A/N: AKA— plot advancement chapter. Also, I took two midterms today. More next week ._.
Dead Men Walking
The stars and times rushed passed the Keeper as she ran from war. A millennia and countless galaxies behind her, the Keeper crashed on the footsteps of a once loved kingdom. The current Queen promised peace, protection, and friendship. The Keeper served the royalty, keeping home on a planet in the far distance.
She adopted the planet's name, feeling it suited her well.
Chapter Two: The Keeper of Time
On the expansive white landscape of the Earth's moon existed a palace. Loki thought for sure there would be more craters and rocky formations, but his core whispered the answer—magic. He could tell that this kingdom was once grand; everything was still in excellent condition. No cracks or rubble. Some colors were dull or muted, and everything had a fine layer of dust. Yet, it seemed to be waiting for its ruler to return.
Seven hundred years into the future, in front of a forgotten palace, did not help the queasiness of Loki's gut. The ancient ruins of a forgotten people didn't end well last time.
"The Lunarians," the Doctor provided, "silent and forgotten protectors of Earth. It seems a lot of once majestic civilizations are forgotten lately." He waltzed back into the TARDIS, Loki in tow. "A bit off. C'mon, old girl. Once more."
The TARDIS landed in dusty chambers filled with relics and jewels, tomes and scrolls. The Doctor delighted in such objects of splendor, his face lighting up and hands touching everything like a kid told not to. He spun a sapphire sphere on the tip of his finger. A serene melody washed over the chambers, until the sphere clanged unceremoniously onto the white tiles.
Loki took this opportunity to browse through the scrolls. He placed his palms in the air, searching for ill intentioned magic. Although he sensed no barriers among the scrolls or artifacts, the entire palace felt disconnected.
"There is a barrier encasing the entire the palace—no, the moon."
The Doctor nodded as he plucked a spear and swung it around. "That should explain why the Earth remained unaware of their neighbors." He jaunted with an invisible foe. "I should've gotten a companion versed in the mystical arts ages ago."
"I doubt it would've ended well."
The Doctor returned the spear to its rightful place after nearly nicking himself. "You sense anything else with your hoodoo voodoo?"
"Mayhap you will remain uninformed. This mysterious woman will go on through her days, unaware of the Doctor and his hoodoo voodoo companion."
"I'm sorry. It was a joke. The Prankster God likes jokes, right?"
"Tsk, tsk. I would have indulged my fine services on the simple behalf of our friendship and my goodwill. And yet, now it must come with a price."
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "And what, O Great God, may that price be?"
"We haven't played our little game in a while."
"Fine, fine. Go on."
"Who is this woman in black?"
"I could've told you that without these shenanigans. Shenanigans, ooh, I love that word. The woman in black is a Time Keeper, another race from Gallifrey."
"Interesting, but I won't count it since you won't. Is this Time Keeper the last of her kind as are you?"
The Doctor swallowed a heavy stone in his throat. "Yes. We ran away together in the war. She's also close to dying, so if you'd kindly put to use your talents, I'd appreciate it very much."
A brief moment of rage and anger flickered across the Doctor, quickly followed by sorrow. Loki closed his eyes, envisioning the energy flow of the chambers. He stilled. In one direction, mystical energy overflowed—the source of the moon's barrier. He pointed, and opened his eyes.
"This way."
At the very end of the long room, a tapestry hung from the top and rolled to the bottom.
A woman of pure white cradled the Earth. Stark blackness encased the two, but woman remained calm and serene.
"She never got along with the Time Lords. Called us a bunch of old twats who never did anything." The Doctor laughed. "I always admired her spirit, but never had a chance to meet her. It's a shame." He lifted up the tapestry and carried on into a secret passage way. "Anyhoo, in we go."
One would think that a secret passage way of a kingdom atop a moon would prove interesting. Loki decided it was just a boring as it was on Asgard. Dull grey coated with dull dust with dull turns. Dreadfully boring and tediously long. Loki decided to lighten the atmosphere with a little conversation. Well, lighten was perhaps the wrong word.
"How do you know she's close to dying?"
"There's little else she would contact me for."
