Tegan's mind scrambled.

Oh, no; Miss Traken knew. She knew that Tegan was a girl. The handmaiden to the queen herself knew that Tegan was pulling a ruse on everyone in Camelot, especially her new employer. Miss Traken was surely going to reveal everything and Tegan would be sent home with barely a penny to her name-

No, Tegan told herself, don't get scared. You can work around this.

She promptly dropped to one knee in front of the young woman, and looked at her through her lashes.

'Miss Traken, I am most grateful,' she said, her voice was soft as silk. 'I cannot thank you enough, good lady.'

A slight pinkening of the woman's cheeks indicated that Tegan's words had hit their target.

'My pleasure,' Miss Traken said. 'I owe you my life, after all.'

'No more than my duty as a Cornishman, m'lady.'

'I… I thank you.'

Tegan reached out and pressed a kiss to Miss Traken's fingers.

'Your servant, Miss Traken.'

The handmaiden blinked quickly, as if… confused.

'I trust that today finds you well, Master Tegan,' she said, as Tegan climbed back to her feet. 'Camelot is something to behold, is it not?'

'It is, indeed,' Tegan replied, nodding. 'It is far different from my homeland, it has to be said.'

'Mine too.'

'My apologies,' said Dynadan. 'But I must take Master Tegan back to his lodgings; we will need to discuss his duties.'

'Of course,' Miss Traken said, smiling softly at Tegan. 'I hope we will… meet again in future, Master Tegan.'

'If you so will it, m'lady,' Tegan said, bowing again.

Maybe Tegan had laid on the flattery a little too thick? She hoped that Miss Traken did not see her as disingenuous; she was grateful for the recommendation, after all. But hopefully any doubts as to her being a young man would now be allayed.

Tegan followed Dynadan back into the castle, ignoring the prickling on the back of her neck as Miss Traken watched her leave. She was already hoping that she wouldn't get lost on her own in the castle; this place was a maze compared to the simple buildings Tegan was used to.

'Miss Traken seems to find you most agreeable,' Dynadan said, an all-too-knowing look in his eye as he looked over his shoulder at Tegan.

'Er… I suppose,' Tegan said, feeling her cheeks flush. 'I hope that she does not find me lacking in gratitude.'

'I'm sure she is very aware of how grateful you are,' Dynadan cheeked, grinning. 'Normally, servants do not kneel and kiss each other on the hand.'

'She's a princess,' Tegan said, quickly. 'She's used to such behaviour.'

'Traken is a good deal smaller and poorer than you may think. I wouldn't be surprised if you now have an admirer in the handmaiden of the queen.'

Tegan didn't reply. She could feel her heart hammering away. This was bad. This was bad.

The great hall of Camelot had to be seen to be believed.

It was enormous, like much of the castle itself. A high roof was dotted with banners, with huge windows to let in the light. A wide open space encompassed most of the hall, except for a high table at the far end where the king and queen sat. Long benches curved around sides of the hall, where the knights, maidens and courtly hangers-on ate and drank the night away.

Dynadan had been forced into attending by one of his fellow knights. Apparently, his wit had been missed while he was away.

As Dynadan's apprentice squire, Tegan was required to attend and help the staff with the serving of food and drink. The knight had apologised to Tegan, making it clear that she would mostly just need to stand in the corner and watch, as the kitchen staff had enough people to be getting along with.

What Tegan was less pleased about was the hat.

It was a truly atrocious garment. Made out of a weird mix of felt and velvet, it was deliberately floppy and had a habit of slipping down against Tegan's ears. Technically, all squires were supposed to wear these for formal events. Dynadan had, of course, apologised for this too.

Not that it made Tegan feel any better when she could hear the kitchen staff giggling at her as they passed. Bugger.

'Master Tegan?'

Tegan startled. Turning, she saw that Nyssa of Traken was standing a short distance away. She was wearing a light blue dress and matching hair-covering. Tegan felt her stomach flip over as she realised how pretty the young woman looked.

'Miss Traken!' Tegan squeaked, her voice an octave higher than it should have been. Coughing quickly, Tegan cleared her throat and continued. 'How do you do?'

'Very well, thank you,' Miss Traken said, smiling. 'Are you enjoying your new role?'

'Er, yes,' Tegan replied. 'Thank you again for recommending me, Miss Traken. I really appreciate it.'

'Oh, it was the least I could do,' Miss Traken replied, smiling prettily. 'After you rescuing me.'

Tegan found herself blushing. The combination of the handmaidens kind words and her smile was causing Tegan's mind to rush. Her stomach seemed to flip over, and she could have sworn that her palms were already sweating. Unlike during their meeting earlier that day, Tegan felt unable to be smooth or calm towards the handmaiden.

'Well, I couldn't just stand there and let them hurt you,' Tegan mumbled. 'It wouldn't be right.'

'And that is why I recommended you,' Miss Traken replied. 'You have a good heart, Master Tegan. It befits a knight; a pure knight, not those who smash into each other on armour for merriment.'

'I… thank you.'

'My pleasure. Lovely hat, by the way.'

Tegan's smile slid off her face. Miss Traken giggled, knowingly.

'Oh, don't be so grumpy,' the handmaiden continued, chuckling. 'I think it looks rather fetching.'

'You're not the one wearing the bloody thing.'

Under normal circumstances, Tegan would have been terrified to curse in front of such esteemed company, but she found herself quite unable to censor herself around the young woman.

Miss Traken giggled further.

'That is true,' she replied. 'Are you sure you don't regret my recommendation?'

'No, but the hat is pushing it just a tad,' Tegan said, unable to keep herself from chuckling. 'Not all of us can wear lovely clothes for formal events.'

'Oh, do you like my dress?' Miss Traken's smile widened, and her cheeks pinkened slightly.

'You look lovely, m'lady.'

'I'm not a lady,' Miss Traken giggled, putting a hand in front of her mouth. 'You have no need to call me that.'

'Too late.'

The two smiled at each other. Miss Traken's cheeks dimpled. Then, a sudden thought seemed to strike her and she leaned forward towards Tegan.

'Would you like to dance?'

'W-what?' Tegan stammered, mouth flapping open like a fish. 'I- that's not allowed, surely-'

'It is,' Miss Traken interjected. 'I am a servant and so are you.'

'But… you're a princess!'

'Given Traken is barely a few villages dotted across an island, I don't think I'm as royal as you believe,' Miss Traken chuckled. 'Besides, in Camelot, I am simply Guinevere's handmaiden. I spent the last few hours being shown how to get her linen washed correctly. Barbara has been very nice about it.'

She indicated a tall, stately older woman stood behind Guinevere at the high table.

'Oh,' Tegan said. 'Well.. I mean, if you'll have me…'

Miss Traken reached out, and took Tegan's hand in hers. Tegan sucked in a sudden breath, feeling her pulse quicken further. She seemed quite unable to tear her eyes away from the pretty face of the young woman stood barely a foot away from her.

'I would gladly,' Miss Traken said, not seeming to notice Tegan's eyes widening at her choice of phrasing. 'Shall we?'

