Dan Lewis wondered if he had made a mistake. The reason he chose a place for something romantic wasn't entirely for himself. Yes, a gift for Diane would do wonders to help heal whatever wounds were caused from surviving the Flux. However, he imagined such locations could easily kindle romance too.

He hadn't expected Sherwood Forest with robots.

"Welcome to Volterra," the Doctor explained while they walked under a stone archway into some elaborate marketplace. "This is the outskirts of Raculd, the capital city of the planet. Here, they mastered electronic energies to galvanize metal constructs to connect with the planets naturally expansive magnetic field." She looked back at her two companions as excitement drained with clear confusion. "…They make things float and zap stuff they don't like."

Dan nodded, getting a clear idea of why the armored guards were walking everywhere with fancy spears. It was hard to discern anything through the furry hat on his head. They had gone through the Tardis' wardrobe to find what the Doctor claimed was 'proper'. This led to a blue cloak for the Doctor, ruby red tunic for Yaz, and what felt like ten beavers wrapped around Dan.

They started getting further into the crowds of shoppers and sellers, which made Dan go into his usual tactics for survival. The biggest being to let both women lead, traveling with Yaz for several years had given him a greater understanding for being wayward travelers of the stars. The second rule, to be aware of his surroundings which were currently colder than even a Liverpool resident would be comfortable with. Everyone spoke 'English' well enough thanks to weird way the Tardis scrambled words to be understood. Being bombarded by vendors selling their items in a familiar tone of voice, many even having the familiar accent, didn't present Dan with any comforting thoughts.

Dan loved traveling, seeing all kinds of cultures. While he had never been to a renaissance fair, it seemed likely this place was similar. At least until two scaled chicken creatures' teeth tore into his fur coat.

"Oi!" He screamed, yanking himself free of the fangs. "Hey, Mate, I think you need a better cage."

The whole marketplace suddenly spread out far away from Dan. Looking at the stranger who held the cage, they seemed to get taller with every second from pure rage. It was easier to see the rows of bones sewn into their attire, some of them were almost human.

"You don't like my cages?"

"Um," Dan struggled to find words while burning green eyes looked down at him, a sensation of being studied for what could be picked off for cash overwhelmed everything. "J-Just saying… that little thing in there almost took off my leg 'cause of how wide the bars ar—"

A massive clawed hand gripped his shoulder. Its nails digging with the cutting force of knives. Dan struggled to not scream, feeling his arm prepared to be ripped out.

"Perhaps you'll respect my cages better, Inside One!"

With the ease of picking up a small stick, Dan was lifted from ground. Before he could be carried off to a crueler fate, the massive Hunter's frame became stiff. Looking down, a familiar bit of blonde hair was crouched over the their large leg.

"What…S-Sorcery!?" It gasped.

"Just a little trick I picked up from the Venusians. Does wonders on most, but bigger foes have much larger nerves to fiddle with. Not nice messing with potential customers, Mate."

"R-Release…ME."

"Only if you agree to a trade," the Doctor warned. "This is a market after all. You let my friend go, and you stop the bone collecting. All bones." The Hunter's paralyzed form struggled to make their skeletal trinkets rattle at their volcanic fury held back by a few fingers. "This pact will bind you, whenever you dare to think of stealing the pieces of another for the pleasure of pain, this sensation will haunt you. I suggest you take up gardening instead, less need for mutilation. Now, let him go."

The giant's frame trembled, it shook through Dan's whole body and he worried his arm would simply snap off from the tension. But then gravity and he landed on muddy ground. Yaz managed to keep him from tumbling backwards. They both looked nervously down at the Time Lord as she released her hold, stepping back to join them. The greater crowd now formed a tighter circle from surprise and morbid curiosity at what might happen next. All watched the Hunter violently twitching, every movement abruptly halted. Their entire belief in cruelty now trapped them completely.

"You see, gang, this is why having hobbies creates lots more options." The Doctor pointed out.

After a moment, the Hunter's twitching stopped.

