Chapter Six
The fauns moved by as the hooded figure walked by the stalls and shops and held onto the handle of the sword that was hanging on the belt around the figure's waist. The air had a tint of winter's chill while figure watched the fauns going about their business when the figure stopped and stood against the wall as several faun guards walked by. The figure didn't recognize any of the faun guards then moved onward when the figure saw some faun children running by and sadly smiled.
"Hurry, Tumnus, we're going to be late!" one of the faun children shouted as the figure's head snapped up then felt the tears from seeing Little Tumnus running to keep up with the others. The figure noticed that the faun children were heading for the center of the village as the figure followed then stopped near a tree, seeing who was sitting on a stone stool surrounded by the faun children.
"Can it be?" the figure whispered as the figure moved closer and the faun children smiled and wiggled on the ground. Wearing a thick cloak with a hood, Tumnus brushed some hair out of his eyes as the faun children settled on the ground and Little Tumnus crawled onto Tumnus' knee.
"So, what story do you want to hear today?" Tumnus asked as the faun children whispered to each other and he smiled, placing his hand on his knee.
"I want to hear the one about you meeting Balferone!" one of the faun children shouted.
"No, I want to hear about how you met Queen Lucy!" the other faun child shouted.
"We've heard that one a zillion times! I want to hear about how you saved the fauns from the ogres!" a faun child said.
"I wanna hear that one!" Little Tumnus said as he bounced up and down on Tumnus's knee and Tumnus ruffled Little Tumnus' hair.
"I wouldn't mind hearing the story about how you saved poor Tinkleberry the fairy from the spider," the figure said as they looked at the figure and Tumnus frowned, tilting his head to one side.
"Um, do I know you? "Tumnus asked as he got up from the stone bench and held Little Tumnus in his arms while the faun children stood and gathered around him.
"What surprises me is that you have forgotten me so quickly," the figure said as the figure lowered the hood and Tumnus' eyes widened.
"Tinkleberry?" Tumnus asked as he placed Little Tumnus down and ran to Tinkleberry, hugging her. He felt her tears running down his neck as she held him and he moved back, gently wiping her eyes with the pads of his thumbs. "I, um, I thought you had gone home."
"No. I spent these last few months searching for you. I couldn't go home without finding you or... "
"Or you found my body? " Tumnus asked when Arayna, Orin and Brock came closer and Tinkleberry stood between them, taking the sword out of the scabbard and held the sword in both hands.
"HOLD!" Tinkleberry shouted when Brock stood on its hind legs and growled at her.
"Brock, stand down! Tinkleberry, put the sword away!" Tumnus said as he walked out from behind her and Tinkleberry placed the sword away.
"Tumnus? Who is this?" Arayna asked.
"This is Tinkleberry. She was the one I was traveling with when I fell into the stream," Tumnus said, looking at Tinkleberry. "Tinkleberry, this is Arayna, this is Orin and that is Brock."
"Hello and goodbye. Let's go," Tinkleberry said as she took Tumnus' hand and Tumnus nearly tripped while she half dragged him down the path.
"Tinkleberry, stop, I don't want…" Tumnus shouted while Orin ran in front of Tinkleberry and growled.
"Call off your beast or it will taste the sting of my blade!" Tinkleberry shouted as she looked back at Arayna and Tumnus' eyes widened.
"TINKLEBERRY!" Tumnus gasped as Orin growled and its ears were flat against his head.
"Orin!" Arayna shouted when Tumnus let go of Tinkleberry's hand and walked to Arayna. Taking his hands, she saw the anger and hurt in his eyes and gently gave his fingers a squeeze. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," Tumnus said as she smiled at him and gently brushed the hair from his eyes.
"Leave him alone!" Tinkleberry said, grabbing his hand and glared at Arayna. "We're leaving!"
"I'm not going anywhere!" Tumnus shouted as he removed her hand and folded his arms over his chest.
"What have they done to you?"
"No one has done anything to me. I just like it here."
"But they're fauns!"
"So am I."
"And you trust them?"
"Yes. Now, please, Tinkleberry, go home."
"Not without you. Don't you care about how your father will react if I come home alone?"
"Just tell him where I am and have him come here."
"I don't know where we are! What about the children?"
"What is she talking about?" Arayna asked.
"She is talking about the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve," Tumnus said then looked at Tinkleberry. "Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy will be fine without me."
"You are their high advisor!" Tinkleberry said.
"I never asked them to do make me their high advisor! Now, please, go home!" Tumnus shouted as he walked off and Arayna, Brock and Orin followed him. Tinkleberry watched them leave then looked at the other fauns when she changed into her smaller size and flew away.
The door slammed open as Tumnus stormed down the stairs and Arayna, Orin and Brock followed. She watched as Tumnus took the red, woolen scarf off and tossed the red, woolen scarf on the bed. He paced as he growled to himself and they walked down the stairs after Arayna closed the door behind them. She watched as Tumnus growled and paced when she walked to the stove and placed the teakettle on the stove then lit the fire under it. Tumnus slid onto the bed as she turned then walked the bed, sat next to him and gently stroked his chest.
"Calm yourself." Arayna said as she gently laid her head on his chest and heard the loud pounding of his heart. He breathed in and out as he looked at the shadows and blinked his eyes a few times.
"I am tired of others treating me like a child. I am over one hundred years old and was taking care of myself long before any of them came along," Tumnus' voice growled in her ear and she took his left hand, wrapping her fingers around his fingers. She listened to his heart slowing down when the teakettle whistled and she got up. He sat up while watching her making the tea when he smiled and brushed some of the hair from his eyes. He got up when he noticed something flying under the door and frowned. The small object flittered around the room when Tumnus caught the small object in his hands and slowly opened his hands. Tinkleberry looked up at him when he sighed and Arayna walked closer, looking down at Tinkleberry.
