My father's description of the TARDIS always intrigued me. He told me of the hundreds of rooms connected to winding corridors, that there were dazzling rooms with anything you could imagine. Even though he tried his best to paint a picture of the TARDIS for me, my father's description didn't do the ship any justice.
The room glowed a golden amber color, helping to emphasize the coral-like structures that connected the ceiling to the floor while the center console glowed blue. There was a gentle hum that was subtle background noise, but it made the ship feel homey and safe.
I had been sitting on the console seat, switching between looking around in awe and wonder and watching the Doctor in fascination as he sent the ship into the time vortex. The past day had been one of my dreams, and yet here I was, sitting in the TARDIS. Having not wanted to witness Cassandra's death, I told the Doctor that I was content waiting inside. While I knew they were only gone for ten minutes, it felt like I was sitting on the captain's seat for what seemed like an hour.
After having honored Cassandra's final wishes by taking her to see her younger self before she died, the Doctor took Rose to the med bay to make sure her brain wasn't permanently damaged by what Cassandra had done. Once she was deemed okay, the Doctor sent her straight to bed before he returned back to the console room.
The Doctor startled me out of my thoughts, having placed one of his hands on my shoulder. Looking at him in surprise, I stood up in hopes of stretching out my limbs that had fallen asleep ages ago, gently moving my head back and forth, sighing in happiness as my neck popped slightly.
"Are you alright, Victoria? I know, the TARDIS can be a bit overwhelming. But once you get used to her, she's absolutely fantastic," he placed a hand on the console, grinning affectionately at it.
"Yeah, she is. She's absolutely beautiful," I told him, following suit by placing my hand on the console with a smile. As I laid my hand down, the room lit up brightly, the humming got louder, and the homey feeling became stronger.
I looked over at the Doctor, and he was staring at me with thoughtful, curious eyes, yet a smile was shining on his face. "Ooh, she must love you." The Doctor then held out his hand and led me towards a corridor on the other side of the room. "I can give you a tour if you'd like."
"I would like that," I smiled brightly, glancing around the room. We walked down the hall in silence for a moment before I spoke again, asking if this were a one trip adventure, or if he'd like for me to stay on board.
"I'd like for you to stay, that is, if you want to," he told me.
"My whole life I've seen aliens and seen the dangers that come along with them. That's a part of why I wanted to become a doctor. With my schooling and the knowledge that I've learned from my dads, I want to be able to help both aliens and humans." There was a pregnant pause that came after I finished talking, and I turned towards the Doctor to gauge his reaction. As he led me into a new corridor, we asked each other questions as an attempt to get to know each other.
"Growing up, my father told me stories about a man with a box ever since I was a child. And since I was a child, it's been a dream to travel with that man," I told the Doctor with a small blush, looking anywhere but in his direction.
"Well, you're here now, so your dreams have come true," he grinned, nudging me in the shoulder in a joking manner.
"Where are you from, Doctor?" I asked cautiously after a moment of silence. We continued walking in silence for a few minutes before the Doctor decided to tell me.
"I…" he started before swallowing deeply. "I come from the planet Gallifrey. Gallifrey was like nothing you've seen before. The sky was burnt orange, and there were two large moons. There were thousands of Time Lords, my species, and most were all high and mighty. We spoke Gallifreyan, you may notice around the TARDIS, and she never translates it," he told me before cutting himself off.
"If you don't want to tell me anything else, I won't pry, but I would love to hear more. I'd be happy to hear anything you have to say."He looked unsure of himself, and after a moment, he took a deep breath and looked at me. "If you'd really like to hear more, why don't go to the library and talk over a nice cup of tea?"
I squeezed his hand lightly as he led me to the Library. "Yeah, that sounds nice. Do you have any jasmine? I would kill for a cup right about now."
The Doctor and I continued that ritual on the nights I couldn't sleep. We would go to the library, have a nice cup of tea, and talk about lots of different things. Sometimes he'd tell stories about past adventures and old companions. Other times he'd tell me different facts about himself. And sometimes, if I was feeling more curious than normal, he'd teach me about different points in history or about alien technologies.
When we weren't sleeping or relaxing on the TARDIS, we travel the universe and time. Rose and I took turns choosing where we wanted to travel with the Doctor or the TARDIS choosing here and there. I love getting to see other planets and the future, but history on Earth will always be one of my favorite things to do. One of the first things we did after our adventures on New Earth was that we went to a Revolutionary France ball, where we happened to meet Marie Antoinette. The party went well for the most part, with Rose and me spending our time talking to the Queen of France while the Doctor snooped around the palace.
The palace guards ended up catching him, ready to hand him the capital punishment of dismemberment. After a clever lie, saying he was my husband and that he was looking for a doctor as I was feeling unwell, they let us off with a warning and we escaped with all of our limbs.
It turns out that someone had dented the 1780s, and it caused the sensors on the TARDIS to go off. One of my biggest dreams, other than meeting the Doctor, was to go to a proper Victorian tea party, and the Doctor agreed to it. The three of us got into nice noble clothing and spent a day around Victorian London, going to shops and having tea.
I got along well with Rose, just like the Doctor predicted. She was very kind to me, taking me under her wing in a sense. We spent a lot of time together when we weren't out traveling. We spent nights having movie marathons and days where we just sat and talked all the time. I could tell that sometimes she was jealous of how quickly the Doctor and I got on, but she tried to not let it affect our new friendship.
