Chapter Five: The White Witch, Aslan, and Prophecy
When Amy and the Pevensies reached Mr Beaver's house and met Mrs Beaver who cooked for them, they helped with cleaning after the dinner before asking questions they wanted to ask.
"Please tell us what happened to Mr Tumnus," said Lucy.
"That's a very, very bad business. There's no doubt he was taken off by the police. I got that from a bird who saw it done." Mr Beaver answered.
"But where's he been taken to?" asked Lucy.
"Well, they were heading northward when they were last seen, and we all know what that means."
"No, we don't," said Susan. Mr Beaver shook his head in a very gloomy fashion.
"I'm afraid it means they were taking him to her house," he said.
"Who's house?" Amy asked.
"The White Witch's House" Mr Beaver answered.
Amaryllis' heart stopped for a second as she heard the word "Witch?"
"Narnia doesn't have witches. I must tell you, children. Witches are the worst creatures you would ever meet"
"That's not true!" Amy exclaimed but immediately tried to calm as everyone is looking at her like she's a lunatic.
"I mean she's the only witch you knew right? I- It's also possible if there are other witches that are opposites of her."
"We will never know for sure. But The White Witch more terrible as you ever imagine."
"But what'll they do to Mr Tomnus, Mr Beaver?" gasped Lucy.
"Well," said Mr Beaver, "you can't exactly say for sure. But there's not many taken in there that ever comes out again. Statues. All full of statues they say it is in the courtyard and up the stairs and in the hall. People she's turned"-(he paused and shuddered) "turned into stone."
"We must save him then. He helped Lucy so we should too" said Amy
"I don't doubt you'd save him if you could, dearie," said Mrs Beaver, "but you've no chance of getting into that House against her will and ever coming out alive."
"Couldn't we have some stratagem?" said Peter. "I mean, couldn't we dress up as something, or pretend to be-oh, peddlers or anything-or watch till she was gone out-or-oh, hang it all, there must be some way. This Faun saved my sister at his own risk, Mr Beaver. We can't just leave him to be-to be-to have that done to him."
"It's no good, Son of Adam," said Mr Beaver, "no good you're trying, of all people. But now that Aslan is on the move-"
"Aslan. Tell us more about Aslan" Amy said
"Who's Aslan?" Susan added
"Aslan?" said Mr Beaver. "Why, don't you know? He's the King. He's the Lord of the whole wood, but not often here, you understand. Never in my time or my father's time. But the word has reached us that he has come back. He is in Narnia at this moment. He'll settle the White Queen all right. It is he, not you, that will save Mr Tumnus."
"She won't turn him into stone too?" said Edmund.
"Lord love you, Son of Adam, what a simple thing to say!" answered Mr. Beaver with a great laugh. "Turn him into stone? If she can stand on her two feet and look him in the face it'll be the most she can do and more than I expect of her. No, no. He'll put all to rights as it says in an old rhyme in these parts:
Wrong will be right when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have
spring again.
"Could we possibly meet him?" Amy asked
"Of course, that is why you are here. I will lead you to meet him" Mr Beaver answered
"Is-is he a man?" asked Lucy.
"Aslan a man!" said Mr Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion-the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."
"I'm longing to see him," "I can't wait to meet him," said Peter and Amy at the same time,
"even if I do feel frightened when it comes to the point," Peter added
"That's right, Son of Adam," said Mr Beaver, bringing his paw down on the table with a crash that made all the cups and saucers rattle.
"And so you shall. Word has been sent that you are to meet him, tomorrow if you can, at the Stone Table."
"Where's that?" said Lucy.
"I'll show you," said Mr Beaver.
"It's down the river, a good step from here. I'll take you to it!"
"But meanwhile what about poor Mr Tumnus?" said Lucy.
"The quickest way you can help him is by going to meet Aslan," said Mr Beaver, "once he's with us, then we can begin doing things. Not that we don't need you too. For that's another of the old rhymes:
When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone
Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,
The evil time will be over and done.
So things must be drawing near their end now he's come and you've come. We've heard of Aslan coming into these parts before long ago, nobody can say when. But there's never been any of your race here before."
"That's what I don't understand, Mr Beaver," said Peter,
"I mean isn't the Witch herself human?" He asked making Amy straighten her back by hearing the word 'witch' again.
"She'd like us to believe it," said Mr Beaver, "and it's on that that she bases her claim to be Queen. But she's no Daughter of Eve. She comes of your father Adam's"-(here Mr Beaver bowed)
"your father Adam's first wife, her they called Lilith. And she was one of the Jinn. That's what she comes from on one side. And on the other, she comes of the giants. No, no, there isn't a drop of real human blood in the Witch."
"That's why she's bad all through, Mr Beaver," said Mrs Beaver.
Amaryllis stayed silent thinking if they found out she's a witch would they shut her out? But she's half-blood, so there's also a part of her that is human.
"Amy? Is everything okay?" Susan asked when she noticed Amy looking at nowhere
Amy snapped back to reality and answered "O-of course."
"Now where are we?" Mr Beaver started
"The Prophecy" Mrs Beaver answered
"Yes, yes. The prophecy says 'Down at Cair Paravel-that's the castle on the seacoast down at the mouth of this river which ought to be the capital of the whole country if all was as it should be-down at Cair Paravel there are four thrones and it's a saying in Narnia time out of mind that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit on those four thrones, then it will be the end not only of the White Witch's reign but of her life, and that is why we had to be so cautious as we came along, for if she knew about you four, your lives wouldn't be worth a shake of my whiskers!"
"Wait, four? But we're-" Amy said then looked over to the Pevensies but she noticed someone was missing "-where's Edmund?"