65 pages • 2-hour read
Dragon Rider
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Chapters 48-57Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence.
Chapter 48 Summary: “The Captive Dwarf”
As Twigleg and Lola wait for the others to return, they hear a noise and catch Gravelbeard trying to sneak up behind them. They catch him and tie him up. Gravelbeard calls Twigleg a traitor, and Twigleg retorts that Gravelbeard is only working for Nettlebrand because of his greed for the gold scales. He warns Gravelbeard not to try stealing a scale, as Nettlebrand will react violently. He suggests that Nettlebrand is afraid someone will discover what his armored scales are made of, or what is inside “that casket he calls his heart” (453).
Finally, the others return. They praise Lola and Twigleg for distracting Nettlebrand and for catching the spy, but they grow concerned when they see a large flock of ravens circling. There are too many for Sorrel to scare off by throwing stones, and Burr-Burr-Chan leads them back into the main cave system.
Chapter 49 Summary: “Making Plans”
The group leaves Gravelbeard in a small cave and confiscates his belongings. Then they talk in the main cavern. They cannot attack Nettlebrand in the valley because he has an advantage in the water; his flock of ravens can also block out the moonlight. For their plan to work, they need to lure him away from the lake.
Ben looks at the golden scale the professor gave him as they speculate how to defeat Nettlebrand’s armor. Dragon-fire alone has no effect on it. Then they recall the effect of Sorrel’s spit combined with dragon-fire on the ravens. Sorrel spits on the scale, which clings to it, leaving a thin film on the metal. Then Firedrake breathes on the scale, melting it. Now they know how to defeat the armor. The next question is how to cover Nettlebrand in brownie spit.
Twigleg devises the plan. He digs through Gravelbeard’s belongings and finds a bottle of the polish used to clean Nettlebrand’s scales. He empties it and Sorrel and Burr-Burr-Chan fill it with spit. Twigleg will then trick Gravelbeard into thinking he was working for Nettlebrand all along and help him escape. Gravelbeard will return to Nettlebrand who will undoubtedly want his scales polished before his triumphant moment. Then they will wait for Nettlebrand to enter the tunnels, where Firedrake and Maia can breathe fire on him, melting the armor. Ben is concerned for Twigleg’s safety, but he says that “this is going to be [his] revenge for three hundred years of misery” (465).
Chapter 50 Summary: “Deceiving the Spy”
In the cave, Gravelbeard struggles against the ropes. Then Twigleg appears and unties him, returning his belongings as well. Twigleg explains that he has been spying for Nettlebrand this whole time but had to keep up the act while the others were listening. He complains the ravens were always jealous of Twigleg and lied about him to get him out of the way. He has worked hard to discover the location of the dragon’s cave and now Gravelbeard can lead Nettlebrand to it.
Twigleg leads the dwarf through the tunnels to the main entrance hidden among the rocks, sneaking past Firedrake and another dragon in the main cavern. Gravelbeard asks how many dragons there are and where they are, as Nettlebrand will want a large group to hunt. Twigleg says there are 20 sleeping in another cavern. Gravelbeard is enthralled by the beauty of the cavern’s moonstone walls and glittering rocks. Then he slips out of the tunnel entrance and down the mountainside.
Chapter 51 Summary: “Polishing Nettlebrand for the Hunt”
Nettlebrand orders Gravelbeard to polish his armored scales before he attacks. Gravelbeard does so, using the bottle that Twigleg put in his bag. He does not understand why the scales seem dull and filmy as he cleans them, but he keeps scrubbing. Gravelbeard finally says he is done, and Nettlebrand does not notice the dull film.
Gravelbeard leads the way to the tunnel’s hidden entrance. Nettlebrand says he always knew Twigleg would never betray him, but he intends to eat him anyway, because he is too impertinent. Gravelbeard’s reward for his service will be keeping the job of armor-polisher. Gravelbeard, however, has no intention of continuing this job if Nettlebrand does not keep his promise to give him a golden scale. Just before Nettlebrand slips into the tunnel, Gravelbeard quietly climbs off his back. He follows behind at a safe distance because he wants to see the beautiful cavern again.
Chapter 52 Summary: “Nettlebrand’s End”
Sorrel watches Nettlebrand enter the tunnels and rushes back to the others. Ben and Twigleg are already on Firedrake’s back. She climbs behind them. Burr-Burr-Chan is in position on Maia’s back when Nettlebrand crawls into view. He is so large he must crouch to get through the tunnels. Lola flies her plane into his face, taunting him and leading him into the main cavern, which is large enough for the two dragons. They have each taken a sip of moon-dew, so they can fly without moonlight.
