Chapter 4 Saving of the Dwarf

"What a splendid night that was," moaned Ron.

Once the nine of them had explored the treasure room and took what they needed or desired, which was mainly just their gifts from Father Christmas, Susan ordered them up the stairs and to bed at once. Since they were all feeling tired from the draining adrenalin and the fact that they had spent a good deal of time outdoors walking around an island, no one complained and they soon feel asleep.

But sleeping outdoors in nothing but their everyday clothes and only each other for warmth, it was a very uncomfortable sleep and they all woke up too early in the morning on the cold hard ground. Since there was no use in trying to get back to sleep they all got up, Edmund and Ron rather cranky.

"It could have been worse," Peter yawned.

"Well, at least there's breakfast," Susan said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"You mean apples," Edmund objected, "not breakfast. I could go for some real hot cakes about now."

"Well, we haven't got any hot cakes, only apples and at least that's better than nothing," Susan snapped back.

"Well," Lucy said, stifling a yawn, "at least we know not the cook them."

"I still don't like it," mumbled Edmund to himself, but nonetheless he started munching on apples, just like the rest of them.

"I've got it!" Hermione said, making everyone stop eating, turn and look at her.

"I understand why Cair Paravel is in ruins, but it's only been a year. You see, it's been a year in our time, Hogwarts time I mean, but not here. Remember when we went back through the wardrobe. No one had thought the wiser because only seconds had gone by."

"Can't you just tell us instead of confusing us," grumbled Ron, taking a big bite out of his fourth apple.

"Months had gone by in Narnia, but when we came back to Hogwarts, barely a minute had gone by. Narnia time goes by much faster than Hogwarts and England and everything, so even though it's only been a year our time, it could have been easily hundreds of years Narnian time."

"That makes sense," agreed Susan.

"Glad that someone understood that speech. It was almost as boring as Professor Binns," Ron said, glaring at Hermione and Susan.

"It makes sense," Lucy said. "All Hermione said was that Narnia time goes faster than our time. That's why it's been hundreds of years here, but only one year back home."

"Oh," he said, scratching his red scalp.

"We've got to get off this island," Draco drawled.

"We can swim across the river to the other side," Harry ventured.

"Not all of us," Peter objected. Of course he could swim, but by all of us, he meant Edmund and Lucy.

"Besides, we don't know if there's a current," Susan added.

"We could always throw Draco and Pansy in first," Ron said with a grin.

"You wouldn't dare," Draco threatened, but he walked over to Pansy and stayed close to her.

Even though they had yet to reach a conclusion on how to cross the river safely, they all headed out of the wood. By the time they could see the water, the sun was shining just above the tree tops.

"Hold it," whispered Harry, putting his hand up.

"What's wrong, mate?" Ron asked.

Harry pointed towards the river. Coming slowly closer and more into view was a boat. Two men were in it, one was rowing. The man who wasn't rowing was holding a squirming bundle. The men looked like they were soldiers, each wearing a silver helmet.

"Hurry up," said the soldier with the bundle. "This has got to be just as good, let's just get it over with."

"Maybe a little further…"

"No! I mean, no. This looks deadly enough," said the first soldier. The second nodded his head and stopped rowing, in plain view of the children, but since they were still within the shelter of the trees, the soldiers couldn't see them.

The soldier with the bundle stood up and unwrapped a blanket and threw it aside, revealing a dwarf. The dwarf struggled with all his might, but it was in vain. The soldier held the dwarf out of the boat and over the water.

"You sure he'll drown?" he asked.

"Of course he will, just drop him already!"

No sooner did the soldier drop the struggling dwarf than an arrow whizzed by his head. With a muffled cry of surprise, the soldier fell overboard and swam to the nearest bank.

"Garn! Where are you?" And with a jump, the other soldier jumped into the water and began swimming towards his companion.

Ron saw that Susan was lowering her bow and Hermione took out the arrow that was in the bow Susan let her have, the one by the well. Then he looked to Peter. The next moment Ron and Peter had jumped into the river and were swimming to get a hold of the dwarf.

Seconds passed by and neither the boys nor the dwarf resurfaced. Hermione started fiddling around with her hair, her eyes pinned on the water where the two boys had gone under. Susan held Lucy close to her, both of their eyes scanning the river.

Harry couldn't forget the last time Ron had gone into a river. It had been a year ago back in Narnia when he, Ron, Peter, Hermione, Susan, Lucy, Mr. Winkle, and the Beavers had been racing to get to the other side. They were being chased by wolves who worked for the White Witch. Ron hadn't jumped far enough and had nearly drowned. Of course once he had been rescued he had said he couldn't swim.

