A/N Resolution is at last reached for Zobulan. Now if the Doctor and Rose can do the same...

Chapter 28

Within the Great Amphitheater, Rose had taken her place along with the group of royal officials who stood atop the upper platform as they awaited the arrival of the King, still unbeknownst to those gathering just what the King's news was going to be. The announcement had been made that he would be addressing the people with news of great importance, and a crowd had gathered within, their numbers exceeding what the structure would accommodate. Throngs stretched outside the arena and overflowed out into the surrounding streets.

On the outside, Rose's demeanor was that of calm composure; on the inside, she felt a knot coiling tight in her belly. So many emotions and unanswered questions were churning within her, apart from what was about to happen here. As she stood, her mind automatically went back to the day before – the day she had stood atop this very podium and pledged herself in marriage to the Doctor. She didn't regret it for a single second, nor did she question her vows or regret giving herself fully to him the night before. No, the knot in her stomach arose from still not knowing for certain how the Doctor really felt in all this or why he couldn't just say one way or the other.

And all major personal issues aside, she was also anxious about how the Doctor's plan was going to play out in the coming minutes. There had been deception on their parts in order to bring this about, yes. But in light of what was about to be revealed to the people and the monumental significance this held for their future, Rose was fairly confident that the means of bringing this about would surely be overlooked considering the outcome.

She cut her eyes over to Eilam who stood across from her on the podium. The Elder was clearly showing signs of unease from not knowing for certain what all this was about. He wasn't a man who was used to being in the dark regarding affairs of the kingdom. Although most everyone suspected the King's imminent announcement would have to do with Amron's attack against the monarchy which the King presumably intended to address publicly. Perhaps the aged man's unease in her presence also rightfully stemmed from his manipulative actions toward her, Rose surmised. He had followed through with handing over the antidote for the Doctor after she went through with the wedding, but considering his actions, could any man really absolve himself of all feelings of guilt, no matter how he tried to reason it to the greater good? No matter. Rose had a feeling his days of holding the position of Advisor to the King were numbered.

The people gathered throughout were murmuring amongst themselves, creating a swelling hum that filled the air. Soon, the surrounding clatter from the anxious crowds grew louder as the unmistakable sound of the TARDIS materializing reverberated through the arena. Rose's heart began beating faster in anticipation as the familiar sight of the TARDIS began to hazily take shape before them.

The eyes of everyone were on the TARDIS as it appeared directly in the center of the prominent podium. Seconds later, the door creaked open and the Doctor stepped out, now dressed in his familiar brown pinstriped suit but still wearing the perception filter, and thus, the face of King Zerin. Rose didn't miss how his eyes were first drawn to her, glancing significantly but briefly over at her before stepping forward to address the people as all fell into a stunned, hushed silence. There would be no easing into this, she knew. That wasn't the Doctor's way. He was simply going to lay it all on the line for either acceptance or outrage. They were either about to be lauded or lynched.

"People of Zobulan," he spoke out, his voice carrying throughout the Great Amphitheater. "I have called together this assembly today because the announcement I have to make is of the utmost importance to the entire realm. I speak to you, however, not as your King, but on his behalf for the sake of your planet." Bewildered murmurs overtook the crowd once again before the Doctor continued on. "As you know, a wedding took place yesterday that was believed to be the long-awaited catalyst to usher in lasting peace for both races of Zobulan. What was not known, however, was that another marriage had also taken place. A marriage between your true King and a Jezrian woman of nobility."

The murmuring of the crowd immediately grew several decibels louder. Eilam swiftly moved forward at that instant. "What are you saying?" he hissed under his breath. "What is the meaning of this?"

The Doctor turned a hard look upon him, before then continuing on with his address to the people. He had to raise his voice even louder to be heard over the din, despite the architectural acoustics of the platform. "I am not your King. I stood in his place so that a marriage that would bring true and lasting peace could be carried out quietly and unhindered. I am the Doctor. The man who traveled here with Rose, the woman you believed to be your new Queen, and through technology that I possess I was able to take on your King's likeness." The Doctor lifted his arm and slid the silver crisscrossing wedding bangle from his wrist.

