THE TRAGICALL HISTORIE OF HAMLET,
PRINCE OF DENMARK

' and above all — to thine own self be true,
and it must follow, as the night the day,
thou canst not then be false to any man. '

— william shakespeare, hamlet, i.iii

CAIR PARAVEL, KINGDOM OF NARNIA,
THE GOLDEN AGE, MAY 1011.
reign of the sons of adam and daughters of eve

     my dearest, delphine,

i'm sure your past week at court has been rather alien, a place where the stars hang still, soft, bright above the ribbons and rivers of gold. i seem to recall, from the last time your father and i visited, the great eastern ocean dazzles below your feet like the crown jewels, trembling in brilliant blue. the very same crown jewels that you will soon wear.

the court of cair paravel is a benevolent one, once wed to the high king, his siblings, the narnian monarchy, will treat you as a sister. but do not be fooled, this is a marriage of convenience, a marriage of duty to your husband and to your father — to me. the high king is under no obligation to love you, for love is fickle and foolish in our regal world, i do not care if you yearn for it — unite our houses and provide an heir. it is your duty as a woman and the future high queen of narnia. do not disappoint me.

but always remember, i do so dearly love you, my delphine, a feeling that you may no longer encounter. be brave, courageous and noble — you may soon be a queen of narnia, but you will always be a princess of archenland. the future of our great nation rests upon your shoulders. love him or loathe him, i do not care, this marriage will secure out future — your father expects it. as do i.

stay true, my little dove — to your king, your husband, and to your family.

mother loves you, with all her heart.

     signed,
     bernadette, empress of archenland.

———

"if you love me, mama, why did you send me away?" delphine mutters, clutching onto the gilded envelope with a grip of a vice, eyes sparkling with tears unshed. "i want to go home — he won't even look at me.... i am alone. utterly alone."

IN WHICH...

political alliances harden the heart
of the high king, leaving a princess,
his princess, alone yearning for love.

FEATURING...
emilia schüle ⎯ delphine

PRINCESS OF ARCHENLAND
' a foolish heart that i leave here behind '

william moseley ⎯ peter pevensie

HIGH KING OF NARNIA
' i love thee not therefore pursue me not '

WITH...
' those with which our hope lies '

fabien frankel as tristan,
georgie henley, skandar keynes
&&& anna popplewell as the
pevensie siblings

' APOLLO FLIES AND
DAPHNE HOLDS THE CHASE '
— william shakespeare,
a midsummer night's dream

' THE WILDEST HATH
NOT SUCH A HEART AS YOU '

peter & delphine's theme
FORTUNE — LAURA MARLING
' we wandered the landscape
in this unbearable pain '

with other tracks found on my spotify:
playlist entitled, ' to thine own self '

NOTES AND DISCLAIMERS

i. i do not claim to own any of the characters, locations etc of the chronicles of narnia — all familiar content is the intellectual property of writer and creator C.S. LEWIS.

ii. i only own the characters of delphine and her mother, bernadette and the plots surrounding them, any similarities to other people, real or imaginary is merely a coincidence (unless you've copied them and then i won't be a happy bunny!)

iii. this book takes place during the narnian golden age (1000-1015), little is known about this period, so i have taken artistic liberties and deviated from what is typically accepted as 'canon' for the purposes of the plot, so please don't scream in the comments every time there is a minor change :)

     iv. this book is dedicated to my truly beloved -meIodies -elliptical  pevcnsies -kasigrace and anyone else who continues to support my writing journey. i adore you all <3

fun fact: this fic only exists because 'marie antoinette' (2022) has been my whole life over this christmas holiday, and mark my words emilia schüle is going to be the next it girl! this book is literally just angst heaven, so if you like fluffy happily-ever-afters, this book proabably isn't to your taste — although we may have a happy ending (or not😩), but who am i to spill the beans? so now, without further ado... i present to you, TO THINE OWN SELF, enjoy! <3

STARTED... 30/12/2022
PUBLISHED... 01/01/2022
COMPLETED... ????