The day after the feast, the Queen and her escort made their way to the valley of the River Dun, which flows through the woods in the south-east of Salisbury, before joining with the River Test that forms the border of Salisbury and Wessex. Many of the villages there had been raided by King Cerdic's Saxons, before they retreated back into Wessex upon the arrival of the Knights of the Round Table. Everyone pitched in to help rebuild the damage, and the peasants were very grateful - a monarch who personally cared about everyone's well-being was a new thing! However, as a result of the hard work, the expedition was quite leaving for Du Plain Castle. Sir Balthazar decided that they would travel through the night to reach their accommodation. It was a beautiful clear night: the night before May Day, when bonfires were lit across the countryside in an echo of the old pagan Calan Mai celebrations.
Suddenly, Sir Taedi called for a halt. There were too many bonfires that night, and one was very close indeed! Realization struck - the Saxons had stolen a march, using the bonfires to cover their own invasion, Du Plain Castle was burning! Sir Donna immediately galloped west with all haste to alert Earl Robert at Sarum, while Svenhildr sent her familiar Hermes flying west to Vagon Castle to alert the garrison there. Her husband, Sir Helbur, Marshal of Salisbury, was not there to lead the defense -but their young children were there! Meanwhile, Sir Balthazar gave orders that the wagons of supplies should be burnt. They would only slow the group down, and he did not intend to leave them for the Saxons to salvage. They then hastened west to Elspeth's home at Broughton. The group organised boats, so they could flee upstream on the Wallop Brook. Meanwhile, Elspeth gathered the people of Broughton, and warned them to gather what they needed and then flee west immediately, before the Saxons arrived. The Queen, her retinue, the knights, ladies, and Elspeth's family boarded the boats and set off quietly. The first flames began to engulf Broughton as they punted away quietly in the moonlight.
Come morning, the group were exhausted from a night of little or no sleep, and hungry. Sir Zebediah was depressed, thinking of how his people might well be dead, while Svenhildr hoped that her children had escaped to safety before the Saxons reached Vagon Castle. The group moored their boats near Upper Wallop, where the stream became too shallow. They set off for the village in search of food and information, but found it in ruins - the Saxon had reached it first. Hugh found a tall tree and climbed up it. There was a lot of smoke on the horizon to the south-west, in the direction of Sarum. The group tightened their belts and decided to head to the north, to the Harewood. They traveled slowly, for they had been forced to leave their horses behind at Broughton before they boarded the boats. Some of the knights ranged out and foraged for a bit of food, which was better than nothing, but only just.
Later that day, as they reached the outskirts of the Harewood, the group saw riders on a hilltop. Believing them to be knights, Elspeth hailed them down. However, she was mistaken. They were knights, and they were looking for the Queen - but they were the Saxon knights led by Prince Cynric! The group were dead if the riders caught them in the open. They fled for the cover of the trees, and barely reached them before the riders! Once in the forest, however, the Saxon knights were forced to travel more slowly. Guinevere and her protectors pressed on, barely ahead of their pursuit. Finally, they managed to lose them at a stream, where Sir Xavier volunteered to leave the group, to lead the Saxons in the wrong direction. He was extremely lucky to escape Prince Cynric, and managed to circle around and find the group again that evening. However, the ruse was not completely successful -it bought them some time, but Prince Cynric was soon on their trail once more.
The next day, the beleaguered group reached the road running between Salisbury and Leucomagus. They heard the sound of horses from the north-east and sought cover, while Elspeth and Svenhildr greeted the travellers. The riders were Sir Blaines, the Steward of Leucomagus, and some of his knights. Sir Blaines was in a deep despair, for another force of Saxons had sacked Leucomagus, and he had barely managed to escape. The invasion was much worse than expected. In his despair, Sir Blaines contemplated slaying the two women, and riding to Sarum to kill his enemy, Earl Robert. At that moment, the Queen emerged from the woods and managed to convince him not to kill the two women. Sir Blaines and his knights apologized, and in penance they decided to give their horses to the group and stay behind to cover their retreat with their lives. Sir Taedi weighed up matters and decided also to stay behind, despite the certain knowledge that he would die. Sir Xavier gave Sir Blaines the sword that he had sharpened upon the Whetstone of Tudwal Tudclud years ago. He had been saving it, for it would kill the next person it wounded. Sir Xavier Then the group departed, leaving the brave knights behind them. Hugh screamed when he realised what was happening. He spoke one last time to Sir Taedi, who gave him the shield that he had been given by King Arthur years ago. Hugh couldn't believe what was happening, and had to be dragged away screaming. As they left, they could hear the sound of fighting behind them...
The group, battered in spirit, made their way north. The roads were clogged with refugees, and the Saxon advance was barely a day behind them, but there were no further signs of pursuit. The Saxons were everywhere. It appeared that all the Saxon kingdoms had struck simultaneously, in a carefully orchestrated attack. Word was that London had surrendered, and that Silchester was besieged, or had already fallen. No one knew where King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were. The Queen and her escort disguised themselves as refugees, intending to make their way to safety in Carlion. They took the road to Mildenhall, and then north to Wandborough, and from there into the Campecorentin Forest. In the forest, two young warriors emerged from the trees. They introduced themselves as Cador and Magnus, the sons of Sir Cadfael of Salisbury! They had been expecting the Queen, and asked them to accompany them to Fairwind Castle!
It was a long time since anyone had heard from Fairwind Castle, once known as Illwind Castle, though they had all heard the stories of it from the previous generation. There were many familiar faces living there as well - Bronwyn, Eilmer the monk, Merionwydd the bard, the adventurer Gwyddno Garanhir, the former abbesses Asher and Esther of Amesbury, and more. Fairwind Castle had become a community of scholars and academics. One of those scholars had seen the Queen's arrival in a dream - Ambrose, who had once been known as the wizard Merlin! He had lost his magic after helping Arthur claim the throne, and so had trained Nimue as his replacement before faking his death with her assistance and retiring. Now, however, he had a final prophecy of doom. This was the pivotal moment when Arthur would either save Britain, or the Saxons would overrun the land once and for all. He did not know the outcome, but he did know that Arthur fought King Aelle's armies, not knowing that Cerdic's forces had invaded through Salisbury to surround and destroy him. If Arthur was to be victorious, someone had to warn him - and it would be up to Guinevere.
The group immediately made preparations to leave - except for Svenhildr. Her faith in Merlin had been broken years ago, when she had seen the deaths of the May Babies in a magical vision. Now she confronted him with it. What was the truth? Had he arranged the death of children to help Arthur? Ambrose wearily admitted what he had been hiding. He had taken the blame for the May Babies incident to protect the true culprit - King Arthur himself. Horrified, Svenhildr stormed away.
The noncombatants stayed behind at Fairwind Castle, while some of the residents, like Cador, Magnus, and Gwyddno joined the group. They left the forest the next day, only to discover that they were too late - Wandsborough had fallen already! Also, Prince Cynric had survived, and a new force of Saxon warriors was pursuing them. The Cymric party retreated to a defensive position, a steep hill. There, Guinevere asked for her saddlebags and a spear. If the fate of Britain depended upon Arthur not being surrounded, she would distract the Saxons, with her life, if need be. She planted her royal banner upon the summit of the hill. If anyone wished to escape, there was time before the Saxons began to climb the hill. No one responded. The Saxons, in overwhelming numbers, had begun to muster at the base of the hill. The warriors readied their weapons and prepared to sell their lives dearly on Badon Hill...
