For an Impossible Enigma Chapter 7: Asteroids and Queens S7E7, a doctor who fanfic

The Rings of Akhaten

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, only my ideas.

Rating: T for Travelling Companions

Chapter summary: Clara and the Doctor's first date is underway, he's taken her to a whole new star system. The Rings of Akhaten. What they don't realise is the strange traditions around the Festival of Years. Clara grows attached to a young girl, who just so happens to be the Queen of Years and when danger falls upon them can Clara risk everything she loved to save those whom she loves?

[AUTUMN 1981]

There wasn't a thing about Clara that the Doctor understood. Now he knew who she was, he didn't understand how she was. He'd followed her timeline, her past, and it was a normal past, with normal parents and a normal life.

He'd been doing some reading — catching up on the local culture in a coffee shop — when he saw them. He knew he would, having tracked their timelines through the Tardis, but it was strange to actually see Clara's parents.

He knew they would live, although that didn't make him any less concerned that he'd changed their timelines by arriving. He saw the leaf float into her father's face and immediately thought the worst. But Ellie, Clara's mother, dragged him to safety.

The Doctor knew something important had just happened. A fixed event, their meeting.

He continued to follow them, popping up when he felt something important would happen just to make sure they didn't blow it and not create Clara. He saw them standing in the rain outside Ellie's house, and then he saw the leaf.

A fixed event, keeping that leaf. That wasn't a leaf, that was page one. It was something for Clara to hold on to. She wasn't like the Clara in Victorian London — no, this Clara was different. Possibly younger, and definitely a lot more innocent.

He stayed in their past until they'd given birth to Clara, and when the news reached him that a Clara Oswald had been born he was ready to leave. He set the Tardis for 7 o'clock Clara's time and ran to the doors.

What he didn't expect to find was a football heading straight into his face as he rounded the corner he was sure led to Clara's house.

"Oh, my stars! Are you all right?" Clara's mother asked him, running over to help him.

He put his hands in the air as though he was under attack. "Fine. Marvellous. Refulgent. Possibly a bit embarrassed. That's not dangerous, is it?" He laughed. Right, not 2013, 1990. Clara's timeline.

"What's not?" She was laughing at him, not out loud, but still.

"Embarrassment."

"Not usually." Okay, now she was laughing. "Not to my knowledge."

"Good. Hey. Phew." He wiped his brow as Ellie's husband came over to them.

"Mate, I'm so sorry. She wants to be Bryan Robson," Dave apologised, gesturing to his daughter.

"No worries. My fault. No harm done." The Doctor bent down to be eye level with their child. "Hello there…"

"Clara," Ellie filled in when the Doctor looked at her. Of course, the Doctor knew exactly who she was, but he couldn't have them thinking he was some kind of pervert who followed little girls around.

"Ah. Hello there, Clara." He smiled at her. His smile was infectious, and soon he had the whole family smiling as he bid them goodbye.

"Right dear, no more tricks, we've got to pick up Clara and tell her we want to meet her mum!" he called out once he was safely in the Tardis again. The Tardis wasn't quite ready for that to happen, and she jerked, sending him flying into the console. "Where are you taking me now?"

He stepped through the doors. The ground crunched under his feet, still frostbitten from a winter which had barely passed. The daffodils stalks decorated the cemetery, March flowers. He walked slowly between the gravestones. He didn't recognise every name, but he recognised a few.

Most importantly, he recognised hers: Ellie Oswald, beloved wife and mother. It was her, that was for sure. No. No. No. No. She couldn't be dead, she was her mother, and every girl needed her mother. He saw Clara and her father round the corner, and he ran away. He looked back as he hid behind a tree. They were crying, real human crying.

[TARDIS]

"She's just a girl. How can she be?" He stomped back into the Tardis. The scanner showed her different faces — Victorian Clara, Oswin, and his Clara. "She can't be. She is. She can't be. She's not possible."

He fought within himself. She wasn't possible. He didn't know how Clara had even been allowed on the Tardis when she usually hated impossible things. Yet she had been, somehow. And he had to find her.

