the second occasion

[deepest_magic]

House. Wardrobe. Coats.

Comments

[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.

[neverbeatme]

"I'm getting the distinct sense that they are," says Elizabeth. "Let's follow the robin."

She follows the robin.

[deepest_magic]

"Are we sure it's a nice robin?" wonders Bella, although she follows too as the robin flutters tree to tree.

[neverbeatme]

"Applying fairy tale logic to the situation, yes - because robins are spring birds, and have generally positive connotations. Applying normal logic to the situation, I have no idea but I still want to find out where the robin is leading us."

[deepest_magic]

Bella starts a little chart in her notebook about the predictions generated by fairy tale versus ordinary logic, and continues to follow the robin.

It seems to want them to walk quite a long way.

[neverbeatme]

That's fine by Elizabeth. It's not like they have any better ideas about where to go, Tumnus's house having proved unsafe.

[deepest_magic]

Bella keeps a bit of a map, filling in a compass rose once they've been going long enough to notice the direction of the sun.

And then when they have been walking for a couple of hours -

The robin flies completely out of sight.

[neverbeatme]

Elizabeth looks around.

[deepest_magic]

No more birds.

There is a bit of motion behind a tree over there, though.

"H-hello?" says Bella, on the theory that they are quite obvious to anyone who is better at forests than they are and will have better chances getting through any interaction with such a person by being reasonably friendly.

A furry long-toothed face peeks out from behind the tree, paw over its mouth in a hush gesture.

[neverbeatme]

"...That is a beaver," murmurs Elizabeth. But she nods to the beaver, indicating receipt of the message.

[deepest_magic]

Bella nods too, finger over her lips.

The beaver tiptoes out more visibly, and makes a come on motion with a forepaw, and then lumbers beaverishly off in loosely the same direction the robin was leading them.

Bella sighs and follows the beaver, continuing her map at intervals.

[neverbeatme]

Elizabeth likewise follows.

[deepest_magic]

Eventually the beaver has led them to a spot where four trees grow so close together that there is only just room for one beaver and two children to stand together.

"Are you the Daughters of Eve?" whispers the beaver. "Quietly, quietly."

[neverbeatme]

"As far as I can tell, yes we are," murmurs Elizabeth.

[deepest_magic]

"What are we being quiet for?" whispers Bella.

"The trees, there are a few about who might betray us to her," says the beaver.

"And we know that you would do no such thing because -?"

"I spoke to Tumnus before he was arrested and he asked me to meet you if anything happened to him - but he had no distinctive token to offer," apologizes the beaver. "I am afraid I'm quite unable to prove it."

[neverbeatme]

"...I think I believe you," says Elizabeth. (She wouldn't have believed a physical token anyway, but sees no need to get into that.)