Title: The River's Path
Characters: River Song (Melody Pond)
Rating: K+
Warnings: spoilers for episodes up to AGMGTW
Summary: Melody dreams of three strangers
A/N:This will be a series of short fics inspired by pictures from various episodes of Doctor Who, each one dealing with a different point in River's life. Unfortunately, the pictures can't be posted here but they can be seen on my LiveJournal, under the name Eryndil_Pethdan.
Disclaimer: Doctor Who and all related characters, settings and trademarks are the property of the BBC. I do not claim any ownership over them. This story is my own invention and is intended for entertainment purposes only. I am not making any profit from its publication here or elsewhere.
Chapter 1
Sometimes in her sleep she saw images of strange people and heard them speaking to her. The one that she saw most often was a woman dressed in white with hair that glowed as if it was made of fire. The woman was soft and comforting and she smelled nice. When she smiled, Melody felt happy. Nobody ever smiled at her that way when she was awake.
There was a man in her dreams too. She would hear him speaking in a voice that was strong and yet kind. He held her close and she knew that no-one could hurt her. He wore strange clothes that her subconscious mind – schooled in all forms of warfare – told her was some sort of armour. He must be a soldier but he was gentle, unlike any of the soldiers that she knew.
Then there was the other one. He was harder for her to see, as if he was hidden in shadow. She could only catch glimpses of him – a fall of dark hair, an odd bow at his neck – but something about him felt familiar, as if she knew him well. And, strangest of all, this man seemed to understand what she was saying, when no-one else did.
Too soon, she would wake – to Madame Kovarian and her lessons. She would spend every waking moment learning about the Doctor – how he had destroyed worlds, why she should hate him, what his weaknesses were, how to bring him down. In the harsh light of day, her dreams would fade and she would forget what she had seen in her sleep.
But somewhere, in a dark corner of her mind, lived the memory of those three unknown people: the flame-haired woman who comforted her; the gentle warrior who made her feel safe; and the mysterious man who understood her.
One day, she would find them.