Gwydion, determined to find the pig, takes Taran along with him. He awakes to find his wound treated by Gwydion, the crown prince in Prydain's ruling House of Don, who has been travelling to Caer Dallben to consult Hen Wen. Taran manages to escape, but drops to the ground, wounded. After a long, fruitless chase, he is attacked by a host of horsemen galloping toward Caer Dallben, led by the Horned King himself. When Hen Wen inexplicably panics and escapes, Taran follows her into the Forbidden Forest. Due to the threat posed by a warlord known as the Horned King, servant of the evil Arawn Death-Lord of Annuvin, Taran is forbidden from leaving the farm and charged with the care of Hen Wen, the oracular white pig. Taran is dissatisfied with his life, and longs to become a great hero like the High Prince Gwydion. The youth Taran lives at Caer Dallben with his guardians, the ancient enchanter Dallben and the farmer and retired soldier Coll. The planned title of the first book was originally The Battle of the Trees. The series was inspired by Welsh mythology and by the castles, scenery, and language of Wales, which the author experienced during World War II army combat intelligence training. The book provided many elements of plot for the 1985 Disney animated feature The Black Cauldron. The series follows the adventures of Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper, a youth raised by Dallben the enchanter, as he nears manhood while helping to resist the forces of Arawn Death-Lord. The Book of Three (1964) is a high fantasy novel by American writer Lloyd Alexander, the first of five volumes in The Chronicles of Prydain.

The chronicles of prydain hardcover