Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own characters and plots. The original universe and everything in it belong to C. S. Lewis. All photos used of film characters belong to Walt Disney Pictures. The content I have written is fanfiction and its only purpose is to inspire creativity and to further immerse oneself in the universe C. S. Lewis has created.

"Some journeys take us far from home. Some adventures lead us to our destiny."

- C.S. Lewis, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (1950)

Chapter 3 – Mr. & Mrs. Beaver – September 1000 – Narnia

With Lucy in the lead, they made their way to Mr. Tumnus' house through the thick forest and deep snow. Pippa trudged through the snow, her brown fur coat kept her body warm, but her feet were wet and frozen from walking without proper shoes. She had been on trips through the forest before, and if one did not count Lucy's chattering, it was alarmingly quiet. Pippa could not hear birds chirping, no creaking or rustling of branches in the wind or any noise whatsoever besides their own feet stamping through the snow. Whilst Lucy was leading them through uneven ground and into a little stone valley, Pippa overheard Edmund's whispers of complaint from behind her.

"You'll all pay for this. I'll show you all, oh, how very sorry you'll be once she gets to you." He muttered, glaring especially long and hard at Peter's back.

Before long, a wooden door in the middle of a stone wall appeared in sight, but something looked very odd about it all from where Pippa stood. Without another word Lucy sprinted forward towards Mr. Tumnus' cave.

"Lucy, wait!" Susan called out after her. The others hurried along to see what was going on. When they reached the young girl, they could see that the wooden door had been wrenched off its hinges and some pieces of the door were completely broken off. Inside, the cave was cold and dark, and mounds of snow had drifted in through the broken door mixing with the broken furniture. Mr. Tumnus' belongings had been shattered and his carpets and drapes torn apart.

"What happened here?" Pippa asked in shock. Susan looked absolutely horrified at the mess, and Lucy had tears in her eyes.

"Who would do something like this?" Lucy asked, looking at Peter with sad eyes.

"Look at this." Peter said and ripped a piece of parchment off a stone pillar. "The former occupant of these premises, the faun Tumnus, is under arrest and awaiting his trial on a charge of high treason against her Imperial Majesty Jadis, Queen of Narnia for comforting her Majesty's enemies, harbouring spies and fraternising with humans." He read aloud with Susan reading over his shoulder.

"It's signed Maugrim, Captain of the Secret Police. Long live the Queen." Susan finished with an anxious expression her face. "Alright, now we really ought to get back!" She exclaimed.

"We can't!" Lucy protested. "What about Mr. Tumnus?" The children all stared at each other. "None of this would've happened if it weren't for me! Don't you see, I'm the human he was helping! Somehow she must've found out he helped me." Lucy pleaded with Susan and Peter. Edmund looked a bit paler than he did before.

"Perhaps we could contact the police?" Peter asked.

"They are the police!" Susan answered distressed and pointed at the signature on the parchment. "And besides if they've charged this faun with treason doesn't that mean he's a criminal?" She asked.

Peter replied as they argued back and forth whether this was worth the risk. Just then, Pippa heard a noise coming from outside Mr. Tumnus' cave.

"Did you all hear that?" She asked, interrupting the discussion between Susan and Peter. They all walked outside to see a small robin sitting on a branch nearby. It was the first bird Pippa had seen since they had arrived in Narnia. Lucy took a step forward.

"Oh, dear robin, won't you please tell us where Mr. Tumnus has been taken?" She asked sweetly. Susan and Peter looked at her as if she was mad. "What?" Lucy asked curiously. "Mr. Tumnus told me most creatures in Narnia could speak."

"You've got to be joking!" Susan exclaimed in despair. Just as she had said this, the red-chested robin flew to the next tree and chirped. The children took a few steps forward and the bird flew to the next branch. Out of curiosity they followed as the bird led them further into the woods one tree at a time until they were rather far away from Mr. Tumnus' house.

"Where are we?" Pippa asked suddenly. She was getting worried seeing as not even Lucy knew the way back home from this path.

"What was that?!" Edmund asked alarmed as the bushes rustled. The children moved closer together as they watched the bushes carefully. A whiskered furry face appeared between the twigs followed by its equally furry, brown body and broad tail. Large front teeth were visible in its mouth.

