Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who (planets, aliens, places etc.) or any of the characters. In means of THIS chapter, I also do not own anything owned by Shakespeare including quotes, characters and such. I also do not own 'King And Lionheart,' which is a song by Of Monsters And Men; it half inspired this chapter. I only own my OC Selene. ENJOY!
Foreword: In referencing Henry IV, I used Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of Hal for this; he's an amazing actor and did an AMAZING job of playing Hal! Enjoy the chapter!
9. Love and Monsters
OR
King And Lionheart
There was a massive clattering and an angry roar as Selene and Rose stumbled after the Doctor, who was chasing an angry Hoix. They'd been running after the thing for a good hour or so, following it through an abandoned warehouse, loosing it after almost every turn. Selene almost took a fall down a set of metal steps, jumping the last few to keep her balance.
" Doctor! Doctor, the trap!" Rose shouted out as they spotted the Doctor a floor below them.
" Where's he gone? Can you see him?" He called back, spinning in a circle, coat fanning out around his legs.
" No… No, he isn't—behind you! Watch out!" Selene yelled, gripping onto the cold railing.
" There" Rose pointed to where the Hoix had run off.
" Where?" The Doctor asked in a moment of confusion. He spotted it run through a door and he took off at a sprint. " There a red and blue bucket a few corridors down! Grab the red bucket in the hallway! It contains a solution that'll calm it down!" The Doctor's voice trailed off as he disappeared into the brightly lit doorway, the door slamming behind him.
" Blue bucket," Rose muttered at the same time Selene muttered,
" Red bucket."
The two ran off in separate directions.
It had been around that moment that blond man, Elton, in a navy blue jumpsuit had stepped into the warehouse, following the sounds of the shouting and the all-too familiar blue police box outside. He came to a hallway with a number of doors on each side and one at the very end. A bright light shone from under the door at the end of hall… He walked towards it and opened it…
And out lunged the angry looking Hoix, baring slimy teeth and a bad-tempered growl. Elton began to slowly back up with wide eyes as the alien began to growl and slowly step towards him. Then, someone slid into the doorway just behind the creature. It was the Doctor, wearing a comfortable smile and waving a pork chop in one hand.
" Here, boy. Eat the food! Come on, look at the lovely food! Isn't that nice? Yes, it is!" His voice sounded like he was talking to a puppy. The Hoix slowly began to turn towards the Doctor, who turned his gaze to Elton momentarily. " Get out of here, quickly." He looked back at the Hoix. " That's a boy. Would you like a pork-y chop-y then?" He looked back to Elton, who hadn't moved, sternly. " I said run!"
Just as Elton, terrified, began to do so, Rose came bolting down the hall, holding a blue bucket of steaming liquid, screaming. She splashed its contents onto the Hoix, who roared in rage.
" Wrong one! You've made it worse!" The Doctor yelled as the alien covered its face.
" You said blue!" Rose complained.
" I said not blue!"
The Hoix turned its attention to Rose, who took off at a run, the alien following. The Doctor sighed, calling out,
" Hold on!" And he then disappeared behind the door.
There was a pause as Elton stared at the now empty hallway. A set of new footsteps approached and Selene skid to a halt beside him, carrying a steaming red bucket. She looked around and then met Elton's gaze. She gave him a nod before running into one of the doorways. There was a pause.
The Doctor let out a yell, running from one doorway, across to another, the Hoix on his heels. From the same door he ran into, Rose exited, yelling as the Hoix chased her. Then, from two different doors, the Doctor ran into Selene, no longer carrying the bucket, and spun her around, pushing her through the door she just left, the upset alien on their heels. Then it became even more of a cartoon chase scene. The three time travelers would run through one door and the Hoix through another, switching in ways that shouldn't have been possible on Earth… then again, when did that ever stop them?
The Hoix ran through one door and paused in the hall and then spun around and ran back the way it came as Selene came sprinting after it, red bucket high over her head, black jacket tied around her waist. The Hoix ran out from the same door, chased by all three time travelers. The Doctor, catching sight of the blond man froze, stepping closer to him, brows furrowing.
" Hold on… Don't I know you?" He asked in curiosity. Elton didn't respond, he only bolted from the Time Lord's presence.
SPLASH!
" I got it!" Selene shouted out as the Hoix began to groan quietly, slowly falling to its knees in exhaustion. " God, it sure knows how to run…" The Doctor jogged over, eyeing the Hoix, which began to slowly calm down… before it eventually passed out. The Time Lord cleared his throat and fixed both his suit and his coat.
" Well… Now we've just got to get it back to where it came from!" He announced happily. Both women groaned.
OOOO
" I'm telling you, the bucket had been right there!" Selene exclaimed, groaning quietly. Rose sighed in exasperation, sending her friend a glare.
" It absolutely was not! There was one bucket and that was the one I grabbed! I'm not oblivious!" Rose shot back. She crossed her arms and tossed her hair from her face. The two had been arguing about the bucket situation for close to a half hour after they dropped the Hoix off in its proper place. The Doctor had tried to intervene at least four times; all attempts were thwarted when both women shouted at him to stay out of it. So, there he was, staying out of it… he was watching them with a worried expression, flicking switches. They two had yet to actually fight, and the last thing they really needed was to have unneeded tension between two people living in the same close vicinity.
Selene sputtered and threw her arms out wide. Her eyes were wide and she could barely think of how to respond. She hadn't said anything about Rose being oblivious; she'd only said that the other bucket had been just as close and that the Doctor had clearly stated which one to grab.
" I didn't say you were oblivious! I've been merely been trying to say—"
" I know what you've been trying to say, you've been trying to say it for the past hour!"
" Can you both please stop fighting, it was a misunderstanding. We don't have to dwell on it," The Doctor attempted to reason.
" It's a bit late for that!" Rose yelled out to him. He ran his hands through his hair and was about to speak again, but just then the TARDIS' engines thudded and they all jolted forward, crashing to the ground. " Doctor, did you mean it to land?"
" No, actually. I was just… fiddling about, I didn't think I'd set coordinates," He muttered, looking up at the screen. His brows arched in the way they only his could do and then he let out a little "huh!" as he turned to both women.
" Where are we?" Selene asked, pulling herself up.
" England."
" Specifics?"
