AN: Thanks to all the reviewers!

DISCLAIMER: The Chronicles of Narnia belongs to C.S. Lewis, not me!

The lines I've quoted from the book come in italic.

I'll continue quoting lines from the original story as I want to stick to C.S. Lewis true story. The X-Files characters are just an additional element to the original story. Their presence will bring along some changes but almost all the characters from The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe will be present

Chapter Four

Mr. and Mrs. Beaver

"Hmmm…We're not safe even here" mumbled the beaver quietly.

"Why, who are you afraid of?" said Scully. "There's no one here but us." The beaver shook its head in disapproval and Mulder immediately understood why it was so worried.

"The trees?" he asked looking up to the dark sky and huge trees that surrounded them. It was no longer snowing.

"Yes… They're always listening. Most of them are on our side, but there are trees that would betray us to her; you know who I mean…"said the beaver and it nodded its head several times.

"You keep talking about that that Dark Witch and our apparent enemies, but how do we know you're a friend?" asked Scully.

"Quite right, quite right" said the beaver but was again interrupted by Scully before he could finish his affirmation.

"I mean… You're the first talking beaver I've ever met! Animals usually do not talk, why should we trust you?"

"Scully-" said Mulder.

"I find it quite difficult to understand all these things… I mean this fantasy world inside the wardrobe and the talking animals… all this goes against every existing rational scientific explanation. Mulder, I can't believe this is really happening… Did you drug me?"

"No I didn't. Would you please stop complaining and look at what our friend has got to show us" replied Mulder on a bothered tone and pointed to the agitated beaver that was busy taking something out of its pocket. "Here's my token" with these words the beaver held up to them a gold cross necklace.

Both Mulder and Scully looked at it with surprise.

"That's my cross. I gave it to Emily. Where did you get it?" asked Scully slightly surprised.

"She handed it over to me rapidly before the Dark Witch took them away to her palace. She said that I must find you and… and that everything would be alright and… and then she was gone…" here the beaver's voice sank into silence, it was clearly sad about what had happened to Emily and the faun. After wiping away a little tear that was rolling down its face and blowing its nose several times, it gave one or two very mysterious nods. Then signaling Mulder and Scully to stand as close around it as they possibly could, so that their faces were actually tickled by its whiskers, it added in a low whisper- "I have an idea… You know… I've been thinking about the prophecy and its content and I was wondering if… if maybe we could make an arrangement with the Dark Witch in order to get little Emily and dear Mr. Tumnus back"

"What kind of arrangement?" asked Mulder.

"An exchange" explained the beaver.

"What?" asked Scully stunned by the beaver's proposal.

"The Dark Witch is interested in neither Emily nor Mr. Tumnus. What she wants is you Mr. Mulder. I've already informed you about the prophecy and its content… The Witch is persuaded that if she takes you, a Son of Adam, as husband, she'll become true Queen of Narnia…So I thought that maybe you could-"

"He won't marry her!" exclaimed Scully piercingly, interrupting the beaver's talk.

"I thought you wanted to save the little girl?" asked the beaver quietly.

"Yes, but there's got to be another way!" Scully was getting angry, or was it jealousy?

"Scully, the beaver's right. We don't know what The Dark Witch might do to them if she doesn't soon get what she wants…"

"Mulder! How can you accept such a silly proposal! There's absolutely no guarantee she'll accept the exchange. The more what if she tries to fool us? What if she just changes them into stone once she gets you?" Scully's voice grew angrier and louder, and the beaver didn't like that.

"S-s-s-sh" said the beaver "Not here… That Daughter of Eve is too loud. I must bring you where we can have a real talk and also dinner"

Scully sighed, she would have wanted to finish this talk now, but the beaver seemed to be of different opinion. That Daughter of Eve is too loud she repeated annoyed to herself. Who was it to dare talk to her in that manner? She couldn't believe she had just been told to shut up by a beaver, just imagine… a beaver talking and telling her how to behave.

Mulder and Scully hurried along behind the beaver, (who was now definitely a friend) and who led them at a surprisingly quick pace, and always in the thickest parts of the forest, for over thirty minutes.

It was still very cold and windy, but a least it was no longer snowing and the two agents were very pleased about that. While running, they exchanged a few words about the Witch, the prophecy and the happenings of Narnia. Mulder told Scully everything the faun had explained him previously; he didn't want her to be ignorant of the facts. Although she found everything he told her quite unbelievable not to say impossible, she listened carefully and paid attention to all the details.

Scully was feeling very tired and Mulder very hungry, when suddenly the trees began to get thinner in front of them and the ground to fall steeply downhill. A minute later they came out under the open sky and found themselves looking down on a fine sight. They were standing on the edge of a step, narrow valley at the bottom of which ran- at least it would have been running if it hadn't been frozen- a fairly large river. Just below them a dam had been built across this river. Mulder had been wondering where the beaver was leading them, but when he saw it, he suddenly remembered that of course beavers are always making dams and felt quite sure that Mr. Beaver had made this one. Mulder also noticed that the beaver now had a sort of modest expression on his face- the sort of look people have when you are visiting a garden they've made or reading a story they've written. So it was only common politeness when Mulder said "What a lovely dam!" and Mr. Beaver didn't say "Hush" this time but "Merely a trifle! Merely a trifle! And it isn't really finished!" Scully smiled at her partners comment and continued to examine the surroundings.

