This is a birthday gift for perfectlyrose. It's a Sleeping Beauty allegory (with a twist) based on the-untempered-prism's gorgeous fanart. And since it's based on Sleeping Beauty, the title and chapter titles all come from the song "Once Upon a Dream."
Chapter 1: I Walked With You Once
Rose untied her apron with a grateful sigh. Working at Mr. Henrik's pottery shop paid the rent on the tiny cottage she shared with her mum, but she was always glad to see the day come to an end.
A clatter at the front of the shop startled her into dropping the apron onto the floor instead of hanging it up on the hook. She crept forward. "Mickey? Is that you?" she called out, hoping her oldest friend had snuck in to scare her. "You know Mr. Henrik doesn't like you coming into the shop after we've closed." There was no answer, and she took another step toward the door between the stock room and the shop.
A cool hand grabbed her wrist and pulled, and a second hand covered her mouth before she could scream. Rose planted a foot and wheeled around before her attacker could stop her, but her accusation died in her throat when she saw the livery of the royal family.
"Run!" hissed the royal guard, and Rose dashed out the back door.
She stopped when she reached the large oak tree that shaded the shop. The mysterious person she'd heard in the shop obviously wasn't Mickey, or anyone else she wanted to tangle with. The presence of a royal guard told her that much. Sounds of a fight reached her, and she winced when she heard the unmistakable sound of broken pottery. Hopefully Mr. Henrik won't blame me for the damage.
An ominous rumble shook the ground, and then the tall man who'd sent her away came barrelling out of the door. "Run for your life!" he shouted, grabbing her hand as he passed her.
They were halfway to the village green when a large explosion rocked the earth. Rose spun back and gasped when she saw a pile of smouldering rubble where Henrik's shop once stood.
"That's… What…" She looked back and forth between the ruins and the tall guardsman.
The look in his brown eyes made her shudder. "Seditionist," he explained shortly. "He planned to blow the castle up. I chased him to where he was hiding, but when I tried to capture him, his gunpowder flew into the open kiln."
"What'll Mr. Henrik do?" Rose asked.
He blinked. "Who?"
"The man whose shop you just blew up!"
"Oi! If you're pointing fingers, point to the man who tried to overturn the government." He looked at the spot where the shop had been and ran his hand through his thick, brown hair. "Still, the royal family will pay for the shop to be rebuilt, and for any loss of merchandise."
Rose snorted. "As long as you're being so generous with someone else's money, maybe you could have the royal family pay the rent on my cottage. I've got no way to earn a living until Mr. Henrik reopens his shop."
The stranger grinned, and Rose tried to ignore the swooping feeling in her belly. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Rose. Rose Tyler."
"Nice to meet you, Rose. I'm the Doctor." He winked at her. "Otherwise known as Prince John."
DWDWDWDW
Rose was still in a daze that night at dinner. She ate her stew without tasting it—which, considering her mum's cooking, was a blessing.
I met the prince. The prince saved my life. It didn't seem any more real after the fiftieth time she'd repeated it to herself.
"Rose? Have you been listening to a word I've said?"
"What?" Rose blinked and looked up from her bowl. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mum. I guess I'm still in shock."
Jackie Tyler huffed. "Well, it's no wonder! Who do these royals think they are, running around, blowing up shops? Don't he have buildings of his own to blow up?"
Rose rolled her eyes. "Mum, he didn't do it on purpose. And besides, if that seditionist hadn't planned to blow up Tardis Castle, none of it would have happened."
"Well all the same, I still think you should get compensation. How're we supposed to pay rent now?"
Eager to end this line of questioning, Rose jumped to her feet and collected the dishes. "I'll do the washing up tonight. You just sit and enjoy your tea."
The kitchen was one of three rooms in the cottage, the other two being the sitting/dining room, and the bedroom the Tyler women shared. Rose set the dishes down on the worktop, grabbed the pail, and went outside to get water to wash up.
The whole time, she thought about the cheeky way the prince had winked at her before running away. She really hoped that wink and the twinkle in his eye meant he'd find a way to take care of the rent problem. She heaved a sigh and the bucket, and walked back into the kitchen.
"The last time I looked, heavy sighs weren't protocol for greeting royalty."
Rose squeaked and almost dropped her bucket. "Your Highness! I didn't realise you were here." She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you in my kitchen?"
Prince John pouted. "Your mother threatened to slap me. Nine hundred years of ruling this country, and I don't think any of my ancestors got slapped."
"They probably didn't blow up a peasant family's sole source of income," Rose said sweetly. "How did you know where we lived?"
"You told me your full name." The prince took the bucket from her and set it down on the worktop by the washbasin. "About the shop, Rose. I'd like to make up for that, if I could."