Breathlessly, Tegan nodded. She swallowed, suddenly aware that the hall was full of lots of people. But… she was dressed as a boy. Surely, there was nothing unusual about this, right? Tegan had danced with other girls her age, of course, but… those girls had been friends from childhood, not princesses of island nations. And those girls hadn't made Tegan's heart stutter whenever they smiled at her.

Oh, dear.

Miss Traken led Tegan by the hand, and the two stepped out onto the dancefloor. The various couples around them seemed not to notice much, although that did little to counteract Tegan's nervousness. Miss Traken's eyes were wide and bright as slowed to a stop and turned to face each other, and Tegan could have sworn that her own hand was rapidly becoming sweaty. She hoped that Miss Traken did not notice. She didn't know much about court etiquette, but she guessed that it was probably not good manners to sweat against the hand of the queen's handmaiden.

Miss Traken looked up at Tegan, looking somewhat confused as to why Tegan hadn't taken her arm yet.

'Er… I don't really know how to dance,' Tegan mumbled. 'There wasn't much call for courtly dances back home.'

'No matter,' Miss Traken said, smiling sweetly. 'I will lead, in that case.'

Tegan's heartrate increased yet again, as Miss Traken's hand came to rest on her waist. The other intertwined their fingers together. Oh, dear…

Tegan swallowed, blinking quickly. She suddenly felt very hot under the collar. Were the candles of this hall especially bright? No doubt, she was already sweating.

But Miss Traken did not comment. In fact, she seemed very at-ease with the whole situation, as if enjoying every moment. Even when Tegan stumbled slightly as her feet fought to keep balance through the unfamiliar steps of the dance. Bugger. It was taking most of Tegan's remaining concentration not to step on the smaller woman's feet.

C'mon, Tegan told herself, left, right…

It was then that Nyssa spoke up for the first time since they had entered the dancing. Given how close they were standing, she barely needed to whisper. The delicate nature of her voice, so close to Tegan's ear, sent delicious shivers down her spine.

'You are Cornish, Master Tegan?'

'Yes,' Tegan said, trying not to think too much about how sweetly the young woman smelled. What sort of perfume was that, anyway? 'My parents are farmers.'

'You have very… delicate hands for a farmer's son.'

'Er… I suppose. My mum always said I had nice hands.'

'Your mother was right,' Miss Traken replied, smiling further. 'Very nice hands, indeed.'

'T-thank you,' Tegan said, already wondering why Nyssa was ignoring the sweat on both of Tegan's palms. 'You also have lovely hands, Miss Traken.'

'Oh, call me Miss Nyssa, please.'

'Is that allowed?'

'It is if I say it is.'

'Oh… er, right.'

Miss Nyssa chuckled.

'I gather, Master Tegan,' she continued. 'That you are very concerned with what is considered proper.'

'It comes from being a newcomer.'

'But I am also a newcomer to Camelot.'

'Unlike you, I am the child of farmers from Cornwall,' Tegan replied. 'Not a princess.'

'I suppose,' Miss Nyssa replied. 'But, if anyone has earned the right to call me by my first name, it is you.'

'I… you flatter me.'

'Now, where would you get that idea?' Miss Nyssa chuckled, smiling. 'Are you sure this is your first time dancing?'

'Er… fancy dancing, yes. I did folk dancing a lot back home.'

'I'm sure all the girls wanted to dance with you.'

Tegan blushed further, smiling breathlessly.

'More flattery?'

'Indeed,' Miss Nyssa chuckled.

The song came to an end, and the dancers stepped apart, applauding the band as they all went to sit down at the benches.

'Thank you, Master Tegan,' Miss Nyssa said, extending her hand.

'Er, thank you, Miss Nyssa,' Tegan said, holding it awkwardly.

Miss Nyssa chuckled.

'This is the part where you kiss my hand.'

Feeling her face burn red, Tegan pressed her lips to the young handmaiden's fingers. She ignored the way her heart seemed to lurch excitedly within her chest.

Miss Nyssa giggled.

'Goodnight, Master Tegan,' she said, smiling. 'I hope we see more of each other in the future.'

The baths were mercifully empty.

Tegan had sweated a lot throughout the day. Back home, she would have been content with a quick wash with a flannel, but Dynadan had mentioned the baths within Camelot itself whilst they were walking back to their quarters.

Tegan changed out of the fancy clothes that she had worn during the dance, and put on an old shirt and breeches. Into a small bag, she packed a towel, spare shift and spare socks. She then slipped out of the room, and headed in the direction of the baths.

She had gone through a quick mental battle over which baths she should use, but had eventually decided on the women's. Although, given that there didn't seem to be a single person using them, this didn't really matter much.

The women's baths were a huge long room, with large Roman-style pools sunk into the floor. Various cubicles with curtains in front of them were dotted around the outside, presumably for privacy when changing. Tegan quickly crossed the floor, entering a cubicle and closed the curtain behind her.

She then changed out of her shirt and breeches, leaving only the shift. She had to admit, she had already started mentally classing the men's clothing as her own. She supposed that -regardless of whichever gender the clothing was normally worn by- when she wore them, they were her clothes.

Tegan sighed, stretching her toes out as she placed the shirt and breeches into her bag. It felt good to stand in bare feet after so long wearing boots.

She then pulled back the curtain and stepped out of the cubicle, yawning slightly as the warm air of the baths began to relax her. She vaguely wondered if scents were mixed in with the water to give it such a sweet aroma.

The door opened.

'Oh, my apologies,' said the figure. 'I didn't realise anyone was…'

Miss Nyssa trailed off, as her eyes swept over Tegan. The young woman was stood barely a few feet before Tegan, wearing a long shift that stretched down to just below her knees. Her hair was tied up in a covering, and her cheeks were pinkened from the humid air around the baths.

Tegan's heartrate suddenly spiked. She could feel perspiration forming on the palms of her hands, and she was suddenly that she was only wearing a light shift.

Okay, don't panic, Tegan told herself, just come up with a good story…

'Master Tegan, why are you in the women's baths?'

Tegan's mouth flapped open and closed uselessly, her brain turned to slush.

'Er… I… I…'

Miss Nyssa crossed the room, and put a hand on Tegan's shoulder. With more force than Tegan would have expected, the young woman pushed Tegan backwards into the cubicle, pinning her up against the wall. With her other hand, she shut the curtain, so that they were obscured from the rest of the baths.

'W-what are you-'

'Ssshhh!' Miss Nyssa said, looking over her shoulder. 'I have to check that the baths are empty before Guinevere arrives. Normally, it's a few old maids, not one young apprentice.'

'Er… w-well…'

Tegan was finding it surprisingly difficult to form coherent sentences. Maybe it was her nostrils becoming filled with the perfume Nyssa was wearing, or possibly the fact that Miss Nyssa's shift wasn't very thick. As they were standing very close together, it could well have been both.

Tegan felt her legs tremble.

Oh.

Yes, it was definitely both.

'Wait a moment…' Miss Nyssa said, slowly. 'You're very pretty for a boy…'

'O-oh, I get that assumption a lot…'

'Judging from the two things perking up through your shift, there may be a reason for the assumption.'

