All right. This is written as if Parsifal's Page hadn't been written, 'cause Gawain hasn't figured out who Jean le Forestier is. Got that? And Terence and Gawain are on a first-name basis. I mean, they are brothers-in-law, so really!!

And I'm sorry for not mentioning any of these things earlier, but I didn't know them then.

Disclaimer and credits: see Prologue

Gawain and Terence rode out the day after they had packed. They did it secretly, without ceremony, and in the middle of the night. They were not noticed as they went through Sir Murille's camp. All the same, Gawain found it a rather uncomfortable business. Although there were definitely sentries and restless knights wandering about, all of them seemed to look through Gawain and Terence.

Finally, the two men were out of the camp. But, just as Gawain was about to heave a sigh of relief, he stiffened, all senses coming to the alert.

"What is it?" asked Terence softly.

"Thumps," answered Gawain in the same tone of voice. "Going fast and around us, presumably to cut us off." He peered through the dark night. "Just our luck," he muttered to himself, straining to see through the fog that had suddenly descended.

"How could a thump hurt us?" Terence, luckily, remembered to keep his voice down.

"Let's go see, shall we?" Gawain smiled charmingly at his squire, who mumbled under his breath, but nodded.

The knight and the squire rode cautiously into the gloom. Before they had gone ten meters, however, a shape loomed suddenly in front of them. Gawain heard Terence's sharp intake of breath and loosened his sword in his scabbard.

The figure motioned Gawain and Terence closer. Terence, skeptical, eyed his master questioningly. Gawain shrugged and nudged Guingalet closer to the figure. Terence followed. When the two men were close enough to the figure, it whispered, "Follow me," and rode off into the forest. Terence again eyed Gawain questioningly. Gawain again shrugged and told Guingalet to follow the figure.

When they were well out of earshot of Sir Murille's camp, the figure wheeled its horse and took out a lantern. Striking a spark, it lit said lantern, then pulled the scarf off its head.

It was Eileen.

Terence gaped. "Eileen??!? But how?--what?--you shouldn't be here!" Gawain just stared in astonishment. "I am going to escort you back to the castle right now," continued Terence, regaining his composure. "That is, unless Gawain says otherwise."

Eileen sighed in exasperation. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't have adventures!"

Gawain looked sideways at Terence. "She's right, you know. But I partly agree with you." He turned to Eileen. "Eileen, this is most likely going to be far more dangerous than the quest we were on before."

"So?"

"So it really would be much better for you to go back to the castle."

Eileen set her jaw stubbornly. "I'm coming with you. Even if I have to follow a three-day-old trail."

Gawain shrugged. "As you like."

Terence, open-mouthed, stared from one to the other. "Gawain, you can't really be thinking of letting her come with us!"

Gawain grinned at him. "Even if I say that she can't come, she'll follow us anyways. So why not let her join us? Let's go. We're wasting time."

Terence started muttering again, but followed as Gawain and Eileen rode off into the forest.

They stopped for what remained of the night in a clearing about five miles from Camelot.

Terence killed and cooked three good-sized rabbits for breakfast. After everyone was done -- and naught but bones remained -- Gawain started getting everything ready for the day's journey.

"Gawain?" said Terence tentatively. Gawain turned. "Now would be a good time to turn you into a dwarf, I think."

"Into a WHAT!!?!" Eileen was thoroughly astonished.

"A dwarf," said Gawain. "We talked it over and Terence decided that it was the safest way to travel. I can't do anything to stop him turning me into a dwarf, and it'd be better if he does it when I'm standing still and not trying to flee."

Eileen gave a snort of laughter, and Terence shot Gawain an annoyed glance.

"What? It's true," Gawain said innocently.

"But a dwarf?" Eileen asked incredulously.

"It's the only transformation I know how to do," said Terence uncertainly. "At least I think it is. I'm not sure."

Eileen gave another snort of laughter. "You don't know what you do and do not know how to do?"

"Oh, shut up. Gawain, stand...there," Terence said, pointing to a spot in the middle of the clearing. Gawain stood there. Terence started mumbling under his breath. There was a bright flash of light, and both Terence and Eileen were momentarily blinded. When they could see again, Gawain was nowhere to be seen. Not even a dwarf-Gawain. Terence and Eileen looked at each other, then at where Gawain should have been, then at each other, then all around the clearing, then at where Gawain should have been again. All that was there was a toad, who glared at Terence balefully.

"Where's Gawain?" asked Eileen finally.

The toad croaked irritably. Terence started. "I think the toad might be Gawain," he said hesitantly.

Eileen stared at the toad, which stared back for a while, then turned and glared at Terence again. "Excuse me, toad," said Eileen, looking as if she felt silly, "But are you Gawain?"

The toad croaked affirmatively, then returned to glaring at Terence. "Knock it off, will you?" said Terence, disgruntled. "It's not my fault that I get my spells muddled!"

The toad -- Gawain -- croaked skeptically.

"Oh, fine, maybe it is," Terence admitted. "Now we have to find Morgan or some enchanter or enchantress. Blast!"

Toad-Gawain croaked in hearty agreement.

"So I suppose that dwarfs aren't the only transformation that you know how to do," Eileen said with a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"Oh, shut up. Let's go find Morgan," Terence said. "Toad-Gawain, you can ride in my saddlebag."

Toad-Gawain croaked indignantly, but there was nothing he could do about it. The party set off, toad-Gawain in front of Terence on Guingalet -- Terence had opted to ride the big black horse, and toad-Gawain had somehow manage to wriggle out of the saddlebag -- Eileen on Caesar, her big grey stallion, and Terence's horse acting the part of the pack-horse.
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