The next morning, Kay reprimands the Wart for not returning last night. When the Wart will not reveal where he was, the boys have a fistfight in which Kay suffers a bloody nose and the Wart receives a black eye. After Kay cries to the Wart about how he feels rejected by Merlyn, the Wart visits the magician and asks if he can transform him and Kay into snakes (or another animal). Merlyn refuses to transform Kay into anything, because he was "sent" only to work his magic on the Wart. However, Merlyn does tell the Wart that he and Kay will find an adventure if they walk along Hob's strip of barley until they "come to something."
After becoming friends again, the boys follow Merlyn's advice; eventually, they enter the Forest Sauvage and encounter Much and Little John, two of Robin Wood's sentries. (Little John explains that the name "Robin Hood" is incorrect.) They soon meet the legendary bandit himself, lying in the lap of Maid Marian, his wife. He tests the boys' skill at archery and explains to them that Friar Tuck (one of their companions) and the Dog Boy (one of Ector's servants) have been kidnapped by The Oldest Ones of All: A race of fairies whose Queen, Morgan Le Fay, is "one of the worst of them." After hearing this news, the boys agree to help Robin storm the Castle Chariot and save the captives.
The plan to raid the Castle Chariot is reviewed in detail: Robin explains that only boys and girls can enter the castle and that it is guarded by a griffin — a beast that is part falcon, lion, and serpent. The boys are also warned about the effects of iron on the fairies (it will lessen their powers and thus make them aware that the boys are near) and to not eat anything they see inside the castle, however tempting it may look. The boys join Robin's band of one hundred men and make their way to the Castle Chariot; they eventually find the griffin, sneak by it, and reach the castle, which is made entirely of food. (They also see the crow from Chapter 6 perched atop it.) Kay and the Wart enter the castle, alert Morgan Le Fay with their iron knives, and charge her; the castle then collapses and disappears, freeing the captives. A battle with the griffin ensues and Kay rescues the Wart by killing it as it attacks his younger brother. Finally, after saying goodbye to Robin and his men, the boys return — as heroes — to the Castle of the Forest Sauvage. Chapter 12 ends with Wart and the Dog Boy reunited as friends.
