The next day, it was thankfully warm and sunny which gave the children a chance to get out of the large stuffy mansion.

Elaine and Lucy took to reading books by the tree while Peter, Susan, and Edmund all played cricket.

"Peter winds up, poised to take yet another wicket!" Peter threw the ball which hit a daydreaming Edmund's leg.

"Ow!" he exclaimed.

"Whoops!" Peter laughed. "Wake up, Dolly Daydream!"

"Why can't we play hide-and-seek again?"

"I thought you said it was a kid's game."

"Besides, we could all use the fresh air," Susan put in.

"It's not like there isn't air inside," Edmund snapped.

Peter retrieved the ball and went back to his pitching position. "Are you ready?" he called.

"Are you?"

Peter pitched the ball, and Edmund hit it, sending it flying through one of the mansion's many windows, creating a nice hole in the stained glass.

Lucy and Elaine gasped as the five of them went up to see what the damage was. Apparently, the ball had knocked over a knight's armor which lay in a destroyed pile.

"Well done, Ed!" Peter scolded.

"You bowled it!"

"What on earth is goin' on up there?" Mrs. Macready's shrill voice rang out.

"The Macready!" Susan exclaimed.

They all started running across the mansion in an attempt to avoid another lecture from the Macready about respecting the Professor's property.

Finally, after testing several locked doors, they ended up in the room where the wardrobe was.

"Come on!" Edmund said frantically.

"Oh, you've got to be joking," Susan scoffed. There was no way the five of them could fit in that tiny wardrobe.

However, the sound of footsteps behind them left them with no choice, and they all crammed into the wardrobe to hide from the Macready.

From there, a cacophony of voices rang out as the five of them ran into one another.

"Get back!"

"My toe!"

"I'm not on your toe! Move back!"

"Ouch, that hurt!"

"Will you stop shoving?"

Suddenly, Peter and Susan fell backwards and landed on top of fresh snow. They turned around, and there was the wood Lucy had been talking about.

"Impossible!" Susan gasped as they stood up.

"Don't worry," Lucy smiled. "I'm sure it's just your imagination."

Peter let out an awkward chuckle. "I-I don't suppose saying we're sorry would quite cover it?"

"No, it wouldn't."

The older kids looked at her sadly, feeling guilty that they ever doubted her. Then Peter got hit right in the face with a large snowball.

"But that might!"

They all began laughing as they gathered up snow and tried to hit one another with snowballs.

But when Susan hit Edmund, he just yelled, "Ow! Stop it!"

There was silence before Peter realized that Edmund had actually been here before. "You little liar!"

"You didn't believe her either!"

"Apologize to Lucy." When he said nothing, Peter took a step forward and growled, "Say you're sorry!"

"All right! I'm sorry!"

"That's alright," Lucy said. "Some little children just don't know when to stop pretending."

"Oh, very funny."

"Maybe we should go back," Susan suggested.

"Are you kidding?" Elaine laughed. "We are in a magical land inside a wardrobe! How many people our age can say that?"

"Shouldn't we at least take a look around?" Edmund added.

That wasn't like him. If Elaine didn't know any better, she'd say he had an ulterior motive.

"I think Lucy should decide," Peter said.

Lucy smiled broadly. "I'd like you all to meet Mr. Tumnus!"

"Well, then Mr. Tumnus it is!"

Susan scoffed. "But we can't go hiking in the snow dressed like this!"

"No." Peter went back to the wardrobe and took out five coats and began handing one to each person. "But I'm sure the Professor wouldn't mind us using these. Anyway, if you think about it logically, we're not even taking them out of the wardrobe."

"But that's a girl's coat!" Edmund exclaimed, seeing the coat Peter was holding out for him.

"I know."

The group continued to move further into the magical land Lucy had discovered. They stopped in confusion when they saw a lamppost in the middle of the woods for no apparent reason. However, the flame inside blazed on, oblivious to the cold weather.

Lucy led them through the land, never once losing her way. The whole place was absolutely beautiful, and like nothing Elaine had ever seen before.

Peter grasped Elaine's hand and ran ahead with her as they laughed together. Peter ended up falling and he took Elaine with him. Everyone, minus Edmund, began laughing as Peter and Elaine got covered in snow.