"It's a beaver!" Peter declared relieved. The beaver motioned with his furry paw and moved further away, deeper into the woods. The Pevensies and Pippa followed. Edmund seemed most reluctant to do so. The beaver led them to a place within the woods where the trees had grown so close together that the ground was dry because no snow had been able to penetrate the branches of the trees. Peter stepped forward, knelt and reached out a hand to the beaver.

"Come here, friendly beaver." He beckoned. The beaver approached hesitantly.

"I ain't sniffin' it if that's what you want!" The beaver said suddenly. The children jumped in surprise and Lucy giggled as Susan let a small shriek escape her lips.

"Lucy Pevensie?" The beaver asked seriously and held out a handkerchief for her to take.

"That's mine." Lucy gasped and carefully grasped the handkerchief. "I gave it to Mr. Tumnus." The beaver nodded feverishly.

"Come on, it ain't safe to speak here." He said and waddled away.

"Quick! Follow him before he disappears!" Lucy said and hurried after the beaver. Peter moved to follow, but Susan grabbed a hold of his arm before he could move further away.

"What are you doing Peter?" She asked. "How can we trust him?"

"He says he knows the faun." Peter shrugged. Susan rolled her eyes and put her arms on her hips, opening her mouth to protest.

"Everythin' alright?" The beaver asked as he and Lucy appeared in view, impatiently waiting for them to follow.

"Yes. We were just talking." Peter answered.

"No talkin' here. They might hear ya." The beaver disappeared again, leaving the Pevensie siblings and Pippa to exchange worried looks.

"The trees …" Edmund whispered to himself.

"What was that?" Peter asked.

Edmund shook his head feverishly. "Nothing."

The beaver – who they've learnt was named Mr. Beaver – led them through the woods, down a steep, narrow valley and down to his home at the bottom of said valley. His home was built on a frozen river and out of long logs of wood. Of course, beavers are famously known for building dams, thought Pippa. Mr. Beaver looked quite proud of it too, and so Pippa thought it only polite to praise him for his effort.

"What a lovely dam Mr. Beaver." She said, and Lucy nodded in agreement. Pippa could've sworn she saw the beaver blush.

"Oh, it's nothing. It ain't even finished yet! Got lots of fixin' to do once spring comes." Mr. Beaver led them down a pathway to his dam and the children could see smoke coming out of an oddly shaped chimney. "Ah, looks like the missus has put the kettle on. I reckon she's made us some dinner even!" At the thought of dinner all the children perked up a bit, not noticing until now that nightfall was almost upon them how hungry they were. As they were walking down the frozen pathway, Pippa felt her foot slip, and before she could catch herself, she bumped into Susan's back.

"Oh, sorry." She blushed. Susan smiled gently and helped to steady her footing before continuing down the pathway. Clumsy fool, Pippa scolded herself.

Mrs. Beaver greeted them in front of the entry to the dam as if they were old friends, and after chastising Mr. Beaver for his tardiness and the state of her fur, ushered them inside. The dam was cramped, yet Mrs. Beaver had decorated it nicely, and it felt cosy and warm with the blazing fire. The ceiling was low and everyone apart from Lucy and the beavers had to bend down to avoid hitting their heads. There were no pictures on the wall or bookshelves in the small home, but instead strings of fish, ham and onions were hanging from the heavy beams in the roof along with fishing rods, nets and various other tools used for fishing and building.

Pippa took a seat nearby Edmund, who sat at the bottom of the staircase they had just descended. Once they had discarded their coats and were all seated comfortably Mrs. Beaver offered them a plate of fish each and a hot drink. Pippa had never tasted anything like it before and wondered how the fish from Narnia could taste so different from the fish from home.

"Isn't there something we could do to help Mr. Tumnus?" Lucy asked Mr. and Mrs. Beaver after eating some food off her plate.

"Well, he's been taken to the witch's castle. Few that go through those gates ever come out again." Mr. Beaver explained gravely. "She's evil that one, the Queen that is." Edmund scoffed quietly, and Lucy looked devastated. Mrs. Beaver put a comforting paw on her arm.

