THE SERPENT AND THE LION

Gaahh, it's about time this darn thing got updated! I've struggled for over five months, but I finally got something! (Hallelujah!) I hope you like what you read, and if you gotta criticize my story, make sure it's constructive stuff, okay? Thank ye muchly! So, grab yourself some popcorn, along with a six-pack and a couple of ice cream bars, take a seat, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!


Characters (with exceptions) © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media

Story © unicorn-skydancer08

All rights reserved.


Chapter 1: Line of Reasoning

"What do you mean, you're not going to the ball? Lucy Pevensie, you can't be serious!"

Lucy sighed. "Susan, please," she said witheringly. "We've been through this a thousand times already. All these fancy dance parties, all these royal coalitions…they're just not for me."

"But you never fail to attend the pagan dances held by the fauns and dryads of the Western Wood, long after dark," Susan pointed out.

"First of all, Susan, they're not pagan dances. They are a celebration of life, and of the change of the seasons. Secondly, with those dances, it's different. There, I can easily blend in with the rest of the crowd. But with these high-class balls, it's like I'm put on display, and a whole bunch of strange men contend for me, as if I'm some sort of prize."

"But, Lucy, you're one of the Royal Four," Susan argued. "You are part of a noble class. Very few in Narnia rank as high as you. As queen, you have an obligation to attend these important social gatherings. As a woman of high status, you must learn to associate with those also of high status. Furthermore, it is at events like these that you may find a suitable husband."

Oh, no, Lucy thought in dismay, not this again!

"I keep telling you," the younger girl said, and it was with utmost effort that she kept her voice steady and her temper in check. "I could care less about those spoiled, stuck-up royal prats."

"Watch your tongue, young lady," Susan warned.

"Don't you understand how I hate being forced into this?" Lucy pressed on. "How can I agree to marry someone I don't even love to begin with?"

"The law says you must marry," said Susan tenaciously. "It is your right, not only as a queen, but as a woman."

"As if I didn't already know that," Lucy muttered under her breath.

"If you don't marry," Susan went on, "just what else do you intend to do with yourself?"

"Oh, I don't know," said Lucy, deliberately looking away from her sister. "Maybe I'll run away and live in the woods like a dryad, and get hitched with a faun."

Susan was not amused. "That's not funny, Lucy," she said very sharply. "Don't you dare joke about things like that. You have an image to uphold around here, as we all do."

"Really," Lucy said sardonically. "Well, I'll be sure to keep that little bit of advice in mind."

"Reputations are very important, Lucy Marie Pevensie." Lucy knew from past experience that she was asking for real trouble whenever Susan used her full name, especially in that tone of voice. "What you do now can haunt you the rest of your life." Right at that moment, one of their servants came to them and informed Susan that she was needed elsewhere in the palace. "I'll be right there, Asela," Susan said to the nymph. Turning to her sister one last time, she said in a low voice, "We'll let this go, for now. But don't think this is over between us, little missy, because it isn't—not by a long shot!" With that, the elder queen rose to her feet and swept from the room, billowing her voluminous skirts.

Unable to help herself, Lucy stuck out the tip of her tongue at her sister's retreating back.

Then, when Susan was completely gone, from both sight and sound, Lucy's face fell, and she sighed heavily and dropped her head wearily into her hands.

Why did it always have to be this way?

As much as she loved Susan, as much as she loved her overall family, she resented the way they constantly ordered her around. For as long as she could remember, everyone had always dominated her, always telling her what to do, always making her feel two inches tall. Even now, her siblings continued to stage-manage her life, making her decisions for her, never letting her have any say-so. At least Edmund had grown more considerate of her. At least he had mellowed—but Peter and Susan still treated her like a baby.

Being a queen was like being kept on a leash, and Lucy hated that.

For once, just once, she wished she had the freedom to do exactly what she wanted, when she wanted, without the need for her siblings' approval.

At the very least, she wished somebody had respect for her own feelings, her own wishes.


"Come on, Tumnus, what are you waiting for? Just go on and say it, and have done with it!"

"I can't, Terence. If word got out that I'd fallen for Queen Lucy, the Valiant, I'd never hear the end of it."

Susan and Lucy clearly weren't the only ones butting heads that day.

Tumnus and Terence, a faun and a young unicorn turned human, were also currently engaged in a little dispute. Tumnus, the faun who had been Lucy's closest friend for ages, now found himself falling hopelessly in love with the young queen. He couldn't help himself; he loved her as he loved his life, more than his life. He felt he would do anything for her, give up his whole world for her sake. Terence thought if Tumnus cared so much about the girl, it was only fair that he let Lucy know. Tumnus thought otherwise.

"Lucy could never fall for someone like me, anyway," said the faun darkly.

