A/N: Pretty sure grapejuice101 is the savior of fanfiction writers everywhere.

It's 2 in the morning, I didn't write my English essay, and I'm sick. I better get reviews. :P

I ripped my arm out of the Master's grasp and stumbled backwards. "No," I breathed. "I'm not going anywhere alone with you. Not after the last time." He reached for my arm again and I slapped it away, taking another few steps back. "I demand to be arrested with my friends."

The Master waved his hand at the guards and they started to escort Clara, Robin, and the Doctor off of the field. I started to go after them, but the Master caught my elbow and pulled me back to his side.

"No! Let go of me!" I exclaimed as I pushed against his chest.

He raised a hand as if to slap me and I raised my free arm to cover my face. "Be quiet, girl!" he hissed. "You brought yourself to me and I will not be so foolish as to let you go again."

"Please. Master, let me be with them. I don't know anything. My powers can't help you right now because I don't know what's going to happen. So please just… just let me go with them."

The Master tilted his head to the side in curiosity. "Powers?" he repeated. "Of what powers do you speak?"

"Oh, just stop with the playing dumb act! You were the one who told me about them!"

A small, yet still terrifying smile spread across the Master's face and he tightened his grip on my arm. "Remind me of your powers then, my dear," he purred.

"I don't even know what they are, I've told you that!" I exclaimed. "The Doctor can't tell me and you won't tell me, so I can only guess that it has something to do with the fact that I jump all over bloody time and space. Alright? So now you know what I know. Are you happy?"

"It will suffice for now."

The Master took me inside and into the lower part of the castle where I assumed the dungeon was. The lower we went into the castle, the moldier, damper, and smellier it became. It didn't seem to bother the Master very much, but it bothered me very, very much. Altogether, the last few hours felt too similar to the last time I had met this incarnation of the Master.

I couldn't help but wonder as I was dragged through the castle why the Master had seemed not to recognize us. I understood not recognizing Clara or the Doctor, but surely he knew that the Doctor was always nearby whenever I was around? He had only slightly altered his appearance the second time the Doctor and I found him in Medieval England, yet his voice and some of his mannerisms were completely different but still had that same spark of evil and cruelty. It was unsettling and confusing to say the least.

To my great relief, I was brought to the same place as my friends. There was a small room just before the countless cells that stretched through the castle and in that room was a jailer of some kind, three robotic knights, and their prisoners. The Doctor spotted me first and his face immediately brightened when our eyes met.

"Theta!" I cried, straining against the Master's grip to run to him.

"Diana, thank heaven," he breathed.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly. "Clara, Robin? Are you hurt?"

"We're fine," Clara replied quickly. "What about you?"

"Silence," the Master snapped, forcing me to stop in front of him. He snapped his fingers at the jailer and nodded at me. "Take care of her first."

I looked over my shoulder at him in fear and tried to pry my arm from his hand. "What? What does that mean?"

The jailer grabbed my free arm by the wrist and clamped an iron shackle around it, then reached for my other arm as the Master released it. Immediately, I threw my free arm around and punched the Master in the face, sending fiery pain up my arm and making me shriek. The jailer reached for my free hand in my moment of shock and I quickly yanked it out of his reach, then smacked him across the cheek. But before I could do any more damage, a hand reached for my throat and dragged me backwards.

"No!" the Doctor cried somewhere behind me.

The jailer, still recovering from the hard smack I'd given him, angrily clamped the second shackle around my free wrist. Suddenly I was whirled around and found myself staring up at the Master. His cheek was a bright, splotchy red and I felt a twinge of pride for landing such a good blow. Then his gloved hand came down across my cheek and my head whipped to the side.

I brought my chained hands to my face and cradled my cheek in my palms. A small whimper escaped my lips when the Master forcefully cupped my chin and made me look back up at him. Just past his face, I could see the Doctor struggling against his chains and the knight holding his arms.

"Unhand her, you knave!" Robin shouted angrily.

The Master smiled coldly at me. "As fascinating as I find you, my dear, I suggest you not strike me again. For the sake of your friends."

"Leave her alone," Clara growled dangerously.

The Master ignored her and kept his eyes fixed on me. "I want the others put in an empty cell and left there, jailer. Do you understand?"

The Doctor curled his lip and yanked hard against the knight holding him, managing to take a half step closer to the Master. "Touch her again and you'll have me to deal with," he sneered.

"You're a feeble old man imprisoned with a girl and a criminal," the Master replied with an unconcerned smirk.

"Oh, I'm so much more." The Doctor's voice took a darker tone, his eyes shimmering with rage as he stared at the Master. I had only ever seen him come close to a rage like that when he was the Time Lord Victorious. "I am her husband and I will protect her with my last breath if I must. And believe me, sir, that could be a while."

The Master released my chin and took a step back. He looked silently over my face before glancing over his shoulder at his once friend and nodding once at him. "Very well, Sir Doctor. As you wish." He pushed me towards the jailer and clapped his hands together. "Jailer, did you check their person for hidden weapons?"

"Yes, sir," the old man croaked, nodding with a semi toothless grin. "Everythin's righ' here on the table, sir."

"Good. Take the girl and the others to their cell, then come here immediately for more instructions."

The cell door opened and I felt a shiver run up my spine. The moon had already risen and the light shining through the thin, cross-shaped window illuminated a skeleton in the far corner of the cell. In the middle of the cell were three wooden stakes somehow attached to the stone floor and a few other stakes were scattered throughout the room.

I was pushed into the room first. The robot knight forced me to sit at the stake in the middle of the cell, then locked my hands in the chains that were attached to the floor. Then the Doctor and Clara were pushed in by their captors and chained as I was on either side of me. The chains were built so that the three of us were all attached to one another and if I were to pull my right arm, the Doctor would be pulled along with it. Robin was the last one to enter the cell and he was chained to a post diagonal to the Doctor.

