A/N A few more characters are introduced and a little more is learned about the people of Zobulan. And if you're starting to miss our lively Doctor, I promise he's not going to be out of commission much longer.

Chapter 3

For the time being, everything that could be done for the Doctor had been done. As Tyrus had said, the Doctor's recovery was now a matter of time. The middle-aged physician turned from the gurney and moved to the doorway, summoning the two men who had first helped carry the Doctor in.

Entering with the two men was an older, petite woman, her gray hair braided and worn in a twist atop her head. She wore an ivory-colored dress with a flowing skirt and a tan vest over the bodice that laced up the front. The woman's dark eyes were kind, yet she seemed to carry a subtle air of authority about her which went beyond that of a simple servant. Perhaps she was one in a higher position, having served for years, Rose supposed upon initial introductions.

The woman addressed Rose, her voice soft. "My name is Nahlia."

Rose managed a slight smile, though it didn't reflect in her eyes. "I'm Rose."

She placed a gentle hand on Rose's upper arm. "I'm sorry to hear of your ordeal in arriving. It must have been very frightening. Are you feeling alright?"

Rose's eyes drifted to the Doctor as she answered quietly. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Even still, I am sure you are no doubt exhausted after such a day. The King has had me prepare quarters for you both. It is his wish for you to be as comfortable as possible. Would you prefer separate chambers, or–"

"I'm not leavin' him," Rose stated firmly, then softened her tone, not meaning to sound brusque; she was just so frazzled after all of this. "So thank you, but...no separate chambers. I need to stay with him."

Nahlia smiled in empathy. "Of course. Whatever you wish. If you will come with me, I'll show you the way."

Rose turned back to Tyrus before leaving. "Thank you...for helping him."

He nodded. "I will come and assess his condition again in the morning. But for now be sure that you get some rest as well," he advised, seeing her exhaustion.

The top edges of the small bed were lifted, creating a stretcher, and the Doctor was carried out behind Rose as she followed with Nahlia.

They had gone a little ways down the long corridor when a woman looking to be about the same age as Rose passed by from the other direction. Her appearance was striking. Unlike all the others Rose had met since being in the castle, this woman had the appearance of some of those she had seen in the town beyond the castle walls. Her porcelain skin was starkly pale, which seemed to make her sapphire-blue eyes an even more stunning distinction; and her long, flowing hair was so white it nearly shone. Her dress was a shade of dazzling blue that matched her eyes, the silken fabric cinched below her bust with a golden sash, with golden cording accenting the wide scoop neckline and ends of the long, bell sleeves. The gown then flowed behind her with a sweeping train about a foot in length.

The young woman paused for just a moment as their paths crossed, her eyes locking with Rose. The woman's studious gaze was slightly unnerving, and it didn't just seem to be one of curiosity, as were the glances Rose had received from some of the others. Rose felt as if she was being scrutinized inside and out. Rose smiled slightly at her and nodded.

"My Lady," Nahlia greeted the woman with respect.

The woman nodded back in acknowledgement of Nahlia, though her eyes were still on Rose. She then broke eye-contact abruptly and continued on again.

Rose shook off the incident as they again proceeded along the stone-walled corridor lit with opaque glass lamps that hung suspended from chains high above from the arched ceiling. They glowed rather than flickered, an indication that this place at least had technology beyond simple firelight.

The small group continued winding through several more halls before coming to a stop outside a heavy wooden door. Nahlia opened the door to the chamber and beckoned them in. Rose stood aside to allow the two men carrying the Doctor to pass through. They placed the cot on the bed which stood on the left side of the room and lifted him off, easing him down on his back.

Rose moved to his side and lifted the folded maroon blanket at the foot of the bed, draping it over the Doctor, still clothed in only his pants.

"I will have his clothes cleaned and returned, and I will also have some fresh garments brought for you. And some food as well," Nahlia said as she moved towards Rose, helping to cover the Doctor.

Rose glanced up. "Thank you."

"Would you like me to draw you a bath?"

Rose gave a quick glance down at herself. Her clothes were streaked with soot and smelled heavily of smoke, her jacket still stained with the Doctor's blood from his head wound; yet she really couldn't care less about things like appearance right now. "Not right now, but thank you. I just want to stay by him."