Rose lowered her eyes to her own wrist and removed the crisscrossing band. It was no longer needed in order for her to perceive the Doctor as he was, and Rose was still in doubt as to what would become of their 'marriage' once they left this place. Either way, she didn't need an outward symbol to signify her feelings or her pledge to the Doctor. And if they somehow were able to progress from here, she wanted it to simply be as the two of them, the Doctor and Rose, without symbolizing the ruse of having played a fabricated part. From here she wanted nothing but honesty in whatever path they took.

The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver from his inner pocket and aimed it at the concealed device within the silver band, deactivating it and revealing himself as the clamor below subsequently grew to a chaotic uproar, the people now on the verge of mayhem.

Half a dozen officials, Eilam included, surrounded the Doctor. Two guards seized him by the arms as two more moved towards Rose and did the same.

"You will tell us what you have done with King Zerin!" they demanded of the Doctor. "You will face death for your actions against the monarchy if any harm has come to him!" Voices shouted at them from all directions.

"Release them both!" the voice of Zerin boomed from behind them. He stepped out of the TARDIS and came forward. "These two have done nothing against me or this kingdom. But what they have done for us is a debt we could never begin to repay." Zerin then turned to face the masses, his voice raised high and his arm outstretched toward the Doctor who had now been released at his command. "This man might have been posing as a King, but his true title is that of a Lord. He is a Lord of time itself, and he possesses capabilities which are almost beyond comprehension. These two who came to our realm are able not only to travel to distant worlds but to travel through time, as I have now experienced myself."

A stunned hush fell over the arena as he spoke the nearly unimaginable, but what would soon be reinforced by indisputable evidence. "What I am about to tell you took place in the span of one year, yet time was made to do man's bidding so that it was as if only mere days had passed. And time is what was needed, for it has allowed me to stand before you today, both Jezrians and Krendorians, and proclaim that our people have been united as one. I have joined myself in marriage to the Lady Shadarra of the Ruling House of Jezria. And this is not only a marriage of love but of lineage. Ours is not a barren union. Through medical advancement far beyond our own capabilities, this man, this Time Lord known as the Doctor, provided a way for the divide between our two races to be crossed and time enough for this to be brought to pass. A child, an heir to the throne has now been born who is not solely Jezrian or solely Krendorian but is of both bloodlines. The possession of the throne will no longer be divided for either race of Zobulan."

At that moment Shadarra stepped out of the TARDIS, holding the infant in her arms. Nahlia, who had accompanied them during this time, came out behind her and exchanged a brief smile of greeting with Rose.

The child of Zerin and Shadarra bore visible traits of both races, as the royal officials clamoring around to get a closer look could clearly see. Shadarra took her place at her husband's side as she addressed the masses with pride and emotion. "People of Zobulan, I present to you today our people's future. All that my husband has spoken to you is true. Through my child, the son of the King, the Ruling Houses of both people have been united as one."

The truth of what was told to the people by the King and Queen, accompanied by the undeniable evidence before them, began to take hold. They had believed from the beginning that Rose, a woman from beyond their world, was exceptional. They had now stood witness to the fact that this man called the Doctor could materialize at will and even have control over his appearance. It wasn't unthinkable to accept that these two really could have helped bring about the seemingly impossible – the impossible child who was cradled in his mother's arms, tangible and real.

Soon, the bewildered murmuring of the people grew into a swell of noise that finally erupted into a cheer that roared throughout the city itself, nearly shaking the foundation of the structure upon which they stood. Shadarra and Zerin stood together for several minutes as the people looked on, cheering their Royal Family until the sound was nearly deafening.

The group assembled above the arena was finally ushered into a chamber at the back of the podium away from some of the noise so that they could speak. Obviously there were quite a few questions to be asked. The ruling officials surrounded the royals, with Eilam the first to press forward, his eyes fixed in awe on the child in Shadarra's arms.

"Is this...is this really true? Is it even possible?" the aged man questioned in awestruck wonder. He had sought unity for the people of Zobulan at any cost, but never had he dreamed it could come in such a way.

Zerin's voice commanded the man's attention as he spoke. "The man whose very life you put in jeopardy helped to bring this about. And had your council alone been followed, this never would have been possible."