Tegan's face burned, and her mouth opened and closed uselessly.

'Er… w-well… y-you see…'

'Master Tegan,' Miss Nyssa said, calmly. 'Are you a girl? I didn't know girls could become apprentices-'

'Nyssa, are you talking to someone?'

Guinevere.

Tegan's heart leapt into her mouth. Oh, no; it was all over. She was found out. Miss Nyssa was going to reveal her secret and Tegan would be thrown out of Camelot-

Miss Nyssa put her hand over Tegan's mouth, before calling over her shoulder.

'Nyssa?' called Guinevere, again. 'Is there someone there?'

'The… sister of Dynadan's new apprentice, my lady,' Miss Nyssa said. 'I'm just helping her brush her hair.'

'I thought I saw a pair of men's boots outside?'

'I think,' Miss Nyssa replied, slowly. 'that she is borrowing them from her brother. For convenience sake.'

Tegan shivered, her stomach bubbling with nerves. Miss Nyssa was definitely pressed way too close to her. The thought made Tegan's brain scramble even further. She should have been concentrating on why Miss Traken was protecting her from detection, but her thoughts refused to comply. All she could think about was that Miss Nyssa smelled wonderful, and that her hand was soft against Tegan's mouth, and that certain parts of the young woman were pressing against Tegan's chest-

'I will leave you to bathe, Nyssa,' Guinevere said. 'I feel a little exhausted from that dancing earlier; Barbara will escort me back to my chambers.'

'As you wish, my lady,' Nyssa said, now turned back to face Tegan, her grey-green eyes meeting Tegan's brown.

Thump.

Tegan's heart was hammering as fast as a rabbit's. Her mouth seemed to have completely given up on forming coherent sentences. Not that her brain could supply any in the first place; the vast majority of her thoughts were now variations of unintelligible babbling.

The door to the baths closed shut. Miss Nyssa visibly relaxed; clearly, Guinevere had left.

'Don't worry,' Miss Nyssa said, smiling softly as she removed her hand from over Tegan's lips. Her hand instead slipped down to hold one of Tegan's. Gooseflesh erupted up Tegan's arm. 'I won't tell anyone.'

'W-what?' Tegan stammered, her brain awkwardly kicking into gear.

'Your secret is safe with me,' Miss Nyssa continued, gently squeezing Tegan's hand. 'Please don't be concerned.'

'You… you won't tell anyone I'm a girl?'

'Oh, are you?' Miss Nyssa said, cheerfully. 'I thought you simply preferred being called a boy.'

Tegan goggled at her.

'We're stood here half-naked and you weren't concerned about me potentially being a boy?'

'Why would I? Besides, regardless of that, you weren't planning on seducing me, were you?'

Tegan choked, spluttering. Her hand slipped out of the young woman's.

'I… n-no, of course I wasn't!'

'Well, that's fine, then,' Miss Nyssa smiled. 'I did wonder, given your…'

Tegan slapped the young woman's pointing hand away, and crossing her own arms over her chest.

'That's just due to the cold!'

'Scientifically speaking, it is warmer here than it is outside,' Miss Nyssa cheeked. 'I'd say the evidence was irrefutable.'

'You were the one who pushed me against the wall! With a hand over my mouth!'

Miss Nyssa giggled.

'My apologies,' she said, eyes twinkling. 'I had to make sure that Guinevere and Barbara wouldn't hear you.'

The young woman turned and pulled back the curtain. Sure enough, the place was empty.

'Please,' Miss Nyssa said, beckoning Tegan forward. 'Sit with me a while. I think we both deserve a relaxing bathe after all that.'

Tegan shrugged, grabbing her flannel from her bag. She couldn't argue with that.

The bath was a little warmer than Tegan would have normally expected, but it was possibly that she was already hot from what had just happened.

Tegan squeezed her thighs together, and let out a deep, slow breath. She was deliberately not looking at the young woman sat next to her. Given what had just happened, she didn't think the addition of warm soapy water and candle-lit glow would help her calm down.

The young lady of Traken, however, had different ideas.

The young woman reached out a hand and stroked a finger along Tegan's shoulder-blade. Given that Tegan was wearing a shift held up by straps over the shoulders, gooseflesh immediately erupted up her arms.

'M-Miss Nyssa!'

Tegan's voice seemed to break her out of the absentminded expression on her face, and she immediately pulled her finger away.

'My apologies,' she said, quickly. 'I… that was unbecoming of me.'

'Do you normally stroke other people's shoulders whilst in the bath with them?'

'Er…' Miss Nyssa blinked hurriedly. 'No. I was… distracted.'

'By my shoulder?'

The young woman's jaw set in a slightly stubborn manner.

'In my defence, it is a very pretty shoulder.'

Tegan chuckled.

'You know, for a handmaiden, you're rather cheeky.'

'Thank you,' Miss Nyssa replied, cheeks dimpling. 'I have to let my hair down sometimes. And I've never really spoken much to another person my age before.'

Tegan pointed to her hair-covering.

'Doesn't look very let-down to me.'

To her shock, the handmaiden's face pinkened.

'But… that would be improper,' the young woman said, blinking quickly. 'Especially in the baths.'

'Improper, eh?' Tegan replied, grinning. 'Big talk, coming from someone who literally had me pushed up against a wall, so that I was pressed against your ti-'

'Tegan!'

Miss Nyssa huffed for a moment, before eventually giving up and chuckling along with Tegan, who was already laughing. Tegan tried not to think how cute the young woman looked whilst doing so. And it wasn't a courtly laugh either; it was a proper, unabashed laugh. The thought that she had helped cause that laugh from Miss Nyssa made Tegan's heart glow.

'So… am I Tegan now?'

The young woman stared at her, presumably deliberating over an answer in her head.

'I… yes, I suppose.'

Screw it, Tegan thought, I'll try my luck.

'May I call you… Nyssa, then?'

The young woman smiled.

'Yes, you may,' said Nyssa.

Tegan smiled in return. She could feel her heart pounding happily, and she tried to calm herself by scrubbing her arms and legs with the flannel.

Nyssa continued to stare at her.

It did little to calm Tegan's heartrate. There was something about that warm smile and the glint in those grey-green eyes that send delighted shivers down Tegan's spine.

'Would you like me to do your upper back?'

Tegan darted round.

'W-what?'

Nyssa chuckled.

'Would you like me to do your upper back?' she repeated. 'It is not easy to scrub your own back, and I would be happy to do so.'

'I… w-well, thank you,' Tegan mumbled, quickly turning around so that Nyssa wouldn't see the full extent of her blush. 'I am very grateful.'

'Tegan… you will need to let the straps down.'

'O-oh, yeah…'

Nyssa giggled, taking the flannel from Tegan's hand, and scooted closer, so that she was just sat behind Tegan. Tegan, hands fumbling slightly, let the straps of her shift off her shoulders, so that material slipped a little way down her back. Nyssa's hands began to gently ease the flannel over Tegan's back. Almost unconsciously, Tegan let out a deep sigh of contentment. Her hand shot up and covered her mouth; she could feel her face burning with embarrassment.

