CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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THE HIGH KING IN AND "Now," said Peter, as they fiheir meal, "Aslan and the girls (thats Queen Susan and Queen Lucy, Caspian) are somewhere close. We dont know when he will act. In his time, no doubt, not ours. In the meantime he would like us to do what we on our own.You say, Caspian, we are not strong enough to meet Miraz in pitched battle?”
"Im afraid not, High King," said Caspian. He was likier very much, but was rather toied. It was much stranger for him to meet the great Kings out of the old stories than it was for them to meet him.
"Very well, then," said Peter, "Ill send him a challeo single bat." No one had thought of this before.
"Please," said Caspian, "could it not be me? I want to avenge my father.”
"Youre wounded," said Peter. "And anyway, wouldnt he just laugh at a challenge from you? I mean, we have seen that you are a king and a warrior but he thinks of you as a kid.”
"But, Sire," said the Badger, who sat very close to Peter and ook his eyes off him.
"Will he accept a . challenge even from you? He knows he has the stronger . army.”
"Very likely he wont," said Peter, "but theres always the ce. And even if he doesnt, we shall spend the best part of the day sending heralds to and fro and all that. By then Aslan may have done something. And at least I ihe army and strehe position. I will send the challenge. In fact I will write it at once. Have you pen and ink, Master Doctor?”
"A scholar is never without them, your Majesty," answered Doctor elius.
"Very well, I will dictate," said Peter. And while the Doctor spread out a part and opened his ink-horn and sharpened his peer leant back with half- closed eyes and recalled to his mind the language in which he had written such things long ago in Narnias golden age.
&quht," he said at last. "And now, if you are ready, Doctor?”
Doctor elius dipped his pen and waited. Peter dictated as follows: "Peter, by the gift of Aslan, by ele, by prescription, and by quest, High King over all Kings in Narnia, Emperor of the Lone Islands and Lord of Cair Paravel, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion, to Miraz, Son of Caspian the Eighth, sometime Lord Protector of Narnia and now styling himself King of Narnia, Greeting. Have you got that?”
"Narnia, a, greeting," muttered the Doctor. "Yes, Sire.”
"Then begin a new paragraph," said Peter. "For to prevent the effusion of blood, and for the avoiding all other inveniences likely to grow from the wars now levied in our realm of Narnia, it is our pleasure to adventure our royal person on behalf of our trusty and well-beloved Caspian in wager of battle to prove upon your Lordships body that the said Caspian is lawful King under us in Narnia both by ift and by the laws of the Telmarines, and your Lordship twice guilty of treachery both in withholding the dominion of Narnia from the said Caspian and in the most abhominable, - dont fet to spell it with an H, Doctor - bloody, and unnatural murder of your kindly lord and brother King Caspian Ninth of that name. Wherefore we most heartily provoke, challenge, and defy your Lordship to the said bat and monomachy, and have sent these letters by the hand of our well beloved and royal brother Edmund, sometime King under us in Narnia, Duke of Lantern Waste and t of the Western March, Knight of the Noble Order of the Table, to whom we have given full power of determining with your Lordship all the ditions of the said battle. Given at our lodging in Aslans How this XII day of the month Greenroof in the first year of Caspiah of Narnia.
"That ought to do," said Peter, drawing a deep breath.
"And now we must send two others with King Edmund. I think the Giant ought to be one.”
"Hes - hes not very clever, you know," said Caspian.
"Of course not," said Peter. "But any giant looks impressive if only he will keep quiet.
And it will cheer him up. But who for the other?”
"Upon my word," said Trumpkin, "if you want someone who kill with looks, Reepicheep would be the best.”
"He would indeed, from all I hear," said Peter with a laugh. "If only he wasnt so small.
They wouldnt even see him till he was close!”
"Send Glenstorm, Sire," said Trufflehunter. "No one ever laughed at a taur.”
An hour later two great lords in the army of Miraz, the Llozelle and the Lord Sopespian, strolling along their lines and pig their teeth after breakfast, looked up and saw ing down to them from the wood the taur and Giant Wimbleweather, whom they had seen before in battle, aween them a figure they could nnize.
Nor indeed would the other boys at Edmunds school have reized him if they could have seen hi?m at that moment. For Aslan had breathed on him at their meeting and a kind of greatness hung about him.