He leaned against the worktop, his hands shoved into the pockets of his brown pinstriped suit. Rose suddenly felt horribly plain and dirty in her worn dress, and she played with a loose thread in the skirt.
"Wasn't your fault," she mumbled.
"Well," he drawled, "no, not directly. But it only happened because someone wanted to kill me, so I do feel just the teensiest bit responsible."
He said this lightly, but the dark look in his eyes made Rose shiver. She had a feeling Prince John would be hunting for the people behind this plot, and she didn't want be there when he found them.
"All right," she said, trying to bring the conversation back to safe ground. "What did you have in mind?"
The prince retrieved a folded piece of parchment from his inside jacket pocket. "First, this is the deed to your cottage. You now own it free and clear." He held up a hand when Rose began to protest. "It's the least I could do."
Rose bit her lip and took the deed from him. "Thank you."
He grinned. "Oh, I'm not finished, Rose Tyler! Because I might be a sheltered toff, as your mum said—she's really quite terrifying, you know—but even I know rent isn't the only thing that takes money. You'll still need food, and wool for clothing, and probably a number of other things I'm unaware of."
Rose shook her head. "Your Highness, I can't accept any more generosity from you," she said. "The cottage is too much already."
"'Course you can't!" he chirped. "Jack told me I should just give you gold, but I told him you wouldn't take it."
"Then I don't understand…"
"I want you to work for me!"
Apprehension replaced the warmth Rose had felt at his high opinion of her. "D'you mean as a maid or something, in the castle?" she asked, willing him to say yes.
He bounced on his toes. "Nope! As my companion!"
Rose crossed the room in three strides and slapped him hard across the face.
The prince held a hand to his reddened cheek. "Ow! What was that for?" he asked, a wounded expression on his face.
She glared at him, her hands on her hips. "I might be common, and poor, but I am not a doxy," she hissed.
"Well of course you aren't! Who said… Oh! Oh no! No, no, no, no!"
Rose watched warily as he shook his head frantically. "I didn't mean that sort of companion," he said, the rest of his face now as red as the place where she's slapped him. "I just meant, you know…" He scuffed his toe against the dirt floor. "Someone to go on adventures with."
"Adventures?" Rose repeated blankly.
He pouted at her. "It gets boring, staying in the Tardis all day," he explained, looking exactly like a little boy who's been told to stay still for the twentieth time. "So sometimes, I take Arthur and go out for an adventure."
"Arthur?"
"My horse." He waved a hand impatiently. "Didn't you wonder why the prince was the one who tracked the seditionist down?"
"And why you were dressed in livery instead of your own clothes?" Rose asked. "Yeah, sort of."
"Well, this is what I do." The prince shrugged, then looked at Rose keenly. "Only it isn't much fun by myself."
Rose bit her lip. "Is it always this dangerous?"
He hesitated, but finally nodded. "Yeah." Then, clearly thinking that might scare her away, he added, "But I'll pay you more than enough to take care of anything you and your mother need."
"I don't know how to ride."
The same grin that had given her butterflies earlier spread across his face. "I'll teach you."
"Why me?" she asked. "I'm just a shop girl."
"A shop girl who kept her head when she was grabbed from behind by a strange man, and who didn't run away when she could have. You, Rose Tyler, are brilliant."
Rose's grin matched his. "All right then, I'll do it, Your Highness."
Prince John wrinkled his nose. "Oh, don't call me that. No one calls me that, unless it's a formal occasion. Call me the Doctor."
DWDWDWDW
Jackie didn't care much for Rose's new job description—"That doesn't sound safe, running around with Himself. What if next time, it's you that gets blown up?" But, since she couldn't argue that they needed the money, the next morning, she grudgingly let Rose walk to the castle.
The Doctor was true to his word and spent the next month teaching Rose to ride. Only when she could mount by herself and handle a four-foot jump did he take her on their first adventure.
And oh, the adventures they had: saving a hospital from the corrupt nuns in charge, killing a werewolf who was terrorising a village, saving a young girl from creatures wearing garishly painted masks, and so much more. Though they had their horses, there was still an awful lot of running, and Rose loved the exhilaration she felt each time he took her hand.
She loved the quiet moments too, the days when all they did was have a picnic and the greatest danger was being stung by a bee. Those were the times when the Doctor opened up and told her a little of his family history, of how he'd lost everyone in the plague, and the pressures of being the future king. Then she would take his hand and rub her thumb over his, trying to offer what comfort she could.
