PART ONE :: LOVE STORY

Prologue

"We were both young when I first saw you."

…

Narnia was a medium-sized country in the North. Below it was its closest ally, a small sovereignty named Archenland. And after the Great Desert, was Calormen in the South.

You see, the Calormenes were very ambitious people, who lived in a very ambitious land. They answered to nobody, only to the Tisroc – may he live forever! – and his many sons. Sometimes not even to them. They slaved children and women with no mercy in their hearts.

It was that country that was laying its greedy eyes on the Northern realms. Calormen had wanted to take Archenland for years now, and with the new Tisroc – may he live forever! – the temptation became too great to simply let go.

They decided to attack Anvard, the Archenlandish capital, first – then they would advance and take on the whole country. It would be easy enough to take Narnia afterwards. Neither of them northerners was expecting war.

Only, the Narnians had spies – so they found out before the army could be readied. Attempting at a peaceful resolution, they pretended to take interest in Anvard as well. To dispute the principality, the Narnians invited Calormen to The Great Games.

The prize was Anvard, and later on, Archenland. This happened in the first year of the famous Golden Age – a reign of two Kings, the High King Peter and the Just King Edmund; and two Queens, Gentle Queen Susan and Valiant Queen Lucy.

Of course this can be found in any History Book – even now, after the Disappearance. It is common knowledge that the High King won the First Game of Swordsfighting, defeating the Calormene Prince Rabadash. It is also known that Queen Susan lost the Second Game of Archery due to the distraction caused by the flattering Prince – but of course no Narnian mentions it; they believe it was due to a simple lack of practice ever since the Battle of Beruna.

What no one really knows is the reason why the outcome of the Final Game of Chess was what it was. King Edmund had a lot of influence during the time period of ten days in which a ten-year-old girl and her younger brother stumbled into Narnia.

He already had so much pressure on his shoulders; but little did he know, that life as he knew it would be turned upside down in only ten days.