Chapter 1

A gasp escaped from the man awakening from his deep sleep. Abruptly he opened his eyes before slowly raising a shaking hand to gaze on it. He haphazardly noted that there was a slight hint of frost just above pale skin. Glancing down at his shoulder, he saw a large piece of gauze covering him from front to back, reminding him that he had been severely wounded by Krazan. Carefully pulling the bandage off, he assessed the area before looking over the length of his body. All indications of having been injured, by either Dragon tail or Dragon secretion, were gone. The Doctor exhaled audibly, thanking his Time Lord biology for the ability to put himself in the same condition as Sam currently was in with one exception: his body could heal itself given the proper time and circumstances - in this case a massive dose of anti-venom and a good doctor's attention (namely Sam's) - whereas Sam could only be put in stasis until he could receive the anti-venom and a healing compound to tend to his internal injuries. A good doctor's attention, though, was something that the Doctor planned on providing as soon as he's retrieved the correct materials.

Feeling the TARDIS' pleasure for his well-being and knowing that the time ship had brought them to their destination, the Time Lord smiled up at the ceiling and, thus, at his oldest friend. "Thanks, old girl," he replied to the images and feelings in his mind. Groaning slightly as he stood up, he used the blanket to keep himself warm and walked over to the stasis chamber, ensuring sure that it was still functioning properly. As he gazed on his patient, it occured to him that he should, for all intents and purposes, be wearing a difference face, especially with how adamantly he had ordered Sam to tend to himself.

"You let Sam tend to me first rather than save himself immediately?" he questioned, mildly disturbed that the scientist was now in far worse condition than him now.

The TARDIS hummed lightly, letting him understand that the companion in this situation was right although the human doctor didn't know the real reason why. She was saddened that he had entered stasis believing there was no hope for him but glad that his actions would save his new friend from losing a life far too soon.

The Doctor let the communication that was more feeling than words filter through him. "Of course. Sam wouldn't have survived even if he had chosen himself over me. Good call."

The ship again hummed, a feeling of accomplishment flowing from her.

The Time Lord smiled broadly at the sensation, patting the wall with affection before turning to exit the infirmary in search of a shower and a set of clothes.

Washed and now dressed in a blue pin-striped suit - he'd wanted to try this particular look but never had gotten around to it - he made his way to the console room, speaking as he did so. "Bring up the formula necessary to make more anti-venom. I'm going shopping. And keep an eye on Sam for me." Grabbing his overcoat and the recipe, he slipped it over his shoulders before leaving the time ship, making sure that the door was firmly locked behind him.

He'd stepped out into a small nook behind a couple of vendor's stalls. The moment he walked out into the market, a huge grin graced his face. "Aw, this is brilliant!" he exclaimed excitedly. He took a moment to admire the hustle and bustle and the various curios within sight before straightening himself noticeably. Tucking his hands into his trouser pockets, he started to walk, paying attention to what each vendor was selling as he passed.

A young boy of about sixteen walked up to him quite cheekily. "You look like you're not from around here. Perhaps I can help you find what you're looking for... for a price."

"Oh, really," the Doctor commented. "What price did you have in mind?"

"A gold piece will get you the best tour of the market possible. I know where all the best buys are and I know which merchants give a good deal and which are out to cheat you," the boy answered.

"And how do I know you aren't out to cheat me yourself?" the Time Lord replied, already liking this young man's entrepreneurial attitude.

"Because," the boy responded, his back stiffening at the suggestion that he'd cheat anyone, "I work for my wages when I can."

The Doctor examined him for a long moment, noting that although the boy's outfit showed significant wear and tear, there was a certain dignity in his stature as well as the upkeep of his clothes. "Indeed you do. What is your name?"

"Jarman," the boy answered with a bow. "At your service, Lord."

