Chapter 4 - A Big Suprise

The moon shone down on the now desolate kingdom of Camelot, the only movement was the occasional shopkeepers packing up the items from their stalls and carrying them away from the market place. All of the knights had retired to their quarters but two figures disturbed the desolate scene. The two eerie figures tramped across the plains leading up to the gate of Camelot Castle, carefully picking their way around sharp rocks or stray fruit that had rolled away from the marketplace. One was a snow white fox whose heavy armor clanked together as he strode down the path, his red-tipped tail slowly brushing the dusty ground, dragging along in the dirt. The other, a hedgehog who’s jet-black fur seemed to shadow the fox’s. She had aqua tipped quills that sparkled in the moonlight, her armor shimmering as she walked down the path. The two looked worn out and tired but they kept up their pace. Their armor was dusty and had various scratches raked across them and their swords looked blunt through their scabbards. The hedgehog raised her head and tilted her helmet away from her eyes to stare clearly at the full moon. She let out a sigh and the fox placed a hand on her shoulder before smiling.

“Dinidan, I don’t know, what if he gets angry?” The hedgehog asked, a worried expression crawling across her face.

Dinidan pushed his helmet above his eyes as the hedgehog had done before replying.

“Olwen, you needn’t worry, the king will be very pleased that were back, and so will your father.” Dinidan smiled wider and Olwen returned the smile. She pulled him into a warm hug of thanks, a small blush crept across Dinidan’s face.

“Thank you Dinidan, your right.” Olwen looked up and stared towards Camelot castle. She took a deep breath before walking towards the huge drawbridge. Dinidan followed closely and he tapped the door lightly.

The guard behind the door was lightly dozing and jumped at the sudden noise, scratching his head before realising what he was supposed to be doing. He let out a yawn and hoping no one had realised that he’d absent-mindedly dozed off, cranked a lever so there was a tilt in the drawbridge. He peeked out to eye Dinidan and Olwen.

“Who goes there?” The guard asked, squinting his eyes as he adjusted to the darkness.

“It is us, Sir Dinidan and Dame Olwen.” Dinidan called across the small river that run around the castle. The guard’s eyes widened.

“Sir Dinidan! Dame Olwen! You have returned!” The guard cried as he quickly ran back to the lever and turned it so the drawbridge was spread fully across the river allowing Olwen and Dinidan to cross into the kingdom safely.

The fox and the hedgehog nodded thanks to the guard who bowed as the walked past him and made their way to the kingdom. Olwen took a deep breath as she stared towards the huge castle door. Dinidan took her hand softly and smiled.

“Are you ready?” He asked quietly. Olwen nodded and they carefully knocked on the huge wooden door. Lights flashed on from the various windows of the castle as various knights and servants light candles to come and see what the commotion was about. A few knights wandered downstairs, these including Lancelot, Safir, Elaine, Galahad, Galehaut, Cador who was a close friend of Galehaut’s and of course King Sonic but they were surrounded by a number of other knights and people of the kingdom. Sonic cocked his head slightly before wading through the small crowd over to the door.

“Who goes there?” The king called out, his voice vividly echoing through the huge halls of the castle.

“Sir Dinidan and Dame Olwen.” A muffled voice called from the other side of the door. Lancelot and Galahad’s eyes widened and Elaine let out a small shriek, tears rolled down her face at the sound of the names. Safir stared strangely at her. What was so important about these two knights? Cador crept closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Olwen is very important to your family, Safir.” He explained. Safir’s expression was still confused but Sonic had wasted no time in opening the huge door. Standing outside were the fox and hedgehog. Safir stared strangely at the hedgehog, she looked almost like herself and her brother. Elaine let out another shriek and ran towards the hedgehog, throwing her arms around her and rubbing the back of her head lightly, tears still rolling down her cheeks. Tears welled up in the hedgehog’s eyes as well as she hugged Elaine back. Lancelot trailed over to her and touched her cheek lightly.

“Welcome back.” He smiled, a stray tear burning down his face. Galahad also ran up to her and threw his arms around her.

“I missed you so much!” He smiled widely.

“That’s Dame Olwen, Lancelot and Elaine’s daughter.” Cador finally finished explaining. Safir’s eyes almost popped out of her head.

