Summary
Wart and Kay agree to help Robin, Little John, and Marian fight the griffins if they also receive help retrieving their friends. The boys are told their friends are likely at Queen Morgan's castle. They are instructed to protect themselves with iron and not eat anything in the castle. They follow Marian and then travel to the castle, which they discover is made of lavishly decorated marble. Along the way, they find that Marian is just as fearsome a warrior as Robin and Little John.
When they go inside, they find a procession of tempting desserts and treats, but manage to avoid actually eating them. They go from room to room, finding increasingly elaborate displays of food. Finally, they discover the queen herself, but are unable to get any answers from her. They continue searching the castle and eventually come upon a set of statues. Cavall is trapped in the form of a dog made of china, Dog Boy is a Neopolitan boy made of terracotta, Wat is a Swiss woodcutter made of wood, and Friar Tuck is a pink cupid made of satin. Wart touches the statues with iron and they all return to their original forms.
After leaving the castle, the group comes upon the griffins and does battle with them, shooting arrows. Wart successfully kills one and takes its head as a trophy. He also injures his collarbone as a result. Robin helps Wart set his collarbone back into place and, along with the others, bids them farewell. With the conflict over, Wart and Kay return to Castle Sauvage and are greeted with a celebration. They learn that in their absence people had grown deeply concerned. After the celebration, Merlyn describes to the boys how he helped Wat put on a new nose.
Summer comes to an end and autumn begins. After encountering a snake with Merlyn, Wart is transformed into one and, upon meeting another snake, is told two long narratives about the origins of snakes. In the first, the snake describes how two species of reptile, the plant-eating Atlantosaurus and meat-eating Ceratosaurus, competed for dominance in nature over many years. The last Atlantosaurus narrowly survives this vicious war, outliving the last Ceratosaurus. However, just as she was about to give birth, a human came along and killed her, tragically ending the possibility of the dominance of vegetarian species of reptile.
The snake also recounts the story of how Pythons supposedly stopped being poisonous. After a series of failed attempts to bite humans with its poison, a python put it into a tree. This resulted in the venom being spread among different animals, becoming especially concentrated in the cobra. Towards the story's end, the snake grows tired and goes to sleep, leaving Wart to wait for a conclusion that does not come.
In the following chapter, Sir Ector receives a letter from King Pendragon that he will be coming to the castle to hunt. He worries about making the proper arrangements and getting everything in proper order. He is also displeased by this request and wishes he did not have to deal with the daunting logistics of housing the king's party and finding good guides and dogs. He considers asking Robin Hood to lead them through the forest.
In chapter fifteen, Ector throws a celebratory feast for Christmas. Everyone is happy, sharing food, presents, and songs. People get up and give various speeches and toasts. At the end of the section, there is a description of the snow.
Analysis
In the chapter about King Pendragon's impending visit, White is able to reveal the irritating minutiae of running a castle and being a lord. In doing so, he once again chips away at the image of lords always performing their duties without complaint or hesitation. Sir Ector reacts to the letter with everyday irritation, as he worries about having enough space to accommodate people and is grouchy about having to make such elaborate arrangements on short notice. This scene also reminds the reader that, for all of his haughty behavior, Ector is part of a larger class system in which he is high up on the ladder but does not reside at the very top.
The snake's narrative about the death of the last Atlantosaurus revisits the early theme of violence. The snake shows the senselessness of her death, as well as the dream it extinguished of a more peaceful, plant-eating species of reptile. As he does elsewhere in the book, White uses this moment to show how violence and bloodshed frequently beget senseless cruelty. The human's random killing of this peaceful snake ended an entire species over a moment that essentially meant nothing. The snake's story serves to once again highlight the importance of not rushing to use force, as its consequences can be unpredictable and dire.
Another theme in this part of the story is temptation. When the boys travel to Queen Morgan's castle, they discover a plethora of desirable foods. They must resist the urge to eat any of these offerings, as they are traps. Only after avoiding these many displays are they able to locate and free their friends. At this moment, the many desserts seem to work as a reminder that Wart must always remain vigilant and not be distracted by temptation. This takes on a larger significance as it also demonstrates that he must not become distracted by indulgences as a ruler and remain focused on overseeing the kingdom.
These scenes also revisit the idea of adventure, showing Wart and Kay experiencing one together. This is a pivotal moment in the story as it is both the longest sequence of action (taking up three chapters, where most of the previous ones were standalone) and shows them working with one another. This carries greater importance within the story as it demonstrates Kay's complexity as a character, revealing his capacity to be dependable when it is needed as well as his closeness with Wart. This adventure both solidifies their friendship and marks a turning point in the narrative in which the two of them move closer to adulthood and their respective futures.
There is also an emphasis on the importance of peace in this section. In chapter fifteen, there is a lengthy depiction of a Christmas feast in which everyone happily partakes in a feast. They exchange gifts, sing songs, and give speeches. This happy moment quietly underscores the value of peacetime, something rarely depicted in heroic epics that place more attention on conflict, bloodshed, and feats of strength. Here, and elsewhere, White gives a more human portrayal of this world and finds meaning in places other than the battlefield.
