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The Doctor felt himself being pulled farther into the forest. He didn't know why, but he had to keep moving. It was like he could hear someone calling to him... whispering his name. The others couldn't hear it, but he could. Have to keep moving... keep moving... keep moving...
Dean and Martha trailed behind him, but the Doctor didn't really seem to notice. Whatever this monster was, Dean thought, it must have been pretty powerful. He could see it luring some Irish soldiers with it's magic, but the Doctor? He was way too smart to be tricked by some lesser creature. They were up against something big.
Martha found herself glancing back at Dean. It was so weird, seeing him so young. She didn't meet him until he was well into his twenties. It was only a few years difference, but those years made such an impact.
Her and Dean had become quite... close. And it was slightly off-putting to be around him now. Regardless, he still seemed to be the same light-hearted guy, just maybe a bit more immature and optimistic.
"Can you hear that?" The Doctor stopped mid-step, looking back at his companions. "That... that bird. Can you hear it?"
Dean and Martha strained their ears. "Yeah, I can hear it." Dean admitted, cautiously. "It's like a crow or something. What's wrong, Doc?"
"No, no... can you hear what it's saying?" The Doctor grabbed Dean by the shoulders. His eyes, which were usually a deep brown, were suddenly glowing red. "I can hear it..."
"Doctor... Doctor let go of him-" Martha reached out to grab his arm, but he pulled away. "Dean... can we do something?"
Dean just stared at the Doctor, bewildered. He had no idea what was going on.
"Dean!"
Dean snapped back to reality. "I... uh... Doctor, wait. What is the crow saying?"
The Doctor paused, listening. "Tá mé an Banríon Phantom. Tá do am tagtha, saighdiúir." He repeated. "I am the Phantom Queen. Your time has come, soldier"
Martha gulped. "That doesn't sound good..."
"No... no it doesn't." Dean waved his hands in front of the Doctor's face, who had blanked out again. "Doc, I need you to listen to me. You're smarter than this. I need you to snap out of it, and tell me what's going on."
"Nothing's wrong, Dean..." The Doctor protested, a strange smile plastered on his face. "We have to keep moving..."
Dean sighed. He was starting to regret allowing the Doctor to bring them farther into this forest. He was starting to worry if they could even find their way back. But it was too late now. They were so close o finding this thing.
They began following him again, when Martha put her hand out to stop Dean."Wait... I hear something..."
Dean listened closely, and he could hear it, too. Screaming.
"HELP!" It was a woman's voice, very distant. "HELP ME!"
Dean and Martha exchanged glances and then looked at the Doctor. "Come on, Doc. We gotta go." Dean grabbed onto the Doctor's arm, and motioned for Martha to follow. The three of them followed the sound of the woman's voice through the trees. "HELLO?" Dean called. "Hello?"
"Oh! Thank you, thank you!" A woman not far in front of them. She ran over to them as fast as she could. She had long dark hair and a long black dress. She was barefoot and pale. "Please, you must help me..."
Martha went to reach out to her, but Dean held her arm back. "Wait... we don't know who she is, yet."
"Who she is?" Martha questioned. "She's terrified for her life, that's what she is!"
Dean shook his head. "Look." He pointed at the Doctor, who was staring at the woman. His eyes never left her, never even blinked. "This is it. This is the monster."
They turned back to the woman, who had a pained and confused expression on her face. "Monster...? Monster, I..." Slowly, her face changed, and her gaped mouth turned into a grin. "I'm no monster, my boy. I am so much more."
The Doctor took a step toward her, and Dean quickly restrained him. "Sorry, Doc. This is for your own good. You ain't thinkin' straight," Dean muttered in reply to his protests.
"Hm," The woman put one finger up to her lips, thinking. "You are not from these lands, are you?" The group remained silent. "Fine, don't answer me. I'll kill you either way."
"Who are you?" Martha inquired.
The woman raised her eyebrows. "You do not know? I am the Morrígan. Phantom Queen. Goddess of War and Strife. I control these lands, and I control those who fight for it, and against it."
"The Morrígan?" Martha repeated. "I remember that name... I remember it from school. She's part of Irish mythology. The triple goddess!"
"Myths? I am no myth, my dark-skinned lady." Morrígan scoffed. "Now I must admit, this interrogation is getting dull. I have a job to do. Come here, my soldier." Morrígan reached out for the Doctor, who pulled himself from Dean's grasp.
"No! Get away from him, you bitch!" Dean leaped forward, knowing he had almost no chance of causing any damage to her. She was a Goddess, and they were not to be taken lightly. Salt and bullets would never do the trick. And without being able to do more research on her, he had no way of knowing how to hurt her.
But damn, he was gonna try.
He plowed into her, knocking them both over before she had a chance to lay a hand on the Doctor. Morrígan, while surprised at the attack, reacted quickly, throwing him on the ground. Dean hit the dirt hard, and felt the wind get knocked out of him. He lied, motionless, as she bent down on top of him.
Her eyes and lips were a brilliant shade of red, so mesmerizing he couldn't look away. "You should show me some respect, boy. I am ancient. I am powerful. I have been looking over armies and deciding winners in war for centuries. Men respect me. They worship me. And you, my dear boy... you, too, have the heart of a soldier. And you shall bow down to me."
She cupped her hand on his face, and Dean felt her energy powering through him. Her body warm and seductive; her power sharp and manipulative. He couldn't see it himself, but his eyes turned a dark shade of red.
"Dean!" Martha's voice was hardly able to pull him out of his trance, but he was jolted awake when she swung a tree branch, landing a solid blow to the back of Morrígan's head. The Goddess fell to the side, clutching her head in agony.
Morrígan disappeared, as did the spell controlling both the Doctor, and now Dean.
"Martha?" Dean sat up, clutching his chest. He cold still feel the residual effects of her power on him. It was the strangest thing he had ever felt. "Are you okay?"
"Am I okay? Dean you just got body-slammed by a mythological goddess!" Martha helped him up off the ground. "She was controlling you for a moment, wasn't she?"
Dean nodded. "I don't know how... it was so weird."
"Martha? Dean?" The Doctor had one hand on his head, and he was squinting like he couldn't see right. "What just happened?"
"What do you remember?" dean asked.
The Doctor frowned. "I remember walking around this bloody forest, to no avail. And then... this weird feeling of... I don't even know what to call it."
"It was a Goddess. The Morrígan." Martha explained. "She's the Goddess of War. I guess she can take control of those she see's as soldiers, and make them do what she wants. Or, in some cases, just kills them."
"So what do we do, now?"
Dean glanced around. Morrígan had disappeared. "She's gone. But not for long. Martha, what did you hit her with? I can't believe you actually hurt her."
Martha picked up the branch. "This was all I could find on short notice..."
Dean took the branch from her and examined it. There was nothing special about it. No markings or anything to suggest it was magical. "It's the forest." He realized. "She's attached to this forest. It's the only thing that can kill her!"
"She's going to come back." The Doctor warned. "There's no where else for her to go. She'd want us gone."
"well," Dean said. "Let's be prepared, then."
