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

Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Diana Fowley etc. are the creations and property of Chris Carter, 1013 Productions and the Fox Broadcasting Corporation

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

AN: thanks to lightsabermaster, Emily Sim, jenforvel and Johanna for reviewing

Chapter Five

What Happened After Dinner

"How I wish I had never come to that place!" said Scully, as they at last came back in despair. "I followed him, hoping to find Emily and now… I've lost both of them". Scully was absolutely hopeless and sat down on the small stairs leading to the beaver's house.

"Don't be so miserable my dear Daughter of Eve" said Mrs. Beaver with a warm and soft tone and kindly placed her paw on Scully's shoulder.

"But what on earth are we to do?" asked Scully and turned to Mr. Beaver who was busy putting on his snow-boots.

"Unfortunately… I fear that he has betrayed us all and went to the Witch's house. We must be off at once. We haven't a moment to spare, who knows, she might already have found him…"

"Gone to her? He can't have done that!" contested Scully angrily and stood up at once. "Can't he?" said Mr. Beaver looking very hard at her "Isn't Mulder exactly the kind of man that loves doing foolish things and infringe the law?" Everything that Scully wanted to say died on her lips, she suddenly felt quite certain that this was exactly what Mulder had done. Tell him to not do something and you could be certain that he would be off the minute that follows your warning.

"Yes…" said Scully almost in a whisper "But we still have to go and look for him"

"Go to the Witch's house?" asked Mrs. Beaver anxiously "Don't you see that the only chance of saving either Emily or him is to keep away from her?"

"I'm afraid… she's right. Once you've been turned into stone you won't be of any help to them" said Mr. Beaver.

"Oh can no one help us?" wailed Scully.

"The Dark Witch might be responsible for the eternal and arctic winter in Narnia, but she can't change what's in our hearts. There are still animals here, who believe in a free Narnia and a secret Resistance-group already exists…" said Mr. Beaver.

"I don't know about any Resistance-group!" retorted Mrs. Beaver.

"Well that's why it is called a secret Resistance-group… nothing serious regarding the Dark Witch's downfall has yet been organized, but the Badgers have got a few good plans which could work out…"

"So there's hope?" asked Scully expectantly.

"Maybe, but you'll have to be patient…" said Mr. Beaver "We'll have to gather the whole council of the Resistance-group and then vote to see if the plan will be executed or not…"

"Could you please talk about this later? We have to hurry now. If I know the Witch, the moment that Mulder tells her that we're all here, she'll set out to catch us this very night, and if he's gone about twenty minutes, she'll be here in half an hour" said Mrs. Beaver.

"You're right, Mrs Beaver," said her husband, "We must all get away from here. There's not a moment to lose."

And now of course you want to know what had happened to Mulder.

He had got outside into the snow and cautiously closed the door behind him. The cold and dry air instantaneously penetrated his heart, filling him and his entire soul with a feeling of iciness which was in harmony with the snowy landscape. He suddenly forgot why he had left the Beavers' house and the horrible and traitorous ideas he had had earlier on this evening, came to his mind once more as he stared into the white emptiness in front of him. He had the strange impression that that bright silvery light he had seen before, while they were on their way to the beaver's house, was calling him, asking him to rejoin it. So he shuffled across the top of the dam to the far side of the river. It was pretty bad when he reached the far side. The night was darker than ever and with the snowflakes swirling all around him, he could hardly see three feet ahead. There was no road leading in-between to those two hills and he kept slipping into deep drifts of snow, and skidding on frozen puddles, and tripping over fallen tree-trunks, and sliding down steep banks.

He could no longer feel the coldness and wetness of this winter night; it had grown into a part of him. The silence and the loneliness, which might have been dreadful to anybody else, appeared to him as peaceful and reassuring. Never would he have given up the whole plan and gone back to Scully and the Beavers, too attractive was that bright light he could now quietly observe, without fearing to be interrupted by some stupid, talking animal.

All of a sudden the weather changed. First the snow stopped. Then a wind sprang up. Finally, the clouds rolled away and the moon came out. It was a full moon and, shining on all that snow, it made everything almost as bright as day- only the shadows were rather confusing.

Mulder would probably never have found his way to the Witch's castle if the moon hadn't come out by the time he got to the other river. When he had reached it, he turned to follow it up. But the little valley down which the river came was much steeper and rockier than the one he had just left and much overgrown with bushes, so that he could not have manage it all in the dark. Even as it was, he got wet through for he had to stoop under branches, and great loads of snow came sliding off on to his back. But all these difficulties and inconveniences didn't disturb him, the silvery light coming from the castle was getting brighter and brighter with every step he took in its direction, and that was all that mattered to him.

At last he came to a part where it was more level and the valley opened out. The moon was shining brighter than ever and as Mulder stared at the Witch's castle he realized it seemed to be all towers, little towers with long pointed spires on them, sharp as needles. They looked like huge dunces' caps or sorcerers' caps. They shone in the moonlight and their long shadows looked strange on the ground.

The attraction the Witch's castle exerted on him was indescribable, Mulder had lost any control over his own person, his actions and thoughts were no longer a result of his personal will, but the product of the Witch's commands.