[THE MAITLAND HOUSEHOLD]

Clara had been waiting all day. George had granted her a night off, and that had made Clara's mind up. She couldn't spend her whole life waiting for everything to fall into place whilst she looked after the kids. She had the now, and right now the Doctor was her only option.

She didn't pack much, figuring that she'd be back soon enough. But she did take her book, 101 Places to See. She'd never left without it and she wasn't about to start now, not when she could finally go to the places.

The noise of engines outside caused a grin to light up her face, and then she heard the doorbell and could see him through the glass. Her protector.

She called back into the house that she was off and to not expect her back soon. Then she opened the door. She froze, then ran straight into his arms, and he spun her around.

[TARDIS]

"So we're moving through actual time?" Clara asked him after he'd sent the Tardis into the vortex. He smiled at her; it was good to have a companion again. She ran from the doors to the console, where he was standing. "So what's it made of, time? I mean, if you can just rotor through it, it's got to be made of stuff, like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?"

"Well, not strawberries," he scoffed, fiddling with his bowtie. "No. No, no, no. That would be unacceptable."

"And we can go anywhere?" She ran around one side of the console while he ran round the other.

"Within reason." He seemed to think for a second before changing his mind. "Well, I say reason."

"So, we could go backwards in time." She stared up at him.

"And space, yes." He stared down at her.

"And forwards in time," she stated, biting her lip.

"And space. Totally." He grinned spinning back around the console and meeting her at the other end again. "So, where do you want to go, eh? What do you want to see?"

They stared at each other whilst he waited for her to respond. She couldn't think of what to say. "I don't know," she said, breaking eye contact with him to look at the console. "You know when someone asks you what's your favourite book and straight away you forget every single book that you've ever read?"

"No. Totally not," he told her. She forgot he was a time travelling alien.

"Well, that's a thing that… happens." She looked back to him again.

"And? Back to the question?"

"Okay. So — So — So…" She pointed at him then ran to the doors. "So I'd like to see. I would like to see. What I would like to see is… something awesome."

She spun around and laughed as he immediately began setting the time machine into motion. He was strange, but she didn't think he even knew how not to be strange. She followed him to the console and watched as the central column lit up and threw them to the floor.

He offered her his hand to pull her up, having anticipated the jerk and braced himself so as not to fall over.

They opened the Tardis doors together. Clara stepped out first, eyes closed, with a guiding hand on the small of her back.

"Now, can you feel the light on your eyelids?" He guided her out onto the platform. "That is the light of an alien sun. Forward a couple of steps. Okay. Are you ready?"

He stepped forward and hugged her from behind. It's so she doesn't fall off the platform, he told himself.

"Yes. No. Yes." She grimaced at her uncertainty but felt him smile into the crown of her head. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Welcome to the Rings of Akhaten."

The asteroids surrounding a red sun were unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

"It's…" she began, staring in wonder at the sun. His arms tightened around her, and she placed her hands over his.

"It is. It so completely is. But wait, there is more," he told her, getting excited. Clara could practically feel him jumping behind her as her eyes stayed on the sun.

"More what?"

"Wait, wait, wait." He removed one of his arms to check his wristwatch. "In about five, four, three, two…"

He stepped forward with her slightly as an asteroid moved to reveal a glistening pyramid.

"What is it?"

"The Pyramid of the Rings of Akhaten. It's a holy site for the Sun Singers of Akhat," he explained, placing his arm back around her.

"The who of what?" she asked quickly.

"Seven worlds, orbiting the same star. All of them sharing a belief that life in the universe originated here, on that planet." He gestured at the sun in front of them.

"All life?"

"In the universe."

"Did it?" she asked, taking her eyes off the sun to smile up at him.

"Well, it's what they believe." He smiled down at her. "It's a nice story."

"Can we see it? Up close?" She detached herself from him and stood with her back to the sun. He held out his hand. Her smile threatened to break into a full-fledged grin as she took it and dragged him back to the Tardis.

