I love not man the less but nature more 3/3 - for anastigmatfic

[nfe_gremlin]

Title: I love not man the less but nature more
Author: rthstewart
Recipient: anastigmatfic
Rating: T/PG-13
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: Spoilers for all books in Chronicles of Narnia; includes sexual- and narcotic-based rituals and mature themes.
Summary:
Narnia is not Men’s country, but it’s a country for a man to be King of

Comments

[metonomia]

Mystery author, you are utter perfection

[rthstewart]

Thank you. This was quite the production to create and I so appreciate that you took the time to read and respond. And you are right -- this is not something they are supposed to die in. This is a bonding, a bringing together, and so is intended to be a joyous thing and uniquely Narnian, animal hair and all. Thank you so much for sharing this with me.

[anastigmatfic]

MASSIVE AS-I-READ-IT COMMENTARY AHEAD:

Writer, do be forgiving as my usually more or less cromulent speech fades into ecstatic squealing and hand-flaily capslocked wordsmashes because OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG I LOVE THIS

Narnians would say the smooth was easy, but the rough was better.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Lucy: "I do think building a nest without hands or ambushing dumb prey from above would be terrific fun!” Yessssssss, this is totally my Lucy, wild as the world she lives in.

“With Aslan, we delivered them,” Susan said. “But in the Great Bonding, we become one of them.”

This is a really cool concept, *becoming* Narnians, literally, by the rules of the native Narnians themselves. NOM NOM DELICIOUS WORLDBUILDING.

“It never goes smooth,” Peter said, echoing the apt Narnian adage and her own thoughts on it of earlier.

Again: BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA

Step lightly here. Love well.

<3

Blind Tiresias! Hello mythology and Eliot, two of my favorite things!

It took effort to not smile as a little Hedgehog lumbered back and

[anastigmatfic]

and part three! YOU SPOIL ME, WRITER

“Open our eyes that we might see....”

More goosebumps. Again, I am being completely honest here.

This scene reminds me of so many things... there's bits of Mist of Avalon in here, and Dune with the Water of Life - I was half expecting Fidra to squeeze the wineskin so Peter got a good amount!

And having finished that part - the Sun died, OMG - I am totally without words. This is all of Narnia's life, shown to Peter in his kingmaking, the good and the bad, and you weave it together so beautifully with the joys and sorrows, the smoke and the worm, blue shields with silver stars, descendants, Morgan and Aidan I see you both! - and Peter searches for his family. Where is Susan?

(it was only spelling so she hadn’t been planning on doing it at all)

Snort.

I love how Lucy has no awkwardness about the impending -- pollinating -- of Peter. I've always seen her as the quickest to adapt to being Narnian, since she's come through so young. All of her formative experiences happen in Narnia.

That time!

[rthstewart]

OK, so this story was completely and totally for you -- well, it was also a bit of homage to my whole Narnia fannish experience, but it was for you. I am so glad you liked it. It made the angsting over it completely worth it. Thanks so much for your support and friendship in the Narnia fandom.

[rthstewart]

Peter is totally itching to get out of the damn egg. As you love reptiles and round about conversation, maybe have one of your Dwarfs go back and try and find Xucoatl a new log. They hate each other. "What about this one?" "Too dark." "What about this one?" "Too damp." "What about this one?" "Smells funny."

Funny I had not really thought about Dwarfs and their clothing, but they are, I suppose, most closely aligned with earth and stone? It bears thinking about. But trousers on the rest? not so much.

[snacky]

This is such a wonderful story. Every detail fits perfectly, all the ceremonies are so very Narnian, and I giggled my way through the tale, when I wasn't shivering or sniffling or gasping in awe.

Echoing the above comments, but I must commend you for the love Susan and Peter have for the Narnians and the joy and pride they take in the ceremonies. It's clear that you have the same joy and love and pride for these characters and this story.

Thank you for sharing this!

[rthstewart]

Thank you so much for your help in the story. I wrote elsewhere that I think you understood better what was going on then I did. Thank you.

[autumnia]

Wow. Just... wow. This was so wonderful! I love how you've taken these universes and combined them together to write this wonderful story. And it's the Narnian Bonding ritual that we keep pestering Rth to write one day (I'm afraid now she won't write the Kingmaking ceremony at all, thanks to you).

I loved Xucoatl -- he has such personality, and he reminded me a little bit of the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter as well. The little hints he provide about the future were wonderful, as well as his comments about how past monarchs fared in the same challenge.

But in general, what I loved is how Narnian this was, from the imagery and descriptions, to the Talking Beasts and the other Creatures, and then watching as four English children become Narnian themselves.

[rthstewart]

Thank you! Yes, it is me and no, I didn't end up going "Great Marriage" which is where I'd intended at first. I so appreciate all the support you've given me as I've thought about doing the story. Xucoatl was so much fine to write! It's another instance where we the reader know what he speaks of even if Susan and Just Edmund do not.

Thank you for everything.

[edenfalling]

Oh, wonderful! I really like this extension of the idea that Narnia is not a country OF humans, but it is a country for a human (or humans) to govern and help hold together. I love how the theme of Beasts remembering is brought out, the way it is later in Prince Caspian, where we learn that four hundred years is nothing; they can keep hold of their ways for a THOUSAND years if they need to. And yes, of course goddesses understand about sisters. I love that part especially. :-)

I really like all the myriad threads of canon you've worked into this, from The Magician's Nephew all the way to The Last Battle. I confess I wanted the Pevensies to realize that the Lord Digory from the creation myth was Professor Kirke, but of course they had no way to make that connection until they returned to England, since I doubt Digory and Polly ever used their family names in Narnia. (And it occurs to me now that that must have been a fascinating conversation, when they realized that the kindly if absentminded and distant professor who took them

[rthstewart]

Thank you so much. The goddess part was very hard to do for all the obvious reasons and it helped enormously to be able to use Lucy's point of view there. I would have loved to have them know who Polly and Digory are, but I didn't think the Beasts would know the last name of the Professor and the Pevensies would not yet know Polly. Lucy in my head canon becomes the most Narnian the most easily and quickly, with, yes, Edmund right behind her, though he arrives at intellectually what she intuits.

Thank you again ever so much.