The Castle of Llyr
The third book in The Chronicles of Prydain is the Princess Eilonwy-centric The Castle of Llyr. While the book still focuses on Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper, the entire plot revolves around the good princess and her lineage.
Since Princess Eilonwy was one of the last few descendants of the the lineage of Llyr, Dallben decides to send her to the Isle of Mona for training in the art of being a so-called “proper lady.” Of course, she would be needing retainers, so Taran and his faithful follower, Gurgi, are sent with her.
The problem starts when Taran begins to realize that his affection for Eilonwy might not just be fraternal - he might actually be falling in love with her, if he hadn’t already. The urgency of the situation is worsened by the fact that the man accompanying them to the Isle of Mona is the kindly, bumbling Prince Rhun, who would later turn out to be Eilonwy’s bethrothed.
Things take a more complicated turn for the worst when Prince Gwydion - disguised as the castle’s shoemaker - informs Taran and Gurgi that the Princess was under threat from Achren, an evil sorceress who was one of the minor villains in The Book of Three.
The Castle of Llyr shows readers the blossoming of love between two of the protagonists in the chronicles. Taran, a lowly Assistant Pig-keeper and adventurer, falls in love with Eilonwy, a princess of high stature, and the differences between them serves as the driving force to run him halfway into despair. The book is said to be the start of Taran’s true ascent into his inheritance, as a lot of depth is added into his character. This trend will continue in the next novel, Taran Wanderer.
In a nutshell: The Castle of Llyr is the series’ token romance novel, where the relationships between some of the major characters are developed. It still follows the trend of the first two books of the chronicles, perhaps the last of the light-heartded novels dealing with the swashbuckling adventures of Taran and his friends.
While it doesn’t stand out from the rest of the Prydain books, this novel is notable in that it signifies a turning point in the lives of most of the characters. It also has the distinction of being the first two novels that don’t directly deal with Arawn Death=lord, instead focusing on the characters and their relationships with each other.
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