The provided text is comprised of excerpts from "The Book of Three", the first volume in "The Chronicles of Prydain" fantasy series written by Lloyd Alexander and published in 1964. These excerpts reveal the beginning of the journey of Taran, an ambitious youth known as the Assistant Pig-Keeper, who resides at Caer Dallben with his mentors, Coll and the ancient Dallben. After his oracular pig, Hen Wen, escapes due to fear of the encroaching evil forces led by the Horned King, Taran sets out to find her and soon joins the heroic Lord Gwydion of Caer Dathyl, who also seeks the pig for the secret information she holds about the Horned King. Their quest leads to encounters with dangerous foes like the silent Cauldron-Born and the powerful sorceress Queen Achren at Spiral Castle, where Taran gains companions, including the princess Eilonwy, the wandering bard Fflewddur Fflam, and the hairy creature Gurgi, culminating in the defeat of the Horned King and Taran's eventual return home with a greater sense of purpose