Today was one of the rare days the Doctor chose what we did, and he wanted a concert. A concert in the 1970s, but he wouldn't tell us who we were seeing. I shared a look with Rose, both of us rolling our eyes jokingly at him, before wandering to the wardrobe. It didn't take long for Rose to find an outfit, her going with a denim overall dress over top of a pink t-shirt. She also put on black tights and boots. She was quick to run to put it on, only taking her a minute to do so. Running back to me as I was still looking, she spun around, asking for my opinion.
"It looks cute, Rose," I approved, and she grinned at me.
"Do you have an outfit yet?"
"Almost," I mumbled, staring at my options.
I took a bit longer looking for an outfit, hoping to look a bit more authentic. I ended up finding high waisted bell bottom jeans as well as a red, yellow, and white striped long sleeve shirt. I grabbed a maroon corduroy jacket and black go-go boots.
Once I found everything, I smiled brightly at Rose before rushing to the dressing room and putting it all on. Looking in the mirror, I nodded approvingly to myself, feeling very seventies. Feeling satisfied with the look, I walked out of the room and over to Rose.
"So, is this seventies enough?" I asked, and she nodded with a laugh.
"It looks great. You look like you just walked straight out of the seventies."
"Great," I beamed, using the hair tie on my wrist to slightly pull back some of my hair. "Let's go!"
We linked arms and walked back to the console room to see the Doctor fluttering around the console, hitting buttons here and there. "Doctor!" I called to him, waiting for him to look up.
"What do you think of our outfits? Will they do?" Rose finished for me.
"In the late 1970s, Rose, you'd be better off in a bin bag. Victoria, you'll do quite nicely. But hold on, listen to this," he told us, popping a CD out of its case and into a slot in the console.
"Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number one in 1979," the Doctor explained over the music.
"Ooh, I like this song," I told them as I nodded along with the beat of the music.
"You're both punks," Rose laughed.
"It's good to be a lunatic!" the Doctor told her, looking between us in thought. "How would you two feel about seeing them in concert?" I looked over Rose and we shared a look of agreement. She looked back at the Doctor with a smile on her face, tongue between her teeth, and nodded happily. "Alrighty! Hold on tight!" the Doctor yelled over the music, having turned it up, and began hitting buttons and pulling levers.
Rose and I grabbed ahold the railing behind us as the Doctor beat a mallet nearby to the beat of the music. The TARDIS moved back and forth, Rose and I barely holding onto the rail, until it landed with a sharp thud, knocking the three of us onto the floor. Sitting up, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder, realizing I landed on it when I fell. "Did you not take a driving test?" I grumbled, rubbing my shoulder as I stood up.
"No, I did. I just failed it," he told us as if it weren't important.
"So," the Doctor started, walking to the door. "1979. It was a hell of a year. China invades Vietnam. The Muppet Movie. Margaret Thatcher. Skylab falls to Earth, with a little help from me. Nearly took off my thumb." I looked at him, my eyebrows raised slightly in surprise, waiting for him to continue."And I like my thumb. I need my thumb. And I'm very attached to-" the sound of rifles being cocked filled the air. "-my thumb."
Surrounding us was a group of redcoats, each with a gun in their hand pointed at us. The captain of the group rode over to us on a black horse. "1879. Same difference," he said, placing his hands in his pockets. I couldn't help but throw him a glare.
The officer quickly began speaking, "You will explain the nature of your presence as well as the nakedness of the girl," he said, casting a look at Rose before landing on me. "And the rebellious nature this girl has. Who do you think you are, wearing trousers?" he sneered at me.
"Are we in Scotland," the Doctor asked, switching into a Scottish accent, in hopes of taking attention from me.
"How can you be ignorant of that?" the officer asked.
"Oh… I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing this wee naked child and entitled child over hill and over dale. Isn't that right, ya timorous beasties?" the Doctor asked us, and I nodded reluctantly, playing along.
"Ay, that's right. We were traveling for days before meeting him," I added, hopefully switching into a good Scottish accent. With a slight nod, the officer asked the Doctor who he was. "I'm Doctor James McCrimmon, from the township of Balamory. I have my credentials, if I may," the Doctor said, nodding to his pockets.
With a nod of approval, the Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his psychic paper. "As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself," the Doctor said, nodding to his "credentials".
"Let them approach," an older woman spoke from the carriage stopped right next to them.
Turning to the three of us, the officer began speaking. "You will approach the carriage, and show all due deference." Once he was done, the curtain of the carriage was moved to show an older woman dressed in an elegant dress.
"Victoria, Rose. Might I introduce her Majesty, Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith," the Doctor introduced. I immediately curtseyed towards the Queen once I heard her name.
"Her Majesty, I'm Victoria Jones. I apologize for my rebellious actions," I spoke softly, still curtseying from before.
"Tell me, Miss Jones, what makes you think it is acceptable for you to wear trousers? I could have you taken to jail right this moment," she told me harshly, and I lowered my head, not having expected to be yelled at by the queen. I could feel the Doctor and Rose's eyes on me, neither of them having expected it either.
"Rose Tyler, ma'am. And my apologies for my nakedness," Rose curtseyed lightly, cutting in before I could be chastised more.
