Chapter 21

The Doctor walked into the zero room, reaching out with his mind to see if there was anything that was hiding in the dark and waiting to attack him. He didn't believe that Merlin's grandmother would set such a trap but he'd learned through his lives to be cautious, as things would go sideways when he least expected it. What he felt from the room was vaguely and comfortingly familiar, like seeing a family heirloom without knowing the history, but it was not a feeling of imminent danger. Assured that he was safe, he slowly sat down, his curiosity mounting. The last time he had been in a zero room, he'd been trying to recover from an especially bad regeneration. It was odd being in one now when he didn't feel as if he were in need of one.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally felt relaxed enough to allow his mind to drift, closing his eyes for a long moment before opening them again. Looking around, he noticed rock walls surrounding him and a small entrance on the far side of a large cavern-like room. The walls had shelving jutting out of them, holding a variety of items, most of them cooking utensils or food staples. In the center was a fire, kept in place by a ring of rocks, above which was a large pot being heated.

Glancing down at his clothes, he noticed that he was no longer wearing his pinstriped suit. Instead, he seemed to be wearing some sort of raw cloth robe. His feet were completely bare and calloused, signs of not having worn shoes for a very long time. As he sat in the room, he felt an overwhelming change coming over him, altering his feelings and perceptions in a way he'd never experienced in this or any of his previous incarnations. He tried desperately to reverse this possession of his soul, to force it out of his mind. However, when a knock on the wooden door covering the entrance to the cavern startled him, he knew he was lost. He gave a low growl as he recognized the sound of a familiar heartbeat.

"Go away, Galadriel!" he shouted to the door, getting to his feet. He turned towards the pots and pans on the shelves, obviously intent on continuing his actions, whatever they may have been, as if the interruption had never happened.

"Doctor, we have to talk."

He glared at the door. "There's nothing you can say that will be of the slightest interest to me," he shouted.

The door pushed open. "Still, I have to try." There was a pause. "Again. I won't be around much longer."

The Doctor shook his head. "Nonsense," he muttered, turning to look at her, freezing at the sight. Funny, he never noticed the gray in her hair before. "When did you get so old?"

Glad's face showed the trace of a smile but it was a sad one. "You noticed me. I think that's the first time you've done so since I was in my twenties." She shook her head. "I'm afraid I've been old for quite some time now." With a sigh, she continued, "I'm old and tired, Doctor."

He huffed slightly, shaking his head again. "What do you want, Glad? Can't you just leave me alone?"

"You've been alone for years, Doctor. For almost as long as I've been with you."

He gave her a pointed look. "I've been alone my entire life. They all leave me. One way or another, I've always been alone." He turned again towards the pot hanging over the fire. "What's the point of even trying anymore?"

Glad looked away. "When you first found me, in the hallway at the castle, you told me about the things we'd see. We haven't seen anything but the inside of this cave since we arrived here those many years ago." She turned suddenly, anger on her face as she spit out with fury, "I don't know how you can complain of trying anymore. You stopped trying after it all happened!"

"Things were different then," he told her curtly, dishing out a bowl full of stew. "I was a different man then."

"True." She sighed. "You were wonderful."

He raised his head at her words. "And I'm not now. Is that what you're saying?"

"I don't know. Maybe there could be something of him left inside you. But I haven't felt his presence since you turned bitter. Sometimes, I don't even think you know I'm here."

"How can I not know with you pestering me?" he berated, slumping into a cushion and crossing his legs. "Are you just going to stand there?"

She looked downward again, her eyes averted, scared by his tone, knowing what it would mean if she continued. "I'm sorry." Tears ran down her cheeks. "I'll leave you be." She turned suddenly. "I should never have left Camelot. At least there, I expected to be treated cruelly."

He was startled by her words. Somehow, the soul that had walked into the zero room was in control again. "Why would you say that? When was I ever cruel to you?"

"You've been cruel since that horrible day. The day when everything changed. When the heart of the Storm was torn asunder. You said you didn't understand, that it was unfair to expect you to live through the pain again. You were so angry. So filled with hatred towards him... and then... you just died inside. Cruelty is all you've ever shown since."

