A/N: I so much appreciated the nice reviews I got for "Every night I am sane", that I'm posting it a few days early. This one's for you!

Disclaimer: The land of Narnia and the characters within do not belong to me, sadly.

A Faun's Tale

Chapter One: Some very important news

Mr. Tumnus was just clearing away the leftover tea things, when a light knock sounded on his door. He trotted over and hurried to open it, and old Mr. Beaver waddled in with a swirl of wind and snow.

"How are you, old fellow?" the furry creature grunted, brushing the white powder from his thick pelt.

Tumnus gazed anxiously at the piles of wet slush that were soaking into his carpet. "Very well, thank you", he answered automatically as he fetched a small brush and dustpan.

He busily mopped up the mess, and Mr. Beaver strode around the room. It was apparent that the old beaver was excited about something, for he kept stroking his whiskers, and his eyes and feet couldn't keep still. Tumnus followed him in his erratic circumnavigation of the tidy sitting-room, bent over double as he swept up the trail of snow Mr. Beaver was leaving all over the floor.

"I say", Mr. Beaver said rather grandly, swinging around, "I – what the devil are you doing down there, Mr. Tumnus?"

"Cleaning, sir", the little Faun answered breathlessly, very red in the face from bending over.

Mr. Beaver frowned. "This is no time for cleaning, dear fellow. Put down that dustpan and just give me a moment – I have some very important news."

Reluctantly, Tumnus sat down in his chair and relinquished the dustpan. Mr. Beaver plopped down across from him, but leaned so far forward that the Faun thought he would topple right off the edge of his seat.

"I came here to tell you-" Mr. Beaver stopped suddenly, head and ears swivelling. "Is this place safe from – you know – Her people?"

The Faun's red face grew even brighter, but Mr. Beaver made no mention of Tumnus having taken up service under the White Witch. The animals all knew that the Faun had been given little choice, and sympathized. "Yes", he stammered, very uncomfortable.

"Ah, well, now my news can be told." The beaver leaned even further forward, and beckoned for Mr. Tumnus to do the same. When his whiskers were practically tickling the Faun's ear, he said in a gruff whisper, "Aslan is on the move!"

At these words, Tumnus felt such a mixture of joy, excitement, and terror that for a moment he did not know quite what to do. He stared rather foolishly at Mr. Beaver, who merely winked in a shrewd way. Finally, he croaked, "Aslan…?"

"Is on the move", Mr. Beaver confirmed, nodding sagely. "A little bird told me – a thrush, I think it was… No matter. The point is, the Witch's spell is finally going to be broken. Aslan will set her right, won't he? Send her cowering back to whatever dark hole she came from!" At this point, the beaver grew so excited that he pounded the top of the table, causing the salt cellar to tumble to the ground.

Grateful for the excuse, Tumnus leapt up and started to clean, hiding his face from his exuberant guest. He was happy at the news – indeed, he was happier than he had ever been in his life. But there was no escaping the fact that he had betrayed Aslan by agreeing to serve the White Witch. True, he had not kept up his end of the bargain now that Lucy was his friend, but how could he ever face Aslan?

Mr. Beaver was still chattering on confidently about the Lion's impending arrival, when he noticed that his host, having cleared away the salt cellar, seemed a trifle more distracted than usual. "Is there anything you want to tell me?" he asked, disgruntled at not having his friend's complete and undivided attention.

Tumnus shook his curly head. "Not really. It's just… peculiar."

"Peculiar?" repeated Mr. Beaver, dark eyes widening in bewilderment. "Why is Aslan's coming peculiar?"

"Oh, not that", the Faun hastily assured him. "It's just… well, I suppose it's all right if I tell you. You see, I met a girl in the woods a few days ago."

For a while, the only sound was the merry crackling of the fire in the hearth.

Mr. Beaver sucked in his breath. "Well!" he said finally.

No other reply seemed to be forthcoming, so Tumnus related all that had happened: how he had met Lucy, a human from the city of War Drobe in the sunny land of Spare Oom; how he had asked her to tea with the intention of turning her over to the White Witch; how he had befriended the girl and kept her presence a secret; and finally how he'd had her over for tea earlier that very day, and their interesting conversation. Or more precisely, the interesting details about the girl's family.

"You mean to tell me", Mr. Beaver said hoarsely, "That this girl, this Lucy, she has a sister and two brothers?"

Tumnus nodded wordlessly.

"By Jove!" Mr. Beaver leaned back in his chair, stunned at the implications of this unexpected development. "Two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve know about our world, and Aslan sighted… It cannot be by chance."

"I suppose it means that the spell really will be broken", the little Faun murmured, not daring to raise his voice in fear that speaking the thought too loud would shatter it.

Mr. Beaver looked quickly at his friend, and seemed to understand the Faun's conflict. "Aslan always forgives", he said seriously. "You protected the girl – nobody could ask for anything more."

The Faun gave a grateful smile. All of a sudden, Narnia seemed a much pleasanter place. Tumnus never thought he would live to see the day when the thrones at Cair Paravel would be filled. His father had been the believer, not he. He sat back contentedly in his chair and listened to Mr. Beaver's rapturous speculations, for the first time in years completely forgetting that there ever was a White Witch.

He would have done well to remember.

A/N: Need I ask you for reviews? They only take a second - go on, I dare you!