"I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me," the Queen spoke, moving her gaze to Rose before shifting it to the Doctor. "But you, Doctor. Show me these credentials." The Doctor walked forward and handed her his psychic paper. "Why didn't you say so immediately," she looked at him after reading it. "It states here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector." Realizing that she could trust him, the Queen explained what had recently been happening to her, specifically the assassination attempts. Once she was finished explaining, she decided we would walk behind the carriage as they rode on.
"It's funny though because you say assassaination and you think of Kennedy and stuff. Not her," Rose told, once the carriage started moving ahead.
"1879? Oh! Victoria, want to take this? We went over this the other night. How many assassination attempts did she have this year?" the Doctor asked, turning towards me expectantly. I frowned at him as I racked my brain to remember the number. He had been giving me a lesson on all the Queen of the United Kingdom a few weeks ago.
"OH! I remember! Six attempts!" I exclaimed, looking at the Doctor to see him staring at me with a proud glint in his eye. "Oh, but guess what guys," I said, looking between the two, enjoying the curious looks on their faces. "We just met Queen Victoria!"
"What a laugh," the Doctor smiled while rose laughed. "She was just sitting there!"
"Like a stamp," he added.
"I want her to say 'I am not amused'. I bet you five quid I can make her say it," Rose bet.
"Ooh, I'll back that," I added. But the Doctor shook his head, saying "If I did that, I'd be abusing my privileges as a time traveler."
"Ten quid?" Rose was quick to rebut.
"Done." We walked for another thirty minutes before the carriage began slowing down. We had stopped at a mansion, and it was absolutely beautiful. As the carriage came to a complete stop, a young man walked out the front door and towards the Queen, who now stood a few feet from the carriage.
"Your Majesty," he bowed.
"Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?" the Queen questioned.
He hesitated before replying.
"She's indisposed, I'm afraid. She's gone to Edinburgh for the season and she took the cook with her. The kitchens are barely stocked. I wouldn't blame you, Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on."
"Oh, not at all. I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is charming, if rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate." When the Queen mentioned Torchwood Estate, I couldn't help but feel surprised. Is this how Torchwood originated? "Now, shall we go inside? And please excuse the naked girl and entitled girl," she continued, gesturing towards Rose and me.
"Sorry," Rose and I apologized.
"They're feral children. I bought them for sixpence in old London Town. It was them or the Elephant Man, so," the Doctor said, and I sent him a narrow glare. In return, he sent me a semi-apologetic look.
"He thinks he's funny, but I'm so not amused. What do you think, Ma'am?" Rose asked the Queen, her signature smile on her face.
The Queen, disinterested, said "It hardly matters. Shall we proceed?" She looked at us one more time before going inside. I heard a rattling noise coming from behind to see two soldiers taking a small locked chest out of the carriage.
"What's in there, then?" the Doctor asked, trying to get a look at the box.
"Property of the Crown. You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir. The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions," the man said, turning away from the three of us.
"Let's go," the Doctor told us before leading us to the front door. We followed the Queen and Robert to the observatory on the upper floor, which housed a grand bronze telescope.
"Wow, it's beautiful," I breathed softly.
"This, I take it, is the famous Endeavor," the Queen said, looking carefully at Robert.
"All my father's work. Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession. He spent his money on this rather than caring for himself or the house," he replied as we walked close to examine it.
"I wish I'd met him. That thing's beautiful. Can I?" the Doctor asked, reaching towards the telescope.
"Help yourself," Robert nodded.
"Do you know what he modeled it on?" I asked, looking closer myself.
"I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little, shall we say, eccentric. I wish now I'd spent more time with him and listened to his stories," Robert explained.
"It's a bit rubbish," the Doctor said, causing Rose and I to share small grins. "How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top. That's stupid, kind of a-" he stopped abruptedly, leaning towards us to quietly ask if he was being rude.
"Yep."
"Yes. Yes you are."
"But it's pretty! It's very pretty," the Doctor said, trying to correct his previous statement. Rose shook her head, patting his shoulder fondly.
"And the imagination of it should be applauded," the Queen added, giving the Doctor a pointed look.
"Mm! Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful?" Rose asked, looking at the Queen with an innocent grin. "You could easily not be amused… or something? No?"
She turned her attention to Rose, taking her statement quite seriously. "This device surveys the infinite work of God. What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath. Steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales."
"Stars and magic. I like him more and more," the Doctor grinned, examining the telescope more.
"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company," the Queen explained, turning towards me and Rose. "Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg."
The Doctor leaned his head down between the two of us. "That's Bavaria."
The Queen turned back towards Robert, and said, "When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported."
The Doctor looked up towards the two, his attention having been peaked. "What's this wolf, then?"
"It's just a story," Robert remarked with the shake of his head.
"Then tell it," the Doctor told him. Robert looked around uncomfortably to one of the men standing nearby.
"It's said that-"
The man cut him off, saying, "Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark."
Robert nodded, "Of course. Yes, of course."
The Queen looked towards Rose and I, specifically glaring at my pants. "And then supper. And... could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I am tired of her nakedness. And can we please get Miss Jones out those wretched pants."
"It's not assuming, is it?" Rose added, and I could help but glare at her. She wasn't the one getting scolded by the Queen for wearing pants. Luckily, the Queen chose to ignore her comment and turned away to talk with Robert. Rose and I turned to the Doctor, who was grinning at us.