"What day? What happened?" he asked, confused. There was something here he didn't understand and he needed to find out what this was all about. Standing up slowly, he considered that something had happened, or would happen, to change him. The same fear he'd felt when the possession had first occurred returned, this time for a different reason. Somehow he knew he'd chosen to be that person. As he gazed at her, her form started to waver, becoming more transparent as they spoke.

"You know what happened. It's the only thing you even think about anymore. You don't care about anyone, Doctor, and that's the saddest thing of all." She started for the door. "And now... I don't care about you."

He started to follow quickly. "Wait! Galadriel! Tell me what happened!" She vanished even as he called out to her. "Tell me!" he demanded as the darkness of the zero room returned. "No!" he screamed into the darkness. "I have to know! What happened that would cause me to choose to be that man?!" The door to the zero room opened abruptly and the Doctor, bereft from what he had witnessed, stumbled out with tears on his cheeks.

Merlin caught the Doctor as he fell from the doorway, the Time Lord's face contorted in emotional pain. Gazing at the distraught man, the wizard could tell that, whatever had happened in the room, it had torn him in unimaginable ways. Merlin was trying to understand why his grandmother would torture one of her own like this when, obviously overcome with grief, the Gallifreyan wrapped his arms around Merlin. Wanting to give him comfort, the wizard held the Doctor tightly, letting the tears flow onto his shoulder until the man could capture some semblance of control again.

It took a few minutes before the Time Lord found himself able to breathe without his respiratory bypass kicking in, the need for physical comfort waning slowly in favor of the necessity to sit. He'd found the emotional outburst a heavy drain on him, but was thankful this man seemed to understand his need. His legs had started to buckle and Merlin gently lowered him to the floor, allowing the Time Lord's back to rest against the wall.

Finally, Merlin spoke. "I don't know what happened in there, but I'm sure my grandmother had to have had a purpose. She wasn't a cruel woman but she also felt that one had to be honest about things. From your reaction, though, it seems there was more than an honest message."

The Doctor gazed out, questions plaguing his mind. He didn't understand what exactly had happened in the zero room but it was unlike anything he had ever encountered. For all his knowledge of Time Lord technology, he didn't understand how Merlyna had used the room in such a way as to have him experience what his life could be... no, that wasn't it at all. He was that person. He could feel the cold hardness of the man's soul and, what was more, he knew this was a potential reality for him. He swallowed tightly. "I'm not sure what it was," he whispered. "It was weird. I was me but... I wasn't." He looked up into Merlin's eyes. "It was the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced in all my lives."

Merlin looked at the Time Lord with empathetic eyes. "I'm sorry you had to experience that. There is more, though." At those words, the Doctor looked at him with trepidation, as if not sure he wanted to continue down this path he'd somehow stumbled upon. "Grandmother said I needed to tell you when you came out..." Again his voice turned to a rote memory. "A Time Lord must never let his hearts turn to stone."

The Doctor laughed sickly at the words, rubbing his chest as if it ached physically. "Now she tells me," he grumbled. "Couldn't just tell me the easy way. Had to make it as painful as possible." He sniffled as he quickly wiped away his tears. "Still... considering how stubborn I can be... it likely was the only way to get me to listen. And I can be very very stubborn," he admitted grudgingly. He sighed slowly. "Hell of a wise woman, your grandmother." Still, he couldn't help but wonder what event would cause him to turn into the monster he had experienced in the zero room... or how he was able to experience it in the first place.

Merlin smiled lightly. "She was. Not only wise but lived her life with integrity and honor. I still miss her, 195 years later."

Rubbing his face tightly, the Doctor took a deep breath, deciding to let the situation go for the moment. His emotions were still far too raw to deal with the mechanics of what he's endured just yet. "Well, then... your TARDIS should have a peaceful rest of her life. You told me what you needed to tell me. Onward. Busy life," he commented, getting to his feet before starting towards the corridor where his TARDIS waited for him.

