I think I was supposed to be going home. I'm sure it would be better for me to go home. Safer. Just plain better for me. There was security and family and friends. That's what my brain kept telling me.
But really there was just loneliness. So I was staying. As if the Doctor would let me go. And I got to meet new people all the time. There were so many different stories people had to tell and it was amazing to see how people lived their lives. Even though I never got to fully immerse myself with them in their routines. We never stayed long enough for me to experience it. I still found it exhilarating to meet them.
"Where are we going now?" I sat in my seat, examining my nails. We were just flying around at the moment. I had no idea where we were going. The Doctor refused to tell me. "Come on, I'm going to find out sometime, you might as well tell me." The Doctor didn't answer, just laughed and continued dancing around the controls.
"Rachel Foster, you are in for the best adventure of your life." The Doctor peered around the console. "Just you wait." I smiled and leaned back into my seat. The Doctor pulled a lever and before I knew it, we were stopped.
The Doctor ran to the door. Throwing the doors open, I saw that we were in some sort of forest, by a cave. The Doctor let out a sound of happy accomplishment before running outside.
"Come along then, Rachel Foster!" He called back as he ran out. I smiled, but noticed that he had left his sonic screwdriver right next to one of the buttons. I grabbed it and placed it in my pocket. I grabbed my jacket and kept walking out the TARDIS door. I locked the door behind me and turned to see the Doctor was nowhere in sight. A slight panic seized me, but then I felt the tackle to the ground and something very hot in the air, but as soon as I felt it, it was gone.
After sputtering leaves out of my mouth I looked up into the most beautiful pair of chocolate brown eyes I had ever seen. My words caught in my throat. He helped me get up from the ground. I thought him very handsome, until he opened his mouth.
"Are you a moron?" His voice made my knees weak, but I was sure my eyes were bugging out of my head from his rudeness. "Everyone in the forest knows that this place is forbidden." I brushed off my dress and picked some leaves out of my braid.
"I'm not really from around here," I replied stiffly. I crossed my arms. "Where am I? Have you seen my friend? And why was the air hot just then?" The man seemed to be overwhelmed a bit with my questions. "And who are you and why did you knock me down?" The man before me sighed and grabbed my arm. He dragged me along with him. I wasn't sure where we were going, but I certainly didn't want to be taken there.
"You are in the kingdom Camelot, rather the forest surrounding it. No one comes here by accident. If you were not alone then your friend is most likely dead. And the reason you felt that hot air is because you were near the cave." I planted my feet firmly where I stood and wrenched my arm from his grip.
"Why is the cave dangerous?" The man turned back to me and grabbed my arm once more. This time, he was not as gentle as the last time.
"The Great Dragon lives there." His statement stopped me stone cold in my tracks. He kept pulling me on, but I was just in shock.
"A dragon, are you serious? Like fire breathing and everything?" I smiled. There was no way I should have been giddy at the prospect, especially with the Doctor missing, but the prospect of a real dragon had my stomach doing back flips. The man nodded and I kept walking with him, willingly. Because of that, he let go of my arm. I walked by his side. "Where are we headed?"
"To the camp. Everyone will decide what to do with you there." He kept walking. I rolled my eyes and by doing so, missed a root sticking out of the ground. I fell, but I felt strong arms wrap around my waist. The man set me upright and continued walking. I was about to mutter a thank you when he spoke.
"You really are a clumsy girl, aren't you?" I glared at his back as I fell behind his pace. He was making fun of me and I didn't even know him. Of course, he did look familiar from somewhere, I just couldn't place where. I figured my mind was playing tricks on me. He turned to look back at me, a laugh in his eyes. "We're here." He seemed to catch himself and his expression went blank.
He pushed away a few branches and ushered me into an opening of what he called an encampment. After looking at the site for a bit, I looked back at him. I didn't know how I forgot to register what he was wearing, but once I did, things made more sense. I slapped my hand to my forehead and stepped into the clearing. Everyone was bustling about. Everyone had a job and no one was paying attention to the strange girl in the brightly colored dress.
