From Telmarine Lies To Narnian Truth: Prince Caspian's Rise

A boy groomed by a usurper of an Uncle learns the banned truth of his homeland, escapes a palace plot, and gathers old Narnians to challenge tyranny with faith, strategy, and a horn that calls help on its own terms. Humility crowns Caspian, who vows to restore Narnia and to seek the lost.

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Chapters

• 0:09 Open
• 9:45 Welcome
• 24:27 The Night Everything Changed
• 42:52 First Encounter with Old Narnia
• 1:03:52 The White Witch Returns?!
• 1:16:28 Restoring Narnia
• 1:18:52 Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:09

Prince Caspian lived in a great castle in the center of Narnia with his uncle Miraz, the king of Narnia, and his aunt, who had red hair and was called Queen Prune Prismia. His father and mother were dead, and the person whom Caspian loved the best was his nurse. And though, being a prince, he had wonderful toys which would do almost anything but talk, he liked best the last hour of the day when all the toys had been put back in their cupboards and the nurse would tell him stories. He did not care much for his uncle and aunt, but about twice a week his uncle would send for him and they would walk up and down together for half an hour on the terrace at the south side of the castle. One day, while they were doing this, the king said to him, Well, boy, we must soon teach you to ride and use a sword. You know that your aunt and I have no children, so it looks as if you might have to be king when I'm gone. How shall you like it, eh? I don't know, Uncle, said Caspian. Don't know, eh? said Miraz. Why, I should like to know what more anyone could wish for. All the same, I do wish, said Caspian. What do you wish? asked the king. I wish, I wish, I wish I could have lived in the old days, said Caspian. He was only a very little boy at the time. Up till now King Miraz had been talking in the tiresome way that some grown ups have, which makes it quite clear that they are not really interested in what you are saying. But now he suddenly gave Caspian a sharp look. Hey? What's that? he said. What old days do you mean? Oh, don't you know, uncle? said Caspian, when everything was quite different, when all the animals could talk, and there were nice people who lived in the streams and the trees, niads and triads, they are called. And there were dwarfs. And there were lovely little fawns in all the woods, and they had feet like goats, and that's all nonsense for babies, said the king sternly. Only fit for babies, do you hear? You're getting too old for that sort of stuff. At your age you ought to be thinking of battles and adventures, not fairy tales. Oh, but there were battles and adventures in those days, said Caspian. Wonderful adventures. Once there was a white witch, and she made herself queen of the whole country, and she made it so that it was always winter. And then two boys and two girls came from somewhere, and so they killed the witch, and they were made kings and queens of Narnia, and their names were Peter and Susan and Edmund and Lucy. And so they reigned for ever so long, and everyone had a lovely time, and it was all because of Aslan. Who's he? said Miraz, and if Caspian had been a very little older, the tone of his uncle's voice would have warned him that it would be wiser to shut up. But he babbled on. Oh, don't you know? he said. Aslan is the great lion who comes from over the sea. Who has been telling you all this nonsense? said the king in a voice of thunder. Caspian was frightened and said nothing. Your Royal Highness, said King Miraz, letting go of Caspian's hand, which he had been holding until now. I insist upon being answered. Look me in the face. Who has been telling you this pack of lies? Nurse, faltered Caspian and burst into tears. Stop that noise, said his uncle, taking Caspian by the shoulders and giving him a shake. Stop it, and never let me catch you talking or thinking either, about all those silly stories again. There never were those kings and queens. How could there be two kings at the same time? And there's no such person as Aslan, and there are no such thing as lions. And there never was a time when animals could talk. Do you hear? Yes, uncle, sobbed Caspian. Then let's have no more of it, said the king. Then he called to one of the gentlemen in waiting who were standing at the far end of the terrace, and said in a cold voice, Conduct his Royal Highness to his apartments, and send his Royal Highness's nurse to me at once. Next day Caspian found what a terrible thing he had done, for Nurse had been sent away without even being allowed to say goodbye to him. And he was told he was to have a tutor. Caspian missed his nurse very much and shed many tears, and because he was so miserable, he thought about the old stories of Narnia far more than before. He dreamed of dwarfs and dryads every night and tried very hard to make the dogs and cats in the castle talk to him, but the dogs only wagged their tails and the cats only purred. Caspian felt sure that he would hate the new Tor. But when the new tutor arrived about a week later, he turned out to be the sort of person it is almost impossible not to like. He was the smallest and also the fattest man Caspian had ever seen. He had a long, silvery, pointed beard which came down to his waist, and his face, which was brown and covered with wrinkles, looked very wise, very ugly, and very kind. His voice was grave and his eyes were merry so that, until you got to know him really well, it was hard to know when he was joking and when he was serious. His name was Dr. Cornelius. Of all the lessons with Dr. Cornelius, the one that Caspian liked best was history. Up till now, except for Nurse's stories, he had known nothing about the history of Narnia. And he was very surprised to learn that the royal family were newcomers in the country. It was your Highness's ancestor, Caspian I, said Dr. Cornelius, who first conquered Narnia and made it his kingdom. It was he who brought all your nation into the country. You are not native Narnians at all. You are all Telmarines, that is. You all come from the land of Telmar, far beyond the western mountains. That is why Caspian I is called Caspian the Conqueror. Please, Dr. Cornelius, asked Caspian one day, who lived in Narnia before we all came here out of Telmar? No men, or very few, lived in Narnia before the Telmarines took it, said Dr. Cornelius. Then who did my great great grandcestors conquer? Whom, not who, your Highness, said Dr. Cornelius. Perhaps it is time to turn from history to grammar. Oh please, not yet, said Caspian. I mean, wasn't there a battle? Why is he called Caspian the Conqueror if there was nobody to