"Estelle, where would you like to go? All of time and space, available to you, so where do you want to go?" The Doctor asked me as he circled around the TARDIS. I stared blankly at him, not knowing where to begin. It's funny how you could dream about going to places, traveling through time, or exploring galaxies, but when you get the chance you go blank. It's like when someone asks you what your favorite book is, you can marvel over a certain book forever, but when they ask you go blank.
"I-I don't know?" My voice was tremulous and I was nervous. Whenever I'm put on the spot I get nervous, it's happened all my life.
"That's all right, I'll just pick for you." The Doctor began to run around the console and flipped switches and pushed a few buttons. The TARDIS began to shake and I had to hold onto the railing to keep myself from falling over.
Finally after everything settled I glanced at the door. Did we move? The Doctor glanced at me and nodded his head, as if to say 'go on.' So I did, I walked towards the door and slightly opened it and took a peek out. Immediately I slammed it back shut and turned around.
"You've got to be kidding me? We've moved?!" I couldn't believe it wasn't a dream. How could we have moved? One moment we were in my backyard and the next-I didn't even know where we were but it most definitely was not my backyard.
"Of course we've moved, now why are you staying in here? We've got some exploring to do," The Doctor exclaimed at me and lightly pushed me back towards the door. I exited the TARDIS again, but this time I didn't go back in. The Doctor followed right behind me and placed his arm around my shoulder and grasped me tight. My nerves slowly faded away as I was in his grasp.
"Ah, Ancient Rome. Lovely time. People are nice, well, except for the ones that stabbed Caesar; that wasn't very nice. But besides that it's a great time." The Doctor went on, informing me, or maybe even boasting, of his knowledge.
"Ancient Rome? So I'm not alive yet?"
"No, 2667 years until you're born."
"Yet I'm here anyway?" It was weird. It just felt weird and wrong, yet thrilling to be standing there. I wasn't even alive yet, but there I was, standing in Rome.
The Doctor just simply nodded and continued to stroll though the outdoor market. He grabbed a banana when the merchant wasn't looking and acted like nothing happened. I just gazed at him, I didn't say anything, I was still kind of scared of the man. There was so much I didn't know about him, and I feared that.
Once we reached the end of the market the Doctor scanned the multiple paths that branched off the main road we stood on.
"Ah- hah!" He pointed towards the Colosseum and tossed the banana at me then continued to take off towards it. I quickly followed behind him, still holding the banana.
"Doctor, why did you steal the banana?" I said quietly, nervous of what he would say.
'I didn't steal it..Just sort of, borrowed it. Anyway, never mind that, why don't we talk about this!" He pointed towards the Colosseum which was a few feet in front of us, "would you like to watch a gladiator battle?"
I simply nodded and ran to his side where he once again put an arm around me and pushed me close to him.
"Sometimes they'd fill the arena up with water and have battles with boats. Ah, the Romans were inventive folk." Was one of the many things the Doctor informed me about.
I laughed at how the Doctor tried to impress me with his extensive knowledge. I went along with it, so he'd be happy. Though some of the information he rambled on about was kind of interesting.
We entered the Colleseum and found our seats near the front. Sadly, this time there were no boat wars. The Doctor seemed confused though, he glanced around the stadium as if he were searching for something.
"Are you alright?" I asked him, glancing at some of the areas he looked at.
"Estelle, don't you think there should be more people here? It's quite empty.." I hadn't even realized. The stadium was very empty. There were a few people here and there, but not even a quarter of the seats were filled.
"That's weird. I always imagined that the Colosseum would be packed." I didn't really think much of it, I had just figured that history textbooks over-exaggerated. Though the Doctor didn't agree.
"It should be.." The Doctor said as he got up and headed towards a man who was sitting a few rows above us. I quickly got up and followed the Doctor as he questioned the man.
"Excuse me, but how come it's so empty in here? Shouldn't this place be packed?" The man scoffed at the Doctor's question.
"Oi! Where have you been? This place hasn't been packed in days! It's getting boring here. The battles only last a minute or two, most people don't find it worth it to come anymore. Easier for people to just take the time to work. It just isn't interesting anymore."
"Sorry, been out of town for a bit. Also, what do you mean it's not interesting? This is suppose to be a tradition that goes down for much longer?" The Doctor continued to question. The man just laughed and pointed towards the arena.
"You'll see in a minute," the man continued before shooing us away. We continued back to our seats and the Doctor was lost in thought. I found it strange at how well the Doctor can get information and fit in. He knew exactly what to say without getting questioned. If I were to do something like that I'd probably screw up big time, but him, well he was great at it.
After a few moments of silence a gladiator walked onto the Colloseum floor, and showed off to the small crowd to try and get a few cheers going on for him. He didn't get much of a reaction.
"Exterminate! Exterminate!"
A machine joined the man onto the floor. Yet again, another thing I didn't associate with the Romans. poor gladiator was killed within moments of the machine being released.
