Part Three of

Narnia: When Children Cry.

My first fanfic, 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.

And then we'll have a little epilogue.

NOTE: I say 'love', but it is a very light romance and very fluffy. Also, it does say in the book summary that war tears them apart. War was not what tore them apart, I'm sorry for that,but there IS a war. The dwarf in the end of the chapter is, in fact, the dwarf that split them up.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lucy or Tumnus or Narnia. I do own (sort of) Chrystmay the Dryad.

I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am for not updating! you must have thought I abandoned you. Now I feel so horrible. I've probably lost all my faithful reviewers. But that doesn't matter, because if I finish this story, it'll be a miracle.

Chapter Eighteen

What the Narnians Didn't Know

Lucy bit her lip, but kept walking. Oh, dear, where could he be? Perhaps he still did not live in his den, or perhaps he lived somewhere entirely different. Perhaps he went back to his first den that the wolves had torn apart. Worse still, maybe he did not, in fact, want to continue their friendship. Was that why he'd stopped so abruptly at the castle yesterday? Weighing the basket in her arms, the thought crossed her mind that perhaps she should have left it in the kitchens. But surely... whoever lived in his den now must know where Mr Tumnus had moved to! Yes, that would work if no other plans were successful.

It was a good thing that Lucy had made up her mind so quickly, because she found herself at Mr Tumnus' old den with hand poised at the knocker. Anxiously, her foot tapped repetitively on the front steps. Suppose he was nowhere to be found? Perhaps she'd ask... oh, who was that?... Chrystmay, the Dryad. One could only hope that she, of all people, would know where to locate him.

The door swung open.

'Mr Tumnus!' Lucy cried, and Tumnus could see her eyes light up like nothing ever had before. He stumbled back in a flare of shock.

'L-Lucy!'

'Good morning, Mr Tumnus.'

'Good morning, yes, to be sure,' he said, babbling a little. 'Might I ask... I don't mean to be rude, but... what are you doing here?'

Lucy suddenly thought herself very rude indeed for barging in on him, but tried to hide her shame as she said: 'I thought that you maybe... would like to go on a picnic with me.'

Tumnus did not understand the overwhelming surge of happiness that had jolted through him. 'Today?'

'Well, yes.' Lucy felt like a complete fool at this, but could not help feeling a slight bit better when Tumnus let forth a emanating grin.

'Oh, yes, let's!' said he very joyfully, and before either of them knew what was happening, he closed the door behind him and took Lucy by the arm.

The two walked in a simple, beautiful merriment on the forest paths in such a way that only old friends can. You could not find a more precious sight had you searched the world over.

'Now, where shall we have our picnic?' Tumnus asked Lucy.

'I don't know,' laughed she, 'but that looks like a fine place!' She pointed to a large, flat rock nestled on top of an abundance of fallen trees and soldered there with a soft garden of green moss.

It did prove to be a very fine picnic-spot. Tumnus could not have enjoyed the day more if he tried. Lucy had concealed in her basket a good tuck-in: deviled eggs and strawberries and cream, cold chicken (which is nearly as good as hot chicken) and grapes, crisp, sweet cherry pie. Tumnus felt that a great banquet could not have equaled such a picnic. They spoke merrily of many things, mainly laughing at Susan's pompous suitors.

'– and he had such a face! You should have seen it! like an overstuffed marionette.'

'Was he a terrible oaf?'

'Oh, yes! And such a glutton as well. But when he spoke, it felt as though I were speaking to a woman!' That made Tumnus laugh. 'By the Lion's Mane, he was nearly as awful as Prince Herrin.'

'Prince Herrin! Did he show any resemblance to the bird?' asked Tumnus.

'Not at all! He looked more like a great turkey than a heron. I daresay he was the worst suitor I've ever had.'

That made Tumnus sit up straight at once. 'Not Susan's suitor?'

'No, not hers, I'm afraid. Mine aren't quite as awful, but there are some that just make me want to throw them off the great tower.' Lucy did not catch the stiffness in Tumnus' voice. He did not seem to notice, either, because he was back to his casual, friendly sort of voice in a short amount of time.

Tumnus had hardly noticed that he'd brought his flute along with him until halfway through their picnic. 'I suppose I never really did teach you how to play the flute,' he murmured, fingering the instrument.

'No, but that's all right. I did so want to play it, though,' she added to herself.

'You can now,' said Tumnus, and the flute was brought to Lucy's attention for the first time.

'Oh, lovely!' said she, and he handed it to her. 'How do I play?'

Tumnus looked for the words in his mind. He spoke slowly, as to get them out correctly: 'You don't play it, really. You sort of let it teach you.' At Lucy's confused expression, Tumnus smiled and shook his head like a child. 'You'll understand while you play.'

Lucy hardly had time to admire the way Tumnus' hair settled about his head before putting her lips to the flute. She was, in fact, fascinated by the way that the melody let her play the right notes. It was long and flowing and sweet and enigmatic, and as Tumnus placed his hands behind his head to relax, he could not have asked for more beautiful music.

Then Lucy hit a wrong note.

Tumnus' eyes flew open to see her looking down at the flute in study.

'I don't know what I did,' she said, brow in a knot. 'I thought that was right, but –'

'Play it again,' Tumnus instructed. Lucy did so. He nodded and said, 'It's a common mistake; your finger isn't covering the hole entirely.'

'This one?' Lucy adjusted her pointer finger.

'No, this one,' said Tumnus, and pulled her smallest finger over the hole. Lucy played it and smiled.

'That was it,' she said, nodding

They spent the day jubilantly, growing ever more blithe as the day wore on. By afternoon, the sunlight was settling nicely on the Western Wood, and they were already planning their next adventure.

❦

The dwarf stormed about the dark chamber in a great rage. Nothing had been successful yet, and the armies were getting impatient. Then again, he'd quite lost his temper with the army.

'You cannot continue like this!' he boomed at the troops in the hall with him. 'You've bided and become cowards! You've not been able to rage war on Narnia for ten years!'

The army remained silent.

'I've tried not to come to this,' said the dwarf, whose name was General Reslev. 'for I am not certain she is ready. And many of you...' his stern, cruel glare swept unsettlingly across the room, 'will be most unfortunate if she returns.'

Everyone shifted uncomfortably.

'But I am convinced,' Reslev continued in a louder voice, 'that it can be done no other way.

'We shall resurrect Jadis.'