Rose woke early the next morning and sorted through some clothes for Lola. The princess was about the same height and size as Rose, and would probably have no problem fitting into anything that Rose picked out. She chose items of particularly vibrant colour she felt would match Lola's personality.
She skipped into the console room to find the Doctor watching Nadir on a screen. He was being informed by the butler of the palace that there was no sign of the Doctor and his companions. He nodded in a resigned fashion but there was a hint of relief in his eyes.
"You'll have to take me somewhere where I can wear this dress next," Rose said to the Doctor.
He looked up to see her holding it up against herself, marveling in its intricate beauty.
"I know a nice little planet where the dress code is ball gowns for women, suits for men," the Doctor replied, looking back down at the screen he was tinkering with, "We could take a visit if you like, only, you may get roped into performing in their daily opera if you are not careful…"
"Isn't there ever a planet that doesn't come with complications?" Rose asked with a giggle.
"Compared to conspiracies to steal the throne, daleks and war-time England, singing in an opera is fairly minor," the Doctor replied, "at least the only thing you stand to lose is your pride, rather than a limb!"
When Rose didn't come up with a snappy reply, the Doctor looked up from what he was doing. Rose was looking down at the tag in her dress with a mix of curiosity and horror.
"What's wrong, just discovered it's dress size eight, not ten?" the Doctor quipped.
"No," Rose said, ignoring his cheeky comment, "the design brand is Bad Wolf, Bad Wolf designs…"
"And there was me thinking we had got through a whole adventure without hearing those two words…" the Doctor joked halfheartedly.
It was starting to creep him out a bit. Two words, following them through time and space. Who had the power to do that? Who was the Bad Wolf? And what did they want with him and his companions?
"I still can't believe you guys were serious when you said your space ship was the blue police box…" Adair said, looking round the TARDIS appreciatively.
"It's a chameleon circuit," the Doctor said, "Disguises the TARDIS so it blends in wherever it lands, only it's broken so it's stuck looking like a police box."
"And the whole bigger on the inside thing?" Adair asked.
"It's trans-dimensional," the Doctor said with a smug grin.
"And why do you have another space ship inside it?"
"What is this, twenty questions?" the Doctor asked, "That's Amber's ship, another impressive piece of technology, but we'll leave that one for another day shall we? We have things to do!"
"You mean I have things to do…" Amber said.
"That's right! Now, Adair, where is Lola right now?" the Doctor asked.
"She's got to do a couple of things in preparation, then she's coming over here," Adair said.
"Ok, here's the plan then," the Doctor said.
"Must be nice to say that," Rose said with a wicked grin, "no 'trigger-happiness' when you're in charge!"
The Doctor grinned back.
"What's wrong with trigger happy?" Jack asked.
"Nothing," Amber said, "Until you accidentally shoot yourself in the foot with the powerful laser gun you keep in your pocket…"
"Maybe I'll stop keeping it in my pocket then," Jack said.
"Plan!" the Doctor said.
"Ok, Doc, fire away!" Jack said, "No pun intended."
Lola was used to sneaking around, weeks of being the Twilight Thief had given her plenty of experience, but getting from the palace to the TARDIS was the trickiest thing she had ever done.
As soon as she got back to the privacy of her room after being briefed by the city elders, for about the hundredth time, on the service she was about to go through, she locked the door and climbed out of the window.
She glided down to the ground then headed straight for the woods, where the trees would cover her wings. Flying was too risky, anyone could see her. She sprinted through the thick trees, hoping that the Doctor was keeping up his side of the deal and getting her replacement in place before anyone could become suspicious.
Meanwhile, Amber was walking through the gardens, disguised as Adair. No one stopped her, or so much as looked at her for more than a brief moment, she just strolled right up and then round the outside, before having a quick look round for people with her binoculars, and climbing into Lola's room through the window.
After shutting the window and curtains, Amber switched back to her normal self. She still had a while before she had to do anything according to Lola, so she occupied herself having a look around.
The room was huge and full of elegant sweeping drapes, very princessly. Apart from the huge walk in wardrobe there was an ensuite bathroom and a separate study area. Amber opened the drawers in the desk to find plenty of doodles, a note or two from Adair, and not much else. She could see why the Elders thought it was a good idea Lola married her older, more sensible Uncle.
There was a knock on the door, and the sound of a key turning. Amber jumped and began to switch to Lola's appearance. It took her longer than other transformations, as she had to shape the wings that grew from Lola's shoulders, two appendages she was not normally in possession of. She heard the key clicking and the door opening when she was still only half transformed.
"Lola?" Came the sinister voice of Nadir, her Uncle. "Lola, where are you?"
