Relations with Galma are always a delicate issue--while Galma is a duchy of Narnia, between various Narnian rulers and the White Witch, it often enjoyed the benign neglect of its colonizers. Every now and then, a duke came to power who tried to assert Galman independence, but it never won much favor with the population and usually Galma happily went back to what it was doing before without Narnia having to step in and muddy the waters.
Edmund and Susan were both very strict about this with Peter before he arrived for their first visit of state in Galma--do not overstep and upset the balance. He hadn't saw much need to at first; the Duke was cordial and deferential, not at all trouble making. His politics didn't tend towards independence and he was equally interested in maintaining the status quo as they were. It seemed like it had all been a lot of fuss over nothing to Peter.
And then he'd met the Duke's young bride--emphasis on young as she was Peter's own age, a good two decades younger than the duke, and while that perturbed Peter, he could have ignored it as a custom of this world that he would just never appreciate. The sadness in the girl's eyes, however, spoke another story, as did the desperation in her voice as she snuck into his guest room and threw herself at his feet, clasping his hands in supplication.
Peter had heard of selkies before--creatures like seals who could shed their pelts and look identical to humans. If you stole their pelt, you controlled them because they had no way to return to their true forms. He might have hesitated to believe her if she hadn't taken him to see the others, the literal children the duke had stolen, to be raised and traded away as brides and slaves.
Well, he thought, stalking towards the duke's chambers, his blood pumping like Aslan's roar in his ears and hand on his sword hilt already, I guess I'm just not cut out to be a very good diplomat.
_____ [A/N: Someone stops Peter before he literally kills the duke, but it's a close thing and then there's a big hubbub when they instead toss him out of power. I have no idea what happens to selkie girl afterwards, but I do kinda ship her and Peter. I have no way to work this into the fill though, so just enjoy this post script.]
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Edmund and Susan were both very strict about this with Peter before he arrived for their first visit of state in Galma--do not overstep and upset the balance. He hadn't saw much need to at first; the Duke was cordial and deferential, not at all trouble making. His politics didn't tend towards independence and he was equally interested in maintaining the status quo as they were. It seemed like it had all been a lot of fuss over nothing to Peter.
And then he'd met the Duke's young bride--emphasis on young as she was Peter's own age, a good two decades younger than the duke, and while that perturbed Peter, he could have ignored it as a custom of this world that he would just never appreciate. The sadness in the girl's eyes, however, spoke another story, as did the desperation in her voice as she snuck into his guest room and threw herself at his feet, clasping his hands in supplication.
Peter had heard of selkies before--creatures like seals who could shed their pelts and look identical to humans. If you stole their pelt, you controlled them because they had no way to return to their true forms. He might have hesitated to believe her if she hadn't taken him to see the others, the literal children the duke had stolen, to be raised and traded away as brides and slaves.
Well, he thought, stalking towards the duke's chambers, his blood pumping like Aslan's roar in his ears and hand on his sword hilt already, I guess I'm just not cut out to be a very good diplomat.
_____
[A/N: Someone stops Peter before he literally kills the duke, but it's a close thing and then there's a big hubbub when they instead toss him out of power. I have no idea what happens to selkie girl afterwards, but I do kinda ship her and Peter. I have no way to work this into the fill though, so just enjoy this post script.]