I wrote this a long time ago, but deleted it on request of the main character. Recently, she's regretted forgetting and is making me write it all over again. So here it is again. I hope it's better this time around.
Dedicated to my own Wunderkind.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Narnia related nor do I own the Wunderkind song.
Cold...it was cold. And wet? Why was it wet? Miranda stirred, shivering in the biting cold. This was really weird. Was the air conditioner on the fritz? Why hadn't they woken her up, then? Cold she could stand but not wet. Ugh. She sat up and her blanket fell off in clumps. She froze and felt around, her hands coming into contact with nothing but powdery coldness. She slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by a world of white. Blinking rapidly, she quickly made out the dark tree trunks that surrounded her, everything else, as much as she could see, was covered with white.
Snow?
Snow...she wasn't in the hospital anymore. Hell, she didn't even think that she was on Earth anymore. The air smelled different. Wilder, if that was a smell. She slowly picked up a handful of snow and very lightly licked it. Pure. Absolutely pure snow. She dropped the melting snow and stood, the white falling off of her easily. She dusted off her pants, staring at them when she realized they weren't her pajama bottoms. They were white canvas pants, with a flared leg. As white as the snow...she instantly grabbed her shirt, pulling it out to get a good look at it. It was the same white, feeling like a mixture of silk and a stronger fiber. Long sleeved, the cloth clung to her yet moved with her as well.
"Holy sh*t." she breathed, staring. What had happened? One minute she's in the hospital, making a wish on a star and the next- She sat back down hard when she remembered what had happened. She didn't want to remember it, didn't want to even think about it, never-! She let out a yell as flames erupted from her hands, nearly scorching her. She shoved them into the snow, heart rapidly pounding.
What the Hell was going on?! She remained how she was, hands deep in the snow. "Am I crazy...?" she muttered into the open air, trembling. "I have to be...this isn't possible. Not fucking possible!" she shouted, suddenly feeling something bump against her chest as she yelled. She pulled her unharmed hands from the snow and grabbed it. It was a necklace. A golden disk on a golden chain. There was a design of green stones (looked like emeralds, but were most likely glass or plastic, really clever imitations too) set into the disk. As she stared, they moved. They danced in a pattern before her eyes, sparkling, whirling-- Panicked, she yanked at the chain. She yanked again. And again. She desperately looked for a clasp, spinning the chain about swiftly. There was none. And she couldn't pull it over her head.
She let out a blue-streak of curse words and general frustration, kicking and punching at whatever she could. Panting, she sat on a large rock jutting out of the snow, head falling into her hands. "Where am I?" she muttered hopelessly, staring at the white all around her. "Where the hell am I?"
Her ears perked at a sound in the still woods. It was muffled but drawing nearer. What- ...Jingle bells? Like Christmas bells? She looked in the direction of the bells. They were coming closer. Finally, someone to tell her what was going on and where the fuck she was! She leaped up and started in the direction of the bells. She stopped when she heard the whip cracks. They sounded cruel...She didn't like them. A sudden instinct told her to hide. She battled with the feeling for a few moments before a loud "Move, you useless animals!" sent her scrambling up a tree. She climbed up rather high, pausing on a branch, looking down.
A sleigh pulled up nearby, an elegant one of silver and gold, with four magnificent white reindeer pulling it, their harnesses jingling merrily. The sound warred harshly with the whip cracking over their backs; the whip in the hand of the driver who...was apparently a midget with a huge beard and beady eyes. Had to be a dwarf. He shouted something at the animals as the rider sat impassively in her seat. Miranda stared, this woman was...terrifying. Beautiful, from the angled face to the slim hands; cruel from the icicle crown to the sharp and cold scepter grasped in her hands. Miranda thanked her inner senses for making her hide.
She froze on her tree branch as the woman raised her hand. The sleigh pulled up to a quick halt, the dwarf looked back at her. "Yes, your Majesty?"
The Queen then pointed her scepter at the disturbed snow and kicked-at rocks. "What is that?"
The dwarf looked and shrugged. "No idea, Majesty? Animals?"
The Queen stood, stepping off her sleigh. "No, too large."
"Centaur?"
"Too small. Be quiet."
"Yes, Majesty."
Silence filled the wood. The Queen seemed to be listening intently. Mira felt the branch begin to bend underneath her. She gripped the tree, trying to distribute her weight evenly, but the branch just continued to bend. "Please don't..." she mouthed silently, clinging hard to the tree. The branch seemed to even out. She gingerly put a little bit more weight on it (her arms were killing her) and the branch broke underneath her.
