Prince Caspian

Peter and King Miraz begin to fight, with both taking blows from the other. Caspian becomes increasingly nervous and wishes he hadn’t agreed to the plan. The trees come to support Peter, and both sides loudly cheer on their fighter. King Miraz sprains Peter’s arm, and they agree to rest briefly. During this break, Peter tells Edmund to give everyone his love if he does not survive the fight. Back in combat, Peter tries to tire King Miraz by making him chase him. King Miraz lands a blow on Peter’s shoulder, but it is protected by strong dwarf-made chainmail. The fighting intensifies until the king trips on a tussock and falls flat.

Three Telmarine soldiers jump out at Peter and accuse him of “treachery,” but the soldier Glozelle pauses to stab King Miraz in the back as he lies on the ground (2190). Peter quickly kills the soldier, Sopespian, and the Telmarine army charges at the Old Narnians, who fight back courageously. The awakened trees rush toward the Telmarines, who retreat in terror. However, when the Telmarines reach the river they find that the bridge has disappeared and that they are trapped.

The narrator explains that that morning Aslan took Lucy and Susan to the river, where the water asked Aslan to remove its “chains”—i.e., the bridge over it. Aslan agreed, and the girls watched as ivy emerged and broke the bridge, causing the water to flow freely again. Aslan and the girls passed by a girls’ school, which the ivy also claimed, transforming it back into a forest. The teacher and schoolgirls screamed and ran, except for a girl named Gwendolen, who asked to stay with Aslan. As the group continued to travel, Aslan’s presence transformed sadness into joy everywhere they went; dogs were freed from their chains and horses from their carts. He attracted many human and animal followers and continued walking until he met a sad child, who said their aunt was sick. Aslan healed the elderly aunt, who got up and joined him on his walk.

Aslan’s brigade now joyfully walks along until they meet the Old Narnian army. Caspian recognizes the elderly woman as his old nurse, and they hug each other.

Seeing Aslan terrifies the Telmarine soldiers, who did not believe in lions. The Old Narnian creatures greet Aslan as an old friend. Aslan asks Prince Caspian if he believes he is ready to be king, and Caspian replies that he isn’t, since he is “only a kid” (2312). Aslan feels that Caspian’s humility means he will be a good king and announces that he and his heirs will rule over Narnia.

Reepicheep lies dying from battle wounds, so Lucy quickly heals him with her cordial. He is sad to realize that his tail has been cut off, and Aslan restores it for him. The enemy soldiers are taken across the river and locked up in Beruna. The Old Narnians build a bonfire and dance and feast around it until they all fall asleep.

The next day, squirrel and bird messengers tell all the inhabitants of Narnia that Prince Caspian is now king and that his rule will respect all the peoples and creatures of Narnia. Some welcome this news, while others are angry and suspicious. Aslan promises to find the latter a new home away from King Caspian’s reign. He explains that the Telmarines are not originally from Telmar but from the same world as the Pevensie children. Their ancestors were pirates who accidentally went through a magical door into Telmar. They lived there for many generations until famine prompted them to invade Narnia.

Caspian is ashamed of his heritage, but Aslan reassures him that he is a descendant of Adam and Eve. Aslan creates a magical door that can transport any Telmarine to an uninhabited island on Earth. Many Telmarines decide to go, while others are too suspicious to accept. Peter tells his siblings to change into their usual clothes, as they are going back to England. He tells Lucy that he and Susan will not come back to Narnia since Aslan says they are getting “too old.” Aslan presents the Pevensies with the door, and once they pass through it, they are at the train station platform once again.