"Lola?" the Doctor asked, bemused and slightly angry, "but you're the princess, you have a responsibility to your people!"
"Yes, and it is that responsibility that made me do what I did!" Lola said. She sounded so far from the bubbly girl that never shut up, it was as though she was a different person.
The Doctor looked between Lola, Rose, Adair, Jack and Amber, for once completely confused.
"What exactly is going on here?" he asked.
"Perhaps we should bring Mali in here, as she seems to be the other conspirator," Jack said.
"Isn't there somewhere we can talk that's a little more private?" Amber said, looking out of the glass doors to where other staff, scholars and elders were wandering around.
"My room is free, no one will come there," Lola said.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just report you to your Uncle for stealing right now?" the Doctor said to the teen.
"Because I said not to," Amber answered for her, "No one here knows the full picture except Lola, and I want to hear it before we jump to conclusions."
"I think we know what's going on," Rose said, sounding betrayed. She felt bad for trusting and liking Lola.
"Did you know Lola is getting married tomorrow?" Jack asked.
"Not if I can help it!" Lola said as Roselooked surprisedand shook her head.
The Doctor frowned then nodded at Amber.
"Ok, let's talk."
In the peace and safety of her room, Lola told them everything.
"It was a set up," she said, "I'm not trying to deny that I am the thief, because I am. I know the city and the palace well, I have alibis and consorts in the staff who would do anything to help me, but I wasn't doing it for my own selfish reasons."
She took a deep breath then continued.
"My parents were loving, caring rulers of this city, and thy were much adored by their people, as was my Mother's sister, next in line for the throne should something happen. I was born and, though I wasn't male like the elders hoped, everyone was glad, everyone except one person, who through my birth had lost their claim on the throne.
"For years nothing happened, then when I was four my Mother's sister died of a fever. The city mourned the loss of such a bright, giving woman, who though she wasn't Queen and never would be, was looked upon almost as a spiritual leader, and gave their heartfelt condolences to her husband, who was suitably devastated at his loss.
"Then when I was seven, my Mother and Father both contracted a similar illness. A rare but deadly fever among the Sertian people that often afflicts families, killing them all at the same time. My Uncle attended them, risking his own neck to try and save theirs. He took them herbal remedies, chemical medicines, anything the doctors recommended, but they never recovered. The people mourned their deaths, but rejoiced that I had not suffered the same ill fated end, and so my Uncle became the Steward, keeping the throne warm and the city afloat until I came of age and could take the throne myself.
"Until a while ago I believed completely that my aunt and parents had all been struck down by a fever, until I discovered from Mali during one of my many days spent helping in the kitchen, of a herb that, when ingested is highly poisonous, causing similar symptoms to those of the deadly fever that killed my parents.
"After that I became suspicious and began noticing things about my Uncle that weren't right. I snuck into his room and looked through his things and found detailed family histories, lists of obscure relatives that might have claims on the throne, recipes for poisons, lists of their symptoms, and worst of all, his own name written alongside mine on a family tree, bonded by marriage.
"I thought it was just his own imaginings, but later he came to me and told me he had proposed our marriage to the elders and they had agreed it was an excellent idea and given him their full consent. I never even got a say in it, and I know they wouldn't believe me if I told them he had murdered my parents, his wife and was plotting to take the throne for his own evil ends.
"So, I became the thief, stealing artefacts and valuables, hiding them in the kitchens with help from Adair and Mali. I hoped to store them in my Uncle's room, framing him for a crime he didn't commit to put him away for the crime he did commit." Lola bowed her head as she finished reciting her tale. Adair had his hand on her shoulder and Mali was drying her eyes on her apron.
"So, why didn't your Uncle just kill you?" Rose asked.
"No claim to the throne then," Adair said, "Some other relative would step up with a better claim, only by marrying could he secure his seat."
"He plans to reveal to everyone his plan after the wedding, just as it's too late," Mali said, "As soon as the ceremony is done he will tell everyone what he has done when they are powerless to do anything about it."
The Doctor, who had remained silent and thoughtful through all of this, spoke at last.
"Is there any other way he can claim the throne?" he asked.
Lola shook her head.
"No, and only by allowing him to claim the throne can we reveal his true intentions," she said, speaking seriously, thoughtfully and insightfully, just like a true Queen. As she sat there, self-contained and noble, it was easy to see the ruler she would become.
"Then what if he marries you, but doesn't marry you?" the Doctor asked.
Lola, Adair and Mali looked at him confused, but one person in the room had guessed the Doctor's intentions.
