I sighed as I walked to my room, toeing off my shoes as I open the door and kicked them inside. I flopped onto my bed, my coat spreading open on the sheets. I stare up at the canopy in thought.
"Sorceress?"
"Yes, Des?" I replied.
"Is something wrong?" She asked.
"I wonder if he notice that I'm gone yet." I said absently. I sat up and shrugged my coat off, dropping it on the floor as I walk over to my desk. I pull out a few sheets of paper and began to draw, most of them of the new Doctor. I stare down at the picture, blankly, remembering my Doctor and the adventures we shared.
"There you are!" I snapped my head towards the door. "I've been looking all over for you." The Doctor said as he walks in and sits down on my bed. 'He did notice.' I thought. "What are you doing here?" I wave my hand to the sheets of paper.
"I haven't been able to draw much, so I thought I'd use the downtime to do so." I told him with a small smile. He leans back on his hands, staring at me.
"I thought you where in the control room with Rose and I. Kept talking to you, not even realizing you weren't answering me back. I only notice when I asked you where you wanted to go next and it was Rose's voice that answered." I look away back to my drawings. "What's wrong, Jessamine? You've been acting different recently." I turn back to the Doctor, plastering on a big fake smile.
"Nothing's wrong, Doctor. I really just wanted to draw." I said. 'And to get away from you and Rose.' I thought to myself. The Doctor stared at me for a few more moments before giving me an obvious fake smile.
"All right! Well, since you weren't there to answer, we'll be going with Rose's choice." He stated as he stood up and walked towards the door.
"And what was her choice?" I asked. He turns back to me, that fake smile still in place.
"Ian Dury at the Top Rank, Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979." He replied.
"Sounds amazing." I told him. He nods and leaves the room. I let the smile drop and stare at the door for a few moments. There was a loud bang from behind me, I turn around to see my closet door open. I stand up and walk over to it to close the door but pause when I caught sight of the blue and sliver Victorian dress I had wore when the Doctor and I met Charles Dickens.
"My Thief is very bad at getting the right year." I glanced towards the ceiling with a raised eyebrow.
"Is really the Doctor's bad driving or you changing the dates?" I questioned. Des's replied back in soft laughter.
"Hurry and get change, my Sorceress." This time I gave a true smile and took the dress out of the closet. I quickly got undress and put the dress on, using magic to tighten the corset strings. I stood in front of my mirror, fixing my hair up into a neat bun. When I was satisfied with it, I slipped on some blue shoes. I jolted a bit when Des came to a sudden halt. I leave my room, walking towards the control room. When I entered the room, I found it empty. I snapped my head towards the doors when I heard a gun click ominously. I rushed to the doors, opening them. Everyone turned their heads towards me as I stood in the doorway. I waved slightly towards the soldiers as I step out of Des. I slowly and cautiously move over to the Doctor while they pointed their guns at us.
"You will explain your presence. And the nakedness of this girl." One of the soldiers demanded. Rose looks down at herself.
"Are we in Scotland?" The Doctor asked in a Scottish accent.
"How can you be ignorant of that?" The same soldier asked.
"Oh, I'm — I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing this . . . this wee naked child over hill and over dale. In't that right, ya . . . timorous beastie?" I pressed my face into the Doctor's shoulder to hide my bright smile and quiet giggles.
"Ooch, aye! I've been oot and aboot." Rose said in a absolutely hilariously terrible attempt at a Scottish accent. I pressed my face harder into the Doctor's shoulder as he winced at Rose's attempt.
"No, don't do that." he told her.
"Hoots mon!" she replied.
"No, really don't. Really." He said. I move my head away from his shoulder after I got controlled of myself.
"Will you identify yourself, sir?" The soldier asked.
"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon." The Doctor pointed to himself then to me. "And this is my wife, Lillian. From the . . . Township of Balamory. Eh . . . I have my credentials, if I may . . ." He gestures towards his pocket and the soldier nods. He lowers his hands whilst he fumbles in his pocket and produces the psychic paper. The Doctor shows it to them. "As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself.
"Let them approach." Came a female voice from the carriage.
"I don't think that's wise, ma'am." the soldier replies.
"Let them approach." The Doctor gestures towards the carriage, the man has no choice but to let us approach.
"You will approach the carriage. And show all due deference." The Doctor does an 'aye aye, Captain' sort of signal, and we approach the carriage. One of the footmen opens the door and reveals Queen Victoria. I let out a soft gasp and grab hold of the Doctor's hand in excitement.
"Lillian, Rose — might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith." I stared at her in awe while I curtsey.
"It's an honour to meet you, your Majesty." I told her.
"You as well, Lady McCrimmon." I stood back up.
"Rose Tyler, Ma'am. And my apologies . . . for being so naked." Rose curtsey with a nervous laugh.
"I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me. But you, Doctor . . . show me these credentials." The Doctor obligingly hands the psychic paper over, and the Queen studies it for a moment. "Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector." I looked at the Doctor in surprise as he turns to me shocked before turning back to the Queen.
"Does it? Yes, it does! Good! Good! Um . . . then let me ask — why is Your Majesty traveling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?" He asked her.
"A tree on the line." She stated.
"An accident?" I questioned, she turned to me with a small smile.
