The Dreamers
Impossible words fell from her lips and she reached out to touch the dark wood with frail fingers. Blue. Just like she remembered.
Every night she dreamed of worlds and creatures that might have had wings or masks. Masks she knew were really faces. Every morning the light would extinguish the thick dreams from her eyes.
Days streamed by in a torrent of images and sounds that meant something. But it all lacked the vitality she felt every time she allowed herself to dream.
There was always a clock. Mantel piece decorations, ornate towers, and more often than not as silver fog watches.
She didn't know why the shadows let her keep that one piece from her dreams. Everything else vanished as soon as she opened her eyes.
Idleness was a rare but welcome companion. Her life was full of its own duties and obligations that she attended to with vigor. And there were always the voices. The prattling duo with their childish concerns, and the one that invoked a kind of fearful respect; she listened to them all.
Then the Stranger came. Unlike the others his voice didn't order her to do the laundry and his light only blazed hotter the longer she knew him. He spent a long time wandering around the town studying things like the duck pond.
She could have spent forever watching him and questioning his every move. He never told her his name, but he did offer his title. It was unlike any lord or nobleman's title she'd ever heard.
Then came the time he nearly stomped on a nest of mice. She admonished him fiercely and forced him to leave them alone. He gave her a strange look and said, "You always end up doing that. No matter what state I find you in you end up telling me off." Before she could question him he had already darted off to look at an old dry well.
By then she knew. She knew that she belonged with this strange man. Not like she needed to be with with him. More like she knew her place and her actions were meant to be done with him.
One day he told her he needed to depart again. "My work here is done. I needed to fix something."
Then he cast a deep sleep over her.
When she awoke she remembered old eyes in a young face and a rush of excitement. She was back to only dreaming of the beautiful things.
That morning an invitation arrived from the palace. An invitation that extended to every eligible lady in the kingdom. It was in honor of the Prince's birthday. Apparently the king had been taken with a sudden urge to find a wife for his husband.
In the space of one day her hopes of attending were torn apart. In the space of one night her dreams came alive.
Shining stars adorned her and silver gleamed on her carriage. A man she recognized came to escort her to the ball.
"Why is it you always make me forget you?" Wistful sorrow clouded her eyes.
"Because the first time you traveled with me… I was forced to return you here. And if you were left with the memories of our travels together it would prove too difficult to bear. Here the least I can do is make sure you'll be happy. But I do promise you one thing, I will always return. You're the only one who really dreams like I do. We're the dreamers." He laughed.
She danced with the Prince. And the Stranger watched them with a satisfied expression. "In your own way you'll still be travelling through the heavens. Just not with me."
After a mad dash back home. "The perception filter has worn off. It was only meant to last until midnight. Like all dreams this must come to an end."
The next morning she awoke without any regrets. This dream she remembered. She would remember it for the rest of her life.
The details of the tale when retold were altered. The man with the old eyes changed and so did the adventure involving the nest of mice.
It was in her last hours the Stranger returned to say goodbye. She touched his ship with trembling finger; wrinkled and pale with memories. Dark blue wood and shining windows.
It was just as she remembered. Then she noticed something new.
"Doctor, it didn't have 'BAD WOLF' written on it last time you visited, did it?"
"A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep." -Cinderella
Author's Note: While I purposely left it vague so that you could imagine any of the Doctor's lives, I more or less found myself thinking of the 11th. I left a little nod to this with the "duck pond" reference. The 11th Doctor mentions the duck pond in "The Eleventh Hour." I saw a post that said the duck pond didn't have any ducks - a pond without ducks - a pond without babies. Amy and Rory want a baby. They are the Ponds... without babies.
This is a retelling of Disney's Cinderella story, however I think this is aloof enough to not be a crossover. Inspired by Karen Hallion's beautiful artwork featuring various Disney Princess's with the TARDIS.
This is also a repost. Due to complications with an incorrect story inserted under this title and messed up formatting. I hope you enjoyed. Any constructive criticism is welcome.