Then the guards turned and exited the cell. The heavy door slammed behind them and the sound rang in the cell harshly for a few minutes afterwards. The others stayed silent, but the Doctor immediately turned to me and pulled against his restraints to lean in close to me.

"Diana? Love, are you alright?" he asked in a soft, yet worried tone. "Let me see your cheek."

"It's fine," I whispered as I looked away.

"I'm sorry," he breathed. "I'm so, so sorry. I-I… I could kill him for touching you."

I shook my head. "Theta, please. Just… I don't want to talk about him right now. Please."

"Diana, I'm sorry," the Time Lord said slowly. I brought my eyes up to meet his and my heart skipped a beat. "Truly, I am. But I promise we'll find a way out of here."

From his spot in the corner of the cell, Robin sighed heavily. "In case you'd forgotten, Doctor, we are still enchained." Clara sighed heavily beside me. "Trussed up like turkey-cocks, thanks to you."

"Shut it, Hoodie. I saved your life," the Doctor retorted sarcastically, the soft and genuine tone in his voice suddenly gone.

"Actually, Diana saved our lives," Clara interjected.

"I had the situation well in hand," Robin insisted proudly.

"Long-haired ninny versus robot killer knights?" The Doctor scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking briefly at me with an annoyed expression. "I know where I'd put my money."

"If you had not betrayed me, I would have been triumphant!" Robin exclaimed.

I turned my head so that I was gazing at the Doctor's face, silhouetted against the silvery moonlight. "He didn't betray you," I murmured. "He was just trying to help."

The Doctor laughed almost triumphantly. "See? Diana said I didn't betray you. Besides, you would have been a little puff of smoke and ashes if I hadn't."

"Oh, ha!" Robin scoffed in reply.

I groaned in annoyance and turned my head the other way. My cheek still ached slightly and after being pushed around by the man who had tortured mere weeks ago made me feel almost ill. I wasn't in the mood for two men to be having a contest at 'whose is bigger', especially when one of them was a decades old Time Lord and hero.

"You'd have been floating around in tiny little laughing bits in people's goblets!"

"Balderdash. Ha!"

The Doctor groaned. "Oh, right, here we go. It's laughing time."

"Well, you amuse me, grey old man," the bowman said with a laugh.

"Guard! He's laughing again! You can't keep me locked up with a laughing person!"

"Oh, I find that, I find that quite funny. Do you know, I feel another laugh coming on!" I opened my eyes and turned to stare at Robin, who was over exaggerating his movements and speech just to annoy the Doctor. "A-ha-ha-ha!"

"Guards, I cannot remain in this cell!" the Doctor shouted. "Execute me now!"

What? I quickly turned in my seat and reached desperately against my chains for the Doctor's arm. "Are you insane?" I asked incredulously. "What are you doing?"

"You heard him," Robin retorted loudly. "Execute the old fool!"

The Doctor finally realized his mistake. "No! Hang on. Execute him!"

"I do not fear death, so execute away."

"Execute him. I'd like to see if his head keeps laughing when you chop it off!"

I rubbed my forehead against my shoulder to try and make the vein above my eyes stop twitching. "Oh my God," I muttered. "Make it stop."

"Oh, Robin Hood always laughs in the face of death!" Robin shouted proudly.

"Yes, rolling around the floor laughing," the Doctor replied. "I would pay good money to see that."

"Guard!"

"Guard!"

"Guard!"

"Guard!"

"Oh, sweet Lord above, have mercy," I mumbled.

"Guard!"

"Guard!"

"Shut up!" I screamed. The Doctor and Robin stopped immediately and turned their heads to look at me in shock. Clara merely sighed and slumped against the pole. "Both of you. Shut up. Now! I have been pushed around and slapped and made fun of and chained up and I am sick of it! I am sick of it and I am sick of you two trying to impress Clara and I! Robin, you're already in love with Marion, so why are you even being so annoying? And Doctor, you've been married to me for God knows how long now. I don't care if we haven't even been on a proper date yet, I end up with you anyways! So both of you shut up and get us out of here!"

The Doctor fell silent and stared at me with a guilty expression. I pulled on the chain that connected our wrists and yanked him towards me. "I mean it," I uttered seriously. "Get us out of here. Doctor, please. I thought I could do it but… I can't be his experiment again."

"Experiment?" he echoed.

"More to the point," Clara interrupted, "do either of you understand, in any way at all, that there isn't actually a guard out there?"

The Doctor and Robin deadpanned, my comment already forgotten. "Oh," the Time Lord breathed.

There was a pause and then Robin said smugly, "I did, in fact."

"No, you didn't," the Doctor replied with an eye roll.

"Shut up," Clara snapped firmly. She sighed heavily and turned her head to look straight ahead at the cell door. "The Doctor and Robin Hood locked up in a cellar. Is this seriously the best that you can do? You're determined to starve to death in here squabbling."

"Well, I'll tell you one thing. I'd last a lot longer than this desiccated man-crone," Robin retorted smartly.

I groaned and closed my eyes, shaking my head slowly. "Oh God, please have mercy. Make it stop," I muttered as I opened my eyes again.

The Doctor ignored me and instead glared at Robin Hood. "Really?" he questioned.

"Really."

"Well, you know what? I think you'll find I have a certain genetic advantage- Oh!"

I yanked hard on the chain that connected mine and the Doctor's wrist, causing him to lean towards me. I leaned forward so that my face was over his and set my jaw. "Shut. Up," I growled. "Stop it. Please."

"But I do have a genetic advantage that could help me-"

I groaned. "Yeah, help you. The rest of us would just die, you idiot!"

Clara groaned in frustration. "Doctor! It is not a competition about who can die slower!"

"It would definitely be me, though, wouldn't it?" he asked with a grin.