"We'll have lots and lots of lovely food, and we'll have lots and lots of…" Lucy trailed off when she looked ahead of her. The door to the place where she had been leading them had been forcibly knocked down.

"Lu?" Peter asked at his sister's silence. Lucy took off in a sprint towards the door. "Lucy!"

The four of them ran after the girl and inside the house. It was a mess and it was clear that a huge struggle had taken place. Everything was in complete disarray.

"Who would do something like this?" Lucy asked softly.

Peter looked around and noticed a yellowed piece of parchment attached to a pillar. He pulled it off the nail and read, "'The Faun Tumnus is hereby charged with High Treason against Her Imperial Majesty Jadis, Queen of Narnia, for comforting her enemies and fraternizing with humans. Signed Maugrim, Captain of the Secret Police. Long Live the Queen'."

Susan took the paper from him and looked over it. "All right. Now we really should go back," she insisted.

"But what about Mr. Tumnus?" Lucy pleaded.

"If he was arrested just for being with a human, I don't think there's much we can do."

"You don't understand, do you? I'm the human! She must have found out he helped me."

When Elaine looked over at Edmund, she could've sworn he looked guilty which made her think that perhaps he knew something about this Tumnus's disappearance that he wasn't telling them. But voicing that thought out loud to his siblings didn't seem like the best idea.

"Maybe we could call the police," Peter offered.

"These are the police," Susan said.

Peter looked over at Lucy. "Don't worry, Lu. We'll think of something."

"Why?" Edmund interjected. "I mean, he's a criminal."

They were about to say something when they all heard, "Psst!" Their heads turned to find a bird perched on a branch.

"Did that bird just 'psst' us?" Susan asked.

They all left the house and ventured back outside. Immediately, they all felt quite threatened as they heard noises from the left and from the right and from right in front of them.

Lucy clutched onto Susan, and Susan and Elaine clutched onto Peter.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when a harmless animal emerged from behind a snow bank.

"It's…it's a beaver," Lucy remarked.

Peter slowly moved towards the beaver with his hand outstretched. "Here boy," he said as he clicked his tongue. "Here boy."

The beaver looked at his hand and then to their amazement and utter shock, the beaver actually said, "I ain't gonna smell it if that's what you want!"

Everyone's eyes widened at the fact that an animal had just spoken to them!

"Oh. Sorry," Peter said, taking a step back.

"Lucy Pevensie?" the beaver said.

Lucy's eyes widened even more and she stepped towards the animal. "Yes?" The beaver handed her a small piece of cloth. "Hey, that's the hanky I gave to Mr. Tum—"

"Tumnus," the beaver finished. "He got it to me just before they took him."

"Is he alright?"

The beaver looked around him nervously. "Further in."

Peter, Lucy, and Elaine started to follow the beaver, but Susan quickly pulled Peter back. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"She's right," Edmund added. "How do we know we can trust him?"

Peter shrugged his shoulders. "He said he knows the faun."

Susan looked at him pointedly. "He's a beaver. He shouldn't be saying anything!"

The beaver poked his head over the snow. "Everything alright?"

"Yes," Peter answered. "We were just talking."

"That's better left for safer quarters."

"He means the trees," Lucy clarified.

They all looked up at the trees, trying to see any sign of life.

"Look," Elaine put in. "Lucy's been here twice now, so if she trusts him, I trust him. Besides, perhaps maybe we can get a few more answers as to what exactly is going on."

Not seeing any other option, the five of them decided to follow after the talking beaver.

"Come on," Mr. Beaver said as he led the way. "We don't want to be caught out here after nightfall."

They walked for what must've been at least an hour before they happened upon a snow-covered dam.

"Ah, blimey! Looks like the old girl has got the kettle on. Nice cup o' Rosy Lee!"

"It's lovely!" Lucy remarked.

"It's merely a trifle, you know. Still plenty to do. Ain't quite finished it yet. It'll look the business when it is though."

They walked a little closer when they all heard, "Beaver, is that you? I've been worried sick! If I find you've been out with Badger again, I…" Mrs. Beaver stopped when she saw the five humans walking behind her husband. "Oh! Well, those aren't badgers. Oh, I never thought I'd live to see this day!" she said as she walked up to them.