"The Queen loves you two."
I groaned, covering my face with my hands. "She hates me, she truly hates me. I can't believe wearing these pants have made the Queen hate me."
The Doctor started to chuckle as he patted my shoulder comfortingly. "If you'll follow me," the Queen announced, guiding us out of the observatory. "Miss Tyler, Miss Jones. In here you will find a wardrobe."
As Rose stepped forward and opened the door, I turned to the Queen and curtsied slightly. "Thank you, Your Majesty," I said before turning to the Doctor. "Mr. McCrimmon, we will see you at supper." With that, I walked into the room to see Rose standing in front of the wardrobe with a dress in hand.
"I'm not really feeling the brown," I said, watching as she held it up to her body. She scrunched her face in agreement, her tongue poking out as she concentrated.
"What about this one?" she asked, pulling a blouse out.
"Nope. Absolutely not. It's too… frilly." With a laugh, she placed the blouse back and pulled out a light blue dress. She held it up and twirled around.
"Oh, I like that a lot. It's cute," I smiled, grabbing the dress from her.
"That's a good color for you, Victoria," she said, looking over her shoulder as she opened a different wardrobe in the room. She let out a scream, and I sat the dress on the bed, rushing to see what had happened. "Oh my god." There was a young maid crouched inside, breathing heavily.
"It's okay, we're not gonna hurt you," I told her softly, raising my hands up. Rose looked over at me and quickly did the same.
"Will you let us help you?" I asked, slowly holding my hand out for her. After a moment of hesitation, she grabbed it and I helped her stand up. Together, Rose and I walked her to the bed and sat down with her. I never let go of her hand, hoping that it'd help to calm her down. Rose sat on the other side of her, doing the same thing.
"They came through the house. The incitements, they took the Steward and the Master. And my Lady," she told us, looking down at her lap.
"Listen, we've got a friend, he's called the Doctor. He'll know what to do. You've gotta come with us," Rose told her.
"Oh, but I can't, Miss."
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Flora."
"I'm Rose, that's Victoria. Flora, we'll be safe. There's more people downstairs: soldiers and everything, and they can help us. I promise. Come on," she said, pulling us out of the room and into the hallway. We took a few steps away from the door, just enough to see the unconscious guard lying on the floor.
"Oh, Miss. I did warn you!"
I let go of Flora's hand and crouched down to check for a pulse. "He's definitely still alive. It looks like there's a bruise on his neck," I said, turning to look at the two girls behind me.
Rose and Flora had hands over their mouths and were being dragged backwards. "Ros-" A hand covered my mouth before I could say more, and it pulled me away from the unconscious guard.
I tried to wrestle against the hold on my body, but it wasn't working. The men holding me tightened their grips, but I continued to struggle until we reached our destination.
They brought us to the cellar, where there was a group of seven people chained to the wall, one of whom looked like a noblewoman. There was a cage on the other side of the room that housed a man who was hunched over. Our captors chained us to the wall as quickly as possible, and then left without a world. I reached out and grabbed Rose's hand, feeling fear creep through me.
"Don't make a sound. They said if we scream or shout, then he will slaughter us," the noblewoman spoke softly, gaining our attention.
"But he's in a cage. He's a prisoner. He's the same as us," Rose said, looking over at the hunched figure.
"He's nothing like us," she said, fear straining her voice. "That creature is not mortal."
The man sat up and looked me right in the eyes, showing off his completely black eyes. "Oh my god."
Rose stared in horror, taking hesitant steps towards the cage. "Rose, what are you doing?" I asked, pulling her arm to stop her. Rose didn't stop moving, pulling her arm out of my grip with ease. The chains connected to her arms rattled as she moved, causing me to tense.
"Who are you?"
"Do not enrage him."
"Where are you from? You're not from Earth. What planet are you from?" Rose asked from her kneeling position, gaining the man's attention. He looked up at her slightly, a wicked grin growing on his face.
"Oh… intelligent," he whispered, looking at her closely.
"Where were you born?"
"This body... ten miles away... a weakling, heartsick boy. Stolen away at night by the brethren from my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart," he explained.
I tugged at the sleeves of my shirt for a moment before walking to where Rose was standing, drawing his attention.
"What are you? The body's human… but you aren't," I said, grabbing Rose's hand slowly.
"So far from home."
"If you wanna get back home, we can help," Rose offered, and I looked down. I wasn't so sure that the Doctor would help him.
"Why would I leave this place? A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose," the man said, tilting his head curiously.
"How would you do that?" Rose asked. I looked at the man, huddled in his cage, and tried to think of how he could achieve what he really wanted. The Queen.
"I would migrate to the Holy Monarch. And it seems that your friend already figured that out," he said, turning his dark, blank eyes to me.
"You want to use Queen Victoria," I said, staring back, trying to bite back the fear I was feeling.
"With one bite, I would pass into her blood. And then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf! So many questions-" he jumped forward towards us, startling all of us in the room.
"Look! Inside your eyes! You've seen it too!" he said somewhat frantically.
"Seen what?"
"The Wolf! There is something of the Wolf about you!" he said manically, staring at Rose.
Bad Wolf. That's the phrase the Doctor said followed him and Rose everywhere.
"I don't know what you mean," she told him, confusion growing on her face.