Eilam searched for an adequate reply. He had convinced himself that his previous actions were right, and that his means were justified in light of what could be achieved for the greater good. For the first time in his long life, the Elder's certainty of his own wisdom was beginning to waver. He responded with as much conviction as he could summon under the circumstances. "Had I known such a miracle was possible, I would have welcomed this path."

"No, you would not have simply welcomed this," Zerin corrected harshly. "You would have demanded proof that it was possible before you would have believed, and you would not have been willing to wait. Time was manipulated in order to bring this about today, but a day's time was still needed. A day in which the Lady Rose went through with a wedding that had been forced upon her in order to keep peace while allowing time for what was revealed today to be brought to fruition. As I said, the debt we now owe is not one we could ever repay."

Rose stepped forward then, putting strength in her voice and needing for this to be said, for a certain one among them to hear in particular. "The wedding may have been forced in the beginning, but I knew who I was pledging myself to before my vows were spoken, and I made the choice to go through with the marriage." She cut her eyes over to the Doctor who stood on the other side of Zerin, but she couldn't quite decipher his still-guarded expression. His eyes upon hers were so intense, however, that whatever it was he was fighting to restrain didn't look like it could remain that way for long.

"That may be true," Zerin acknowledged. "Nevertheless, how you and the Doctor both were initially manipulated and jeopardized was wrong, despite the outcome. And I have had time to reach a valuable decision in the midst of it all." He turned back to Eilam. "Zobulan's tradition has dictated that the word of the Elders was to always be considered and highly revered. But today I declare that never, never is an Elder to make a decision apart from the consent of the ruling monarchy. You went far beyond your position as Advisor by making a decision which affected the kingdom without first receiving my consent. Your purpose may have been to manipulate rather than kill, yet the fact remains that you jeopardized the life of another."

Eilam began to speak, but Zerin continued firmly.

"I would say your actions deserve imprisonment, but you alone are not solely to blame. I myself am guilty of not immediately reprimanding you for your actions once learning of them. Your actions were to try to force the bringing about of lasting peace, while my initial inaction was to try to maintain peace and prevent an uprising. Yet at a cost. I have grown in wisdom from my mistake, and I believe you have the potential to do the same. Therefore, I have had time to decide upon a more apt solution. I will allow you your freedom, but that does not include freedom within the ruling council, nor a continued place within. I have been informed of Amron's attack, and clearly your solution for uniting our people would never have appeased everyone. Your wisdom was extremely unsound and was not true wisdom at all, yet you tried to force it upon me. Never again will a decision be in your hands. Nor was it ever meant to be. Is this understood?"

Rightfully chastened and stripped of his position, there was not much Eilam could say in rebuttal. The fault of his actions that he had previously tried to reason away could no longer be defended. Shame was clear in his voice. "Yes, Sire. I sought the solution I believed would bring the peace our people were long since destined for. But to my shame I admit that I was ignorant in knowing the real truth of how this peace was meant to be brought about."

"Wisdom does not lie within the heart of just one," responded Zerin. "My son will be taught to value the input of successive Elders, but he and Zobulan's rulers who follow after him will not be governed by the Elders alone. As for you, Eilam, even though your actions were severely flawed, I believe your heart truly is for the good of Zobulan, in which case I will allow you to continue to serve Zobulan. I will allow your wife, Lady Shaleah, to remain at the castle, or she may accompany you, because you will not be residing here any longer. You will serve our people for as long as you have strength by traveling throughout the realm and telling of what you had done. You will serve as an example to the people that true peace can never be found by manipulating and threatening the lives of others. Never. Your life from this day forward will stand as an example of this."

Eilam, a man now shamed and dishonored yet shown a just measure of mercy, turned to take his leave, but before departing offered a final expression of regret. "I had believed that it was the Elders who possessed the greatest wisdom. But it is I who has received the impartation of wisdom on this day." He then looked once more at the child in Shadarra's arms, still struggling to fathom that this was even true. "And yet, I still hold joy on this day in seeing the fulfilling of peace beyond which even I had deemed possible." With a bowed head, the aged man turned and was escorted away from the company of the royal assembly, among whom he would no longer have a place.

"Now come," said Shadarra, addressing them all and raising her voice to be heard over the din that was still resounding just outside as the celebrations continued below. "This is a day of celebration unlike any other. This is a time to celebrate our joy."

