《銀椅》第4章:貓頭鷹的會議
IT is a very funny thing that the sleepier you are, the longer you take about getting to bed; especially if you are lucky enough to have a fire in your room. Jill felt she couldn't even start undressing unless she sat down in front of the fire for a bit first. And once she had sat down, she didn't want to get up again. She had already said to herself about five times, "I must go to bed", when she was startled by a tap on the window.
She got up, pulled the curtain, and at first saw nothing but darkness. Then she jumped and started backwards, for something very large had dashed itself against the window, giving a sharp tap on the glass as. it did so. A very unpleasant idea came into her head - "Suppose they have giant moths in this country! Ugh!" But then the thing came back, and this time she was almost sure she saw a beak, and that the beak had made that tapping noise. "It's some huge bird," thought Jill. "Could it be an eagle?" She didn't very much want a visit even from an eagle, but she opened the window and looked out. Instantly, with a great whirring noise, the creature alighted on the window-sill and stood there filling up the whole window, so that Jill had to step back to make room for it. It was the Owl.
"Hush, hush! Tu-whoo, tu-whoo," said the Owl. "Don't make a noise. Now, are you two really in earnest about what you've got to do?"
"About the lost Prince, you mean?" said Jill. "Yes, we've got to be." For now she remembered the Lion's voice and face, which she had nearly forgotten during the feasting and story-telling in the hall.
"Good!" said the Owl. "Then there's no time to waste.
You must get away from here at once. I'll go and wake the other human. Then I'll come back for you. You'd better change those court clothes and put on something you can travel in. I'll be back in two twos. Tu-whoo!" And without waiting for an answer, he was gone.
If Jill had been more used to adventures, she might have doubted the Owl's word, but this never occurred to her: and in the exciting idea of a midnight escape she forgot her sleepiness. She changed back into sweater and shorts there was a guide's knife on the belt of the shorts which might come in useful - and added a few of the things that had been left in the room for her by the girl with the willowy hair. She chose a short cloak that came down to her knees and had a hood ("just the thing, if it rains," she thought), a few handkerchiefs and a comb. Then she sat down and waited.
She was getting sleepy again when the Owl returned.
"Now we're ready," it said.
"You'd better lead the way," said Jill. "I don't know all these passages yet."
"Tu-whoo!" said the Owl. "We're not going through the castle. That would never do. You must ride on me. We shall fly."
"Oh!" said Jill, and stood with her mouth open, not much liking the idea. "Shan't I be too heavy for you?"
"Tu-whoo, tu-whoo! Don't you be a fool. I've already carried the other one. Now. But we'll put out that lamp first."
As soon as the lamp was out, the bit of the night which you saw through the window looked less dark - no longer black, but grey. The Owl stood on the window-sill with his back to the room and raised his wings. Jill had to climb on to his short fat body and get her knees under the wings and grip tight. The feathers felt beautifully warm and soft but there was nothing to hold on by. "I wonder how Scrubb liked his ride!" thought Jill. And just as she was thinking this, with a horrid plunge they had left the window-sill, and the wings were making a flurry round her ears, and the night air, rather cool and damp, was flying in her face.
It was much lighter than she expected, and though the sky was overcast, one patch of watery silver showed where the moon was hiding above the clouds. The fields beneath her looked grey, and the trees black. There was a certain amount of wind - a hushing, ruffling sort of wind which meant that rain was coming soon.
The Owl wheeled round so that the castle was now ahead of them. Very few of the windows showed lights. They flew right over it, northwards, crossing the river: the air grew colder, and Jill thought she could see the white reflection of the Owl in the water beneath her. But soon they were on the north bank of the river, flying above wooded country.
The Owl snapped at something which Jill couldn't see.
"Oh, don't, please!" said Jill. "Don't jerk like that. You nearly threw me off."
"I beg your pardon," said the Owl. "I was just nabbing a bat. There's nothing so sustaining, in a small way, as a nice plump little bat. Shall I catch you one?"
"No, thanks," said Jill with a shudder.
