Based on and prequel too the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by: C.S. Lewis

1
The Witch

ONCE IN A WORLD CALLED NARNIA, there lived a Faun called Tumnus. This story takes place long before Narnia ended and before the Golden Age when High King Peter the Magnificent reined over Narnia. If you have read a book called The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, you will know what I mean. Tumnus was tending to his garden in front of his house. He loved to garden, if he ever got upset he would go out to garden, if something bothered him he went out to his garden. But on this particular day, while he was out in the garden, simply for the sheer pleasure of it, he heard a noise. It thumped, like the thump you hear from a marching band in a parade.

“Strange,” he thought, “I wonder what could be making that sort of noise.” He looked up and saw nothing for a moment, but then he saw a woman, with a wand in her hand, carried on a litter by four strange beasts each with only one eye. An army of at least ten thousand was behind them. They stopped right in front of his house.

“Excuse me,” he said, “but, may I ask what you are doing on my property?”

“We have come to find a place for my castle to be built,” said the woman on the litter, “and here is the ideal spot.”

“But this is my house!”

“Not any more.”
And with that, she waved the wand and his house was gone! Vanished! Just like that. All his things were on the ground in a pile, but his house was gone. As Tumnus started to protest, two huge beasts that looked like bison, but walked like a man, stepped forward and blocked him from her. Then with a wave of the wand, a horse and wagon appeared and she commanded,

“Put your things in there and leave. We shall build my castle right where you are standing. We will commence building immediately!”

When all his things were in the wagon, he drove off. As he went on he felt that a great evil had just come into Narnia and that it would be long before Narnia would go back to normal. Tumnus traveled for many days when he saw a centaur named Glenwitt. A centaur is a beast that is half horse and half man. He had three swords, a one-handed sword on his right hand side and another one-handed sword with a two handed claymore on his left. He wore no tunic, and on his back he had a three pointed shield of Narnia. His fur was a light, shiny brown. As many people know, most centaurs are prophets and read the stars to see the future. He saw the Faun and said,

“Ah, Tumnus, I have been expecting thee. I have been looking at the stars, for they are for me to look at. And I saw that great evil has entered Narnia. They say it will take over one hundred years to be defeated. We must go and tell the king.”

“Yes,” said Tumnus, “I’ve met her already. She is a Witch and has taken my land to build her castle. My poor garden.”

“Come, we will go immediately.” And with that they set off to tell the king.

The king was a young man, only twenty one years of age, but very strong already. His name was Isaac. On that day, the king and his court were just getting ready to set out on a great hunt for the White Stag. And as a servant helped the king on his horse, they heard the sound of hooves coming towards them. The king looked up, hoping it was not an enemy. Then a centaur came into view.

“Glenwitt! Tumnus!” said the king, “how good to see thee both! Hast thou come to join us on this great hunt for the White Stag?”

“Nay, Sire,” said Glenwitt, “but to warn thee.”

“Warn me? Warn me about what?”

“That a great evil has come into Narnia. An evil that is so great, it will take over one hundred years to defeat it, unless we stop it now. We must prepare for battle.”










“By Aslan’s mane I agree! Everyone, hear me! The hunt for the White Stag will wait! Captain, get the whole army ready for battle within the hour! In the name of Aslan, we will go this very day!” And with that, everyone there cheered loud and long.

The army was full of different creatures; Fauns, satyrs, centaurs, panthers, cheetahs, wolves, foxes, eagles, different kinds of animals, Dwarfs, and men alike. When the whole army was ready, they set off. They marched for days, feeling tired, hot, and sweaty. On the fourth day they made camp near a river that was an hour’s march to where Tumnus used to live. In the king’s tent they made their battle plans.

“We have the element of surprise,” said King Isaac.

“Ah, but I have heard,” said Glenwitt, “Some witches can read men’s thoughts. We must assume that she knows we are coming.”

“I agree,” said Tumnus.

“I do wish Aslan would come back from his country to help us,” said the king.

“Sire,” said Glenwitt, “from all records kept ever since thy ancestor, the Great King Frank, ruled at the beginning of time, Aslan has not been back in Narnia since he created it. Who knows when he’ll turn up? He is not a tame lion; he wants us to do things for ourselves when we can.”

“But what are we to do?” asked the king.

“My advice, Sire,” said Glenwitt, “is to send spies to find out the strength’s and weaknesses of her castle. There may a weak spot in the wall or the gate. If we could find it, sire, then we could be in, in no time.”

“Very well,” said the king, “now the question at hand, gentlemen, is: who are we to send?”