She tumbled to Earth with a yell, landing hard on her butt in the snow. She nearly hit her head but it was cushioned by the deep drift. She looked up into face of the Queen sheepishly.
"Who are you?" The Queen asked, eyes narrowed.
"Mira." Her mouth said automatically. "Who are you?"
"I am the Queen of Narnia, child." The Queen's cold eyes took in Mira's skin color. Mira glared.
"That's rather rude, ma'am." she said moving to stand. "I'm not a-HEY!" The Queen's scepter had shoved her down again.
"I did not say that you could rise."
Mira glared angrily, her gray eyes becoming tinged with red. "I don't need your permission to get up, bitch."
"I am the Queen of Narnia, you will-"
"I am free-born personage, and I won't bow to a bitch." She shoved the scepter to the side and stood. "See ya-" She dodged a stab with the scepter. "Hey!"
"Silence." said the Queen as she made another stab, the end of her scepter (whoops, wand) glowing. Miranda dodged out of the way, and took off.
"NEVER!!" she shouted, laughing to herself as she dashed through the snow. She didn't know why she was laughing...a mixture of fear, adrenaline and the knowledge that that Witch could probably kill her very easily...Where the heck was she going? She kept running, especially when she heard the jingle bells started up again. Not good. Really not good! She just kept running through the trees, taking a turn here or there, she didn't know. The bells kept getting louder, getting closer.
"Go faster!" she yelled at her legs in frustration, pressing them harder. She forced her legs, moving faster. The trees suddenly dropped away and she skidded to a stop, barely in time to keep herself from falling off of the bank and into the ice of the frozen river below. She realized that she was trapped, the river was wide. And the bells drew closer, the whip cracks echoed off the trees. It was a long shot...but she had to.
She backed up a few feet, then a few more feet. Then a few more just to be sure. She took off running as fast as her feet could carry her. "YEEEEEEEEEAHHH!!" she shouted as her feet left the river-bank as she leaped. She closed her eyes as she rose up, up up...and started to fall. No, not yet-! Something happened. She felt something happen in her as wind suddenly picked up about her, lifted her and bore her across the river. The wind released her and she fell to the snow below, tumbling until she came to a stop.
She slowly sat up and stared at the river, at the air, at her landing spot. What-? Jingle bells.
She burrowed into the snow, hiding her black hair and green skin underneath winter's blanket. The bells stopped on the other side of the river. She tried to still her pounding heart.
"Where is she?" The Witch's voice echoed as she demanded her dwarf to look around. A few minutes passed as Miranda heard the dwarf shuffling about in the snow, grumbling to himself.
"Not here, your Majesty. Must've fallen through the ice." said the dwarf finally. "No-one can cross the Great River that fast."
"If she is what I believe her to be, she would have done it."
"Majesty, no mere Druid could possibly-"
"Be quiet, Ginarrbrik." she ordered. The bells tinkled very lightly, hiding what the Witch said next. "Drive on!" The whip cracked harshly and the bells jingled away, fading out into the woodlands. She waited a few more moments before lifting her head from snow, shaking the clinging flakes from her eyes. What had that Witch said? Something about her not being human or...Druid, apparently. But she was. Wasn't she...?
She held out her hand, unsure of what would happen. Nothing happened. She shook her hand. Nothing happened again. "Oh, com'n. Do what you did!" she commanded, trying to do what she had done. Instead of making wind, flames shot from her fingertips. She yelped, yanking her hand back. The flames died and she stared at her fingers, untouched by the flames heat. She sat down on a stump, trying her best to comprehend everything. The waves of dizziness that she had been fighting for as long as she was awake came crashing in on her, making her see double and causing her ears to ring.
She felt herself fall sideways, she didn't even mind when she hit the snow. As her vision when blurry, she saw Thomas coming out from behind a tree. But...it wasn't Thomas at all. Thomas didn't have a goat's butt.....Still puzzling this, everything went black.
Cold and wet again. Why was it every time she climbed out of the darkness, the first thing was cold and wet? Thank God it was only on her head this time, maybe a compress? Why did it smell of lavender? ...And fish?
"Must you go so soon, Tumnus?" asked a nice yet rough feminine voice as a tea-kettle whistled.