"I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned." She told me.
"An assassination attempt?" I asked. She nodded in answer.
"What, seriously? There's people out to kill ya?" I barely held back the eye roll at Rose's question. The Queen raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun." She said.
"Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence. We'll send word ahead, he'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow." The soldier from before said, now on his horse behind us.
"This Doctor, his wife, and his . . . timorous beastie will come with us." The Queen told him.
"Yes, Ma'am. We'd better get moving — it's almost nightfall." The Queen nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. And there are stories of wolves in these parts." I glance up at the Queen in interest.
"Wolves, your Majesty?" I asked, softly. The Queen turned to me with a twinkle in her eye.
"Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think." I nodded and went to back away when a hand placed itself on my shoulder. I look up to the Queen, curious. "Would you care to join me in the carriage, Lady McCrimmon?" I stared at her with wide eyes then looked to the Doctor over my shoulder. He nodded with a bright smile on his lips. I return the smile then turn back to the Queen.
"I would be honored, your Majesty." I gave her another curtsey before one of the footmen helped me into the carriage.
"Very good. Drive on!" The Queen ordered then the door was shut. The Queen turns to me and stares at me for a moment. "You're quite the beauty, Lady McCrimmon. Your husband is a very lucky man." I bowed my head.
"Thank you, Ma'am." I said in a soft voice.
"How did you and your husband come by the naked child?" She asked. A light blush spread through my cheeks.
"I'm afraid to say that the child is my baby sister." I told her. "My younger twin brother decided to join the Navy, leaving her to my husband and mine care as our parents are no longer here and no man wants her." The Queen grabbed my hand and gave it a few reassuring pats to it.
"Don't fret, child. One day she'll learn." I gave her a small smile. Soon the carriage was pulling up to a Sir Robert's house. A footmen opens the door of the carriage, helping the Queen down first then me. A man emerges from a doorway and approaches the Queen, a bald man behind him. I narrow my eyes at the bald man when he looked at me, his eyes narrowed as well. Something wasn't right here.
"Your Majesty." The first man bows.
"Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?" The Queen asked.
"She's . . . indisposed, I'm afraid — she's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her — the kitchens are barely stocked . . . I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on." I turn to the Doctor and we shared a look, recognizing that Sir Robert would rather the Queen stayed away.
"Oh, not at all! I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is . . . charming. If rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate. Now, shall we go inside?" The Queen replied, cheerfully. Sir Robert looked reluctant, but the Queen doesn't notice. "And please excuse the naked girl."
"Sorry." Rose spoke up. The Doctor went to open his mouth but I grabbed his hand, stepping forward towards Sir Robert.
"My sister's a feral child. Our brother brought her up when I got married and our parents passed away. So you must excuse her behavior." I told him with a small curtsey. Sir Robert gives a tight smile and bows.
"Thinks she's funny but I'm so not amused." Rose looks pointedly at Queen Victoria. "What do you think, Ma'am?" The Queen gives her a unimpressed look.
"It hardly matters. Shall we proceed?" Sir Robert nods and we begin to make our way into the house.
"So close." Rose says to the Doctor. I raised an eyebrow at them but choose not to ask.
"Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the Property. Hurry up." I look back towards the soldier, thinking he was the captain of the group now.
"Yes, sir." The two soldiers replied. One of them takes a small wooden box from the carriage and carries it carefully to the house.
"What's in there, then?" The Doctor asked, interested.
"Property of the Crown. You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir." The Doctor pulls a face to me, causing me to cover my smile with a hand. "The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions."
"You heard the orders. Positions, sir." A soldier told the Doctor. He nods towards the house and offers an arm to me. I take his arm and we follow the others into the house. Sir Roberts takes down a hallway and into a room where there is what looks like an enormous telescope in the middle of the room. I gaze at it with a fond smile, remembering my days back at Hogwarts in Astronomy class.
"This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour." The Queen stated.
"All my father's work. Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession — he spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself." Sir Robert told us.
"I wish I'd met him, I like him. That thing's beautiful — can I um . . .?" The Doctor asked, smiling while he gestured towards it.
"Help yourself." The Doctor and I move forward to examine the telescope and the wheel next to it.
"What did he model it on?" I asked him.
"I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little . . . shall we say, eccentric." The Doctor gives a dopey laugh. "I wish now I'd spent more time with him. And listened to his stories." I noticed the glance Sir Roberts made at the Queen.
"It's a bit rubbish." The Doctor said as he peers through it. I nudge his arm lightly to get his attention while a smile grew on my lips. "How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top, that's stupid kind of a —" I nudged him harder this time, he turns to me. "Am I being rude again?" He asked, quietly.
"Yes, you are, James." I told him with a smile. He smiles back and turns to Sir Robert and the Queen.
"But it's pretty! It's very . . . pretty." I pat him fondly on the arm for trying.
"And the imagination of it should be applauded." The Queen said. Rose turned to her.
"Mm! Thought you might disapprove, You Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful?" Queen Victoria stares at her. "You could easily . . . not be amused, or something . . .? No?"
"This device surveys the infinite work of God." The Doctor shakes his head at Rose with a vague smile on his face. "What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath. Steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales."