“I say we send some of the talking birds,” said Tumnus. “We could tell them to act dumb and witless. They could listen to all that is going on in the castle.”

“Good plan, Tumnus,” said the king. “Dilbert!” A small Dwarf, about three feet high with red hair and beard, walked in.

“Yes, my lord?” he said.

“Go get Trib and six more birds in his tribe, here’s my ring as a token, and bring them here.”

“Aye, Sire.” And so he brought them there and the king told them of their plan. The birds thought it was a good plan and just might work. Then they left to go on spying. They made it to the castle in ten minutes.

When they got there, they split up. Trib landed on the window where he saw the witch. She was tall, completely white. But the one thing you noticed most was her lips. They were redder than blood. Trib listened.

“My Lady, Jadis,” said a talking wolf named Grim (whom she had already talked to and made captain of her army), “the troops are doing drills but I have a problem.”

“What is now, Grim?” said the witch.

“The problem’s this little runt!” At this moment he grabbed the little Dwarf that was in front of him with his teeth and threw him. “He refuses to defend this castle.”

“Well, well, well,” said the witch. “What do you have to say for your self?”

“Ma’am, ye are crazy to think ye can just come in and take Narnia like this!”

“Ah, I see. Well if you don’t want to work for me then you can go.”

“I—I can?”

“Yes you can. Ahh!” And with that she hit him with her wand and all that was left was a stone statue. Then Grim spoke.

“He’s stone. I—i—if you painted h—h—him he would look… real!”

“Yes. It took me over fifty years to learn that one. Well with that done, have you fixed the north wall, Grim?”

“No ma’am. That will take several days to fix. We need more tools.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” The wand waved again and there were all sorts of tools: hammers, saws, nails, and many others.

“I thank you, my lady. Though even with these it will take over two days from now.”

“Just do it! Or do you want to end up like that little Dwarf you brought in here?”






“To hear is to obey, my queen.” Trib had heard enough. He at once flew back to the camp and told the king all that he had heard.

“So that is her plan, is it? They want to make her queen. Trib, is she a Daughter of Eve?”

“Nay, Sire. It looks to me that she has not one drop of human blood in her. I would sooner kill myself, than let her be my queen.”

“You are a good beast,” said Glenwitt. “Sire, I agree and would do the same. From Trib’s description she seems to have descended from Adam’s other wife. If she is queen then she would ruin Narnia until she was dead. Though fortunately, Sire, as I looked at the stars last night, I saw this prophecy written in them:


‘Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.
When Adam’s flesh and Adam’s bone
Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,
The evil time will be over and done.’
But as I have said this will be over one hundred years unless we can stop it now.”

“Yes, we must attack now, while they do not know we are here,” said the king. So the very next day they set out to the witch’s castle for war. They stopped just inside the north side of the woods. The king put his hand up, and threw it down yelling:

“Attack!” The army attacked the north wall with a battering ram they had made the day before. As the king ran he yelled:

“For Narnia!” Two hundred men ran with the battering ram and with an ear shattering crunch, they had made it in through the north wall. The witch knew it was going to happen and she had the troops ready. She had over one thousand beasts—Minotaures, Minobores, Cyclops’, Dwarfs, giants, wolves, Ankle Slicers, White Tigers, and many others. Unfortunately for her, she had underestimated them, for she had her troops to close to the wall and thirty of them were crushed by the debris.

The king was in the front of his army—as is the way a king of Narnia must act, first in the charge, last in the retreat—and running. He was hacking his way through the witch’s army when he saw her, the witch herself. He killed Grim who had attacked him and ran like mad to slay the witch.

He ran, harder than he had ever run in his life. He was two yards away from the witch, now one. Just as he was about to strike, the witch turned around and hit him with her wand. For a moment the king felt like nothing had happened, but then he felt his legs start to stiffen, and then his upper body, and then his arms, and then, he froze. He had become a stone statue, his face stuck in a look of shock and terror. The witch laughed and grabbed a sword, and smashed him. The king was dead.

********************

The witch’s army prevailed. Then she addressed the Narnians who were still alive.

“I will make you all an offer. Those of you who will be in my pay, come over to the left side of the courtyard.” No one moved.

“Unless you want to end up like your king, I suggest you move now.” At this threat over half now moved. The only ones I will name who didn’t move are Glenwitt, Trib, the captain, and all the humans. Most of the Fauns, Centaurs, and Dwarfs had fled when they saw the king destroyed. The only one I will name who went to the witch’s side was Tumnus. The witch spoke:

“Good, almost all of you. As for all of you, Ahhhh!” Every one who had not moved was now stone. The witch had won.