I've always wanted to be a princess; since watching my first Disney movie. I wanted to be like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella. For the longest time, I was convinced I was a princess. Not even my parents could convince me otherwise. They said I wasn't a princess; that maybe one day I would grow up to meet my prince charming. I didn't listen to them, until I grew up and realized that I was no princess and never would be.
Then I stumbled into my prince charming, but really he wasn't a prince and the relationship was completely platonic; he was already married. So really you could say I stumbled upon a lord, a Time Lord. Yes, I'm talking about the Doctor. As many times as he tries to tell me that I was special before I met him, I'll stay convinced until the day I die that traveling with him is the most special thing I've done.
I smiled as we hopped from one little shop and booth to the next. We were in some sort of bazaar. I was trying to find some sort of jewelry to buy. I didn't want to buy anything too gaudy, but I tried to find some sort of trinket.
"How about this, Rachel?" The Doctor held some earrings up to his ears and turned towards me. I laughed at how ridiculous he looked.
"No, Doctor, I think they're more your style." I smiled and grabbed a hat that was nearby. "Perhaps paired with this?" I chuckled as the Doctor grabbed the hat and secured it on his head.
"I've needed a fez." He smiled and paid the credit for the hat. He grabbed it and we kept walking around the shops. There were different fortune tellers and every shop owner tried to get us to come and buy things from their shops.
We walked past them. The Doctor and I were just having a fun time, hanging around. I got a few ear cuffs and some simple earrings. We kept walking.
"Doctor, I'm getting hungry. We should get some food. Perhaps one of these kiosks will have some food we can buy." My stomach gave a slight growl to emphasize my statement. The Doctor laughed at me as I clutched my stomach. "It's not funny, Doctor. You might be some Time Lord who feeds off the energy of the universe, but I need food."
We were making our way to find some food for me, smiling and laughing the whole way, when an alien woman ran straight into me. She pushed something into my hand and kept running in the same direction. I kept my hands in my blazer as she ran past and a bulky man with tattoos up and down his arms ran after her. I only glimpsed at him, though, because I was turned towards the Doctor.
"What is this?" As soon as they both passed, I brought out my hands. In them, there was a brilliant and beautiful tiara. I was too shocked to say anything else. This was a crown.
"It seems as though someone trusts you with that diadem." I buried it back into my jacket. There was no way that I was going to get it stolen from me. The Doctor and I walked around to some uninhabited alleyway where I brought out the crown again.
"These gems, Doctor, they must be very expensive. Perhaps she stole it." I brought it up to some light to see it glitter. I smiled and part of me wanted to keep it, but if it was stolen, then it had to be returned.
"Oh, Rachel, that crown wasn't stolen. No, you were given that tiara by the crown princess." The Doctor took the diadem from my hands. I looked over his shoulder as he examined it. "Yes, this is the real thing." He laughed, but then sobered up. "Well, I wonder who it was she was running from." He looked back to the busy part of the street. "Very strange." I turned to look where the Doctor was looking. A shadow fell across my face. I turned around to see a group of very tall men standing behind me. "Well, Rachel Foster, let's see if we can't find the runaway princess."
Though I heard him, I couldn't respond. There was a hand placed firmly over my mouth and nose. I could hardly breathe and my vision started to go hazy. But I was quickly carried away from the Doctor down a maze of alleyways and backstreets. Before I could really see where I was going, I blacked out.
When I awoke again, I was in a large bed with silk sheets. The room I occupied was huge and there were pillows everywhere and draped fabrics. I stood and walked out onto the balcony of the room. There was a nice view of the scenery. I could see the bazaar and all the people bustling about. I knew I was in the palace at the top of the hill. Anyone on the planet could see the palace. My question was why I was there; why the men had taken me to bring me here.
My questions didn't go unanswered for long. A woman in a flowing gown walked into the room. I turned to her and her stride broke. She continued to walk forward, more quickly before coming to stand before me. She grabbed my face in her hands. She was alien, but if you just glanced, you could probably mistake her for human. The only difference between her and me were the spikes on her forehead and cheeks. She turned my face one way and then the other.
