King Allfire and the dragon knights of Camelhot were gathered around the Square Table, all looking rather drowsy after a fairly lengthy meeting.

'The final order of business, then,' said King Allfire. 'Chef Turnspit says he's been rushed off his feet recently, and he'll hand in his notice if things are allowed to go on as they are. He has therefore asked that we find room in the staff budget for a new kitchen boy. Your thoughts, gentlemen?'

'We can't lose Chef Turnspit,' said Sir Hotbreath. 'We'd never find anyone who cooks like he does.'

'Some might say, that wouldn't be such a bad thing,' muttered Sir Loungelot.

'We can't let him throw in the towel after all these years,' said Sir Burnevere. 'Let him have his kitchen boy.'

'Indeed, sir,' said Sir Galahot. 'It seems like a small but perfectly reasonable request.'

'All those in favour of hiring a new kitchen boy, then,' said King Allfire.

'Yay,' said everybody.

'The motion is passed,' said King Allfire. 'Cinder and Clinker!'

The sound of running footsteps filled the room, followed quickly by the arrival of Cinder and Clinker.

'Yes, Your Majesty?' said Clinker.

'Run down to the kitchen and tell Chef Turnspit that he can have his kitchen boy,' said King Allfire.

'Ooh, he will be pleased!' said Cinder. 'He's been complaining about how overworked he is for ages.'

'Yes, I know,' said King Allfire. 'He's been complaining to me too - that's why he's getting his kitchen boy. Tell him he can handle the interviews himself and hire whoever he wants, as long as they're happy to work for Camelhot's chartered minimum wage.'

'Where's the extra money coming from, sire?' asked Clinker.

'Ah, yes… well, as to that, you two wouldn't mind being good sports and taking a couple of sovereigns less each month, would you?' said King Allfire. 'I'll give you every third Sunday off in recompense.'

'Well… I suppose that's fair,' said Cinder, not sounding entirely certain.

'Yeah,' said Clinker, frowning heavily. 'It's not like we need that money for anything. Go ahead, sire - take the food out of our mouths.'

'There, I knew you'd understand,' King Allfire beamed. 'Well, run along to the kitchen, then.'

Cinder and Clinker left the room, grumbling to each other.

'Well, unless there's any other business, we'll bring this Square Table meeting to a close,' said King Allfire. 'Anyone? No? Right, then…'

'Actually, Your Majesty,' said Sir Blaze, 'I have some other business. At least, I've done something that I think you should all know about.'

'What have you done, Sir Blaze?' asked King Allfire.

'And whatever it is, do we really want to know?' said Sir Loungelot.

'I haven't done anything stupid!' Sir Blaze bristled. 'I mean, I don't think I have… I've invited someone to stay here at Camelhot.'

'To stay, Sir Blaze?' said King Allfire.

'Yes… just for a few days, or a couple of weeks perhaps - we'll have to see how it goes,' said Sir Blaze.

'Is this guest of yours a woman, Sir Blaze?' asked King Allfire. 'I know your mother would be thrilled if that were the case.'

'Well, it isn't,' said Sir Blaze. 'My guest is a man… well, a boy really. Not a child, though - a fine, strapping youth.'

Sir Blaze noticed that all the other dragons were staring at him with their mouths open. He frowned.

'It's my cousin!' he said. 'My young cousin, Charash.'

'Oh, your cousin,' said King Allfire, sounding quite relieved. 'That's all right, then. Well, Sir Blaze, you can rest assured that he will be made to feel most welcome here.'

'Just hang on a minute,' said Sir Burnevere. 'I remember hearing of this Charash character before. Isn't he the brother of that foul traitor Sir Agraflame?'

'Yes, he is,' said Sir Blaze. 'Well, what of it?'

'Don't you think it's a wee bit foolish to invite the brother of a known turncoat into our midst?' said Sir Burnevere.