Rose's family never took well to her new life. The first day she came home looking a little worse for the wear (Honestly, it was nothing—they'd been caught in a fire and had to swim across a river to get away), Jackie and Mickey tried to convince her to stay home. Her flat refusal heightened the tension between them, but she ignored it and jumped right back into traveling with the Doctor the very next day.
So, when she saw Mickey waiting for her after a particularly difficult day, she was more than a little surprised. "Want to take a walk?" he offered.
Rose shook her head. "Not tonight. I'm really tired, Mickey."
Yeah, you're always too busy, or too tired," he said bitterly. "You're so wrapped up in the prince, but he's never gonna court you, Rose!"
She took a half step back and stared up at her friend. "It's not like that!" The truth of that stung, but she pressed on. "He's not… he's better than that, Micks."
"Better than what? Better than a simple bloke wanting to fall in love and get married? Better than me?" He jabbed his thumb into his chest. "Why are you wasting your time with him?"
"Because I love that life!" she exclaimed. "I love being out there, making a difference. I love seeing new places and meeting new people."
"Yeah, well I don't think the life is all you love," he said darkly and stalked off.
Mickey was right, of course. Rose was utterly and completely in love with the Doctor. She knew they could never be together, although sometimes she thought he looked at her like… She shook her head. Even if he did, he was a prince and she was a shopgirl.
But things changed on their very next adventure. People in another city were being kidnapped, and Rose was taken during a rescue attempt. Thrown into a cell with everyone else, she assured them that the Doctor would rescue them. They had to wait all through the night and the following day, but she cheered louder than anyone when the dungeon opened, letting light in.
The sunlight was painful after nearly twenty-four hours in darkness, and Rose had to blink several times against the brightness. But then she saw him, and his grin outshone the sun. Rose pushed through the crowd, anxious to feel his hand in hers.
The Doctor surprised her by sweeping her into his arms and twirling her around. Rose could feel his smile where his face was pressed next to hers, and she laughed giddily.
When he set her back down on her feet, there was something in his eyes that she'd never seen before. "C'mon," he whispered, taking her hand. "Let's get out of here before they try to thank us." Hand in hand, they snuck away from the crowd and then ran to their horses, laughing the whole way.
Rose and the Doctor collapsed on the grass by the horses, giggles dying down. "I'm not sure what was so funny," she said as she pushed herself into a sitting position.
"It's relief." The Doctor jumped to his feet and held out a hand. "Up you get."
Rose let him pull her up. "Think so?"
He clutched her hand in his. "I know I was relieved." He lifted his other hand to her face, brushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear. Tenderness shone in his eyes, and she held her breath as his face came closer and closer, letting out a soft exhale when his lips brushed hers.
"Is this okay?" he asked in the barest whisper.
"More than," Rose told him.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her again, more insistently this time. Rose sighed against his lips and sank her right hand into his hair. As soft as I imagined, she thought hazily.
Gradually, the soft kisses slowed and then stopped, leaving Rose and the Doctor staring at each other more intensely than they ever had before.
Rose was surprised by the pain she saw in his eyes. "What's wrong?" she whispered, cupping his jaw in her hand.
He nuzzled into her palm before burying his face against her neck, clutching her tightly. "I was so afraid," he said. "Oh, Rose. If I lose you, too…"
Rose's heart swelled. That was all the declaration she needed. He'd told her once that he'd lost everyone he loved, so this desperate fear said more than a thousand pretty words.
"I know," she told him, stroking his hair. "I love you, too."
DWDWDWDW
The next day, the Doctor surprised Rose by suggesting they stay at the castle. "I thought we could eat lunch with my two closest advisors, and then maybe I could give you a tour."
Rose gently took the hand that was tugging on his left ear and laced her fingers through his. "I'd like that," she told him, even though the idea of meeting members of the royal household made her a bit nervous.
As it turned out, she had nothing to be worried about. When they entered the room, a tall handsome man bowed to Rose and kissed her hand. "Miss Tyler," he said. "Jack Harkness, captain of the King's Guard, at your service. Feel free to call me Captain Jack; all the ladies do."
The Doctor's hand tightened around hers. "Stop it," he ordered.
"I'm just saying hello!" Rose giggled, and Captain Jack waggled his eyebrows at her. "I can see why you've kept her to yourself, Doc. If I'd known your new companion was so gorgeous, I might have come with you."
"Jack, stop."
Lady Sarah Jane, the castle chatelaine, directed them all to seats around the table. Rose let go of the Doctor's hand and took the chair opposite him, watching as the two men continued to bicker.
Sarah Jane patted her on the shoulder. "I can see what you're thinking, and yes, they're always like this." She raised an eyebrow in the direction of the Doctor and Jack. "Are you sure this is what you want, Rose?"