“Daughter?” She echoed in confusion but before Cador had time to explain, Galahad called her over to meet the hedgehog. The two hedgehog’s approached each other, their quills swaying in almost identical movement as they strayed over to each other. As they stood face to face they both bowed in greeting.

“Greetings Safir, my father has told me so much about you, It’s an honor to finally meet you!” Olwen said in a serious tone but everyone could see she was about ready to burst with happiness.

“The pleasure is all mine although I never thought the day would come where I would meet my brother’s offspring, I never expected him to have children, especially not two!” Safir replied back, also with a serious tone but she could feel happiness welling inside of her. The two hedgehogs then each stepped back, Olwen to stand with Lancelot and Safir stood with Sonic. The king clapped his hands together for attention.

“This calls for a celebratory feast!” The king grinned, regardless of how late it was. He pointed to a few servants who quickly scurried off to the kitchen whilst Sonic led all of the knights into the dining room. They sat there chatting, beautiful music was also being played from a harp by the king’s bard, Taliesin. The gray vampire bat grinned a toothy grin whilst reciting beautiful poetry, the harp being strummed many times as beautiful music echoed around the dining hall. On the other side of Taliesin hovered Dagonet, the court jester. The small bee giggled cheerfully as he juggled balls or balanced various items on his head. Before long, servants came pouring in carrying plates and plates of wonderful food, placing them carefully on the table as everyone dug into the banquet.

Galahad and Olwen were laughing hysterically as they told each other jokes and Lancelot was rubbing Elaine’s shoulder in comfort as tears were still streaming out of her eyes. Sonic noticed Safir staring at them all and turned towards her.

“Olwen and Dinidan, that’s her fox friend, were sent on a mission around six months ago. They were only supposed to be gone for a week but something must have happened. We didn’t think they’d be coming back, that’s why Elaine’s crying so much.” Sonic explained to Safir.

“Do you know what happened to them?” She asked.

“No but there’s no point in asking at the moment, we’ll ask tomorrow when they’ve had time to readjust to their atmosphere.” Sonic replied. Safir nodded and turned towards her dinner plate, her mouth hung open as she began eating the mouth-watering food.



Safir stretched as she jumped out of her bed and opened the window to reveal the morning sunshine. She breathed in the fresh air and sighed.

“It’s been ages since I’ve slept so well!” She smiled to herself. Suddenly, the door burst open and Olwen was standing there in her full armor.

“Hi!” She smiled. “I’m going to see Ywain and Breunor about getting my sword sharpened, you wanna come?” She asked excitedly. Safir blinked.

“Ywain and Breunor?” She mimicked. The name Ywain sounded familiar.

“Yeah, the local blacksmiths!” Olwen replied cheerfully. Safir nodded.

“Just let me get dressed, I’ll bring my sword along too.” She smiled. Olwen nodded and shut the door.

”I’ll meet you by the castle gate!” She shouted before scurrying off.

Safir quickly put her armor on and ran downstairs. Olwen was waiting by the door with Dinidan standing next to her.

“Hi there!” Safir smiled at Olwen and then Dinidan.

“Hi, you must be Safir, Olwen’s aunt.” Dinidan said kindly. “We didn’t quite get to meet each other properly last night. My names Sir Dinidan.” Dinidan extended a hand towards Safir who gratefully shook it.

“Hi Dinidan, nice to meet you!” Safir smiled back. She wasn’t quite sure that calling her Olwen’s aunt was a good thing, Olwen looked older than her in fact! So far, she considered Olwen more as a friend than family since she had just met her. She shook off the comment and opened the door.

“Dinidan’s coming too, I hope that’s ok.” Olwen explained.

“Of course! Any friend of yours is a friend of mine!” Safir replied, a smile sweeping across her face. The three bounded off down the path and came across King Sonic walking across the drawbridge with Caliburn bouncing beside him.

“Morning guys, where are you three off in such a hurry?” Sonic grinned, placing a finger under his nose and rubbing it vigorously as he grinned at the three knights.

“Were off to see Ywain and Breunor to get our swords sharpened.” Olwen replied heartily. The king nodded.

“Well, say hi to Ywain for me, will ya?” He asked. Sonic and Ywain were inseparable friends but Sonic found it hard to visit the blacksmith because of his duties as king. The three nodded before heading off.

