Title: Tangled in a scarf
Pairing: Doctor/Master from Doctor Who
Warnings: Doctor Who doesn't belong to me, this fiction contains slash and is basically a rewritten fairy tale
Once upon a time, on a planet far far away, there was a deep and dark forest. Parents told their children not to go in it alone, for there was the place where big bad monsters live. Hunters and foresters alike wouldn't dare to enter the deeper parts of the wood for there were no paths. Wise people and elders of all the little villages said that demons had cursed the forest and witches lived there. And sometimes, when all was quiet at night and the wind was right, one could hear strange noises coming out of the woods.
But they weren't demons' and they weren't monsters' noises. Right there, in the of the forest's heart, there was a clearing and in the centre of the clearing there stood a tower. In this tower lived a time lord, all on his own.
The tower was very high and from below it seemed to have only one little chamber. But don't worry, the time lord had a lot of rooms in there, as the tower was bigger on the inside and it even had a pool. But as everyone was afraid of the forest and the tower was right in the middle, the time lord was very bored and very lonely. As he had no company, the time lord worked in his laboratory all day (those were the strange noises sometimes heard in the villages). The time lord really missed human company, as he had loved it in his previous three regenerations.
The only person he could speak to was what the villagers called the 'burned witch'. It wasn't a witch however, it wasn't even a woman, it was an evil wizard. This evil wizard kept the time lord a prisoner and he visited him occasionally. The clever time lord couldn't escape as the evil wizard was just as clever, and many years ago had been a time lord, too. The time lord didn't like him, for he detested all evil things.
The tower had neither entrances nor exits so each time the wizard wanted to enter it he stood below the window and called "Time lord, time lord, let down your long scarf!" and the time lord would let down his overlong scarf so that the wizard might climb up. The wizard would use the visits to check on his prisoner and bring along food, jelly babies or technical equipment that couldn't be used to escape. But he also came because he really liked the time lord (though he would never ever admit it, and you're sincerely asked to keep it a secret, too).
And this was how the time lord lived; day after day, year after year.
But one fine day someone did wander of into the deep forest. It was a scientist from a place called Traken. He was very clever and well loved by his many friends. His name was Tremas. As he took his walk his steps carried him to the clearing.
Tremas wondered about the person who would live so far away from all villages and towns in a strange tower like the one he now saw. And there seemed to be no door either. By chance that day also happened to be the day the wizard came to visit the time lord.
Tremas hid behind the trees and watched the wizard step to the tower and call "Time lord, time lord, lower your scarf!" and he was amazed as indeed a long and colourful scarf was lowered. He waited behind his shelter until the wizard returned and a little longer; to make sure he wouldn't come back to the tower.
Tremas had never met a time lord before and he'd really love to, so he walked to the tower and called "Time lord, time lord, lower your long scarf!" and as the scarf was let down he quickly climbed up.
"You are not the Master!" said the time lord as soon as he had seen whom he let enter the tower, but he didn't sound as if I bothered him much.
"No, I am not. My name is Tremas of Traken and I just happened to be around."
Tremas had never thought that time lords looked like this. The tower's time lord was tall, had big sharp eyes and an awful lot of brown curls on his head.
"I am the Doctor" he said (he may not have been among people for many years, but he did know that he ought to introduce himself)
"You are the first person I've seen for years! I was bored on my own, I just had my laboratory. You don't happen to be a scientist?"
The Doctor was delighted when Tremas told him that yes, he was indeed a scientist. The time lord immediately took him to his laboratory to show him all the brilliant things he had worked on. (When people are bored they tend to have brilliant ideas) They spent hours talking and the Doctor was happy to have company at last. After a while Temas pointed at the scarf that was wrapped around the Doctor's neck.
"Can't you just escape?"
"Sadly no. I have to hold the scarf directly by the window for t to reach the ground. If I'd tie it up it would be to short. And I'm also very fond of it…"
Tremas pitied the poor time lord and when it was time to say goodbye, he promised his new friend to help.
When he arrived home Tremas got himself a knitting kit and started making a scarf that would be even longer. And that was how the weeks went on. At day Tremas would visit the Doctor, at night he would knit the scarf. And as their friendship grew stronger, the scarf grew longer.
But despite how well things seemed to turn out, one must not forget about the evil wizard. The Master was not stupid and very soon he found out about the scientist from Traken. The Master was very envious of Tremas daring to make friends with the Doctor. For a very long time now, the wizard had tried to gain the courage to tell the Doctor about his feelings, but he was never brave enough. So on the night before the escape attempt the evil wizard send Tremas an enchanted clock that killed everyone who touched it. When all life left poor Tremas' body the Master stole the empty shell and with forbidden magic made it his own.
On the next morning the unknowing time lord sat by the window and waited for the escape to start. When he heard the familiar "Time lord, time lord, lower your long scarf!" he did wonder why the voice sounded different but let the scarf down happily.
When he saw who came through the window he instantly knew that it was the Master, for Tremas' hair was now short and dark, his face was younger and the clothes were unusual (and there is also the fact that time lords recognise each other no matter what body they are in, but the Doctor was well out of practise with that.)
"My dear Doctor" purred the Master and put down the long scarf that he had stolen from Tremas. He felt like this body would like purring and leering. "I take it, you already know my new body?"
The Doctor got very angry, he did angry well in this regeneration.
"You have killed Tremas! You truly are evil, I don't want to have anything to do with you at all!"
The Master wasn't pleased, as he wanted to admit about his feelings and offer the Doctor freedom by his side. He did not want to do this while the Doctor was mad at him. He wanted to calm the time lord's temper by patting him on the elbow but the Doctor didn't want to be touched and struggled. Somehow their feet got entangled in the long scarf and both men stumbled. The wizard fell to his knees and watched in shock as the other fell through the window, dragging the damn scarf behind him.
The Master prayed that the Doctor was all right for he had not yet told him that he loved him and the Master could scarcely bear the thought of an universe without the Doctor. Quickly the Master descended his tower and ran to the still time lord.
The Doctor moved and the wizard was very glad about it. When he removed the scarf from the time lord's face (he would so burn that thing) there was a surprise for him.
The Doctor's face had changed and the time lord had transformed into a beautiful pale skinned princess. The Master was delighted, as he liked this change and the Doctor's smile pretty.
All previous anger had died with the last body and it wasn't appropriate for a princess to be too angry.
"I find you rather attractive, this time" the new Doctor said and his cheeks turned pink.
"That sentiment is mutual" said the Master and helped his princess to stand up. He led the princess to his space ship, to take him to the stars he had longed to see. The Doctor forgave the wizard and after a while they got married and lived happily ever after
The End