Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

The sea floods the entire kingdom, filling the streets and the great chasm with water, creating an island once more. The king watches with delight as his fleet of warships, once suspended over the chasm, is now afloat, waiting to carry him to victory. When Longclaw and Maul inform the king that the airship failed to return with the thieves and that ravens have freed all the enslaved children, the king kills Maul for his ineptitude.

The battle does not fare well for the ravens. Exhausted and facing a strong, well-armed army of apes, the birds’ numbers dwindle rapidly. Likewise, Peter and Frederick, now fighting the serpents in the open waters of the chasm, lose ground to the vicious monsters, which begin to do serious damage. Frederick lets out a bellow, summoning six massive sea turtles. This turns the tide as the turtles destroy both the serpents and the king’s warships.

No sooner have the children spilled from the sewers into the Eating Hall than the king arrives, ordering his subjects to “Kill the monsters!” (349). The adults charge the group of children. Peg tosses the burgle sack containing the eyes to Sir Tode, commanding him to see it safely out to sea. Attempting to find reinforcements, the knight finds only chaos—children fleeing their crazed parents and ravens being decimated by the Night Patrol. Finally, Simon lifts Sir Tode and the sack into the air and drops them into the churning sea. As he washes ashore, a sea serpent rises from the waves, but the knight recognizes the onyx eyes and knows it is Peter. He plucks the eyes from the serpent, and a disoriented Peter reappears. Sir Tode updates him on the battle: The adults, still under the influence of Devil’s Dram, must be forced to see the truth. It is finally time for the emerald eyes, but when Peter reaches into the box, the eyes are gone.

Peter, distraught over the loss of the emerald eyes, is ready to concede the battle, but Sir Tode makes an impassioned speech about courage and quests and not giving up. Ashamed, Peter seizes his fishhook and wades back into battle. While the apes driving the ravens down a long corridor, Peter leads Sir Tode through a narrow passage. Once there, Peter pulls the lever that lowers the gate, separating the apes from the children. Before the gate reaches the floor, however, a weapon becomes lodged in the track, holding it partially open. Sir Tode races to the other side of the gate and pulls the weapon free, closing the gate all the way and trapping himself in the midst of the battle.

In the Eating Hall, parents and children fight while the king stalks through the chaos toward Peg. Sweeping away all obstacles, he finally corners the princess. As he prepares to kill her, Peter appears, fishhook in hand, claiming his birthright and challenging the king to a fight for the throne. They engage, but the king’s armor and superior size—plus Peter’s blindness—give him the advantage. Desperate, Peter mocks the king’s bravery, daring him to remove his armor. The king obliges, revealing that underneath his armor lies the real weaponry: the king’s gauntlet with whirring, slicing blades. Fleeing up a set of stairs, Peter finds himself at a dead end, 50 feet above the courtyard. The king taunts Peter about killing his father, and Peter, in a rage, hurls his fishhook at the king, grazing his cheek. The king slices Peter’s shoulder, grips him by the collar, and dangles him over the precipice. With his life in the balance, Peter remembers that he is the greatest thief in the world. He plunges his hand directly into the gauntlet, plucking free a tiny pin, causing the gears to jam and rendering the king immobile. Peg limps up the stairs and pushes the king over the edge. He falls and is impaled on Peter’s fishhook.

With the king dead and the adults in shock, Peg announces, “Somewhere in this room is your own child […] It’s time you met each other” (371). Deprived of Devil’s Dram for two consecutive meals, the adults now see clearly all the king’s lies. At that moment, the Night Patrol rushes in, ready to finish off the children, but instead, they find their king dead and his subjects no longer under his spell. Peg commands everyone to take up arms against the apes who “kept your children as slaves” (372). In short order, they defeat the Night Patrol and destroy its weapons.

With the battle over and parents reunited with their children, the blood-soaked streets are washed clean by tears of joy. Hours later, Peter finally locates Sir Tode, who has found the emerald eyes. Peter places them into his sockets and is stricken by the pain of a blinding light. The agony is excruciating, but it slowly subsides, and when Peter opens his eyes once again, he can see. He marvels at the riches before him: the courtyard, the myriad colors of the sky, himself.

As the kingdom heals from ten years of lies and oppression, Peter and Peg are crowned king and queen, the ravens are made royal guards once again, Frederick and the giant sea turtles are given sanctuary in the waters along the kingdom’s shore, and Sir Tode is appointed Royal Storyteller. Peter’s damaged hand is amputated and replaced with the barb of his old fishhook.

One day, a ship sails into port with Mr. Pound on board. He bears birthday gifts for the king and queen: two winged zebras and a boatload of books for a royal library. He asks to remain for a while as royal advisor. He also brings another note, a call for help “from a rather distressed hag” (379)—the same witch who cursed Sir Tode many years ago. The knight agrees to undertake the quest in the hope that she will reverse the curse. Peter decides to accompany him, and together, they share many adventures. Mr. Pound helps Peg rebuild the palace, removing the clockwork and closing off the mines. As the years pass, the story of Peter Nimble becomes a mythic tale passed from one generation to the next.