Whispers of both praise and disapproval had begun to spread through the crowd of Nimarians in equal measure.
Rose didn't need their heightened sense of hearing to know that Peter's rescue attempt of Nichola's wife and child was not the only subject they were talking about either. Wary glances and a few pointed fingers were being directed her way now, and not all of the attention looked to be friendly.
She couldn't blame them at all.
The Doctor had explained to her that wolves of any species were naturally inclined not to trust those who were not their own kind and treat all outsiders with a certain degree of suspicion. Rose's bright blonde hair and pale complexion made her stand out like a sore thumb, and the jeans and leather jacket really didn't blend in with the tailored suits and dresses of Valerus. But it was more than that, she would smell different too and that was enough for them not to like her.
Making matters worse was the Time Lord's continuous absence. He had simply decided to up and leave without a word of explanation as to where he was going and why.
"He is going to get himself killed up there! The Guardsman will have to rescue three people now, instead of two."
The raven-haired woman's anger was justifiable.
Ignoring the fact that Peter had torn a considerable chunk of fabric off her expensive-looking dress, he had acted with great hypocrisy by preventing Nicholas from trying to save his family before running into the fire himself less than a minute later. Yet, the reckless heroism had come from a good place and there was little else to be done but defend it right now.
"Well if anyone can do this, it'll be Peter," Rose replied. "I've seen him do -"
"It doesn't matter what he's done in the past." The woman snapped back. "That fire will be overwhelming every single one of his senses. Otherwise, we'd have all been running in to help."
There it was. It should have been obvious to Rose that all the smoke would create an unbearable stench for a species with such sensitive noses. It was bad enough here on ground level where she could feel the urge to cough rising the longer she stayed here. Even stepping through the front door would be an ordeal in itself, and a sudden fear of Peter lying unconscious just a few meters beyond it sent a shiver up her spine.
"No, Peter can do this." She insisted. "I know he can do it."
The woman looked to be about to argue back, but something about Rose's optimism against the logic seemed to stop her.
She was a very beautiful woman with high cheekbones and capitative black eyes. Like Peter and every other Nimarian, the irises were scattered reflected flecks that would turn golden whenever her wolf nature choose to emerge. There was a slight accent to her voice that set her apart from the surrounding more well-spoken voice of Algero's population, but the air of confidence she possessed matched her exquisitely designed dress well enough.
"Well, let's hope he's not too scathed from his efforts." She replied. "Burnt fur doesn't heal all that well. Not to mention that your friend now owes me a new dress too."
Rose couldn't help but smile at this.
She was pleased to see that the woman had become a little more open to the idea of Peter being okay and able to save those trapped in the fire. But what was still bothering her immensely was the continued absence of the Doctor. How could he have chosen to leave them both at a time like this? Usually, the Time Lord was front and centre for finding himself in trouble and enjoyed every second of it even when it was life or death.
It was as though he had never even seen the fire in the first place and had decided to go off and take a stroll on his own around the city.
The noise of a clanging bell and the thunderous beating of hooves against the cobbled ground announced the impending arrival of the Guardsman. The gathered crowd of Nimarians had already heard it coming and were now quickly standing aside so that a clear path was made down the length of the street towards the burning building.
"It's about time." Rose tutted. "At least they can put the fire out now."
Two beautiful grey horses came cantering around the corner, harnessed up to a large but compact wagon. Taking up most of the room aboard it was a metal tank that had been bolted to the floor of the carriage. Clouds of vapour were pouring out of a small funnel atop its roof whilst three large rolled-up hose reels and other pieces of rescue equipment were strapped down alongside them by large leather bindings.
Like the taxis of Valerus, the main body of the vehicle was made of varnished wood. Painted a deep shade of blue, there was an emblem of a wolf fastened onto the side of the wagon just below the tank made of the same silver coloured metal the statue in the square had been composed of. Sitting up on its haunches, the prod looking beast was adorned with a blue sash that was draped across its puffed-out chest.
The five men and one woman were all dressed in uniforms that were the same colour as their horse-drawn fire engine.
