Adric peered over the wall. Daybreak had been punctuated by the shrill cry
of a battle horn and the thunderous sound of hundreds, maybe thousands of
horses charging across the field. Elrind lay next to him, looking as he
did, between the raised stones of the wall. The sight was a horrible one.
Banners covered in blood, the flash of swords, the whistle of arrows, the shouts, cries of men in pain, in death throes; it was a study of tangible, tactile, profound sounds and sights. Adric closed his eyes slowly as a young knight, possibly not much older than he was, felled from his horse barely meters from the front of the keep.
He opened his eyes quickly as Nyssa crawled up alongside of him and stared out at the battle.
"What are you doing?" he complained-asked. It came out as a hiss.
"Milady Nyssa, you should be below with the women…" Elrind answered.
She slowly turned her eyes from the death and carnage below to stare at Adric. He could tell she was in shock of sorts, the amount of death shocking her beyond her comprehension. "Why?" she asked, so quietly both men had to strain to hear her. Adric lowered his head and bit his lip. How did one explain to a person who had never known warfare the intricacies of armed combat? He reached out to tightly hold her arm.
Her brown eyes were like saucers as she shifted her gaze to Elrind. The elder was speaking. "They are giving a full front assault, lad…look at the way that they launch forward. They are not trying to beat them…separate them maybe…pull them apart…but they are not trying to beat them."
"Then what are they doing?" Adric asked, not releasing Nyssa.
Elrind rubbed at his set jaw and closed his eyes wearily. "With the way that they are splitting the front line…" he eased to his knees and stretched to look over the other side of the keep. He shook his head. "I think…and call it memory from my youth in the regimens, Adric…I think we can expect visitors tonight."
"But who?" Adric pressed, reaching across Nyssa to draw her down further away from the possibility of stray arrows. "Who can we expect?"
"The King," Elrind answered gloomily. "I do believe we can expect the King to arrive here soon. They need only kill or maim the heads of two houses to throw that Lords House line into disarray. Blast it beyond the Gods…we should go below and prepare. Hide what we can…we cannot fight a force that large, but we can hide what is most dear."
He tapped Adric on the shoulder and motioned to the steps. Adric agreed, but had to bodily more Nyssa away from the wall. As they half stumbled, half walked down the steps to the interior, she nearly and dumbly clung to him. "No..." she breathed. "The Doctor and Tegan can't be in that, can they, Adric? Can they?"
Adric groaned and slipped his arm around her waist to hasten her steps. "I sincerely hope not."
**
Tegan crouched down by the wheel of the wagon with Jessica. As a projectile and series of lit arrows flew close over head and there was a symphony of whistles in the air indicating incoming arrow fire, Tegan pushed hard on Jessica's shoulder and rolled with her under the belly of the wagon. The area where they had been was littered with lighted arrows. Tegan groaned and crawled to the foot of the wagon and slowly rose on her knees to look into the bed of the cart. There were several small lit arrows flaming in the interior.
"Hell's Teeth!" she shouted, and launched up into the bed. Jessica was right behind her to glance at what she was doing. The woman turned and yelled back. "Jessica…the blanket! We have to put these out!"
Jessica ripped the blanket from the ground and threw it to Tegan. As she did, she turned and glanced at the battle. The wagon was off of the battlefield proper, stationed in a small cluster of trees. The horse had been commandeered and they and a few other women were using the wooden wagon as a place for shelter. Tegan was the only one who knew its later purpose, though.
The Australian danced around on the bed, snuffing the flames with blanket and her bare feet.
Jessica ducked as another series of wayward arrows launched overhead. "For the love of the Gods, Tegan. Get down here."
"I can't…we need…the wagon…" Tegan shouted and turned to throw the blanket on another small fire.
With a shout, Jessica grabbed Tegan's ankle and sent the woman sprawling as the another hail of arrows and a stray ball of fire flew overhead. "They don't teach self-perseverence on that planet of yours, do they?" Jessica screamed.
**
The Doctor had allowed for convention, finally, Kilred thought, as he spied the Time Lord in a vest of leather armor with a solid breast plate. He had even changed into plain brown pants. Upon Kilred's shouted comment, the Time Lord had yelled back about 'not wanting to draw attention'. That had raised Kilred's eyebrows and had given him a smile even in the dire circumstances: there was no way that the Time Lord could not draw attention.