I sighed and threw my head back against the stake, feeling tears prick at the corner of my eyes. He was so absorbed with being better than Robin and being jealous of him that he was ignoring the gravity of the situation I had let the Master put us in.

Clara sighed and tugged on the chain that connected her arm to mine. "There was supposed to be a plan," she mumbled tiredly. "Do either of you three have a plan?"

The Doctor scoffed and smiled. "Yeah, of course I have a plan."

"I too have a plan," Robin added with a superior tone in his voice.

"Okay. Robin, you first," Clara instructed.

"Why him?" the Doctor whined.

"Doctor, shut up," I snapped, feeling more and more irritated and afraid with each second that passed.

Clara nodded across the room at the bowman. "Robin, your plan."

Robin's eyes suddenly grew wide as the three of us turned our heads to look at him. He cleared his throat and slowly started to look away. "I am… biding my time," he finally answered.

I groaned and Clara sighed in disappointment. "Thank you, Prince of Thieves," she breathed. Then she looked past me at the Doctor and raised her eyebrows at him. "Last of the Time Lords?"

"Yes, I have a plan," he replied smugly.

I turned to stare at him and exhaled slowly, trying to lower my blood pressure so I wouldn't try and strangle the Time Lord. "Remember that the jailer took your sonic screwdriver, Doctor."

"I-I remembered," he stammered awkwardly, suddenly avoiding my eyes.

"And also remember that the Sheriff of Nottingham looks almost exactly like the Master, which can't be a coincidence."

"Well, it could. But, um…" The Doctor nodded once and started to look away. "Okay, let-let-let's hear Robin's plan first."

"Oh, for God's sake!" Clara exclaimed in exasperation as I threw my head back with a cry.

"We're gonna die here," I said with a shrug as I resigned myself to our fate. "We're going to starve and quite possibly have to listen to Malcolm Tucker and Kevin Costner argue until we all die. Actually, no. Scratch that. The Master's going to experiment on me while you three are busy dying down here. Then he'll kill me."

"The Master?" the Doctor repeated curiously.

"Yes! Yes, the Master!"

"I'm confused."

"Doctor," I began with a sigh, "I need you to think of something to get us out of here! For once, I don't know what's going to happen or how much I've already changed things. I saved our lives once already and I don't think I have it in me to do that again." I shook my head slowly and felt tears growing in the corners of my eyes. "I don't know what the Master has planned, but we need to get out now. Please, just think of something. Anything. Do I need to seduce him? Is that what I need to do? Are we just going to escape this cell somehow and run away or are we going to stay and stop him like last time?"

The Doctor shook his head in confusion. "Diana, I don't understand what you're talking about. Why do you keep mentioning the Master?"

"Because it's him! Don't you remember anything from the last time this happened? Theta, he used Kamelion to lead me into his trap and then planned to kidnap me after he stopped the Magna Carta from being signed. He wanted my powers, he still does, and he's going to experiment on me again to get them."

"The Sheriff wants your powers?" he questioned.

"The Master. Koschei. Your best friend turned best enemy. Isn't any of this ringing a bell?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at me. "Yes, but what does it have to do with anything going on now?"

I half groaned, half screamed in frustration and turned my head away. "Nothing. Never mind. Just come up with a plan to get us out of here that doesn't involve your sonic screwdriver."

Before I could respond, the cell door creaked open and the jailer stepped inside.

"See?" Robin declared proudly. "There was a guard. There was guard listening the whole time, I knew it. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"The Sheriff himself commanded me to listen, to find out which of you is the true ringleader," the jailer informed us.

"Ah, so he can do the interrogating," the Doctor replied with a smile. "Very wise."

"Excellent," Robin declared arrogantly. "He will get nothing from me."

The jailer approached me and started to unchain my left arm. But the Doctor and Robin were to absorbed in each other to notice that anything was happening. I ripped my arm out of the guard's grasp when he grabbed my left arm, but Clara caught my eye behind the man's back and shook her head.

"No, no, no, no. No. He will get nothing from me, because interrogation, that's where I always turn the tables," the Doctor commented with a smirk. "You see, that's my plan."

"Just hurry up and take me to him," Robin snapped, glaring at the Doctor.

The jailer started unchaining my other arm and Clara quickly mouthed the words, "You can attack him once you're outside." I nodded briefly and flashed her a quick half smile to signal that I understood.

"No, no. Chop chop, come on," the Time Lord urged the guard, his eyes still trained on Robin's.

"Uh, Theta?" I questioned as the jailer hauled me to my feet. "You can shut up now."

The Doctor and Robin whipped their heads around and stared incredulously at me. I glared at the two men and sighed heavily. Clara groaned from her spot on the ground and hung her head.

"No," the Doctor growled.

"Jailer, what are you doing?" Robin asked.

The Doctor curled his lip and strained against his chains. "No. You let her go right this instant-"

"Oh, shut it," the jailer grumbled, kicking the Time Lord in the foot.

"Release her immediately!"

The jailer guided me forward, his grip on my elbow surprisingly strong for an old man. I kept my eyes trained on the door and took a few, deep breaths to steady myself so I could attack him. The man pushed the door open with his free hand, then started to push me through when I elbowed him in the chest. He stumbled backwards and I rushed after him to grab the keys hanging from his belt, but two metal hands clamped down on my shoulders.

"Diana!" the Doctor cried.

I had failed to realize that there was a robotic knight of the Master's waiting outside of the cell. The knight moved its hands to my wrists and twisted them behind my back to handle me better. Then I was lead away by the robot, the cell door was slammed shut, and I hung my head in disappointment, wondering what was going to happen to me.

The Master had ordered the robot to bring me to his dining chambers, where I was seated at one end of a long table covered in elaborate plates of food. On my right was a blazing fire and a large display of weapons and a single tapestry on the wall. The Master sat on the opposite end of the table and began eating, his eyes almost never leaving me.

