She stepped onto the platform, nearing the middle of the lake. He tried to stop her, tried to get past the force field that blocked his two hearts from entering further.
"Please, NO!" he shouted desperately. "There has to be some other way…please come back, I can fix it…"
She smiled at him despite the tears running down her cheeks. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, but she was confident.
"You're the smartest being in the cosmos, and you know that's not true".
He had no answer to this besides the continuing "Please, Rose. Please".
Rose looked at him, her fluttering heart nearly breaking in two at the thought of leaving her Doctor, the man who had shown more than she ever imagined.
"You've given me so much, Doctor. You set me free. And it's my turn to do the same for you".
She took her final step, took her final breath, and exhaled with "Goodbye, my love" on her lips.
"NO" he shouted as she jumped into the crystal water, vanishing without a ripple.
CHAPTER 1: ROSE
Lady Rose Marion Tyler of Powell Keep was not a proper lady by any means.
During tournaments, for instance, the ladies of the castle stared at the handsome knights in order to gain as many tokens as possible. Lady Rose watched to closely analyze each knight's technique, itching to try out their moves herself when she snuck out at twilight. As always, she practiced in secret when the rest of Powell Keep was sleeping. Her lady friends spend their days sewing and writing letters in Latin. Lady Rose daydreamed about heroic battles, dazzling heroines, and wild adventures.
What she lacked wit she made up for in personality. The knights and gentry adored Lady Rose for her compassion, beauty, and that cute thing she did with her tongue when she smiled. At the balls she never went partnerless, dancing until her feet nearly bled.
But the dances were too scares for her to remain entertained. She found her life quite monotonous and her mother, the wealthy widow Jacqueline Tyler, did nothing to assist her. The Lady Tyler, a notorious flirt, was constantly playing matchmaker and attempting to mould her daughter into a proper, domestic lady. Rose rebelled, plans fell through, except for one.
Hapless Squire Michael Smith, known to Rose affectionately as Mickey, had been a suitor as long as they both could remember. Rose considered him her closest friend, he considered her his future wife. Due to Jacqueline's meddling, he knew nothing of Rose's midnight training sessions.
Mickey strongly believed that when the time was right, Rose would acknowledge their "understood" betrothal, wed him, and make the perfect wife.
Lady Rose Tyler dreamt of exploring the world, fighting monsters, saving peasants, and running after adventures. Perhaps a man would ride alongside her, but he certainly would not save her from a tower like some damsel.
Those thoughts could never be voiced, of course. Women were pretty prizes. Still, she could dream. Maybe charm a knight down the road who would take his wife along on his travels. But never, ever would she settle down with a scholar.
At least, that's what she thought until she met John Smith.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: so sorry this is terribly AU, and terrible in general. In desperate need of a beta, tell me if you know someone/volunteer! The prologue is quite a teaser, hope you're in for a long and wild ride :) Review now, DO ITTTTT.