"Don't you worry my dear, there's still plenty of hope!" She said, paw still resting on Lucy's arm. "You see, Aslan is here." And although Pippa had no idea who Aslan was, she felt something jump inside her when the name was mentioned. She felt happy. As happy as she had been before the war when she and her family had all been living together in peace.

"He's been away for quite some time, but now he's back!" Mr. Beaver said enthusiastically.

"Who's Aslan?" Edmund interrupted from his place by the staircase. Mr. Beaver burst out laughing. Pippa thought it very odd, not only encountering a talking beaver, but also hearing one laughing his head off, as if he was very much like a human. Mrs. Beaver sent Mr. Beaver a stern look as she noticed the children looked more confused than ever. Mr. Beaver peered at them with his small, black eyes in shock.

"You really don't know?" All the children shook their heads. "Why he's the true ruler of Narnia! The only one who's able to stop the White Witch, the imposter Queen!" Mr. Beaver almost shouted the words.

Pippa could hear Edmund mumbling words and turned around to look at him only to see him quietly creeping up the staircase and out of the heavy door. That's when Pippa decided to do something very unlike her usual self. She decided to follow him. She couldn't reach her coat without Peter or Susan noticing, so she silently slipped off her chair and crept up the stairs without it as Mr. Beaver was still loudly explaining the importance of Aslan.

Once Pippa reached the top of the stairs and had shut the front door behind her, she realized how dark it had become and that it had started to snow heavily. She pulled her cardigan tighter against her body and tried to shield her eyes from the snow. Her glasses almost instantly became foggy because of the damp snow, and the fogginess blocked out most of her sight. She could make out a shape that looked like Edmund and decided to follow it. She kept her distance as the shape moved between the trees and made its way through the snow. Pippa could hardly see three feet ahead and she had a hard time keeping up with the shape she thought was Edmund. Luckily for her the shape never looked back once and she could easily step in its footprints.

They walked for what seemed like hours in the dark with only the moonlight to guide them. It had stopped snowing, and Pippa could finally see where she was treading. Edmund and Pippa stepped over bushes, across the frozen river and through a steep and rocky valley, before the ground levelled out and the valley parted. Right before them lay an enormous, fearsome-looking castle that was standing in the middle of a frozen lake between two hills. The castle was made of pure ice, with tall towers and spikes sharp as needles. The home of the White Witch was protected by a thick, tall wall also made of ice. The wall surrounded the castle with an impenetrable iron gate as the only entrance. As Edmund moved across the frozen lake, Pippa had almost caught up with him. She wanted to yell, to scream his name, but the wind was howling too loud for him to hear her.

As Edmund reached the gate, Pippa took a chance and screamed his name as loud as she could.

"Edmund!" She yelled. "Edmund, wait!" She slipped and fell on the ice, her left ankle twisting as the weight of her body came crashing down on it, causing her to wince in pain. Clutching her sore ankle, she yelled his name once more. "Edmund please, wait!"

Edmund turned around and his eyes widened in shock at the sight of her. He ran as best he could over to her and helped her stand. "What are you doing here?!" He yelled angrily.

"What are you doing here?!" Pippa retorted. "Please let's just go back to the others." She pleaded with him, but Edmund shook his head and shoved her aside.

"No! I'm going to see her Majesty, and you can't stop me!" He said, determined to see the White Witch so she could make him King of Narnia.

He stomped across the ice and slipped through the opened gate. Pippa limped after him, even though every instinct she had told her that this was a terrible idea. Yet she had nowhere else to go or she would freeze to death during the night. She too stepped through the gate and it closed behind her.

She was standing in the middle of a courtyard filled with statues made of stone. She stumbled over to a statue resembling a horse and brushed some snow off its muzzle. How incredibly lifelike, she thought, its eyes and shape of body seemed as if it would have been a live animal just minutes before. She abandoned the horse and went over to Edmund who had just drawn a pair of glasses and a moustache on the face of a statue in the shape of a lioness. Pippa didn't like it here, it felt like stepping through a ghoulish graveyard.

