Warning: This chapter is quite short in comparison to others, as well as the following shall be. This is also a bit violent, but I tried to keep it mild because . . . Well, C.S. Lewis was a children's author, and it would be rather a shame to counter his legend.

My first phanphic, so be merciful, I beg of you!

SUMMARY:

Part One: Basically, Tumnus' story of his friendship with Lucy.

Part Two: Their friendship after Lucy becomes Queen Lucy the Valiant of Narnia.

Part Three: Lucy and Tumnus reunite many years later, and how their friendship progresses into love.

Disclaimer: I don't own Lucy, Tumnus, or anything, really, in Part One. I get to own more stuff as the book progresses... but for now, I own nothing; I am simply a phanphiction hobo.

Chapter Six:

The Wrath of the Witch

The only thing Tumnus was aware of upon his awakening was the hammering throb at his scalp and the bitter cold air surrounding him. As he softly clutched his head, moaning softly, more became visible to his unfocused eyes. A short distance away was an unappealing lump of dry bread and a mug of murky water, which Tumnus took to be no more than melted snow. The frigidity must be on account that he was captive in a prison of blue-green ice. Tumnus shivered and sat up, only to hear the metal clang of chains at his feet. He sat and moved away from the four ice walls surrounding him, then grasped his goat legs and hugged them to his body.

Just two things seemed to bring him comfort; the fact that he was generally unharmed, save for the long, thin scabs on his chest and the headache that pounded with every heartbeat, and that the red muffler was still round his neck.

It was not long at all before he heard the thud of angry footsteps, and a door of ice opened into his cell.

'You fool!' screamed a cold voice, and before he knew what happened, he felt a force collide with his ribcage and he slid on the icy floor into a corner. He looked up to see the infuriated face of the White Witch looming above him.

'How dare you!' she boomed. 'Did you think I wouldn't find out? Did you honestly have the stupidity to think I wouldn't catch you? You disobeyed your queen, faun, and for that you shall pay dearly! Now ANSWER ME! Why did you not bring me the Human creature?'

'Your Majesty, I beg you!' Tumnus cried. 'I had –' but whatever the faun meant to say after that, we'll never know. For at that very moment, Tumnus was changed. He stopped cringing and stood up valiantly, looking the White Witch square in the eye. 'I did not bring you the Human,' he said, slowly and boldly, 'because I did what was right. I don't make it a priority to hunt for power, I don't kill anyone who stands in my way. I did something honest by not giving you the Human, something kind. Not that you'd know what justice means, for you are a heartless beast, and I haven't sunk to your level of scum yet.'

The Witch's eyes widened, and she brought out a steel-toed boot from beneath her gown and shot it into Tumnus's stomach. He gasped for air, but there wasn't time before another blow was aimed into his knee. He toppled to the glacial ground. She continued like this – brutal, savage, and vicious, until he was bruised all over and it was agonizing to breathe. The Witch lingered for only moments after her beating, then turned and left abruptly.

She returned at dawn. 'Tell me where the Humans are, faun!' she hissed. 'Tell me, and I might spare your life!' Each day she came back, screaming the same thing, and Tumnus would never give in to her beatings and whippings.

He learned many things as the Witch's prisoner. First, that his rations were meager and pathetically restricted, so what little food came his way must be eaten. Second, that the Witch became angrier with bold answers and thus gave more fierce beatings, but he continued, for she'd usually become so angry that she wouldn't return for days. He later noticed that there was another cell joined with his and separated by a wall, but there was a large gap between the two. Not a soul occupied this cell, but it was somewhat of a comfort someone might fill it eventually, and then he would have a friend to spend the long, lonely hours with, knowing that he wasn't suffering alone.

He stayed like this – cold, wounded, hungry, but still faithful to his friendship with Lucy – for weeks, Tumnus didn't bother to record how many. It was on a particularly good day (for prison that is, having being fed and not yet beaten) that the cell door opened and a plate with bread and water was thrown in . . . but in the other cell. Seconds later, a figure followed it, being flung against the far wall. Tumnus felt his heart leap into his throat. That shock of dark hair, the small height . . . the being turned its head so that Tumnus could see its profile. The nose! I know that nose. Was it truly Lucy?