"You burnt like the sun, but all I require is the moon," he said as the doors flew open. Moonlight began flooding the room, exciting the man. He moved towards the light, calling out for it.
"Rose, Flora! All of you! We need to get out of here!" I said, turning away from him to pull at the chains connected to the wall.
"You heard her! Stop looking at it and grab hold of the chain and pull!"
"Come on!" I groaned, pulling as hard as could, Rose doing the same beside me.
"I said pull! Stop your whining and listen to me! All of you! And that means you, your Ladyship! Now come on, pull!" Rose called out harshly as we pulled hard once again. Finally, the workers and the noblewoman snapped out of their daze and rushed forward to pull on the chain.
"Oh my god. He's turning into a wolf," I muttered, stopping for a moment to watch the man.
"Pull!" Rose called out, and together we pulled the chain roughly. "One. Two. Three. Pull!" Rose called out again, leading us in yanking the chain. The chain looked so close to falling out of the wall, and I almost cried of relief.
"One more time!" I called out before Rose led the pull. With the last tug, the chain flew out of the wall, freeing us from our chains.
To the left, the door flew open as the Doctor stood there. "Where the hell have you been!" Rose and I cried out as we saw him.
He stood there silently, his mouth agape as he watched the man transform into a wolf. "Oh, that's beautiful." The group ran for the door just as the wolf began breaking the bars off of his cage, finally breaking the Doctor from his awed look. "Out!" he repeated, ushering the group out the door.
"Come on!" Rose called out as we were pulled out of the room. As we were about to go through the frame, the frame of the cage crashed into the space about my head. I couldn't help the shriek that came out as the metal hit the wall.
After the three of us made it out of the room, he pulled out his sonic and locked the doors. We all ran down the hallway and into the weapons room where we stopped. The Doctor pulled out his sonic again and unlocked the cuffs from our wrists. "It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths… did it say what it wanted?" he spoke quickly, looking between the two of us.
"The Queen, the Crown, the throne. You name it," Rose explained. A thumping sound began coming from the cellar door, drawing our attention. The Doctor moved to investigate just as the door burst from its hinges, revealing the wolf.
"Doctor! Come on!" I called out, watching as he shared a stare with the wolf. It turned its head towards me, and growled, causing the Doctor to run back to Rose and I. He grabbed both of our hands without stopping, pulling us behind the string of men holding guns.
"Fire!" the Steward ordered. The bullets hit the wolf, but all it did was slow it down. "Fire!" he ordered again, slowing the wolf down more. There was so much smoke in the room from the amount of firing the men had done. I could barely see the Doctor next to me as I looked around the room, checking for signs of the wolf.
"All right, you men, we should retreat upstairs, come with me," the Doctor said, looking around the room.
"I'll not retreat. The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault," the Steward told the Doctor.
The Doctor glared at the man, telling him, "I'm telling you, come upstairs!"
"And I'm telling you, sir, that I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall," he told the Doctor, moving away from the group to check the hallway in front of them. I squeezed the Doctor's hand lightly out of fear for the man. The Steward turned around, a look of triumph was set on his face as he looked at the Doctor. "Must've crawled away to die-" he cut himself off, letting out a strangled cry as he was lifted into the air. The wolf reached down from the ceiling, grabbing the man by the shoulder. His cries of pain mixed into the sound of the wolf eating the man.
"There's nothing we can do!" the Doctor said, pushing Rose and I out of the room. Robert followed closely behind us and we ran into a different room. The Doctor pulled out his sonic and locked the door behind us.
"Your Majesty! Your Majest!" Robert called, watching as the Queen descended down the stairs.
"Sir Robert! What's happening?" The Doctor let go of our hands and ran off to a different part of the room.
"Are you okay?" I asked Rose, turning to her. She nodded, her crossed tightly across her chest.
"Yeah, I'm good. How are you doin'?" she asked in response.
"A little terrified. A werewolf… What are the odds," I said, and I watched as Rose's lips turned upright just a little.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the Doctor come back from where he went with his arm gesturing towards the door. "The front door's no good, it's been boarded shut. Pardon me, Your Majesty, you'll have to leg it out of a window."
The Queen nodded, moving to the window the Doctor was suggesting we left through. "Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress," Robert said, moving in front of the Queen.
"A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh," she nodded at him, and I watched as an impatient look crossed the Doctor's face.
"Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?" Robert nodded, climbing out of the window, who then immediately crouched as he was shot at by monks. "I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside," the Doctor muttered, also surprised by their presence.
"Do they know who I am?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The wolf… wants to bite you…" I said, trailing off as a look of incredulous set on the Queen's face.
"Now, stop this talk. There can't be an actual wolf," she insisted, just as a howl rang through the house.
Down the hallway was the wolf scratching on the door. "What do we do?" Roes cried, watching the wolf.
"We run!" the Doctor said, looking down at her.
"Is that it?" she looked at him as if he were crazy.
"You got any silver bullets?"
"Not on me!" she told him.
"There we are then, we run. Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigourous jog," he said, turning to the Queen. He jogged in place, and I had to fight a smile at his actions. This was definitely not the time for this. "It's good for the health." He grabbed her hand and led her up the staircase. Behind us, the sound of the door bursting open echoed behind us. The sound of feet pounding against the ground grew louder and louder with every second.
