After a few failed attempts, the Doctor finally lands the TARDIS in Tudor England. "We're here," he says, "you two better go and get changed." He leans on the console and has a pained look on his face. He pushes himself away, sits on a nearby seat, and rests his feet on the console.
Mummy and I look at each other to find that we're both still wearing our twenty-first-century clothes. "Oh," Mummy says, "I guess we should."
"You two would probably want to blend in." The Doctor puts his feet on the floor and stands up. He starts pacing around the room and avoids looking at both of us.
"But we're already sticking out by arriving at Court in a Police Box," I argue. I know I'm only prolonging the inevitable, but I don't want to face history yet. I might be better prepared if I hold it off a little longer.
"I know, but..." The Doctor trails off and looks around the room. Mummy also looks around and walks in between the pillars that hold up the ceiling. It's these that help the interior look like it's natural rather than artificial. That's part of the beauty of the TARDIS; it's a living, breathing entity. The TARDIS hums as Mummy places a hand on one of the pillars, and she smiles.
How much longer will it be until I see Mummy smile again?
I feel my chest start to grow tighter, and my head hurts. Why on earth did I think I could do this? I wrap my arms around myself as my back starts hurting and squeeze my eyes shut. "Doctor, I can't do this!"
"Yes, you can."
"I can't! Mr Smith didn't teach me what I'd experience as a Human-Qetesh hybrid."
"He didn't?" Mummy asks, astounding me. "But I thought Ruby told him that should be one of the top priorities."
"So did I, but I don't know anything about Qetesh puberty; I don't know what will happen to me!" The pain grows stronger, and I start sobbing. "My back hurts. Doctor, please, make it stop!"
"I can't do anything about it." The Doctor sounds sad as he places a hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry; I wish I could do something."
We hear someone knocking on the door. "Doctor?" An unfortunately familiar voice asks. "Are you in there?" No, not Henrat! My back starts hurting even more, and it feels like there's something there bursting to get out. I start screaming. The Doctor looks towards the doors as Mummy kneels and hugs me.
"I'm here," the Doctor says.
"Can I come in?"
"No, you can't! Don't you remember the incident with James I?"
"I—er—that was an accident!"
"I know it was, but you almost changed the course of history."
"How comes he gets to change history, and I don't?" I demand.
"I did not say that the King could change history. All I said was he nearly did." I glare at the Doctor, but I won't say anything.
"Are you sure I can't come in?"
"Yes, I made that clear. Oh, is Catalina there?"
"Of course, my wife is here! You interrupted our vigil!"
"Oh, sorry! I've got two maids-of-honour for her from the future. I'm just going over some rules with them before I release them in Tudor England."
"All right," I hear Catalina say. It's still her same voice; she still has a Welsh accent. Why does she have a Welsh accent now? I thought that would've come soon after she marries Harold Lowe. "Come out when you are ready."
"Rules?" Mummy asks. "You never mentioned anything about rules."
"I'm sure I did."
"No, you didn't."
"Didn't I?" Mummy shakes her head and smiles. I snicker. It's typical of the Doctor to forget something like that. "Oh, sorry. I thought I already went over them." We gather our bags together, and the Doctor leads us through the TARDIS towards the wardrobe. "Now, if you two find some suitable clothes to wear in Tudor England, that money will last for longer. You should have something to get you started."
When we reach the wardrobe, we look around in surprise. Everything is neat and organised, something I hadn't expected from the Doctor. All the Tudor England clothes are together, and we find clothes from Henry VIII's reign. Many dresses I pick out are blue, but I also pick out a couple in black or with black kirtles and sleeves. Mummy's clothes are a range of colours and styles, and she certainly has a good eye for clothing in this time. "Can we pick out clothes for other eras too?" Mummy asks.
"Maybe not," the Doctor says. "You would've earned a lot of money by then, so you'll be able to update your wardrobes yourselves."
"But Doctor—"
"If someone else comes across them, that could change history. The answer is no." We go back to choosing more dresses and kirtles, and packing enough stays and chemises, so we don't have to wash anything anytime soon.
We return to the console room and add our new clothes to our growing pile of bags and suitcases. "Maybe we should pack all that in trunks," the Doctor says, "we should try and make sure you two fit in."
"But we'll need objects to prove we're from the future," Mummy reminds him. She's now wearing a red Tudor dress with a low neckline, long fabric sleeves, a darker red kirtle and tie-on sleeves. "Is all this fabric necessary? It's stifling in here."
"I agree," I grumble as I pick at my blue dress.
"You two look great, and the layers are necessary. You two want to travel through history without too many hiccups, right?"
"Right," we chorus. From what I remember, I will experience several hiccups. Most of them will come within the early twentieth century, but I won't tell the Doctor that.
Henry knocks on the door again. "Doctor, what is taking you so long?"
"Sorry, I was sorting out clothes for them. Fashion has changed a lot since your reign."
"How far from the future are they?"
"Five hundred years."
"WHAT?!" The door opens, and King Henry VIII walks in, with Catalina close behind. They both wear crimson robes, and Catalina wears a red dress underneath her robe. Her long brown hair lies loosely around her shoulders. In all the portraits I've seen of the queens, they all wore their hair under their hoods, so why is Catalina showing hers? Although, the late hour could explain that.
Mummy and I quickly curtsy when we realise who's standing in front of us and what time we're in. "This is Sarah Jane Smith, my best friend, and her daughter, Emma Smith-White," the Doctor explains. "They will travel through history to ensure things remain on track."
"I see," King Henry says. I dare not look up at him. Will he see the disgust that I feel for him? I hope not.
"I thought I told you that you can't come in here."
"Oh, sorry. We will wait for you outside." The two leave, and Mummy and I stand up.
"I don't think I'll get used to that," Mummy says.
"You must," I shoot back, "it's the only way we'll survive at Henrat's court."
"Henrat?" The Doctor asks.
"Henry VIII."
"Right, clearly, there will be more rules than I anticipated."
The Doctor is silent for a moment as he thinks. Mummy and I wander around the room, taking it in one more time. Will we ever see the TARDIS like this again? How long will it be until we see the Doctor again? Knowing us, we'll meet him at some point, but what regeneration will it be? The Doctor finally looks up. "Right, you might want to write these rules down. Let me know if I go too fast, and I'll slow down." I grab one of my notebooks, which is empty, and I open it to the first page. "You ready?" I nod. "Right, rule number one, don't write about aliens or alien invasions in normal writing. If you need to write anything about aliens or the future, write it in some sort of code or cryptogram, understand?"
"Write about aliens and future in code or cryptogram," I read out.
"That's good enough. Rule number two, do not tell anyone about yourselves unless it's necessary or you know they will know."
"Don't tell anyone our secret unless it's an emergency, or they will know in the future."
The Doctor nods when I look up. "Rule number three, no calling Henry VIII "Henrat" until after he dies in 1547."
"Oh, come on!"
"No, Emma, I'm not arguing on this point. Neither of you want Henry executing you while he's alive."
All right, the Doctor has a point. I write the rule down. "What's the next one?"
"Those are all the ones I can think of. However, if you think of your own, feel free to write them down. Now, these are rules everyone must follow, not just the two of you, but everyone you reveal the secret to, they must—"
"We've got it, Doctor. Tell the rules to the others, so they know what to do." I write that down and close my notebook. "There, you happy now?" I growl.
"Don't talk to me in that tone, young lady."
"Give it a break, Doctor. Emma and I are out of our time, and we'll take a long time adjusting. We've left everything behind and need to start from scratch."
"Sorry, Emma."
"No, I'm sorry for growling at you."
The Doctor helps us bring our belongings out of the TARDIS, and we find ourselves in a chapel. Statues are sitting on the alter and paintings are hanging on the walls. A golden cross also sits on the alter, glowing in the warm candlelight. That's another thing I must get used to—I won't have access to electricity for a few centuries. Why did I not think of that before? Maybe bringing a box of matches or something would've been helpful. I look over at Mummy, who looks around the room in amazement. "Doctor, welcome," Henry holds his arms open, and Mummy and I curtsey again. The Doctor hugs Henry in return.
"Your Majesty, I'm glad I could make it. However, I'm afraid it's not a social call."
"It never is with you, but it is always a pleasure to see you. Thank you for sorting out the situation with the Zygon."
Mummy looks over at the Doctor "A Zygon in Tudor England?"
"I'll explain another time."
"Knowing you, that won't happen."
"No, it won't, will it?"
Mummy smiles and shakes her head.
"Your Grace," the Doctor turns to Catalina and kisses her hand.
"Doctor, I must thank you for trying to help me over the past couple of years."
"My pleasure."
"We must do something to thank you for helping us both."
"Well, I can think of something. Can you find room for these two as your maids-of-honour? I know it's such short notice, but—"
"Say no more," Catalina smiles, "I can easily find places for them."
"Thank you, Your Grace. Er, there's a couple of things—"
"I think Emma and Sarah Jane can speak for themselves." Catalina turns to us, and we curtsey again. "Emma, Sarah Jane, do you know what the Doctor wanted to tell me?"
"I think it's about me, Your Grace. Some things about me are different from normal humans, but I hope that won't stop me from serving you to the best of my abilities."
"We will speak more about this another time, Mistress Smith-White. For the time being, I will ask Maria to take you to the maiden's chamber so you both can settle yourselves in." Catalina—or, I should say, Queen Catherine—pokes her head out and asks Maria to come in.
I almost gasp when I recognise Maria. She doesn't know me yet, but I instantly recognise her brown eyes and curly brown hair. "Your Majesty," Maria curtsies to Queen Catherine.
"Please, Maria, I told you to call me Catalina when we are alone."
Maria looks over at us. "But we're not alone. Your Majesty, who are these people?" Queen Catherine introduces each of us, and Maria instantly wanders over to me.
"Do I know you from somewhere?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Hmm," Maria looks confused. "Sorry, Mistress Smith-White."
"Please, call me Emma."
"The woman from my dream had the same name," she mumbles.
"I'm sorry?"
"Nothing."
"Maria, can you take Sarah Jane and Emma to the maiden's chamber?"
"Certainly, Catalina." She helps Mummy and I pick up our belongings and leads us towards the chamber we'll be sharing with the other maids-of-honour. Most of the beds are full, and to our surprise, there are two women to a bed. How do people expect me to share a bed with a stranger? "Do you want me to help you settle in?" She asks when she notices our confused faces.
"Sorry, I'm not used to sharing a room." I turn to Maria. "In our time, privacy is valued."
"I'm afraid you won't get any privacy here, but I can talk to the queen and see if we can sort out a room for the two of you."
"Can you see if we can get three people in there?" Mummy asks.
"How come?" Maria links her hands in front of her body.
"I think our friend will arrive at Court at some point."
"I'll see what I can do, but this room will have to do for the time being."
"Of course," I agree before Mummy can say anything more. "We'll get settled in." Maria nods and walks out of the room.
Mummy and I place our bags and trunks by one of the empty beds and head back to the chapel to get the rest of them. "Well, we're here," Mummy whispers when we finish. "But how do we fit in with everyone else?"
"I guess we need to go along with what everyone else is doing," I whisper back as I sit on the bed. Mummy sits beside me. "It's going to be difficult."
"Yes, but we can do it. We've got here, haven't we?"
"Yes, but it will be a lot of work to return to the twenty-first century, and our work's only just beginning."