The five of them exchanged glances, wondering why it seemed to be such a big deal that there were here in this magical land. Were humans really so scarce in this world?

"Look at my fur," Mrs. Beaver hissed. "You couldn't give me ten minutes warning?"

"I'd have given you a week if I thought it would've helped!" Mr. Beaver joked.

She turned to the children again. "Oh, come inside, and we'll see if we can't get you some food. And some civilized company."

They all stepped inside, having to stoop down low to get through the doorway.

"Excuse the mess. Can't get Mr. Beaver to get out of his chair."

Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Elaine all sat around the small table while Edmund sat on the stairs away from them all. His mind was clearly somewhere else, and Elaine was beginning to wonder just what had happened to him when he had visited Narnia with Lucy.

"Isn't there anything we can do to help Tumnus?" Peter asked.

"They'll have taken him to the Witch's house," Mr. Beaver answered. "And you know what they say. There's few that go through them gates that come out again."

"Fish n' chips?" Mrs. Beaver said quickly as she brought over a tray of food. When she noticed everyone's sad looks, she added, "But there is hope, dear. Lots of hope."

Mr. Beaver spit his drink back into his cup at those words, which caused Mrs. Beaver to get a look of surprise and embarrassment. "Oh yeah, there's a right bit more than hope!" He leaned in closer to them and said quietly, "Aslan is on the move."

At the mention of Aslan, those at the table felt a warmth caress their bodies that seemed to melt straight through the harsh winter around them.

"Who's Aslan?" Edmund asking, shattering the moment.

Mr. Beaver just started laughing. "'Who's Aslan?' You cheeky little blighter!" Mrs. Beaver tapped him when she noticed their stares. "What?" he asked. He turned to look and them and saw their cluelessness. "You don't know, do you?"

"Well, we haven't exactly been here very long," Peter said.

"Well, he's only the king of the whole wood. The top geezer. The real King of Narnia!"

"He's been away for a long while," Mrs. Beaver put in.

"But he's just got back! And he's waiting for you near the Stone Table!"

"He's waiting for us?" Lucy asked.

"You're blooming joking!" He turned to his wife in frustration. "They don't even know about the prophecy!"

"Well, then…" Mrs. Beaver urged.

Mr. Beaver turned back to them. "Look. Aslan's return, Tumnus' arrest, the Secret Police, it's all happening because of you!"

"You're blaming us?" Susan asked sharply.

"No!" Mrs. Beaver told her. "Not blaming. Thanking you."

"There's a prophecy. 'When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone sits at Cair Paravel in throne, the evil time will be over and done'," Mr. Beaver explained.

"You know that doesn't really rhyme," Susan said.

"Yeah, I know it doesn't, but you're kind of missing the point!"

Mrs. Beaver put her hand on him to steady his temper. "It has long been foretold that two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve will defeat the White Witch and restore peace to Narnia."

Elaine suddenly felt extremely guilty and out of place and desired nothing more than to leave. The prophecy stated only two boys and two girls. That meant she wasn't included and she wasn't supposed to be here. She could feel a lot of eyes look at her, and it made her feel extremely small and insignificant.

"And you think we're the ones?" Peter asked in disbelief, choosing to avoid the fact that Elaine was not included in this so-called prophecy.

"Well you'd better be because Aslan's already fitted out your army!" Mr. Beaver told him.

"Our army?" Lucy exclaimed.

Susan looked at Peter pointedly. "Our mums sent us away so we wouldn't get caught up in a war."

Peter looked at the Beavers. "I think you've made a mistake. We're not heroes!"

"We're from Finchley! Thank you for your hospitality. But we really have to go."

"No, you can't just leave!" Mr. Beaver said.

"He's right," Lucy said to her siblings. "We have to help Mr. Tumnus."

"It's out of our hands," Peter said firmly. He turned to the Beavers. "I'm sorry, but it's time the five of us were getting home. Ed?" They all looked around them for the youngest brother. "Ed?" Nothing. Peter turned back around. "I'm going to kill him."

"You may not have to," Mr. Beaver said lowly. "Has Edmund ever been to Narnia before?"

There was silence before Elaine said quietly, "Why?"