King Allfire was sitting on his bed, looking slightly bemused. Princess Flame was standing over him, looking slightly agitated.
'To be honest, Puff, I'm surprised to hear you talking like this,' said King Allfire. 'Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions about Sir Agraflame? I mean to say, where's your evidence?'
'I don't have any evidence, Daddy,' said Flame. 'All I have is… a feeling.'
'We can't let our lives be governed by feelings,' said King Allfire. 'Not uninformed feelings, certainly.'
'And are your own feelings about Sir Agraflame informed?' asked Flame.
'Well… yes, they are,' said Allfire. 'Dash it all, I did meet the fellow before… and I knighted him!'
'Knighthood does not instil a person with the virtues of a knight,' said Flame. 'It works the other way around… or it should do, anyway. Daddy, you only met Sir Agraflame for a short time, didn't you? You don't know anything about what he's really like… other than what Sir Galahot has told you.'
'Yes, but even if Sir Galahot is right about Sir Agraflame being a bit of a rotter in the past, that doesn't mean he's one now,' said King Allfire. 'I have to give him a chance, Puff; you do see that, don't you? There can be no prejudice of any kind in Camelhot… certainly not against a knight!'
'I know that giving Sir Agraflame a chance is the right thing to do, Daddy - I'm not asking you to find him right now and boot him out into the night,' said Flame. 'I just think you should be careful, that's all.'
'Careful of what?'
'Well… given everything that Sir Galahot said, and taking into account the fact that you don't really know Sir Agraflame yourself - despite your brief meeting more than twenty years ago - I just think you should… well, watch your back, that's all.'
King Allfire sighed, and rested his lower jaw in his hands. He looked up at Flame with a wistful expression on his face.
'You remind me more of your mother with each day that passes, Flame,' he said. 'Worrying for my safety, and telling me all about your worries… forcing me to remember that I can be a little short-sighted sometimes… running off to Dunstable without a moment's thought for the possible consequences. I must confess that I find it hard to see you growing up so quickly… oh, I don't mean that I find it unpleasant or disappointing in any way - quite the opposite, of course - but, well… I don't want to feel that I've lost my little girl… my little Puff. Oh dear, you're so grown up now, perhaps I shouldn't call you that.'
'You can call me that for as long as you like, Daddy,' said Flame. 'And I promise you, you'll never lose your little girl. It's just that… well, you've gained a grown-up daughter as well.'
'Yes… and goodness knows, I do want you to be grown-up, Flame, and ready… when the time comes for you to inherit my throne, I mean.'
'Let's not talk about that now, Daddy - I'm sure there's no need to talk about it for a long time yet. Just promise me that you'll watch out for Sir Agraflame... that you won't make up your mind about him - either way - until he's shown what he's really made of.'
'Very well, Puff,' said King Allfire, 'I promise. Now, you'd better be getting to bed, hadn't you? It's very late, you know.'
'Even grown-up daughters should go to bed when their fathers advise it,' said Flame, kissing him on the cheek. 'Goodnight, Daddy.'
Flicker and Sir Galahot were both on the verge of nodding off. Flicker's brain was jerked back into full alertness as the door of Sir Agraflame's room creaked open.
'Ooh, Sir Galahot, look!' Flicker whispered. 'He's on the move.'
'It must be past midnight by now,' said Sir Galahot. 'Where's he sneaking off to at this hour?'
'Well,' said Flicker, 'I guess there's only one way to find out, isn't there?'
'Yes, there is,' said Sir Galahot. 'Stealth must be our watch-word, Flicker. Let's go.'
Flicker and Sir Galahot followed Sir Agraflame through the moonlit corridors of Camelhot. They kept a discreet distance behind him, but they never let themselves lose sight of him. Sir Agraflame went down several staircases, finally coming to a halt in one of the upper dungeons. He went into the corner of a particularly dark room, where he came to a halt. Flicker and Sir Galahot peered down at him from a small landing above.