'I'll take that as a good sign,' Nyssa chuckled, her breath on Tegan's neck. 'You really do have lovely skin, Tegan…'

Tegan trembled, shivering as Nyssa continued. She could have sworn that gooseflesh was erupting up both of her arms, and the vibrations from Nyssa' voice on her neck was… well, Tegan was certainly glad that her legs were squeezed together, that was for sure.

'T-thank you,' Tegan whispered, immensely aware that the two of them were in the baths alone, with only two thin shifts inbetween them. 'You really seem to like my skin.'

'Well, I do have eyes,' Nyssa chuckled. 'Besides, skinship is important between two women.'

'Er… is it?'

'Yes; back home, it was quite common for women to wash each other like this. Although the wearing of shifts wasn't common. Would you like me to take off-'

'N-no!' Tegan stammered.

'I was joking,' Nyssa chuckled. 'But that was an interesting reaction; are you of the sapphic persuasion, Tegan?'

'Er…' Tegan said, rather distracted by how Nyssa's hands were now working a muscle in Tegan's upper back. 'I suppose I have always preferred women to men.'

'Well, that would explain some things,'-Nyssa let out a giggle-'Such as your reaction to being, in your words, pressed up against my ti-'

'Nyssa!'

The young woman giggled again. Tegan's face was surely bright red by this point; the combination of Nyssa's line of questioning and the intimacy of their current situation were causing… ruminations in Tegan's brain. It probably could have been worse if Tegan had closed her eyes; her mind would have elaborated on the sounds of the gently splashing water as well as the scent of the young woman sat barely a few inches away from her.

'All done,' Nyssa said, softly.

'T-thank you,' Tegan breathed, not trusting herself to look Nyssa in the eye as she turned around, pulling the straps back over her shoulders.

'My pleasure. May I take the liberty of asking you to do me?'

'W-what?' Tegan stammered, face turning bright red.

Nyssa giggled.

'As in, do my upper back, Tegan; with my own flannel?'

'O-oh, yes, of course.'

Nyssa turned around, still giggling, and slipped the straps of her shift off her shoulders, the material slipping down a few inches and revealing-

Tegan swallowed nervously. Nyssa's shoulders and upper back were… well, there were bare. And they were very pretty, much like the rest of her.

The rest of her that Tegan was making great efforts not to look at.

Keeping her breathing as calm as she could, Tegan took Nyssa's own flannel from the side of the bath, and began to rub soap into it. She then began to gentle work the soap into Nyssa's shoulders and upper back, taking care to be as soft with the young woman's skin as she could. After all, Nyssa was probably a bit less rough-and-tumble than Tegan herself was.

Nyssa's skin was soft and delicately smooth. Not that Tegan was noticing this, of course. And she definitely wasn't noticing the soft sigh that the young woman let out as Tegan softly worked the muscles of her upper back.

'Is this okay?' Tegan whispered, face barely a few inches from Nyssa's neck.

'It's wonderful,' Nyssa replied, her voice as soft as silk. 'Truly.'

'T-thank you.'

'Did you often do this back home?'

'No,' Tegan said. 'My family didn't have baths like this; we had an old tin one that we kept on the back of the kitchen door.'

'But you are very good at this.'

Tegan bit back the smile emerging on her face.

'That's because a good woman such as yourself deserves every gentleness.'

Nyssa's cheeks seemed to pinken.

'Oh, Tegan,' she said, softly. 'You are too sweet to me.'

'Impossible,' Tegan replied, after a moment's pause. 'This is the least I can do.'

'Well, be that as it may,' Nyssa whispered. 'I think it's wonderful. You are wonderful.'

Tegan felt her traitorous heart thump against her chest. It was so loud that she was surprised Nyssa couldn't hear it. They did not speak for a while, both of them content to sit quietly as Tegan flannelled Nyssa's shoulders and upper back.

'Finished,' Tegan said, placing the flannel back on the side of the bath.

Nyssa turned to her, smiling.

'Thank you, Tegan.'

'N-no problem,' Tegan replied, her own mouth widening into a smile. 'Glad to be of help. Er… what time is it?'

Nyssa shrugged.

'Judging from my fingers already becoming wrinkled, I'd saw we've been in here a good hour.'

'That's what I thought,' Tegan said, sighing. 'I need to get back to my quarters; Dynadan said I've an early start tomorrow.'

Tegan climbed out of the bath, and crossed the floor to where she had left her clothes and bag. She grabbed a towel, and was just about to start drying her hair, when she noticed Nyssa staring at her, eyes wide as she rested her arms on the side of the bath.

'Er…' Tegan said, feeling her cheeks flush. 'Any particular reason you're staring?'

'Not really,' Nyssa replied, still staring. She moved her arms, placing elbows on the floor so as to support her head with her hands. 'Do I need one?'

'No,' Tegan said, softly. 'No, I suppose you don't. But, well, shouldn't you turn away while I change?'

'I don't believe I have to. We're both girls, aren't we?'

'Well, yes but…' Tegan trailed off, unsure of how to phrase it. 'I… normally, women don't watch me while I change clothes. Like you said, I am… of the sapphic persuasion.'

'And you're worried that I may be uncomfortable due to that? Not at all.' Nyssa said, smiling widely. 'Like I said, you are very pretty, Tegan.'

'Flirt.'

Nyssa giggled, cheeks dimpling, as Tegan -smiling more than she cared to admit- pulled a spare shift out of her bag.

Tegan had to admit; jousting seemed rather… silly.

The idea of crashing into someone-else in full armour whilst riding at high speeds didn't seem practical or sensible. Most of it seemed to be largely just an excuse for the knights to challenge each other within a "friendly" atmosphere. As well as to drink a good deal and flirt.

Well, all except one knight.

Dynadan was apparently in charge of coordinating the various physicians as they all dealt with the various injuries the combatants were inflicting upon each other. And, as Dynadan's newest apprentice, Tegan was helping him with the fine details.

She hadn't expected to be entrusted with such responsibility so soon, but Dynadan had insisted that Tegan had a good judge of character and would therefore be good at this. Apparently, she was, judging from the fact that none of the various physicians had complained about any of her suggestions. In fact, many of them seemed to be taken aback by the simplicity and common-sense of her suggestions, leaving Tegan with the underlying feeling that these physicians weren't as smart as they claimed.

'Tegan,' asked Quinque, who was checking over a ledger. 'Can you go and find Tredecim for me? I need to pass along some notes to them. Normally, I'd ask Yasmin but she seems to have disappeared too.'

Tegan nodded, taking the notes from the blonde man's hands and heading across the field, dodging the various knights who were drunkenly stumbling around and trying to remember what day it was.

One of the physicians -a short man with a shocking mop of black hair- was being helped to his feet by a taller man with a Caledonian accent, after a knight had presumably knocked him over by mistake.

'Oh, aye, lad,' said the Caledonian, pointing towards another man. 'He'll set y'right.'

