amidst eternity

(e-ter-ni-ty: n. time without beginning or end; infinite time. the state or quality of being eternal.)

i.

The golden mountains of Permatar stretched as far as the eye could see; high and mighty under the electric silver sky. Some unknown element on the air tasted of fresh pears, and the smell of newly cut grass was subtle but permanent as it soothed the senses. It was a sight which, once upon a time, would have made her heart race, but now it just made her feel old.

Wrapping her cloak tightly around her shoulders, Rose Tyler made her way slowly back towards the village nestled securely amidst the valley. The tribe which took residence there were friendly enough, gladly taking Rose in whilst she explored the surrounding area. Of course, the payment she gave them for their kindness played a large part in their hospitality; despite the economic boom gracing other planets in the quadrant, Permatar was still suffering since the galactic government saw no need to aid the beautiful but poverty ridden race. Despite that, the natives were more than equipped to survive, growing all their own food and getting their water supply from a nearby spring. They were content and this brought them a strong sense of community and compassion which Rose had not seen for a long time. It was the main reason that she had broken her own rule and stayed on the planet for more than a month.

"Nona Tyler, how was your day?" She looked up and smiled at Kepala Folnak, the tribe's leader. He was a short man with greying hair and skin which was beginning to sag. Like all Permatar natives, his eyes were an ethereal coral blue which seemed to calm and haunt you all at once, and his cheeks were home to a natural tattoo which swirled delicately down to his neck.

"I'm fine, thanks."

"Good. You are planning to stay with us a while longer, are you not? You would be most welcome, and if you are here long enough then you can help with the harvest; a great honour for someone who is not a member of the tribe, let alone of a different race."

"That would be great," Rose smiled, feeling a burst of pride at the chief's offer. She knew exactly how much of an honour that would be and it was testament to how much they obviously liked her for it even to be suggested.

To the people she met on her travels, she was a blonde twenty-something human who liked to travel alone. The blonde part and the human part were more or less correct, but she had not been in her twenties for a good seven centuries. That was her greatest reason for not staying on one planet for too long; the universe was big enough that she could always stay on the go and never raise too many questions. She was a timeless being, an eternal, and if that information were to make it into anyone's hands then she would be in big trouble. As in lab experiment, dissected trouble.

It had all started a long time ago when she'd met a man (doesn't it always start with a man?) who had swept her off her feet. He'd shown her the stars, quite literally, and given her a taste of the universe. Then, one day, with only the thought of saving his life and that of the human race, she'd looked into the time vortex. Except, it sort of turned out that she should never have done that. It was amazing that it had taken her so long to pick up on it really, especially since there were always hints, but she'd never thought to sit down and think, 'Oh, I wonder if I'll ever be able to die...'

Like with all realistic love stories, the man had left her in the end, and even though he hadn't wanted too, there was no stopping it. She'd thought, then, that her heart would shatter into a million pieces; metaphorically it had, sure, but literally? No, apparently even a train going full speed wouldn't do that. Or a gun. Or a bomb. Or any other possible means of death that she, or anyone else, could think up. She'd watched as her friends and family passed away; as generations moved on until it was too hard to explain her own constant presence to people who would never be able to understand it. She sat back and watched as planet Earth began to realise how close the rest of the universe could be and started designing their own means of touching the stars. She waited until space travel became as easy as catching a bus (assuming you knew the right people, and she'd had the foresight to make the right sort of friends along the way) and then she'd taken off.

That had been about three centuries ago now and she hadn't looked back. She would go from one planet to the next and not return until a sufficient amount to time had passed that nobody would remember her. Of course, there was so much to see that she rarely went back to the same planet at all: in fact, she had not returned to Earth once since she'd left. Sometimes she felt a twinge of nostalgia for her home, but there was nothing left for her there anymore. She had long ago given up on the man she had once loved returning, even though she was sure he'd tried, and so even that was not enough to keep her standing still. He would never have done.

