The Last Battle

Tirian quietly asks Jill to go to Puzzle and remove the lion skin from him. Jill does as he asks and then brings Puzzle back to the group. When she returns, she hears Shift telling the crowd that Tashlan will no longer grace them with his presence because he is unhappy with them. From the crowd, Griffle, the leader of the dwarves, laughs out loud and declares that Shift is telling a lie. Griffle tells everyone that Shift has been showing them a donkey rather than Tashlan. Rishda quickly talks over Griffle, reminding everyone that, although a donkey has been impersonating Aslan, Tashlan still exists.

Shift begins playing a new clever trick. He tells the animals that, although Tashlan will not come and talk to them, they are welcome to go inside the stable one by one to see Tashlan. Upon this suggestion, no one speaks up and many of the Narnians are afraid. From the crowd, Ginger speaks up and offers to go in the stable. Shift lets Ginger into the stable and, moments after entering, Ginger rushes out, making terrified sounds. Even Tirian, who assumes Shift is playing another trick, believes Ginger’s reaction.

Shift and Rishda try to get Ginger to tell the crowd what he saw. However, Ginger can no longer speak; he can only make cat noises. In response, the crowd grows more panicked. As children, they were told that Aslan gifted animals the ability to speak and would take it away if they misbehaved. Despite Ginger’s reaction, one of the Calormenes, a young and handsome officer named Emeth, steps up and asks if he can enter the stable as well. Rishda attempts to prevent Emeth from entering the stable. However, Emeth insists, claiming that he wants to look upon Tash if Tash and Aslan are truly one being, as Shift has been saying.

Not wanting to admit the truth, Shift and Rishda allow Emeth into the stable. From the side, Tirian admires Emeth’s bravery, insisting that Emeth deserves a better entity to worship than Tash. Shortly after Emeth enters the stable, a man in Calormene armor emerges and falls to the ground, dead. Rishda claims that the body is Emeth’s, though from his vantage point, Tirian can see it is someone else. Next, Shift tries to convince a boar, one of the strongest and bravest Narnians, to go into the stables. Having seen enough, Tirian orders his group to draw their weapons. Then, he steps forward and identifies himself, urging all Narnians to rally to his side.