(2,730 words this chapter)

(I draw inspiration for my stories from the Chronicles of Narnia in all it's manifestations both canon and non-canon).

Disclaimer: The Chronicles of Narnia are the intellectual property of Clive Staples Lewis and his legally recognized representatives. We just come here to play in his garden.

Warning: M rated for violence and drug use but mostly to give me some wiggle room.

pages 23-25

The Narnians

"The lion, the Witch, the Wardrobe and Beyond"

chapter7

Reckonings

The two wooden boxes used to cradle his head prevented Fain from seeing anything other then the underside of the inn's rafter lined roof. The fauns, emotionally exhausted from the day's events wearily shuffled over to stand beside his pallet.

Asuls the more sensitive of the two fauns supported himself by holding on to Mosus right shoulder with both hands. Mosus in the meantime wrapped an arm around the back of his confidant resting a comforting right hand on Asuls shoulder.

The fauns began speaking almost at the same time. "Fain-fain, you-you...

Asuls stopping, nodded his head towards his companion in deference.

Mosus taking the lead continued, "Fain, look at what happens when we leave you alone for just a minute- "

"Oh, Fain,' Asuls moaned, 'what's going to happen now? You, badly injured. the captain's gone, Azron lamed for life."

His questions earned a reproachful look from Mosus.

Fain tried raising his head to look more directly at the fauns but found he lacked the strength to perform even this simplest of tasks. Heaving a sigh he let his head settle back down onto the plank. Listlessness and the absence of pain made it clear Helria's potions had begun to take effect.

"What's going to happen to us now," Fain parroted. "Me, I'll be going home. You two? You two will be getting back to work. You both had an oral agreement with Da and I plan on holding you to it."

Fain doubted he had any legal recourse when it came to the fauns, not that he would have exercised it even if he had. These two had always taken great pleasure in goading him, well, now it was his turn and he was going to make them squirm a little.

"Besides,' he went on, 'don't you think this is the perfect opportunity to add another chapter to that epic novel you two are always talking up. You know it's kind of amusing if you think about it. Our adventures together began here at the Inn, what was it, maybe three or four winters ago. Now it's about to end where it all started but I want you both to know I really enjoyed the time we had together."

Asuls overcome with grief broke away and retreated back across the common-room of the inn. His face buried in his hands, the faun struggled to hold back the tears. Mosus looking over his shoulder watched with concern the departure of his good friend.

Asuls upon reaching the other side of the room dropped on to one of the long benches. His elbows propped on the table top, face in hands, the faun's body shuddered occasionally as he struggled to hold his emotions in check.

"Go to him Mosus. Go to him and make him understand, Narnia needs you both now more then ever," Fain begged.

Placing a hand gently on the satyr's shoulder Mosus nodded his head before turning to rejoin Asuls.

Mosus departure was promptly followed by a tab-thump, tab-thump sound heralding the arrival of an aberration at Fain's bedside. the sight of this phantom froze him all the way down to the marrow of his bones. There was no mistaking the upper limb of his father's longbow. Fain would have recognized anywhere that fox hair silencer lashed to the upper part of the bowstring.

"Easy now Tobruk," came Azron's always soothing voice.

The space above Fain's head previously occupied by the fauns, Tobruk now filled. The bear staring down on him, the look of fear and confusion in his eye's was plain to see. Tobruk slowly lowering Azron onto Fain's berth held on until he was sure the badger was steady. Taking a step back the bear dropped to his knees, resting his elbows on the edge of the plank with his paws laced together. Tears began to stream down the sides of his face.

"Well-well, aren't we a pair," Azron sight as he rocked slightly back and forth on his good foot, his paws wrapped tightly around the bow.

"Does it hurt much Azron," Fain asked.

"Not much, Helria gave me a dose of that stuff she gave you and if I do say, I'm feeling rather pleased with myself right now," The badger murmured.

Fain nodded in agreement, he too was starting to feel good in an odd sort of way. He almost could understand why some one would embrace this drug induced perspective of the world over the soul crushing truth of life under the witch.

