A/N: I forgot to mention in the first chapter that, although I've written a good deal of original fiction, this is my first fanfic. Please let me know how I'm doing with it!

Chapter 2

The Queen's Holiday

For a few seconds, Tumnus could only blink at her. Then he recovered his voice. "You what?" He was caught between laughing and gaping in shock.

Lucy dropped her bag and cloak on the floor and twirled around, arms outstretched. "All right, I'm not really running away, but I am taking a long, much-needed holiday. You are now looking at a free woman. I feel so alive!" She grasped Tumnus' hands and made him dance around in circles with her. He really started laughing then, catching her excitement. They twirled and spun and pulled each other around until Lucy was so dizzy that she tripped over the edge of the rug and collapsed in a giggling, breathless heap.

Tumnus sank down beside her, not because he was tired—he could dance for hours—but to gaze at the joy on her face. He hadn't seen her so lively in some time, years perhaps. When she was a child she had been exuberant, always playing games, seeking adventures, and visiting her many friends around Narnia. But as she got older, her brothers and sister drew her more into the politics of ruling a kingdom, and it weighed on her. Her siblings approved of the effect it had on her; it was more fitting for a queen to be somewhat sedated, they said. Lucy was still joyful and fun-loving, but she had lost that energy and abandon of her childhood. Tumnus didn't like it. It relieved him to see that she hadn't lost it permanently.

Lucy caught her breath and said, "Now, my dear friend, what adventures do you have in store for me?"

"Adventures?" Tumnus frowned. "Usually you only expect tea."

"You promised me an adventure!" said Lucy, playfully poking him in the ribs. Tumnus yelped and tried to return the attack, but Lucy was on her guard and fought him off. They were both giggling again.

"I didn't promise, I only said I'd try," corrected Tumnus. "What do you want? Dinner with the dwarves? A visit with the dryads? The Beavers are having a family reunion at their lodge this week, I believe. We could stop by there and say hello."

Lucy let out a monstrous sigh and rolled her eyes. "Tumnus!" (No "mister"! How wonderful it sounded!) "I want an adventure, not a social event! I was thinking more along the lines of stowing away on a ship to Terebinthia. I've visited there several times on business, but never for fun."

"Wait, wait, wait," said Tumnus, getting up and pacing around. "Stowing away on a ship?"

"It'll be fun!" protested Lucy.

"Doesn't it take five days to even reach Terebinthia? How long are you planning to be off on this adventure?"

Lucy almost pouted. "As long as I want to be," she said. "I left the others a note saying that I needed a holiday, and that I'll send them frequent messages to say I'm well."

Tumnus was flabbergasted. As much as he enjoyed spontaneity, this was a bit much. "Did you tell them you were going to Terebinthia?"

"Well, no," said Lucy. "I didn't actually say where I was going. But we'd better leave soon. I expect they'll want to come after me, and they'll look for me here, first."

"Did I hear you correctly?" Tumnus twisted his finger in his ear. "Did you say 'we'?"

Lucy looked startled, and blushed faintly. "Oh, I thought…I thought you might like to join me…but if you're busy…."

"Oh, no, no, no! I was just…surprised," he assured her. He bowed with a flourish. "Queen Lucy, Daughter of Eve, consider me at your service."

Lucy giggled and stood up. "I told you to stop the 'queen' stuff. I'm taking a holiday from that, too. Just call me Lucy."

Tumnus raised his eyebrows as he considered this. It had been a long time since he had addressed the youngest queen with such familiarity. While Lucy was a child, their friendship had been free and easy. He had called her simply Lucy, or sometimes "dear girl" or "sweet child." But as she got older, her increasing responsibilities had drawn her away from him somewhat, and at the same time, he realized that Lucy was not a child anymore. Tumnus came to feel that it was more appropriate to address her as "queen" than not. He also dispensed with the terms of endearment. It was not that he cared any less for Lucy, but if someone overheard him calling her "dear girl," they might start rumors that would be embarrassing to the young queen.

But for now it was to be "Lucy." Tumnus nodded. "As you wish…Lucy." It felt odd to call her that out loud—he had always thought about her in familiar terms—but he also felt as if he were coming back home after a long time away.

"Let's be off, then!" cried Lucy, breaking Tumnus out of his reverie. "I think we can both ride on Hwey and reach the port by early afternoon. I'm not sure that there's a boat to Terebinthia today, but we can surely hide out somewhere near there until there is a suitable one."

Tumnus laughed. "Calm down, O impatient one! I would like to pack a bag for this grand adventure."

"Of course!" said Lucy. "How thoughtless of me. I'm sorry."

"Not at all," said Tumnus. He smiled at her and pulled a travelling bag out of a cupboard. She settled herself, with some fidgeting, into her usual chair to wait.

"Let's see, what does one take to Terebinthia?" Tumnus gazed around his house. But his mind was only half on packing. Lucy's plan worried him. Narnia was much safer now than it had been when she had first arrived, but there were still dangers, both in the environment and from some of the creatures living there. Hwey, a talking horse, had long ago volunteered to carry Lucy around the kingdom when she wanted to visit friends or just enjoy the outdoors. Hwey was fast and strong, and so did double duty as a bodyguard for Lucy. But the horse couldn't stow away on a ship. Tumnus wondered if Lucy would have gone all by herself if he had said he couldn't join her. Usually she was more sensible than that, but with her current "escapee" mindset, he wasn't sure what she might do. He did know that if she hadn't asked him along, he would have invited himself. If he let her go alone, and anything—anything—happened to her…he couldn't bear to imagine the devastation he would feel.

He didn't feel much easier about being her only companion, either. He knew Narnia quite well, but Terebinthia was another matter. He had only been there once in his life, a long time past. The people there were friendly to Narnians, but there would still be dangers, some unfamiliar to the faun. It made him nervous to think about it.

Lucy's laugh broke into Tumnus' thoughts. "What do you think you're doing, you silly faun!"

Tumnus looked down to see that he was packing the tea kettle—with some water still in it—into his travelling bag. He grinned sheepishly and took it out, then bent over to see what other items he had collected. Fortunately, the rest of them made sense. Two extra scarves, some first aid supplies, a blanket, a loaf of bread…it would be nice to have a block of cheese to go with that. But that was one of the items Tumnus had planned to get at the market, before Lucy had suddenly arrived.

"Lucy," he said. The name came out a little easier this time. "I'm afraid I have to go to the market before I can go on an adventure. I was about to go when you arrived today."

"What market?" asked Lucy.

Tumnus frowned. "The market, over…have you never been to our market?" Lucy shook her head, smiling. "Then that," Tumnus clapped his hands, "will be your first adventure for the day. A warm-up, so to speak. And believe me, it can be an adventure."

"All right." Lucy stood up and twirled around for no reason. Tumnus found it enchanting. "I'll just send Hwey around the corner, so if my brothers come, they won't know I'm with you." She went out and spoke quietly to the horse, who muttered something back. Lucy replied with some impatience, then Hwey snorted and ambled off. Lucy skipped back to Tumnus. "And now, my friend, to the market?"

"To the market." Tumnus offered her his arm, she took it, and they set off through the woods.