The Princess and the Goblin

The same night, Lootie and the other servants discuss the strange, thunderous sounds they have been hearing. One person theorizes the sound could be rats, while another believes it to be the miners. Just then, a loud boom shakes the entire house, sending everyone into a panic. The captain of the guard believes it to be an earthquake, failing to connect the noises with Curdie’s warnings. The goblins have in fact made their way into the foundations of the farmhouse, and the sound came from the dislodging of a massive stone. Soon after, the goblins find themselves in one of the house’s cellars and rush back to tell the king and queen of their success. The king and queen, along with the rest of the goblins, rush into the cellar and toward a door that leads up into the farmhouse where the princess lies sleeping.

Curdie dreams of all the events leading up to the present moment, and then of the goblins breaking into the castle. He tries to get out of bed, not realizing he is asleep, and fails. At this moment, Grandmother appears and uses the same ointment she used on Irene to heal Curdie. He then wakes properly to a “setting moon […] throwing a feeble light through the casement and [a] house […] full of uproar” (170). The sounds of clanging weapons and screaming women are all around, along with the bellows of the goblins. Curdie gets up and charges into the halls to meet the goblins. He sings as loud as he can, stomping on their feet and slicing at their faces with his axe. When Curdie finds the captain surrounded and his guards all down, he comes in “dancing and gyrating and stamping and singing like a small incarnate whirlwind” (171).

Curdie lifts the guards to their feet and instructs them to stamp on the goblins’ feet. Curdie and the guards attack the king and queen, who have the captain captive, and Curdie jumps on the queen’s exposed foot. After incapacitating the king and queen, Curdie and the guards go off in search of Irene. They find a hoard of goblins drinking in the cellar, and Curdie continues ordering the guards to stomp on their feet. The king and queen return to attack, and Harelip grabs Lootie and runs off with her. Curdie chases after him and jumps on both his feet, freeing Lootie. The captain and guards rush at the queen and her minions, and the goblins retreat into the caverns. Irene is nowhere to be found, and Curdie is certain that she was captured; he resolves to find her or die trying.

Curdie is about to head down the hole when he feels something slight touch his hand; it is the thread that Irene spoke of, and Curdie is certain he must follow it. The thread leads him out of the farmhouse and up the mountain back to his own home, where he finds Irene sleeping in his mother’s arms. Curdie is overcome with relief, and when Irene wakes, he apologizes for not believing her. Irene instantly forgives him and explains that she too was led to Curdie’s house by the thread. She expresses gratitude for Curdie’s mother’s kindness and warmth.

When Irene hears that the goblins stormed the farmhouse to kidnap her, she becomes afraid until Curdie reminds her, “You needn’t be afraid, you know. Your grandmother takes care of you” (180). Curdie remembers dreaming of Grandmother coming to heal him. He tells Irene all about watching for the goblins, being captured by the guards, and then being healed by Grandmother. Curdie and his mother are both astounded to find his leg healed, and Irene reveals that she too dreamed of Grandmother healing Curdie. Suddenly, Curdie remembers that the goblins planned to flood the mines if their first plan failed and dashes off to tell his father.

Curdie, his father, and the other miners work to secure the mine by piling up stones and cementing them together at what they believe is its weakest point. When they are sure it is safe, they emerge to find a wild storm raging. The stream is filling up fast, and Curdie rushes back to his house to see if Irene and his mother are alright. The water is rising toward the house, and Curdie barely makes it to the door. He finds Irene and his mother safe inside, but the house is flooding through the chimney. Irene is full of joy, exclaiming, “How nice it must be to live in a cottage on the mountain!” (184). The storm floods to the point where nobody can leave, although Curdie’s father makes it home safely beforehand. They finally manage to light the fire, eat supper, and tell stories until Irene falls asleep in Curdie’s bed, staring at her grandmother’s moon outside the window.

The next morning, the storm clears and the sun seems brighter than ever. Curdie and his mother take Irene across the streams and home. Just as they arrive, Irene sees the king coming through the gate. Curdie picks up Irene and bolts down the mountain, knowing that the king will be distraught to hear she is missing. Sure enough, the king looks “as if the life had gone out of him” upon hearing the news (187). The guards attempted to chase after the goblins the night before, but the way was completely blocked, and some of the guards are still trapped on the mountain from the storm.

The king cries out when he sees his daughter, hugging her tightly. Everyone in the courtyard shouts in relief, and then Irene tells the story of everything that took place, “but she had more to tell about Curdie than about herself” (188). Curdie listens in humble silence, and Irene also points out Curdie’s mother, praising her in front of the crowd. Irene then explains the promise of the kiss for Curdie to the king, who agrees that she should fulfill it. Irene embraces Curdie and kisses him. Afterward, everyone—including all of the miners, guards, and servants—is invited to “a grand feast, which continue[s] long after the princess [is] put to bed” (189).

The celebration is still going on when Irene awakens and comes into the hall to warn her father of a thundering sound. The music and chatter ceases, and everyone hears the sound as it approaches. Curdie knows it must be the flood caused by the goblins and asks the king to trust his word: Everyone should evacuate the house and ascend the mountain. Just as the last person leaves the house, a rush of water floods it. The king carries Irene as Curdie and his father carry Curdie’s mother, and the people watch as the water rushes out of the house and down the hillside. Curdie explains the goblins’ plan to the king, reasoning that the water must have rushed through the tunnel that led underneath the farmhouse.

Curdie and some of the guards run back to fetch the horses, who are nearly drowning, and ride them through the water to safety. Suddenly, Irene spots Grandmother’s lamp in the sky, and Curdie can see it as well. A pigeon descends from the light, circling Irene, Curdie, and the king before vanishing with the light. Curdie runs back to the house one more time to gather furs to keep Irene warm; he finds that the goblins flooded their homes and are now dying in the waters. The king offers to recruit Curdie into his guard, but Curdie declines, citing a need to stay with his family. Curdie asks the king to bring a red petticoat for his mother, and he obliges; Irene promises to visit next summer, and the miners house the servants for the night while the house clears of water.

Grandmother’s light leads the miners and servants home to safety. It takes days for the water and goblin bodies to clear from the house. Curdie leads the miners in an effort to redirect the water and secure the house, finding the queen amongst the dead in the cellar. The goblins who survived either move far away or remain close by, and those who remain change over time, softening in appearance and manner. They come to get along with the people living on the mountain, while the miners slowly hunt and kill off the last of the goblin creatures.