Before they went to the dining area to eat Percy spoke for the first time "What about the stuff in the ambulance?"

"Leave it you can show us later it will be safe where it is, come and eat" Arthur said. As the two men ate a meal hastily prepared by Audrey, Arthur told the two men an abridged version of what had happened to the group since they left London. When they had finished eating the two men returned the compliment.

Leon started "The disease or whatever it was swept everywhere. No one had time to react or find a cure. Like here I expect. Soon gangs were forming and groups like yours making homes for themselves. But from what we have seen since we returned to the UK it's a dangerous world everywhere. I was in Germany when it started and found myself stranded with no means of contacting anyone. I started to try to make my way towards France in the hope of somehow getting back. After a week I met Percy and we decided to travel together for safety. We combined the fuel in our two cars and managed to fill it once more before everything was gone. It was eat whatever we could find where we could find it. I won't tell you the combinations! Then when we eventually got to the French coast, as we said before, we found that the tunnel was controlled by gangs and without the pumps it was already beginning to flood. So we decided to see if we could get a boat. But there was no fuel left. The sail boats again were more than we could afford. Eventually we found a rowing boat and decided to give it a go." Leon looked into space clearly remembering the trip.

As he stopped talking Percy took up their tale "I was in the army and knew Aldershot well so we decided to get there once we got to England. It was deserted of course and had been stripped. But I knew it well enough. After we got fuel together and loaded up the small store of dried army rations we found and some other bits and bobs we set off. Leon seemed to think you would be here and we had nowhere else to head to. The rest as they say is history. I think we did the last miles on fumes but we made it"

Arthur knew there was more to the story and planned to find out more later.

"So what is in the ambulance?" Arthur finally asked

"Well the metal the ambulance is made of armour plate! So we found out a couple of oxyacetylene torches and canisters and out them on board. We also brought a couple of windscreens from other vehicles, they are bullet proof and we figured you might need some windows for the cave. There are a few dried rations, but we used most of them getting here. A few army jackets and a dozen Kevlar vests. Might be useful if you do get attacked. As we said we put whatever we could find in." Leon said with a grin. "Also we found a box's of fire lighting wheels, half a dozen camp kettles and a few boxes of penknives. They might be useful."

"You forgot the medical supplies" Percy prompted "Not many but we stripped what we could find from the other ambulances including couple of major trauma kits."

Arthur looked impressed "I won't pretend to know what camp kettles are but it all sounds useful stuff. But what's more important is we have you two. I hope you will stay Percy"

"If you'll have me, we passed through my home village. My family are dead. Most by the disease and the last one, my sister, by bandits raiding, from what was left. We saw some survivors they told me what happened." Percy said clearly still very upset. "Nothing for me there now"

"Come on let's find you a billet, I expect Morgana will put Leon up. That's is Richard doesn't mind" Arthur looked at his sister.

"Richard? I won't push anyone else out their bed" Leon said looking worried "I'm sorry I didn't realise you had found someone".

"Richard is a survivor, he is five and I have adopted him he lives with me" Morgana explained after glaring at her brother "he will love you" then looking worried "You don't mind do you?"

Leon looked at his fiancé, his relief evident. He wasn't sure how he would have coped seeing Morgana with anyone else. "I would take a whole family if it meant I had you back. What sort of person would I be if I refused to help an orphan?"

Morgana took Leon off to meet Richard while Arthur showed Percy a space in with Pellinore and Geraint. "We will get a bed made for you. Once your settled, you can find a different place if you want." Arthur explained.

Percy threw his bag down and looked at Arthur "I'll move the ambulance in and we can get it unloaded, Then maybe I could look around, you seem to have a good set up here from what I see" Arthur was to find that was the most he would hear from Percy in one go. The man was a very gentle and quiet giant. It was hard to believe he had been in the army.

There was a real buzz around the settlement for the next few days as Leon was welcomed by his friends and both were welcomed by everyone. Leon was amazed to find that Arthur had also adopted a child and why. It was so different from the Arthur he knew. The old Arthur wouldn't have seen anyone suffer, but would have arranged for someone else to do things while he was happy to put his hand in his pocket. Morgana smiled and warned "Just don't upset Merlin or you will find how much my brother has changed" she explained about Merlin's problems

"Poor kid" Leon said. He had seen Merlin briefly but as Leon was a stranger Merlin was very nervous and Leon didn't push it. After all he had Richard to get to know.

Percy was soon in the thick of things and working alongside the rest. He was a very useful edition to the group. They all decided than rather than cut up the ambulance they would leave it near the entrance to the valley, as a command centre for whoever was on guard and as a shelter for anyone caught outside in case of an attack.

The spare bullet proof glass windscreens were put to good use. One in the cave entrance wall and the other in the building for the spinners and looms. At least they wouldn't get broken easily. Arthur found the camp kettles fascinating. They could heat fluids using any available source that could be burnt, and would be useful for the men when they were working in the next valley and for other camp uses if there was no fire going. Two were donated to the infirmary to add to their kit. One could be kept to boil water for wound cleaning the other to boil some of the potions Gaius mixed up. The rest of the kit was stored for future use. Nothing was thrown away.

It was as the weather took a turn for the worse when an incident occurred which caused the first major disagreement in the settlement, and the result would have long term consequences for the people. And as usual Agravaine was at its centre. It all started innocently enough. They had the first dry day for a week. The nights were regularly below zero and the children had been kept in the cave. So given the chance they were allowed out to play. A game of chase was soon in evidence and squeals of childish laughter could be heard.

Agravaine had been sent to the fields to collect some turnips for Audrey and was walking back when Merlin came running round the corner and collided with him. With Merlin being silent Agravaine was taken by surprise, and slipped on the ground dropping the turnips everywhere. He cursed as he got up and turned on the frightened young boy, who never felt comfortable in Agravaine's presence. Towering over Merlin who had also fallen Agravaine took his chance to vent his spleen.

"You useless dumb bastard. Look what you have done! It's about time you were shown you place and given a good beating." With that he slapped the small boy across the face splitting his lip. Then Agravaine raised his foot to kick the small boy just as Mithian came round the corner to investigate.