[BAZAAR]

They ran out of the Tardis together, this time, Clara being dragged by the Doctor. She stared with wide eyes at the different species wondering the bazaar. Her grip on his arm tightened when a particularly large alien brushed too close to her, but she giggled whenever her eyes landed on something she hadn't seen before. She let go of his arm and stepped back as he greeted an alien she didn't recognise.

"Where are they from?" she asked him, returning to his side.

"Oh, you know," he answered vaguely. "The local system, mostly."

"And what do I call them?" She grinned at him, tugging on his arm to lead him the way she had just walked.

"Well, let's see. Ah!" As they walked, he pointed out various species to her. She figured it'd just take time for her to get her head round them all. "There go some Pan-Babylonians. A Lugaleracush. Some Lucanians. A Hooloovoo. Ah! Qom VoTivig," he exclaimed upon reaching someone he knew. They performed a complicated handshake, leaving Clara less frightened of the alien in the green mask before they continued on their walk. "That chap's a Terraberserker of the Cadonian Belt. You don't see many of them around anymore. Oh! That's an Ultramancer." He raced off to greet another species. "Do you know? I forget how much I like it here. We should come here more often."

"You've been here before?" Clara asked him. She would hold him to the promise to come here again, she thought

"Yes, yes, yes." He brushed her question off. "I came here a long time ago with my granddaughter."

He dashed off again, leaving Clara calling after him. "Hang on!"

She had wanted to ask him about he could possibly have a granddaughter but dropped the thought when was cornered by an alien. It was much taller than she was and apparently hadn't noticed that it had trapped her as it browsed the market stalls. She had to wait until it left before she could move again. It was frightening to think about the possibility of getting lost here.

She sighed in relief when she spotted her travelling guide standing beside a basket of glowing blue balls.

He inhaled the scent of the basket before offering one to her. "Exotic fruit of some description. Right." Clara picked one up and took a bite. It was bland, very bland. "Non-toxic, non-hallucinogenic. High in free radicals and low in other stuff, I shouldn't wonder."

She shook her head at the fruit and put it back into the basket.

"No?" he asked, dumping the basket on the nearest table to dispose of it.

"So, why is everyone here?" she asked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. The Doctor produced a napkin from somewhere and dabbed at her mouth for her.

"For the Festival of Offerings." He put his arm around her shoulder, guiding her through the crowds as he had before. "Takes place every thousand years or so when the rings align. It's quite a big thing, locally, like Pancake Tuesday."

She laughed at him and stepped out from under his arm when she felt a prick in her back. He walked off, and she turned round to come face to face with a creature who was snarling at her, almost like a dog.

"Oh!" Clara jumped back a few paces "Er, Doctor?"

The Doctor rushed up behind her, placing his arm back round her shoulder and barking at the alien.

"What's happening? Why is it angry?"

"This isn't an 'it', it's a 'she'," he scolded, but the smile on his face told her he didn't really mean it. "Dor'een, meet Clara. Clara, meet Dor'een."

"Dor'een?" Clara laughed. It was strange to think these aliens had human-ish names.

"Loose translation," he supplied but seemed confused at something. "She sounds a bit grumpy, but she's a total love actually, aren't you? Yes, you are. No, actually, she's just asking if we fancy renting a moped."

Dor'een barked in conformation. Clara was still confused; she didn't understand how the Doctor could understand her.

"So, how much does it cost?"

"Not money. Something valuable. Sentimental value. A photograph, love letter, something like that," he elaborated. "That's what's used for currency here. Psychometry. Objects psychically imprinted with their history. The more treasured they are; the more value they hold."

"That's horrible."

"Better than using bits of paper."

"Then you pay," she suggested. It wasn't as though she'd brought anything with her she'd be willing to give away.

"With what?"

"You're a thousand years old. You must have something you care about," she smirked at him before turning and walking off to see more of the stalls.

When she turned back around he was gone, and she stopped laughing.