Far from the bulky protective overalls worn by their counterparts on Earth, the jackets of the Guardsman were embroidered with the same regal wolf sigil on either side of the high necked collar and the head of each sleeve. Each button was made of the silver metal this city seemed to value so much, and they ran down the garment in a crest shape rather than in a straight line. More of the metal could be found on the lapels too in the form of varying amounts of small strips that perhaps represented experience or rank amongst the Guardsman.
In stark contrast to the men's black trousers, the lone female was instead draped in a three-quarter length skirt.
Rose was just glad to see that she was wearing the same long riding boots underneath it, however, rather than the high heels that adored the feet of every other woman here. She couldn't imagine stilettos being very practical for tackling this inferno. Running around the bottom of the dark skirt and vertically down the men's trousers, one slightly larger than the other, were two silver lines that were suddenly quite familiar…
Peter's tattoo!
The simple yet meaningful design had been permanently inked around his right arm that was also embedded within his blue moonstone ring too, and the Doctor had said the two lines represented a wolf pack. Only by being together would the Nimari people become strong and prosper, lest they run the risk of losing it by being on their own.
As the horses were pulled to a halt by the Guardsman sitting on a narrow wooden bench at the front of the carriage, the other five jumped down from where they'd been hanging off the side of the fire engine by clinging onto a pair of slender railings that had been attached to either side of the large tank. The driver joined them as soon as he'd finished securing the reins to ensure the leather straps did not fall down and entangle themselves around the legs of the horses. But otherwise, the two imposing cloudy coloured creatures were left entirely unsupervised as the Guardsman went about unloaded the equipment they'd need to take on the raging fire high above them.
Rose watch with fascination as the two horses didn't move a muscle despite the chaotic noises and smells surrounding them. They were clearly very well trained to ignore the fire and resist the urge many other animals had to flee at even the faintest whiff of smoke. But transporting the Guardsman and remaining calm was their job, and they were being as good as gold right now.
The Guardsman were putting on their helmets.
They were just as beautifully designed as the rest of the uniform and the shako styled cylindrical shaped hats were quite tall with a visor at the front just underneath yet another ornamental depiction of the sash wearing wolf that stood as a symbol of the Guardsman's authority. The silver badge and trimmings stood out against the blue velvet material and completed what was a very striking ensemble.
Attached to the righthand side of the woman's helmet by a small metal fastening was a plumage of grey feathers which just peaked above the top of the cap.
But it was only as the female Guardsman began shouting out instructions and commands that Rose realised that, regardless of the skirt that she was wearing, it was this woman was in charge here. She was the one that was going to be leading the mission to put out the fire and end the nightmare that had taken over such a pleasant afternoon.
"They'll extinguish the fire and then they can go in and help your friend."
At first Rose thought that she'd misheard the raven-haired woman.
"Wait, why can't they go in and help him now?" She questioned. "They've got everything they need on that thing, and -"
"By what means could they possibly breathe in there?" The woman retorted. "What your friend did with the cape of my dress might work for a while, but it won't last long against the smoke."
Rose initially failed to understand her meaning until she realised that the technologies which aided firefighters on Earth might not exist here. There were no oxygen masks insight that might allow the Guardsman to safely enter the building and tackle the fire from the inside. Instead, they were limited to unfurling two of the three hose pipes and attaching each one to the large tank on their carriage. Even when it was pointed out to them by a bystander that people were trapped inside, there was little else they could do about it.
The lengths of hardened material expended as water began to surge down the length of the hoses on its way to the two nozzles…
"Peter!" Rose shouted. "Oh... He's okay."
He had come sprinting out of the smoke-filled doorway moments just as the Guardsman were about to pick up the hosepipes.
Every inch of exposed skin was black from the soot whilst the water continued within the rag covering his mouth and nose had dribbled down and soaked his shirt, leaving the garment clinging to his chest. Sweat from both the exertion of his efforts and the heat of the flames had left his black hair wet and droplets were running down his cheekbones, creating tiny trail marks through the grime.
Incredibly, he looked unharmed and he was also carrying a woman over his shoulders.
Her body was limp and the long strands of her dark brown hair were covering her head and shielding her face from view. Wearing a dress that had once been a sprig green colour, it was not charred beyond repair, not to mention that she only had one of her high heeled shoes on her feet.
