The Shepherd's Crown
Chapters - Terry Pratchett, Paul Kidby
Chapter 1: Where the Wind Blows
[Tiffany Aching](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC), now an established witch on the Chalk, feels an unsettling summons from the land drawing her to the old stone circle on the downs. There she finds [Rob Anybody](/characters/bursanaqxomp09zdj7amku0u) on watch, sent by [Kelda Jeannie](/characters/NEW_jeannie) who senses something wrong. Tiffany visits the Feegle mound, where Jeannie warns that the veil between worlds is thin and the [Queen of the Elves](/characters/vz7hlweteqbys7hptp8ebvgq) may return. Jeannie also asks about Tiffany's young man Preston, gently pressing her to think about whether letters are enough.
Far away in the Shires, young [Geoffrey Swivel](/characters/NEW_geoffrey) - third son of the bullying Lord Swivel - has been educated by his tutor Mr Wiggall in philosophy and languages. Geoffrey rescues a runt goat kid, raising it into the clever and fierce [Mephistopheles](/characters/NEW_mephistopheles). When forced to join his first fox hunt, Geoffrey refuses to participate and confronts his father, who bloods him against his will. With encouragement from old stable-lad McTavish, Geoffrey leaves home with his goat and cart. The wind whispers a destination to him: Lancre.
In Lancre, [Granny Weatherwax](/characters/aCESLHsnGFfS5pJ5OdgwKkN0) treats a young lumberjack's nearly severed foot, drawing his pain into herself. Returning home exhausted, she tends to visitors, feeds her cat You, and cleans her privy until it shines. Looking into the shimmering water, she sees her own face looking back and sighs, knowing what is coming.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Rob Anybody, Esmerelda Weatherwax, Geoffrey Swivel, Kelda Jeannie, Kelda Jeannie, Mephistopheles, Preston·Mentioned: Nightshade
Chapter 2: A Voice in the Darkness
[Granny Weatherwax](/characters/aCESLHsnGFfS5pJ5OdgwKkN0) spends her last day preparing with meticulous care - cleaning the cottage until it gleams, saying farewell to her bees, bathing in the stream, dressing in her best clothes and placing two pennies on the bedside table. She lies down and [Death](/characters/dvcmiQ20VrvBDPYd1KYbORPU) comes for her in the night, courteous and respectful. They share a final conversation in which Granny reflects on her life of making little miracles for ordinary people. Death praises her as someone who left the world better than she found it.
The shockwave of her passing ripples across the Disc. [Miss Tick](/characters/eumb3er4euz4ytajxsp12mff) feels her shamble explode with wrongness. [Nanny Ogg](/characters/zq9xvwvln25zae3ongrh4ljh) nearly drops a flagon and mutters it should have been her. [Magrat](/characters/NwMSGb2VPJxFVACH6DAPHMnG), in Genua, shudders as the wave hits her. [Agnes Nitt](/characters/NEW_agnes_nitt) wakes feeling dreadful in Quirm. [Ponder Stibbons](/characters/dlsewwgsh6n09jppoi5pe73v) watches Hex calculate furiously at Unseen University. [Lord Vetinari](/characters/CsKkFSjBMvwvKgC1JYg4Icuw) watches his crossword fill itself in. [Eskarina Smith](/characters/ihs0rj9jvbvc37trc1mpcg9t) holds her son's hand and knows sorrow. And in Fairyland, an elf lord named [Peaseblossom](/characters/NEW_peaseblossom) feels the barrier weaken and rubs his hands in glee. On the Chalk, [Jeannie](/characters/NEW_jeannie) sends [Rob Anybody](/characters/bursanaqxomp09zdj7amku0u) to [Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC).