"Whats to do?" said the Llozelle. "An attack?”
"A parley, rather," said Sopespian. "See, they carry green brahey are ing to surrender most likely.”
"He that is walkiween the taur and the Giant has no look of surrender in his face," said Glozelle. "Who he be? It is not the boy Caspian.”
"No indeed," said Sopespian. "This is a fell warrior, I warrant you, wherever the rebels have got him from. He is (in your Lordships private ear) a kinglier man than ever Miraz was. And what mail he wears! None of our smiths make the like.”
"Ill wager my dappled Pomely he brings<var></var> a challenge, not a surrender," said Glozelle.
"How then?" said Sopespian. "We hold the enemy in our fist here. Miraz would never be so hair-brained as to throw away his advantage on a bat.”
"He might be brought to it," said Glozelle in a much lower voice.
"Softly," said Sopespian. "Step a little aside here out of earshot of those sentries. Now.
Have I taken your Lordships meaning aright?”
"If the King uook wager of battle," whispered Glozelle, "why, either he would kill or be killed.”
"So," said Sopespian, nodding his head.
"And if he killed we should have won this war.”
"Certainly. And if not?”
"Why, if not, we should be as able to win it without the Kings grace as with him. For I need not tell your Lordship that Miraz is nreat captain. And after that, we should be both victorious and kingless.”
"And it is your meaning, my Lord, that you and I could hold this land quite as vely without a King as with one?”
Glozelles face grew ugly. "Not fetting," said he, "that it ho first put him ohrone. And in all the years that he has e, what fruits have e our way?
What gratitude has he shown us?”
"Say no more," answered Sopespian. "But look - herd es oo fetch us to the Kings tent." ` When they reached Mirazs tent they saw Edmund and his two panions seated outside it and beiertained with cakes and wine, having already delivered the challenge, and withdrawn while the King was sidering it. When they saw them thus at close quarters the two Telmarine lords thought all three of them very alarming.
Ihey found Miraz, unarmed and finishing his breakfast. His face was flushed and there was a scowl on his brow.
"There!" he growled, flinging the part across the table to them. "See what a pack of ales our jaapes of a nephew has sent us.”
"By your leave, Sire," said Glozelle. "If the young warrior whom we have just seen outside is the King Edmuioned in the writing, then I would not call him a ale but a very dangerous knight.”
"King Edmund, pah!" said Miraz. "Does your Lordship believe those old wives fables about Peter and Edmund and the <q></q>rest?”
"I believe my eyes, your Majesty," said Glozelle.
"Well, this is to no purpose," said Miraz, "but as toug the challenge, I suppose there is only one opinioween us?”
"I suppose so, indeed, Sire," said Glozelle.
"And what is that?" asked the King.
"Most infallibly to refuse it," said Glozelle. "For though I have never been called a coward, I must plainly say that to meet that young man in battle is more than my heart would serve me for. And if (as is likely) his brother, the High King, is more dangerous than he why, on your life, my Lord King, have nothing to do with him.”
"Plague on you!" cried Miraz. "It was not that sort of cil I wanted. Do you think I am asking you if I should be afraid to meet this Peter (if there is such a man)? Do you think I fear him? I wanted your sel on the policy of the matter; whether we, having the advantage, should hazard it on a wager of battle.”
"To which I only answer, your Majesty," said Glozelle, "that for all reasons the challenge should be refused. There is death irange knights face.”
"There yain!" said Miraz, now thhly angry. "Are y, to make it appear that I am as great a coward as your Lordship?”
"Your Majesty may say your pleasure," said Glozelle sulkily.
"You talk like an old woman, Glozelle," said the King. "What say you, my Lord Sopespian?”
"Do not touch it, Sire," was the reply. "And what your Majesty says of the policy of the thing es in very happily. It gives your Majesty excellent grounds for a refusal without any cause for questioning your Majestys honour or ce.”
"Great Heaven!" exclaimed Miraz, jumping to his feet. "Are you also bewitched today?
Do you think I am looking frounds to refuse it? You might as well call me coward to my face.”
The versation was goily as the two lords wished, so they said nothing.