" Just outside London, 1402. Now…" The Doctor snatched up his woolen coat and began to pull it on. " I say we forget about all this tension and just… go have a look around. How does that sound? Yes, it does sound lovely, put on your coats!" The Doctor tossed their jackets at them, running to the door. The two women met each other's eyes, the tension obviously not about to be resolved.
Selene tugged on her black coat and fixed the clasp on her necklace, staring at the cross that hung off the chain. It was just a bit smaller than her thumb, and it was gold. Roses were carved along the sides and a circular moonstone had been set in the center. It had been a gift from one of her aunts, the moonstone supposedly meant to represent her name, since it meant moon. Fixing the cross' position, she walked to the door, where the Doctor and Rose had already exited. Shutting the creaking door behind her, she observed her surroundings.
They were in the countryside, surrounded by rolling hills colored a brilliant, rich green. Trees rustled in the wind, which carried the smell of oncoming rain and wildflowers. The evening sky was darkened by deep grey clouds and thunder distantly rumbled. Selene's thin jacket barely kept off the chill from the cool air that ran through the branches of the tree the TARDIS had landed under.
" Just outside London?" Selene questioned skeptically.
" Well… maybe not just…" The Doctor muttered, peering upwards into the sky, face scrunching a bit.
" There's a storm coming in. If we want to look around we should get a move on now so we can get to London in decent time," The Doctor observed, nodding to a dirt road up a small hill. Rose smiled and bumped his shoulder.
" Don't want that hair of yours to get ruined, do you?" She teased. The Doctor chuckled and retaliated by knocking her shoulder with his. The three jogged up the hill, which was composed of soft soil and healthy grass.
" Did you say it was 1402?" Selene asked curiously.
" Yep!" The Doctor replied, popping the 'p' with a smile. " I believe that the Battle of Humbleton Hill is either just about to happen or just ended." Selene smiled a bit and nodded as they continued down the road.
" Ah, Henry Hotspur," She said in reference to Sir Henry Percy. Though he was a famous relative of the King Henry's, she always remembered him from Shakespeare.
" I see you know his nickname!" The Doctor smiled at her, fixing his brown silken tie. She shrugged and replied with,
" Shakespeare."
" How much Shakespeare do you actually know?" Rose asked arching her brow, using the tone of voice she'd had when meeting Sarah Jane the first time. Her 'I'm-pretending-to-be-nice-to-you' voice. Selene's jaw snapped open to shoot back a reply, but as they came to a fork in the road, the Doctor yelled,
" Horses!" And grabbed Rose to pull her off the road. As they dove to the right, Selene dove off to the left into some bushes. Peering over the top she saw a bunch of men on horseback storm by, laughing and shouting out. Selene sat on the cold grass and ran her hands through her hair, waiting for hem to completely pass, which was when she noted the cut on the palm of her hand. She figured that she'd obtained it when diving off the road. She hissed and wiped a trail of blood off her palm when she stood. She went to ask the Doctor if he had any bandages in his pockets, but looking across the road, she found Rose and the Doctor gone. She blinked and arched a brow.
" Doctor?" She called out. " Rose?" No reply. She sighed and put her uninjured hand on her hip. " They left me on a road. In fourteen hundreds Wales. Can it get any worse?" Thunder crackled overhead, signaling the oncoming storm was almost there. " Apparently yes…" She sighed.
OOOO
" Did we just… fall down a hill?" Rose asked from her place sprawled across the slightly muddy ground. The Doctor groaned a bit and rubbed some dirt off his jacket. They had, indeed, tumbled down a rather large hill and onto the edge of another road.
" I believe we did. Now, did you see where Selene is?" He asked as they looked around. She wasn't in sight.
" I think she dove to the opposite side of the road."
" Well… let's just hope she came make it to town and wait for us… I think this road may take us on a rather… long and scenic route to London."
OOOO
Rain had begun to come down in sheets. Selene's hair, which was still in its braid, was plastered to the back of her neck and her coat clung wet and stickily to her sides. The wind was picking up and was rather chilly, causing her to shiver. The road was now muddy and in the distance the roofs began to come into sight… or what she could see through the raindrops in her eyes. London lay ahead, a stone bridge leading into the soon to be city, which was becoming slick with water. Selene wasn't quite… scared. She knew that there were probably no aliens lurking about and she could probably land a punch on anyone trying to attack her. What she was worried about was being caught in 1402 England for the rest of her life. If the Doctor couldn't find her again, she'd be stuck there, and that would be an interesting situation to attempt to sort out.
Boots touching down on the bridge, she wrapped her arms around her middle to try and warm herself up, which she then made a priority. She crossed the bridge, moving out of the way once to let a horse and rider pass by, and went in search of a tavern or store she could warm herself up in. London was a town with cramped streets and soaked wooden tables used for butchering meat pushed to the side. A church steeple rose up into the sky and a few citizens still walked through the sheeting rain. Squinting up into the dreary sky, Selene caught sight of a swinging wooden sign that read Boar's Head Tavern. She quickly walked to the small door and pushed her shoulder into it, promptly ducking her head to step through the door and into the tavern.
Immediately greeted by the pleasantly humid atmosphere, Selene gently kicked the door shut. It was dimly lit with numerous candles and lanterns and there was a firing roaring in a fireplace across the tavern. What was probably a usual crowd for the place was compiled of fairly drunk men with thick beards or scruffy stubble and women with messy hair and wrinkled dresses. Rowdy laughter echoed against wooden timbers and plaster walls, people knocked over tankards and either laughed or yelled about it; in fact, a fight seemed to start up about an overturned tankard a few moments after she'd stepped in. Overall, no on seemed to care about the arrival of the drenched stranger, and even if they did, they didn't show it. She was jostled slightly by an old man and what looked to be a boy of twelve or so.
Shivering harshly, Selene shuffled towards a woman filling a tankard looked up at her with surprised brown eyes.
" U-Um… A-am I in London? I'm a b-bit lost, I'm afraid…" Selene inquired with chattering teeth, cold droplets of water snaking down her back. The woman set the tankard in front of a man swaying on a barstool and looked her over with concern.
" Oh, dearie! You seem ta be soaked through your skin! Come an' sit by the fire!" She walked around the bar and wrapped her own shawl over Selene's shoulders. " Don' let it be said I won't help someone in need, 'cause I will in a heart beat!" She led Selene over to the warm fire and sat her in a rickety chair by an equally rickety table. Selene sat down and muttered a thank you for both the shawl and the seat by the fire. Selene leaned forward a bit feeling the warmth hit her face, and the tense muscles between her shoulders relaxed.
