Chapter 3: The Wood In The Wardrobe

Susan impatiently paced back and forth, in the room she and Lucy would be sharing for as long as they lived in Professor Kirke's house, waiting for Peter to come back. Lucy had been complaining about the sheets being scratchy and she wanted to tell Peter goodnight.

What's taking them so long, sure The Macready has long since sent them off to bed. Susan wondered, just as she did so, she heard Abigail's bedroom door slam shut. Great, what has Peter done now?Susan shook her head imagining a million different situations, each ending with Peter upsetting their new friend and soon to be sister-in-law.

There came a knock on their door not too long after Abigail had shut hers. Susan answered it and saw that it was Peter that had knocked. he looked confused and a little disappointed.

"What is it?" Susan questioned her older brother, her annoyance sounding clear in her voice.

"Nothing just came to say good night, is all." Peter told her, stepping into his sisters' room.

"The sheets feel scratchy, and I miss Mum." Lucy complained.

Peter walked over to his youngest sister and said, "Wars don't last forever Lucy, we'll be home soon. And besides, you saw it outside... This place is huge. We can do whatever we want here... Tomorrow's going to be great, really." Lucy nodded her head in agreement.

"I think it would be best if we all got some sleep. Come on now." Susan suggested.

Peter left the girls' room and walked to his own thinking about Abigail, how close they had been. Her entrancing scent of lavender and orange still lingered in his nostrils, and he let out a sigh wondering what he had done wrong.

"Night, Ed." Peter yawned as he crawled into bed. He fell asleep almost instantly that night, with dreams of Abigail rolling through his mind.

"Gastrovascular?" Susan asked Peter; they were playing an extremely boring game with the dictionary that Susan had found. "Come on, Peter, gastrovascular?"

"Is it Latin?" He tore his blues eyes away from Abigail, who was reading in an armchair across from Peter, and looked at his sister.

"Yes."

"Is it Latin for 'worst game ever invented'?" Edmund joked coming out from under the wood chair he was defacing. Peter stifled a laugh and Susan slammed the old dictionary shut with a huff.

"We could play hide-n-seek," Lucy suggested moving from her place by the window to where Peter sat.

"But we're already having so much fun." Replied Peter.

"I wouldn't mind playing hide-n-seek," Abigail said softly giving Peter a shy smile.

"Alright. 1, 2, 3..." Peter began counting while the rest of them scattered.

Eventually, Abigail found a hiding place in the hall closet. She stayed quiet and listened to Peter count. This game was a lot more fun when other children played it with you. When she was a little girl, her mother and father would play hide-n-seek with her all the time, but when they died the game wasn't as fun, not that there was anyone to play the game with, anyway.

"...99, 100! Ready or not here I come." Abigail grinned to herself and did her very best to suppress the giggle trying to escape as she heard footsteps near her, but couldn't help it.

"Who could that be?" Peter's voice floated through the wood as he came closer to the closet in which Abigail hid.

The redhead let out a laugh when Peter flung open the closet door.

"Found you." He mocked pulling her by the hand out of her hiding place.

"It's been a long time since I played this game. I'm out of practice."

"I can see that," Peter chuckled pulling her closer, "Come, let's find the others." He pulled Abigail by her hand down the hall with a wide smile on his face.

"It's alright! I'm back! I'm alright!" Lucy's shouts could be heard from somewhere in the house. Peter lead Abigail in the direction of Lucy's voice and the two of them ended up finding not only Lucy but Edmund too.

"I'm not quite sure you two have got the idea of this game." Said Peter as he gazed at his younger siblings with confusion.

"Weren't you wondering where I was?" Lucy asked.

"Isn't that the point of hide-n-seek, Lucy?" Replied Abigail, while she placed a gentle hand on the younger girl's shoulder and gave her a concerned smile.

"Does this mean I win?" Susan inquired, having now come out from her hiding spot to join the group.

"I don't think Lucy wants to play anymore," Peter commented turning to Susan then to Lucy.

"I've been...gone for hours."

Abigail tilted her head to the side as she contemplated what Lucy had told them. It hadn't been hours. Had it? "What do you mean Lucy?"

"When I went to hide, I found this wardrobe in the spare room and used that as my hiding place. I had stepped back a bit from the door and ended up in a forest. It was beautiful, covered in snow, and there was this faun, Mr. Tumnus, who I had tea with. I had fallen asleep while he was playing me some music and when I woke up a few hours had gone by."

"Could you show us?" Abigail questioned excitedly. Lucy nodded enthusiastically and with a wave of her hand, gesturing them to follow her, she leads the her siblings and Abigail to the wardrobe.

Once there, Susan went inside and knocked on the back wall, while Edmund did the same from the outside. Abigail was listening intently to Lucy's story of the magical place she had visited, which she had called Narnia.

"Lucy the only wood in here is the back of the wardrobe," Susan informed her sister.

