There had been a great fire in London. A house had caught fire in the poor quarter, then the blaze spread to the neighbouring houses. After that the whole quarter, built of wood and thatched with straw, had gone up like a torch. And it had not stopped there.

Bella, like everyone else, had joined a bucket brigade and they had soaked the roofs of the knight's quarters in London with water to prevent any stray sparks from setting these buildings on fire, too. Then they had hurried to the royal palace. They had had to tear down several wooden buildings standing too close to palace, to prevent sparks, but their efforts had borne fruit – the palace had been spared.

Now the labourers and home owners in London had to begin the work of rebuilding, while Bella returned to her knightly training.