The King of Arms stood in front of the winning knights, announcing the winners to the crowd. "For long spear on foot, Pandolfo Malatesta. For sword on foot, Ulrich del Immortalis." Jack stepped forward as bowed low as he accepted his prize, a gold statue of a knight on a horse. "Finally, for the mounted joust and tournament champion Hart, Count of Anjou."

Jack gritted his teeth as the crowd chanted for the other knight, "Hart! Hart! Hart! Hart! Hart!"

"I present to you your champions," the king of arms announced, signalling the end of the presentations. The winning knight's turned and stood smiling and waving to the crowd.

"Next time, you will look up at me from the flat of your back," Jack promised Hart, in a low voice so they couldn't be overheard by anyone else nearby.

"Please. You have been weighed, you have been measured and you have been found wanting," Hart replied and with a smirk he was gone, striding across the arena back towards his men who were waiting on the sidelines.

Jack turned in the opposite direction and headed towards the others who were waiting eagerly for him. Jack walked over and tossed the crowd he tossed the prize to Rhys as soon as they were out of sight.

"If you keep winning the sword, we'll be set!" Owen grinned, slapping Jack on the back.

"I won't compete in it," Jack announced as he stripped his armour and piled it into the corner of the tent before flopping down onto their rugs.

"Why quit the sword? It's your best," Rhys asked, sharing confused looks between the others.

"No. It's tournament champion or nothing at all," Jack snapped. He would defeat Hart and if that meant he had to give up the sword so he could focus more on the joust. So be it.

"Ten florins. That should do," Jack said to Simon as he used an axe to break a piece off the gold statue.

"Sixes and sevens tonight, Chaucer. Do you feel lucky?" Peter smirked in Andy's direction.

"Have you enough clothes?" Simon added as they made to leave.

"Be gone. I'm done with you," Andy said, shaking his head. "Except to exact my revenge."

Simon and Peter stopped and turned in unison to glare at Andy. "What on earth could you possibly do to us?" Peter scoffed.

"I will eviscerate you in fiction," Andy replied. Jack and Rhys shared a slightly worried look while Owen once again looked like he wanted to thump their skinny companion. "Every last pimple, every last character flaw. I was naked for a day. You will be naked for eternity."

Simon laughed, a rather creepy wheezing sound, Peter just gave Andy an amused look. "I have a feeling we shall meet again."

Once the two men were gone they turned to where Toshiko was waiting for them and waved her over.

"Here, Farris, take what we owe you," Jack said passing the statue to the her. Jack watched her curiously as she stared down at the statue in her hands lost in thought.

"The armour you wear, it wasn't made for you, was it?" Toshiko finally asked and the question threw Jack of guard. Whatever he'd been expecting her to say, it wasn't that.

"So, what of it?"

"I could make armour you wouldn't even know you wore it," Toshiko said, her eyes almost glowing at the prospect of the task.

"What's the cost?" Rhys asked curiously, knowing that because the armour didn't fit properly it wasn't actually protecting Jack very well.

"Just take me as far as Paris," Toshiko shrugged, knowing it was a good deal. It would cost them nothing to let her ride with them and in return she would save money and have the added benefit of protection. What she didn't expect was the answer.

"We travel alone. Take your gold and go," Jack replied defensively, not willing to risk another person travelling with them, especially one that didn't know their secret. Toshiko's eyes narrowed in anger, and then brought the back half down of the statue down on the side of the wagon breaking the head of the horse. Throwing it back at Jack she turned and stalked off.

Jack watched her go and felt a little guilty; he really could have handled that better. Sighing, he turned and passed what was left of the statue to Rhys. "Get what you can out of that. Let's pack."

"Why are we leaving so soon?" Owen asked confused. He didn't move to help as he watched from his position perched on a nearby barrel while Jack began to pack up their wagon.

"The next tournament is in a week. We can walk now and save Janet," Jack explained, proving loading the extra weight of Janet's saddle into their wagon.

"You must go to the banquet. You'll dance and make an appearance," Andy said, taking the saddle back out of the wagon.

"Let Hart laugh at me again? No!" Jack said as he went to place the saddle back in the wagon.

"Yes!" Andy grabbed the saddle again as Jack tried to pass him with it.

"No!" Jack growled trying to snatch the saddle back. A throat clearing broke up their argument.

Both men turned to find Rhys looking at them with a tried expression as Gwen stood beside him trying to cover up her giggle.

