Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Phoenix Saga: Origin! For those of you who guessed that The Shakespeare Code was the next episode then you were absolutely correct! Virtual cookies and gold stars for all of you correct guessers.
SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT FOR Phoenix the Timelady for being the first to correctly guess which episode from the Sneak Preview! We praise your Sherlockian deductive prowess!
Much love and many thanks to all those who have faved, followed, and reviewed this story and all of my other ones as well! You guys are the best!
Brief Recap: The Doctor and Artimes had a tender moment with one another and he told her that he loved her telepathically. Later, the Timelord discovered that he had injured her upper arms while in the Tower of London and he used his regeneration energy to heal her, much to her annoyance and displeasure. He quickly distracted her from the desire she had to slap him by making known his own desires. *ahem*
Now on with the show!
Chapter Thirty Seven: The Angelic Maiden
The crimson haired time/space jumper known as Artimes appeared in a rather rustic alleyway, a deep frown marring her face. Her noise scrunched up slightly in disgust at the somewhat strong odor of horse manure, but she shrugged it off as she tried to ascertain where or perhaps when she was.
She walked down the alley and peeked around the corner, onto the main street, and she went a little bug eyed. She had definitely jumped time periods and was silently thanking the sentient time ship for the absolutely gorgeous, royal blue dress she was currently wearing.
Not to mention that the Old Girl had supplied her with a bigger on the inside messenger bag with all sorts of nice things in it like a whole wardrobe of dresses and other attire, many books, her digital diary, and several various forms of activities to pass the time. The Tardis was always looking after her and helped her to avoid potentially embarrassing or awkward situations.
She took stock of her surroundings, coming to the conclusion that she was in, what appeared to be, Elizabethan London. She wracked her brain for a few minutes, trying to remember all the times the time traveling alien had visited this particular time period. The only way for her to know exactly what episode she was in or about to do would be to ask one of the locals what year it was.
The ginger haired woman straightened up and smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress in a slightly nervous fashion. She usually left the acquiring of information to her beloved Timelord, but as it appeared that she was on her own, she would definitely have to do it herself. She walked calmly into the street, remembering the Tenth Doctor's advice to Martha in The Shakespeare Code.
'I'm not even human. Just walk about like you own the place. Works for me.' - Tenth Doctor
She smiled slightly, her sapphire eyes sparkling with amusement. Now was as good as time as any for her to boost her self confidence and become a bit more self assured. She didn't notice how many of the people milling about the street had stopped to look at her, their faces holding expressions of awe, wonder, or barely hidden jealously.
She meandered a bit down the street until she found a relatively kind looking merchant selling different kinds of wood works and other types of artistry. She walked up to him and he looked up at her arrival.
"Uh…um…my lady, what can this humble merchant do for such a beautiful maiden?" He asked looking a little flustered by her presence.
She smiled warmly at him to help put the man at ease, causing him to blush slightly.
"Good sir, could you be so kind as to tell me what the date is including the year? I have been traveling for quite some time and I am uncertain as to how much time has passed." She requested sweetly.
"Uh…it's October seventeenth of the year fifteen ninety four, my lady." The merchant answered.
The crimson haired woman blinked at that. She knew that the Doctor showed up in the year fifteen ninety nine and Loves Labour's Lost was written in fifteen ninety seven, if memory served correctly. Still…that meant that she had to wait almost five years for that ridiculous Timelord to show up! She didn't even have a mobile, so she couldn't call him so he could come and get her! She was already missing the invention of indoor plumbing.
"Thank you very much, kind sir. Would it be too much trouble to ask about where an inn might be?" Artimes asked really laying the charm on thick.
The merchant sputtered a bit as he blushed deeply and she had to resist the urge to laugh at his reaction.
"That would be The Elephant Inn, my lady." He finally answered while pointing further down the road.
She beamed at him, her eyes bright and positively sparkling. The poor guy blushed as red as a tomato as he lowered his arm to his side.
"Thank you so very much…um…what is your name, good sir?" She replied.
"Uh…um…Matthew, my lady." He stuttered out.
"Thank you very much, Matthew. Have a good day!" She stated smiling.
