The Secret Fifth

2: The Pevensies

"The professor is unaccustomed to having children in his house, and as such, there are a few rules we need to follow." A tightly wound woman, Mrs. Macready, as she went by, spoke loudly as she ascended the wooden stairs in the parlor. She turned a pointed eye to the four children in front of her. They had been transported by train from the city, and would be boarding with herself and the Professor until the war had subsided enough for them to return home. Two girls, two boys. The youngest was the brunette girl, with the short bob that sat on her shoulders and gapped teeth. Her name was Lucy. The second youngest, a darker haired boy with very noticeable freckles and a sharp attitude, was Edmund. Susan, with her hair the color of the soil and her full, pink lips, was a year older than Edmund. Peter had a full head of dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, and was two years older than Susan.

Mrs. Macready turned away from the bunch and continued to walk, "There will be no shoutin' or runnin', no improper use of the dumbwaiter, NO touching of the historical artifacts!" Susan's outstretched hand snapped back to her side as Mrs. Macready raised her voice. Her siblings snickered as she felt her cheeks heat up, flicking her eyes once more to the carved face that had peaked her curiosity. The stern woman finally reached the top of the stairs and gestured to a brown wooden door. "and above all, there shall be no disturbin' of the Professor."

She exited the parlor through a threshold, and the three children scrambled to follow. Lucy, her green doe eyes wide, stalled at the door. She admired the large oak, tracing her fingers on the strange carvings. Quiet footsteps and a shadow on the other side of the door had her emitting a small gasp and running off, catching up to her siblings.

Once the children had settled, the four of them gathered together in the girls' room. The radio in corner had been turned on by the eldest, Peter, and was reporting on the war.

"German aircraft carried out a number of attacks on Great Britain last night. The raids, which lasted for several hours..." Susan quickly flipped off the dial, and Peter looked at her in confusion. She just nodded her head towards the small girl on the bed.

"The sheets feel scratchy." Lucy spoke, twirling a loose string around her finger. Susan sighed and rested on the bedpost behind Peter.

"Wars don't last forever, Lu. We'll be home soon." She sent what hoped to be an encouraging smile at her sister.

"Yeah, if home's still there." Edmund smirked as he approached the bed, crossing his arms over his small chest. Susan just rolled her eyes.

"Isn't it time you were in bed?" She asked.

"Yes, Mum!" The sarcasm was heavy in Edmund's sentence.

"Ed!" Peter finally intervened, his voice raising quickly and threateningly. The smaller boy scoffed and removed himself from the scene, moving back to the window sill in the corner. Peter turned his attention back to Lucy and gripped the girl's hand.

"You saw outside. This place is huge. We can do whatever we want here. Tomorrow's going to be great." Lucy raised her thin eyebrows at him, and he smiled tightly. "Really."

_________

"...82, 83, 84, 85, 86,..." Lucy smiled softly to herself before retreating deeper into the wooden wardrobe she was in, keeping an eye on the cracked door. Her siblings and herself had decided to play a game of hide and seek, to pass the time on the rainy day that swallowed them. The wardrobe that Lucy had stumbled upon in the spare room was the perfect place for hiding, and Lucy gave herself a mental pat on the back for finding it. Her small hands were at her sides, feeling behind her for the back of the wardrobe.

This is an awfully deep wardrobe. Lucy thought, as she took what felt like her twentieth step backwards. An explanation seemed to provide itself as her fingers touched something...prickly! Lucy could have sworn this box was just filled with coats. Turning slowly and nervously, Lucy's eyes squinted as she faced the light behind her. Her breath was stolen as she took in her surroundings. Trees were all around, covered in a light dusting of snow. Lucy lifted her arms to feel the falling ice and stepped further into the forest.

"How splendid!" She could not stop her thoughts from spilling from her mouth as she awed at the scene. She continued to take slow steps forward, soaking in every inch of the new land. She eventually came across the lamppost, and the light on top gave a warm glow, with a soft hum that filled Lucy's ears as she stood below it. Her dainty fingers had just touched the frosted metal when nearby noises broke the peaceful silence. Lucy stood closer to the lamppost, feeling an odd sense of protection from the light.

The noise surrounded her, trampling footsteps in the frozen ground. Her head whipped from side to side, and her hair was caught on her parted lips more than once. Finally, a figure emerged from behind a tree. Lucy shrieked and jumped back, cowering behind the pole once again. The unknown figure also shouted, but it was much deeper and frightened than Lucy's. It hid behind the large tree it came from behind, and brown packages littered the floor in between the two strangers. After a moment of nothing, Lucy peered out from behind the lamppost. A frightened, yet kind, face looked out from the tree nervously, and shot back when he realized Lucy had spotted him. Warily, Lucy removed herself from the post. She began to reach for the brown parcels as the stranger peaked out again.

"Oh. uh- chi.. You- I..." The stranger wasn't able to form a coherent sentence, and he just watched the small girl pick up his packages. He eventually pulled himself out from behind the trunk, and Lucy had to suppress a gasp as she noticed his bottom half. He had the top of man, but the legs of.. a goat! Lucy held out the box for him.

"Were you hiding.. from me?" She spoke softly. The goat man hastily picked up his other packages, his eyes never leaving Lucy.

"No. Uh, well. I just... I... No. No. I-I-I just... I was just, um... I didn't want to scare you." He spit out, taking the outstretched box from the girl's hand. She nodded, unbelievably.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you?" Lucy had to mind her manners as she questioned the stranger. She had never had to question one's entire existence before, and she didn't want to offend the man goat.

"Well, I'm a..I'm a faun!" He spoke the word as if it were the most oblivious thing. To be frank, it sort of was. "And what about you? You must be some kind of.. beardless dwarf?" Lucy giggled at this.

"I'm not a dwarf, I'm a girl!" She picked up the last discarded package and handed it to the faun. "And I happen to be the tallest in my class!" Mr. Tumnus did not acknowledge her attempt at humor. He looked around himself cautiously and stepped forward, speaking hurriedly.

"Do you mean to say that you're a Daughter of Eve?" He asked. Lucy furrowed her eyebrows.

"My mom's name is Helen.." She wondered where the faun had gotten the idea of a woman named Eve being her mother. Mr. Tumnus just shook his head and corrected himself.

"Yes, but you are in fact human?" The girl nodded her head in reply. "Oh my.."