A Friend Like You
a The Chronicles of Narnia story
by Ren
It was after the coronation of King Peter, King Edmund, Queen Susan and Queen Lucy, and festivities were raging. Everyone had gathered around to pay repects to the new kings and queens of Narnia, and soon the great hall was filled with laughter, music and dancing. No one noticed as Lucy wandered off from the crowd towards the balcony. She gazed out across the beach, her eyes filled with sadness at seeing Aslan go.
"We'll see him again." Lucy turned to see her friend Mr. Tumnus behind her.
"When?"
"In time. One day he'll be here and the next he won't. But you mustn't press him. After all, he's not a tame lion."
"No. But he is good." A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Here," said Mr. Tumnus as he pulled out a hankerchief from under his scarf. "You need it more than I do." He smiled softly, and covered her hand with his. Lucy took the hankie and did her best not to hold back tears as she noticed that Aslan had disappeared.
They stood out on the balcony for a few moments in silence, before Mr. Tumnus quietly cleared his throat and turned to Lucy.
"Maybe we should go back inside. Your brothers and sister will wonder where you are. Come on." He smiled at her and she smiled back, taking his arm.
"Where's Lucy?" Peter asked his brother and sister, noticing that the youngest member of the family was suddenly absent.
"She was just here..." Edmund said, looking around him.
"I do hope she hasn't wandered off again," Susan said worriedly.
"Here I am," Lucy came up behind her sister, Mr. Tumnus in tow.
Her siblings smiled at her, and Peter reached for her hand.
"How 'bout it Lu, would you care for a dance?" He asked, his eyes sparkling. Lucy giggled and put her small hand in his.
Nobody noticed as Mr.Tumnus snuck away from the group and crept over to a lonely corner of the room. Once safely in the solitude of the great marble walls, he ducked his head into the crook of his arm and let out two muffled but urgent sneezes.
"Hi-tschoo!...H'tschiew!"
He sniffled softly, wishing for a moment he still had the hankerchief hidden under his scarf. He had been feeling a little ill ever since he had 'defrosted,' as it were, from the stone that held him captive in the White Witch's castle. It was, after all, like an ice palace inside and more than a bit chilly. He had not mentioned anything to Lucy, or anyone else for that matter. At the time, they had had much more pressing issues at hand and he did not want to trouble anyone. And after the battle, at the coronation, everyone had been so happy as he had set a crown on each of the four siblings' head, he knew Lucy would worry if he said anything and he did not want to ruin the night. Besides, it was just a cold, right? Nothing worth bothering everyone about.
Unfortunately he, like most of the others, had sustained a few bruises from the battle before Aslan had ended it and finished off the White Witch. That, in combination with his rapidly progressing cold, was beginning to take a lot out of him.
No one will miss me if I sneak out now, he thought. He turned and began walking towards the door, looking over his shoulder once at Lucy spinning around happily with her brother. He smiled sadly, wishing he felt well enough to stay and enjoy the party, and already missing Lucy's company.
Walking back through the woods to his little cavern-like home in the rocks, Mr. Tumnus was more than a little relieved that everything was no longer covered in snow. But he shivered lightly, nonetheless, as the cool spring breeze swirled around him.
As he reached the entrance to his home, he was glad that everything was more-or-less in place again. Before the coronation had begun, Lucy had demanded that her siblings and a few others go with her to help restore order to Mr. Tumnus' home, which had been torn apart by the White Witch's Secret Police when they had come searching for him. He hadn't yet had the chance to thank her for her thoughtfulness.
He stumbled in and collapsed in a chair by the fireplace, wishing that there was a fire going but too tired to start one.
"Hup-shmpt!" He sneezed tiredly into the crook of his arm. He coughed lightly and pulled a blanket off the back of the chair. He shivered and pulled the blanket up to his chest, not bothering to remove the bright red scarf that he always wore around his neck. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Lucy whirled around with her brother, laughing cheerfully, for the moment all thoughts of Aslan's departure forgotten. As the music slowed, she moved off to the side, breathless, her cheeks glowing. Peter followed her, a bit breathless as well.
"Isn't it all amazing?" She asked him excitedly.
He laughed. "It sure is...it's been some day, hasn't it Lu?"
This seemed to remind her once again of Aslan's leaving and her smile faded a bit. Peter seemed to read her thoughts and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sure he'll come back one day. He was a good lion." She smiled once more as his words echoed her own.
"It was good of him to turn back all of the White Witch's stone prisoners too. I don't know what I would've done if he hadn't shown up with them." Peter continued.
Yes, it had been very good of Aslan. And Lucy had been especially glad to have her friend Mr. Tumnus back. She seemed to remember him suddenly and turned her head in search of him.
"Where is Mr. Tumnus?" She asked her brother. His brows scrunched up in thought, as he also began looking around the room.
"I don't know...I haven't seen him around for a while...maybe he left?"
"Why would he leave? I barely got to see him."
"I don't know Lu," he answered again. "I'll ask around if you'd like, and see if anyone else has seen him." With that he put a hand on her shoulder again and walked off into the crowd.
Lucy weaved her way through the throngs of Narnians, looking this way and that.
"If you're looking for Mr. Tumnus dear, he snuck out earlier." Lucy looked down to see Mrs. Beaver looking up at her.
"He left without saying goodbye?" Lucy asked sadly.
"If you ask me, the poor dear seemed a bit under the weather. I think all that time frozen in stone in the cold got to him."
"He's ill?"
Mrs. Beaver smiled knowingly at the young girl. "Everyone is so caught up in the festivities here, I don't believe anyone would notice right away if you snuck out...If they wonder where you are I'll fill them in if you'd like dear."
Lucy crouched down and hugged Mrs. Beaver as best she could. "Thank you!" And with that she ran towards the door.