"Fine," The Hunter cold's glee in his voice made everything feel uneasy. "I WON'T HARM YOU."

He reached into a pouch on his belt and tossed out dust. It showered Dan, Yaz, and the Doctor, reeking of soured onions while trying to cough its nastier taste out. The sound of metallic locks on cages rang out. Then hungry howls filled the air.

The scaled chicken along with several other beasts jumped free of their cages and started approaching. Their eyes were wide in feral rage. The three travelers stepped back, the Doctor standing between them and her companions, arms spread out.

"LIVE BAIT, MY FAVORITE."

The Hunter chuckled as the trio barely dodged snapping jaws and claw swipes.
"THEY'LL CHEW TO THE BONE BEFORE STOPPING."

Drool from vicious jaws proved the Hunter's words were not hyperbole. While Dan considered going for a big stick somewhere, the Doctor had that look in her eye. Now things would get interesting.

"Yaz, get lidded jar. Dan, get something fizzy, bubbling. Run for the red tent behind us."

"Fizzy? Doc, wh—"

"No time, hungry teeth, RUN!"

Her shout triggered whatever kept the beasts from moving and now howled, charging. They split up, Dan went left, Yaz turned right, and the Doctor rushed along the various vendors. She seemed to be sniffing along the spices, but Dan felt something almost take his leg and moved faster.

With people backing away, some apparently going to call the guards, Dan did an intricate dance of avoiding death. One lunged and stumbled, he almost tripped but caught himself on a wooden stand. Struggling to catch his breath, Dan heard something bubbling. It didn't require a flame, that seemed important. He grabbed the whole cup, muttering out an apology before charging away.

Running fast, trying not to spill a drop, Dan even kicked one beast before it could maul Yaz. They joined the Doctor, a pouch in her hands.

"Brilliant, 1,000 points each for teamwork."

She looked eager to shower more praise but stopped when the beasts started closing in.

"Right, we'll take score later. Alright, first, Yasmin Khan with the pot, thank you. Daniel Lewis, nice choice of fizzy, now poor slowly. Now me, something sweet and spicy. Now the lid." She started shaking the combination.

"Now what?" Yaz asked, they then turned to face the creatures. Crouched low, ready to pounce, the buffet would open in moments. The Doctor kept shaking.

"Now," she raised the jar high. "Close your eyes, and hold your breath. Time for a magic trick."

She slammed the jar on the ground and grey smoke erupted with a screech form her sonic screwdriver. Everything vanished in the sudden cloud. Dan almost yelped as something gripped his arm. But he had known that pull for years, Yaz was surprisingly strong despite their size. Tugged by Yaz who held onto the Doctor, they charged through the smoke. Swishing movements around them implied their attackers were delayed… for a moment.

When finally free of grey crowds, they could see the Hunter had pulled out a high-tech crossbow.

"And, Break!" The trio split at the Doctor's words, an arrow flew right past them.

Dan and Yaz hit the ground, but the Doctor rolled into a running charge. She got too close to shoot so their attacker tried to decapitate with the blades on either side of his crossbow. The Doctor ducked the slice, grabbing his pouch from before. She sliced it with the crossbows blade. It sprayed all over the Hunter until he seemed a different color. Before they could fire again, a cry of hunger boomed from the smoke.

"Funny thing about Gorin," the Doctor explained. "Those pheromones that compel them to devour whatever wears it get easily diluted with smoke, but they'll smell the aroma for miles, seeking the biggest source."

The Hunter aimed right at her head. He seemed eager to fire, but then all his former Gorin rushed out at him.

"Hope those cages aren't too small."

Howling defiantly, the Hunter shot one Gorin before locking himself inside a large cage. It's slightly wide bars still left fangs still within reach. Before they fully dig in, the Hunter was splashed in water.

"Gorin are deemed too volatile for open market on most planets," the Doctor said while lowering a bucket. "Let's see how the royal guard view this little ignorance of the rules."