"If she dies—"
"Loki," the Doctor warned.
"If she dies, then let's assume no one else can restart the universe. Time will come to an end. The rest of the universe will be none the wiser other than our unfortunate selves. Sounds enticing." He paused in his jovial steps. "Even the gods who Yggdrasil constantly rebirths in an endless cycle would perish."
"Everything must come to an end. Even gods, even time itself.
"If I… if I die in this life, that is the end of me?"
"All the more reason to start walking again."
The passage continued in silence until they reached an ornate silver door.
"The Time-Door, leading to another dimension crafted by Time Keepers," explained the Doctor.
"You mean realm," said Loki. "From the magic, I can tell this clearly leads to another realm."
"Huh. So they're synonyms or close enough. Go figure." Before Loki could argue the wrongness of that statement, the Doctor opened the door. "Geronimo!"
-(/)-
Crossing into another realm wasn't always fun. Yet here they were, making a little visit with the last person who could restart time. The room was sparse; dim and lit by a few scattered candles. Judging by the spools of melted wax, the candles were once tall, majestic things. Like the palace, a fine layer of dust coated the entire place.
Loki stood to the side, observing the woman in black.
The Doctor knelt before a meager throne, her tanned hand in his. Loki could hear him whispering apologies. Despite it being in a language he could not comprehend, he knew that tone, that pleading voice almost reminiscent of a child. Loki shifted attention back to the woman, or Time Keeper as it happened.
Deep shades of grey could not disguise what were once long waterfalls of green hair. Tediously long, Loki decided. He would never let his hair grow to that length.
She wore a long black gown, fluorescent skulls shimmering in the dim light of her candles. Hard red eyes stared pass the Doctor and locked onto Loki. Her grip on her staff tightened, and Loki knew that the age worn tracings of her skin did not indicate weakness in spirit and perhaps power.
"You are Loki of Asgard," she observed. "The God of Mischief and Lies accompanies another. Quaint."
The Doctor's indigent speech was cut off by Loki.
"Since we're all aware of whom I am, I could ask the same of you."
"My name is of no importance, though I have known as Senshi Pluto for the pass eon or so. I have kept this kingdom safe in awaiting the reincarnation my Queen. It appears that I am not only the last Time Keeper, but her last functioning servant as well."
"There's a lot of 'last of' or 'forgotten' going around these days."
She let a gravelly chuckle. "It appears so. It is the duty of the Time Keeper to restore Time once it ends. Yet I am near death and without transport to Trenzalore. Even if I leave, the barrier around the moon will fall. A Time Lord provides should provide sufficient physiology and be able perform the act. I am sure that the Doctor will be able to explain it properly later. Now, leave us, the Doctor and I must go over the ritual."
Loki went back through the Time-Door in a huff. He could attend to mystical items just lying around without anybody stopping him. He bid the Doctor farewell. He happily pivoted his heels and exited the realm. If he wasn't mistaken, there was a beautifully encrusted glaive.
The Doctor hid a smile behind a sleeve. "Letting him loose, are we? I've been so well at keeping an eye on him."
"When I left the message, the TARDIS sung to me. If he is truly the Loki who struck the Earth in 2012, I do not fear him. He is still young, still impressionable—not yet as dangerous."
"I thought I almost lost him. But he's earnest in his own way— when not setting things on fire. He's helping erase me from all the databases."
"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled," the Keeper mused. "I must wonder the intentions behind his actions. I doubt he does it for good, and more for your sake."
The Doctor shook his head wearily. "I know, I know. I want to show him the good of humanity. He believes the humans have slighted him. That they're greedy, warmongering creatures worth less than dirt."
"Show him the quality. Promise me. I sensed the magic in him, the potential to use it for good."
Laughter echoed in the room. "Loki? A force for good? I'm lucky he hasn't struck back at Asgard. Nevertheless, who am I to deny a dying woman a promise? It's not like I'm going to do anything overly dramatic like restart the universe. Have I mentioned I already done that before? More like a miniboost, time wasn't unraveling or anything. I like to oversell it."
The Doctor and the Keeper spoke of many things.
They laughed, remembering their childhood—before the prejudices between keepers and lords.
