Doctor Who_ Earthworld - Jacqueline Rayner [82]
Screaming their protests – mainly dwelling upon what they were going to do to Anji later – the triplets were dragged away.
‘Now, My Lady, we are alone. . . ’ began Lancelet.
‘No, we’re not!’ squeaked Anji. She pressed a button on her communicator.
‘Er, Marlin! Sir Fitz! You can come in now!’
‘Marlin is here?’ said Lancelet, sounding astonished. ‘I knew not that he was expected. And who is “Sir Fitz”?’
‘An old and dear friend of mine, and a very loyal knight,’ said the Doctor, striding into the room. He held out a hand. ‘Lancelet! Wonderful to see you.’
Lancelet held out his hand, looking confused. ‘Marlin. . . ?’
‘Yes, Lancelet, it’s me.’ He turned to Anji. ‘My lady Gwinnyveer,’ he said, bending low over her hand. For some reason, Anji felt herself blushing. ‘Now,’
said the Doctor, straightening up, ‘I understand you have the traitor Sir Mort here, Lancelet.’
‘We do?’ said Lancelet.
‘Oh yes,’ said Anji. ‘Tall, blond, pompous guy? Poncy green robes?’
‘Oh, indeed, I remember the knave,’ said Lancelet. Anji could almost have felt sorry for him, seeing the puzzled look on his face – but he wasn’t really feeling anything, she knew. No more than her toaster or her kettle or her percolator could feel anything. ‘We locked him up some hours since. I had not an idea in the world that he was the dastardly Mort!’
‘The sorceresses’ spell confused you,’ said Anji, soothingly. ‘But you did the right thing in locking him up.’
‘He wasn’t the only person you locked up, though, was he?’ said the Doctor.
‘There was another – a young lad?’
‘Indeed,’ said Lancelet, ‘there was such a lad.’
‘Is he all right?’ cried Anji. ‘You didn’t kill him or anything?’
The knight shook his head, and Anji gave a sigh of relief. ‘No, My Lady. The sorceresses –’ he shuddered – ‘had ordered he and the other criminals –’ he gave Anji a puzzled look then, and she hastily flashed him an encouraging smile –
Nights at the Round Table
149
‘to be killed. But the boy was unarmed, and had fallen. It would not have been chivalrous to kill him thus. He was therefore placed in the dungeons.’
The Doctor nodded. ‘I see, I see. Well, the thing is, that young lad was. . .
was. . . ’
‘Was my squire,’ completed Fitz, jumping in. ‘My squire, young Xernic. Your locking him up was all part of that spell thing. So if you could just let him go. . . ’
‘Assuredly, good Sir Fitz,’ agreed Lancelet, nodding his head in a curt bow.
‘I will send a knight to release him this very instant.’ He went to the doorway and called out: ‘Beddyveer!’
The Doctor gave Fitz a hurried thumbs-up. ‘Good thinking, Fitz. And Anji. . .
well done.’
‘Yeah,’ Fitz said, grinning. ‘Looks like you did all right.’
And then Lancelet was back with them, and they had to talk of courtly subjects again.
The first thing Xernic did when he was led in was to rush over to Anji and hug her. ‘Thank you!’ he said. ‘Thank you so much!’
Anji automatically gave him a quick hug back, and then pushed him away as Lancelet was giving them a very suspicious look. ‘It is wonderful to see you too, Squire Xernic,’ she said, shooting him an apologetic look. ‘Your master, Sir Fitz, here –’ she indicated Fitz, in case Xernic had forgotten who he was – ‘has been most concerned. However, thanks to the magicks of the good Marlin –’ and here she pointed at the Doctor – ‘the enchantments of the three evil sisters Morgan, Leigh and Fay have been broken, and they and the traitorous Sir Mort –’ she raised her eyebrows, hoping he was getting all this – ‘have been locked in the dungeons by my most loyal knights.’
Xernic mouthed a silent ‘Oh!’ and raised his eyebrows in return. He seemed to be trying to tell her something – ask her something? Had she got a bit of mud on her face or something? Oh!
‘Yes, I, your Queen, Gwinnyveer, tell you these things.’
He smiled and nodded. ‘Thank you, Your Majesty.’
Anji turned to Lancelet. ‘Now, I must ask