He was flying a little lower now and a large, black looking object was looming up towards them. Jill had just time to see that it was a tower - a partly ruinous tower, with a lot of ivy on it, she thought - when she found herself ducking to avoid the archway of a window, as the Owl squeezed with her through the ivied cobwebby opening, out of the fresh, grey night into a dark place inside the top of the tower. It was rather fusty inside and, the moment she slipped off the Owl's back, she knew (as one usually does somehow) that it was quite crowded And when voices began saying out of the darkness from every direction "Tuwhoo! Tu-whoo!" she knew it was crowded with owls. She was rather relieved when a very different voice said:
"Is that you, Pole?"
"Is that you, Scrubb?" said Jill.
"Now," said Glimfeather, "I think we're all here. Let us hold a parliament of owls."
"Tu-whoo, tu-whoo. True for you. That's the right thing to do," said several voices.
"Half a moment," said Scrubb's voice. "There's something I want to say first."
"Do, do, do," said the owls; and Jill said, "Fire ahead."
"I suppose all you chaps-owls, I mean," said Scrubb, "I suppose you all know that King Caspian the Tenth, in his young days, sailed to the eastern end of the world. Well, I was with him on that journey: with him and Reepicheep the Mouse, and the Lord Drinian and all of them. I know it sounds hard to believe, but people don't grow older in our world at the same speed as they do in yours. And what I want to say is this, that I'm the King's man; and if this parliament of owls is any sort of plot against the King, I'm having nothing to do with it."
"Tu-whoo, tu-whoo, we're all the King's owls too," said the owls.
"What's it all about then?" said Scrubb.
"It's only this," said Glimfeather. "That if the Lord Regent, the Dwarf Trumpkin, hears you are going to look for the lost Prince, he won't let you start. He'd keep you under lock and key sooner."
"Great Scott!" said Scrubb. "You don't mean that Trumpkin is a traitor? I used to hear a lot about him in the old days, at sea. Caspian - the King, I mean - trusted him absolutely."
"Oh no," said a voice. "Trumpkin's no traitor. But more than thirty champions (knights, centaurs, good giants, and all sorts) have at one time or another set out to look for the lost Prince, and none of them have ever come back. And at last the King said he was not going to have all the bravest Narnians destroyed in the search for his son. And now nobody is allowed to go."
"But surely he'd let us go," said Scrubb. "When he knew who I was and who had sent me."
("Sent both of us," put in Jill.)
"Yes," said Glimfeather, "I think, very likely, he would. But the King's away. And Trumpkin will stick to the rules. He's as true as steel, but he's deaf as a post and very peppery. You could never make him see that this might be the time for making an exception to the rule."
"You might think he'd take some notice of us, because we're owls and everyone knows how wise owls are," said someone else. "But he's so old now he'd only say, `You're a mere chick. I remember you when you were an egg. Don't come trying to teach me, Sir. Crabs and crumpets!'"
This owl imitated Trumpkin's voice rather well, and there were sounds of owlish laughter all round. The children began to see that the Narnians all felt about Trumpkin as people feel at school about some crusty teacher, whom everyone is a little afraid of and everyone makes fun of and nobody really dislikes.
"How long is the King going to be away?" asked Scrubb.
"If only we knew!" said Glimfeather. "You see, there has been a rumour lately that Aslan himself has been seen in the islands - in Terebinthia, I think it was. And the King said he would make one more attempt before he died to see Aslan face to face again, and ask his advice about who is to be King after him. But we're all afraid that, if he doesn't meet Aslan in Terebinthia, he'll go on east, to Seven Isles and Lone Islands - and on and on. He never talks about it, but we all know he has never forgotten that voyage to the world's end. I'm sure in his heart of hearts he wants to go there again."
"Then there's no good waiting for him to come back?" said Jill.
"No, no good," said the Owl. "Oh, what a to-do! If only you two had known and spoken to him at once! He'd have arranged everything - probably given you an army to go with you in search of the Prince."
Jill kept quiet at this and hoped Scrubb would be sporting enough not to tell all the owls why this hadn't happened. He was, or very nearly. That is, he only muttered under his breath, "Well, it wasn't my fault," before saying out loud:
"Very well. We'll have to manage without it. But there's just one thing more I want to know. If this owls' parliament, as you call it, is all fair and above board and means no mischief, why does it have to be so jolly secret- meeting in a ruin in dead of night, and all that?"