"Come on!" the Doctor called out as the wolf caught up to us. The sound of a gunshot sounded through the room. We all stopped to see Captain Reynolds holding a gun close to his chest.
"I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty… I went to look for the property, it was taken. The chest was empty," he told the Queen.
"I have it. It is safe," she said.
"Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert, you're a traitor to the crown," he said, raising his gun and cocking it.
"Bullets can't stop it!" the Doctor tried to reason with him.
"They'll buy you time! Now go!" he told us as he walked down the corridor with the gun raised high.
The Queen and Robert were already far down the hall while the three of us were taking a bit longer. "Thank you," I told him with a nod before running down the corridor. The Doctor was right beside me, his hand finding mine as we ran, and Rose was right behind us.
We raced into the library, but Rose stood in the doorway watching Captain Reynolds. I reached forward and pulled her in, hoping that she hadn't seen him get devoured by the wolf. The Doctor slammed the door shut after she was inside, and we immediately began barricading the doors with chairs and wood from around the room. "Wait a minute, shh, shh, wait a minute…" the Doctor said, holding up a hand. The wolf howled for a moment, before going completely silent.
"It stopped," he said, looking back at us for a moment. He moved forward and stood on one of the chairs, leaning his ear against the door. He stood there, listening intently before letting out a sigh of relief. "It's gone." We all stayed silent, listening to the sound of footsteps outside of the room. The Doctor slowly stepped down off of the stairs, and turned to Robert. "Is this the only door?" he whispered.
"Yes… no!" Robert responded, rushing to a door on the other side of the room, the Doctor close behind. They grabbed the surrounding chairs and barricaded that door as well.
"Why's it stopped?" I asked, turning to look at the Doctor.
"Something inside this room. Why can't it get in?" he asked himself as Robert sat down in a chair.
"I'll tell you what, though…" Rose trailed off.
"What?" the Doctor asked.
"Werewolf!" she let out a small laugh as the Doctor pulled her into a hug. I stood silently to the side, watching the two with a frown. I could see that the Queen was frightened, and they weren't helping in the slightest. They were being somewhat… heartless.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. It's all my fault. I should've sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong, I... thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?" Robert asked, looking at the Queen with a guilty look on his face.
"Well, they were bald, athletic... your wife's away, I just thought you were happy," the Doctor said, and I looked down at my feet.
"I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now," Rose said, and I shot her a look. I can't believe she was making jokes right now.
"Do you think this is funny?" the Queen demanded, glaring deeply at her.
"No, Ma'am, I'm sorry," she replied, looking away.
"What, exactly, I pray someone please tell… what exactly is that creature?" the Queen asked, moving her gaze from Rose.
"You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform," the Doctor explained, scratching his head as he thinked.
"And should I trust you, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?" the Queen asked, causing the Doctor to shift uncomfortably.
"Oh... right, sorry-" he stammered, but was cut off by the Queen.
"I'll not have it. No, sir, not you… not that thing… none of it. This is not my world," she said, staring at him. He held her gaze before walking away, moving to look at the doors. I looked between the two, before following after him and standing with Rose.
"Mistletoe… Sir Robert, did your father put that there?" he asked, running his finger along the decor on the door.
"I don't know… I suppose."
"On the other door, too… a carving wouldn't be enough… I wonder…" he spoke, mostly to himself. He stared at the door for a moment before leaning in and licking the wood.
I grimaced, not having expected that. "Ew."
"Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe - it's been worked into the wood like varnish! How clever was your dad? I love him!" he exclaimed, before turning toward me and Rose. "Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins."
"So it's allergic to it?" Rose asked.
"Well, it thinks it is. The monkey monk monks need a way of controlling the wolf, maybe they trained it to react against certain things," he explained as Robert walked over to us, shaking his head.
"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon," he told the Doctor.
"Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?" the Doctor asked, giving him a look.
"Doctor!" I looked at him with a glare.
"You're being rude again," Rose added with a nod.
"Good. I meant that one," he told us, and I shook my head. He was being… weird today. He wasn't normally like this. He walked up to the bookshelf and gestured to it. "You want weapons? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world." He reached inside his suit and pulled out his glasses and put them on. "This room's the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourselves," he said, throwing each of us a few books.
The four of us got to work, flipping frantically through the books. I could hear Rose speaking to herself, but I tried to tune her out. I pulled another book off of the shelf, and was surprised to see a picture of a rock falling through the sky. "Doctor, what about this one?"
I held out the book for him, and he flipped through the book.
"Great catch, Victoria. Robert, look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth," he placed the book open on the table.
"A spaceship?" Rose asked, looking at the picture.
"A shooting star," Robert said before looking back at the page. 'In the year of our Lord, 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit.' That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the Monastery."
"But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?" Rose asked, looking over to the Doctor.
"Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations. It survived through the humans. Host after host after host," he explained.
"But why does he want the throne?" Robert asked.
"He said he wants to create the 'Empire of Wolves'," I told him.
"Imagine it… the Victorian Age accelerated… starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam… leaving history devastated in its wake…" the Doctor trailed off forebodingly.
"Sir Robert," the Queen called out, drawing Robert's attention. With a nod to us, he walked over to her.
None of us said anything as the Queen and Robert spoke quietly. I was shocked to see the Queen pull Koh-I-Noor from her bag. "Is that-"
"The Koh-I-Noor," I finished, looking at it in awe.
