The Magician's Nephew

by RabidFaerie

Before the Golden Age of the Pevensies, before the 100 year winter and the rule of the White Witch, before Narnia even existed, there was Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer. Tricked by Digory's Uncle Andrew, the children find themselves on Charn where they meet the last Queen and Princess, and find an adventure. First in the Witch of the Wood series. K for mild swearing. COMPLETE

8. Chapter 7: The First Joke

Chapter 7: The First Joke and Other Matters

It had been the Lion that spoke, of course. Dione and the children had felt sure that he could talk: yet it was a lovely and terrible shock when he did.

From the trees, figures emerged, gods and goddesses of the wood; Fauns and Satyrs and Dwarves came with them. Dione felt drawn to them, and would have wandered over to them, had Polly not grabbed her hand. From the river rose the river god with his Naiad daughters. All of the newcomers and all of the beasts and birds replied in their different voices:

"Hail, Aslan. We hear and obey. We are awake. We love. We think. We speak. We know."

"But please, we don't know very much yet," a nosey and snorty kind of voice said. That made the children jump, for it was the cab-horse that spoke.

"Good old Strawberry." Polly said, "I am glad that he was one of the ones picked out to be a Talking Beast."

"He is a very noble horse," Dione added, smiling at the animals.

"Strike me pink. I always did say that 'oss 'ad a lot of sense, though." The Cabby, who was now standing beside the children and Dione, said.

"Creatures, I give you yourselves," Aslan's strong, happy voice rang out. "I give to you forever this land of Narnia. I give you the woods, the fruits, the rivers. I give you the stars and I give you myself. The Dumb Beasts whom I have not chosen are yours also. Treat them gently and cherish them but do not go back to their ways lest you cease to be Talking Beasts. For out of them you were taken and into them you can return. Do not so."

"No Aslan, we won't, we won't," the whole assembly responded. But one perky jackdaw added, in a loud voice, "No fear!" and all the others had finished speaking just before he spoke, making his words ring out clear in the dead silence; which is never an ideal situation.

The Jackdaw was so embarrassed, that it hid its head under its wing, like it was sleeping. All the other animals laughed in their own way. They tried not to, but Aslan said:

"Laugh and fear not, creature. Now that you are no longer dumb and witless, you need not always be so grave. For jokes as well as justice come in with speech."

So, all the creatures laughed. With all the merriment about, the Jackdaw plucked up his courage once more and perched on the cab horse's head.

"Aslan! Aslan!" The bird called out. "Have I made the first joke? Will everyone always be told how I made the first joke?"

"No, little friend," Aslan responded. "You have not made the first joke; you have only been the first joke."

This only caused more laughter, but the bird didn't mind and laughed just as loud until Strawberry shook his head and the bird lost his balance and fell. The Jackdaw remembered its wings before it hit the ground and landed safely.

"And now," Aslan said, "Narnia is established. We must next take thought for keeping it safe. I will call some of you to my council. Come hither to me, you chief Dwarf, and you the River-god, and you Oak and the He-Owl, and both Ravens and the Bull-Elephant. We must talk together. For though the world is not five hours old an evil has entered it."

Those that were called came forward and headed east with Aslan. Dione's heart sank when the Lion said evil had entered the world. She knew it was her sister that threated this world. Her sister, she knew, would want to rule this world as she had wanted to rule Digory and Polly's world, and Dione did not want to see this world fall to the same fate as Charn.

She paid little attention to what was happening, allowing Polly to pull her along as the approached the animals, but Dione was planning how she would admit to the Lion, and his council, that it was her sister that was the evil that threatened their new world. She wondered for a moment if she could be part of the evil and decided she would submit herself to their judgment and, should she be part of the problem, their mercy.

It wasn't until the majority of the animals went to see what Uncle Andrew was, for they had never seen a human before and did not know that their clothes were not apart of them like fur or feathers, that Dione realized she had missed a great deal.

Digory was on the back of Strawberry, the former cab-horse, going off towards the Lion, while she, Polly and the Cabby walked along behind.