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

Elaine went outside early in the morning and took a long walk across the expansive grounds. The peace and quiet allowed her to think about her and the Professor's conversation the previous night.

She supposed he made some good points. What reason did they have to disbelieve Lucy? A wood in a wardrobe was indeed impossible, but if this truly was some huge charade, she was far more dedicated to it than any child Elaine had ever met. It would've made more sense for her to hide for a really long time and then pretend she'd been away to a magic land instead of hiding for two seconds.

What if he was right about the other part too? About Elaine needing the Pevensies more than they needed her?

That was ridiculous. She didn't need them. She was managing just fine on her own. She would be fine getting through this whole thing alone. Before long, she would be back with her mother and they could just pretend that all of this had never happened while the Pevensies would go their own way and she would never have to think about any of them ever again.

After lunch, the Pevensies went outside for a game of cricket while Elaine decided to stay indoors for some reading. She and Peter had agreed they would get through this separately and so that's what she would do.

She was just passing by one of the rooms when she heard a loud crash come from within. After jumping a foot in the air and quickly reminding herself that it wasn't some kind of weapon from the enemy soldiers, she went to inspect the damage.

A large hole now sat in the beautiful stained glass window, and the ball the Pevensies had been using for the cricket game had knocked over a knight's armor which now lay in a destroyed pile.

Elaine turned as the other Pevensie children ran into the room to see what had happened.

Peter sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well done, Ed!"

"You bowled it!" Edmund shot back.

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

"The Macready!" Susan exclaimed.

The Pevensies raced out of the room, and Elaine had no choice but to follow them. She wasn't about to stick around for yet another lecture about respecting the Professor's property. Not to mention she was pretty sure that she and Edmund tied for which child the woman disliked the most, and she was not about to share the blame for his mistake.

After running throughout the mansion and testing several locked doors, they all ended up in the spare room that housed the wardrobe.

Edmund quickly ran up to it and opened the door. "Come on!" he 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 told them that they were out of options, and they all crammed into the wardrobe to hide from the stern housekeeper.

From there, a cacophony of voices rang out as the five of them ran into one another while they kept stepping back further and further.

"Get back!"

"My toe!"

"I'm not on your toe!"

"Move back!"

"Get off me!"

"Ow!"

"You're in the way!"

"That was my face!"

"Will you stop shoving?"

Suddenly, Peter and Susan fell backwards and landed on top of fresh snow. They turned around, and their eyes widened in disbelief.

There was the wood Lucy had talked about.

The two of them stood up while the others slowly walked out into the snow to join them.

"Impossible!" Susan gasped.

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

Peter let out an awkward chuckle and looked at his little sister apologetically. "I-I don't suppose saying we're sorry would quite cover it?"

"No, it wouldn't."

Elaine didn't blame the girl for being mad at them. They'd basically called her crazy and a liar. Who wouldn't be mad?

Then a large snowball hit Peter right in the face.

"But that might!" Lucy laughed.

Realizing that Lucy actually wasn't mad at them, Peter and Susan quickly picked up some snow and joined in on the snowball fight. Elaine stayed near the mysterious wardrobe entrance, preparing to return to the spare room. As wonderful as this place was and as ecstatic as she was that it was real, she didn't really care to be around the others. If she was here by herself, it would've been a different story.

Susan hit a distracted Edmund's arm with a snowball.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "Stop it!"

Suddenly, everyone realized that Lucy's claim about Edmund joining her the last time hadn't been false at all.

"You little liar!" Peter admonished.

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

"Oh, very funny."

"Maybe we should go back," Susan suggested.

Elaine agreed with that statement. If all of the Pevensies went back, she could return last and explore the land on her own for a little while longer.

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

No! Elaine thought. No, stick with Susan's suggestion! Just go back!

"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!"

Elaine sighed. There went that idea. Maybe she could try to get back here again at a later time. For now, she would just return to the spare room and let the siblings move forward without her. Like she had said before, Peter would stay with his family and she would stay with hers. There was no need for her to be here.

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

"No." Peter went back to the wardrobe to grab some of the thick winter coats and handed one to each of his siblings. "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."