fight with him? I said there were very few men in Narnia, said the doctor, looking at the little boy very strangely through his great spectacles. For a moment, Caspian was puzzled, and then his heart gave a leap. Do you mean, he gasped, that there were other things? Do you mean it was like in the stories? Were there Hush, said Dr. Cornelius, laying his head very close to Caspian's. Not a word more. Don't you know your nurse was sent away for telling you about old Narnia? The king doesn't like it. If he found me telling you secrets, you'd be whipped and I should have my head cut off. But why? asked Caspian. It is high time we turn to grammar now, said Dr. Cornelius in a loud voice. Will your Royal Highness be pleased to open Pulverolentus Sucus at the fourth page of his grammatical garden of the Arbor of Assidence Pleasantile, opened to tender wits? After that it was all nouns and verbs till lunchtime. I don't think Caspian learned much. He was too excited. He felt sure that Dr. Cornelius would not have said so much unless he meant to tell him more sooner or later. And that is Prince Caspian. But before we get into it, make sure you leave a rating wherever you're listening that will really help the show get in front of more people. And also, if you're listening on YouTube, make sure you hit the like button. And wherever you are listening to this, please leave a comment. And even in the in the description of this episode, you will see a link where you can leave me a message. And if you do that, you very well may have your comment read in a future episode. So go ahead and do that. Let's get the engagement going. It will help grow the show and get it in front of more people. So, without further ado, let's talk about Prince Caspian. So Caspian X, he was born in Narnia year 2290 during the reign of the invading Telmarines. His ancestor, Caspian I, was the one that established the Telmarine dynasty in Narnia almost 300 years earlier when the Telmarines invaded Narnia in Narnia year 1998. As part of the Telmarine regime, all the non-human Narnians, so all the talking beasts, all the dumb beasts, dwarves, whatever's non-human, were all driven into hiding or even killed. As a result of this, Caspian was born into a Narnia that was now mostly human in population, except for a few dwarves that could actually pass as humans. And Caspian at a young age was already a very smart boy. He learned that the Telmarine conquest and how Caspian I was one of the was the one that conquered Narnia. He learned about this, and we read that in the cold open, but Caspian was actually very smart, and he asked who there was to conquer if there were no people there. Because that's what he had been told. He had been told that there were like no people in Narnia when the Telmarines came, but Caspian was smarter than that. He noticed that in order to conquer something, there has to be something to conquer, and so he was very curious about that. He also saw Narnia as an unhappy country. The taxes were too high, the laws were stern, and Maraz was a cruel man. The history of old Narnia was dismissed as myths and even forgotten by most people at this point. So shortly after his birth, Caspian's father was murdered, and then shortly after that his mother died of mysterious circumstances. Caspian was raised in the royal castle by his uncle Miraz, who had now taken the throne, and he did this by driving out or killing any nobility to his brother, which was Caspian's dad. And so he declared himself king. This was all hidden from Caspian while Miraz was waiting to have his own son. I guess, you know, in case he couldn't have his own son, then Caspian would eventually be the heir and become king. Um but of course Miraz would want his own son to be king. So uh Caspian didn't really care for his uncle or his aunt, and he he disliked his aunt because she disliked him. Probably not the best response, but yet I feel like as a kid you don't really know better yet. So when he was asked by his uncle if he would like to be king, Caspian says that he doesn't really know. So Miraz was very strict with Caspian. He watched over what he was taught, and especially watched over Narnian history lessons. Caspian's nurse would secretly tell him stories of old Narnia, and after hearing that Narnia had once had talking animals, he even tried to make the dogs and cats talk to him, which I think is a very cute, very sweet image of a little boy doing that. He was told that the old days are, as his uncle put, nonsense for babies, and that he ought to think about battles and adventures, not fairy tales. So Mraz forced Caspian to tell him who was telling him these things about Narnia, and we read this in the in the open. Caspian, you know, eventually, because he didn't catch on that he should really keep his mouth shut, um, he eventually told his uncle that it was his nurse. And so Miraz found out, obviously, and he very quickly got rid of her. Caspian consoled himself by thinking about the old stories even more. For some reason those thoughts it it uh we can we can assume that it kind of gave him peace about it, um, even though it was not a very peaceful time in his life. And Miraz ended up replacing his nurse with a with a new tutor by the name of Dr. Cornelius. Now, Dr. Cornelius taught Caspian many princely subjects, as well as warfare studies. He even educated Caspian on the uncomfortable truth that his ancestors actually enslaved the country. Some of the things that he taught Caspian included sword fighting, riding, swimming and diving, how to shoot with a bow, how he taught him how to play the recorder and therabou. He also taught him how to hunt a steg, to cut him up, and yeah, so he's sorry, he caught taught him to hunt a steg and to cut him up when dead. He taught him cosmography, he taught him rhetoric, heraldry, versification, history, law, physics, alchemy, astronomy, magic theory, but he was not taught anything about sailing. The Telmarines believed and taught that there were ghosts by the sea, including and especially by the ruins of Care Paravelle, so they did not do much with the sea. One day, during a history lesson, Caspian mentioned the stories of old Narnia to Doctor Cornelius. Cornelius only gave him short and vague responses. A few days later, he was woken by Doctor Cornelius in the dark, and then they'd go up on a on a the rooftop of a one of the high towers, and they would have this astronomy lesson. So it was during this lesson that Doctor Cornelius revealed to Caspian that the legends of old Narnia were in fact real, and that Cornelius himself was actually half dwarf. He explained that many dwarfs escaped by shaving their beards and wearing high heeled shoes, and they pretended to be men.