A notion sifted through Fain's fading grip on reality. "Azron you'll probably be getting back to the village before me, would you do me a favor and look up my ma, tell her what's happened.' Fain paused trying to order his thoughts. 'and please try to get her to understand I'm going to be fine. Knowing Ma, she would like nothing better then to have you around to fuss over until I get back, it will help take her mind off father and me."

"Of course Fain,' the badger assured him, 'but you should really ask Merbos to brake the news to her. He'll more then likely get there long before you or me.

"Where is Merbos,' Fain inquired. 'I haven't seen him."

Choking up on the bow with both paws the badger shifted his weight away from his injured foot, his face taking on a solemn expression. "And you probably won't see him either. Something happened back there that changed him, changed us all I guess you might say, anyway Merbos only stops by to check in on you and to thaw out a little before he's gone. I do believe he's obsessed with the idea of not letting us get caught off guard again - "

Tobruk just then began to whimper. "This is wrong Fain, all wrong, what's to become of me now. Your Da's gone, you and Azron all busted up.

Combing his fingers into the hair of the bear's wrist Fain tried to sound reassuring. "There-there Tobruk, your going to be fine, after all you've still got Merbos and Mosus and Asuls. I'm sure master Grun...' Fain paused for a moment. ' That is, Grunram can find someone to help. A third or fourth son of some dwarf who's growing tired of waiting for a chance to apprentice at the forges, maybe?"

page 24

"Tobruk, the team needs you, Narnia needs you and - I - need you. You work harder then the fauns and me put together, besides, who's going to make sure I have food once I've gone home,' Fain enjoined. 'Those nights huddled under the tarp, sleeping next to you was like having our very own personal stove to keep us warm. I'll bet you didn't know we often went on short rations just so you would have enough food to keep you going."

Tobruk's eyes glazed over at the mention of food. Drool started to drip from the corners of his mouth as he vigorously licked his chops. "Food, yes the food. The food was so good," He said oblivious to everything around him.

"When your turn came to stand watch, no one slept well until you got back," Fain added. "You turned those labors into a thing of joy. It's my hope you'll go on doing the same for someone else."

"Come along now Tobruk and let Fain get some rest," Azron gently cajoled.

Tobruk standing lifted the badger off the pallet and lowered him to the ground with all the tenderness one might show a small child. Azron turning, limped back towards the other side of the room with Tobruk in tow. the bear stop after a few steps and returned to the side of the satyr, looking as if he had just remembered something.

"I love you Fain and I love father too. He makes me feel useful and I'll make sure you always got lots of food," The bear whispered.

"Thank you Tobruk, I love you too and Father loves you too. He always said you fit in well with the rest of the team," Fain said, hoping to spare the bear further confusion concerning the loss of father.

Acting as if he had forgotten what it was he was going to say next, the bear wandered away leaving Fain with his thoughts. Thoughts of his father and of this day when his world was turned on its head.

Pangs of guild for not having been there with father at the end started filtering through the drug induced euphoria that was spreading over him like a blanket.

Hoping to distract himself from his growing melancholy, Fain embraced these all together new sensations. They at first reminded him of times he had had one too many mugs of ale but this was soon replaced by waves of pleasure cascading through him. He wondered if there were some way he could make these feelings go on forever.

His world began teetering and spinning wildly as paranoia reached out and enveloped him. Blind to everything but overwhelming terror, Fain frantically searched for something to hold on to, anything that might anchor him to his reality. Trapped within this living nightmare he felt something cool and unyielding filling the area of his body he perceived to be his left hand. Desperately he clung to this object as he fought to regain his equilibrium. Slowly, ever so slowly the crackling gray madness, punctuated by flashes of total confusion started to subside.

The grayness clouding his vision almost gone, he hazard a look to his left. Heart fluttering like a hummingbird, Fain fixed his gaze on his hand firmly clutching one of the cool, solid stones that made up the wall of the inn. The sight of it left the satyr with a sort of misery laden satisfaction.

Midway from the beginning had always felt like a second home to him. It didn't hurt that the buildings of the south all shared a similar architecture, this had always been of immense comfort to Fain. The main difference between Midway's buildings and others was that they were usually of double walled construction. The gaps between the walls usually would be packed with mine tailings or ground-up slag and cinders from the forges to better insulate them.