A woman approached me and examined me up and down. I felt a bit exposed. She seemed to be the matriarch of the whole operation, so when she noticed me, everyone else did as well.
"Who is this, Dorian?" The woman gestured to me with a wooden ladle. Pretty soon I was surrounded by so many people I wasn't sure where they had come from. I backed up from the encircling people, successfully backing right into Dorian, the rude man that saved me from the dragon's fire. He pushed me off him and walked around me to greet the woman.
"I found her by the cave. She was just standing there. She said she had a friend, but there was no trace of anyone else. I suspect the dragon got whoever they were." My heart sank at his statement. I didn't think the Doctor could possibly be dead. He just couldn't be.
"An orphan like you," The woman responded to Dorian. "She can stay the night, but in the morning we're taking her to Camelot so she can be sold as a servant." I had to catch my breath. I was to be sold as a servant? I sat down on a log near me. "Unless one of you lot want to marry her. Though she is a scrawny thing." I looked down at myself. I wasn't that scrawny. People went back to work after that; though a few of the men stayed around. I noticed Dorian standing a little ways off, he was carving some branch and keeping a watchful eye.
"So, where are you from?" The men surrounded me and I felt slightly uncomfortable. They were encircling me like wolves around a lamb. Except, I wasn't as helpless as they thought I was.
"Somewhere not close by." I smiled, trying to be charming, but not wanting anything to escalate. They all chuckled and kept asking their questions. If I was lying I would have said that none of them were attractive. In fact, a few of them would be rather nice looking if they cleaned up a little bit. I mean, I didn't want to marry any of them, but if I absolutely had to, I wouldn't mind. I subconsciously grasped at my necklace with William's ring.
"What you got there?" It was the first time Dorian had spoken up in the conversation. He walked over and grabbed the necklace around my neck. He didn't rip it off, but he was fixated on the ring.
"It's an engagement ring. My engagement ring." I grabbed my ring from Dorian's grasp. "Though he's long gone by now." I dropped the ring back down the front of my dress. "I don't see why you'd care."
"Well, that little piece of shine could pay for some supplies we need and you wouldn't have to be a servant." He crossed his arms and leaned back against a closer tree as I glared daggers at him.
"I'm not giving this up for the world. Sell me into slavery if you like. I'd rather that than selling this." I turned back to the other men, but my gaze was at the ground. "This is the last thing I have of him and nothing is going to take it from me." There was a silence for a while, but then one of the men started to ask more questions. We chatted as they got to know me, and I got to know a little about them.
Eventually, the woman, Marana, decided that my dress was too revealing and took me to change in her tent.
"I used to be a pretty thing like you. Got myself a husband and he loved me. He was executed a few years back. He wasn't careful enough when going into the kingdom. At least I have my sons and the others that have joined our little troupe." She smiled a sad smile. "But I still have my pretty dresses from back then. You can wear one. You can even keep it. It does me no good." She rummaged around in a trunk in the corner of the tent. I saw some very nice colors ruffled around as she searched. "Here, this one will look mighty nice on you." She smiled and brought out a midnight blue dress. "Never really wore this, it didn't look too good with my coloring." She smiled and helped me change. I was grateful for her help because there was no way to get this done myself. She smiled and helped me pin up my hair so it wouldn't get in the way of anything. "Why, don't you look gorgeous, my dear. It might be nice to have another woman around here, though we do have a few." I smiled and put on the shoes she gave me.
Walking out of the tent, I had to blush. Every pair of eyes turned to me. The most intense and burning gaze came from the eyes of Dorian. I turned away from him and walked over to a counter where Marana was starting to prepare supper for everyone. I helped her cook and prepare things for everyone with a few of the other women.
"Dear, could you chop a few logs of wood for the fire? You'll find the logs behind my tent." I smiled, picked up my dress and walked back behind the tent. I heard Marana call to someone to help me after I had made it around the back. I picked up a few logs on a pile and placed them near a stump with an axe stuck in it. I grabbed up the axe and was about to swing for the first log, but a grip stopped my swing.