He crossed the river on the ice and walked up to the House. There was nothing stirring; not the slightest sound anywhere. Even his own feet made no noise on the deep newly-fallen snow. He walked on and on, past corner after corner of the house, and past turret after turret to find the door. He had to go right round to the far side before he found it. It was a huge arch but the great iron gates stood wide open.

Mulder crept up to the arch and looked inside into the courtyard. Just inside the gate, with the moonlight shining on it stood an enormous statue. Mulder looked at it with more precision and realized it was a lion.

He ventured a little nearer, but soon turned away and began to cross the courtyard. As he got into the middle of it he saw that there were dozens of statues all about- standing here and there rather as the pieces stand on a chessboard when it is halfway through the game. There were stone satyrs, and stone wolves, and bears and foxes and cat-a-mountain of stone. There were lovely stone shapes that looked like women but who were really the spirits of trees. There was the great shape of a centaur and a winged horse and a long lithe creature that Mulder took to be a dragon. They all looked so strange standing there perfectly life-like and also perfectly still, in the bright cold moonlight. Right in the very middle stood a huge shape like a man, but as tall as a tree, with a fierce face and a shaggy beard and a great club in its right hand.

Mulder now saw that there was a dim light showing from a doorway on the far side of the courtyard. He went to it; there was a flight of stone steps going up to a closed door. Mulder went up them and when he reached the last step, the door of the castle flung open, revealing a smiling, fat dwarf. He was dressed in polar bear's fur and on his head he wore a red hood with a long gold tassel hanging down from its point; his huge white beard covered his knees.

"Our Majesty has been expecting you, please come in" said the dwarf and showed him the way. Mulder went in and found himself in a gloomy hall with many pillars, full as the courtyard had been, of statues. The only light came from a single lamp and close beside this sat a woman, certainly the Dark Witch, thought Mulder.

She seemed to be a great lady, taller than any woman he had seen, definitely taller than Scully… She was covered in white fur up to her throat and held a long straight golden wand in her right hand and wore a golden crown on her head. Her face was white like snow, except for her very red mouth. It was a beautiful face in other respects, but proud and cold and stern. She had long and thick dark brown hair and dark brown eyes which for some unknown reason appeared black. She clearly used them and the fascination they aroused, to her advantage whenever possible, including now, while she was starring into Mulder's eyes.

Without breaking eye contact with her, Mulder rushed eagerly forward. The Witch stood up from her throne so that they were at the same height and looking straight in each other's eyes.

"My dear Fox…" said the Witch calmly and smiled foully at him.

It was only now, now that just a few centimeters separated their two faces, now that he had heard her voice again after so many years, that Mulder recognized the woman in front of him. She was his former partner, friend and lover. "Diana" he whispered softly while his eyes reflected his surprise.

"Who would have thought that we would meet again, especially in such circumstances…? You seem surprised to see me… Is everything alright Fox?" asked the Witch and grabbed his hand.

"Yeah… it's… I just… I forgot why I'm here» mumbled Mulder; quite disturbed by the amount of affection and welcoming he was given, especially from a woman he hadn't seen for ages.

"Didn't you want to see me?" asked the Witch "Why would you otherwise have traveled such a long way to get to my house?"

"I suppose I wanted…" replied Mulder confused.

"Want me to refresh your memory" asked the Witch kindly, and before Mulder could give any answer, she placed her cold, red lips on his mouth and gave him a soft kiss. He did not respond to it, but neither did he push her aside. He just stood there, frozen, immobile like a stone statue. An instant later they parted and the Witch continued her little talk, knowing that as a consequence of her kiss, Mulder would only be more bewildered.

"So where have you been all this time… I've been waiting for you; don't you know how much I missed you my dear?"

"I've been in the little house on top of the dam just up the river" explained Mulder.

"Alone?" asked the Witch questioningly.

"I don't know..., I can't remember..." replied Mulder, who was still confused to have recognized the Dark Witch as Diana Fowley.

"Tomorrow is a very special day Fox… You know why?" asked the Witch and smiled kindly at him.

"No" replied Mulder.

"Tomorrow's going to be my wedding day"

"I'm happy for you"

At Mulder's response the Witch let out a soft laughter and smiled brightly at him in return.

"You are making me happy Fox… This is going to be a very special day for you too" explained the Witch.

"But dear me… look at you! You seem so exhausted… wouldn't you like to have some sleep? You see… I really don't want you to be tired on our special day" and a slow cruel smile came over her face. Again Mulder was not given any time to respond.

He acted as if he was in trance, kept looking at her with wonder and endured the happenings passively.

"Servant" shouted the Witch with a terrible voice, and immediately another fat dwarf appeared.

"Our guest needs some sleep. Bring Mr. Mulder to his quarters and make sure he gets all he wishes"

Mulder, who was still not himself, followed the dwarf, and was soon out of sight. Once he was out of the room, the Witch clapped her hands. Instantly, the same dwarf, whom Mulder had seen when the doors of the castle flung open, appeared.

"Make ready our sledge! I got that strange feeling that he was not alone at the beavers' house… and use the harness without bells!"

TBC…

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