"No…way…" Amber said, clearly very horrified.
"I'm beginning to think it was a bad idea coming with you lot…" Amber grumbled as Lola changed into her coronation gown.
"Only beginning?" the Doctor asked with a cheeky grin.
"This is abuse," Amber said blandly.
"Come on, even you couldn't let this city be taken over by an evil leader with his eyes set on the throne," the Doctor said.
Amber couldn't think of a snappy enough reply, so she settled with glaring.
"What?" the Doctor asked, "You were happy enough when solving the crime involved running around chasing after people and fighting! Now it's time to use a bit of stealth and brain and you are complaining like a four year old being made to eat vegetables!"
Amber just folded her arms impatiently.
"So you can shape shift?" Adair asked.
"Unfortunately," Amber replied.
"Why didn't you grow wings and fly off the cliff after Lola then?" he asked.
"I don't have wings normally, I don't know how they work, the muscle structure and things required to move them. I could imitate the shape but to actually use them is another thing altogether," Amber explained.
"Makes sense," Adair said with a shrug.
"The ceremony doesn't require flying or anything then?" Jack asked.
"No," Adair said, "Luckily."
"This just reminds me why I hate dresses," Lola said, holding up a very tent like, but beautiful white dress. Rose looked at it adoringly.
"That's gorgeous!" she said, holding it out and inspecting all the intricate ruches and pleats, "I'd love to wear a dress like this for my wedding!"
"Well you can have it!" Lola said, "because now it looks like I won't even be wearing it."
She gave a little grin of glee at this thought.
"Well you have to wear it now miss, so that blue haired girl can see what you look like in it!" Mali said, holding out her hands to take the dress.
"She chased me all through the city!" Lola said, "Thought she would have given up a bit sooner, had to resort to drastic measures to lose her."
Rose giggled, then turned to inspect the rest of Lola's walk-in wardrobe while Mali helped her into her dress.
"Are you any good with hair, miss?" Mali asked, turning to Rose.
"Who me?" Rose asked, "Yeah, I can do a thing or two."
"Isn't brushing it good enough?" Lola asked, looking at her long rich brown locks with distaste.
"Hair is fun!" Rose said, "Me and my mate Shireen used to spend hours doing each other's hair."
She took Lola's hair into her hands and began to twist it into an elegant style.
"You have such lovely hair too!" Rose said, "Not like mine, mine's boring. At least it was until I dyed it."
"You have cool hair, and cool clothes!" Lola said, "Why can't girls here dress like you do?"
"Yeah, does seem you lot need a fashion revolution – maybe you could do that," Rose said, "When you're Queen you'll be able to do whatever you like."
Lola looked as though this thought had only just really hit her as possible. She had joked about it for years, but with the constant threat of her Uncle taking the throne she had stopped believing it would ever happen.
"That is what I have to look like?" Amber asked as Lola came out from her dressing room and gave them all a twirl.
Jack, who was finding this all very funny, burst into near hysterical laughter.
"Oh this is going to be fantastic!" he said.
"Hey, that's my word!" the Doctor said.
"It was the only one fit to describe the situation Doc," Jack replied with a grin.
Amber was not impressed.
"I can't believe this," she said, then looked to the ceiling, closed her eyes and began working on her transformation.
Her hair went first, turning from vibrant blue to dark brown, and growing several inches in length. It automatically shifted into the style Rose had done for Lola, without need for hairgrips and ties. Her face then began to melt from her defined, almost angular features into Lola's soft, baby faced, rosy cheeked look. The next thing Lola knew, it was like looking in a mirror.
"That's creepy," Lola said, "You won't have to do much about your attitude either, because I think I would have that face on if it was me walking down the aisle."
Jack was still laughing to himself, which prompted Amber to smack him with a gloved hand.
"Ouch!" he complained.
"Serves you right," Amber snapped.
Later, when all the preparation had gone underway, and everyone was just about ready to settle to bed, Rose remembered a slight problem.
"We said we would catch the thief!" she said.
"We did," the Doctor said.
"Then perhaps we should head back to the TARDIS and pretend we've run, rather than face the shame of failing," Amber suggested.
"Good idea," the Doctor said.
"Then we can find Lola some coronation presents, I'm sure she'd like some of my clothes," Rose said eagerly.
The Doctor grinned.
"Yes, you can certainly afford to part with some of your clothes – it's a wonder the TARDIS can take off at all with the weight of your wardrobe!"
Rose tried to look angry but it didn't last long before melting into a smile, and she skipped up to the Doctor, walking hand in hand with him back to their home.
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