"Stars and magic." I said with a breathless sigh as I turn to the telescope with fond eyes. The Doctor stared at me for a few moments with a gentle smile. "I wish I could of met him." The Doctor nods as he wanders around the telescope to examine it some more.
"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company." The Queen said then turned to Rose. "Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg."
"That's Bavaria." I whispered in Rose's ear. Queen Victoria turns to Sir Robert.
"When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported." She told him.
"So, what's this wolf, then?" The Doctor asked.
"It's just a story." Sir Robert replied. I turned to him.
"Then tell it." I told him. He glances around at the bald man, very uncomfortably.
"It's said that —" He starts, haltingly.
"Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark." The bald man, interrupted.
"Of course. Yes, of course." Sir Robert agreed. I narrowed my eyes at the man again, a bad feeling flowing from him.
"And then supper. And . . . could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I'm tired of nakedness." The Queen said.
"It's not amusing, is it?" Rose asked, pointedly. I let my eyes roll this time. Queen Victoria glances around at her and decides to ignore her comment and turns back to Sir Robert. The Doctor mutters something to Rose, who pokes him in the chest. I felt my lips turn down into a light frown before turning back to the Queen.
"Sir Robert, your wife must've left some clothes. See to it. We shall dine at seven. And talk some more of this wolf. After all . . . there is a full moon tonight." The Queen told him.
"So there is, Ma'am." He bows, and the Queen leaves the room followed by the rest of us. The bald man leads my sister towards a room to change close while another leads the rest of us to the dining room. The main bald man returns without Rose. I grab the Doctor's hand, tightly. He gives it a gentle squeeze in return to relax my grip.
"Your sister begs an apology, Lady McCrimmon. Her clothing has somewhat delayed her." The man told me.
"Oh, that's all right. Save her a wee bit of ham." The Doctor replied.
"The feral child could probably eat it raw." The Queen sassed, causing me to smile slightly.
"Very wise, Ma'am! Very witty!" The Captain gave a loud laugh, almost causing me to let out an unladylike snort.
"Slightly witty, perhaps. I know you rarely get the chance to dine with me, Captain, but don't get too excited . . . I shall contain my wit in case I do you further injury." The Queen said as she stared at him, appraisingly.
"Yes, Ma'am. Sorry, Ma'am." The Captain replied, meekly.
"Besides, we're all waiting on Sir Robert! Come, Sir! You promised us a tale of nightmares." The Doctor said.
"Indeed. Since my husband's death, I find myself with more of a taste for supernatural fiction." The Queen stated with a bit of sorrow in her voice. I turn to her with soft eyes.
"You must miss him." I said. She looks at me.
"Very much." She seemed to be lost in her thoughts, very sad. "Oh, completely. And that's the charm of a ghost story, isn't it? Not the scares and chills, that's just for children, but the . . . hope of some contact with the great beyond." The Doctor and I were looking at her, intensely.
"We all want some message from that place . . . it's the Creator's greatest mystery that we are allowed no such consolation. The dead stay silent. And we must wait." She shrugs herself out of this line of thought, but the Doctor and I remain solemn, I stared at the wall lost in thought as the ghosts of past pop up to the front of my mind. The Doctor looking down as he's probably remembering his own people. I look over to him and squeeze his hand, lightly. He looked up at me, his eyes glazed over. I give a small smile and press a kiss to his cheek.
"I'm here now, you're not alone." I whisper for him to hear only. "I will never leave you." He gives me a shaky smile and brings my hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to it and leaves it there. We stare into each other's eyes for a moment, missing the Queen's soft glance.
"Come! Begin your tale, Sir Robert. There's a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the eaves. Tell us of monsters!" I winced slightly at the used word but don't say anything as we listen to Sir Robert.
"The story goes back three hundred years. Every full moon, the howling rings through the valley. The next morning, livestock is found ripped apart and . . . devoured." He started.
"Tales like this just disguise the work of thieves. Steal a sheep and blame a wolf, simple as that." The Captain said, comfortably. Queen Victoria looks mildly irritated at this.
"But sometimes a child goes missing. Once in a generation. A boy will vanish from his homestead." I tilted my head, intrigued.
"Are there descriptions of the creature?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh yes, Doctor. Drawings and woodcarvings. And it's not merely a wolf. It's more than that. This is a man who becomes an animal." I stared at Sir Robert in shock.
"A werewolf." I whispered, the Doctor leans forward, intrigued now.
"My father didn't treat it as a story. He said it was fact. He even claimed to have communed with the beast - to have learned its purpose." I watch as the bald man attention is caught by something outside the window. "I should've listened." He said, regretfully. He glances around at the bald man.
"His work was hindered — he made enemies. There's a Monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine. The Brethren opposed my father's investigations." Sir Robert spoke, quickly.
"Perhaps they thought his work ungodly." The Queen said. I snap my head to the man when he started to speak in Latin.
"That's what I thought. But now I wonder . . . what if they had a different reason for wanting the story kept quiet?" The Doctor attention is soon on the bald man by the window, chanting in Latin. "What if they turned from God and worshipped the wolf?"
"And what if they were with us right now?" The Doctor questioned, watching the man, the penny dropping. The man was still at the window, chanting while the rest of the room went into chaos.
