The Queen's Tales

Chapter 4: Break-In

When the quintet approached the cave Lucy was telling them about all the food and tea they'd be bound to eat when they met her friend. As they walked and she spoke, Chloe was subtly trying to figure out what the hell was happening to her. However, Lucy's words were cut short when she noticed the door broken in. The sight of the door alone was enough to make the five of them uneasy.

"Lu?" Peter lowered his voice nervously. Suddenly Lucy bolted toward the door, "Lucy!"

The others ran after her. The cave was torn apart, it was no longer the warm and welcoming place Lucy remembered. Everything was thrown about or destroyed, and there was no sign of Mr. Tumnus, "Who would do something like this?" Lucy whispered as they looked around the empty cave.

Looking around, Chloe saw the parchment nailed to a pillar, "What's that?" She swiftly pointed, and purple haze clouding her hand and suddenly the paper she was pointing to swayed, staying nailed in its spot. They all looked at her again, "Well that's convenient. What's it say?"

Peter walked over and ripped the paper from its spot, "The Faun Tumnus is hereby charged with High Treason against Her Imperial Majesty, Jadis, Queen of Narnia, for comforting her enemies and fraternizing with humans. Signed Maugrim, Captain of the Secret Police. Long live the Queen," he read, showing is the large paw print as a signature.

"Now we really should go back," Susan determined.

Lucy looked up urgently, "But what about Mr. Tumnus?!"

"If he was arrested just for being with a human, I don't think there's much we could do," she defended.

That was when Chloe realized humans weren't exactly the majority in Narnia from what she remembered of her grandfather's stories, "Lucy's the human,"

She nodded, "She must've found out he helped me."

"Maybe we could call the police?" Peter suggested.

Susan grabbed the paper from his hand, "These are the police."

"Don't worry, we'll figure this out," Chloe comforted only for Edmund to pipe up for the first time since the lamppost.

"Why? I mean, he's a criminal? And you're turning into a right freak here," he pointed, "with your purple hands stopping snow, heating yourself up, and blowing air at papers. What are you going to do?"

"Well that's mean considering I don't even know what's happening to me and-"

"Psst!" The sound came from outside, and the five of them turned. The only thing they could see was a little bird.

Susan raised an eyebrow, "Did that bird just 'psst' us?"

Slowly, they exit the cave, watching the bird that promptly flew away. Just then they heard rustling coming from the bushes. Their faces flew in the direction they'd heard the noise, but they heard it again in a different direction. It sounded like scampering. Lucy and Susan clutched Peter scared while Edmund and Chloe watched on either side of him. Finally, a brown beaver poked its head from out of the snow and slowly walked toward them.

Peter slowly extended his hand, "Here boy," he tsked, putting his hand out in front of the beaver's face.

The beaver got up on its hind legs and looked between Peter and his hand, "Well I ain't gonna smell it if that's what you want." Chloe laughed, feeling a bit more at ease and walking a bit closer while Peter apologized, "Lucy Pevensie?" The beaver indicated to Lucy who's laughter died as her eyes widened.

"Y-yes?" She took a small step forward. The beaver opened its hand and showed her a small handkerchief, she took it from him and inspected it before realizing, "That's the hankie I gave to Mr. Tum-"