Disclaimer: I do not own Dr Who or Lord of the Rings.
Time Lord of the Rings: Chapter three
The two humans, elf, dwarf and Time Lord travelled through the forest for the rest of the day without taking a single break. By the time the sun began to set, Martha was exhausted, and barely managed to keep up. Gimli marched behind her, his axe close to her back, prodding her if she slowed down. It made travelling very uncomfortable. She glanced at the Doctor. Even after the long walk, he didn't seem the least bit tired. He chatted merrily to Aragorn and Legolas, and stalked along, never slowing down and never out of breath.
When Aragorn announced that they would stop for the night, Martha let out a long sigh of relief. She slumped wearily down next to a fast-flowing stream, and splashed the cool refreshing water on her face. It felt wonderful. Legolas quickly rushed over to her.
"I wouldn't touch that water if I were you."
"Why not?" Martha sniffed the water curiously. "Seems OK."
"Legend says that water from the Fangorn forest makes you shrink." Legolas handed her a water gourd. "Only drink the water we brought with our supplies."
Martha laughed out loud. "Shrink? As if!" All the same, she accepted the gourd and didn't touch the water again. The Doctor suggested building a fire, and he, Aragorn and Legolas set off to collect fallen branches and dead wood for fuel. Gimli was left to guard Martha. She decided to try and win him over.
"Er, hi Gimli."
Gimli grunted in response.
"Um, I heard you are a fantastic fighter! A great hero."
Gimli ignored her, keeping his axe close to her head. Martha gave up. He was too heard to win trust from. She sat in the awkward silence, feeling hungry, tired and irritated. Why did the Doctor have to land in the forest? It was great meeting the characters from the Lord of the Rings story, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, but she didn't want to remain prisoner for her whole stay, and be treated like a terrorist!
The wood collectors soon returned, and a warm fire soon burnt brightly in a little ring of stones. Martha scanned the ground for creepy crawlies before moving closer and held her hands over the hot flames to warm them. The sky was quickly darkening into night and the temperature was dropping. The Doctor settled down beside her, looking quite at home in the forest. He grinned round at everyone. Martha felt a little embarrassed of him.
"So, what's for tea?" asked the Doctor, rubbing his hands briskly.
Legolas opened a pack and handed out bread. Martha found it rather hard and tasteless, but the Doctor finished his in a jiffy. The elf left, saying he was going hunting. The Doctor, like always, tried to start a conversation.
"So, I suppose we will keep searching tomorrow?"
Aragorn had pulled up his hood and was quietly smoking by the fire. He nodded. The Doctor turned to Gimli. "Have you found any traces of the two missing hobbits?"
"Yes, we found a piece of snagged cloth from Pippin's cape and an old apple core."
Martha thought back to the Lord of the Rings movie. "Wasn't-" The Doctor cut her off quickly. "We're not supposed to keep telling them what happens," he hissed. "You'll only confuse them and make them more suspicious."
Aragorn raised his eyebrows at this hushed talk, catching every word that was said. He put down his pipe. "Why don't you tell us a little more about you, Doctor? You are after all going to be coming with us."
"Oh, OK." The Doctor cleared his throat, winking at Martha. "I am a 900-and-something year old alien called a Time Lord and we travelled here in my TARDIS which can go anywhere in time and space and we decided to come to Middle Earth."
Gimli and Aragorn exchanged confused looks. The dwarf glared at the Doctor. "Stop playing silly games!" he growled. "What is this alien thing? This TARDIS thing? What is this 'hi' you keep saying?"
"It's a greeting," piped up Martha.
Aragorn waved the dwarf away. "Please, are you speaking the truth?"
"Oh yes quite," answered the Doctor.
Aragorn seemed to think for a while. "So, you are not from Middle Earth?"
"No."
"You came here?"
"Yes. Of course. I'm here now so I must have come."
"What were you planning on doing here?"
