The Line of Duty

Chapter 2

The closer they got to Tumnus' home, the more excited Lucy became. She was rambling about teas and cakes when the door in the cliff face came into view, only the door was broken in and the air was eerily silent. They came to an abrupt stop, Aras scanned the surrounding trees for any threat that had remained.  

"Lu? Lucy!" Peter called as the girl ran into the fawn's home.

Aras and the remaining Pevensies followed Lucy into the fawn's now destroyed home. The tables and chairs were broken and upturn, shattered pieces of crockery and glass litter the ground. But there was no sign of the fawn.

"Who would do something like this?" Lucy whimpered as she looked around the decimated home.

Aras sighed, already an idea of who might be responsible. Peter's attention was drawn to a piece of parchment nailed to the wall.

"The faun Tumnus is hereby charged with high treason against her imperial majesty Jadis, Queen of Narnia. For comforting her enemies and fraternising with humans. Signed: Maugrim, Captain of the Secret Police. Long Live the Queen."

Aras stepped forward and took the note from Peter's hand. How had she not known of this? 

"Alright, now we should really go back." Susan pushed.

"But what about Mr. Tumnus?" Lucy protested.

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

"You don't understand, do you? I'm the human!" Lucy's eyebrows knotted into a frown, "She must have found out he helped me."

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

"These are the police." Susan pointed out.

Aras scoffed in respose, "Mangy pack of dogs more like it."

"Don't worry, Lu. We'll think of something." Peter said in an attempt to comfort Lucy.

"Why?" Edmund blurted, "... I mean, he's a criminal."

"Tumnus is anything but a criminal." Aras defended.

Someone was about to reply, whether to agree or not, but their discussion was interrupted but a "Psst" from outside. All heads turned to the doorway where a lone robin sat in a tree.

 "Did that bird just 'psst' us?" Susan wondered incredulously.

 The five walked outside in time to see the robin fly away, however a nearby rustling made each turn and face the other direction. Aras subtly stepped in front of Peter, and Susan and Lucy who had huddle to his side in fear. The Guardian's hand slowly trailed to the sword on her left hip as the rustle grew louder. But to their shock, and Aras' amusement, a beaver crawled into view.  

"It's a beaver." Lucy speculated.

Peter inched forward and held his hand out to the small creature, he clicked his tongue encouragingly. "Here boy...Here boy..."

The beaver looked at his hand for a moment then straightened, "Well, I ain't gonna smell it if that's what you want!"

Peter straighten and the Pevensies' eyes widened, and it took everything in Aras' power to not burst out with laughter.

"Sorry." Peter apologised meekly.

"Lucy Pevensie?"

The girl in question stiffened, "Yes?"

The beaver handed her a white handkerchief.

"Hey, that's the hanky I gave to Mr-"

"Tumnus." Beaver nodded. "He got it from me just before they took him."