Edmund was glad Susan insisted on playing another game of chess, even though she had lost horribly the last two, because it took his mind off his problems- or more aptly put, the horrible feeling that his current situation was his own fault. Any way Edmund looked at his past actions, he couldn't find an angle where he wasn't at fault.

When he confessed to Susan what he was thinking between turns, she told him that it was all right; that Aslan forgave him and it was best to move forward- but Edmund knew that was impossible- because he couldn't forgive himself.

Part of him wondered what would have happened if he hadn't spoken to White Witch- doubted she was a queen to begin with.

Nothing good, I suspect. Edmund mused as he took another turn, capturing Susan's last pawn who was making a desperate charge for the other side of the board. Would've turned me to stone, or something.

Edmund used to wonder what that was like being stone, but no longer. When he was injured at Beruna, it had been the only way he could have lived- the Witch's wand he broke had just enough magic left for one last petrification.

Edmund didn't remember anything after he touched the wand. It was as if his mind was lost in a void- empty of thoughts, empty of sensation. When Aslan revived him, he was overwhelmed for a moment by all the light, sounds, and the countless hugs from his siblings.

"-turn."

"What?" Edmund asked and Susan sighed again from across the table.

"It's your turn," she said and he glanced at the board. Susan wasn't horrible at chess, but he was better. Still, he decided to make a move to extend the game. If Susan didn't win, it was most likely that she would refuse another round. But, if Edmund made it obvious he was setting her up to win she would be mad. So, he just made what seemed like a thoughtless move- as if his mind was preoccupied- Which it was, but he was able to think of more than one thing at a time.

"There," he announced. "Your turn."

Susan surveyed the board and after a moment of hesitation, did what Edmund wanted- claimed a rook. "Are you sure you're not trying to-"

A knock at the bedroom door took their attention away from the game.

"Who is it?" Susan called.

"Peter!"

"Come in," Edmund told him, and a moment later, his older brother came into the room, followed by Mr. Tumnus. As the youngest King suspected, the faun froze in terror the moment he caught sight of him.

Peter placed a hand on Mr. Tumuns' shoulder to steady him

"You weren't lying," Mr. Tumnus stammered, "I was hoping you were, truly, when you-"

"You must know a way to fix this," Edmund began, knowing he was being demanding, but he needed some kind of hope.

"I… I can't," Mr. Tumnus, moving to sit on the nearest thing, which happened to be the bed. "But I can only thank Aslan that this happened to you- not someone who might wish to destroy Narnia."

"True," Edmund agreed, feeling a little better about the situation, thanks to his friend's kind words. If Edmund dared to call Mr. Tumnus a friend- which the Just King doubted. "However, I can't make it stop snowing."

"I thought you did earlier," Susan noted, glancing at the window. "I when I asked-"

"I thought I had," Edmund confessed, "but I think the flakes merely became smaller. At this rate, the Cair and all Narnia will be snowed in- again. I am worried, Mr. Tumnus."

"We all are," Susan agreed and next addressed Mr. Tumnus, "What are we going to do? If we can't change him back, can we stop his magic?"

"I don't know," the faun said, "I know nothing of the Witch's magic. Well, not completely nothing-"

"What do you know?" Edmund demanded, only to apologize. "Didn't mean to snap."

"It's all right," Mr. Tumnus smiled a bit and continued, "I only saw her use magic a few times, when I visited her court. Back then-"

"If you don't mind my asking," Peter cut in from where he had been standing by the end of the bed since Mr. Tumnus sat down, "how did you, someone so kind become involved with th-"

"Are you saying I'm not kind?" Edmund demanded next.

"Well, back then-"

"I was an ass," the Just King finished, happy to admit it. Even more so to hear Peter stammer over his words a split second later. "I know. Go on, Mr. Tumnus."

"Well," the faun continued once it was silent. "Back then, nothing was growing in Narnia. The only way to not starve was to fish, but over the years, fish became scarce. So many of us, myself included, had no choice but to beg Jadis for food. Which she gave, under certain conditions, of course."

"Of course," Edmund knew that all too well.