"Eat, my lady, eat," the Master urged with a polite smile. "Let it not be said that the Sheriff of Nottingham is a poor host."

I glanced down at the silver plate in front of me, covered in very appetizing food and sighed. "Master, really. You can stop now. This isn't you at all-"

"You need not call me 'master' unless I ask it," he replied after taking a sip from his cup. "Your words are strange, fair one."

" 'Fair one'?"

The Master nodded and raised his cup to me across the table. "You are quite a beauty, my lady."

I felt my cheeks flush and I quickly looked down at my plate. "Oh. Um, o-okay." I shakily ran a hand through my hair and cleared my throat. "Look, why am I here? Is it still my powers that you're after? Because this fake politeness act is getting really old and really creepy really fast."

"You're refreshingly direct."

"I'm confused and scared, not exactly direct. You should know me by now, Master. I'm more shy than direct."

The Master then reached for something on his right hand side. I saw the sonic screwdriver glint n the firelight and gasped. "Taken from your friend's strange tuni," the Master began as he briefly looked over the instrument. "An intriguing gallimaufry. Evidently a thing of awesome power."

"Yeah, you could say that," I replied slowly.

"Tell me, are you from beyond the stars?" the Time Lord questioned as he placed the sonic back on the table.

"You know I am," I answered.

He smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "Enough of tawdry matters, then." The Master smirked and used his dagger to stab a piece of meat. "Let us talk of softer, sweeter things."

"Like what?" I asked suspiciously.

"I have… a proposition for you," the Time Lord started as he stood up and began to approach me.

"A proposition?" I echoed.

He nodded and smiled. "Yes. You speak of great powers, my lady, and I am curious to know more about them. If you are indeed as powerful as you have already suggested, then my proposition still stands."

"What proposition?"

The Master stopped a foot away from me and gazed down at me with piercing eyes. "First tell me of your powers."

I sighed and looked away angrily. "You already know everything that I know," I grumbled.

"Tell me again."

"I heal rapidly and can usually escape life threatening situations. This you should already know since you experimented on me and nearly killed me," I snapped, my voice taking on a patronizing tone. "And I can travel through time and space. Are you happy now?"

The Master chuckled and turned away, his goblet in hand. "I'm afraid, my dear, that I have not been entirely honest with you."

I turned my head to stare curiously at him as he walked towards the fire. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"You seem to have mistaken me for another man, this 'Master'. I am not the master you are thinking of. But I am still a master of many things."

I shook my head. "I-I don't understand. What do you mean you're not-?"

The Master glanced back at me and smiled. "Whoever this man is who tortured you, he is not me. I pretended to be him to gain more information as to your powers."

"What?"

"And now that I have what I want, I shall ask for even more."

I jumped to my feet and stepped back a few paces, my arms extended in front of me. "If you're not the Master, then who are you?"

"I was once a mere sheriff."

"And you're not anymore?" I asked in confusion.

"I am. But… The prince did not value me like he should have."

"The… prince?"

"Prince John," the man sneered. "He saw me as a lowly peasant following his royal orders. He did not see me for what I could have been. I could have been by his side."

I narrowed my eyes at the man as he stared into the fire. "Are you sure you're not the Master? Because you sound a lot like him."

"Soon I will be master of all! King in all but name! I shall be the most powerful man in the realm, in the world!"

"Yeah, okay. You're really sounding like the Master."

"Master of the Realm," the Sheriff whispered. "No. King of the Realm."

"You want to be king?" I asked incredulously.

"I will be king! I have the power now!"

"Um, how… exactly do you have the power to take over all of England?"

The Sheriff turned to face me completely and he smiled. "A craft from the heavenly spheres, bedight with twinkling lights and miracles beyond imagining, my lady. The most furiously beautiful thing I had ever seen in all my years. It crashed here, with mechanical men onboard it with secrets and abilities and magics even you could hardly contemplate."

I raised my eyebrows. "You're crazy."

"No!" He beat his fist against his chest and took a step towards me, making me step away in panic. "It was I and I alone to whom the mechanical men then imparted their secrets. And with their combined secrets and your mysterious powers of time and space travel and miraculous healing, I shall conquer the world!"

I shook my head violently. "No. No. I won't let another crazy psychopath with delusions of grandeur use me to try and take over the world again."

The Sheriff smiled kindly at me. "I would never use you, my lady. You would give your powers to me willingly."

"No, I wouldn't."

"When I am king, I shall need a consort," the Sheriff explained as he quickly crossed the room to stand in front of me. "Let that be your reward for aiding me and I will not have to use force."

I froze. "Wait, what?"

The Sheriff quickly leaned down and pressed his mouth against mine in a bruising kiss. I recoiled in shock, but he quickly looped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. I shoved roughly against his chest and squirmed in his arms. He pulled away after a moment and gazed down at me with a dark spark in his eyes that terrified me.

"I would ask you to cease resisting me, but I find that your squirming rather entices me to continue," he breathed.

It took me only a second but when I realized what he was trying to say, I felt absolutely sick. "No! No, no, no! Let me go!" I shrieked.

The Sheriff's free hand slid up my spine to the back of my neck and held my head steady. "Forget your lover. He shall be executed by sunset tomorrow along with his accomplices and then you shall be my wife," he whispered against my cheek.

"No. You… You're insane," I spat.

The Sheriff smiled and tightened his arm around my waist. "The same has been said of many great men before me."

"No," I grunted, shoving as hard as I possibly could against the man's chest. He loosened his grip on me and I pulled out of his arms. "Don't touch me. Only one person is allowed to kiss me and you're not him, so back off. You're not marrying me and you're not taking over the world. Especially not with my powers."

The Sheriff leaned in for another kiss and I slapped him hard across the face. The force of my slap propelled him away from me and I took that moment as my chance to escape. I raced across the room and lunged for the door, yanking it open and shrieking when I was faced with a robotic knight. I stumbled backwards in fear and slammed the door shut.