The Doctor frowned and had secured a bow and arrows and a stray sword from a page. "I'm sorry, Kilred. You see…warfare…I am…I mean…"
The warrior waved his hands in the air. "It is not your fight, Doctor." He extended his closed fists in a sign of friendship.
"Ah…but it is…"
"If it is another Gallifreyan or someone from this planet, Time Lord. But all I see is that bastard of a King we have on our throne out there on the field with bought pirates. When you execute your plan, Time Lord…it will become your fight."
"Come with me," the Doctor extended his hand. "You will be needed."
Kilred pulled on the Time Lord's shoulder and got him to duck as a series of mounted warriors ran past him. "My place is here, Doctor…I am a warrior. Your place is away…you are a thinker."
"Of sorts," the Doctor joked. He appeared somber for a moment afterwards.
"See to my wife, Doctor…"
"Of course."
They ducked again and the warrior pressed hard on his friend's shoulder. "Go…the battlefield is no place for a Time Lord who abhors violence."
The Doctor nodded and extended his hand in the typical warrior pose: closed fists pointed toward the ground. With a smile, he nodded and then he was running, away from the field and toward the hidden wagon and his plan, the weapons he had taken in his possession to be used for protection. Kilred watched him go and then turned to find the warriors he had sworn to fight alongside.
"May the Gods protect you," he whispered and then disappeared into the throng.
**
The Doctor slid to a halt as he spied Tegan on the bed of the wagon. Jessica reached up and pulled on her ankle as another hail of arrows went over head and the Doctor hissed through his teeth. He had forgotten how dogged Tegan could be when presented with a cause. He crouched and watched as Tegan threw the blanket and patted at a fire even from her prone position.
Tegan growled and reached for another small arrow as she felt a stronger hand on her ankle. "Not now, Tegan!" the Doctor yelled, pulling on her leg. "Get under cover."
"The wagon!" she protested.
"Will be quite all right," he shouted back and pulled hard as a ball of fire went over their heads. "But you will not be…get under the wagon!"
She slid to the edge and jumped, watching as the Doctor half-threw, half- placed his weaponry under the bed of the wagon. "Doc?"
"Questions later, Tegan."
She crawled with him under the wood carriage. "Swords and…" she picked up an arrow. "Arrows? Doctor?"
"Yes…well…this is not a Sunday picnic, Tegan. Jessica, get further under the wagon…Mary and Linso? You as well," the Doctor answered and pushed on Tegan's legs to get her further under the wagon.
"But Doc…do you even know how to use…"
"I was taught swords by some of the best Master's in Europe and arrows by archers in the Middle ages…of course I know how to use them and I will do so for protection of you, anyone here or myself, Tegan. Just because I will not go into battle…"
"I never expected you to…"
He frowned and laid down on his stomach.
"So now what do we do, other than try to come out of this alive?" she demanded, coughing.
"Brave heart, Tegan. Lay low…it will be over in a few hours."
**
The Master sat astride his horse and watched as several riders entered the foray of the battle. He had often hypothesized that assassination would most easily happen under the blanket of battle. With so much fighting, those around the intended target would only look for the correct banner or correct colors to define them as friend or foe. If the correct colors were used…
From afar, it looked only as a bunch of horses crowding around the King and those nearest him at the edge of the battlefield. And then there was the flash of steel in the sun and then…a crimson covered body tumbling from its saddle to the ground. With a wide smile, the Master turned and urged his horse down from its perch toward the edge of the battle. It was time for his entrance…time to claim his position as leader.
**
Jandar smiled and withdrew his sword, wiping the crimson lifeblood on his leg. Then with a shout, he spurred his horse in a circle and urged on the fighting men. It was important to gain the keep. For it was upon its cornerstone the Master could be hailed as the new King.
**
The Doctor pressed Tegan's head down as several horses ran past the wagon. As one of them slowed, he reached to press the sword into her hand and grabbed at the bow, only to find a dagger in her fist already. With a surprised grunt, he glanced at his friend. She returned his look with a "what did you expect" look of her own. It was a mute point, however, as the horse soon left, roaring back toward the battle.
As they left, the Doctor sighed and released some of his tension. He did hate bloodshed and violence if it could be avoided.
"Is it almost over?"
For a moment, the Doctor appeared to be checking the weather. He stared at the sky. And then he answered her. "I would think so, Tegan. Why don't you get some rest?"