The prisoner groaned in pain, and Tumnus understood that it was not her, it was a boy. . . yet he was, indeed, Human. The faun longingly stared at the food just out of his reach.

'Are you going to eat that?' he asked the Human.

It seemed that the boy had not before noticed the faun there, and was so taken aback that he said 'No.' Tumnus crawled forward and seized the bread, biting massive chunks of it. He watched the Human as he ate, and a theory flitted across his mind.

'You're Lucy Pevensie's brother, aren't you?' The boy nodded. Tumnus's mind suddenly went blank. 'You have the same nose,' he said, to fill the silence. He ate more, then continued. 'Peter or Edmund?'

The Pevensie boy started. 'What?'

'Are you Peter or Edmund?' Tumnus repeated.

'Er . . . Edmund.'

'Oh.' Tumnus kept eating. Edmund was the bully, from what Lucy had told him.

Edmund watched Tumnus as he reached for the mug of water. 'You're the faun,' said he.

'Oh. Yes,' he said, and managed to stop any more crumbs of bread from entering his mouth. He'd want more later. 'How is Lucy?' asked Tumnus. 'Is she all right? Is she safe?'

Edmund seemed to be pondering upon this matter. Finally, he said, 'I don't know if she will be.'

Tumnus's heart stopped beating. Edmund could see the fear for his sister welling up in the faun's eyes. Tumnus could hardly breathe, but he spoke. 'What –'

He was cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps. Tumnus, knowing a beating was well on its way, scuttled into the nearest corner and hid the bread behind his mass. The door opened with an echoing bang! and Tumnus cringed, covering his head. He could hear the Witch's voice, angrier and louder than ever. The faun remained in that position until he agnized that the voice was not directed at him. He raised his quivering head to meet the sight of his feet being unchained, and his door unlocked by the Witch's dwarf.

'Get up,' the Witch spat at him, and the dwarf thrust him to the ground once more. 'Do you know why you're here, faun?' she asked, using silver, slippery tones.

Tumnus looked courageously into her eyes. 'Because I believe,' he spoke firmly 'in a free Narnia.' The Witch kicked him, and Tumnus did nothing more than grunt.

'You're here,' she said briskly, and pointed her dagger-wand at the trembling Edmund. 'because he turned you in for sweeties!'

Tumnus jerked his head at Edmund, only to see his expression verifying this. Guilt and rejected apology were knit into his eyebrows, his eyes shining with it. This boy, this traitor . . . he was a shame to Lucy. Tumnus bit his lower lip, amethyst purple from the cold and tried to hold back tears. He'd bet anything that this Human turned in Lucy, too. He looked at the Witch, trying to stare her down in anger, but found the tears spilling down his face in rivers. Jadis smirked, and Tumnus saw for the first time that her eyes had no iris. They were a solid void of blackness, a reflection of her heart.

The dwarf jerked him to his hoofs and shoved him cruelly down the corridor, but Tumnus paid no notice. As the frozen hallways blurred behind him, Tumnus was devoured by fear for Lucy. She could be dead, she could be enslaved to the Witch, or in another lifeless cell being beaten to death. He was hardly aware of it when the dwarf stopped him in a stone hallway to face ahead. The faun stared blankly ahead at a point that he couldn't quite locate, even though it was right before his very eyes.

His clear path of vision was invaded when the White Witch stepped directly in front of him. Tumnus started, but the Witch glared at him with those black eyes.

"Now, you shall truly know pain!" she cried, and brought forth her wand. A great, spontaneous wind appeared from the depths of her dark castle and knifed right through Tumnus. He shouted in freezing pain, closed his eyes tightly and held up his hands to stop the gust –

But none could cease the deed that was looming upon his fate.