"Lucy," Peter crooned softly. "Wake up. Tumnus is here to see you."
His youngest sister groaned as she rolled over and opened her eyes. "It's awfully late, isn't it? I wonder what he's doing here this time of night."
"I don't know, but he's terribly upset, and he says he must see you immediately."
Lucy crawled out of bed and began pulling on her robe, which she had neatly laid on the foot of her bed. "All right, Peter, tell him I'll be down just as soon as I run a comb through my hair."
Her brother watched as she crossed the room to her private bathroom, then he exited to pass along the message.
---
"Tumnus?" Lucy called out sleepily. "Tumnus, where are you? Peter said it was urgent."
It was then that she heard a sniffle, coming from one of the chairs by the fireplace. She headed in that direction as Tumnus stood up and rushed toward her. Tumnus wrapped his arms around her, and his tears began flowing all over again.
Lucy's heart went out to him. She returned the embrace and let him cry, although she had no idea what was bothering the faun.
After a few moments, Tumnus pulled away, and Lucy handed him one of her hankies, thinking of the first time she'd met him so many years before. She watched as he dabbed his eyes, then she took him by the hand and led him back to the chairs that faced the fireplace.
Once the two friends were settled, Lucy asked, "Tumnus, what in the world has you so distressed?"
"I'm sorry for waking you, Lucy, but I've just had a terrible fright, and I needed to see you, to make sure you were all right."
The young queen cocked her head in bewilderment. "What sort of fright?"
Tumnus sniffled and dabbed his eyes again before responding. "I had a nightmare. It was absolutely awful. You and your siblings were gone--you'd vanished, without a trace. No one knew where you were, and though we searched and searched, you were nowhere to be found. When I woke up, I couldn't go back to sleep. I had to come right over to make sure you were still here."
Lucy chuckled softly at the pitiful expression on her friend's face. She stood, walked the short distance to his chair, knelt in front of him, and took one of his hands in both of hers. She looked up at Tumnus and said, "I know it seemed real at the time, but it was only a dream. Dreams aren't real. I'm still here--you can feel my hands holding yours, can't you?" Tumnus nodded. "I haven't disappeared into thin air, and I'm not going to. You can't get rid of me that easily."
"I don't want to get rid of you. Promise me you'll never leave."
"I promise," Lucy replied, and she saw a hint of a smile cross Tumnus's lips.
---
A few weeks later, Tumnus spotted the White Stag near his cave. When he mentioned it to Lucy, she and her siblings decided to go out looking for it, only to disappear, not to be seen by their Narnian friends anymore.
But Tumnus remembered Lucy's promise, and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why she'd broken it or where she'd gone.
Lucy also remembered her promise, and she was sorry they hadn't continued searching for the Stag, all the while hoping that she would soon find a way back to Narnia.