'You're late,' a voice emerged from the darkness.
'Sorry - I fell asleep,' said Sir Agraflame. 'What orders do you have for me?'
'Who's he talking to, sir?' said Sir Galahot.
'I'm not sure… but that voice sounds very familiar,' said Flicker. 'If only we could see more clearly.'
Conveniently, a shaft of moonlight chose that moment to enter the room through a barred window, partly illuminating Sir Agraflame's corner. Flicker and Sir Galahot saw that his companion was short, hunched and transparent - a magical image of an all too familiar figure.
'Merle the Wizard!' Flicker whispered.
'I can see right through her, sir!' said Sir Galahot.
'She's not really here, Milord,' said Flicker. 'This is some kind of magical projection of her image, I'd guess.'
'Yes,' said Sir Galahot. 'Yes, of course…'
'Are you sure the dragons trust you?' asked Merle.
'Yes… well, they've trusted me enough to allow me to spend the night,' said Sir Agraflame, 'and that's all the trust I need, isn't it?'
'Yes… yes, I suppose you're right,' said Merle, casting a suspicious look around the dungeon. 'All right - Geoff and the boys will meet you at the kitchen door at half-past three. Make sure you're there to let them in.'
'Oh, I will be,' said Sir Agraflame.
'Good,' said Merle. 'That leaves you just over three hours to carry out your other task. Make sure you use the time wisely.'
'I shall,' said Sir Agraflame. 'Don't worry - I know exactly what I'm going to do.'
'I'm glad to hear it,' said Merle. 'Don't let us down, dragon… or I'll let you down, you get me?'
'You don't need to threaten me, witch,' said Sir Agraflame. 'I know the terms of our bargain all too well.'
Without saying another word, Merle's image disappeared. Sir Galahot made a sign to Flicker to indicate that they should slip away. Flicker moved his right foot; a small stone went tumbling down the stairs.
'Who's there?' snarled Sir Agraflame, looking towards the staircase.
'We don't want to lose the element of surprise if we can help it!' Galahot hissed to Flicker. 'Quickly, move! Make for the Great Hall… and stay low.'
In the Great Hall, Sir Agraflame lifted the tablecloths of each of the trestle tables in turn and peered underneath. He then drew back all the curtains and searched behind them. Apparently satisfied that he was alone, he left the room.
Ten seconds later, Flicker and Sir Galahot fluttered down from the chandelier, where they had been half hanging, half hovering.
'All right,' said Sir Galahot, 'he didn't see us. Come on - we mustn't lose him now.'
'What do you think he's planning to do between now and half-past three?' said Flicker.
'I wouldn't like to guess,' said Sir Galahot. 'But he's clearly making some sort of preparations before he lets Count Geoffrey into the castle, and that can't be good, sir!'
'Definitely not,' Flicker agreed. 'Oh… where's he gone?'
'I think he went up that staircase,' said Sir Galahot. 'But I suppose he could've snuck off down here, towards the kitchen.'
'But he's not planning to go there until half-past three, is he?' said Flicker.
'Not that we know of,' said Sir Galahot, 'but we can't be sure.'
'Perhaps we should split up,' said Flicker. 'I'll check the kitchen, shall I?'
'Good idea, sir,' said Sir Galahot. 'If you don't find him in the kitchen, come and join me upstairs. If I don't find him upstairs, I'll come and join you.'
'Yes, Milord,' said Flicker. 'I'll see you in a few minutes, then.'
Galahot clapped Flicker on the shoulder and then made his way upstairs. Flicker crept along to the kitchen, unable to stop himself feeling slightly nervous. He was fairly sure that the room was deserted; he risked picking up a candle from the kitchen table and breathing on it to ignite it.
'Eek!' Flicker could not help but squeak, as a rat ran across his foot; it had probably been disturbed by the light. 'No… no, there's no one here.'
