Prince Caspian | Chapter 6: The People That Lived in Hiding

Chapter Summary:

This chapter centers around Trumpkin, Nikabrik, and Trufflehunter introducing Prince Caspian to all of the other Talking Beasts--the refugees of Old Narnia. The party of four visits the Three Bulgy Bears, Pattertwig (a squirrel), the Seven Brothers of the Shuddering Wood (dwarfs)--who give Caspian a new sword, and then the Centaurs. The Centaurs suggest that it is time to go to war against King Miraz, and suddenly the prospect of war is virtually inevitable. They leave the Centaurs and then go to meet Reepicheep, who is a mouse and the leader of about ten other mice. All of these creatures were told that there would be a feast and council held at the Dancing Lawn three nights from then at midnight.

That night, Trumpkin, Nikabrik, Trufflehunter, and Caspian are awoken by music playing. Suddenly, a large group of Fauns come into the clearing, dancing and playing music. Trumpkin, Trufflehunter, and Caspian join them in their dance, while Nikabrik sits off to the side.

Reflection:

You can't tell, but it has been about a week since I've written a blog post. The summer lull at work has ended, and I've been slowing down in my reading quite a bit. I hope to continue this one-post-per-day schedule until I finish TCON, but it might not happen. We'll have to see. For now, I will carry on as usual.

Speaking of lull, this chapter. (How was that for a smooth transition?) In this chapter, we get to meet all of the lovable creatures of Old Narnia, who we now realize are refugees in their own land, basically. There is not a whole lot of substance to this chapter, aside from the descriptive detail of the living situations of the creatures that we meet, and the characteristics of the creatures themselves. In a way, it feels very similar to chapters of previous TCON books, in which we are preparing for the onset of war. 

What I think is rather interesting is the willingness of the creatures of Old Narnia to accept Prince Caspian as one of their own, despite the fact that he is a Telmarine--the very race of peoples that drove the Old Narnians into hiding. They are abiding by the old idea that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" (Caspian is the enemy of King Miraz, and is therefore my friend). The only individual who seems to disagree with this general guideline is Nikabrik, an untrusting drawf who is really the holdout in accepting Prince Caspian. Nikabrik is shown as somewhat of a villain even among the 'good guys'--but after a little thought, his distrust is actually completely understandable. Here comes Prince Caspian on his galloping horse in the middle of the night, when he is found by Trumpkin, Nikabrik, and Trufflehunter. Prince Caspian tells his story, but what's to say he's being honest? Who's to say he isn't a spy? 

So, it is most interesting that Old Narnians seem to go on a gut instinct--minus Nikabrik. All of the signs point to Caspian being a potential spy or traitor, but there is an immediate trust of him that seems to be contagious throughout Old Narnians. Perhaps it is because the time is simply right for a human to be King over Narnia again, which is what the Centaurs seem to imply. Or perhaps the Old Narnians just know a king when they see one by now. Whatever the reason, the Talking Beasts of Narnia are a trusting group, and one that seems to have the instincts for loyalty and honesty. Perhaps this was a gift given to them by Aslan, when the world was young.