Chapter 11: Confrontations and Explanations

Edward, earl of Northumberland, sat in front of the fireplace in the outer room of his living quarters. Will Forster was with him. He had always found the boy a comforting presence and now he was the one person that he could talk to easily about Rob. It was difficult, still, for him to believe that his son was gone, that they had buried him yesterday. The grim weather of the day before had abated outside but the chill and damp still clung to the stones of the castle and this interior room was dark and cold; hence the fire in the fireplace. He and Will had been chatting idly when one of his servants entered and announced the arrival of the king of France. The two men exchanged a quizzical look before Edward gestured to the man to admit Philip.

The Doctor entered the chamber and was struck at the contrast with the sun-flooded room from which he had come. His lips still buzzed from Rosalind's kisses and his delight at her acceptance of his proposal warmed him from within. He faced the inquiring glances of the earl and Will and bowed in greeting. He decided on the direct approach.

"My lord Edward, I would like your permission to marry your daughter."

Will started to his feet at this, shock visible on his face. The earl remained still, obviously calculating the implications of the question. He finally said, "So that's how you want to cement our alliance, eh?"

"Exactly. A marriage to replace the marriage that cannot be. And this arrangement has the added potential to provide me an heir for my kingdom, of course."

The earl snorted. "Of course, you'll have to be shackled to a willful little bitch as the price for it. You must value this northern threat to John very greatly."

Will shifted unhappily and the Doctor felt a surge of anger, but he calmed himself with the thought that he was going to take Rosalind away from this man. The best way to speed that process was to minimize the reasons for the earl to object. He therefore forbore to argue and answered coolly, "That is my concern, not yours, my lord. You will get your alliance and you may be the grandfather of a king."

Edward stood. "I'm not going to say no to you, certainly. I had thought to give her to the castellan of Norham, who holds the border for me against the Scots. But then again, why inflict her on poor loyal Thomas if you actually wish to marry her?"

Will protested, "My lord, Thomas of Norham is older than you are!"

"So he is. Well, it's a moot point now, anyway. The king wants her, God help him."

"You agree, I take it?" Philip's voice was icy.

"Of course."

"Good. We will be leaving as soon as possible; within a few days. The Lady Rosalind will accompany us. Have your clerks meet with mine to draw up the appropriate documents regarding our agreement." He turned on his heel and left the room.

He had not gone far down the hallway when he heard his name called. He paused and turned to find Will Forster catching up with him. "My lord Philip."

"Hello, Will."

"Did you mean it? You're going to marry Rosalind?"

"Yes. She has agreed and now, as you heard, so has the earl."

"I am sorry about that. My foster father's relationship with Rosalind is…"

"I know. Robert filled me in early in my stay here."

"Ah." Will paused.

The Doctor asked gently, "Did you require something else?"

"Yes. I wanted to say…I have known Rosalind since I was a small boy. I have always loved her as a sister, and now, with Rob gone and her father indifferent, I am the only one left to be her advocate."

The Doctor looked with renewed appreciation at the young man. He nodded gravely. "I understand."

"She is special, Philip."

"You think I don't know that? I want to marry her, after all."

"To secure an alliance, yes."

"And because I love her."

Will narrowed his eyes. "I see."

"You don't believe me?"

"It seems…sudden. Does she feel the same about you?"

"I don't know. She has not said. But she is willing to marry me."

"Have you thought about how she will manage as queen of France?"

"She is the most intelligent woman I have ever met. She will do beautifully."

"Intelligent, yes. Even brilliant. But she is neither a diplomat nor a courtesan."

"She will learn."

"But…"

"Will, I do not wish to be rude, but what is driving these questions? Do you have feelings for her that make you oppose this match?"

Will regarded him steadily. "I do not oppose this match. I merely want Rosalind to be happy."

"And do you think she'll be happier married to an elderly castellan on the Scottish border, or in Paris as my queen?"

The young man still looked troubled. The Doctor softened. "I understand your desire to protect her. I admire it. But I will take care of her. Look, she is not conventional. We both know that. So what reason would I have to choose her except that I have high esteem for her? As she told me herself, there would be other ways to keep Northumberland as my ally."

