Accidentally Falling | Narnia

01 | run-ins

SUSAN WAS HAVING a nice day. Or as nice a day could ever be in that land her sister had discovered in a wardrobe.

Lucy had already taken her and Edmund to Mr. Tumnus, the faun Lucy had told them so much about who had become her friend. Edmund, who back in England had taken a great liking to the subject Greek and Roman mythology (which she never understood why; the very thought of those Olympian gods was enough to give her a headache), was very delighted to meet him.

A part of Susan wanted to go back home. But she knew that if Professor Kirke's caretaker would get her wrinkly, claw-like hands on the three of them she would skin them alive after what they had destroyed on the professor's study, which Susan thought was an exaggeration because it was just an old armor.

But another part of her wanted to stay. It wasn't everyday she'd find a world inside a wardrobe. She should at least take a look around. Also, as of that moment, Lucy and Edmund were too engrossed with Mr. Tumnus's stories back in his cozy little house that she doubted they even noticed her disappearing quietly out the faun's back door. Her siblings looked like they weren't planning on leaving any time soon.

And there's also the fact that she may have promised them that they would go with Mr. Tumnus to the castle Cair Paravel to meet the Kings the next day. She had no idea why she agreed to it, though. It may be because Lucy flashed her those brown eyes of hers that she just couldn't resist. Or maybe she just wanted to meet these Kings. She was curious. Because when she asked Mr. Tumnus point blank what kind of species are the Kings, the faun merely gave her a knowing smile, his gray eyes twinkling.

She also didn't understand why Mr. Tumnus wanted to bring them to the Kings in the first place. Were they considered dangerous to the land because they came from another world? Or because the Kings had a mandate to bring to them anyone who don't look like Narnians, visitors from another world or not.

Lucy and Edmund were also curious about the Kings. Lucy bet Edmund the Kings are deers. Edmund bet Lucy they are wolves. Mr. Tumnus gave them his knowing smile again and said, "You'll see once we get to the castle. Until then, though, can you please not go out to the forest. It's dangerous..." then he added under his breath. "...even more now that the barrier is weakening."

The eldest Pevensie had no idea whether her siblings heard the faun saying that because they had resumed their banter about what species the Kings of Narnia are. But she definitely did.

Susan thought if it was a good idea to go to a castle in the strange world inside a wooden wardrobe with a faun she barely know. But... there was like a voice inside her head, telling her to go to Cair Paravel. Telling her that this was why she even got in that world because she was meant to go to Cair Paravel.

Susan felt different ever since she stepped foot in Narnia. Back at England, she had spent her sixteen years of existence feeling like she didn't belong. She was good at school, true, being one of the brightest students in her class, but she spent most of her time in the library, reading books. She was not what everybody would call an extroveet. She didn't have many friends.

But here, she felt more like... herself. Like the reason why she feel so awkward back in her world was because she belonged in this world.

That was why she completely ignored Mr. Tumnus's warning not to go out and went out to take a walk. She wondered if the faun would be mad at her for doing so. She had known him for barely an hour but he was already one of the kindest person Susan knew.

The forest was called Lantern Waste, Susan discovered. Mr. Tumnus said they named it for the lamppost that had been shining over the forest ever since Narnia began. Even during that five hundred years of hard winter, the lamppost's light didn't go out even once.