"I hate Cricket," Holly mumbled to herself the next day.

Edmund was batting, Susan was catching, Holly was in the outfield, and Peter was throwing.

Holly didn't mind watching Cricket – she actually thought it was an interesting game. What she didn't like was having to chase after the stupid ball every time Edmund hit it too far.

Holly glanced over at Lucy, who was reading a book by herself, and wondered how much she would be teased for backing out and going to sit with the younger girl.

"Peter winds up, poised to take yet another wicket!" Peter was saying in an annoying announcer voice.

He threw the ball and hit Edmund in the leg.

"OW!"

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

"Why can't we play hide and seek again?" Edmund asked.

"I thought you said it was a kid's game," Peter replied coolly.

"Besides," Susan said. "We could all use the fresh air."

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

Holly hid a laugh and Susan shot her a look.

"Are you ready?" Peter asked, sounding annoyed.

Edmund smirked. "Are you?"

Peter threw the ball, and Edmund swung. He knocked the ball – straight into the upstairs window.

"Edmund!" Holly sighed.

They all rushed upstairs to find that Edmund had destroyed not only a window, but an old suit of armor that was probably priceless.

"Well done, Ed," Peter said.

"You balled it!" Edmund snapped.

"What on earth's going on up there?"

The five looked at each other in panic. "The Macready!"

"Come on!" Peter said.

They started running through the house, but everywhere they went, they heard Macready close behind. Eventually, they found themselves in the spare room. All five froze for a second.

Then Edmund ran forward and threw the wardrobe door open.

"Come on!" he called impatiently.

"You've got to be joking," Susan said.

They heard footsteps outside the door, and there was no choice but to hide.

Holly ran in after Edmund, then Lucy, and Susan and Peter in the back. Edmund and Holly ran all the way to the back, and Holly gasped when her hand brushed against something cold and prickly.

"What the…?"

Holly found herself in a snow-covered forest. There was a lamp-post in the middle of the clearing, just like Lucy said.

"Impossible," Susan breathed.

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

Peter smiled sheepishly at his baby sister. "I don't suppose saying we're sorry would quite cover it?"

"No, it wouldn't," Lucy replied. Then, she threw a snowball at Peter's face. "But that might!"

A snowball fight broke out, but it was quickly stopped when Edmund was hit.

"Ow! Stop it!"

Peter glared at him. "You little liar."

"You didn't believe her, either!"

"Apologize to Lucy," Peter demanded. "Say you're sorry!"

"All right!" Edmund said. "I'm sorry."

"That's all right," Lucy smiled. "Some little children just don't know when to stop pretending."

"Very funny," Edmund muttered.

"Maybe we should go back," Susan fretted.

"Can't we look around first?" Holly asked.

"I think Lucy should decide," Peter announced, smiling at his sister.

Lucy's face lit up. "I'd like you all to meet Mr. Tumnus!"

"Mr. Tumnus it is," Peter nodded.

"We can't go hiking in the snow dressed like this!" Susan said, rubbing her arms against the cold.

Peter grabbed some coats from the wardrobe and started passing them around.

"I don't think the professor would mind us using these," he said. "Anyway, if you think about it logically, we aren't even taking them out of the wardrobe."

Peter handed Edmund a black coat with lots of fur at the top.

"But that's a girl's coat!" he protested.

"I know," Peter glowered.

They all followed Lucy through the forest for a few minutes as she talked happily to Peter and Susan.

Edmund was sulking in the back, and Holly slowed down to walk with him. He glared at her.

"What, are you going to yell at me as well?" he snapped.

"Actually, I was just going to walk with you so you wouldn't be all alone," Holly replied coolly. "But that's all right, I can see that you'd rather be alone."

Holly sped up, and Edmund sighed.

"Wait," he said, reaching for her arm.

The pair came to a stop, and Holly raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"What did I do to make you hate me so much?" he demanded.

"I don't hate you," Holly insisted.

"You act like it," Edmund said.

Holly shrugged. "All I'm doing is treating you the same way you treat me. Maybe you should try being nice to people."

"Holly, Edmund, hurry up!" Peter yelled. "You don't want to get lost out here!"

Holly and Edmund didn't say anything, but they walked together the rest of the way to Mr. Tumnus's house.

Lucy stopped talking to Susan and froze. She was staring at a smashed in doorway. Then she ran in the house.

"Lu?" Peter called.

The place was completely ransacked.

"Who would do something like this?" Lucy whispered.

Peter was holding a piece of paper, and he read it aloud. "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."

