This is the end, unless the readers would like to see it turn into a series and how the series changes according to these events. Any interest? Feedback is love!
Chapter Four:
"You nutter!" I exclaimed, as the Doctor and I edged to the town square, where a crowd had already gathered. The Prefect worked fast. "You don't have to do this!"
"Yes, I do." The Doctor's voice was resolute.
"Why? Is it this one of those man tests of your testosterone?"
He fixed me with his dark eyes. "First you think I can't dance, then you think I can't defend you."
"This is about what I think?"
He ignored me and stepped into the circle of people. "I'm here. Let's have at it then."
The Prefect stood in the center of the circle, shirtless, with what looked like samurai trousers. He held a sword. "You have all come to bear witness to the claiming of Rose Tyler." The crowd murmured consent, and someone shoved me to the center, so that I stood in front of everyone. "She will leave with the victor, to be his and his alone."
"Not unless it's the Doctor," I mumbled, keeping a wary eye on the crowd.
The Doctor stripped off his leather and tossed it to me, his shirt following suit. I took a moment to gawk and then pulled my eyes away when the Prefect gave me a sharp look and tossed the Doctor a sword.
"We follow gentleman's rules, here, Chancellor," the Prefect said.
"Never mind the Chancellor rubbish, the Doctor is fine."
"Doctor, then. We do not go for the kill. You must draw blood from your opponent three times to win claiming rights. Judge Blakeney will keep score. Are you in accord?"
The Doctor nodded.
"Very well." The Prefect stood at ready. "En garde!"
My breath caught in my throat as the swords flashed. I expected cheers and jeers from the crowd, but everyone remained silent, as if watching golf or a tennis match. The only sounds were my own heart pounding and the clanking of metal to metal.
The Doctor seemed to block the Prefect's hits, and then I saw his sword miss a parry and the Prefect's carried through, to pierce his shoulder.
"First blood to Prefect Tennyson!" the judge said, and the crowd all clapped politely.
I gasped as blood began to run down the Doctor's shoulder. He met my eyes for the briefest of moments, and then looked away quickly.
The swords clashed again, this time with a bit more power. The two opponents meant business. The crowd murmured softly amongst themselves, obviously noticing something was up.
Tennyson's sword broke away from the Doctor's and scored his side. More polite clapping came from the crowd, and I rushed forward toward him.
His eyes flashed blue fire and he gave his head the barest of shakes, warning me off. The Prefect noticed my movement and frowned.
The judge took me gently by the arm and led me back. "Prefect Tennyson has drawn blood for the second time! One more time and claiming rights of Rose Tyler go to him."
My eyes locked on the Doctor's. I didn't want to go with the Prefect. How had we gotten into this situation?
The Doctor gave me a slight smile, and put one hand on his side. He stood a bit straighter, and held the sword at attention.
Tennyson took a step back, like he didn't know what to make of this sudden burst of confidence.
The swords crashed together again, this time the opponents moving in a circle as they dodged, parried, and thrusted. The Prefect was beginning to sweat, but the Doctor's face was a mask of determination.
Crash, crash, and then...
"The Doctor has drawn blood for the first time!" the judge said, and the crowd clapped politely again as the Prefect's cheek began to bleed.
My heart leaped.
Tennyson wiped away the blood with a lock of shock, and then his lips went into a thin line and he held his sword at the ready.
The sword movements were gaining power, and I heard a few people in the crowd make worried noises. They weren't supposed to kill anyone, but it was starting to feel like things were getting out of hand.
Slash!
Blood welled down the Prefect's chest.
"The Doctor has drawn blood for the second time!" the judge said, and this time the announcement was met with hardier applause and a few cheers. The Prefect glared. Either he was not well-liked, or everyone liked a good underdog story.
"It is anyone's win now," the judge said and both opponents glared at each other.
"Come on, Doctor, you can do this!" I said under my breath, crossing my fingers. "Come on!"