Rose looked on as Zerin regarded his wife with a look of such open love, and her heart clenched, wondering if she and the Doctor could ever be that way with each other, no masks worn to hide their emotions or hindrances remaining between them.

"Doctor, Rose," Zerin spoke up, drawing Rose out of her wistful thoughts. "Join us in our celebrations. A feast will be held at the palace in your honor. None of this would have been possible if not for the two of you, and this is the very least we can do to show our unending gratitude."

The Doctor looked to Rose, and she could see that urge to journey on lighting a restless spark in his eyes. They rarely stayed for the aftermath or the receiving of accolades. And though their parts here may have now been successfully completed, they were far from having reached a resolution in their own lives. They needed time alone now to find out just where they would go from here, whatever the direction might be.

"Oh, well...that's very kind of you," the Doctor replied. "But I think it's finally time for Rose and I to be moving on." He glanced again at Rose and she simply nodded.

"I wish you would reconsider, but I understand," Zerin said. "I can only imagine the places you have waiting ahead of you in your journeys, and would not wish to keep you from such discoveries." He turned to Rose. "I have had the opportunity to thank the Doctor just before arriving back here, but I want to thank you as well. My thanks, however, could never be adequate for what you were willing to do. And had our lives turned out differently and you had ruled beside me as this world's Queen, I still hold to the belief that you would have been more than worthy of such a position."

Rose smiled and paused before replying. "I'm just glad things have turned out for your people the way they have. And...maybe in a way your ancient legend wasn't so far off, and the part I played here was always meant to be."

She glanced at the Doctor as his anxious eyes fixed on hers, and the sudden intensity there caused her breath to catch in her throat. If she didn't find out just what he was thinking and soon, this Time Lord was going to be the end of her. She was certain of that much, at least.

Zerin took her hand in his, drawing her attention back. "It was. I truly believe that. You are a remarkable woman, Rose Tyler." A smile lit his eyes. "The foretold traveler from a distant world."

Shadarra stepped up beside her husband. She placed her hand on Rose's arm and walked with her over to the side to speak privately as Zerin turned and said a last goodbye to the Doctor.

Rose looked down at the extraordinary child cradled in Queen Shadarra's arms. She reached out and ran a finger down his plump, delicate cheek. Like his mother, his skin was fair as porcelain and he did not have the spiral Krendorian markings on his hands, but his dark hair and equally dark, inquisitive eyes were clearly that of his father. "He's beautiful," Rose said.

Shadarra smiled tenderly. "Yes, he is. He is my treasure. His name is Zephrim, after Zerin's father." She looked back up at Rose, empathy in her voice. "Rose, I just want to say that I know what it is like to love someone and think that you could never be together for so many complicated reasons. I know this well, and I have seen that same look in your own eyes. I do not profess to know the details of the life you and the Doctor lead, but if there is one thing I have learned in this, it is to never let your heart give up on the one you love. Hold on to that, and extraordinary things may happen. I have been joined with the man I was destined for, and I believe you have been as well."

Rose cast her eyes over to the Doctor as he finished bidding Zerin farewell, clearly anxious to get underway. And perhaps anxious, she thought, to put all this behind them. "You may believe that and I may believe that, but I don't know if the Doctor will ever come to see it that way," Rose confessed.

"He is a mysterious man, to be sure," Shadarra replied with a slight smile twitching her lips. "But I do not believe his feelings are such a grand mystery to decipher. Neither of our marriages were brought about in a way that any of us would have ever foreseen, but this is how it was meant to be none the less. Give him time. That is something the two of you have in abundance, is it not?"

Rose laughed softly. "I s'pose it is, yeah." She dropped her eyes and spoke quietly, knowing that a man whose existence spanned centuries could not simply change overnight. "But I don't know if all the time in the world could ever change some things." Rose looked back at Shadarra and attempted a smile. "But thank you."

Shadarra returned her smile. "Safe journey to you both, wherever your path through time may lead."