'No, I don't!' said Sir Blaze. 'Charash is not his brother - he's not either of his brothers! Don't forget that Sir Gasflame was also brother to Charash, but Charash is not Sir Gasflame and he's not Sir Agraflame! In fact, I don't know who Charash is… not yet, anyway.'

'Yes, you do,' said Sir Hotbreath. 'He's your cousin.'

'I know what relation he is to me!' said Sir Blaze, sounding very annoyed now. 'I mean that I don't know who he is as a person, not having really met him properly before, but I'm going to find out who he is… I want to find out who he is… and I'm going to do it without any preconceptions!'

'I think Sir Burnevere is right,' said Sir Loungelot. 'Taking in the brother of a known traitor sounds like a very real and very unnecessary risk to me, Your Majesty.'

'Does it, Sir Loungelot?' said King Allfire. 'And what say the rest of you?'

'Well, I think we should wait until we meet him before we pass any kind of judgment on the boy,' said Sir Hotbreath. 'Maybe we'll all like him, or maybe we'll all hate him; maybe he'll fit in here like it's his second home, or maybe he'll be a complete fish out of water. Like Sir Blaze says, we'll just have to see how it goes.'

'All I'm saying is, if you welcome the serpent into your bed, don't be surprised if he bites your bottom while you sleep,' said Sir Burnevere.

'He's not the serpent,' said Sir Blaze, 'he's the serpent's much younger brother!'

'Also don't be surprised when the brother of the serpent turns out to be a serpent too,' said Sir Burnevere.

'For shame, sir!' said Sir Galahot. 'How can you sit there, Burnevere, and condemn the lad without knowing a solitary thing about him? Remember, Sir Agraflame told us that he's never really had anything to do with young Charash… and even if he had, to tar the boy with the same brush without even meeting him would be an atrocity, sir - an unmitigated atrocity!'

'You, Sir Galahot, were keen enough for the rest of us to condemn Sir Agraflame before we really knew anything about him,' said Sir Loungelot.

'Yes, because I knew from personal experience what he was really like!' said Sir Galahot. 'None of us knows young Charash, so none of us can possibly hold an informed opinion of him. Sir Blaze is right, sirs - we must welcome his young cousin, and see how his visit pans out.'

'As long as we all remember to watch out for stray axes in the middle of the night,' said Sir Loungelot.

'For goodness' sake, Loungey, you're just saying these things to be awkward!' said Sir Blaze.

Sir Loungelot folded his arms and stuck out his tongue, but said no more.

'Gentlemen, please,' said King Allfire, 'let's all try to conduct ourselves with decorum in the meeting. Sir Blaze has invited young Charash to Camelhot. Shall we welcome him into our midst and see how he settles in, or shall we turn him away without giving him a chance? Let's have a show of hands - who thinks we should welcome him?'

Sir Blaze, Sir Galahot and Sir Hotbreath immediately raised their hands. Sir Loungelot eyed them sulkily, and raised his too. Sir Burnevere then raised his.

'I didn't say we shouldn't give him a chance,' he said. 'I just said we should be careful, that's all.'

'We should always be careful, Sir Burnevere,' said King Allfire, 'and I'm sure we're all planning to be. The vote is unanimous, then - young Charash will be welcomed into Camelhot with open arms.'

'Goody,' Sir Blaze beamed. 'I'll prepare some quarters for him… ooh, I'll give his bedroom a fresh coat of paint!'

'Nothing too garish, Sir Blaze, hmm?' said King Allfire. 'You don't want to blind your cousin as soon as he arrives, do you? Or at all, really… Very well, then - this meeting is over. Thank you, gentlemen.'

'Ah - that's the best news I've heard all year!' said Chef Turnspit, throwing a handful of diced carrots into a saucepan. 'Dear me, there's so much to do around here! Do me a favour and turn down the heat under that beef broth, will you?'

'Certainly,' said Cinder, as Clinker carried out the instruction.

'King Allfire has no idea how difficult it is to run an efficient kitchen,' said Chef Turnspit. 'I'm very underpaid and very overworked!'

