Chapter Two
The sound of hooves clicking on the stone echoed down the hallway while Tumnus wondered where his father had gone when he saw Tilnus near the archway and stopped, placing his hands behind his back.
"Father, wait!" Tumnus shouted when Tilnus turned around then softly smiled, walking toward him.
"Are you alright, Little One?" Tilnus asked and Tumnus sweetly smiled, slightly lowering his head.
"Yes, Father, I'm fine. I am also sorry about how I acted. I'm just very protective when it comes to Tinkleberry," he said and Tilnus placed his hand on Tumnus' shoulder.
"I can see that, but that isn't why I am upset. I just can't believe that someone wants to kill you."
"Father, I told you that the fauns think me a coward and a traitor."
"No, they are the cowards for wanting to kill you in your sleep. Don't get me wrong. I don't want harm to come to you in any form, but the war ended two years ago."
"It doesn't matter to them how long it has been. They see me as a traitor and a coward and this only proves just how far they will go to get rid of me."
"Not if I can help it!" Tilnus growled as Tumnus sighed and shook his head.
"No, I will not allow anything to happen to you. You are the only family I have left!" Tumnus said as Tilnus smiled and brushed the hair out of Tumnus' eyes.
"No, the children and Tinkleberry are family as well."
"Yes, all the more reason to be careful. The Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve they may be, but the fauns would kill them if they stood in their way."
"If that's the case then I think it would be safer if you and Tinkleberry came and slept in my quarters. I'll ask Queen Lucy to place centaurs at the door if that will make you feel better," Tilnus said as Tumnus nodded his head and Tilnus placed his arm around Tumnus' shoulders while they walked down the hallway.
The room was quiet while the fire crackled in the fireplace and Mister Tumus snuggled under the duvet, looking at the wall. He had gone back to his room to find the children, the centaurs and the bodies gone and Tinkleberry had gone back into the small house. He had carefully picked the small house up when he followed Tilnus to his quarters and placed the small house on the wooden table near the bed. Smiling, he looked at the small house when he heard a soft buzzing sound and felt someone sitting on the bed. Sitting up, he looked at Tinkleberry and she looked like she had been crying. She wiped her eyes as he held his arms out and she moved closer, snuggling against him.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he bent his legs up and she placed her head against his chest, hearing the soft beating of his heart.
"Yes," she said then looked up at him and he brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Are you angry with me?"
"Um, uh, no, of course not," he said and she stroked the fur on his chest. "Well, I am a tiny bit angry that you didn't tell me that you could change your size."
"You never asked me," she teased and he laughed.
"No, I guess I didn't. Anyway, am I right in thinking that this repeating things four times is just to annoy me?" he asked and she smiled up at him.
"Yesyesyesyes," she teased and he sighed, rolling his eyes.
"You are such a silly fey," he teased then yawned and half closed his eyes. Sitting up, she helped him lay on his side then covered him with the duvet and gently kissed the top of his head. She watched him close his eyes then drift off to sleep when she got off the bed, walked to the chair near the fireplace and sat down on the chair. She had removed the long blade sword from the scabbard as she placed the long blade sword on her lap and looked at the door, her eyes glowing in a red light.
The sounds of hooves clicking on the stone echoed down the hallway as Tumnus looked at the paintings on the walls and sighed. The paintings were changed every day when he noticed the painting of him and his father had been torn into shreds and the tattered pieces of canvas hung from the frame.
"Badbadbadbad," Tinkleberry said as Tumnus sighed and walked toward the large, ivory doors. He took a deep breath when he opened the large, ivory doors and the horns blared, making him jump.
"High Advisor Tumnus!" the centaurs guard said as Tumnus walked in the dining hall and looked at the children sitting at the table.
"Good Morning, Tumnus," Peter said as Tumnus nodded then walked to the high back chair and sat down. He looked at the food on the china plate when he placed the cloth napkin on his lap and Lucy smiled at him. Tinkleberry landed on the table when she looked at the food and tossed some pink powder on the food.
"Why did she do that?" Edmund asked when the food started smoking and bubbling then turned black and Lucy's eyes went wide.
"Poisonpoisonpoisonpoison!" Tinkleberry said.
"Someone tried to poison Tumnus?" Susan asked and Tinkleberry nodded her head.
"Who would want to do that?" Lucy asked.
"It was the fauns," Tumnus sighed and placed the napkin on the table.
"But why would the fauns want to kill you?" Peter asked.
"They believe me a traitor and a coward," he sighed and Lucy placed her hand on top of his hand.
"That's ridiculous!" Edmund said as Tumnus sighed and looked down at his lap.
"What should we do, Peter?" Susan asked.
"I don't know," Peter said.
"We can't let them get away with this!" Tilnus said as he stood up and walked toward the large, ivory doors.
"Father, please don't do anything foolish!" Tumnus said as Tilnus stopped and turned, looking at them. "Maybe it would be best if I just left."
"No, don't go!" Lucy said with tears in her eyes.
"But…."
"You are not going anywhere," Susan said.
"But things will only get worse if I stay."
"Enough," Peter said as he stood up and placed his hands on top of the table. "What we need to do is find the fauns that tried to kill Tumnus and bring them to justice."
Sighing, Tumnus got up when he walked toward the large, ivory doors when the centaurs opened the large, ivory doors and Peter titled his head to one side.
"Where are you going?"
"Today is the day I do the troop inspections. If I am staying then I best get started," Tumnus sighed as he placed his hands behind his back and lowered his head.
"Not without a guard!" Tilnus said as Tumnus nodded his head then left the room with the centaur guards and Lucy wiped the tears from her eyes.