"I'm afraid so. The snow will start falling again shortly. And I dislike walking through drifts that are larger than I am."
There was laughter, a door creaked. Miranda sat up and opened her eyes.
The three beings there jumped at her sudden movement and Miranda stared at them. Two beavers and the thing...was it a centaur or a faun?...stared back at her. "Hello..."
"Wonderful, you're awake, I was starting to get worried!" exclaimed the beaver with the apron, bustling about and grabbing the kettle off of the fire. "What with that nasty bump on your head."
Miranda instantly felt her head, there was a bump, on the back of her head. "Must've happened when I fell..." she muttered, rubbing it. "Hurts like a bitch."
The male beaver chuckled as the faun closed the door again, his hoofs clacking on the floor. "I'll admit, some of the overprotective mothers have a nasty bite, but, really." The faun laughed quietly as well, giving Miranda a kind smile.
"That was quite a run from Jadis, miss." he said, adjusting the scarf about his neck. "You're quite lucky."
"You were watching?" Miranda asked, accepting the cup of ginger and chamomile tea from the lady beaver. The smell alone helped sooth the headache.
"Yes." He nodded at her. "She's now out for your blood, it would seem."
"Let her try." muttered Miranda, sipping her tea. "She won't spill it."
"You sound sure of yourself."
"I know how to stand up for myself."
"Standing up for yourself and angering the White Witch are two very separate things-"
"Tea, Mr. Tumnus?" interrupted the lady beaver just in time. "Dear," she directed at Miranda, "Toast?" Mr. Tumnus quietly accepted the cup as Miranda nodded.
"Yes, please. Just butter." she said when the lady held up a jar of jam. There was a silence for a few moments before the male piped up.
"What was your name?"
Miranda looked up. "Mira." That name again...Thomas was the only one who ever called her that. "Mira."
"Mira." repeated Tumnus with a nod.
"Tumnus." she said, taking the offered plate from the lady beaver. "And you?"
"Mrs. Beaver, dear." said the lady beaver with a bright smile, turning back to her own cup of tea. "And that is Mr. Beaver." Mira nodded at him as he gave her a whiskery smile.
"Where are you from, Mira? New to Narnia?"
Mira opened her mouth to answer, but couldn't remember where she was from. She almost had a solid image, but just like smoke, it quickly faded. She grasped for a name, but it slipped away. She tried to even say a general location, but she didn't have a clue. "I...I don't really know." she was forced to say. "Somewhere far away I guess..."
"Oh, you poor thing." said Mrs. Beaver, gently patting Miranda's hand with her webbed paw. "Lost..."
"And with Jadis looking for her." Mr. Tumnus reminded everyone. "Most likely after her head, with what happened today."
The Beavers looked at each other. "We can't-"
"Not with-"
"And besides we have-"
"Yes, I suppose-"
"Never in my years-"
"Do you think-?
"Yes." They turned back to Mira. "You'll stay with us."
"I will?"
"We have an extra room that Mr. Beaver was using for storage space, but that can be cleared out easily enough."
"I don't want to impose-"
"Nonsense, it's snowing out there, the Witch will be out full-scale looking for you and you aren't exactly hard to miss." said Mr Beaver, looking pointedly at her skin. Miranda unconsciously covered her arms. "No, you'll stay here until you're safe or you can figure out where your home is."
Miranda sat there for a few moments as Tumnus agreed to give the Beavers constant updates about this White Witch's hunt for her. She didn't want to stay cooped up here, she wanted to get out and see where she was, see what she could do to go back and- ...why go back? She had done more today than she had done her whole life back where she had come from. What could be the harm with just...staying?
A crash from the fireplace snapped her out of her head. The tea-kettle had jumped out of it's hook and rolled back behind the fire; Mrs. Beaver couldn't reach it with the tongs. Without thinking, Miranda was up. She walked over, reached in and grabbed the kettle from the flames. Mrs. Beaver let out a terrified yell, Mr. Beaver grabbed a bucket of water, Mr. Tumnus ran to aid them but everyone stopped when glowing red streaks suddenly appeared in Mira's long black hair.
She dropped the tea kettle onto the table, her hands glowing slightly. Not from burns, but from her own fire about her hands. She quickly dunked her hands into the water in the bucket, her streaks fading as the steam issued from her hands.
"What in the name of Aslan was that?" breathed Mrs. Beaver, a webbed paw clutching her heart.
"I....I don't know..."