She didn't drown out the sounds around her and inhaled the wood smoke wafting off the logs before her. The wood smoke mixed with the smell of spilled drinks and sweat, something that she would probably remember for a good long while. The chair creaked as she leaned back into it again, her wary blue eyes staring into the flames. Just then, a strong hand gripping the rim of a tankard entered her direct line of sight.
" You look as though you could use a drink," Came a low, soothing male voice. Selene's eyes slid from the hand, up a jacketed arm, across the curve of a neck and came to rest on the face of the tall handsome man beside her. She blinked a moment and just stared before replying and looking back at the tankard.
" Um… What exactly is it?"
The man chuckled and pulled up a seat beside hers. He sat, tankard still extended to her. The firelight made his fair skin appear slightly tanned father than what was his normal pale complexion. His unoccupied hand swept through his brown hair that tinted gold in any light and appeared to be damp and was of moderate length. Elbows resting on his knees, he held the tankard out to her more, lips pulling into an amused smile. Firelight cast shadows on his high cheekbones and strong jaw, which created an artful bone structure. Turning attention from his hand to his soft blue eyes, she saw mischief and laughter glittering there.
" Tis only ale, my dear lady," He replied, chuckling. Selene shook her head to deny his offer as a few men walked by, slapping her new acquaintance on the back, muttering hellos along with the name 'Hal.' The man smiled up at them but then caught sight of the violent shiver that racked her body. He stood and gestured to the barmaid from before. " Hattie, would you lend this poor woman some dry clothes? She's soaked to the bone and will catch her death of cold otherwise." Hattie gave a nod of agreement and hurried off to a back room. The man, named Hal, apparently, stood and walked over to press the tankard into her hands. " Drink. You will feel better."
Selene quietly lifted the tankard to her lips, staring into the ale inside. Her stomach was rolling slightly at the strong smell coming from the tankard; it was definitely nothing like anything Elephant and Palace had served back in Boston. Fourteen hundreds ale… She thought to herself. It's bound to be strong stuff… Hell, maybe that's what I need. She carefully tilted the tankard and took a long sip, swallowing hard. The alcohol, which was extremely prominent in the taste of the ale, burnt her tongue and throat, and tasted fairly bitter. She coughed and held a hand over her mouth, grimacing.
" Good God that's bitter!" She muttered, staring at what was in her hand. " And…" She cleared her throat, hand dropping from her mouth. " And strong…" The brunette man laughed and let his head loll back a bit; Selene figured he must have had a drink of some sort as well earlier in the evening. He plopped back into his seat, scrubbing both hands through his hair, ruffling the wavy strands.
" Are you not much of a drinker then?"
" Not usually, in truth," She said.
" And I do not believe I have had the good fortune to meet you. Do you venture from a near by town?" He asked curiously. Selene laughed quietly, braving another small sip of the ale.
" I'm a… traveler."
" You must know who I am, though." The smile that edged onto his handsome face was suggesting that he suspected she did or she should. Arching a brow in thought. She was honestly trying to see if she could place him. She shook her head with a sheepish shrug and equally sheepish smile.
" Sorry, no. I'm actually from very far away…" Selene said apologetically. The man gave a smirk and nod, eyeing the wet clothes that clung to the curves of her body.
" Your clothing did lend a clue to that. But, please, allow me to introduce myself. My father would have my head if I were to forget my manors… and a beautiful woman such as yourself deserves no less." He stood and inclined his head to her. " I am Prince Henry of Wales, son of King Henry, but please," He bent down, lifted her hand and smiled, meeting her eyes. " Do call me Hal." He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, lips lingering on her skin.
Selene stared at him for a very long moment. Hal. Prince Hal later Henry V: king, warrior, and Shakespearian character. It was the true Prince Hal in front of her, the real man.
" Oh my God…" She muttered, staring back at him. He straightened up and sat down.
" So it appears you have at least heard of me," Hal said. She laughed a bit and nodded. She couldn't do anything else but just nod and stare at him, which caused him to arch a brow and laugh a bit. " Ah, and here returns the generous Hattie." Selene looked up to see Hattie gesturing for her to come into the back room. Selene set the tankard down and scurried through the crowd of men to change, the cold water still dripping uncomfortably across her skin.
The clothes Hattie had given her were simple but would at least keep her fairly warm. It was a maroon colored woolen dress with long sleeves and a white petticoat beneath it. Selene made the choice of keeping the necklace on; it wasn't horribly out of place. She re-braided her hair and kept the tattered shawl around her shoulders, taking a long moment to recompose herself after that she'd just met the Prince of Wales. He was one of her favorite Shakespearian characters, but she didn't know how close said portrayal was to the real person… and it appeared that she would get the chance to find out. She adjusted the boots she'd kept on and walked out, ignoring some of the looks that she was given on her walk back. Self-consciously she fixed the relatively low neckline of the dress. She stopped by her seat, surprised to find Hal still there. He smiled at her.
" You look warmer," He noted nodding for her to sit again.
" I am, yes," She agreed, clasping her hands together. Hal took up his own tankard, which had been obtained while she was changing, and threw back a large sip of the ale, grinning.
" So, I believe you have yet to grace me with your name."
" It's Selene. Selene Thomas," She replied, hesitantly taking the tankard again. She wouldn't lie if he asked if the ale had helped, it honestly did. After the burn of the alcohol it did warm her stomach and the chill from outside slowly wore off. Hal reached out and took her hand, inclining his head to her again.
" It is a great pleasure I've had in meeting you." He released her hand, leaning back again, still eying her. " So, tell me, you are a traveler. Where to you hail from?"
" Far, far off, I doubt you would have heard of it," Selene assured him, with a dismissive wave, trying to cut off the conversation. Hal's eyes narrowed playfully.
" Perhaps I have."
" I'm fairly certain you never have."
" But, do tell me, you must be of noble blood. There is an… air that you carry that reminds me of lords and ladies," Hal informed, crossing his boot-clad ankles. She snorted slightly, rolling her eyes.
" Right, me, noble blood. No, I'm as common as common comes, Hal, trust me!" She laughed sweeping a loose strand of hair from her face. Hal arched a brow and leaned forward, tankard still held to his lips.
