A.N: This was supposed to be posted a week ago… Ah well, my wonderful laptop had a case of the flu, which I'm currently in the middle of trying to rectify through desperate measures. So I apologise for the severe lateness, and hope that this makes up for it!
Thanks go to….James Jago (A smoar is mars bars and marshmallows melted together over a fire, absolutely heavenly! So physiotherapists, huh… :oP Glad you like!), Joshwales (Sequels are running around in my head, and if you look, there are links through :oP Btw, pretty cool story!), Freak and Proud (Never got around to reading Enid… As for the marshmallows, you're supposed to set them alight! That's what truly makes them! Tim Tams, on the other hand, are the best biscuit, apart from ANZAC biscuits, to come out of Oz. Basically double choc oreos in the shape of a rectange dipped in some of the best chocolate available!), Laseri (It would be possible. After all, the Doc's X chromosome came from his mother, who was human, and thus Josie must have full human… You get my point. If you want me to go into a bit more detail, shoot me an email. It's on my page, and I'll probably write you an essay :oP. As to how many chapters? In this story, I haven't sat down and worked it out, but it probably won't be more than around eight. Then there's the sequels if you're interested!), werewolflemming (Glad u like! Thanks for reading! The next one will probably come out the same time as I post the last chapter of this one, so that I don't lose the flow. So what's your fave type of cheese?), Dory Shotgun ( I'm in Prelim atm, and as for the watcher… You've given me food for thought….), eeveekitty85 (Sorry! I shall fix it! My excuse is that I update at or after midnight! As to why I called him Mr. Tyler, it's cause that's what the kids call him, so, status quo, my English teacher would kill me if I did otherwise (Hey Mrs. P!), Also take it you're a Poke'mon lover? My lil bro just discovered the gameboy games, and now I'm bribing him not to play…. How sad….Audrey? In case you haven't figured out, I wasn't as into the old series as I am the new :OS so would love to gain some of your knowledge :OD, And as I think I mentioned in an earlier chappie, I've modelled their ways on my own and my friends, and anyway, tis good to show maturity! As to the song, that's the original version. It did emerge early to mid thirteen hundreds, during the plague, and referred to children's views on the hellish situation they found themselves in. Btw, thanks for suggesting its publish-able! Still can't believe you reviewed six times! Muchos Grazias!), And AmyAmidala (Thanks for reading, as said, there are sequels growing in the back of my head!)
Rightio, thanks to all who have read, but once again I've blabbed far too long. At least I hope the length makes up for it!
Take care!
Thought of the week: I do not have a home in this building, but in the hearts of the people who make me smile.
The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 12.
Schemes and Sandwiches.
By Starlite1The waves crashed against the bow of the ship as it ploughed its way through the Channel, bearing home the King. A grim countenance dominated his chiselled face as he perched upon the yardarm, the wind lashing his shoulder-length hair as the spray blasted up from the ocean. Edward had always disliked travelling during the rather unsavoury winter months, but circumstances at home pressed him onwards.
"Your Majesty, we approach the mouth of the Aldonreigh!" His manservant called.
"Very well, Duncan." He answered, "Tell the Captain to make haste. It has been far too many moons since I stood upon the turf of my homeland." With that, he grasped a rope, cutting it free, and swooping down to land before the man.
Duncan stood gobsmacked as he observed the King of England. "Your Majesty, I do wish you would not do that. It plays havoc on my nerves."
"Oh come on, my good man!" Edward complained, turning to head down to his cabin, "Where lies the logic in behaving in such an uptight manner all the time? Allow me my frivolities, whilst I still have air in my lungs with which to do them!" He opened a door, ducking slightly to avoid his head colliding with the low beams.
"But your majesty-!"
Entering his cabin, he quickly swung up onto his hammock, and with a moan said, "Duncan, for all my upbringing and training, I still wish to retain at least some measure of sovereignty over my own destiny. 'Tis not an overly extravagant request."
Heaving a frustrated breath, the manservant spun on his heel and bustled out of the cabin.
Eyeing the door warily in case of his return, he stole across the room to his travelling case, nimbly removing the inside of the lid to reveal a sheaf of folded parchments, the most recent of which had arrived by messenger pigeon just before they had departed from France.
It read as follows,
16th February,
Dargason Court.