"Tu-whoo! Tu-whoo!" hooted several owls. "Where should we meet? When would anyone meet except at night?"
"You see," explained Glimfeather, "most of the creatures in Narnia have such unnatural habits. They do things by day, in broad blazing sunlight (ugh!) when everyone ought to be asleep. And, as a result, at night they're so blind and stupid that you can't get a word out of them. So we owls have got into the habit of meeting at sensible hours, on our own, when we want to talk about things."
"I see," said Scrubb. "Well now, let's get on. Tell us all about the lost Prince." Then an old owl, not Glimfeather, related the story.
About ten years ago, it appeared, when Rilian, the son of Caspian, was a very young knight, he rode with the Queen his mother on a May morning in the north parts of Narnia. They had many squires and ladies with them and all wore garlands of fresh leaves on their heads, and horns at their sides; but they had no hounds with them, for they were maying, not hunting. In the warm part of the day they came to a pleasant glade where a fountain flowed freshly out of the earth, and there they dismounted and ate and drank and were merry. After a time the Queen felt sleepy, and they spread cloaks for her on the grassy bank, and Prince Rilian with the rest of the party went a little way from her, that their tales and laughter might not wake her. And so, presently, a great serpent came out of the thick wood and stung the Queen in her hand. All heard her cry out and rushed towards her, and Rilian was first at her side. He saw the worm gliding away from her and made after it with his sword drawn. It was great, shining, and as green as poison, so that he could see it well: but it glided away into thick bushes and he could not come at it. So he returned to his mother, and found them all busy about her.
But they were busy in vain, for at the first glance of her face Rilian knew that no physic in the world would do her good. As long as the life was in her she seemed to be trying hard to tell him something. But she could not speak clearly and, whatever her message was, she died without delivering it. It was then hardly ten minutes since they had first heard her cry.
They carried the dead Queen back to Cair Paravel, and she was bitterly mourned by Rilian and by the King, and by all Narnia. She had been a great lady, wise and gracious and happy, King Caspian's bride whom he had brought home from the eastern end of the world. And men said that the blood of the stars flowed in her veins. The Prince took his mother's death very hardly, as well he might. After that, he was always riding on the northern marches of Narnia, hunting for that venomous worm, to kill it and be avenged. No one remarked much on this, though the Prince came home from these wanderings looking tired and distraught. But about a month after the Queen's death, some said they could see a change in him. There was a look in his eyes as of a man who has seen visions, and though he would be out all day, his horse did not bear the signs of hard riding. His chief friend among the older courtiers was the Lord Driman, he who had been his father's captain on that great voyage to the east parts of the earth.
One evening Drinian said to the Prince, "Your Highness must soon give over seeking the worm. There is no true vengeance on a witless brute as there might be on a man. You weary yourself in vain." The Prince answered him, "My Lord, I have almost forgotten the worm this seven days." Drinian asked him why, if that were so, he rode so continually in the northern woods. "My lord," said the Prince, "I have seen there the most beautiful thing that was ever made." "Fair Prince," said Drinian, "of your courtesy let me ride with you tomorrow, that I also may see this fair thing." "With a good will," said Rilian.
Then in good time on the next day they saddled their horses and rode a great gallop into the northern woods and alighted at that same fountain where the Queen got her death. Drinian thought it strange that the Prince should choose that place of all places, to linger in. And there they rested till it came to high noon: and at noon Drinian looked up and saw the most beautiful lady he had ever seen; and she stood at the north side of the fountain and said no word but beckoned to the Prince with her hand as if she bade him come to her. And she was tall and great, shining, and wrapped in a thin garment as green as poison. And the Prince stared at her like a man out of his wits. But suddenly the lady was gone, Driman knew not where; and the two returned to Cair Paravel. It stuck in Drinian's mind that this shining green woman was evil.