"Who are you?" Her voice screeched out of her lips and I tried to back away from her. Her grip on my face tightened and I tasted blood in my mouth. I didn't want to bite my cheeks, but her vice-like grip was making it hard to stop my teeth. I couldn't speak with her hands on my face. I think she realized as she released my cheeks and grabbed my upper arm. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
"I was brought here. A couple of goons captured me and brought me here. I blacked out and just now woke up." I tried backing away from her, but she just kept me in my place. "My name is Rachel and I've been travelling with my friend. We were just here to shop around." I glanced around the room. There were pictures of a girl who looked like the woman before me, but she also looked just like me, only with spikes on her face. I stopped struggling with her grip and just stared at the paintings.
"If you are not the crown princess, then why did you have the sacred diadem?" I looked at her in shock.
"A girl ran past me and shoved it into my hands. My friend has it now. He's trying to find the princess." I couldn't take my eyes away from the portraits. The woman came and stood next to me.
"Have you ever wanted to be a princess?" I smiled slightly to myself. I nodded and the woman smiled down at me, though her smile was one like a carnivorous beast about to strike. I began to back away from her. I didn't like the look in her eyes. "Perfect. If she refuses, you will do." She grabbed my arm and started dragging me to a door to the side of the bed.
"Let me go," I struggled in her grasp, but she was incredibly strong. She threw me in a chair in front of a vanity and summoned countless individuals. They started poking and prodding my hair and face and I saw a few grab dresses and outfits from an adjacent room.
"She'll need to have her horns put on. Just use makeup. We don't have time for surgery." The woman was barking out orders to the people as they pulled me and pushed me in every direction. "Don't forget to accentuate her eyes and pull her hair away from her face. Make her look romantic." The woman walked out of the room and the servants started to really get into their work. "Don't forget that her hair should fade to white."
I looked around at all the people messing with my appearance. I began to drift off into my own thoughts.
Every little girl wishes at one point to be a princess. Every girl believes she is special and that some day she will be romanced off her feet by some noble prince. The girl stopped believing in her fairytale ending long ago. She was content to travel with the Doctor and live her life that way.
However, one day, the girl was taken; mistaken for the princess of an alien planet. She was taken to the palace where she was transformed to be the princess. She had no say in the matter and she didn't know what the kingdom wanted from her. She knew it wouldn't be good.
And all she wanted was to be a regular girl again.
They stuck synthetic horns on my face and made them blend in with my skin. They pulled my hair and scrubbed some sort of dye into the ends. By the time it was over, I looked just like the portraits in the next room. I didn't think I was looking in a mirror.
I touched my face. But as soon as they were done with my makeup and hair, I was whisked away in order to be dressed. They wrapped me in elegant clothes and touched up anything that was put askew by their dressing me. The color of the material they clothed me in was the deepest purple I had ever seen. The clothes fit me perfectly, another detail that put me on edge. I turned to one of the people dabbing paint onto my face around the horns.
"Why am I being subjected to this?" The woman looked at me and met my eyes. Her gaze glanced away as though she couldn't keep eye contact with me.
"The princess is to be married to the Prince of Clodigar. It is a marriage to end the war between our nations. The queen was upset at having to sacrifice her only daughter, but with you here there will be a great ceremony." One word stuck out to me more than the others.
"Sacrificed?" The word stuck on my tongue like sand. "When is the ceremony and why did you call it a sacrifice?" The woman chuckled as she answered me.
"Oh, the ceremony is in a few hours. And it is called a sacrifice because of the wedding night." She was barely containing her laughter as she continued on informing me about the whole ordeal. "The wedding night with a Clodigarian is said to be incredibly vulgar and brutal. To think our poor princess would have to suffer through that." She smiled at me. "It is so fortunate that you arrived when you did."
"Vulgar and brutal?" I stared at my face in the mirror. So I was to be married to an alien I didn't know, posing as some princess. And then my wedding night would be vulgar and brutal.
"Yes, they say that the men of the Clodigarian race consummate the marriage by ripping the head off of their mate and devouring it. The body is saved in a mucus sack and when the male comes to term with the offspring from eating the head, the young burst from the male's belly to devour the remainder of the female's body." I felt sick; completely and utterly sick.