Suddenly, my arms were pulled roughly behind my back and my back was pressed against the Sheriff's chest. "I admire your spirit, but I will take what I desire if I must," he said gruffly into my hair.

"You can't just take over the world!"

"I can and I shall, make no mistake. For when the metal men came in their craft, they improved me. A body that cannot be destroyed with a mind too powerful to be stopped. They made me into a god."

I stopped struggling against the Sheriff and looked up at him over my shoulder. "What do you mean?" I breathed.

He smiled. "I am like them, my dear. Only my metalwork is on the inside rather than on the outside."

My vision suddenly tunneled, then went back to normal and I took a gasping breath. "You're a robot."

I have to escape, I realized. I have to free the Doctor. He'll know what to do. I've just made a mess of things.

"Now I will ask you one final time to reconsider my offer," the Sheriff said softly. "Allow me to use your powers and I will reward you by letting you become my consort. That is an honor not given lightly, my dear."

Distraction. Need a distraction.

I stopped struggling for a moment and relaxed in the Sheriff's grip. He slightly loosened his hands in turn and waited. "Alright," I sighed after a long pause. "I'll help you."

The Sheriff released my hands and tugged on my shoulder to urge me to turn and face him. I complied with his silent request and gazed up at him in fear and anticipation. He smiled at me and nodded once.

"A wise decision."

Without warning, I brought my right hand up and punched him in the jaw. Searing pain jolted up my hand and into my arm and I yelped loudly as the Sheriff stumbled backwards. He reached for me and I slapped him on the same cheek with the back of my other hand. Then I turned on my heel and ran as fast as I could for the door.

The robot was standing in front of the doorway and I ran straight at it, barreling into it with as much force as I could manage. We both toppled over and I landed half on top of the robot with a grunt. I was momentarily stunned by the impact of hitting the robot and the floor, but was brought back to reality when I heard the Sheriff start to shout orders at it.

I rolled off of the robot's chest onto the floor, then pushed myself to my feet and stumbled forward with a gasp. I ran in the direction of the dungeon cell where the others were last kept in the hopes of freeing them and then escaping together.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed behind me as I ran through the castle. I knew that if the robots caught me, I would be killed without a moment's hesitation. And after I had angered the Sheriff, I doubted he would allow me to live even if I had powers that could significantly help him.

I stumbled down a flight of stairs, nearly tripping twice. The stairway curved along a tower of some kind and when I reached the bottom, I ran right into something. Two pairs of hands came up and grabbed my arms and shoulders, keeping me from falling over.

"Diana?"

I shook my head and looked up into the face of the Doctor and Robin, Clara's face appearing just behind Robin's. "Theta?" I breathed.

The Time Lord's arms were suddenly around me and I was immediately buried in his chest. The feel of his silk shirt against my cheek, the ever-soothing beat of his hearts, and the unique scent of his twelfth incarnation washed over me and I relaxed against him with a heavy sigh.

"You're alright," he whispered, his breath stirring my hair.

I nodded wordlessly and wrapped my arms around his waist. But the moment was over almost as quickly as it had begun. Clara brushed past us with Robin right behind her.

"Doctor, what's that?" the young woman asked.

The Doctor pulled away, letting my arms slide down his torso as he stepped forward to gaze at the strange metal door Clara was staring at. I came up beside him and tightly grasped his hand.

"That doesn't belong here," Clara said slowly.

"Doctor," Robin began, "we have to get out of here. Those metallic knights will be looking for Diana if she escaped."

He nodded solemnly. "I know," he replied. "But we have to figure out what these robots are doing here in the first place. This is all wrong."

"Can we not learn their reasoning once we are in safety and far away from the Sheriff and his knights?" Robin asked.

The Doctor shook his head and stepped away from me towards the door, releasing my hand. "No." He pushed the door open and the rest of us followed him through the doorway in to a silver-white room. "It's a spaceship."

"Doctor, what's it doing here?" Clara asked.

"More twenty ninth century than twelfth," the Time Lord noted as he rushed forward and started looking around on the computer-like machine in the center of the room. "Data banks, data banks, data banks. Where was this ship headed?"

The screen suddenly lit up and a large rectangle appeared with the words "DESTINATION: THE PROMISED LAND" written inside it.

"They were headed for the Promised Land," he murmured. "Like the Half-Face Man, but more sophisticated. That's not a coincidence."

"What's the Promised Land?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied after a moment of silence.

The screen began to change again, showing a picture of what I assumed was the spaceship the Sheriff had mentioned the robots arriving in.

"It disguised itself as a twelfth century castle." The Doctor smiled, as if he was impressed by the technology, and shook his head. "It merges into the culture, tries to keep a low profile, so no one notices. That explains the robot knights. But the engines… The engines are damaged. They're leaking radiation into the local atmosphere, creating a temporary climate of staggering benevolence."

Robin tilted his head to the side in confusion. "I beg pardon?"

"I told you. It's too sunny. It's too green." Then a strange look came over the Doctor's face and he took a step away from the computer. "And there is even an evil sheriff to oppress the locals. This explains everything, even you."

"It does?"

I realized what the Time Lord was implying in an instant. He thinks Robin's one of them, that he's not even a real person. I instantly recalled what he had asked Clara the previous day about the bowman and shook my head. He doesn't believe in heroes anymore.

"Well, what does every oppressed peasant workforce need?" the Doctor continued. "The illusion of hope. Some silly story to get them through the day, lull them into docility, and keep them working."

I reached for his arm. "Doctor, wait-"

He turned back to the computer and rapidly typed something into the machine. "Ship's data banks. Full of every myth and legend you could hope for, including Robin Hood."

The Doctor smiled coldly when the computer began to show pictures of books, paintings, and actors that portrayed the character of Robin Hood. I watched the computer in awe and gasped when a picture flashed across the screen for a few long seconds of a man who looked eerily similar to Patrick Troughton in Robin Hood costume. Then the picture disappeared and I stared at the computer in shock until the images finally stopped.

"Isn't it time you came clean with me? You're not real and you know it. Look at you." I looked back at the Doctor and felt my jaw drop when he advanced on Robin. I could see the colder aspect of his personality start to come out. The suspicion and arrogance so reminiscent of his very first incarnation shone in his eyes and rang in his voice. "Perfect eyes, perfect teeth. Nobody has a jawline like that. You're as much a part of what is happening here as the Sheriff and his metal knights. You're a robot."

"Doctor!" Clara and I exclaimed in simultaneous disappointment.

Robin grimaced and stepped towards the Doctor, a challenge in his voice. "You dare to accuse me of collusion with that villain, the Sheriff?"

"I dare," the Doctor responded proudly.

"You false-tongued knave. I should have skewered you when I had the chance!"

He smiled patronizingly at the bowman. "I would like to see you try."

The metal door across the room suddenly flew into the room, followed by an explosion of purple lasers. We all jumped and turned our backs on the explosion as the smoke began to clear away. But the Doctor just waved his hand and rolled his eyes.

"Surrender, outlaw," the Sheriff ordered, his eyes dangerously murderous. I couldn't help but notice that his cheek was already a very light purple-black color.

"Oh, very good," the Doctor applauded sarcastically.

The Sheriff turned to his robots and pointed at Robin. "Kill him. Kill Robin Hood."

"You can drop all that stuff now, Sheriff," the Doctor sighed.

I reached out and lightly grabbed the Time Lord's shoulder. "He's not pretending, Doctor."

"Hush, Diana. I know what I'm doing."

"No, you don't! Robin's not with him!" I insisted. "Doctor, the Sheriff is working with the robots to take over the world and become king! He's part robot!"

"What?"

"He's part robot!"

The Sheriff cleared his throat. "If you two are quite finished," he growled.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You're not fooling anyone, Sheriff. Whatever you told Diana won't fool me."

One of the knights shot a blast of purple energy past Robin's head. I took a half step back in shock, hiding behind the Doctor's back. When the smoke from the blast subsided, I looked back at Robin and rushed towards him.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Robin suddenly spun me around and swung one arm around my waist, then wrapped his other arm around my upper chest just below my chin. He dragged me backwards and then stopped when we nearly fell over the ledge of a large window.

"Robin, what are you doing?" I screeched as the three robots approached us with their foreheads glowing purple.

"Surviving," he breathed in my ear.

Robin leaned back and I could feel my stomach leap into my throat. We fell backwards and I screamed louder than I had ever screamed before, the weightless sensation of falling sending me into a panic. I reached an arm out as the Doctor appeared at the window and called his name. Then the feeling was suddenly gone and water flooded into my mouth and nose. I struggled to free myself from Robin's grip and swim for the surface, but I was disoriented and in shock. I heard someone call my name as my vision slowly faded to black.

I woke to someone pushing me in the shoulder and whispering in my ear. Confused, I sat up and reached wearily for my glasses. Instead I found a fistful of leaves and dirt. Then I remembered everything that had happened, the robots and the sheriff and Robin Hood and-

"Doctor!" I cried. "The Doctor. Where is he? H-He got knocked out! We have to help him-"

"Silence!"

I gasped and recoiled slightly at the commanding voice; it was Robin. His eyes were narrowed and frustrated and his lips were pressed into a thin, straight line. Sitting beside me was Clara, shock and confusion written across her face.

"Clara! You're okay!"

She grimaced and nodded silently.

"The time for games is over," Robin began in a firm, dangerous tone. "You will tell me everything this Doctor knows about Robin Hood and his Merry Men."

"What?" I stared at the bowman in shock. "Robin, what-"

"Is this an interrogation?" Clara interjected angrily.

He ignored both of our questions to give us a final order. "And then, you will tell me exactly who this Doctor is and what are his plans."

"Plans?" I repeated incredulously. "He doesn't have any 'plans'-"

"Do not lie to me! You were there, Diana. You saw the same things I did, yet you were not surprised at all. So what are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything."

"We both know that is not the truth. And that is what I require of you this instant."

I glanced at Clara, feeling utterly lost and hopeless. The Doctor was back in the castle unconscious, the sheriff was completely crazy and trying to take over the world with killer robots, and Robin had turned on us. Clara started to argue, trying to act as though it was all a huge misunderstanding, but I knew that Robin had already stared to guess the truth. But more than that, Robin deserved to know.

I placed my hand on Clara's forearm and shook my head. "Clara," I whispered. "Let me."

"But-"

"Just… let me." I looked back at Robin, who was waiting expectantly. "The Doctor is an alien. He's a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterberous in the Medusa Cascade. A long time ago on Gallifrey, the Doctor took his granddaughter Susan with him and he stole a TARDIS. That's the blue box you saw us arrive in. It's a time machine. It travels through time and space with the technology of the Time Lords."

"The notion of other creatures from beyond the stars is preposterous," Robin scoffed.

"But not impossible. The Doctor's an alien, but he looks human. He has two hearts and the ability to renew his body if he's near death. He travels through time and space in his blue box and sometimes Clara and I travel with him."

"Why did he run away?" Robin questioned hesitantly.

"Because his people were terrible. They're an arrogant, prideful race that doesn't always care about lesser races. And the Doctor hated that about them, so he ran away with his granddaughter. He saves the universe every day and most of the time people don't even know it's him. He never asks for thanks, he never stays behind to pick up the pieces. He can be cold and detached, but he can also be caring and gentle and kind. He's not perfect, but he tries to be. He really does."

Robin pursed his lips. "How can I believe such a fantastical story? An alien who looks like a human being and travels the stars saving other planets?"

"Because he's a hero just like you." I smiled and reached for Robin's hands, curling my fingers around his and holding them tightly. "He makes mistakes all the time and sometimes he doesn't know how to fix them, but he's a hero. He's… He's my hero and I believe in him. I believe in him more than I've ever believed in anyone before.

"His name," I continued, "is a promise, a promise he made to himself a long, long time ago. He calls himself 'Doctor' as a promise to himself and the universe that he will never be cruel or cowardly. He helps people, he saves people. He is the Doctor. That's what he is."

Robin shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I cannot believe you," he replied as he pulled his hands away from mine and stood up. "Everything you have told me is too far-fetched to be real."

"But it is real!" I exclaimed as I struggled to my feet. "Robin, I swear. It's the truth, all of it. I wouldn't lie about this. I wouldn't lie about the Doctor."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Why should I lie to you?" I retorted. "He's not so different from you, you know. He came from a family that was privileged and he went to the Academy to become a Time Lord, a nobleman among his people. Then that was taken away from him when he realized how terribly lesser races were treated by his own people and he ran away. He left his life behind to help others. Robin, he's more like you than you or he realize. And he needs you."

I sighed and reached for Robin's hands again, stepping a little closer to him. I wanted him to understand that my words were genuine and true. I needed him to help the Doctor so that the Time Lord could save the world once again.

"He knows so much about the future that sometimes he lets his excitement go too far. He thought you were a robot because you're supposed to be a fictional character. He didn't even consider the fact that you could be real. He doesn't believe in heroes anymore. And I know he's harsh like this and sarcastic and tempered, but underneath all of that he really does care. I know. I've seen him at his lowest. And believe me, Robin, the Doctor cares more deeply than you could possibly imagine."

I paused to let my words sink in, then gradually continued with my eyes trained on Robin's.

"I would never lie about what the Doctor is. He's everything to me, Robin. He is my night and day, my hero, my role model, my friend, my family and I…" I thought about everything the Doctor was, everything he had done, every thing he had ever made me feel. I thought about his life on Gallifrey, how he had gone to the Academy with the Master and the Rani, how he had looked into the vortex and ran away, how he lost his friends on Gallifrey to become the Doctor, how he had saved countless lives because of the promise he made to himself. I thought about the times we had fought and the times we had laughed and hugged and even kissed. "I love him."

Robin and I gazed at one another in silence. A kind of understanding seemed to pass between us and Robin knew that I was telling the truth. He nodded at me and smiled lightly.

"Very well," he breathed after a moment. "We will go back and help him."

I threw my arms around Robin's neck and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you," I whispered with a relieved smile. "Thank you so, so much."

"These are for you," Robin said as he handed Clara and I our own daggers. "I know that neither of you has experience with a sword, but perhaps you can protect yourself with these should the need to arise."

"Thank you, Robin," Clara breathed as she hooked the dagger and its belt around her waist.

I took the belt out from the sheath and then untied the rope around my stomach, threading the rope through the sheath and then retying it at the base of my abdomen. Robin smiled at me, then at Clara, and finally sighed.

"The two of you must stay with me. I may need your assistance."

I could hear the Doctor and the Sheriff as we crept through the walkway. The Doctor was pleading amidst the fire and the chaos spread across the entire floor.

"Listen to me," the Time Lord began. Robin led Clara and I out onto the walkway and we all knelt behind the stone wall that blocked us from sight. "It doesn't have to end like this. Shut it all down, return Clara and my wife to me and I'll do what I can."

"I don't have either of your women," the Sheriff responded.

"Robin's one of yours."

I could easily hear the confusion in the Sheriff's voice when he responded, "What did you say?"

"Come on. He's one of your tin-headed puppets, just like these brutes here!"

"Robin Hood is not one of mine," the Sheriff insisted.

"Of course he is. He's a robot, created by your mechanical mates." The Doctor sighed. "Look, there's no use in denying it now!"

"Why would they create an enemy?"

"To pacify the locals, give them false hope! He's the opiate of the masses."

"Why would we create an enemy to fight us?" the Sheriff asked curiously. "What sense would that make? That would be a terrible idea."

The Doctor realized his mistake and looked away with an embarrassed expression. "Yes! Yes, it would. Wouldn't it? Yes, that would be a rubbish idea. Why would you do that? But… But he can't be. He's not real. He's a legend!"

Robin finally jumped to his feet with a laugh. "Too kind!" he announced. "And this legend does not come alone."

I jumped out from behind Robin and waved at the Doctor with a grin. "Hello again, Doctor," I called as Clara giggled and said, "Hiya!"

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief and his shoulders dropped. "Diana, you're okay!" he cried.

As Robin had suggested, I started running across the walkway to the opposite side of the room. There was another stairway that spiraled down to the bottom level where the Doctor and the Sheriff were. As I started down the stairs, I drew the dagger Robin had given me and extended it in front of me.

When I came out of the stairway, I saw Robin and the Sheriff circling one another with their swords drawn. Clara was standing behind the Doctor and he had his arm extended protectively in front of her. Once I saw that the robots behind the Sheriff had been deactivated somehow, I replaced my dagger in its sheath and cautiously stepped out.

"What do you say, outlaw?" the Sheriff asked haughtily. "A final reckoning?"

Robin grinned. "Oh, yes."

The Doctor turned his head and spotted me instantly. I quickly ran to the Doctor's side and he instantly pulled me into a tight hug, his nose buried in my neck and his fingers splayed in my hair. "Are you okay?" he breathed before pulling away.

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

"Clara?"

The schoolteacher nodded a little breathlessly. "Fine, yeah," she assured him.

"Good. We don't have long."

The building suddenly started to shake as if an earthquake was about to happen. The Doctor grabbed my hand and pulled me close.

"It's not an earthquake," he began seriously. "The whole castle's about to blow."