"What? In the middle of…"
"You've slept through worse."
She rolled her eyes. Sometimes that Time Lord had a skewed sense of danger.
**
The Doctor stood in the dark, his hand resting on Jessica's shoulders. They were staring out at the battlefield. It had been a hellacious battle: bodies of horses and men lay strewn on the open field.
He harumphed and turned, rolling down his sleeves. "Jessica…"
"He is fine, Time Lord, I can feel it."
"You are a very brave woman," he confirmed. He glanced down at the bow he held and passed it to her. "There is a small wagon leaving for Morning's Hill…"
"I will not leave until I see Kilred…alive or dead, Doctor," she said, quietly.
With a nod, the Doctor continued. "Very well. Stay under cover and away from the field, venture back to the camp…they moved a mile to the West. The Houses of Oler and Nigle know of me and Kilred…they will offer you asylum until you have heard about him." He bit his lip. "I'm going to send Tegan back with you."
Jessica nodded. Turning slightly, she saw the boxes loaded onto the wagon and several warrior women archers within its depths. Two men stood to the side, waiting for the Doctor. "You must go. May the Gods protect you, Time Lord. And thank you for all that you have done."
The Doctor smiled a small grin. "May they smile upon you as well, Jessica." He turned and walked toward the wagon.
It was the work of the hour getting the horses attached to the wagon and the warriors onboard, tightly without crowding them. With a waved hand and a frown, the Doctor accepted a small hug from Tegan in goodbye. He watched her walk to the edge of the trees before he helped finish the hitching of the mounts to the yoke.
When all was taken care of, he addressed the drivers. They were warriors as well. "We need only get inside and parked as close to the main keep as possible and yet as out of straight sight as possible."
"Aye, Time Lord…we can do that…"
The Doctor nodded and walked to the back of the wagon, within minutes he was inside and it was rocking from side to side. He made his way to the front with his sword; to be at the back would be disastrous. He needed to be out of the way when the warriors exited. He simply wanted to find Adric and Nyssa and the support…
He stepped on a foot and was confronted with a very familiar sounding hiss. With rolled eyes and an exasperated sigh, he moaned: "Tegan."
Although there was very little light in the interior, he imagined he could still see the chagrined look on her face. "Hello, Doctor."
Banners covered in blood, the flash of swords, the whistle of arrows, the shouts, cries of men in pain, in death throes; it was a study of tangible, tactile, profound sounds and sights. Adric closed his eyes slowly as a young knight, possibly not much older than he was, felled from his horse barely meters from the front of the keep.
He opened his eyes quickly as Nyssa crawled up alongside of him and stared out at the battle.
"What are you doing?" he complained-asked. It came out as a hiss.
"Milady Nyssa, you should be below with the women…" Elrind answered.
She slowly turned her eyes from the death and carnage below to stare at Adric. He could tell she was in shock of sorts, the amount of death shocking her beyond her comprehension. "Why?" she asked, so quietly both men had to strain to hear her. Adric lowered his head and bit his lip. How did one explain to a person who had never known warfare the intricacies of armed combat? He reached out to tightly hold her arm.
Her brown eyes were like saucers as she shifted her gaze to Elrind. The elder was speaking. "They are giving a full front assault, lad…look at the way that they launch forward. They are not trying to beat them…separate them maybe…pull them apart…but they are not trying to beat them."
"Then what are they doing?" Adric asked, not releasing Nyssa.
Elrind rubbed at his set jaw and closed his eyes wearily. "With the way that they are splitting the front line…" he eased to his knees and stretched to look over the other side of the keep. He shook his head. "I think…and call it memory from my youth in the regimens, Adric…I think we can expect visitors tonight."
"But who?" Adric pressed, reaching across Nyssa to draw her down further away from the possibility of stray arrows. "Who can we expect?"
"The King," Elrind answered gloomily. "I do believe we can expect the King to arrive here soon. They need only kill or maim the heads of two houses to throw that Lords House line into disarray. Blast it beyond the Gods…we should go below and prepare. Hide what we can…we cannot fight a force that large, but we can hide what is most dear."
He tapped Adric on the shoulder and motioned to the steps. Adric agreed, but had to bodily more Nyssa away from the wall. As they half stumbled, half walked down the steps to the interior, she nearly and dumbly clung to him. "No..." she breathed. "The Doctor and Tegan can't be in that, can they, Adric? Can they?"
