Chapter 4: The Four Children In Narnia

Four children stepped out into a clearing in the woods, each wearing fur coats. They looked around in awe, the two eldest looked to the youngest them with apologetic looks clearly on their faces.

" I don't suppose saying we're sorry would quite cover it?" The eldest boy asked his sister. His name was Peter and hers Lucy.

" No it wouldn't." Said Lucy moving her hands behind her back. Seconds later she hurled a snowball at her brother. It hit him square in the face. Laughing he made one to and threw it at her. She squealed as another hit her thrown from the eldest girl named Susan. The three were all laughing minutes later engaged in a snowball fight. However the youngest boy was transfixed on two hills he was told to bring his siblings between.

Or to the house in between. His name was Edmund and he had met the white witch before. She had given him Turkish delight and promised him more should he bring his siblings to her. And he desperately wanted more, it was the best Turkish delight he had ever had.

A snowball hit his arm jogging him out of his train of thought. Susan had done it glaring at her he cried.

" Stop it!"

Immediately the laughing stopped. Peter looked at him clearly remembering something. Edmund knew exactly what it was, he had lied, Lucy knew he came here when he talked to the witch and he had said he was just playing along and that this whole place was made up.

" You little liar!"

" You didn't believe her either!"

" I apologized to Lucy, now say you're sorry. Say it!"

" Fine, I'm sorry."

" That's alright." Lucy said with a smug little bratty grin on her face. " Some little children don't know when to stop pretending.

Edmund glared at her his gaze was like cold venom but no one noticed, they had all turned to Lucy.

" So Lu, where should we go?" Peter asked. Edmund fought the urge to ask them to follow him to the witch's house but it wasn't time.

" We should go meet Mr. Tumnus!" She cried with joy. Peter smiled.

" Well them Mr. Tumnus it is."

And so they set off the three talking to each other about the place and Edmund trailing behind his eyes on the hills. He didn't know how long he could stand it without his Turkish delight.

XxX

A few minutes later the four children had arrived by a small cliff. In it was Mr. Tumnus's house. When they got nearer they could clearly see a little door, but something was wrong, it was cracked and torn off its hinges. Lucy looked at it in shock. She stood there for a few long unpleasant moments. Then she sprang off toward the door without the slightest hit of warning.

Quickly she stepped into the place before her siblings. Tears were already falling from her eyes when they arrived. The house was ransacked. It appeared to recently have been raided. Small cups lay even where broken and cracked. There were three armchairs that had been overturned and torn apart laying everywhere. A bookshelf had fallen down, it books were scattered around it, some lie open some closed and others completely ripped apart. The four stepped deeper into the place.

" Who could have done this?" Susan muttered to herself.

" We're about to find out." Said Peter approaching a wooden pillar in the middle of the small room. On it was a piece of paper attached by a rusty nail. Peter ripped it off and read it.

" Its says faun Tumnus has hereby been charged of high treason against her royal majesty Jadis, queen of Narnia for fraternizing with humans. Signed Maurgrim captain of the secret police." Peter read dropping the parchment.

" We should really go." Susan said.

" No!" Lucy cried. " We have to save Mr. Tumnus."

" He was arrested for being with a human. I don't think there is anything we can do." Susan said not unsympathetically.

" But you don't understand! I'm the human, he was arrested for talking with me." Lucy wailed.

" But we don't even know where he is." Peter said. Before Lucy could reply Edmund called to them. He was staring outside.

" Hey, come have a look at this." He said. The three children ran up behind him. Out in the snow was a small furry brown beaver. Peter smiled and moved toward it. Extending his hand and calling for it. The beaver approached timidly and looked up into Peter's eyes.

" I ain't your pet you know." It said. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy gasped. The beaver ignored them and looked up at Lucy.

" Are you Lucy Pevensie?" Lucy looked down at the little beaver a confused expression on her face. The little animal signaled her closer. From behind his back he pulled a handkerchief.

" Hey, isn't that the hanky I gave Mr. Tumnus?"

" Yes, I got it out of his house when those police came to get him. He ran off but I know he's been captured."