Tegan smiled, nodded, and headed in that direction, his boots beating softly against the grass-

Tegan froze.

His? Where had his come from?

Tegan shook herself. Maybe her mind had slipped up due to being called a young man so often over the past. Yeah, that was probably it.

Tegan cast these thoughts of her mind, and headed over to the man the Caledonian had suggested.

The man in question, a tall man with sideburns who worked as an orderly for one of the other physicians, smiled kindly at Tegan. He -Mister Benton, Tegan remembered his name being- then pointed her in the direction of a medical tent. Tegan thanked the cheerful man and headed in that direction.

Tegan pushed open the tent flap and stepped inside.

Yasmin and Tredecim broke apart, their faces flushed. The front of Tredecim's shirt was half-open, and several locks of Yaz's hair had slipped out of the tight bun she kept her hair in.

'Whoops,' Tegan exclaimed, her own cheeks going pink. She hurriedly turned on her heels 'Sorry, you two are busy, I'll come back later-'

A hand whipped out and grabbed Tegan by the back of her shirt collar. She was awkwardly yanked back inside the tent.

Yasmin pulled her into the centre of the room.

'I just came here to pass on these notes,' Tegan said, quickly. 'I promise I won't say anything-'

'You better not,' Yasmin said, frowning. 'I'm surprised you aren't more shocked, to be honest.'

'Why?'

'Well… I mean, Tredecim isn't a woman or a man, and we were kissing each other.'

Tegan stared at Yasmin, and then at Tredecim.

'That's an option?'

'Er… yeah,' said Tredecim, a little startled. 'It is.'

'Wow…' Tegan said, blinking quickly. 'That's… wow. I never even realised…'

'Er, Tegan?'

'Yes?' Tegan said, swallowing quickly. 'Sorry. Got distracted. That's all good; no worries. Not an issue at all. Pretty cool, actually.'

Yasmin exchanged a surprised look with Tredecim, before turning back to Tegan.

'You really mean that, don't you,' Yasmin said, slowly. 'You really think it's cool.'

Tegan nodded.

'I'm a kid from Cornwall,' she replied. 'I don't what sort of things happen at Camelot, but that sounds amazing. Shame we didn't have this idea back home, to be honest.'

'You probably have people back home like me,' Tredecim said. 'We're more common than you think.'

'Really?' Tegan exclaimed, not entirely sure why this was so interesting for her. 'Amazing!'

There was a brief silence.

'Thank you, Tegan,' Tredecim said, smiling as they shook Tegan by the hand. Tegan grinned.

CRASH

Tegan startled.

'That didn't sound good,' Tredecim said, grabbing their bag of tools from a table nearby. 'Yaz, with me?'

'Always,' Yasmin said, grabbing her own tools and following the blonde out of the tent. Tegan followed.

It was chaos that greeted them outside the tent. A pair of men had collided on horseback, and one of them had been thrown from their saddle. A large group of worried onlookers had crowded round, all whispering various suggestions, as well as a few people that were wondering what was going on. Tegan followed Yasmin and Tredecim into this fray.

'Make room, make room!' Yasmin exclaimed, as courtiers bustled around. She climbed down next to the man.

Tegan stared over Yasmin's head to where the patient was lying. He was still wearing his armour and seemed unable to even sit up.

'Tegan,' Tredecim said. 'I'm gonna grab the other physicians; you help Yaz here.'

The blonde hurried away. Tegan stumbled forwards and got to her knees on the other side of the man.

'We can't move him in case there's spinal damage,' Yasmin said, quietly so that only Tegan could hear her. 'We need to ascertain his condition before we try anything risky.'

'Sir?'

Tegan turned. Mister Benton had knelt down next to them.

'You know this man, Mister Benton?' she asked.

'Yes; his name is Mike Yates,' Benton said, grimly.

Tegan pulled the helmet off the man, taking care not to jostle him.

'Sir?' Benton said, shaking him on the arm. 'Sir? You with us?'

''m tired,' mumbled Mike Yates. 'Gonna go t'sleep…'

'No,' Tegan said, slapping him on the chest. 'You've got a potential concussion, you can't go to sleep.'

Behind her, Tegan could hear the sounds of approaching feet. Judging from the various arguing voices, Tredecim had brought all the various physicians of the court.

They all crowded round, taking notes of Yates's condition.

Yasmin smiled, patting Tegan on the arm.

Sighing, Tegan climbed to her feet and extracted herself from the cluster of people surrounding Yates. She stumbled a few feet away, and sat down on a bale of hay. A few moments later, she was joined by Benton.

'Is he gonna be okay?'

Benton nodded.

'The physicians say he'll be fine. I swear, he always seemed to get injured. You think he'd have a better sense of self-preservation.'

'This happens a lot?'

'All the time,' Benton continued. 'If someone is being injured, it will almost certainly be him.'

'And you have to look after him?'

'Well, Jo helps me out when she's not assisting Tribus,' -Benton gestured to the tall man with curly white hair who was wearing deep purple robes- 'He's my superior but you wouldn't know it most of the time.'

'I can believe that.'

Benton chuckled.

'It used to be easier to heal people, though,' he said, face turning more sombre. 'I… I think the magic of Camelot is starting to lose its vitality. Has been for a while.'

'It used to heal people?'

'Yes. Not just big wounds, either. When people caught flu, it would be gone within barely a day. Splinters would heal within hours. The very stones of the place seemed to resist the elements better than they would normally.'

Tegan mused on this. Back home, magic had been a factor in their lives, yes, but it had largely been relegated to the fae folk. It had never been something that humans dealt with. Certainly not of the scale Benton was describing. An entire citadel, infused with magic? It hardly seems believable. And yet it was. It had been, and now the magic was failing. Everyone could see it. The only reason Tegan hadn't noticed was because she was so new to the place. To her, wounds that took a good deal of time was the rule, not a sign of decay within the very fabric of the place itself.

The physicians were now helping Yates to his feet, having presumably assessed that he did not have any spinal damage.

'I best help them get him up to the infirmary,' he said. 'Thanks, Master Tegan.'

Smiling, Tegan watched Benton go. What a sweet old sort.

'You've acted commendably once again, Tegan.'

Tegan's heartbeat increased. Turning, she could see that Nyssa -wearing a lovely deep maroon dress- had come to stand beside her. As seemed to always be the case with Nyssa, a couple locks of her brown curly hair were sticking out from her hair-covering.

Given that, the last time they had met, the two of them had been only wearing underwear (and, for a few short seconds, even less), Tegan was surprised by how quickly she became flustered at seeing the woman stood before her.

'Nyssa!' Tegan squeaked, hurriedly climbing off the hay bale and hoping against hope that her hair didn't have any loose bits of the stuff in it. 'Er, hello! How are you?'

'Very well, thank you,' she replied, smiling prettily. 'Are you enjoying the tournament thus far?'

'Seems like an excuse for the knights to get drunk and muck about, to be honest.'

Nyssa giggled. It sounded like the sweetest of birdsong to Tegan's ears.

'I suppose they do get rather excited,' she replied. 'But it is nice to see everyone having fun.'