"How do you know that?" Terence inquired.

"I just know, okay?"

Terence rolled his eyes. "What a bunch of claptrap," the white-haired youth muttered. "Lucy's your friend, mate, isn't she? She's remained by your side all this time, hasn't she?"

"That's just it, Terence. I dare not do anything that will tarnish my special relationship with her. I would rather remain purely friends with her, than live my life without her entirely."

"But, mate," Terence persisted, "surely you and Lucy have learned to trust each other. Surely, by now, you two can be honest with each other."

"How would I be able to say it? You don't just walk up to someone out of the clear blue and tell them, 'Hey, I love you. Will you marry me?'" Tumnus gave out a humorless chuckle, and shook his head, causing his honey-brown curls to bounce jauntily about. "It would sound ludicrous. A faun, loving a queen—it is to laugh! Lucy deserves better than me, far much better."

"What's wrong with you, Tumnus?"

"Just look at me!" Tumnus gestured at himself, indicating his long goat-stag legs, his cloven hooves, and his untamed fur that covered more than half his body, as well as his horns and petal-shaped ears. "I'm a faun, Terence, and a simple one at that. I am not rich, or famous. I have no title, no property, no place of high position. I'm not strong, clever, brave, handsome, or wise. In all essence, I'm a nobody. What do I have to offer Lucy? She's not only beautiful, but someone of very high quality. Everybody looks up to her."

"Why should that stop you? So, the girl's got class. What does that matter?"

"It all matters, Terence. What kind of a future can she expect, with someone like me?"

Without even waiting for Terence to give a reply, Tumnus answered himself: "A very poor one, if not one at all. She'd be sinking below her worth."

Terence's bright sapphire eyes narrowed at that last bit. "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say, Tumnus!" he said, and Tumnus started at the unexpected sharpness of the man's tone. "Are you that pathetically dimwitted?" Terence went on heatedly. "Is Lucy really so shallow as you make her out to be? I thought you knew her better than that!"

Unthinkingly, Tumnus lashed out at his companion.

"Well, what do you know about being in love? I've never seen you express any desire for anyone. How can you understand what it's like to feel this way?"

He'd hit a sore spot, and Terence flushed scarlet. For a split second, the young man looked ready to slap Tumnus's face.

But instead, Terence clenched his hands into rock-solid fists, and answered icily, "Oh, now, that's really hitting below the belt, mister."

"Why don't you butt out, Terence?" Tumnus demanded. "Just stay out of my business, and mind your own, all right?"

"Okay, fine," Terence snapped, "have it your way. I have far better things to do with my time than stand around listening to all this sappy, lovelorn angst."

With that, he spun around on his heel and marched away in a huff, calling to Tumnus over his shoulder, "Good day!"

"And a bad day to you," Tumnus shot back.

Terence growled something under his breath that sounded very much like "fauns!", but it was difficult to be sure. Tumnus watched him for a short time, then roughly flung one end of his green scarf over his shoulder and stormed off in his own direction, bringing his hooves down upon the marble floor with slightly more force than necessary.

The faun simmered for a time, but as he stepped out onto the balcony of the west wing, where he could be alone, and the salty breeze from the sea cooled his face, he felt his temper slowly cool as well. With a great, morose sigh, Tumnus slumped back against the nearest wall, where thick tangles of vines peppered with brightly colored flowers trailed over both sides.

He closed his eyes and raised his hands, letting his face sink into them.

What was wrong with him and Terence?

They had been the absolute best of friends, for the longest time. More than friends, they were brothers. Now, they were constantly at each other's throats; they could hardly get through a single conversation anymore without it turning into an argument. Whatever happened to the good old days, when they would sit down together by the fire and have tea, or when they would dance the summer nights away in the forests, or when Tumnus would play his two-pronged pipe while Terence's haunting voice accompanied the music?

Whatever happened to the times in which Tumnus and Terence would laugh and poke fun at each other, or talk seriously with each other for hours at night while the rest of the Cair slept?

Furthermore, why all this turmoil concerning Lucy? Why was Tumnus suddenly feeling all these strange things for the girl? Why was his heart torn so many different ways?

Why should he be so afraid to confess? Why must this hurt so badly?

Unexpectedly, tears flowed into Tumnus's eyes, and emotion closed his throat.

Hands still over his face, the faun slowly eased himself down to the ground, until he rested on his haunches, and began to weep.

At that same time, Terence was grumbling aloud to himself while he breezed through the Cair's long, winding corridors. "'What do you know about love', indeed!" the young man practically spat, his ice-blue eyes narrowed and glittering. "If that goat-boy knew the half of what I've been through in my life, he'd be singing a different tune!" But just like Tumnus, Terence soon found his anger and resentment dissolving. He began slowing his pace the more the fire in his blood died down, until he stopped altogether and stood perfectly still on the spot.