"You are sad," Folnak said, jolting Rose out of her reverie. It was a statement rather than a question and Rose, not for the first time, thought about how perceptive the Permatarian people were. Either that or she was growing worse at controlling her facial expressions.

"Not really; a little nostalgic perhaps, but not sad."

"Ah, but they are the same thing, are they not? The past is always a sad place to let your mind wander; the future is so much brighter, wouldn't you say?" he smiled in an amused manner but there was an underlying wisdom there which you couldn't ignore.

"The past isn't always a sad place; sometimes it inspires you, sometimes it reminds you that there are things worth living for, but, yes, sometimes it just makes your heart ache."

"You are much wiser than your years, nona. But then, I think you are told that often." The twinkle in the old man's eye lead Rose to believe that he knew more than he was letting on. It wouldn't surprise her, of course; the Permatarian's were often said to have mild psychic abilities and Rose had been around long enough for them to have gained deeper vibes off of her. She didn't confirm his theory, however – she needed to stay on her guard at all times, no matter how nice the people around her were – and instead just smiled vaguely.

"Dinner will be ready soon, won't it? We should be heading back."

Obviously sensing that he would not get anything more out of her, Folnak simply nodded and began walking back towards the village at a steady pace and Rose gladly followed, using the silence as an excuse to let her thoughts wander once more.

ii.

Whenever travellers stopped in the village there was always a mild uproar. The finest food and best garments would be dug out and it would become a time of celebration. When Rose had first arrived, she had been given the preferential treatment and it had only just begun to wear off as her stay became further extended. It was not a surprise, therefore, that after news of travellers heading their way, the people of the tribe had set about preparing themselves.

Rose herself was slightly worried about the news; she was always on edge whenever unknown people were close as all it would take was one wrong word and she'd be in an awful lot of trouble. However, knowing that she had gained the love and trust of the Permatarian people gave her a greater sense of relief, knowing that they would look out for her best interests at all times.

Three men arrived within two days of the messenger's announcement. They were, as far as Rose could tell, from the planet Piron, and were stopping on Permatar as part of a longer journey. They did not want to venture into the Great City on the other side of the planet as their business was their own and they did not want nosy government officials poking around in private matters. Rose could more than understand that; she herself had only ever gone to the Great City once and swore never to return again. It was a stunningly beautiful place, full of towering monuments carved into mountain walls and reaching high up into the silver sky. The streets swarmed with creatures from all races but mainly with businessmen who used the City for trade. The entire place had glittered and shone magically, however there was a major downside: at every entrance was a check point in which planetary identification was checked and full searches were distributed. It was worst than any airport security Rose had experienced in her day. She did have planetary ID, but it was, of course, faked and she knew that it would not withstand such detailed examination.

The sound of a curtain being pushed aside alerted her to a presence in the room and she looked up to find one of the Pironites watching her. For all appearances, the Pironites were human, the only noticeable difference being their height, as every one of them stood over six and half feet tall. At best they were intimidating, as worst downright scary.

"I did not mean to make you jump," the Pironite told her, bowing his head slightly in greeting and allowing the early evening sun to highlight his light brown hair.

"That's alright, I just didn't hear you come in." Although her statement was polite enough, there was an underlying edge to it which implied that she did not like being snuck up on. It was not something she did consciously, but over the years it had simply become habit.

"You are nona Rose Tyler, are you not?"

"Yes, that's me. And you are?"

"My name is Carlipe."

"It's nice to meet you." Rose stuck out her hand in greeting and, after a moment, the man shook it briefly. Whilst he seemed harmless enough, there was something in his manner that put Rose at unease and she snatched her hand back quickly. "Are you staying for long? The tribe are terribly hospitable, I'm sure they'll have no problem finding you somewhere to stay."

"Only as long as we must. We still have a long way to travel and our business is such that we mustn't be detained." His voice was cool and slightly sharp but whether that was deliberate or just a part of his manner, Rose was unsure.