Meanwhile, the Sheriff and Robin were taking their time bantering and exchanging blows. "You have long been a thorn in my side," the Sheriff growled as he gave Robin a hard blow.

"Well, everyone should have a hobby," the outlaw retorted with a smile. "Mine's annoying you."

"I'll have you boiled in oil at the castle by sunset."

"Can we make it a little earlier?" Robin then grabbed a rope hanging by his shoulder and quickly deflected another blow from the Sheriff. " 'Cause that's a little past my bedtime."

Robin cut the bottom off of the rope he was grasping, which sent him flying into the air. There was a wooden beam that cut across the ceiling and Robin somehow managed to land on it and keep his balance. He smirked down at the Sheriff and tilted his head invitingly at the man.

The Sheriff curled his lip. "I'm too much for you, outlaw. The first of a new breed. Half man, half engine!" he shouted, copying Robin's movements with another rope and landing across the beam from Robin with a satisfied smile. The two continued their swordfight on the beam, both keeping their balance almost perfectly. I couldn't help but think of a similar scene in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. "Never ageing! Never tiring!"

"Are you still talking?" Robin asked flippantly as he parried another of the Sheriff's blows.

The Sheriff lashed out angrily with his sword and sliced at Robin's sword arm, making the bowman drop his sword. I gasped and tightened my grip on the Doctor's hand. Then the corner of Robin's mouth quirked up for a moment and he spread his arms wide, copying the Doctor's movements from the previous day. From his spot beside me, the Doctor smirked and nodded in acknowledgement at Robin.

The Sheriff raised his sword. "Bow down before your new king, you prince of knaves!"

Almost effortlessly, Robin dodged the Sheriff's blow much like the Doctor had dodged his. The movements were almost exactly the same and I watched in awe as Robin maneuvered himself behind the Sheriff, then kicked the back of his knees to send him spiraling downward into the pot of boiling, liquid gold.

Robin grabbed ahold of his rope again and leapt down from the beam to a spot just a yard in front of us. He smiled a little sheepishly and released the rope to cradle his injured arm.

"Sorry. Was that, er, was that showing off?" he asked with a smile.

Clara grinned. "That was amazing."

The castle then began to shake and rumble as pieces of stone started falling from the ceiling.

"Run!" The Doctor dragged me along by the wrist and then pushed me in the back so I was the first out of the room. "Come on, run! All of you!"

We ran out of the castle faster than I had ever run before in my life. Waiting for us on the grass beyond the castle moat was the rest of Robin's men, all cheering us on to run faster as the castle crumbled to the ground. We barely reached the edge of the tree line when the castle collapsed completely and the spaceship built inside it took off.

The Doctor watched the ship rise and shook his head. "It's never going to make it," he said seriously. "Not enough gold. It'll never make it into orbit."

"What happens if it doesn't go into orbit?" I asked as he suddenly started running around the Merry Men.

"Kaboom!" he shouted, emphasizing the word with a distinguishable hand gesture. "Where is it? Where did it go?"

"Where did what go?" Clara asked slowly.

"The golden arrow!" the Doctor replied worriedly.

Robin gestured to Tuck. "Tuck, quickly!"

"You took it?" the Doctor questioned as Tuck pulled the once discarded arrow out of his satchel.

"Of course we did," Tuck responded. "We're robbers."

Clara looked from the arrow to the Doctor in confusion. "Doctor, what are you suggesting?" she asked.

He waved the arrow in his hand. "Golden arrow. It might just be enough gold content to get the ship into orbit and out of harm's way."

" 'Might'?" I repeated nervously.

Ignoring my comment, the Doctor handed the bow and arrow to Robin with a half smile. But the bowman shook his head and refused. "No, it has to be you," Robin said firmly. "My arm is injured."

The Doctor aimed the bow at the ship and tried to knock the arrow, but somehow couldn't manage to keep the bow in its place on the string. He finally grunted in frustration and dropped the bow.

Clara glanced at me in confusion. "Doctor, you're good at this. I saw you, we all did! You won the tournament!"

"I cheated!" he admitted with a wince. "I made a special arrow with a homing device so I would win."

"Oh, brilliant," Clara groaned. "Right, let me have a go."

"You?" He laughed and shook his head. "You do Tae Kwon Do. That's not the same thing as this."

"My friends!" Robin interjected, making us all turn and look at him. "Surely we can manage it together?"

Robin, Clara, and the Doctor quickly arranged themselves so that Robin was sitting on the ground with his feet braced against the bow, and Clara and the Doctor holding the bow in position so Robin could fire it easily. The ship was getting farther and farther away each second and I was terrified that we would run out of time and the ship would explode before we could do anything.

Then Robin let the arrow fly. Everyone watched with baited breath, eyes following the arrow's path until it made contact with the ship's outer shell and the ship took off into the atmosphere. The explosion was just a few seconds later, but it was far enough away that it could do no real harm to anyone on Earth.

I cheered and jumped up with my arms stretched over my head, tears of relief and joy gathering in my eyes. The Doctor and Clara got to their feet and Clara helped Robin up, then gave him a long, firm hug. I rushed toward the Doctor and threw my arms around him, drawing him closer and burying my face in his chest. He let his arms wrap around my waist and we stayed together in a relieved, tight embrace for a blissful eternity.

The final piece of the story will be in the next chapter, along with some other stuff, and I think you'll like it. :)

Now I've been wanting to do an original chapter with some of the really cliché DW fic ideas like "alien pollen infects person A and they have to do such and such with person B to get rid of it" or "pretend we're a couple so the aliens we're going after don't suspect a thing" or "oh no we have to slow dance in a romantic setting because the plot says so" or "let's hide in the broom closet so we don't get arrested and oh look at that we're kissing". Or even the classic "hey look we've mysteriously switched bodies and you're implying that you like my body". Basically things that are crazy fluffy. So if there's one you'd like to see, then please let me know.