Chapter 7

A Slow Recovery, and The Entrance

Peter began to regain his strength tiny bits at a time. He spent most of the mornings in bed, and would be allowed out doors in the fresh air immediately after lunch. Much to Edmund's annoyance, he was still unable to get up and run about, and was forced to sit in a chair or lay on the grass, and watch as the rest of them played games and sorts. This meant, of course, that attempting to get his siblings into Narnia was going to be an almost impossible task.

"Peter, Peter, look what I've found!" Lucy cried with delight on the third afternoon, and her oldest brother looked up from where he sat on the grass. He was still so pale and thin, but he tried to hide any discomfort with a smile.

"It's a toad!" Susan gasped, as Lucy crawled onto the quilt, placing the tiny animal into Peter's hands. It sat calmly, occasionally letting out a small croak.

"I found it down by the stream there," Lucy explained, and Peter set it down on the blanket.

"Are you starting to feel tired again?" Susan asked, noticing the somewhat droopy expression on his face. The toad hopped away at that moment, disappearing amidst the high grass. Edmund rolled his eyes from where he sat against a tree, and blew out his breath loudly.

"This is boring," he growled, and the other three looked at him.

"I'm sorry, Ed," Peter said softly, and Susan held him close.

"Well, I haven't heard you give any suggestions of things to do," she snapped, and Lucy's lower lip stuck out into a pout. She still hadn't quite forgiven Edmund for betraying her to her other siblings about being in Narnia, and did not speak to him unless absolutely necessary.

"Maybe we can play hide and seek," Edmund suggested. "Or cricket, or something."

"Either game of which Peter is much too weak for," Susan said sharply.

"You can play cricket," Peter told her quietly. "And hide and seek mightn't be so bad, either…"

"You haven't walked much since you recovered," Susan said. "I'm afraid…"

"I won't walk again if I don't start walking soon," Peter told her with a smile, and she gave him a hug. "but I may need some help."

Lucy hopped to her feet immediately, and Edmund remained on the grass, giving his brother a look. "What are we going to do, then?" he asked, as Susan allowed Peter to put his arm around her shoulders, and Lucy stood at the ready while she began to help him to his feet.

"We'll go and get the cricket set," said Susan. "There, Peter…are you all right?"

"Let go for a moment," he told her, and she bit her lip, hesitating. "Susan, I want to try this."

She did as he told her, and Peter stood up as straight as he could. His legs felt like jell-o, after having been bed-ridden for so long, but he was determined to make the walk from the yard to the house himself. Everyone watched as he took slow, careful steps across the grass, his eyes focused on the door of the mansion.

"You can do it, Peter," Lucy called, and Susan had her mouth covered with her hands.

"He's so weak," Susan said sadly. "it's painful to watch him struggle to walk like that…"

"He's doing wonderfully," Lucy said, beaming with pride, and dashed after Peter.

"HehChshhh!" one sneeze sent Peter tumbling back to the grass, and Susan cried out, startled.

"You're overexerting yourself," she scolded, as he sat, accepting a handkerchief from Lucy. "Do let one of us help you, please…"

"Su, I'll be fine." Peter insisted, and she let out a small laugh.

"Oh, the fact that just a sneeze knocked you down makes you fine?" she asked, and Peter cleared his throat.

"If you would quit fussing, Su, I think I'll be able to manage just fine," Peter snipped, a little irritated. This was one of the worst things about recovering from an illness; the fact that his family swarmed around him wanting to help him with every little thing. He appreciated their thoughtfulness, but on occasion, they became a bit smothering.

"At this rate," Edmund glowered, "it's going to take us until dinner time just walking back and forth."

"You feel cold," Lucy said softly as she felt Peter's hands, and wrapped an arm around her.

"Come on," Susan encouraged, taking his other arm. Mrs. Macready, when they entered the house, was shocked to see Peter walking.

"I thought you had better sense!" she gasped, noticing how ghastly white his face had become from the journey.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Macready," Peter insisted, and she touched his cheeks and forehead.

"You're horribly flushed," the house keeper replied harshly. "and you're trembling. We're bringing you up to bed this instant."

"No," Peter begged. "Please...I don't need to be in bed...I need to practice walking, and...it's not truly that bad."

Susan glanced at Mrs. Macready, smoothing the back of Peter's head as they headed into the sitting room. "Perhaps we should listen to him," she suggested, and Peter looked at her with grateful eyes. Mrs. Macready started to protest, but gave a huff.

"Well, whatever you are planning on doing, it had better be done inside, or he'll catch a chill. And then where would we all be? Back where we started from!" she turned on her heel and stalked off. When she was out of earshot, Lucy suddenly began giggling, and Edmund stood off to the side.

