The_Complete_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(volumes_1-7,_in_order_of_publication)

triumphal music. And soon the King's galleon was alongside and the Rats ran the
gangway on board her.
Jill expected to see the old King come down it. But there appeared to be some hitch. A
Lord with a pale face came ashore and knelt to the Prince and to Trumpkin. The three
were talking with their heads close together for a few minutes, but no one could hear
what they said. The music played on, but you could feel that everyone was becoming
uneasy. Then four Knights, carrying something and going very slowly, appeared on deck.
When they started to come down the gangway you could see what they were carrying: it
was the old King on a bed, very pale and still. They set him down. The Prince knelt
beside him and embraced him. They could see King Caspian raising his hand to bless his
son. And everyone cheered, but it was a half-hearted cheer, for they all felt that
something was going wrong. Then suddenly the King's head fell back upon his pillows,
the musicians stopped and there was a dead silence. The Prince, kneeling by the King's
bed, laid down his head upon it and wept.
There were whisperings and goings to and fro. Then Jill noticed that all who wore hats,
bonnets, helmets, or hoods were taking them off - Eustace included. Then she heard a
rustling and flapping noise up above the castle; when she looked she saw that the great
banner with the golden Lion on it was being brought down to half-mast. And after that,
slowly, mercilessly, with wailing strings and disconsolate blowing of horns, the music
began again: this time, a tune to break your heart.
They both slipped off their Centaurs (who took no notice of them).
"I wish I was at home," said Jill.
Eustace nodded, saying nothing, and bit his lip.
"I have come," said a deep voice behind them. They turned and saw the Lion himself, so
bright and real and strong that everything else began at once to look pale and shadowy
compared with him. And in less time than it takes to breathe Jill forgot about the dead
King of Narnia and remembered only how she had made Eustace fall over the cliff, and
how she had helped to muff nearly all the signs, and about all the snappings and
quarrellings. And she wanted to say "I'm sorry" but she could not speak. Then the Lion
drew them towards him with his eyes, and bent down and touched their pale faces with
his tongue, and said:
"Think of that no more. I will not always be scolding. You have done the work for which
I sent you into Narnia."
"Please, Aslan," said Jill, "may we go home now?"
"Yes. I have come to bring you Home," said Aslan. Then he opened his mouth wide and
blew. But this time they had no sense of flying through the air: instead, it seemed that
they remained still, and the wild breath of Aslan blew away the ship and the dead King