"Oh, and Violet?" Mrs. Fairwood called. "There's no need to come back. You'll see." her eyes twinkled. Violet nodded and entered the wardrobe, to look for whatever it was the senile old lady wanted, and more... though she didn't know it yet. She frowned and furrowed her eyebrows when she realized it was freezing inside the wardrobe.
"What the heck..." Violet muttered, as she walked through the fur coats, feeling rather stupid. It was a rather huge wardrobe, and Violet was beginning to think it had no end until something hit her face. She gasped when she saw what it was.
"Holy shit!" Violet exclaimed. What the heck was a snow-covered branch doing in a wardrobe? She thought to herself. In her shock, she tripped over her feet and landed face first into something that should not have been in a wardrobe.
Snow. She got up and took in her surroundings. She was in a forest.
"I've got to be dreaming," she murmured to herself. She was about to turn around to go back, then she remembered Mrs. Fairwood's words.
There's no need to come back. You'll see.
"Hello? Anyone there?' A voice called to her right. Violet jumped about a mile off the ground. She saw a young girl who looked just as lost as she was, but seemed to enjoy it.
"Hey, you there!" Violet called. The girl saw her, and ran towards Violet.
"Thank God someone else is here. Listen, do you live around here or something?" Violet asked, beginning to hyperventilate.
"Relax!" the little girl said in a British accent. "I'm not from around here either,"
"Relax?" Violet asked incredulously. "Relax? That makes it worse! Now we're both lost!" she said, throwing her hands in the air.
A snapping twig caught their attention. Violet looked around abruptly, searching frantically for the source of the noise. She could almost smell it - something dangerous was near. They both hid behind a lamp post, which Violet thought weird to have a random lamp post in the middle of a forest in the back of a wardrobe.
Snow crunched a couple of feet behind a tree, and they both screamed when they saw a pair of goat legs attached to the torso of a man step out. Violet began to hyperventilate again, fanning herself.
"Oh my God, oh my God..." Violet gasped repeatedly.
"Calm down, just breathe-" the little girl began.
"Calm down?" Violet shrieked. "How am I supposed to calm-"
"Stop," the girl said sternly. "I'm scared too. He must be too," she said, gesturing towards the goatman. They then both noticed him hiding behind a tree. The little girl smiled in a friendly way and approached him.
"Were you hiding from us?" she asked. The goatman looked around nervously, as the little girl picked up some parcels he had dropped.
"Well, uh... n-no, I... I didn't want to scare you," he stammered, obviously lying.
"If you don't mind my asking... what are you?" the girl asked curiously. Violet wanted to stop the girl right there. Her curiosity could get her into a lot of trouble, especially for a young girl like her. Hasn't this girl learnt the most recited rule kids her age should? 'Don't talk to strangers'? Violet wondered.
"Why," the goatman replied. "I'm a faun! And you must be some sort of beardless dwarf...?"
The girl laughed at his reply. It took all of Violet's self-control and willpower not to to kick the goatman right in his manly parts (or was it goatly?) and run away with the girl, for fear of her safety.
"I'm not a dwarf, I'm a girl! And actually, I'm the tallest in my class," she said smugly.
"And you," the faun asked Violet. "Must be a Daughter of Eve as well?"
"Oh, we're not sisters," the girl said. "And my mum's name is Helen..."
Violet face palmed herself mentally. This girl is giving away personal information to a complete stranger,Violet thought. She wanted to run, back to the wardrobe, back to reality... but she couldn't just leave the girl here.
"Yes, but you are... in fact... humans?" the faun said, looking slightly scared.
"No we're dragons," Violet snapped sarcastically. The young girl then gave Violet a look that clearly said 'be polite'.
"What are you doing here?" the faun asked.
"Well, I came in through the wardrobe in the spare room, and-"
"Spare 'Oom?" the faun cut in. "Is that in Narnia?"
Violet looked up. Now where had she heard that word before?
"Narnia?" the girl asked. "What's that?"
"Oh, my dear girl, you're in it!" the faun said, chuckling and pacing excitedly. "Everything from the lamp post, all the way to castle Cair Paravel on the Eastern Sea, every stick and stone, every icicle, is Narnia,"
"This is one heck on a big wardrobe," Violet muttered to herself. The faun then turned to them, smiling graciously.
"I;m sorry,' he said. "Please allow me to introduce myself. My name ins Tumnus."