" You hardly seem common, my dear. You show up in a town far from wherever you come from dressed like a man, soaked to the bone and with mud spattered across your legs. Again, I must assure you that you are very far from common," Hal assured her. " I'll still have to disagree. Besides, the most uncommon thing I've ever been apart of is a number of rather… interesting battles." Running a hand through her hair, she then decided to quote none other than Henry IV. " 'This is no world/To play with mammets and to tilt with lips:/We must have bloody noses and cracked crowns.'"
Hal leaned forward and smiled a bit.
" What sweet poetry falls from your lips," He told her softly. Arching a brow, Selene rolled her eyes and took hold of her own tankard, hissing as the cut she'd forgotten about pressed against the handle. She pulled it back and stared at the palm, gently pressing against the slightly inflamed skin. Hal's brows furrowed and he peered at the cut. " How did you get that?"
" I had to dive off the road when some men on horseback sort of… blundered by just outside of the town," Selene explained, dipping her fingers into her tankard and dabbing it onto the cut. It stung and she winced again, shaking of the excess liquid. Hal awkwardly scratched the back of his head, glancing off. She arched a brow. " That was you wasn't it?"
" I do apologize, Selene. Had I known earlier that I had caused you pain I would have stopped immediately. But, come, I will make it up to you; allow me to give you another drink."
" No, it's really fine, I'm not that much of a drinker—"
" I insist."
OOOO
Rose tugged the woolen blankets around her tighter, trying to keep warm in the fairly cold inn room. The Doctor stood at the window; gently rubbing dried mud off the hem of his coat using his thumb. She sighed and sat up, running a hand through damp hair. They'd ended up in an entirely different town than London… even further than they'd started out. It had been grudgingly decided upon they needed to rest for the night and they'd go looking for Selene early in the morning.
" Do you think she's alright? I mean… this is the first time she's ever been alone in a completely different time period. I don't want to be a downer, but, she could get into trouble," Rose said with a bit of concern, forgetting about the argument they'd been in before she'd gotten lost. The Doctor sighed and sat down in a chair, fixing a crease in his suit absent mindedly. His brown eyes turned to Rose and he gave a tired smile.
" She's a smart one. She'll try and stay out of trouble… but… maybe you're right…" He muttered thoughtfully. Selene did, indeed, have a temper. And now she was alone and bound to meet at least one unsavory character. He could only hope that she wouldn't make any bad choices… or get into any trouble.
OOOO
The crowd within the Boar's Head Tavern was absolutely roaring with energy. It was creeping into the extremely late hours of the night and no one still at the tavern really cared. The majority of them were gathered around an old table where Hal stood, telling a tale or two about things he'd done, his read leather jacket carelessly flung over a chair. Selene was among those watching him, a tankard clasped loosely in hand. She stood beside a rather heavy man whom had been introduced as Falstaff earlier in the night. Of course she'd had a mini panic attack when she heard that; Falstaff was a Shakespearian character from Henry IV. He was a knight and a close companion of Hal's… and he was only a character last time she'd checked. So, she came to one conclusion after a second round of ale. She'd probably fallen into a Shakespearian universe… either that or Falstaff was just not deemed as a real person in all of history.
" N-now, I believe you have all probably…" Hal paused to catch his balance with a laugh. " Noticed my new friend! Come up, come up, my dear lady!" Hal grabbed Selene's hand and pulled her up beside him, hand clasped tightly around hers. " She, my fellows, is a traveler! I believe that she has seen thing that none of you sorry lot would ever see!"
Selene, who'd been given one too many a drink already, giggled and nodded.
" Oh, I have been to places none of you will ever hear about! A-and let me tell you something. Sh, sh, shhhh…" She waited for the rowdy men to quiet down some. " Now this place, this tavern right here… has… has got to be the best place I have been too so far! You are a such a friendly group of people! I have never felt more welcomed anywhere in my life. And you know what I say?" She asked drunkenly, throwing back what was left in the tankard.
" What do you say?" Hal asked, placing his hands on his hips with a grin.
" I say that if my friends and fellow travelers do not find me, I'll stay here the rest of my life!" Selene called out, throwing her hands up. Hal's first cheer caused the rest of the men to do the same, drunkenly laughing and whooping. Selene laughed and grinned, cheeks a becoming shade of pink, and then tossed back strands of hair that had fallen out of the braid she'd had it in.
Hal then half jumped, half stumbled off the table, taking Selene's waist to help her down. She let another man take her tankard and put her hands on his shoulders, allowing him to take her waist. She stepped down and despite both being drunk Hal safely lowered her to the ground, grinning down at her. He was probably just an inch or two over six feet, which meant she would always have to look up at him. A sudden rush suddenly seemed to sweep through her head and she groaned, placing a hand to her head.
" Oh, God…" She muttered. " I think I need some sleep…" Hal laughed and, keeping an arm around her waist, he led her towards some stairs.
" Fortunately for you, I have convinced Mistress Quickly—" Another Shakespearian character… Selene fuzzily thought, "—to give you a room for the night. It's just up those stairs and at the very end of the landing." Once at the base of the steps she removed his arm from around her waist.
" Thank you, Hal. For the room, the drinks… everything really," She said with a smile. He gave a bow with a grin, which made his eyes crinkle slightly on the side, something Selene found she liked. She turned to start walking up the stairs when his voice stopped her.
" Wouldst thou depart for bed before bestowing your Prince with a sweet kiss?" He asked, his words sounding jokingly Shakespearian… he was teasing her about her quote earlier. She smirked to herself and turned to face him. She may be fairly drunk, but she was not falling for that.
" My sweet kisses are not to be wasted upon those who merely wish for one. Thy lips must wait to earn such respect," Selene told him with a sweet smile before turning and slowly walking up the steps.
Hal watched with a smirk and crossed his arms. Mistress Quickly stepped over to him and smacked his arm with the back of her hand.
" You will have to work for that one," She told him. He quirked a brow with a scoff.
" So it seems I will…"
OOOO
The next morning Selene found herself sitting in the room she'd been given, gripping her head, which pounded with a headache. She'd admit she had never been that drunk before… nor did she plan on ever being that drunk again. And she blamed it on someone. On one person…
Prince Hal of Wales.
