HELLOOOO EVERYONE! I'm currently on holiday with very little internet connection, so I'll try and upload this chapter as much as I can over the next couple of days. Anyway, like I said in the last chapter: despite my personal dislike of River Song, I really hope I've done her character justice. A lot of stuff to come that'll explain a lot, but anyway. Enjoy! :D

27th October, 1208. Masayf, Syria.

The sun was out, bright and baking hot. It sucked all the moisture out of the ground, leaving it hard and cracked. Children ran over it, screaming and laughing as they got under their mother's feet and chased chickens, cats and dogs. The merchants and traders struggled to make themselves heard over the noise of the crowd and their rivals, beckoning potential buyers over frantically – they were mostly women, seeking food or things for their modest homes, but a few were men – a few boys who fancied themselves men now that their faces had hair; they called at the women wrapped up in silks and cloth, and a few burly looking soldiers who stood around the market – not preventing or hindering anything or anyone but causing a meaningful presence. Yes, the residents of Masayf were safe, but not if you displeased their guards. They watched everyone carefully from under their low hoods, hands on their swords and their eyes constantly roving.

And thus was a normal day in Masayf.

And in the buzz of the trading crowd, a novice waited. If history was running accordingly, the day she had been waiting for. From the stall she leant against – the owner hadn't had the nerve to tell her to go elsewhere – she scanned the crowd briefly until she found what she was looking for: a pair of obscenely dark and intelligent eyes, looking at her intently from a stall that boasted rugs of all colours. She shook her head ever so slightly, and the eyes hardened before moving from hers. He was cynical about this, she knew, but all she had was her word.

In this case, anyway.

She felt frustration swell in her head, threatening with an ugly bite: she sighed heavily, and tapped her fingers against her arm. She was an impatient person, and she thought that anyone who said that patience was a virtue spoke a whole load of nonsense. Impatience made you go and get things, instead of waiting for them to come to you – but in this case, it's what she had to do. It was surprising that she wasn't used to it by now: like everyone else who knew him, they spent their whole lives waiting.

And then, suddenly, the waiting was paying off – she heard it: far across the market, probably tucked away in some dark corner. The universe, clear and determined, pealing like a bell. At once, she was gone from the stall, and into the mass of people – using the skills been taught, she weaved her way effortlessly through them all, keeping her gaze dead ahead and stopping for no one. She could feel his eyes on her, all the way, but she didn't pay him attention – she could swear she could feel it calling to her. Oh, it had been so long…too long…

She was free from the crowd and going towards that dark little corner, nestled in between a few little houses. She walked into the mouth of the alley between them, and saw it appear – the blue box, fitting snugly in the limited space. Barely able to restrain her mounting excitement, she stepped down the alley, flicking back her hood as the blue box became solid. Its door opened, and he stepped out.

So angry. So very angry. Something in her jolted in surprise when she saw that intent, dark look – why was he that angry? The message hadn't gotten to him when he'd needed it, hadn't it? He wouldn't be here otherwise -

Unless.

Unless those memories had been denied to him.

She resisted the urge to grin at him again, and instead decided to give him a slow, deliberate and knowing smile, one that would only incense his need to know more and make this all the more wonderful: and it worked. His look darkened, and he made his way towards her purposefully. She stood her ground, looking up at him and beaming gently. His look didn't lighten.

Oh, it made her shiver.

'This is getting far more complicated day by day: far more complicated than it should be – far more capable than I want it to be. Tell me everything you know, and leave nothing out. I am owed this.'

'All in good time.' She replied shortly and sweetly, and his expression twisted into something desperate and angry.

'River Song,' he said her name – harsh, like a warning, but in her ears it was as wonderful as a bell.

She smiled.

'Hello sweetie.'

I'll try to get the next phase up tomorrow, depending what's happening on this LOVELY holiday. Anyway, please review! :)