Aye, I see it in your tapestries. It means something different in my home too.

[Yet another reason he's not sorry for the nickname. The question catches him off guard, and he answers automatically.]

Calormen is a great empire, majesty.

[She sees that, and she kicks her legs a little.]

So I am told.

[She sighs a little, but she raises her head and looks up at him.]

I want to know what you think.

[She pauses for a moment, but she shakes her head.]

I am no great friend of the Tirsoc or his son.

[Even if his lips don't cooperate, there's something in his eyes that softens as she kicks her legs. Such a simple thing to take joy in, and it reminds him of a world a million worlds away from here. His gaze flicks toward the ballroom where Rabadash is dancing with Queen Susan, and his tarkaans are otherwise occupied. For once, no one is watching the barbarian.]

You shouldn't let your sister marry him.

[If this meant he left with Rabadash tomorrow and was punished, so be it. Queen Susan was such a sweet, harmless thing, a little silly, from what George had seen, but not deserving of a life in Tashbaan.]

[Oh.

She looks at him, and then she looks over at the ballroom. Susan is laughing, now, and she's so beautiful the entire room is staring at her, unable to look away. Susan is kind, too, and it shines through her skin. Lucy loves her so much; she cannot bear the idea of anyone harming her.]

I don't know if we can forbid it if it is what she desires.

[But that said.]

Has he hurt you?

[For a moment, George's brow furrows in confusion. No one in Calormen would ask that of a slave. It would be an absurd thing to even consider.]

No, your majesty. He doesn't touch me. It wouldn't do for his guard to appear weak and beaten.

[He doesn't try terribly hard to keep the bitterness from his voice.]

But he doesn't hold back his hand from others, and he doesn't show mercy to anyone.

[She looks distressed for a moment.]

He would hurt her?

[She puts a hand over her mouth.]

If you were to go back with them, and she chooses him, would-

Would you protect her?

I can't say if he would dare raise his hand to a queen.

[He turns to look at her, and he knows what it would cost to stand between Rabadash and his prize, to defend that which is human and mortal. Maybe this is why the Angel sent him here.]

But if he tried, I would protect her.

[Oh.

Her breath eases, and she calms, and swings her legs a little. There are still weeks between any decision. There are weeks between any requirements.

She smiles again, and this time it's gentle. Pretty.]

Do you want to stay here? If Susan were to stay, would you be happy to stay?

[George can't answer that because he can't let himself think that way.]

I will go where my master wishes.

He is not-

[She shakes her head.]

You are not a possession! You must have your own decisions!

[She hates slavery so much, and she wants so much for George to be free, even though she knows that it would be complicated to keep him in Narnia, but Lucy is not intimidated by such things.]

[George watches her outburst with warm eyes. She reminds him a little of Marisol, or maybe Clary.]

Forgive me again, your majesty, but I am. A possession, I mean. And it doesn't do me any good to pretend otherwise.

You do not have to pretend-

[She feels like her heart is breaking a little.]

Come with me, please?

[She lifts herself up from the bannister, and her feet land on the ground.]

We are close to the beach, as it is just down there. And I do not like to go unaccompanied.

[George's attention flicks back to the ballroom. He's not sure he remembers the last time he was this far from Rabadash, but he supposes that if Queen Susan doesn't want his services tonight, her sister is a reasonable option for him to protect instead.]

As you wish, your majesty.

[He offers his arm this time.]

[She takes his arm, and takes him down to the beach. Even in the dark, the beach is beautiful, quiet, the sparkling light of the stars reflecting in the foam and in the waves. It is so shining, and the sand is soft. The Narnian sea is Lucy's domain.

She takes them down to where the water is breaking against the rocks.]

When Radabash presented you, you were looking at me.

Why?

[George can feel his cheeks flushing and he's grateful for both the breeze off the sea and the darkness of the evening. That's the sort of question that can get you in trouble in Tashbaan. Still, he feels like he has nothing to lose by honesty.]

Because when you looked at the slaves, you didn't look away.

Most of the Narnians I've seen...they don't know what to make of us. They know it's wrong, and it makes them...I don't know. Uncomfortable? So they look away.

You are a person.

I hate that Radabash has made you think otherwise.

[She leans against him a little, because he is a person, because he seems like he's been a little broken by what he has endured. Slavery is abhorrent. It destroys people, and Lucy knows it.]

You can stay here. If that is what you choose. I can find a way.

[People have touched him a lot since he came into Rabadash's household, but this is the first time someone has touched him without a demand. Hesitantly, he places his hand over hers.]

He hasn't made me think that. I know I'm a person, majesty. I just also know that I'm his possession.

If your sister refuses him as she should, he will want his pet back, and he'll find someone else to give me to.

You are not-

[A pet.

She thinks he knows that.]

I am sorry. I do not like injustice when I see it.

Will you stay close to me while you are here?

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