A/N: The plan was to upload this yesterday, but I'm not very well at the minute and I kept falling asleep. So, if this chapter isn't up to standard it's because of the tonsillitis or whatever the doctor said. Thank you all so much for the love, some of those reviews nearly made me cry! Okay, so now you're all going to hate me. I'm expecting it. Let's go.
Chapter Fourteen: Captured Heart and Captured Soul
Three cloaks, four hearts and some of the most wanted people in the whole of Asterix XII, hurried through the town, unseen like shadows in a shadowy land. Clara couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of guilt at the wreck of the town; the market place, only a few days previously, had been buzzing with energy and customers and now it was abandoned, with broken stalls and shattered produce after the search conducted by the soldiers. Hooded villagers stood around in small groups, shop owners, whose goods had not bared the brunt of the force since their shops were closer to the castle, were throwing out items they could no longer use while old men and women sat on the dusty ground, their homes destroyed in the raid from the day before.
Tension stirred in the air like a boiling pot ready to overflow. To Clara's awareness, there were foot soldiers parading around the town, stopping civilians at random and searching them on the spot. This didn't impress the Doctor, and he was bristling with nervous energy, one of his hands scrunched at his side while the other pulled along Clara. Joshua was leading the way, over to the fountain and well, expertly acting the part of an old man with a walking stick. At the halfway point through the town, Joshua knew it was his time to go – while the Doctor worked on the fence, Joshua was going to attempt to break into the castle, ready to manipulate the controls.
"Good luck," Joshua said to the couple, taking Clara's hand and graciously kissing it. The Doctor gave him a firm pat on the back.
"You too," called the Doctor as the man gave him a fond wave. Clara breathed in a large gulp of air as the reality of the situation started to kick in. Now that Joshua was gone, she was acutely aware of the amount of people around, the amount of people out to get all three of them, the amount of people who were now a danger.
The next person to be dropped off was Clara, and judging by the Doctor's small, slow steps, he was reluctant in leaving her alone. He had slowed down considerably now, and Clara couldn't help but worry what his lagging would do to Joshua, who would have to hang about the castle, without protection, waiting for the Doctor to do his job.
"Don't worry," she told him, warmly, "I'm going to be fine."
"Yeah," he said back, restricted, "you will be."
In their ideal plan, Clara would keep watch, travelling in a circle around the houses, keeping to the edges and remaining unseen. The Doctor thought it was best for Clara to stay on the move, because as they realised from the other day, remaining in the same place, in confinement, made you more vulnerable. He gave her strict instructions and a route which she had to promise to stick to, and if he didn't see her passing the fountain once every half an hour, he would come looking for her.
As for Clara, she was happy about doing her part for the Doctor and Joshua, and she was more than relieved to be free from being stuck in the lair, but that didn't prevent the irritable nerves from clinging to her skin every time a passer-by chanced a glance at her.
The fountain was located a few metres in front of the well, which in turn, was placed directly in front of the weakened fence, providing the Doctor with a little shelter from onlookers. This part of town was pretty abandoned anyway, or at least, the Doctor kept reminding him of the tiniest factor to confirm in his own subconscious that this was going to go to plan. The fountain was Clara's drop off point, and now that they were walking towards it, Clara's hands started to get sweaty and a little bit shaky.
They paused for a few moments beside the water structure. The Doctor reminded Clara for the eleventh time of what route she would take, and that if she found anything suspicious, or was simply scared, she knew where to find him.
Just as she was about to walk off on her own, the Doctor did something completely unexpected. It was as if he didn't know what he was doing, either. His hand found the small of her back and he pulled her towards him, so their waists were flush together. He crouched over, his head hanging low towards hers, and before Clara could inhale a sharp breath, the Doctor captured Clara's lips with his own.
Clara, hurrying to keep up with the sudden action, kissed him back just as intensely. Her hands moved from his back to his neck, dragging him closer, and slowly edging open his mouth. Building up to a climax, their tongues brushed across one another, dancing along to a harmonious rhythm that only they could hear. This kiss was completely different from their first the night before; that one had been needed, it conveyed their underlying desire and regret and fear and protection, but this one – this one was hurried, as if it was trying to say something the Doctor could not. Whether he was more scared than what he was letting on, or he had a bad feeling about this whole situation in general, Clara couldn't be certain. It was urgent, like a fleeting thought, like a child who had finished eating sweets and decided to go back for one more. He was holding onto something which was vanishing, and when he thought he was ready to let it go last night, he knew, deep down, that he wasn't quite ready. He would never be ready. He wanted to get Clara out of here, and yet, he didn't want to let her go. He didn't want to be alone without her.
