The Princess and Curdie (Complete & Illustrated)(Free AudioBook Link)

With twenty-three illustrations

It has been two years since the last book. Princess Irene and her father go to Gwyntystorm while Curdie, the princess's friend and a miner boy stayed home with his mother and father. As the years go by, Curdie begins to hunt for pleasure and slowly begins to doubt Irene's story of her great-great grandmother. One day, he shoots down a white pigeon. Curdie then remembers Irene's tale of her grandmother's pigeons and assumes the one he shot down was one of them and becomes aware of his folly. A light is seen at the roof of the castle, and Curdie follows it.

There, Curdie meets the Grand Old Princess, who appeared small and withered, as opposed to the descriptions told by Irene. She gently tells Curdie of his wrong thinking and he confesses. As now he believes, the pigeon got well. Curdie was then told to keep his bow and arrows and use them for good instead of bad things. The Grand Princess then told Curdie to meet her again soon, whom he trusts.