LANDING IN A WOOD IN TWELFTH-CENTURY Palestine, the Doctor and his companions blunder into the scene of an ambush: King Richard I of England and several of his crusader knights are under attack by a party of Saracens, led by one El Akir. The so-called Lionheart is saved when one of Richard’s men, William des Preaux, claims to be the King – but schoolteacher Barbara is also captured by the Saracens, and the pair are taken off to Ramla, where Richard’s rival Saladin has made his encampment. Des Preaux tries to pass Barbara off as the King’s sister, but Saladin’s brother Saphadin is enamoured of the real Joanna, and sees through their deception right away. Saladin lets Barbara live, so long as she entertains him by telling him fabulous stories, like the famous Scheherazade…