'So are we,' said Clinker.

'You're not underpaid, are you?' asked Chef Turnspit, sounding genuinely surprised.

'We are now,' said Clinker, 'thanks to King Allfire siphoning off a chunk of our wages to pay for your new kitchen boy.'

'Oh… look, I'm really sorry to hear that, fellas,' said Chef Turnspit. 'That wasn't what I wanted at all.'

'Don't worry about it,' said Clinker. 'It's not your fault.'

'Besides, we get every third Sunday off to make up for it,' said Cinder. 'Say what you like about King Allfire, he always tries to be fair to everyone, even his servants.'

'And so he should!' said Chef Turnspit. 'Where would he be without us? Where would any of them be, I should like to know! If we three decided to walk out on them right now, they would find their positions up there suddenly… uncomfortable.'

'Not to mention untenable,' said Clinker.

'You're not suggesting that we go on strike, are you, Chef?' Cinder asked uncertainly. 'I don't think that would be quite the ticket, to be honest with you.'

'No, I'm not suggesting a strike,' Chef Turnspit shrugged. 'Not now that I'm allowed to have my kitchen boy, anyway. I just hope that everyone upstairs appreciates what we do for them, that's all.'

'Don't worry,' Cinder said brightly, 'they do.'

'Well, some of them do,' said Clinker, 'maybe…'

'Ah, well,' Chef Turnspit sighed, ''twas ever thus, I suppose. Right, I need to leave these vegetables to simmer for twenty minutes. Could you hang around while I write up an advertisement for my new worker, and take it down to the post office for me? Tell them to stick it up in the window and charge it to Camelhot's account.'

'No can do, I'm afraid, Chef,' said Cinder. 'We were supposed to be up in Queen Griddle's parlour by now, helping her to make a new dress for Princess Flame.'

'Why don't you leave the advert here on the kitchen table?' suggested Clinker. 'We'll pick it up when we've finished being prodded with pins, and we'll make sure it gets down to the post office before they close this evening.'

'Good idea,' said Chef Turnspit. 'Thanks, fellas.'

Cinder and Clinker left the kitchen at a trot while Chef Turnspit ferreted out some writing materials. He wrote his advertisement, rolled up the parchment and left it on the kitchen table. He then left the kitchen, taking several dirty pots and pans with him into the scullery.

As soon as Chef Turnspit had gone, a basically dragon-like figure wormed its way out from under the kitchen table. Moving quickly but quietly, Count Geoffrey's Evil Spy went to where he had seen Chef Turnspit collect his writing materials. He picked up a blank piece of parchment, rolled it up, and exchanged it for the advertisement. Stuffing Chef Turnspit's carefully worded document into his dragon costume, the Evil Spy slunk through the kitchen door and slipped away.

'Heh-heh-heh!' Count Geoffrey chuckled, rereading the parchment in his hand one last time. 'Yes… yes, this is perfect!'

'What's perfect, oh dread Count Geoffrey?' asked Evil Knight Number One.

'An opportunity to infiltrate Camelhot and attack those blasted dragons at their weakest point - their stomachs!' Count Geoffrey declared. 'Evil Knights Numbers One, Two and Three… I have a plan!'

'Another one, oh mighty evil one?' said Evil Knight Number Three.

'Yes, another one!' said Count Geoffrey. 'The dragons are looking for a new kitchen boy… and I'm going to see that they get one!'

'You are?' said Evil Knight Number Two.

'Yes, I am… well, actually, you are!' said Count Geoffrey.

'Me?' said Evil Knight Number Two. 'Why me?'

'Because you're the right size to be a kitchen boy,' said Count Geoffrey, 'and that's what you're going to be!'

'But, um… I don't think the dragons will hire Evil Knight Number Two as their new kitchen boy, Count Geoffrey,' said Evil Knight Number Three.