POV: Esmerelda Weatherwax·On page: Death, Miss Tick, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, Ponder Stibbons, Havelock Vetinari, Eskarina Smith, Rob Anybody, Kelda Jeannie, Peaseblossom·Mentioned: Tiffany Aching
Chapter 3: An Upside-down World
[Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) is delivering triplets for young Milly Standish on the Chalk when [Granny Weatherwax's](/characters/aCESLHsnGFfS5pJ5OdgwKkN0) white cat You appears - an omen that fills Tiffany with dread. She notices that the baby girl receives far less attention than her two brothers and whispers a protective promise into the child's ear, naming her Tiffany. [Rob Anybody](/characters/bursanaqxomp09zdj7amku0u) and [Daft Wullie](/characters/ebttxnj9bu0v5sqftt1zb6td) intercept her outside, and Rob tells her Jeannie has sent him with news about the big hag.
Tiffany flies to Lancre and finds [Nanny Ogg](/characters/zq9xvwvln25zae3ongrh4ljh) waiting outside Granny's cottage. Together they go upstairs and find Granny Weatherwax laid out on her small bed, her card reading 'I ATEN'T DEAD' on one side and on the back, 'All of it goes to Tiffany Aching.' Tiffany is stunned - she has inherited not just the cottage but the responsibility of being Granny's successor. Together, she and Nanny prepare the body, performing the last rites for their sister in the craft. In the small hours, Tiffany keeps vigil over the dead, wrestling with self-doubt about whether she could ever fill Granny Weatherwax's shoes. Meanwhile, [Mrs Earwig](/characters/NEW_mrs_earwig) sees opportunity in the news, planning to claim the steading for one of her trainees. [Lord Vetinari](/characters/CsKkFSjBMvwvKgC1JYg4Icuw) and [Drumknott](/characters/NEW_drumknott) discuss who will rise to lead the witches, and [Mustrum Ridcully](/characters/3mj1xpk3cd430FGdRyeJm8TN) leaves Unseen University immediately. In Fairyland, [Peaseblossom](/characters/NEW_peaseblossom) plots to exploit the weakened barrier.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Nanny Ogg, Esmerelda Weatherwax, Rob Anybody, Daft Wullie, Havelock Vetinari, Mustrum Ridcully, Rufus Drumknott, Kelda Jeannie, Mrs Earwig, Peaseblossom, You
Chapter 4: A Farewell - and a Welcome
[Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) and [Nanny Ogg](/characters/zq9xvwvln25zae3ongrh4ljh) carry [Granny Weatherwax's](/characters/aCESLHsnGFfS5pJ5OdgwKkN0) body downstairs in the wicker basket Granny herself had woven, and wheel it through the woods to the spot marked with a red ribbon. They dig the grave and bury her quietly, as Granny wished - no urns, no shrines, no gravestone. The forest creatures come to pay their respects: a fox, a boar with piglets, a badger, all settling near the grave as if they were domestic pets.
Nanny tells Tiffany plainly that she must step into Granny's shoes as the leader the witches do not have, citing Granny's own words. [Mustrum Ridcully](/characters/3mj1xpk3cd430FGdRyeJm8TN) arrives by broomstick, tearful and clutching old letters. He visits the grave alone, then tells Tiffany he sees great power in her and offers his friendship.
Witches and villagers stream to the cottage bearing gifts. [Agnes Nitt](/characters/NEW_agnes_nitt) sings the 'Columbine Lament'. [Petulia](/characters/NEW_petulia) brings bacon. [Mrs Earwig](/characters/NEW_mrs_earwig) arrives in a carriage with black plumes. Nanny announces that Granny's card names Tiffany as successor. Before anyone can argue, the white cat You comes to Tiffany's side, and then the bees swarm from Granny's hive and crown Tiffany with a living halo, settling along her outstretched arms. After that, there is no more argument.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Nanny Ogg, Esmerelda Weatherwax, Mustrum Ridcully, Rob Anybody, Daft Wullie, Big Yan, Mrs Earwig, You
Chapter 5: A Changing World
The [Queen of the Elves](/characters/vz7hlweteqbys7hptp8ebvgq) holds court in Fairyland, her glamour weakened since her humiliation by [Tiffany Aching](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC). She interrogates a goblin prisoner, Of the Lathe the Swarf, who tells her that goblins now have jobs and citizenship in Ankh-Morpork, working with iron and steel on the railways. The goblin threatens her with iron filings - swarf - from his pockets, and the Queen is forced to take him on a scouting mission to see if the world has truly changed.