Mr. Tumnus awoke with a start later to find the room engulfed in darkness. His nose twitched and he quickly turned and buried it in his shoulder.
"Hih-tschoo! H'tsch! Hhh...huh-tschoo!"
He sniffed miserably and scrubbed at his nose with his fist. He pulled the blanket up higher to cover his upper-half, as the fur covering his legs kept them a bit warmer than the rest of him.
His throat felt scratchy, and when he tried to clear it, only managed to break into a fit of harsh coughing that shook his entire body. When it stopped, he swallowed carefully, too exhausted to fetch a glass of water. He thought of Lucy, and how warm she had made him feel, sitting and having tea with him as if they had been lifelong friends. For a moment he wished she were here, but then shook away the thought, thinking himself such a selfish faun.
For she was having a wonderful time at her post-coronation celebrations, and after what she and her family had been through, she deserved some happiness.
She should be with her brothers and sister.
She...
She was here.
He shook his head and blinked, as if to make sure he was not imagining things. But he wasn't, there was Lucy standing in the doorway to his little home.
"Mr. Tumnus!"
"Lu....My Queen! W..What are you doing here?" He stammered.
"You should be in bed! Mrs. Beaver said you were ill! Why did you not tell me?" She scolded.
He blushed and looked down embarrassed.
"I...I did not think it was important, and...and I didn't want to bother you."
"Not important? Mr. Tumnus, of course your health is important! And there is no need for this "My Queen," business, you may still call me Lucy. We are friends, are we not?"
"I..." He began, but was cut off by the sudden tickle rising in his nose. He tried to sniff quietly, not wanting to sneeze in front of Lucy. When the tickle still grew, he brought up his hand and rubbed a finger against the bottom of his nose. Lucy put her small hands on her hips and looked at him sternly.
"Mr. Tumnus, if you need to sneeze, you should. You do not need to suffer with it because of me."
Still self-conscious, he glanced at her quickly before succumbing to the tickle. He yanked the blanket up to cover his face as he fell forward at the waist.
"Huh-tchoo! H'tschoo!"
Suddenly the blanket was gently pulled down to reveal Lucy peering at him over the top. She giggled. His face flushed in embarrassment.
"I'm so sorry," he apologized.
She giggled again. "There is nothing to be sorry for, Mr. Tumnus." She held out the handkerchief he had given her earlier. "Perhaps you should have this back, I think you need it more than I do now." He took it and smiled, tucking it under his scarf for later use.
"Now, shouldn't you be in bed?" She reached for his hand.
"But I..."
"When I'm ill, my mother always makes sure I'm in bed with lots of blankets, and she makes me tea and sings me lullabies. Shall I make you some tea Mr. Tumnus?" She pulled gently, urging him to his feet. The blanket fell in a heap to the floor. He shivered.
"Really, you don't need to..."
"I shall bring it to you in bed." She seemed to be enjoying this mothering role. It made her feel very grown up. He followed her into his bedroom where she sat him on the bed.
"Now, lie down and I shall tuck you in."
"But..."
"Mr. Tumnus! You will not get better if you do not rest!"
"Yes...but..." He held up one finger. "Wait...one moment..." His eyes closed and his breathing deepened. His breath hitched and he grabbed at the blanket covering his bed and pulled it up to hide his face once more.
"Hih-tschiew! huh...h'TSCHOO! Huh-tchoo!"
He lowered the blanket sheepishly.
"Bless you." Lucy said. "Now. Into the bed." She pulled back the covers.
He sighed and lowered himself to the bed. She pulled the covers up and tucked them under his chin. She kissed the curls on the top of his head and he blushed once more.
"Now rest here for a bit and I shall bring you some tea." She skipped off to boil some water and to find a teapot.
When she returned, he was just as she'd left him, huddled under the blankets with his odd little ears just visible above the top. Upon seeing her come in, he pushed himself up so he was sitting against the wall. She handed him the teacup.
"I hope it's all right," she fussed. He took a sip and smiled.
"It is perfect." He told her. She smiled at him. He finished off the tea, stopping only once to cough into his shoulder. She took the cup from him and once again tucked in the blankets around his shoulders once he was lying down. She dragged over a small chair and sat down beside his bed.
"I don't know any Narnian lullabies." She told him. "So this definitely won't sound anything like one." He smiled, remembering his words to her the first time they met.
She began humming an old lullaby that her mother sang to her, and soon she saw his eyes begin to close. Just before he drifted off to sleep, she stopped her humming when she heard him speak.
"I am very glad to have a friend like you Lucy Pevensie."
"And I am very glad to have a friend like you Mr. Tumnus. You are the nicest faun I have ever met." He fell asleep with a small smile on his face.
She continued humming after he was sleeping, but soon felt her own eyelids grow heavy with sleep. She was, after all, still very young and unaccustomed to so much activity so late at night. Maybe she would just lay her head down for a little while...
"Where's Lucy?" Peter asked for the second time that night.
This time it was Mrs. Beaver who answered. She told him how Mr. Tumnus had been feeling unwell and had snuck off early, and how Lucy had gone to care for her friend. She reassured him that now that the White Witch was gone, Narnia was perfectly safe for the young girl.
"Perhaps I'd better go find her, just in case." Peter said as he too, left the party.
When Peter arrived at Mr. Tumnus' home, he found the faun asleep in his bed, and Lucy asleep as well, her head on her arms on the bed beside her friend. Peter smiled and crept back to the sitting room to fetch the blanket pooled on the floor in front of the fireplace. He returned and carefully draped it over his youngest sister, and left the two friends to sleep. He closed the door quietly as he left and wandered off to return to the celebrations.
~The End~
All charactes, plots, etc...belong to C.S. Lewis, not me. This is just a bit of fun.