Time and the Trickster
By Lumendea
Chapter Two: Mission in Time: Nine Days Queen
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.
…
The dress was beautiful and right out of the large paintings that Rose had seen at the National Gallery, but it was also heavy. The bodice was stiff and completely foreign to Rose and the weight of the skirt made her feel off balance. None the less, Rose smiled as she caught her reflection in the mirror of the dressing room. It was a light cream colour and the cut of the dress was elegant but simple with a touch of lace. Rose's hair was swept up in a bun and a necklace with a small stone hung around her neck. She glanced over at the table where her normal clothing was folded neatly under her coat.
Mistress Ellen smiled and turned towards the doorway. Rose snatched the mobile out of the clothing pile and quickly powered it off before slipping it into her bodice to hide. She wasn't entirely sure what could get her burned alive right now, but she was pretty sure witchcraft accusations would do the trick. Well, that and being the wrong religion which she definitely was due to an absence of religious affiliation. Without the Doctor's presence and confidence, plus the TARDIS as an escape route Rose was finding this trip through time much more stressful than her previous trips.
"A lovely gift you brought for the Queen," Mistress Ellen complimented as she examined the necklace in the box that Rose had been transported with.
"I am glad you think it will do," Rose said as she accepted the box back from Ellen.
"Her Majesty will adore it I am sure," Ellen assured her with a smile. "Please milady, follow me."
Rose followed the older woman down one of the corridors of the Tower of London, hearing voices up ahead. They paused at an archway that was covered with a translucent white curtain. On the other side, Rose could see a figure in a gown sitting in a large wooden chair.
"It is only me Your Majesty," Ellen called with a warmth in her voice that made Rose smile sadly. "And your new lady. May we enter?"
"Lady Matilda," A voice gentle voice in the other room said, "My crown please."
Rose watched through the veil as a crown was placed on the head of the young woman with brown hair. She couldn't see her features clearly, but the voice betrayed just how young Queen Jane was and Rose nearly flinched.
"We are ready to receive you now," the Queen called out to them.
Ellen smiled at Rose and stepped through the curtain first into a small well lit room where Queen Jane sat. The Queen was dressed in an elegant gown of red and gold with a simple golden crown resting on her head. She was merely a teenage girl, her face still rounded by baby fat, but her eyes dark with worry even as she tried not to show it. Rose nervously followed Ellen towards the grand chair. A woman in her late twenties with black hair and a headdress, wearing a dress similar to Rose's stood at the Queen's side with a stern expression.
The room wasn't very large but richly furnished with the Queen's grand chair at one end and a large fireplace directly opposite where a fire roared lighting up the room. Tapestries, candle holders and a small table with refreshments decorated the room. Yet there was a tension present in the room that set Rose on edge and she had to resist the urge to summon forth her sword.
"Your Majesty," Ellen greeted with a curtsey to the Queen, "May I present Lady…." The matronly woman looked at Rose with a slight flush of embarrassment, but Rose stepped forward calmly.
"Lady Rose," Rose finished, managing a decent curtsey despite the unfamiliar movement and weight of the dress. "Of Bannerman," she added quickly realising the shortness of her introduction. It wasn't completely false. She was a Lady thanks to Gavin, just on another planet.
"I know it not," the Queen replied, but her confused expression faded into a warm smile. "But I am most grateful that you have arrived." The Queen looked to Ellen and announced, "You may leave us, Ellen." The Queen then looked towards the other lady in waiting and added, "You too Matilda."
Lady Matilda gave a graceful curtsey to the Queen and move towards the doorway and Rose. She stopped just in front of Rose with a trained smile on her face as she steadied Rose. "Forgive me," Matilda said a moment later, "But I thought the request was for an elderly companion. And I heard the Countess of Arundel was already on her way." The false smile on Matilda's face vanished and she turned to the Queen. "Your Majesty, can we trust this stranger?"
Rose kept her expression calm and controlled even as she heard the accusation in Matilda's voice. She'd faced aliens and wasn't going to be upset by a snarking Tudor woman. Turning towards Queen Jane, Rose performed another curtsey and managed to keep better control of the dress this time.
"I hope Her Majesty will judge me on my own character as she might judge you on yours," Rose announced as calmly and regally as she could.
Matilda kept her face calm, but the muscle of her shoulders and neck tensed as she glared at Rose. Holding back a smirk, Rose calmly met the gaze of Lady Matilda.
"Well said," the Queen complimented from her throne. Rose turned to see that Queen Jane had a slight smile on her face. "Matilda where are your manners. I say again, leave us."
Matilda curtseyed to the Queen and walked past Rose, giving her an ugly and distrustful look that the Queen could not see. Rose remained calm in place until the woman was gone, tightening her grip on the jewellery box in her hand.
"And what is this you bring me?" the Queen asked as her eyes dropped to the box.