On the Chalk, Tiffany wakes in [Granny Weatherwax's](/characters/aCESLHsnGFfS5pJ5OdgwKkN0) cottage and cleans everything meticulously as a ritual of mourning. She tends the herbs, feeds the animals, then flies home to the Chalk. She visits baby Tiffany Robinson, finding the girl underfed compared to her brothers, and sternly reminds the mother to share fairly. At the Feegle mound, [Jeannie](/characters/NEW_jeannie) warns of a change coming in the heavens and tells Tiffany to take great care. Back at Home Farm, Tiffany's parents worry about their daughter. Her father gives her a special shepherd's crown - a fossil echinoid - that belonged to Granny Aching. Her brother Wentworth argues about wanting to work on the railways. Tiffany reads a letter from Preston and falls asleep treasuring it.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Nightshade, Kelda Jeannie, Preston, You·Mentioned: Esmerelda Weatherwax
Chapter 6: Around the Houses
[Geoffrey](/characters/NEW_geoffrey) travels towards Lancre with [Mephistopheles](/characters/NEW_mephistopheles), stopping at a pub called The Star where the goat amazes everyone by counting the patrons and using the privy. Geoffrey breaks up a fight between two men with a strange natural ability to calm aggression, earning himself two nights' lodging from the impressed barman, Darling Dove.
Meanwhile, [Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) struggles with the impossible demands of two steadings. She flies back and forth between Lancre and the Chalk, always arriving late and tired. There are mutters from people who feel neglected, and she is weighed down by toenails, laundry and old men who cannot cook. She seeks out [Miss Tick](/characters/eumb3er4euz4ytajxsp12mff) in her caravan near Ham-on-Rye and admits she needs help - an apprentice for the Chalk. Miss Tick reassures her, dismissing [Mrs Earwig's](/characters/NEW_mrs_earwig) influence and promising to look for suitable girls.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Miss Tick, Mephistopheles, Mrs Earwig
Chapter 7: A Force of Nature
[Mrs Earwig](/characters/NEW_mrs_earwig) arrives at [Granny Weatherwax's](/characters/aCESLHsnGFfS5pJ5OdgwKkN0) cottage - now [Tiffany's](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) - for a patronising visit, finding Tiffany up to her elbows in suds doing old Mr Price's washing. Mrs Earwig declares that Tiffany is overstretched and too young, and proposes herself as the senior witch who should take Granny's place. Tiffany, furious at being called 'my dear girl' one too many times, gives her a blistering response about the realities of witchcraft - dirty hands, cutting toenails, helping people with no shoes - and shows her the door.
Afterwards, Tiffany admits to herself that Mrs Earwig was right about one thing: she is trying to do too much. [Rob Anybody](/characters/bursanaqxomp09zdj7amku0u) offers to drop Mrs Earwig in a pond. Tiffany declines but sets the Feegles a new task - doing old Mr Price's laundry. [Wee Mad Arthur](/characters/NEW_wee_mad_arthur), a city-raised Feegle who does not mind washing, helps them achieve gleaming results. [Daft Wullie](/characters/ebttxnj9bu0v5sqftt1zb6td) discovers a fondness for soap bubbles.
