A/N: Four reviews? We're up from two! Excellent! Love you all, by the way. Incidentally, have you guys noticed the little "Winnie-the-Pooh" inspired intros to each chapter? Don't miss the little "in which…" lines!

Disclaimer: I use Narnia solely for my personal enjoyment, and definitely do not expect to be paid for it!

Chapter 3: The White Room…

in which Tumnus Attends Dinner, and Sees a Lot of First-Class Food go to Waste.

A Dwarf dressed in palace livery came to fetch Mr. Tumnus from the library, where he had spent the day in considerable comfort. A roaring fire, a squashy chair, and a nice thick book were enough to make any Faun happy, and it was with slight reluctance that Tumnus put down the book and followed the Dwarf.

They walked through a maze of winding halls, and just as the Faun was beginning to get seriously worried, he was finally shown into a small dining room. The walls were all white marble, which reflected the glimmering candlelight, and frothy white curtains hung at the tall arched windows. Tumnus nervously took a seat at the little square table, and had not waited long before the youngest Queen of Narnia arrived.

"Mr. Tumnus!" Lucy squealed, catching his hands in hers. "It has been almost a year, hasn't it? Ed told me about your visit. It is so good to see you again!"

The Faun beamed with delight, and exclaimed on how much she had grown since he last saw her. She, of course, wanted to know all about what he had been up to, clamouring for news about the Beavers. And Tumnus himself was most eager to hear of what she had been doing as Queen of Narnia. He listened with great pride as she described her goodwill visits to the Red Dwarfs, and the laws she had established to save good trees from being unnecessarily cut down. The two old friends were chattering like sparrows when King Edmund and Queen Susan finally entered. The two older siblings checked on the threshold, smiling fondly at the charming scene their little sister made with the Faun. "Should we interrupt them?" Edmund whispered sneakily, and Susan smiled and nodded.

After jolly greetings all around, the sumptuous meal was promptly brought in. The Faun's stomach rumbled at the mouth-watering aromas, and he could hardly wait for the servers to leave. The five courses were set on the table all at once, and the four diners were left to eat in peace. "This is a lovely room", Tumnus noted as he buttered a steaming roll.

"We use it whenever we wish to dine together privately", Queen Susan replied, unfolding her embroidered napkin. "Of course, evenings when all four of us are free are rare indeed."

Edmund poured glasses of wine for them all. "You were saying that you had some important news?" he asked Tumnus, and Susan and Lucy turned to the Faun expectantly.

Even though they were all great friends of his, Mr. Tumnus squirmed under the attention. "I – I do, actually", he stuttered, absentmindedly shredding his roll to pieces. "I saw something the other day…" He took a deep breath and proceeded to describe his encounter with the White Stag.

When he had finished, the three monarchs stared at him, completely lost for words. Finally, King Edmund cleared his throat. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

Queen Susan stared at the young King in disbelief. "Are you saying, brother, that you believe this?" she cried.

Hearing that remark, Queen Lucy recovered her voice. "And you do not believe Mr. Tumnus?" demanded the young lady. The Faun was quite gratified by the look of fierce indignation in her eyes, but chose to remain silent and let the siblings sort everything out between them. He sat lower in his chair and tried to make himself invisible, chewing on a honeycake as silently as possible lest he draw unwelcome attention.

"Oh, of course I believe him", Susan protested, flushing slightly at the accusation. She toyed distractedly with her fork, twisting the silver handle between elegant fingers. "That he saw a white stag I accept as true. But Lucy, what proof do we have that it was in fact the White Stag, who grants wishes to his captors?"

King Edmund broke in smoothly: "After what we have seen here in Narnia, sister, we should know better than anyone that nothing is impossible."

"It is a sign!" exclaimed Queen Lucy without warning, startling everyone else. Tumnus dropped his goblet in alarm, but Lucy did not notice – her face was rapt and shining. "Do you not see?" she pressed. "Mr. Tumnus, remember when you told me those stories about what Narnia was like before the White Witch? You remember, do you not?"

The Faun's cheeks reddened when three sets of eyes focused on him once more, but he gulped and managed to nod.

"He told me all sorts of things", Lucy continued, ignorant of the confused looks on her siblings' faces, "About the dances during the Summer Festivals, and about treasure-hunting, and about Bacchus and Father Christmas. Do you not understand? All of these things have come back, so the return of the White Stag means that Narnia is becoming what it once was again!"

Tumnus marvelled at Lucy's theory. He would never have thought of that in a hundred years! This young lady was clever, and no mistake. He could see it now: it was true that ever since the thrones at Cair Paravel had been filled, things had slowly been reverting to the way they had been long ago. It was almost as though there had never even been a White Witch.

But the elder Queen was shaking her beautiful head. "It is only – well – the White Stag is a legend", she reasoned patiently. "By all accounts it disappeared over a hundred years ago."

"How is the appearance of the White Stag any different from that of Father Christmas?" Lucy argued. Before her sister could retort, Edmund held up a placating hand and gave a small smile.

"Either way", the young king said, "I say we have a crack at catching it. If it is indeed the White Stag, then we all earn our wishes. And if it is not, then whoever catches the stag earns bragging rights."

Lucy laughed delightedly, and Susan couldn't help but smile in consent. "Let us tell Peter!" Lucy grinned. "He would not be able to pass up such a challenge."

Susan made a face. "He had better not win", she agreed. "I do not think I could stand the weeks of boasting that would follow." The two Queens lapsed into peals of laughter.

"Who says that he will win?" asked Edmund playfully. He gave a wicked smile. "In fact, you girls wait in the castle – I'll get the stag myself!"

The Queens shrieked in mock indignation, and Lucy threw a roll at her brother. What had started as a perfectly civil dinner dissolved into a riotous food-fight, with a startled Tumnus taking shelter beneath the table.

A/N: Don't worry, Tumnus managed to grab some food before taking cover; he won't go to bed hungry tonight, so there's no need to fret! Hope you liked Ed's movie reference. In the next chapter, our intrepid Kings and Queens leave for the hunt, and – but that would be giving it away. Reviews are much appreciated, as always! They actually motivate me to update sooner ;)