Drinian doubted very much whether he ought not to tell this adventure to the King, but he had little wish to be a blab and a tale-bearer and so he held his tongue. But afterwards he wished he had spoken. For next day Prince Rilian rode out alone. That night he came not back, and from that hour no trace of him was ever found in Narnia nor any neighbouring land, and neither his horse nor his hat nor his cloak nor anything else was ever found. Then Drinian in the bitterness of his heart went to Caspian and said, "Lord King, slay me speedily as a great traitor: for by my silence I have destroyed your son." And he told him the story. Then Caspian caught up a battle-axe and rushed upon the Lord Drinian to kill him, and Drinian stood still as a stock for the death blow. But when the axe was raised, Caspian suddenly threw it away and cried out, "I have lost my queen and my son: shall I lose my friend also?" And he fell upon the Lord Drinian's neck and embraced him and both wept, and their friendship was not broken.
Such was the story of Rilian. And when it was over, Jill said, "I bet that serpent and that woman were the same person."
"True, true, we think the same as you," hooted the owls.
"But we don't think she killed the Prince," said Glimfeather, "because no bones -"
"We know she didn't," said Scrubb. "Aslan told Pole he was still alive somewhere."
"That almost makes it worse," said the oldest owl. "It means she has some use for him, and some deep scheme against Narnia. Long, long ago, at the very beginning, a White Witch came out of the North and bound our land in snow and ice for a hundred years. And we think this may be some of the same crew."
"Very well, then," said Scrubb. "Pole and I have got to `Find this Prince. Can you help us?"
"Have you any clue, you two?" asked Glimfeather.
"Yes," said Scrubb. "We know we've got to go north. And w e know we've got to reach the ruins of a giant city."
At this there was a greater tu-whooing than ever, and noise of birds shifting their feet and ruffling their feathers, and then all the owls started speaking at once. They all explained how very sorry they were that they themselves could not go with the children on their search for the lost Prince "You'd want to travel by day, and we'd want to travel by night," they said. "It wouldn't do, wouldn't do." One or two owls added that even here in the ruined tower it wasn't nearly so dark as it had been when they began, and that the parliament had been going on quite long enough. In fact, the mere mention of a journey to the ruined city of giants seemed to have damped the spirits of those birds. But Glimfeather said:
"If they want to go that way - into Ettinsmoor - we must take them to one of the Marsh-wiggles. They're the Only people who can help them much."
"'True, true. Do," said the owls.
"Come on, then," said Glimfeather. "I'll take one. Who'll take the other? It must be done tonight."
"I will: as far as the Marsh-wiggles," said another owl.
"Are you ready?" said Glimfeather to Jill.
"I think Pole's asleep," said Scrubb.
她起來拉開窗簾，開頭除了一片黑暗，什麼也看不見。接着她跳起來，開始朝後退，因爲有樣龐然大物衝到窗子上，在玻璃上猛地敲了一下。她腦子裏出現了一個很不愉快的念頭——”是不是他們這個國家有巨型蛾子呢?啊!”誰知這東西又回來了，這一回她幾乎肯定自己看見了一隻尖尖的嘴，就是這隻尖嘴在敲窗子。”這是什麼大鳥?”吉爾想，
“會不會是鷹呢?”她可不大希望一隻鷹上門來找她，不過她還是開了窗，往外看看。頓時間，只聽得呼呼聲響，那隻鳥就停在窗臺上，而且站在那兒把整個窗戶都堵住了，吉爾只好後退幾步讓它。原來是那隻貓頭鷹。
“噓，噓!喔嗬，喔嗬，”貓頭鷹說，”別出聲。好了，你們倆是真心誠意要去幹你們一定得乾的事嗎？”
“你是說，那失蹤的王子的事?”吉爾說，”是啊，我們一定得幹。”因爲這時她想起了獅王的聲音和麪容，這事在大廳赴宴和聽故事時她幾乎全忘了。
“好，”貓頭鷹說，”那麼沒時間可浪費了。你必須立刻離開這兒。我去叫醒另外那個人。然後我再回來接你。你最好把這些宮廷的衣服換掉，穿上幾件能在路上穿的。我馬上就回來。喔嗬I”它不等吉爾回話就飛走了。
要是吉爾一向冒險慣了，她也許會懷疑貓頭鷹的話，但她從來沒這麼想過;半夜逃走這個令人激動的主意，讓她就此忘了自己的睏倦。她重新換上羊毛衫和短褲——短褲褲帶上有一把嚮導用的刀，可能用得上——又加了幾樣東西，是那個有垂柳似的頭髮的姑娘留在房間裏給她用的。她選了一件長到膝蓋的連風帽的短斗篷(“要是下雨，正好用得着。”她想道)I幾塊手帕和一把梳子。於是她坐下等着。
等貓頭鷹回來時，她已經又困了。
“我們準備好了。”它說。
“你最好帶帶路，”吉爾說，”我還不熟悉這些走廊。”
“喔嗬，”貓頭鷹說，”我們不穿過城堡。那是絕對不行的。你得騎在我身上。我們要飛。”
“哦I”吉爾說着，嘴巴張得老大，她不大喜歡這個主意，”你不嫌我太重嗎?”