Your Majesty,
I am writing of a matter posing serous concern to those of your court still loyal unto thee. As I have discussed in previous correspondence, the unruly and questionable behaviour of your regent has escalated to the point where the firm majority find ourselves unable to find our rest come witching hour. Rumours of his being in league with some sort of Draconian devil spread, the providence of his ill-favoured spirit seems to become more certain with every passing hour. He has lost what menial and amiable quality he ever possessed within his soul to the thirst for power and dominance. Every minute he continues along this road draws our sovereign homeland deeper into the grips of a despair I fear we shan't ever find a way to escape from.
Thus, I entreat for your return home to the Court, for I fear that dark times are upon us. Without a king, we are doomed to fail.
Thus, I wish you Godspeed, and pray for your hasty return.
Your Loyal Subject,
Jonathon Smythe.
The breath hitched in his throat as he read, realising the event he had come to dread was finally upon him. Re-folding the letter, and replacing it once more in the secret compartment, he tried to swallow the anxiety in his throat. His thoughts were tumultuous, a tangled mess he doubted he could untangle. Somehow, deep inside he knew his destiny was ensnared with something greater here.
If only he knew what lay ahead.
IOIOIOI
Jackie Tyler lay in the middle of a field of slightly scarlet grass surrounded by plants from right across the universe on a ship belonging to her alien son-in-law. She severely doubted her friends would ever find the opportunity to say that. The few times she had been in the TARDIS for an extended stay, she had chosen this as her place to escape.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of feet approaching.
"You all right mum?" Rose asked, lying down beside her.
Jackie shrugged, "I guess. Just thinking."
"Seems we're all doing that rather frequently." Rose murmured.
She looked over at her daughter, "Wouldn't mind knowin' where you lot were last night though."
Rose's entire body sagged, "Living through hell, and scrambling back."
"You all right honey?"
"I suppose. I've lived through worse, but that's part of our turf."
"What happened?"
"Y'know the aliens who attacked us back home?"
"Yeah."
"They were there. Tried to take over the local keep. It was like a slaughterhouse, blood everywhere."
"You all right?"
"As I said, it's part of the turf. I was more worried about the kids…"
Jackie glanced over to her, "Why? Didn't they used to hide away the children or something?"
"Do you really think they'd have gone? As much as I may wish otherwise, they refused to remain with the women and children. Instead they positioned themselves in the most dangerous place they could. Not that I blame them. It's worse to be locked away somewhere, with the sounds of people screaming and dying echoing in your ears…and knowing that you can't do a single bloody thing about it. At least on the front line… you're doing something. You're not just sitting down waiting for death to come and claim you…"
"Is that why you went back?" Jackie demanded bluntly.
"Yes."
She exhaled in relief, "Well, at least now I know for a fact why you did it. We've never really talked about it."
"No, we haven't." Rose mused, "Not really. Still, I have four children to rouse from the land of nod, so I'd best be off."
"Four?"
She grinned, "Wait until breakfast."
"That was four hours ago!"
IOIOIOIOI
The door creaked slightly on its hinges when Rose opened the door. Her eyes widened as she beheld the numerous confectionary packages lying devoid of their contents strewn across the floor. She finally turned her gaze to the bed, and nearly burst out laughing at the sight. The four comrades were collapsed in a tangled heap on top of the cover, photos spread out before them.
Still refraining from chuckling, she immediately ducked down the corridor, and returned with her camera in hand. Quickly she took half a dozen shots before quietly closing the door.
IOIOIOIOI
"Mhmm…" Josie mumbled incoherently, slowly returning from dreamland, only to find an elbow in her mouth. Disgruntled, her eyes tracked up to their owner, who was splayed out over the bed's other current occupants, snoring slightly.
"Adrian…"She groaned, poking him in the side.
He muttered something undistinguishable and curled up into a ball. Relieved of the burden, she quickly headed to the bathroom. Grimly determined, she turned on the faucet.
"BLEAUGH!" The three shrieked as the cold water hit them.
"What did you do that for!" Adrian spluttered.
"The elbow in the face, thanks very much."
"Welcome."
"Anyway, it's lunch time, so time to get our butts out of bed, and find some chow."
"After what we ate?" Anita asked, "You've got to be kidding me."
"You're not hungry?" Senka said in surprise.
Her stomach grumbled obviously, and she grinned sheepishly, "Well, maybe slightly."
"Wonder what Grandma has made for breakfast?" Adrian commented airily, before they all trouped down the hall.
IOIOIOIOI
"Sir."
"Yes, what is it?" The figure replied from his chair once more.
The guard entered the room, "I bring the Regent."
"In here, if you please."
Guided by the guard's claw, Regent Mortimer entered the room.
