emma and peter pevensie, the eldest of their siblings, fight to keep their tattered family safe from the magical world beyond the wardrobe
book one of three
edited-october six, twenty twenty-one
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Emma was last in the wardrobe and cracked the door. The siblings began to move back into the coats. "My toe!" Lucy whined. "I'm not on your toe!" Edmund told her. "Guys, be quiet!" Emma hushed her siblings. "Move back," Susan said. "Will you stop shoving?" Peter asked rhetorically. Peter and Susan tripped over a root and fell into a snow pile. Edmund, Lucy, and Emma walked around them. Susan and Peter got up fast and looked around. Emma looked around too with a smile on her face. "I knew she was telling the truth." The eldest Pevensie girl muttered. Susan scoffed. "Impossible." "Don't worry," Lucy said to the two. "I'm sure it's just your imagination." Emma laughed. "I don't suppose saying we're sorry would quite cover it." Peter laughed. "No, it wouldn't," Lucy answered. Emma scooped up some snow and threw it right at Peter, hitting him straight in the face. "But that might." she laughed. Lucy, Susan, and Peter grabbed snowballs and threw them at each other. Edmund stayed behind the battle and looked to the two hills. Susan had taken a snowball and hit Edmund in the arm. "Ow!" he groaned. "Stop it." "You little liar!" Peter said after a moment. "You didn't believe her, either." Edmund reminded him. "Apologize to Lucy," Peter told Edmund sternly. "Peter," Emma warned. "Say you're sorry!" Peter's voice raised. "Peter!" Emma yelled. "Alright! I'm sorry." Edmund glanced to Lucy. "That's enough Peter," Emma said pulling him away from Edmund. "That's alright," Lucy said innocently. "Some little children just don't know when to stop pretending." "Oh, very funny." Edmund sneered at her. "That's enough guys!" Emma called gaining the attention of her siblings. "Maybe we should go back," Susan said changing the subject. "But shouldn't we at least take a look around?" Edmund asked looking behind his shoulder. "I think Lucy should decide," Peter said. Lucy gasped. "I'd like you all to meet Mr. Tumnus!" Lucy decided. "Well then, Mr. Tumnus it is!" Emma said with a smile. Emma and Peter walked back into the wardrobe. "But we can't go hiking in the snow dressed like this," Susan complained. "No," Emma began. She and her twin walked back to their younger siblings holding coats. "But I'm sure the professor won't mind us using these." Emma and Peter dispersed the coats. "Anyway, if you think about it logically," Peter added. "We're not even taking them out of the wardrobe." Peter handed Edmund a coat. "But that's a girl's coat!" Edmund recoiled. "I know." Peter nodded. "Boys, play nice," Emma said helping Lucy with her coat. Edmund sighed taking the coat.
