The High King

The High King (1968) is a high fantasy novel by American writer Lloyd Alexander, the fifth and last of The Chronicles of Prydain. It was awarded the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1969.

The series follows the adventures of Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper, as he nears manhood while helping to resist the forces of Arawn Death-Lord. In the concluding volume Taran and companions join the rest of Prydain in a great effort to defeat Arawn directly. Finally Taran must decide whether to be High King.

Thirty years later, Alexander explained to Scholastic students: "The High King was the final logical development of the first four books in the Prydain Chronicles. It was not an easy book to write, but at least I was building on a foundation that I had already made. I never considered a different ending ...". He did cry afterward, as the exchange implies many readers have done. After seven years "the characters were as close to me as my own family. ... I wept at the end – to see Taran confronted with such a brutally difficult decision."

"The final choice is never offered to us in the real world ... In another sense, we face this kind of choice again and again because, for us, it is never final."

Background
While Alexander's experience in World War Two informs the Prydain series as a whole, some specific instances inspired events in The High King. One notable case is Alexander's involvement in Alsace-Lorraine under Alexander Patch directly inspiring an episode where Taran and the companions nearly freeze to death near Annuvin and fight in the snow.

Plot summary
Taran and Gurgi return to Caer Dallben and are greeted by friends including Rhun (now King of Mona), Eilonwy, and the former giant (now returned to a dimunitive size) Glew. Eilonwy presents Taran with an embroidery of Hen Wen, and the two are about to discuss their relationship. Suddenly, Fflewdur Fflam arrives bearing a wounded Gwydion, Prince of Don. The bard is shocked that Taran is safely arrived at the farm, as Gwydion had been wounded rescuing Taran, with the magical sword Dyrnwen being lost in the endeavor. Achren, the former sorceress and queen of Prydain, interrupts and explains that Arawn can shapeshift and therefore led the attack on Gwydion.

Distressed, Dallben and Coll ask Hen Wen the white pig to divine what they must do. Hen Wen delivers a cryptic prophecy and her oracular letter sticks shatter as she is revealing it, rendering her functionally mute. Determined, Gwydion, Coll, Gurgi. and Taran head directly to King Smoit's lands while Rhun, Fflewdur, Glew and Eilonwy depart to communicate with Rhun's fleet. The groups plan to reunite at Caer Cadarn.

When Gwydion, Taran, Gurgi, and Coll arrive at the castle, they are captured by Magg. Magg has seized control of Smoit's dominion and declared his allegiance to Annuvin. The companions are imprisoned with Smoit in a larder and begin to plot. Meanwhile, Eilonwy, Glew, Rhun, and Fflewdur discover the situation and plan a rescue. This is aided by Gwystyl, who has left his waystation by Annuvin to report on Arawn's movements to the Fair Folk. With magical items from Gwystyl and the cover of night, Smoit's realm is liberated and he is restored to his throne. Unfortunately, Magg has escaped and Rhun has sacrificed his life for his friends. Taran and the remaining companions regroup and mourn.

Gwydion decides to rally the people of Prydain to war. He orders Smoit and Fflewdur to raise armies in their lands and among their allies while Taran, Coll, Gurgi, and Eilonwy go to bring the Free Commots to the banner of the Sons of Don and Gwystyl rouses the Fair Folk. Gwydion himself heads to Caer Dathyl and sends messages to King Pryderi of the West Domains and other leaders to alert them of the war. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the heroes, Taran's crow Kaw reports to Medwyn, who begins organizing the animals to aid the resistance to the Death Lord.

Eilonwy's tapestry of Hen Wen becomes Taran's banner of the White Pig as they, Gurgi, and Coll collect the men and boys, including lucky Llonio, of the Free Commots in the army. The Commots are raided by the forces of Annuvin and Annlaw Clay-Shaper is slain. Taran leads the army to Caer Dathyl and reunites with Gwydion and his other friends. When Pryderi arrives, he is initially met with rejoicing until he declares that he is aligned with Arawn. Pryderi's forces are supplemented by Cauldron-Born. His army is repulsed at the cost of the lives of many, including Llonio and the High King Math, and the Cauldron-Born manage to force the Sons of Don into hiding in the mountains.

Taran's army is tasked with harassing the Cauldron-Born on their return to Annuvin through the Red Fallows. Gwydion's forces will launch an amphibious invasion of Annuvin. As Taran and the folk of the Free Commots fight the Cauldron-Born, they suffer significant losses--Coll among them. The army is saved by a legion of Fair Folk and by the beasts of Prydain. Eilonwy and Gurgi have been abducted by Dorath and his raiders and Dorath threatens Eilonwy with sexual violence. Gurgi and Eilonwy are rescued by Medwyn's wolves. The Fair Folk cause a "river" of fire and ice that overcomes Annuvin's forces. Eilonwy and Gurgi reunite with Taran and his friends, who have been separted from the army. Back at Caer Dallben, King Pryderi attempts to slay the enchanter Dallben and is struck down by the Book of Three.

The Fair Folk, except for Doli, leave Taran's group at the gates of Annuvin. In the midst of a snowstorm that threatens to kill the companions, Fflewdur sacrifices his magical harp to start a life saving fire. As it burns, the harp sings beautifully. The group rejoins the Free Commots forces and commences the assault on Annuvin. Taran is saved from a fall by the gwythaint that he had saved earlier and discovers Dyrnwen. With it, he destroys the army of Cauldron-Born and enters Arawn's fortress.

Arawn and Taran fight, with Arawn shifting shapes and attempting to deceive the hero. In the chaos, Magg attempts to seize the throne of Annuvin and dies. Achren also sets upon Arawn and with her dying breath exposes the Death Lord to Taran's fatal strike with Dyrnwen. Upon the victory over the Death-Lord, Dallben, Gurgi, and the surviving Sons of Don (including Eilonwy and Fflewdur) prepare to leave for the Summer Country. Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch present Taran with the tapestry of his life and disappear. Taran turns down the invitation to the Summer Country, feeling he must help Prydain rebuild. Dallben then acclaims him as the prophesied High King of Prydain and Eilonwy renounces the Summer Country to marry Taran. They reign as High King and Queen.

Reception
At the time of the book's publication, Kirkus Reviews said: "The last may be the best--movement toward an ultimate confrontation between the forces of life and the forces of death give this final Prydain adventure a stronger frame and tighter weave than the preceding four." In a retrospective essay about the Newbery Medal-winning books from 1966 to 1975, children's author John Rowe Townsend wrote, "Yet when every allowance has been made, one faces, reluctantly, the fact that the Prydain saga, with its constant anachronism, its slack repetitive action, its cast of two-dimensional figures and failure to compel serious belief, is not a satisfying epic; not, I believe, a front-rank work. The High King, however, is probably the best of the five books."