The [Queen of the Elves](/characters/vz7hlweteqbys7hptp8ebvgq) leads a raiding party through the weakened barrier onto the Chalk, her warriors sneaking through villages causing mischief. But as they prepare to attack the town of Twoshirts, a train screams past on its iron rails and the elves reel in pain from the sound and scent of iron. Of the Lathe the Swarf escapes, throwing iron filings over [Peaseblossom](/characters/NEW_peaseblossom) and leaving the elf writhing on the ground.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Rob Anybody, Daft Wullie, Big Yan, Nightshade, Mrs Earwig, Peaseblossom, Wee Mad Arthur·Mentioned: Esmerelda Weatherwax
Chapter 8: The Baron's Arms
At the Baron's Arms pub on the Chalk, [Tiffany's](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) father Joe holds court on a Saturday evening with the local men. They discuss the young Baron [Roland](/characters/uw8jka0xq4euqlm3tfqfrv4b) and his wife Letitia, express pride in Tiffany's work, but also voice quiet concern that their witch spends too much time in Lancre. Tiffany flies over mid-conversation, shouting down that she cannot stop because someone is having twins.
Roland visits Tiffany at Home Farm and awkwardly tells her there have been complaints about her absence. Tiffany is stung but holds her temper, promising to think on what he says.
In Fairyland, the [Queen of the Elves](/characters/vz7hlweteqbys7hptp8ebvgq) faces a coup. [Peaseblossom](/characters/NEW_peaseblossom), recovered from the iron filings, challenges her openly, accusing her of weakness and fear. His glamour overpowers hers and the elves turn against their queen. Peaseblossom commands his warriors to tear off her wings and throw her out. As Mustardseed drags her away, the broken queen whispers the names 'Thunder and Lightning' and the promise that Tiffany Aching's wrath will find them.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Roland de Chumsfanleigh, Nightshade, Peaseblossom
Chapter 9: Good with Goats
A grubby but well-dressed boy arrives at [Tiffany's](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) cottage in Lancre with a goat and announces he wants to be a witch. [Geoffrey](/characters/NEW_geoffrey) explains he is good with animals and people, having once helped a goat in labour on the road. Tiffany notices something unusual about him and his goat [Mephistopheles](/characters/NEW_mephistopheles) - even the cat You, who terrifies [Nanny Ogg's](/characters/zq9xvwvln25zae3ongrh4ljh) Greebo, seems to reach an accord with the goat after a brief fluorescent standoff.
Tiffany decides to give Geoffrey a chance as a backhouse boy. [Nanny Ogg](/characters/zq9xvwvln25zae3ongrh4ljh) suggests testing him with old Mr Nimlet's terrible toenails. Geoffrey handles it with aplomb. Over the following days, Geoffrey proves himself by calming crying babies, soothing arguments, and charming the local women with his gentle manner. Tiffany takes him on her rounds and watches him make everything a little bit better wherever he goes. Nanny approves, saying his heart is in the right place and that Tiffany should train him up in her own way, not Granny's.
Tiffany introduces Geoffrey to the Feegles, only to learn he has already befriended them. [Rob Anybody](/characters/bursanaqxomp09zdj7amku0u) announces the kelda considers Geoffrey a treasure. Tiffany takes him to meet [Jeannie](/characters/NEW_jeannie) in the mound, where the kelda confirms he is one of those rare people who can stop a fight and bring peace. Jeannie's daughter Maggie wants to be a warrior rather than a kelda, echoing the theme of changing roles. Tiffany decides to take Geoffrey to Ankh-Morpork to get him a broomstick.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Nanny Ogg, Rob Anybody, Daft Wullie, Big Yan, Kelda Jeannie, Mephistopheles
Chapter 10: Treasure
[Peaseblossom](/characters/NEW_peaseblossom) declares himself king of Fairyland, shooting down an elf who questions his authority. He rallies the elves for a grand invasion, promising to take back the human world.
[Miss Tick](/characters/eumb3er4euz4ytajxsp12mff) tests two potential apprentice witches - Becky Pardon and Nancy Upright - in making shambles. Both girls show genuine talent, with Becky floating a hairpin and Nancy producing fire from her fingertip. Miss Tick knows [Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) will want to see them.
