Even a worm will Turn
'To whom do lions cast their gentle looks? Not to the beast that would usurp their den. The smallest worm will turn being trodden on, And doves will peck in safeguard of their brood.' William Shakespeare - Henry VI, Part 3
Lupa advanced on the Witch growling furiously,
"You will not take my King" he snarled "unless it is over my dead body!" The Witch looked at the wolf, a triumphant gleam in her eyes.
"I agree with your terms Lupa" she announced. "You are the traitor not he; his debt is paid. It is you who shall die on the stone table."
With these words, the Witch started to advance on Edmund and Lupa, her stone knife raised. Edmund wondered if it had been this way for Aslan, when it was he, not Lupa who was to be sacrificed on the stone table. From what Lucy and Susan had told him (when they eventually admitted to him what Aslan's sacrifice had been), Aslan had gone to meet his fate without any struggle, without putting up a fight. Well, said Edmund to himself, as Aslan himself would say, 'nothing ever happens the same way twice.' With this he raised his sword and stood in front of Lupa, ready to defend his friend with his life if need be. Not one of his friends would ever again be sacrificed on that table, not while he drew breath. With a low growl, Lupa dove around Edmund's legs to crouch defensively in front of him. "If it please Your Majesty" he said with a low growl. "I am the guard, not you." Edmund let out a low humourless laugh and stood at Lupa's side. "Together then?" he asked. Lupa nodded, "Together My King … My friend!"
Meanwhile, Peter, Susan, Lucy and their guards had been standing on the brow of the hill watching the Witch's every move. Egrit, desiring a better view was circling above them. They watched as Edmund approached the Witch and began speaking with her. When the Witch had replied harshly and then moved towards Edmund and Lupa, their faces paled, something had gone terribly wrong! Even before the Witch had left her chair however, Magnus and Saris had sprung forward, with blood curdling roars. They hardly heard their Monarch's questioning calls, focused as they were on reaching Lupa. The guards' reaction, however, was all that Susan needed, she lifted her horn to her lips and blew furiously. Their army was minutes away at the base of the hill, hopefully they would be able to reach them through the Witch's forces, which had now circled the hill, cutting them off from aid. They had the numbers, but their army would have to attack uphill to reach their Monarchs.
Sitting slumped at the base of the Witch's throne, Tess had heard every word exchanged between Jadis, Edmund and Lupa. Realising that the Witch was advancing on Edmund and his wolf, she made to rise to go to their aid. Tabitha however was nearby and had been watching her. Pushing Tess to the ground, she stood above her. "Stay" she commanded as she had before. And with that she, very deliberately, stood on Tess's broken arm. Tess supressed a scream. She could not, would not distract Edmund. He needed to focus on the Witch. Tess watched Tabitha go to the aid of her mistress with narrowed eyes. She had had enough! No one, not even she, deserved this.
As the White Witch advanced on Edmund and Lupa three huge trolls and many of the hags came to her assistance. They were all, every one of them, intent on capturing the wolf and binding him to the stone table. And if Edmund were killed or turned to stone in the attempt – so much the better. Overwhelmed by sheer numbers, Edmund and Lupa were forced back step by step and suddenly they found that the stone table was at their backs. Surrounded, with no escape to their rear, Edmund and Lupa fought furiously, trying to gain some ground and move away from the Stone Table. Taking advantage of every opening and every opportunity to strike at an opponent, Edmund found it extremely difficult to plan where he fought. His intention was to stay with Lupa, but with the fighting so thick and ferocious he was unable to do so. He wanted to guard Lupa's back, but he had to take what ever opening he had, and all the openings appeared to lead him further and further away from his friend. With a cold chill, Edmund realised that the Witch's forces were doing it on purpose. They were trying and succeeding in isolating Lupa. Looking desperately around for his guard, he saw him. Saw him being dragged to the stone table by the hags, they had him muzzled and partially bound. With a roar Edmund redoubled his efforts and started to fight his way to Lupa.