Then suddenly three heads emerged, gasping for breath. Ron and Peter swam back to shore, Peter helping Ron occasionally and holding the dwarf firmly; making sure his head was above the water.

Once ashore, Hermione flung herself at Ron, too relieved that he was alright. Harry could tell she had been thinking about the same thing.

Peter lay the dwarf down and Edmund cut the ropes away with his pocket knife.

A few moments passed before the dwarf was done coughing up water and was breathing normal again. Then looking up at his rescuers he said, "I suppose I should say thank you, but I'm not helpless you know. I could have figured something out."

"Sure you could," mumbled Ron. Then a little louder, "I don't know if I was imaging things but, when you were in the water, you seemed to have been drowning."

Rolling his eyes, the dwarf stood up and responded with he would have thought of something.

"You haven't a mind to invite me to breakfast do you," said the dwarf, wringing out his long redish beard.

"Not unless you want apples," Lucy said apologetically.

"We'll, I'm starved. Getting so close to death really gets you an appetite."

"So you admit that we saved your life," Ron said.

"Never said I was going to die," came the dwarf's reply.

"What did you do? Why were they going to drown you?" Draco asked. Pansy hit him hard in the ribs with her elbow, but his face was still eager to hear the answer.

"I'm a dangerous criminal, of course!" the dwarf said happily, a broad smile on his face.

"Why?" Lucy asked.

"Before you start bombarding me with questions, why don't we move that boat out of view. It wouldn't be nice if some other soldiers see it. It's best they think the ghosts have devoured everything."

"Ghosts?" Lucy asked, shuddering.

"Oh, yes. It is said that ghosts inhabit this place and dwell in the wood here. Oh, it is said that there are thousands of them." Then with a pause the dwarf asked timidly, "You're not ghosts are you?"

"Of course not," laughed Lucy.

"Didn't think so. You're much too pretty to be of such things."

This compliment made Lucy blush a deep shade of red, the color of Ron's hair.

"I wonder if we'd all fit inside this boat," Edmund wondered out loud. "It would be much easier to move if we could just row it."

"Ed," Peter said, "There are nine of us, and that's not counting the dwarf."

"So, nine and a half," laughed Edmund.

"I'm as much a number as you!" the dwarf declared.

"You're only three feet tall," Ron stated as if the dwarf would have never known how tall he might be.

"Hmf…"

It didn't take long for the ten of them to pile into the boat. There was no room and Lucy had to sit on Susan's lap. Peter took charge of the oars and rowed the boat out of site from the mainland and around the island. The boat was so low in the water that a couple of times Peter hit a rock or a sandbar. But finally they reached their destination, the other side of the island, and everyone piled out. Peter and Harry pulled the boat onto shore so it wouldn't drift away.

"So," began the dwarf, staring at the children, "what brings you to this enchanted place, if you're not ghosts?"

"You tell us your story and then we'll tell you ours," Peter said firmly.

"But I asked you first!"

"But we saved your life," Ron put in.

"I would have thought of something!" roared the dwarf who was now red in the face.

"We never said there are no ghosts, just that we're not ghosts," Peter said with a wicked smile. "We can leave, we do have a boat, and leave you to the ghosts."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"You'd think of something," Ron grinned. "Maybe ghosts don't like dwarfs, but Nearly Headless Nick doesn't seem to mind our charms teacher, who happens to be a dwarf."

"Fine," surrendered the dwarf. "I'll tell you my story."

They walked far enough inland so that they had grass to sit on, but close enough to the river so that the sun could warm them up.

"Where to start?" mumbled the dwarf, stroking his beard.

"Well," he started, "I'm a messenger of King Caspian."

"Who?" came nine voices.

"King Caspian the Tenth, King of Narnia, long may he rein!"

With the blank looks on everyone's face the dwarf tried again.

"He's the king of Narnia, well, that is he ought to be. Right now he's only the king of us Old Narnians."

"Old Narnians?" Hermione asked.

Realizing that none of the children understood a word he was saying, he stopped, took a deep breath, and blew it out slowly.

"I'll have to start from the very beginning and it'll take some time…"

"That's fine," Pansy said, "we seem to have a lot of time, if nothing else."

Taking another deep breath and exhaling, the dwarf muttered, "This is going to be a long day."

Sorry it took so long. I was out hunting. I know this is a boring chapter, but it'll speed up soon, promise. Until next time: TTFN-Ta Ta For Now