➴
Everyone followed Lucy looking around at the scenery. Peter ran ahead and fell into the snow. The other Pevensie's laughed at him. Lucy walked them around to Tumnus' home. "Lots and lots of lovely food, and we'll have lots and lots of-" Lucy stopped herself looking at a broken door ahead. "Lu?" Emma asked anxiously. Lucy gasped and ran forward. Emma, being the quickest to react, ran after her first, followed by Peter, Edmund, and Susan. "Lucy!" Emma yelled. Lucy got inside first and looked around at the broken and destroyed home. "Who would do something like this?" Lucy asked no one in particular. Edmund walked forward and accidentally stepped on the portrait of Tumnus' father. There were four slashes in it. Peter saw a piece of paper and pulled it off the wall. He began to read off it. "'The faun Tumnus is hereby charged with High Treason against Her Imperial Majesty, Jadis, Queen of Narnia, for comforting her enemies as fraternizing with humans.' Signed Maugrim, Captain of the Secret Police." He looked up and his siblings. "'Long live the Queen'." Emma took the paper and skimmed it. "Alright, now we really should go back." Susan nodded. "But what about Mr. Tumnus?" Lucy begged. "If he was arrested just for being with a human, I don't think there's much we can do," Susan told her. "You don't understand, do you?" Lucy asked her sister. "I'm the human! She must have found out he helped me." Edmund looked down to the ground. "Maybe we should call the police," Peter suggested. "These are the police." Emma piped in holding the paper. "Don't worry Lu, we'll think of something," Peter told his youngest sister. "Why?" Edmund piped in. "I mean, he's a criminal." Lucy looked taken aback by this. A bird outside chirped and landed on a tree. "Psst!" Everyone looked outside. "Did that bird just 'psst' us?" Emma asked. The siblings walked outside to the bird. He flew away. A twig snapped. The siblings looked around in fear. Then, rustling came from a behind rock. "Psst!" they heard again. Lucy grabbed ahold of Emma's arm. Emma placed her other hand on Edmund's back. He didn't squirm or say anything, as he likes Emma better. Susan grabbed the front of Emma's coat and Peter's shoulder. They looked ahead to a rock and out came a..beaver. "It's-it's a beaver," Lucy said confused. The beaver walked up to them sniffing. Peter walked up with his hand out. "Here boy," he said as he clicked his tung. "I ain't gonna smell it, if that's what you want." The beaver said to them. All the siblings recoiled. Lucy snickered. "Uh, sorry," Peter said nervously. "Lucy Pevensie?" The beaver questioned the youngest girl. She stopped laughing. "Y-yes?" She asked walking forward. The beaver pulled out her handkerchief and gave it back to her. "That's the hankie I gave to Mr-" Lucy began. "Tumnus. He got it to me just before they took him." The beaver explained. "Is he alright?" Lucy asked anxiously. The beaver looked around. "Further in." He whispered and scurried away. Emma, Peter, and Lucy followed immediately. "What are you doing?" Susan gasped grabbing ahold of Peter's jacket. Edmund jogged behind her. "She's right," he said. "How do we know we can trust him?" "He said he knows the faun," Peter explained. "And he had the handkerchief," Emma added. "He's a beaver. He should be saying anything." Susan pointed out. "Everything alright?" The beaver popped back up. "Yes, we were just talking," Emma dismissed quickly. The beaver looked around again. "That's better left for safer quarters," he whispered and disappeared again. "He means the trees," Lucy said looking around. Susan and Edmund share a glance. Peter and Emma sighed, then started to follow the beaver with Lucy. Susan and Edmund are slow, but they followed along. "Come on. We don't want to be caught out here after nightfall." The beaver told them.
➴
"Ah, blimey! Looks like the old girl has the kettle on." The beaver exclaimed catching view of his home. "Nice cup o' Rosy Lee." "It's lovely!" Emma complements seeing the dam. "Oh, it's merely a trifle, you know. Still, plenty to do. Ain't quite finished yet." The beaver explained. "It'll look the business when it is, though." Emma and Lucy smile at their other siblings following the beaver. "Beaver, is that you?" a female voice came from the home. "I've been worried sick! If I find out you've been out with Badger again, I-" she was cut off by the sight of The Humans. "Oh, well, those aren't badgers. Oh, I never thought I'd live to see this day!" she said excitedly. Emma smiled at her. "Look at my fur, you couldn't give me ten minutes warning?" Mrs. Beaver scolded her husband. "I would have given you a week if I thought it would've helped." Mr. Beaver teased her. "Oh please, you look, lovely ma'am," Emma said smiling. "Oh, thank you." Mrs. Beaver blushed. "Well, come inside and we'll see if we can't get you some food, and some civilized company." "Now, careful, watch your step." Mr. Beaver told them. "Excuse the mess." Mrs. Beaver chuckled. "Can't get Mr. Beaver out of his chair." Edmund was last outside other than Mr. Beaver. He looked out at the two hills again. "Enjoying the scenery, are we?" Mr. Beaver asked startling the boy. Edmund said nothing in response and walked into the beaver's dam.
