the second occasion

[deepest_magic]

House. Wardrobe. Coats.

Comments

[queensidecastle]

Chris doesn't appear to suspect anything.

[deepest_magic]

How convenient.

[queensidecastle]

She drives them to the abandoned house.

"Have fun, kids."

[neverbeatme]

"With any luck," Elizabeth agrees as she disembarks from the car.

[deepest_magic]

Bella follows her.

"Where's the wardrobe?"

[neverbeatme]

"This way."

Into the house, upstairs, down the hall. Some of the furniture has been removed and some hasn't. This particular room contains nothing but the enormous wooden wardrobe, a desk, and a couple of chairs, but there are marks on the floor where a bed used to sit.

[deepest_magic]

Bella peers at the gap between the wardrobe and the wall.

[neverbeatme]

It's a few inches wide, slightly cobwebbed, but still plenty clear enough to see light on the other side all the way up and down.

[deepest_magic]

"Okay... let's see the place."

[neverbeatme]

"Okay."

She finds the coat she wore last time, and - gives it to Bella, and finds another one and puts it on. Bella is smaller than she is; better both of them in coats that are slightly too big but still workable than Elizabeth in a coat that basically fits and Bella in a coat that's falling off her shoulders and dragging behind her. And she distributes hats and gloves, and settles her backpack on her back, and climbs into the wardrobe.

[deepest_magic]

Bella wraps up warm, puts her backpack back on, and follows Elizabeth in.

[neverbeatme]

Coats. Coats. Coats.

Trees. Snow.

[deepest_magic]

"Well, okay, there goes residual doubt."

[neverbeatme]

"Yep," says Elizabeth. And more quietly: "Okay. I think the first thing we should probably do is see if we can find Tumnus's place, on the off chance that we're in time to warn him. By the way, I forgot to tell you earlier, but he mentioned that some of the trees might spy for the queen, so keep your voice down while discussing anything seditious."

[deepest_magic]

"Okay," says Bella. "Lead the way."

[neverbeatme]

"You got it."

Off she goes. She knows the way to the lamp-post from here; after that, she's guessing a little more, but she's pretty sure about the turns and landmarks.

And in fact—

there it is.

Elizabeth stops when she sees the door to the cave.

[pythbox]

The door has been ripped from its hinges and is lying face-down in the snow a good six feet from the cave entrance. Carved deep into the damaged wood is the sign of a snowflake - three lines crossed to make six arms, with each end bearing six further marks that make three chevrons like the fletching of an arrow. It takes up the whole upper half of the broken door. The carving is filled with dark glittering ice, as though someone poured water into the grooves and then froze it. Only a light dusting of snow has fallen since this event, so all the relevant tracks are still visible - boots in the snow, approaching the cave; the marks where someone knelt to carve the snowflake into the door; and the signs of something large and heavy being dragged off into the wood.

Beneath the snowflake, there is a note nailed to the door.

[jackfrostbite]

It reads thusly:

The former occupant of these premises, the Faun Tumnus, is under arrest and awaiting trial on a charge of High Treason against her Imperial Majesty Jadis, Queen of Narnia, Chatelaine of Cair Paravel, Empress of the Lone Islands. Appeals and inquiries will be denied.

By the hand of her Majesty's most loyal servant – Eternal Winter

[deepest_magic]

"Oh boy," murmurs Bella.

[neverbeatme]

"Thoroughly seconded," says Elizabeth. "So much for Tumnus. I feel like it would be a bad idea to go in and look around, what do you think? The - the stagedness of all this," she waves at the torn-off door with its note and its snowflake, "makes me think of the kind of people who set nasty traps."

[deepest_magic]

"Yeah. And it looks maybe recent, if this Eternal Winter person is nearby and forgot his wallet or something I don't want to be here."

[neverbeatme]

"Same. Okay, let's go."

[deepest_magic]

Bella nods, and -

"There's a robin. Aren't they spring birds?"

There is, indeed, a robin. It is indeed not spring.

[neverbeatme]

"I think so," she says, watching the robin curiously.

[deepest_magic]

The robin looks intently at them. When Bella takes a hesitant step towards it, it flies to the next nearest tree, then turns to look at them again.

"Are animals... different, here?" wonders Bella dubiously.