SEEDS OF FAITH
Chapter 3 has now been completed! This part's considerably short, but it sure packs a punch, especially in the emotional field. Having undergone a similar experience myself not so very long ago, with my mom and all, describing the emotional turbulence of these characters was not a very difficult task. As always, I anticipate your feedback! (My mom's doing just fine, by the way. Things are going as well for her as can be expected. Even the doctors are impressed.)
Characters (most of them) © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media
Terence © unicorn-skydancer08
Story © unicorn-skydancer08
All rights reserved.
Chapter 3
"My lady," said one of the nymphs to Queen Lucy at Cair Paravel, "your husband has returned."
"Already?" Lucy asked in surprise. "But he and Terence had only just left! I wasn't expecting them back for another two or three hours, at the very least." Seeing the somber look upon the nymph's face, the queen asked apprehensively, "What has happened? Is Tumnus all right? Are Terence and the children all right?"
"It's your daughter, milady," the nymph told her gravely. "Something has come about her."
"Selena?!" That was all it took for Lucy to leap to her feet and tear out of the room. The nymph called for her to wait, but she paid no heed. And sure enough, when the young queen came across her husband and Terence, she found Selena lying quiescent within Tumnus's arms, and one look at Tumnus and Terence's faces revealed that something was terribly wrong. "Oh, Tumnus!" she cried, making an immediate beeline to him. "What happened? What has happened to Selena?"
"She is very ill, my dearest," said Tumnus grimly. "Feel how warm she is?"
Touching her daughter's damp brow with her hand, Lucy was alarmed at the burning heat that emanated from the little faun. "Oh, no!" she gasped.
Right at that moment, Susan and Peter and Edmund—Lucy's sister and brothers, and Puck and Selena's aunt and uncles—appeared, along with the Beavers and a couple of others. Upon hearing Lucy's dismay, and upon seeing Selena, a small clamor arose. Nearly everyone swarmed in on Tumnus and Lucy, leaving Terence and Puck in the background. Puck, who had been set upon his hooves again, huddled fearfully against his godfather's sturdy leg. Terence said nothing, but he laid one hand absentmindedly atop Puck's curly, blonde head.
"Mercy of the Lion, what happened here?" Peter demanded.
Tumnus explained the story to them, and Susan said empathetically, "Oh, the poor dear!"
Edmund, who stood the closest to Terence, asked the white-haired human, "Terence, why didn't you make Selena stay at the castle when you and Tumnus went out today?"
"I would have," Terence protested, "but she didn't tell me. She didn't tell any of us."
"Never mind," said Tumnus, having overheard. "The important thing now is to get Selena taken care of." He looked toward his wife. "While I put her to bed, Lucy, you go and fetch some cool water and clean rags."
Lucy was already on her way to do so, even before Tumnus had finished speaking. Tumnus then ordered Mrs. Beaver to prepare a warm pottage, and Mrs. Beaver readily made way for the royal kitchen. In the meantime, Susan rushed to retrieve some extra blankets for her niece, and Peter set out to attain a physician. Beaver and Edmund followed after Tumnus as the faun carried Selena to her room, while the others broke up and set off in a variety of directions. In the midst of all this commotion, Selena remained unconscious, and she lay like a limp sack of flour in her father's arms.
Before long, only Puck and Terence were left.
Poor Puck, who had been completely disregarded by everyone during the hullabaloo, was all but frightened to death. Something bad was going on, the boy acknowledged; something very, very bad indeed. What was going to happen now? Would Selena be all right? At least a thousand troubling questions and scenarios whirled continually through Puck's little mind, and he began to tremble all over, from head to hoof.
Terence could tell his godson was distraught. "Don't worry, Puck," the man said gently, wrapping the young faun warmly in his arms in an attempt to comfort him. "I'm sure your sister will be all right. Your parents will know what to do."
"I'm scared, Uncle Terence." Tears welled up in Puck's eyes, and he struggled to not cry.
Terence's heart melted for him, and he hugged his godson a bit tighter. "There, now," he soothed, "it's all right. Everything is going to be all right." He heard Puck sniffle, and he promptly lowered himself to his knees so that he and the little faun youngling were at a more equal level, and Puck slid his arms around his godfather's neck and clung to him for dear life. Try as he might, he couldn't hold back the tears, and soon he was weeping pitifully into Terence's shoulder.
"Shhh," Terence whispered into the lad's ear, trying his very best to calm Puck and reassure him. "Shhhhh…don't cry, little pal. I promise you, everything will be all right." Yet inwardly, the young man was deeply troubled himself.
Exactly how all right was everything going to be?