SPEAKER_01: 17:52

This gave Caspian two thoughts at once.

SPEAKER_00: 17:56

One, Cornelius is a dwarf, so he's going to kill me, which gave him a sense of terror, and two, sheer delight that there were still real dwarfs. Cornelius also confirmed that the kings and queens of old, meaning the Pevensey children, and the White Witch, were real stories. This is also the first time in the Narnia books that we hear it described as the Golden Age of Narnia. I referred to it a lot in previous episodes, but this is the first time C.S. Lewis actually writes it as like calling it the Golden Age, which I thought was pretty cool. So he told Caspian that the stories he's been told of the ghosts by the ruins of Kerr Paravel are lies. He explains to him that the Telmarines are in deadly fear of the sea because they cannot forget the stories of Aslan coming from over the sea. Which, if you remember back to the episode I did on Aslan called The Lion, um, which, sorry for the people listening on Amazon music, apparently I've been told that episode for some reason isn't working on there. Um I'm not too sure what exactly to do about that, but I'm so sorry about that. Um but if we go back to that episode, um I refer to him like he one of his names is he is the son of the Emperor Beyond the Sea. Aslan's country is on the other side of the sea. So they've here heard these stories, so they're terrified and they don't just want nothing to do with the sea at all. And so there's two reasons that Cornelius told Caspian this these things. The first reason is that his old heart carried this secret, I guess, of him being a half dwarf, so long that it ached. He just had to tell him. And the second reason is that when Caspian became king, He would be able to help. So after learning that all these stories are true, Caspian would and even before that, honestly, uh even after hearing the stories from the nurse originally, he really wanted to live in the days of Old Narnia and of Aslan. And if Miraz knew that now Cornelius was telling him stories of old Narnia, it said that Caspian would be whipped and that Cornelius would have his head cut off, which is Yeah. So I guess Miraz is really trying to make sure that old Narnia stays a legend. And he almost, you know, like he's he's very he seems to be afraid of something. So Caspian was encouraged, and he decided that when his uncle passed away and Caspian became king, that he would restore Narnia to its former glory. We've heard that before, um, because the Pevences did that a lot. I mentioned I've just used the the phrase restore Narnia to its former glory a bunch. But let's go with it. So Caspian was actually learning all of this as a child. And in Deuteronomy, God instructs the Israelites to teach their children. So in Deuteronomy 6, 20 to 25, it says, When your son asks you in time to come, saying, What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you? Then you shall say to your son, We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and the Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household. Then he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in, and give us the land of which he swore to our fathers, and the Lord commanded to of all the statues, to fear the Lord our God for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Then it will be righteous for us if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he commanded us. So there's a couple reasons I mention this passage. I mean, obviously the command to teach our children, but it also reminds me of how in this passage they're teaching their children about their time as slaves in Egypt and how God brought them out of it. And so Prince Caspian, you know, we see Cornelius is teaching Caspian the hard truth about how Narnia is now being oppressed, and the land itself is not being preserved. And so it seems like the old Narnians are completely or sorry, uh th they seem to be like the Israelites were in Egypt. The difference being that old Narnia has not been saved yet. But I mean if we if we look at this as that sort of comparison, um we'll see that in a way, old Narnia is currently like the Israelites were in Egypt, oppressed, you know, held back, I mean not necessarily as slaves in that sense, but in the sense that yeah, they're just being overpowered and uh controlled, all that sort of thing. Um and this actually just came to mind, but oh, you know what, maybe I'll mention it later. Hopefully I remember. But uh yeah, so now we're gonna move on to another section. Um, and this section is kind of how everything changed for Caspian. After this, Caspian and his tutor had many more secret conversations on the top of the Great Tower. And at each conversation, Caspian learned more about old Narnia, so that thinking and daydreaming about the old days and longing that they might come back filled nearly all his spare hours. But of course, he had not many hours to spare, for now his education was beginning to earnest. He learned sword fighting and riding, swimming and diving, how to shoot with a bow and play the recorder, and the therbo, how to hunt a steg and cut him up when he was dead, besides, cosmography, rhetoric, heraldry, versification, and of course, history, with a little law, physics, alchemy, and astronomy. Of magic, he learned only the theory, for Dr. Cornelius said the practical part was not proper study for princes. And I myself, he added, am only a very imperfect magician and can do only the smallest experiments. Of navigation, which is a noble and heroical art, said the doctor, he was taught nothing, because King Miraz disapproved of ships and the sea. He also learned a great deal by using his own eyes and ears. As a little boy, he often wondered why he disliked his aunt, Queen Prunaprismia. He now saw that it was because she disliked him. He also began to see that Narnia was an unhappy country, the taxes were high, and the laws were stern, and Maraz was a cruel man. After some years, there came a time when the queen seemed to be ill, and there was a great deal of bustle and ponder about her in the castle, and doctors came and the courtiers whispered. This was in early summertime, and one night, while all the fuss was going on, Caspian was unexpectedly wakened by Dr. Cornelius after he had only been a few hours in bed. Are we going to do a little astronomy, doctor? said Caspian. Hush, said the doctor. Trust me and do exactly as I tell you. Put on all your clothes. You have a long journey before you. Caspian was very surprised, but he had learned to have confidence in his tutor, and he began doing what he was told at once. When he was dressed, the doctor said, I have a wallet for you. You must go into the next room and fill it with victuals from your Highness's supper table. My gentlemen in waiting will be there, said Caspian. They are fast asleep and will not wake, said the doctor. I'm a very minor magician, but I can at least contrive a charmed sleep. They went into the antechamber, and there, sure enough, the two gentlemen in waiting were, sprawling on chairs and snoring hard. Dr. Cornelius quickly cut up the remains of a cold chicken and some slices of venison to put them. With bread and an apple or so, and a little flask of good wine into a wallet, which he then gave to Caspian. It fitted on by a strap over Caspian's shoulder, like a satchel you would use for taking books to school. Have you your sword? asked the doctor. Yes, said Caspian. Then put this mantle over all to hide the sword and the wallet. That's right. And now we must go to the great tower and talk. When they had reached the top of the tower, it was a cloudy night, not at all like the night they had seen the conjunction of Tarva and Almobil, Dr. Cornelius said. Dear Prince, you must leave this castle at once, and go to seek your fortune in the wild world. Your life is in danger here. Why? asked Caspian. Because you are the true King of Narnia, Caspian X, the true son and heir of Caspian IX. Long life to your majesty. And suddenly, to Caspian's great surprise, the little man dropped down on one knee and kissed his hand. What does it all mean? I don't understand, said Caspian. I want I wonder, you have never asked me before, said the Doctor, why, being the son of King Caspian, you are not King Caspian yourself. Everyone except Your Majesty knows that Miraz is a usurper. When he first began to rule, he did