New Faces

The Doctor and Sadie trudged along through the darkness, guided along the way by surprisingly gentle prodding from a blunt object. The path that Sadie assumed they were on was rough and strewn with what she guessed were rocks. She stumbled quite a bit on the path, but had managed to keep herself upright, with a little help from the Doctor, of course. For the most part, everyone was silent as they walked, but there were snippets of whispered conversations as well. There were whispers from voices that the Doctor and Sadie didn't recognize, but Gethin and the female voice they had heard before exchanged heated whispers more than a few times. To keep herself occupied, Sadie began to keep count of the arguments. She'd gotten up to twelve when she heard the Doctor speak softly.

"I wish I could make out what they're saying up there. Can you make it out?"

"No, it's too quiet," Sadie replied. "Doctor, why is it so dark here?"

"I don't know."

"Why didn't you use your screwdriver to make a light?"
"I tried, Sadie. It was too dark, even for it."

"Oh. So what do you think they're going to do with us?"

"I don't know that either."

"That's fantastic," Sadie sighed.

"Hey!" The Doctor protested. "I haven't gotten you into trouble yet, have I? You really need to just trust me."

"You haven't gotten me into trouble? What about when we went to Calena? Or how about Flynt?"

"Oh come on, you were never in any danger in any of those places," The Doctor replied.

"I was in plenty of danger when I first met you," Sadie stated matter-of-factly. There was silence for a moment.

"Okay, I'll give you that one." Sadie felt marginally proud that she had bested the Doctor in that small way. The feeling didn't last though, since she stumbled yet again over something in the pathway. She fell this time onto the rough terrain, scraping the palms of her hands on the ground. She first realized how much it hurt, but then she noticed how cold the ground was. The Doctor found her arm in the darkness and helped her up. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just scraped a little," she replied, rubbing her injured hands together in an attempt to get the gritty feeling off them. The Doctor took hold of her arm again and linked it with his, as they resumed walking. "What's that for?"

"To keep you from hurting yourself again."

"Oh. Thanks." The two fell silent again, as Gethin and the female voice started up their thirteenth argument.

A good amount of walking (and a few more stumbles from Sadie) later, Gethin's voice broke through the silence.

"We're here. Everyone halt!"

The Doctor and Sadie both stopped where they were. Sadie pulled her arm away from the Doctor and stretched. She didn't know how long they had been walking, but it felt like hours. Her feet ached. She hadn't given much thought to them until now. Why hadn't they hurt while she was walking, she wondered. But there was no time to worry about the condition of her feet. She was keen to find out what was going on, and if she knew anything about the Doctor, he was feeling the same.

"Excuse me, people of the dark," The Doctor spoke up. "I'd really like an explanation of why you dragged us away at sharp-thingy point into the dark. I wouldn't mind knowing who you are, as well."

"Of course," the female voice answered, making Sadie jump since it was in such close proximity to them. There was a slight rustling noise, and then a pale green light illuminated their surroundings. After a few seconds, Sadie's eyes adjusted to the light, and she saw a group of about ten people standing around them. They were all standing on a wide path, littered with rocks and tree limbs and roots that came from the tall trees on either side. Sadie looked closer at the girl who was in front of them. She was small, with an extremely large hooded cloak covering most of her. The hem fell completely to the ground, and the girl had the hood pulled up over her face. The front of the cloak was opened ever so slightly, and Sadie realized after a minute that the light seemed to be coming from inside the cloak.

"I apologize, Doctor and Sadie. Where we found you was unsafe, so we had to move as quickly as possible. We're still in danger, but not as much now. I'm sure you'll understand if I keep myself covered, for safety's sake."

"Why are you in danger?" The Doctor asked. "Who are you?"

"I am Princess Ilona," the girl answered. "And I cannot tell you why I'm in danger. The more you know, the more danger you are in. You wouldn't be safe."

"But I could help you," he started. "If you would just-"

"Stop!" Gethin interrupted, moving forward into the light. He was tall, dressed in what had once been a crisp military-esque suit. He was obviously someone important, and definitely someone that Sadie would not want to cross. He wore a bitter expression as he continued. "If the Princess says she cannot explain, then you will accept that. Understood?"

"No, it is not understood," The Doctor replied. He opened his mouth to say something else, but the Princess spoke again.

"Please. Please don't," she said softly. "I don't like fighting. Gethin, this Doctor means well. He just doesn't understand." She sighed. "Maybe it would be better to explain…"

"You know what that can do," Gethin warned.

"I know. But he says he can help…"

"I can help," The Doctor answered quickly. "Believe me. I can help." The Princess' cloak began to move slightly. The opening in the front became wider, spilling more light from within as the Princess freed her arms. She reached up carefully and slid the hood back from her face, the light growing even brighter. She looked young, Sadie thought, with wide, hopeful eyes.

"I hope you can."