After a short while, they were in the console room and the Doctor was around the heart of the Tardis spinning different knobs and pulling different levers. He always got a kick out of seeing the face of whomever he was with. They must think that it's so complicated, when in all reality all he had to do was set the date and lift one little lever. He looked over and saw Ruby looking at all of the things he was doing with an odd look on her face, like she was contemplating something. "What is it?"
Ruby looked up, "Huh? Oh, I just got a little case of déja vu." He pushed that last bar and the entire place shook. And once again he noticed something odd. Ruby had already braced herself as if she knew it was coming. She hadn't fallen over or even seemed the least bit startled by the fact that the ground beneath her feet was trembling uncontrollably. Her hands were clamped onto the railing that surrounded the console and her feet were firmly planted on the ground. It was like she knew.
When the TARDIS stopped, the Doctor's thoughts were distracted. He grabbed his trench coat and started towards the door, but an excited Ruby was also making her way out. He sped up and had an aim to beat her to it, but lost.
Ruby ran out the door but slipped and fell on account that there was unexpected snow on the ground. After landing on her backside, she looked up to find the Doctor smiling. "Well, come on, then. Help me up."
"You, see. If you had just let me get outside first, I could have warned you." He offered his hand. "And none of this would have happened." Ruby grabbed his outcast hand and pulled him down as well. She got up on her own and took is coat. "Hey! Ruby! Give that back!"
"You have long sleeves on. I don't."
"Now are you going to help me up!?"
Ruby gave him a sideways glance, "Pay back's a bitch."
"Alright I see your point." He got himself up but when he did he started to slip and grabbed onto Ruby for balance. Unfortunately, all he did was throw him and Ruby back down on the snow-covered ice.
"Well, what are we going to do now? Just sit here until someone helps us?"
"No. We're going to sit here and figure out where and when we are." Ruby looked at him with a slight smirk and he said, "It's much more fun than what you had planned."
"Well, I don't know about that," she said. "It sounded pretty fun." The look that the Doctor gave her was one that made him think that she was completely mad. "I'm just joking, Doctor."
He ignored her and looked around. They were sitting on a hill that looked over all of London. "Well there's still the castle right there. It's a bit smaller but it's still there."
Ruby let out an exasperated grunt and said, "Which tells us nothing because Buckingham Palace has been around for centuries. We could be any when." She looked around and said, "Now let's see. There is no Globe Theatre, so we know that it's before 1599. And-"
"What's going on down there?" The Doctor slowly stood up as not to fall down again. There was a crowd of people gathered around a podium where someone seemed to be giving a speech.
"It looks like-" Ruby gasped and said, "I know what year it is."
The Doctor didn't bother to hide his skepticism, "Really?"
Ruby explained. "Well, if I am correct, the person at that podium is Princess Elizabeth. She is giving a public announcement. Judging by the height of the sun, and the length of her shadow, she's a little too short to be fully-grown. So that tells me that this announcement concerns the rumors going around about her and Thomas Seymour. She did this at age sixteen, which makes this the year 1549," Ruby smiled with pride.
The Doctor stood there with his mind in shock and she had to admit, he looked pretty cute. "I am impressed."
"When you are in America the only thing to watch is the History channel or Discovery channel. Believe me. There is nothing on TV."
The Doctor took a
few moments to stare at her, but then they both noticed the crowd
dissipating down below. He sat back down on the snow and took her
hand.
He looked directly at Ruby and stared right into her brown
eyes. "Ready?" he asked.
"For what?" She watched his gaze go from her face to the bottom of the hill. "Oh, no!"
"One," he started.
"No you don't!"
"Two."
Ruby closed her eyes and fixed her grip onto his hand. As long as he didn't let go she might be all right.
"Three!" The Doctor pushed back with his left hand and slid down with Ruby in his right hand. He laughed as he descended with speed that whipped his tie around his front.
Ruby's hair was being blown behind her and despite her previous fright, she was smiling with the memories of sledding in her backyard as a kid. When her and the Doctor came to a stop, she suddenly felt a craving for hot chocolate with marshmallows. She laughed out loud when she found herself looking around for the sweet chocolaty beverage. She stood up and brushed off the back of the Doctor's coat. "Sorry about your coat," she said.
He really honestly didn't care. He brushed the snow off gingerly and continued to walk around. He really didn't know where he was going he was just thinking of Ruby. She was so…he didn't even know how to describe her. She was somewhere between interesting and just on the edge of annoying. But there was something strange about her. He just couldn't put his finger on it. No matter how much educational television that one watches they couldn't possibly figure out the exact year that the Tardis landed in. It was just not possible.
Ruby stopped by a pedestrian and said, "Excuse me, ma'am. Could you tell me what that speech was about? I arrived a bit late."
"Oh, nothing special. Just the princess trying to make amends with what's been going around."
"But what exactly have people been saying?"
"Don't you know?" asked the woman in surprise.
"Well, I've just arrived in London a few days ago."
"I thought as much. You didn't sound right." Ruby knew full well that her clothes had something to do with it too. "Well, if you must know, there hath been word of relations between Elizabeth and that Tom Seymour. The servants have seen Mr. Seymour making visit to the princess' bedchamber. Before she was even dressed no less! I've heard it going around, but before I tell you this I want you to mind that I don't know of its reliability. You see, there hath been a report of Tom slashing her dress in the castle gardens."
Ruby threw in a gasp and said, "But that doesn't sound like any of this was on the princess' part."
"Aye, I think that sir Seymour was taking advantage of the young Elizabeth."
Ruby thought for a moment, then said, "Was there anything else that princess Elizabeth spoke of?"
"Oh just an announcement of one of her gatherings at the castle. Reminding us that it takes place tonight. But what was she telling us for? We aren't about to show our faces in front of such company."
"Thank you for the information ma'am."
"Nice meeting you."
Ruby looked around for the Doctor, but when she turned around she found him right at her side. "Come on. Let's keep walking." You did, but the Doctor kept oddly close. "It's not good to be in one place too long on these streets. Especially alone."
Ruby listened to him and stayed by his side. He led her back to the TARDIS, all the while looking over his shoulder every few seconds. He pushed her into the door and closed Tardis door behind them.
"What was that for? Anyway, where are the dresses in this place?"
"We're not going."