Adric groaned and slipped his arm around her waist to hasten her steps. "I sincerely hope not."
**
Tegan crouched down by the wheel of the wagon with Jessica. As a projectile and series of lit arrows flew close over head and there was a symphony of whistles in the air indicating incoming arrow fire, Tegan pushed hard on Jessica's shoulder and rolled with her under the belly of the wagon. The area where they had been was littered with lighted arrows. Tegan groaned and crawled to the foot of the wagon and slowly rose on her knees to look into the bed of the cart. There were several small lit arrows flaming in the interior.
"Hell's Teeth!" she shouted, and launched up into the bed. Jessica was right behind her to glance at what she was doing. The woman turned and yelled back. "Jessica…the blanket! We have to put these out!"
Jessica ripped the blanket from the ground and threw it to Tegan. As she did, she turned and glanced at the battle. The wagon was off of the battlefield proper, stationed in a small cluster of trees. The horse had been commandeered and they and a few other women were using the wooden wagon as a place for shelter. Tegan was the only one who knew its later purpose, though.
The Australian danced around on the bed, snuffing the flames with blanket and her bare feet.
Jessica ducked as another series of wayward arrows launched overhead. "For the love of the Gods, Tegan. Get down here."
"I can't…we need…the wagon…" Tegan shouted and turned to throw the blanket on another small fire.
With a shout, Jessica grabbed Tegan's ankle and sent the woman sprawling as the another hail of arrows and a stray ball of fire flew overhead. "They don't teach self-perseverence on that planet of yours, do they?" Jessica screamed.
**
The Doctor had allowed for convention, finally, Kilred thought, as he spied the Time Lord in a vest of leather armor with a solid breast plate. He had even changed into plain brown pants. Upon Kilred's shouted comment, the Time Lord had yelled back about 'not wanting to draw attention'. That had raised Kilred's eyebrows and had given him a smile even in the dire circumstances: there was no way that the Time Lord could not draw attention.
The Doctor frowned and had secured a bow and arrows and a stray sword from a page. "I'm sorry, Kilred. You see…warfare…I am…I mean…"
The warrior waved his hands in the air. "It is not your fight, Doctor." He extended his closed fists in a sign of friendship.
"Ah…but it is…"
"If it is another Gallifreyan or someone from this planet, Time Lord. But all I see is that bastard of a King we have on our throne out there on the field with bought pirates. When you execute your plan, Time Lord…it will become your fight."
"Come with me," the Doctor extended his hand. "You will be needed."
Kilred pulled on the Time Lord's shoulder and got him to duck as a series of mounted warriors ran past him. "My place is here, Doctor…I am a warrior. Your place is away…you are a thinker."
"Of sorts," the Doctor joked. He appeared somber for a moment afterwards.
"See to my wife, Doctor…"
"Of course."
They ducked again and the warrior pressed hard on his friend's shoulder. "Go…the battlefield is no place for a Time Lord who abhors violence."
The Doctor nodded and extended his hand in the typical warrior pose: closed fists pointed toward the ground. With a smile, he nodded and then he was running, away from the field and toward the hidden wagon and his plan, the weapons he had taken in his possession to be used for protection. Kilred watched him go and then turned to find the warriors he had sworn to fight alongside.
"May the Gods protect you," he whispered and then disappeared into the throng.
**
The Doctor slid to a halt as he spied Tegan on the bed of the wagon. Jessica reached up and pulled on her ankle as another hail of arrows went over head and the Doctor hissed through his teeth. He had forgotten how dogged Tegan could be when presented with a cause. He crouched and watched as Tegan threw the blanket and patted at a fire even from her prone position.
Tegan growled and reached for another small arrow as she felt a stronger hand on her ankle. "Not now, Tegan!" the Doctor yelled, pulling on her leg. "Get under cover."
"The wagon!" she protested.
"Will be quite all right," he shouted back and pulled hard as a ball of fire went over their heads. "But you will not be…get under the wagon!"
She slid to the edge and jumped, watching as the Doctor half-threw, half- placed his weaponry under the bed of the wagon. "Doc?"
"Questions later, Tegan."
She crawled with him under the wood carriage. "Swords and…" she picked up an arrow. "Arrows? Doctor?"
