Chapter 24
"Ah, you must be my guests," Frederick said. "Lady. . ."
"Jane," the Doctor said. "This is my nephew."
She gestured to Pride, who nodded. At least she hadn't used Bradley again. It was weird. And there was already a Lady Bradley. She was home safe in Amestris, completely oblivious to the fact this was happening.
Frederick tried to exchange a few pleasantries as they walked back to the table, joined by two other men. However when he asked the Doctor what she thought of the castle, she said it was big, and that she should get herself a decorative suit of armor. Frederick seemed less interested in trying after that.
"If you don't mind me asking, is there something we should worry about?" the Doctor asked.
Frederick and Emily had already been holding themselves rather stiffly. They managed to tense up even more after that. So there absolutely was something to worry about, and they did mind her asking.
The Doctor plowed on. "It's just, we felt a very heavy shake a few moments ago."
Frederick laughed. "Oh that. It's a combination of the storm, and the hard work people are doing expanding our dungeons. There's no need to worry. We are quite secure."
They didn't get any further with that train of thought, because at that moment Peter, and a few others, came out with food.
Emily cleared her throat. "Well enough about worries. The entertainment should be here soon, and in the meantime, I'm sure you'd like some introductions." She gestured to the two men sitting on the other side of the table. "This is Merek. He's in charge of the knights. And this is Arthur, our alchemist."
Pride had been paying attention to his food until then. "You have an alchemist?" he asked, head perking up.
Emily nodded with a smile. "It's quite rare. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't have one. But Arthur here is skilled. We're grateful to have him."
"We do have an alchemist!" He was one himself, but he couldn't say that. He quickly grabbed an alchemist's name, one that had been on his mind often enough it came without any though. "His name is Edward and he's really good. He can clap his hands together to make alchemy, instead of using circles."
"What?" Frederick asked, gasping and dropping his meat. Emily didn't seem to know how to respond. Yeah, he'd got them.
"That's impossible," Arthur said firmly.
"It is," the Doctor agreed. "I know you're proud of our alchemist, but don't over sell it."
Pride frowned, but took the hint. He huffed and went back to eating.
Luckily at that moment, entertainment did come. They got music, both instruments and singing, and someone telling a story. Pride didn't pay much attention. But it was alright. At least the ground hadn't rumbled again. It was nice to deal with the adventure on their terms for once. Was that why the previous ones had been stressful? All that reacting and no proacting? Or maybe it was just familiar now.
Frederick tried to talk to the Doctor about her home (and supposed castle) a few times, but she clearly had no idea what was going on. Either Frederick and Emily were oblivious, or didn't care.
When the show, and food, was over, Emily ordered someone to lead the Doctor and Pride to their room.
"Well, that was exciting," the Doctor said, letting out a breath that sounded like relief.
"We were close to getting caught," Pride pointed out.
"Yes, no thanks to you mentioning circle-less alchemy," the Doctor said. "I know you like Amestris, and some of the people that use alchemy in the present. But this is in the past, and someplace alchemy is rarer. You need to be careful."
Well that was just ridiculous. Yes, Pride had bragged about something that would be phenomenally rare for their place and time. But everyone had shrugged it off fairly easily. The Doctor had bluffed her way through the whole evening, clearly with very little idea what was expected.
"I'm sorry. But . . . it wasn't just me."
The Doctor sighed. "Just don't do it again, okay?"
Pride nodded, swallowing any other feelings on the matter.
"Now, do you want to go investigate?"
Pride actually felt his lips quirking up. Back to the Doctor's usual business then. "What are we going to do?"
"Go to the dungeons," the Doctor answered. "That seems to be where the trouble's coming from."
"Okay!"
He ran after the Doctor as she opened the door, peering around. The hall seemed empty. She stepped out and started tiptoeing.
"Do you have any guesses?" Pride whispered.
The Doctor shook her head. "Considering the time period, if there's anything here that doesn't look human, the people probably would've attacked it. That doesn't really narrow it down."
"Is it always an alien?" Pride asked, knowing full well the answer was no.
Asking questions he already knew the answer to helped his act. And he was sort of curious how the Doctor would answer. He couldn't see her expression from behind, but she'd slowed down.
"No. There are people who are a part of this planet that don't look human. They still deserve respect, and it's hypocritical to say otherwise. Look at me. I'm less human than anyone you'll ever meet. I just blend in."
Well then. He and his siblings had been called monsters all the time. He'd never cared. From their perspective, they were right, and what did he care about the opinions of humans? Still, he found he did care about the Doctor's opinions. He wouldn't say she was less human than he and his siblings, but he might need to know more about Time Lord biology.
They continued in silence after that. The Doctor stopped them at every corner to check for people, but it was empty. They made it to the first floor and headed for the dungeon. But just as they reached the great hall, the rumbling came again. Only it didn't sound much like a rumble this time. It sounded like a roar. The ground beneath them cracked, and burst open.