Nettlebrand swipes at the dragons overhead. From Firedrake’s back, Twigleg shouts that he lied to Nettlebrand, and this is his revenge. He also points out that Gravelbeard is no longer on his back, having abandoned him as well. Nettlebrand roars and knocks Twigleg off Firedrake’s back.
Twigleg falls onto Nettlebrand’s head just as Firedrake is about to breathe fire on him. Twigleg begs him to wait, for fear that the fire will revert him to his non-enchanted form. Lola zips by in her plane, and Twigleg leaps into the cockpit. Then the two dragons circle around Nettlebrand and breathe fire on him. Slowly, his armor melts. Nettlebrand stares at the liquid gold dripping off his paws and feels fear for the first time in his life. He tries to move as gold pools beneath him, sticking to his feet. Then he feels the casket inside his chest crack. Vapor fills the cavern. When it clears, Nettlebrand is gone, leaving a large pool of gold on the floor.
Chapter 53 Summary: “The Dwarf’s Request”
Firedrake and Maia approach the molten gold. They watch as a toad jumps out of the golden pool. Sorrel can’t believe it, but Twigleg says that the alchemist was “good at making something terrible out of a tiny creature” (491). Sorrel asks what Twigleg is made from. He does not know but speculates that it was something tiny, like a spider. The toad is harmless, and they let it hop away.
Then they turn to Gravelbeard, who watched the fight from a hiding place. He claims that he was forced to spy for Nettlebrand. Twigleg says that the dwarf voluntarily came to tell Nettlebrand about Firedrake in the first place. Nettlebrand would never have learned about him otherwise. Gravelbeard begs for mercy and asks to be allowed to stay in the cavern. He would like to carefully carve the rock to reveal the sparkling stones beneath.
Maia is uncertain about this request, particularly as she cannot ask the other dragons for their opinion. She shows the petrified dragons to Gravelbeard, who announces that he can fix them. Many fabulous creatures turn to stone but usually have a “breath of life left in them” (495). Humans often find them and put them on display, believing them to be statues rather than living creatures. But Gravelbeard believes the stone on these dragons is new and thin, like a shell, and he can break it. He sets to work chipping away at the first dragon.
Chapter 54 Summary: “The Dragon Wakes”
Gravelbeard wakes the first dragon while everyone is asleep. They wake to the sound of rock exploding, pieces falling on Ben. Then the dragon inside shakes free. Maia greets the dragon, Shimmertail, and tells him what has happened. Shimmertail is shocked and elated to hear that a dragon rider returned to help defeat the Golden One. Sorrel points out that they all contributed to the success, a group effort combining the talents of brownies, dragons, a human, a rat, a homunculus, and even a dwarf.
Shimmertail asks if Gravelbeard can wake the others as well. He agrees on the condition that he be allowed to live in the cavern and “polish up its beauty” (503) and perhaps keep a precious stone or two for himself. Maia and Shimmertail agree.
Chapter 55 Summary: “What Now?”
The next day, Firedrake and Ben talk about their futures. Firedrake is worried about returning to Scotland. He fears that the others will not believe him or will not want to leave their homes. They will want to fight the humans instead, though Firedrake knows that will be futile. He wonders if he should stay in the Rim of Heaven and not go back to Scotland. Ben states that he should go back and try because if he doesn’t, he will always wonder what happened to them and whether he could have helped them. Firedrake agrees and asks what Ben will do next. He, likewise, Ben is unsure.
Firedrake argues that Ben should go with the Greenblooms. Just as Firedrake needs the company of other dragons and Sorrel feels better with other brownies, Ben needs a human family. He would be lonely without them. Ben says he will be lonely without the dragons, and Firedrake promises to visit as often as he can.
Chapter 56 Summary: “The Way Back”
The group returns to the monastery with Maia and Burr-Burr-Chan. The monks and Greenblooms celebrate when they announce that Nettlebrand is defeated. Professor Greenbloom congratulates Ben, and again the friends explain that it was a group effort. They could not have succeeded if they had not found so many allies along the way. Firedrake tells the story of their long journey to the monks. He completes the story, saying that he and Sorrel will return to their valley and bring the other dragons back with them.
The professor asks if Ben would still like to come live with the Greenblooms. Ben accepts the invitation, and all three Greenblooms celebrate. Guinevere confides that she has always wanted a sibling. Twigleg begins to cry, asking what will become of him now. Ben says that Twigleg will come with him. The Greenblooms agree, saying that his skill with languages will be a huge help to their fieldwork. Meanwhile, Maia and Burr-Burr-Chan announce that they will join Firedrake and Sorrel on their return so that he can prove the existence of the Rim of Heaven. Lola intends to report to her Uncle Gilbert, promising not to reveal the location of the Rim of Heaven. She plans to fabricate a map of the mountains so confusing that no one will ever find the dragons again.