She figured she couldn't quite stay in the room all day, so she stood and fixed the bedraggled dress, sucking in a breath as her head swayed.
" Oh, Selene, damn you for letting Hal use his charms on you…" She muttered to herself, rubbing her head. She fumbled to pull the braid out of her hair, which was now wavy and curly more than it had been. She shuffled towards the door, squinting in the sunlight coming through the smeared windows, eventually making her way back into the tavern. She nodded to a few of the people she'd remembered from the night before, promptly falling into a chair, yawing and rubbing her temples.
Hal, despite the pounding in his head, was smiling as he walked through town, the sun now out and the ground still slightly muddy. He'd made it a point to see how that woman he met last night was. Selene. He honestly did believe that she was incredibly uncommon… but that was good. He'd grown to know many of the women's faces in London and had grown used to daily routines and what not; she seemed different and intriguing… and not to mention beautiful. He fixed a button on his red leather jacket and stepped over to the tavern door, ducking down to step through.
He found Selene sitting at a table sipping on what was probably a tankard full of water. By the grimace on her face, he could now truly believe that she really wasn't a drinker. He nodded a good morning to Mistress Quickly and noted that Falstaff had yet to awaken… the drunken fat man was probably still sleeping off how many other drinks he'd had after Hal had left the night before. He pulled up a chair and sat on it backwards, arms resting on the chair back. He smiled at the woman, who slowly looked over at him.
" Oh God, please don't try and get me to drink more," She told him before quickly looking away from him.
" Good morning to you as well." Noticing she refused to look at him he arched a brow. " Is my face not a pleasant one to see in the morning?"
" No, it is, but—Oh that was so a set up…" She muttered, blushing. Hal laughed and shook his head.
" I assure you it was not a rouse; however, I cannot deny I am not flattered by your comment… for I am. And, if we pass around compliments this morning, I must tell you your hair looks gorgeous down, I must request you keep it that way." Selene only gave a nod, sipping at the water in her tankard. " Now, I know your head must hurt—"
" Obviously…"
" –But I would very much like to show you around London. Perhaps I could even try to get you into the Palace," He told her, smiling. She rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair, beginning to smile. So… she could at either stay at the tavern and wait for the Doctor and Rose… or she could be introduced to London by none other than Prince Hal…
" I'd be delighted to be shown around," Selene told him, standing. Hal held out his arm for her to take and once she did, he led her from the tavern, the two earning a few looks.
OOOO
The next day the Doctor and Rose still hadn't shown up. So, after Hal showed up at the tavern again, she agreed to spend more time in London with him. Hal kept trying to get more information about where she'd come from, which proved unsuccessful. Selene prodded him into telling stories about pranks he and Poins had carried out, and eventually he told her about his father and of how it was painfully clear he wished Henry "Hotspur" to be his son and not him. It was after he'd told her such they stopped to just sit in a clearing in the forest just outside the city.
" Believe me, Hal, there are many people who understand how you feel," She told him, braiding the stems of some wild flowers together, creating a small wreath. He gave a grim smile and leaned back on his elbows.
" Are you one of them?" He inquired curiously, looking over to her. She now wore a sun lightened red dress that had black sleeves, allowing the petticoat to poof out of the sleeves on the side and a black the around the waist hung loosely around her hips, deciding to not stand out by wearing her jeans and what not. She quietly finished braiding in the last purple flowers and set it on her lap.
" To some means, yes. I suppose it's not exactly like the way you feel… though, with my friends, my traveling companions, I do feel as if I could be the one that could be the sacrifice, the one that if left behind no one would really… care," She told him with a shrug. After that day with the Beast… she'd thought more about it. Despite Rose and the Doctor's constant assurances that what she said wasn't true, there would always be that seed out doubt in her mind. After all, Rose and the Doctor cared for each other…
" If that is the truth, then perhaps they are not your true friends. And always remember that if you ever need a place to run to, to run away from the madness of your life, London will always be open to you. I will even convince the Palace guards to let you through," Hal assured her, sitting up and taking the flower wreath she made. He lifted it and placed it on her head, slowly smiling. He fixed it so it fit better and nodded at the make-shift crown. " Even with a crown of flowers you can pass for a noble woman or a princess. Perhaps a faerie princess whom has lost her wings and gives up her ways of destructive mischief," Hal suggested. She couldn't help the blush spreading across her cheeks and she smiled at him, nudging his shoulder.
" Now who's the one speaking poetically, My Prince," She teased. Hal laughed, which made his handsome eyes crinkle and his shoulders shake.
" You know, I still wait upon that kiss." He arched a brow, making an innocent face. Selene rolled her eyes and fiddled with the cross around her neck.
" I will become another notch on your bedpost, Hal," She told him, looking off. Hal gave her a long look and shook his head.
" I have not intention of that… well, not anymore, I will admit it might have crossed my mind before. I only ask for a kiss. One kiss. No beds, no notches. Only a kiss," He told her softly. Selene couldn't help the disbelieving laugh that bubbled past her lips. Hal arched a brow. " Have you discovered something I said to be funny?"
" No, it's just that… once someone hears about your history with women… what you just said comes as a surprise," She explained with a smile, meeting his eyes. She was surprised to see sincerity sitting in his gaze.
" As I said before… only a kiss."
Selene, don't you dare give in. You're too nice, you've had an emotional few weeks now stop staring at him and don't give in. Forget about the schoolgirl crush you've had on his character since sophomore year… She thought to herself, unable to tear her eyes away from the man sitting beside her. Just as Hal turned his head away to think of something else to say, he found his face quickly turned back.
His eyes barely had time to adjust when a pair of soft lips gently captured his. Selene couldn't help it. It was Prince Hal. He returned the kiss with a bit more strength, and placed a hand at the nape of her neck. His lips were chapped slightly from cool air and drinking. She'd been kissed twice now in the last week or so… her first kisses in a while and instead of berating herself she could only think one thing:
Prince Hal was one hell of a kisser.
OOOO
" Oh! Yes, yes, excuse me," The Doctor quickly said, catching the attention of Hattie. He waved her over and once she stood in front of him he then continued to speak. " Say, we've been looking for a lost friend of our for a day or two. She may have introduced herself as Selene Thomas?"
" Tell her what she looks like," Suggested Rose, nudging his arm.