There was no way that I was going to marry some alien prince who would devour my head. I liked my head exactly where it was, on my shoulders. I didn't want to die. Especially like that. I tried to think of ways I could escape. There weren't any opportunities to get away. The goons that had brought me here flanked my sides at all times. When I tried to escape by using the restroom, not my best plan, two strong female guards accompanied me.
I was told by the woman who decided I should pose as the princess, the queen, that the ceremony would take place at the planet's sunset. When I asked her to elaborate on the time, she told me that I had a fewhours before I was to be wed to the Clodigarian prince. I spent the time on the balcony, watched closely by three body guards. There was no way to overpower them and to jump from the balcony would mean certain death.
Eventually, I couldn't be cooped up in the room any longer. I decided that a walk around the castle would make me less stir crazy. The body guards took me through the luxurious palace and I couldn't help but gape in awe at all the beautiful details.
Eventually, we arrived in the gardens, where I could roam through exotic flowers and other plants. There was no way to get out, as there were very high walls. So instead, I decided to relax in all the beauty around me. I leaned down to smell a particularly beautiful flower when I was accosted by a very strange person. They grabbed my hands and dragged me away. I looked to see what looked like a prince standing in front of me. I didn't say anything.
"Have you spoken to the queen? Have you told her that by marrying me instead of the Clodigarian prince, you can create a stronger alliance?" I smiled at him, but tried to back away from him and release my hands from his grasp. "What is wrong with you?" He pulled me closer. I felt uncomfortable, but figured that if I could escape this way it would be better than a deadly wedding night.
"I was just about to. If you let me go, I will tell her straight away. I've just been so busy." I smiled and walked away. He bowed and let me go. I turned back before entering the palace. I made sure to find the queen straight away.
"There is no way." I tried to explain that there was someone else to marry, but the queen wouldn't listen to me. "This way we can have the best of both. You will marry the Clodigarian prince and my daughter will marry whoever it is you're speaking about. It will all work grandly." I sighed.
"You realize there was someone chasing after her that wasn't one of your goons and your daughter will most likely never return here again." The queen's face turned to ash.
"I still will not back out on a planned marriage. This will end our war." I slammed my hands on the table and stood. The queen was infuriating and there was no way that I would die so that her nation could achieve peace. If she had asked nicely, I might, but there was no way I would be forced to do it.
"This marriage will make for a better alliance and if the princess hears of it, she might come back with the exception that she won't be forced to marry the Clodigarian prince. No one wants that." The queen stood and walked over to me. I turned to her, determination in my eyes.
"Then the marriage will change to make a stronger alliance." Her eyes had ice in them and I was frozen to the spot. "Either way, there will be a marriage today. You are lucky that the Clodigarians have yet to arrive at the palace." I walked out of the room. Really, I didn't want to marry either prince, but I figured the one who was so obviously in love with the princess would be better than the other option.
I made my way back to the room and fell onto the bed. This whole thing was much more exhausting than I thought a nice stop at a bazaar would be. I wondered where the Doctor was and what he was up to. Probably looking for me and the princess all at the same time.
The next time I opened my eyes, I was being escorted out of the room and into a large cathedral-like chapel. The queen placed a tiara on my head.
"It is a fake, but so are you. There will be little consequence to this." She dragged me into position and told me some instructions. I was just to walk down the aisle and pay attention to the words of the officiator. I nodded and was thrown, practically, through the doors and I stumbled down the aisle. I'm sure I looked pretty graceful, but that was not how I felt.
I really felt awkward and uncomfortable. I didn't want to get married. I just wanted to travel with the Doctor. I guess I always did want to be a princess. I was getting my wish, but there was no way I was happy about it. When I finally made it down the long aisle, I noticed that the same alien from the garden was standing, waiting for me at the end of the aisle. I was happy that the only alien aspect on his body was a tail hanging out from under his royal cape.
The officiator started to speak and I paid close attention. It was really like a wedding ceremony I had visited for my cousin, but not entirely the same. Eventually we got to the part that was the most important to me.