He blew out the candle and replaced it on the table, before retracing his steps and running up the stairs, taking care all the way to be as quick and quiet as he could. He turned a corner at the top of the staircase, and found Sir Galahot peering down a corridor.
'He's not in the kitchen,' Flicker whispered.
'He's here, sir,' Sir Galahot whispered back. 'He's sneaking along this corridor… and he's holding something.'
Flicker peered around Sir Galahot and saw the scene in the moonlit corridor. He gasped in horror.
'Blazing dragons, that's an axe!' said Flicker. 'He must be going to King Allfire's bedchamber - this corridor doesn't lead anywhere else.'
'Knows his way around Camelhot, doesn't he?' said Sir Galahot. 'Clearly someone has given him a lot of inside information about the castle… someone who knows the place very well.'
'Er, Sir Galahot,' said Flicker, 'don't you think we should… well, do something?'
'Hmm,' said Sir Galahot. 'Sir Agraflame is sneaking towards King Allfire's bedroom with an axe in the middle of the night… yes, the evidence seems fairly conclusive to me. Come, Flicker - it is time to stop maintaining the element of surprise, and to start using it.'
'Stay where you are, Agraflame! We've caught you red-handed!'
Sir Agraflame whirled around and swung his axe blindly in front of him. Flicker and Sir Galahot drew to a halt a short distance away.
'I knew you would betray us, sir!' Sir Galahot snarled.
'A shame none of your friends agreed with you, isn't it?' Sir Agraflame replied. 'I won't let you stop me, Galahot - there's far too much at stake.'
Sir Galahot whipped out his sword and deflected Sir Agraflame's swinging axe. Thinking quickly, Flicker dived for a nearby curtain and ripped off a large section of the material. As Sir Galahot stepped forward and thrust his sword at Sir Agraflame, Flicker ducked underneath the weapon and bound Agraflame's wrists with the curtain material. But Sir Agraflame was quick to notice that Flicker's arms were now entangled in his. Bellowing wildly, Agraflame threw himself backwards and crashed against King Allfire's bedroom door; he fell into the room beyond, dragging Flicker and Sir Galahot with him. They fell into a tangled heap on the floor.
'Blazing dragons, what's going on?' demanded King Allfire, who had jumped out of bed and ignited a candle.
'Your Majesty,' panted Sir Galahot, struggling to free himself from the scaly, pointy tangle, 'Sir Agraflame was coming to assassinate you in the middle of the night!'
'Blazing dragons,' said King Allfire, 'what cheek!'
'No, My Liege!' said Sir Agraflame. 'Sir Galahot is trying to set me up - you know he's always had it in for me. I was just patrolling the corridors, making sure that everything was all right… and Sir Galahot attacked me with an axe!'
'I did not, sir!' Sir Galahot protested.
'Your Majesty, Sir Agraflame is lying,' said Flicker, managing to regain his feet at last. 'Sir Galahot was right all the time - he's in league with Count Geoffrey!'
'What's that you say?' said King Allfire. 'Sir Galahot, in league with Count Geoffrey?'
'No, sire, Sir Agraflame is in league with Count Geoffrey!' said Flicker. 'He's planning to let Geoffrey and his knights into Camelhot through the kitchen door at half-past three!'
'And he was going to pass the time until then by killing you with this axe!' Sir Galahot added.
'Blazing dragons… so Flame was right!' said King Allfire. 'She said I should watch my back with Sir Agraflame around. What have you to say for yourself, Sir Agraflame?'
Sir Agraflame opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Flicker was forced to jump to one side as a colossal jet of flame erupted from Agraflame's mouth. Sir Galahot, meanwhile, dashed back out into the corridor.
'I think we must treat that as an admission of guilt,' said King Allfire. 'I can see now that good, brave Sir Galahot was right all along. Sir Agraflame, you vile traitor, you will be taken from this place and… I say, look out, Flicker!'