Tegan smiled, a little nervously.

'Guinevere didn't enquire about… last night, did she?'

Nyssa shook her head, the curls of her hair bouncing prettily. Tegan found herself unable to draw her eyes away.

'Not a word. I don't think she believed anything to be out of the ordinary.'

'That's good,' Tegan said, earnestly. 'I wouldn't want you to get into trouble over it.'

'Oh, you can get me into trouble as much as you like, Tegan.'

Tegan let out a spluttering, embarrassed laugh.

'Nyssa!'

'Oh, is that a euphemism?' asked Nyssa, with a tone that implied that she already knew the answer. 'What is it referring to?'

'Stop it!' Tegan exclaimed, face burning. 'You're a handmaiden, you can't say things like that!'

'I believe I already did,' Nyssa said, smiling. 'It may be that you are a bad influence on me, Tegan.'

The two both laughed.

'That's…' Tegan gasped, once she had gotten over her giggles. 'That's a very pretty dress, by the way.'

'Oh, thank you,' Nyssa said, smiling widely as her cheeks pinkened. 'Do you think so?'

To help Tegan see the dress better, she picked up the sides and held them out to the sides, twirling where she stood. The effect was rather marvellous. Like a flower being blown softly in the breeze. Or a sweet bird showing off its plumage. Regardless, Tegan found herself utterly enamoured.

'Absolutely gorgeous,' Tegan said, feeling rather flustered. 'You look wonderful. I mean, you're very pretty anyway but- that is-'

Nyssa chuckled, as Tegan spluttered into silence.

'Thank you, Tegan,' she said, sweetly. 'I'm glad you like it.'

'N-no problem.'

'I rather like your shirt,' Nyssa said, a little shyly. 'It suits you.'

'O-oh, this?' Tegan said, scoffing. 'You think?'

'Yes,' Nyssa said, her eyes slowly ascending up Tegan's biceps. 'Absolutely.'

Tegan blushed. She had grown up in a place where physical labour had been a fact of life, so she had never stopped to think much about the muscles that she had. At most, she had been glad that it would make her disguise as a boy more realistic; many people were still under the impression that women were unable to build muscles, after all.

But now, with Nyssa's eyes darting over her biceps, she couldn't help but be glad of all those times she had hauled buckets of milk up the hill towards the nearest village. If Nyssa liked it, then Tegan would happily start lifting the barrels of hay nearby them. Judging from the way Nyssa's eyes with glinting, she would be rather happy about that possibility too.

Tegan wetted her lips nervously, and began to open her mouth.

'Nyssa, would you perhaps like me to demonstrate-'

There was a stomach-churning roar.

Whirling round, Tegan saw a large creature emerge from behind the clouds above, before soaring down into the field.

It was… actually, Tegan wasn't sure what it was. But she generally of the opinion that giant, screaming creatures with lots of talons attempting to attack Camelot probably weren't the kindest of creatures.

And it was giant. At least three times the size of a large man, with huge muscled limbs. Each limb ended in a huge… paw? Foot? Well, whatever the terminology, each had far too many spiky talons for Tegan's taste. A huge thrashing tail followed the body of the creature, knocking over tents as its owner trampled through the field.

'A wyrm!'

Nyssa was staring at the creature with appalled horror, her mouth falling open.

'A what?'

'I've seen inscriptions of them in portfolios in my father's library back home; creatures created by dark magic,' the young woman gasped. 'We need to get everyone to safety, now! Good grief, These creatures shouldn't be normally allowed to get anywhere near Camelot, how did they-'

'Maybe we should figure that out after we get out of harm's way?' Tegan urged, grabbing Nyssa by the arm. 'C'mon!'

Nyssa nodded.

The two of them sprinted in the direction of the castle, only to be caught up in the crush of people storming towards the citadel gates. Tegan's ears were buffeted by the yells of the people surrounding. Her hand desperately closed around Nyssa's arm, holding the young woman as close as she could. Nyssa leaned in, so that Tegan could fully put her arm around her shoulder. However, in the whirl of screaming, worried bodies, Tegan lost her handhold on Nyssa's arm, and the young woman disappeared in the crush of bodies around them.

Panic rising in her heart, Tegan stumbled out of the crowd, just in time for a figure on horseback, dressed in full armour, to gallop past, towards the wyrm itself.

'Knights of Camelot, to me!'

Arthur, a spear clutched in his hand, charged forward.

There was a loud screech from the wrym, and -a few moments later- Arthur crashed to the ground with a horrifying crunch.

'Sire!'

Dynadan charged over, eyes wide with worry as he pulled his king up from the ground. The older man was woozy but conscious. He didn't seem to have lost any blood, but he was clearly winded and in no state to fight.

'Tegan!' Dynadan cried, sagging slightly with the weight of the armoured man hanging off him. 'Get the Queen to safety!'

Tegan nodded, darting around. Guinevere was stood a short while away, her eyes wide with worry.

'Your majesty!' Tegan yelled, running across to her. 'Please, we must get back inside the fortifications-'

'Nyssa!' Guinevere cried, pointing directly ahead of her, beyond where Tegan was stood.

Tegan's stomach turned to ice as her eyes followed to where the queen was pointing.

Nyssa was stood a good distance away, in the middle of the field, her arms splayed out to shield the two young children that were crouching behind her. Her hair-covering was being knocked about by the wind generated by the vast wings above her. The wyrm bared down on them, its eyes narrowed with malice and hatred. Talons raised, nostrils streaming with unearthly fire. Tegan's heart closed up, and her brain stuttered to a halt. No, no, no!

Without thinking, Tegan charged forward, feet pummelling the ground. Her heart whirled in her chest, and the blood pounded in her ears. She didn't know what she was doing, but she did know that she couldn't stand still while Nyssa was in harm's way. Running as fast as she could, Tegan passed a wooden container, which held a bunch of discarded weapons from the earlier tournament. Her hand closed around a sword pummel as she passed.

There was a clink as the sword and attached scabbard were pulled free of the container. Tegan had always assumed swords to be heavy, but this one felt surprisingly light, as if it wanted to be of help to her. Or maybe the adrenaline was pounding so much within her that she was presently unable to fully comprehend the weight of the weapon.

Still running, Tegan attached the scabbard to her belt. There was a strangely otherworldly glint as she pulled the sword from its scabbard, reflecting the light of the sun above and sending a rainbow of light around her. The wyrm was drawing in on Nyssa, but Tegan was faster and more determined. Fifty feet away, forty feet away, thirty, twenty, ten…

Nyssa closed her eyes, braced as the talons swung down-

Clang!

'Nyssa!'

The young woman opened her eyes.

Tegan was stood in front of her, a gleaming sword raised above her. The sword was what the talons had deflected off of. Tegan's arms were trembling with the effort of keeping the wrym back.

Tegan looked over her shoulder.

'Run!'

Nyssa pulled the two children to their feet, and the three of them ran, heading towards the castle. Nyssa, already nursing a stitch in her side, came to a gasping halt nearby the gates. The children hurried inside, but Nyssa instead turned, the words of worry from Guinevere barely audible to her. Nyssa's senses were still locked on Tegan, who was still stood back in the field, the sword desperately clanging off the talons of the wrym.

