Chapter Four: Shard
~o*o~
Someone else heard the low, sweet notes of the flute. A white wolf called Shard slipped noiselessly though the snow to the door of Tumnus's cave.
With his nose to the ground, the wolf smelled the footprints of Tumnus…and another. Human!
Shard lifted a paw and scratched at the door, "Open up!" he hissed, "Name of the Queen!"
Inside the cave, Tumnus stopped playing and stared with horror, first at the door, then at Lucy sleeping in the chair.
"Oh Aslan, what have I done?" he gasped.
"Open up!" the persistent voice came at the door. "Or will I have to break it down?"
Tumnus stood and hurried to the door, he opened it a crack and looked out.
"Yes?" he asked timidly.
"Human detected," Shard said, his head cocked to one side. "Is there one around?"
"Human?" Tumnus's mouth went dry.
"Well, no matter," Shard said. "We'll let it go this time, see that it doesn't happen again." He turned away, when Tumnus had opened the door he had seen all he needed to know. A little girl human, sleeping in front of the fire.
Tumnus closed the door and barred it. Shaking in his hoofs, he collapsed into a chair and began to weep.
Lucy woke with a start. "Mr. Tumnus, what's wrong?"
"Oh, I've done something terrible," Mr. Tumnus wailed, "I've betrayed you to the Secret Police!"
"Me?" Lucy said in horror. "Why me?" she had no idea what the 'Secret Police' was, but she could imagine, from the tone the faun had used, that it was something equivalent to the Gestapo. She dug through her pocket, pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Tumnus.
"Because you're human that's why!" Mr. Tumnus said, sniffling and blowing his nose on the handkerchief. "You were a stranger so I didn't want to tell you and you were such good company!"
"But what to do the Secret Police want with me?" Lucy gasped. "Why do they want a human? Are there any Jews in Narnia?"
"It's the White Witch, she is behind it all!" Tumnus said. "She's the one who has made it always winter here, winter for a hundred years, cold, stark, horrible. No Christmas. She watches everyone, everyone!"
"Legend has it that if a human gets into Narnia the witch's winter will be no more," Tumnus went on. "That's why she's on such careful watch for humans."
"I must go home then!" Lucy cried. "I can't stay a moment longer!"
"Of course Daughter of Eve, of course!" the Faun said. "There's no question of your staying."
"Do you think you could show me to the lamppost?" Lucy asked. "I think I can find my way from there."
"Of course, of course," the faun exclaimed. "that's the least I can do."
They went silently and quickly. The faun took longer strides than Lucy and he had to keep slowing down so she could keep up. Mr. Tumnus stayed in the shadows and kept looking back. It seemed almost like something was following them, like a white shadow, but whenever they looked it was gone.
The lamppost stood in the middle of its clearing casting soft yellow light as if nothing exciting was going on, or perhaps the lamppost had seen so much excitement in its days that one little girl and a faun running away from a witch didn't bother it. Mr. Tumnus and Lucy halted there.
"Daughter of Eve," Mr. Tumnus said. "Please forgive me!"
"Of course I'll forgive you; it was a lovely meeting you!" Lucy said.
"Are you quite, quite sure you will be all right now? Is Spare Oom far from here?"
"Yes," Lucy said, "I can just see the light from here."
"Perhaps I might keep your handkerchief to remember you by?"
"Of course!" Lucy said. "And I shan't forget you!"
She could just see the light from the wardrobe and she ran to it. A moment more and she was among the coats and safe in the spare room. Lucy opened the door and raced down the hallway, the only thought in her mind was to tell the others about what happened.
~o*o~
You mean you don't believe me?" Lucy gasped.
"I don't see how we could Lu, it's an awfully nice story and all…" Peter began.
"Story? Story?" Lucy squeaked. "It's not a story; it happened! I didn't make it up, I didn't! I was running away in peril of my life!"
Eustace had just been awakened from his nap and came in the den in a foul mood, "Shut up little brat; we don't want to hear you."
"Oh you beasts!" Lucy yelled, and ran away crying, slamming the door behind her.
"Now look what you've done squirt!" Peter yelled, turning on Eustace.
"Little grub!" Edmund muttered.
"Oh, do be quiet Ed!" Susan called over her shoulder as she ran after Lucy.
~o*o~
"But what should we do?" Susan asked, "It isn't as if there are magical lands in wardrobes, it's preposterous!"
"I don't know," Peter said. "I really don't know."
"Maybe she'll forget about it," Edmund said. "I think the best thing we can do is not to talk to her about it; keep it mum."
"Agreed," Peter said.
A/N: This is still going very much like LWW, but in the next few chapters it will start to be very different.