Will nodded slowly and, after a moment, extended his hand. The Doctor took it, favored him with a grin, and went off to find Donna.

The Doctor pondered how may life forms he had met that were scarier than an angry Donna Noble. Not many. Daleks, yes. At least in groups. Slitheen? No chance. The Beast in the pit? Maybe, without the chains…

He snapped to attention as Donna, who had been silently considering him after he finished his story, finally spoke.

"So you asked Rosalind to marry you. You, Philip, the king of France. And you've been to see the earl to get his permission."

"Yep. The earl was delighted, of course. He sees Rosalind as being of no value, so in his eyes he gets to secure the alliance for nothing."

"Yes, well, we already knew he's an idiot." She paused. "And you don't see anything wrong with this plan, Doctor?"

"I think it's quite brilliant, actually." He sounded a touch petulant at her skepticism.

"Do you? Then you won't mind if I have some questions?" He shook his head. "Good. First, don't you think there's a big difference between ensuring a marriage that was supposed to happen but was derailed by a freak accident and creating an entirely new marriage?"

"Of course there's a big difference, Donna. I had no intention of doing this when I came here, but circumstances have changed. I wasn't able to stop Robert's death and now we need a new way to ensure the alliance and an heir for France."

"And what about Philip? He's going to wake up from being in stasis on the TARDIS and find himself married!"

"I explained how that would work. We will use the TARDIS to transfer my emotions and experiences of this time into him before he is awakened. He will have experienced everything I have. His feelings will be the same. Oh, and listen, Donna: you know how you thought he was remarkable, when you talked with him in the forest? Well, you were right. I can dip in and out of his thoughts and feelings thanks to the chameleon arch, and he really has an exceptional mind. He is able to appreciate Rosalind, despite her differences, and he is attracted to her—all on his own and without any help from me. It will work!"

She looked unimpressed. He said, "Look, I know you haven't enjoyed our time here…"

"This is not about me, you prawn," she said, giving him a withering look. "Speaking of the king, when exactly do you plan to return him to his life and to his new wife?"

"I think it's best if I get us back to Paris and get the wedding arranged first. Then I can transfer everything to Philip and you and I will be on our way."

"We're going to Paris? Are you leaving the TARDIS here?"

"Donna, the TARDIS travels through space and time. I can certainly program her to hop across the English Channel."

"Mmm. So you're going to have the TARDIS meet us in Paris. And then you're just going to step out of this life that you seem to have gotten so attached to, and leave behind this woman—this new Rose—and let another man marry her?"

"Yes."

"I don't believe you. I've seen the way you look at her, Doctor. You've found Rose again. You're not going to be able to let her go."

He said, "I don't think you understand at all, Donna. She is not Rose. She is…" He stopped and shook his head. This was not something he wanted to discuss, not even with Donna. "And I will let her go at the right time. Because I have to."

Donna was silent for a time and then said, softly, "What did you tell her, Doctor?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't know Rosalind very well, but I would be willing to bet that she doesn't see herself as queen material. I think she'd wonder what the hell had gotten into you if you asked her to marry you. What did you tell her to convince her?"

He hesitated and she repeated, implacably, "What did you tell her?"

He looked at her defiantly. "I told her I loved her. I told her I would take her away from this life to something better."

"Oh, Doctor."

"What?"

"You told a young and vulnerable girl that you love her. A girl whose brother has just died and whose father doesn't give a damn about her, who has a bright mind and spirit that are trapped in a dreary life in the cold northern reaches of England. And now you—the king of France, but not really—you sweep in and you offer her more than she's ever dreamed of. But you don't tell her the down side, do you? That you're an alien? An alien who loved a woman who is probably her descendant and who is certainly her physical twin?"

"The first part doesn't matter. I will make sure she never knows the difference between me and the real Philip. As for the last part, she figured it out on her own. She put all the pieces together regarding my behavior toward her and realized that I had once loved a woman who looked like her."

Donna regarded him steadily for a moment, processing this. "Well, we both agree she's brilliant. But Philip didn't have a Rose. So how is that going to work?"

"I'll put it in his memories, like everything else."