A flick of her sonic trapped the Hunter in their own cage while the Gorin looked about in confusion without proper prey. She looked prepared to help lock them up, when they were abruptly incinerated by bolts of lightning.

Armored knights rushed in, lances that sparked with excess energy aimed at them. All three travelers raised their hands defensively, backing up to a nearby cart of furs.

"This isn't much of a gift shop, Doc." Dan muttered, as they were pressed fully against the cart.

"Alright," the Doctor muttered trying to reach into her coat pocket, "Not to be rude. But are pointing at the wrong people."

"We are pointing our weapons just fine," one of the knights, blue stripes along their helmet and armor implied greater rank. "You are responsible for causing a disturbance, stealing from local vendors, and exposing the public safety to the danger of unleashed Gorin."

"Right," the Doctor said she pulled out of thin piece of paper. "Perhaps this will he—"

Lighting smoothly struck the piece of paper holding her psychic paper, it burned to ashes with only the slightest ripple of dispersed mental energy being unleashed. Nothing too intense, it only caused a sudden headache of confusion before quickly fading. The knights shook off this sudden fatigue and charged their weapons more deliberately.

"Unleashing a chemical compound in the Capital Market and wielding some different weapon on royal guards." The Commander dictated each of these 'crimes', his eyes burning with conviction of one who easily marked them for death. "You will be taken to a cell, awaiting a trial. Failure to comply will lead to immediate execution. Now turn around so you may be restrained." His tone promised he hoped they would make this agonizingly simple.

With little else they could do, the Doctor looked to both her friends and motioned to comply. Dan thoughts became darker now that adrenaline faded. He imagined a table, Diane sitting in a beautiful dress, opposite an empty chair. Her tears unanswered for what happened to a fool who couldn't be found and properly scolded. Before cold iron could bite his wrists, an angel cried out.

"WAIT"

All heads snapped up at the cart of furs. Something in them shuffled around. Dan noticed a boot before something green tumbled out. On instinct, the Doctor reached out and managed to catch them, each passing second revealing a rather… impressive woman. She looked stunning even fur matted hair and dirt crusting her face. The Doctor carefully set her down. Before anything could be explained, the woman reached out and caressed her face.

"Darling," she said sweetly. "You promised not to make a fuss before your introduction to court. Always so daring."

The woman then grasped the Doctor's head in both hands and pressed their lips together. The Timelord gave a muffled squeak of surprise. Dan's jaw dropped while he could only describe Yaz's expression as one who wondered if they had indeed died and gone to the worst of Hell. While everyone stared at this spectacle, only the Knights were quicker to respond.

"Enough of this," the Commander shouted out. "I will not have my authority ignor—"

"Commander Lumien," the woman snapped. "You have been too bold in my presence."

She stepped away from the Doctor to face their possible executioners. When they fully saw her, every single one looked as if expecting to die on the spot. The Commander and his group fell to their knees, lowering their weapons with a hard clatter.

"Your Highness," Commander Lumien's voice had fallen to barely a whisper. "There is no excuse for this disgrace. We… had not… there had been word of your abduction only the other day."

"Some time has passed, Commander; clearly, I am found. You had almost made my rescuers suffer in your ignorance."

The Commander only bowed his head lower in growing shame. Dan still had his hands up but finally processed how their situation had changed. But he couldn't escape the feeling that danger remained.

"Commander," the woman said. "These rash actions can be overlooked with your assistance."

"By my blood and soul, I will serve."

The woman nodded, turning back give them a brief smile. She then turned back and despite her messy attire, even he felt like lots of bowing would be in his future. Holding out a hand, the Doctor realized the gesture and stepped forward to grasp it.

"Your commitment is forever known. My task is simple, spread word to all of Raculd. Let it be heard before the sun passes another hour that Lamir Cal, Princess of Raculd and Heir to Volterra is now returned. Let it be known also that any search for suitors has ceased."

Her grasp on the Doctor turned into a passionate embrace.

"This woman, my rescuer, she is my Champion, and chosen bride to Volterra's throne."