'Not looking like he does now, perhaps,' said Count Geoffrey, 'but there are ways to deal with problems like that. Evil Knight Number One - find Merle and tell her that I need to speak to her about brewing a transformation spell. Evil Knight Number Three - fetch me my writing case so I can reply to this advert. And Evil Knight Number Two - make me a fruit salad.'

'A fruit salad, Count Geoffrey?' said Evil Knight Number Two.

'Are you hungry, oh evil lord of all you survey?' asked Evil Knight Number One.

'I'm hungry, all right - hungry for Camelhot!' said Count Geoffrey. 'And to make sure that I get to satisfy my hunger, I want to make sure that Evil Knight Number Two can make a decent fruit salad!'

'Sometimes your evil genius is far beyond our limited ability to comprehend, Count Geoffrey,' said Evil Knight Number Three.

'Well, naturally,' said Count Geoffrey. 'That's enough talk, now - get to work, all of you!'

'Yes, Count Geoffrey,' said Evil Knights Numbers One, Two and Three.

Cinder and Clinker peered over the battlements.

'He's certainly taking his time, isn't he?' said Clinker. 'We can't hang around here all day - we do have other things to do, you know.'

'Oh, I'm sure he'll be here soon,' Cinder said blithely, 'and we did promise Chef Turnspit that we'd… ah, look, there he is!'

They watched intently as a young male dragon came into view, striding towards Camelhot in a fairly jaunty manner.

'Are you sure that's him?' said Clinker.

'It has to be,' said Cinder. 'I mean, who else could it possibly be? Come on, let's go down and meet him.'

Cinder and Clinker descended to the entrance hall and lowered the drawbridge. The visitor had been on the point of pressing the entry bell, but when he saw Cinder and Clinker, he smiled and walked towards them.

'Hello,' he said, 'my name's Charash. I am expected, I believe.'

'Yes, you certainly are,' said Clinker. 'Come with us, please.'

Charash followed Cinder and Clinker along a corridor, through the Great Hall and into the kitchen, where Chef Turnspit was fussing over several steaming saucepans.

'Here he is, Chef,' Cinder said brightly.

'What?' said Chef Turnspit, whirling around. 'Ah, good, it's about time. Thanks, fellas - I'll take it from here.'

Cinder smiled, Clinker nodded, and they left the room. Charash had adopted an expression of deep confusion, but he smiled at Chef Turnspit nonetheless.

'Hello,' he said, 'I'm Charash, and…'

'It doesn't matter to me what your name is,' said Chef Turnspit. 'Not while there's work to be done, at any rate. In my kitchen, you will be addressed as "Boy" and I shall be addressed as "Chef". Do you understand, Boy?'

'But… look, I'm sorry, but I don't think you realise who…'

'Do you understand, Boy?'

'Yes, Chef,' said Charash.

'Good,' said Chef Turnspit. 'Now, the first thing I want you to do is fill ten salt cellars. You will then take them to the Great Hall and arrange them appropriately for tonight's meal. This task will require common sense, of course, so I hope you have some, Boy!'

'Well… I think I do,' said Charash, sounding utterly perplexed.

'You think you do, Chef!' Chef Turnspit barked.

'I think I do, Chef,' said Charash.

'Right,' said Chef Turnspit, 'then get to work!'

Charash managed to locate the salt cellars, then he started searching the cupboards for salt. He thought his quest had been successful, but Chef Turnspit let loose a strangled gasp and wrenched the brown sack he had located from his hand.

'No, no, no, Boy - that's Queen Griddle's laxative powder!' Chef Turnspit shouted. 'That is only to be used in very specific circumstances, and under royal command!'

'Oh, sorry, I didn't know,' said Charash. 'Look, I'm sorry if I'm speaking out of turn, but I do think you're being rather rude.'

'You do think I'm being rather rude, Chef!'

'Yes… I do think you're being rather rude, Chef.'

'This is how I run my kitchen,' said Chef Turnspit, 'and no one forced you to come here and work for me, did they?'

'Well,' said Charash, 'actually…'

'Here's the salt!' Chef Turnspit barked, dumping an identical brown sack onto the kitchen surface. 'Get to work, and let's not have any more of your lip!'