not even pretend to be the king. He called himself Lord Protector. But then your royal mother died. The good queen and the only Telmarine who was ever kind to me. And then, one by one, all the great lords who had known your father died or disappeared. Not by accident either. Miraz weeded them out. Belisar and Uvilas were shot with arrows on a hunting party. By chance, it was pretended. All those great house of the Pasarids he sent to fight a giants on the northern frontier, till one by one they fell. Arlain and Arimon and a dozen more he executed for treason on a false charge. The two brothers of Beaversdam he shut up as madmen, and finally he persuaded the seven noble lords, who alone among all the Telmarines did not fear the sea, to sail away and look for new lands beyond the Eastern Ocean, and, as he intended, they never came back. And when there was no one left who could speak a word for you, then his flatterers, as he had instructed them, begged him to become king, and of course he did. Do you mean he now wants to kill me too? said Caspian. That is almost certain, said Dr. Cornelius. But why now? said Caspian. I mean why didn't he do it long ago if he wanted to? And what harm have I done him? He has changed his mind about you because of something that happened only two hours ago. The Queen has had a son. I don't see what that's got to do with it, said Caspian. Don't see, exclaimed the doctor. Have all my lessons in history and politics taught you no more than this? Listen, as long as he has no children of his own, he was willing enough that you should be king after he died. He may not have cared much about you, but he would rather you should have the throne than a stranger. Now that he has a son of his own, he will want his own son to be the next king. You are in the way. He'll clear you out of the way. Is he really as bad as that? said Caspian. Would he really murder me? He murdered your father, said Dr. Cornelius. Caspian felt strange, and said nothing. I can tell you the whole story, said Dr. Cornelius, but not now. There is no time. You must fly at once. You'll come with me? said Caspian. I dare not, said the doctor. I would make your danger greater. Two are more easily tracked than one. Dear Prince, dear King Caspian, you must be very brave. You must go alone and at once. Try to get access to the southern border to the court of King Nain of Arkinland. He will be good to you. Shall I never see you again? said Caspian in a quavering voice. I hope so, dear king, said the doctor. What friend have I in the wide world except your majesty? And I have little magic. But in the meantime, speed is everything. Here are two gifts before you go. This is a little purse of gold. Alas, all the treasure in this castle should be your own by rights. And here is something far better. He put in Caspian's hand which he could barely see, but which he knew by the feel to be the horn. That, said Dr. Cornelius, is the greatest and most sacred treasure in Narnia. Many terrors I endured, many spells I uttered to find it, when I was still young. It's the magic horn of Queen Susan herself, which she left behind her when she vanished from Narnia at the end of the Golden Age. It is said that whoever blows it shall have strange help, no one can say how strange. It may have the power to call Queen Lucy and King Edmund and Queen Susan and High King Peter back from the past, and they will set all to rights. It may be that it will call up Aslan himself. Take it, King Caspian, but do not use it except in your greatest need. And now, haste, haste, haste. The little door at the very bottom of the tower, the door into the garden, is unlocked. There we must part. Can't I get my horse dressed here? said Caspian. He is already saddled and waiting for you just at the corner of the orchard. During the long climb down the winding staircase, Cornelius whispered many more words of direction and advice. Caspian's heart was sinking, but he tried to take it all in. Then came the fresh air in the garden, a fervent hand clasp with the doctor, a run across the lawn, a welcoming whinnie from Dressure, and so King Caspian X left the castle of his fathers. Looking back, he saw fireworks going up to celebrate the birth of the new prince. So a few years later, in early summer, the queen became ill, and one night uh Dr. Cornelius wakes Caspian up and tells him to trust him and to do what he says. And so Caspian gets dressed, Cornelius tells him he has a long journey ahead, and Caspian had confidence in his tutor, so he obeyed him. Cornelius, in his limited magic, put a spell on Caspian's gentlemen in waiting so they could sneak past them and get to the Great Tower to talk, and that Caspian should be king. He learned that Miraz sent the seven noble lords, who were not afraid of the sea, to sail away and look for new lands beyond the Eastern Ocean, and these men never returned. Now this I have to say, even when I read originally that the Telmarines were afraid of sailing and all of that, and then this, guys, I was just like, okay, well, this is directly pointing towards Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which of course is the next book in the series, and so it's like Yeah, we get to continue this idea later, which I think is kinda nice that C.S. Lewis planted those seeds already. But Cornelius tells Caspian that the Queen had a son just two hours ago, and that Miraz was now planning on murdering Caspian. Cornelius also tells Caspian that it was Miraz who murdered his father. And so, yeah, he was fine with like Mraz was fine with the idea of Caspian being king after him because Miraz didn't have a son of his own. And for him, that would be like, well, at least it'd be flesh and blood on the throne and not just some stranger. So he was kind of okay with that, even though he didn't really care for Caspian too much. But now that they were able to have their own son, well now there's no need for Caspian, who was the rightful heir, so he had to cut that loose end, essentially. Caspian, after learning that Miraz killed his father, C.S. Lewis mentions that Caspian felt strange and said nothing. And I can imagine, like that's kind of a big a big bomb that's just dropped on you. Like your uncle, who no, you don't really care for too much, but your uncle, who's essentially raising you, you learn that he murdered your father. That'd be shocking news and probably put me back too a little bit. So Caspian also learned that Cornelius knew his mother. Because Cornelius mentions that Caspian's mother was the only Telmarine that was ever nice to him. And so Cornelius must have been around the royal family in some capacity, and could be the reason why. Why he was chosen as Caspian's tutor. And so we can assume that Caspian's mother was not always in the royal family, and she might have known Cornelius before even marrying Caspian's dad. Of course, we don't know this for sure. This is all speculation, but I think there is something to that. And so Cornelius instructs him to get across the southern border to the court of King Nain of Arkinland, and he tells him that he would be good to Caspian. And so Cornelius sends him off with some supplies, including the magical horn of Queen Susan. And when Cornelius Cornelius explained that when he was young, he endured many terrors and uttered many spells in order to find this horn. And I kind of wonder, because earlier in the book, when the Pevenseys get back to Narnia, they're at the ruin, the ruins of Kerpervell, and they come across their old treasure chamber, and all their old gifts that they got from Father Christmas in Lionwitch in the wardrobe were there except for Susan's horn. And so I wonder if that horn was even left in that treasure chamber to begin with. Because it was sealed up. If it was easy to access, all of the Peter's sword and shield and Lucy's cordial would have been taken as well. But they were still there. So the only things really missing were Lucy's dagger, which there's no re there's never any explanation where that went, and Susan's horn. So I wonder if after the Pevinsies went back, or even before they went back, if maybe Well, okay, think I'm I'm just saying I'm thinking about this through live with you guys. If so when the Pevensees went back originally, they were hunting the white stag. It's possible Susan had the horn with her when they were out in the woods.

