At that moment, King Arthur was listening to a man complain that a business partner had cheated him. The Doctor was paying rapt attention.
Amy however, barely had time to gape at the sight of the legendary King Arthur in action when she spotted some unwelcome visitors in an upper gallery. The peasants that had rudely jostled her before had appeared there. They were hanging off the stone gallery rail and gawking at the proceedings.
"Those peasants are back again," Amy whispered to the Doctor.
A young man wearing a brown jacket and blue shirt who was standing close by heard Amy's comment. He leaned in to whisper: "They're here practically all the time. They hardly ever miss a court session." He shook his head to signify his disapproval.
"You must be here a lot too, if you've noticed them," Amy observed.
"Oh, trust me, if I could get out of attending court, I would," the young man said. "But them," he jerked his head up to the group in the gallery. "Their enthusiasm is disgusting. They're out and about in the town very frequently too. You can't go anywhere without bumping into them."
"Who are they?" the Doctor asked.
The man shrugged. "They're from a village near the border. I don't know what they're doing here. But I wish they'd stop being so creepy."
"What do you mean, creepy?" Amy asked. "I only see them as rude."
"Sometimes I see them around the castle. It's the way they look at you. Like you're some sort of exotic animal. Something's not right," the man replied.
Before he could elaborate further, there was some commotion up front. It seemed that King Arthur had delivered his judgement and was preparing to leave the court. Indeed, some people along the sides and back of the hall were trickling out already. The people in the gallery were also taking their leave.
King Arthur and Queen Guinevere were making their way slowly through the hall. They stopped every now and then to exchange a few words with people they saw. As the royals passed the Doctor and Amy, the King called: "Come on, Merlin, we haven't got all day."
The Doctor and Amy simultaneously turned to gape at their companion who sheepishly replied: "Yes, sire." To them, he said: "Well, I'll see you around then." He then followed the royals out of the hall.
Amy was stunned. Then she punched the Doctor on the arm. "Did we just meet the great and powerful sorcerer Merlin? The Merlin?"
The Doctor looked just as stunned. "Seems to have been," he said.
"But he's young. He looked even younger than me!" Amy pointed out. "I thought Merlin was supposed to be old, with a long beard and pointy hat."
"Hey, don't judge a person by his looks," the Doctor said, pointing at his own face.
Amy rolled her eyes and skipped out of the hall. She wandered quickly down hallways, trying to see everything at once. The Doctor followed in her wake trying to get her to slow down and look closer at something he thought was interesting. Every corner she turned seemed to uncover something new and exotic.
She finally stopped for a rest and sat at an open windowsill that overlooked the sunny courtyard. The Doctor sat beside her, watching her closely, as though trying to gauge if he did good by bringing her here. "I still can't believe we're in Camelot. Proper medieval Camelot. I half think that this is a film set and if I turn a corner I'll see the modern world again," Amy said.
"Nope. Time travel, Pond," the Doctor reminded her. "I can't believe I don't come here more often. It's beautiful. Peaceful. Just relax and enjoy the sights."
No sooner had he spoken these words than the young man they met in the court – Merlin – come barreling out of a side corridor, panting hard like he had just run a long marathon race.