The Gallifreyan turned his head slightly away in protest of the action. "Please, no bows," he told him. "And I may be a Lord but I prefer to be addressed as the Doctor. Now..." he said as he dug into his coat pocket, bringing out a gold coin and holding it up. "... where is the best place to find silphium?"

Giving the man a slight double-take at the request, Jarman took the coin. "Um. Yes. Silphium. I know where the freshest and most potent is found." He turned and started to walk quickly down a side street.

The Doctor startled slightly at the kid's sudden action, watching the lithe urchin move through the crowd. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, disappointment showing on his face. It wasn't the loss of the coin that bothered him as much as seeing the boy in such need of money as to resort to theft. Or at least, that was what he thought until Jarman stopped a good fifty feet down the street.

"Are you coming? You said you wanted me to help you find your item."

The Time Lord meandered through the crowd to catch up with the boy. "You're a bit light on your feet."

"Well... sometimes it's good to be able to... maneuver, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, believe me, I know exactly what you mean," the Doctor agreed. "Had to maneuver myself out of a few tight places myself on occasion." He followed the quick boy through the streets with ease, keeping a close eye on him.

A few minutes later, they were before the shop of an old woman. Her stall was quite a bit off the beaten path but what she offered was definitely quality. "Nearla, I've brought you a customer. He is a Lord..." He saw the look that was given him and amended. "Um... Doctor."

The Doctor grinned at the boy's correction before turning to the old woman. "Hello, Nearla. Jarman here says you've got the best silphium in... where am I?" he questioned Jarman with a slight frown.

The boy looked confused. "You don't know where you are?"

"Well... umm... to be honest... no. Not exactly. Before first century Egypt, I hope."

"I don't know what those strange words mean Lo... Doctor, but I can tell you that Thebes has the best market in the area."

Nearla smiled, "You do me a great honor, Lord Doctor."

The Doctor bowed to the elderly woman. "The honor is mine." He dug into his coat pocket, pulling out the recipe he'd tucked in there and reading it. "I need silphium and lotus root. Mostly silphium. I mean, I could go anywhere for lotus root." He pointed to the boy who was still waiting by the door. "And I also want to give this boy a meal. He looks like he hasn't eaten in several days. Not a lot anyway."

She gave a sad look. "No. Jarman doesn't always have enough to eat. He's a good boy, though. Helps out where he can." She picked among her wares and chose the finest stalks of the plants requested. "There is a small shop not far from here that serves wonderful stews and bread. That's where to go to eat." She held out the silphium and lotus root. "Will these do, Lord Doctor?"

"Excellent!" came the enthusiastic response. Then, with all the care of a green grocer selecting the freshest vegetables, he chose several stalks of silphium and lotus root before waiting for Nearla to carefully wrap his purchase and paying the requested amount in gold. "Thank you very much, Nearla," he stated genuinely as he collected his purchase. "You have been a fair and honorable saleswoman. May Ra look upon you favorably."

"You do me a great honor choosing my humble shop," she answered. Then nodding towards the boy, she added, "Perhaps you could use another pair of hands. Jarman has learned many skills. He would be an asset in the house of a lord. Perhaps yours, Doctor?"

The Gallifreyan pulled on his ear at her words, an uncomfortable look on his face. "Problem is my... house... doesn't really need a hired hand." He considered Jarman for a long moment, watching his face dip from hope to disappointment. He sighed. "I can't guarantee anything but... I'll try."

The boy's visage immediately turned to joy. "You will not be disappointed, Lor... Doctor. There's nothing I can't do if I'm only allowed the time to learn," he insisted.

"Of that I am sure. What I'm not sure about is being able to find you a position. The only person I know of influence in this city died a while back."

"Well... Horus will lead us as he will," the boy answered. "Do you require any other provisions?"

The Time Lord looked at the young man, consideration on his face. While he wasn't sure what he could do to help the boy's current predicament in life other than to provide a meal, he knew that the work he had ahead of him was going to require either a lot of time with him working alone, or an extra pair of hands to get the complicated and painstaking task of making Dragon anti-venom accomplished in better time. "Well... if you are available... I might have a job for you. Temporary work, mind you. But... I could use some assistance."