“喔嗬，喔嗬!你別犯傻了。我已經送走了另外一個。得了。可我們先得把燈滅了。
燈一滅，從窗子裏望出去看到的那一小塊夜空就不那麼黑了——不再是黑色，而是灰色。貓頭鷹站在窗臺上，背朝裏，擡起雙翅。吉爾只好爬上它那又胖又矮的身體，膝蓋抵着翅膀下面，緊緊夾住。它的羽毛非常暖和柔軟，就是沒個抓處。”我真想知道斯克羅布覺得這次飛行怎麼樣!”吉爾想道。她正想着，他們猛地向前一衝，就離開了窗臺，那對翅膀在她耳邊振起一陣疾風，晚上的空氣涼風裏陋、溼潤潤，撲面而來。
這次飛行比她預想中輕鬆得多，儘管天空陰雲密佈，一片水汪汪的銀光，顯示月亮就躲在雲層上面。她下面的田野看上去灰濛濛，樹林黑沉沉。這時有一股大風——沙沙沙、呼呼呼的直響，說明就要下雨了。
貓頭鷹改變了方向，因此城堡這會兒就在他們前方了。
只有很少幾扇窗戶露出燈光。他們飛過城堡，向北，飛過河。空氣變得更冷了，吉爾感到自己能看見貓頭鷹在她下面水中白色的倒影。但不一會兒他們就飛到這條河的北岸，飛在林區上空。
貓頭鷹猛地咬住了吉爾沒看見的什麼東西。
“哦，請你別那樣I”吉爾說，”你別那麼猛地一動。差點把我摔下去了。”
“請原諒，”貓頭鷹說，”我只是抓了一隻蝙蝠，吃得省些，沒有比一隻胖胖的小蝙蝠更耐飢的東西了。要我給你抓一隻嗎?”
“不，謝謝。”吉爾說着打了個哆嗦。
貓頭鷹這會兒飛得低些了。一個黑乎乎的龐然大物隱隱出現在他們眼前。吉爾剛好看出這是一座塔，一座已經部分傾圮的塔，上面有好多常春藤，她心裏想。貓頭鷹帶着她擠進滿是常春藤、蛛網密佈的空隙，從清新、灰色的夜空鑽進塔頂的一個黑咕隆咚的地方，這時她不知不覺地急忙彎下身子，免得撞上窗戶的拱洞。裏頭盡是一股黴溼味兒，從她打貓頭鷹背上溜下來那一刻起，她就知道(人家一般總會知道的)這地方很擠。她聽見黑暗中四面八方都有聲音開始說話，”喔嗬，喔嘀!II這才知道擠在這兒的都是貓頭鷹。聽到一個與衆不同的聲音在說話，她頓時輕鬆多了。
“是你嗎，波爾?”