"That's a shame; it really is a beautiful place." Standing up, she began walking towards the door, feeling an unusual sense of relief the further away from the man she got. "Dinner shall be ready shortly. Are you going to join us?"

Carlipe shook his head. "No, my brethren are meeting privately for supper."

"Oh, well, have fun," Rose said with an uneasy smile. "I really have to be off." As quickly as she could, she nodded her goodbye and left the room.

Maybe it was just her natural paranoia, but there was definitely something odd about Carlipe, and she'd hazard a guess, the rest of his brethren as well. She'd learnt to stay on her guard at all times, and her instincts told her to keep an eye on them, but she wasn't sure exactly what she was going to be looking for. Passing down the hallway, she noticed the other two men talking quietly with their heads together just a few steps away from her. Aware of her presence, they stood up straight quickly, eyeing her coolly and fixing their postures so they stood at their full height. They were almost too big for the room, the taller man's hair barely brushing the ceiling.

"Good evening," she said, smiling as casually as she could and beginning to walk towards them. Just as she was passing within reach, she felt a brush against her arm that set her nerves on end. Moving briskly she had just got the end of the corridor when she heard the softest of replies.

"Good evening, Miss Tyler."

There was something extremely sinister in those four words.

iii.

It had been almost a week since the Pironites had arrived in the village and Rose had managed to stay as far out of their way as possible. Since that first night she had not exchanged any words with them and had, instead, taken every opportunity to explore the surrounding areas, leaving early in the morning and not returning until just before night fall. The initial feeling of danger which the men's presence had aroused had not returned and she was beginning to feel a bit silly, as though she was just getting overly suspicious in her old age. That didn't, however, mean that she wanted to spend any unnecessary time with them if she could help it.

Picking up her notebook, Rose began to wander back in the direction of the village. There was a warm breeze in the air which made the ends of the grass dance gracefully. The electric sky was even more alive than usual and the reflections of the planet illuminated it with streaks of colour. This was Rose's favourite part of the day, gifting her with a calming sensation and the feeling that being alone wasn't all that bad.

The sound of a twig breaking jolted her attention and she spun around hastily only to find nobody there except a small animal making its way down the mountain side. Feeling foolish, she shook her head and went back to her walk. She didn't know why she was feeling so jumpy these days, but she did know that, for a split second, she had expected to find one of the Pironites following her. It was stupid really; there was no way that they would have been able to sneak up on her that well in such a deserted place. It had just been a harmless animal, nothing more, but her nerves were fried. She could really use a cup of tea and a hot bath, neither of which were options currently available to her; she'd have to settle for some of the native women's herbal remedies and a good night's sleep instead.

Taking one last look at the view surrounding her, she hastily set back for the village not noticing the shadow watching her silently from the adjacent mountain.

iv.

"Nona Tyler, nona Tyler!" Rose looked up to see Keaf, Kepala Folnak's small daughter, running towards her, her dark hair coming out of its small fastening.

"Keaf, are you alright?" Rose asked worriedly. She pushed aside her notebook and gave the child her full attention.

"It's papa! He says for you to come quickly. Something bad is happening." The girl looked terrified, and Rose, with little thought, jumped up to follow her. The two ran back in the direction of the village as fast as they could. As they approached, Rose saw a gathering of villagers all looking towards the chief's home. Rose pushed through the crowd, making her way to the front.

"Kepala, what is it?" she called, seeing the small man hunched over and looking paler than usual. Not until she got closer still did she notice the three Pironites standing regally in front of him, Carlipe in the lead with his hands folded smartly in front of him and a cold, detached look on his face.

"Ah, Rose," Folnak said, looking up. It seemed to Rose that he turned even paler at seeing her, and his eyes appeared to be trying to tell her something. It almost looked like an apology.

