Disclaimer: I don't own any aspects to this story.
And now, let's proceed.
Chapter 23: Turning the Tide
From the moment the battle started, Humpty had been feeling anxious. It had started as nervousness when he was standing on the cliff with Edmund, worrying about Puss, Kitty, and Peter. After all, they were on the front lines. Anything could happen in a battle. Not to mention the responsibility he and Edmund had. If their timing was off, then the surprise strategies would be foiled, leaving Humpty's friends facing the full force of the Witch's army.
Thankfully, things had gone according to plan. Edmund had given the correct signal to the griffins, allowing them to start their ambush. Humpty had timed the enemy advance perfectly, calling to release the phoenix arrow at the right time to separate the enemy. And for a moment, it had seemed like Aslan's army might succeed in the open fields, reducing the enemy forces by defeating those who were trapped on the wrong side of the fire.
What had not been accounted for was the power of the White Witch. Humpty's blood had frozen when he saw the flames extinguished in the blink of an eye. He almost hadn't heard Peter sound the retreat to the rocks. The fact that the retreat had been part of the plan hadn't cheered Humpty up. The hope had been that more enemies would be delayed and defeated trying to get past the flames. Fighting in the rocks would be difficult.
Still, the second ambush had worked out well. More of the Witch's army fell to a surprise volley from archers hidden in the rocks. Unfortunately, it seemed the Witch had a similar idea. Peter and Puss had soon fallen from their unicorn, shot down by a dwarf archer. Humpty would have charged straight in alongside Kitty, Oreius, and Gristle if several foul creatures hadn't blocked his path. Soon, Humpty lost track of anyone else, fighting for his life against the Witch's servants.
Still, it wasn't as if Humpty was defenseless. Before the battle, Humpty had been provided a shield made of a new lightweight metal discovered in Narnia shortly before his arrival. It had been too big to carry for very long with his daggerd, but was just the right size to sling over his back. This position had served as an effective blocker against enemy arrows and the occasional sword. Very useful when circumstances made it so that nobody was able to watch your back.
Humpty was pulled out of his memories by a loud roar behind him. Turning, he saw a troll charging at him, holding a large club overhead. Humpty rolled out of the way of the troll, extending his dagger to halberd form. Before the troll had time to react, he thrust the halberd into the troll's chest. With a loud grunt, the troll fell, never to move again. Humpty took a breath, retracting his weapon back to dagger form. At least Oreius' and Puss' lessons seemed to be paying off. Now, if he could only figure out where the others…
"Ed! Humpty! Puss!" cried a voice.
Humpty turned to see Peter dispatch a minotaur. Puss and Edmund were also nearby, having just finished dealing with their own combatants. He couldn't see Kitty though. Where could she have gone? "There are too many of them," Peter said, breaking Humpty out of his thoughts. "Get the girls, and get them home." Turning, he blocked a goblin's sword with his shield, moving his own sword to retaliate.
"You two go," Puss said. "I'm staying here."
"I'm not leaving you, brother." Humpty said.
"I'm protecting one king. You must protect the other," Puss replied, eyes flicking to Edmund.
Edmund looked like he was about to argue, but was interrupted by Mr. Beaver. "Come on. If you're going to make a break for it, now would be a good time," he said, pulling on Edmund and Humpty
Humpty took one last look at Peter and Puss, who were dealing with an ogre and a werewolf, respectively. Then, he followed Edmund and Mr. Beaver up the rocks to the edge of the plains.
After dealing with several foes who made the mistake of blocking their path, they soon made it to the top of the ridge. Edmund turned around. "We can't just leave them."
Humpty shook his head. "There's a time to fight, and a time to survive, Edmund. If you want to keep your sisters safe, we should find them and make for the lamp post."
"Yeah, but-" Edmund stopped, eyes widening. Humpty turned around, heart clutching as he saw what Edmund had seen.
The White Witch had officially entered the field of combat. Humpty could see her moving along the rocks, fighting any Narnians that stood in her way. Any skirmish with her was quick, ending with a new stone figure added to the battlefield's garden. But that wasn't what Humpty was focused on. Among the stone statues was a small cat, half turned around with a dagger poised to strike. There was no question who it was. The White Witch had added Kitty Softpaws to her collection.