She left the still blushing merchant and walked in the direction he had pointed in. She nearly squealed like a fan girl as she caught sight of the inn, but her mood quickly deflated when she realized that she didn't have any money to pay for a room. She frowned in deep thought before she dug around in her messenger bag, hoping that the Old Girl had pulled off a miracle for this situation.
The sentient time/space ship had known she was coming to this time period and had dressed her appropriately for it. Maybe the Tardis put something in her bigger on the inside messenger bag to help her out of this little quandary.
"Aha!" She exclaimed as she pulled out a money purse, "Thank you, Sexy."
When the Tardis gained a physical form, she was going to bloody kiss the Old Girl for her thoughtfulness. Hell, she was going to kiss the console when that idiot Timelord got here. She walked inside the inn and soon became acquainted with the owner, Dolly. After explaining the ginger's extended stay, the lovely inn keeper used the money given to her by the time/space jumper to spruce up a room for her and even made certain that she had a private, adjoining bath.
Artimes entered her room and sat down the bed with a sigh. She glanced out the window, a rather pensive look on her face. What was she supposed to do for five years? She let out a long breath before she flopped backwards onto the bed and stared up at the wooden ceiling. For the first time since the alien museum in Utah twenty twelve, she felt truly alone.
Her mind drifted to the memories of her old life in the other universe. Her mum would have just gotten off work and would be zenning out in front of her computer, playing a game or watching Doctor Who. Her grandmother would be studying her Sunday School lesson or doing her daily devotional, trying desperately to ignore her feelings about her husband's recent and sudden death.
Her father would be at the Air Force base down at the coast, fixing radios and other electronics that the 'kids' have broken. Her elder brother, Trinity, would be with his fiancé, rocking out to Pandora radio, gaming on his computer, or making googly eyes at the woman he loved.
Her mind then drifted to her best friend, Melody Williams, and their four cats; Merlin, Arthur, Familiar, and Snow. Mels would be reading over the latest fan fiction, writing her own, or watching Doctor Who for the umpteenth time. If the jumper had been there then her best mate would be trying to make her laugh when she was frowning at the computer too much, dragging her over to the couch to watch Doctor Who, or forcing her down to the karaoke bar for some fun.
Artimes turned on her right side and curled into a ball, sniffling a bit as the tears started to form in her eyes. She was allowed to miss her old home, right? She had been gone for so long now, always running or surviving. She hadn't had much time to really think about what she had lost by coming to this universe. She continued to cry silently, simply unable to stop.
Her mind finally shifted over to her new life and she started to cry harder, the emotions much rawer and deeper than before. She missed her new friends; Rose, Clara, and Amy. She even missed the friends that she hadn't met yet; Jack, Mickey, Donna, Jackie, Martha, Sarah, K-9, Rory, River, and even Danny, but there was one person she missed most of all.
She missed her beloved Theta, the man who meant everything to her. It didn't matter what face he had or how his personality was different, he was still the Doctor, the one person she loved with all her heart even when he was purely fictional. Now she was alone and all by herself without a single person to rely on. She didn't even have her wonderful time ship to hum her to sleep at night.
Artimes didn't realize when she began to sob and rather loudly too. She was so wrapped up in her little break down that she hadn't heard the door of her room open and shut. Next thing she knew, she was in someone's arms. Singular heart beat meant human and not Timelord. It wasn't the inn keeper or one of the maids because this person was flat chested and clearly male.
"An angel should not weep in such despair." The man said softly, rubbing her back in a soothing manner.
The crimson haired time/space jumper recognized the voice instantly. The identity of the man holding her and trying to comfort her was none other than William Shakespeare, famous British playwright and by far, one of her most favorite authors and writers. If she wasn't so emotionally overwhelmed then she probably would have squealed like the fan girl she was inside. Instead she just continued to cry, wrapping her arms around him and trying to find at least a little comfort in the fact that she wasn't alone in that moment.
It had been roughly four months since Artimes had jumped to this time period and during those long and arduous days, she had become fast and rather good friends with Will. Oh, he flirted shamelessly with her, not that she had actually reciprocated, and she had a feeling that a certain foxy American captain would do very much the same when she met him.
The genius playwright had stayed with her that first night. He had refused to leave her side and stayed with her throughout the night, offering her comfort while she dreamt and chasing away the nightmares that threatened to make her wake. She had told him that she was missing her family and that her fiancé was traveling for the unforeseeable future on business.