Sir Agraflame had somehow managed to leap to his feet; Flicker was forced to hurl himself across the room as another blanket of fire erupted from Agraflame's mouth. Sir Galahot then reappeared in the moonlit doorway, carrying a large mace. He whacked Sir Agraflame over the head with enormous force. Agraflame crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
'That should do the trick, sir!' Sir Galahot grinned.
'Well done, Sir Galahot,' said King Allfire. 'And well done for recognising Sir Agraflame for the treacherous bounder that he clearly is. I thank you for your vigilance… I thank you both.'
'Your Majesty,' said Flicker, 'you… you called me Flicker.'
'Well, what of it?' said King Allfire. 'It's your name, isn't it?'
'Yes, Your Majesty.'
'There we are, then. Now, if you'd be so kind, I'd like the two of you to carry Sir Agraflame down to the dungeons and put him where he belongs - behind bars.'
'We shall do so, Your Majesty,' said Sir Galahot, 'with great pleasure.'
'And then,' said King Allfire, 'you will both join me in the kitchen, if you'd be so kind.'
'The kitchen, Your Majesty?' said Flicker.
'Yes, the kitchen,' said King Allfire. 'Well, Sir Agraflame had an appointment to keep, didn't he? Seeing as he is likely to be otherwise engaged, I think we'd better keep it for him, don't you?'
Four sodden, dishevelled figures clambered out of Camelhot's moat and hauled themselves into the kitchen garden.
'That moat is filthy!' said Count Geoffrey, brushing himself down. 'As soon as I'm King of Camelhot, I'm going to have it drained, cleared and then refilled!'
'I think I swallowed something disgusting,' said Evil Knight Number Three.
'You are something disgusting,' said Count Geoffrey.
'My armour is filthy,' said Evil Knight Number Two. 'I only just cleaned it, too.'
'We'll all be filthy in a minute,' said Count Geoffrey. 'Filthy rich! Now, quit complaining and follow me.'
Count Geoffrey approached the kitchen door and knocked three times.
'Are you there?' he hissed through the keyhole. 'Open up, you stupid dragon - it's us!'
The door began to inch its way open; Count Geoffrey stood back and watched it, rocking impatiently on his heels. But his expression of triumph changed to an expression of horror when he saw what was on the other side of the door. King Allfire, Sir Galahot and Flicker were standing there. All three were armed, and smoke was rising from their nostrils.
'Well, good evening, Geoffrey,' said King Allfire. 'Something we can do for you, is there? Perhaps you've come to borrow a cup of sugar, hmm?'
Count Geoffrey could do nothing but gape in horrified surprise.
'What do we do, oh dread Count Geoffrey?' asked Evil Knight Number One.
'Well, under the circumstances, there's only one thing we can do,' said Count Geoffrey. 'Run away!'
There was a flurry of movement followed by four loud splashes. King Allfire closed the kitchen door, chuckling to himself.
'Well, that was most enjoyable,' he said. 'The look on Geoffrey's face…'
'Most amusing, sire,' said Sir Galahot. 'Now, shall we escort you safely back to bed?'
'Yes, I suppose so,' said King Allfire, still chuckling. 'But I can't imagine that I'm in any danger now.'
A door crashed open somewhere nearby. King Allfire and Sir Galahot exchanged a worried look. Heavy footfalls could be heard in the corridor outside the kitchen, getting closer by the second.
'You did make sure to lock Sir Agraflame's prison door good and tight, didn't you?' said King Allfire.
'We did indeed, sire,' said Sir Galahot. 'Didn't we, Flicker?'
'We put him into the double-locked, high-security, escape-proof cell, Your Majesty,' said Flicker. 'There's no way he can escape - I'm sure of it.'
'Well, it certainly sounds like someone - or something - is on the warpath,' said King Allfire. 'I wonder what it could be.'
The door to the corridor that linked the kitchen to the Great Hall shook on its hinges, and then flew open. A very large figure stood silhouetted in the doorway, smoke issuing from its nose and mouth.