Above the dam there was what ought to have been a deep pool but was now, of course, a level floor of dark green ice. And below the dam, much lower down, was more ice, but instead of being smooth this was all frozen into the foamy and wavy shapes in which the water had been rushing along at the very moment when the frost came. And where the water had been trickling over and spurting through the dam there was now a glittering wall of icicles, as if the side of the dam had been covered all over with flowers and wreaths and festoons of the purest sugar. And out in the middle, and partly on top of the dam was a funny little house shaped rather like an enormous beehive, and from a hole in the roof smoke was going up. That was what Scully chiefly noticed, but Mulder noticed something else. A little lower down the river there was another small river which came down another small valley to join it.

And looking up at that valley, Mulder could see two small hills. From between those two hills shone a bright silvery light, and without knowing why, Mulder felt attracted to that place. Horrible and traitorous ideas came to his mind as he stared at it, but he was soon forced to detach his gaze from that fascinating place, as Mr. Beaver just announced they had arrived.

"Here we are" said Mr. Beaver, "and it looks as if Mrs. Beaver is expecting us. I'll lead the way. But be careful and don't slip."

The top of the dam was enough to walk on, though not (for humans) a very nice place to walk because it was covered with ice, and though the frozen pool was level with it on one side, there was a nasty drop to the lower river on the other. Along this route Mr. Beaver led them in single file right out to the middle where they could look a long way up the river and a long way down it. And when they had reached the middle they were at the door of the house.

"Here we are, Mrs. Beaver" said Mr. Beaver happily, glad to be back home, "I've found him and even someone more" and they all went in. For some reason, Scully didn't feel comfortable in this place and she decided to move close to Mulder, who put his arm protectively around her shoulders. She was tired and hungry, and if it weren't for Emily, she'd probably preferred to get back home.

The first thing, she saw as she went in was a kind-looking old she-beaver sitting in the corner with a thread in her mouth working busily at her sewing machine.

She looked at them with her shimmering dark beaver-eyes, stopped her work and got up as soon as the two agents came in. "So you've come at last! I'm so glad to see you! You can't imagine what a relief it is to have you here! You'll help us Mr. Mulder, won't you? You'll help us rescue our friends and get rid of that evil Witch?" said Mrs. Beaver holding out her wrinkled old paw and looking hopefully into Mulder's eyes.

"We'll do our best" said Mulder kindly and turned to his exhausted partner. Mrs. Beaver, who was very excited about the fact of having such exceptional guests walked over to her husband. "The potatoes are boiling and the kettle's singing and I daresay, Mr. Beaver, you'll get us some fish" said Mrs. Beaver to her husband. "That I will" said Mr. Beaver, and he went out of the house, and across the ice of the deep pool, to where he had a little hole in the ice, which he kept open every day with his hatchet. He took a pail with him. Mr. Beaver sat down quietly at the edge of the hole, looked hard into it, then suddenly shot in his paw and whisked out a beautiful trout. Then he did it all over again until he had a fine catch of fish.

Meanwhile inside the beavers' house.

It was only now that Mrs. Beaver noticed Scully, who was still standing close to Mulder and leaning her head against his chest. "You came with a friend from what I can judge…" said Mrs. Beaver turning from Mulder to Scully and then back to Mulder.

"Yes, this is Dana Scully, my partner and friend" said Mulder calmly. "Nice to meet you Dana Scully, Daughter of Eve" said Mrs. Beaver smiling brightly at Scully. Scully smiled back but was too tired to start a conversation, the more, dinnerwas waiting to be prepared. The agents helped Mrs. Beaver fill the kettle and lay the table and cut bread and put the plates in the oven to heat and draw a huge jug of beer for Mr. Beaver from a barrel which stood in one corner of the house, and put on the frying-pan and get the dripping hot.

Mulder thought that the Beavers had a very snug little home though it was not at all like Mr. Tumnus's cave. There were no books or pictures, and instead of beds there were bunks, like on board ship, built into the wall. And there were hams and strings of onions hanging from the roof, and against the walls were gumboots and oilskins and hatchets and pairs of shears and spades and trowels and things for carrying mortar in and fishing-rods and fishing-nets and sacks. And the cloth on the table, though very clean, was very rough.