"Come on. Let's keep moving." Pippa suggested. She was freezing and hoped that somewhere in this icy castle there would be some blankets or even a fire. As they walked through the courtyard filled with statues, Pippa could make out all sorts of creatures. There were lions, bears, foxes, at least a dozen dwarf-like creatures and was that … a minotaur? And a giant?

"There must be over a hundred statues here." Edmund commented in awe, yet he still looked a little frightened that they might be real and attack them at any moment. At the end of the courtyard they reached a flight of wide stone steps. At the top of the steps was an archway leading further into the castle. Resting neatly atop the steps was a statue in the shape of a wolf. Edmund moved his leg to step over the wolf and in an instant the wolf came to life, knocking Edmund flat on his back and baring his great, big teeth as he growled at the children.

"Stand still strangers! Tell me who you are!" The wolf growled. Pippa froze at the sight of the frightful wolf and could not speak. The wolf moved his yellow gaze to peer down at Edmund.

"I'm Edmund! I met the Queen earlier in the woods! She told me to come here to see her!" Edmund said, trembling in fear. The wolf growled in discontent. "I'm a son of Adam!" He also added, and the wolf relaxed visibly and moved away from them for which the children were grateful.

"A son of Adam, you say? Hmm, right this way." He barked. Pippa helped Edmund up and together they stumbled after the wolf and up a long, spiralling staircase. The staircase and the wolf led them to a gloomy hall filled with even more statues made of stone. At the end of the hall was a large throne made of marble and decorated with spikes and white furs. As the wolf left them to wait there, Edmund climbed up to the throne and sat down on the fur-covered seat.

"Oh, Edmund! Perhaps you shouldn't?" Pippa whispered anxiously. Her body was now so desperate for warmth she strongly considered sitting down on the furs herself, but something felt awful about the whole castle. Edmund, however, felt powerful and was enjoying himself immensely as the White Witch approached him.

"Your Majesty!" Edmund said and leapt off the seat as soon as he saw her. He didn't like how cold and calculating she seemed. She was not kind and beautiful like the day they had first met. Pippa thought she looked undeniably beautiful with her skin as white as a sheet of paper and her lips a deep shade of crimson. Yet however beautiful she was, her proud, stern face and regal posture frightened her. The White Witch sat down on her throne and turned her emerald green eyes towards Pippa.

"What have you brought me son of Adam? Is this one of your sisters?" The White Witch asked Edmund, her voice and face void of any emotion.

"No, she's…" Edmund paused, and Pippa held her breath, fearful of what he might say. "A friend." He answered shortly.

"Well then, tell me Edmund, are you sisters deaf?" The White Witch asked Edmund without reacting to his words or breaking eye contact with Pippa.

"No..." Edmund answered again this time with a confused look on his face.

"And your brother, is he, shall we say unintelligent?" She asked as she turned to stare at Edmund, who still stood by her side, with cold, green eyes.

"Well, I think so, but mother says-" Edmund was cut off abruptly by the White Witch as she rose from her seat and shouted:

"Then how dare you enter my palace without them?!" Edmund stumbled backwards as he tried to speak. The eyes of the witch had darkened and grown wide in fury. "I asked so little of you, so little and you couldn't even do the simplest of things!" She continued in disappointment and anger.

"I tried! I tried! But they wouldn't listen!" Edmund shouted in desperation. And then he did what Pippa dreaded he would do; he sold out his siblings to the Witch. "They're almost here though! They're with the beavers at the dam!" The Witch calmed at once and sat down on her throne once more, her hand grasped tightly around her staff. A cruel smile came over her face.

"Thank you, Edmund." Edmund relaxed before the Witch uttered her next words. "You are not of any more use to me now though, are you? Throw the humans in the dungeon!" The Witch commanded. Two small dwarves pulled out their daggers and came towards the two children.

"Move it!" A dwarf with long black beard and a nose the shape of a large potato said to Pippa as he forced her to move on her twisted ankle. As Edmund protested loudly and yelled for the Witch to reconsider their punishment, Pippa could hear wolves howling in the distance.