" We have to help him." Lucy said. The beaver looked around nervously.

" This conversation is better left for safer places." It said. He beckoned them to follow him and disappeared behind a tree. Peter look at Lucy confused.

" What did he mean safer places?"

" The trees." Lucy said looking up.

" Maybe we should hear what he has to say then." Peter said and he and Lucy walked toward the woods.

" Wait!" Susand said. " How do we know he isn't working for this witch?"

" Yes, she's right. What if he is part of the police?" Edmund said.

" Well he knows the faun." Peter said simply.

" He said he got that handkerchief out of the fauns house! Who went in there to get him, Peter be realistic!" Susan said. Before he could retort the beaver poked his head from behind the tree.

" There a problem?" He asked.

" No." Peter said.

" Well we better go, we don't wanna be caught out here after night." The beaver said and he scurried behind the tree again. This time all four children followed.

XxX

They arrived at a small hut made of sticks on a frozen river just as the sun was setting. The beaver led them down to it and before they got to the small door another beaver ran out. She was female though.

" Beaver! Beaver is that you? You know I find out you have been with badger again I'll rip all your fur off I tell you… wait a minute." The she beaver said looking up at the four children. " Those aren't badgers. Oh bless the heavens I never thought I would see this day! Beaver you couldn't even give me a few minutes warning? Oh just look at my fur!"

" Its fine love." Beaver said.

" What day?" Peter asked.

" Better left inside. Come on." Beaver said.

XxX

Once all the children were in the house they sat down around a small candle lit table except Edmund who sat by the door.

" Well now that we're all settled in lets talk." The beaver said.

" We have to rescue Mr. Tumnus." Lucy said immediately.

" He has been taken to the witch's house and you know what they say. Few who venture through those gates come out again." The beaver said. Lucy looked down sadly, the Mrs. seemed to notice.

" But there is hope dear. We will get him out." She said.

" Oh yeah, there is a whole lot more than hope!" Mr. Beaver blurted out. Then in a low whisper he continued. " Aslan is on the move again."

" Who's Aslan?" Edmund asked from by the door. Mr. Beaver burst out laughing until he saw no one else was.

" Well surly you know who Aslan is! He's only the king of the woods! The real ruler of Narnia!" Mr. Beaver cried.

" Why is he so important?" Asked Peter.

" He's got your army at the stone table of course!"

" Our army?" Asked Susan.

" Oh for the love of wood!" Cried the beaver turning to his wife. " They don't even know about the bloody prophecy!"

" Well then tell them dear." She said.

" Right, right. Well there's a prophecy. When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone sits on the Cair Paravel throne the evil time will be over and done." Mr. Beaver said.

" What's that mean?" Lucy asked.

" It means that when two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve come to Narnia and defeat the white witch they will bring Narnia back into peace."

" And you think we are the ones?" Peter asked.

" Well you better be because Aslan already gathered up your army!" Mr. Beaver said.

" Mom sent us away so we would not get caught up in war." Susan muttered to Peter. The she stood up and looked at the beavers. " Thank you for your hospitality but we have got to go."

" But you cant leave! You have to help us." Mrs. Beaver said.

" We are not who you think we are." Susan said.

" Sorry but we do have to be going." Said Peter. Standing up as well.

" We have to help Mr. Tumnus!" Lucy wailed.

" Its out of our hands. Come one Ed, Ed?" Peter called. He was nowhere to be found but the door was wide open. " Oh I am going to kill him!"

" You wont have to." Said the beaver gravely. " Has Edmund ever been in Narnia before?"

" Yes." Lucy answered.

" The witch, she must have met him and enchanted him with her food. He is headed to her house." The beaver said.

" We have to get him." Peter cried.

" Come on!"

XxX

Edmund's trail had led them to a hill overlooking a frozen river in the middle of which rose a castle. They could clearly see Edmund enter it.

" EDMUND!" Lucy squealed at the top of her lungs.

" Wait they'll hear ya!" The beaver said.

" We have to save him!" Susan cried.

" Only Aslan can do that now."