02; Spy Trees Don't Scare the Pevensies
Emily dreamed of a palace made of white marble that gleamed beneath an iridescent sun. It stood on the side of a cliff making it look as if it could touch the skies. Among the white marble pillars rested some of the most gorgeous statues Emily had ever envisioned.
Suddenly she was transported to a snow covered beach where the water lapped the sand in small waves. She felt an overwhelming sense of peace as she pulled a fur covered cloak around her frame as she walked along the shore.
It seemed to stretch on as far as the eye could see. The ocean was doused in fog giving it the appearance of early morning gloom. The beach was completely desolate in terms of life, save for Emily, who continued to walk on. She didn't know why, but it was what she was supposed to do.
After what felt like an eternity, but was only a few minutes Emily could see a figure in the distance. As the teen came closer to the figure she noticed it wasn't a man, but a regal lion. It's golden mane seemed unfazed by the snow that had begun to fall on the beach. When Emily was in close proximity to the animal she could feel the heat radiating from the fur.
"Find me."
It took Emily a moment to realize the unknown voice was coming from the lion.
"What?"
"Find me."
"How?"
"Follow the snow."
Emily looked at her surroundings that were covered in snow, "That is going to be slightly difficult."
The lion smiled, "Follow your instincts. Find me."
Emily reached out to try and touch the large cat only from it to disappear in a flurry of snow. She cried out in horror as if a great tragedy had been committed before her eyes. She desperately tried to latch onto the snow only for it to melt in her hands.
"Please don't leave me!"
Emily jolted awake, opening her eyes and sitting up in bed drenched in sweat. She could have sworn she heard a lion's roar as she glanced over at the wardrobe. She then looked at her clock to see it was only 5:05 am before looking back to the wardrobe.
Before she realized what she was doing the teen was walking towards the wardrobe clutching her locket for comfort. The metal was cool against the palm of her hand as she slowly turned the knob. It was when the temperature instantly dropped that Emily was left in total confusion.
How could she feel cold air through a wardrobe?
Emily stepped inside the wardrobe and reached out trying to feel the back but, instead touched something cold and wet. She walked forward until her bare feet didn't meet with wood but with snow.
Emily began to feel panicked as she gasped at her new surroundings. It felt like she was awake in her dream except it was a snow covered forest. The trees stood tall and swayed ever so gently in the gentle breeze. There were two trees in particular that caught her attention as they created a sort of archway leading back through the wardrobe. It was absolutely breathtaking.
While Emily wished she could continue on the path her frozen feet and red nose begged to differ. She raced back through the wardrobe and grabbed her winter gear that was scattered around her room. She was soon decked out in a pair of mittens and winter boots, as well as her winter coat, sweatshirt, and beanie, before heading back inside the wardrobe to explore.
She walked for what seemed like hours before coming across a lone lamppost that gleamed brightly. It was the only object among the dense forest and it looked very out of place. The light inside flickered as a cold wid ripped through the trees. Emily pulled her jacket tighter around her shivering body.
She felt a sense of déjà vu as she continued walking past it towards the side of a snow covered hill. It didn't take her long to spot another man made item among the white frost as a small door came into view. The little dwelling was tucked into the side of the hill with barren trees for an archway. It seemed inviting enough until upon closer inspection the door was hanging off its hinges.
Emily debated whether or not to enter the home, but her curiosity won out. The inside was in ruins with glass scattered across the floor and furniture turned upside down. In the corner Emily spotted a broken piece of wood that looked to have once been some type of flute. She held the object in her hands gently before placing it on top of the mantle.
She turned around to truly get a feel for the damage inflicted on the living area with a sense of sadness. She could only guess at how cozy the room had been before. It looked as though it had been raided, but for what Emily couldn't tell. Lost in her head Emily was startled when a person yelled from just outside the door.
"Lucy!"
Emily turned around to see a little girl dressed in a long fur coat run through the doorway. She was followed closely behind by three other people all wearing the same large fur coats. The four people seemed to be siblings with the close resemblance between them.
The eldest boy and youngest girl had the same blonde hair and dark blue eyes while the eldest girl had dark hair with light blue eyes. The youngest boy was the only one of the group to have brown eyes paired with his dark brunette hair. They were all staring at Emily.
"I'm sorry to intrude, is this your home?" Emily asked as she fiddled with her locket.
"No." The eldest replied, looking at her in suspicion. "It's home to a dear friend of my sisters."
"This is Mr. Tumnus' home. He's a faun." The young girl, Lucy, explained.