"Doctor? Doctor?" she called out, running back the way they'd come to see if he'd gone back there.

A young girl wearing red rounded the corner just as she did, and they ran into each other.

"Are you okay?" Clara asked, but the girl ran off.

She couldn't dwell on it for long, however, because soon she was confronted by two men wearing the same red as the girl had been.

"Have you seen her?" the taller of the two asked.

"Who?"

"The Queen of Years," he told her.

"Who?" Clara asked again, still confused. The men nodded to each other and left Clara alone. She was sure the girl was who they'd been looking for, but there was no way she could be a queen; she was too young. Still, she had to help. If Clara knew about one thing, it was how to help children.

[STOREROOM]

"Hello?" Clara called out, into what appeared to be a storeroom.

She was sure the girl had come in here; it was the only place she could have gotten to unless she could jump through walls. As she stepped further inside the room, she heard a bang. She jumped. Breathing in what little air she could, she realised that it must have just been the door closing behind her.

She continued her journey to the depths of the storeroom, and then she heard her — the breathing of a child in panic. Clara turned around quickly and caught sight of the girl from before making her way to the door Clara had just come through.

"Hey," Clara called out to the girl quietly.

The girl froze, a look of terror imprinted on her face — except now she was scared of Clara.

"Are you okay?" Clara continued. "Are you lost?"

She seemed to consider staying for a moment, but then she turned abruptly and dashed away from both Clara and the exit. Clara chased after the girl, only slowing her pace when she no longer heard the footsteps of the child. Around Clara were what looked like normal storage room items — there were bits of air vents, and she was sure she'd seen a stack of Shakespeare somewhere.

The girl jumped out of her hiding spot after Clara had passed her, not counting on her foot catching a table leg and causing it to screech across the floor.

Clara spun around, wide-eyed. They were both breathing heavily from shock.

Clara knew the girl was scared, but she knew how to help scared children, and so she began to laugh. She laughed at them being scared of each other, and the girl began to laugh, too. She was, after all, still a child.

"Are you all right? What are you doing?" Clara asked the girl, concerned.

"Hiding," the girl answered.

"Oh." Clara tried to understand her answer, but she couldn't. "Why?"

"You don't know me?" the girl asked Clara in shock.

"Sorry. Actually not." Clara crossed her arms. She was trying to be calm about the situation, but here was a girl who had no reason to trust Clara, and Clara had no idea what sort of power she had. Clara was terrified of getting something wrong.

"So why did you follow me?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"To help. You looked lost."

"I don't believe you." The girl stepped backwards as Clara stepped forwards. She was still scared.

"I've got no idea who you might be," Clara whispered, looking over her shoulder briefly to check that no one was behind her. "I've never been here before. I've never been anywhere like here before. I just saw a little girl who looked like she needed help." That was partially true though she had her suspicions of who the girl was.

"Really?"

"Really really."

The girl paused for a second. "Can you help me?"

"That's why I'm still here."

"Because I need to hide." She looked over her shoulder worriedly. Seconds later they felt a gust of wind wrap around them.

Clara held her hand out to the girl. "I know the perfect box."

The girl took her hand, and Clara led them through the storeroom, dodging the various items around them. They very nearly ran into what looked like guards — scary ones — before Clara pulled the girl back out onto the bazaar.

[BAZAAR]

Clara hid the girl behind her as they passed different species of alien on their way back to the Tardis.

"What's this?" the girl asked when they reached the blue box.

"A space-shippy thing. Timey, spacey," Clara explained, checking the area for more guards.

"It's teeny."

"You wait." Clara pulled on the latches on the doors of the Tardis, expecting it to open for her as it had before… except it didn't. "Oh, come on."

"What's wrong?" the girl asked, watching Clara struggle with the doors.

"I don't know," Clara told her. She backed away to examine the Tardis. "I don't think she likes me. Come on, let me in."

She didn't know why, but if the obnoxious humming coming from the machine was any indication, she'd say her guess was correct.

The girl ran around the side of the box.