"The greatest diamond in the world," the Doctor added with a nod. We took a few steps toward her to get a better glimpse of the gem.
"Given to me as the spoils of war. Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die," she explained, looking at the jewel in her hand.
"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I…?" the Doctor asked, nodding down at it. She hesitated for a moment before placing it in his outstretched hand.
He held it up to the light and looked it over. "That is so beautiful."
"How much is worth?" Rose asked, trying to get a better look.
"They say… the wages of the entire planet for a whole week," he said, looking down at her.
"Good thing my mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing," Rose said, a small smile rising on her face.
"And she'd win," the Doctor laughed, making Rose do the same. Robert began pacing around the room, an anxious looking plastered on his face.
"Where is the wolf? I do not trust this silence." The Doctor ignored Robert's words and turned to the Queen.
"Why do you travel with it?"
"My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting," she explained.
Rose shook her head, "But it's perfect."
"My late husband never thought so."
The Doctor took his glasses and placed them back in his pocket. "Now, there's a fact- Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting," he explained.
With a nod, the Queen said: "He always said… the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished."
A look of realization crossed the Doctor's face. "Unfinished! Yes!" He tossed the jewel back to the Queen. "There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research… your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond. Hold on, hold on," he said, running his hands through his hair roughly as he thought. "all these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected! Oh, my head, my head! What if this house, it's a trap for you. Is that right, Ma'am?"
"Obviously," she replied, looking at him, waiting for him to continue.
"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But! What if there's a trap inside the trap?" he asked, looking back at Rose and I for a moment.
"Explain yourself, Doctor," the Queen demanded.
"What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true. And they planned against it. Laying the real trap not for you, but for the wolf," he said, and suddenly it hit me, causing me to gasp.
"The telescope," I said, pointing at him, causing him to point back at me. "Exactly!"
Above us, flakes began raining from the ceiling. Above us, the wolf was walking on the glass.
"That wolf there," the Doctor said, staring at it. The glass under its feet began to crack, and we all scrambled back. We rushed to the door, the Queen right beside me. "Out! Out!" the Doctor said as we pulled the chairs from the barricade.
Behind us, there was a loud crash, followed by a loud growl. I grabbed the last chair and threw it at the wolf before rushing out of the room. The Doctor pulled me away from the door as the wolf growled, looking me in the eyes. "The observatory! We need to go to the observatory!" I said as we ran down the corridor. Beside me, Rose stopped to stare at the wolf coming towards us. "Rose!" I said, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards me.
The noblewoman from earlier appeared in front of us, throwing a pan of liquid at the wolf, causing it to howl in pain and run away. "Good shot," the Doctor said, grabbing my hand and pulling me with him to investigate if the wolf was anywhere to be seen.
"Where do you think it went?" I asked looking up at the Doctor.
"It's probably somewhere close." I looked back to see Robert kiss the woman before she and her maids walked back in the direction they came. "Come on!" the Doctor called from beside me before taking off in a run down the corridor we were in. "The observatory is this way!"
We reached a spiral staircase and we ran as quick as we could, knowing that we were close. "No mistletoe on these doors, your father wanted the wolf to get inside! Get inside I just need time! Is there any way of barricading this?" the Doctor asked as we entered the observatory.
Robert shook his head. "Just do your work and I'll defend it." I looked at Robert, my heart breaking as I thought of his wife becoming a widow.
"If we could bind them shut with rope or something!" the Doctor said, ignoring Robert's words.
"I said I'd find you time, sir," Robert said with determination. "Now get inside."
The Doctor stared at him for a moment. "Good man," he said with a nod before walking into the room.
"Thank you, Robert. Good luck," I nodded at him before running back into the room, watching as he shut the doors.
"Your Majesty, the diamond," the Doctor said, holding out his hand to the Queen.
"For what purpose?"
"What it was designed for."
The Queen reached into her bag and handed the jewel over to the Doctor. He immediately ran over to the telescope before calling Rose and I over to help. "Lift it! Come on!" the Doctor said as we put all of our power into turning the wheel.
"Is this the right time for stargazing?" Rose snapped at him.
"Yes. Yes it is," I said, looking at the Doctor with a nod.
Outside the room, a loud, strangled cry, signally that the wolf had gotten to Robert. "You said this thing doesn't work," Rose said as the gears of the telescope moved.
"It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is! It's a light chamber! It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up!" the Doctor explained but Rose shook her head.
"But there's no electricity," she noted and I nodded up at the light chamber.
"Moonlight! But it needs moonlight! It's made by moonlight!" Rose said.
"You're seventy percent water but you can still drown. Come on!" the Doctor said as the moon began to align with the chamber. "Come on!"
I sighed in relief as the gears clicked into place and the moon and chamber aligned perfectly. However, that moment of relief escaped me as the door behind us burst open, revealing the wolf.
The wolf moved towards the Queen, but the Doctor quickly rushed forward and thrust the Koh-I-Noor into the beam of light escaping the light chamber. A beam bounced off the jewel, hitting the wolf.
My mouth fell open as the wolf began rising in the air and becoming more human.
"Make it brighter. Let me go," he whispered, looking the Doctor in the eyes. The Doctor slowly walked up to the light chamber and flipped a switch, causing the wolf to let out a howl. I looked over at the Queen to see her gripped her wrist tightly.
