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Intro
Eustace Scrubb spots his classmate Jill Pole sobbing behind the school gymnasium because some other children were bullying her. Scrubb tells Jill about Narnia, a magical realm he visited over winter break that ultimately made him a better person. Together, Scrubb and Jill travel to Narnia where Aslan, a supernatural, god-like lion, sends them on a quest to rescue Prince Rilian, the son of King Caspian. Scrubb knows Caspian because they went on an adventure together last time Scrubb was in Narnia. However, Scrubb is shocked to see that King Caspian is much older than the last time they met because time passes differently in Narnia than it does in Jill and Scrubb’s world.
With the help of some talking owls, Jill and Scrubb are flown to a marsh where they meet Puddleglum, a Marsh-wiggle who offers to help them on their journey. Together with Puddleglum, Jill and Scrubb trek through Ettinsmoor, the country of the giants. Their journey takes them far to the north of Narnia, where the weather conditions become increasingly inhospitable. After many days of traveling, Jill and Scrubb cross a bridge where they see a beautiful woman and a knight in black armor by her side. The woman advises them to travel to Harfang, where she promises they will find friendly giants who will offer them a warm bed and food. Jill and Scrubb quickly forget their duty to Prince Rilian and focus on finding Harfang instead. After a few more days of travel, they reach Harfang, and the giants eagerly welcome them inside, though Jill suspects something is strange about her new hosts.
The next morning, Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum look outside and spot the remains of an ancient giant city, which they believe will lead them to Prince Rilian. However, they worry that the giants will not let them leave, especially if they reveal their true goal. Together, they make a plan to escape Harfang while the King and Queen of the Giants are away hunting for their upcoming autumn feast. While escaping, Jill spots a cookbook, which includes recipes that call for human and Marsh-wiggle meat. Frightened, Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum flee from Harfang as quickly as they can. However, as they escape, the King and Queen of the Giants return from hunting and spot them. Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum run as fast as they can, eventually diving into an opening in the ground.
After filling the opening with rocks so they cannot be pursued, Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum make their way through a dark cave. Without light to guide them, they accidentally stumble down a long slope that leads to the Underland. There, they find hundreds of Earthmen, who capture them and promise to take them to the Queen of the Underland. At the Queen of the Underland’s palace, Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum meet a handsome and charismatic young man who claims to be the knight in black armor they came across previously in their travels. The knight informs them that the woman he traveled with was the Queen of the Underland, which leads them to believe she is an enemy, since she sent them to Harfang.
In the evening, the knight gets tied to a silver chair because he is under a curse that causes him to go berserk at night. He warns Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum of his affliction in advance and makes them promise not to untie him no matter what he says. However, while tied to the chair, the knight tells them he is actually Prince Rilian, and begs them to free him. Together, they decide Rilian is telling the truth and free him from the chair. Once he is free, Rilian cuts the chair to pieces with his sword, breaking the curse. Shortly after the chair is broken, the Queen of the Underland returns and does not like what she sees. She attempts to bring Rilian and everyone else under her spell, but they manage to resist her. As a last resort, the Queen of the Underland turns into a serpent and coils herself around Rilian. However, before she can bite Rilian, he slays her with his sword.
After the Queen of the Underland dies, all of the Earthmen regain their former identities. Like Rilian, they were also under the control of the Queen of the Underland. One of the Earthmen, Golg, shows Rilian and his new friends the way back to Narnia. When they emerge from the Underland, Rilian leaves almost immediately to reunite with King Caspian. The next day, Jill and Scrubb also travel to Cair Paravel, the castle where Rilian expects to find his father. Indeed, Rilian manages to reunite with King Caspian, but only for a moment because his father dies of old age moments after they embrace each other for the first time in years.
After King Caspian’s death, Rilian rules over Narnia. However, Jill and Scrubb never see Rilian again because Aslan transports them to his magical land, which hovers far above Narnia. There, he resurrects King Caspian to live with him forever in his supernatural realm. Then, he sends Jill and Scrubb back to England.