"Hey. Hey, little girl." Clara peered around the box, but she couldn't see her.

"My name's Merry," the girl told Clara, poking her head around the adjacent corner.

Clara checked behind her before walking towards Merry. She found her sitting on the floor at the back of the Tardis. Clara joined her without much thought.

"So, what's happening? Is someone trying to hurt you?"

"No. I'm just scared."

"Of what?"

"Getting it wrong."

Clara had no idea what Merry was talking about. If a certain Doctor were here, she might understand it better, she thought. "Okay. Can you pretend like I'm totally a space alien and explain?"

"I'm Merry Gejelh."

"Really not local. Sorry."

"The Queen of Years?" Merry said as though she'd never had anyone not know who she was. "They chose me when I was a baby, the day the last Queen of Years died."

"Okay."

"I'm the vessel of our history. I know every chronicle, every poem, every legend, every song," she explained.

Clara didn't know a thing about history, but she did know a lot about children, and if she had been put under that much pressure as a child, she was sure she'd have run away, too. "Every single one?" she asked.

Merry nodded.

"Blimey. I hated history."

"And now I have to sing a song in front of everyone. A special song. I have to sing it to a god." Merry stared at the floor. "And I'm really scared."

Clara smiled, leaning her head against the Tardis. "Everyone's scared when they're little. I used to be terrified of getting lost. Used to have nightmares about it. And then I got lost. Blackpool beach, Bank holiday Monday, about ten billion people. I was about six. My worst nightmare come true."

"What happened?" Merry asked. She was hanging onto Clara's every word.

"The world ended. My heart broke. And then my mum found me." Merry breathed out in relief. "We had fish and chips, and she drove me home and she tucked me up and she told me a story."

Clara closed her eyes as she told Merry her mother's words. It was a good memory to remember — one of the best. Clara was glad she could share it with someone who needed it.

— "It doesn't matter where you are, in the jungle or the desert or on the moon. However, lost you may feel, you'll never really be lost. Not really. Because I will always be here, and I will always come and find you. Every single time. Every single time."

"And you were never scared again?"

Clara struggled for her words. She was supposed to be comforting Merry; she couldn't tell her she was terrified every second she was on this asteroid that she'd die thousands of years and light-years away from home. "Oh, I was scared lots of times, but never of being lost. So, this special song. What are you scared of, exactly?

"Getting it wrong. Making Grandfather angry," Merry told Clara, looking into her eyes.

"And do you think you'll get it wrong? Because I don't. I don't think you'll get it wrong. I think you, Merry Gejelh, will get it very, very right."

Merry smiled at that and reached over to hug Clara. Clara returned the hug before they both stood and made their way to the front of the Tardis. Clara tried the doors again and breathed a sigh of relief when they opened immediately. The Tardis must have known she had needed to comfort Merry back there.

With a smile on her face, Clara led Merry by the hand back to the bazaar. They saw Merry's guards, the red ones, talking to the other stall vendors. Clara gave Merry's hand one last reassuring squeeze to her hand before letting go of her and nudging her towards her guards.

Merry bravely walked over to them and allowed them to put a lei around her neck, only looking back at Clara once. Clara knew that she'd see the girl again, so she smiled at her.

Then her companion appeared, eating one of those blue fruits. He seemed to enjoy them a lot more than she had.

"What have you been doing?" he asked, drawing her in for a hug.

"Exploring," she mumbled into his shoulder. She released him after a while, and he took the opportunity to start leading her through the bazaar again. She shook her head and followed him. "Where are we going now?"

One of these days, she thought, he was going to lead her straight off a cliff. For some reason, that didn't scare her as much as it should have.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and followed this fanfiction, I really appreciate it. Special thanks to Kinosternon for taking the time to beta this monster chapter along with the rest of them over the past month! I wanted to go quite dark with this episode so yall will see what I mean in the next couple of chapters. Also, I plan to update every Friday, but as we all have separate lives that target may not always be reached so sorry for that.

Quote from the next chapter:

"Something's coming." - Clara