Alone.

'Nyssa, what are you-'

Nyssa ignored Guinevere, charging past the queen of Camelot back onto the field. Her feet hammered against the ground as she ran. Luckily, her dress was just flexible enough that this sort of exertion wasn't impossible.

Nyssa grabbed a shield off the ground, hooked her arm through it, and kept on running. Could she make it? She had to. She needed to. She couldn't live with herself if she couldn't. Thirty feet, twenty feet, fifteen, ten-

The wrym gave another high-pitched scream -somewhere between the hiss of a snake and the roar of a bullock- and swung one of its limbs. Right at Tegan, who suddenly felt very small and very, very foolish. Oh, well, at least Nyssa was safe.

Tegan flinched-

Clang!

The talons clanged off a shield.

'Are you alright?'

Nyssa was stood by Tegan's side, sweat beading on her brow as she kept the wryms talons at bay.

'W-what are you-'

'Saving your life, like you saved mine!'

Without thinking, they both grabbed each other's hand and barrelled back towards the castle. The wrym had been so shocked by the entrance of another combatant that it did not follow them for a few seconds. However, that brief pause was enough for another person to step onto the field.

'Lady Fay?' Tegan exclaimed, as herself and Nyssa charged past. 'What are you-'

Lady Fay was stood, hands raised above her.

'My duty, Master Tegan!' she exclaimed. 'Camelot is mine to protect, and I will do so!'

The wrym gave another terrible cry. The ground shook, sending Tegan and Nyssa falling onto the grass below them. Gasping, they turned where they lay, hands still clenched together, as they stared up at the stately woman, facing down the flying creature before her.

'Leave, foul creature of darkest magic!' declared Lady Fay. 'Begone! You- Shall- Not- Pass!'

There was a flash of light and the creature reared away, squawking as it soured away.

Somewhat dazed, Tegan and Nyssa helped each other to their feet. Lady Fay, with a steadiness to her walk that Tegan wouldn't have thought possible, made her way over to them both.

It was at this point that Dynadan emerged from the gates.

'Tegan…' Dynadan said, pulling his visor back to reveal a shocked expression. He pointed at the sword still hanging from Tegan's hand. 'Is that… Caliburn?'

'Er… it's a sword,' Tegan said, looking down at it. 'I didn't think; I just grabbed one…'

But Dynadan had turned, equally shocked, to Nyssa.

'Nyssa, what are you carrying?'

'Oh,' Nyssa said, holding up the shield. 'I picked it up off the ground. It was the nearest thing I could find.'

'Pridwen,' Dynadan said, softly. 'The shield of the king.'

'I'm sorry,' Nyssa exclaimed, eyes widening with shock. 'I didn't realise-'

'No, you misunderstand me,' Dynadan said, kindly. 'Caliburn and Pridwen have been absent for… well, quite a long time.'

'Well, they were clearly just missing in the stores somewhere,' Tegan said, snorting in irritation. 'Considered that me and Nyssa found them dotted around.'

'They weren't missing; like I said, they were absent,' Dynadan continued. 'The weapons found you.'

'They're just objects,' Tegan said, frowning. 'You act like they're alive.'

'They are,' Dynadan replied. 'They're magic.'

Tegan and Nyssa stared at him, and then looked down at the weapons in their hands.

'Oh,' Tegan said. 'Er… what sort of magic, exactly?'

'The greatest of magic,' Lady Fay said, softly. 'The weapons are part of the connection between the magic of the land and Camelot itself.'

Tegan and Nyssa turned to look at each other. Suddenly, the weapons felt a great deal heavier than they had done just a few moments before.

The rain poured down. It was as if the sunny, fancy-free atmosphere that had enveloped Camelot had well-and-truly gone. The weather clearly knew how to match the mood of the inhabitants of the castle the wind and rain was hammering against.

Tegan shivered. She wished that she could have brought a cloak with her, but there hadn't been time to go back to the quarters she had placed her meagre possessions in.

Dynadan had led Tegan and Nyssa up to the throne room of the palace. It seemed strangely… lonely. Possibly due to the fact that the massive round table in its centre didn't have a single person sat around it. Tegan could make out the names of knights that she had grown up hearing the exploits of; Galahad, Gawain…

Presumably, the knights were all being patched up in the infirmary several floors below. As the only knight not involved in the tournament, Dynadan was now the only one who was in any fit shape to stand.

The Cornish knight took a look around, and headed into a door just to the side of the two thrones, presumably heading to where Arthur and Guinevere were convening privately.

Deciding to take this temporary slice of silence as a cue, Tegan came to stand beside Nyssa, who gave her a small smile. Suddenly, the world didn't seem so dark. The princess of Traken was still carrying the shield in her arms.

'T-thank you,' Tegan said, softly. 'You saved my life.'

'You saved mine,' Nyssa replied. 'Again. I had to pay back the favour or else I'll be in your debt for all eternity, you see.'

'I'm in your debt, Nys. Truly, I am.'

Nyssa's cheeks flushed.

Dynadan walked back into the room, followed by Arthur and Guinevere, their courtly robes replaced with simple, hardy clothes covered with thick cloaks that hastened with brooches at their collarbones. Lady Fay followed a few moments later.

'As you can see, sire,' the Cornish knight said, gesturing to the objects still clutched in Tegan and Nyssa's hands. 'Caliburn and Pridwen.'

Arthur and Guinevere stared at the weapons.

'You mean…' Guinevere said, slowly.

'Yes,' Dynadan answered. 'They have indeed returned.'

'By my father's bones,' Arthur whispered. 'I did not expect this day to come…'

'Er…' Tegan said, speaking up. 'Listen, I'm none too sure what's going on, but Dynadan said these weapons are magic?'

'Lad, these weapons are more than just magic,' Arthur said, softly. 'How are you wielding Excalibur?'

'I thought it was called Caliburn!'

'The sword has many names,' Arthur said, waving a hand absentmindedly. 'It has been the sword in the stone, the sword of the lake, and many others. All of them completely different, and yet all of them true.'

'Great,' Tegan muttered, so that only Nyssa could hear her. 'And here I was, worried he was going to be vague about this...'

Arthur and Guinevere both seated themselves on their thrones. But they might as well have been reclining on simple chairs, because they sat with exhaustion and shock, the events of the day seeming to crash over them.

Arthur sighed, resting his hand in one hand, as he leant on the arm of his throne.

Tegan was suddenly aware of the age of the man. He certainly wasn't the young man that had ushered in the so-called Arthurian Golden Age several decades before. The Arthur before her was… old, tired and with a lot of his fire extinguished.

Now that she came to think of it, Tegan couldn't see much point in kings. Back home, King Mark seemed to do little except eat and drink more than he should. And there had been that whole business with his new wife running off with Mark's own nephew. Good grief, a lot of people had died over that; all because one old man said that a war had to be fought over his marriage disintegrating.