"What is the meaning of this?" The Queen demanded. I started to look around the room when I realized Rose had yet to show up.
"Explain yourself, Sir Robert!" The Captain points his gun at him.
"What's happening —"
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, they've got my wife." Robert told her. I turned to the bald man in fury.
"Where's Rose? Where is my sister!" I yelled at him. He ignores me and carries on chanting. I start to walk towards him but the Doctor grabbed my arm and starts to drag me to the door.
"Sir Robert — come on!" The Doctor yelled to him, losing his Scottish accent. We raced out of the room and down the corridor. The Doctor and I follow Sir Robert to the cellar where we heard screaming coming form it. The Doctor kicks down the door to the cellar.
"Where the hell have you two been?" Rose asked. I went to say something when growling caught my attention. I turn around and was greeted with the werewolf. I stare at it with wide-eyed awe as it grabs hold of the bars of the cage. I move a bit closer to the cage.
"You poor thing." I whispered. The werewolf turned it's head to me and stared straight into my eyes.
"Get out!" The wolf suddenly growls again and begins to bend and break the bars, throwing the cage off. I let out a gasp, stumbling a few steps backwards before falling onto the floor. The Doctor rushes over to me and helps me up as the wolf stands tall, free of the cage. He throws the top of it across the room, narrowly missing the Doctor and I. We make a run for it, slamming the door behind us. The Doctor locks it with his sonic screwdriver.
"That isn't going to stop him!" I exclaimed to him as he pulls me away from the cellar.
"No but sure as does gives us time to run!" He yelled back.
"What is it with you and running, you madman!" I let out a soft giggle at the bright smile I received from him. He lead us into the kitchen and helped Rose out of her handcuffs.
"It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths — did it say what it wanted?" The Doctor asked her very fast.
"The Queen, the Crown, the throne — you name it." There's a thumping sound coming from the direction of the cellar, we all look around. The Doctor ventures out into the corridor to investigate and I follow after him, peering around his shoulder. The wolf has managed to knock down the door and stood at the other end of the corridor.
"I told you it wouldn't work!" I told him as he drags me back into the room after the werewolf growls. He grabs Rose and pulls us behind the line of men with guns poised and ready.
"Fire!" They shoot at the wolf causing it to stumble back a few steps.
"Don't shoot him!" I cried but they fired again, causing Rose and I to flinch. The room was full of smoke and there's no sign of the wolf.
"All right, you men, we should retreat upstairs, come with me." The Doctor told them.
"I'll not retreat. The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault." An old man snarked.
"But that creature isn't from Earth!" I tried to get him to understand but he ignored me.
"I'm telling you, come upstairs!" The Doctor spoke, angrily.
"And I'm telling you, sir, that I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall." He strides across the room to look down the corridor, checking on the wolf. The Doctor and I watch him while I pull Rose to me. The Doctor looked extremely angry while I was conceded. Apparently seeing nothing, he strides back looking triumphant.
"Must've crawled away to die —" And he's lifted clean through the ceiling by the wolf and we could him being devoured. Rose let out a cry of shock and terror and I clutched her close, tucking her head in-between my neck and shoulder. The Doctor turned to me and I stare at him with wide eyes.
"There's nothing we can do." I nodded and the three of us rushed out of the room with Sir Robert following after us, trying to ignore the screams of the dying men. We hurry into another room and the Doctor slams the door behind us, locking it again with his sonic screwdriver.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Sir Robert called.
"Sir Robert! What's happening?" She asked as she came down the stairs. I watch the Doctor dash off somewhere. "I heard such terrible noises."
"Your Majesty — we've got to get out. But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?" Sir Robert asked.
"Captain Reynolds disposed of him." I glanced at the Queen at her lie.
"The front door's no good, it's been boarded shut. Pardon me, Your Majesty — you'll have to leg it out of a window." The Doctor said as he came back from wherever he went. He gestures through a door and Queen Victoria obliges with her head held high. We go up the stairs into another room.
"Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress." Sir Robert said.
"A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh." I rolled my eyes, 'We don't have time for this.'
"Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?" The Doctor asked, impatiently. Sir Robert climbs onto the window sill and has to immediately dodge out of the way as he's shot at by whoever's standing outside. The Doctor stares out of the window, eyes wide. "I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside." I turned to him.
"You mean there's more of those baldies?" I asked in shock.
"Do they know who I am?" The Queen asked.
"Yeah, that's why they want ya. The wolf's lined you up for a . . . a biting." Rose told her.
"Now, stop this talk. There can't be an actual wolf." The words are no sooner out of her mouth when a howl rings through the house. We spin around, alarmed, then leave the room hurriedly. We run into a hallway and the wolf is battering on the door.
"What do we do?" Rose asked.
"We . . . run!" The Doctor exclaimed.
"Is that it?!" I turned to Rose.
"You got any silver bullets?" I asked her.
"Not on me, no!" She answered.
"There we are then, we run. Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog." The Doctor jogs on the spot to demonstrate. "Good for the health. Come on!" He grabs the Queen's hand and leads her from the room. We run as fast as we can up the staircase. I snap my head back to look behind me when I hear a door be broken down. The wolf is soon bounding up the staircase after us.