SPEAKER_01: 42:11

But you'd think that it would have been on the horse right, and then someone would have found their horses and found the horn, and probably would have locked that up. Or someone found it, stole it, kept it for themselves. Yeah, who knows?

SPEAKER_00: 42:36

Or after they went back, someone, you know, took it, thought they might need it, lost it somewhere. Who knows? We don't know where Cornelius found it, but it sounds like he went through quite a bit to get that. So, anyways, that was just a little rabbit trail there. But Caspian rode for a day and a half until he reached the southern region of Narnia in the foothills of the great southern mountains that bordered Arkinland. Now this is a lot of geography for you guys to take in. That's good. Something strikes Caspian on the forehead, knocking him out. And Caspian was found by a dwarf, I guess two dwarfs, and a badger, who referred to him as an it. They debated killing Caspian. Caspian says that whatever they do to him, he hopes that they'll be kind to his horse. But his horse was already gone. Caspian has such a kind heart. I mean he is a kid. And we learned earlier in the book that Caspian was trying to get the dogs and cats to speak. He wanted so badly for it to be true. So he obviously cared for animals, and in this case he cares more about his horse than himself. So the dwarf that found him, named Nicobrick, was a black dwarf and wanted to kill Caspian. The other dwarf was a red dwarf named Trumpkin. And finally there was Truffle Hunter, a badger, who did not want to kill him. This was definitely a strange mix of personalities because the three were living together. Caspian had found at least some of the old Narnians. He revealed who he was and explained why he couldn't go back. Nicobrick almost kills him, but Trumpkin stops him. So because he was a Telmarine, there was probably some fear from the dwarfs and the badger. And I think that's why Nicobrick wanted to kill him, but also because he was an angry dwarf, being a black dwarf. But I find it amazing how Trufflehunter stood up for Caspian and vouched for him. It makes sense that they would be afraid, right? But it reminds me of Acts 9, 26 to 28. It goes like this. And when Saul had reached Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. So here we see Saul, a persecutor of Christians, who actually hunted them down and killed them, had experienced Jesus on the road to Damascus, and his whole life changed. He became a new person and was now a disciple of Jesus. And he came to join the rest of the disciples, and they were rightfully afraid of him, and they did not trust him. Like based off the past and how they knew him to be, yeah, it makes sense. They wouldn't trust the guy. But Barnabas vouched for him because he knew that Saul, now Paul, had seen Jesus and was now a changed man. And it it reminds me of how Truffle Hunter was able to recognize Caspian as the true king of Narnia and defended him to the others. Because rightfully so, they were afraid. Here's a Telmarine in the woods, and the Telmarines had basically pushed all the old Narnians into hiding or killed them. So, I mean, rightfully so, they're afraid and they can't trust him. But here comes a Telmarine who is saying, like, no, I'm actually on your side. I want to help you. And they don't trust that, and that makes sense. But thankfully, Trufflehunter, the badger, was able to understand and and see the truth. Now, I don't know how, you know, whether it was he could hear the sincerity in his voice or he could read Caspian's body language, whatever it was. Uh, and maybe it was just a god thing, I don't know, but he was able to see, like, yeah, this kid is for real. So they make the journey to find some of the other old Narnians, and so they stop and see the bulgy bears, who after they had explained everything to the bulgy bears, they also affirmed that Caspian should be king. And then we meet Pater Twig, a red squirrel who welcomes Caspian and offers him a nut, which Caspian accepts. And then uh just a little funny anecdote here where Trufflehunter, the Badger, tells Caspian to look away because it was bad manners among squirrels to watch anyone go to his stash or to look as if you wanted to know where it was. So the dwarfs and Trufflehunter give messages to Patter Twig to deliver all sort or to deliver a message to all sorts of creatures, to come to feast and counsel on dancing lawn at midnight three nights from then. They also visited the seven brothers of Shuddering Wood, who after some time also came to acknowledge him as king. Now, these are clearly dwarfs, and I kinda wonder if this is kind of a nod to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, just because like I don't know, they're dwarves, there's seven of them, they're living in the woods. I don't know, maybe, but they gave them all gifts. So they gave chainmail shirts and helmets and sword swords, swords for Caspian, trumpkin and knickerbrick. And the workmanship of these items were far finer than anything Caspian had seen. And his own sword looked like a feeble toy and clumsy as a stick in comparison. So clearly, dwarfs make good weaponry and armor. So they reach the cave of five black dwarfs. So I wonder, because there is a difference, and I'm planning to do a bonus episode just on dwarfs in general, where I'll get into it more, but there is a difference between black dwarfs and red dwarfs, and most of it from my research so far, I'll dive into it deeper, but a lot of it is personality differences. So I wonder if the seven brothers are red dwarfs, because now they're specific. Now they reach the cave of five black dwarfs, and it and it's much different. They're not getting gifts. These black dwarfs, they look suspiciously at Caspian, but in the end they do say that he should be king. The five black dwarfs suggest introducing them to an ogre and a hag. See so it's a little bit of a different vibe here. They're going in a darker way, a darker mindset. But the rest of them say that they don't want any of that sort on their side. Nicobrick, obviously, being a black dwarf himself, disagrees and he sides with his fellow black dwarfs. Now, it shocked Caspian that both the nice and horrible creatures from the old stories still had some descendants in Narnia, meaning ogres and hags and those types of horrible creatures. They also acknowledged that if they were to have these types of horrible creatures on their side, Aslan would not side with them. Which makes sense. They want to make sure that if all of a sudden Aslan does come to help, they they don't want to give him a reason not to. Now, personally, I think Aslan would have still. But that's up to bait. They wanted to just you know, and it and it's fair to not have that type of creature on your side, right? So Nicobrick, he went as far as to say that he would even work with the White Witch if it meant defeating the Telmarines.