"That's a better offer than I get most days. I'm willing to do almost anything..." the boy said with a smile which became serious. "But I won't hurt anyone. I draw the line at that."

"Good boy!" the Gallifreyan complimented. "Then you've got a job." He turned to Nearla and gave her a bow. "My lady Nearla, I take my leave."

"You are a kind man, Lord Doctor."

The Time Lord cringed slightly. "It's just Doctor, no Lord in front of it. Anyway..." He turned to the young Egyptian. "Lunch, Jarman?"

The boy led the way out of the small shop and down the street to where Nearla had suggested. After a decent and filling meal, the two left the eatery and walked back through the streets to the exact spot where the Doctor had first encountered the clever young man beside him.

"Now... where did I leave her? Oh, yes! This way," he instructed, retracing his steps back to the spot between the shops where the TARDIS had materialized. Pulling out a key, he started to unlock the time ship.

Jarman tilted his head looking over the blue structure. "I've never seen such a pillar in the middle of the street before." He walked around it. "Doesn't look like it would hold up much weight."

"It's not exactly a pillar," the Doctor told him as he opened the door. "It's more a... well... It's my home, actually."

"Your home?" Jarman asked. "But you're a lord, Doctor. You should have palace or at least a villa."

The Time Lord sighed slightly, knowing that there wasn't going to be any way that he could convince the young man to drop the "Lord" moniker when talking to or about him. Then again, what did he expect really, considering his social status in this particular time of Egyptian history? Instead of trying to correct the boy, he attacked the latter half of the statement. "Oi! Don't knock her! She's much more than she appears." He gestured for Jarman to follow as he walked in.

The boy moved to the door and looked inside. He immediately stepped back in surprise. A few seconds later, he moved to the door again and looked in and then repeated his actions. "You are a great magi!"

"I wouldn't say that," the Gallifreyan contradicted. "Now, Harry Houdini! He was a great magician. Unless you are using the word magi to mean a wise astronomer, in which case... Thank you!" He grinned broadly at the boy. "Now, don't dawdle. You'll draw attention to us and that is something that I would prefer not to do. Close the door behind you as you come in."

The young Egyptian, not at all sure that this wasn't some sort of trap, swallowed tightly. He thought quickly about what he knew of his benefactor. The man had been kind and he'd paid him generously. He'd even fed him. He decided that going with trust at this point might be a risk but then again, perhaps this magi would change his life for the better. With a shrug, the boy did as he was asked.

"Now then," the Doctor stated once the door was closed. "Just want to check on a couple of things before we start." He went over to the console and verified that all the systems were functioning normally before leading the way further into the TARDIS to the infirmary. As they walked into the room, he put his hand through his hair as he noticed the chaos that had been left while the two men had taken the actions necessary to save each other's lives. Drawers and cabinets had been left open, discarded medical equipment left where it had been tossed in the mad rush to provide the medical care both had needed after their fight with the Dragon.

"Blimey! This place is a mess," the Doctor stated. "Need to do something about that before I administer the antidote." He wanted to get started, though, and, after a quick check of the stasis chamber which provided evidence that Sam was still in the same condition as he had left him, he turned to put the materials on the lab bench. Mentally, he reviewed what he'd seen and was glad that the poison's progression had been stopped in its tracks during Sam's confinement in the chamber.. He considered it a good sign, considering the lethality of Dragon's poison if it was not treated quickly. "Right," he finally said, going to the silphium and lotus root that he'd purchased. "How are you at chopping?"

"Pretty good. Why?"

