Hope you enjoyed the prolouge. Here we get an introduction to many of the main characters. I love writing for a certain magician,he is just so FUN, plus he's my favorite Disney charrie,heeeeeeee.
Insert a Shrek-ish line...despite having nothing to do with Disney...blargh,couldn't help it.
All characters belong to Disney!
"All rise, and hail his majesty, King Shere Khan!"
Like a flowing wave, everyone in attendance rose to attention to greet their ruler. The large beast rose from his throne, sunlight from crystal window causing his orange and black fur to fine like tainted fire. He adjusted his robes, and grinned from ear to ear, his wild fangs glistening. He waved a hand, and everyone was seated.
He cleared his throat before speaking. "As you all know, my son, Prince Pete Khan, has turned twenty-three last week. He is well into the rightful age of wisdom and bravery…you are all probably wondering if this is the right time for me to pass down the crown. However, there is that whole ridiculous sword nonsense." He chuckled, and there were a few chortles of uneasy laughter in the audience. "In a month's time, I shall send my son off to extract the sword, and claim his rightful place on the throne. Everyone here…you need not worry. My son shall be a peaceful and kind ruler just as I was."
There were nervous glances all around concerning that statement. Khan then waved again. "But, then, I did not come here to brag about my son. Delegates, you may rise and question." He scanned the crowd, and pointed to a shaking white rabbit. "Ah, Roger, how is your wife?"
"Juuuuuust fine, your highness." Delegate Roger strung out, and then tried to correct himself. "Ah, well, there is something concerning us…you, ah, heard about this…Covenant business?"
The King leaned back, bursting into roaring laughter. "The Covenant! Surely you don't believe such fairy tales!"
Roger swallowed, hating that he had to continue. "But…but sire, there have been a large number of crows flocking on the palace towers every day…that's their sign!" His voice reaching hysterical limits, he found himself unable to stop. "It means doom upon the place they rest! The Covenant, they'll come here and peck out our eyes and squish our brains, which I heard is actually great on toast - "
"ENOUGH!" Khan boomed, causing his followers to cower in fear. He eyed them all for a moment, and then sighed with a smile. "As I said…The Covenant does not exist. These crows…it is merely their pattern of migration. We have nothing to fear. Why, I bet my boy is preparing for this grand position of leadership as we speak!"
"YOU LOST PLUTO!"
The overweight black cat held up hands to his ears, rolling his eyes at his squire's shriek. He slowly placed his hands back down. "Wasn't MY fault!" He snapped. "I was trying to get the darn dog to hunt a few birds, but he wouldn't stay still! Then the leash snapped, and off he went."
The short mouse threw his hands up in exasperation. "If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, Pluto hates hunting!" He headed towards the window…right outside the surrounding village, one could easily see the bleak and black forest. "He's all out there alone…we have to go get him!"
The lummox raised an eyebrow. "'We'? I have plenty of other dogs, better ones. Losing one is not a big deal."
The squire squeaked, turning to face his foe. "What! But he's probably cold, hungry, terrified! We can't just leave him there, Pete!"
Pete leaned in dangerously. "If you've got such a problem with it, why don't you go get it…" He then poked the young one's chest, rather hard. "…Mouse." He added, his voice cold as ice.
Said mouse's eyes widened, and he looked out the window again, swallowing. The boys were never supposed to go to the woods alone…being lost was an easy task. Add in the fact of mysterious beasts, deadly hunters, and the occasional thorn in one's foot, it wasn't exactly a pleasant place to travel. Yet, the thought of Pluto having to deal with such troubles…
"Fine, I will go find him, or my name isn't Mickey Mouse!" He pumped his fists up and down, feeling full of adrenaline. "You just watch!" With that settled, he began running out of the room, his big yellow shoes smacking against the tiles.
Pete shook his head, and sat down on his bed. What a fool, he thought of Mickey. Risking his life for some mutt! He snorted, and lay down. Good riddance to the both of them.
