A/N: Thanks for the reviews; you guys are wonderful! Now we actually get a glimpse into Tumnus' past. Oh, and a feature appearance by everyone's favourite witch!

Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia, etc., etc., etc…

A Faun's Tale

Chapter Three: A very nice job

As he walked through the powdery drifts, Tumnus clutched his muffler closer, teeth chattering. It was a dangerous game he'd been playing, ever since he had let Lucy go. He wished he had never entered into the White Witch's service.

He'd been only a young Faun at the time, his father having recently died, and had been living all alone in his tiny house. He had been shovelling a path through the snow in front of his door, when a strange sound had come to him on the wind, a sound that every true Narnian feared: sleighbells.

Only moments after hearing the bells, a large sledge drew up on the crest of one of the hills. Mr. Tumnus was frightened by the stomping, blowing white reindeer, and frightened by the cruel-looking dwarf who drove them. But what frightened him infinitely more was the woman sitting in the sledge. This was undoubtedly the White Witch, in all of her severe glory – but what was she doing so far West in this poor area of the forest? Tumnus dropped his shovel and trembled with fear as the Queen's gaze swept austerely over him, instantly dismissing him as not worth her notice.

"Here we are, your Majesty", the dwarf was saying, rubbing mittened hands together to generate some warmth. "If we post one of your informants around this patch of woods, we shall have the whole of Narnia covered."

"Excellent." The Queen rose, and Tumnus was startled to see how very tall she was. "The lamp-post is quite near, if I recall", she said quietly, almost to herself. She turned, and her eyes moved to Mr. Tumnus, who flinched – he had never seen such dark, cruel eyes. "You! Faun!" snapped the Queen.

Mr. Tumnus took a shaky step forward. "Y- y- yes, y- your Majesty?" he stuttered, knees knocking.

"What kind of folk live around here?" the Queen demanded, waving a long white arm to encapsulate the wintry landscape. The obvious contempt in her gesture made Mr. Tumnus slightly indignant, and despite the situation his voice returned to him.

"Poor folk, your Majesty", the Faun said, sunk in a meek half-bow to avoid the woman's eyes, rather than to show deference. "Mostly Talking beasts, and a few Fauns like myself."

"One of the wolves could do it", the dwarf whispered out of the corner of his mouth, but Tumnus' sharp ears caught his words.

"No", the Queen murmured back, "It is too far from the House. And a wolf would stand out in such a humble place. Scaring the humans back into their world won't do any good; we must have them brought to us." She turned her dark gaze to Mr. Tumnus, and the dwarf's mouth twisted into an unpleasant smile.

"Faun", the lady said, a little less sharply than before, "What is your name?"

"T- T- Tumnus, your Majesty."

"Are you aware of the laws, Tumnus?" the Queen asked in a deadly-quiet voice. The Faun couldn't think of an appropriate answer, and merely shook his head. "Are you aware, for example, that it is illegal to harbour humans?"

"Humans!" Mr. Tumnus exclaimed, completely forgetting himself. "What, you mean girls and boys?" Everybody in Narnia knew that humans were legends from ages long past. Some Red Dwarfs even told stories of the humans who had come at the beginning of the world. Tumnus' own father had written a book on the mythology of man.

The Queen stared at him coldly, and Tumnus sank into a hasty bow, sure that he would be turned to stone for his ill-timed exclamation. But instead of turning him to stone, the Queen addressed him once more.

"Yes, Faun Tumnus. Girls and boys." She regarded him coolly. "You do not seem to be too much of a simpleton, and I've thought of a very nice job for you. How would you like to work for me?"

Mr. Tumnus did not like the idea at all, but the Queen's golden wand glittered in a threatening way that he altogether did not like. "I would l- l- like that v- very much", he said, not quite convincingly.

The Queen smiled, "Good". It was a dangerous smile, cold and harsh as the winter that surrounded them. "All you need to do, Tumnus, is keep an eye out for humans. I will give you some books on the subject – study them well. And if you ever do come across a human child, you must hand it over to me."

That sounded awfully like kidnapping to Mr. Tumnus, but he dared not speak his thoughts aloud. Instead, he gave a submissive nod, and the Queen threw something from under her white fur robes into the snow in front of him. The dwarf's whip cracked sharply, and the two reindeer started off again, harness jingling. "I will return", the Queen said as the sledge swept out of sight.

When she was gone, Tumnus picked up the object that the White Witch had thrown. Turning it over, he found that it was a small velvet sack. After glancing furtively through the trees to make sure that nobody was watching, he opened it with trembling hands, and was surprised when several heavy gold coins spilled out.

At first he marvelled at his fortune, before he realized the truth about his unpleasant position. "I'm in the pay of the White Witch", he said to himself, horrified at the notion. His father would never have done something like that. His father would have found some way to avoid it. The Faun Limnus had been a firm believer in the old rhymes, and now his son was working with the Queen to prevent them from coming true. Tumnus was more miserable than he had ever remembered being, and the sight of the money made him feel sick.

"Well", he had said to himself as he picked up his shovel, "It's not likely that I will meet a human child in these woods, anyway." And stamping down on those uncomfortable feelings, he pocketed the money and went back to clearing the snow in front of the door.

Mr. Tumnus gritted his teeth and fought his way over a particularly steep snow bank. The Queen had told him that humans were treacherous beings, and he had managed to convince himself all these years that he wasn't doing anything wrong. But his one meeting with Lucy had changed all of that. Now that he knew her, there was no possible way he would betray her, although if the robin was right he would pay for his decision dearly.

One more drift to go, then he would be home.

Not far away, six wolves loped through the forest.

A/N: If this were a TV show, then this would be the moment where they insert dramatic music and cut to a commercial break! But it's not a TV show, so I'm ending the chapter instead. As always, I love reviews. Come on! Everyone who reviews gets a big box of Turkish Delight!