Just as the frying-pan was nicely hissing, Mr. Beaver came in with the fish, which he had already opened with his knife and cleaned out in the open air. "Now we're nearly ready" said Mr. Beaver. Scully drained the potatoes and then put them all back in the empty pot to dry on the side of the range while Mulder was helping Mrs. Beaver to dish up the trout, so that in a very few minutes everyone was drawing up their stools and preparing to enjoy themselves. There was a great big lump of deep yellow butter in the middle of the table from which everyone took as much as he wanted to go with his potatoes, and Mulder thought that there's nothing to beat good freshwater fish if you eat it when it has been alive half an hour ago and has come out of the pan half a minute ago. When they had finished the fish Mrs. Beaver brought unexpectedly out of the oven a great and gloriously sticky marmalade roll, steaming hot, and at the same time moved the kettle onto the fire, so that when they had finished the marmalade roll, the tea was made and ready to be poured out.

When everyone had got his cup of tea, Mulder and Scully shoved back their chair so as to be able to lean against the wall. The meal had renewed their strengths and thanks to the warm fire they were no longer cold.

"And now" said Mr. Beaver, pushing away his empty beer mug and pulling his cup of tea towards him, "if you'll just wait till I've got my pipe lit up and going nicely- why, now we can get to business. It's snowing again" he added cocking his eye at the window. "That's all the better, because it means we shan't have any visitors, and if anyone should have been trying to follow us, why he won't find any tracks."

"I don't believe that we have been followed" said Mulder.

"One can never be certain…" mumbled the beaver quietly.

"Are you sure the Dark Witch took them to her palace?" asked Scully.

"I'm afraid yes… They were heading northwards when I last saw them, and we all know what that means… Her palace is situated in that direction, it lies between two small hills, only a mile off or less maybe" explained the beaver sadly.

"What happens to the people that are taken off?" asked Scully.

"Well," said Mr. Beaver, "you can't exactly say for sure. But there's not many taken in there that ever comes out again. All full of statues they say it is- in the courtyard and up the stairs and in the hall. People she has turned"- he paused and shuddered- "turned into stone".

"We must do something… Or who knows what she might do to Emily…" Scully's voice was faint and Mulder could sense her sorrow and anxiety rise. He gently took her hand and gave it a little squeeze, trying his best to cheer her up. She turned to face him and they smiled at each other softly. "We'll get her back" whispered Mulder tenderly. How Scully whished they could stay like that forever, just staring into the other's eyes and enjoying the silence; but of course the talking beaver had to interrupt them…

"We should try and propose an exchange" suggested the beaver almost pleading, and stared at the two of them with great expectation.

"Are you deaf? I said no exchange! It's just too dangerous…" Scully was feeling more and more tired and thus focusing on the conversation was getting more and more difficult, but she tried to stay attentive.

"If the Witch is human, how come she's got all these powers?" asked Mulder.

"Well… she's not human, not completely. Her father was a Son of Adam but her mother was one of the Jinn. And they also say that there are Giants among her ancestors, so she's definitely not pure-blooded"

"That's why she's bad all through" said Mrs. Beaver, and from the tone of her voice you could tell that she really disliked that person.

"If she's not human, then the prophecy won't work" said Scully quietly.

"If our interpretation's right, there are even more reason's why it wouldn't work with her. First she's not human, secondly she's incapable of love" explained Mrs. Beaver. Somehow Scully couldn't help but thinking that their conversation was leading them nowhere. It was just an accumulation of suppositions, assumptions and theories.

"Excuse me, but I really need to get to the toilet" said Mulder and got up.

The two beavers looked at each other questioningly, and then shrugged their shoulders. "I'm afraid, Mr. Mulder but we don't have any toilet inhere. You'll have to… well… outside… you know…"

"Oh no… but I guess I have no other choice, I really need to pee…" said Mulder and walked towards the door.

"Mr. Mulder, be careful, it's slippery…" said Mrs. Beaver worriedly and watched him leave the house. While Mulder was away, Scully continued the conversation with the beavers.

"I really like the color of your hair" said Mrs. Beaver cheerfully to Scully "Is it natural or did you dye it?" "It's natural" replied Scully a bit surprised by the sudden change of topic. The she-beaver seemed disappointed by the response, Scully suddenly wondered if beavers do dye their fur, the idea in itself was ridiculous, but then again, this was Narnia and not her world.

Scully had been attending so hard to what the Beavers were telling her, that she had noticed nothing else for a long time. She was very tired and would have loved to have some sleep. It was only when Mr. Beaver had made a long pause that she realized Mulder was still absent.

"Is he still outside?" asked Scully anxiously and immediately stood up.

"Oh dear me! You're right, he should have come back long ago" exclaimed Mrs. Beaver and they all rushed to the door and looked out. The snow was falling thickly and steadily, the green ice of the pool had vanished under a thick white blanket, and from where the little house stood in the center of the dam you could hardly see either bank. Scully went out, plunging well over her ankles into the soft cold snow, and went round the house in every direction, looking desperately for her partner. "Mulder! Mulder!" she called till she was hoarse. But the silently falling snow seemed to muffle her voices and there was not even an echo in answer…

TBC…

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