-:-:-:-

A time of celebration beyond what the people of Zobulan had ever known was just beginning as the Doctor and Rose returned to the TARDIS. It almost felt as if a lifetime had passed since coming to this place, and considering all that had transpired, their previous lives had passed. The life they were now returning to held so much new, uncharted, and uncertain territory ahead. Their arrival in this place had been turbulent, and their departure was equally so; though this time the turbulence was contained within.

Rose lingered by the ramp, and the Doctor approached the console, his movements uncharacteristically subdued and his eyes focused downward as he methodically began the dematerialization sequence to ease the still-recuperating but functioning ship into the Vortex. Where they would go from here, literally and metaphorically, was still in question.

The Doctor had now seen the very first inscription of Zobulan's ancient foretelling which had led to this entire chain of events. The image was now burned into his mind, which he now realized was more accurately labeled a historical account from the future, deposited in the past, than a prophecy. And below the inscription were additional words in a language that both haunted and soothed him, the language from a world now gone but forever within him. And maybe...within someone else now, too.

This should have been more than enough to ease his troubled mind over what might happen between him and Rose from here. But nothing was ever that straightforward. He was a Time Lord, and that meant he could see things in a way that no one else could, was able to peer into dimensions that lay hidden from others. He could see Time's path. He could see what was fixed and unshakable and must always be, and he could see what was in flux and could change like the shifting of the breeze. Everything that had happened between him and Rose was in as chaotic a state of flux as the thoughts whirling in his mind.

Their future was filled with possibilities, but nothing was yet certain.

He still feared how Rose would react once he revealed what she was still unaware of about their previous night together. He knew the revelation could shake her, because it shook him, too. Fiercely. He'd yet to fully process it, much less prepare to speak of it. It was a conversation he knew had to come to a head soon, though.

And Rose was preparing to finally discuss a few significant things too, though she was as uncertain as him about how the conversation would go, considering the first time they had broached the subject of their night together it hadn't gone well for either of them. Why was it suddenly so hard to communicate when the night before they hadn't needed words at all?

Across the other side of the console, Rose stood with her back to him, her own gaze focused down as she fingered the long, elegant sleeve of her royal blue gown. She needed to change, Rose thought. Though she knew changing other things, such as changing back to the way their lives had been before all of this, would not come as easily.

They could pretend, though, she concluded, inwardly preparing for how it might be from here. They could file it away as a marriage of circumstance and one night of letting their emotions get carried away. They could pretend it was an easy thing to simply forget it all, and then slip back into that 'close but no closer' relationship they had hidden behind for so long. They had been experts at pretending before all this, after all.

The familiar grind of the Time Rotor filled the console room, yet the silence stretching on between its two occupants could not be easily drowned out. Rose finally broke the tense, weighted silence, though her back was still turned on the man she was addressing and her voice projected downward.

"So..., I s'pose we helped change a kingdom."

The Doctor's eyes snapped up at the sound of her voice and he put effort into responding, the ease in his tone belying his rigid stance. "Yes, we certainly did."

Rose forged ahead, unwilling to bury this and begin the pretending just yet. She forced herself to turn and face him, to look in his eyes as she continued. "And we got married."

His throat tightened as he swallowed forcefully, but he didn't look away. "We did."

Her voice became quiet, the effort to form words strained as she finished softly. She needed to acknowledge this just once more if from here it was never to be spoken of again. "And then we had a wedding night." She closed her eyes briefly before looking back into his. It was more than that. "We made love."

The expression on the Doctor's face was nearly inscrutable; but his eyes...oh, those eyes. He could never keep the emotion from them. And right now those emotions were surging like waves on the ocean. Yet his silent pause before replying stretched on to the point where she thought he might not answer this one last considerable statement.

"We did," he finally replied, the weight of those two words so heavy once spoken that they seemed to remain suspended in the air and slow the progression of Time itself.

Rose drew in a shallow, shaky breath, turning away again so he wouldn't see the tears threatening to break free in her eyes as she fought against it, digging her fingernails into the skin of her palms as she clenched her hands. "So is this where we get a 'divorce,' then? Pretend it never happened? Go back to the way things were befo–"

She wasn't able to finish before the Doctor was speaking again, his words overtaking her own. She startled at the sound of his voice directly behind her, seeming to reach her in an instant.

His response was equal parts force and desperation, two words that could either be an apology or a plea. "We can't."