'Yes, Chef.'

In the cover of the woods just outside Camelhot, Count Geoffrey was in the process of handing two small bottles of liquid to Evil Knight Number Two.

'All right,' said Count Geoffrey, 'Merle says her Instant Dragon potion will last for about eight hours - that gives you until eight o'clock tonight. According to my Evil Spy, the dragons always have their dinner at a quarter to eight. Remember, you must be by the kitchen door at half-past seven to let us in, so that we can all witness the results of your… handiwork.'

'You mean so we can watch the dragons gorging themselves on the food I've poisoned?' said Evil Knight Number Two.

'Precisely,' said Count Geoffrey. 'Now, take these… and don't mix them up, you cretin - you're no use to me dead!'

'Gosh, Count Geoffrey,' said Evil Knight Number Two, 'I didn't know you cared.'

'The only thing I care about is getting those blasted dragons out of Camelhot,' said Count Geoffrey, 'and I don't think they're going to be in much of a state to stop me after they've all been poisoned - do you? Heh-heh-heh-heh!'

'Instant Dragon… Dragon Poison,' Evil Knight Number Two read off the bottles. 'Okay, Count Geoffrey - I know what I have to do.'

'Yes, well just make sure you don't let me down,' said Count Geoffrey. 'This time, failure is not an option.'

With that, Count Geoffrey slunk away into the woods. Evil Knight Number Two uncorked one of the bottles and raised it to his lips. He was about to drink the contents when he paused and took a second look at the label. Feeling glad that no one - especially Count Geoffrey - was around to see him, he recorked the bottle he had been about to drink from and uncorked the other one. After drinking its contents, he transformed into a dragon of roughly the same height and build as his usual human self. Discarding the empty bottle and tucking the full one into his leather tabard, he set off for Camelhot.

'Oh, poo,' Sir Blaze sighed, peering over the battlements. 'I don't know why Charash hasn't arrived yet. I should have got here earlier, but I can't have missed him. And I can't watch for him all day - I'm supposed to be at the Weekly Workout! Hmm, I wonder if I can find Cinder and Clinker and persuade them to keep watch instead… or maybe Flicker would do it.'

With that, Sir Blaze gambolled downstairs and danced out into the courtyard. There was no immediate sign of anyone, but he was fairly sure that he could hear two voices coming from a darkened doorway nearby. Sir Blaze strode towards the voices, stuck his head around the door, and found Flicker and Flame sitting on a wooden bench, holding hands and deep in conversation.

'I can't help but think that there isn't any point hanging around here and waiting for something that's obviously never going to happen,' Flame was saying. 'All the patience in the world isn't going to solve that problem… as my mother learned to her cost.'

'I know, Flame,' said Flicker, 'but you don't really mean what you said. Camelhot - and everything it stands for - means as much to you as it does to me.'

'Flicker, I'm not in the habit of saying things I don't mean,' said Flame, 'and you know very well that… Blaze!'

Flame let go of Flicker's hands and shot to her feet, looking extremely alarmed.

'We… we weren't doing anything!' Flame blurted. 'We were just talking!'

'I know, sis,' said Blaze. 'I didn't see anything and I didn't hear anything. I also didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I was wondering if Flicker could do me a favour.'

'Of course, Sir Blaze,' said Flicker, rising to his feet. 'Whatever you need.'

'Could you pop up to the ramparts and keep an eye open for my cousin?' asked Sir Blaze. 'I've got to go to the Weekly Workout, but you could bring him along to join me when he arrives.'

'My pleasure, Sir Blaze,' said Flicker. 'Flame, would you like to accompany me?'

'Oh… I don't think so, Flicker - I don't think we should be seen hanging around on the ramparts together,' Flame said awkwardly. 'Besides, I should go and see Stepmother Griddle - she wants me to try on a new dress she's made for me, or something.'