Sinking to his knees as far away from the door as he could manage, Peter was able to lower the woman down onto the ground as people rushed forward to help.
The first amongst them was Nicholas and the distressed man had fresh tears in his eyes now as he took in the sight of his wife's limp body. Gently brushing her hair away from her face, he saw the dried blood which was coating her forehead and gasped out a sob of misery.
"Letizia! Oh, please be okay!" He begged. "Is she…"
He didn't finish his sentence as, through perhaps a combination of the fresh air and her rapid healing capabilities, Letizia began to stir as her brow furrowed with discomfort. Responding to the shaking voice of her husband, she moaned in response as her eyes began to flutter open.
"I-Isabella…"
She could barely get the single word out, but any further conversation was not needed to explain what hazy train of thoughts were running through her mind. The job wasn't done, not when her and Nicolas' daughter remained trapped inside the fire. Now that the Guardsman had arrived, it wouldn't be much longer until the threat of the inferno would be quashed as it was put out by their powerful hosepipes.
But with someone still trapped up there and after seeing the conditions of the topmost studio flat for himself, Peter knew that Isabella simply didn't have the time it would take for the fire to be extinguished. No one could survive more than a few more minutes in such a terrible environment.
"Top floor… You said… child?"
Every breath was like swallowing a knife and he only managed to say half of what he wanted to as a coughing fit threatened to fell him just as easily as the Matcha tea had done back in sixteenth-century South Korea. Lifting away his mask, Peter took full advantage of the fresh air. But he couldn't afford to pass out, and no matter what nightmare might envelop him if he did, it would be nothing compared to the thought of letting a child die in such a horrific way.
"Isabella. She's five…" Nicolas pleaded. "Please, help her!"
He was too hysterical to say anything else as he scooped his stricken wife up into his arms.
As cruel as it sounded, Peter couldn't afford to waste any more time in waiting around for Isabella's father to calm do enough to provide any information as to where she might be. The apartment was small enough and he'd already searched two of the rooms inside it. Isabella had to be in that final room, the one closest to the fire…
He had to go back in for her.
"Peter! Oh my… Are you alright?"
Hearing Rose's voice above the din of the crowd and the roaring flames far above, Peter looked up and saw her pushing past serval people in order to reach him. Alongside her was the beautiful woman that he wasn't afraid to admit he'd quite like to get to know better when this was all over.
But she and Rose were going to have to wait for the moment, as were the uniformed Guardsman that had finally turned up. They would all try and stop him from going back into the building and he had to be quick to avoid them being able to do so. Even in his dazed state of inhaling too much smoke, he had already committed himself to go back and find Isabella. He would not allow anyone to be left alone to perish, especially when this was his world and people. It didn't matter if he'd only known them both for less then an hour, he wanted to do what he could to protect them.
"No! Don't you dare!"
The attractive raven-haired woman had a raging look of anger in her eyes that was burning more fiercely than the fire above as her captivating dark irises lit up with a glowing golden light.
She reached out and managed to grab hold of Peter's upper arm, but it was only by the very tips of her fingers and such a slight grasp wasn't enough to prevent him from slipping away from her as he charged back over towards the building.
More shouts of protest followed after him, but there was nothing else they or anyone else could do to stop Peter now.
Slowing down only to dunk his mask back down into the depths of the water trough, Peter grimaced against the horrid dampness of it as he once more tied it over his nose and mouth. But he was going to need it now more than ever if both he and Isabella were going to survive the next few minutes.
The Doctor watched as Peter raced into the burning building for a second time.
He had never meant to leave his two companions behind and he hadn't even realised what Peter had done until it was too late to stop him. However, there were only a handful of people in the known universe that could manage to change the headstrong Nimarian's mind once it was set upon a course of action, and the Time Lord was not yet amongst them.
It had been as the Doctor had been helping to steer people away from the fire that he had spotted the Kingsguard.
The reversed blue and silver colours of the Guardsman uniform immediately set him apart and was quite conspicuous even as he stood in the shadows of the building that bordered the nearest street corner to the fire. But it was his inaction of rushing forward to help with the unfolding situation which really caught the Doctor's attention and it was this that had drawn him away from returning to Rose and Peter.
