City on the edge of destruction
Chapter Four

'So what use is this thing' Buffy waved the short stick

'It's a screwdriver.' The Doctor answered.

'Great, anything else?'

The Doctor checked his pockets; 'Aha, here.' He pulled out a brown paper bag. 'Jelly babies!'

'Can you kill a demon with one?' Buffy said pointedly, knowing the answer all too well.

'Well no, not as such…'

'Great. We're doomed.' Xander said bowing his head.

'Doesn't this thing have any weapons at all?' Willow asked the Doctor

'Weapons? On a TARDIS? Don't be silly, it doesn't need them you see. The force field is impregnable.'

'That's some good news.' Buffy muttered 'Now all we have to do is land this thing on something.'

'I'm afraid that won't work, safety precautions.' Pointed out the Doctor.

'Why don't we just go get some?' One voice chirped up

'Dawn, haven't you been listening? There are none.' Giles cleaned his glasses

'Its not like we can pop down the street and get something.' said Xander.

'Why not?'

'Dawn we're on a space ship at the end of the universe.' he stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

'It's a time ship Xander. Do the math.' Everyone in the control room looked at her, their mouths wide open. 'Let's just head over to the medieval ages or whatever and pick some up.'

'We're dumb' said Xander finally as the others nodded, all except Buffy.

'Alright little miss know-it-all. Where do we get these weapons. Phone up King Arthur and ask if we can borrow Excalibur?'

'Don't be stupid Buffy,'

'It was your idea.'

'My idea was just to go back in time and get something pointy.'

'Like a magic sword?'

'Probably, if you think you'll need one.'

'You saying I need a magic weapon?'

'No of course not, I mean you're the Slayer. You can do anything, You're faster stronger than anyone here. It's not like Xander can beat up Vamps without superhero powers.' Dawn had reverted to sarcasm in the worst way.

'Leave me out of this.'

'Why you…'

While they argued no one noticed the Doctor move up and fiddle with the controls.

In a field two sheep were busy eating. That's pretty much all they ever did, sitting in the field was a young boy who's job it was to watch the flock. At the moment he was watching the insides of his eyelids. This all changed as a low grinding sound echoed across the near by hills. The young boy jumped to his feet, looking everywhere but behind him where the two sheep head butted the side of a materializing, blue, police telephone box. When he finally did turn around his mind refused to understand what he was looking at. Three men and three women walked out each wearing the strangest things he had ever seen under long cloaks.

'Doctor this isn't L.A.' said a woman with the blondest hear the boy had ever seen but it was the girl beside her that captivated his attention.

'No it's not. Ah.' The one with a bright cloth around his neck and over his cloak came up to the boy. 'Young man, perhaps you can help us.'

'Are you angles?' the boy asked with a great deal of effort he tore his eyes from the smiling girl that had to be around his age.

'No child, we are travellers. I was wondering is there a castle near about?' he asked.

'That there is my lord. The greatest castle in all of Britain. You seek the druid who lives there?' his eyes kept wandering but he would not embarrass himself.

'Yes, his fame has reached even our fair lands. We seek his great council. Could you point us in the direction?' the man asked. His companions looked shocked for a moment.

'Of course my lord.' The boy stood up straighter in an effort to impress. 'It rests in the great valley beneath these fair hills, to the west of here.' He pointed to it. 'The great druid lives in the castle of the king, but I warn you the guards don't like strangers. Best to avoid them if you can.'

'Thank you young sir.' The traveller smiled and left, if the boy was honest with himself he wasn't looking at anyone but the girl as they all walked away.

Dawn was on the verge of laughing, she strongly suspected that if they had told that guy they were angles he would have worshiped her on the spot. Yep he was still watching her, he was short with a mop of blond hair and could have almost been cute if it wasn't for his smell and complete lack of cleanliness.

Buffy was still asking the Doctor where, exactly, they were and why were they looking for a castle and a druid. As the gang came over the hill Dawn gasped, it was huge. Four giant walls, as shear as cliff faces were connected at the corners by even bigger square towers. Inside a tall tower rose higher than the walls and at the very top of this enormous castle waved a proud flag with a dragon roaring it's flame.

In a thunderous voice the Doctor declared; 'Behold the greatest creation of the era! The shining symbol of this nation! That will live on as a legend of peace and justice for millions of years. Camelot!'

'Camelot!' Exclaimed Giles an instant before Willow and Xander.

' "It's only a model." ' Dawn said without thinking.

The group turned on her as one. 'One more quote like that young lady and I'm confiscating your collection.' Giles said pointedly.

'Indeed.' said the Doctor almost growling, 'There is a time and a place for Python jokes.'