Merlin followed the man. He knew he'd had to relay the messages. His grandmother had made that clear. Still, he was saddened that the Doctor would surely be leaving now and likely would never return. Not after what he'd been through. The wizard felt a kinship with the man, though. He wanted to remain with him until they parted ways.

As they approached the blue box, the door suddenly opened and Glad stepped out.

"Glad?" the Doctor questioned, noting the blank expression on her face. Not getting an answer, he stepped in front of her and looked into her eyes. "Ah... somnambulism," he diagnosed quickly. "Otherwise known as sleepwalking. Isn't even aware of our presence. Can't have that. Used to have another companion who walked in her sleep. She accidentally set the TARDIS controls to land us in the middle of the Arctic Ocean."

Merlin's head was tilted. He muttered to himself, "Didn't notice her ears when she had the head covering on at dinner."

The Doctor leaned towards Glad, not hearing Merlin's words. "Glad, what are you doing?" he questioned lightly. Receiving a muttered response, he gently shook his head, following her to a wall she appeared intent on cleaning. He sighed slightly. "Common actions of a sleepwalker. Usually getting them right back to bed will solve the problem." He started steering her towards the TARDIS. "I'll be right back," he told Merlin.

Merlin called out quietly. "Wait. I have something for her. Can she be awoken safely?"

The Time Lord turned to him with a slight frown, indicating with his eyes that he'd rather not. Still, the wizard seemed insistent. He sighed. "Very well," he murmured quietly. Turning Glad gently, he spoke softly to the young woman, gently laying his hands on the sides of her head.

"Galadriel... time to wake up. Just for a little bit. It's okay. There's nothing to worry about," he assured her. Seeing her blink her eyes sleepily, he smiled. "That's it. Here you come."

Glad opened her eyes and looked around. "Where am I?"

"Merlin's cave," the Doctor answered her, gently releasing her head. "You wanted to come out and see it," he told her, lying to help her mind cope with the sudden change in scenery.

She looked around, amazed. "Merlin's cave? It's beautiful!"

The Doctor smiled at her words. "It is, isn't it?"

Pleased that another person had seen the beauty of his TARDIS, the wizard grinned. "Thank you." He looked at Glad with a smile. "I have a gift for you, but only if you promise to wear it always."

Glad blinked slightly at his words. "What is it?"

Merlin took off the medallion that he was wearing. It shone with gold and inlaid obsidian. There was a gem that acted as the pupil of the eye. It looked similar to a Harlequin opal, but the fire inside very intense. "This. Isn't it beautiful?"

She reached up to take the medallion from him. "Oh, yes! Very!"

The Doctor looked over her shoulder. "Isn't that the Eye of Horus?"

Merlin agreed. "Yes, it is. It was passed down from my grandmother." He looked away for a second. "I want it to be passed onto someone who will treasure it." He knew there was more to it, but he couldn't tell them now. They'd know soon enough.

The Gallifreyan gently took it from Glad's hands and examined it carefully. For a moment, it was as if he couldn't see the object in his hand but he shook the sensation away, thinking that it was residual from his experience in the zero room. "It's gorgeous. Never seen a gem quite like this. Kind of like an opal but I've never seen an opal this vibrant. Look at the way the light just dances off its surface. It's almost as if it were alive."

"Yes. It is a special piece."

"Obviously," the Time Lord murmured, still mesmerized by the brightly colored gem set at the Eye's pupil. He didn't notice Glad retrieving it from his hand until it was no longer there.

Glad held it with obvious appreciation. "I love it. I promise I'll wear it always."

"Good," said Merlin. "You know, they say the Eye of Horus protects the wearer from the evil eye."

"Egyptian legend," the Doctor clarified automatically. He looked to Glad with a smile. "That'll fit right in where we're going."

Glad put it around her neck. "I've never owned anything like this," she said smiling.

The Doctor tilted his head towards Merlin, his eyes on Glad. "Aren't you going to thank him properly?"

"Oh. Of course. I'm sorry." She turned to Merlin. "Thank you so much. It's a lovely gift."

The Gallifreyan also turned to Merlin. "Well... off we go, then." He gave him a slight smile. "Pleasure to meet you, Merlin," he told him, extending his hand towards him.