SPEAKER_01: 51:46

Now that's a that's a bold statement. Truffle Hunter tells him to stop that she may be way worse than Miraz.

SPEAKER_00: 51:58

And Nicobrick replies not to dwarfs she wasn't. Now remember, remember back to Lion the Witch in the Wardrobe. Remember to my episode on the White Witch, she had a dwarf as a henchman. Now I'm assuming that was a black dwarf, we don't actually necessarily know for sure, but I think it's a fair assumption. Um yeah, she was good to dwarves, I guess, was she? I don't know. I mean, I feel like she abused that dwarf quite a bit.

SPEAKER_01: 52:30

But in Nicobrick's eyes, he's willing to go that route. But next, they keep meeting new old Marnians.

SPEAKER_00: 52:40

That's confusing. They keep meeting more of the old Marnians, and they run into, not physically, of course, but they meet a centaur named Glenstorm, who is described to be a prophet and a stargazer. Caspian is impressed by his first sight of the centaur Glenstorm, but he is sobered by Glenstorm's talk of an unavoidable war. He speaks in a voice that neither Caspian nor the others hesitated for a moment. I guess he just had such authority and such confidence that they listened to what he says.

SPEAKER_01: 53:23

I guess being a prophet probably helps with that.

SPEAKER_00: 53:26

Then we meet one of the most beloved like characters in all of Narnia. We meet the beloved mouse Reapich. Now he is bigger than a common mouse, and he had a tiny rapier sword. And some of the other creatures that we meet include Clo uh Clodsley uh shovel clor Clodsley Shovel the Mole and we meet three hard biters who are badgers. We meet Camillo the Hag. Sorry, Hare. Camillo the Hare, not Hag. Guys. I swear I have it right in my notes, anyways. Um and Hoggolock the hedgehog. I'm glad he's not a main character. I feel like that name would be difficult to say more and more. But anyways, Caspian suddenly he hears music coming out of the wood, and out comes some fawns. Pattertwig had sent them. He had delivered the message. And these fawns, I am not even gonna try to pronounce their names, but the book mentions nine of them. So for the first time in his life, Caspian slept under the stars and drank nothing but well water and lived off of nuts and wild fruits. This was a bit of a culture shock for Caspian, who was used to sleeping in a bed with silken sheets in a tapestried chamber in his castle. His meals were laid out on gold and silver dishes, and he had attendance at his beck and call. And so this was a strange experience for him, and yet he had never enjoyed himself more. Never had he had a more refreshing sleep, and never had food tasted so savory for him. And now we're introduced to a new giant named Wimbleweather. And he came carrying a basket of seasick dwarfs who had accepted his offer for a ride. And I'm laughing because I feel like that's just a hilarious image. This giant, well, giant carrying a basket full of dwarfs who are all seasick and they needed because they needed a ride. I think that's I don't know, that's just a funny image. But they all gather here for a council where the bulgy bears were anxious about having the feast first and waiting to have the council meeting until after. And so at that time, Reapich and his mice were fine waiting for the feast and the council, but would rather attack Miraz that very night. Patertwig and the squirrels said that they would or sorry, that they could eat and talk at the same time, so why not have the feast and the council together? Then Caspian and the Centaurs and the Dwarfs overruled all other suggestions and insisted on having a real council of war at once. Now I included this in here because I find it funny that C.S. Lewis decided to include this part in the chapter. The fact that we get to see different personalities come out and they all suggest different ideas, which bring so much authenticity and realism and to the situation. Caspian is about to start speaking when Camillo the Hare lets him know that there's a human nearby. So Caspian sends two badgers and three dwarfs with bows to go check it out. They were instructed not to shoot if it was alone, but only to capture it. Lo and behold, it was none other than Dr. Cornelius. Now Nicobric, of course, this guy, wants to kill him, because he is a half and halfer. Cornelius reveals that he got there by magic. Now he came to let Caspian know that Meraz is on the move, and that Caspian and the old Narnians had left tracks everywhere. They are trying to figure out a safe place for them all to go. Repecheep wants Maraz's men to come. To them, I guess, and then suggests that they go to the Eastern Sea. Sorry, a suggestion to go to the Eastern Sea comes up because they know that the Telmarines hate that area and will hesitate to go there. And then someone suggests that they go to Aslan's Howe. And that is what they decide to do. And so the army set themselves up in a strategic defensive perimeter around Aslan's Howe, and this is where the army and the council met. One of Maraz's scouts found their new location, and Caspian's heart sank as more and more kept coming. Maraz's army comes and the battle lasted for several weeks. They had many stories. Sorry, they had many sorties, which are a brief military operation. They were fighting most days and some nights, with Caspian's party having it the worst. Caspian's party suffered badly when Giant Wimbleweather had broken out at the wrong time and from the wrong place. And he really beat himself up over this, the poor guy. Everyone was mad at him, and it seemed that Caspian forgot that giants are not very clever, and he still made a plan based around him. Wimbleweather cried and his tears splashed on the mice, and they naturally got mad at him for this. Now they started to become desperate, and Truffle Hunter suggested that it was time to blow Susan's horn. Caspian was also wondering if there would be a better time to blow. It. And Nicobrick pointed out that at that rate, Caspian would never use it until it was too late. And Cornelius agrees. So for once, Nicobrick actually has something good to offer. He makes a very good point that if Caspian is always thinking, like, oh, maybe there's a better time, maybe there's a better time, then he's never gonna blow it and it's gonna be too late. So at this point, uh Trumpkin thought that the horn, the broken stone table, King Peter, Aslan, all of this was, as he described, eggs and moonshine. He doesn't believe any of it. They had a council to meet, and they decided it was time to blow Susan's horn. Now Cornelius lays down some wisdom and advises them that help may not come right away or to that exact spot. Aslan's Howe, where they are, was the most magical ancient place in Narnia. It actually reminds me of the Holies of Holies that we read of in the Bible. The Holies of Holies housed the Ark of the Covenant and was a sacred place, and Aslan's How was built over the stone table, not an exact comparison necessarily, but it makes a resemblance. Now, some place or sorry, it was the place that Aslan set aside for sacrifice, and it was also a place where people could find safety even within a war. Just because there was a war, it didn't mean that Aslan wouldn't show up. But they knew that help could come could also arrive in other