“Hear then， O father. This very night and in this hour I will take but two hundred horse and ride across the desert. And it shall seem to all men that you know nothing of my going. On the second morning I shall be at the gates of King Lune’s castle of Anvard in Archenland. They are at peace with us and unprepared and I shall take Anvard before they have bestirred themselves. Then I will ride through the pass above Anvard and down through Narnia to Cair Paravel. The High King will not be there； when I left them he was already preparing a raid against the giants on his northern border. I shall find Cair Paravel， most likely with open gates， and ride in. I shall exercise prudence and courtesy and spill as little Narnian blood as I can. And what then remains but to sit there till the Splendour Hyaline puts in， with Queen Susan on board， catch my strayed bird as she sets foot ashore， swing her into the saddle， and then， ride， ride， ride back to Anvard？”
“But is it not probable， O my son，” said the Tisroc， “that at the taking of the woman either King Edmund or you will lose his life？”
“They will be a small company，” said Rabadash， “and I will order ten of my men to disarm and bind him： restraining my vehement desire for his blood so that there shall be no deadly cause of war between you and the High King.”
“And how if the Splendour Hyaline is at Cair Paravel before you？” “I do not look for that with these winds， O my father.”
“And lastly， O my resourceful son，” said the Tisroc， “you have made clear how all this might give you the barbarian woman， but not how it helps me to the over-throwing of Narnia.”
“O my father， can it have escaped you that though I and myhorsemen will come and go through Narnia like an arrow from a bow， yet we shall have Anvard for ever？ And when you hold Anvard you sit in the very gate of Narnia， and your garrison in Anvard can be increased by little and little till it is a great host.”
“It is spoken with understanding and foresight. But how do I draw back my arm if all this miscarries？”
“You shall say that I， did it without your knowledge and against your will， and without your blessing， being constrained by the violence of my love and the impetuosity of youth.”
“And how if the High King then demands that we send back the barbarian woman， his sister？”
“O my father， be assured that he will not. For though the fancy of a woman has rejected this marriage， the High King Peter is a man of prudence and understanding who will in no way wish to lose the high honour and advantage of being allied to our House and seeing his nephew and grand nephew on the throne of Calormen.”
“He will not see that if I live for ever as is no doubt your wish，” said the Tisroc in an even drier voice than usual.
“And also， O my father and O the delight of my eyes，” said the Prince， after a moment of awkward silence， “we shall write letters as if from the Queen to say that she loves me and has no desire to return to Narnia. For it is well known that women are as changeable as weathercocks. And even if they do not wholly believe the letters， they will not dare to come to Tashbaan in arms to fetch her.”
“O enlightened Vizier，” said the Tisroc， “bestow your wisdom upon us concerning this strange proposal.”
“O eternal Tisroc，” answered Ahosta， “the strength of paternal affection is not unknown to me and I have often heard that sons arein the eyes of their fathers more precious than carbuncles. How then shall I dare freely to unfold to you my mind in a matter which may imperil the life of this exalted Prince？”
“Undoubtedly you will dare，” replied the Tisroc. “Because you will find that the dangers of not doing so are at least equally great.”
“To hear is to obey，” moaned the wretched man. “Know then， O most reasonable Tisroc， in the first place， that the danger of the Prince is not altogether so great as might appear. For the gods have withheld from the barbarians the light of discretion， as that their poetry is not， like ours， full of choice apophthegms and useful maxims， but is all of love and war. Therefore nothing will appear to them more noble and admirable than such a mad enterprise as this of-ow！” For the Prince，at the word “mad”， had kicked him again.
“Desist， O my son，” said the Tisroc. “And you， estimable Vizier， whether he desists or not， by no means allow the flow of your eloquence to be interrupted. For nothing is more suitable to persons of gravity and decorum than to endure minor inconveniences with constancy.”
“To hear is to obey，” said the Vizier， wriggling himself round a little so as to get his hinder parts further away from Rabadash‘s toe. “Nothing， I say， will seem as pardonable， if not estimable， in their eyes as this-er-hazardous attempt， especially because it is undertaken for the love of a woman. Therefore， if the Prince by misfortune fell into their hands， they would assuredly not kill him. Nay， it may even be， that though he failed to carry off the queen， yet the sight of his greatvalour and of the extremity of his passion might incline her heart to him.”
“That is a good point， old babbler，” said Rabadash. “Very good， however it came into your ugly head.”
“The praise of my masters is the light of my eyes，” said Ahoshta. “And secondly， O Tisroc， whose reign must and shall be interminable， I think that with the aid of the gods it is very likely that Anvard will fall into the Prince’s hands. And if so， we have Narnia by the throat.”
There was a long pause and the room became so silent that the two girls hardly dared to breathe. At last the Tisroc spoke.
“Go， my son，” he said. “And do as you have said. But expect no help nor countenance from me. I will not avenge you if you are killed and I will not deliver you if the barbarians cast you into prison. And if， either in success or failure， you shed a drop more than you need of Narnian noble blood and open war arises from it， my favour shall never fall upon you again and your next brother shall have your place in Calormen. Now go. Be swift， secret， and fortunate. May the strength of Tash the inexorable， the irresistible， be in your sword and lance.”
“To hear is to obey，” cried Rabadash， and after kneeling for a moment to kiss his father‘s hands he rushed from the room. Greatly to the disappointment of Aravis， who was now horribly cramped， the Tisroc and Vizier remained.