She nodded and offered Rose a reassuring smile. "Now that he has received care for his injuries, his recovery should just be a matter of rest." Nahlia moved towards the door. "If there is nothing else I can do for the time being then I'll leave you now, but I will return shortly with the food and clothing," she said.

Rose thanked her again, and Nahlia stepped out, softly closing the door behind her.

Rose turned her eyes from the door and briefly glanced around the room for the first time. Night had now fallen, and torches which were fastened to the walls softly illuminated the room, but not by flame; they held some type of glowing spheres on the end of the brass-like stems. The walls and floor of the room were of a smooth gray stone. The bed was large, with an unadorned but tall, dark wooden headboard. The white linens were a contrast to the deep maroon coverlet.

A large fireplace was on the wall directly across from the bed, the fire within casting flickering shadows across the softly-lit room. To the right was a tall wooden wardrobe and beside it a dressing table and round mirror. To the left of the fireplace was an archway leading through to the bathing chamber.

Three tall, arched windows were to the left of the bed, overlooking the east courtyard, now blanketed in darkness; and a long, dark wooden table sat centered beneath the middle window.

After briefly taking it all in, Rose turned her eyes back to the Doctor. She moved to the bed and eased herself down to sit beside him as she studied his face. To her relief, the burns had already seemed to heal significantly from how severe they had initially seemed. She wondered if the improvement was due to the medicinal balm applied or his enhanced ability to heal. Probably both. The skin was still pink and tender, though. Rose's heart clenched once again with a feeling of guilt as she gazed down at him. He had put himself even further in harm's way in order to protect her. She loved and hated him for it.

The Doctor's breaths were shallow but steady. He looked so helpless and vulnerable now – something she was not used to seeing. Only once, right after his regeneration, had she seen him in a similar state. Rose optimistically told herself that maybe he was in a healing coma now to recover from this, and that's why he still had not regained consciousness.

As much as Rose desperately wished he would wake quickly, part of her thought that maybe it was best he hadn't. Right now he needed rest in order to recover, and the minute he woke he would be hit with the distress of all they were now facing. At least right now he was shielded from that, if only temporarily.

The possibility that the Doctor might have lost his sight from this wasn't something Rose even wanted to allow herself to dwell on, yet her mind insisted on taking her there. Even if his loss of vision wasn't long-term, how would he cope in the meantime? He was the one who made people better. The Doctor was not a man who depended on others to take care of his own needs. How would he react to a state of dependence, even if it was only temporary?

Then there was the condition of the TARDIS filling her troubled thoughts. How long would they be confined to this world? What if the TARDIS was beyond repair? The Doctor had already lost far too much in life. Rose didn't know what would be worse for him now – the loss of his sight or the loss of his ship. Facing both might prove to be too much.

But if her experience of the past two years with the Doctor had taught her just one thing, it was the knowledge that they would get through this. Rose had to firmly remind herself of that. They always did, no matter what came their way. Despite the loss they might be facing, they still had each other, and they would make it through this.

Rose reached out and placed her hand on the center of the Doctor's blanketed chest, feeling the reassurance of the double rhythm beneath her palm. She eased herself down to lay beside him, her eyes falling shut in the dim room as she allowed herself the first moment's rest since this had begun. "We'll be alright," she whispered to his unresponsive form beside her. "We'll always be okay, you an' me."

-:-:-:-

Rose had not even been aware that she had fallen asleep until she woke to the sound of a knock at the door to the chamber. She quickly sat up, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hands, and then glanced over at the still-unmoving Doctor. She scooted off the bed and went to open the door.

Standing there was Nahlia with a tray of food and the Doctor's suit draped over her arm, along with the same woman Rose had passed earlier in the corridor, who also carried in her arms several items of clothing.

"Um, come in," Rose said, stepping aside from the doorway and raking a hand through her tangled blonde hair as she fought off the lingering haze of sleep. She must be a complete mess by now, Rose briefly thought.

After greeting her, Nahlia moved past and straight back through the room, sitting the tray of food down on the table beneath the center window as the other woman entered behind her.

The young woman turned to Rose, carrying what looked to be several dresses folded over her arm. "I brought you these myself because I wanted to meet you properly. I must say, your arrival created quite a stir, blazing through the sky in such a way. I should think that half the realm had seen it," she remarked, a trace of awe in her tone.