Seeing the coat Peter held out for him, Edmund exclaimed, "But that's a girl's coat!"

"I know."

Elaine started to go back through the wardrobe, trying not to think about how much emptier it would feel without the Pevensies talking and running around. That shouldn't matter anyway. She hadn't planned on conversing with them whether they were there or not.

"You're coming too, aren't you, Elaine?" Lucy asked eagerly.

Elaine stopped and turned to the young girl, but her response died in her throat when she saw the look on Lucy's face. Her eyes glanced at Peter for a brief second, but he was looking away from her.

She supposed she did owe Lucy for disbelieving her yesterday and last night. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. They would just go see this Mr. Tumnus, talk for a little while, and then be back within a few hours.

Elaine gave Lucy a forced smile. "Sure. Let me just grab a coat for myself."

Reluctantly, she took one of the large coats off its hanger and wrapped it around her body. The thick and fluffy material immediately helped warm her up in the bitter coldness of the land. Then she walked over to join the other siblings and hoped that this would be over with quickly.

Why couldn't she have just pretended that she believed Lucy yesterday? Then she wouldn't feel like she owed the girl anything and she could've just gone back through the wardrobe.

The group began to trudge through the powdery snow, letting Lucy lead the way as she was the only one who knew where they were going. They stopped in confusion when they saw a lamppost in the middle of the woods, the blazing flame inside oblivious to the cold weather.

Elaine wondered what the purpose of having a lamppost here could possibly be and who's idea it was to put it there.

They walked through the forest for about twenty minutes, admiring the beauty of the wintery wood and still reeling that there really was a magical land on the other side of the plain wardrobe.

When they began walking down a hill, Peter raced ahead and proceeded to fall over due to the slippery incline. He laughed as he became covered in snow.

Elaine wished she could just turn back now, but she was pretty sure she'd get lost if she tried to make it back alone. She could manage a lot on her own, but surviving a wintry night in a magic land would not be possible.

Lucy began eagerly speaking of what they could expect when they met Mr. Tumnus. "We'll have lots and lots of lovely food, and we'll have lots and lots of…"

She trailed off when she looked ahead of her. The door to the place she had been leading them had been forcibly knocked down.

"Lu?" Peter asked, noticing his sister's frozen posture.

Lucy gasped and took off in a sprint towards the door.

"Lucy!"

Everyone ran after her as she raced inside the small living space. Lucy looked around in horror. Everything was in complete disarray, and it was clear a huge struggle had taken place. Wherever this Mr. Tumnus was now, he hadn't gone willingly.

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

Peter looked around and noticed a yellowed piece of parchment attached to a pillar by a large nail.

He pulled the parchment off the pillar 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 with worried eyes. "All right. Now we really should go back."

"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."

Edmund turned away from them with a guilty look, something that did not escape Elaine's notice. Did he know something about this Tumnus's disappearance that he wasn't telling them?

She recalled that he'd been here before and realized that none of them, not even Lucy, knew what had happened when he had. Who had he met and what he done? Could it be he'd had something to do with Mr. Tumnus's abduction?

Voicing those thoughts aloud to his siblings didn't seem like the best idea since Peter had made it painfully clear that he didn't care for her opinion when it came to his brother and sisters.

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

"These are the police," Susan said, holding up the parchment in her hand.

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

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

Was he really a criminal, or had Edmund just been led to believe he was? If Lucy's story was true, then Mr. Tumnus had saved her life on her first trip to Narnia at great risk to his own. Anyone willing to risk his life to save a stranger had Elaine's respect.

Before anyone could respond to Edmund's claim, something outside of the place whispered, "Psst!"

Everyone looked out the open door to find a robin perched on a branch.

Susan looked at her older brother in disbelief. "Did that bird just 'psst' us?"

Peter left the living space first and the rest of them followed him out as the robin flew away from the tree. With the knowledge that someone had been arrested right out of his home just for helping Lucy, they all felt a little more wary about being out in the open.

Noises seemed to come from each direction, and there was no way to tell what was making the noise and if it was a friend or an enemy.

Something crunched in the snow directly in front of them.