Rose felt goosebumps cover her skins and the hairs at the base of her neck stand on end. Something really wasn't right. Taking a hesitant step forward, she moved closer to Folnak, making sure that Carlipe and his friends remained in her line of vision. Standing in front of the chief defensively, she turned to make eye contact with the head Pironite, deliberately attempting to keep her breathing even. "Is there a problem here?" she asked, keeping her voice as casual as she could.

"You could say that, Miss Tyler," Carlipe replied with a chilling smile. "You could most definitely say that." As he spoke he began to move closer to her, pushing his shoulders back until he stood at his natural seven feet. Rose felt a wave of fear wash over her and she realised just how defenceless she currently was.

"Well," she said, he voice rising an octave with nerves. "Why don't we all just go inside and discuss this civilly over a nice cup of tosca?" Even as she said it, she chided herself for letting herself be intimidated.

"No, I do not think so. We shall do this out here."

"Do what, exactly?" Rose asked, gripping her hands into fists to stop them from trembling.

Ignoring her question, Carlipe began pacing in front of her, his head bent as though he were explaining something to a young child. "You see, we've been looking for you for a very long time, Miss Tyler. Admittedly, we did not expect to find you like this, but one should never question fate."

Rose felt bile in the back of her throat. "I don't know who it is you think I am, but I can assure you, you are mistaken."

His voice was harrowing as he replied. "Oh, I think not, Miss Tyler. But there are ways of knowing for sure. Dre!"

At his command one of the other Pironites lunged forwards and Rose only had time to see a flash of silver before she felt the knife plunge into her chest. Screams arose from around her as the villagers began to panic, and Rose could see Carlipe watching her with a smug grin, knowingly. Suddenly a voice in her ear shouted "Run!" and Rose saw Kepala Folnak next to her, blocking the path of the Pironites so that she could make her escape.

As a burst of unbearable pain ran through her, she took off, tripping briefly as she stumbled hurriedly through the crowds. Angered shouts started up not far behind as the Pironites realised what was happening and began to take pursuit. Feeling a burning in her lungs, Rose tried to make herself move faster; she saw the village begin to grow sparse as she reached the mountain plane, and, trying to ignore the pain, she picked up her pace. She could hear footsteps thundering behind her but the blood pumping in her ears stopped her from determining how far away they were.

Taking a turn around one of the twisting mountain paths, Rose didn't notice the tree root amongst the grass, and before she could balance herself, she was sprawled face down on the ground. Groaning with pain, she tried to pick herself back up but found herself frozen in place.

She was staring at a person's feet.

And then she passed out.

v.

The first thing Rose noticed as she came back to consciousness was that it was dark; the second was that her knife wound had fully healed, and the third was that she appeared to be alone. Sitting up she almost knocked her head against the rocky surface that composed the ceiling, and once her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, she was able to determine that she was in a cave.

"I wouldn't try and sit up too quickly if I were you. Despite your miraculous healing act, you may still have a concussion or something." OK, so not as alone as she'd thought then.

Taking in the rest of her environment, she saw him sitting not too far away, his hands fiddling with a small silver instrument. He looked to be in his mid thirties with dark hair, deep cheek bones and a distinctly human physique. Except, there was something about him that screamed 'alien', and also something strangely...familiar. After a few seconds, he seemed to have made the instrument in his hands work, and a soft light illuminated the cave, allowing Rose to see him in even more detail. He was attractive to say the least, and Rose felt her cheeks heat up as she realised what a mess she must look, and then scolded herself for being so shallow.

"What happened?" she asked groggily, putting aside the fact that she didn't know this person and focusing more on the fact that, unlike other people she knew, he wasn't currently trying to kill her.

"You passed out rather ungracefully at my feet. Blood everywhere. From what I could gather, you were being chased down by a group of rather unsavoury characters." He grinned brightly at her, crossing foot over knee casually and looking quite at home. "Then I brought you here, waited to see whether or not you'd die on me, and was briefly surprised to see you heal instead. Nice trick, by the way."