'Is it true?' the figure bawled. 'Is he here?'
'Oh… it's Queen Griddle!' Flicker realised, sounding very relieved.
'Well, hello there, my dear,' said King Allfire. 'We weren't expecting you back just yet, you know. I trust all is well with your mother.'
'Do stop babbling, Allfire, and tell me if it's true!' Griddle demanded, striding into the kitchen.
'If what's true, Griddle dear?' asked King Allfire.
'What do you think, you old fool?' Griddle snarled. 'Did you let that horrible, oily, dishonest little scroat who calls himself my nephew into the castle?'
'You mean Sir Agraflame, Your Majesty?' said Flicker.
'Of course I do!' Queen Griddle thundered. 'Well - is he here?'
'Um… yes, my dear,' said King Allfire.
'How could you have been so stupid, Allfire?' said Griddle. 'Agraflame is evil incarnate! He'll kill us all in our beds! For God's sake, we have to -'
'He's here in the castle, but he's locked in the dungeon, Your Majesty,' Sir Galahot cut in. 'Don't worry - he won't be coming out any time soon.'
'Oh… good,' said Queen Griddle. 'That's where he belongs, and no mistake.'
'Indeed, my dear,' said King Allfire. 'It's true that Agraflame was out to cause us a spot of bother, but thanks to brave Sir Galahot here, and to young Squire Flicker, disaster has been averted.'
'Splendid,' said Queen Griddle. 'Thank you, gentlemen. Well, I'm tired. Allfire, take me to bed at once!'
'Yes, my dear,' said King Allfire.
At breakfast the next morning, Flicker was pouring out coffee for Sir Loungelot when Flame walked past.
'Come and pour me some coffee next,' she whispered to him.
Flicker finished pouring Sir Loungelot's coffee and then moved over to the royal table. Flame smiled up at him.
'I heard all about what happened last night,' she said. 'I was sure you must be right about Sir Agraflame - that's why I told Daddy to watch out for him, and why I sent word to Stepmother Griddle to return to Camelhot as quickly as possible.'
'It was Sir Galahot who was right about Sir Agraflame, really, not me,' said Flicker. 'I just backed him up.'
'You didn't just back him up, Flicker,' said Flame. 'You're a hero again… and the wonderful thing is that Daddy knows it this time, and I don't think he's about to forget it either.'
'I hope you're right,' said Flicker. 'He hasn't offered to knight me yet.'
'Of course he hasn't,' said Flame. 'You have to take these things in stages, Flicker - don't be impatient.'
They exchanged a smile and a discreet laugh; Flicker began to worry that they might be starting to attract attention.
'Your coffee cup is full now, Milady,' he said.
'Thank you, Flicker,' said Flame.
Sir Agraflame tried to haul himself to his feet, but he found that his hands were still tied with curtain material. Snarling and growling, he began to rip at his bonds with his teeth.
'So,' said a familiar voice, 'I guess they didn't trust you after all, huh?'
Sir Agraflame looked up to see Merle's transparent image standing over him.
'I must say, Sir Agraflame, you've proven to be a very disappointing mole,' said Merle.
'Have you come here just to torment me, witch?' snarled Sir Agraflame. 'Your plan failed and now I'll probably be forced to stay in this cell until I rot away to dust. Don't you think I've suffered enough?'
'Yes, I suppose you have,' said Merle. 'Still, it sounds like you're resigned to your fate, so I may as well leave you to it… unless, of course, you'd care to negotiate some new terms with old Merle. You want me to spring you?'
'Are you serious?' said Sir Agraflame. 'Of course I do!'
'Well, I could do that,' said Merle, 'but there'd have to be some form of payment on your part.'
'Name your price, witch,' said Sir Agraflame.
'Foolish dragon,' Merle chuckled. 'You should think twice before saying something like that to someone like me…'
Merle's cackles filled the dungeon as Sir Agraflame's cell was enveloped in blinding white light.