He didn't see the crow now sitting at his windowsill.
It was nearly noon…but then, he really had no way of telling. Inside the forest, it was pitch black. Only flickers of light stemmed from the tree above. He gulped, and began calling out. "Pluto! Pluuuutoooo! Here boy! Come here!"
No response.
Not that there had been one for the three hours he had been out in the forest.
Yes, he was lost, and only getting more so by the minute. With a heavy sigh, he continued walking forward, looking around as he heard the wind blow against rough leaves. Panic began to set in. What if Pluto was in danger, by a strong, big animal?
Mickey looked down at his arsenal.
Mickey did not have an arsenal.
Okay, probably should have thought this out before running into no-man's land. So he didn't have a weapon, and had no way to defend himself. He patted the ground, and miraculously found a weapon!
A stick.
Well, it's a BIG stick!
It was not a big stick. It was mediocre at least. But it was better than nothing. He continued calling out for his companion. "Come on, Pluto, where are you!"
Just when all hope seemed lost, the young squire noticed something strange up ahead in the distance. A large, shining light…upon closer look, it was a large gathering of sunlight, focused on one area. The small area had no large trees to speak of, hence the light, and right in the middle of this vicinity was a large, blue home. Ponds and flowers were lined all around, with various woodland creatures napping here and then.
Yet as far as Mickey knew, no one lived in the woods. So what was going on?
His train of thought was interrupted by a rather loud scream. "AAAAAAAAHHHH-HA-HA-HOOOOIEEEEE!" It seemed to come from within the house, and repeated itself twice more.
Forgetting about his dog and the possible danger, the brave mouse began running towards the home, splashing through puddles and accidentally waking several of the nearby animals. He slammed his body against the door, which swung open quickly. He then thrust his small stick forward, like a makeshift sword, ready to defend whoever the scream had come from.
His heroic demeanor was wiped away rather quickly by the sight in front of him.
On the ceiling was a large mesh of spider webs, including a round one larger than all of them combined. A black spider, bigger than a horse, was tossing a cocooned person up and down much like a yo-yo. From what Mickey could tell, the person was a very tall dog with a bump on his noggin, and in fact was the screamer.
Mickey blinked a few times to let these facts sink in. He then shook his head wildly, and pointed his stick at the spider. "Unhand that man!" He shouted, although his hand was shaking. The spider looked up, all eight eyes boring into the young hero. Mickey's shoulders slumped. "Um…please?"
Surprisingly, the spider held up the string holding the cocoon, and bit into it. The entrapped fell onto the floor with a loud THUD, and Mickey quickly ran over. "Hold on! I'll get you out of there!" He plunged the stick inside the trap, and yanked downwards….there was a loud ripping noise, and the vessel split in two.
The victim sat up, holding his head. He was dressed in blue, flowing robes, and his buckteeth stood out like large windows. He looked up at the spider, and shook a gloved finger. "Bad boy! How many times have I told you, don't play with your food!"
The confused mouse held a hand out. "Are you okay, sir?"
"Huh?" The dog looked back, as if noticing Mickey for the first time. "Oh, sure. Archie here just likes to mess with me…he's a naughty spider." He stood up, and dusted himself off. "So, you just came in here without any regards to your own safety?"
It hadn't occurred to the squire. He blinked before answering. "Oh…well…I guess I did." His cheeks went a little red, embarrassed. "I heard you scream, and I wanted to help."
The older man smiled, crossing his arms. "That's very noble of you, Mickey."
Aforementioned nodded, but then blinked, and stared up at his elder. "Wait a minute, how'd you know my name?"
The blue robed chuckled, and began walking to his left, heading for a brown door. "I know a lot about you, Mickey! And I know why you're in the woods all by yourself." He opened the door, and a spontaneous yellow leapt out and tackled Mickey to the ground, covering the startled boy in long, wet licks.