"Thanks," Rose replied sarcastically, narrowing her eyes. Looking down at her vanished wound, she suddenly noticed her attire, or rather, lack thereof. "And in waiting to see whether I died or not, you just felt the urge to take my top off?" All the feelings she'd had earlier in the day or fear and terror were quickly forgotten and instead replaced with anger.

"Well, now that you mention it..." He smiled again, completely unaffected by her displeasure.

Huffing in aggravation, Rose fumbled around in search of her missing garment of clothing, and, not finding it, went back to glaring at the man in front of her.

"What?" he asked with a voice of perfect innocence. "It was covered in blood? Wouldn't want anyone tracking you down just to protect your modesty now, would we?"

"Fine!" Rose said loudly, crossing her arms over her chest in both a display of annoyance and a way of covering herself up. She was extremely thankful that she'd worn a good bra that day. "What were you doing out here anyway? It's the middle of nowhere and I know for a fact that you're not staying in the village."

The man eyed her for a moment, seemingly trying to decide whether or not he was going to grace her with an answer.

"I've been staying here; there's no way I'm going to intersperse with the natives." His voice was matter-of-fact, but there was no disguising the patronising undertones. "Besides, I had my safety to think of."

"Your safety?" Rose declared, briefly gesticulating to herself to belie the sense in that statement in regards to her own situation.

"Yes, my safety. You see, there's been a bit of a misunderstanding..." At this, he stood up and brushed down his black suit trousers.

"A misunderstanding?" Rose asked, confused.

"That's right. You see, those idiotic Pironites are actually looking for me but stumbled across you first. A bit unfortunate that we share the same knack of being unable to die or they'd never have made the mistake."

He walked closer to her and simply stood, staring into her eyes. As she watched him, she felt herself come to a realisation so mind boggling that she couldn't help but declare it out loud. "You're a Time Lord."

Suddenly his whole demeanour seemed to change and his features morphed themselves into those of childish glee. "That's right. You're obviously not as stupid as you look."

"But...how?" A crease of perplexity formed between her eyebrows as she ignored his insult.

"By using an old school technique which I like to call 'run away and hide'." There was no shame in his voice, but instead he just seemed to get more buoyant.

There were a thousand comments that Rose wanted to make, almost all of them revolving around the Doctor and whether this man knew that he was still alive and out there. Except he wasn't, not in this universe now that it had been blocked off, and there was no use in getting people's hopes up unnecessarily, especially when there were more important things to worry about.

"Right, well, we better be getting to the village. If I'm guessing right then those Pironite bastards will be keeping the tribe hostage until they get who they're looking for and we need to do something about it." She stood up with intent, taking a few seconds to gather balance in her legs.

"Uh, let me think about this." Rose turned to face the Time Lord who was leaning against the wall. "No."

"What do you mean 'no'?" Rose demanded, mouth gaping open.

"I mean, no. As in, not going to happen. I'm not going to stick my neck out for a bunch of people that have absolutely nothing to do with me. In fact, I don't stick my neck out regardless; didn't you hear my whole 'run and hide' philosophy?"

Rose felt her skin heat up incredulously. The nerve of this guy! Taking a deep breath and pushing her shoulders back, she stomped over to him until she was just inches away.

"Listen here you git; it is your fault that those bastards are here, it is your fault that I got stabbed, and it is your fault that those people are in trouble. Therefore, we are going to march over there, find out what is happening and then we are going to do something about it. Do you hear me?"

The guy seemed to have pushed himself even further into the wall at her hissed speech, and looked a mixture of intimidated and amused. Rose felt a triumphant well inside her chest; she was Jackie Tyler's daughter, and she'd be damned if she didn't get her own way.

"Right," he said after a moments, another childish grin on his face.

"Good." Rose grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him towards the caves entrance purposefully. Pausing briefly but not loosening her grip, she turned her head. "I'm Rose by the way. What do they call you?"

He smiled cheerfully. "I'm the Master."