places such as Lantern Waste or Care Paravel. And because they don't know where help might come from, they decide to send two people out to the other locations just in case something shows up there. So they send Pattertwig, the squirrel, out to Lantern Waste, which is smart. That's where the Pevensies originally came from. And they send Trumpkin, who volunteered to go, especially since Nickabrick refused, to care paravel. Now Trumpkin doesn't believe in any of this, but Caspian is his king, and Trumpkin knows the difference between giving advice and taking orders. So he follows what Caspian asks of him. Now, as we end up reading in later on in the book, and I think I've talked about in a previous episode already, it was Trumpkin who, going to Care Paravel, actually does find the Pevences and brings them uh to Aslan's house. So it's there's a whole story arc with Trumpkin yet that I want to touch on in that episode I do on dwarfs, but yeah, he was very much a non-believer, and so I think it was important that he was the one that found them and was forced to believe. Well, not forced, but I mean it was right in front of him. What other choice did he have than to believe he's seeing it? So Dr. Cornelius suggests that because sometimes sunrise has an effect on the operations of white magic, that might be the best time to blow the horn. And so they did, and helped it not come instantly, and the army actually suffered many more casualties. Their supplies was running low, and they held another council meeting. In this meeting, between Caspian, Cornelius, Truffle Hunter, and Nicobrick, Cornelius is disappointed in the results of the horn. I should also add, it was those four in there, but as we'll talk about, Nicobrick actually had two friends with him that no one else knew who they were. But, anyways, Cornelius is disappointed, Truffle Hunter encourages him not to give up because hope could very well be right behind the door. Which we later find out that help was actually right behind the door at that moment. Uh Trumpkin, Peter, and Edmund were actually behind the door listening in on this meeting. But Trufflehunter, I enjoy Trufflehunter. He's, you know, he sticks up for Caspian when no one else believed in him. He's always he's always the encouragement. I I love the character of Trufflehunter. So Nicobrick had given up hope that the kings and queens of old would come to help. And he, those two friends that I mentioned, he had them with him and no one knew who they were, and Caspian demands to know who they are. So Nicobrick explains that they are his friends, and he wonders why Caspian can invite his friends, probab you know, probably referring to Cornelius, and Nicobrick doesn't like Cornelius. But he wonders why Caspian can have his friends there, but he can't. And so Trufflehunter sternly tells Nicobrick that Caspian is his king, to whom he has sworn his allegiance. And so Nicobrick explains that well, actually it's revealed, they they just kind of introduce themselves, but the one friend is a hag and speaks up and explains that she's an old lady with skills to use against the enemy. The other friend happens to be a werewolf who speaks in a dull grey voice and actually says some very uh creepy things. But Nekabrick says that the kings and queens of old have either not heard them, cannot come, or they are enemies. He also thinks that Aslan is dead or against them. And Truffle Hunter, being the the guy that he is, definitely optimistic, adds that they could all be on their way. So he always has that other side of things, and it's always optimistic. So Truffles and Nick, that's what I'm just gonna call them now, go back and forth, and Caspian listens the whole time. He took the time to hear them both out, and this shows signs of a true king. Now Nicobrick reveals that the plan of his friends is to resurrect the white witch. They begin the process of bringing her back, and this caused a fight to break out. And uh during the fight, they knock over the lamp or the light or whatever, and out of the darkness appears Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin, because remember, they were right behind the door, and these three had saved them. Trumpkin actually beheaded the wit the hag with one slash of his sword. And then Nicobrick and the were- No, actually it wasn't Trumpkin. I was mistaken. It wasn't Trumpkin, it was Peter beheaded the witch. But long story short, Nicobrick, the werewolf, and the hag are all dead. Caspian meets Peter and Edmund for the first time. Peter tells Caspian that he is not there to take his place, but rather to put Caspian in his place. And I really like this because this is this showed me that the movies actually got it wrong in a sense, where in the movie they added just this tension and like one-upsmanship between Peter and Caspian throughout the entire movie, and that really wasn't the story here at all. Like Peter was actually really humble and realized that like Caspian is like he realizes he's not gonna be there forever again. His time in Narnia is obviously limited, and that Caspian is to be king. And and Peter, so he he affirms Casp that, like, hey, I'm not here to take your place. Don't worry. I'm here to help you put I'm here to help put you into this place of being king. And this section of the chapter kind of reminds me of the fruit of the spirit, and there's a contrast between the acts of the flesh and the acts of the spirit. And yeah, just a contrast between what is good and what is bad. And so some of the acts of the flesh that show up here being witchcraft, discord, jealousy, selfish ambition, dissensions, Nicobrick is really fueled by the feeling the dwarfs have not gotten their fair share over the years. And so the fruit that we see would be self-control, the self-control that it must have taken Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin not to barge into that room sooner. But Nicobrick's plan needed to be revealed. So it was good that they waited until they did. Caspian liked Peter very much, but it was also he was also tongue-tied around him. He had heard the legends and now the living legend in front of him, right? And so it was strange for him to meet one of the kings of old. I guess he met both, but referring to Peter here. And so together they all decide that they're going to challenge Maraz to a one-on-one duel to settle it once and for all. And we go into this in depth in the last uh in episode nine. And so you can go back and listen to that if you haven't, but Caspian wanted to fight his uncle, but Peter explained to him that he couldn't, because his uncle would just see him as a child and not take him seriously. Plus, I think Caspian, it would have just been too personal for him, too emotional. Where so Peter was the better option in that sense. And it was good because Peter has been in many more battles and knew how to fight. And so Miraz accepted the duel, and it happens later that day outside of Aslan's how. So Caspian could not be a marshal in Peter's corner, because it it was actually Caspian's right to the throne that was on the line here. And during the fight, Peter gets injured, and it's Caspian who asks Edmund if Peter has a chance of winning. Because he recognized that, like Peter, Edmund had been in many more