"Pluto!" Mickey cheered out joyfully, holding his companion close. "Oh, boy, I was so worried! I'm so glad to see you're okay!" The hound yipped, giving his friend another slobbery kiss.
"I found him a few hours ago." The man suddenly said, closing the door. "Prince Pete should really be more careful with the animals."
Mickey looked at the man curiously. "Now hold on! How do you know about us?"
The man chuckled, and made a show of wiggling his fingers. In the blink of an eye, a blue floppy hat appeared on his head, cone-shaped and dotted with stars. "The name's Merlin, and I know a lot more than most people do."
Mickey's jaw hit the floor, and he quickly stood up. "M-Merlin!" He stammered in awe. "Merlin the Magician? Merlin the Magnificent? Why, you're the most famous wizard in all of England!"
"Gwarsh, it aint no big deal." The magician laughed, adjusting his hat. "Besides, most people just call me Goofy. Don't really know why." He shrugged, one of his shoulders accidentally knocking a bottle off a shelf and thus smashing onto the floor. "But I like it!"
Mickey held a hand to his mouth to suppress a few chuckles before speaking again. "This is really amazing…I can't wait to tell everyone that I met Mer – er, Goofy, the wizard!" He paused, and then his face fell. "Aw…no one would ever believe me! And I don't know how to get home!"
Goofy waved a finger, shaking his head. "You just leave that to me. I'm coming with you!"
Mickey and Pluto exchanged a look of confusion.
Goofy continued. "My magic allows me to see glimpses of the future…I knew that Pete would let Pluto loose by accident, and that you'd come to find him. I also know that you two will go on many great adventures, and I aim to help you!"
Mickey gasped, excited, but then looked to the house surroundings. "But what about all your animals?"
Goofy headed for the front door. "They can take care of themselves, I just kept 'em around for company! Now let's you get home before Pete blames you for this mess!"
The trip back home actually took twice as long as getting to Goofy's home in the first place, due to the magician's constant short-cuts, which ironically made it much longer. When they returned to the kingdom, many gasps and stares were made at Mickey's new companion…but it would be nothing compared to the royals reactions.
"This is Merlin the Magnificent?" The King breathed, struggling to maintain air from all his laughter. "This…this clumsy oaf is the all mighty Merlin?"
"Goofy, if you please." The taunted replied, smiling pleasantly.
"Of course." Khan sniggered, and then adjusted himself to sit up straight. His son, to his right, was still brewing in jealousy of Mickey's find. "Now…you say you want to stay here and teach these two?"
Goofy nodded. "If your majesty wouldn't mind. Your boys are already educated and talented, but I was hoping to give them wisdom, and aide them on whatever dangers may peril them."
Khan rubbed his furry chin, thinking this over. "It does sound like an intriguing prospect…I rather like it. All right, Sir Goofy, you will stay here at the palace, and teach my son and the squire what you wish. One can never learn too much." He clapped his hands. "Squire, show the wizard to his room."
Mickey bowed, and began to lead Goofy off into a nearby hallway, but they were followed by the suspicious Pete.
"Are you sure you're the real deal?" Pete growled, rubbing his hands together. "You don't look powerful to me."
Goofy shrugged. "Don't wanna be a show off, I suppose. Now, I want you both to get some rest and practice sword-play plenty this week."
Mickey looked up quizzically. "Why's that, sir Goofy?"
Goofy winked. "You'll see."
The crow landed ever so gently on its masters fingers. It then leaned in towards her ear, and relayed what it had learned.
There were many women before the one holding the crow. One stepped forward, making sure to bow. "If My Lady pleases, I shall go and wipe these pests out. I have already captured several trespassers in my domain, these boys will be no different."
The leader waved a hand.
The speaker bowed again. "Many thanks. All hail the Queen!"
A chorus rose up, deadly and haunting.
"All hail the Queen!"
"All hail the Covenant!"
"Death to the royals!"
"Death to the royals!"
End Of Chapter One.