Peter could be heard counting out, "99, 100" even as Lucy rushed into the corridor shouting, "It's alright, I'm back, it's alright!"

Edmund popped his head from behind the curtains with frustration written on his face saying, "Shut up! He's coming."

Even as Peter entered the corridor, obviously having heard them, Edmund came out of his hiding place and Peter said, "You know, I'm not sure you two have got the idea of this game."

Lucy was puzzled and she asked, "Haven't you been wondering where I was?"

Edmund sneered, "That's the point, that's why we were seeking you!"

Susan turned up and asked, "Does this mean I win?"

Peter turned to her and said, "I don't think Lucy wants to play anymore."

Lucy said, "I've been gone for hours."

This caused her siblings to all give her strange looks.

A few minutes later, Susan was parting the coats in the wardrobe to see what actually was in there, and as she suspected, all that she came to see and feel was the back of the wardrobe, made of wood of course.

Edmund went round and knocked on the back, and of course nothing happened.

Susan looked at Lucy in annoyance and said, "Lucy the only woods here is the back of the wardrobe."

"One game at a time Lu," Peter said, "We don't all have your imagination."

Even as they turned to walk away, Lucy cried out, "But I wasn't imagining!"

Even as they turned around, Susan said, "That's enough Lucy."

Lucy looked at them pleadingly, as if she was on the verge of crying and cried out, "I wouldn't lie about this!"

Edmund stepped forward and said, "Well I believe you."

Lucy asked hopefully, "You do?"

Edmund replied, "Yeah," and turning to Peter added, "Didn't I tell you about the football field in the bathroom cupboard?"

Peter angrily said, "Oh you just stop! You just have to make everything worse don't you?!"

Edmund protested saying, "It's just a joke."

Peter commented, "When are you going to learn to grow up Edmund?!"

This set off something in Edmund; for he instantly yelled at Peter, "Shut up! You think you're Dad, but you're not!"

With that, he stormed off.

Susan looked at Peter and went off saying sarcastically, "Well that was nicely handled."

Lucy said one more time, "But it was there."

Peter looked at her and finally said, "Susan's right. That's enough."

With that, he walked away.

Lucy sadly turned and closed the door.

She couldn't believe that all her siblings had refused to listen to her.

Well, if they didn't want to believe her, she was just going to go back by herself.

For all the danger that lurked there in Narnia and in Middle Earth, surely, a visit to Mr. Tumnus wouldn't hurt would it?

That night…

Lucy waited until her siblings were asleep before setting off to the room where she had found the wardrobe.

She checked several times to make sure no one was following her as she proceeded.

Soon, she was in the wardrobe and in Middle Earth once again.

Only, this time, she noticed something.

While it was still cold, there no longer was any snow.

Perhaps it was spring.

She moved forward with caution and soon, she was at the faun's house.

She knocked on the door and was happy to see the surprised face of her new friend.

"You're back!" Tumnus cried out, "But I thought you'd have stayed…"

"Of course I wouldn't!" Lucy cried out, "What are friends for?"

Soon, Tumnus and Lucy were sitting near the fireplace and Lucy was telling him all about her siblings and how they had refused to believe her.

Tumnus said, "You know, maybe they just weren't meant to come here, and perhaps it would be best."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

Tumnus said, "I mean, they are humans not from this world. Jadis could do anything to them. But many say there is more than this."

Lucy asked, "What do you mean?"

Tumnus asked, "You wouldn't have heard of the Dark Lord Sauron, would you?"

Just then, they heard some shouting outside.

Tumnus got up and said, "Stay here. I'll find out what's going on."

He then got up and went outside.

Lucy went over to the window to watch.

It was then that she noticed three Hobbits arguing.

It was evident that it was two against one.

On one side, the two hobbits, one male and one female, looked old and mean with expressions worse than even Mrs. Macready, and on the other side, the one hobbit, male, looked old as well but while he looked angry, he certainly didn't seem to be as mean as them.

She saw Mr. Tumnus intervene and talk with them for a few minutes before the two mean hobbits walked off, but not without some shouting of foul language.

She then saw the hobbit and the faun coming towards the house.

She did not attempt to hide as they entered.

She trusted Mr. Tumnus enough not to bring a supporter of the Witch without first hiding her.

Tumnus came in and said, "You don't need to worry Lucy, this is an old friend of mine, Bilbo Baggins.

Lucy held out her hand and said, "Pleased to meet you Mr. Baggins. I'm Lucy Pevensie."

Bilbo shook her hand properly, surprising her greatly and said, "Well, Lucy Pevensie, nice to meet you. Mr. Tumnus has told me all about you. Quite fascinating I must say. Just call me Bilbo, please."

Lucy asked, "If I may ask, who were those other two hobbits."

Bilbo's expression was one of horror as he explained, "Oh for love of the Shire! They are the Sackville-Baggins'! For years, they've been after my house under the hill! They won't stop trying to bully me into giving it to them!"

