AHAHAHAHA

[bedlamsbard]

Oh my God, I'm writing Narnian epic poetry.

And fic. Also fic.

I'm ending up with things like:

Now inside Cair Paravel another castle hid
And only High King Peter knew where its secrets led.
Into this second castle he went with sword in hand
And one by one slew the traitor’s savage band.

(I have theories about the Golden Age of Narnia. Most of which are coming out in the fic I'm writing.)

Comments

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

Whether we go by canon ages or movie ages, putting a bunch of youngsters in charge of a severely underpopulated war-torn land with a divided, impoverished people can't have gone easily. Peter was the eldest, the big brother who had to take care of everybody; no doubt, the others helped as they could, given their various natures, interests, and skills, but they were still even younger than he was. Plus, they had to learn *how* to do the jobs, even if they weren't being threatend or attacked on a regular basis. Aslan is a crazy mofo, I don't care WHO he was supposed to represent!

Lewis reminds me of Rowling, writing books that are far deeper and less childish than people realize at first, but not doing it RIGHT. Or well, or *enough*, whatever. *flails*

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Yes, but just think how very competent they must have been by the time they got shipped back to England. Although, writing Golden Age-era fic right now, it's highly amusing to write pretty little eighteen-year-old Susan in diplomatic negotiations and being severely underestimated and then kicking ass and getting exactly what she wants. So in some ways, being younger is an asset because they'll always be underestimated. On the other hand, being underestimated sucks.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

Susan *was* the one who stayed home during the various wars...who do people think handled the ambassadors and local politics while the others were on campaign? The country didn't just conveniently *stop* until they all came home.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Although Susan obviously has combat experience (and a lot of it, although probably not to Peter and Edmund's extent), so she went to war with them occasionally. I think Susan was probably the diplomat of the family, along with Edmund to an extent (different specialties, I bet, although all of them could probably step in for the others in a pinch). Lucy's specialty was internal affairs, and Edmund, I think, intelligence and foreign affairs. Peter could do everything, but really, he was a soldier more than the rest.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

Interesting you say Edmund for intelligence affairs, as that's my take on him, too. I've been trying to find the link for a fic I read where he & Lucy were talking about the dark things he sometimes did & she was all "they don't become you"; but he thinks that he needs to do it so the others won't have to, so they won't be sullied. He thinks it doesn't matter what *he* does, because he's already dirty, compard to them. But I can't find it, of course, now that I want it. I thought it was at dark_narnia, but they've changed the layout since I was there last and I can't find it right now, damn it.

So, instead, here's that link to the meta on Peter's character that I mentioned. http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2422449/1/

I thought it was very interesting. Once I saw PC, I could see immediately that Peter wasn't being "an ass", like I'd read in a few remarks; the film is about his growth from boy to man (again), his overcoming his pride and need for self-sufficiency and to be right, etc. Anyone who looks at the story as just Peter being bossy is missing many (and some rather obvious) layers, there.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

My original thought was Susan for intelligence, but I think Edmund's a better choice. (And I've seen that a lot around what little of Narnia fandom I poke into -- once I get my hooks into a fandom, I'm far less likely to read other people's fic or meta because I can't reconcile their version of the characters/world with mine. It's a quirk.)

I am firmly of the opinion that none of the Pevensies are "unsoiled"; Edmund may have his betrayal, but that's far in the past, and of course it has to be put aside fast for him to really develop as a king of Narnia. While Susan and Lucy may have somewhat more scruples than Peter and Edmund, I don't think it's all that much more, if any at all, and they may be bent in a different direction. (Is Susan willing to blackmail someone in negotiations? Yes. Would Peter cut someone's throat from behind in the dark and not regret it? Yes.) I think they're all willing to do the dirty work -- they have to be. Hell, even Lucy. My Lucy has done her share of killing for Narnia, and not all of that's honorable combat.

I'm, uh, not a big fan of the "everyone is pure and golden and innocent! Except Edmund, because he's a big fat TRAITOR" school of thought.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

No, I'm not a fan of the "traitor" thing, either-but I can see *Edmund* having hangups, maybe, at least for a few years. But the Narnians gave him the name "the Just" for a reason & it sure doesn't sound like it's because they didn't like him.

I don't think *any* monarch could stay pure & innocent, especially during the many wars they had. I get irritated because people seem to forget that Edmund was all of, what, about 10 years old when his "betrayal" happened? And that was partly because he was mad with his family & partly because Jadis was very good at manipulation, and so on.

What's your take on Edmund's school? I'm intrigued by the offhand, mentioned right at the end of LWW thought that Lucy tossed out about Edmund finally being healed of everything that was wrong with him since he started that "dreadful school" of his, when she gave him her cordial. Nobody but Lucy seems to have connected the school with his personality changes.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, definitely -- for a few years. But he can't have had his problems much longer than that, because I just don't think he'd be able to function as a king of Narnia if that sort of thing is constantly on his mind. (Especially, I think, as Peter's second-in-command; Susan may be the next eldest and probably dealt with internal affairs, but Edmund, of the three of them, is most likely to be out in the battlefield with Peter the most.)

Eleven or twelve, I think. Older in movieverse, but not by all that much. He's a kid. He made mistakes! And it's not like they were irreparable, either; it's not like Aslan didn't fix everything. Now, if he'd cost Narnia the war and gotten Aslan permanently killed, then we'd be talking problems. But he didn't.

Oh, huh, I'd forgotten about that. *checks* Well, the thing is that we know Peter and Edmund go to the same school; it's mentioned in Prince Caspian. So I doubt it was the school so much (compared to, say, Eustace's school in The Silver Chair) as it was Edmund falling in with the wrong crowd. And it may have simply been that they grew apart; the other three were away at boarding school and Lucy was left at home. Lucy's pretty dang young too; it's easy for her to blame any changes on something external, whether or not that's the actual cause.