They shared stories, each having many of their adventures. She told tales of the Moon Princess, of the honor serving a truly benign being. He recounted his companions, of the experiences.
They both endured hardships. More than the last of their kind. More than lost loved ones. Something accompanied over long, countless years.
They cried. She warned him of the innocent girl who became a monster. He knew, the Nightmare Child.
They did not speak of Gallifrey.
A Time Keeper had an extremely long life span, reaching further than a Time Lords. Unlike the Time Lords, they did not possess the ability to regenerate. Once they died, it was final. While serving the Moon Kingdom, Pluto halted time without abiding by the rules. Her life span paid for it.
She was the last of the keepers, the only beings who could restore Time. However, they could grant temporary power if need be—at the cost of their life. She knew death awaited her withering frame; she had but hours left and no quarrel.
She spoke of the ritual he must perform, the movements required.
The Keeper plucked fruit from her rod—the Garnet Orb. She levitated the Garnet Orb between her palms. It glowed a fierce red as she chanted in language he could not understand—and he knew almost all of them.
It ended, and she bequeathed the Garnet Rod to its new owner.
The Doctor grasped the staff, eyeing the Orb carefully.
"Once you touch the orb, your Time Lord DNA will be altered to Time Keeper DNA. No more regenerations. No more second chances. There is no coming back from this. I am unable to tell you what you must speak, but you have a way of figuring things out. The ritual is dangerous for someone without true Keeper blood. It is wise to see a partner for this ritual. One with a strong magical core."
"And lead them to their death? We both know the outcome of this dance. This is why you want to convert Loki to good, isn't it? Eliminate him after using him." He backed away from the throne.
"He would do it for you. Do you know what he becomes? No, no, you can't. Not after the treaty of the Jotunheim and Asgard war. The Prankster God. The Trickster God. The God of Mischief and Lies and Deceit. He will become the God of Evil."
"Quiet! You shouldn't have told me! It didn't have to end like that, but now it's set!"
Her lips curved. "Oh Doctor, it still doesn't. He can still help you."
"It's been a pleasure. Good-bye."
He slipped through the doorway, ignoring the Keeper's final words.
-(/)-
Loki absolutely did not pocket any of the artifacts. Nor did he make several trips to TARDIS to deposit several scrolls or shiny weapons. If anyone asked, mainly the Doctor, he politely paid tribute to the urns in the corridor.
He casually slipped his hands in his pockets and admired the artwork when the Doctor strode in from the passageway. The Garnet Rod in hand, Loki admired the Doctor's kingly appearance.
"What comes of us now? Are we off to gallantly save the universe? If so, you recruited the wrong prince."
The Doctor scoffed as if it were such a silly notion.
"I think a trillion years can wait awhile. We have things to do, databases to clear, planets to explore, and countless shenanigans to get into. See, I love that word. Come along now, Loki."
Once inside the TARDIS, the Doctor went to the Zero Room. He remarked how it too had change, and Loki didn't bother to ask. The Doctor placed the Rod on a pedestal, as if it was always meant to be there.
Loki ran a finger along the staff, breathing in its powers. He felt the indents of the unreadable script. How can it feel familiar yet foreign? "This writing is not Gallifreyan."
"I can't read it. The TARDIS can't translate it, yet it holds the key words to restarting the universe." He cracked his knuckles and popped his neck. "The greatest mystery in the universe can destroy it. What can I say? Gallifreyans do it in style. A few more databases and then we hit the best libraries in the universe."
A sensation struck Loki suddenly. He closed his eyes and focused.
"Is something wrong?"
"The Keeper has passed. Her life energy is encircling the moon, protecting it."
The Doctor pivoted on his heels and began to exit the room. Loki reached out, grabbing him by the shoulder. There was no point in asking if the Doctor was okay, Loki could plainly read the answer.
"The woman meant something to you. I will aid you in the quest however I can."
The Doctor left without speaking, leaving a peculiar twist in Loki's chest. Loki had understood that such words were to be comforting between friends. Had he misspoke?
A/N: I hate dialogue. Why do I love messing with characters who talk a lot?