Chapter 10- In Which Moods Turn Sour
The Doctor caught up with Sarah easily, as she had stopped dead in her tracks. He smirked, pleased with himself. "It's good, eh?"
"It's…amazing." The planet was almost entirely green, from a thick carpet of grass underfoot to huge trees that created a canopy above them. They seemed to have landed in some sort of forest city, with shops hanging from low branches and steps carved into the trunks that spiraled up father than she could see. Shopkeepers were calling invitingly from behind stalls, gesturing with clawed fingers, grinning toothy smiles and wiggling pointed, furred ears. Sarah was about to run forward and immerse herself in the commotion, but was held back. The Doctor had caught her arm, and was looking at her with a stern, and quite fatherly, expression.
"Now, hold on a moment. This time we're going to do this my way, right? You're going to stay very close to me. No wandering off! I don't want you getting kidnapped again!"
She gaped. "How is staying close to you going to help anything? If you'll remember, Oh Most Clever One, the first time I was kidnapped I was standing right next to you. Proximity to you certainly didn't help anything. And I then saved myself and you to boot, thank you very much!" She could see he was about to protest, but she spoke over him. "And last time I asked you to stay close to me and you instead ran off with the first pretty girl that grabbed your hand! Whose fault was that one, huh?"
The stern look had faded, and the Doctor looked embarrassed. He cleared his throat and attempted to regain his composure. "Yes, well, I still think you should stay by me. It's my TARDIS and my rules. So….there. Now, let's go and have some fun, shall we?" He looked away from her and walked forward. She followed a pace behind him, shaking her head. His forcibly erect posture indicated that he was trying a little too hard to appear in control of the situation. Well, it didn't matter much anyway. It wasn't like she'd planned on running off anywhere.
They walked along a path that had been tamped down by years of foot traffic and looked at the stalls. Sarah desperately wanted to adopt one of the beautifully plumed birds on gilded perches, and would have certainly purchased a beautiful leather bound book from one seller, had she been able to understand the language it was written in. As Sarah walked she felt the Doctor's gaze on her back always. He was walking a little behind her, hands clasped behind his back, acting like some sort of body guard. She had no idea why he'd suddenly become so protective. Possibly it was because he was starting to feel a bit rubbish at protecting her, as she'd only been with him a week and had been captured twice. She was a little unnerved by this new attitude; she had not liked arguing with him, and much preferred his cheerful, bouncy disposition to this serious tone he'd replaced it with. She tried to return him to normal by showing him things like a miniature replica of a cat that could walk about in your palm, and a leather belt that could cleverly hide a number of possessions and weapons. He did not react until she gestured to a stall that contained nothing she could recognize—it was filled with advanced technology that she couldn't make any sense of. He brightened, though, and hurried over to look, finally his usual excitable self. She smiled in relief; it was nice to have the Doctor back again. She waited, a little to the side of the stall, for him to finish. Half an hour later she was starting to get bored. She shifted her weight onto her right leg, trying to ignore how sore she was from standing for so long.
"Feeling tired, miss? We could help you with that."
Sarah jumped, startled. A woman had appeared behind her—she had deep purple eyes, a face covered in black fur, and wolf-like ears peeking out from underneath robes of dark blue.
"We have quite an accomplished staff at our spa, miss," The woman continued, in a voice that was almost high and quavering. "It's just over there." She gestured, and Sarah turned to see a brilliantly white tent a few dozen feet away, with more blue robed attendants waiting outside.
"Oh no, I'm fine, really." Sarah replied, but couldn't help a furtive glance at the Doctor. He was still completely distracted, immersed in conversation with the shop keeper.
"I am sure that your friend won't mind, miss." Said the woman, wisely interpreting Sarah's expression. "Come with me, miss. You won't regret it." She gestured towards the tent, smiling invitingly. Sarah tried to ignore the fangs that were revealed in her smile.
"I…" She hesitated, disliking the idea of separating from the Doctor. But suddenly Sarah's mind was filled with rage, and memories of how the Doctor had treated her like an inferior. How dare he tell her what to do? He didn't want her to leave his sight, did he? Well, she would show him. She smiled an evil grin that did not suit her features, and turned back to the attendant. "Well, now that you mention it, I do think I could use some pampering. Lead the way!"
She followed behind the attendant as she walked toward the tent. When she was just outside the entrance, she heard her name called from far away. The Doctor had finally noticed her absence and was running toward her, looking panicked. Sarah shook her head, realizing that leaving the Doctor without telling him on an unfamiliar planet was a terrible idea, and turned around to return to him. But she felt a paw on her shoulder and her mind clouded with ideas of rebellion, and independence, and of how oppressive the Doctor was. She stopped walking away and instead smiled cruelly at the Doctor. She waved mockingly before entering the tent and disappearing from sight.
The Doctor was running at full speed towards a white tent in the distance. He had looked away from Sarah for just one second and the girl managed to slip away from him… He caught sight of her entering the tent and called out to her. She seemed to turn to him, but then her eyes flashed a dark purple and she smiled with a malice that the Doctor had never seen on her face before. She then disappeared into the tent, and the Doctor gritted his teeth. Something was going on and he was going to find out what. He skidded to a halt at the entrance of the tent and, ignoring the attendants, strode forward and burst into the tent.
Inside, the tent was huge, with silk cloth flooring and draped curtains that divided the tent, and a long hallway lined with doors. The Doctor stormed forward to take hold of Sarah's hand, ignoring the scandalized attendants.
"Come with me, Sarah. I don't trust this. You're not staying here." His voice was loud and commanding. Sarah was jolted at his tone, and recognized it as one that should not be disobeyed.
"Doctor! I…" The Doctor searched her face as she turned to him. Her eyes were out of focus and she looked confused, but then her features resolved into one of loathing. Her eyes narrowed and flashed that strange purple again, and her mouth turned down into a snarl. She snatched her hand away. "And what makes you think that you can tell me what to do? Leave me alone." She turned away from him and walked down the hallway.
"Sarah! I don't think you're safe here! Get back—" He tried to follow her, but the attendants—were there more now than there were before?—had swarmed forward to block Sarah from view. He stretched to his tallest height, trying to see where she had gone. He just managed to catch sight of her entering one of the doors off the hallway before he was pushed out of the tent.
He immediately rushed forward to reenter, but was rebuffed by the attendants who swarmed forward and blocked his path with surprising agility.
"I need to get in there," he growled, "and you're not going to stop me."
"Men are not permitted in our establishment, sir." One of the attendants answered, looking up at him with purple eyes. "Please wait for your friend out here. We hope you have a pleasant day."
"No, you see, you've got my friend in there and I don't think she's safe. I'm going in there and I'm getting her out!" He ran forward, planning to break their ranks and get into the tent, but found himself pushed back ten feet and almost ended up sprawled on the forest floor.
"Please wait for your friend out here, sir. It is against our rules to allow men into our establishment." The attendant repeated, but he noticed her eyes had narrowed. "Besides, she did not seem to desire your presence. We hope you have a pleasant day." Her tone was final, and the attendants folded their arms in unison, blocking the entrance.
The Doctor straightened his suit and glared at the women and the mysterious white tent. He walked away slowly to lean against a tree a short distance away, knowing that he was being watched carefully. It did not concern him. Whoever these women were, they had taken his companion and they would not get away with it. Many had challenged the Doctor in his long life, and no one had yet managed to defeat him. He would wait to make his move. He could be patient.