"Come on! Come on!" Having reached the top of the stairs, we run through the corridors, the wolf close on our tails. It's nearly upon us, ready to pounce when Captain Reynolds appears holding a gun. He shoots and the wolf reels backwards down the corridor. The Captain ducks behind the corridor where we're standing, out of breath.
"I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty — I went to look for the property, it was taken. The chest was empty." He said.
"I have it. It's safe."
"Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert — you're a traitor to the crown." He cocks his gun.
"Normal bullets can't stop it!" I told him. He turns to me with a stern grimace.
"They'll buy you time. Now, run!" He positions himself at the end of the corridor, gun held ready. Queen Victoria and Sir Robert have already started running in the opposite direction, followed by the Doctor, and Rose. I slowed my run and turn back to look at the Captain watching him for a few seconds before rolling my eyes at myself.
"Of all the stupid things you do, Jessamine this has to be the stupidest." I told myself and ran back to Reynolds. I take the gun from him and push him towards the others. "Go! Just run!" I yelled at him and he did so, after a moment of hesitance. I turn back to the wolf and we stare at one another for a few moments. I toss the gun away from me and hold my hands up. I take a step back then with a flick on my wrist, my wand pops out of it's holder and into my hand.
"Sorry, mate." I point my wand at the wolf. "Bombarda!" I shouted, watching the wolf fly through the wall then bolted to the library.
"Jessamine!" The Doctor shouted just as I reached the door. He grabs me around the waist and pulls me into the room just in time to slam the door shut. He holds me close to him for a few moments then pushes me away, holding me by my shoulders. "What the bloody hell were you thinking?!" He shouted.
"Saving that man!" I shouted in return. He gives me a glare then releases me, walking away to help Rose and Sir Robert to barricade the door.
"Wait a minute, shh, shh, wait a minute . . ." The wolf howls into the silence. "It's stopped." He stands on the chair and presses his ear against the door. "It's gone." Footsteps can be heard padding around the outside of the room.
"Listen . . ." The Doctor climbs quietly down from the chair and there's dead silence in the library as we follow the wolf's progress around the room, absolutely terrified. The Queen is shaking violently while Reynolds keeps guard over her.
"Is this the only door?" The Doctor whispered.
"Yes. No!" And Sir Robert dashes to the other door with the Doctor and they barricade it shut.
"Shh!" I silence them. We look around uneasily as we hear the sounds the werewolf is making — and then it stops. Footsteps pad away into the distance. I stare at the door, confused. "I don't understand. What's stopping it?"
"Something inside this room." The Doctor said, as he looks around. "What is it? Why can't it get in?" He questioned, confused.
"I'll tell you what, through . . ." I look over to Rose with a raised eyebrow as she addresses the Doctor.
"What?" He asked.
"Werewolf . . .!" My eyes widen.
"I know!" Rose half laughs and they throw their arms around each other. "You all right?"
"I'm okay, yeah!" I continue to stare at them, eyes wide.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. It's all my fault. I should've sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong, I... thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?" Sir Robert said from behind us.
"Well, they were bald, athletic . . . your wife's away, I just thought you were happy." I narrow my eyes at the Doctor.
"I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now." I snapped my head at Rose, royally pissed.
"Do you think this is funny, Rose?!" I asked her, angrily. My words almost coming out in a hiss. She looks at me meekly.
"No, Jessa, I'm sorry." I shake my head at her and turn away from them, to angry to look at them.
"What, exactly, I pray someone please — what exactly is that creature?" The Queen asked.
"You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's a more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform." The Doctor said, scratching his head awkwardly.
"And why should we trust you, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?" Reynolds asked.
"Oh . . . right, sorry —" The Doctor realized.
"I'll not have it. No, sir — not you . . . not that thing . . . none of it. This is not my world." The Queen stated. Then she turned away from us, speaking with Reynolds quietly. The Doctor wonders around the room, touching the woodwork.
"Mistletoe . . . Sir Robert, did your father put that there?" The Doctor asked. I walked over to him to look at the mistletoe carving.
"I don't know, I suppose . . ."
"On the other door, too . . . a carving wouldn't be enough . . . I wonder . . ." He said, thinking aloud before licking the woodwork. I pull a face at this new trait of his. "Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe — it's been worked into the wood like a varnish! How clever was your dad? I love him!" He turns to Rose and I. "Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins."
"I know. It's an potion ingredient." I told him quietly so the others couldn't hear.
"And the wolf's allergic to it?" Rose asked. I shook my head and turn to her.
"Werewolf's are allergic to silver, only. This one just thinks it is. I'm guessing the monks needed a way of controlling him, so they probably trained it to react against certain things." I replied, turning back to study the carving.
"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon." I rolled my eyes at Sir Roberts complaint.
"Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?" The Doctor asked, rudely.
"Your being rude again." I whispered to him.
"Good. I meant that one." He strides towards the book shelves. "You want weapons? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world." He puts his glasses on. "This room's the greatest arsenal we could have." He pulls some books off the shelf and chucks some to me. "Arm yourself." Rose, the Doctor, Sir Robert and I were frantically flicking through the books, talking over one another.