In Lancre, [Geoffrey](/characters/NEW_geoffrey) observes how old men are treated as part of the furniture by their wives, reduced from captains and craftsmen to nuisances who must lift their feet while the floor is swept. He buys them pints and introduces the idea of 'man sheds' - dedicated spaces where men can pursue their own interests. The old boys are immediately enthusiastic. Geoffrey also wins over the village women with his gentle manner and calm presence.
[Mephistopheles](/characters/NEW_mephistopheles) astounds everyone by herding escaped sheep back into their pen and shutting the gate - a goat acting as the finest of sheepdogs. Tiffany decides Geoffrey is ready for a broomstick, and plans a trip to Ankh-Morpork.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Miss Tick, Nanny Ogg, Rob Anybody, Mephistopheles, Peaseblossom
Chapter 11: The Big City
[Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) and [Geoffrey](/characters/NEW_geoffrey) travel to Ankh-Morpork, where the dwarf broomstick-makers Shrucker and Dave have relocated their workshop to a railway arch. Tiffany presents Granny Weatherwax's old broomstick for repair - paying in 'obs' by curing Shrucker's chronic lumbago on the spot, shooting the extracted pain into Dave's iron helmet and buckling it.
Tiffany introduces Geoffrey as a 'calm-weaver' rather than a witch. They visit [Mrs Proust](/characters/NEW_mrs_proust) at Boffo's Novelty and Joke Emporium, who supports Tiffany's decision to train Geoffrey and declares it is Tiffany's time to make changes. Mrs Proust encourages Tiffany to visit Preston, and Tiffany goes to the Lady Sybil Hospital. She secretly steps outside her body to check on him - spying him surrounded by Igors but paying no attention to the Igor girls - then visits him properly. Preston has been promoted to surgeon. They share a bittersweet moment, both loving their work too much to give it up, both wishing they could be together.
Geoffrey collects his restored broomstick and takes to the air immediately, performing loops and leaving the stick hovering - a natural flyer who makes even the dwarfs gasp. His trousers smoulder on the way home, and [Nanny Ogg](/characters/zq9xvwvln25zae3ongrh4ljh) laughs heartily at the tale.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Nanny Ogg, Mrs Proust, Preston
Chapter 12: An Elf among the Feegles
Thunder and lightning tear through the night as the deposed [Queen of the Elves](/characters/vz7hlweteqbys7hptp8ebvgq) - now calling herself [Nightshade](/characters/vz7hlweteqbys7hptp8ebvgq) - is thrown from Fairyland with her wings ripped off, landing in a dew pond on the Chalk. [Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) wakes to a premonition.
The Feegles find the lone elf and bring her to the mound. [Big Yan](/characters/u8fu3gd4juf75n2msrcnzftv) reports the find; [Rob Anybody](/characters/bursanaqxomp09zdj7amku0u) restrains the clan from killing their ancient enemy. [Jeannie](/characters/NEW_jeannie) examines the battered creature, noting her wings have been torn off by other elves. The elf whispers 'Thunder and Lightning' - invoking the spirit dogs of Granny Aching. Jeannie sends for Tiffany.
Tiffany arrives and recognises the elf she once defeated as a child. Standing between the light and the dark, she makes a choice: she will give this elf sanctuary. She tells the Feegles the elf is a captive who must be looked after, assigns [Wee Mad Arthur](/characters/NEW_wee_mad_arthur) and Big Yan as guards, and issues a long, colourful list of ways the elf must not accidentally die. [Daft Wullie](/characters/ebttxnj9bu0v5sqftt1zb6td) moans at the prospect of a reckoning. Nightshade reveals her name, and Tiffany takes responsibility for her.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Nightshade, Rob Anybody, Big Yan, Daft Wullie, Kelda Jeannie, Wee Mad Arthur
Chapter 13: Mischief... and Worse
Elvish mischief spreads across the Chalk and Lancre. At the Baron's Arms, the beer goes sour with floaties and barrel gushies. People blame fairies, though nobody quite believes in them - but horseshoes go up on doorframes all the same.