"Surely, you're not going to chop this wood all by yourself?" I tilted my head back in annoyance and breathed out of my mouth.
"That was the plan, actually." I let go of the handle of the axe and turned to face him. "Why are you such an annoying jerk? I mean, why can't you leave me alone?" I grabbed the axe from him. In one swing, the log cracked in half and with two more swings, the halves were quartered. "I think I can handle this. Why don't you go bother someone else?" I smiled and expected him to walk away, but he just stood there.
"Marana expects you to marry one of her sons or one of the other single men in the camp." I rolled my eyes and kept chopping wood for the fire. He didn't say anything else as I kept working. But when I was finished and about to pick up the wood to bring to the fire, he picked up all the pieces before I could.
I slammed the axe back into the tree stump before following him back into the campsite. Dorian placed the wood by the fire where Marana was cooking some meat for everyone. I had nothing else to do, so I decided that walking around the camp might be a good way to pass the time. I walked around the perimeter and found the camp to be actually quite large. Before I could explore further, however, I was called back for the meal I had helped prepare.
We ate and there was singing and merriment. I couldn't stop laughing for most of it. The food was tough and perhaps overcooked, but it satisfied my hunger and allowed me to get more acquainted with the people I would be staying with for the night. Then the singing really started. They begged me to sing for them, but I didn't know any songs of the time, so I stayed silent. Eventually, as the sky started to grow darker, I walked away to continue in my exploration of the forest. I wouldn't go farther than I could see the firelight and I took a cloak as to not get cold.
I walked away and around the camp again, retracing my steps. I expanded my walking perimeter. I could still see the fire, but it was a bit farther away and more obscured by the trees.
There was the snap of a twig somewhere around me. I froze. I had no idea what kind of creatures lurked around this forest. There could be bears or wolves, not to mention the supernatural creatures. I mean, they did have a dragon, who's to say they didn't have griffons or goblins running around hungry for some human flesh? I couldn't move. I was just a little bit afraid. Another branch snapped and I turned to the direction of the noise. Of course I couldn't see anything in the dark, but that didn't stop me from looking.
I carefully and quietly started back towards the campsite. Trying not to make a noise, I checked behind me every once in a while to make sure that nothing was following me. The problem was that I could feel the creature behind me. I just couldn't see whatever it was. I felt the thing's eyes on my back.
"You look scared." The voice behind me made my bones melt and my body jump what felt like five feet into the air. I should have known it was Dorian from the moment I heard the first twig snap, but with the darkness it was hard to tell what was out in the forest. I turned around, angry and smacked him. Not on the face, but I'd like to think my anger still made its point.
"You understand you had me scared stiff? I thought I was going to be attacked by wolves or bears." I backed him up against a tree. Yet he had the audacity to chuckle at me.
"We don't have any of those around here, just dragons and other magical creatures." He moved around me. I grabbed his shoulder, trying to turn him around. What he had done was by no means nice or right. I thought I was going to die.
As I was about to say something more, there was a great rush of wind that almost knocked me off my feet. Dorian pulled me to him and he dropped us to the ground. He was on top of me, leaning on his hands. I tried pushing him off, but he just looked at me, a bit scared. I was confused, but as I looked into the air I saw something I never thought to exist.
Flying above our heads, with the wingspan of a football field was a huge dragon. I thought for sure my eyes were playing tricks on me in the dark. But there, right above the tops of the trees was the giant dragon with his glowing green eyes. As soon as the dragon had passed overhead, Dorian stood, watching its retreating form for as long as he could see it. I stood and brushed myself off and tried to hide the fact that I was blushing.
We walked back into the camp, where everyone was just reemerging from their own tents. They all peeked out tentatively before walking out, as if expecting the dragon to make another flying appearance. They all gathered by the fire and finished what they were doing before.
"Let us hope that no one is hurt on this flight." Everyone looked at everyone else. I glanced at Dorian's face. There was a hard look in his eyes. I turned away and walked to the tent where I was told I could sleep. I changed back into my own dress and fell on the straw mattress. It wasn't a great luxury hotel, but I didn't care. I fell asleep and was woken by a great hustle in the morning.
