There is an old legend of Gallifrey that has been passed down to many generations of my sisters, one that originated from the first, but never made it to the ears of our Gallifreyans. Mostly due to the impossibility of communicating the legend.
It is the legend of the Valiant One.
The Valiant One has had many names over the years, but most settle upon Time's Protector. It seems the most fitting. I personally prefer The Wolf. It is wild and protective of its own, much like the creature the name suggests.
The legend speaks of a woman brave of heart who transcended her original life and became the one destined to hold the hearts of Gallifrey's most honourable and to protect the universe when needed. She is not without fault, but she shows compassion to those whom she does not know, those whom she deems deserving, no matter their sins.
She is the wolf to temper the storm, the valiant to bolster the coward, the light to chase away the darkness. She is joy to cover the sorrow, the innocence to erase the misery, and the mother of the universe. She brings joy to the tired, lonely soldier. She is the One, the goddess, that will bring a new beginning to a planet once shrouded in hate, hidden from memory and existence.
She is all. She is our deity, the one who gives us our knowledge and our abilities to traverse time and space.
It is said the woman, born of a mortal vessel, originates of a planet far unlike Gallifrey and she knows not of her greatness. In many timelines, the body in which she will attain her full power will not be born for many centuries. In others, she has been alive for centuries. However, for a being such as her, time is of no import. She does, has always, and will always exist no matter her timeline.
In the legend, the woman meets one of my own, a Gallifreyan man, the most honourable of his kind, and unknowingly carves her name into his hearts long before she becomes our goddess. He does not see her timeline, cannot understand why that is so, but he feels she is far more important than an average being on her planet. Therefore, he sends her away from him, hopes she will become the great person he senses she will be. The One, however, is destined to return to him as her true self, unveiled in all her glory. It is said that in order to do so, she must join herself with one of my sisters, briefly honouring one of us with her presence, to save the honourable soldier, her mate.
He gives his life for her and in so doing commits the final act that will seal his fate and his life with hers; his sacrifice allows her to become her true self.
It has been said from the beginning of time that Gallifrey will fall, but rise again under her power and become better, a haven for those whom need shelter, a home for those whom desire peace.
She will forever after watch over and protect the universe with her mate by her side and one of my sisters as her dearest friend.
Many of my sisters believe the legend is merely a story, something to explain our knowledge of time and space. After all, there must be a reason it was the first legend ever to be passed on to a new generation.
I do not agree. There are others like me, ones who believe in the legends our mothers passed to our generation and their mothers to them, so on and so forth. I feel to my very core that the legend is real, that at some point in the history of the universe, that woman is becoming the goddess from whom we gain all of our knowledge.
I believe in her.
It is a sentiment that will be echoed by the soldier, but I agree wholeheartedly. I, too, believe in her.
My people, the Gallifreyans, they believe I am an old vessel, one which needs to be retired. I have been placed with my retired sisters, but still I hear the stories, the talk of all my sisters. How can I not when we are all connected? More and more, they do not believe, do not have faith in Her. They believe themselves to be extensions of the goddess herself.
It is blasphemy.
I do believe, however. I always have. She is out there. I can feel it. She is alive and she is waiting.
One touch is all it takes.
One touch and I know the man whose palm presses against me is the man who will become the tired, lonely soldier, who will become the mate of the goddess, who will bring about the destruction and recreation of Gallifrey. Willingly, he will take upon the universe as his own and become father to those whom the goddess calls her children. He and the One will love the universe as dearly as their own children, will watch the universe end and then create a new universe from the ashes.
It takes the opening of a door for me to realise I am to be the closest friend of the goddess. I am the sister who will one day be honoured with her presence.
As he places a hand on me, I see his entire lives stretching before me. I see his many companions and heartbreaks, his adventures and miseries, the darkness, the cowardice, the joy. I see the woman, the One, a young woman of Earth. I see her aging as the soldier ages, returning to her youth, looking as young as she did when they first met, as he regenerates. I see their children and their children's children. I see the many generations they will spawn. I see his regenerations ending and her gifting him with more life - lives - for the goddess without her mate, her love, her husband is never to be. It is unthinkable. It is impossible.
He removes his hand and the timelines disappear from the forefront of my mind. I have seen enough to know we will not find the One for many centuries, but it is enough for me to know one day we shall. I have to hold on to this Time Lord, the soldier, and do my best to protect him. It will not always be easy, but I do this for my goddess and for the great love I will one day have for both her and the man.
The Doctor, he is called.
I have always wanted to see the rest of the universe and I know he has every intention of doing the same, though he is arguing with himself about leaving. I make the decision for him.
I'm stealing a Time Lord before the Time Lord can steal me.
He is pressing all the wrong buttons and I am sure he has never seen a parking brake in his life, but I find the grating noise I make as I send us into the time vortex of my own direction is a rather soothing sound. It is a bit annoying, but I am already growing accustomed to it. However, I cannot become accustomed to his driving. I rearrange my rooms, drop my manual onto the console beside him, and feel only a touch of exasperation when he tosses it away from me. I did expect that to happen. I suppose until he learns what he is doing, it will not be too bothersome to take myself where he wants to go.
A quick peek at the future tells me I will still be doing the driving myself, though I will naturally let him believe he is doing it all his own, when we finally meet the One. It is a small price to pay for being able to travel just as I've always wanted to do. It is no price at all for the incredible honour I will be given by Her. Still, that is several hundred years in our future.
We have plenty to do and see before then and I look forward to every last second.