"But that's not fair!" Lucy exclaimed, "You can't just bully someone to get them to give you their house!"

Tumnus said, "It sure isn't, but those two are a nuisance. You must avoid them at all costs! They don't care about the witch, but they wouldn't be happy to have you here either."

"Most Hobbits don't care for it," Bilbo said, "but still, it never hurts to be careful."

Lucy asked, "Do you live alone?"

Bilbo said, "I do, sadly. And I must say, I am a very selfish man. But you seem to be quite a good girl. Unlike you, I only look after myself most of the time."

Lucy said, "You can't be all that bad. You seem to be a very nice hobbit."

Bilbo looked at her and said, "Well I really appreciate that Lucy."

Lucy asked, "Does the witch come here ever?"

Bilbo replied, "No, she never does, unless it's to find someone which is very rare here, since most hobbits prefer not to get mixed up with external affairs, or if she's simply going out for a ride. She has a castle not very far from here."

"Within the Shire?" Lucy asked.

Bilbo replied, "Well, yes, but not very close to Hobbiton. She mostly avoids us and doesn't interfere with our parties mostly, speaking of which, I'm turning 111 soon."

"111?!" Lucy exclaimed, "That's really long! You must be really excited!"

"Oh I am," Bilbo said with a smile, "You really must come. And do try to bring your siblings, if you can."

"I would love to," Lucy said grinning, "It's just that they won't believe me."

Bilbo said, "It's just a matter of convincing. You know, I have faced times when my friends didn't believe me; refused to listen to me. But sooner or later, they will. Just don't give up."

Lucy nodded and said, "I'll remember that. Thank You."

It was at that moment that she noticed Bilbo fingering his pockets.

She asked, "You seem to be looking for something. Do you need any help?"

"Oh I'm alright," the hobbit said, but seemed to be getting frantic, for his expressions certainly portrayed it.

And then, his expression suddenly became one of relief as he closed his eyes and seemed to be holding something he had found in his pocket.

He said, "I've got it. It's alright. I'd best be going now. Have a book to finish. Come again soon."

A minute later, Lucy and Tumnus were munching on some homemade cakes with tea.

Lucy asked, "Does the White Witch know much about him?"

Tumnus replied, "Except that he was part of a company of dwarves several years ago, trying to reclaim their homeland of Erebor, no. Bilbo said he tried to seek help for Narnia. Unfortunately, some of the dwarves were killed. Thorin was their leader and he was killed by an orc named Azog. He killed him before he died."

"What's an orc?" Lucy asked.

Tumnus dropped his voice to what was almost a whisper and said, "They are the vilest creatures ever to exist. They feed on flesh, any flesh of whatever they kill, human, animal, faun, centaur, elf, dwarf, even another orc if it comes to it. They are monstrous."

Lucy gasped and she asked, "Are any of them about?"

Tumnus replied, "They don't come near the Shire, luckily for us, but I have seen what they are like. I was once a prisoner in Jadis' tower of Orthanc, and I saw them. Evil creatures! Jadis had them torture me for hours on end! If I had not agreed to become her spy, I would have been killed and either turned to stone or fed to the orcs!"

"That's disgusting!" Lucy cried out, "How could she do that to you?"

Tumnus said, "Orthanc was once a beautiful place until she came, but it is still not as bad as Mordor must be, especially with Sauron there."

"Who is this Sauron?" Lucy asked, "And what about Mordor?"

Tumnus explained, "Mordor is a dark land, no trees, no rivers except one of lava to the dark fortress of Barad Ur. Orcs and trolls inhabit that place! It is a place to avoid, unless you have a battle to fight there."

He then said, "Perhaps I should start from the beginning, but it's a long story. I will try to explain it to you briefly. I hope you will bear with me."

Lucy said, "Go on. I love stories."

Tumnus began his story, "It all began when Eru Iluvatar, the Emperor-beyond-the sea created the world. His sons, Aslan and Manwe, helped to create Middle Earth, and Aslan is regarded as the true king of not just Narnia, but of all creatures in this world, well almost all of them. Not the ones of evil of course."

He continued, "However, Aslan's brother Melkor sought to dominate this world, and he began to commit acts of evil, so great that he became known as the Dark Lord Morgoth. He created evil lands such as Angband. It was then that Sauron and Jadis came in. Sauron was a Maiar, a celestial being, and Jadis was said to have come from another world around the same time as Morgoth came. While Jadis initially spent her time in hiding, when Morgoth began to fight against the elves for world domination, Sauron and Jadis joined him. Although Sauron they say was not always evil like Jadis, he turned out to be more powerful. He and Jadis were Morgoth's most trusted servants, and some say they were even lovers. Anyway, Morgoth was finally defeated by the Valar and Aslan and cast away into the timeless void where he will remain imprisoned till the end of this world, and Sauron and Jadis went into hiding."

