Someone was leaning over her. She could sense it. In the dim crystal light, she saw Sophie bending over her, her hazel eyes full of worry.

"Are you all right? You were on fire!"

Freya blinked. The feeling of supreme power was gone, and so were the memories. That was a relief. Of course, it meant that now she'd have to learn a lot of things, but at least that way she'd know why she knew them.

Sophie helped her sit up.

"Why is everything cloudy?" Freya asked dazedly.

"That's the steam. You did something when you closed the doorway. I don't know how to describe it." And, human nature being what it is, she tried to do just that. "It looked a bit like putting a coal into a bucket of water, but on a much bigger scale."

The cavern was full of curling wisps of steam. The stone was warm to the touch now.

"Oh, that was just what Tiffany always talks about. Moving heat from the fire into something else? It's easy, really, if you get the balance right."

Freya shook her head and looked around. The Doctor had picked Rose up and was carrying her back out of the cavern. Mordred was still holding Nicholas. Jenny was nowhere to be seen.

She twisted around and looked up at the arch. It was just a pile of rubble now, but beyond it, she could see daylight. Real daylight. "So it really was an exit all along, but there was a big crack in the world there too," she said thoughtfully. "I saw what was really there the last time I was here. It's nice to know I wasn't insane."

"Is Rose going to be all right?" Sophie looked a little less worried, but she was still frowning.

"She should be. I took over before the power could do her any real damage."

"You've done it, kelda," said Mordred, beaming at her. She could feel his smile even through the mask.

"Done what?" She was puzzled.

"Closed the doors. Put us back in the proper world. You've done what no one else could."

"Are we really back in the real world?" said Arthur, stepping out of the shadows. Everyone jumped.

"Where did you come from?" Sophie demanded. He waved a hand.

"I came in while you were all watching that witch push her into the fire. So what's happened? It felt like everything turned inside out for a second."

"Everything did," said Freya. "Or rather, it turned right side out again."

There was a blur of movement. Nicholas straightened up and twisted out of Mordred's slackened grip. He lunged towards Arthur, aiming the dagger he had wrested from Mordred at the King's heart.

Before he could reach Arthur, Mordred had flung himself on top of the boy and they both crashed to the ground, struggling for the dagger. Although Mordred was stronger, Nicholas was more used to that kind of fighting, and neither of them was winning. Sparks flew up from the stone as the dagger struck it.

Arthur reached down and grabbed Nicholas, hauling him up by one arm and spinning him so that it was pinned behind him. "Stop struggling," he growled. "Or you'll break your arm."

"Here," said Jenny, dropping lightly down from the ceiling and holding out a length of strong rope. "Tie him up. You might want to hit him first. He bites."

As Arthur looked puzzled, her hand flew out and there was a thump as it hit the side of Nicholas' head. He sagged, this time genuinely unconscious.

"Sorry about that, my lord, but we don't want him trying to assassinate you again," she said bluntly, picking a piece of dark cloth out of the boy's hands and expertly tying them behind his back.

Freya caught her breath and looked down at Mordred, still kneeling. Nicholas had tugged his mask off in the fight. He looked up at her, a question in his eyes.

She flung back her own hood and took off her mask, shaking out her braid and feeling the cooler air hit her face. It felt wonderful. Mordred smiled a tight little smile and slowly pushed back his own hood. He stood up, still facing her, and so not facing Arthur. He sheathed his dagger, which Nicholas had dropped when Arthur had twisted his arm.

The King looked up and saw her. His face went white, as far as she could tell in the unsteady light. She gave him a little wave. It was silly, but it was the only thing she could think of.

"I'm not dead," she said.

"Cottia?" he spluttered. "But I saw you - I felt you - you were dead. I know how dead people look, and you were -"

"Immortal," she finished firmly. "It's a special burden some people are chosen for, once in every age of the world. Why are you so shocked? It happens."

"You did all that?" He looked at the doorway.

"Yes."

"And you opened the gates? And killed the army?"

"Yes."

"And were practically ruling the druids?"

"Well, yes. They all listen to me because they think I'm wise."

"And are you?"

"I am . . . I am made older than my years, and I'm not," she said, touching the silver horse. Her silver horse. Hadn't she earned it by now? She didn't know exactly how Tiffany had felt when she kissed the Wintersmith, but probably after all the excitement had died down, she'd felt something like this - light-headed, spinning, reckless, and slightly depressed. What was left for her? She'd fulfilled her 'destiny'.

"Why the cloak and stuff?" Arthur's voice jolted her back to the present.

"Oh, that was so you'd see what you wanted."

Mordred was looking at her. She knew he was frightened. She took a step forward, grabbed his hand, and turned him to face the King.

"He said he was sorry," she said forcefully to the staring Arthur. "Yes, it's Mordred. He came back to life. He isn't a threat to you anymore. He just saved your life." She could see Avelina behind him, her teeth just visible in the beginning of a snarl, and her hackles up.

"Mordred," said Arthur.

Mordred bowed his head. "What can I say? I am sorry."

Arthur blinked and turned away. "Well, if you want to be a druid, that's fine by me. Now, shouldn't we get out of here? It's rather stuffy." He strode out of the cavern.

0000

The clouds were blowing away when she emerged out under the sky again, but big soft snowflakes were still swirling down lazily from the dove-grey horizon. The knights had arrived, and took charge of Nicholas. The shapeshifters had clustered together around the Doctor and Rose, who was beginning to stir.

"Excellent!" said Wulfric, appearing out of the shadows to stand beside Freya. "I was too late to witness your work, but I felt it. You did wonderfully. There is barely a scar left from the joining of the worlds. And I'm sure that the King will trust you both when he recovers from the shock of knowing you are both alive."

"Thank you," she answered, staring at the King as he issued orders to his men. She touched the curl of hair that always worked its way out of her braid, no matter how tightly Avelina braided it in, and hung down beside her cheek. Depending on the weather, it was either long and wavy, or short and curled up like a frizzy corkscrew. Today, it was frizzy and long. The snow was messing it up. It was also almost the exact shade of Arthur's hair. No one could question that she was his niece now. But would he want her?

Did she even want to go back to an empty home? She'd changed that future. A little flicker of uncertainty stirred inside her. He'd gone. She knew he wasn't in the castle. Where had he gone, and why?

"Now you must be on your guard," Wulfric continued. "I fear that Emrys will not approve of what you have done. He will be hunting you. What is it, child?"

The sound and smell of rain on grass. He weighed hardly anything as she held him close, and the dragon smell was all around her. There was warmth around her, too, but inside her there was ice. Even the tears were freezing inside her, and nothing she could do would make them melt and flow.

"I don't think he will. I think he is - dying." She nearly whispered the last word, and turned abruptly towards Blaze. "I must go to him."

"Where are you going, kelda?" Mordred was standing beside her, and instead of the usual half-respectful and gently half-mocking inflection he put on the word, there was real warmth and worry.

She looked down at him from Blaze's high back and forced a smile. "Where the road takes me I cannot tell." And with that, she touched the reins and galloped away.

0000

When had she last slept? Properly slept, without getting rained on or tripped over or woken up by someone needing her somewhere else right now? It had been days. She yawned. She didn't even know where she was going. All she had was a feeling. She turned Blaze to the north as they climbed out of the Valley of the Fallen Kings. Now that the doorway in the Crystal Cave was closed, there was one other place where magic was strong. It was somewhere to the north. She had to find it, quickly, before it was too late, and give back what she had not known she had been stealing.