Sorry for the long wait! I know this is short but I've been trying to finish chapter 5 before posting this, however it looks like it is going to be a long one so I thought that I would post chapter 4 now.
This story is also published on the Life on Martha LJ community, and chapter four has been available on there for a while now. will always be behind Life on Martha with this story as I am using this site as links to the previous chapters, so any new readers from that community can easily catch up. If you wish to read chapter 5, I am aiming to have that done by Sunday, so look on the Life on Martha LJ community, if you would like to read the next chapter which would be quicker then waiting for me to update on here as I wouldn't add chapter 5 until chapter 6 has been posted on Life on Martha.
Thanks for the reviews and support so far!
Four
It was not that long till they reached, what Martha assumed were the sentries. From behind them she could see the spires of smoke lolling out of the tops of erected tents or huts that seemed to be made of wood. She was quite surprised when the sentries bowed before their captor and proclaimed him 'their lord'. The Doctor glanced back at her and winked.
He knew! He had known all along whom their captor was! She frowned at him and mouthed: "How did you know?"
He just smiled and turned back to the guards that were now searching his pockets and padding down his arms and legs searching for hidden weapons. They found his sonic screwdriver and confiscated that from him, as well as his Physic paper. For some reason Martha wasn't searched, though she had a feeling that this society didn't consider females a threat.
The man that had effectively directed them to his home turned towards them. "For reasons which I will not elaborate here, both of you must be blindfolded."
"That's fine by us, isn't that right Martha?" said The Doctor, rocking back and forth on his heels.
"Yeah, sure," she shrugged. It's not like I have any choice, Doctor.
A piece of fabric was placed over her eyes, closing the world from her. She felt one of her hands being manoeuvred so that it was placed upon the Doctor's shoulder.
"You will be guided by your man who is being led by others," a gruff voice said.
"He is not my man," responded Martha. She almost tripped when she didn't move quickly enough.
"You are not joined then?"
She recognised the voice of the man who had led them there, who she now knew as the leader of his people.
"Joined? What does that mean?"
The Doctor answered her question. "It means that we have not participated in the ceremony traditionally known on this planet as mating. It can also be described as joining in holy matrimony."
"Marriage then?" clarified Martha.
He nodded.
"You always have to make it sound complicated," she laughed.
"That is what I do," agreed The Doctor. "Not that I do that on purpose – it is just a habit I happen to keep doing. Can't help it – sorry!"
She shook her head but almost stumbled as she lost concentration. Strong arms grabbed her ensuring that she did not fall unnecessarily to the ground.
"Thanks," she said.
"You should be more careful," a softer voice said. "When you talk with limited eyesight it heightens your chances of stumbling."
"I blame the Doctor," replied Martha but she found that she was smiling as she spoke. "He can be so distracting sometimes. He tends to start talking about something and then tends to go off track onto a completely unrelated topic. And don't bother trying to deny it Doctor - you know it to be true!"
"I wasn't going to," he replied.
Martha continued to hold the Doctor's shoulder as they were both led through the camp. She could hear the sounds of muttering come from all sides and she guessed that they were now in the midst of their captor's home. Not being able to see them unnerved her, as she felt they could do almost anything to her at any given time without prior warning. She swallowed, breathing calmly.
"We're almost there," the same soft voice said.
Within minutes she was told to sit down and felt herself being guided down onto a hard, wooden chair. The piece of cloth was removed from her eyes and she blinked rapidly trying to adjust her eyesight to the dimness of the hut she and the Doctor had been led to.
There was a small fire burning in the centre of the hut; the smoke spiralling upwards and out of a hole in the top. The smokes fumes made her feel tired and she stifled a yawn as drowsiness overcame her.
"You alright?" asked the Doctor, looking at her in some concern.
"Yeah," she shook her head. "I'm fine."
The Doctor turned his attention back to the man they had originally made contact with. He was sitting in a wooden chair on the other side of the hut, scrutinising them.
"I hope I am correct in assuming that you are of no threat to me or my people," he said, "for I have made that mistake before, and that cost me dearly."
The Doctor nodded gravely, insisting: "We are no threat to you."
Unless they are trying to take over the world, thought Martha. He seems alright anyway.
"Perhaps it would be prudent to introduce myself to you," the man said, leaning back in his chair. "I am Kaza, Chief of the Northern Tribe. You told me earlier that you are the Doctor and Martha Jones?"
"That is correct," replied the Doctor.
"Doctor of what?"
"All sorts of things," shrugged the Doctor.
"No specific area that you dab in?"
"No, not really."
"Then how come you are a Doctor if you have no area of which you wish to study and learn more about?"
The Doctor shrugged, pulling at his earlobe. He was feeling quite nervous. "I go to places where people need my help and I try my best to help them in the way that benefits them the most, and I think," he gave Kaza a pointed look, "that you need help. Something is very wrong with this planet and I intend to find out what, but I need to know why things have changed since I was last here."
Kaza ran a hand through his silky, black hair, wondering – just briefly – if he could truly trust this strange man, with his four fingers and thumb? There was only a slight hesitation before he answered his unspoken question.
Yes, I can.
The Chief of the Northern Tribe leaned forward, locking eyes with the Doctor and began to speak. Bit by bit, the long-sad history of his people came to be known to the two strangers he had unwittingly befriended and trusted.
To be continued…
Please let me know what you think!
Next chapter is coming soon.
magic-doctor-writer