Emily nodded, but couldn't believe what she had heard. Fauns only existed in her dreams and yet someone was declaring they were real. It was a lot to wrap her mind around.
"I'm Emily by the way. Emily Rose." Emily introduced herself, realizing she had spaced out and neglected her manners.
"I'm Peter Pevensie and these are my sisters Lucy and Susan and our brother Edmund." Peter said gesturing to each of his family members.
"I didn't know there were other humans living in Narnia." Lucy said staring at the teen skeptically.
"Narnia? Is that where I am?" Emily asked looking around in wonder.
"Is this your first time?" Susan asked looking at the girl with an unreadable expression.
Emily nodded slowly not sure why the brunette was staring at her, like she was going to pounce at any second, "I came from a different world."
"So did we!" Lucy exclaimed.
Emily smiled at her gleefulness. She was glad they didn't call her a mad woman. She wanted to ask them if they came from Earth as well, but then surveyed her surroundings again. Lucy did the same and the excitement on her face slowly vanished into one of sadness.
"Who would do something like this?"
Edmund walked around the room to where Emily was standing and accidentally stepped on a picture frame near the fireplace. Upon closer inspection Emily and Edmund could make out the image of an older looking faun. She could only guess that the man was a relative to Mr. Tumnus, but also couldn't believe that Fauns were real.
Emily continued to examine little knick knacks around the room and noticed a piece of paper attached to the wall behind Peter and Lucy. She pointed it out to Susan, who was observing a pipe on the ground.
"Peter what is that on the wall?" Susan asked, gesturing to where Emily had just pointed.
Peter moved to grab the piece paper and the little group crowded around him,"The former occupant of these premises, the faun Tumnus, is under arrest and awaiting his trial on a charge of high treason against her Imperial Majesty Jadis, Queen of Narnia, Chatelaine of Cair Paravel, Empress of the Lone Islands, also to comforting her said Majesty's enemies, harboring spies and fraternizing with Humans. Signed Maugrim, captain of the Secret Police, Long Live the Queen."
The five humans stared at the letter with similar looks of horror etched on their faces. Emily had begun to believe this place was magical, but she had hoped it would be a place without evil. It seemed no matter what world Emily was, in evil would always be there to counteract the good.
Susan was the first to break the heavy silence, "Now we should really go."
"But we have to help him!" Lucy exclaimed looking at her siblings.
"It's out of our hands Lu." Peter said, trying to calm his sister but she only pulled away stumbling into Emily.
"You don't get it do you? I'm the human! He helped ME!" Lucy yelled tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.
Emily felt a twinge in her heart as she watched Lucy cry in front of her. Emily wanted to offer comfort, but didn't want to overstep her boundaries as a stranger. In the end her empathy won out and she hesitated only a moment before wrapping her arms around Lucy's small body.
For a moment Emily thought Lucy would pull away, but to her surprise the younger girl buried her face into her jacket letting out a sob in the process. Emily held her closer trying to sooth the girl as she tuned into the discussion the other Pevensies were having.
"Maybe we should call the police?" Peter suggested looking hopeful.
"These are the police!" Susan exclaimed, waving the paper around as if it was the American flag on the 4th of July.
Edmund nodded in agreement making Peter's hopeful expression falter, "Besides, he's a criminal!"
Edmund's declaration of the truth caused Lucy to whimper into Emily's jacket. While Emily knew Edmund was trying to be helpful she didn't think being blunt would help the situation. Lucy was already feeling guilty for possibly leading the faun to his fate and Emily was sure prolonging his sister's pain was not what Edmund had intended.
"I don't think stating the obvious will help us decide what to do." Emily said in a gentle tone.
"Who said we want your input?" Edmund asked. "For all we know you could be working for this Queen of Narnia."
Emily visibly flinched at the statement. She knew Edmund's worry was justified, but she didn't know how to prove innocence otherwise. The siblings didn't know each other and she didn't know them.
She let go of Lucy who returned to her family's side and clutched her necklace. She allowed the cool metal to bring her comfort as she assessed her current predicament. She was in a foreign land where the ruler detested outsiders, mainly humans. It sounded like the beginning of a Disney fairy tale.
"Your right I don't have a way to prove I'm telling the truth. I guess you'll just have to take a leap of faith like I'm taking with you."
It was silent for a moment as the Pevensies seemed to be discussing her proposal among themselves. After a few minutes of deliberation it was Peter that finally delivered the verdict.
"We trust you until you give us a reason not too."
Emily sighed in relief, "That's fair."
Peter nodded before back to his sister, "And don't worry Lucy, we'll think of something."