“是你嗎，斯克羅布?”吉爾說。
“行了，”格里姆費瑟說，”我想我們全到齊了。讓我們舉行一次貓頭鷹會議吧。”
“喔嗬，喔嗬!你說得不錯。這麼做是對的。”好幾個聲音都這麼說。
“等一下，”斯克羅布的聲音說，”我有點事要先說說。”
“說吧，說吧。”貓頭鷹都說;吉爾也說”說下去。”
“我猜你們大夥兒——我意思是貓頭鷹們，”斯克羅布說，”我猜你們都知道國王凱斯賓十世年輕的時候，航海到過世界東部的盡頭。說起來，那次旅程我就跟他在一起：跟他、雷佩契普老鼠將軍，還有德里寧勳爵以及所有的人口我知道聽起來這不大可信，但人們在我們的世界裏變老的速度跟你們在你們的世界裏不一樣。而我要說的就是，我是國王的人;要是這次貓頭鷹會議有任何反對國王的陰謀，那可跟我無關。”
“喔嗬，喔嗬，我們也都是國王的貓頭鷹啊。”那些貓頭鷹說。
“那麼這是怎麼回事呢?”斯克羅布說。
“是這樣的，”格里姆費瑟說，”要是攝政王，小矮人杜魯普金聽到你們要去找失蹤的王子，他決不會讓你們動身的，寧可把你們關起來。”
“老天爺！”斯克羅布說，”你意思不是說杜魯普金是個賣國賊吧。以前，在海上的時候，我聽到過好多關於他的事。凱斯賓——我意思是說國王——絕對信任他。”
“哦，不，”一個聲音說，”杜魯普金不是賣國賊。但已有三十幾個勇士(騎士、人頭馬、善良的巨人等等)先後出發去尋找失蹤的王子，他們沒有一個回來的。最後國王說他不打算爲尋找他的兒子而毀了納尼亞所有的勇士。如今，什麼人也不準去了。”
“但等他知道了我是誰，以及誰派我們來的時候，肯定會讓我們去的。”斯克羅布說。
“派我們倆來的。”吉爾插話說。
“是啊，”格里姆費瑟說，”我想，他很可能會的。但國王不在。而杜魯普金總是照章辦事。他非常忠實，但他耳朵完全聾了，而且脾氣又很暴躁。你根本沒法讓他明白這回該破例辦理了。”
“你可能認爲他多少會理會我們，因爲我們是貓頭鷹，大家都知道貓頭鷹有多麼聰明。”另一隻貓頭鷹說，”可他現在已經那麼老了，他只會說，’你只是只小鳥兒罷了，我還記得你是鳥蛋的時候呢。別想來教訓我，先生。多嘴多舌!'“
這隻貓頭鷹模仿杜魯普金的聲調，學得惟妙惟肖，四周響起了貓頭鷹那種笑聲。孩子們開始明白納尼亞人對杜魯普金的心情就像人們在學校對一個愛發脾氣的老師一樣，人人都有點怕他，人人都取笑他，但沒人真的不喜歡他。
“國王要去多長時間呢?”斯克羅布問。
“我們知道就好了!”格里姆費瑟說，”你們知道，最近有個謠言說有人看見向斯蘭本人就在羣島上——在特里賓西亞島，我想是這個地方吧。國王說他臨死前要再試一回，再跟阿斯蘭見見面，請教他誰來繼承王位。但我們都生怕一旦他在特里賓西亞沒見到阿斯蘭，他就要上東邊去，到七羣島和孤獨羣島去——直往前。雖然他從來沒提起過，但我們都知道他從來沒忘記過那次到世界盡頭的航行。我肯定在他內心深處，他想再上那兒去。”
“那麼說等他回來就沒用了?”吉爾說。
“是沒用了，”貓頭鷹說，”哦，亂哄哄的！如果你們倆認出他，馬上跟他說話就好了。他會安排一切——也許會撥給你們一支軍隊，跟你們一起去尋找王子呢。”
吉爾聽了一言不發，她希望斯克羅布夠男子漢氣派，別把真相告訴所有的貓頭鷹。他的確有這份氣派，或者說差不多有吧。就是說，他只是小聲嘀咕着，”嗯，那可不是我的錯。”然後才大聲說：
“好極了。我們只好在沒有軍隊的情況下想辦法了。但還有一件事我想知道。要是你們所說的這個貓頭鷹會議是完全公正，光明磊落，毫無惡意的，那幹嗎要這麼保密——而且，還要深更半夜在廢墟里開呢?”