Rose smiled and stepped forward with a small bow to hand the Queen the box. Queen Jane ran her fingers gently over the cravings of the elegant box for a moment before she opened it. Rose noted the girl's pleased smile and was happy that she'd been holding something of the right time period when she was pulled through. Of course, the White Guardian may have planned it that way.
"This is beautiful," the Queen gasped. "Thank you, Lady Rose."
Queen Jane looked up at Rose and they studied each other in silence for a moment. While she was young, Rose could see a heavy tension on the teenaged girl and her eyes flickered to her hands which were peeling horribly. The Queen scratched her left hand in a stressed motion that looked painful and only caused more skin to peel.
"It must be so hard for you," the Queen remarked snapping Rose out of her thoughts. "Coming here on your own and so far from home."
"Yes," Rose agreed with a nod. "Home is very far away."
"I am alone as well," Queen Jane admitted softly, her expression tense and sorrowful. "Even those I thought most loyal now call for Lady Mary to be crowned in my place." The girl's hands shook for a moment before Queen Jane forced them still and shook her head. "Oh, it is all too distressing to discuss."
The Queen rose from her throne and walked past Rose to set the jewellery box on a table near the fireplace. In the firelight Jane only looked younger and smaller, reminding Rose very much of a girl playing dress-up in her mother's clothing. Jane's education must have been impressive as she was doing a remarkable job of keeping her expression neutral.
"If you'd like to talk about it, I'm happy to listen," Rose offered before she realised how horribly out of place those words were. It was the sort of thing she said to her friends, not a Queen of England.
Queen Jane turned and looked at Rose, a confused, but hopeful expression on her face. Rose gave the girl a small smile of encouragement and Jane's face eased slightly. Now she looked sad and frightened but also resigned to events out of her control.
"When the King died without an heir we thought his sister Mary would take the throne, but he made me Queen," Jane explained fidgeting, her back to Rose as she moved closer to the fire. "And I never wanted to be." She sounded ready to cry now as her careful acting fell away. "My father–in-law saw it as a way to gain power for himself."
"Father-in-law? You're married?" Rose asked in shock.
Jane turned to look at Rose and sighed while nodding, "My mother forced me to marry Lord Dudley." Jane walked closer to Rose and added, "The man is an arse." Jane chuckled at the words and shook her head. Laughing, Rose joined Jane in front of the fire as the younger girl continued to vent. Rose couldn't help but wonder how long her unhappiness and fear had been building up, probably longer than just the last few days. "He talks of nothing but himself, fails to compliment me if I wear a new gown," Jane listened off with resignation. "And he never washes," she added with a laugh.
Rose chuckled, "I know men like that."
Jane laughed and turned to Rose. "I like you, Lady Rose," Jane said warmly. "It feels as if it has been forever since someone spoke to me as a person. Tell me of yourself."
"There isn't much to tell I'm afraid," Rose replied with a slight shrug.
"Are you married?" Jane questioned.
"No," Rose said with a laugh, but Jane gave her a confused look. "I'm only nineteen."
"I am sixteen and wed," Jane replied. "Surely you have a sweetheart. A gentleman who occupies your thoughts?"
"Yes," Rose answered with a small smile. "I do and we are to be wed in the future." Rose's smile widened at those words. It almost made her sound engaged, to the Doctor of all people. Of course currently, his Ninth self was avoiding her due to his attraction to her. "But I'm not sure that I'd call him a gentleman," Rose added with a smirk.
Jane truly laughed now and stepped closer. "Bit of a rouge is he?"
"Oh, he can be," Rose agreed with a smile. "He can also be very charming and sweet," Rose assured Jane. "Very kind, compassionate and good to others."
Rose shifted towards the table, gently touching one of the goblets sitting on it. She wondered if there was a discrete way to touch Jane's crown. The chronosteel was a metal so maybe that was it, but could that change history? Rose felt very confused and wished she knew her history better. She only knew Queen Jane was the Nine Days Queen after Mary took power and nothing of the lords involved or anything else that may have occurred.
"Is he handsome?" Queen Jane questioned, pleased for the distraction.
"Very," Rose answered, "But I'll not tell him that, his ego is healthy enough as it is."
Rose's eyes went throughout the room and she wondered if she needed to leave Jane and search the whole of the Tower of London. But she couldn't shake the feeling that a change in history would have to do with the transition from Queen Jane to Queen Mary. But perhaps the object was with Mary and not Jane. She had no idea of what nearby could near to the Time Window she'd been tossed through.
"Lady Rose?" Queen Jane asked as Rose touched another goblet. "Are you looking something?"
"Sorry Your Majesty," Rose said quickly turning back to Jane. "I'm meant to be… it's complicated," she finished hesitantly.
Jane gave Rose a searching look before she said, "You can tell me. We are friends now are we not?"
"Yes, we are," Rose agreed, feeling a twisting in her heart at the spark of relief in Jane's eyes at her words.
Just then Ellen and Matilda walked into the room, not announcing themselves. "What is it, Mistress Ellen?" Jane asked in a soft voice, sounding worried.