Merlin pulled the Doctor into a hug. "Thank you again for helping my TARDIS. I wish you safe journeys and you're always welcome back."

For a moment, the Doctor's eyes widened with surprise at Merlin's hug but then returned it with a smile. Pulling away, he instructed, "Take care of yourself so that I can come visit you sometime in your future... and mine for that matter." Then, with a gentle hand, he guided Glad into the TARDIS. Giving a final wave, he closed the door and headed for the console.

"Cardiff, here we come!" he exclaimed as he set the controls. "You should get some rest, Glad," he stated, addressing the young woman standing near him.

"I thought we were going to Egypt now? Is Cardiff in Egypt?

"No, it's in Wales," the alien answered her. "Not very far from where you come from actually. Just a different timeframe."

"Why are we going there? And wouldn't it be best to go at some other time? It's the middle of the night... at least I think it is."

"Time is relative," he told her plainly. "It may be night where we left but it won't be night where we are going. Well... might not be night... Probably won't be night."

"Don't you know?"

"Umm... No. Not really," he admitted. He stood erect and tilted his head slightly. "I can focus on a particular date. But a particular time of day is a bit more complicated. And I hate to say it but... she isn't as reliable as she used to be." A ding of a low bell grumbled slightly from the ship. "Oi! I'm not the one who landed in medieval England instead of Egypt." He gave a slight grin towards Glad. "Not that I mind the detour now."

Glad smiled back at him. "I'm glad you came. It's already changed my life."

"I'm glad you decided to come with me. As for Cardiff, there's a rift in time and space that runs through there. Bleeds rift energy. Completely harmless, mind you, but it makes excellent fuel for the TARDIS."

Glad blinked for a moment, considering the concept. "Um... fuel... like wood for a fire?"

"The analogical equivalent, yeah."

"Will we be there long? Now that we're on our way, I can't wait to see Egypt!"

"Only a couple of minutes. Now, go on to sleep, I'll wake you in a few hours... so you can see Cardiff," he added with a grin.

"Okay, Doctor." She went to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Good night." She then headed back to her bedroom.

"Night, dear girl," he responded as she left the console room. He smiled slightly at the kiss, wondering about the girl's rapid acceptance of her place in the TARDIS and thus in his life. It gave him a lot to think about as, once the timeship landed, he let both his girls sleep after opening the engines to let the ship have her fill of energy.

DWQLTWDWQLTW

Several hours later, the Doctor fulfilled his word and woke Glad. After convincing her that a change of clothes was necessary - though the girl was clearly uncertain about wearing a skirt that only went to her knees - he guided her out into the Roald Dahl Plass to show her Cardiff at Christmastime. After several minutes of enjoying the sight just outside of the TARDIS, the Doctor brought her back into the time ship before sending the ship into the time vortex. "So... what did you think?" he asked, finally turning to Glad. "First trip to another time."

"Well, it was beautiful, despite that girl having fewer clothes that I have on. I guess it was... well... wonderful."

"Guess?" The Time Lord gave her a hurt look. "Just guess? Aw, come on! It was brilliant! Well, not as brilliant as the first Christmas I spent in Cardiff..."

"I was only there for a few minutes. It seemed we barely got out when you pulled me back in." She paused. "What was that man calling you for?"

He frowned slightly. "Someone was calling me?"

"Yes. The man was tall and running. He had a long blue... well... sort of like a priest's robe except it was open in the front and had funny things on the shoulders."

He scratched his sideburn at her observation. "An open priest's robe? Don't know any priests in 21st century Cardiff."

"Anyway, we're going to Egypt now, right? I really want to see the mummies and everything!"

"As long as you don't try to make medicine out of them," the Time Lord told her. "It's not exactly polite." He trotted down the ramp and opened the door, stepping out of the time ship with a flourish as Galadriel followed suit.

"Where the hell have you been?" an angry female voice exclaimed.

The Doctor stared at the furious physicist, wondering if he was going to see his next incarnation. "Oh," was the only word that escaped his lips.