"I need the silphium chopped down first and then pulverized into a powder. The same with the lotus root. You can start doing that while I set up the equipment to extract the active ingredients. The Gallifreyan was pleased when Jarman immediately began his task. Once he had insured the proper setup he took to straightening the room to prepare it for the ordeal he knew would be forthcoming. Once that had been taken care of, he started the actual synthesis of the antidote, using the chopped materials along with water and a few other ingredients he pulled from a cabinet. Putting it all in a glass vessel over a Bunsen burner, he started the extraction. Before long a greenish liquid was bubbling through the glass column.

Jarman, having watched the Doctor perform the duties of an alchemist, asked, "What is this that you have made?"

The Doctor gave the young man a slight smile. "Medicine for a very sick friend. An antidote for a poison, actually." He double-checked the consistency of the mixture. "Excellent! I'll make a chemist out of you yet." He patted the boy's shoulder before walking over to the stasis chamber and running his hand over a gray-colored panel, causing the metallic door of the chamber to seemingly disappear. In reality, however, the door was still firmly in place but was now transparent, allowing the Time Lord to visually check on his current patient.

From what could be seen, the human was covered with blisters any place where the Dragon's toxin had touched. In addition, there was bluish tinte to the man's skin due to the interference with oxygen transfer in the latter stages of toxicity as well as severe bruising. The Doctor figured that once Sam was brought out of stasis he would only have a short time to stabilize his friend. He knew if he didn't Albert wouldn't be the only one not to forgive him.

The boy had followed the Doctor to where he was now peering into a window of some sort. As his eyes were drawn to that window, they opened wide. "That's a woman," he said needlessly. "Had she not done your bidding?" he asked with fear entering his voice, indicating he wondered if his new master might not be as benevolent as he had thought.

"What?" the Time Lord questioned with a frown, the boy's words barely registering while he continued to check on Sam's vitals.

"She's... well... she's... dead now. Why do you keep her?"

"Oi!" the Doctor protested the boy's statement. He realized that the boy only saw Rose. "She's not dead! She's just... resting until I can help her."

"Perhaps she doesn't want your help. Perhaps she should go to on with her journey to Anubis in this crystal sarcophagus." He decided to intercede for mercy. "And she is not breathing. Perhaps the gods have more need of her than us. Do not bring her back with your magic if all she will feel is pain."

"It's not a sarcophagus. It's... a very fancy medical couch. And she is breathing just very very slowly." The Time Lord frowned at the boy's words. "And why would she feel pain if I'm trying..." He glanced at the stasis chamber for a moment and then back at Jarman, his mind quickly going through not only the conversation but how such a sight might appear to someone of Jarman's experience. "Oh." He paused, pondering it a moment longer. "Oh! No. No no no no no. I didn't do that to her! A Dra... She..." He thought quickly of the right words to convey the truth without further confusing the boy. "She's a warrior and she was in a great battle with a demon."

"Then she is like Sekhmet, protecting her people? She doesn't look like the consort of Ptah Hotep, though."

"Consort of Ptah Hotep?"

"Surely you know that the goddess has chosen to manifest herself as our Pharaoh's chief wife."

A look of confusion crossed the Time Lord's face. Before he could answer, there was a slight beeping from the stasis chamber's controls, drawing his attention to it. "Right. One thing at a time." He turned back to Jarman. "Back to the matter at hand, Rose is not dead and you, dear Jarman, have just helped save her life."

"I?" the young man asked. "How? I just chopped and mixed as you requested."

"Ah, but that antidote I spoke about, that green gooey concoction that we chopped and mixed, is for this poor lady."

"Oh." Jarman didn't quite understand, but the idea that the sleeping warrior woman would soon be amongst the living again brought a smile to his face. He looked at the man dressed in the heavy azul costume. "Do you think she will like me? Perhaps allow me to serve her? Teach me to fight beside her?"

The Gallifreyan frowned at his words. "What do you mean serve her? I have no doubt that Rose would like you. She's pretty open to new and interesting people. But I really can't see her taking up a servant."