Lucy nervously clutched onto Susan's arm while Susan put her hand on Peter's shoulder. Edmund and Elaine clenched their fists, but they both made the decision to face whatever the threat was by themselves.

Finally, a harmless animal emerged from behind a snow bank, and everyone sighed with relief.

"It's…it's a beaver," Lucy remarked.

The beaver cautiously sniffed the air and took careful steps in the humans' direction.

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

The beaver looked at Peter's hand.

Then to their utter astonishment, the beaver said roughly, "Well, I ain't gonna smell it if that's what you want!"

Lucy giggled while everyone else's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Oh," Peter said awkwardly as he took a step back. "Sorry."

"Lucy Pevensie?" the beaver said.

Lucy abruptly lost her smile and took a tiny step 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 all right?"

The beaver looked around him nervously. "Further in," he whispered before heading back the way he'd come.

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

"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!"

"Clearly, none of us are safe here now," Elaine put in. "We should go back until we know that we will be."

If she was being honest though, she didn't really want to go back just yet. She wouldn't mind staying in a world so different than the one she lived in which only seemed to bring disappointment. But even though she was fully aware at how petty she was being, she just wanted to disagree with Peter.

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

"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 surrounding barren trees, now trying to see any sign that they truly were alive.

Peter looked at Susan, Edmund, and Elaine and then continued following the beaver. They couldn't leave Peter and Lucy here alone, and they did want to help Mr. Tumnus, so the three of them decided to follow after the beaver as well.

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

Elaine lagged behind the group of siblings, still contemplating if she should just turn back now before she got pulled in too far. She was supposed to be separating herself from them. This was the opposite of separating.

But as much as she hated it, she knew she was already in too far. Because the longer they walked, the more impossible it was to return to the lamppost alone. It was getting darker and darker, and there was no way Elaine was going to try to find her way back in the dark in an unfamiliar land. She wasn't that stubborn.

After walking through the snow for at least two hours, they happened upon a snow-covered dam.

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

"It's lovely!" Lucy smiled.

"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."

As they approached the dam, they heard a female voice demand, "Beaver, is that you?" Another beaver came out of the dam's door. "I've been worried sick! If I find you've been out with Badger again, I…" The female beaver stopped speaking when she saw the reason her mate had been out so long. "Oh…" she gasped. "Well, those aren't badgers. Oh, I never thought I'd live to see this day!" She looked at her mate sharply. "Look at my fur. You couldn't give me ten minutes warning?"

"I'd have given you a week if I thought it would help!" the male beaver joked.

Elaine couldn't help but smile. Something about the way the beavers interacted reminded her of her parents. She was once again reminded of just how much she missed them.

The female excitedly 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 followed the female inside the dam, having to stoop down in order to get through the small doorway.

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

Lucy, Peter, and Susan sat around a small table in the middle of the living space while Elaine remained standing near the fireplace and Edmund sat on the stairs away from all of them. His mind had been elsewhere ever since they'd come into Narnia, and once again, Elaine wondered just what had happened when he had visited this world on his own. She understood that she'd only known Edmund for two and half days, but he seemed even more detached and cold towards them than before.

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

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

Mrs. Beaver quickly placed a tray of food on the table. "Fish n' chips?" When she noticed everyone's sad looks at Mr. Beaver's answer, she gently put her paw on Lucy's arm and added, "But there is hope, dear. Lots of hope."

Upon hearing those words, Mr. Beaver spit his drink back into his cup 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 and said quietly, "Aslan is on the move."

Elaine didn't know who Aslan was, but at the mention of his name, she felt a warmth caress her body that seemed to melt straight through the harsh winter around them. It reminded her of the feeling she had when she and her mother and father shared a meal together or listened to their favorite program on the radio all before the terrible war had begun. Yet somehow, this feeling was even warmer than that. All of the anger and bitterness she had felt for weeks seemed to flow right out of her until all that was left behind was love and kindness.

Edmund got off the stairs and came up to the table. "Who's Aslan?" he asked, completely shattering the beautiful moment.

