Story: What you Leave Behind
Author: The Evil Pink Squirrel of Doom
Summery: The wife of High King Peter and Tumnus have a short conversation while they watch Princess Cleopatra sleep.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, although maybe if I put on my red slippers, and click my heels three times. Click...Click...Click... Damn I got nothing how about you guys?
Author's Note: A really short chapter, it just sort of came to me in the middle of the night so I wrote it down. Anyways' here you guys go, I realize it's not much.. but it's something.
Who You'll Really Die For
Mariska Penevsie princess consort to the High King of Narnia leaned tiredly against the obscenely tall door frame of
her daughter's bedchamber. (Think the kings bedroom doors, in Disney's animated Cinderella, if you've seen it.) She
slowly allowed her hand to run over her swelling belly, covered by a red silk night dress, the rest of which laid
comfortably over her form. She stared into the darkened room before her, a large ivory dresser, and table sat over
to one side, while a gigantic ornate wardrobesat on the other side. Light Rose, lavender, and white color walls,
painted with flowers, and small birds made the room seem elegant, yet still gave the impression who ever inhabited
it was not fully grown. On the wall to her left stood a large white, bird cage which contained three white ring-
necked doves. On the far side of the room, it's head bored pushed against the wall sat a enormous four poster cherry
princess bed, hand carved by fauns, and satyrs from the Great Western Wood. The tops of each postwere carved
with the lion's head, and the post themselves with tangled ivy, and arabesque designs inlaid in the wood of dancing
fauns, dryads, and nymphs. The beds coverings where made of soft velvet, and silk from the Lone Islands, colored a
light lavender, and decorated with white lace. In the middle of the bed lay the fair princess Cleopatra, Heiress of the
High Crown.Mariska heard the soft click of hooves on the marble behind her, she did not turn around, but only
glanced as Tumnus approached to lean against the other side of the door frame, tiredly. His purple scarf appeared to
be nearly falling off, and his hair was more scruffy then normal from searching the woods all day, and well into the
night.
"Princess Mariska, I hope you are doing as well as possible in this situation?" Mariska smiled slightly at hearing the
fauns voice, her eyes remaining locked on the 15 year old sleeping princess within the room.
"Tumnus, we have been related for thirteen long summers, and yet you still insist on calling me by my title, I must
ask you why? You do not always call the children by theres." She could almost feel the small half smile, the faun gave
in response.
"My princess, you are still higher then I am, you are Princess Consort to the High King, of my homeland. Not to
mention the fact that I am still but a lowly woodland faun, when all the pieces fall to the floor. As you may have
noticed I still call King Edmund, Queen Susan, and King Peter, by there titles, although, I been with them, well at
least Lucy, from the very beginning. Oreius, still refers to the sovereigns as such, and I still refer to him as General.
When you really listen Vienna and yourself are the only spouses, who call themonarchs by there given names in
private or otherwise. As for the children, it would not do me well to be scolding one of them, and call my daughter
Princess Gwyneth, my son Prince Koen, or even when I am stopping one of our offspring's attempts at rebellion
Prince Gavyn, or Princess Cleopatra." Mariska felt herself laugh lightly at the fauns humorous truth.
"I do admit Mr. Tumnus, it would be an interesting sight to see you do something such as that. I often wonder how
Mrs. Beaver has been able to, all the while using titles." Tumnus breathed deeply, and looked over the princess, who
finally returned his gaze, in utmost seriousness he answered.
"Because she scares the wrath of Aslan, himself, into those children, just like she does us, when she is trying to be a
mother hen of sorts, as Lucy used to say." Mariska laughed out loud at the fauns voice, and how he lifted his arm,
jabbing his finger at her. She nodded her head, slowly returning to her vigil over her daughter.
"They'll come home, At least for the children's sakes, you think they will, right, Tumnus?" Tumnus looked at the
sleeping princess, for a short moment before answering.
"For our children we will die without a thought, without a moment of regret, we will dive before the blade of a
dagger, we will take any pain to defend them from feeling it. No matter whom you love, no matter how great your
devotion to your mate, you will think before you die for them, no matter what any creature will ever say. In Aslan's
name, I will lay down my life, for those whom I have helped to give life." Mariska glanced over at the faun, her eye
brows knit together in careful comprehension of what he was saying.
"Did you just come up with that yourself?" She had meant it as a joke, but heard the tight voice of the faun at her
side respond.
"I asked my father why he was going off to war, why he had to leave Mum and me, that was his answer. It is one of
the things which I have held with me since he last spoke to me well over a hundred years ago." Mariska heard his
deep breath, and quiet sigh.
"Oreius said would die for my husband." Her quiet reply floated between the two, not quite an argument, not quite
an agreement. Tumnus pursed his lips together in a tight line for a moment.
"No, our brother-in-law told High King Peter he'd was with him to the death. Not once did he say he would die for
the High King, without a thought." Mariska, felt her mind float to the words the general always spoke before the
duo headed off into battle. 'Are you with me?' the reply was always the same 'till the death.' Tumnus was correct,
not that she had expected him to be wrong.
"You are correct my dear faun, although I don't doubt he would lay down his life for any of the four thrones."
Tumnus shifted his weight, and gave the princess a small smile.
"While I do not doubt that either, he would give a split second of thought to the matter I am sure, for if he dies then
he leaves his sons fatherless. It is very important for a male centaur child to have his father, or at least a male
centaur to look up to. In this family there is only fauns and human, besides himself and those boys."
"Yes, you are correct Tumnus, I do believe when I think about it I would die for Cleo, or for this little one, without
thought." Mariska's hand held her belly, lovingly. caressing it as if the child was on the outside. "While I would force
myself to think, even if it may be an uncountable amount of time, before I laid down my life for Peter."
" As I would do for my sweet Gwyn ordear Koen, even for the unborn child my wife now carries." Mariska gave the
faun a sharp, questioning glance, to which he returned a beaming half smile.
"Congratulations Tumnus, to you and Queen Lucy, both." Tumnus laughed.
"None of that now, I am pretty sure that I would suffer the wrath of my wife if she ever heard you call her that
nowadays and discovered I was at fault. Now, I am off to bed my fair princess consort, I am at your service should
you need anything. I promise you Aslan knows what he is doing." With that he turned and began to walked away
from the very pregnant wife of the High King. As he entered the hallway once more and was suitably away from
Mariska's ears, he softly added.
"Or so I hope." The faun continued down the long white marble hallway, heading towards his chambers,and the two
young fauns which currently were fast asleep,tucked safely in there parents bed.
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