The_Complete_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(volumes_1-7,_in_order_of_publication)

"Yes," said Digory. He had had for a second some wild idea of saying "I'll try to help you
if you'll promise to help my Mother," but he realized in time that the Lion was not at all
the sort of person one could try to make bargains with. But when he had said "Yes," he
thought of his Mother, and he thought of the great hopes he had had, and how they were
all dying away, and a lump came in his throat and tears in his eyes, and he blurted out:
"But please, please - won't you - can't you give me something that will cure Mother?" Up
till then he had been looking at the Lion's great feet and the huge claws on them; now, in
his despair, he looked up at its face. What he saw surprised him as much as anything in
his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders)
great shining tears stood in the Lion's eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared
with Digory's own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his
Mother than he was himself.
"My son, my son," said Aslan. "I know. Grief is great. Only you and I in this land know
that yet. Let us be good to one another. But I have to think of hundreds of years in the life
of Narnia. The Witch whom you have brought into this world will come back to Narnia
again. But it need not be yet. It is my wish to plant in Narnia a tree that she will not dare
to approach, and that tree will protect Narnia from her for many years. So this land shall
have a long, bright morning before any clouds come over the sun. You must get me the
seed from which that tree is to grow."
"Yes, sir," said Digory. He didn't know how it was to be done but he felt quite sure now
that he would be able to do it. The Lion drew a deep breath, stooped its head even lower
and gave him a Lion's kiss. And at once Digory felt that new strength and courage had
gone into him.
"Dear son," said Aslan, "I will tell you what you must do. Turn and look to the West and
tell me what do you see?"
"I see terribly big mountains, Aslan," said Digory, "I see this river coming down cliffs in
a waterfall. And beyond the cliff there are high green hills with forests. And beyond those
there are higher ranges that look almost black. And then, far away, there are big snowy
mountains all heaped up together - like pictures of the Alps. And behind those there's
nothing but the sky."
"You see well," said the Lion. "Now the land of Narnia ends where the waterfall comes
down, and once you have reached the top of the cliffs you will be out of Narnia and into
the Western Wild. You must journey through those mountains till you find a green valley
with a blue lake in it, walled round by mountains of ice. At the end of the lake there is a
steep, green hill. On the top of that hill there is a garden. In the centre of that garden is a
tree. Pluck an apple from that tree and bring it back to me."
"Yes, sir," said Digory again. He hadn't the least idea of how he was to climb the cliff and
find his way among all the mountains, but he didn't like to say that for fear it would