They really went for each other this time, grunting every time the swords bashed against each other, a few times getting locked up in their struggle to get at each other. The Prefect went for the Doctor's head, and an audible whoosh could be heard as he ducked it. Me and the rest of the crowd gasped.
The Doctor tilted his sword up and...
"Last blood goes to the Doctor!" the judge yelled, and cheers and claps could be heard all around. I tore away from the judge and jumped into the Doctor's arms.
"Blimey, you were fantastic!" I said, throwing my arms around him, forgetting the injuries until he grunted in pain. "Sorry."
"I'll take pain for your enthusiasm," he said with a grin. "You'd better be thrilled, Rose Tyler, since this was all for you."
"Here's a kiss for my Champion," I said, giving him one on the cheek. He dropped the sword, it thunking to the ground, and turned my chin toward him, giving me a long, passionate kiss on the mouth that stunned me.
By the time my rational mind caught up to what was going on and what it could mean, the judge was prying me away, chuckling. "Here now, that's enough of that. There's a bit to do before the Claiming."
"What?" I stuttered, as he motioned to a group of women who dragged me away from the Doctor's astonished gaze.
Chapter 5:
I was ushered into a small room with a bath above a storefront.
A matronly woman looked me over. "Preparing for a Claiming, eh? Who won, the gentleman you came here with or the Prefect?"
"My friend, the Doctor," I said, watching as the other women with me began sprinkling what look liked bath salts into the steaming water and laying out some sort of garment.
The matronly woman studied me. "And that's who you be wantin' to claim ya? Your friend, the Doctor?"
I nodded. "Yes."
She smiled. "Well, then that makes everything fine. We have ways of working around it if'n ya didn't want him, ways of makin' a man turn down a rightfully earned Claiming."
I nodded as if I knew what she was talking about. It helped to know that the women weren't totally powerless in this society, if they didn't want the man they were sent to, they had some sort of trick to get out of it.
Me, all I wanted was to get off this crazy world and continue on my travels with the Doctor.
And maybe have another kiss like the one he had just planted on me.
"Now you have this bath and you can change into these robes after," the matron said, pointing to the garment laying over a chair nearby. "The maids will take you to your husband's rooms when you're finished."
"No, you see, he's not my husband, we just travel together," I explained for what felt like the millionth time.
The matron chuckled. "Not anymore, lovie. That whole sword fight in the town square, that is your marriage ceremony. One of those two men get you for their wife, your Doctor just gets the first go at it. If'n he decides he doesn't want you, you go to the Prefect. So if it's the Doctor you be wanting, I suggest you make sure he takes his claim." And with that, she walked out the door, leaving me staring open-mouthed after her.
I took my time in the bath, wanting to sort out all of the conflicting thoughts running through my mind. I had just dressed in what was laughably called 'robes' by these people, it was actually a strip of white transparent cloth that draped across my shoulders and down my front, creating a large v that came together under my belly button, and another sheer cloth that went around my waist and barely covered my bum, when the maids walked in.
The matron met me and the maids at the bottom of the stairs. "Before we take you to him, do you be having any questions about what is expected of you?"
"How do you mean?"
"Your wifely duties, child. What a man expects of a woman."
"Oh!" I blushed hotly. "No, that's alright. I think I've got that down, thanks. Not that I do that a lot," I quickly amended. "I just...um...know."
She winked. "Good for you. It's always better to know before the Claiming, the poor girls that don't are usually so half scared out of their minds that they can't even enjoy themselves."
"Right." I don't think I wanted off a planet as badly as I did then.
"Here we go then," she said, and opened the door.
The entire town had turned out to see me half-naked. I know I blushed furiously as the maids led me down the road, the townspeople throwing flower petals as I walked. If it was all so crazy, it just might be a bit romantic.
We came to a small house at the end of town that reminded me of a Japanese pagoda. The doors slid open to reveal a small living quarters with silk and satin pillows all over the rugs, and a small table with assorted fruits, cheeses, wines, and other foods laid out. Soft, muted music played from somewhere and the lighting was a dim, romantic glow. In fact, everything had the look of a honeymoon suite.