"Biology, zoology . . . there might be something on wolves in here . . ." The Doctor chucks a book to me.
"Hold on, what about this?" I flick through the pages.
". . . some form of explosive . . ." Sir Robert muttered, flicking through his book.
"Hmm, that's the sort of thing. Ooh. . ." The Doctor jumps down from the ladder, holding a book which he puts down on the table. "Look what your old dad found. something fell to Earth." On the page there was an illustration of a rock falling to Earth from the sky. We gather around.
"A spaceship?" Rose asked.
"A shooting star." Sir Rober begins to read from the book. "In the year of our Lord, 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit." That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the Monastery."
"That was over three hungered years ago. Why now, why not when it came?" I thought aloud.
"Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations. It survived through the humans. Host after host after host." The Doctor said.
"But why does it want the throne?" Sir Robert asked.
"That's what it wants. It said so, the . . . the Empire of the Wolf." Rose told us.
"Imagine it . . . the Victorian Age accelerated . . . starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam . . . leaving history devastated in its wake . . ." The Doctor said with foreboding.
"Sir Robert!" The Queen called, standing. He goes to her. "If I am to die here . . ."
"Don't say that, Your Majesty." He replied.
"I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me. But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself." She opens her bag.
"Hardly the time to worry about your valuables." The Doctor called from the table. I slapped his shoulder causing him to pout at me.
"Rude." I whispered.
"Thank you for your opinion. But there is nothing more valuable than this." And she takes the Koh-I-Noor from her bag and holds it in the palm of her hand.
"That's the Koh-I-Noor." I said amazed.
"Oh, yes . . . the greatest diamond in the world." We shuffled forward for a closer look.
"Given to me as the spoils of war. Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die." The Queen said.
"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I. . .?" The Doctor holds out his hand for the diamond. Queen Victoria gives it to him. He pushes his glasses down his nose to look at it closely. Rose comes over and prods it, eyes wide. "That is so beautiful."
"How much is that worth?" Rose questioned.
"They say . . . the wages of the entire planet for a whole week." I peered at it then shared a look with Rose.
"Good job mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing." I said.
"And she'd win." The Doctor replied. Rose and I laughed.
"Where is the wolf?" Sir Robert asked as he walks away. "I don't trust this silence."
"Why do you travel with it?" The Doctor asked the Queen.
"My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting." She replied.
"Oh, but it's perfect." Rose said.
"My late husband never thought so." The Doctor removed his glasses.
"Now, there's a fact — Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting." The Queen gazed at the diamond with a fond look.
"He always said . . . the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished." She told us.
"Unfinished . . . oh, yes!" The Doctor exclaimed with realization. He tosses the Koh-I-Noor back to Queen Victoria, who catches it while giving him a startled look. "There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research — your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond — hold on, hold on —" He says very fast, working it out. He ruffles his hair violently in his eagerness to work it out. "all these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected! Oh, my head, my head! What if — this house, it's a trap for you — is that right, Ma'am?"
"Obviously."
"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But! What if there's a trap inside the trap?" We stared at him confused.
"Explain yourself, Doctor." We all nodded in agreement with the Queen.
"What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true. And they planned against it. Laying the real trap not for you . . . but for the wolf." A fine sprinkling of plaster falls from the ceiling. We all look up, and the werewolf was walking over the glass dome above our heads, looking down at us.
"That wolf there . . ." The glass of the dome starts to crack, the Doctor and I throw down out boorks and together with Queen Victoria and Rose run to the door. "Out! Out! Out!" As the werewolf crashes through, smashing the desk, we destroy the barricade and run out into the corridor.
"Your Majesty!" Reynolds calls. The Doctor takes one last look at the roaring wolf before slamming the doors closed. The six of us run down the corridor.
"Gotta get to the observatory!" We careen around a corner, the werewolf close behind. Rose turns around and just as the wolf comes closer, she screams. I spin around to her when a woman throws a pan of water onto the wolf. Rose screams again, but the werewolf bounds back down the corridor away from us. "Good shot!"
"It was mistletoe!" The Doctor follows the wolf a way down the corridor. I grab hold of Rose and bring her to me, letting her hold onto me tightly.
"Isobel!" Sir Robert and his wife kiss as the Doctor and Captain Reynolds make sur the wolf has gone. "Get back downstairs."
"Keep yourself safe." He nods and they kiss again.
"You go." Lady Isobel and the maids go past Sir Robert and make their way back to the kitchen.
"Girls, come with me. Down the Back stairs, back to the kitchen. Quickly!" I watch them for a second, calling to them.
"Take my sister, please. Make sure she stays safe." Lady Isobel watches me for a moment before nodding. I push Rose to her and she wraps an arm around her as they run off.
"Come on!" We heard the Doctor call and we set off at a run again, down the corridor.
"The observatory's this way!" We reach the central staircase and hurry up it as fast as we could but the werewolf recovers and returns to the chase. We final arrive at the observatory, the Doctor in the lead.
"No mistletoe on these doors, your father wanted the wolf to get inside! Get inside, I just need time! Is there any way of barricading this?!" The Doctor exclaimed.
"Just do your work and I'll defend it." I spun towards Sir Robert.