Sighing heavily himself, Terence put a hand over his eyes and shook his head jadedly from side to side. Now they'd done it, he thought. Why did it always have to turn into a shouting match for him and Tumnus? Why were they bickering so much these days? "I don't believe this," Terence murmured. He thought Tumnus was his friend.

Well, Tumnus certainly wasn't acting like a friend, as of late. And Terence knew, with a twinge of guilt, that he wasn't really being much of a friend himself.

He and Tumnus used to come to each other for advice. They used to have great fun together.

Now, everything was different. Terence couldn't understand why.

Footsteps sounded nearby just then, causing Terence to look up at once.

Had Tumnus come to make amends? Then, listening more carefully, Terence knew it couldn't be the faun, for the faun's hooves made a much heavier sound than that, and the walking pattern differed as well. Sure enough, Lucy appeared from around the corner. The girl didn't notice Terence right away, and almost bumped right into him.

"Oh!" the girl gasped, when she became aware of the unicorn youth's presence. "Oh, I'm sorry, Terence."

"That's all right," said Terence mildly, "no harm done." Placing his hands on his lean hips, as he often did when conversing with someone, he asked casually, "What's up, Lucy?"

Lucy's bright brown eyes immediately clouded over. "Oh, it's Susan!"

"What about Susan?"

"I just wish I could get away from her!"

This took Terence somewhat by surprise. "Why?" he questioned. "What has Susan done to you?"

"She's always all over me," said Lucy petulantly. "She's always going around, telling me what to do, how to live my life the way she sees fit. She's working out my life to fit her standards. She never asks me what I want, how I feel. It's the same with Peter. Both of them treat me as if I'm still a baby. For that matter, practically everyone treats me that way. Well, I hate it, Terence!"

Terence was stunned to hear Lucy talk this way. Normally, she was very sweet and soft-spoken; therefore, it was a wonder to see her so roused.

And Lucy was far from finished. "Everyone in the Cair seems to think I'm incapable of deciding for myself," she went on. "I'm sick to death of all the endless nagging and pestering; I'm fed up with constantly hearing 'do this, do that' every time I turn around. For the love of Aslan, I can hardly so much as take a breath without someone disapproving!"

"Lucy—" Terence began, but Lucy unthinkingly cut him off.

"No one listens to me, or understands me. Even those outside the Cair don't understand me. People see me only for the crown on my brow; they see me as a beautiful, perfect, well brought-up girl who has never so much as broken a nail. They don't appreciate me for who I truly am. As if that weren't enough, now all these nauseating royal prigs are swarming in on me, from every corner of the land, all of them wanting me for their bride. They act like dogs fighting over a scrap of meat, and I am the meat. Worst of all, Susan is forcing me to go through with this!"

"Lucy," Terence tried again, but she wasn't listening.

"I wish they would leave me alone!" she said, her voice rising significantly in volume and passion. "More than anything, I wish all of them—especially Susan—would just go away!"

Terence reached out to lay a calming hand on Lucy's shoulder, but her anger and frustration had come to the boiling point, and she turned away from him and flounced off, struggling vainly to hold back tears. Terence called for the girl to return, but that only resulted in Lucy gathering up the hem of her dress and breaking into a full run.

Within seconds, she was out of sight.

Terence stayed where he was for a time, then his face fell and he sighed again. He shook his head once more, swaying his long white bangs to and fro.

First, the squabble with Tumnus…and now this. It seemed everyone in the Cair was in a sour mood today.

"What else could possibly go wrong?" Terence wondered grimly.


Meanwhile, far outside the Cair, unbeknownst to anyone, a dark figure was moving slowly and steadily through the backwoods, gliding sinuously from tree to tree like a snake. The figure kept mostly to the shadows as he wove his way, and he moved over the forest floor as silently as a ghost. You could tell easily that this person was one who knew how to be stealthy.

Presently, he stopped for a short time at the crest of a small hill, which enabled a suitable view of Narnia. In the distance, he could see Cair Paravel, shining like a jewel at the border of the sea. His thin black lips slowly curled into a smile as he regarded the castle. It was not a pleasant smile at all; it was a smile to stop the heart and chill the bone marrow, a smile that boded evil. "Well, well," he said, in a voice that would have frozen those who heard it in terror, "isn't that a pretty picture? A fine pearl, just waiting to be snatched out of the oyster."

Out of nowhere, a beautiful butterfly with magnificent gold and blue wings emerged, and lit close to his foot.

Without remorse, he lifted his foot and crushed the poor, tiny thing into a pulp.


"When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes disgrace."

~ Proverbs 18:3 (NIV)


TO BE CONTINUED...