I walked past the spread and followed the trail of flower petals (big on flower petals, this lot) and slid open the doors that lead to the bedroom.
I stood, silhouetted in the doorway, looking in at the room that was mostly made up of a big bed, again with satins and silks, and saw who was sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, fully clothed again, posture screaming of how uncomfortable he was.
The Doctor glanced up at me. "Rose! You're a sight for sore eyes, I was worried where they ran you off to." He came over to hug me, seemingly unaware of my half-naked state and apparently healed of his injuries. "They've locked up the TARDIS, said that we could have it back in the morning after the Claiming's been decided. I don't know about you, but I've had enough of this rock, and I'm ready to move along." He stopped babbling long enough to notice what I was wearing. "Blimey, what are you wearing?"
"My wedding dress, apparently," I said.
He stared. "Come again?"
"Didn't they explain everything to you?"
"Not as such, no," he said with a wry grin.
"Wow. I know something you don't. Allow me to savor the moment," I said, returning his smile. "Well, Mister Know-it-All, that little display of manliness earlier was in fact, our wedding ceremony."
The smile faded. "I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me. The Claiming 'round these parts is a wedding ceremony. You won, so you get first dibs on me. If you decide to opt out, I go with the Prefect. And I really don't want to go with the Prefect, so it looks like you're stuck with me."
"So we're married?"
"It appears so."
He gave a sarcastic laugh. "Well, I can't guarantee I'll be any better at it this time around."
"Whatcha mean, this time' round?" I asked, in shock. "You've been married before?"
He pulled a face. "Rose, I'm 900 years old. You think I've never been married once in those 900 years?"
I shrugged. "So you're not married now?"
"Well, apparently I am," he said, motioning to me.
"No, I mean, before this."
He gave me a small smile. "No, I wasn't married up until we came to this planet."
I sat down on the bed next to him. "So what happened"
"You know me, I don't do domestic. I like to travel, see the universe. I'm not the settling down to a house and a job and an ordinary life kind of bloke."
"Who wants an ordinary life? I hated my dead-end job and I certainly didn't want to worry about a mortgage."
He grinned. "TARDIS is bought and paid for."
"There you are then! No domestic squabbles for us," I joked. Was it strange that neither of us had mentioned the fact that we could just ignore this strange marriage if we wanted? Pretend it never happened?
I nudged him. "Can you imagine the look on my mum's face when I tell her you're her son-in-law?"
He scowled. "I'd get more than slapped, I'd probably get my a solid left hook to the face!" He crossed his arms. "No, no, you're telling her, I'm not going anywhere near her."
You're telling her. My heart skipped a beat. "Mickey's going to flip," I said, nonchalantly.
The Doctor grinned. "Now him I will tell." He took my hand in his. "If I had to get accidentally get married on another world, I'm glad it's you I'm with. Who better to end up with than your best mate?"
"Thanks," I said softly. Mates? Is that all we were?
He took my mood differently. "Oh, Rose, don't worry about it. No one has to know about this 'claiming' other than the two of us. We just have to hang about here until the morning, and you know I'll be the proper gentleman..."
"Shut up," I said, leaning over to grab his shirt and pull him to me to kiss him. I expected him to pull away, but he just took hold of my shoulders and kissed me back.
"What are you doing?" he said, seeming to come to his senses and push me away, but gently and almost hesitantly.
"Kissing my husband on our wedding night," I said softly. "They dressed me to seduce you, and if you decline, I go with the Prefect. You don't want me to go with the Prefect do you?"
"No." His dark blue eyes glittered with heat.
"You want me to stay with you, travel with you, right?" I put my hand on his leg.
"Yes." His voice sounded hoarse.
I slid my hand up, moving again so that we were but a breath away from each other. "You want me, don't you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, hoping, praying, that I would get the answer I so desperately needed to hear.
He swallowed hard, his gaze running up and down my body, resting on my lips, so close to his own. "Yes." His voice was heavy with desire.
"Then I think you'd better claim me," I said, and our lips crashed together.