The two small dwarves led Edmund and Pippa down several flights of spiralling stone steps, each step more slippery than the next, until they reached the White Witch's dungeon. The dungeon was located deep in the ground under the castle and it was dark and much colder than seemed possible. The dwarves shoved each of the children down on the ground before putting their feet in irons. Pippa whimpered as the heavy shackles only added to the pain in her left ankle. As the dwarves turned to leave the freezing children, Edmund's stomach growled loudly. The ugliest one turned towards him, staring at him with a loathsome sneer before grinning wickedly with yellow teeth.

"Perhaps some more Turkish Delight for the little king?" He asked grinning into his black beard. Edmund turned his head away, refusing to look at the dwarf. The dwarf turned his gaze towards Pippa who was shivering uncontrollably.

"How 'bout you princess? Nice cuppa hot tea? Some furry cloaks?" He burst out laughing, wheezing as he crept up the stairs. Pippa felt tears prickling in her eyes as she suddenly seemed to realize that they might starve or freeze to death. Maybe even worse.

But the other dwarf, the much less ugly one, but ugly none the less, returned shortly thereafter carrying an iron plate with a wedge of bread and a cup of water. Edmund picked up the wedge and tried to take a bite. The bread was so stale it could hardly be swallowed, and he coughed and spluttered at the taste as he tried to drink from the cup of water only to realize the water had turned to ice.

"Sorry, but if you're not going to eat that …" A small voice could be heard from the corner. Edmund's brown eyes widened at the sight of a hairy man with goat legs slumped against the icy wall not far from them. "I'd get up, but, well … my legs." Edmund and Pippa exchanged glances. As Edmund moved to give the man the piece of bread, Pippa gasped at the sight of his legs.

"Oh! Your feet, they're hurt!" She exclaimed. His hooves were cut up and part of his legs were lacking in fur from burn marks.

"Doesn't look much worse than yours feel I bet." The goat-man retorted, nodding towards her own leg, before biting into the hunk of bread. Pippa clutched her bruised leg as she realized who this creature was. Edmund had obviously figured it out too as he hesitantly asked:

"Mr. Tumnus? The faun?"

"Yes?" The faun looked at him intently. "You are Lucy Pevensie's brother, are you not? You two have identical noses." Edmund didn't answer. "Where is she? Is she safe?" The faun asked with more urgency this time.

Before Edmund had a chance to answer him, the dwarves returned yet again, this time followed by a furious-looking witch. Mr. Tumnus and the children shied away from her and her minions in fear.

"You!" The White Witch roared, pointing at Edmund with her long staff. "You're coming with me!" The dwarves yanked his chains, but Edmund tried to resist. The ugliest dwarf flicked him with a whip and Edmund cried out in pain, a red slash painted on his shin.

"Please don't, he's just a boy!" Pippa screamed. Another flick of the whip was heard, and Pippa gasped as she felt her cheek burn and her glasses slipping of her nose. Desperate to regain her sight, Pippa clawed at the ground as Edmund was dragged out of the dungeon kicking and screaming.

"Where are they taking him?" Pippa asked in horror as she continued to search the ground. Mr. Tumnus helped her get her vision back by reaching for her glasses where they lay and sliding them towards her without answering her question.

"Well?" Pippa asked impatiently, readjusting her glasses, the faun's silence making her feel anxious.

"I don't know." He finally said. "But wherever it is …" He trailed off, his golden eyes and deep voice held much darkness as he spoke. "If you know any prayers child, now would the time to speak them."

TO BE CONTINUED.

Based on 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' (1950) by C. S. Lewis.

Based on 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' (2005) by C. S. Lewis (Andrew Adamson, Mark Johnson, Phillip Steuer, Walden Media and Walt Disney Pictures).

Songs for this chapter:

Another Trail – Kristoffer Beijer

To Aslan's Camp – Harry Gregson-Williams

Father Christmas – Harry Gregson-Williams

From Western Woods to Beaversdam – Harry Gregson-Williams

Peter Pevensie – Born 19th of January 1924 (16 years old)

Susan Pevensie – Born 2nd of June 1925 (15 years old)

Edmund Pevensie – Born 6th of March 1927 (13 years old)

Lucy Pevensie – Born 25th of December 1929 (10 years old, turning 11)

Philippa Copland – Born 7th of July 1924 (16 years old)