"All right," Susan said. "Now we really should go back."

"What about Mr. Tumnus?" Lucy demanded.

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

"You don't understand, do you?" Lucy said miserably. "I'm the human. She must've found out he helped me."

"Maybe we should call the police," Peter suggested.

Holly pointed to the paper in his hands. "Peter, they are the police."

"Don't worry, Lu," Peter said. "We'll think of something."

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

Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. They heard a bird chirping from the doorway.

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

Shrugging, Peter walked towards the bird with the others close behind. Just as they got close, it flew off.

They heard a rustling sound behind a rock. Susan grabbed Peter's arm in fear, and all five children shrunk back.

A beaver popped its head around the rock. Everyone sighed in relief.

"It's a beaver!" Lucy stated.

Peter extended his hand.

"Here boy!" He clicked his tongue at the beaver. "Here boy!"

The beaver stared at Peter. "I ain't gonna smell it, if that's what you want."

Holly's jaw dropped, and Lucy giggled.

"Oh, sorry," Peter mumbled.

"Lucy Pevensie?" the beaver asked.

"Yes?" Lucy said. The beaver took out a hankie and handed it to her. "That's the hankie I gave to Mr. –"

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

"Is he alright?" Lucy asked worriedly.

The beaver looked around uneasily. "Further in."

He turned and headed deeper into the forest. Peter moved to follow, and Susan grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

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

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

"He's a beaver," Susan said exasperatedly. "He shouldn't be saying anything!"

The beaver came back and looked at them curiously. "Everything all right?"

"Yes," Peter replied quickly. "We were just talking."

"That's better left for safe quarters," the beaver whispered.

"He means the trees," Lucy clarified.

"If it's not safe here, maybe we should follow him," Holly suggested.

Peter nodded, and the five cautiously followed the beaver. He led them through the forest for a while until they finally reached a dam.

"All right, it looks like the old girl's got the kettle on!" he said happily. "Nice cup of Rosy Lee."

"It's lovely!" Lucy said, looking at the house in the middle of the dam.

"Awe, it's merely a trifle, it's still got a little bit to do, not quite finished yet," the beaver said modestly.

"Beaver? Is that you?" a female voice called. "I've been worried sick!" A female beaver rounded the corner. "If I find you've been out with Badger again I –"

She froze when she saw the five humans with her husband.

"Oh," she sighed. "Those aren't badgers. I never thought I'd live to see this day!" She turned angrily to her husband. "Look at my fur! You couldn't give me ten minutes' warning?"

"I would've given you a week if I thought it would've helped!" he shot back.

"Come inside. And we'll see if we can't get you some food. And some civilized company."

They all walked inside. There were only three seats open at the table, so Edmund and Holly sat on the stairs by the door.

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

"I'd say he's at the Witch's castle," Mr. Beaver replied. "And you know what I say. There's few who enter those gates that come out again."

"Fish and chips!" Mrs. Beaver announced, glaring at her husband for upsetting Lucy. "But there is hope, dear."

"Oh, yeah, there's a lot more than hope!" Mr. Beaver said. "Aslan is on the move."

"Who's Aslan?" Edmund asked.

Mr. Beaver burst out laughing. "Who's Aslan? You cheeky little blighter!"

Mrs. Beaver nudged him.

"You don't know, do you?" Mr. Beaver said in shock.

"We haven't exactly been here very long," Peter replied.

"He's only the king of the whole wood!" Mr. Beaver told them. "The top piece. The real king of Narnia."

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

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

Holly frowned when she felt a burst of cool air. She looked up to see Edmund was gone. With an annoyed sigh, she quietly got up and followed him.

He was trudging through the snow, and Holly hurried to catch up.

"Just where are you going?" she demanded.

Edmund jumped and turned around.

"That's none of your business," he replied.

Holly shrugged. "Well, I'm not letting you go off alone. Like it or not, you're stuck with me."

Edmund rolled his eyes. "Fine. But try to keep up."

Holly sighed and followed him through the dark woods. Edmund had dropped his coat along the way, and after a bit of walking, Holly found hers was a nuisance as well. She hung it on a branch right outside the Witch's castle.

"Are you sure about this?" Holly whispered as they walked in the courtyard.

Edmund nodded. They walked around, looking in slight fear of the stone statues. Edmund stopped to draw a pair of glasses on a lion.

"Oh, very nice, Edmund," Holly said sarcastically.

Edmund smirked and stepped over what he thought was a statue of a wolf.

It wasn't.


Ooh, a cliffhanger :) I hope you like it!