"Yes…well…this is not a Sunday picnic, Tegan. Jessica, get further under the wagon…Mary and Linso? You as well," the Doctor answered and pushed on Tegan's legs to get her further under the wagon.
"But Doc…do you even know how to use…"
"I was taught swords by some of the best Master's in Europe and arrows by archers in the Middle ages…of course I know how to use them and I will do so for protection of you, anyone here or myself, Tegan. Just because I will not go into battle…"
"I never expected you to…"
He frowned and laid down on his stomach.
"So now what do we do, other than try to come out of this alive?" she demanded, coughing.
"Brave heart, Tegan. Lay low…it will be over in a few hours."
**
The Master sat astride his horse and watched as several riders entered the foray of the battle. He had often hypothesized that assassination would most easily happen under the blanket of battle. With so much fighting, those around the intended target would only look for the correct banner or correct colors to define them as friend or foe. If the correct colors were used…
From afar, it looked only as a bunch of horses crowding around the King and those nearest him at the edge of the battlefield. And then there was the flash of steel in the sun and then…a crimson covered body tumbling from its saddle to the ground. With a wide smile, the Master turned and urged his horse down from its perch toward the edge of the battle. It was time for his entrance…time to claim his position as leader.
**
Jandar smiled and withdrew his sword, wiping the crimson lifeblood on his leg. Then with a shout, he spurred his horse in a circle and urged on the fighting men. It was important to gain the keep. For it was upon its cornerstone the Master could be hailed as the new King.
**
The Doctor pressed Tegan's head down as several horses ran past the wagon. As one of them slowed, he reached to press the sword into her hand and grabbed at the bow, only to find a dagger in her fist already. With a surprised grunt, he glanced at his friend. She returned his look with a "what did you expect" look of her own. It was a mute point, however, as the horse soon left, roaring back toward the battle.
As they left, the Doctor sighed and released some of his tension. He did hate bloodshed and violence if it could be avoided.
"Is it almost over?"
For a moment, the Doctor appeared to be checking the weather. He stared at the sky. And then he answered her. "I would think so, Tegan. Why don't you get some rest?"
"What? In the middle of…"
"You've slept through worse."
She rolled her eyes. Sometimes that Time Lord had a skewed sense of danger.
**
The Doctor stood in the dark, his hand resting on Jessica's shoulders. They were staring out at the battlefield. It had been a hellacious battle: bodies of horses and men lay strewn on the open field.
He harumphed and turned, rolling down his sleeves. "Jessica…"
"He is fine, Time Lord, I can feel it."
"You are a very brave woman," he confirmed. He glanced down at the bow he held and passed it to her. "There is a small wagon leaving for Morning's Hill…"
"I will not leave until I see Kilred…alive or dead, Doctor," she said, quietly.
With a nod, the Doctor continued. "Very well. Stay under cover and away from the field, venture back to the camp…they moved a mile to the West. The Houses of Oler and Nigle know of me and Kilred…they will offer you asylum until you have heard about him." He bit his lip. "I'm going to send Tegan back with you."
Jessica nodded. Turning slightly, she saw the boxes loaded onto the wagon and several warrior women archers within its depths. Two men stood to the side, waiting for the Doctor. "You must go. May the Gods protect you, Time Lord. And thank you for all that you have done."
The Doctor smiled a small grin. "May they smile upon you as well, Jessica." He turned and walked toward the wagon.
It was the work of the hour getting the horses attached to the wagon and the warriors onboard, tightly without crowding them. With a waved hand and a frown, the Doctor accepted a small hug from Tegan in goodbye. He watched her walk to the edge of the trees before he helped finish the hitching of the mounts to the yoke.
When all was taken care of, he addressed the drivers. They were warriors as well. "We need only get inside and parked as close to the main keep as possible and yet as out of straight sight as possible."
"Aye, Time Lord…we can do that…"
The Doctor nodded and walked to the back of the wagon, within minutes he was inside and it was rocking from side to side. He made his way to the front with his sword; to be at the back would be disastrous. He needed to be out of the way when the warriors exited. He simply wanted to find Adric and Nyssa and the support…
He stepped on a foot and was confronted with a very familiar sounding hiss. With rolled eyes and an exasperated sigh, he moaned: "Tegan."
Although there was very little light in the interior, he imagined he could still see the chagrined look on her face. "Hello, Doctor."