"You may leave." He directed to the guard, who saluted, and practically sprinted out of the room. Disregarding the lack of propriety displayed by the guard, he instead turned to face the Regent.
He was a gaunt man, more of a skeleton sheathed in flesh and the finery of nobility than a living creature. His skin had a flimsy, diseased appearance, and was wrecked with smallpox scars. Greasy ringlets of flaxen hair were pulled to the nape of his head, accentuating the drawn, emaciated features of his face. Yet the most terrifying part of this visage were the eyes. One upon a time, they undoubtedly would have been beautiful, their aquamarine colours merrily dancing. Now, they looked out on the world through fully dilated pupils, the life that had once inhabited lost to the curtain of darkness that now enveloped their washed-out depths.
"You will obey me." The Figure stated.
The Regent turned towards the noise, "Aye."
"Our plan moves forth. Tonight, we shall complete the final solution. You have received your duties, aye?"
"No. Awaiting commands." The regent replied in a cold and slightly mechanical voice.
The Figure looked towards him sharply, "You are to welcome the… king home, and then all0w us to dispose of him, cementing you place in the future. Are you prepared?"
"Aye."
"Very well. Now if all goes to plan, we shan't have to worry about dealing with the wench once more"
IOIOIOIOIOIOI
The clatter of knives and cutlery echoed down the hall from the kitchen when the quartet approached.
Jackie glanced up from the remnants of the chicken when they entered, "They have arisen! We're having sandwiches for lunch, so could you get the fillings out? I'll finish carving this, and then we can start."
"Yes Ma'am!" Adrian and Josie chorused, heading over to the fridge.
"Erm… Sandwiches?" Senka questioned, glancing to Anita.
"Bread with meats, preserves, fruits and veggies in between two slices." She quickly explained, "I think we're having them cold today."
"Too right about that!" Jackie interjected, "It's summer at home, so we'll be having a meal suited to the season."
Senka looked at her in surprise, "Cold middays? That's strange."
Jackie gave him a smile, "It won't be the weirdest thing you'll experience with this bunch."
He shrugged, grinned, and dived into the fridge alongside the others, "It's cold!"
Jackie fondly rolled her eyes, before bellowing "LUNCH!"
Thirty seconds later, the elders tumbled through the door, chests heaving.
"We're here, Ma." Rose panted.
"And about time too." She chucked, surveying the men's grease-stained shirts, The pencil stuck carelessly behind Rose's ear, and the stethoscope errantly hanging around Lucy's neck, "Now sit down before I decide to put it away again."
Chairs scraped along the floor, as everyone took their places. Bowls ferried along the table, and Senka quickly got the idea behind the delicacy. Soon a chicken, salad, mayonnaise, ham and pineapple sandwich lay before him.
Gingerly, he took a bite, before proclaiming, "Delicious!"
It wasn't until the plates had all been cleared away that the inevitable part of the meal began.
"Right," The Doctor began, "A number of issues have arisen from last night, which I believe would be better dealt with sooner rather than later. Before we go any further, first, and probably most importantly, we need to talk about our two time refugees."
Senka perked up, "What do you mean Time refugees?" He demanded.
"Remember the City of lights?" Lucy prompted.
Senka considered it momentarily, "Yes…"
"That was my home in 2420." She stated bluntly.
"Oh…" Senka said numbly.
"We'll talk about it more later. Now though, I believe we have a choice to make."
"And what would that be?" He mumbled.
Lucy took a deep breath, "Do you want to stay here? On the TARDIS?"
"You mean live here?"
"Sort of." The Doctor interjected, "We half live in London, 2017, and half here. So you and your mother could come to our home, your mother could travel around with us, if she wants, and you could go to school with this lot."
"You mean those two." Anita mumbled softly.
Rose looked at her in surprise, "I thought your parents were sending you to Scotts."
Anita looked at her miserably, "Can you imagine my parents paying the fees for Scotts? I'll be heading to the All Girls Catholic Convent."
The Doctor gave her a pensive look, "We'll talk about this later, all right? Back to what we were talking about earlier, do you want to stay?"
Senka looked at his friends, "Here it's the same thing every day. I'm a kitchen boy today, and I'll be tomorrow, and although I might one day be the head swordsman, it will still be the same thing over and over, day after day. I don't think I want to spend the rest of my life like that."
"Well then, welcome aboard!" The Doctor proclaimed, "Onto the next pressing item of business: The Z'keth."
"Who are they?" Lucy questioned.
