A Picnic on Asgard
The TARDIS wheezed to a halt in a grassy glade in the middle of the valley. The sun was shining high in the sky, not a cloud to be seen. Mountains were spread out in the distance, the low foothills in front cut in half by a roaring waterfall surrounded by steep cliffs that lead to oblivion should one fall off the edge of the world. Everything was overly bright. The green of the grass, the crystalline blue of the water and the white foamy mist that rose up from the cauldron, the vivid purples and reds and yellows of the wildflowers…it was all so alive.
That was part of why the Doctor loved coming here. When his days were long and his nights longer, when there didn't seem to be a good day ahead and times were rough, he liked to escape to the outlands of this world. It was unlike any other, and brought him a peace he knew nowhere else in the universe. He was surrounded by so much death and destruction, that to see so much life in one place restored his hope, if only for a little while.
But this time was different. This time, he'd brought someone along. Technically, he wasn't supposed to. Humans weren't exactly welcome here, but he figured he'd be there and gone before anyone noticed. It worked for him most of the time anyways.
The Doctor exited the TARDIS first, scouting out the area before extending his arm and calling for his companion to join him. She took his arm gladly, her heels sinking into the soft dirt. She'd overdressed for the occasion, wearing a long cream-colored gown, but then again, she wouldn't be her if she didn't: always inappropriate but never tasteless. She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head, her verdigris eyes widening as she took in the sight before her.
"It's beautiful…" River gasped, at a loss for words. "Where are we?"
"Asgard, home of the Gods," the Doctor said, spinning around full circle and spreading his arms as if he were welcoming her home. From their perch in the valley, they could see the glittering gold of the city, the halls of Valhalla in the center, spires and towers interlacing in ways that should be impossible. The whole planet, though small, was a work of art. Civilization at its finest.
"Is this where you've come to retire?" River teased, though her gaze never wavered from the view. "Gods must be the closest things to Time Lords."
"Come now River, don't be silly," The Doctor replied playfully, tapping her on the nose. "They're not real gods, but immortals. For thousands of years they used the Earth as their battleground, long before the age of humans, but they left their mark all the same. The ancient Norse worshiped them because of their advanced technology and prolonged life spans."
"And they differ from you, how?"
The Doctor shot River a frustrated look, but a smile was still on his face. He extended his hand to her again, and she took it. Together, they sauntered off through the valley until they came upon a blanket already spread across the grass, a basket full of fresh fruits and other snacks holding it down in the corner so the wind wouldn't blow it away. He sat down on the blanket and leaned back, gesturing for River to join him.
"How did you manage all this?" she asked, still surprised. She kicked her heels off and sat down next to the Doctor, basking in the sun.
"The Asgardians owe me a debt, therefore I am allowed to come here whenever I like, so long as I don't bring trouble with me."
"Well, you certainly brought the wrong girl then," River winked, reaching over into the picnic basket for a strawberry. "But what do you mean, owe you a debt?"
"I saved them from an attack about five thousand years ago. These people, beautiful wonderful people, were just starting out. Barely knew where they were going. They had just crowned their king! And boom! Dark Elves from one of the Nine Realms come charging out of the sky – or at least, they were from one of the Nine Realms that they know of, there are many more in reality –"
"Doctor," River interrupted gently, a smile on her face. She thought it was adorable when the Doctor got carried away with his stories, but she did feel like getting to the end some time this century and without a lesson on theoretical inter-dimensional space travel.
"Right. Sorry. Back to the story," he apologized, getting himself back on track. "As I was saying, the Asgardians were terribly outnumbered. I had only come here on accident, missed Earth by a few million miles, but I wanted to help. So while they were doing battle down here, I was, well, being me inside the Dark Elves' mother ship – uncoupling things, poking around, trying to land the thing. The one charge – big scary elf, really pointy ears - didn't like that very much, and I barely had time to flee before I was blasted to smithereens. But the Dark Elves retreated, and Asgard was saved."
"Sounds like quite the adventure," River hummed. Just another Doctor story where he saves the day. But that didn't make it any less incredible.
"Oh it was," the Doctor continued, his excitement building, sitting up straighter, propped on one elbow while he used the other arm to make gestures in the air. "One of the most memorable, really. I'm practically a legend around here. Last time I had a banquet thrown in my honor that lasted three days…though I can't remember much after the first one. I'm pretty sure there were chickens…and a duel…and the Prince, well he just has to start learning how to be a good sport. We all can't win at charades."
"Honestly Doctor, is there anything you haven't done?" River asked, her voice full of mirth and her brain fully overloaded with outlandish stories.
"You get to be as old as I am, you see some interesting things," the Doctor mused, just a fraction of his true age shining through the cracks in his youthful façade before he composed himself once more. "It was the leader of the Dark Elves that left the greatest impression though. I even took his face a few regenerations ago."
"Oh you did not," River chided. "I think I would have noticed."
"I did! Normalized it a bit; can't go walking around Earth with a blue face and pointy ears. Someone might think I've got a fetish."
River rolled her eyes and went back to her fruit, wondering why she even found this man-child endearing when he said such silly things. Sometimes she swore he did it on purpose just to get a rise out of her. The Doctor was watching River carefully, taking in her reaction and smiling.
"What's wrong dear? Was it something I said?"
"No, nothing, just you."
"What about me?"
"You're ridiculous."
"Well, I suppose in the grand scheme of things, there are much worse things to be," the Doctor sighed, looking off into the distance, the breeze ruffling his hair. "At least I'm not boring. Boring is the worst thing anyone can be."
"No, you're not boring," River agreed. "And I love you for it, pointy ears and all."
"Well…" the Doctor replied, running his hands through his hair, an enigmatic smile on his face. River recognized that look. It was the look he made whenever he didn't know what to say, or knew too much and couldn't say anything at all. She knew that he wasn't good with emotional situations, and though it hurt her to never hear him say those three words back, she knew that it didn't matter. Even if he had pointy ears and blue skin, she would love him all the same.
"Well," she repeated, looking up playfully over the rim of her glass. "Should we pop in and say hello? I quite like the idea of a party."
"Not this time," the Doctor said, a melancholy smile on his face. "There's nowhere else in the universe with a view like this. Let's not waste it."
River watched as he turned his attention to the waterfall, to the rolling mountains and the glittering gold kingdom far above them and tried not to wonder if there was some other reason he had taken her there. She wondered what about this place made him so sad, or what would happen here in the future. There was always something else, but it was never her place to ask. If the Doctor wanted to take her to Asgard for a picnic in the countryside, then that was what they were doing. After all, the sun was shining, the sky was clear, and she was enjoying a lovely day with the man she cared for more than the anything in the universe. There was nothing more could she ask for.