Before Clara pulled away, they stayed routed in position, lips firmly joined and hands finding the other's hands. Clara looked around, a sudden thought occurring to her as her mind drifted back to Joshua and how he had kissed her a few days previously.
"Wait, did my hood nearly fall down again? Was that a distraction?"
"No," the Doctor said, a little mischievously, his cheeks blushing a faint pink. "I just really wanted to do that. Sorry."
Clara stood on her tiptoes and pressed another quick kiss on the Doctor's lips. "Don't apologise for kissing me, Doctor. Don't ever apologise for that."
It was Clara who made the next move now. She, grudgingly, with a pain in her chest, let go of the Doctor's hands and stepped away. His eyes were soft with a silent beg, but he didn't stop her. His arms felt light and empty without her to fill them, and he wanted to feel the heat of her body against his as he hugged her. However, they had a duty to do and Clara was strong. Right now, he wished he could borrow some of her strength. It was like they were two magnets, and Clara couldn't help but attract the Doctor back to her, no matter how far she wandered.
"Be careful," she told him. Her voice cracking ever so slightly. "I'll see you in a few."
It's like they both knew, deep down, like a greater sense, what was going to happen.
"Clara. My Clara." He wanted to reach out and stroke her cheek, but he knew he would never let her go. "Stay safe."
It required a major amount of self control, on each of their part, for Clara to walk past him and for the Doctor to let her. Clara closed her eyes, tight, for the first few paces, wishing on every star she had ever seen that the Doctor would be safe. That nothing would happen to Joshua. That the three of them wouldn't be split up in some disastrous turn of events. As for the Doctor, he only had two thoughts: he had a job to do, and he had a life to protect. And he was prepared to go to the ends of the earth and back to protect that life.
The heavy wind was almost too strong for Clara as it picked up speed and resistance. She found herself wrapping one arm around her body to keep warm while the other maintained a firm grip on her hood. It was a weird experience, to say the least – walking around a place you knew for a fact everyone was out to get out, completely alone and surrounded by potential enemies. She kept her focus on the route she was supposed to take, and if her calculations were correct, then she was already halfway around the course, and should be within close proximity to the Doctor once more in around fifteen minutes. That gave Clara a little bit of hope.
The Doctor. Her mind was fuzzy, warm and a little bit muddled whenever she thought of him for too long. What had happened, recently, to bring about this sudden change? She'd noticed little things ever since Trenzalore, but to go from blushing at the mere mention of something implied, to outwardly kissing her in public was a rather dramatic change in one person. Not like she was complaining, far from it. He was taking over her mind with all his gentle touches and soft caresses.
It all happened so fast that Clara barely had any time to register the change in events.
For a brief, clumsy moment Clara's grip on her hood slackened as she tripped over a stray log from the man chopping wood outside his broken stall. The seller glared at her as she almost stumbled into the pyramid of logs he had set up beside his work. He flung down his axe and watched as Clara moved on, protecting his produce from any further damage. All of the stall-owners seemed rather hostile after the raid from the day before, understandably.
Clara felt her cheeks redden as the attention was turned on her. "Sorry," she murmured, ducking her head out of vision. That was when she registered a tickle of wind at the back of her neck. Her hood had slipped, only by an inch, but far enough for a lock of hair to escape. It fluttered in the breeze, and Clara's heart lurched. Her shaky hand hurriedly pushed it back as she took a step forward, wanting nothing more to escape from the scene, maybe venture to somewhere more abandoned, somewhere that –
A rough hand squeezed Clara's arm and trailed her back. She glanced down at it, eyes wide as the log-seller forced her to turn around.
"Show me your face," he barked.
No. It was only one little mistake. Only one.
But everyone here was on edge, pushed to their limits. They were scared and intimidated and prepared to do anything. Desperation made people alert. Desperation would kill her.
Clara pulled away from his hold. It just made him tighten his grip. Now other people were staring, the log-seller's apprentice was rising from his wooden chair. If she wasn't careful, a fight would quickly ensue.
