The Spell
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who
A long time ago, on a distant world called Gallifrey and deep within a strange blue box, there was a lord of time. He once traveled through all of space and time to his hearts' content and with him he brought along many a companion, but one by one, they each left the lord—whether by choice or not—leaving him broken and alone.
After nearly nine hundred years, the lord decided to stop traveling forever. Instead, he chose to live in a castle on a hill, not too far from a village. Save for a few former companions who decided they owed him for their adventures and his box; he was alone in the castle. He rarely spoke to anyone anymore, never helped the villagers, and never left the grounds of the castle.
He could not return to his world of Gallifrey, as it was lost in a horrible war, but he could still hear his people's sprits, making him feel a little bit less alone. Many months passed and the lord slowly became less of the person he once was.
But one cold storming night, a young woman came to the castle and offered a single silver watch in exchange for shelter from the cold and rain.
The lord at first refused to allow her entrance, for she was just the sort of person he would've gladly welcomed on his travels. Not willing to suffer heartbreak again, he turned the woman away.
But she warned him that sometimes not taking the chance for happiness would cause more pain than anything he would suffer.
But when the lord of time did not listen to the woman and turned her away again, the woman's disguise fell and revealed a powerful enchantress.
The lord tried to apologize, but it was too late. For she had seen that there was little love left within his hearts. As punishment, she placed a powerful spell on him and all who lived in the castle. The lord was so shocked by the spell; that he concealed himself within the castle and his only window to the outside world was a spell mirror inside his box.
The watch she had offered was truly an enchanted watch, which would continue to tick and allow him to feel his people until his nine hundredth and twenty-first year. If he could find a true companion and loved her and earn her love in return; then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain alone for all eternity.
Despite this, the lord did not seek out a companion as he had given up all hope years ago. No one even walked up to the castle, thinking it was abandoned or haunted. Still, the lord did not care. For who could ever learn to love someone like him?