Humpty's eyes watered. Already, a close friend had fallen. How could such a thing happen? It had seemed like Puss and Kitty were untouchable. His eyes turned back to the Witch, narrowing in anger at her. She was making her way to Puss and Peter, who were both occupied with a pair of troublesome cyclops. It was quite clear what her plan was. Well, she wasn't going to succeed this time. His gaze drifted to the Witch's spear, shining in the sunlight.
Turning to Edmund, he saw the boy had his eyes focused on the same weapon. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Humpty asked.
"What happened to surviving?" Edmund asked.
"Those moments change quickly. Now would be a good time to cut the head off the snake, don't you think?" Humpty replied.
Mr. Beaver looked between the two. "Now hold on. Peter said for you all to get out of here."
"Peter's not king yet," Edmund replied, drawing his sword and charging forward. Humpty turned to Mr. Beaver. "Who can argue with that logic?" And before Mr. Beaver could reply, Humpty ran after Edmund, heading straight for the Witch.
As they ran, Humpty turned to Edmund. "So, do you have a plan?"
"I thought you'd have one," Edmund replied. "Or does striking at the spear work for you?"
Humpty grimaced. "It does, but there is one additional part. If we both move in, she'll probably turn us to stone faster than a mathematician calculating the Pythagorean Theorem. I'll go ahead and distract her. You come up and finish the job. Who knows, maybe I'll finish it before you."
Edmund nodded. "Let's hope so," he replied.
Humpty took a breath. He knew he couldn't make it ahead of Edmund at the rate he was going. Thankfully, he had figured out a way to speed up. Humpty unfastened the shield and turned it in front of him. Jumping forward, he started sliding down the hill, using the shield as a sled. Faster and faster he went, making sure to dodge friends, and slice out at enemies as he slid. There were a few rough spots where hidden rocks bumped the shield, causing some jostling. Thankfully, the shield held and Humpty barely felt anything.
Soon, he reached a ridge opposite the Witch, with Puss and Peter in front of him. Aiming his shield for a rock that curved up into the air, Humpty went flying, bouncing on the head of the cyclops facing Puss. He didn't have time to check the result before falling straight towards the Witch. He pulled his daggerd out, trying to move it into a position to hit the spear. With barely a glance, the Witch moved out of the way, causing Humpty to land on the ground. The shield covered the damage, but that was all it could take. A large crack formed, tearing the shield in two. Humpty stood up, turning to see the Witch thrusting her spear at him. Extending his weapon to halberd form, Humpty blocked the spear. The Witch quickly made a swipe at Humpty, who moved to block. Instantly, the Witch switched the direction of the strike, locking the halberd with her spear. In the blink of an eye, Humpty found his halberd flying out of his hands. It flew through the air before falling back to the ground, retracting back into dagger form. Humpty turned to see the Witch pointing her spear at him. "A bold effort, but futile nonetheless. Any last words, little egg?
Humpty looked up. He had anticipated this moment, but had hoped to avoid it. Still, he knew there was no other option to secure victory. "Yes, how was my diversion?" And before the Witch could reply, Humpty grabbed the spear and pulled it into himself. Immediately, his body started to freeze and turn gray as it morphed to stone. As he felt his body freezing, Humpty noticed someone jump from the ridge. It was Edmund. Thrusting down with his sword, the boy sliced the spear in half, bathing the area in a blue haze. Humpty smiled. The strategy had worked. Now there was nothing the Witch could do to turn others to stone. Humpty's happiness was short-lived, as he watched the Witch disarm Edmund. With a glare of murderous rage, she thrust her crushed spear into him, dealing a mortal wound. And that was the last Humpty saw before the grayness overcame him.
When writing up this battle scene, I knew the stakes had to be dire. Thus, Kitty and Humpty's fate in this battle. Not all heroes make it out of a journey unscathed (or alive). It was hard, but it had to happen.
As always, please rate and review.