In the Ramtop mountains, two young men - Martin Snack and Frank Sawyer - arrive at a logging camp seeking work on the flumes. Mr Slack, the foreman, tests them using a Predictive Pine tree - and moments later reels back in terror. In five minutes, elves attack the camp in force, swooping from the trees in velvet and feathers, overwhelming the lumberjacks with glamour that makes strong men fall to their knees sobbing. Mr Slack throws the boys into the flume in a bucket, and they ride the terrifying water slide down to safety, pursued by arrows.
Across the countryside, elves cause escalating harm - putting anthills in a miller's grain (only for the miller of Stank to lock his iron-filled mill doors and grind the elves exceeding small), tangling Old Mother Griggs's hair, enchanting a young maiden into gazing lovingly at a donkey while her little sister wanders into the river, and luring a traveller to dance himself to death in the woods.
On page: You·Mentioned: Tiffany Aching
Chapter 14: A Tale of Two Queens
[Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) takes [Nightshade](/characters/vz7hlweteqbys7hptp8ebvgq) to her father's farm, settling her in a hay barn under Feegle guard. When the elf tries her glamour on Tiffany, the witch fights it off with the shepherd's count - 'Yan tan tethera' - and is furious when Nightshade conjures a dairymaid's dress resembling the china shepherdess she once gave Granny Aching. Tiffany offers the elf a deal: help against [Peaseblossom](/characters/NEW_peaseblossom) and return as Queen if she can make the elves stay in their own land forever.
Nightshade begins learning about human ways. She is baffled by why Tiffany helps strangers and cannot understand generosity. Tiffany explains empathy and the notion that helping others is its own reward. Meanwhile, Nightshade removes a Peaseblossom glamour from a poisoned stream on the Pigeon farm and feels a 'little glow' in her stomach after helping old Mrs Pigeon drink water. The concept of friendship is alien to her, but she is beginning to change.
Queen [Magrat](/characters/NwMSGb2VPJxFVACH6DAPHMnG) takes to her broomstick again after hearing of the elf attacks, visiting Tiffany at the cottage to offer support. Learning of Nightshade, she is horrified but accepts Tiffany's reasoning. Magrat flies to the Chalk to recruit Letitia the Baroness as a witch, using the power of her crown to overcome Roland's snobbishness. Tiffany flies home feeling a little more hopeful, but knows they are still desperately short of witches.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Nightshade, Rob Anybody, Big Yan, Magrat Garlick, Peaseblossom
Chapter 15: The God in the Barrow
Three elves steal baby Tiffany Robinson from her cot. [Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) senses it through the tracking spell she placed and flies to find them toying with the child. In a blaze of fury, she sends fire from her fingertips and kills all three. She is horrified at what she has done, but takes the baby home and sternly warns the parents never to leave windows open again.
Tiffany flies to [Nanny Ogg](/characters/zq9xvwvln25zae3ongrh4ljh) and confesses she killed the elves. Nanny says 'Good' and tells her not to trouble herself - if they were hurting a baby, what else could she do? Nanny suggests there is someone who might help: the King of the Elves, down in the Long Man barrow.
Tiffany enters the barrow alone, gripping the shepherd's crown in her pocket. The King's underground realm reeks of masculinity and sweat. Naked men wrestle in firelight. The King himself is huge, attractive, stinking, and utterly indifferent to the elves plaguing Tiffany's world. He refuses to intervene but casually gives her permission to kill any elves she wishes. He flirts dangerously, asking if she would like to stay, but the white cat You appears behind Tiffany and the King recoils, saying 'You!' Tiffany escapes.