The Doctor broke off his argument with Captain Jack in mid-sentence and looked at Rose with wide eyes. She smiled softly and said, "Yeah, I'm sure."
The room was quiet for a moment, and then Captain Jack smirked at the Doctor. "I think you're getting the better end of the deal here, Doc."
"I know I am."
When the meal was over, Jack turned to the Doctor with a serious expression on his face. "I know you had plans for the afternoon, and I don't blame you—"
"Jack…"
"But the rumours of trouble in the north are getting stronger. Raiders are attacking villages at night, stealing livestock and burning down buildings. I'm afraid you need to be the prince for a while."
The Doctor looked guiltily at Rose, but she shook her head. "I knew you were the prince before I knew you were the Doctor," she reminded him. "I'll just go home and come back in the morning."
"Actually Rose," Sarah Jane said, "the Doctor asked me to plan a ball to introduce you to the court. If the two of you aren't going to be gallivanting off somewhere, I'd appreciate your help."
Their days took a new pattern after that. Rumours of trouble stirring in the northern part of the kingdom forced the prince to stay at the castle and spend most of the day in conference with Jack and his military advisors. Rose would come to the castle in time to eat lunch with the Doctor, Jack, and Sarah Jane, and then spend the afternoon arranging the ball with Sarah Jane.
When Rose's family found out about the ball, even Mickey couldn't deny that the Doctor was, in fact, courting her. Her mum grumbled about princes not having the decency to talk to a girl's parents before a courtship began, but Rose laughed and suggested that maybe he'd been worried she'd slap him.
One afternoon, the Doctor swept into the salon and grabbed Rose's hand. "Sorry Sarah," he said, an unrepentant gleam in his eyes. "You'll have to get by without Rose for the rest of the day."
Rose giggled as she jogged along beside him. "What's gotten into you?" she asked.
He pushed open a side door and led them toward the stables. "It's been too many days since I had you to myself." He rubbed at the back of his neck, and Rose was astonished to see his ears turning red. "That, and Jack might have reminded me of something I should do," he mumbled.
"He… what do you mean?"
"Look!" the Doctor said brightly when they reached the paddock. "Ready and waiting for us."
It didn't escape her notice that he'd evaded her question, but Rose set it aside and mounted her horse. The Doctor led them through the hills that rose behind the castle until they reached a dry canyon.
Rose looked at the rock formations in awe. "S'beautiful, Doctor," she said once they'd both dismounted.
"I come here sometimes when I need to think. It's so easy to lose perspective, to blow things out of proportion. Up here, I remember that no matter what I do, these rocks will still be here tomorrow."
The reddish rocks gleamed in the afternoon sunlight. Rose was used to thinking of herself as small and insignificant, but somehow, surrounded by beauty that would still exist centuries after she was gone, she finally saw a larger purpose to her life.
"Is that why you brought me here? To think?"
His hand tightened around hers. "No. I bought you here to ask you a question." He drew a deep breath. "How long are you going to stay with me?"
Rose looked at him, hardly daring to believe the question was what it sounded like. But the hope in his eyes and the ring in his hand took away all doubt.
She smiled. "Forever," she promised, watching joy displace the insecurity.
The Doctor turned and framed her face with his hands. "Rose Tyler," he whispered, and then he kissed her.
"So what did Jack remind you of?" Rose asked later as they rode back to the castle.
His ears turned red again. "Let's just say he was less than impressed when he discovered I'd asked Sarah Jane to help you plan a betrothal ball without actually asking you to marry me."
Rose's jaw dropped. "A betrothal…" Several details suddenly made more sense. "Do you mean the entire castle has thought we were betrothed for weeks?"
The Doctor looked at her warily and nudged Arthur to sidestep out of reach. "Er… yes?"
She stared at him, then shook her head. "You are impossible sometimes, you know?"
The twinkle was back in his eyes. "But you love impossible."
"Lucky for you."
Jack was waiting for them in the stables. "Jack!" Rose jumped lightly to the ground. "I hear I have you to thank for this," she said, waving her new ring at him.
The Captain laughed. "Glad to be of service, Rosie."
"Oi!" the Doctor complained. "I'm the one who gave it to you, you know."
"Yes, but only because Jack reminded you," she said sweetly. "Without his help, I might have shown up to my wedding still unaware I was betrothed."
He tugged on his ear. "I'm sure I would have told you before then. Probably."
Jack coughed. "I hate to break up the fun, but I need to talk to the Doc."
Rose nodded. "It's almost time for me to go home anyway." She pressed a light kiss to the Doctor's lips. "I'll see you tomorrow."
But when she woke up the next morning, the village was surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns.