Journey Amongst the Stars
By Lumendea
Chapter Fifty-One: The Toymaker's Challenge: Punishment
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.
AN: Hoping all of my readers are staying safe in this turbulent time.
…
Rose didn't have a chance to ask Violet what their next course of action was or see if the Guardian could sense the condition of the Doctor or Jack before a flash of white light blinded her. Blinking away the spots in her eyes, Rose tried to summon her sword, but it remained cool around her wrist. There was a faint hum, but that was the only reassurance she got that the blade was trying to recharge.
"You will not need your sword at this time," the White Guardian's voice said pleasantly. "Breaking the seal will have drained the sword of much of its power."
"I didn't know that was possible," Rose said softly.
The White Guardian was standing beside the Violet Guardian. In his clean white suit, he was very out of place in this place.
"Almost everything is possible in certain circumstances. Don't worry; once we return to proper space, the sword will be fine in mere seconds." The White Guardian smiled broadly at the Violet Guardian. Taking her hand, he bowed down to kiss it gently before straightening up. "It is lovely to see you once more, Violet."
"And same to you, White. I do apologize for the concern my disappearance must have given you."
"Indeed, we could not tell what had happened to you. Only the rumors of a Crystal guardian," White spat those two words with more venom than Rose had ever heard before. "Told us what happened, but he was too absolute here."
"I understand," Violet assured him. "I do. Please do not blame yourself." Then she shook her head. "But enough of this reunion, old friend, I am not strong enough to unravel the net of power that the Toymaker has forged."
"Then it is a good thing that I am here." The White Guardian's smile faded a little. "Though, I am a touch weaker than normal myself. I forgot just how suffocating his realm is." The White Guardian adjusted his tie much to Rose's shock. "We are fortunate to have Miss Tyler with us."
"Call me Rose," she corrected automatically.
Had this always been the point of her life in regards to the Guardians, Rose wondered? The weight of her sword around her wrist was oddly heavy at the thought. Bad Wolf was hers, but here it had manifested in a strange way to lead her to her imprisoned Guardian. It could be why Black and White were so determined to keep her alive and help her reach this point. Violet hadn't met her yet but still knew her.
It was an explanation. It made sense, and yet Rose knew that it wasn't right. Swallowing, she shoved the notion that had been growing in her head away. It wasn't the sort of thing that a person imagined about themselves, no matter how sure they were. No matter if it would explain everything that had ever happened to her.
Then the White Guardian turned to Rose. His smile was soft and warm, as if he knew her thoughts. His eyes twinkled, and Rose raised an eyebrow in response to his amusement. The White Guardian's smirk only expanded.
"Should we expect Black?" Rose asked.
"No, he will stay away," White answered. He chuckled softly. "I'm afraid that putting Black in the midst of this would likely only make the Toymaker even stronger. Chaos feeds chaos I'm afraid."
"And we don't need the Toymaker getting lucky and capturing Black," Violet added. She shivered, and White reached out to touch her shoulder. "I'd forgotten… what not being connected was like. It has been so long."
Right, Rose remembered, the Violet Guardian had once been a mortal alien. She had risen to her post, unlike White and Black, who had been created. The Violet Guardian seemed to recover herself after a moment.
"We need to drain the rest of his power," Violet said firmly. "I'm already drawing some back into me. Your presence is helping."
"Indeed. I am the embodiment of order. Everything in its proper place." The last words were said with a cold, pleased smile that would have been a better fit on the Black Guardian's face.
The White Guardian extended a hand to the Violet Guardian. She smiled and took it with a nod. Rose frowned in confusion for a moment before a bright light formed around the joined hands of the two Guardians. White and violet swirled together as the light grew brighter and brighter. Closing her eyes, Rose turned away quickly as the light exploded around them.
…..
The Toymaker's body was swaying in his chair. The Doctor watched him with sharp eyes. It was distracting him from the game, but the Toymaker's mind didn't seem to be on it either. Reaching out with his senses, the Doctor carefully lowered his telepathic shields. Immediately he felt vulnerable and had to fight back the urge to slam his shields up.
This world was murky. It was a mess of impressions. Mostly it was fear and despair. Anger surged in the Doctor. It was a reminder of what the being across of him was capable of. As nervous as the Toymaker looked now, the Doctor couldn't forget how dangerous he was. An overgrown child that lacked empathy for any of the beings that they captured. It collected peoples as playthings but threw out everything that made them individuals. All that was left was ghostly impressions in the air.
He grit his teeth, holding back his anger. His temper threatened to overwhelm him. It was always on edge, simmering just beneath the surface, but if he lost control now, it would cost him and his companions dearly. The Toymaker moved a knight and smiled when he took a pawn. It was nothing. Had the Toymaker been paying attention, he would have seen the trap. The Doctor moved his rook to take the knight.
"You're off your game," the Doctor said casually. He set the knight down with the other pieces he'd captured. "One might think that you don't want to win."
"Oh, I will win, Doctor," the Toymaker assured him.
The Doctor could hear the false confidence. Something was happening, and the Toymaker was worried. The Doctor couldn't feel anything beyond the echoes of the prisoners. Slamming his shields up, he fought back a shudder and a growing sense of frustration.
"No," the Toymaker gasped. He stood up sharply, making the table rattle and sending chess pieces rolling to the floor. "No, she couldn't be- she couldn't have-"
"She?" Panic flared in the Doctor's chest. "Rose? What's happened?"
"Not your human!" The Toymaker snarled. The Toymaker groaned and swayed on his feet. "No, no, no!"
Gallifrey melted away around them, and the Doctor jumped up from the chair before it could vanish on him. The air shimmered and shifted in a swirl of colors.
"Doctor!" That was Jack's voice.
"Jack?"
"Are you okay?" Jack's voice called from the swirling fog. "You look like a ghost."
"Stay away," the Doctor ordered. His eyes stayed focused on the Toymaker as they collapsed to their knees and pulled at their hair, letting the hat fall to the ground. "Stay back!"
"Where's Rose?" Jack asked.
The Doctor could see a faint outline of a human figure through the fog. Tables and chairs were slowly appearing as well. He narrowed his eyes and smiled as the TARDIS took shape being Jack. His companion's question finally hit him.
"I'm not sure. Keep an eye out for her!" He turned back to the trembling Toymaker. "Where is Rose?"
The Toymaker didn't answer. Anger flashed through him, and the Doctor closed the distance between them in one stride. Bending down, he grabbed the Toymaker's robe and hauled him to his feet.
"Where is she!?"
Before the Toymaker could answer the question, three figures appeared a few feet away. The Doctor dropped the Toymaker when Rose turned to look at him, her features lighting up with relief. Rose stumbled back from the two Guardians, and the Doctor was beside her in an instant. He made a move to get in front of her, but Rose stubbornly stepped up beside him, giving him an unimpressed look. The Doctor didn't notice the expression, however, as all of his attention was fixed on the Guardians.
The Violet and White Guardians were looking down at the Toymaker. None of the three beings had moved or said anything. The Toymaker's eyes were jumping between them with oblivious nervousness. Heavy silence surrounded them all. Jack came up beside Rose, sharing a look and a smile with her as she nodded at him to reassure him that she was alright.
"Did you really think you'd get away with this for long?" the White Guardian asked. The space around them shuddered at the force of the voice and the Doctor's spine straightened. He'd never heard the White Guardian sound like that. "That we couldn't learn where she was? Especially when you started claiming to be a Guardian yourself."
"The Guardians have been weak," the Toymaker answered softly. "For a long time. It was easy." He glared at them both and then smirked. "Even the Eternals aren't afraid of you anymore."
"Wrong," the White Guardian said. "They're more afraid than ever."
The Violet Guardian said nothing. She glared at the Toymaker, judging him and finding him wanting. Her right hand was still clasped with White's, but she extended her left hand regally. The Toymaker's eyes widened, and Rose inhaled sharply as a rush of electricity filled the air. Her hairs stood on end up and down her arms.
Violet light drained out of the Toymaker. His body twitched and twisted, but he did not flee. He didn't rise off his knees. A low groan escaped him, and the Toymaker slumped to the ground. Letting go of the White Guardian's hand, the Violet Guardian extended both of her hands towards the Toymaker. More violet light flared around him.
"No!" The Toymaker snarled. "No!"
The sudden burst of defiance didn't help him. The Doctor had grown up hearing about the Guardians of the Universe. They were powerful; they commanded the raw forces of the universe and could twist quantum mechanics to their will. In his fourth life when he'd met the White and Black Guardians, he'd been fearful, but quickly figured out that there were limits. Now, his senses were being assaulted with strange feelings. Reality was being folded around the Toymaker, but the Violet Guardian seemed completely calm and in control.
