Cair Paravel's most ornate outdoor pavilion was flanked by marble-and-gold arches, towering over the Narnians meandering in and out of them. Inside, marzipan and spun-sugar statues of the Kings and Queens, Aslan, and Cair Paravel stood amidst the mingling revelers, between tables piled high with more food than any Narnian had seen in a century. Outside, flutes and drums echoed over the stones, providing a rich counterpoint to the merriment. The fauns led the dancing, weaving in and out of each other in intricate patterns.
"Jyoti, would you come here, please?" Jyoti looked around, puzzled, hearing Aslan's voice but not seeing him. She spied him at the eastern edge of the pavilion, standing between the Children.
"King Peter says that you healed him yesterday?" Aslan asked. Jyoti nodded. "The Healing Song does not tired you overmuch, does it?"
"No, Aslan," she assured him. "I just have to make sure that I eat plenty, and drink more, and sleep well."
"And when was the last time you ate?" Aslan asked pointedly. Jyoti had to think hard to remember, and wobbled slightly.
"Are you okay?" Edmund asked, worried.
"I did sleep well enough, Aslan," Jyoti promised. "I've just been so busy, I don't remember eating." She wobbled again, more noticeably.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Peter repeated, more worried this time. Jyoti nodded wordlessly and rose unsteadily.
"You said you need to eat something, right?" Lucy prompted. Peter hastily offered Jyoti his arm. She shook her head, taking a slow step forward, but her knees buckled, and she collapsed. Strong hands caught her as she fell, and placed her gently on her feet.
"I think you might need this," Peter said dryly, offering his arm once more. Jyoti smiled palely, accepting it this time, and followed him to one of the pavilion's many alcoves. Even here, in the tucked-away corners of the celebration, there was a table laden with platters of fruit and rolls and pitchers of cold tea. Jyoti ate, feeling her strength return with every bit and sip.
"Thank you," she said hoarsely. "That took a good deal more out of me than I expected."
"I'm glad I could help," Peter said, smiling. "It's nice, being useful." Jyoti nodded, agreeing.
"I take it you're the protective, always-ready-to-do-something one of the family?" she asked.
"I suppose so," he admitted. "Susan's always been the logical one in our family. She's a lot like our Mum that way, really. And Edmund always wants to prove himself, and he doesn't even realize that he doesn't really need to. And Lu—Lu always makes things better, no matter how bad they seem."
"What's it like, having brothers and sisters?" Jyoti asked longingly. Peter looked at her, surprised.
"Didn't you say there were foals?" he asked, confused.
"They were always too young, and they weren't really my brothers or sisters," Jyoti said. Peter nodded, understanding.
"We argue sometimes," Peter confessed. "We didn't before my father left for the war, not really, but it was hard without him. We don't always get along, and it's not always fun to take care of each other. But there's always someone to talk to, and someone to study with, and someone to play with. You might never be alone, but you're never lonely, either. I'd do anything to make sure they stayed safe, and I'd never trade them, not for anything." Jyoti smiled wistfully, nodding. "What was it like growing up in Narnia?"
"I didn't really grow up here," Jyoti explained. "It's hard to explain, but I lived in the night skies for five years, but not five years as you would measure it. I told you how my parents were stars, yes?" Peter nodded.
"Then you fell, to end up in Narnia?" he prompted.
"I fell, when I was five," she admitted. "And then spent five years in the Witch's castle. I didn't speak for those entire five years, and that's the only reason she didn't kill me—she didn't know if I was human or not. So I spent five years in a ten-by-ten icebox, and I don't think that's quite what you meant by 'growing up'." Peter smiled. "But living with Oreius and Kira and the Eryn-Gwae, I grew up quickly. We spent all of our time either in hiding or helping other Narnians who rebelled against the Witch. We spent a whole year with the fauns, once. When the foals were born, we used to go to the hills, and use the warriors' shields to sled down them." She smiled at the memory.
"Dad took us sledding every winter," Peter reminisced. "We always went skating, too."
"I never got to go skating, not once in eight years of winter," Jyoti replied. "I always wanted to try, but as you might guess, centaurs were not made to go ice skating." Peter laughed outright at that, imagining a skating centaur.
"Will there be winters, now that the Witch is gone?" he asked.
"Oreius said there should be normal seasons now, all four of them," Jyoti replied.
"Good," Peter said firmly. "Then I shall teach you to skate come winter." Jyoti smiled up at him.
"I'd like that," she admitted. "And there's the ocean, right down the cliffs, now that it's summer again, and the Rush River, too. Just down the river, there's the Dancing Lawn, where the fauns and satyrs and nymphs have bonfires and dancing there every night."
"It looks like they're practicing now," Peter said, laughing, pointing towards the interwoven circles of dancers in the middle of the courtyard.
"Do you dance at all, King Peter?" Jyoti asked, smiling impishly.