"Speak now, or forever hold your peace." I waited for the Doctor to burst through the doors, the real princess at his side. They would be carrying the tiara and would stop the wedding. I wouldn't be married to anyone and the princess would marry the man she seemed to love and I would be free to leave. I would go off with the Doctor and we would adventure and explore as much of time and space as we could. "Then the ceremony is complete. I pronounce you the majesties of two nations. May your young be plentiful and your rule be just. You may kiss your princess." The prince before me leaned in and pecked my lips. I pulled away and stepped back.
"Wait, this can't be happening. I thought-" My sentence was cut short. The doors burst open and the Doctor waltzed in.
"I object!" His hand held the hand of the princess. She stood by his side and looked at the officiator and the prince next to me. I ran up to him.
"Doctor, you're too late." The Doctor pulled me into a hug. For some reason, tears welled in my eyes. I looked at the princess. She was crying as well. I tried to say I was sorry, but I couldn't speak before someone else did.
"Step away from my wife." The prince advanced with his sword drawn. Obviously, he did not notice his true love standing just behind the Doctor. "I will gut you, sir." I turned around to see the prince had his sword pointed straight at my middle.
"I don't want to be your wife," I cried as I turned to him. "I'm not your princess, she is." I pulled the princess up next to me. I pulled the horns from my face. "I'm so sorry." I took the tiara off my head and broke it. Everyone in the room gasped.
"What have you done?" The officiator ran and grabbed the pieces from my hands. I let him have them.
"It's a fake. The queen placed it on my head before I entered to walk down the aisle." I sat down on the floor. The dress pooled around me. I started to undo my hair and I found a kerchief I could use to wipe away my makeup. The Doctor started to laugh first.
"Rachel Foster," The Doctor made me stand up. "You realize you need to study up on alien culture more. If the sacred diadem is fake, the marriage is as well." I looked at the Doctor, too tired to fully understand what he was saying. "You're not married, Rachel." I sighed. The Doctor probably had no idea how happy it made me to know I wasn't married.
Another marriage, a real one, took place that day. The prince married the princess and the Clodigarian people were so scared of the alliance, they fled. It was a happy day. The Doctor had apparently realized I was missing as soon as I was gone. He went after me only to run into the princess. She was being chased by a head hunter who wanted her dead. Really, he was a radical who didn't want the Clodigarian War to end. They defeated him and ended up being just moments late to the wedding. It had spread around town quickly that the wedding had changed grooms. They had rushed in and that was where I was caught up.
As the Doctor danced with everyone at the wedding reception, I sat out and watched. The princess came over to me.
"Thanks for all your help. I know you were forced into this, but I realize how stubborn my mother can be on political matters. I don't know how I could ever repay you." She really was a sweet person and I was sure she would make a great queen someday.
Eventually, the Doctor realized that I still hadn't danced with him. He walked over like a guilty toddler, holding his hands out. I sighed and grabbed his hands. He led me out to the dance floor. There was an upbeat song playing, but as soon as we walked onto the dance floor, a slower song started up.
"I'm not such a good dancer, you know." The Doctor laughed and we danced together. I tried not to step on his feet, but there was once or twice that I couldn't help myself. I cringed and apologized each time I accidentally stepped on his toes.
At the end of the night, the Doctor and I slipped away. But we were stopped briefly by the new couple.
"You two are welcome back here any time. You are both heroes and will be considered royalty in our nation. You will be known as the prince and princess." We thanked them for their hospitality and the great honor they bestowed on us and left. They returned into the palace as the Doctor and I flew away in the TARDIS.
It was a quiet flight and the Doctor seemed happy and peppy. I sat in my chair. I wasn't tired enough to sleep and, lately, I just slept in the control room anyway. The Doctor switched on some music and we danced together. The music was upbeat, so really I just flailed around. It was nice to know that the Doctor danced as well as I did. We laughed all into the night.
"I'm not under some spell where I'm going to sleep for one hundred years, right? I mean I am royalty now." The Doctor smiled at me and walked away, allowing me to sleep. I dreamt of balls and crowns and fancy dresses. After all, I was a princess now, and I didn't even need to marry a prince.