I woke to find a nice crimson dress laid out for me. As soon as my dress was on the best I could, Dorian burst into the tent. I turned around to look at him.
"Some of your ties are wrong." He gestured to the back of the dress where it was tied together. I sighed. That alone had taken far too much time for me to accomplish. I sat down on the bed. "Come here and turn around." I looked up at Dorian. Did he actually think I would just let him tie up my dress? Well, he was right because I stood and faced my back to him.
With careful hands, he untied the knots I tied. His hands were gentle and seemed to barely even touch me as he retied the dress. Once he was done, he set his hands on my shoulders. He quickly took them away, though. But he fingered the back of the chain for my necklace.
"Tell me about this ring." I grasped it in my hand. I sat back on the bed.
"He was a man I met and fell in love with. I had to leave him. And that is the end of it." I smiled up at him. "It's in the past and I'm fine with it. I just like to keep the memory alive. Sometimes I'm afraid I might forget him with the life I live." I smiled. "I know I never will with this around my neck." He nodded and held his hand out to me. I accepted his hand and we walked out of the tent.
"I recently lost someone I loved very dearly as well. We were just married and she got taken by an illness." He linked our arms together as we sat down waiting for our morning meal. Marana walked over to us.
"Dears, a girl had been taken from the kingdom by the dragon." Dorian stood and started rummaging around the campsite. I noticed a few others of the men were doing the same. I turned to Marana.
"What are they doing?" Marana looked at me. There was fear in her eyes, but it wasn't over the dragon.
"They're going to slay the dragon. It has gone too far this time. Taking a child is too much. It has to be stopped." She laid a hand on my head and walked away. I quickly stood. There was no way I was going to miss this.
All of the men were putting on chainmail and grabbing swords, shields, and axes. It was as though they were going to war. I suppose they were. Fighting a dragon was probably no easy ordeal. I tried to stay out of their way as best I could. I was asked by a few of them to help with some clasps and ties. I did what I could and tried to help. By the noon hour they were leaving to fight.
As quickly as I could, I snuck away and followed them. I figured it was a halfway point in the journey when they sat to eat the lunches of bread and cheese we had packed for them. I had a similar one for myself and ate it. Unfortunately for me, I was discovered.
"You just can't stay away from danger can you?" Dorian walked behind the tree I was sitting beneath. Of course, I knew eventually I would have been caught. I just thought it would be closer to the dragon's cave. "I knew you were following us since we left the camp." I sighed. I knew he would ask me to go back. "You can follow as long as you don't get into danger." He smiled and walked back to the other men. I smiled and as they walked on towards the cave.
The TARDIS came into view and I knew we had arrived. I ran over to it and used my key to open the door. I tossed in the clothes I had worn and the blue dress. There was no way I was giving that up. I took the sonic screwdriver from the pocket and ventured out.
The men had already gone into the cave. There was fire bursting out of the opening, so I tread carefully as I entered. I heard the noises of battle echoing off the walls. I listened and it seemed that there were many people being wounded in the process. I made it to the part of the cave that expanded to a high ceiling and open space and sighed in relief when I saw that no one was killed, or mortally injured, just unable to go on fighting. They were all lying on the floor, groaning in pain. The dragon seemed to be walking away.
I picked up a sword and a shield, ready to defend myself should the dragon start to attack me. A few of the men got up to start taking their kinsmen out of the cavern.
"Its fine, I've got everything taken care of here," I gestured to them so that they would move quicker. Unfortunately, this caught the dragon's attention. I turned to face the creature and steadied my feet. The dragon blew a stream of fire and I held up the shield to protect myself as I dodged the flame.
This would be easy, as long as I could kill a living creature. It went against everything I stood for. My resolve strengthened, however, as the dragon tried to grab me in its teeth. There was no way I was going to become some dragon's meal. I jabbed at it with the sword in my hand and it backed away.
