"Sorry we got stuck with the nurses," Lucy said as the girls dressed to go out the next morning.

"I don't mind," Eden said, tying her hair back. "This is the first time Nurse Melia has been to Camden, and she should see a bit of the city while she's here."

Eden and Lucy had been down to breakfast in the court dining room, which wasn't nearly as intimidating as Otto had made it sound. The dining room was less than half full, Lucy explaining that most people at court were on diets and didn't eat breakfast, while others preferred to sleep in late. Nobody took any notice of Eden or her clothes, and the few ladies who breakfasted mostly wore pretty dressing gowns to the dining room with a lace cap covering their hair.

Nurse May and Nurse Melia had called the girls over to join them at their table, asking Eden how she had slept her first night at Camden Palace.

"Very well, thank you," Eden replied, as she sat down. "I had trouble falling asleep at first, but Lucy came and slept with me, and then I was alright."

"There's only one bed in my room, so Melia and I slept together as well," May said. "I trust you were quite comfortable, Melia?"

"Oh yes, there was plenty of room," Melia said brightly. "You don't take up as much space as a piece of string, May!"

May and Melia were informed about the planned excursion to the Yuletide Markets, and May had said, "We'll come as well, Miss Lucy, for I have Yuletide shopping to do. And I'm sure Melia would like to get out and about."

Although Lucy privately gave Eden a face with a turned down mouth in response, Eden now knew that Lucy wasn't allowed out without a grown up, and thought the nurses seemed like reasonable chaperones. They would no doubt find some shop or other where they could debate the virtues of this button or these gloves, and she and Lucy would be easily able to give them the slip.

From which the astute reader may deduce that this is what Eden and Lucy had done while shopping with their nurses in Avalon village, and I hope that they may not be judged too harshly for it.

"Do we need to wear anything special to the markets?" Eden asked, as she smoothed down her grey walking dress. "I think Pip said something about bright colours at Yuletide?"

"No, it hasn't really started yet," Lucy said. "The main rule we have when we go out in a crowded place is that we must wear at least one thing that's brightly coloured, so we can be easily spotted. See, I'm wearing a bright green skirt."

"What if I tied a red ribbon around my hat?" Eden asked, taking one from the dressing table. "Is that enough?"

"Oh yes, that's good," Lucy nodded. "I'll help you with it."

She carefully tied the satin ribbon into a bow, so that it looked like a large scarlet butterfly perched on the back of Eden's black felt hat.

Soon two girls were galloping down the stairs of the tower, heedless of how many more flights they still had to go.

"We have to meet Nurse May and Nurse Melia in the grand entrance hall at ten o'clock," Lucy panted as they ran down the corridor. "We've got less than ten minutes!"

By a superhuman effort they arrived with several minutes to spare. Lucy and Eden came flying down the stairs of the grand entrance hall before almost crashing into each other at the bottom.

"There you are, Miss Lucy", Nurse May said. "I thought you'd never get here. Making Miss Eden late as well, I expect."

"But we're early, Nurse May", Eden objected, hastily straightening her dress and checking her ribbon was still intact.

"You were very nearly not," Nurse May said, rather opaquely. "And then what would Nurse Melia think?"

"I'd think how lovely our girls look. Lucy is getting so grown up," Nurse Melia said diplomatically. "How far away are the markets?"

"No distance at all, Nurse Melia," Lucy said. "Little Market Street is right at the bottom of Castle Hill. Less than half a mile away."

"Goodness, just a ten minute walk or so then," said Nurse Melia. "If we're all ready to go, why don't we start now?"

"Walk?" cried Nurse May in horror. "Why May, we'll do no such thing! King Bernard has arranged a carriage for us."

"But we walked further to Avalon village together, in hot weather and all," a confused Nurse Melia said. "You can't be feared of a little stroll, and all downhill, surely May?"

"Take Miss Lucy and Miss Eden walking through city crowds where anything might happen to them," Nurse May said in a low moan. She sounded as if she was in physical pain at the thought. "They need proper guarding."

"Aren't we the ones guarding them?" Nurse Melia asked in bewilderment. "We'd take good care of them, May."

Eden looked from one nurse to another, and then at Lucy for help. Nurse May was angry, and Nurse Melia didn't know why. Lucy looked upset. Eden began to get a sinking feeling that in Camden, even a trip to the nearby markets was going to be unexpectedly complicated.

"Well, you see -" Lucy began, twisting her hands anxiously, but she never got any further. 

A very tall man with a strong, agile build came through the side door, more quietly and with less fuss than you would imagine for someone of his size. He wore a dark suit, had thick brown hair, and possessed the sort of pleasant, forgettable face that nobody pays attention to. 