A dark look came over Jackie's eyes, "A bunch of aliens who trampled my roses,"
"And attacked the Keep last night." Rose added, "For the past three days we've been running into them, and now we need to know why."
"Last night their Emissary said something about their attack being in the name of the King." Adrian supplied helpfully.
The Doctor pursed his lips, "This is worse than I thought then. If there are aliens playing around in earth's past, and they're being backed by the King, then we need to try and sort it out, or history's going to go horribly wrong. Not to mention the prophecy…"
"What prophecy?" Josie challenged.
The other three children looked around nervously, whilst Jack said simply, "None of your business, Miss. You'll find out when the time's right. Regardless, we still have the Z'keth to deal with. By the way, did you want to acquire your possessions from the keep before we leave?"
Lucy nodded, "I have no clue if we'll be able to go back again, so it would be a wise move. I do have some things that I have procured over the years I would be rather upset to loose."
"Anything else?" Jackie asked.
The Doctor grinned, "Just our next destination."
IOIOIOIOI
Anita lay on the palette in her room, staring up at the star-studded ceiling, contemplating putting on the outfit upon the chair.
Her musings were interrupted by a knock at the door.
"What!" She called out, expecting Adrian or Senka to be standing there telling her to hurry up. Instead the door opened to reveal the Doctor.
"Oh, Hey Do-Mr-Uhm…." She mumbled, sitting up and staring at him in surprise.
He smiled at her kindly, "Just the Doctor will do fine, Anita. It's a bit easier than Mr. Tyler is anyway, but I can't go around simply calling myself the Doctor on earth. Rather a shame, actually…Still, back to why I dropped in. Do you want to go to Scotts?"
Anita looked at him sharply, "Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Of course." She stated, "To be able to go to Scotts would be a dream come true! I mean, not only is one of the best schools in the country, but I'd still be with Josie."
The Doctor grinned, "I take it that the Convent wasn't that appealing?"
"What do you think? Droning nuns who still wear full length habits, sluts who think that they rule the world, and basically nowhere to go afterwards apart from to the altar isn't really an appealing future, in anyone's terms."
"That's fantastic. Because what I'd like to suggest is that we give you a 'Scholarship' in history for Scotts. Full board, same as Josie, fees and auxiliaries paid right through to A-Levels."
"You're kidding!" She gasped in astonishment, "But…Not to sound rude or anything, is there a catch?"
He smiled at her reassuringly, "You're a smart person for asking. There's no catches, because even if you had a huge fight with Josie, Adrian would most likely still drag you along, and Rose couldn't bear to leave you with your…parents. But, you do know that if you decide to take history, it would be an absolute breeze, not to mention it would back up the cover story. Just so you know."
She whooped, "Goodbye Convent, hello WORLD! Thank you SO much! This is totally cool!"
The Doctor chuckled, "Glad you approve. Brilliant, I am! But you'd best be dressed pretty quickly, because I believe the party for the village is nearly ready to head off."
IOIOIOIOI
The Briar Rose crashed through the swell, navigating through the headlands to the dock, even as the winds attempted to make it otherwise. The Starboard narrowly missed the wharf, in a move that made the deckhands wince. Through sheer dumb luck, they managed to anchor, and the gangway was lowered quickly to allow the Harbourmaster to come aboard.
"Your majesty, you would be well advised to stay where you are, sir! A titanic Tempest bears down, and even now we are battening down the hatches."
Edward looked at the man, "Where did it come from, my good fellow? We saw naught to suggest such a thing out in the channel!"
"Aye, that's 'cause twasn't in the channel. It blew up out of nowhere, and now we can do naught but pray!"
Edward replied grimly, "Aye, so mote it shall be. We shall wait until dawn to attempt to come ashore. So until then!"
"As ye wish, your majesty!" The harbourmaster replied before hurrying off once more into the fog.
Sighing, Edward trudged back downstairs once more, stumbling as the ship pitched with the waves. Lurching into his cabin, he somehow swung himself up into his hammock once more. As he listened to the creaks and moans and groans of the ship as it battled against the Tempest, he considered attempting to get some sleep. Heaven knows that his return to Court would signify the beginnings of many restless nights.
Out of nowhere a gin-soaked rag suffocated his mouth. Desperately he fought against his attacker, his defence becoming weaker and weaker as he fell into the sweet embrace of oblivion.
IOIOIOIOIOI
A.N: So whaddya think? Reviews are wonderful, especially now my exams are over! Constructive criticism helped me get full marks in one of my English papers, so I look forward to more, but flames shall be used for toasted cheese sandwiches.
Until we meet again!