Good old William made a point to check on her daily, sometimes even three or four times a day, time permitting. He constantly invited her to dinner and other meals, shared some of his play ideas with her, and even went shopping with her down at the market when he wasn't too busy. He seemed to genuinely love spending time with her and he made her very happy.
"Oh angelic maiden, grace me with thy divine beauty." Will sang on the opposite side of her door.
The ginger haired woman was currently lying on her bed, her back resting against the head board and reading a book. She giggled silently at his antics, but made no move to answer the door. It was a little game they played every once in a while for a laugh. How long would it take her to succumb to his flamboyant charm?
"I am so lonely, my crimson haired angel. Let your radiant smile brighten my somber day." He continued making her laugh and roll her eyes.
She finally stood up, her forest green dress sliding into place. She marked her spot in the book she was reading and dropped it onto the bed. She walked over to the door, trying not to giggle at the playwright's over exaggerated moaning.
"You are not worthy of my gracious blessing, good sir." She teased through the door.
"Then I shall endeavor to prove my worth every day I live, sweet lady." He replied making her heart flutter a bit.
"You speak such simple and flowery words yet you expect me to return with such greater favor. I shall not be so easily swayed by such lame attempts at elegance." She countered smiling as she rested her back against the door.
"Then I shall appease your thirst for eloquence and grace with a new verse." He promised.
Now that got her attention. Was he about to create a sonnet for her like he was going to do with Martha?
"Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws, and make the earth devour her own brood; pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger's jaws, and burn the long-lived Phoenix in her blood; make glad and sorry seasons thou fleets, and do whate'er thou wilt, swift-footed Time, to the wide world and all her fading sweets; but I forbid thee one most heinous crime: O, carve not with thy hours my love's fair brow, nor draw no lines there with thine antique pen; him in thy course untainted do allow for beauty's pattern to succeeding men. Yet, do thy worst, old Time: despite thy wrong, my love shall in my verse ever live young." He declared making the ginger tear up a bit.
That sonnet had been one of her favorites back in the other universe and here in this reality, it had been created for her. She got off the door and with lightning speed, opened it. She threw her arms around the stunned playwright, hugging him fiercely.
"You wrote that for me, didn't you Will?" She asked softly.
"It is simply one amongst many inspired and written for my beautiful angelic maiden." He answered hugging her back and resting his head against hers for a moment.
"You're such a flirt, Will, but thank you. It was beautiful and I loved it." She replied pulling back to look at him.
"Did thee, by chance, love it enough for a kiss?" He asked playfully, knowing full well what her answer would be.
"Ugh! I knew it! Your perverse mind seeks to aid you in your quest for physical gratification." She answered throwing her hands up in the air before poking him in the chest with her right index finger.
"You wound me, my beloved angel. Why must you injure me so?" He replied smiling.
She laughed at him while shaking her head fondly, her sapphire eyes shining with happiness and amusement.
"If I did not then thou's ego would expand beyond thy head's feeble limitations." She countered poking him in the forehead for emphasis.
He caught her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it tenderly.
"Only my angel is brilliant enough to succeed in such a daunting task." He complimented.
She descended into full blown laughter and he soon joined her. She completely missed the heartfelt and loving look he gave her at seeing her so happy. Little did she know that a certain genius playwright was slowly falling in love with her.
Lady A: Voila! Chapter Thirty Seven: The Angelic Maiden is over and done with! Ha ha! Bet you were not expecting her to land so early in Elizabethan London, eh? Neither was she. *snickers at her cleverness* Anyways, be on the lookout for Chapter Thirty Eight: Birth of the Globe! Stay Tuned!
Sneak Preview
Another year passed and soon the fated year was upon her, fifteen ninety nine. This would be the year that the Doctor would turn up and she would have to say goodbye to her amazing and kind William. He had made these last few years some of the best in her life and she would forever treasure her time with the genius playwright. She had learned so much about herself in the last five years by being with him for so long. She finally understood why she had landed so early in this time period.
Lady A: And that's where I'm ending it, folks. Not the best preview but anything else would have been too spoiler-ish. See you there, cats! Laters!