" Ah, yes, she's about this tall, curly brown hair, about her age, just a bit older, actually," The Doctor continued on, gesturing to Selene's height and then to Rose on the age comment. Hattie arched a brow as she thought.
" Wearing trousers, hair in a braid? Odd accent?" Hattie enquired.
" Yes! Yes!"
" Yeah, she came in 'bout two days ago."
" That's great where is she?" Rose asked. She'd figured their stupid argument could be forgotten about… she was lost in the fourteen hundreds, that was more important.
" Sorry, she left this morning," Hattie said, tucking a rag into the waistband of her skirt.
" This morning?" The Doctor asked, voice turning grim. " Was anyone with her?"
" Yeah, she and Hal left just before noon."
" Hal?" The Doctor's brows furrowed. " Hal who?" Hattie gave him a disbelieving look.
" The son of our King. Prince Hal of Wales."
The Doctor's eyes widened in shock.
" Oh. ThatHal… Rose, we should go find her. Now," The Doctor urged.
" Oi, if you two are about to go after her, bring 'er clothes with you. They've been dry for 'bout a day."
" Right, we'll do that." Hattie left to grab Selene's clothes and he spun to face Rose. " I'm getting a bad feeling about this."
" Just 'cause she's out with the Prince of Wales?" Rose asked skeptically, crossing her arms. The Doctor shook his head, scratching the back of his head.
" No, no, it isn't just that… something is just off in general… something… something…" He struggled for a word. Rose's eyebrows lifted as she looked around the tavern.
" Alien?" She suggested.
" Exactly."
OOOO
" Selene! Selene!" The Doctor's voice echoed through the woods, both he and Rose trying to find their lost friend. Their search of London had proved fruitless and their best bet, since she was with the Prince, was search anywhere leading to the Palace, including side roads. They checked trees and behind some boulders, but eventually stopped when they saw two figures sitting in a small clearing just off the road. The Doctor quietly led the way into the clearing, both he and Rose suddenly freezing.
There, in the clearing, sat Selene and a tall man, seemingly attached at the lips, pressed a bit to close together for the Doctor's liking.
" What? What? What!?" The Doctor sputtered loudly, causing the two to quickly jump apart. Selene stared at them for a moment before saying,
" I see you finally showed up," Selene said as Hal looked momentarily confused.
" Yes, we did!"
" Now, if you'd excuse us," Hal dismissed, moving in to kiss Selene once again. The Doctor ran over and pushed between the two, pulling Selene up.
" No, no, no!" He swiftly pulled out the Sonic and pointed it at Hal, who sat shocked on the ground. As the Sonic began to light up and whir, the Doctor began to scan Hal, who scrambled back a bit.
" What the Hell is that!? Are you threatening the Prince?" He exclaimed, pulling the Prince card for the first time in a long while. His brows were pulled together and he looked fairly shocked.
" Well, he's not what's off…" The Doctor muttered, pocketing the Sonic.
" Wait, wait, what do you mean 'off?'" Selene asked, confused.
" The Doctor seems to think that there might be something alien around here," Rose explained. The brunette groaned.
" Really? We never get away from all of that, do we?"
" May I inquire who you two are?" Hal spat as he stood, crossing his arms.
" Oh, yes, I'm sorry, Your Highness," The Doctor said in a monotone. " I am the Doctor and that is Rose… and it would appear that you already know Selene."
Before any further conversation could happen, a mechanic stomping began to get closer. Selene's head whipped around and she met the Doctor's gaze. Both of them were clearly thinking the same thing; it can't be…
" Best not to be out in the open to find out," He muttered out loud. Selene grabbed Hal's hand and yanked him out of the clearing and behind a tree.
" Shh!" She urged him. The Doctor and Rose looked around frantically as they hid as well hoping that what they heard was only a trick of the mind.
" What are we hiding from?" Hal whispered, sounding confused. Selene clapped a hand over his mouth and pushed him up against the tree, peering around it.
Metal caught against sunlight. The sound of stomping accompanied by the sound of pistons working quickly got louder. Then the all too familiar sight of a Cyberman came into view, making the trio of time travelers freeze in shock. Hal, who'd managed to turn his head under Selene's hand, stared in confusion. There was only one of the metallic men marching, which made the Doctor think that something had gone wrong; that somehow this Cyberman got left behind and was now wandering around: it's metal was slightly tarnished, mud caked its feet and leaves were beginning to get stuck in crevices and cracks in the arms. As it passed, they all slowly walked out.
" What the hell was that thing?" Hal asked in a hushed voice, pointing to the road.
" It's called a Cyberman. Essentially it's a man made out of metal that can kill you with one touch… It must have gotten caught in a… a time vortex or something of the sort because it seems as if it's only one of them…" The Doctor mused, face getting that distant look.
" I am sorry, perhaps I heard you wrong… a man made out of metal? Do you mean a man in a suit of armor?"
" No, Hal, it's a man made out of metal. Well… it was once a person, but not anymore," Selene told him before gesturing to the road. " This road leads where, exactly?"
" Back to the city and by a number of side roads, the Palace of Westminster, my home, but, please, if you would continue to attempt to explain what is going on I'd be very grateful," Hal insisted. He would have normally just settled on this group of people being crazy, but he'd spent the last two days with Selene and he was fairly sure that she was perfectly sane… perhaps her friends weren't, but she was. He'd wonder for years what that day would have been like if the Doctor and Rose hadn't shown up in the woods… but his time for contemplation was yet to come.
" The Palace… the Palace, your father! The King! Oh, oh, no," The Doctor exclaimed, grabbing fistfuls of his spiky hair. Rose's eyes widened as she pointed to Hal.
" You don't think that it's after his father do you?" She asked.
" Well, if Cybermen are out to delete the human race, what better place to start than the king of the people?" The Doctor asked before turning his eyes on Hal. " And then his son." Selene looked over at him, brows creasing in worry. Hal arched a brow and rested a nervous hand on the hilt of his sword, which hung on his hip. He eyed each of them individually and was able to infer that 'delete' was 'kill'… and apparently whatever that thing on the road was, it might kill his father and then him.
" I think it is time you explained what is going on and where exactly you come from," Hal stated in a smooth voice that was full of authority. His back was straight and his head was tilted upwards slightly, looking every bit of the prince he was raised to be.