Ellen's face was sorrowful and she needed a moment to gather herself. "Tis ill tidings," Ellen managed to say. "Mary and her army have reached London."
Jane struggled to breathe, her face pale and her hands shaking as Matilda stepped forward and held out a roll of paper. "This was nailed to door of St. Paul's," the dark haired woman informed Jane.
Jane turned her eyes away from the scroll and said, "I fear to read it." Her hands were twisting together and her body was shivering despite her closeness to the fire.
Rose stepped forward next to Jane and touched her arm gently before taking the scroll from Matilda's hand. She looked at Jane who nodded to her. Opening the scroll, Rose stepped closer to the fire so she could read the words.
"On this, the nineteenth day of July 1553 Lady Mary justly claimed the Crown of England and she calls upon all her subjects to reject," Rose looked up at Jane's pale face, "Any unlawful claimants."
Jane's shaking hands went to her crown and she carefully lifted it off of her head. "I have no need of this," she announced trying to keep her voice steady. "For I am no longer Queen." Jane swallowed and kept her eyes on her hands as she set the crown on the small table with the refreshments. "If I am not Queen then I made false claim to the throne and that makes me a traitor." Jane looked up at Ellen and softly said, "Punishment for traitors is death."
The room was still after Jane's words, no one spoke or cried despite the feeling that they all wished to. Even though Rose had only just met the girl she felt a deep sorrow. She hadn't wished to be Queen and had only wound up Queen due to King Edward's desire to prevent Mary from taking the throne and her horrible father-in-law's political manipulations. A man that Rose noted bitterly wasn't even present.
"I believe that I shall retire now," Jane announced raising her chin bravely. "I need some rest."
Ellen nodded and moved forward to take Jane's arm. Matilda gave Rose a sour look before she followed them out the room. Watching them go, Rose clutched and unclutched her hands a few times trying to calm down. The fire was beginning to die down and she wondered if the servants had fled and she should see to it, then she wondered if it mattered. Her eyes fell on the crown which Jane had placed on the table. Walking over to it, Rose glanced down the hall before she carefully touched the metal. Nothing happened and she sighed before moving through the room to examine any other objects of note, but the chronosteel was nowhere to be found.
Wandering out of the room, Rose moved through the quiet halls of the Tower of London. Her mind went back to her UNIT memories of this place and its famous bloody history. Slipping her hand into her bodice, Rose retrieved her phone and looked at it calmly. The White Guardian had said that history was under threat and that the Doctor couldn't help, but Rose didn't want this to be history. She didn't want that teenage girl to die. Sighing, Rose leaned against the wall and closed her eyes trying to make sense of it all. If Jane held onto the throne now, which wasn't a high probability with Mary's army in the city then she'd probably have children and change the entire course of history. What might an England ruled by the descendants of Jane Grey look like compared to the England that Rose knew? Would it be better, worse or not even exist any longer due to the chronsteel making time unstable.
Mistress Ellen found Rose still leaning against that wall what seemed like hours later. The older woman paused by her and seemed to be trying to find something to say. Rose kept her eyes fixed on one of the wooden ceiling panels as she tried to pull herself back from the depression that was trying to overtake her.
"They're going to execute her," Rose said, not looking at Ellen. "She is only sixteen and she hasn't done anything wrong." Rose looked over at Ellen.
"We could all face the axe milady," Ellen told her with a shake of her head.
"There must be something we can do," Rose insisted straightening up.
"Not tonight there isn't," Ellen answered gently, but the pain in her voice remained. "We shall see what morning brings."
Rose nodded as Ellen bid her goodnight and walked down the corridor, but stopped when movement at the far end caught her eyes. Lady Matilda was speaking with a guard quietly with a strange expression on her face. As the guard departed Matilda turned sharply towards the nearby staircase. Without hesitation, Rose gathered up some of her dress and followed as quickly as she could. When Matilda reached a window and began to open it, Rose ducked into the shadows and peeked carefully around the corner.
"Trent?" Matilda called quietly. "Trent are you there?"
Rose couldn't see another person from the angle she was at, but based on Matilda's next words she guessed that Trent had come over. "Have you word from Sir Thomas?" There were muted whispers from outside the window that Rose couldn't make out. Matilda reached through the window and Rose wondered if she was escaping. But the next moment she straightened up and was holding something in her hand.
"If this is what I think it is I will not have to hide my true purpose much longer."
Matilda shifted back into the light of a candle and Rose could see that she was holding some kind of letter. She tore it open with shaking hands. There was a moment of silence as the woman read the letter. Then she folded it back up with a deep breath and handed it back out the window.
"Tell Sir Thomas the deed will be done by daybreak."
"God speed, milady," a male voice answered, much louder than before.
Rose's eyes widened as a long silver dagger in a black sheath was handed to Matilda. The woman held it with near reverence in both hands. "It is time to bid Lady Jane Grey farewell," Matilda intoned as she drew the dagger out to inspect it. "For she dies tonight."