"Joining in the adventures!" The Doctor clapped his hands gleefully.
"You seem to know a lot about this world, and the goings on. How is that so?"
"Well, I have visited many places, and on Earth, not Middle Earth just Earth, they have a story on you, and a movie too. It's very famous. I don't know how they know all about you, but they do. It's in the future, so they know how the adventures end."
"You know how the adventure ends?" Aragorn looked puzzled. "But you cannot tell us?"
"That would quite spoil it," replied the Doctor. Aragorn seemed to understand, and nodded. "Do not tell us anything we should not know. You may...change something."
The Doctor was amazed. "How wise you are! Yes, a paradox may occur. Very bad. Very bad. I won't tell you anything, but I may be able to help you a little, and Martha too."
Martha was glad he had mentioned her. She had been feeling a little left out. Aragorn nodded again. "I see. Yes, you may be of help."
Gimli suddenly spoke up. "Don't trust him! He's a sorcerer! Lies! Lies! He's making this all up! Since when have you heard of an alien! 900 years old!"
"Elves live forever," reminded Aragorn.
"Pah!" Gimli scowled. "He did not say he was an elf. Some Time thing. Time Lord, that was it! Does not Sauron call himself a lord? The head master? The Lord of the Rings!"
The Doctor looked startled. "I assure you, I am not working for Sauron."
"How can we be sure?" growled Gimli. "Time thing or not, you are not normal. You don't belong here! You could be a spy!"
"Gimli!" ordered Aragorn in a stern voice. "You forget that you must not accuse without proof! We cannot tell whether these people are good or bad. We can only take them along with us, and trust that they help us, not deceive us."
"Trust! What good is trust when your throat will probably be slit in your sleep?" Gimli stood up. "No. We cannot be so soft. I say we destory them, before they cause any trouble. NOW!"
The Doctor also stood up. "Wait! What if we find Merry and Pippin for you? Will that prove we have only good intentions?"
"If anyone can find those two hobbits I'll crown them king," muttered Gimli. "We've been searching for days, and no sign except a bit of cloth and a rotting core. They're probably dead!"
"I'll find you Merry and Pippin," promised the Doctor. "Just wait and see."
Aragorn chuckled to himself, amused at the dwarf's temper. "Deal Gimli?"
"Yah," Gimli shuffled over and slumped by the fire. "But good luck to you." He sorted through his pack and drew out a gourd of strong smelling drink. He gulped it down. At that moment, Legolas returned, bringing along three rabbits which he had caught. He gave them to Martha to cook. She looked in disgust at the limp forms, still covered in hair.
"What do I do?" she whispered to the Doctor.
"Skin them, chop them, roast them," he replied calmly. Martha just stared at him with wide eyes. No. This was just impossible. Aragorn noticed her uncertainty.
"You are not sure how to cook?" he asked.
"Um," Martha didn't want to seem ignorant and helpless. "I'm fine!" She picked up a small knife Aragorn had passed her and tried skinning the first rabbit. It was harder than she thought, and she began to wish she had admitted that she had no idea how to cook a wild rabbit.
It was Gimli who saved her. All of a sudden he snatched the rabbits from her and threw them to Aragorn. "You cook them!" he ordered. "For all we know they may poison them!"
Aragorn shook his head, his eyes smiling, but prepared the rabbits without comment. The rest of the night passed quickly, and soon Martha was lying down on a bed of dry leaves by the dying fire, full and sleepy. An owl hooted in the distance, and something scuttled nearby, but she was too exhausted to feel frightened. She soon drifted into sleep.
Suddenly, Martha was awakened by whispering beside her. She opened her eyes to see the Doctor's excited face. "Come on Martha!"
"What?" she mumbled. "Go to sleep!"
"No!" The Doctor stood up. The camp was in darkness. "Come on! We have to find Merry and Pippin!"
To be continued..
Please review! I would really like to know what you think. I don't mind criticism.