"Jarvis!" Lucy said, with something like relief.

"Good morning, Miss Lucy, Miss Eden," Jarvis said, giving a light salute. "Good morning, ladies. My apologies for being -" (here he checked his pocket watch) - "exactly on time." He offered them a lazy smile.

"Jarvis is my personal bodyguard," Lucy explained to Eden and Nurse Melia. "He goes everywhere with me when I leave Camden Palace."

"And a lot of trouble she gives me too," Jarvis grinned, receiving a pert look from Lucy in return.

"No more trouble than you deserve, young man," Nurse May grumbled under her breath.

"As Lucy has said, my name is Jarvis," the bodyguard introduced himself, as he took out a notebook to read from. "I have here instructions to escort a group consisting of Princess Lucy, Princess Eden, Nurse May, and -" (he turned to Eden's old nurse) "- you must be Nurse Melia.

"I will be accompanying you all to the Yuletide markets on Little Market Street, and the carriage will be here at any moment to collect us. I'm going to run through a few simple rules that are designed to keep us all safe. Please listen carefully."

He gave a glance at Eden as if to make sure she was paying attention. She kept her black eyes fixed on his hazel ones to show she was, and nobody could look so intensely as Eden when she wished.

"Keep within sight at all times," Jarvis continued. "No wandering off, and definitely no wandering off alone. You cannot wear jewellery or carry money with you, as it would leave you vulnerable to pickpockets and thieves. When you want to buy something, I will take care of it. 

"Neither may you carry items that you buy, which would again make you a target, as well as making it hard for you to walk safely through a crowd. Your purchases will be delivered to the castle on your behalf. Any questions so far?"

"Yes, Mr Jarvis," Eden said. "Lucy said that it's necessary to wear something brightly coloured. Is the ribbon on my hat suitable?"

"It's certainly bright enough," Jarvis conceded, "but a ribbon is very easy for someone to remove in a crowd, and easy to lose as well. And it's just Jarvis, Miss Eden."

"Jarvis," she repeated.

"As royalty, you will be assigned a personal bodyguard for the duration of your visit at Camden Palace, Miss Eden," Jarvis said.

"Where are they?" asked a surprised Eden.

"Hello, hello. Good morning, rather," said a voice behind them. A tall, sturdy young woman with a cheerfully freckled face and red-gold curls tied behind her back stepped out of an unregarded corner. She wore a dark suit too, but with a long skirt instead of trousers. "I'm Maeve, your bodyguard while you're in Camden, Miss Eden."

"Good morning, Maeve," said Eden as smoothly as she knew how.

"Where did you spring from?" demanded Nurse Melia. She didn't usually question strangers like this, but Maeve's appearance had rattled her.

"Been here all along," said Maeve smartly. "Keeping myself hidden, doing observation."

"What did you observe?" Eden asked, finding herself interested.

"I observed that you all listened carefully to instruction, and didn't argue," said Maeve at once. "I observed that the two nurses watched the princesses the whole time, and seem reliable and responsible. And I noticed that you, Miss Eden, concealed your surprise at seeing me very well. You are able to control your emotions, and that makes me think I will like working with you."

Eden didn't know how to look as if she was still controlling her emotions, so she only gave a faint smile to this praise. She was burning to know how such a tall person with bright hair was able to hide herself from a group of people in the same room.

"Thanks for joining us, Maeve," Jarvis said courteously. "Now that we're all here, there's only a couple more things to get through. Do any of you have a weapon on your person?"

"A weapon?" Nurse Melia asked, looking as if she didn't know whether to laugh or scream. "Do you think I pack a sword to go shopping?"

"Anything that might be used as a weapon," Maeve clarified. "Knitting needles, for example."

"I've got a knife," Eden said, taking it from under her dress and handing it over to Jarvis when he gestured for it.

"Kid stuff," he said dismissively, after a quick glance, passing it to Maeve.

Maeve carefully examined the knife and held it before her eyes, before testing the blade on her thumb.

"This is a good knife," she pronounced as she gave it back to Eden. "It's straight and well-made, quite a sharp blade. What do you use it for?"

"Cutting fishing line and cleaning fish, mostly," Eden said, as she replaced it. "It can cut through light rope and small tree branches easily enough."

"Ever use it on a person?"

"Only once," said Eden with a straight face, although Lucy was stifling a giggle. They both remembered that the first time they had met, Eden had held the knife to Lucy's throat, pretending to be a bandit. "But it was part of a game."

"Well, knives aren't toys," Maeve said seriously. "Keep your knife safe and out of sight, and only use it when necessary. One day even a small knife like yours might save your life."