"I wonder what happened to her when she was a girl," Susan wondered aloud, as they eased Peter onto one of the couches, covering his legs with a blanket.

"She's awfully sour," Lucy snickered, and Peter sighed wearily.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, and Susan squeezed his hand.

"No," she insisted. "it's not your fault. The Macready's right; you really should be resting. Perhaps we could try again tomorrow."

Edmund groaned a little too loudly, and leaned roughly against the wall. Tomorrow seemed ages away, and who knew if Peter was going to truly feel stronger by then? He was craving the Queen's Turkish Delight more than ever now, and was half-tempted to just go back to Narnia by himself and see her. I don't get why she really has to have all four of us, he thought, as Susan went to pull out the great dictionary again.

Mrs. Macready returned shortly thereafter with a tray filled with a teapot and teacups, toast, and raspberry preserves. She checked Peter's temperature, which was still normal, though she was not pleased by how cold he felt. "Would you like an extra blanket?" she asked, and he nodded, still shivering beneath the quilt.

"Yes please," he replied, and Susan rubbed his arms vigoursly. When Mrs. Macready walked out again, Peter let out a small sob, pressing the back of his hand against his lips. Lucy glanced up, staring.

"Oh Peter..." she gasped, as he began crying softly, trying his best to stifle the noise. "Peter, it's going to be all right, truly," Lucy promised. "It's going to be all right." she hugged him, and he sniffed.

"I'm failing Mum," he croaked. "I'm supposed to be looking out for you."

Susan kissed his forehead. "You're doing just fine," she promised, and Lucy gasped.

"Say, I have a brilliant idea," she breathed.

"What's that?" Susan asked, and Peter, after drying his eyes, looked interested.

"What is it, Lu?" he asked, and she grinned.

"Well," she wet her lips. "I can bring you to see the wardrobe. Peter's never seen it," she added.

Edmund immediately straightened up, and Susan swallowed. "Lu, for heaven's sake! That's all the way upstairs, and Peter could barely walk across the lawn! What are you thinking of?" she asked, and Lucy smiled.

"Mrs. Macready didn't say you couldn't walk at all, right?" she asked, and Peter rubbed his nose, nodding.

"Well..."

"Yes," Edmund agreed, and everyone turned to him. "I mean, he's heard all about the wardrobe, but he hasn't seen it for himself."

"You said it was nothing, Ed," Peter replied with a scowl, and Lucy looked at Edmund with narrowed eyes.

"Well...I well..." Edmund gave a shrug. "it's worth having a look anyway, isn't it?"

Peter sighed, and Susan squeezed his shoulder. "It's up to you," she said, and he looked at Lucy.

"I have wondered what it looks like," he admitted, and she clapped her hands.

"Oh good!" she said, just as Macready came in with the spare quilt.

"We're going to take a walk upstairs," Susan said to the housekeeper.

"Now I don't know," Mrs. Macready began. "the stairs?"

"I'm sure I can do it if I really try," Peter promised. "The girls will be able to hold onto me if I get tired."

"What are you planning to do when you go upstairs?" Mrs. Macready asked, sounding curious, and Lucy bit her lip.

"Just exploring," she said, and the housekeeper gave a grunt.

"I suppose if you feel you're up to it, then as long as you're very careful. If he starts to wheeze at all, you bring him to bed at once," she added, and Susan nodded.

"We will," she promised, and once again, Peter was helped to his feet. Susan and Lucy each took one of his arms, and led him slowly out of the sitting room. Edmund followed close behind, trying not to seem too eager, and soon took the lead.

"heh...huhKeshhh! Hehchshhh!" Peter sneezed as they climbed the steps, and sniffed again. "it is awfully dusty up here," he said, and Susan smirked.

"Well," she said, "the house is old. I'm not sure how long it's been since anyone used these rooms. There must be at least a hundred!"

"It would take a month to explore everything," Lucy agreed with a nod.

"Have you been able to get into any of the other rooms, Lu?" Peter asked, as they eventually reached the hallway where the wardrobe was located. The journey up the steps wasn't nearly as bad as he'd expected, though the dustier the house became, the more itchy his nose became.

"Not very many," Lucy admitted. "most of the doors are locked."

"The Professor's study is quite interesting," Susan pointed out, and Peter glanced at her.

"It seems like ages since we've lived here," Lucy spoke, as they stood in front of the spare room door. She let go of Peter's arm so she could go and open it, and Susan wrapped an arm around his waist for more support. "It was all covered up when I first saw it," she explained, dashing in. Susan brought Peter further into the room, and he watched as Lucy opened the wardrobe door.