Lucy believed her brother's words and hugged him tightly, "Thank you, Pete."
Psst!
The sound cut through the silence like a knife as the five children turned to see a blue bird perched in a tree staring right at them. All Emily could think about was how much she felt like a Disney princess as she made her way outside. Of course, she was in snow and surrounded by people instead of animals, but she couldn't help but bask in her small Disney moment.
"Did that bird just 'psst' us?" Susan asked, looking at the others for confirmation.
Emily shrugged, "It's a first for me."
Emily tried to offer her finger like the princesses do and felt a little embarrassed when the bird flew away. As she tried to understand what she and her new acquaintances had just witnessed Emily became oblivious to the movement in the bushes. It wasn't until the bushes began to shake violently right next to her that she let out a screech and grabbed Susan's arm in surprise. She expected it to be a bear or bunny, but was shocked to see a small brown beaver had been the cause.
Peter stepped forward in front of the group with his hand out, clicking his tongue, "Here, boy. Come here."
"It's not a dog, Peter." Emily said, but wasn't so sure herself how to handle the situation.
Once the beaver stopped moving so did Peter and the two stared at each other. Susan and Emily clutched each other close as they waited for the beaver to respond in some way to Peter's advancements. The beaver looked at Peter's outstretched hand before sitting up right on its paws and giving the boy an exasperated look.
"Well I ain't gonna smell it if that's what you want."
Emily's eyes widened in surprise and she couldn't stop the giant smile that made its way onto her lips. She let go of Susan and crossed her arms over her chest as she took a step closer to get a better look at the animal. At first she thought nothing could beat a snow covered Narnia in a wardrobe, but here was a talking beaver to prove her wrong.
"It's a talking beaver!" Edmund cried.
"Really? I hadn't realized. Thank you captain obvious." Emily said, making the others snicker.
"Lucy Pevensie?" Mr. Beaver asked, causing Lucy's smile to fade and the giggles to cease in an instant.
"Yes?" Lucy asked timidly.
The beaver produced a small white handkerchief that was simple looking, yet had fine little stitches around the edges. While everyone waited for what he would say next Emily couldn't help but wonder where he had put the item. At first she thought it was in his cheeks, but realized that was a chipmunk.
Her thoughts were cut off however when Lucy exclaimed, "This is the handkerchief I game to -"
"Tumnus." Mr. Beaver interrupted with a sad look. "He gave it to me just before they took him."
"Who took him?" Emily inquired already feeling on edge for the answer.
"Is he alright?" Lucy asked.
Mr. Beaver ignored the group's onslaught of questions and instead looked around at the trees. At first Emily thought this was strange, like he was expecting someone to pop out of them, but didn't realize how right she was.
"Further in."
That was all the beaver said before he scurried off into the woods. Emily stood there dumbfounded at the statement before deciding to follow the beaver. Out of all the people she has met thus far he seemed to have the answers to her spoken and unspoken questions. She was determined to hear him out and learn more about the world she had stumbled into.
"What are you doing?" Susan asked, noticing Peter, Lucy and Emily making a move to follow the beaver.
"Following Mr. Beaver of course." Emily said with a serious expression. "Don't you want answers?"
"Susan's right Peter." Edmund said standing next to Susan. "How do we know we can trust this beaver?"
"He says he knows the faun." Peter answered, shaking off Susan's hand and pointing to the bushes where Mr. Beaver disappeared.
"He's a beaver. He shouldn't be saying anything!" Susan said with a disapproving look on her face.
"That may be true, but who else is going to help us find out what's really going on?" Emily asked.
Peter gave the girl a thankful look before trying to reason with his siblings. He tried to make the point that he was doing this not only for answers, but for Lucy. Emily came to respect Peter and his kind heart. As the arguments became more heated Susan was cut off as the bushes shook and Mr. Beaver made himself known again.
"Is everything alright?" Mr. Beaver inquired looking at the group.
"Yes. We're just talking." Peter replied giving Susan a look that said, just follow along.
"That's better left for a safer place." Mr. Beaver said before leading the way into the forest again.
"Well that was very vague." Emily said as she followed behind him.
Lucy looked up and offered the only explanation she could think of, "He means the trees."
Emily couldn't believe how her weekend was turning out. She couldn't wait to tell Sienna and Kayla and maybe even Joseph about the magical world in the back of the wardrobe called Narnia. She would explain how there were fauns, an ice queen that puts Elsa to shame, a talking beaver and spy trees. Emily Rose could only guess at what would show up next in the land known as Narnia.