"And now the last point," Jarvis said impressively. "As a vital security measure, it is forbidden to use anybody's real name when in a public place. Miss Eden, I must ask you to choose a code name for yourself while you are here."

"What's Lucy's?" Eden asked.

"Sunbeam," said Lucy, looking a bit embarrassed. "I made it up when I was seven, and now I'm stuck with it."

"I'll be Boudicca," said Eden. "That's the name of my boat."

"Excuse me, Miss Eden, but that isn't a good code name," Maeve said. "First, it's a name connected with your real identity. Second, it's a name from your local language, which could be used to help identify you."

"Do you know the language of my country?" Eden asked interestedly.

"I made a point of learning some phrases when I knew I would be guarding you, Miss Eden," Maeve said promptly. "Boree da, maelle. Croso y Camden." (Good morning, princess. Welcome to Camden.)

"Boree da, Maeve. Joluch en voar," Eden said. "Hwi gur mae da." (Good morning, Maeve. Thank you very much. You speak quite well.)

"I need to work on my accent," Maeve said. "But I do know Boudicca means victory – what about Victory for your code name?"

"Good. I'm Victory, Lucy is Sunbeam," Eden said. "What about the nurses?"

"Call them both 'nurse' in a crowd," said Jarvis. "That's what any young lady would do in that situation."

"And what about your code names?" Eden asked.

"How do you know Jarvis and Maeve are our real names?" Maeve asked, and Eden had to admit that she didn't.

"I must ask you now to please give any money you have to either me or Maeve for safekeeping," Jarvis said. 

The two nurses took the money they had been holding for the princesses, and gave it to Jarvis.

"I feel a right silly carrying an empty handbag to go shopping," Nurse Melia commented.

"Alright, that's everything," said Jarvis. "Thank you for your patience and co-operation. We'll escort you to the carriage now."

The downstairs butler brought them their coats, Eden wondering by what occult means he was able to instantly match each of them with the  correct garment, and help them into it so efficiently. Then he opened the doors so they could all march down the stairs, with Jarvis leading the way, and Maeve bringing up the rear.

The carriage was already waiting for them in the courtyard, and Jarvis swung himself up on the back in order to guard the carriage. Maeve sat inside with the princesses and nurses in order to protect them. They heard Jarvis give the command to the driver, and then the carriage began moving.

"We'll be there in five minutes," Maeve said. "Make yourselves comfortable, and try not to sit too close to the windows in case of attack. If I tell you to get down on the floor, kindly obey me without question."

"Is all this really necessary?" asked Nurse Melia. "We're only popping into the markets to do our Yuletide shopping."

"It certainly is necessary," said Nurse May sternly. "There's murderers and thieves everywhere you look. We could all be stabbed to death the moment we leave the castle."

Maeve smiled slightly as she said, "We're just being cautious, nurse. I'm sure you'd agree we've got very precious cargo aboard. And at this time of year, there are a lot of people coming into the city, so it's far busier than usual. It makes sense to be especially careful."

Nurse May sniffed. "A lot of criminals coming into the city," she said darkly. "All let out of prison by the king, so what should happen but they run amok and cause havoc? Wouldn't be surprised if they didn't commit some terrible atrocity one year."

"You mean, the king lets prisoners roam the streets?" Nurse Melia said in alarm. "But – why?"

"It is a royal custom that prisoners who have committed only small offences, have shown good behaviour, and are close to completing their sentence be given amnesty at Yuletide," Maeve explained. "This is a season for forgiveness and good will, and it is the king's duty to lead by example."

"Well, it seems terribly risky to me," Nurse Melia said doubtfully.

Maeve didn't exactly disagree with her, but only said, "Let's just say it makes our job a little more interesting at Yuletide."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

LINDENSEA LORE

The traditional Yuletide amnesty for prisoners was announced by Camden Palace today, with King Bernard declaring all those imprisoned for petty crimes would be set free and their record wiped clean. 

Let this be a new start for you, the king wrote in his Yuletide letter for released prisoners. As your crimes be forgiven, join the celebrations of the season as full members of society once more. May the light of Yuletide enter your hearts and minds, with resolutions to begin life afresh, unburdened by the deeds of the past.

Sir Edward Barnes, Chairman of the Board of Guardians for the City of Camden, welcomed the announcement, stating that the annual amnesty provides an excellent opportunity for reformed prisoners to be welcomed back into the community, with the council providing them with a small gift of money, and a week's paid accommodation.

However, not all citizens of Camden are so sanguine. Local merchant Wystan Ogg went on record as saying, "It's alright for the king. He's in a castle, protected by soldiers and all sorts. Us common folk are the ones what get our stuff nicked when this lot are let out of the clink."      

From The Camden Times, 1st December, 1456 of the Saxon Era