“So, now what?” Belle asked.

It was later that same 日 and they were sitting up in their leaky tower, although it had now stopped raining, for the foreseeable future. Archimedes had retreated to his house in a huff after Belle had dried him off, but she knew it wouldn’t last long. Now she poured her uncle a cup of 茶 and one for herself.

“The boy needs to learn about survival instincts,” Merlin replied, smacking his lips as he took a sip of tea.

“Hasn’t he been through enough today?” Belle smiled. “I’m just glad Archimedes was there to rescue him.”

“I did nothing of...

“Best room in the house!” Merlin repeated, in a very, very disgruntled tone, as he placed pot after pot beneath leak after leak. He was in one of his grumpy moods again, only this time, Belle couldn’t blame him. They were running out of pots to catch all the water in. “Guest room! Unwelcomed guest room! But if he thinks he can get rid of us, I’ve got news for that old walrus! We’re sticking it out!”

“And I say we go back to the woods!” snapped an equally disgruntled Archimedes from his house.

Belle was busy mopping the floor where a leaky patch had spread until Merlin had put...

“Now, boy,” 说 Merlin, addressing Arthur. “You can’t get 由 without a decent education, 你 know.”

“Oh, I suppose not sir,” stammered Arthur, trying to examine the sugarbowl, which indignantly whacked at his fingers with a teaspoon. “I mean, Merlin.”

“Sugar!” Belle reprimanded the bowl, which hopped away in a huff.

“So, I am going to be your tutor,” Merlin explained, opening one of his books.

“But I’ve got to get back to the castle,” Arthur said, quickly taking another 饼干 for the road and getting to his feet. “They’ll want me in the kitchens.”

“Oh,...

Belle stood, wrapped up in her cloak, watching as the two horsemen charged one another. It had snowed quite heavily the night before and even though it had stopped, the place was still quite cold.

She was standing with Arthur, Kay, Ector and Pellinore, closer to the former and further away from the latter. The three of them were staring transfixed at the joust, and Belle was grateful that, for once, Kay’s attention was on something other than her.

Looking around the square as the knights charged at one another, Belle sought out another familiar face. The man who held authority over the joust,...