The High King facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Lloyd Alexander |
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| Cover artist | Evaline Ness |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Chronicles of Prydain |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Published | October 27, 1968 |
| Publisher | Holt, Rinehart and Winston |
| Media type | Print (hardcover & paperback) |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 0-8050-1114-5 (first edition, hard) |
| OCLC | 23225498 |
| LC Class | PZ7.A3774 Hi |
| Preceded by | Taran Wanderer |
The High King is a fantasy novel written by Lloyd Alexander in 1968. It is the fifth and final book in The Chronicles of Prydain series. This book won the Newbery Medal in 1969, which is a big award for children's books in America.
The series tells the exciting adventures of Taran, who starts as an Assistant Pig-Keeper. As he grows up, he helps fight against the evil forces of Arawn Death-Lord. In The High King, Taran and his friends join everyone in Prydain for a huge battle to finally defeat Arawn. After the fight, Taran faces a very important choice: should he become the High King?
Thirty years later, Lloyd Alexander shared that writing The High King was not easy. He felt very close to the characters, like they were his own family. He even cried when he wrote the ending, especially when Taran had to make such a difficult decision.
Contents
The Story Begins
The story of The High King starts just a few days after the last book, Taran Wanderer, ends. Winter is coming, and Taran and his furry friend Gurgi return to Caer Dallben. They heard from Kaw the crow that Princess Eilonwy is back from the Isle of Mona. When they arrive, Eilonwy is there with King Rhun of Mona and Glew, a former giant who was made human-sized by a magic potion.
Before Taran can ask Eilonwy to marry him, the bard-king Fflewddur Fflam arrives with his giant cat, Llyan. They bring very bad news: Gwydion, Prince of Don, is badly hurt. Servants of Arawn attacked them and stole the powerful black sword, Dyrnwyn. Fflewddur also says that Taran was involved in the attack, which confuses everyone. With help from Achren, they learn the truth: Arawn himself came to Caer Dallben, disguised as Taran, to trick Gwydion into an ambush.
The Quest for Dyrnwyn
The magical sword Dyrnwyn is very important because it can threaten Arawn. So, Dallben asks his oracular pig, Hen Wen, how to get the sword back. But during the reading, the sticks used to communicate break, and Hen Wen's answers are unclear and discouraging.
Once Gwydion is well enough, he sets out with Taran and others to meet King Smoit. Gwydion believes he must go into Annuvin alone to find the sword. On the way, the group splits up. Rhun and Eilonwy plan to visit the ships of Mona.
Trapped at Caer Cadarn
When Gwydion, Taran, and their companions reach Caer Cadarn, they are captured. Magg, a sneaky former leader from Mona, now works for Arawn and has taken over the fortress. When Eilonwy and her group approach, she senses trouble. They send Fflewddur Fflam into the fortress as a bard. After entertaining the soldiers, he returns with bad news.
Then, the companions meet Gwystyl of the Fair Folk outside the fortress. Gwystyl is on his way to tell King Eiddileg that Arawn's forces are getting ready for war. With Gwystyl's help and his magical smokes and fires, the companions break in and free the prisoners. But the plan goes wrong. King Smoit and his men only regain control because Rhun steps in, which sadly costs him his life.
Gathering Allies for Battle
After learning about Arawn's plans from Gwystyl, Gwydion decides to stop looking for Dyrnwyn and instead prepare for a big battle at Caer Dathyl. Gwystyl, Fflewddur, and Taran leave to gather support. Gwystyl goes to the Fair Folk, Fflewddur goes to the northern lands, and Taran goes to the Free Commots.
Kaw, Taran's crow, flies to spy near Annuvin but is attacked by Gwythaints. He manages to reach Medwyn, who asks all the animals of the air and land to fight Arawn's forces. Taran, Coll, Eilonwy, and Gurgi gather the people of the Commots. They join Taran because of their friendship with him. Smiths and weavers work day and night to make weapons and clothes for them.
