The Once and Future King Book 1, Chapter 12 Summary

  • But, everyone has forgotten about the griffin standing guard.
  • Kay saves the day. He shoots the griffin in the eye—but the dead griffin falls right on top of Wart.
  • The boys spend the night with Robin and his men, and Robin tends to Wart's wounds.
  • Kay gets to keep the griffin's head as a trophy, and Wart asks to have Wat as a gift, but Robin tells him it's not right to give people as presents.
  • Wart has been misunderstood, though. He just wants to take Wat to Merlyn to see if he can heal him (so he's not crazy anymore).
  • Wat agrees to go back to Ector's castle with Wart and Kay.
  • Sir Ector's entire household gives them a warm welcome when they return. Ector's idea of a warm welcome is, unfortunately, threatening to whack the boys with a big stick for causing everyone to worry (luckily for the boys, he doesn't do it).
  • Everyone is suitably impressed by Kay's griffin head trophy, and Wart's wounds.
  • As Wart is dragged off to bed by his governess, he instructs the crowd to have Merlyn see to Wat.
  • Merlyn, not one to let Wart down, has indeed healed Wat: he has psychoanalyzed him and has sewn new noses on both Wat and the Dog Boy. Sadly, they are pig noses, but Merlyn and Kay see this as an improvement at least. Wart seems to be less convinced.
  • By the next day, Wat and the Dog Boy are besties (they have forgiven each other for the violence they did—the Dog Boy throwing stones at Wat, and Wat biting off his nose).
  • They don't like their new noses, though; they pull them off and live without noses, since they have gotten used to it. Anyway, they like living with the dogs, so it doesn't really matter.