The Last Beavers of Narnia
When the Tree of Protection fell and the Witch invaded Narnia after nine hundred years of waiting, Jadis knew there were some races in the land who would never stop opposing her - whose loyalties to the Lion could never be swayed. It was too deeply in their nature, their unlimited love and trust for Aslan, and it sickened her. The false Queen swore to destroy them all, to hunt them down one by one, and for that very reason she created Nalgrim's wolf police - later succeeded by his first-born son Maulgrim. The grey wolves were easy to persuade and became devoted to her cause early on. The talking canines had a hidden blood-thirsty side to them, and Jadis favored the wolves especially for their efficiency.
First the White Which tried to exterminate the centaurs, the wise elders of Children of the Earth who would never accept a non-human Queen on the throne of Narnia. However, that was not as easy as she'd hoped. They were a strong, powerful race of warriors and could not be simply stomped out. Jadis failed to kill them all, although their numbers were significantly reduced, especially after numerous failed attacks on her castle. The same fate met the badgers, the preservers of knowledge and traditions. Their stubbornness and resilience allowed them to find safe places underground, away from the persecutions.
The talking mice were not as lucky as centaurs or badgers. Once Jadis had cats on her side, she made them hunt the gentle rodents relentlessly, for their persistent blind faith in Aslan's return. Slowly but surely, the mice disappeared in Narnia, not a single one left by the fiftieth year of her reign. The false Queen then turned her loathing eyes towards the beavers; the creatures who dared to break the eternal ice on her frozen rivers, and continued to spread stories of hope and the Four Thrones in Cair Paravel.
Chipper - or Chip for short - was a very young beaver when the wolves came. Whenever he tried to remember, the could not recall more than screams and growls and blurs. His two sisters and grandfather managed to get away and hide among the badgers. He never knew what exactly happened to his parents that day. However his grandfather's eyes would always turn grim whenever the topic came up, and Chip preferred not to ask.
Grandfather took care of all three of them, telling amazing stories of Kings of old and Lions and Prophecies. Chipper remembered them all, treasuring them in his heart. One day, when he was still but a young beaver, a centaur prophet told him that a special blessing would come upon the beavers - that he would be one of the first to witness freedom coming back to Narnia and the Witch's end. Chip believed his words, and he never forgot them for long harsh years to come.
Chipper was extraordinarily lucky he was gone from their home the day when another wolf raid arrived. In one day, he lost his grandfather, his sisters and all his badger friends. He surely would have died too, if he didn't meet a pair of bears who took him in without hesitation.
It turned out the bear couple had been housing an orphaned female beaver for years. Her name, Chipper soon learned, was Amnis and Chip was instantly charmed by her. She was beautiful and kind and an amazing cook. Her story was no less tragic than his own. Years ago, the wolves wounded her as a child and she almost lost her life as the result. The gentle bears nursed her back to health, but Amnis knew that her injury would never allow her to have children. Chipper grieved dearly for her loss, but it did nothing to diminish his love for her. In several months after meeting her he asked her to marry him, and Amnis agreed.
It didn't took Chipper and Amnis long to realize they could not find any other beavers. Cautiously they sought out their kind for years, but not a single trace was found, not even by the badgers. Eventually the couple settled down by the abandoned Beaver's Dam in the Lantern Waste, hoping that perhaps someday more beavers would return and find them. Their hope slowly disappeared throughout the years, as no rumors of survivors reached them through the resistance line.
Their neighbors took the habit of calling them Mr. and Mrs. Beaver instead of their names, as they were no other beavers around. It was fine with them. The names given by their parents died with their families at the hands of the wolves, and the identity of their race was all that remained from their past. If they truly were the last of their kind, then they would willingly bear the name "Beaver" with pride.
They were the Beavers. They survived still. And they would see the the White Witch's end one day.
They nurtured the prophecies and their faith in their mind, taking comfort in one another and in Aslan's certain return. For the rumors about the reappearance of the Lion grew stronger and stronger, and some centaurs even told them that there was an army gathering near the Stone Table in the East.
When Mr. Beaver met Tumnus for the first time, he was distrustful of course. The faun didn't seem like an entirely bad fellow - he did not betray the Beavers to the Witch after all, which he easily could have done. However, there was the fear. There was so much fear in Tumnus, the fear of the Witch, the fear of death. Mr. Beaver understood, sadly. He was afraid too. But his fear was nothing - nothing - compared to his faith in the prophecy. He believed he would live to see the day when Spring came back. He only wished Tumnus would believe it as well.
Then one day Tumnus came to him in secrecy of the night with a handkerchief in his hands, gifted to him the by a Daughter of Eve. It was a shock to be honest. For Tumnus, of all people, to be the one to witness the appearance of the first human in Narnia for an entire century. Moreover, Tumnus had planned to take her to the Witch at the beginning. Mr. Beaver knew, even though Tumnus was too ashamed to say it out loud. But something must have changed the faun's mind in the end, something about the human child. Tumnus himself couldn't really say what it was, except that "for the first time in years he felt warm."
Mr. Beaver took the handkerchief reverently, listening to the faun's words. Tumnus met Lucy twice so far, the little human girl from the otherworldly land of Spare Oom, and she became good friends with him, despite Tumnus having confessed his previous intentions towards her. Even more amazing however was the fact that little Lucy had three older siblings: two brothers an a sister.
They were the ones, Mr. Beaver knew without a shred of doubt. The Kings and Queens of Cair Paravel had come... one of them, anyway.
The faun had no doubt the wolf police would come for him soon. He asked Mr. Beaver to take care of Lucy if she decided to return after all despite his warnings. Naturally, Mr. Beaver complied. How could he not? This is what all of Narnia and himself had been desperately waiting for, after all.
And so, when Mr. Beaver met four frightened and confused children outside of Tumnus' ruined mess of a home, he handed the handkerchief back to the smallest child. Welcome at long last, your majesties, he thought as he felt the very warmth Tumnus spoke of soak deep beneath his fur.
Narnia's Golden Age had finally arrived.
Author's Note:
It's the first time I wrote a Narnia story, and I feel a bit giddy. The Chronicles of Narnia is my favorite series of all time. I don't know if I could do it justice, but I decided to give it a shot. Here's something I've always wondered about; why Mr. and Mrs. Beaver never mentioned their first names. Is it a bad head-cannon? Is it good? Please let me know.
(Added after post:) There was a question posted concerning the talking mice - that Aslan only gave them speech after they helped him on the Stone Table. Well, my interpretation was that there had been talking mice before that event... except that they all died during the Witch's reign. Which was the reason why Aslan gave the normal mice speech once again. And so all of the future mice - such as Reepicheep - would be descended from those mice. Then again, it's just my head-cannon.
Thank you so much for reading, please review if you can and most importantly - read on and enjoy! :)