Jarman continued to look upon the woman. "Lady Rose. What a lovely sound to that name." He looked up at the Doctor. "I will offer my services to her in any case, if that is acceptable to you, Lord Doctor."

Under his breath, the Doctor said, "I'd forgotten how caste-focused this society was. Poor Sam hasn't a chance." To Jarman, he just smiled. "You can always try, but I really don't think she'll need much." He paused for a moment, thinking about Rose, not Sam. "On the other hand... shopping trips to London... All those bags and boxes. Could use someone to help carry them other than me."

"Thank you," the young man responded, having believed he'd obtained permission. He turned his gaze back to her. "When will she return from her journey to Anubis?"

"Just as soon as we successfully administer the antidote and make sure that it had a positive impact. Speaking of which..." The Gallifreyan moved back to his lab table and pulled the solution away from the Bunsen burner and set it down in an ice filled dish, glad that the glass from his home world could take such extreme temperatures without breaking.

"Is there anything I can do to help make the moment come sooner?" Jarman asked, eager to do something more.

The Doctor thought about the request for a moment even as he ran through his mind the upcoming trauma he knew would fill the medbay. He certainly didn't want Jarman to be witness to the effects the antidote would have on Sam. The poor boy would be frightened by the physicist's reactions. Neither could he just send him away. He did, after all, promise that he would find the young man suitable employment. He sighed, realizing that bag and box carrier in 21st century London wouldn't quite fit that bill.

Returning to the stasis chamber, he tapped in the necessary codes to deactivate the cryogenic systems and then opened the metallic door before pulling out the slab on which Sam lay. "Tell you what," he told Jarman. "You can help me carry her to the examination table." He was still trying to think of a suitable excuse to get the boy out of the infirmary, and preferably the TARDIS, until the situation was more tranquil. He looked at Sam, but saw Rose as Jarman would see her and his eyes widened. "Umm... let me just get a sheet first," he commented, realizing the aura of a naked woman would perhaps be a bit much for a boy at the age of raging hormones, even with her severe injuries. Obtaining a sheet from one of the drawers, he quickly draped it over the still cold body. "You take her feet. I'll take her shoulders."

Jarman took the feet and exclaimed, "She's chilled, like one who has faced the desert winds when the line of the gods is high in the heavens."

Understanding that Jarman was referring to the belt of Orion, the Doctor nodded. "Yes. She must be so or I will not be able to help her back to us."

The Egyptian said no more but rather helped to move the Lady Rose to the medical couch. He stood to the side, continuing to gaze upon the woman.

The Time Lord sniffed for a moment, his eyes moving from the boy to Sam and back. Knowing that now was the time to get him out of the TARDIS, he quickly came up with an errand. "Honey wine," he said abruptly.

"What?" Jarman asked, his face confused by the sudden statement.

"We need honey wine. Extremely medicinal in cases like these," he lied. Digging into one of his pockets, he quickly pulled out a gold piece and gave it to the boy. "Fetch a large bottle for us, will you? And you can keep the change, if there is any. That should be enough to pay for it."

"Honey wine. Right. I know just where to go. I'll be back soon."

The Doctor let out a breath, stopping the boy from leaving just yet. He really needed the boy to stay out of the TARDIS for a lot longer than the errand would take under normal circumstances. "No," he hummed. "It must be special honey wine. You must go to... the market close to the Great Temple. Only honey from the bees that sip from those gardens will be acceptable."

"Oh." The boy's face fell. "It will take me at least one movement of shadow along the sundial."

Understanding this meant an hour, the Doctor nodded gravely while mentally grinning like a maniac. "Yes, but it must be done. You want the lady to have the correct honey wine, right?"

"Of course. I will leave at once." He was confused as to how to get back to the correct door when he saw the outside door through the hallway. Not stopping to think why it was there now when it wasn't before, the boy ran towards the TARDIS door, wishing to be back as soon as possible.