Nah, kings definitely weren't all they were cracked up to be. But so many didn't seem to realise this. Tegan herself hadn't really thought much about it before but, now, she felt that she was seeing clearly for the first time. It was as if, when humanity had been created, someone had stuck a scroll inside everyone's head that simply read "kings: what a lovely idea". This scroll seemed to also increase humanity's tendency to bend at the knees. It was like an infection, Tegan thought. A very nasty infection that affected the very minds and souls of people.

Yes, Arthur seemed to be a good man who happened to be king. Yes, Guinevere seemed to be a good woman who happened to be queen. Tegan supposed you got weirdos in every strata of society, even the nobility. Although, at the very least, unlike some of the nobles Tegan had seen thus far, both Arthur and Guinevere seemed to have avoided a certain tendency amongst many of their class. Namely, the tendency to being at the back of the queue when the chins were being given out.

However, this didn't make the idea of the monarchy especially palatable, in Tegan's mind. Just because there may be a couple of good people at this particular point in time, that didn't mean that every monarch automatically was.

That was the sticking point for Tegan. You couldn't base the leadership of your society off the idea that someone was preordained to get better food and clothes than everyone else. That was how cults got started.

'The magic is draining fast,' Arthur said, face lined with worry. 'Those creatures would not have been able to get within ten leagues of Camelot normally. If we do not seek a solution, things will only get worse.'

'We need Merlin,' Lady Fay said, frowning anxiously. 'I cannot keep Camelot protected with my magic alone.'

'Indeed. Dynadan… Excalibur was attracted to your household,' Arthur said, now turning to the Cornish knight. 'I can think of no-one better than you to undertake such a perilous quest.'

'Are you sure, sire?'

Arthur nodded.

'You are no vainglorious buffoon; your wits and intelligence will be needed for this. Merlin is beyond human intelligence, and therefore whatever -or whoever- captured them will need to be countered by someone of intelligence. Not some egoist in shining armour.'

Dynadan stood still for a moment, before nodding.

'Also…' Arthur added. 'Take Master Tegan with you?'

Tegan's mouth dropped open.

'M-me?' she stammered. 'B-but I'm no knight!'

'Excalibur found you,' Arthur continued. 'The sword knows it is needed, and so it put itself where you would find it in an emergency.'

'I also think Nyssa should go with you both,' Guinevere added, and Tegan heard a shocked gasp from the young woman stood beside her. 'She grabbed Pridwen, after all. You cannot take the sword-barer without the shield-barer.'

'But… my lady-'

'I understand you are scared, Nyssa,' Guinevere said, her eyes kind and earnest. 'But you have shown great courage today. Not many people would charge back into the field of battle against a wrym, purely to save someone who had protected yourself from death just a few moments before.'

'I… I do not know what to say,' Nyssa said, quietly. 'But I hope I may prove some use to this endeavour, although I am not sure as to how.'

'Such things will be made apparent in time,' Dynadan said. 'The road will be difficult, and I cannot promise that we will all return unscathed. But… we must find Merlin, nonetheless.'

Tegan looked at Nyssa, and the young woman returned her gaze, a steely determination in her expression. It was strange that Tegan had never considered the option of declining to go but, well, Camelot was now her home. She may not have been there long -barely a couple of days- but she knew that the people here were good and kind. She could not let them down. And she knew that, if Nyssa was going, that she needed to be there too.

'Right,' Tegan said, glancing at Dynadan. 'When are we leaving?'

It was the next morning. Tegan had not slept well. She had only been in Camelot for a very short amount of time, and already she had been called upon to help save the place from ruin. It was a lot of responsibility. She climbed out of bed and flannelled herself using the jug of water left in her small room. She then dressed, packed her meagre belongings back into her pack, and set off through the citadel.

The place was very quiet, considering that the cockerel had barely gotten up yet either, and Tegan was strangely aware of how… empty Camelot seemed without its people.

Tegan let out a small sigh. He was going to miss-

She, Tegan thought, blinking quickly. She was going to miss this.

She joined Dynadan in the main courtyard. The knight had collected two horses for them from the stables; Tegan had been expecting a knight to prefer some sort of charger, the type of horse to inspire awe and envy. But Dynadan had instead picked two sturdy horses, both dark brown.

'We may be travelling through hostile territory, given that Merlin was last seen whilst travelling to the south-east of Britannia,' he said, sensing Tegan's questioning look. 'In circumstances such as those, it is best to be as unassuming in appearance as possible.'

'Good morning.'

Tegan and Dynadan turned. Guinevere and Arthur, as well as Lady Fay, had arrived. Nyssa stood to the side of Guinevere, wearing a simple dark blue dress under a long, brown cloak. The young woman gave a nervous smile, which Tegan returned.

As Dynadan began to converse with the three adults, Nyssa stepped forward and began to attach her belongings to the saddlebags of Tegan's horse.

'I take it that we are sharing a horse, so to speak?'

'I… I guess so,' Tegan said, slowly. 'I hope you will not mind.'

Nyssa turned, smiling a knowing smile at the moment.

'Considering what we were getting up to last night in the baths,' she said, giggling. 'I do not think you need to worry about increased intimacy between us.'

Tegan felt her cheeks burn.

'No,' she said, giggling too. 'I suppose not.'

'Are you ready to go?'

Tegan nodded.

'I was just getting used to being here, and now I'm leaving again.'

'I know the feeling,' Nyssa said, staring up at the walls of the citadel around them. 'It was already beginning to feel like home, and now… now it will not be home again for a while.'

'I'm sorry I dragged you into this.'

'No,' Nyssa replied, firmly. 'Never apologise for this, Tegan; you saved my life. I consider this but a small part of my gratitude to you.'

'Well, you saved my life too,' Tegan said, cheeks pinkening. 'So I suppose that makes us even.'

The two of them smiled at each other.

'Take this.'

Lady Fay passed Dynadan a bag.

'It will come in handy, if you find yourselves in danger that you cannot run from,' she said. 'And I do worry that such circumstances may come to pass, sooner rather than later.'

'Thank you, Lady Fay,' Dynadan replied, attaching the bag to his belt. 'We will take heart from your wisdom.'

The knight gave a quick bow, and Lady Fay nodded.

'No knights could ever find Merlin,' Arthur said, softly. 'What good is the order of the round table when we cannot find one of our closest friends.'

'We will find Merlin, my lord,' Nyssa replied. 'And return to Camelot as soon as we can.'

Arthur smiled, kneeling before Nyssa and Tegan.

'Thank you, child; I pray to all that is good and true that you return.'

Tegan nodded, feeling rather awed. To disguise her shock, she climbed onto her horse and settled down onto the saddle. Nyssa followed her, climbing onto the back of the horse, and looped her arms around Tegan's waist.

'Ready, Tegan?'

Tegan smiled.

'With you here? Absolutely.'

With one final wave to Arthur, Guinevere and Lady Fay, Dynadan climbed onto his own horse and set off through the gates. Tegan swallowed nervously, but took heart from Nyssa's warmth around her.

Gently guiding the horse forward, Tegan and Nyssa trotted out of the gate, leaving Camelot for the world beyond.