The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Chapter 17 Summary

The Hunting of the White Stag

  • A few moments after Aslan and his followers arrive, the battle is ended. Most of the evil creatures are dead and the rest flee.
  • Peter and Aslan shake hands. Peter tells Aslan that Edmund changed the course of the battle by attacking the Witch and destroying her magic wand. Once she couldn't turn anyone to stone, she had no advantage.
  • Edmund has been badly wounded. Aslan reminds Lucy that she has the flask of magic medicine. She pours a few drops into Edmund's mouth.
  • Lucy wants to wait to see if Edmund will recover, but Aslan reminds her that there are many other wounded people who need her help.
  • For about half an hour, Lucy and Aslan go around and care for the casualties on their side of the battle. Lucy heals the wounded with her magic cordial, and Aslan un-petrifies the people who were turned to stone.
  • When Lucy sees Edmund again a little later, he is completely healed in both body and spirit. Aslan makes him a knight.
  • Lucy and Susan discuss whether Edmund should be told about Aslan's sacrifice for his sake. Lucy thinks Edmund should be told, but Susan thinks he shouldn't. Before they can decide what to do, they are interrupted.
  • Aslan miraculously provides an enormous feast for everyone and then they sleep in the field.
  • The next day, everyone marches east toward Cair Paravel and the ocean. By evening, the children are wading in the waves on the beach.
  • The day after that, the four children are crowned by Aslan as Kings and Queens of Narnia.
  • The children sit in their throne wearing crowns and holding scepters. They reward all their friends with honors and everyone has a feast in the evening. Outside, mermaids and mermen sing to celebrate their coronation.
  • Aslan slips away from the party. The children aren't surprised, because Mr. Beaver warned them that Aslan would probably come and go.
  • King Peter, King Edmund, Queen Susan, and Queen Lucy govern Narnia fairly and justly for a long time. They seek out and destroy the rest of the evil creatures who have gone into hiding. They make good laws and are generally awesome.
  • All the children grow up to be virtuous monarchs. Peter becomes a great warrior and is called King Peter the Magnificent. The others all earn nicknames, too: Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, and Queen Lucy the Valiant. They don't really remember living in England, except the way you remember dreams.
  • One day, Mr. Tumnus brings them news that a magic White Stag has been seen in the woods in the West. Anyone who catches the Stag is granted wishes, so the Kings and Queens go out to hunt for him.
  • While chasing the White Stag, the Kings and Queens are led back to the lamppost. They don't remember what it is right away and are surprised to see "a tree of iron" with a lamp on top.
  • Seeing the lamppost starts to trigger memories for the four siblings. They have a sense that beyond the lamppost they will find adventures. Susan wants to go back to Cair Paravel, but the others want to keep going.
  • The four siblings go past the lamppost. They begin to remember what a lamppost is, and then the find themselves among coats hanging in a cupboard, and then they find themselves getting out of the wardrobe into the empty room.
  • Back in England, it is still the same moment at which they first hid in the wardrobe. Mrs. Macready and the tourists are outside in the hallway looking at features of the famous house.
  • The children tell the Professor about their adventures to explain why they lost four of his fur coats.
  • The Professor suggests that the children will get back to Narnia someday, but probably not through the wardrobe again. From the way he talks about it, the children wonder just how he knows so much about Narnia! (The explanation of that is in another book, The Magician's Nephew.)