THE RECKONING:
CHAPTER FOUR
Eleanor wasn't sure how or why, but the Pevensies had convinced her to play cricket with them, something she wasn't too fond of as a sport.
"Peter winds up, poised to take yet another wicket!" Peter commentated on himself, making Eleanor laugh slightly as the ball hit Edmund in the leg.
"Ow!"
"Whoops, wake up Dolly Daydream." Peter mocked, watching as Eleanor tried not to laugh.
"Why can't we play hide and seek again?" Edmund moaned.
"Because it was you who said it was a kids game," Eleanor stated.
"Besides, we could all use some fresh air." Susan smiled, earning a glare from Edmund.
"It's not like there isn't air inside."
Peter sighed. He stretched his arms before holding the ball. "Are you ready?"
Edmund smirked, he hit his bat into the ground twice for good luck. "Are you?"
Peter pitched the ball, incredibly well, Edmund thwacked it, hard. The children watched in shock as the ball smashed an upstairs window.
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The group stood in the room where the window was smashed. They all looked at the suit of amour that had crashed to the floor, everybody's eyebrows furrowed.
"Well done, Ed." Peter snapped.
"You bowled it!" The brunette defended.
"What on earth is going on?!"
The group all looked at each other.
"The Macready!" Susan exclaimed.
"Run!"
Lucy once again grabbed ahold of Eleanor's hand as everybody ran, frantically they found a spare room.
"Come on!" Peter encouraged stopping so he could've at the back and make sure that Lucy and Eleanor were okay.
Edmund lead the way, he tumbled into a spare room, everyone following after him. "Come on!"
Susan sighed, out of breath. "Oh you've got to be joking."
The children had nowhere else to run, so each of them darted for the large wardrobe in the centre of the room.
"Get back!" Susan whispered.
"My toe!"
"I'm not on your toe! Move back!"
"Edmund, we're trying!"
Susan and Peter fall, but instead of landing on the cold, wooden bottom of the wardrobe, they instead landed on a soft but cold sheet of snow.
Eleanor found herself tumbling on top of Peter.
"Oh! Sorry!" She quickly scrambled up, as did Peter and Susan.
Susan gasped. "Impossible."
Lucy grinned. "Don't worry. I'm sure it's just your imagination."
Eleanor sent Lucy a proud smile.
Peter looked to Lucy, his expression soft. "I-I don't suppose saying we're sorry would quite cover it."
"No. It wouldn't." She gave Eleanor a quick smirk before throwing a small snow ball at Peter's face. Eleanor gasped. "But that might!"
Peter threw one back, Eleanor helped Lucy by throwing another at him. Susan and Eleanor then began to battle, as did Lucy and Peter.
"Oh!"
Susan hit Edmund in the arm with a big snowball, much to his displeasure.
"Ow!" He rubbed his arm like a baby. "Stop it!"
All of the teenagers shared a knowing look, remembering that Edmund lied.
"You little liar!"
"You didn't believe her either! Only Eleanor, did!"
Peter frowned. "Apologise to Lucy."
Edmund just looked at her as she hugged Eleanor's side.
Peter stepped to Edmund. "Say you're sorry!"
"All right! I'm sorry."
"That's all right," Lucy smiled as Eleanor and the kids watched her. "Some little children just don't know when to stop pretending."
Everyone except Edmund looked proud.
"Oh, very funny." Edmund frowned.
Eleanor smiled. "Hilarious, actually."
"Maybe we should go back." Susan offered, she looked around.
"But shouldn't we at least take a look around?" Edmund asked, receiving cautious looks.
"I think Lucy should decide." Eleanor said.
"I'd like you all to meet Mr. Tumnus!" The youngest cheered.
"Well then, Mr. Tumnus it is." Peter walked back into the wardrobe.
"But we can't go hiking in the snow dressed like this,"
"No." Peter emerged with big fur jackets and small, cape like jackets to put on under them. "But I'm sure the professor won't mind us using these."
He swiftly handed out the coats and jackets. "But if you think about it logically, we're not even taking them out of the wardrobe." As he got to Edmund, he forcefully shoved the coat at him.
"But that's a girls coat!"
Peter smirked, "I know."
||
".....Lots of lovely food, and we'll have lots of..."
Everyone's eyes drifted to the 'home' of Mr. Tumnus, the door had been broken down. The entry was very clearly forced.
"Lu?" Peter asked,
Lucy gasped and ran towards the house, everybody following her. "Lucy!"
"Who would do something like this?" Lucy asked, her voice almost breaking as she simply looked at the door. Eleanor knelt down, being level to Lucy the pair looked at each other. Eleanor's gaze told Lucy to not be too worried, and that it didn't appear that Mr. Tumnus had been harmed.
Lucy just nodded with tears in her eyes, in hopes of comfort she wrapped her arms around Eleanor's neck, crying softly into her shoulder.
"Shh, it's okay Lucy." Eleanor muttered. Nodding to Peter and Susan as the walked into his house.
The pair noticed a notice that was pinned to the wall, Peter read it out.
"The faun Tumnus," at this Lucy perked up, she held Eleanor's hand as she stood up and they both stepped inside. "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 Secret Police. Long live the Queen."
Susan began to look worried. "Alright. Now we really should get back."
"But what about Mr. Tumnus?"
"If he was arrested for being with a human, I don't think there's much we can do."
Lucy let go of Eleanor's hand and walked to Susan, tears glazing her eyes. "But you don't understand, do you? I'm the human!!! She must have found out he helped me!"
"Maybe we should all the police?" Peter asked.
"These are the police," Eleanor deadpanned, a look of disappointment upon her face.
Peter turned to his sister. "Don't worry, Lu. We'll think of something."
"Why?" Edmund said, everybody looked at him. "I mean, he's a criminal."
From outside the house, a Robin sat on a tree branch, watching the children intently.
"Psst!"
"Did that bird just 'psst' us?" Susan asked.
The group slowly made their way outside.
"It....It's a beaver." Lucy said, shocked.
Peter bent down. "Here boy," he clicked his tongue. "Here, boy." He held out his hand.
The beaver stood up right, making everybody take a small step back. "I ain't gonna smell it if that's what you want."
Susan and Lucy burst out in a fit of laughter, it was short and sweet however when Peter began apologising.
"Oh! Sorry,"
"Lucy Pevensie?" The beaver asked.
Lucy stood forwards, everybody's gaze on her.
"Yes?"
The beaver slowly handed her a small handkerchief, she looked at it with great sadness.
"Hey! That's the hankie I gave to Mr. Tum-"
"Tumnus. He got it to me just before they took him."
"Is he alright?" Lucy asked quickly, she was evidently worried.
The beaver waved his hand. "Further in!" He was inviting them into a den.
Peter began to walk and Eleanor grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?!"
"She's right," said Susan. "How do we know we can trust him?" Edmund agreed,
"He said he knows the faun," Peter looked at Eleanor with such innocence she almost smiled...if a beaver hadn't just spoke.
"He's a beaver, Peter! He shouldn't be saying anything!" Eleanor exclaimed.
"Everything all right?" The beaver asked, reappearing.
"Yes." Peter and Eleanor smiled. "We're just talking."
"That's better left for safer quarters."
Lucy rolled her eyes playfully. "He means the trees."
Susan and Eleanor shared exasperated looks.
( authors note )
I'm currently loving this story, writing it, developing the characters etc and the feedback has been amazing so thank you all so much!!