Prince Caspian (book)

Published in 1951, Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia tells the story of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy's second trip to Narnia where they discover that the evil usurper Miraz has taken control of Narnia. This evil ruler has tried to kill off the magical creatures of Narnia, but there are still many hiding in the remote corners of the land. The four children help the young Prince Caspian organize his army of Talking Beasts and, with the help of the great lion Aslan, Narnia is once more freed of evil.

Plot
It has been 1300 years since The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Narnia is controlled by the Telmarines. The young Prince Caspian is living with his Uncle King Miraz until he is old enough to take the throne himself. First he is cared for by a nurse, who tells him stories of Old Narnia. When Miraz hears that the nurse has been filling Caspian's head with these things, he has her sent away and brings in a tutor for him: Doctor Cornelius. Cornelius, actually a half-dwarf who is posing as a human, teaches him secretly the true history of Narnia that the Telmarines are suppressing, that it was a country not of humans but of talking animals and magical creatures, which the Telmarines now deny exist.

Eventually, Miraz's wife gives birth to a son. Cornelius helps Caspian flee for his life, since Miraz is a usurper who has killed Caspian's father, King Caspian IX, and will kill Caspian so his own son can be King. Caspian rides from the castle secretly at night, taking with him Susan's magic horn, which Doctor Cornelius gives him.

While riding through the forest in a storm, he runs into a tree and is knocked unconscious. He awakes in a den with creatures that he once thought were myth; two Dwarfs and a badger. The black dwarf Nikabrik advocates killing him, but the Badger Trufflehunter and the red dwarf Trumpkin restrain him. Caspian explains who he is and why he has fled. Trufflehunter says that she remembers how Narnia was only right when a human was king. With this in mind, they take him to visit the Narnians in hiding. On this trip, he meets the Three Bulgy Bears, Pattertwig, the Seven Brothers of the Shuddering Wood, Glenstorm the centaur, and Reepicheep.

The Great Council is convened at the Dancing Lawns, but before Caspian can begin to speak, the animals scent a human coming. It is Doctor Cornelius. He warns them that Miraz has found out about the Old Narnian resistance, and is heading towards them with his army. They decide to make a stand at Aslan's How, the catacombs built many years ago over the Stone Table. They are beseiged there by Miraz's army, and their situation becomes desperate.

Trufflehunter realizes that their time of need has come and suggests that this is the time to blow Queen Susan's Horn, which legend says will summon magical help from the Golden Age of Narnia. Doctor Cornelius and Nikabrik agree and convince Caspian that if they wait until it is their greatest need, then it will be too late. Pattertwig and Trumpkin are sent to Lantern Waste and Cair Paravel, respectively, the old Narnian sites where they think the help may appear. They leave immediately and Caspian blows the horn the following sunrise.

Meanwhile on Earth, the Pevensies are at a train station waiting for trains to take them back to their respective boarding schools. It was to be Lucy's first time away at school. Suddenly they feel a magical force dragging them somewhere. They hold hands, and materialize on a wooded island. They speculate whether this is Narnia, but it doesn't look like any part of Narnia they remember. With a limited supply of food and no water, they explore until they find a stream. With night approaching and their food gone, they head back into the forest. They find an apple orchard near an ancient ruined castle. Slowly they realize that this is the very castle they reigned in in Narnia, Cair Paravel, but somehow thousands of years have passed since their time. Using their knowledge of the castle, they find the door to their treasure room and hack it open. Counting the step affirms even more that this ruin is their old castle. Deciding not to waste the battery of their electric torch, the children only take the Gifts, minus the horn.

The next day, Edmund solves the problem of time discontinuity when a boat comes into view in the river between them and the mainland. Two men are attempting to drown a dwarf, but Susan's arrows save his life, and the two men swim for the far bank. After rescuing the dwarf from the drifting boat, which they hide on the far side of the island, they go fishing and eat breakfast, during which time the dwarf relates the story of Caspian.

The children are excited to find that they have been called back to help Narnia in a time of need, but Trumpkin, for it is he, is not sure that they are really going to be of much help, not placing much stock in old stories. Edmund, trying to prove the children's worth, asks the dwarf if they can duel, the dwarf accepts, and Edmund disarms him after a very well-fought duel. Susan makes her point next and challenges him to an archery contest, shooting at an apple more the size of a cherry. Trumpkin just barely misses, but Susan hits the apple and knocks it from the branch. Trumpkin realizes that he is fairly beaten and mentions that he has a slight wound. Lucy asks to see it and heals it with a drop from her bottle. The dwarf, now quite convinced of their identities, suggests leaving at once, which they do. They take the boat and travel close to the shore. They land and make for the River Rush, hoping to cross it and make for the Fords of Beruna, now Beruna's Bridge. At the River Rush, they find that over time, the river has become a gorge and there is no way to cross. Lucy thinks she sees Aslan, but Trumpkin, Peter and Susan outvote Lucy and Edmund, who believes Lucy. They go back and straight into an ambush. After getting away, Peter admits that Lucy is right and she leads them back.

They camp for the night on the way back, and during the night, Lucy wakes up to the unnatural sounds of trees dancing. She follows these sounds to the site of the dance, and finds Aslan has come to wake the trees. During the conversation, Lucy discovers that Aslan has grown, which he says is because she has also grown. She asks what would have happened if she had followed him that morning and he tells her that no one is ever told what would have happened, "But anyone can find out what will happen." When Aslan tells her to go and wake the others, she admits that she's afraid because the others won't believe her. Aslan breathes courage into her and she does what is necessary. Peter and Susan are hard to stir, but Edmund, when he is finally awake, believes her and helps to wake the others even though he can't see Aslan.

After a long debate with Peter, Susan, and Trumpkin, Lucy convinces them to follow her. Aslan leads them down the gorge and Edmund is the only one who really believes that there is a way down. As a result of his belief, he begins to see Aslan's shadow.

Once they met up with the rebels they helped Prince Caspian overthrow Miraz and claim his rightful throne, in the Second Battle of Beruna. Peter, when seeing the size of the Telmarine army, chalenges King Miraz to a fight to the death. One of the Lords pretends to help Miraz off the field, but instead stabs him with a Narnian arrow. The Telmarines then charge at the Narnians. Only the arival of Aslan, the Trees, the River-god and Lucy save the day.

As the children left Narnia, Susan and Peter were told by Aslan that they would not return, but Lucy and Edmund will.