In a flash of light, the air collapsed around the Toymaker. Rose slammed her eyes shut. There was silence and a faint thrum against her skin. Slowly, she opened her eyes, realizing that she'd moved closer to the Doctor in the commotion. On the floor, where the Toymaker had been was a simple glasslike orb with a violet shine. The Violet Guardian stepped forward and scooped up the orb with a small, satisfied smile.
"What will become of him?" the Doctor asked delicately.
The Violet Guardian smiled softly, not at all offended by the question. In her, she kept a tight grasp on the orb and looked down at it with a sorrowful expression.
"He will be kept contained for now. He is too dangerous to banish outside of the universe. I fear the Void would not contain him for long. And he might prove useful in the future if we can reach an agreement."
"You'd trust him?" Rose asked in disbelief.
"Of course not," the Violet Guardian laughed. "But contrary to what it may seem, he does have power on his own."
"What about his… toys," Jack said. He grimaced at the final word. "Can you do anything for them?"
"Their memories have been erased," Violet said gently. "Using my power, I am sorry to say. The Toymaker was not subtle or careful in his attacks on them and caused damage that even I cannot fully undo. I will do what I can to help them and ensure that they are comfortable in whatever state I can return them to. In most cases, I should be able to restore most of their true memories and take them close to the time they went missing."
Jack didn't look thrilled, but he nodded in acceptance. Rose watched him struggle for a moment before he shook his head. It occurred to her that he might have been considering asking for her help with his own memories. She wasn't sure if it was the work awaiting the Violet Guardian or her weakened state that convinced him not to.
"Fear not Jack Harkness," Violet said softly. "You will have your answers soon."
Silence hung in the air, and Jack looked both hopeful and terrified. Rose slipped closer to Jack and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. The Doctor cleared his throat.
"Is there anything you need from us, Violet Guardian?"
"No, Doctor, I will see to the memories and safe return of those that the Toymaker abused. The Toybox will not last long without him. You have my thanks for my freedom. Please depart in peace." Her eyes then moved to Rose, and her smile widened. "And I shall repay my debt to you, good Rose Tyler, in your past at the time that you remember."
"Thanks," Rose answered, well aware that both Jack and the Doctor were looking at her.
The White Guardian chuckled at her discomfort. Then he stepped forward and kissed her forehead, ignoring the soft inhale of surprise from Rose. With a smile, the White Guardian stepped out of her space and nodded to her and then the Doctor.
"You best be on your way," the White Guardian said. "We will see to the cleanup, but it would be best if you were not here."
The Doctor nodded his understanding and lunged forward to grab Rose's hand. Pulling her close to him, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the White Guardian, who just smiled in response. Jack seemed to have picked up on the Doctor's worry because he was unlocking the door when the Doctor guided Rose over to the TARDIS. She rolled her eyes at the Doctor, but let him guide her into the TARDIS ahead of him.
Once the door was closed, the Doctor still didn't let go of Rose's hand. Instead, he barked orders to her and Jack as he moved around the console to take off. Jack pressed the buttons and flipped the levers as he was told, and Rose did what she could with only one hand. The Doctor didn't seem to properly notice that he was still holding her hand as he adjusted the controls. Then they took off the Doctor finally relaxed.
He slumped against the console and exhaled. Part of his mind was racing, struggling to believe that things had ended like that. The Toymaker had been a powerful being and yet… Laughter threatened to bubble up in his chest. Then he realized that he was still holding Rose's hand. He gave her hand a gentle tug to draw her attention. When she looked at him, the Doctor felt his cheeks and ears redden, but couldn't think of anything to say. Rose smiled and stepped closer to wrap her arms around him in a hug.
Across the console, Jack smirked at him, and the Doctor gave him a stern look that only made the former Time Agent grin. There was something nervous and scared in Jack's eyes, and the Doctor wondered just what the Violet Guardian knew that they didn't. But he pushed it aside. They'd had more than enough on their plate today. Easing his grip on Rose, he flipped the finally lever to send them off into the Vortex.
"How soon will it be?" the Violet Guardian asked as the TARDIS began to disappear.
"Not long. The time is coming upon her very quickly," the White Guardian answered.
"Does she know what is coming?"
"Know? No, but I believe she suspects."
"That is good," Violet said. "It is better that way."
"Agreed."
Then they were gone and the Toybox collapsed into nothing.