"Only ballroom," Peter admitted. "My mother made us all take lessons."
"That's alright," Jyoti replied, pulling him upright. "The fauns' dances are easy to learn." Peter shook his head, glaring at his grinning siblings.
"If I'm going, you're coming with me!" he insisted, grabbing Lucy's hand as they dashed by.
"I don't know how to do this," she protested, grabbing Edmund's hand.
"If we're doing this, you're doing this too," Edmund informed his laughing elder sister, grabbing Susan's hand.
"It's simple," Jyoti promised, stopping just beyond the interwoven circles of dancers, dropping their hands and holding her skirt out of the way to demonstrate. "It's just an eight-count of steps—cross-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight, back-two-three, back-two-three. See?" The four nodded, following her example, the girls making sure to hold their skirts clear of their feet as well.
"So why are the dancers in the center of the circles not doing those steps?" Susan asked, puzzled. Jyoti smiled.
"The fauns find great amusement in proving themselves the best dancer," she explained. "The ones in the middle are trying to out-dance each other—jump higher, step fancier, move faster."
"We'll dance with you on one condition," Peter said, smiling mischievously. "We'll join the circle dances if you dance against one of the fauns." Jyoti shook her head, blushing.
"Against Mr. Tumnus," Lucy added.
Peter raised one eyebrow teasingly. "Are you scared?" Jyoti folded her arms over her chest, shaking her head once more.
"You dance if I dance?" she asked finally. "I don't have to win, just dance?"
"I promise," he replied. Jyoti smiled wickedly.
"We have an accord," she agreed. The four Pevensies moved to stand at the edge of the largest circle as Jyoti stepped inside. "Faun Tumnus!" she called. The music stopped, and the dancers turned to look at her. "I challenge you to dance." Lucy giggled as Mr. Tumnus stepped forward, adjusting his scarf carefully.
"I accept," he replied, winking at Lucy and bowing to Jyoti. She relented and attempted a curtsy in return, managing, for the first time that day, to execute it without wobbling or toppling over.
And then the fauns struck up the music once more, and they began to dance. The song was light and airy, bouncing from note to note with jovial energy. Jyoti clasped her hands behind her back as she danced, tugging her skirt back to keep it from hindering her steps. Mr. Tumnus kept time with the clack of his cloven hooves, locking his arms behind his back, staring Jyoti straight in the eye. She stared back, eyes twinkling merrily, cheeks flushing pink as she threw in every spin, leap, and difficult step she could think of. The crowds around them began to clap in rhythm, laughing as the music became faster and faster. Mr. Tumnus' hooves sounded a continuous string of taps and clicks, providing quiet percussion to the song, and he laughed aloud as they slowly began to circle each other, twirling and spinning as they did so. Jyoti's feet flick-flicked over the ground, barely skimming the stones as the music reached a dizzying pace, so fast that her feet scarcely had time to touch the ground between steps. She kept her eyes fixed on Mr. Tumnus', who matched her step for step, though he panted with exertion. A grin spread slowly across his face, matching the smile on hers, as the music swelled, growing faster than ever before, and ceased. Mr. Tumnus bowed to her once more, much deeper this time, and Jyoti returned the courtesy, not trusting her legs to curtsy as she bowed just as deeply to him.
"Someone spent time with the fauns," Mr. Tumnus suggested breathlessly.
"We spent a whole year in the north of the Western Wood, near the Lantern Waste, with a few families of fauns," Jyoti explained, catching her breath. "I saw them dancing, once, and they offered to teach me."
"Is there anything you're not good at?" Peter demanded, mock-astonished, as he made his way over.
"Horseback riding," Jyoti replied seriously, though she smiled. "Swimming. Ice skating. Cooking. Gardening. Being quiet. Not causing trouble. I'm not particularly good with sums, either. Oreius tried to teach me, once. Would you like me to continue the list? There's plenty more things I'm not good at, have no fear."
"That makes me feel much better," Peter answered, smiling back at her.
"Me too," Lucy added. "I can do all of those things, except the not causing trouble part." Jyoti laughed as her Queen took her hand.
"I believe I was promised a dance," she reminded them, taking Peter's hand as well.
"I'd have done it without you dancing," Lucy admitted, laughing, as they joined the circle, followed shortly by Edmund and Susan. The music started once more, and the circles began to move, one around the other, dancers laughing for the joy of the dance and the joy of the day.
Author's Note: Again, sorry for the short chapter and the delay. I had some major tests, and I'm currently working on way too many stories--two that are uncompleted but partially published here, three that are as yet unpublished, and one that's a really old story that i want to get published for real (but they're all too much fun for me to abandon any of them...)
I tried to model the fauns' dancing after a Riverdance-type style of dancing (aka Irish). Any questions, just PM me, as always. Enjoy!