OOOO
Two of the Palace's gate guards had been killed; it probably didn't help that they were wearing chainmail and the Cyberman used an electric shock to kill them. On the jog back to the Palace, the time travelers managed to answer Hal's questions. Of course he laughed for a moment believing them insane, but Selene urged him to think about what he'd seen marching down the road, the Sonic Screwdriver, how odd her clothes were and even how she talked. Then Hal was quiet for a good few minutes before staring at them all in shock.
They now inched their way into the Palace, stepping lightly as they went. Hal had his sword drawn and constantly urged Selene to stay behind him, ignoring any looks he got from either her or the Doctor, who watched his every move when he got too close to Selene. The Palace hallways were gorgeous; they were constructed out of tan stone and were vaulted, each window having unique carvings surrounding it. They also created mazes that would cause them to get lost had Hal not been there to lead them around.
" Where would your father be?" The Doctor asked.
" It is now late evening… I would not be surprised if he was headed to sleep for the night," Hal told them.
" Well let's go then!" The Doctor took off at a run, coat tails flapping behind him. Selene covered her mouth and laughed into her hand, meeting Rose's eyes, who was biting back a laugh. Hal's brows furrowed as the Doctor slowly walked back. " That's the wrong way, isn't it?"
" Yes."
" Lead the way then…"
Hal smirked a bit and turned to the left where a massive staircase sat. They jogged up the steps, all thought of trying to be quiet gone. They passed servants who curtsied to their prince and stared at the other three in confusion. They rounded a corner and found a particularly petite maid crouched down, huddled against the wall. Sheathing his sword, Hal bent over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
" What happened?" He asked her softly.
" Th-there was a m-monster; a demon, sir! It stamped through the halls and towards your father's chambers, some of us tried to stop it but-but—"
" Keep calm, just stay and rest. We will be sure to take care of it," Hal assured her, standing up and unsheathing his sword again. " We only have one more hall to go, let us hurry."
Just as they were about to round the corner, a loud yell echoed out. Hal took off in a sprint towards a large oak door, throwing it open once he got to it. His father stood sword drawn, glaring at the Cyberman in front of him, chanting the familiar,
" Delete, delete, delete, delete." Hal rushed to strike it with his sword.
" Hal, get your father away from it! Swords won't stop it!" Selene shouted as she stumbled through the door with the Doctor and Rose in tow. Hal dropped the sword once he saw Selene's pointed look and grabbed his father's arm, pulling him away from the metal man.
" Selene, Rose, move!" The Doctor shouted, yanking out the Sonic. He pointed it at the Cyberman and pressed the button, causing the high pitched whir to emanate. The Cyberman suddenly clamped its hands onto its head and let out a loud yelling sound. It then collapsed, twitching once or twice before it stopped moving completely. " I think that may do it actually… rather easy this time 'round," He mused, carefully nudging the Cyberman with his shoe. He then looked up at the two startled royals and said, " I think it best neither of you tell this to anyone ever, hm?"
OOOO
Riding back to the TARDIS on horseback was much faster than walking, and much easier. However, the Doctor still wasn't all too happy about Hal's situation with Selene; the Prince had insisted that they could only take three horses, and thus Selene then had to ride with him. He had his arms around her, holding the reins, and she held onto the front of the saddle. When they stopped in front of the blue phone box, Hal scoffed in disbelief.
" Dear God, it is real," He muttered to himself as he kept his horse in one spot. Selene laughed and rolled her eyes, sliding off the horse.
" Well, as fun as it's been being lost around London, I say it's time to get back in the TARDIS," The Doctor said, walking over to the doors, unlocking it. Rose followed and as Selene began to as well, Hal's hand took hers as he suddenly began to walk beside her. She looked over at him and smiled.
" I still can't believe I met you," She admitted with a laugh. He chuckled as well, swiping a hand through her hair.
" And I you. However, I wish you would not go." He stopped walking under one of the trees and she stopped as well. He took her other hand and fully faced her. " If you would stay, I can believe it could be said that you could possibly be the next Queen of England, right by my side." He smiled softly at her, running a thumb over the back of her hand, the warm metal of his ring resting on her skin.
The Doctor stared at the Prince in shock. Rose stared at the two from her spot in the doorway.
" She can't say yes, can she? I mean… we would've noticed if she'd been a queen right? There would be portraits, books, specials about her on the telly…" Rose asked with some worry. The Doctor sighed and shook his head.
" That doesn't mean history can't be changed. That time can't. She would be messing up all of time and space… but she could do it. She wouldn't even have to be the queen, she could be the unknown mistress of Henry the Fifth… we would never have known…" The Doctor muttered, face going blank as he waited to hear what Selene's response was.
Selene smiled back at him and shook his hands slightly.
" As sweet as that is… as really sweet as that is, Hal, I know history, and I'm not the Queen," She told him. " I have to go, Hal, it's the way things have to be. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to see you ever again. In fact, with the way my life is, I probably will see you again. But, here, take this." She let go of his hands and reached up to her necklace, pulling the long chain over her head. Selene took Hal's right hand and placed the cross into his palm, allowing the chain to slither down around it. He smiled down at it and then pulled the gold ring off his thumb. On the oval face of it, his family crest was carved into it and a number of scratches marred the sides.
" Only if you take this," He told her, placing it in her palm. She nodded and slid it onto her right thumb as Hal pulled the necklace around his neck.
" I'll see you around, Hal. Thanks for showing me around London… and for proving I shouldn't drink." She laughed and swept some hair out of her face. Hal chuckled, his eyes crinkling in the way Selene loved and he placed a hand on the side of her face, leaning down and giving her a kiss. She placed a hand on his shoulder and returned the kiss before smiling and pulling back.
" That's rather sweet, actually, isn't it?" Rose asked with a small smile.
" Suppose…" The Doctor said quietly. " Come on, we need to get going! Places to see, people to save!" His voice got louder on that, gesturing Rose inside and waiting for Selene to walk in. Selene gave a long kiss to Hal's cheek before giving him a tight hug. She waved to him before stepping into the TARDIS, disappearing inside.
Hal watched her go with a saddened expression, something that honestly surprised the Doctor. He met the Time Lord's eyes and nodded to him, suddenly standing in that Princely stance.
" Your world is one of danger and demons. You must swear to me you will keep her safe—keep the Almost Queen of England safe for me, do you so swear on that?" Hal asked sternly. The Doctor nodded to him.
