Aladdin, Robin Hood and Grumpy came upon the sight of a cleaned-up battle. There was a large, badly put together pyre that was still smoking and beside it was a spear with a goblin's head upon it. Some ways off they saw two mounds that they took it had been the hasty attempts of the riders to give their two fallen companions a decent funeral. They dismounted their horses and led them towards the pyre.
"Robin Hood, scout the area, see if you can spot any signs of our friends, such as tracks not belonging to man or goblin. Grumpy, use your pickax and dig through the pyre, see if you spot anything familiar, but let's hope not," Aladdin issued orders to his friends. The two of them set to work while Aladdin brought the horses over to a log so he could tie them up.
"Hey, I think I found something here!" announced Robin Hood. Aladdin and Grumpy rushed over to him.
"From what I can tell, there were two little ones right here. A big fellow seems to have fallen in front of where they were. Whether they were still in this spot or not, I cannot tell, but it appears the big body was dragged away, that probably would have been after the battle," he told them. Then he ran his hands through the grass near the prints and pulled up a dagger and a bit of severed rope.
"It appears one of the little ones here must have been able to cut the rope with this dagger, and in haste dropped what could have been a valuable weapon in a fight," he continued. He pointed to a series of small prints, which were quickly joined by a larger pair of footprints.
"Now, I'm just guessing here but allegedly these two small captors decided to run away from trouble when their bondage was cut but a goblin saw them and essentially chased them into those woods," surmised Robin Hood and ended his statement by pointing into the nearby forest.
"They went in there? Well, that's about as good a place to hide as any! But it might still be dangerous!" exclaimed Grumpy.
"Well, if there's a chance of finding our dear little friends in there, we must take it!" said Aladdin.
"Will our horses be alright by themselves out here?" asked Robin Hood.
"They should be, I tied them to that log tight enough they shouldn't run off, but even if they do, we started with our legs, and there's no reason we can't continue on with them," replied Aladdin before the three of them went into the mysterious area. Using Robin Hood's tracking skills, they followed the footprints as far as they could until they upset by a series of large and oddly-shaped footprints. In the first one, Grumpy knelt down and wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"Goblin blood!" he exclaimed. Well, I think we can safely guess what happened to the pursuer, let's just hope nothing similar happened to the little ones, regardless if they're the ones we're looking for or not," said Aladdin. They quickly found the smaller tracks disappeared, as if the ones that made them had been picked up into the air. While the larger tracks continued forward.
"Well, this is a perplexing situation, and I honestly cannot contemplate these larger footprints," said Robin Hood. Grumpy then tapped his friend on the shoulder.
"Robin Hood, Aladdin, look!" he exclaimed, pointing to what appeared to be an old man with a wide-brimmed hat that covered his facial features leaning on an old staff. Fearful, Abu hid himself in his master's vest.
"Well, what's this? Man, Fox and Dwarf together? All wearing elven cloaks? That's a sight not expected in these times," the figure said.
"Could it be Jafar?" asked Aladdin in a whisper.
"We should be close enough to Isengard for that to be him! Quick, ready your bows!" hissed Grumpy.
"Tell us your name father!" shouted Robin Hood.
"My name? Well, aren't you the inquisitive one friend? I could ask your names as well, or what business brings you to Fangorn," replied the old man.
"We'll tell you our business, we are looking for two friends of ours that came through these woods, if you've seen a piglet or a gopher come through here, maybe point us in the right direction and we'll leave you in peace," announced Aladdin.
"A piglet and a gopher? Well, that's specific, but yes, I have seen them!" replied the old man still approaching them.
"Jafar! If that, is you, tell us what you have done with our friends!" Grumpy ordered, he had raised his pickax in a defensive manner while Aladdin and Robin Hood had arrows strung on their bows, not aimed at the old man, they didn't want to scare him off, or fire at him least it just be a harmless old wanderer. But it wouldn't have mattered, he was far too quick for them.
He made a rapid move with his staff and blue flames seemed to come out of the weapons they were holding. Robin Hood and Aladdin dropped their bows in shock but Grumpy held his pickax with a bewildered look. The old man raised his hat allowing them to see his face more clearly.
"Merlin! Beyond any hope, it's you!" exclaimed Aladdin almost laughing.
"Why yes, that was my name, and it appears you lot got yourselves into some fine mess," he said, almost jokingly. The flames he had caused on their weapons were not harmful so Aladdin and Robin Hood could pick up their intact bows when they were gone and Grumpy's hands were not blistered. Abu came out of Aladdin's vest to greet the wizard.
"Merlin? What happened, we all saw you go down into darkness," asked Grumpy. Merlin motioned for all of them to sit down in a circle, log, rock, or the ground, they chose their chair.
"I fell through flame and shadow, I continued to fight my enemy as we fell. We eventually came to a giant underground lake, but even as we splashed down, he continued to attack me, and I returned the favor. We washed up to a staircase. He walked up those stairs, and realizing that may have been the only hope I had of returning to the surface, I followed him up the stairs. I was amazed to find that they came to the top of a mountain, why the builders would have taken years to build that far down," said Merlin explained.
"The Endless Staircase! I have heard tell of it in stories! Some of my kind just thought it was made only in legend. Others believe it was destroyed long ago!" exclaimed Grumpy.
"Oh! Well, I guess that's what we climbed. But very fortunate for me, it was made, and it has not been destroyed. When my foe and I reached the top, we continued our duel. I finally used my sword and stabbed him right through the head and with one last feat of strength, I threw down my enemy, and I daresay he smote the mountainside! I collapsed from sheer exhaustion. When I came to, the clothes I had were in really bad shape, but my old friend the Eagle came and picked me up, he brought me to Lothlorien where I met my old friend Rafiki, as well as Simba and Nala," he continued.
"They, told me of how you lot came to their woods, and they gave me some new robes and a new staff, so I am quite grateful for that. But now comes the part where I must ask what has befallen the rest of you since I, well let's just the term, got separated from the group," asked Merlin.
Aladdin recounted how after they left the animals, they stopped at Amon Hen, they had a nasty tussle with some goblins that kidnapped Piglet and Gopher, Kay had essentially fallen trying to save them and that Mickey and Donald continued on their way to Mordor alone and took Archimedes with them.
"Well, I am very sorry to hear of Kay but I feel he would have wanted to go down fighting anyway. I hope the best for those going to Mordor, even I could not have foreseen that outcome. But do not worry about Piglet and Gopher, they are safe now. They are with Eeyore of the Ents!" said Merlin.
"So, the legends about the Ents are true? I've heard stories about how the elves of old taught the trees to talk and then with their magic they began to move. That must have been the larger footprints we saw!" exclaimed Robin Hood.
"What do trees have to talk about? Beyond the nuisance of squirrel droppings?" asked Grumpy sarcastically.
"Well now don't be rude Grumpy, so Merlin, are you going to take us to the little ones?" inquired Aladdin.
"All in due time, but first, I need your help with something, if you will come with me back to the edge of the forest, I know you left some horses there," said Merlin. The three runners followed their friend to the edge of the forest, Robin Hood tried to point out this wasn't where they left their horses, but Merlin had just winked at him and said: "Trust me."
Once they were out of the woods, the wizard whistled and their two horses came running towards them, accompanied by a third that was white as snow!
"This is Shadowfax, one of the noblest horses in Rohan," Merlin told his three companions. They mounted again, Grumpy with Robin Hood again and they galloped off.