soldier, poet, king || e. pevensie | slow updates

the soldier • 1

there will come a soldier, who carries a mighty sword. she will tear your city down, oh lei-oh lai-oh lord.

"Bad. Try again."
Coralia Findlay's neighbor was a mouse. A very rude mouse, if she was being honest. But alas, he had been a soldier once.

That's what Coralia wanted to be. A soldier, striking down enemies on the front lines with her longsword.
However, everyone must start somewhere. Coralia was starting with an elderly mouse and a wooden sword. In the middle of the forest where no one could see.

Narnia had female soldiers and guards, yes. Quite a few of them, actually. But Coralia's village did not. In fact, everything Coralia ever wanted to do was frowned upon.

"Papa, I want to fight."
"No, Corey. You'll be a good wife and spend your time cooking and reading."

Over and over and over again. She'd embroidered and cooked and done everything a good woman should do while preparing for life.

She trained in the forest, telling her father that she'd gone to the market for some new thread.
Coralia had been training with her mouse neighbor, Mr. Sowdin, for 3 years now.

"Can't I just use your sword? I've been training on this fake one forever. I'm ready."

"No, Findlay. You're not," He jumped up onto a nearby stump. "Your legs need to be stronger and more grounded. One swipe and you'd fall and be stabbed. Your abdomen: your core is hardly tightened at all. One punch and you're disoriented. And stabbed. No swords yet. As I said; Again!" He pointed at her.

She exhaled, determined to get it perfect this time.
She bounced in place a bit, before charging straight forward. She swung, knocking over the boughs that Sowdin had set up as enemies. She jumped, turning fully around in the air and knocked over three at once. She landed, did a front roll, stood, and ended with her stick out forward, pointing towards her fake opponents neck.

She held the pose, breathing heavily and waiting for the mouse's criticism. She'd always been good with the blade. It was the footwork that was her issue.

"Much better. You've improved. Another week and you can use the sword. Walk me home and make me some tea. Then you're dismissed."
Coralia grinned, brushing her ginger hair away from her eyes. She set the wooden sword down next to a tree and picked up her neighbor, setting him on her shoulder.

"Now, no running. And no man-handling!"
She tried as best as she could to keep a steady pace that wouldn't bounce her shoulder too much and send him flying away. After the painfully slow walk back to Mr. Sowdin's cottage, she ducked down and pushed open the rotting wood door. It was a cottage for a mouse, so she didn't fit comfortably. However, every house in the village was built at the same time, so it was still large enough for a human to be inside.

"I wish you'd let me replace that door. Or at least hire someone to replace it."

He shook his head.
"No. It is my door, and if I wish to have it changed, I will do so," He pointed to his kettle, changing the subject. "No milk, no sugar."

She set him down and, still hunched over, made her way to the kitchen to begin boiling the water for his tea. The stove was small, and the kettle even smaller. This was one of the only times she was glad for her dainty hands. They were dreadful for fighting, but perfect for making tea for grumpy mice.

Back in the sitting room, Mr. Sowdin was leaning back in his old rocking chair. He took off his hat, setting it on the table before him.
She brought the plain black tea to him and sat while he drank it.

While he was glad to have company, he sighed. Coralia was fidgeting in her seat, a sign that she was already bounding down the street to go read in her attic room.

"I know you want to leave, but I am lonely and I would like to tell you a story." Mr. Sowdin set down his teacup and folded his hands.

"Many years ago, before you were born, Narnia had a wondrous army. With talented soldiers, the best swordsmen in the land. But the best one of them all? Well, he doesn't like to brag, but he is still alive and kicking. Despite his small size, he took down enemy after enemy. You know who this is, yes?"

Coralia nodded her head, laughing quietly. "He is you, sir. I've heard these stories before."

"But you haven't heard this one," He leaned forward, almost whispering.

"You are aware that I only recently retired. Five years ago."

She nodded, remembering his speech that he had given to each family, going door to door.
"I was only a child when you came back."

He poked her arm.
"You are a child, Coralia. Two years and you can call yourself grown."
She rolled her eyes, but let him continue his story.

"Now, back to my tale. I retired after the Kings and Queens came to Narnia. You know this. But I didn't leave immediately after the Battle of Beruna. I stayed. I oversaw the training of the Royals."

Coralia's eyes widened — she had known that the mouse fought in the army, but she hadn't known this.

"His Majesty, the King is deemed the greatest swordsman in all of Narnia. Those who say such things haven't met me. I trained a talented centaur, Orien - yes, a mouse training a centaur - who so happens to be the one who trained the kings."

He smiled proudly, then continued.
"This means that, with a few more months of intense training - you'd need to come by every day - you could be at the same level as King Edmund. Then you'd achieve your dream."

She was blown away. How would she get away from home every day without confessing to her father?
"Well, sir, I'm not sure how I can-" She didn't get to finish her sentence.

"You'll manage. If it means we'll have to train at night, so be it. You can sleep until 1, then you must come to me and we will train until sunrise."

Coralia would only get about 5 hours of sleep, if that. But she was passionate about this. She didn't sleep very much anyway, as she was usually up late reading.

"Yes or no, Coralia. With this level of training, you'll be at Cair Paravel as a soldier by the solstice."

It was impossible for her to refuse. She was so close to her dream. Well, one of them. Coralia held out her hand for the mouse to shake.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow at one. In the usual spot in the woods. I'll bring the sword, don't be late. And make sure you eat, I can't have you training on an empty stomach."

She was grinning, not even trying to hide her excitement.
"Get out before I change my mind." The mouse pointed to his small, broken down door.

She thanked him profusely and dashed out the door.

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i'm so excited to finally be posting this i've literally been working on it for fhcking ever