Eyelids growing heavy, Fain tried holding his demons at bay by focusing his attention on his finger tips. He ran them along the wall's roughly horizontal seams formed by stone stacked on top of stone. The drugs coursing through his veins left him with the impression he now possessed phenomenal tactile abilities. Each seam in the wall reminded him of the ledges of the cliffs he would never climb again. Every junction were stone met stone was a cave he wished he could escape into. Thanks to the drugs, Fain convinced himself if he just believed hard enough he could will himself into one of these caves.

...

A loud bang followed by a reverberating clatter brought Fain upright in his seat. Looking over his right shoulder he located the source of the disturbance. Tobruk the bear stood staring down at the freshly washed stack of serving trays he had just dropped, a look of confusion painted on his face.

His attention turned back to the mug of ale in front of him, Fain was met by the sight of his father seated across the table. The warm smile Tem flashed at him only partially masked the sadness in Tem's eyes, Fain could feel it too. Looking down at his reflection in the cup, Fain could not shake the feeling of a thousand voices whispering in the darkness just beyond the edge of perception.

"Auk', there he goes again that harebrained son of a goblin. It's looking like we'll have to be sending that one away," Grunram muttered. "I did do ma best trying to find a place for him but pumping the forge bellows is the only thing he's seems to be good at. Trouble is, that's a place of honor reserved for our best and brightest apprentices so they might improve their skills watching the masters work. I hope you be seeing the predicament I'm in Tem."

Tem's attention was focused on the dwarf seated to Fain's right.

"Has anyone figured out if he was born addled or was it caused by one of the many injuries he showed up here with," Tem asked of Grunram.

"Nobody knows for sure but truth be told, it duna matter. Ma resources are stretched thin enough as it is. I have none to spare wet nursing that pitiful wreck," Confessed the old dwarf.

Clearing his throat Grunram ventured. "You be a mite short handed right now Tem and well, I was thinking you could take him off ma hands. Iffin he don't workout you might just sorta', well yea know, leave him south of the border, If you get ma meaning."

Tem's expression grew hard. "I could not - and- would not - do that to another narnian. You of all people should know that Grunram. Your suggesting what amounts to a death sentence for the bear."

Venting a dejected sigh, Tem directed the next question at the enisled Azron.

page 25

"How do you feel about that Azron. You want to take Tobruk on as a sled-mate," Tem asked.

Sitting still as a statue, paws wrapped around the drink in front of him, Azron stared at nothing. Lifting the cup to his lips he took a sip before setting the cup gently down on the table, all without a waste of motion.

Acknowledging no one, he answered Tem in an uncharacteristically monotone voice. "Sure why not, there's a job to be done, right? That's what your always saying, isn't it Tem?"

The exchange between Grunram and his father brought back all the reasons for this feeling of melancholy, this pale shadow that lay over the Inn, this sense of loss. This was the day the mountains had claimed one of their own. This was the morning, in a raging hail storm, Ishum the beaver had fallen from the very top of the cliffs they used to bypass the Witch's patrols.

Fain had made a suicidal attempt to reach the beaver almost joining him. His father's strong arms wrapped firmly around his legs was the only thing preventing him from following Ishum into the abyss.

This had given Fain a front row seat from witch to watch the beaver arms and legs flailing, disappear into the mist below with just the sound of his screaming to mark Ishum's passing.

Insurrection had almost broken out with Tem's announcement that they could not afford to waste daylight looking for Ishum's remains. He did give them assurances that they would take the time to look for the beaver and do right by him on the return trip. This did little to ease their sorrow but in time they came to realize Tem had only their best interests at hart.

Those screams, those sickening screams, those heart wrenching screams and for Fain the sight of Ishum plummeting into the storm below had tormented the smugglers all the way to the Inn. Seated next to Grunram the memory of those horrible horrible screams assailed Fain's thoughts even now. He wanted ever so much to jam his fists into his ears, to block out those screams but all that would do was close out the world leaving him sealed away with only those screams for company.