"Adding your own biography—outside of these weeks in Northumberland—to his memories? Don't you see, Doctor, that's a step too far!"

"What does it matter? Adding a little secret love affair with a woman named Rose to his adolescent recollections?"

"In itself, it's not much. But then neither was that little alien blaster. It's what these little things can do in the bigger picture." He had no response to this, so she went on, "And you're still not telling Rosalind everything. The most important things."

"So you're suggesting that I go back to her and tell her I'm a nine hundred year old alien who has replaced the king of France in order to save the future of the country, but don't worry, I'll be shifting my consciousness back into the real king in a few weeks and she won't know the difference?"

Donna looked down and he continued, "I can save her, Donna. I can give her the life she deserves, with Philip. I couldn't save Rose, but I can save her."

"Doctor, don't you think this is wrong?"

"Is it? Is it really, Donna? Shall we go now, leave France to its fate and Rosalind to hers? Do you know that her father had a plan to marry her to an elderly lord in a castle on the Scottish border? Do you think that such a man would appreciate her brilliance? Would let her copy manuscripts and ride every morning?"

"Will she be able to do those things as queen of France?" He chuffed in frustration and she held up her hand. "Doctor, I admit, it looks on the surface like a good thing, like you're saving her from a grim life. But I just…it feels wrong. It feels like you're meddling in a way you don't normally meddle. And I think you're more emotionally involved than you realize. You didn't just tell her you loved her, did you? You really do love her."

"That is not relevant."

"Of course it's bloody relevant!"

"Donna, enough. You've made your position clear, but it's done, and it's the right thing to do."

"This is not going to end well, Doctor."

He stood up, clearly angry, but she took his arm with all gentleness and he softened. "I know you like to save people, Doctor. But this…at the very best, you're setting yourself up for heartbreak. And at the worst…I don't even know."

"That's what it is to be a Time Lord, Donna. To love humans and to lose them. I'll be alone again, but I'll manage."

"You'll still have me."

He sighed and pulled her into a hug. "Yes. And I'm so very glad of that." Donna returned the embrace warmly, although she could not shake the feeling of dread that hung over her.

When Donna entered Rosalind's bedchamber not long thereafter, the girl was waiting for her, pacing nervously near the window. Donna walked forward and Rosalind came to meet her, her gaze forthright if a bit apprehensive. Donna smiled and said, "You've had quite a day since last I saw you."

"He told you?"

"He did. In fact, he asked me to tell you that he saw your father and got his permission. And he asked me to give you this." Donna handed over a small piece of folded parchment to Rosalind, who opened it, read the short note, and smiled, flushing slightly. Then she seemed to recall who was in front of her.

"Donna, after I…after I accepted Philip's proposal, I realized it might be hurtful to you. You have been so wonderful to me. The last thing I would wish to do is sadden you."

"Hush, now. It's fine. The king and I…it has been a very long time that we have been only good friends. Nothing more." That at least was literally true, if still somewhat deceptive. Donna continued, "So, you will be queen of France, then?"

Rosalind flushed more deeply. "Does it seem ridiculous to you?"

What to say to this? "Only in that you seem a bit shy. I know that you can do it if you set your mind to it."

"That's what Philip said."

"And do you believe him?"

"I'll tell you what I believe. Only knowing Philip for a couple of weeks, I trust him with my future more than I do my father. And oh…to see Paris? To travel?" She shook her head. "It is more than I could have dreamed."

"I worry about you," Donna confessed.

"So do I, sometimes. But listen, Donna. Think of the worst that could happen…would it be worse than what would happen if I stayed here? And at least I will have had an adventure!"

Donna couldn't help beaming at the girl. It was exactly the same sentiment that led her to travel with the Doctor, despite the dangers and the hardships. Maybe, just maybe, the Doctor was right and it would all work.

"Besides," Rosalind added, "you'll be with us too, yes? You will remain with the king, and with me?"

"Of course, sweetheart."

"So you see? An adventure! For all of us."

She looked so very young, so happy and excited. Donna resolved to wait and see. Not to put aside her concerns, but to watch what happened. She looked after the Doctor, and now she would make it her business to look after Rosalind too.