"Glad to meet you Mr. Tumnus!" the girl replied. "I'm Lucy Pevensie. And this is..."
"Violet McMillan," Violet replied curtly. If everyone was going to play 'let's get raped by complete strangers', then she might as well play along, as long as she could make it out alive with the girl called Lucy... wait. Lucy. Mrs. Fairwood had told her to find Lucy! She decided to keep this information to herself and watched, amused as Mr. Tumnus stared at Lucy's outstretched hand.
"Oh, you shake it" Lucy explained. No shit, Sherlock, Violet thought.
"Why?" Tumnus asked, looking extremely bewildered. Both Lucy and Violet furrowed their brows in thought.
"I... I don't know!" Lucy said laughing. "People do it when they meet each other."
Violet then laughed out loud when she saw the faun use his thumb and forefinger to give Lucy's hand a wiggle. Lucy joined in the laughter and began swinging his hand instead. Mr. Tumnus then took his umbrella, opened it, and held out his arms to Lucy and Violet.
"Lucy Pevensie and Violet McMillan, from the shining city of War Drobe, in the wondrous land of Spare 'Oom, how would it be if you came and had tea with me? he invited, wiggling his eyebrows. Lucy then looked at Violet, then back at Mr. Tumnus, rather unsure.
'Well, thank you very much," Lucy started. "But... I probably should be getting back..."
Violet nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Listen, it's only just around the corner," he said a little to quickly and desperately. Violet's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Either this faun had no friends and was extremely desperate for one, or had something else on his mind... Violet would keep watch on Lucy, if it was the last thing she did. She suddenly had this overwhelming urge to protect Lucy at all costs.
"And there'll be a glorious fire, with toast and tea and caked... and perhaps, we'll even break into the sardines,"
Violet could tell from Lucy's expression that the prospect of sardines were extremely tempting.
"Oh, I don't know..." Lucy replied, sounding even more unsure, but Violet could see her resolve breaking - and she was sure Mr. Tumnus could see it too.
"Oh, come on," Tumnus begged. "It's not everyday I get to make a new friend,"
"Well I suppose I could come... if you have sardines," Lucy giggled.
"By the bucket load," he assured her. They then walked off to Mr. Tumnus' house, as Violet followed carefully behind them.
They trudged through the snow, until they reached a small, arched door built into the side of a cliff. Mr. Tumnus opened the door, and Lucy gasped when she peeked inside.
"Oh, you have a lovely home!" Lucy mused.
"Thank you very much," he replied.
Violet stood behind the two, waiting for Mr. Tumnus to finish shaking off all the snow on his fur and umbrella. She noticed him glance around, as if to see if anyone was watching.
"What're you looking at?" Violet snapped.
"Nothing in particular," he gulped. Then they both entered the house.
Lucy was looking around the place, admiring this and that, when she saw a framed photograph and picked it up.
"Ah, now that," Mr. Tumnus said. "is my father,"
"He has a nice face. You look very much alike," Lucy mused. Violet couldn't help but agree. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lucy put the photo down sadly, stroking the intricate design on the frame, while Tumnus mumbled something inaudible.
"My father's fighting in the war," Lucy said sadly.
Hold on, Violet thought. What war? As far as she knew, the British weren't having any wars since World War II... Violet zoned out of the conversation for a while, drowned in her thoughts. She thought about the day's events. Lucy was dressed like she was from the early 20th century or something, and her mention of her father fighting in the war placed her somewhere between World War one and two. She'd have to figure that out later. As for the faun, Tumnus, Violet could see he was a good person... with bad intentions. He seemed so desperate for Lucy's friendship. But his friendly aura confused Violet on what could possibly be his intentions, if not bad. Maybe he really just wants a friend, Violet thought. She would allow that option, but she would always have another slot available for any other possibilities.
Suddenly, a beautiful tune, so mesmerizing, so serene, met her ears. She gasped at it's beauty in simplicity, turning to find its source, finding that it came from Tumnus. Lucy sat across from him, sipping hot tea. Violet too, sat down in one of the cozy armchairs. The melody was sad, one of those reminiscent types. The moroseness of the lullaby filled her ears, as she closed her eyes, drinking in it's intoxicating, enchanting sound. She found that the music was dancing across her mind, off to a place of n troubles, no fears, no worries... and inviting her to come. Violet, who'd had enough of those three things, obliged, and was claimed by a blissfully dreamless sleep, the first she'd had in three years.