“喔嗬!喔嗬!”幾隻貓頭鷹叫了起來，”我們該上哪兒去碰頭呢?除了晚上還有什麼時候碰頭呢?”
“你瞧，”格里姆費瑟解釋說，”在納尼亞，大多數動物都有那種不合自然規律的習慣。他們辦事都在白天，在耀眼的太陽光下辦事，哼!這時大家應該是在睡覺的呀。而結果呢，到了晚上，他們就又瞎又笨，你別想聽他們說一句話。因此我們貓頭鷹才養成在合情合理的時間開會的習慣，當我們要議論什麼事的時候，我們就自己開會。”
“原來如此，”斯克羅布說，”好吧，大家繼續開會。跟我們談談失蹤王子的全部情況。”於是一隻老貓頭鷹(不是格里姆費瑟)，講述了這個故事。
大約十年以前，那時凱斯賓的兒子瑞廉還是一個很年輕的騎士。五月裏一天早晨，他陪母后一起騎馬去納尼亞北部。他們一行中還有好多鄉紳和貴婦人，大家頭上都戴着用新鮮樹葉編的花環，身邊都帶着號角，但沒帶獵狗，因爲他們是在採花，不是打獵。白天天氣暖和的時候，他們來到一片舒適的林中空地，那兒還有一股涼爽的噴泉從地上噴涌而出。他們在那兒下馬，又吃又喝，十分高興。過了一段時間，王后覺得困了，他們就把斗篷鋪在草地上，瑞廉王子跟同行的其他人都走開一點，免得他們談天說笑的聲音吵醒她。就這樣，不一會兒，密林裏出來了一條大毒蛇，在王后手上咬了一口。大家都聽見她叫起來，就朝她身邊趕去，瑞廉第一個趕到她身邊，他看見那條蛇正從王后身邊溜走，就拔出劍追了過去。那是一條又大又亮，青綠色的蛇。他看得很清楚;但它溜到密密的灌木叢中去了，他進不去。因此他回到母親身邊，發現大家都在爲她忙個不停。但他們白白忙了一陣，因爲瑞廉一眼看見她臉色，就知道世界上什麼醫藥都對她沒用了。她臨死前似乎拼命要告訴他什麼事。但她已經口齒不清，不管她想留下什麼話，可沒說出來就死了。這時離他們初次聽見她喊叫還不到十分鐘。
他們把死去的王后運回凱爾帕拉維爾，瑞廉和國王，以及納尼亞全國上下都沉痛悼念她。她是一位偉大的王后，聰明、文雅、無憂無慮，就是凱斯賓當初從世界東部盡頭帶回家的那個新娘。人們說她血管裏流的是星星的血。王子對他母親的死非常悲傷。從那以後，他常騎馬出沒在納尼亞北部
沼澤地區，尋找那條毒蛇，要殺了它報仇。儘管王子漫遊歸來，總是神色疲勞，憂心忡忡，但大家對此倒不以爲意。王后死後大約一個月，人家說他們看得出，王子變了。他的眼神就像一個人看見了絕色美女那樣失魂落魄，儘管他整天在外面，他的馬卻並沒有跑得筋疲力盡的樣子。在那些年長的大臣中，王子最主要的朋友就是德里寧勳爵，勳爵曾在他父親到世界東部去的那次偉大遠航中擔任船長。
一天傍晚，德里寧對王子說，”殿下一定得趕快放棄尋找那條毒蛇的念頭。對一條無知的野獸，不比對一個人，談不上真正的報仇。你白白把自己累壞了。”王子回答說，”爵爺，這星期以來，我幾乎已忘掉那條毒蛇了。”德里寧問要是這樣他爲什麼還不斷騎馬到北部樹林裏去呢。”爵爺，我在那兒看見了天下最美的東西。”王子說。”王子殿下，”德里寧說，”請恩准，讓我明天陪你騎馬一起去，讓我也瞧瞧這美麗的東西。””我很樂意。”瑞廉說。,