The Narnian army had reached the summit of the hill through the Witch's vanguard and were now fiercely engaged with her forces. With the assistance of the Centaurs of the Royal Guard Peter was bringing down the Giants. Notoriously difficult to fight, the most effective strategy was to hamstring them and then deal with them when they were on the ground. Looking up after felling the last Giant, Peter took advantage of the breathing room to look around for his siblings. Lucy and Susan were fighting close by engaged with a gang of black dwarves. Spying Edmund and seeing the despairing look on his face, Peter followed his brother's line of vision and saw Lupa. Bound and helpless on the Stone Table, the White Witch standing over him, her stone knife in her hand. Peter was just too far away to help, even further away than Edmund. Looking around again, Peter spotted his sisters "Susan, over there" he shouted above the roar of battle, pointing at the Witch, "Shoot her – quickly!" Understanding the need immediately, Susan started firing a volley of arrows at the Witch with lightening speed. But the press around the Stone Table was too thick, the Witch was surrounded by her followers. Susan felled them by the tens, but still could not get a clear shot at the Witch.
It seemed that time had slowed down as Edmund tried desperately to reach his guard and friend. He saw the Witch raise her stone knife in the moonlight, saw it begin its descent to Lupa's unprotected neck as he lay struggling on the table. Suddenly a small blonde figure launched itself at the hag that was holding Lupa to the table, the force of her blow knocked Lupa clear off the table and the hag onto it, just as her mistress's knife fell - fell on Tabitha's exposed neck. Tess stood over the body of the hag, a triumphant look on her face – the worm had turned. Turning to face the White Witch, Tess looked her in the eye for the first time and found that she was strong enough, more than strong enough to do so. "You have your sacrifice, Jadis" she told the Witch coldly. "Tabitha betrayed me in all ways possible. The deep magic is appeased." Jadis's face seemed to turn even whiter, if that was possible, with rage, all of it now directed at Tess, who stood before her defiant, but weaponless.
Raising her wand, The Witch advanced on Tess. "You think that you are safe because I need your blood?" she sneered. "You are not the only human in Narnia. I can find other blood." With this, she raised her arm to strike Tess with her wand … but the stroke never fell. Edmund had at last reached the scene, and rather than trying to stop Jadis's blow, backed as it was by her enormous strength, he had instead redirected it. Bending her arm at the elbow Edmund forced Jadis's arm backwards, towards herself. Edmund and Tess watched in satisfaction as the wand found flesh and turned that flesh to stone before their eyes. Her stone wand clutched forever in her granite hand.
A collective shudder ran through the White Witch's forces, severely decimated already, they looked around at their foes and saw death in their eyes. Most of the Witch's forces however would never surrender. They were too proud, they would never bow down to a human ruler and so they fought with everything that they had, but it was not enough! Some, like the black dwarves and some talking animals surrendered and these were brought back to camp to be transported to Cair Paravel where justice would be dispensed.
Walking back from the battlefield, after it was all over, Edmund spotted Tess, sitting alone and forlorn at the edge of the camp. Moving to her side, he sat down beside her. Tess sat mute, refusing to look at him. "I wanted to thank you" Edmund said to her, "for saving Lupa, I don't know how I will ever repay you." Tess finally looked at him and expression of incredulity on her face. "Weeelll" she drawled "perhaps if you were to save me from a Witch, that might go some way to repaying your debt!" Edmund smiled. "I think we can call all debts paid in full then." Tess looked away from him again sighing. "I supposed I should figure a way to return home then." She said bitterly. Edmund's heart sank. She wanted to leave? No, he thought looking at her dejected posture more closely, she doesn't. She thinks she's not wanted, because of what I said to the White Witch.
Moving a little closer to Tess, he put his fingers gently under her chin and raised her head so that she was looking at him. Tess's intense blue eyes looked into Edmund's soulful brown stare. "Please" Edmund breathed gently, "don't leave." Tess's heart had started beating so loudly that she was sure Edmund could hear it. Could he really care for her? But she had to be sure, needed to know once and for all if she was loved. "Why?" was all she asked. Edmund looked tenderly into her eyes. "Because I love you of course" he said gently. "And I never want to have to do without you again." As Tess's eyes widened and started to fill with crystal tears, Edmund leaned forward so that their brows were touching. "I need you to stay, you have saved me in more ways than you know and I need you to stay so that you and I can continue saving each other for the rest of our days!" With a noise that was somewhere between a sob and a laugh, Tess brought her lips to Edmund's kissing him passionately with all the love she had inside her, all the love which now at last had an outlet.
For the first time Tess and Edmund allowed themselves to be cherished.