With that, Flame dashed away. Flicker walked out into the courtyard with a pensive look on his face. Sir Blaze followed him and slapped him on the back.

'You'll be all right, Flicker!' he said bracingly. 'You'll see.'

Flicker gave Sir Blaze a weak smile, and set off for the ramparts next to the drawbridge.

Evil Knight Number Two reached for the bell press, but the drawbridge opened before his finger made contact.

'Hello!' called Flicker, waving enthusiastically. 'Welcome to Camelhot. Come in, come in - Sir Blaze is waiting for you.'

Evil Knight Number Two was taken by surprise as Flicker placed a guiding arm on his shoulder and steered him into the courtyard; he had not been expecting so warm a welcome.

'Er… thank you,' said Evil Knight Number Two. 'Where are you taking me?'

'To the gymnasium, to see your cousin,' said Flicker.

'But shouldn't I go to the kitchen?' asked Evil Knight Number Two, utterly at a loss to understand Flicker's previous statement.

'The kitchen?' said Flicker. 'Well… I guess you can go there if you want to. I'm sure you'll be treated to a tour of the whole castle, but I must take you to Sir Blaze first - he's been really looking forward to seeing you.'

'He has?' said Evil Knight Number Two.

'Of course he has,' Flicker laughed. 'Come on, he's just in here.'

Upon entering the gymnasium, Flicker found that all the exercise equipment had been abandoned. Reasoning that the knights' workout must be over, Flicker led his increasingly bemused charge towards the changing room.

'What have you done with the soap, Loungelot?' Sir Burnevere's voice wafted out of the shower room.

'I haven't seen it since Sir Galahot snatched it right out of my hand!' said Sir Loungelot.

'I didn't snatch it, sir!' said Sir Galahot. 'You dropped it and I caught it!'

'That wasn't all you caught, was it?' snapped Sir Loungelot.

'I say, someone's stolen my towel!' came the voice of Sir Hotbreath. 'Loungelot, you haven't been using it to clean between your toes again, have you?'

Flicker and Evil Knight Number Two passed by the shower room and came into the changing room, where they found Sir Blaze. Fortunately, he had just finished getting dressed.

'Here you go, Sir Blaze,' said Flicker. 'One cousin, just as you ordered.'

Sir Blaze turned around with a smile on his face. This faded slightly when he saw Evil Knight Number Two, but he forced it back a moment later.

'Charash, I'm so glad you could come,' said Sir Blaze. 'Oh dear, I felt sure that I'd recognise you the moment I saw you, but I must confess that… still, it's been a very long time, hasn't it?'

With that, Sir Blaze stepped forward and hugged Evil Knight Number Two, who had no choice but to hug him back.

'Oh, my dear cousin,' sighed Sir Blaze, 'it's so good to have you here at Camelhot. How I am going to love you! What fun we shall have! Tell me, are you quite well? And what about good old Uncle Hot, and Aunty Griselda?'

'They… they are both well, cousin,' said Evil Knight Number Two. 'As am I.'

'Wonderful,' Blaze beamed. 'I… I suppose you heard what happened with your brother Agraflame, did you? Nasty business, that.'

'Yes… yes, a very nasty business,' said Evil Knight Number Two. 'But Agraflame always was a bad lot, wasn't he?'

'So it seems,' said Sir Blaze. 'Oh, Charash, I'm so pleased to see you. I must tell Mumsey that you're here, and King Allfire of course, and then you must have a tour of Camelhot!'

'If it pleases you, Sir Blaze, I'll give Charash the tour while you inform Their Majesties of his arrival,' said Flicker.

'Excellent idea, Flicker,' said Sir Blaze. 'Is that all right with you, Cousin Charash?'

'Yes, that's fine,' said Evil Knight Number Two.

'Wonderful,' Sir Blaze beamed. 'Well, that's decided then. I'll show you to your room after the tour, and then you must join us - and the rest of the court - for dinner.'

'Yes… yes, dinner,' said Evil Knight Number Two. 'Thank you, Cousin Blaze.'