"No, you will not! You promise your wife to return to her and that's what you're going to do!" Everyone turn to me with wide eyes. "I'll defend it. Every time the wolf see me, it stops and just stares." I said, softly. "Now get inside." The Queen, Captain, and Sir Robert went into the room but the Doctor stood still and stared at me.
"Jessamine, don't do this please." He whispered.
"I have to, Doctor. I can't let there be more pointless deaths. I'm sorry." I told him. He shook his head and took a hold of my shoulders.
"Jessamine —" I grabbed his jacket lapels and pulled him in, placing a soft kiss on his lips. When I pulled away from him, I placed a hand on his cheek.
"Trust me, Doctor." I whispered then pushed him inside the room, shutting and locking the door magically. I turn away from the door, ignoring the Doctor's yells. I could hear the howls of the wolf coming down the corridor. I arm myself with my wand as the werewolf bounds up the stairs.
JTDW
Doctor pov
"Jessamine, open the door! Jessamine!" I shouted to her from the other side but she didn't answer. I leaned my head on the door for a moment, taking a deep breath and turning to the others. "Your Majesty, the diamond."
"For what purpose?" She asked.
"The purpose it was designed for." She hands over the diamond from her bag. I run over to the mechanism for the telescope. "Sir Robert!" He runs over to me. "Lift it! Come on!" Sir Robert and I struggle to turn the wheel, but the cogs start to shift and the telescope to rise.
"Is this the right time for stargazing?" Sir Robert asked, out of breath from straining against the wheel.
"Yes, it is."
JTDW
Jessa pov
The werewolf finally found me, guarding the door. He approaches slowly before stopping a few inches from me. He sniffed the air around me before staring me straight in the eye. I raised my wand at him with a determine face.
"I'm not one to give second chances, but I will if you stand down. I don't want to fight you." I told him. He let out a bark almost like he was laughing. I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm not like the rest of them and you can tell that. I won't hesitate to kill you if it means to protect them." The wolf growls at me this time. Then he jumped at me.
"Bombarda Maxima!" I shouted then dodge out of the way of the blast. The wolf got up and launched at me again. "Crucio!" I yelled and watch the wolf fall to the ground, whimpering and whining in pain. I stop the cruse when the wolf stopped making sounds, breathing heavily as I watch the wolf warily. I close my eyes for a second which was a mistake. I let out a scream when I'm thrown at the wall, I bang into the wall with a loud thump before crumpling to the floor. My eyes flutter as the wolf limps over to me and stands over me.
"Do it." I whispered before my eyes shut and my world goes dark. The last thing I feel is my warm blood running down from the back of my head.
JTDW
Doctor pov
I stare at the door, hopelessly terrified when I heard Jessamine scream then silence. We all jump when the werewolf starts battering the door. The gears continue to grind.
"You said this thing doesn't work!" Reynolds yells.
"It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is! It's a light chamber! It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up!" I replied.
"But how?" I grunt and turn to the light chamber. "Moonlight! It needs moonlight!" Sir Robert exclaimed.
"You're seventy percent water but you can still drown. Come on!" The Light Chamber finally starts to align with the moon. "Come on!" At last it's properly aligned. Sir Robert and I step away from the gears as the moonlight bounces off the prisms. Just as the werewolf breaks through the door, the light spews forth from the end of the light chamber onto the floor far short of the werewolf. The werewolf advances on the Queen but I dive across the floor and throw the Koh-I-Noor into the beam of light. A fantastic, prismatic beam of light hits the werewolf. He's lifted off the floor and hands there, caught in the wash of moonlight. As we look on, the werewolf retakes human form.
"Make it brighter. Let me go." The host said, quietly. I slowly walk across to the light chamber and flick a switch. With a final howl from the wolf form, the creature vanishes and the light shuts off. Sir Robert breathes a huge sigh of relief. The Queen, however, was staring intently at some wound on her wrist. The Captain and I notice her.
"Your Majesty? Did it bite you?" Reynolds asked.
"No, it's . . . it's a cut." She said.
"If that thing bit you . . ." I trailed off.
"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart." She replied.
"Let me see." I go for her hand.
"It is nothing." She pulls her hand away sharply. I stare at her, not believing her. I shook my head and race out of the room to go find Jessamine. I look around the corridor until I turn towards a corner of the hallway and found her. She was on her back with a small pool of blood surrounding her head.
"Jessamine!" I cried and kneeled next to her, gathering her up into my arms. The others came out of the room as I try to stop the bleeding. The others had wide eyes as they watched me. "I'm here, Jessamine. Please, open your eyes." I told her as I tear off some fabric of her dress to tie it around her head. "You have to open your eyes, please. Don't leave me." I continue to ramble on and on, trying to get her to wake up.
"Doctor." I snap my eyes to hers.
"Jessamine." I whispered, she gave me a small smile. She raised a hand and placed it on my cheek again, wiping away the few tears that ran down my cheek.
"Please, shut up. Your making my head hurt." She patted my cheek as I pouted while the others chuckle. Jessamine lets out a groan as she sits up and looks around. "The wolf?" She asked me.
"Gone." I answered. Her eyes gazed slightly with sorrow but nodded with a sigh. "There's nothing you've could of done, Jessamine."