battles than him, and so he trusted Edmund's judgment in this sort of thing. And Caspian was empathetic towards Peter, and he likely blamed himself as he wonders why they let this happen in the first place. And so during the duel, after Peter gets fixed up and all that, Miraz ends up tripping, and Peter, being the gentleman that he is, waits to let him get up. But in the meantime, one of Miraz's men stabs Miraz in the back and kills him. Again, we talked about this all in episode 9. A fight breaks out between the two armies, and the battle this battle is known as the War of Deliverance. And it was a brief battle, and many lives were spared that day. The Telmarines actually retreated where they were and they were cut off by Aslan, Susan, and Lucy. Aslan had awakened the river god and destroyed the bridge of Baruna, ending the Telmarine invasion. Now, Aslan, Susan, and Lucy had actually picked up others along the way, and everyone met them there. One lady who they picked up went straight to Caspian and embraced him. Now, at first when I read this, I'm like, I knew what was happening, but it was like very well written. That whole chapter we'll talk, we talk about in chapter or in episode nine is very well done. But it was this old lady who just runs up and embraces Caspian was in fact his old nurse. The nurse that was telling him about old Narnia, and thus Miraz got rid of her. So after this victory, Peter introduced Caspian to Aslan. Caspian kneels and kisses Aslan's paw, and Aslan asks Caspian if he feels adequate to the task of being king. And Caspian is humble in his response, saying that he doesn't think so. And Caspian praises that. And it was actually that humility that showed Aslan that yes, he is actually ready to be king. And Aslan informs Caspian about the most important part of his lineage, that he is the offspring of human pirates. And this dispress this depresses Caspian. And Aslan does not allow this response to continue. Caspian could not be a king in Narnia unless he was a son of Adam. And so Aslan reassures him that hey, being a son of Adam is both the most ennobling and most humbling of heritages to have. Caspian bows in silence as he ponders this lesson. You know, he he learns that his offspring is human pirates and and all this, and probably not the best lineage to come from, but Aslan is saying, like, hey, actually, this is a great blessing for you. And it kind of reminds me of something I've learned in my own life personally, is that guys, we're we're all made in the image of God. And at the end of the day, that is really truthfully the only thing that ever matters. Right? Like it doesn't matter what our status is in life, it doesn't matter what we do for a career, how successful we are, you know, how many, like how good of an athlete we are. Like literally, like how good we look, like none of this stuff matters at all. All we need to know is at the end of the day, we're made in God's image, and that's all that matters. And I feel like that's a similar lesson to what Caspian was learning here. We're like, yes, your ancestors did some horrible things. The Telmarines did some horrible things, like even as like even in Narnia. And it's a whole story about how they actually got from the human world into Narnia in the first place, but that's for a later episode. But I mean, it's an important lesson that, yes, you came from a lineage that did some horrible things, but you're a human and that's what that's where his value came from, essentially. Is the lesson here. So it's a little different, but it it reminds me of that a lot. Anyways, Caspian commands Peter to knight Caspian as a knight of the most noble order of the lion, to which Caspian then bestows the same honor to Truffle Hunter, Trumpkin, and Reapich. And he makes Dr. Cornelius his Lord Chancellor. Aslan sends the Pevensies and the Telmarines that were willing, back to our world. Caspian offers Susan her horn back, but she tells him to keep it, which is honestly probably smart, because it's possible someone's gonna need that again, right? Um he was then crowned King of Narnia shortly after that, after the Pevences returned to their world, and this marked the sixth age of Narnia, the age of exploration, which obviously leads into Voyage of the Dawn Treader, right? And so the next several years, Caspian, why did I say it like that? Caspian, anyways, Caspian Caspian set out to restore Narnia, to make the wrong things, to make right the wrong things his uncle and forefathers had done. Remember, he said before he wanted to restore it to his former glory, that's what he's working on. And so Caspian established Narnia as a land of equality, where all creatures lived in peace and harmony, which I think this was probably the biggest thing he needed to do. Because the Telmarines pushed back the old Narnians and and all of that. He the first thing he needed to do was restore that peace and equality between humans and non-humans. He also established treaties with Arkinland and Telmar. He believed he built a team of trusted advisors and delegated leaders and continued to build up the Narnian army. Caspian was able to rebuild the Army and Navy, which had been abandoned during the Telmarine reign, obviously because they hated the sea. His army defeated the Northern Giants, who I feel like the Northern Giants are always being defeated. Like I feel like Peter defeated them as well. Anyways, but he defeated the northern giants so bad that they actually paid tribute to Narnia. So maybe things are changing now finally for the Northern Giants. I don't know. But in these three years, he restored peace and order to the Narnian mainland. And his final task of restoration was to fulfill the promise that he made to Aslan on his coronation day. So the day he's crowned as king, he he made a promise to Aslan, and that promise was to sail east for an entire year and a day to search for the seven lost lords of Narnia. Thank you everyone so much for listening to this episode of Faithful Fables. I really hope that you enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed looking into Prince Caspian. This book is really good, you guys, uh, and just the character itself. We're gonna continue uh a couple more episodes uh from the Prince Caspian book before we move on to Voyage of the Dawn Treader, so stay tuned. And I think that there are some really good things that we can learn from Caspian, and especially going forward with the rest of the books, and as we learn more about Caspian. Um yeah, so I want to thank you guys for listening. If you're if you're listening on YouTube, make sure you hit the like button, subscribe for more, and yeah, guys, leave a comment. Wherever you're listening, leave a comment or a rating or both, and that will really help the show. Also, you can support the show if you'd like. You know, there's a link in the show notes where you can support the show if if the show Resonates with you and your beliefs, you know. If you're able to, even a few dollars a month will help to keep the show going and to get you more of the content that you already love. But you know what? Even if you can't, that's totally fine, just keep listening for free. I appreciate it anyways. And so thank you guys, and until next time, remember stay faithful.