The Great Battle Begins
Soon after Taran and the last Commots reach Caer Dathyl, King Pryderi arrives. In a meeting, he announces that he has joined Arawn. He believes Arawn will bring peace to Prydain. Everyone rejects his idea, but he is allowed to return to his army unharmed. The next day, the battle begins.
At first, the Sons of Don and their allies are winning. But then, the Cauldron-Born, Arawn's undead warriors, arrive in huge numbers. They overwhelm the allies and destroy Caer Dathyl.
With High King Math killed, Gwydion is named the new High King. Since most of the Cauldron-Born are outside Annuvin, Gwydion decides the best plan is to attack Arawn's stronghold while it is guarded only by mortal men. He will lead the Sons of Don to ships on the north coast and attack by sea. Taran will lead the Commots to delay the Cauldron-Born, because their power gets weaker the longer they are away from Annuvin.
The Final Confrontation
Taran and his army bravely hold back the tired Cauldron-Born warriors. They force them to march through rugged hills instead of an easy path. Coll dies in this battle. Thanks to the Fair Folk and the animals sent by Medwyn, they destroy most of the Huntsmen who lead the undead. Finally, the Cauldron-Born break free of the hills and return to the lowlands. As they get closer to Annuvin, they regain strength. It would be useless for the exhausted allies to fight them head-on again, so they take a longer, easier route to Arawn's stronghold.
Taran and the rest of his army finally reach Annuvin. They use a direct route, a mountain path shown by Doli, and a secret pass over Mount Dragon shown by Achren. Taran sees that Gwydion is close to victory, but also that the Cauldron-Born are about to reach Annuvin. In his panic, Taran almost falls off Mount Dragon, but he is saved by a grown-up Gwythaint, a creature he had rescued many years ago.
In a desperate fight against some Cauldron-Born, Taran rolls a rock at them. He discovers Dyrnwyn, the magical sword, in the hollow where the stone was. Wielding Dyrnwyn, Taran kills an undead warrior, and at that moment, all of the Cauldron-Born die at once.
Taran's group joins the fight inside Annuvin. Taran is almost tricked by Arawn, who takes Gwydion's form, into giving up the sword. After Arawn's forces are defeated, the companions gather. Achren spots Arawn, disguised as a serpent, about to strike Taran. She grabs the serpent, and Arawn fatally strikes her. But Taran then kills Arawn with Dyrnwyn.
When Arawn dies, his stronghold of Annuvin bursts into flames and crumbles. All the magical items inside are destroyed. Only Gurgi manages to save some scrolls with knowledge about farming, smithing, and other useful skills. The sword Dyrnwyn also begins to lose its magic.
A New Beginning for Prydain
The allies travel back to Caer Dallben. Gwydion tells them that with their victory, the Sons of Don and all their magical relatives must return to the Summer Country. Everyone who still has magic will leave. Dallben and Eilonwy must also go, and others who fought well, including Taran, are offered the chance to go with them. Taran finally asks Eilonwy to marry him, and she says yes.
The Sons of Don plan to leave the next day. However, Taran feels unsure about his decision during the night. The witches Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch appear and tell him they are also leaving. They give him an unfinished tapestry showing his life. Taran realizes there is much work to be done to rebuild Prydain, and he has made many promises. So, he decides to stay behind. Eilonwy chooses to give up her magical nature so she can stay with him, and they get married.
Dallben then reveals that Taran's journey has fulfilled an old prophecy from The Book of Three. This prophecy said that an orphan with no special background would become High King after the Sons of Don. Dallben had found Taran as a baby on a battlefield and raised him. Taran receives many gifts, including The Book of Three itself. But like all magic in Prydain, its powers have faded with Arawn's death. It is now just a book about Taran's life. With Eilonwy by his side, Taran accepts his new role and is cheered by his friends as the new High King of Prydain.