"My lady would know the colour of your lord's tunic tonight," Gwen said, directing her question to Andy as his herald, though her eyes were drifting to the man standing beside her.

"His tunic?" Andy asked, floored for a moment after their abruptly interrupted fight.

"Yes, so she can dress to match him," Gwen coaxed with a smile.

"Ah… we regret to inform your lady he won't be attending…" Andy began to explain when Jack's brain kicked into gear and he interrupted.

"Herald, do not give my answers!"

"Yes, my lord," Andy replied with a bow that was only slightly mocking he turned back to the wagon so no one else could see the smile he was wearing. Trust Jack's heart to drag him around.

Jack floundered for a moment not sure what to say and finally he turned to Rhys for help. "Squire, answer her… what colour is my tunic tonight?"

Gwen turned to face Rhys so she missed the pleading look Jack threw to his friend. Owen tried very hard to not to laugh, still perched on his barrel eating an apple.

"Green…trimmed in a kind of...pale green...with...uh, wooden toggles," Rhys explained, the others frowning in confusion. Jack had nothing like that to wear. Their eyes followed Rhys' gaze to the tent behind Gwen in the exact same colours he'd just described.

"I will tell my lady," Gwen replied with a polite smile and a curtsy she was gone.

"This is a disaster!" Jack groaned, running a hand through his hair.

"No, it'll tunic up quite nicely. Pass us your dagger Owen," Rhys said, holding out the material from the tent to get a better look at it.

Owen laughed so hard he almost choked on his apple as he passed the dagger to Rhys.

"That's not a disaster, Rhys," Jack replied. "I don't know how to dance."


Rhys watched the disaster before him as he sewed the new tunic for Jack to wear tonight. Andy was standing tapping a stick on the ground to form a beat as he tried to teach Owen and Jack how to dance.

Looking down at his work again he listened to Andy's instructions, peppered with Jack and Owen's bickering.

"And one and two and three and four. Your hand should be light, like a birdie on a branch. And one, two and three and four. And Owen doesn't lead, he follows like a girl."

Rhys looked up in time to see Owen's fist lash out and catch Andy in the nose. At this rate they would be at this all night.

Rhys heard a sound at the barn door and glanced over his shoulder, Toshiko was carrying some supplies in to store for the night.

Rhys was about to warn the others they had company before they said something she shouldn't hear but after watching them briefly in amusement she headed out again. Rhys went back to his work, listening again to the lessons in case he needed to step in and help Jack break up another fight.

Andy had pieces of cloth stuffed up his nose to stop the bleeding, making his voice nasally as he continued to instruct them. "And one and two and twirly, twirly, twirly. And one and two, and you're still getting it wrong. And one and two and three and four. You can hit me all day because you punch like a what?"

Rhys listened to Andy once again goad Owen and deciding Andy was asking for it again he jumped in with the answer, "A girl."
Owen lashed out at Andy again but this time Jack was ready and caught Owen mid lunge.

Rhys had to admit that all the training they'd put Jack through to make him fit for competition had turned him from a scrawny beggar to a fit young man. It took him very little effort to pull the struggling Englishman away from the mouthy herald.

"Enough! Get back Owen! Andy, quiet!" Jack ordered and not for the first time, he sounded like the knight he was pretending to be.

A low whistle from the doorway caught everyone's attention and they turned to see Toshiko standing in the doorway with a new pile of equipment.

"Oh, and you can do better?" Andy quipped, glaring at the amused Farris.

"Of course I can," Tosh replied, placing her load in the pile with the stuff she'd brought in earlier.

"Then show us," Jack replied so abruptly it almost sounded like and order.

Toshiko pretended to think about it for a moment, "No."

"If I'm making all this effort, you'd best ask her nicely," Rhys said, glaring coolly at Jack. The lessons were a disaster so far and they needed help. If Jack wanted to impress Ianto, he had to calm down and think before opening his mouth again.

Jack stared at Rhys for a moment as if reading the older man's mind. Taking a deep breath to calm what was left of his temper he turned to Tosh and gave her a gentle pleading look. "I'm sorry, Toshiko. I was wondering if you'd care to show us how to dance."

"Please," Rhys reminded him.

"Please," Jack added quickly.

Toshiko stayed silent for a moment. "It's Tosh," she said before extending her arm out in the dance position for Jack to take.

Jack smiled as he took her hand. "Thank you, Tosh."