Amber shrank back into the shadows, trying to buy herself time to complete the complex transformation.
"Lola, you can't hide in here all day, you have a ceremony to attend…"
Nadir turned round a corner into the study room to see Lola standing there.
"What were you doing back here?" he asked.
"Rehearsing," Amber replied.
"Rehearsing what?" Nadir asked.
"The ceremony, in my head," Amber said quickly.
"Well, don't get any funny ideas, girl, today has to go exactly as planned," Nadir said, grabbing Amber by the face and forcing her to look at him.
Amber tried to keep her eyes down and hoped Nadir didn't notice that they were orange, not Lola's deep shade of brown.
Nadir pushed her away and stalked out of the room, calling out as he left for her to hurry up and make her way to the City hall for the coronation.
"I don't think today will go quite as you planned," Amber said, her own voice coming from Lola's mouth as she grinned wickedly and walked out, her train trailing out behind her.
The City hall was full to the brim with crowds. Adair stood near the back next to Rose, who had a cloak over her so she wasn't so instantly recognisable. The Doctor and Jack were standing in the shadows, ready to leap into action when the time came and Lola was outside, hiding in the TARDIS which they had sneakily parked round the side of the building, away from sight. The Doctor had a phone that he was going to use to let her know when to suddenly appear.
"You look dead smart," Rose said to Adair.
"Well, I wanted to get dressed up for the real occasion," he said with a shrug.
"So, who got invited to this then?" Rose asked.
"Everyone who's anyone, and quite a few people who aren't anyone. Anyone who isn't here is watching outside on a video screen in the town centre.
"Think we might cause quite a stir," Rose said.
"Either way it was going to cause quite a stir," Adair said with a grin.
The music suddenly started and the doors opened to reveal Amber all disguised as Lola. Rose thought it was a shame that Lola wasn't going to get the opportunity to do this properly, as she looked absolutely beautiful in all the elaborate dress and train.
Adair looked awestruck, then kind of embarrassed as he remembered it wasn't actually Lola, but a shape-shifting, blue-haired alien he didn't know.
Amber walked down the central row created by the crowds of smiling clapping people. Her hair was full of confetti and she was holding an enormous bunch of flowers. She did her best to smile at Lola's adoring subjects, to look graceful and stately, not awkward and glowering. It didn't help much that she could see Jack laughing at her out of the corner of her eye. A tad vindictively, she slapped him with her telekinesis, much to the amusement of the Doctor.
The council of Elders, accurately described by Lola as a bunch of old men, rose as Amber took her seat in the throne, passing her flowers on to a pretty little Sertian girl with baby pink wings.
Nadir smiled as he watched on, his face betraying no sign of his malicious intent. He only gave a flicker of satisfaction as the white gold tiara was placed on Amber's head and she was declared Queen of Corfeil.
Amber stood up and turned to face Nadir as he walked over to her. The eldest of the Elders looked between them, a rosy smile on his face as he placed their hands together, binding them with rope, a symbol of the bond they shared in matrimony.
Amber looked up at Nadir coolly as his eyes dared her to contest the union. He did not notice her sudden change of eye colour, nor of temperament – he was far too wrapped up in his plan coming together. It was too far in the making now for things to go wrong, or so he believed.
"May you together rule this city wisely and for many years to come!" the Elder said, removing the rope, signalling the end of the ceremony.
He stepped back and linked his hands in front of him in a gesture of satisfaction. Nadir smiled benevolently as the crowd cheered. He took Amber's hand and turned to face the crowd, lifting their joined hands together as the crowd cheered appreciatively. He chose to overlook the deadpan expression on Adair's face, and the unusual looking woman stood beside him.
"Today is a wondrous day for me, my friends, for today I have realised my dream," Nadir said. The crowd silenced to listen to him speak. "Today you have granted me the one thing I wanted above all else by allowing me to marry this wretched girl…"
He twisted Amber's arm and pushed her to the floor as the crowd gasped in unison.
"Today you have granted me power that none of you can take away! I am your king, and you will abide by my rule, you will obey my every command or face the punishment for high treason! My first command is for all your wages to become mine, I will lead this country into war and take over the whole planet, and everyone will be powerless to stop me!"
"You can't do that!" someone called out.
"I'm the king!" he called back, "I can do whatever I want!"
"You're only the king if you marry the princess!" Lola called marching through the door.
The crowd gasped again, turning back and forth between the doorway and the stage where Nadir was stood.
"What?" Nadir said, looking down at the Lola by his feet.
Amber smirked back up at him, a look of smug satisfaction on her face as she pointed a gun at his head.
One more chapter to go! then it's part four i believe! please review xxx