Mr. Beaver laughed boisterously like he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. "'Who's Aslan?' You cheeky little blighter!"

Mrs. Beaver quickly tapped him when she noticed the humans weren't laughing.

"What?" Mr. Beaver looked at the five humans and saw them staring back at him blankly. "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 waitin' for you near the Stone Table!"

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

"You're bloomin' jokin'!" He turned to his mate in frustration. "They don't even know about the prophecy!"

"Well, then…" Mrs. Beaver urged.

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

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

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

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

"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 felt her mouth go dry as she self-consciously crossed her arms over her chest and bunched up her clothes in her fists.

She knew she should've just gone back on her own. This prophecy stated only two boys and two girls. That meant she wasn't supposed to be here. If she had felt out of place before, this was so much worse. Everyone's eyes seemed to bore into her, and it made her feel extremely small and insignificant.

"And you think we're the ones?" Peter asked in disbelief.

Though they didn't get along, Elaine was thankful that he didn't dwell on the subject of her not being included in front of everyone.

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

"We're from Finchley!"

The Beavers looked at each other questioningly, as if they were silently asking, They're from where now?

Susan stood up from the table. "Thank you for your hospitality. But we really have to go."

Finally, Elaine thought as she released a breath. She couldn't stand being in this small suffocating dam any longer. She direly needed to get some fresh air to try to get over the fact that once again, she very obviously wasn't needed.

"No, you can't just leave!" Mr. Beaver protested as Peter stood up too.

"He's right," Lucy said, remaining in her chair in a silent statement that she wasn't going to go so easily. "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 for the youngest brother. But Edmund was nowhere to be found in the dam.

"Ed?"

The door to the dam was open. Edmund was gone.

Peter glared as he turned back around. "I'm gonna 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?"

Mr. Beaver quickly ran towards the door. "There's no time for explanations. Come on, we have to catch up to your brother before it's too late!"

It appeared they weren't going to be heading back home anytime soon. As much as Elaine wanted to return, she knew that she couldn't in good conscience leave when the Pevensie siblings had been separated like this, no matter how she felt about them.

The four humans threw their coats back on and exited the dam as fast as they could. Mr. Beaver led them in the direction Edmund had gone and they tried to go quickly, but the cold and the snow made it difficult to run.

"Hurry!" Peter called to the others.

They soon made it to a ridge where they could see a small figure approaching an enormous castle made entirely out of ice.

The White Witch's castle.

"EDMUND!" Lucy screamed.

"Shh!" Mr. Beaver shushed. "They'll hear you!"

Peter started to go after his brother, but Mr. Beaver frantically grabbed his coat and pulled him back.

"NO!"

"Get off me!" Peter yelled.

"You're playing into her hands!"

"We can't just let him go!" Susan yelled.

"He's our brother!" Lucy added.

"He's the bait!" Mr. Beaver said in loud whisper. "The Witch wants all four of you!"

"Why?" Peter demanded.

"To stop the prophecy from comin' true! To kill you!"

Elaine's heart skipped a beat as Peter looked at the three girls in horror.

All of them looked back at the castle and watched the giant door close behind Edmund.

Elaine didn't feel so jealous of them anymore. The Pevensies were just innocent kids, and they already had someone who wanted them dead. But then, Elaine had a feeling that if this White Witch got her hands on her, she wouldn't stop and ask if she was one of the humans of the prophecy. Even if she wasn't meant to be here, she still wasn't safe.

Susan looked at Peter accusingly. "This is all your fault!"

"My fault?" Peter asked incredulously.

"None of this would have happened if you had just listened to me in the first place!"

"Oh, so you knew this would happen?"

"I didn't know what would happen. Which is why we should've left while we still could!"

"Stop it!" Lucy interjected. "This isn't going to help Edmund."

"She's right," Mr. Beaver sighed. "Only Aslan can help your brother now."

Peter looked down at Mr. Beaver and resigned himself to their new fates. "Then take us to him."

Elaine sighed as she stared at the looming castle in front of them. It seemed that regardless of her prophecy status, she was going to have to go along for the journey. There was no time to lead her back to the wardrobe now.

So much for getting through this separately.