"I see what it is," said Miraz, after staring at them as if his eyes would start out of his head, "you are as lilylivered as hares yourselves and have the effrontery to imagine my heart after the likeness of yrounds for a refusal, indeed! Excuses for not fighting!
Are you soldiers? Are you Telmarines? Are you men? And if I dog refuse it (as ail good reasons of captaind martial policy urge me to do) you will think, and teach others tan think, I was afraid. Is it not so?”
"No man of your Majestys age," said Glozelle, "would be called coward by any wise soldier for refusing the bat with a great warrior in the flower of his youth.”
"So Im to be a dotard with one foot in the grave, as well as a dastard," roared Miraz. "Ill tell you what it is, my Lords. With your womanish sels (ever shying from the true point, which is one of policy) you have dohe very opposite of your i. I had meant to refuse it. But Ill accept it. Do you hear, accept it! Ill not be shamed because some witchcraft or treason has frozen both your bloods.”
"We beseeajesty -" said Glozelle, but Miraz had flung out of the tent and they could hear him bawling out his acceptao Edmund.
The two lords looked at one another and chuckled quietly.
"I knew hed do it if he were properly chafed," said Glozelle. "But Ill not fet he called me coward. It shall be paid for.”
There was a great stirring at Aslans How when the news came bad was unicated to the various creatures. Edmund, with one of Mirazs captains, had already marked out the place for the bat, and ropes and stakes had been put round it.
Two Telmarines were to stand at two of the ers, and one in the middle of one side, as marshals of the lists. Three marshals for the other two ers and the other side were to be furnished by the High King. Peter was just explaining to Caspian that he could not be one, because his right to the throne was what they were fighting about, when suddenly a thick, sleepy voice said, "Your Majesty, please." Peter turned and there stood the eldest of the Bulgy Bears.
"If you please, your Majesty," he said, "Im a bear, I am.”
"To be sure, so you are, and a good bear too, I dont doubt," said Peter.
"Yes," said the Bear. "But it was always a right of the, bears to supply one marshal of the lists.”
"Do him," whispered Trumpkin to Peter. "Hes a good creature, but hell shame us all. Hell go to sleep and he will suck his paws. In front of the enemy too.”
"I t help that," said Peter. "Because hes quite right. The Bears had that privilege. I t imagine how it has been remembered all these years, when so many other things have been fotten.”
"Please, your Majesty," said the Bear.
"It is yht," said Peter. "And you shall be one of the marshals. But you must remember not to suck your paws.”
"Of course not," said the Bear in a very shocked voice.
"Why, youre doing it this minute!" bellowed Trumpkin.
The Bear whipped his paw out of his mouth and pretended he hadnt heard.
"Sire!" came a shrill voice from he ground.
"Ah - Reepicheep!" said Peter after looking up and down and round as peo>藏书网</a>ple usually did when addressed by the Mouse.
"Sire," said Reepicheep. "My life is ever at your and, but my honour is my own.
Sire, I have among my people the only trumpeter in your Majestys army. I had thought,
perhaps, we might have bee with the challenge. Sire, my people are grieved.
Perhaps if it were your pleasure that I should be a marshal of the lists, it would tent them.”
A uhunder broke out from somewhere overhead at this point, as Giant Wimbleweather burst into one of those not very intelligent laughs to which the nicer sorts of Giant are so liable. He checked himself at ond looked as grave as a turnip by the time Reepicheep discovered where the noise came from.
"I am afraid it would not do," said Peter very gravely. "Some humans are afraid of mice -“
"I had observed it, Sire," said Reepicheep.
"And it would not be quite fair to Miraz," Peter tinued, "to have in sight anything that might abate the edge of his ce.”
"Your Majesty is the mirror of honour," said the Mouse with one of his admirable bows.
"And on this matter we have but a single mind... I thought I heard someone laughing just now. If anyone present wishes to make me the subject of his wit, I am very much at his service - with my sword - whenever he has leisure.”
An awful silence followed this remark, which was broken by Peter saying, "Giant Wimbleweather and the Bear and the taur Glenstorm shall be our marshals. The bat will be at two hours after noon. Di noon precisely.”
"I say," said Edmund as they walked away, "I suppose it is all right. I mean, I suppose you beat him?”
"Thats what Im fighting him to find out," said Peter.
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