於是第二天他們立刻套上馬，飛馳到北部森林，停在王后遇難的那個噴泉附近。德里寧覺得很奇怪，王子爲什麼偏偏挑中這個地方停留口他們在那兒休息，一直歇到正午:到了正午，德里寧擡頭一看，就看到了他生平見過的最美麗的女人;她就站在噴泉北面，一言不發，只對王子招手，好像要叫王子到她那兒去。她個子高高的，長得很美，光彩照人，裹着一件薄薄的青綠色長外套。王子失魂落魄地盯着她。沒想到那女人突然不見了，德里寧不知道她上哪兒去了。他們倆就此回到凱爾帕拉維爾。德里寧心頭總覺得這光彩照人的綠衣女人是魔鬼。
德里寧拿不準自己是否應該把這次奇遇報告國王，但又不想做個亂說亂講、搬弄是非的人，因此他對此事閉口不談。可是事後他倒但願自己說了就好了。因爲瑞廉王子第二天一個人騎馬外出，晚上竟沒回來，從那時起不管是在納尼亞，或是任何鄰近地區都沒發現他的蹤影，連他的馬、帽子、斗篷，或任何別的東西也沒發現。當時德里寧心裏十分痛苦，就去見凱斯賓，說道，”陪下，趕緊把我當作一個大叛徒殺了吧，因爲都怪我一聲不吭，我害了你的兒子。”於是他把這事告訴國王。凱斯賓聽罷抓起一把戰斧，對準德里寧勳爵衝過來要殺了他，德里寧就像根木頭，一動也不動，等着他一斧砍下來。但國王剛舉起斧子，又突然把斧子扔開，叫道，”我已經失去了我的王后和兒子，難道我還要失去我的朋友嗎?”他摟着德里寧的脖子，擁抱他，兩人都哭了，他們的友誼沒有破裂。
這就是瑞廉的故事。故事說完以後，吉爾說”我敢說那毒蛇和那個女人就是一個人。”
“不錯，不錯，我們的想法跟你二樣。”貓頭鷹都叫着說。
“但我們認爲她沒殺王子，”格里姆費瑟說，”因爲沒有骨頭…
“我們知道她不殺，”斯克羅布說，”阿斯蘭告訴波爾，他仍然活着待在什麼地方。”
“那樣更糟，”那最老的貓頭鷹說，”那就是說他對她還有點用，她有個反對納尼亞的險惡陰謀。很久很久以前，北方來了個白女巫，把我們這裏都凍成冰天雪地，足有一百年。我們認爲這個也是一路貨。”
“那麼好吧，”斯克羅布說，”我和波爾必須去找這位王子。你們能幫助我們嗎?”
“你們倆有什麼線索嗎?”格里姆費瑟問。
“有，”斯克羅布說，”我們知道自己得上北方去。還有我們得到一個巨人城的廢墟去。”
一聽到這句話，那些貓頭鷹喔嗬喔響地叫得更響，還發出換腳、豎起羽毛的聲音，接着所有的貓頭鷹立刻七嘴八舌地說起話來。它們都解釋說，它們爲不能陪這兩個孩子去尋找失蹤的王子是多麼遺憾。”你們要在白天趕路，而我們要在晚上。”它們說，”這不行，這不行。”還有一兩隻貓頭鷹又說，連這兒這個傾圮的塔裏，也沒有剛纔開會時那麼黑了，而且這次會也開得夠長的了。其實只不過提到要去巨人城廢墟，那些貓頭鷹似乎就泄氣了。但格里姆費瑟說：
“要是他們想走那條路——到艾丁斯荒原去——我們一定得把他們帶到一個沼澤怪那兒去。沼澤怪是惟一能幫這兩個孩子大忙的人。”
“不錯，不錯，去吧。”貓頭鷹們說。
“那麼來吧，”格里姆費瑟說，”我帶一個。另一個誰來帶?這事一定得在今晚辦好。”
“我願意去，就到沼澤怪那兒爲止。”另一隻貓頭鷹說。
”你準備好了嗎?”格里姆費瑟問吉爾。
“我想波爾睡着了。”斯克羅布說。<能言馬與男孩><能言馬與男孩><能言馬與男孩><能言馬與男孩>