The leaves sparkled in the sunlight while Oreius and several guards followed Tumnus as he inspected the quarters in the centaurs' compound and they stopped in front of the door to Oreius' quarters. Tumnus knocked on the door when the door opened and Grenlee, Oreius' mate, gently smiled at him. Standing two inches shorter than Oreius, Grenlee was thin with a muscular build and had long, white hair, a tan hide and chocolate brown eyes.
"Greetings and welcome," Grenlee said with a nod of her head.
"Greetings and thank you," Tumnus said and made a slight bow. Standing back, Grenlee allowed him and Oreius enter as Tumnus saw someone standing near the fireplace and the six year old centaur female smiled at him. She had long, white hair and chocolate brown eyes, but her hide was the same color as Oreius and she shyly walked to Tumnus, handing him a flower.
"Thank you," he said as she smiled then walked to Grenlee, hiding behind her. Tumnus looked over at the young male centaurs while they stood in a line near the sleeping mats and he walked closer, placing his hands behind his back.
The oldest of the young male centaurs was almost as tall as Oreius and looked like him. Standing with his shoulder and back straight, the young male centaur looked straight ahead and Tumnus walked around him then walked to the next young male centaur. He had long, white hair and chocolate brown eyes and was standing with his shoulders and back straight. Tumnus walked around him when he nodded his head and looked at the youngest male centaur. He had the same color hair and eyes like Oreius, but looked like Grenlee and was standing with his shoulders and back straight. Tumnus walked around him when he walked to Oreius and Oreius gave him a concerned look.
"You have a remarkable family," Tumnus said.
"Thank you, Sir," Oreius said as they headed for the door and Tumnus turned around, looking at the young male centaurs.
"At ease, Boys," he said as the young male centaurs relaxed and Tumnus smiled. Leaving the house, Tumnus, Oreius and the centaur guards headed down the path when Tumnus looked at Oreius and titled his head to one side.
"How long has your youngest son been practicing his stance?" Tumnus asked and Oreius slightly smiled.
"He has been practicing all year. He was very worried that he would fail like last time," Oreius said.
"He was only a few days old. I could barely stand up at that age," Tumnus said with a smile and Oreius nodded his head. "Well, you can tell him that he did it perfectly."
Walking along the path, they came to the area where the faun guards and armies lived and they stopped, the centaur guards gathering around Tumnus. Oreius drew his sword while he looked around and softly growled as one of the centaur guards walked closer.
"General?" one of the centaur guards asked as he hushed them and held a hand up.
"Listen," he whispered when they heard a high pitched whistle and Tumnus' eyes widened.
"No," he said and Oreius looked at him.
"What's wrong?"
"That is a hunting whistle!" Tumnus said when several fauns appeared from behind the buildings and stood on roof tops and held weapons tightly in their hands. The centaur guards drew their weapons as they tightened the circle around Tumnus and one of the fauns walked closer, holding a long blade knife in his left hand.
"This doesn't have to be bloody. Just hand over the traitor and we'll let you live," the fauns said as he walked closer and Tumnus noticed that the faun's nose was broken. Moving a little closer, Tumnus notice that the faun was the one he had punched years ago after he had saved his father from an ogre labor camp and Oreius moved in front of Tumnus.
"Stand down and place your weapons on the ground," Oreius demanded as the fauns came closer and the faun with the broken nose smiled.
"What would you do if we don't? If you break rank around the traitor, one of us will slip through and will slice him open like a ripe fruit."
"Stand down!" Oreius growled and the fauns laughed. The faun with the broken nose moved back a few feet when he looked at the other fauns and whistled, signaling the other fauns to attack. Watching the centaurs fighting the fauns, Tumnus backed away then ran and his hooves clattered on the stone while he ran by the buildings. Tumnus kept running when someone grabbed him and pulled him inside a building, closing the door behind them. A hand covered his mouth while his heart thumped hard and fast in his ears and Tumnus looked around the semi dark room.
"I will release you if you promise that you will not scream. Do you understand?" the low voice in his ear asked and Tumnus nodded his head. The hand lowered as Tumnus turned around and tried hard not to faint. The figure in front of him was a faun and was his height, but the faun wore a patch over his right eye and softly smiled at him.
"I, um, I know you, don't I?" Tumnus asked while the faun looked through the slats in the shutters and brushed the long, white hair from his left eye. It took a moment for him to remember who this faun was then he half smiled because this faun was his father's second in command.
"Yes, I am your father's second in command. My name is Aranno," Aranno said with a slight bow and Tumnus slightly nodded his head.
"Yes, I remember now. Well, I guess you saving me from the fauns makes us even, doesn't it?" Tumnus asked while Aranno laughed, shook his head and looked through the slats in the shutter.
"No, it doesn't. Aslan, they're everywhere," Aranno said then sighed and looked at Tumnus. "I cannot believe they would attack one of the heroes of the war."
"I am no hero!" Tumnus said while holding his hands up and Aranno titled his head to one side.
"But you are a hero. Only a brave soul would stand up to ogres and free his fellow fauns."
"I guess, but I nearly died doing it. And the other fauns believe me a coward and a traitor."
"No, not all faun guard and army think that way. I certainly don't," Aranno said while heading for the back of the building and Tumnus followed him. Aranno opened the window then took a crate and placed the crate under the window. He carefully climbed up onto the crate as he climbed out of the window then looked around. Nodding his head, he signaled for Tumnus to follow as Tumnus climbed out of the window and they walked along the building. Suddenly Tumnus stopped when he sniffed the air and looked toward Cair Paravel. Smoke was floating out of one of the windows of the great castle when Tumnus realized which room the smoke was coming from and his eyes widened.
"My bedroom's on fire!" he shouted as they ran and the sounds of their hooves echoed off the stones.