style from her usual one. For in Calormen, story-telling (whether the stories are true or 
made up) is a thing you're taught, just as English boys and girls are taught 
essay-writing. The difference is that people want to hear the stories, whereas I never 
heard of anyone who wanted to read the essays.
    
    
    
    
    CHAPTER THREE
    
    AT THE GATES OF TASHBAAN
    
    "Mr name," said the girl at once, "is Aravis Tarkheena and I am the only daughter of 
Kidrash Tarkaan, the son of Rishti Tarkaan, the son of Kidrash Tarkaan, the son of 
Ilsombreh Tisroc, the son of Ardeeb Tisroc who was descended in a right line from the god 
Tash. My father is the lord of the province of Calavar and is one who has the right of 
standing on his feet in his shoes before the face of Tisroc himself (may he live for 
ever). My mother (on whom be the peace of the gods) is dead and my father has married 
another wife. One of my brothers has fallen in battle against the rebels in the far west 
and the other is a child. Now it came to pass that my father's wife, my step-mother, 
hated me, and the sun appeared dark in her eyes as long as I lived in my father's house. 
And so she persuaded my father to promise me in marriage to Ahoshta Tarkaan. Now this 
Ahoshta is of base birth, though in these latter years he has won the favour of the 
Tisroc (may he live for ever) by flattery and evil counsels, and is now made a Tarkaan 
and the lord of many cities and is likely to be chosen as the Grand Vizier when the 
present Grand Vizier dies. Moreover he is at least sixty years old and has a hump on his 
back and his face resembles that of an ape. Nevertheless my father, because of the wealth 
and power of this Ahoshta, and being persuaded by his wife, sent messengers offering me 
in marriage, and the offer was favourably accepted and Ahoshta sent word that he would 
marry me this very year at the time of high summer.
    
    "When this news was brought to me the sun appeared dark in my eyes and I laid myself 
on my bed and wept for a day. But on the second day I rose up and washed my face and 
caused my mare Hwin to be saddled and took with me a sharp dagger which my brother had 
carried in the western wars and rode out alone. And when my father's house was out of 
sight and I was come to a green open place in a certain wood where there were no 
dwellings of men, I dismounted from Hwin my mare and took out the dagger. Then I parted 
my clothes where I thought the readiest way lay to my heart and I prayed to all the gods 
that as soon as I was dead I might find myself with my brother. After that I shut my eyes 
and my teeth and prepared to drive the dagger into my heart. But before I had done so, 
this mare spoke with the voice of one of the daughters of men and said, "O my mistress, 
do not by any means destroy yourself, for if you live you may yet have good fortune but 
all the dead are dead alike."
    
    "I didn't say it half so well as that," muttered the mare.
    
    "Hush, Ma'am, hush," said Bree, who was thoroughly enjoying the story. "She's telling 
it in the grand Calormene manner and no story-teller in a Tisroc's court could do it 
better. Pray go on, Tarkheena."
    
    "When I heard the language of men uttered by my mare," continued Aravis, "I said to 
myself, the fear of death has disordered my reason and subjected me to delusions. And I 
became full of shame for none of my lineage ought to fear death more than the biting of a 
gnat. Therefore I addressed myself a second time to the stabbing, but Hwin came near to 
me and put her head in between me and the dagger and discoursed to me most excellent 
reasons and rebuked me as a mother rebukes her daughter. And now my wonder was so great 
that I forgot about killing myself and about Ahoshta and said, `O my mare, how have you 
learned to speak like one of the daughters of men?' And Hwin told me what is known to all 
this company, that in Narnia there are beasts that talk, and how she herself was stolen 
from thence when she was a little foal. She told me also of the woods and waters of 
Narnia and the castles and the great ships, till I said, `In the name of Tash and Azaroth 
and Zardeenah Lady of the Night, I have a great wish to be in that country of Narnia.' `O 
my mistress,' answered the mare, `if you were in Narnia you would be happy, for in that 
land no maiden is forced to marry against her will.'
    
    "And when we had talked together for a great time hope returned to me and I rejoiced 
that I had not killed myself. Moreover it was agreed between Hwin and me that we should 
steal ourselves away together and we planned it in this fashion. We returned to my 
father's house and I put on my gayest clothes and sang and danced before my father and 
pretended to be delighted with the marriage which he had prepared for me. Also I said to 
him, `O my father and O the delight of my eyes, give me your licence and permission to go 
with one of my maidens alone for three days into the woods to do secret sacrifices to 
Zardeenah, Lady of the Night and of Maidens, as is proper and customary for damsels when 
they must bid farewell to the service of Zardeenah and prepare themselves for marriage.' 
And he answered, `O my daughter and O the delight of my eyes, so shall it be.'
    
    "But when I came out from the presence of my father I went immediately to the oldest 
of his slaves, his secretary, who had dandled me on his knees when I was a baby and loved 
me more than the air and the light. And I swore him to be secret and begged him to write 
a certain letter for me. And he wept and implored me to change my resolution but in the 
end he said, `To hear is to obey,' and did all my will. And I sealed the letter and hid 
it in my bosom."
    
    "But what was in the letter?" asked Shasta.
    
    "Be quiet, youngster," said Bree. "You're spoiling the story. She'll tell us all 
about the letter in the right place. Go on, Tarkheena."
    
    "Then I called the maid who was to go with me to the woods and perform the rites of 
Zardeenah and told her to wake me very early in the morning. And I became merry with her 
and gave her wine to drink; but I had mixed such things in her cup that I knew she must 
sleep for a night and a day. As soon as the household of my father had committed 
themselves to sleep I arose and put on an armour of my brother's which I always kept in 
my chamber in his memory. I put into my girdle all the money I had and certain choice 
jewels and provided myself also with food, and saddled the mare with my own hands and 
rode away in the second watch of the night. I directed my course not to the woods where 
my father supposed that I would go but north and east to Tashbaan.
    
    "Now for three days and more I knew that my father would not seek me, being deceived 
by the words I had said to him. And on the fourth day we arrived at the city of Azim