It didn’t take them long to reach the smithy, as they walked in they were greeted by an amazing blast of heat and saw two young animals in blacksmith outfits. One was a bright orange raccoon whose fluffy tail swayed back and forth as she worked endlessly in the boiling atmosphere. The second was a brown otter who was also working hard with the orange raccoon. The raccoon raised her hand to mop her brow when she caught a glimpse of the three figures. Her eyes widened as did the otter’s once he had seen them.

“Dame Olwen, Sir Dinidan, is that really you?” The raccoon asked through a gaped mouth.

“Lyonesse and Gareth! It’s good to see you again!” Dinidan said as he walked towards the raccoon and the otter. The otter then spotted Safir.

“Who’s that? A new knight?” He asked.

“Gareth, this is Lancelot’s sister and my aunt, Dame Safir!” Olwen explained.

“Ah, I’ve heard a bit about you, Ywain knew you didn’t he?” Gareth asked.

“That’s right, he’s good friends with King Sonic.” Safir nodded, her memory lodging as she remembered who Ywain was. Just at that moment, the yellow twin-tailed blacksmith walked into the room, his goggles carefully placed over his eyes and his gloves and apron were covered in coal. He removed his gloves and placed them under his left arm whilst he rubbed his hands together.

“You two alright?” He asked the two apprentices before he had a chance to look up but when he did, he got a surprise.

“Olwen, Dinidan and Safir, your all back!” He gleamed, his eyes filled with happiness. The three smiled at him. Just at that moment, a second figure entered the room, this one was a black fox that looked almost identical to Ywain except he was taller and had three tails instead of two.

“I don’t think you’ve met my cousin have you Safir? This is Breunor, the second blacksmith and Gareth’s mentor.” Ywain pointed out. Safir nodded politely to the new blacksmith. “Lyonesse is now my mentor.” Ywain continued as he ruffled the hair of his young apprentice who giggled cheekily.

“So what brings you here?” Breunor asked as he sat down on a chair looking very tired out and sweaty because of the heat in the room.

“We’ve come to have our swords sharpened.” Olwen said as she extended her sword to Ywain. Ywain looked at it but then pushed it away.

“I think I should let Lyonesse try and sharpen a sword for her blacksmith test that is coming up soon. How do you feel about letting Gareth sharpen a sword as well?” Ywain asked as he turned towards Breunor. Breunor only nodded and the two gleeful apprentices grabbed all three swords from the knights and ran into the next room. The sound of a heavy machine was heard and metal against stone as the apprentices turned the huge stone wheel to sharpen the swords.

Ywain gestured for the three to sit down on the sofa whilst he got up and walked over to a small kitchen in the corner of the room.

“Anyone want a drink?” He asked as he reached the cupboard for some glasses, having to stand on his tiptoes because of his short height. Olwen and Safir nodded but Dinidan said that he wasn’t thirsty. Ywain took six glasses and filled them with water and then gave two to Olwen and Safir, one to Breunor, one for himself that he left on the arm of the chair he was sitting on and he left two on a tray on the worktop for when the two apprentices had finished. Safir gratefully took a sip as did her companions and they began talking again.

“So where were you three then?” Ywain asked curiously.

“It’s a long story.” Safir sighed as she explained fully what had happened to her. Around twenty minutes later, Safir had finished.

“What about you two?” Ywain asked as he turned towards Olwen and Dinidan. The two knights eyed each other warily but luckily, Lyonesse and Gareth walked into the room at that moment, grins spread across each of their faces as they carried the three sharpened swords towards the three knights.

“Great job guys, you’ve really improved since I last saw you!” Olwen grinned causing both apprentices to blush. Breunor and Ywain raised from their seats and came over to inspect the swords.

“Hmmm, yes, very well done indeed!” Breunor smiled.

“I think you two will pass the blacksmiths test easily next week!” Ywain grinned. Both apprentices happily squealed and hugged each other. Everyone laughed happily before Olwen, Safir and Dinidan got up to leave.

“Thanks Ywain. Breunor, it was nice meeting you.” Safir said as the three walked out of the smithy.

“Come back soon!” Lyonesse waved.


The three knights had decided to take the long way back to the castle and go through the woods around the castle instead. Safir eyed Olwen and Dinidan.

