In which I take a deep breath and hit the post button anyway

[rthstewart]

So, Chapter 8, The Queen Susan in Finchley, is up.

There’s not much research here. The information on the SS Seatrain came from here. 

Comments

[rthstewart]

Thanks so much. The succession issue dominates the other side of the vision -- the Narnia side, from the perspective of the Beasts. I've not forgotten it for all that I've not dealt with it much in TSG. Edmund reflects on it back in Part 1. In AW in the Narnia flashback with Dalia and Peter and the cubs, the reason Dalia has left Peter is because she thinks that without her around he'll be more likely to find a suitable bondmate for the human heirs that the Beasts really, really, really want. The manipulations of the Beasts to achieve this are in The Palace Guard and By Royal Decree. And this is one where I just bang my head because it such fandom cliche to have those wandering parentless heirs, suicidal consorts, and political chaos left behind. Resorting to overused tropes has kept me from doing this. Well, that and the fact that most of the TSG readers aren't really interested in it -- see Harold and Morgan. The reviews for this chapter bear that out -- again -- given both the drop and what readers are focusing on. So, I take as a hint that readers really get tired of my wedging the Narnia past into AW and that I should just drop it.

But, I see enormous canon support for this. Tirian says in TLB that the Narnia history is so boring because there's hardly anything that happens and the Beasts are very clear in Prince Caspian of their preference for human rulers and Mrs. Beaver completely disses Jadis for not having a drop of human blood in her. So... who are they? Where are they? The Pevensies had themselves been through the upheaval of succession with the abdication crisis in 1936. Peter and Susan certainly know of it -- even Lucy and Edmund would have been aware of it as they became older. They HAVE to have made some provision -- yes, I doubt they ever thought all four would be gone at once but -- famine? disease? To say nothing of that nagging feeling -- if not by them than by their better advsiors -- reminding that you came by magic, you could leave by magic, all of you, at once. The Narnians had been through a 100 years of illegitimate rule by Jadis. I cannot see any ambiguity here. Even Aslan might have dropped hints that yes, you need to plan for it.

As to the transition itself, my preference is for Aslan to not be cruel and neglectful so that suggests to me that when the 4 were sent back, he was on hand (paw?) to reassure and offer comfort.

Errr, end ramble. I was very, very reluctant to broach the topic and based on the FB it looks like that concern was legit. So, I HUGELY appreciate those who step up to say that they liked this part of it.