"That's so sad," Susan noted.

"It was with little choice, many of us enlisted in her service-"

"See?" Susan turned to Peter, "I knew it was best we paid those dwarfs."

"Fair," Peter admitted and let Mr. Tumnus continue his story.

"That is how I ended up in her service. Not by choice, true, some did choose, but I did not. So, when I was given an assignment, a creature to spy upon, I went to her court and that is where I witnessed her magic."

"What was it like?" Peter asked, glancing at both him and Edmund.

"She had a little vial," Tumnus said.

"No, I think it was like a lighter," Edmund corrected.

"Could have been both?" Susan asked and the two shrugged. That was possible.

"Anyway," Mr. Tumnus said after a pause, "her magic is powerful and must be used with caution. What it can not create, I do not know. I have seen food, clothes, many things we needed."

"What about weapons?" Peter asked.

"I am unsure, all I know is that she had a wand of ice, which she may have made. But how, I do not know."

"No idea, either," Edmund added for good measure. It wasn't that he knew, but something told him that he did not want to think about any of this for too long. "But if you know nothing, how do we fix this? It won't stop snowing. I tried to make it like I did earlier, but it changes with my mood, I believe."

" Oh, that's going to be fun," Peter muttered and Susan gave him a dirty look.

"Be nice, Peter."

"Well, what I am merely saying is-"

"It might keep snowing," Mr. Tumnus concluded. "That concerns me greatly, too. With spring, all the farms who had been saving seeds were beginning to till the soil. I hope none of them have already planted- or Narnia may have another famine."

"That's possible," Peter agreed, "but I will send out a decree asking none to begin farming yet."

"How will you explain why?" Edmund asked next.

"I don't know. Lucy's always the best with stories."

"You could just go with the story we told her, for now, that is." Susan suggested and Peter reluctantly agreed. "Now, what should we do about Edmund?"

"I'm not sure, Su," Peter frowned and crossed his arms in thought. "It's a difficult matter to explain."

"We could say She's returned," Edmund suggested, feeling that was the easiest path to take.

"But that's not fair to Aslan." Susan noted, "besides, the prophesy said that everything would be right again."

"And it kind of is," Peter agreed, glancing out the window again, into the late afternoon light. "But it's still snowing and we can't keep this quiet forever."

"We know that," Susan protested, 'but we can't just tell them. Who knows what might happen and-"

"No, no, you're right. I just…" Peter paused, "I hate all this lying. I lied to Lu yesterday and I don't want to do that again."

"That's Lucy," Edmund noted, "completely different. If we tell Narnia, I might be banished to Archenland or something. I don't want that. We have to think of something."

"We could…" Susan began and all in the room turned to her. "No. That's not a good idea. I mean, it is, but-"

"Spit it out, Su." Peter urged.

"Fine. If you want to know: I say we fake Edmund's death."

"No! Why would you do that?" The youngest cried.

"And then, while everyone thinks he's dead, we go looking for a way to fix all of this. Then, we go home."

"Susan," Peter began with a long sigh. "I said yesterday, we're not going home. Narnia needs us."

"You need Narnia. I don't. And clearly, Edmund doesn't either."

"That's not true!" Edmund hated being lumped in with any of his siblings' feelings. "I like it here."

"Even though you almost died three times already?"

"Yes, even though. I want to stay, too."

"Then," Peter posed the question again to the group. "What do we do about all of this? We still haven't figured that out."

"And we're not faking my death," Edmund added sternly as he noticed the look in his sister's glance. "Would be weird, you know."

"Then," Susan began after a long sigh. "I suppose we have no choice but to come clean. Which I still say is a horrible idea."

"it is a bad idea!" Edmund agreed. "But I don't want to be dead. There has to be another way."

"There might be," Susan admitted. "But I will need to think about it. In the meantime, we continue on as we were. Edmund's still ill, Peter and I will keep Lucy and the rest of Narnia in the dark."

"Fair," Peter agreed and the rest of the day continued on, the matter dealt with for the time being. Even if all three of them had to lie to Lucy.

A/N - I am still here and posting. Life is just busy! Expect more next week.