Rose grimaced. "We don't usually...arrive like that."

"Perhaps only here," the woman murmured, her gaze distant. She then refocused and introduced herself. "My name is Shadarra."

Smiling politely, Rose introduced herself and the Doctor in kind. "I'm Rose. Rose Tyler. And...the man I'm traveling with is the Doctor." Rose turned and glanced back over at him where Nahlia now stood, re-arranging the covers around him.

"I am very sorry for your accident," Shadarra offered sincerely. "And how is he faring?"

"His burns seem better," Rose replied, trying to sound optimistic. "He hasn't woken up yet, but maybe it's best for him just to sleep right now."

Shadarra nodded, then lifted the dresses draped across her arm. "I wanted to bring you these because you will need to be properly attired, especially if...you are to be residing here for the time being."

Rose glanced down at her soiled jeans and fuchsia jacket, which would have been starkly out of place in comparison to the other woman's clothing regardless of cleanliness. Though Shadarra made mention of Rose needing to be properly attired, she didn't seem to be looking down on her due to Rose's current state of appearance, but Shadarra's eyes did glance away as she spoke of Rose staying here. The woman seemed kind enough, but unlike the warm welcome she had received from the others, Rose was now sensing an undertone of tension in the air, and she couldn't help but feel almost as if she'd done something wrong just by being here.

"Thank you for taking the time to bring these for me," Rose replied graciously, hoping to remain amiable. Nahlia came over and took the clothing from Shadarra. She then hung the items in the wardrobe where she had placed the Doctor's now-clean suit.

The older woman then came back over to join the two. "Is there anything else you are in need of for now?"

"No. No, thank you very much. You've all been so kind. To have even been taken in by the King is just...well, I'm very grateful to you all. And when the Doctor wakes up, I know he will be, too."

Shadarra smiled slightly in response, her eyes softening. "King Zerin is known for his kindness, as I am an example." She drew in a breath and went on to elaborate. "My uncle, Kezra, was Zobulan's previous King. My parents died when I was very young, surprisingly not from war, but from illness – the same illness that claimed my uncle's wife – and he took me in and raised me in the palace as his own, as my uncle had no other children. Then upon his recent death in old age and the current King's ascent to the throne, King Zerin has allowed me to remain here with all of the respect and privileges I had previously known, despite the fact that I am of the Jezrian descent and not Krendorian, the two races making up the population of Zobulan," she explained. "I now serve in a representative capacity, acting as a voice for the concerns of my people before a Ruling Council that now consists primarily of Krendorians. Such favor is usually unheard of when a King of an opposing race takes the throne."

"He sounds like a good man," Rose remarked, gaining a little more insight into the two peoples of Zobulan.

"He has found favor in the eyes of all," she agreed. "King Zerin has succeeded in bringing a level of peace to the realm that even my uncle's reign failed to achieve, despite his efforts to end the bloodshed on Zobulan." She paused, her eyes and her voice lowering slightly. "And now, perhaps it is a peace that from here will endure, and for the first time remain throughout future generations." She then looked briefly over at Nahlia, then back to Rose. "I have spoken enough, and I know you must be very tired after a day such as this. We will leave you for the night to rest."

Rose offered her thanks once again to them both. Shadarra nodded her head once then turned with Nahlia and left the room.

Rose looked back at the Doctor, his condition unchanged, then glanced over at the tray of food that had been left. Eating was the last thing that had been on her mind in the midst of all of this, but now seeing the food made her realize just how hungry she actually was.

Rose went over to the table beneath the window and was just about to select a piece of fruit from the tray when another knock sounded at the door.

Rose turned and went back to the door. She opened it to reveal King Zerin standing on the other side. She remembered now that he had said he would come speak to her again later, but she was still a little taken aback to be receiving a personal visit from the King, even if he was lacking the pomp and circumstance of a stately entourage.

For a moment, his eyes studied her with a look of such intense interest that it both piqued her curiosity and simultaneously unnerved her. Despite his benevolent reputation, Rose found herself wondering if there was a reason extending beyond simple kindness that she and the Doctor had been welcomed into the King's midst.