"What's inside?" Peter asked, peering through the coats.

"Just fur coats I think," Lucy replied.

"Wonder how far back it goes." Peter turned to Susan, who gave him a warning look.

"Oh Peter, you wouldn't," she breathed, and he smiled.

"Im just curious," he admitted, and she let go of him. Edmund and Lucy watched as he made his way towards the wardrobe, parting the coats and peering inside. He looked over his shoulder. "This goes really far back," he said. "Come on, Susan...it's not dangerous." he stepped in, and she threw her hands over her head.

"You are impossible!" she exlcaimed.

"I'll go in first if you're too scared," Edmund teased, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

"I'm most definitely not scared!" she exclaimed. "I went in first, remember?"

"Ohhhh!" Peter's sudden shout of alarm seemed to echo, and all three jumped. Lucy gasped, and stepped into the wardrobe

"Are you all right?" Susan called, and his voice responded,

"You're not going to believe this!"

"I told you! I told you!" Lucy squealed, climbing after him, and soon, all four of them made their way in, grunting as they practically stepped on top of each other. Though the wardrobe did go very far back, it wasn't very wide, so it was very uncomfortable for more than one person to go through at a time. When Susan reached Peter, she gasped...he turned to her, his eyes wide.

"Is it normal to see pine trees in the back of a wardrobe?" he asked, and she reached over his shoulder, touching the branches...they were certainly as real as the hair on her head.

"Keep going," Lucy encouraged, and Susan held onto Peter's arm.

"It's cold!" she exclaimed. "Peter, we shouldn't..."

But Peter was too entranced by what he saw to want to go back. He struggled to stand up from where he'd tumbled, and realized he'd been sitting in soft, white snow. When he looked up, he realized he was staring at a mountainous land, covered in white. He and Susan stepped out of the wardrobe first, and Peter could see his breath coming out in white puffs. "Impossible!" Susan cried, and Lucy looked at them excitedly, watching as Edmund tumbled into the snow next.

For a moment, all of them stood staring in silence, and Peter turned to Lucy, his eyes slightly tearful. "Oh Lu," he breathed. "I suppose...saying I'm sorry wouldn't quite put everything to rights, would it?"

Lucy smiled, and went to hug him. He looked at Edmund, his eyes narrowing. "And you little liar," he said weakly. "You were telling the truth all along, weren't you?"

Susan gulped, touching Peter's arm. "You're going to catch cold if we keep standing out here like this," she said. "I'm sorry, Lucy...but now that we've seen it, we should go back."

"I do want to meet Mr. Tumnus," Peter announced, after Edmund suggested they try exploring. "to thank him. I feel much better."

"You look much better," Lucy gasped, peering into her eldest brother's face. "Your cheeks...look how wonderfuly rosy!"

Peter turned to Susan, who blinked. He'd been so pale and shaky before they'd come through the wardrobe; he looked much stronger and healthier standing here in the snow.

"I'm still not sure it's a good idea," Susan said quietly. "first of all, we've no coats, and it's freezing! Secondly, what were we planning on doing for food and water?"

Peter looked at her. "I owe Lucy this much," he said. "I owe it to her to explore a little."

"Oh Peter," Lucy sobbed, and he nodded towards the wardrobe. "We'll nip some coats from there," he added, "and technically, we wouldn't even be removing them from the wardrobe at all, if you think about it."

Susan, Edmund and Lucy watched as Peter disappeared for a moment, and waited anxiously as he collected coats for each of them. When he came back, he passed them out, and smirked at Edmund's disgust at his grey and black fur.

"This is a girl's coat!" he exclaimed, annoyed, and Peter shrugged, slipping into his own brown and black mink coat.

"I know," he replied simply, and Edmund scowled.

"You can be an idiot sometimes, Peter," he snapped, and Susan, after wrapping her coat around herself, hurried up to Peter, grabbing his arms.

"Do reconsider," she breathed. "This mightn't be safe!"

Peter smiled confidendtly. "We'll go and visit with Mr. Tumnus," he said, "and we'll come straight home."

"We just have to make sure we know how to get back to the lamppost," Lucy said, and pointed ahead. Sure enough, there was the lamppost a few feet away. It was still burning, and it's pole covered with frost.

"Lead the way, Lu," Peter encouraged, allowing his youngest sister to take his hand. He glanced over his shoulder at Susan and Edmund, who were watching with raised eyebrows, and motioned with his free arm to follow them. "Come on, you two," he ordered, and, at last, they gave in.