Chapter One: A Time for Tea
It had been quite a few years since the crowning of the new kings and queens of Narnia: Peter and Edmund, and Susan and Lucy. The Pevensies could not bear to leave the dear creatures of Narnia and head back home. They had assured each other that they would only stay for a little while, but as the years grew longer, they had forgotten all about the professor, the war, and their mother in London.
We now find Susan and Lucy in Susan's room in Cair Paravel. Susan is brushing her hair and Lucy is staring out of the window that showed her the snow-covered courtyard. It was winter once again. The trees and beautiful plants were covered in snow and all creatures of Narnia shivered at the sight of winter—and not only because of the temperature.
The White Witch had left an impact in the creatures of Narnia. The lost lives of the battle were still mourned and Mr. Tumnus still apologized for the first meeting between him and Lucy.
"Don't say that!" Lucy would always tell him. "I've forgiven you hundreds of times, Tumnus! I don't judge you for what you did that night! I know that you've changed!"
As Lucy looked out of the window at the falling snow, a figure began to move toward the palace doors. The two centaur-guards at the front gate let the figure go by and Lucy watched as it stopped in the middle of the courtyard, looked up at her window and waved—motioning her to come down. It was Mr. Tumnus. Lucy could always recognize the faun.
"Susan, I'm going off with Mr. Tumnus," Lucy called to her sister. Lucy grabbed her coat, and began to head off, out of Susan's bedroom, when her older sister stopped brushing her long brunette hair and called after Lucy.
"Lucy, wait." Susan arose from her chair and dropped her brush on the vanity table in front of her. "It's far too dangerous for a young queen like you to head off into the wood by yourself. I'll come too." Susan put her tiara gracefully on her head and grabbed her own coat.
"There is no need for that, Susan. Mr. Tumnus is waiting for me downstairs in the courtyard. We'll be going to his house for tea," Lucy explained before dashing out of the room.
Susan sighed, "I'm not worried about you," she told herself. "I just want to spend time with you." Susan watched out the window as Lucy took hold of Mr. Tumnus's arm politely, waved back up at Susan, and walked out of the courtyard of Cair Paravel with Mr. Tumnus.
There was a knock on the door behind Susan. She spun around to find that it was Peter and Edmund followed behind him.
"Hello," Peter announced his arrival.
"Oh, Pete!" Susan laughed, "You scared me! I thought that you and Edmund were off with Saggitus.
"We were," Edmund said. "But its far too cold out there for us to be fighting on the horses. They were getting tired, you know."
"Too cold for you," Peter objected. "I could have fought out there for hours. The horses weren't getting tired either. Phillip told you so when we were coming back to the stables. I heard him."
"Well, there isn't any point to be practicing our fighting anyway. The White Witch is gone and there aren't going to be any more battles any time soon." Edmund complained.
"You can never be too careful," Peter said.
"Well, if you could, you'd be it!" Edmund joked.
"As a king, Edmund, you should always expect the unexpected," Peter instructed. "An enemy could attack now and he'd have an advantage: it's winter, our army has already gone through a huge battle, and not to mention, Narnia is being ruled by four kids: us."
"Don't say that, Peter!" Susan scolded, "We're not just kids. You know how to rule. I've watched you pass laws and…and…I think you're getting the hang of it."
"Let's go downstairs!" Edmund said. "I'm getting hungry. A hot drink sounds pretty nice right now."
"Edmund's right," Susan agreed, "I'm getting pretty hungry myself. But, Goldberry's cooking won't satisfy me right now."
"I know what will!" Peter said, satisfied.
"And what's that? Are you going to cook me something?" Susan laughed.
"No," Peter said. "Just trust me."
"Should I really do that?" Susan asked Edmund. Edmund just shrugged and headed for the door to the room.
"Doesn't really matter to me," he said. "Anything to eat would be satisfying!" Susan laughed, picked up her coat from the coat rack next to the door and followed Peter and Edmund who were already halfway down the spiral staircase that led up to Susan's room from the Entrance Hallway.
When Susan reached the bottom of the stairs, Peter and Edmund were waiting for her. Peter walked out into the cold and headed for the stables.
"The stables, Peter?" Susan asked. "Must we really go so far for tea?"
"Oh, it is absolutely crucial!" Peter joked to his sister. Susan sighed and followed her brother out to the stables. Peter and Edmund opened the giant door for their sister and each of the three saddled their horses.
"Peter! Had I known that we were to ride horses, I'd have changed to some decent clothes! For goodness sakes, I'm in a dress!" Susan complained.
"Had I told you that we were to ride horses, Susan, then I'm sure that you would never have obliged to such a thing!" Peter told her. Susan had nothing to say and seeing that Edmund was waiting impatiently, she finished saddling up and mounted her horse.
"I'm sure that if it was such a far way, I could never ride side-saddle," Susan told her brothers. "Would it be completely unruly to ride as you do?"
"Of course not!" Peter told her, "Where we're going, they won't mind."
"Come on!" Edmund said, his temper rising, "My stomach is having a fit!"
Peter and Susan mounted their horses and Peter led the way out of the stables and into the snowy day.
"How have you been, Mr. Tumnus?" Lucy asked her friend. "I haven't seen you in a frightfully long time!"
"Oh, yes. Frightfully long," Mr. Tumnus agreed. Lucy and Tumnus walked through the small door of Mr. Tumnus's home and into the homely atmosphere. Mr. Tumnus lit a fire in the fire place, lit a few more candles around the room, offered Lucy seat and put the tea kettle on the stove to warm.
"Has it taken long?" Lucy asked, taking a small finger sandwich from the plate in front of her.
"Has what taken long, Lucy?" Tumnus asked. "To refurnish your home? Since Maugrim destroyed it, that is."
"Oh, no. Not very long at all, surprisingly. There were a few animals around the forest who resuplied my cabinets and dusted. There are many kind creatures in Narnia."
"Yes. Yes, there are." Lucy agreed. Just then, the tea kettle sounded from the stove.
"Oh, the tea is ready!" Mr. Tumnus jumped up from his chair and headed over to the stove to pour the tea into cups. He came back over with a tray of sugar cubes and a small cream pitcher. "Sugar cubes? Cream?"
"I'll help myself, thank you." Lucy said politely. She had had many experiences with Mr. Tumnus and he poured much too much cream into the cup.
"Of course," Mr. Tumnus continued, fingering his small beard. "I haven't been able to restore everything." He pointed to the walls that were still gashed with the claws of Maugrim and the others of the White Witch's Secret Police. Mr. Tumnus picked up the painting of his father. It had been one of the things that had stood out to Lucy most. There was a surprising resemblance between the two fauns.
Mr. Tumnus sighed and so began the conversation that continued well on into the mid-afternoon hours.
"Oh, my!" Tumnus exclaimed when he looked out into the night. "It's getting very late, Lucy!"
"Oh, we should go! Susan will be wondering about me." Lucy agreed readily.
"I shall walk you to the beavers. Their new dam is not a far way off," he told Lucy.
"Why the beavers?" Lucy asked.
"Your brothers and sister are there. They were having tea and if I'm not mistaken, they'll be spending dinner there as well," Mr. Tumnus explained to Lucy.
"How do you know this?" Lucy asked.
"Peter told me. He found me on my way over to Cair Paravel and—well, let's leave that story for our walk."