He was a slightly short man who looked to be in his early forties, and somewhat unusually for the normally thick-haired Nimari species, his greying black hair was beginning to thin out towards the top of his head. Perhaps making up for this was a well-trimmed goatee beard that curved around his mouth and underneath his slightly upturned nose.
A Kingsguard was the more senior of the two ranks which maintained Valerus' peace and the safety of its inhabitants. Together with the Guardsman, they were in replacement of all the emergency services and armed forces that might be found on Earth. They were the very best this world had to offer and were exceptional even amongst their fellow wolves.
The subtler silvery grey shade of their jackets and tall rounded hats made the wolf sigil harder to spot. Only the blue sash across its chest made the location of regal symbol visible from any great distance. But as he got closer to the man what became clear to the Doctor was that the plumage of blue feathers fastened to the side of Kingsguard's helmet that was tucked under his arm was almost twice the hat's length. Also, the lapels of his jacket were completely covered by metal, rather than the strips which usually identified how long they had been serving for.
This was no ordinary Kingsguard, the Doctor realised.
He wasn't just in charge of a station or even an area of the city. No, this short and slightly balding man had reached the highest possible position and… It was exactly the person that the Doctor needed to speak with right now. It had nothing to do with the fire, that wasn't important anymore so long as Peter made it back out in one piece.
The Time Lord had been starting to wonder how long it might take to ensure that his newest companion got where he needed to be. As much as it been difficult lying to Peter all this time about what that involved, the Doctor knew that he still wasn't in a position to even try to explain what kind of life awaited him here on Valerus. The TARDIS hadn't landed in Algero by accident, but it seemed that luck was on his side today in making this important task that little bit less difficult.
Well, there was only one way to find out if he was right.
"Excuse me?" He called out. "I was wondering if you might be able to help me?"
The Kingsguard barely removed his gaze from the doorway of the burning building long enough to make more than a fleeting glimpse of the Doctor. It was as though he existed to do nothing more than observe the devastating scene and record them in his mind before reporting back to his employer.
But there was suspicion in his brown eyes as the Doctor approached him.
He might have already picked up on the two heartbeats beating away in the Time Lord's chest, not to mention the strange scent of the man that Peter had once described as being something akin to that of a dusty old book. Well, after nine hundred years, it was hardly the worst thing in the universe to smell of.
"The Guardsman will arrive soon enough to put the fire out." The Kingsguard informed him. "You needn't be concerned."
Whatever suspicions he had of the Doctor, he was choosing to ignore them and cut short their interaction. Almost too quickly, the man's attention had returned to the fire as though it was of vital importance he saw what might happen next. In the distance, the clanging bell of the approaching Guardsman could be heard along with their horse-drawn fire engine.
"Yes, I think I can hear the sirens now." The Doctor casually remarked. "But seeing as we're just stood here, chatting away. I was wondering if you could deliver a message for me?"
It was the same crinkled nose look of irritation that he'd seen on Peter's face so many times, and the Doctor couldn't help but smile at it with some amusement. Knowing all too well the consequences of enflaming the temper of such a highly evolved species of wolves, however, he didn't dare prolong the suspense any longer and quickly offered the Kingsguard the psychic paper.
"What is this?" He questioned. "What message?"
Curiosity won over suspicion as the man took the battered leather wallet from this strangest of strangers.
This time there was no fancy invitation or elaborate lie as to who the identity of the holder was. The Doctor knew this wasn't the time for secrets and showing off to look clever to those surrounding him, not when he might never get the chance he had right now ever again. What was on that otherwise blank piece of paper were six words that were going to change the future of the entire planet.
It took the Kingsguard less than five seconds to grasp the meaning of them.
"Now…" The Doctor began. "I know what you're thinking but -"
Before he could finish explaining himself or what information he had just parted from his brain down to the psychic paper, the Time Lord found himself being hauled around the street corner by the scruff of his coat collar as he was shoved up against the stone wall of the building behind him.
"Don't you think they've suffered enough!" The Kingsguard snarled. "Now you want to throw some… some pretender at them?"