The Feegles build a shed at the barrow entrance to tempt the King with new entertainments. Meanwhile, [Peaseblossom](/characters/NEW_peaseblossom) prepares his warriors for a full-scale invasion at the next full moon.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Nanny Ogg, Rob Anybody, Peaseblossom
Chapter 16: Mr Sideways
[Geoffrey](/characters/NEW_geoffrey) visits Laughing Boy Sideways, one of the old men of Lancre, and solves his chronic bunion problem by finding a hobnail poking through his boot sole. The meticulous Mr Sideways - who keeps every tool ranked by size and every tin labelled - reveals a secret project in his barn: a huge machine like a metal grasshopper, a trebuchet-style contraption inspired by dwarf siege engines and the Stick and Bucket dance. Captain Makepeace is impressed and the old boys plan a secret test.
On the Chalk, [Magrat](/characters/NwMSGb2VPJxFVACH6DAPHMnG) visits Letitia and recruits her as a witch for the coming fight against the elves. Despite Letitia's protests that she is not a proper witch, Magrat reminds her of her courage with ghosts and skeletons, and offers her chainmail in her size.
[Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) takes [Nightshade](/characters/vz7hlweteqbys7hptp8ebvgq) on a walk through the village, where the elf is baffled by an old woman who gives pennies to a tramp and is still cheerful despite having nothing. Nightshade carries the woman's basket up the hill and feels a warm glow. She asks Tiffany if elves could change, and Tiffany tells her about how goblins and even monkeys changed through cooperation. She urges Nightshade that if she learns, she might build a different kind of kingdom.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Nightshade, Magrat Garlick, You
Chapter 17: An Argument of Witches
[Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) assembles the witches at Lancre Castle to plan their defence against the elves. [Geoffrey](/characters/NEW_geoffrey) has rounded up reinforcements from across the land. [Magrat](/characters/NwMSGb2VPJxFVACH6DAPHMnG) presides, with [Nanny Ogg](/characters/zq9xvwvln25zae3ongrh4ljh), [Mrs Earwig](/characters/NEW_mrs_earwig), [Mrs Proust](/characters/NEW_mrs_proust), [Annagramma](/characters/NEW_annagramma), [Petulia](/characters/NEW_petulia), Letitia, and other witches present.
[Nightshade](/characters/vz7hlweteqbys7hptp8ebvgq) demonstrates her glamour as a warning. Most witches are devastated - feeling small, worthless, wanting to die. [Petulia](/characters/NEW_petulia) screams. But Mrs Earwig is completely unaffected, puzzling even Nightshade, who asks if she is sure she is not an elf. Mrs Earwig replies that she is simply herself - no one can stop her being her. This unexpected resilience earns grudging respect.
Nightshade warns that [Peaseblossom](/characters/NEW_peaseblossom) will attack at the full moon - tonight - through both the Dancers in Lancre and the stone circle on the Chalk. Tiffany splits their forces. She will take Nightshade, [Miss Tick](/characters/eumb3er4euz4ytajxsp12mff), Letitia and the Feegles to defend the Chalk. The Lancre forces will include Nanny, Magrat, Mrs Earwig, Mrs Proust, Geoffrey and the old boys with their secret weapon.
Back in her childhood bedroom, Tiffany sleeps and dreams of the ancient sea beneath the Chalk. The shepherd's crown speaks to her as a living creature, and the bones of Thunder and Lightning - Granny Aching's spirit sheepdogs - rise from the chalk to stand at her feet.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Magrat Garlick, Nanny Ogg, Nightshade, Miss Tick, Rob Anybody, Mrs Earwig, Mrs Proust, Peaseblossom
Chapter 18: The Shepherd's Crown
[Rob Anybody](/characters/bursanaqxomp09zdj7amku0u) wakes [Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) - the elves are breaking through. She hangs the shepherd's crown around her neck on a leather thong and flies to the Chalk with [Nightshade](/characters/vz7hlweteqbys7hptp8ebvgq) and the Feegles.