"Your Majesty? Are you okay?" I asked, walking up to her.
"Did it bite you?" the Doctor asked, coming to stand beside me.
"No… it's just a scratch," she told us without releasing her wrist.
"If that thing bite you…" the Doctor trailed off.
"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart," she said as the Doctor reached for her wrist.
"Let me see it," he said, but she jerked her arm away.
"It is nothing," she said, staring at him. "Now that that is over, why don't you three retire for the night," she told us before leaving the room. We looked among each other, deciding to just follow her to the rooms she was letting us stay in for the night.
Rose entered the first room offered, looking incredibly worn out from the long day. Just down the hall, she offered the Doctor and I each a room before leaving for her own. "How are you holding up, Victoria?" he asked as I reached for the door handle to my room.
"Honestly, not great. I don't know what was up with you and Rose, but you were being totally insensitive the whole time. And that just… it really bothered me," I said, fiddling with the sleeve of my shirt.
The Doctor was silent for a moment, running his hand through his hair as he thought. "You're right, it was uncalled for. I have no good reason for how we acted, but I can tell you that it won't happen again."
"Good," I told him with a nod and I leaned against my door. We stared at each other for a moment, just taking each other in.
"What happened to your cheek?" he asked, moving towards me and brushing his finger over my cheek, making my cheek burn slightly.
"I must have been hit by a splinter or something. Unlike the Queen, it definitely wasn't the wolf," I told him with a small laugh.
He smiled lightly as he dropped his hand. "Good night, Victoria. Sleep well."
"Thanks, Doctor. You too," I said, walking into my room with a wave. I pushed my door closed and jumped onto my bed, gladly accepting the sleepiness that was taking over me.
I looked to my left with a bright smile on my face, sharing excited looks with Rose and the Doctor. The three of us were standing in front of the Queen who had offered to knight us after we had woken up. She held the sword in her hand, and we kneeled down, waiting for her to move.
"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the: Dame Rose of the Powell Estate," she said, tapping him on each shoulder with the sword. "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Sir Doctor of TARDIS," she said, moving the sword to the Doctor's shoulders. I took a deep breath, my excitement getting the best of me. "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Dame Victoria of TARDIS," she said, tapping my shoulders. The Doctor and I had talked, trying to decide where to tell the Queen before settling on the TARDIS. She was my new home, and I couldn't be happier. "You may stand." Together, the three of us stood and thanked her.
"Thank you! Oh my god, Dad's not gonna believe this!" I said, turning to the Doctor with a smile.
"Thanks! They're never going to believe this back home," Rose added.
"Many thanks," the Doctor nodded. "Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving a message from the great beyond; I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now Ma'am, even from beyond the grave."
"Indeed. Then you may think on this, also: that I am not amused." Rose and I immediately looked at each other, trying to fight the grins trying to escape, pleased to know that we had won the bet. Between us, the Doctor leaned his head back and let out a groan. "Not remotely amused. And henceforth... I banish you."
"I'm sorry?" the Doctor asked, voicing what the three of us were thinking.
"I rewarded you, Sir Doctor. And now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the two of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars - and magic - and think it fun. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death and I will not allow it! You will leave this shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you managed to stray so far from all that is good. And how much longer you will survive this... terrible life. Now leave my world. And never return."
We left the house as quickly as possible after that, and it took us a while to get back to the TARDIS. The Doctor explained that the haemophilia that ran in the royal family began with Queen Victoria, meaning that she most likely was bit by the wolf last night.
"I can't believe they're werewolves!" I said with a laugh as we entered the beloved time machine.
"Actual werewolves!" Rose laughed, wrapping her arms around her waist. I looked between Rose and the Doctor, realizing that there was an unpleasant coming from all three of us.
I scrunched my nose in disgust.
"We all need to shower. Badly. I'm going to take mine, and then I am going to have a nice relaxing even in my room. I'll see you two tomorrow," I said, leaving room for no argument. I watched with a smile as they picked up their shirts and sniffered them lightly and immediately grimacing. "Night, guys!" I said with a wave, walking out of the room.
When I got back to my room, I took a quick shower, washing off all the grim from running through the house. When I finished getting dressed, I noticed that I had a missed call from my dad. I quickly called him back, putting the phone between my shoulder and ear as I raked my comb through my hair. "Hey, Dad. Sorry I missed your call," I said once he picked up.
"Hey, Sweetheart. I just wanted to check in on you, see how you were doing," he said.
"Oh, Dad, I'm doing great. I met the Doctor about a month ago and it's been absolutely amazing."
I heard him laugh through the phone, making me smile. "I'm glad that you're doing great. It's been a while since I've seen him. Why don't you stop by sometime so I can say hi," he suggested.
"Sure, Dad. I'll bring it up once I tell him you're my father. But that's besides the point," I said, setting my comb down on my bedside table.
"What's the point then?" he asked with a laugh.
"Now that I've had my first adventure with the Doctor, you owe me a story. It doesn't have to be an adventure though, I think you've told me all of them at this point."
"Do I now? Okay, well…" He trailed off for a moment. "There once was a man, so old and so wise. He was bitter and alone, having lost one of his best friends in a war. He tried to hide his sadness by traveling with others, but one day he met this amazing girl. She reminded him so much of his best friend, that he fell in love again…"