Summary: Finally, a relaxing trip with the fam without any unexpected monsters, just a King and a hero's welcome. What could go wrong? Join the Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, and Graham as they encounter an old friend on a distant planet.
A/N: Here goes an attempt at Doctor Who. I must say the Doctor is one of my favorite characters, top five, at least. Talk about depth and possibilities! Thanks everyone for taking the time to read.
Chapter 1:
The guards led them through the entrance, marble doors heaved open at the Lieutenant's trumpet blast. Opulence didn't begin to describe the palace, pomp and circumstance an understatement of their welcome. The Doctor skipped along, her fam at her back. She couldn't believe her luck.
One flash of her psychic paper and the Lieutenant nearly fell over himself to introduce them to the region's king. The Doctor scrunched her nose at the thought… aristocrats. She shrugged. At least the group was getting a proper welcome to a new planet for a change. She really needed to start scouting locations before taking them.
Her thoughts drifted back to their last adventure as they passed a ballroom lavish enough to host the greatest of Alexanders with the extravagance of any Cleopatra worth her salt. The Doctor could still smell the brekindoodle's stench, still feel its drool on her cheek as it debated the best way to eat her. Who knew a trip to one of the Seven Wonders of the Galaxy would turn them into lunch options? Honestly… she shook her head. They didn't even get to see the Grand Pheonix or the surrounding Trapezes.
They entered the throne room and the Doctor let out a low whistle, spinning to take it all in as they approached the throne.
"It's a bit different than our last trip, yeah?" Yaz asked with a smile jabbing a playful elbow into Ryan's rib. Graham's mouth hung open as he took in the jewels decorating the walls.
"Yeah," he said laughing. "Hey Doc, you think we can keep to places like this?"
She shot him a quick smile turning to face the figure sitting on a throne worth twenty of the peasant dwellings they had passed on the way. Forcing her face to stay impassive, she bent into a bow quickly remembering it was supposed to be a curtsey. The result ended in an awkward hunch with bent knees.
"Your Highness… Majesty? High Jesty?" She asked face screwing up in thought, turning back to her fam. "Ugh, titles. They're always so confusing."
"Right," Ryan said his lips quirking, "Doctor."
"Oh, hush you." She laughed turning back to the king, taking the twinkle in his eye as a good sign. Maybe, he'd invite them for a feast. She loved the odd feast on a remote planet. Good for the soul, she always said. Was that her, or was that a different her? Did it matter? She decided it didn't.
"I must say," the King said smiling at them in a grandiose, grandfather-y imitation of good faith, "To have someone of your stature visit our humble kingdom… Well, it truly is an honor."
"Yes," the Doctor said eyebrows raising as she nodded, playing along, "We are an honor to have and honored to… be… had." She didn't see it, but knew, knew, the members of her fam were exchanging worried looks. Hoping to distract everyone from her awkwardness she added, "Great palace you have here. Big spacey… spaces."
The King's brow furrowed. Floundering she went with it. Giving a mental shrug, it was too late to turn back anyway. "Are those crystals from Dunmerth?" She turned back to her fam ignoring their exasperation, "Lucky to have those, he is." The King preened, and she felt a moment of success.
"They have a fascinating crystallization process. Dunmerth's version of- well, I guess your closest equivalent are pigs- or rats," she said her voice raising in pitch with her excitement, "They're a bit of both, anyway, they eat a type of rock that gets mixed in with their food. The rock cocoons in the their waste, and they come out all pretty and jewel-like. It takes a special type of farmer to find them, the smell's so rank people have died. What was I saying? Oh right, so the crystals come out like a poop encrusted butterfly." She laughed shaking her head. "Nature."
She turned back to the King. For some reason, his twinkle was missing. She let out an internal groan. What did she say? He seemed happy about his crystals. Aristocrats… she swallowed a sigh. So much for the feast.
"That's… fascinating," he said into the lingering silence. The Doctor's eyebrow rose. Who did the psychic paper say they were? Kings didn't suffer subpar company, in her experience. With the twinkle gone, she expected an escorted trip to the door.
"Thank you," she said. If he was going to try, she would, too. They stood in silence for a moment. Suddenly, his face lit, the twinkle back in full force.
"You're clearly a woman who appreciates value. Surely, someone of your esteem has heard of…" He leaned forward, his dramatics matching their overindulgent surroundings, "The Doctor."
Graham choked back a snort. She turned to glare at him in warning, spoiling it when her own lips quirked. Ryan and Yaz bit their lips, trying their best to keep straight faces.
"The Doctor," she drew her name out seeming to think, "I believe I've heard a tale or two, a mischievous rogue roaming about the galaxy, no?" She asked, taking entirely too much pleasure in her own description.
"One and the same," the King said, excitement in full force. "You have heard of him-,"
"Or her," she added under her breath.
"I have a collection of sorts." He smiled, pride coloring his face. She blinked. A collection… of her? The King snapped his fingers. The guards jumped to attention, a few rushing to a side door.
"You're going to love this," he said scooting to the edge of his seat. "I have it on good authority, my collection is the most accomplished in the 'verse."
"Oh?" She asked faintly. Others were collecting her things, too? She started making a mental list of things she'd left behind during her adventures.
She glanced back at her fam. Yaz seemed to be having trouble breathing as she leaned against a chuckling Ryan. Graham wasn't even trying to hide his amusement. It danced in his eyes almost as strong as the King's twinkle. She was starting to prefer the brekindoodle.
The guards filed back in, lugging bits of her old junk boxed in elegant glass showcases. The King flourished an arm for each item, making a grand gesture and explanation for each epically boring item she'd ever dropped. At least, it felt like every item she'd ever dropped. A few were just ripped shards of her old wardrobes.
He even had an old bow tie. Her shoulders rolled back with pride at the sight. Her old self was right. They were cool.
"And now," he said making a show of rubbing his hands together, "the true pride and joys of my collection." He nodded toward the side door. A guard came out with with an oversized showcase, a single shard of wood sitting in the center, blue paint chipping. "A piece of the famed Tardis."
The Doctor's teeth clenched, her amusement bleeding into the extravagantly patterned floor. Somewhere during her adventures something hurt her oldest, most loyal friend, and this man, this king, thought the result was a collectable.
Her fam showed the appropriate fascination, and he moved on oblivious to her mood. Graham shot her a worried look, noticing the shift. She tried to smile for his benefit. It came out more as a grimace.
Another nod. Another relic from her past. This time a guard paraded an old sonic screwdriver in front of them. She almost laughed. It wasn't even hers. Still, she took a note, sunglasses as a sonic, genius.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen," the King said standing for the first time since they entered. He stepped down the few stairs leading from the dais to stand level with them. "May I present the crowning glory of my collection."
They turned toward the door waiting for the guards to bring the last piece. A scuffle echoed from the depths and into the hall. The Doctor and Graham exchanged a look, both taking a subtle half step in front of Yaz and Ryan.
No less than four guards emerged, each holding a chain leash leading a lone figure into the chamber. They twitched with each movement the figure made. She walked between them with a careless air, seemingly indifferent to their presence, short, confident, daring her viewers to comment on her busted lip. The Doctor's heart clenched. Ice ran up her spine, fury igniting in her gut.
"Clara," she uttered before she could stop herself. Her brow furrowed. How did she know her name?
A/N: You're reviews are like a good cup of coffee on Saturday morning. Stay wonderful!