In Lancre, [Nanny Ogg](/characters/zq9xvwvln25zae3ongrh4ljh) sends Greebo to ring the castle bell. [Magrat](/characters/NwMSGb2VPJxFVACH6DAPHMnG) dons the armour of Queen Ynci and leads the witches. [Geoffrey](/characters/NEW_geoffrey) and the old boys wheel out Mr Sideways's trebuchet. When Lord Lankin's elves ride down from the Dancers, Geoffrey faces them alone with [Mephistopheles](/characters/NEW_mephistopheles), who kicks and gores Lankin in a furious ballet. Then the trebuchet sings, showering the elves with swarf - tiny iron filings that strip their glamour and leave them screaming. Magrat charges in with crossbow and fire, [Mrs Earwig](/characters/NEW_mrs_earwig) assaults them with an umbrella, impervious to glamour, and [Petulia](/characters/NEW_petulia) bores elves into unconsciousness with her pig-boring voice. The battle for Lancre is won.
On the Chalk, [Peaseblossom](/characters/NEW_peaseblossom) leads his elite warriors through. [Miss Tick](/characters/eumb3er4euz4ytajxsp12mff) drops Feegles on elvish heads from a rope-net beneath her broomstick. Letitia creates a quagmire that bogs down the horses. But the Feegles are losing. Tiffany confronts Peaseblossom, and Nightshade steps forward with her glamour fully restored, declaring Tiffany is her friend. Peaseblossom kills Nightshade with his sabre. The glamour hits Tiffany - telling her she has failed, she deserves to die, she is alone. But she remembers who she is: Tiffany Aching, witch of the Chalk, with flint in her soul. She calls upon Thunder and Lightning, and the shepherd's crown blazes golden. The sky splits open with the greatest storm the Chalk has ever seen. The land itself rises against the elves.
The King of the Elves is drawn from his barrow by Tiffany's power. He kills Peaseblossom with a casual slap for murdering his queen. Intrigued by the shed and by Tiffany's strength, he accepts the world has changed and departs. Tiffany buries Nightshade where she fell and marks the spot with a cairn.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Rob Anybody, Nightshade, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, Miss Tick, Daft Wullie, Big Yan, Mephistopheles, Mrs Earwig, Peaseblossom, Horace the Cheese, You
Chapter 19: Peace
The Feegles celebrate with drinking and dancing. [Tiffany](/characters/Sax3ZEYd5zyLO1RTmpVpO2EC) slides into the mound to see [Jeannie](/characters/NEW_jeannie) and is greeted by young Feegles eager to tell her about their bravery in battle.
The old boys march home singing bawdy songs, kissing their wives and heading to the pub, where Captain Makepeace declares they thought they were old but found they were still young. [Nanny Ogg](/characters/zq9xvwvln25zae3ongrh4ljh) reflects that fighting the elves at every turn may keep them on their toes and stop them getting lazy.
Tiffany announces that she is giving up Granny Weatherwax's cottage. Her roots are in the Chalk and the Chalk is her strength. She asks [Geoffrey](/characters/NEW_geoffrey) to take care of the Lancre steading as a calm-weaver. [Mrs Earwig](/characters/NEW_mrs_earwig) agrees, surprising everyone by backing Nanny's view. [Magrat](/characters/NwMSGb2VPJxFVACH6DAPHMnG) arranges for Geoffrey to be named Royal Ambassador of Lancre. Geoffrey returns home briefly, riding up Lord Swivel's drive with a herald, the royal pennant, and [Mephistopheles](/characters/NEW_mephistopheles) wearing a velvet coat with the Lancre insignia. His mother stands tall with pride while his father is forced to bow - and receives a square kick from Mephistopheles for good measure. Geoffrey introduces a new fox-proof chicken run, ending the hunt. Tiffany sends the trainee witches Becky and Nancy to the mountains for training, and iron is laid around the stone circles on both fronts. There is iron in her soul now, and peace on her land.
POV: Tiffany Aching·On page: Rob Anybody, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, Kelda Jeannie, Mephistopheles, Mrs Earwig