His eyes had turned yellow with fury and the wolf within was threatening to emerge against such an unexpected but no less painful statement.
"He's no pretender, I promise you." The Doctor assured him. "They know that too, don't they? Otherwise, why send you down here to check? They know he's in danger…"
"One more word and -"
"Well, it's a danger of his own making, I suppose." The Doctor continued. "But, think about it… The highest-ranked Kingsguard being asked to survey a house fire? Why would they do that if they didn't think, even for a moment, that it was him? Home at last, after so many years away."
There was a split second where the situation could have gone either way, but then the Kingsguard's grasp of the Doctor's coat began to slacken off until he let go of him entirely. Shock at the possibility of his words ringing true seemed to have paralysed him and immediately informed the Time Lord that he was right in guessing why it was this highly ranked and respected guard had been sent to observe the unfolding events of this one particular street.
Wolves had little issue in seeking one another out. But on a whole planet of them, it was a familial bond that was the strongest pull above all others.
The fire here today and Peter's self-endangering action of running straight into it had only magnified that instinctual ability and ensured that the connection was strong enough so much so that this Kingsguard had been given the most specific of locations in which to begin his search.
"The young man who ran into that building?" He questioned. "You're saying that is…"
"He dashed in to help without a second thought." The Doctor praised. "Peter's very brave like that, you see."
If the Kingsguard had any lingering doubt as to the Doctor's claims, whatever leftover bouts of pessimism quickly evaporated as he caught his first glimpse of the man in question for himself. He'd only managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of Peter as the younger Nimarian had rushed in through the black waves of smoke that was pouring out of the building's open doorway. But as he'd come running back out of the fire with the woman he'd just rescued slung over his shoulders, the Kingsguard was able to observe with a careful gaze the features on his soot-covered face that were not covered by the mask wrapped his nose and mouth.
The unmistakable resemblance only became blatantly apparent as the garment was briefly but nevertheless completely removed from Peter's face.
It couldn't be him, could it? Not after all this time… There had never been such hope felt before with such certainly and… But these were not the Kingsguard's own feelings. He had been sent here either to confirm or deny the validity of their existence. Sadly, he'd already been betting that it would be the latter, nothing but a fleeting bout of wishful thinking that it couldn't possibly be real.
But even under all the soot and sweat, the boy looked just like his father.
"Peter, don't do it!"
Even from here, the Doctor heard Rose's voice above everyone else's as it joined in with the commotion of Peter running back into the burning building for a second time. It was this renewed endangerment he had put himself in which had suddenly sparked a reaction with the Kingsguard now that had come to the realisation of exactly who the younger man might prove to be.
"Whatever claim you might have, sir." He hissed. "It'll be no good if he gets himself killed."
"Doctor, call me the Doctor." The Time Lord introduced. "Yes, you're completely right. But Peter's will be -"
"Stop calling him that!"
A fresh bout of anger rose up within the Kingsguard, but it served no greater purpose than to confirm the Doctor's theory.
"Look, I know that this might seem impossible." The Time Lord told him kindly. "But imagine it. Maybe it is him, found on a distant world purely by chance. Brought back to Valerus without knowing his true linage and who he is here. You can check both my hearts to see if I'm lying. But I'm telling you, it is him."
The Nimarian took the time to listen to the Doctor's two hearts this time and discovering that this tall, lean man was indeed not of this world immediately made the concept of what he was telling him suddenly made the impossible a real possibility.
"They are waiting for my report." He confirmed. "Just a few streets away."
"Well, why don't I go and explain the situation to them?" The Doctor offered. "After all, we shouldn't keep their Majesties waiting."
The Kingsguard's forehead creased into a deep frown. He was still holding onto the psychic paper, and the strength of enclosed fist was adding a few more creases to the already cracked leather cover. He had already decided how best to deal with this most unexpected and delicate of situations even before it was suggested.
"Very well," he agreed. "I shall take you to them."
With a wave of his arm, the Kingsguard made it clear that the Doctor should move on ahead of him, down a street which led away from the raging fire. He was taking the Time Lord to the only two people on Valerus capable of confirming his story.
After twenty-three years, the Doctor could only hope that they still had enough hope in their hearts to believe it.