The Last Battle

King Tirian’s misery lasts only a moment because the youngest boy and girl from his dream suddenly appear in front of him. The girl apologizes for taking so long to arrive (they saw Tirian at their supper almost a week earlier). Tirian then recalls the old tales about the time difference between Narnia and the children’s world. The boy cuts the king’s bindings, freeing him. Tirian quickly leads the children to a tower hideaway built to guard Lantern Waste.

The boy introduces himself as Eustace Scrubb and the girl as Jill Pole. Tirian recognizes their names since he is seventh in descent from King Rilian, whom Eustace and Jill rescued over 200 years earlier. Eustace explains that “the Professor” and “Aunt Polly” (whom Tirian knows as the Lord Digory and the Lady Polly, both present at Narnia’s creation) arranged the supper for the Friends of Narnia partly because the professor had a feeling that Narnia needed them. When the group saw Tirian’s image, the professor said the only way to return to Narnia was via the magic rings Digory and Polly used as children. Eustace and Jill were the only ones young enough to be allowed to return, however.