Chapter 57 Summary: “Good News”
Two months later, Ben and the Greenblooms eat breakfast. The professor reads the newspaper and exclaims when he finds an article describing a mysterious flock of birds flying away from the Scottish Highlands. They know it is the dragons leaving for the Rim of Heaven. Reading the article, Ben misses his friends.
With the school holidays beginning in eight weeks, the Greenblooms plan to continue searching for the Pegasus in Greece. The professor notes that Greece is not far from the village where Zubeida still lives. They could send word to Firedrake to meet them there for a visit. Ben is happy with this plan. Then Guinevere suggests they go search for fairy tracks in the garden and they dash outside.
Chapters 48-57 Analysis
This final section rushes to the climactic confrontation between the protagonists and the antagonist. In preparing for this conflict, the characters successfully capture the spy Gravelbeard, which gives them the edge they need to win the battle ahead. Once again relying on dramatic irony, the novel juxtaposes a scene of the protagonists preparing for the final battle with one of Nettlebrand preparing. What the audience knows, but Nettlebrand does not, is that his obsessive desire to preen and polish his golden armor before battle is the very thing that signals his defeat, as Gravelbeard unknowingly covers the scales in brownie spit.
Both the narrative and the characters state that the success of the final battle is a group effort, rather than the task of a single heroic character. This highlights The Power of Friendship. No single person could have succeeded in defeating Nettlebrand. Indeed, this group effort once again underscores both the power of friendship and the value of small people. The two large dragons could not win without their many small allies, including Ben, Sorrel, Twigleg, Burr-Burr-Chan, Lola, and even Gravelbeard, whose assistance is instrumental to victory.
Thus, as before, the characters share the stages of the hero’s journey between them. For instance, the group reaches their moment of “Apotheosis” together. According to Joseph Campbell, the “Apotheosis” is a moment of epiphany or empowerment, in which the heroes gain new knowledge that allows them to succeed. In this case, the “Apotheosis” occurs when the characters realize they can melt Nettlebrand’s armor with the same combination of brownie spit and dragon-fire that disenchanted the ravens. Meanwhile, Twigleg enters the heroic stage known as “Atonement with the Father.” In the hero’s journey, the “Atonement with the Father” need not be either a literal father or actual atonement. Rather, it signifies the hero’s encounter with a powerful male figure, who has some control or influence over the hero’s life, so that the hero may finally transcend that control. For Twigleg, this means confronting Nettlebrand, which he does in the final fight, proudly announcing his role in Nettlebrand’s defeat.
Finally, the characters triumph over evil, defeating Nettlebrand, which leads them to the “Ultimate Boon.” This is the moment when they achieve their goal and receive their reward(s). As their success was a group effort, it is fitting that there should be several rewards for their efforts. Firedrake successfully saves his ancestral home. Twigleg achieves total freedom from Nettlebrand. Maia’s fortitude is rewarded with the awakening of the other dragons. Even Gravelbeard, whose assistance was incidental, receives a reward when he is permitted to stay in the glittering cavern. Sorrel and Ben, having helped their friend win back his home, will now be able to return to their own homes. Their combined triumph is thus a testament to the power of friendship, which gives each character the courage, fortitude, and skills necessary to succeed in their goals.
The last three chapters depict the closing action of the narrative, in which the protagonists conclude their journey. In keeping with the structure of the quest narrative, Firedrake and Ben both share the stage called “The Refusal of the Return,” which mirrors the initial “Refusal of the Call.” In this stage, the hero initially refuses to return home, instead wishing to remain in the safe haven that has been attained. Both Firedrake and Ben debate the merits of leaving the Rim of Heaven. This leads to the “Crossing of the Final Threshold,” in which the heroes cross from the spiritual/supernatural world back to the real world. For Firedrake and the others, this occurs when they return to the monastery, where Ben reunites with the Greenblooms and Firedrake, along with Sorrel, Maia, and Burr-Burr-Chan head back to the valley in Scotland.
By electing to return to Scotland to lead the other dragons home, Firedrake reinforces The Need for Home in the safe haven he has found, which should be shared and protected against outside threats. The novel underscores the necessity to keep such natural havens preserved when Lola promises to hide the existence of the Rim of Heaven even from her own uncle. Likewise, Ben acknowledges the value of home in the form of a welcoming family, which he finds with the Greenblooms. In the final chapter, Ben fulfills the last stage of the hero’s journey as “The Master of Two Worlds,” in which the protagonist finds a balance between the mundane and magical worlds. Ben fulfills this role quite literally as a human character who exists in the human world but can, and will, communicate and collaborate with the magical world as well. The entire Greenbloom family inhabits this role to a point, which is why they are such fitting guardians for Ben.
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