TUMNUS: PART FOUR

He woke up in a place he knew immediately from the cold and the stench of death and rot– the dreaded Dungeon of Ice. His hooves were shackled together and the only light came from a very high window but he could not tell whether it was sunlight or moonlight. Presently, he heard a key turning in the lock and the door opened to reveal a hulking ogre bearing a tray holding a cup of water and a hunk of dry bread. But Tumnus did not notice this, not because he was not hungry, but because the light from the doorway had illuminated the cell better and he now caught sight of a white something in the corner. It had only the tattered remains of a red scarf for ornamentation and identification but that was all he needed to know what it was – the skeleton of Camus.

Tumnus had long resigned himself to the death of his father, but seeing him now in his grim final resting place was too much for him and he just slumped against the wall. He was too exhausted and malnourished to cry and prayed to Aslan that he might also die. Ignoring the whimpers that were coming from him as the only sound he could make through his half-frozen lips, the ogre carelessly dropped the tray next to him and said, "Eat up, little goat-legs, so that you may get nice and fat for me to eat one of your legs and to give the other leg to the secret police for their dinner!" with a cruel laugh. Not able to control his hunger anymore, Tumnus picked the bread up off the floor and ate it ravenously to the amusement of the ogre. When he was finished he just slumped against the wall again and finally the ogre got bored and left. Soon it was quiet and despite the cold and the horror of finding the body of his father, Tumnus fell asleep.

Then it seemed to him that he heard a still, small Voice inside him saying, "Courage, Tumnus. Your father did not die in vain for I am coming soon to reclaim my kingdom and put all to right again. Have faith." That was when he woke up and found that he was still slumped against the dungeon wall. Just a dream, he thought. What had woken him up was the sound of the door to the next cell opening and through a large crack in the partition between the two cells, Tumnus could see the new prisoner being led in and shackled to the wall like he was. He was surprised to see that is was only a youngster and with even bigger surprise he realized that it was another human – a Son of Adam.

"Dear Aslan!" he said under his breath. " Did the Witch miss one Human only to capture another one?"

When the ogre was finished shackling the Human boy he left and soon came back with another tray of bread and water for the child. When he finally went out and locked the door behind him the boy looked at the bread for a while. Obviously he did not find it very appealing and to tell the truth it did not look very appetizing. But after shivering for a few minutes he finally picked it up and tried to eat but it was so dry that he choked on it. He tried to was it down with his water only to find that it was frozen and he put it back on the tray.

All this time Tumnus was watching him and waiting for a chance to approach him although he did not want to worry the boy with questions. It would surely only make him more worried if he found out the extent of the danger he was in and he was only a child after all. When he saw that he did not want his bread that was when Tumnus cautiously asked if he could give it to him. The Human obliged and, picking up what was left of the bread, he crawled as best he could with his feet in shackles and handed the bread to Tumnus through the crack in the wall between their cells. Now that he was closer to him Tumnus had a chance to take a better look at him and was taken aback when he found out that the boy actually looked familiar. Where have I seen that nose before? Ah! Of course!

"You're Lucy Pevensie's brother?"

The boy nodded. "I'm Edmund."

Tumnus heart stopped because if Lucy's brother was here in this dreadful place then where could she herself be? If his hooves had been free he would have kicked himself for not having gone with her to the lamppost as he had the first time. That way he would have been there if she had been confronted with the Witch and been able to defend her. But then maybe she was not here after all and Edmund had been the only one that the Witch had been able to capture. Maybe, just maybe. But he could not be sure until …

"Is your sister alright? Is she safe?"

Unfortunately, all Edmund could say was, "I don't know." Tumnus would have asked him how he had gotten here and if there were more Humans coming but at that moment the door to Edmund's cell opened again. This time it was not the ogre who entered but none other than the Witch herself. Tumnus had only ever seen her from a distance as she drove nearby in her sleigh and she was just as terrible up close. She was taller than anyone he had ever seen except a few giants years ago. With broad strides she crossed the cell to Edmund, saying, "My police tore that dam apart. Your little family are nowhere to be found."

By Aslan! thought Tumnus. Beaver succeeded in fetching Lucy as we had planned in case she should come again to the cave and has escaped with her!

Meanwhile, the Witch was questioning Edmund about the others' whereabouts but he could tell her nothing.

"Then you are no further use to me," she said as she raised her wand.

"Wait!" cried Edmund. "The Beaver said something about Aslan."

Tumnus listened more intently as the Witch asked Edmund where Aslan was. Before Edmund could say, Tumnus quickly interrupted.

"He's a stranger here, Your Majesty. He can't be expected to know anything."

Ginarrbrik, the driver of the Witch's sleigh who was with her, hit him in the face with the butt of his axe to silence him.

"I said," the Witch repeated, "where is Aslan?"

Tumnus gave Edmund a warning glance which Edmund caught and he managed to lie just in time. The Witch turned quickly to Tumnus but he only bowed his head.

"Guard!" called the Witch. The same ogre who had brought their meals came in. "Release the Faun," commanded the Witch. The ogre moved to Tumnus and instead of unlocking his shackles he broke them painfully off with an axe. He then dragged Tumnus cruelly to the feet of the Witch. The Witch turned her cold gaze to him and said, "Do you know why you're here, Faun?"

Why was he here? Once again the memory of that cold, snowy September day came back to him.

"Have you any last words?"

"Only that I believe in a free Narnia."

The last words that his father had ever said to him had been a legacy. He was passing on hope to the younger generation to keep on fighting for what Aslan had given them on the very first day of existence. So why was he here?

"Because I believe in a free Narnia."

The Witch's next words shattered him.

"You're here because he turned you in for sweeties."

She pointed her wand at Edmund. He barely heard the command of the Witch to take him upstairs. His last vision of Edmund trying to avoid his glance was blurred with tears. He winced with pain as the ogre dragged him up the cold stone stairs to the courtyard and roughly deposited him onto the ground. For a few minutes he just lay there shivering and weeping until the Witch herself came upstairs.

She pointed her wand at him and there was a bluish sort of light and he knew no more.