The Youngest Pevensie

Chapter 3: Mr. Tumnus

Soon he retracted his hand and turned towards his kettle. "Would you two like some tea?" Mr. Tumnus offered them. "Yes please." Lucy replied as Katerina scrunched up her face in disgust, shaking her head. Susan had gotten her to try that drink once and Katerina remembered she did not like it.

"Sit, sit." Mr. Tumnus gestured to two seats next to each other. Lucy sat down in one and Katerina sat down in the other. He boiled some water as he set out cookies onto a plate which he then brought over to the girls. Although she didn't want any tea, Katerina happily took a cookie form him to eat.

Mr. Tumnus placed the plate with cookies on the table between the chairs the girls were on, and another chair that Katerina assumed Mr. Tumnus was going to sit on, after she had taken a cookie already. Soon he came back with Lucy's tea and, as Katerina predicted, sat in the chair across from theirs.

"If you don't mind me asking, do you have any other siblings?" Mr. Tumnus asked the girls, curiously. Katerina nodded. "We have four siblings," she answered, holding up four fingers proudly. She had just really started to learn how to count a couple years prior, so she showed off her counting ability any chance she got.

"Peter is the oldest, then Susan, then Edmund, then me, and Katerina is the youngest." Lucy started explaining.

"Peter's really strong and nice, Susan is really smart, and Edmund can be mean sometimes, but he can also be nice sometimes." Katerina explained to the best of her ability, her lack of diction hindering her ability to explain her siblings' personalities as well as she would've liked. So Lucy took over, giving a more in depth explanation.

"Peter's really protective of all of us. He's been like a father to us ever since our actual father went away to war. Susan is quite intelligent. She sometimes sounds like a know-it-all, but overall I really look up to her. I hope to grow up to be as smart as her." Lucy told Mr. Tumnus who smiled warmly at her. "You're already a pretty smart, young girl." He spoke kindly.

"Thanks. And then there is Edmund." Lucy paused for a moment, trying to think of how best to explain him before continuing. "He changes from minute to minute. One minute he can be funny and nice, but most times he's a real jerk. He and Peter clash heads with each other a lot, but he's our brother and we love them. We love all of them." Lucy finished explaining and Katerina nodded in agreement as she picked up another cookie.

"This is very yummy. Thank you, Mr. Tumnus." Katerina spoke, remembering her manners and making sure she didn't speak until she swallowed the food in her mouth. "You're welcome, Kat." Mr. Tumnus responded.

The sisters stayed for another little while to chat, but soon were leaving. "It was nice to meet you, sir." Katerina told Mr. Tumnus with a smile. "The pleasure's all mine." He responded before looking over at Lucy.

"Goodbye, Mr. Tumnus. I hope to see you soon." Lucy told him. "Goodbye, Lucy. Be safe you two." Mr. Tumnus told them and they nodded before leaving. Too tired to run back, even for a little bit, they walked back to the lamp post.

After a little bit, they finally saw it, and Katerina was relieved. She was exhausted from not sleeping and all the walking and running, so she was happy to see it. Then she noticed something else. "Edmund?" Katerina questioned and the boy turned around to face his sisters.

"Oh Edmund, you got in too! Isn't it wonderful?" Lucy asked him as they raced forward and hugged him, Katerina's tiredness fading as she got distracted by how excited they were that Edmund was there.

Edmund put one of his hands on each of their shoulders and pried his sisters off of him. "Where have you two been?" Edmund demanded.

"I introduced Kat to Mr. Tumnus. He's fine, by the way. The White Witch hasn't found out anything about him meeting us." Lucy answered. "The White Witch?" Edmund repeated, questioningly.

Lucy glanced around before explaining. "She calls herself Queen of Narnia, but she really isn't." She told him as Katerina noticed how uncomfortable Edmund looked.

"Are you all right? You look awful." Katerina spoke and Edmund became defensive. "Well, what'd you expect? I mean, it's freezing! How do we get out of here?" Edmund wondered and Lucy grabbed one of his hands and one of Katerina's.

"Come on." Lucy said and led her siblings back towards the wardrobe entrance.

~~~

"Peter! Peter!" Lucy and Katerina yelled, running into Peter and Edmund's room with Edmund walking at a calm pace behind them.

"Peter, Peter, wake up!" The two girls jumped on his bed and shook him awake. "It's there! It's really there!"

Susan entered the room, haven been woke up by the running and shouting. "Lucy, Kat, what are you guys talking about?" Peter questioned, tiredness in his voice as he had just been woken up.

"Narnia! It's all in the wardrobe like I told you!" Lucy exclaimed happily. "It is! It really is!" Katerina backed her sister.

"You two have just been dreaming." Susan said dismissively. "But we haven't!" Lucy cried out, "I saw Mr. Tumnus again! And this time, Katerina and Edmund went too!"

Susan and Peter were quick to look between Edmund and Katerina. "You... You saw the faun?" Peter asked, hesitantly. Katerina nodded eagerly. "I did! He's really kind! He had yummy cookies!"

Edmund just shook his head, answering Peter's question. "Well, Edmund didn't actually go there with us. He..." Lucy trailed off and her expression became confused as they turned to look at him. "What were you doing there, Edmund?"

Edmund glanced around, uncomfortable with all his siblings looking at him. Then his expression changed as he let out a small breath and spoke, "I was just playing along."

Lucy and Katerina exchanged a confused glance. "I'm sorry, Peter. I shouldn't have encouraged them," Edmund said, and Katerina looked back at Peter, confused, "but you know what little children are like these days. They just don't know when to stop pretending."

That last sentence made Lucy and Katerina burst into tears and they ran out of the room. They could hear their two oldest siblings running behind them, but they kept running until they literally ran into the Professor. Needing comfort, they wrapped their arms around him, hugging him.

Peter and Susan stopped in the doorway as they took in the scene in front of them. That's when Mrs. Macready came into the room, looking down as she tied her robe over her nightgown.

"You children are one shenanigan shy of sleeping in the stable." The woman spoke before looking up and noticing the professor. She bowed her head a little. "Professor. I'm sorry. I told them you were not to be disturbed."

"It's alright, Mrs Macready. I'm sure there's an explanation. But first of all, I think these ones are in need of a little hot chocolate." The Professor gently pushed Lucy and Katerina towards Mrs Macready.

The woman lead the two girls to the kitchen and gave them one cup of hot chocolate each. She was actually kind of nice, which surprised them. When they were done their drinks, she lead them back to their room.

By then, Lucy and Katerina were exhausted, from all the crying and running and walking, plus the fact that they hadn't slept since the night before, so it didn't take them long to fall asleep. And when they did, they dreamt of Narnia.