I glanced at the Doctor to get some answers, but I didn't say anything. For I feared the glimpse of anger that appeared in the Doctor's eyes as he took in what just happened to the gladiator.
"This isn't right, that isn't suppose to be here," the Doctor growled. He grabbed my arm and pulled me along as he searched for something. At the time, I didn't have a clue what he was searching for. I'm not going to lie though, I was slightly scared.
"Doctor, what was that?"
"A Dalek. The most terrible species out there. Everytime I think I get rid of them, they just come right back." I only nodded in return, for I was having a hard time soaking everything in. For one, we were in Ancient Rome, two, I was standing in a time that was 2,000 years before I was born, and not to mention the machine-or Dalek that was there. I know I had always dreamed about traveling with this man, but it was just too unreal. Though no matter how weird it was for me, I did enjoy it. While everything scared me quite a bit, and seemed too weird, there was something thrilling about it. The Doctor later on told me it was the run. He said it's always been the best part, and that he's been running for as long as he could remember.
"Ah, Constantine! Pleasure seeing you again," the Doctor suddenly said as he reached the emperor.
"Sir Doctor, what a surprise!" The man said as he stood up out of his seat that hovered over the Colloseum. This was the Roman emperor, and I was in front of him. The Doctor suddenly nudged me and I saw that he was bowing, I quickly followed in his lead.
"You know that machine you have that's fighting?" The Doctor asked, very casually as if he'd been good buddies with the emperor. I wouldn't be surprised if they really were friends, honestly.
"I do, but why talk about that? Why don't we talk about this fine lady you have here?" Constantine said as he took ahold of my hand. I looked at the Doctor for confirmation to speak before I said anything. I didn't want to mess anything up and get my head chopped off or something of the liking. The Doctor simply nodded, telling me to go on and say my name.
"Estelle, Estelle Atkins is my name, your honor."
"Ah, Estelle. What a beautiful name for a beautiful woman," Constantine said in a flirty manor as he kissed my hand. He gave him a smirk before he was cut off by the Doctor.
"Anyway, about that machine. Why is it here?"
"Why because it's a marvelous fighting machine! We're test running it here before we take it out to our front line. We will never fall thanks to this machine, and I will be remembered as the greatest Roman Emperor," Constantine spoke very cockily. It made me kind of sad because the Roman Empire does eventually fall, yet here he is thinking it will stand forever.
"No-no-no! This machine is not on your side! It's a Dalek, and they are a very terrible species. You do not want it," the Doctor said on a much more serious tone than previously. The emperor just laughed and rolled his eyes at the Doctor.
"Nonsense! It will be a great addition to our army, you'll see Doctor." After hearing this, The Doctor let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.
"Come on Estelle," the Doctor mumbled under his breath and headed towards the opposite direction. I simply thanked the emperor for his time, curtsied, and then followed the Doctor.
"So you know the Emperor personally?" I asked the Doctor as I followed by his side.
"Yeah, saved his life once or twice." I just laughed at this, and the Doctor stopped and faced me.
"What are you laughing at?"
"This. It's just crazy- mad!" My voice was hysterical.
"Well you should know, I am very a mad man." The Doctor looked at me in the eye for moment, fixed his bowtie and then continued to walk down the steps of the Colosseum.
After a bit of walking we slyly entered a room that contained the Dalek. It was chained up and silent. It was as if it was sleeping, but I knew it wasn't.
"What are you doing here?" The Doctor said in a menacing voice. The side of him that I saw that day, it was dark and completely different from what I saw when he was in my backyard. I guess we all have our dark sides, but his was so defined, and it changed so quickly. It's like something snapped in him when he saw this machine.
"I am a soldier," the Dalek replied.
"What?"
"I am a soldier."
"No! Stop this, stop it now!"
"Hey, hey, calm down Doctor," I said as I walked out of the doorway to be next to him, attempting to comfort him. Obviously I wasn't very good at it, but I suppose it was the thought that counted.
"This is all wrong, it isn;t suppose to be here. It isn't a soldier! It's a Dalek!" He said as he turned to face me. He was expecting me to say something, so I just nodded and mumbled 'right'.
"It doesn't even need to be chained up, it's completely capable of getting out of the chains itself! Why the hell is it pretending?" He rambled on a bit more as if he was trying to prove to me that it shouldn't be there, even though I already completely believed him.
"Doc-tor.
Doc-tor," as the Doctor heard the Dalek speak his name, he slowly turned to face it.
"Estelle, back up. Now," he commanded me. I did as he said and went back to the doorway and watched from there.
'Be careful Doctor, please," I pleaded him. I didn't want him getting hurt. Mostly because if he died I would be stuck in Ancient Rome, but also because this is what I always dreamed of. Me and the Doctor, traveling together.
The Dalek broke free of it's chains and moved towards the Doctor.
"Exterminate!" Before I knew it, I saw the Doctor fall to the ground.
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