We continued our fight as I saw that Dorian was unconscious off to the side against the wall. I got higher ground and was face to face with the dragon. It fell to the ground and I ran to stand atop it, prepared to end its life. As I looked into its eyes, I realized that I probably couldn't. However, I raised my blade over where I presumed its heart to be. About to have the blade pierce the dragon's skin, I stopped. Instead I took out the Doctor's screwdriver.
"You're just scared aren't you?" I pointed the screwdriver around the cave and heard the sound echo through the cavern. I knelt next to the creature and touched its head. The dragon looked completely defeated.
"Rachel Foster, don't hurt her!" The Doctor appeared in an opening of the cave and rushed over. I stood and smiled at him.
"Doctor, where have you been?" I smiled as he brought out his sword. I realized he had been living it up in the kingdom. He was wearing chainmail, which I was sure the dragon didn't have on hand.
"I've been looking for you." I smiled. "Where have you been?" He dropped the sword and ran up to hug me. "I'm afraid the dragon thought a little girl was you when she flew out last night. It's all right now. Just got finished taking the girl back to her family." I smiled and heard Dorian groan.
I walked over to him, dropping my sword and shield in the process. Kneeling beside him, I saw that his legs were wounded. I looked up at the Doctor. Realizing I still had the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. I handed it back to him and he pointed it at Dorian.
"Doctor, I need help." I looked more closely at Dorian's wounds. I tore off some of his shirt to stop the bleeding with pressure. "Please, this is important." The Doctor stooped down with me and examined his wrist for a pulse. There was a leather bracelet resting there. He seemed perplexed by it, but didn't say anything. Instead he continued in his examination.
"If he stays here, he'll most likely die." The Doctor stood back up and walked away. I would have rushed after him, but instead I stayed with Dorian, thinking the Doctor was going get something that would help. Instead, he came back with the TARDIS. I looked at him as he popped his head out.
"Are you insane? We can't take him into the future." I stood up and walked over to the door of the TARDIS where the Doctor was.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine." I sighed and helped the Doctor put Dorian in the TARDIS on my chair. We started to move and I guessed the engines disturbed Dorian. He woke up and looked around.
"Now, I never thought I would be here again." I looked over at Dorian, not really paying attention what he was saying. "Well, Rachel, where are we going?" I smiled at him.
"We're going to get you better. Aren't you going to ask where you are?" I walked over to see him and see if his wounds were beginning to stop bleeding. Dorian hissed in pain as I checked, but didn't ask anything. The Doctor turned to me, pausing in his flying of the TARDIS.
"You won't get questions from him, Rachel. He's from the future. He's probably used to things like this. Even has a vortex manipulator. He travels through time like us." I looked back at Dorian, puzzled. He shrugged and smiled at me.
"Guilty as charged." I glared at him and walked away, picking up my notebook from my room. He hobbled into my room as best he could after me. I was sure it caused him pain, but he didn't seem to care that he might bleed to death from exerting himself. He sat down on my bed and I got up to sit on the chair.
"You're going to get blood on my bed." Dorian looked down at his leg and how much it was bleeding.
"Well, sorry about that. I'm also sorry about not telling you about how I've lived in the future." He tried to smile at me. I looked at him, but I still couldn't understand why he was where he was. I was about to ask him when the Doctor came in. We had just landed at a hospital and the Doctor helped Dorian into a hospital bed. Nurses instantly surrounded him. Dorian would be fine, but we left him there. The Doctor flew us away and I had time to write.
The girl and the Doctor met many people in their escapades and adventures. Some were more memorable than others. Some lied about who they were and some were blunt. But each one had a tale to tell. The Doctor and the girl had their tales too.
They once met a man that intrigued the girl. He was impolite and mysterious and captivating all at the same time. He was handsome and arrogant. Sometimes she could stand him and sometimes she couldn't. She asked who he was and he never answered. And he surprised her by being from the future, just like her. She asked him again for his story. But he was injured and their ways parted. The tale was never told.
Yet the girl hoped she would see him again.