'Sorry.' She muttered to her feet.

Unfortunately on the way down Giles started whistling and the Doctor couldn't seem to stop himself from singing the line; "We eat ham, and jam and Spam allot... in Camelot!" Which confused the other three in the group, that for some inexplicable reason had never seen Monty Python and the quest for the holy grail.

Buffy had long since decided to ignore her still hyperactive little sister. 'So if the three of you have stopped making Andrew look normal can we please get back to my question. Which was; what the hell are we doing here?'

'You need weapons, an old friend of mine lives here. I'm sure he'll help. Now remember let me speak to them.' The Doctor said before they reached the great doors.

'Greetings. You are travellers?' said a big guy in some sort of leather/steel plated armour, obviously a guard.

'Yes we are, may we enter?'

'You may. Be warned, however, the castles keep is privet and only accessed by the royal household.'

'Many thanks sir knight.' The Doctor half bowed before leading them inside.

'All right I have one, no two questions. First why are you the only person allowed to talk to them and second is your "friend" Merlin?'

Well young Xander the knights don't speak English, but Latin. I speak Latin quite well.'

Buffy knew a little Latin, mostly from over hearing Willow and Giles during lessons and what she heard didn't sound like Latin and she said so.

'Well you see the TARDIS has a telepathic Babel Circuit that it automatically beams into the language centre of your brain. They're speaking in Latin but your hearing in your own idiom of English, quite clever if I do say so myself. As for Merlin that is precisely who we are here to see. Come let us find him.'

The group walked around the frankly disgusting court yard. The cradle of civilisation maybe but it was still the Dark Ages.

Inside the keep Merlin was talking matters of the kingdom with Arthur when he felt it. A powerful mind was searching for him, somewhere in the castle grounds. 'Arthur, someone is here, another druid looking for me.'

The young king stood up and walked across the grand hall to the guards at the door. 'Relive the gate, have the men guarding it report here immediately.'

'Yes, your majesty.' The two men bowed before fast marching down the corridor.

'Are they dangerous?' the boy asked.

'I don't know their intentions, if so I alone must speak to them.' In the silence that followed Merlin reflected on his punishment. Barely two score years ago his fellow Time Lords decreed that his experiments were too dangerous and unnecessary. He had pointed out that after the near cataclysm of Omega and his negative universe an alternate power source had to be found. They agreed but promised to hold him responsible if something went wrong.

The result was disastrous to say the least. It was only thanks to a monumental temporal paradox that this half of the universe wasn't sucked into a class nine hyperspace fold. The judgement was a simple one, he was to be imprisoned in a planets dark ages until he had evolved a bit. The only suitable planet was Earth.

Now another Time Lord was here, a forbidden time and looking for him, something just as forbidden. Only two people were that bold. The Master or the Doctor. The thought that one or the other we're actually here was something that filed the three hundred year old with a sense of dread.

Two more guards entered and bowed; 'You sent for us, your majesty.'

'I did. Have any strangers approached recently.'

'Yes, your majesty. Six travellers, three of them men and three women.'

Merlin looked them dead in the eyes. 'Was there anything strange about them?' he noticed both of them cringe back unconsciously.

'Only one spoke, oh druid. He wore a cloak and some form of bright cloth around his neck. I know not why but I found him a humours and likeable man.' The man on the right said and the one on the left agreed.

'Did you find one of them disturbing, malevolent, perhaps even vaguely threatening?'

'We would not have allowed them in if we did so.'

'Are you quite sure?'

'Yes, oh druid.'

'Then it is him.'

Arthur had been watching and noticing his old teacher pale at the description of this strange traveller. 'Guard, I want the two of you to go to the guard house and take a dozen men. Find these travellers and escort them here, unharmed and unarmed.'

'At once your majesty.' The two rushed out of the doorway.

'What is the matter old friend.'

'The man they described sounds like someone I knew in my youth. He is a powerful druid and a complex man. Wise beyond his years and utterly ruthless when he needs to be.'

'Are you certain Merlin?'

'Oh yes boy. The Doctor likes to be underestimated, he can be friendly and quite amusing but this is only a mask. His power eclipses my own ten fold at least and his anger can make me look quite tame.'

'You jest!' Arthur did not like this situation. Merlin was a good man but no one stood in his way if they wanted to live.

'I'm afraid not, though he is not as violent as I am when provoked. A small favour. I must know why he is here.' With that the old Druid stood up and walked to the window.

End Chapter Four

Authors note

As this was posted as part of my four way update whatever gets the most reviews will be finished first. Review, review and review if you want me to keep this one current.