"I know." She said, quietly. "Let's go get Rose before she has a heart attack." I help her stand up and down to the kitchen. As we entered the kitchen, Rose launched herself at Jessamine causing her to let out a painful moan. "Easy, Rose."
"You're alive! I heard you scream and I thought . . ." Rose sobbed. Jessamine smiled and clutched her sister tightly.
"Takes more then a head wound to kill me, Rose." She told her. Jessamine turn to Isobel as Rose calmed down. "Thank you for taking care of her."
"And thank you for saving my husband." Isobel returned. We all walk out of the kitchen and into a hall where the Queen called Rose, Jessamine, and I to step forward.
"Kneel." I helped Jessamine to kneel before the Queen.
"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Sir Doctor of TARDIS." She taps me on each shoulder with a sword then turns to Rose. "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Dame Rose of the Powell Estate." She taps Rose on each shoulder then finally turns to Jessamine with a smile.
"Jessamine, for your bravery and sacrifice, I dub thee: Baronetess of TARDIS." The Queen taps a shocked Jessamine on her shoulders with the sword. "You may stand." The three of us rise.
"Many thanks, Ma'am." I said.
"Thanks! They're never going to believe this back home." Rose said grinning. Jessamine turned to me.
"If I'm the Baronetess of the TARDIS, that makes me the boss right?" She asked with a playful smirk which I rolled my eyes at, fondly.
"We'll talk about it." I told her then turn to the Queen. "Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving a message from the great beyond; I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now Ma'am, even from beyond the grave."
"Indeed. Then you may think on this, also: that I am not amused." I groan whilst Rose looks jubilant.
"Yes!" She cheered, Jessamine just looked at us confused.
"Not remotely amused." The wipes the smirk off of Rose's face. "And henceforth . . . I banish you." We look at her, stunned.
"I'm sorry . . .?" I asked.
"I rewarded you, Sir Doctor. And now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the two of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars - and magic - and think it fun. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death and I will not allow it! You will leave this shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you managed to stray so far from all that is good. And how much longer you will survive this... terrible life." She steps away from us, angrily. "Now leave my world. And never return." We hurriedly left the house and hitched a lift on the back of a farmer's cart. It came to halt when we finally reached the TARDIS.
"Woah!" We jump off the back of the cart in the highlands near the TARDIS.
"Cheers, Dougal!" I wave as we walk away and the farmer drives off. "You know, the funny thing is, Queen Victoria did actually suffer a mutation of the blood! It's historical record hemophiliac. It used to be called the Royal Disease! But it's always been a mystery because she didn't inherit it. Her mum didn't have it her dad didn't have it - it came from nowhere!"
"What, and you're saying that's a wolf bite?" Jessamine asked.
"Well, maybe Hemophilia is just a Victorian euphemism." Jessamine gave me a raise eyebrow.
"For werewolf?" She asked, a bit skeptical.
"Could be!" I exclaimed which she rolled her eyes too.
"Queen Victoria's a werewolf?" Rose asked.
"Could be! And, her children had the Royal Disease. Maybe she gave them a quick nip." Jessamine let out a snort.
"So, the Royal Family are werewolves?" Rose asked, disbelievingly.
"Well . . . maybe not yet. I mean, a single wolf cell could take . . . a hundred years to mature . . . might be ready by . . . oooh . . . early 21st century . . .?" I calculated.
"Nah! That's just ridiculous! Mind you . . . Princess Anne . . .!" Rose started to muttered.
"I'll say no more." I said after Jessamine nudged me in the ribs.
"And if you think about it . . . they're very private. They plan everything in advance. They — they could schedule themselves around the moon — we'd never know!" I snigger as we reach the TARDIS and open the door. "They like hunting They love blood sports!" Jessamine and I laugh as we start the TARDIS up to dematerialize. "Oh my God, they're werewolves!" Rose and I let out a howl and cackle while Jessamine smile chuckles with a smile.
"I'm going to go rest for a bit. I'll see you two wolves later." She giggled when I let out another howl and walked to her room.
JTDW
Jessa pov
I sighed as I entered my room, I chuck off my heels and strip the dress off. I take the bandage of my now healed wound and toss it into the bin. I put on a tank top and shorts, plopping down on my bed. I stared up at the ceiling of my room.
"Werewolves . . ." I mumbled, twisting a strand of my hair. My mind flashed back to my third year, the year I met Remus Lupin, a dear friend of my fathers'. He had white scars covering most of his arms and a smile as warm as hot chocolate. I cracked a smile when a flash of bubblegum pink crossed my mind. Nymphadora Tonks, a quirky shapeshifter and witch with a sharp sense of humor. What I wouldn't give for a picture of them now. Just as I'm about to close my eyes, my mobile went off. I rolled over and answered it.
[Hello?]
[Jessa, it's Mickey.]
[What's up?] I asked.
[I need you guys to come back home. I think I found something.] He replied.
[Okay, I'll go talk to the Doctor then. We'll be there soon.] I told him.
[Thanks, Jessa.]
[See ya soon, Mickey.]
[Bye.] We hung up and I went to the control room.
"Doctor!" He turns around to me and his face goes firetruck red. "I have our heading." I gave him a teasing smile and wink.