“Hey, what actually happened to you guys anyway?” Safir asked curiously. The two looked at each other and Olwen sighed, bowing her head.

“I guess we’ll have to tell them sometime.” She said. Dinidan nodded.

“Basically, we got captured by Underworld Knights and got locked up and taken across the sea. It was like being in prison. After ages at sea, the boat we were on sunk and we were left to float in the cage that we couldn’t get out of for days without food and drink. We were close to death until a small fishing boat picked us up and took us to a blacksmith who unlocked the cage. The person who rescued us was very kind, she was an old goat called Ariados.” Dinidan started. Safir’s ears flicked.

“Did you say Ariados? That’s the name of my sword!” Safir touched her scabbard as she said these words.

“That’s interesting, I’ve never heard of a sword name being used for a person’s name.” Dinidan pointed out.

“So basically, we stayed with Ariados for a while until we were fed and hydrated and then we set out on a long journey back to Camelot.” Olwen finished. Safir’s ears pressed back against her head.

“I’m sorry I asked, it must have been hard for you to go through all that.” She sighed.

“Don’t worry, we would have had to tell someone anyway.” Olwen stifled a smile. The three carried on back to Camelot castle when they saw two familiar figures in an opening in the trees. It was none other than Lancelot and Galahad training. Safir shook her head and smiled. In the short amount of time she had known Galahad, she had noticed that he constantly trained with Lancelot or Galehaut.

“Greetings father, Galahad!” Olwen ran up and hugged both in turn. Safir smiled at both and went to greet them whilst Dinidan just nodded in greetings.

“What are you doing?” Safir asked although she already knew what the answer would be.

“Training.” Galahad replied shortly whilst slashing his sword across the air.

“He has very strange powers actually, telekinetic ones!” Lancelot said. Safir gasped as she hadn’t known this up until now. She turned towards Olwen but she guessed that she already knew since she didn’t look too supirsed. Galahad blushed beet red and stared towards his feet. Lancelot just nodded and playfully hit his son across the helmet.

“You three are going back to the castle aren’t you?” Lancelot asked, his hand on Galahad’s shoulder. The three knights nodded. “Ok, we’ll join you then.”

The now five knights started their way back through the forest to Camelot castle but as they got there, there was a loud commotion coming from the marketplace. They all stared at each other worriedly before running over to see what was going on, pushing townspeople out of the way as they ran past. In the centre of the circle stood Gawain. The hot-headed red echidna stood face to face with a female black fox who was looming over a peach cat, protecting her from Gawain’s rift. Both Gawain and the fox had their eyes slanted and they looked as if they were about to lunge at each other in a level-headed sword clash. Just as they had expected, Gawain drew both his swords from their scabbards and threw himself towards the black fox. Undefended, the fox merely dissolved into the shadows just as Gawain threw himself into her. He stood there and blinked hard before looking around. Suddenly, the black fox became visible again and kicked Gawain in the back of his head. Gawain growled and slashed at the fox, ripping the sleeve of her cloak. The fox slanted her eyes before disappearing in the shadows again. Gawain scooted around restlessly, waiting for the fox to pop up again. She shot down from the sky and pelted straight into Gawain’s head, causing him to fall face first in the dirt. Gawain grew awfully angry and threw both his swords as the fox. One slashed her ear whilst the other just missed her tail. The fox growled steadily and started to run towards Gawain. Gawain lunged towards her as well and the two were just about to clash together.
“Stop!” a voice called. Both the fox and Gawain stopped in their tracks, a few centimeters away from each other, Gawain’s swords held a few inches away from the fox’s neck and the fox’s hands were clenched in tight fists, a bit away from Gawain’s exposed face. The two looked up as did the townspeople and the rest of the knights to see Sonic looming over the crowd, an angry scowl spread across his face as he stared at the ravaging expressions of Gawain and the fox and the mess all over the floor from the nearby stalls. The peach cat looked up at the king with fear in her eyes, blood trickled down her face and dripped onto the dusty floor, she had obviously been wounded by someone. Safir closed her eyes, hoping it wasn’t Gawain who had injured the cat and had started this battle. As she looked back up, Sonic was picking his way through the crowd to stand face to face with the cat and the fox. He twitched his ears and sighed.

“Who are you?” He asked slowly, his green eyes burning into theirs as the wind blew steadily, leaving the scene in silence.

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