"You don't know me," Clara muttered, her voice shaking. "I'm out on business, let me go."
No matter what she said, the man would not believe her. He saw the lock of hair, he recognised the colour. Her face was still hovering above the town on the big screen, posters holding the caption 'WANTED – ALIVE' with her supposed identity 'Agent Oswin' littering the walls on every building. Clara could feel the panic rising in her chest, and without really thinking, she used all her strength to push the man away and retract her arm.
The fist that flew through the air was faster than the brisk wind. It struck Clara under her hood, striking her cheek painfully. She buckled on her feet before losing her balance altogether. Her back was lying flat on the ground and a wheeze escaped her mouth. The cold iron taste of blood seeped from a split in her lip. But none of these things worried her.
Clara squinted against the bright day light, her face fully exposed. Her hood had fallen; her cloak was partially ripped from the fall and the chilly breeze was ruffling her hair. She was lying out in the open for everyone to see, and instead of seeing a human, a completely innocent girl, all they would smell was the scent of greed and all they could see was that handsome reward, practically offered on a plate in front of them.
Clara had barely took in the twist of events – her cheek was still sore from the strike, and she only had the chance to breathe in a single breath, when the apprentice boy was up on his feet and pointing, in an eager, manic manner, "But that's her! The one they want!"
And that was the quiet before the storm.
A streak of pure, adrenaline-induced fear flooded Clara's mind. She lurched forward, struggling to regain her balance and get to her feet – to run, to keep running, back to the Doctor, as far away from here as she could get. Yet, just as she made to move, in a flash of heartbeat, a pair of strong hands were hoisting her up, taking a hold of her, rooting her in position so she couldn't escape. Clara twisted and turned and struggled but it was no use. It was hopeless. They had captured her.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Where was her second chance? It was only one tiny mistake. This couldn't be happening.
The log seller grabbed Clara's head with one of his hands through her fruitless struggles. He held her face in place, absorbing every little detail he could see. "You're that Oswin girl, aren't you?" he spat. "You're the reason for all of this!"
In his anger, and in his might, and with all his strength, the log-seller punched Clara again, this time right in her stomach. She would've crumpled with the pain if it wasn't for the two people holding her upright.
"If it weren't for that blasted reward fee – I'd finish you off myself!"
The tears that sprung to Clara's eyes were glistening with a mixture of hurt and fear. Pull yourself together, the rational side told her. Fear only makes this worse. But the all-encompassing dread was sinking into her skin like the pouring rain and squeezing her lungs. Her chest felt heavy with the weight of what was to come, and her stomach, not only bruised, was swirling with numbing nerves, and worst of all a cruel longing.
A longing for the Doctor.
People were shouting, a flurry of movement surrounded them, and with it, Clara's heart battered against her chest. She flicked her head around, searching for an escape, anything that could help her.
But the guards were already here. They had arrived. One of them shouted to his friend for back up, and when Clara glanced behind her shoulder, she could recognise three soldiers marching her way. She pulled again against the hands holding her, kicking and squirming and not giving in. There was a way out – she knew there was. This wasn't supposed to happen.
She was surrounded now. Well and truly cornered.
And, somehow, that made everything very clear.
Clara stopped struggling and stood tall and proud in the arms of her captors. She had no idea where the sudden resilience and resolution had come from; perhaps, it was the unavoidable optimism that radiated from the Doctor which was now passing onto her in his absence. Maybe the sudden epiphany was just a natural reaction because she knew – if she held on long enough and stayed strong – the Doctor would find her. Eventually.
She had hope in the form of the Doctor. She had faith and confidence in herself.
Clara was expecting a struggle. There wasn't one. One of the soldiers came up from behind her and stuck a large, thin needle into her arm. She yelled out in protest, shocked at the sudden sting, but the damage was already done. Her eyes started to droop, and the energy faded from her limbs. Before the darkness closed around her, she could hear the guard arguing with the log-seller over the right price for the reward fee. As much as she tried to fight against it, Clara found she couldn't cling onto consciousness as it quickly fell away from her, and she too, fell into the clutches of the soldiers behind her, and straight into the angry clasp of the enemy.
Note: So, umm… Reviews would be lovely and brighten me up a little. Please?