Lucy asked, "So then they hid, and then what happened?"

Tumnus continued, "Well, this part is very interesting. It began with the forging of the rings. A master of craft, Annatar, along with the elf smith Celebrimbor forged the rings of power, three for the elves, seven for the dwarves and nine for the race of men."

"Why not the animals, hobbits, dryads?" Lucy asked.

Tumnus replied, "Probably because there would have been too many rings to craft then."

He then continued, "They were all deceived, for another ring was forged. In the land of Mordor, from the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged a master ring to control all the other rings. He poured all his malice, his cruelty, his hatred into it. One ring, to rule them all."

Lucy gasped at that and said, "That means he would have control over them all, all those with rings!"

Tumnus said, "Yes, and Annatar was none other than Sauron the deceiver."

Lucy was horrified at that.

Tumnus continued, "Many lands including Narnia fell under his control.

Sauron slaughtered many of the fauns, dryads, mostly animals for sport. He and Jadis both fought against the elves especially. But there were some who could resist, and they resisted."

Lucy asked, "You said Jadis rules Narnia. Did Sauron give it to her?"

Tumnus replied, "I will explain that part. But this was more than 3000 years ago. At that time, the days were dark in Narnia. Orcs roamed freely, oppressing all in their path. The royal family of Narnia was slaughtered. And it all seemed to be over, until Sauron disappeared to Numenor. He went there as a prisoner of the king of Numenor, Ar Pharazon and corrupted him so much as to persuade him to go against the Valar. Numenor was destroyed but those who were faithful to Aslan were spared. Aslan led their leader Elendil to the shores of Narnia, and brought an end to the dark reign. The Witch Jadis was forced to flee to Mordor and Aslan crowned Elendil High King of Narnia. His sons Isildur and Anarion went south and established the Kingdom of Gondor, which became known as Southern Narnia, while Elendil's region became known as Northern Narnia, also called Arnor."

Tumnus continued, "The men and elves of Narnia and the rest of Middle Earth formed a Last Alliance, many other creatures joined them. Aslan himself led the Alliance and fought Sauron and Jadis on the slopes of Mount Doom."

Lucy asked, "Did they win?"

Tumnus continued, "Jadis went up directly against Aslan, but Aslan managed to defeat her. Although she escaped, she lost so much of her power that she was forced to go into hiding, after the battle of course. As for the battle, when Jadis was defeated, it seemed victory was at hand. But then Sauron came. The power of the ring could not be undone. He used it and began to kill several in his path. Elendil, the High King of Narnia tried to fight him, but was struck down by his mace. At this point, when all hope was lost, Isildur, son of the king, took up his father's sword, and with one swift blow, he managed to cut the finger that held the ring off Sauron."

Even as Lucy's eyes widened, Tumnus continued, "And thus, Sauron, the enemy of the free peoples of Middle Earth was defeated. Isildur had the one chance to destroy the evil that had plagued Middle Earth and Narnia for so long. But he chose to keep the ring. For it is said that humans are most tempted by power."

Lucy asked, "What about Anarion?"

Tumnus replied, "He was killed by Sauron before Elendil."

He then continued, "Isildur became the High King of Narnia, and ruled well, despite the ring's influence. But one day, he was ambushed by orcs. He tried to escape with the ring, but was killed in a river. It is said that the ring abandoned him."

Lucy was horrified and she asked, "What about his sons?"

Tumnus said, "After 2500 years, darkness began to creep into Narnia. Jadis returned to Narnia, stronger than before. It was when the Istari, Wizards, came to Narnia. She mingled with them, claiming to be a Witch sent to aid them. While many believed her, only two suspected her, Gandalf the Grey, and Saruman the White. Around this time, the Kings of Northern Narnia, brothers, began to fight amongst themselves, and the King of Gondor was there as well. It was then that tragedy struck. Jadis revealed her true colors and struck down Saruman. She led a great host of ogres, orcs, and other dark creatures and wiped out the descendants of Isildur and Anarion. None were spared. The line was entirely wiped out."

Lucy gasped and said, "But surely, the King of Gondor must have had an heir."

Tumnus replied, "Unfortunately, he wasn't married yet. Without an heir, the line was broken. The Witch settled herself in Narnia and has so far been somewhat not as cruel as Sauron, but has shown her tyranny through her long and cold winters, barring humans from the Shire, and even torturing and killing those who dare defy her. She may seem to be a benevolent person at first sight, but she is a monster."

Lucy asked, "What about the ring?"

Tumnus replied, "I have been in contact with Gandalf the Grey. He is a good friend of Bilbo. He believes Sauron is on the rise in Mordor and wants the ring. He knows that a creature called Gollum at one point had the ring, but lost it 60 years ago."

He then looked out of the window and realized it was getting dark.

He immediately said, "You'd better go Lucy. Come to the party if you can. It's the day after tomorrow."

Lucy said, "I sure will."