"One game at a time Lu, we don't all have your imagination," Peter commented.

"But I wasn't imagining!" Lucy shouted her eyes started to well up with tears.

"That's enough Lucy." Warned Susan.

"I wouldn't lie about this."

"Well, I believe you," Edmund smirked moving closer to his younger sister.

"You do?" Lucy said in disbelief.

"Yeah, of course, didn't I tell you about the football field in the bathroom cupboard?"

"Edmund." Abigail was shocked that he could say something like that to his little sister.

"Oh, would you just stop," Peter ordered, "You just have to make everything worse don't you?"

"It was just a joke."

"When are you going to learn when to grow up?"

"Shut up! You think you're Dad, but you're not!" Edmund yelled, his face was red and his fists clenched. The youngest Pevensie boy stormed out of the room.

"Well, that was nicely handled." Susan gave Peter a disapproving look then followed Edmund out the door.

"But... it really was there," Lucy said quietly as she looked up to her brother.

"Susan's right Lucy, that's enough."

Abigail could not believe what had just happened. Whether she believed Lucy's story or not, it does not do well to dampen children's imaginations. She stood there silently beside Lucy staring at the open door where the three eldest Pevensie had exited the room. Wow, Abigail thought as she heaved a heavy sigh. She turned to Lucy and put a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "I believe you, Lucy. My grandfather used to tell me stories as a child of this place you speak of though he doesn't describe it quite like you do."

Lucy gave Abigail a weak smile and mumbled a "thank you", before closing the wardrobe door and leaving the room.

Later that afternoon Abigail was sitting in her room reading a book that Mrs. Macready had given her on the Order of the Rose. It was a slow read, to say the least. Mercifully, a knock sounded on her door and she leaped up to answer it. When she opened the door, Abigail found that it was Peter who had knocked.

"Yes, Peter?"

"Uh, I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier. I'm sorry you had to see that." He looked at her nervously wringing his hands together.

"See what? Edmund's outburst, that you caused by the way, or you and Susan belittling your sister's imagination?"

Peter cleared his throat and looked down at his shoes shamefully. "All of it I suppose. Everything's been a bit tense since the war started and Dad was drafted. I'm still learning how to handle Edmund, and Lucy doesn't really understand what's going on."

"I think she does. In fact, I'm positive that she does. You just don't give her enough credit. As for Edmund, you might want to try not bossing him about you're his father instead of his brother, just a thought." Abigail moved from the doorway to sit back down on her bed, gesturing for Peter to join her.

"It's hard. I can wrap my head around it." Peter confessed as he sat down beside Abigail.

"I can't imagine what it's like having to grow up as fast as you have, but I'm sure you'll figure it out, and you don't have to do it by yourself, Peter. If you ever need talk, I'm here."

"I know," Peter paused and took Abigail's hand in his, "But you would be if we weren't arranged to be married?"

Abigail lifted Peter's chin and looked him straight in the eye. "Always." She leaned closer and she could see him doing the same. The teens quickly pulled away when they heard someone clear their throat.

Abigail turned to see Mrs. Macready standing in the doorway with a tour group. Shoot. Abigail cringed.

"May I introduce Lady Abigail Kirke of the Order of the Rose, and her future husband, Peter." Many of the tour group waved at Peter and Abigail who sat awkwardly together on the bed.

"Hello." Abigail waved back at the group. She looked from Mrs. Macready to Peter then back again, and with a sigh, she stood up and began her speech. Normally it would be under different circumstances and would come at the end of the tour. It was about the Order of the Rose and what it all entailed. Then the group could ask her questions about the mansion and the Order and be on their way.

Peter sat back and listened as Abigail gave her speech, smiling slightly to himself as she put on the appearance of a true lady instead of the caring, relaxed, but still respectable, bookworm he had pegged her for. He back was straight and her head was held high as if they hadn't just caught her about to kiss Peter. He was amazed at that last part since his cheeks still had a slight pink tinge to them.

When the group was done with their questions and had left the two alone, Abigail closed the door and re-joined Peter on her bed.

"That was quite impressive."

"Thank you, but it's really just practice. That has to be the hundredth tour I've done in my short life."

"Well, I think it went swimmingly." He complimented as he kissed the back of her hand.

Abigail blushed and cleared her throat. "Thank you. I appreciate your patience."

"Anytime. I do have to ask, I won't have to do that when we're married, right?"

"Oh heavens, no. I actually only have to do them when I'm here, and when we get married I won't be here anymore. Sure, I'll visit, but I won't be living here."

"Good to know."

"You should probably go before the tour finishes. No doubt, Macready will swing by to make sure you're not here anymore."

"You're probably right." Peter said as he stood up and moved toward to door.

"See you at dinner." Abigail kissed Peter's cheek and shut the door.

"See you at dinner." Peter echoed touching the spot on his pink cheek where Abigail had kissed him. A smile spread across his face, and he made his way down the hall to his own bedroom.