"Is that….?" Arayna asked.
"Tinkleberry," Tumnus sighed when Tinkleberry changed size and he pinched his eyes shut with his finger and thumb. "How did you find me?"
"It wasn't hard. I just followed that," she said while pointing to Brock and Tumnus sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Go home."
"I am not leaving without you!" Tinkleberry said when Tumnus snorted and walked up the stairs then walked to the door, opening the door. "Where are you going?"
"Where ever you aren't!" Tumnus shouted when he left and slammed the door behind him.
"Now look at what you have done!" Arayna shouted. Growling, Tinkleberry stormed to the stairs when she left and slammed the door behind her. Arayna looked at the door when Brock and Orin looked at her and Arayna growled, balling her hands into fists. Walking to the wooden chest near the door, Aryana opened the lid when she removed a crossbow and quiver when she opened the door and looked at Orin and Brock.
"Are you coming? " Arayna asked as they ran up the stairs and she slammed the door behind them after they walked outside.
The night sky was lit with stars while the fire flickered and Tumnus sat watching the flames. He wasn't sure how far he had walked when he placed some sticks on the fire and watched the sparks floating in the air. Sighing, he looked up at the stars as he leaned back against the rock and placed his hands behind his head. He watched the stars twinkling above him when the stars swirled around then changed into a face of a lion and he jumped.
"Aslan?" Tumnus whispered when he stood up and felt like he wasn't alone. He looked around when something moved in the bushes and he moved closer to the fire. He watched when the bushes parted and something came closer. It was a large lion with tan fur and a large mane and the lion came to a stop in front of him.
"Greetings," Aslan said with a nod of his head.
"Um, hello, what are you doing here?"
"The more important question is what you are doing," Aslan said, sitting down.
"What am I doing? I, uh, I am...I...I'm...I don't know," Tumnus sighed, sitting down against the rock and brushed the hair from his eyes.
"Why did you leave?"
"Why did I leave the castle? Well, there were fauns there that wanted to kill me."
"That isn't what I mean."
"Well, Tinkleberry and I were looking for the Eye of the Moon. See, my brother won this map that was supposed to lead to where the Eye of the Moon is, but I fell into the stream and ended up here."
"It's not that."
"You mean why did I leave Arayna's house? I left because I was getting angry. I understand that Tinkleberry wants to protect me and all, but it's becoming annoying. I can't do anything without her around. Don't get me wrong. I do like her. She is annoying, true, but she is a great friend. The other thing is that I like it here. I know it's not my home, but my home is gone! They destroyed it! I have nothing back there. Ah! I know you are going to say the children and my father are there. True, and so is Balferone, but, here, they don't care what I have or haven't done. Why can't I just be where I am happy? Don't I deserve some happiness? If I had stayed at Arayna's house, I would have said something to Tinkleberry that would have ruined everything we have. Should I have done that?" Tumnus asked when he noticed he had gotten up and was pacing and Aslan looked at him then sighed, half closing his eyes.
"No, but, before you go any further, think about what you are losing to what you have won, will win, and ponder if it's worth it," Aslan said when the lion got up and walked toward the trees, vanishing into the shadows. Tumnus looked at the fire for a few minutes as he thought about what Aslan said then sat down, curled up next to the rock and closed his eyes.
The sunlight shimmered on the leaves as Tumnus walked down the trail and watched the sunlight dancing between the leaves. Stopping near a rock, he heard a low growling sound when he ducked behind the rock and pressed his back against the rock. He peeked out behind the rock when the bushes parted and Brock and Orin walked out onto the trail.
"What are you two doing here?" Tumnus asked, coming out from behind the rock.
"We are looking for you," Orin said.
"Well, you needn't have bothered," Tumnus said as he started walking down the trail and Orin and Brock followed close behind him. They walked along when he heard something and stopped, placing his finger to his lips, hushing them. The bushes parted when Tinkleberry appeared and she walked closer after seeing Tumnus, Orin and Brock.
"There you are," Tinkleberry said then stopped when a crossbow shaft shot passed her and hit the tree. Sword drawn, she turned around when Arayna came out of the bushes and held the crossbow tightly in her hands.
"Stand away from him!" Arayna said when Tumnus sighed, rolled his eyes and started walking down the path. "Where are you going?"
"That way," Tumnus said as he started walking down the path when Tinkleberry ran by him then stood in front of him and he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Please move aside before I say something that will ruin what I have with the two of you."
"And what exactly do you have with the two of us?" she asked and Tumnus folded his arms over his chest and watched while Arayna walked closer and stood next to Tinkleberry.
"You…." he said as he pointed at Tinkleberry then softly smiled and brushed the hair from his eyes. "You are my friend and I would be lost without you. You make me smile and I enjoy your company. BUT, I do NOT need a nanny! I am capable to take care of myself and have for a very long time."
He saw the sadness in her eyes as he walked closer then brushed some hair behind her ear and placed his forehead against her forehead.
"Guess we're just very protective of each other, aren't we?" he asked as she smiled and nodded her head. Moving back, he looked at Arayna when he walked closer and took the crossbow and placed the crossbow on the ground, taking her hands. "As for you, I would be dead if it wasn't for you. I owe you my life."
A blush moved across Arayna's cheeks as she half closed her eyes and Tinkleberry tilted her head to one side, noticing the way Tumnus was looking at Arayna.
"Now, what I want the both of you to understand is that I am not sure what I want to do in regards to if I am going back to Cair Paravel or not. Instead…." he said when he walked back to Tinkleberry and folded his arms across his chest while locking eyes with her. "I want to know if you still have the map."