" I swear."
" I will hold you to that, Lord of Time. Farewell and Godspeed," Hal said with a nod. The Doctor shut the door and nodded himself. Turning, he found Rose and Selene finally making amends to their rather pointless argument from earlier. It only took three days, a Cyberman and a Prince to do it… The Doctor thought with a smirk.
As the TARDIS engine's whirred and the time machine began to disappear from the fields of England, Hal was left standing by his horses, fingering the cross with the moonstone at the center of it. When he then stood alone, he smiled and looked around with an eyebrow quirked. Life was becoming a truly strange place.
OOOO
It was the phone call later in the day that completely peeved Rose. It had been from her mother, who was extremely upset, which caused a fury inside Rose once she heard what had happened. There'd been a man who had promptly led Jackie on and then she discovered his intentions were absolutely not what she'd thought them to be.
" We're heading back to your mother's," The Doctor said.
" And we'll find out whoever did this to her," Selene assured, resting a hand on Rose's shoulder.
OOOO
The TARDIS materialized in an alley. Leaves scattered about and the sounds of the engines echoed into the grey sky. The Doctor slowly opened the door and stepped out, Selene behind him, shutting the door. Both had rather solemn looks on their faces as they stared at the scene before them. Elton, the man from the warehouse, knelt on the stone ground, staring at them in shock. Then, there was this alien… thing that had an arm outstretched towards him. It was bulky and greenish in color, a strip of black hair running across the top of its head. Faces also appeared to make up parts of its stomach, back and sides, but at the moment, they didn't really have time to question what was going on.
" Someone wants a word with you," The Doctor told her. Rose marched out of the TARDIS, looking beyond just pissed off.
" You upset my mum!" She spat at Elton. The blond man blinked a moment and slowly gestured to the alien at his side.
" Great… big… absorbing monster from outer space and… you're having a go at me?" He asked in a timid and confused voice, gesturing back at himself.
" No one upsets my mum!"
" At last! The greatest feast of all! The Doctor," The alien garbled, grinning and licking its lips in a repulsive manor.
" Interesting. A sort of… Absorbatrix? Absorba…clom? Asorbaloff?" The Doctor, questioned stepping forward.
" Asorbaloff, yes!"
" Is it me, or is he a bit… Slitheen?" Rose asked the Doctor quietly.
" Whatever it is, it's sort of… gross," Selene added as she eyed it.
" Not from Raxacoricofallapatorius, are you?" The Doctor inquired, head tilting to the side.
" No, I'm not! They're swine! I spit on them! I was born on their twin planet," The Asorbaloff spat.
" Really? What's the twin planet of Raxacoricofallapatorius?" The Doctor's brow arched in curiosity.
" Clom."
A pause.
" Clom?" The Doctor asked.
" That is so much easier to say and to remember," Selene said, nodding.
" Clom, yes. And I shall return there victorious, once I possess your traveling machine.
" Well, that's never gonna happen!" The Time Lord scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets.
" It will! You'll surrender yourself to me, Doctor, or this one dies!" He gestured to Elton with a cane he held. " You see, I've read about you, Doctor. I've studied you. So passionate, so sweet, you wouldn't let an innocent man die! And I'll absorb him unless you give yourself to me," The Asorbaloff said with a smirk, hand inching towards Elton.
The Doctor began to scratch the back of his head, fingers running through his hair. His face scrunched up in thought.
" Sweet? Maybe… Passionate? I suppose, but don't ever mistake that for nice." The alien looked at him in shock. The Doctor nodded to Elton saying, " Do what you want."
" He'll die, Doctor!" The Asorbaloff reminded.
" Go on."
Another pause ensued as Selene, Rose, Elton and the Asorbaloff exchanged brief glances.
" So be it!"
" Mind you, the others might have something to say," The Doctor said, nodding to the faces jutting from the alien's skin.
" Others?"
" He's right! The Doctor's right!" Came a woman's voice, one of the faces beginning to talk. " We can't let him! Oh, Mister Skinner, Bridget, pull! For God's sake, pull! If it's the last thing we ever do! Bliss! All of us together! Come on! Pull! LINDA united! Pull!"
The Asorbaloff yelled out as the faces began to pull away from its skin, stretching and yanking painfully. He dropped his cane, causing the woman's face to yell out,
" Elton the cane! Break it!"
Elton scrambled on his knees to grab it, cracking it in two over his knee. The two silver clasped hands on top of the cane opened, causing the Asorbaloff to yell out, suddenly dissolving into liquid. They all stared at the puddle in the sudden silence.
" What did I do?" Elton asked softly.
" The cane created a limitation field. Now it's broken, he can't stop. The absorber is being absorbed," The Doctor explained as the Asorbaloff puddle began to disappear.
" By what?"
" By the earth."
One of the stone tiles began pull up on the front, just enough for a faint impression of a woman's face to appear…
" Bye-bye, Elton… bye-bye…" The tile flattened out and Elton stared at it sadly, bright blue eyes watering.
" Elton, who was she?" Selene asked softly, wringing her hands with a sad look, tears threatening to brim over, just like Rose. He looked up at her.
" That was Ursula," He said in a broken voice. Rose walked over and knelt beside him, wrapping her arms around his back as he began to cry, staring at the ground. Sighing, Selene put an arm around the Doctor's waist, who held her against his side, letting his head drop onto hers for a moment.
After a good few minutes of crying and calming down, they took Elton and sat him down on a small stoop, the Doctor suddenly knowing why he'd looked so familiar. His brows creased together as he asked,
" You don't remember, do you?" Elton shook his head.
" Remember what?" The blond man asked quietly, Rose still holding onto his arm.
" When you were young… there was a shadow in your house. A… living shadow in the darkness. An elemental shade that had escaped the Hallowing Halls. I stopped it, but… I wasn't in time to save her… I'm sorry…" The Doctor whispered. He remembered that night all too well. He'd arrived too late to save the blond woman who'd been standing in the living room… Elton's mother.
There was a long moment as Selene rubbed Elton's back before she turned to the Doctor. She gave a small smile.
" I know you can use the Sonic to do one last thing for Elton…" Selene said softly. A hopeful look was in her eyes and the Doctor smirked a bit as she elbowed him to get moving. He bounded over to the tiles where the Asorbaloff had disappeared, crouching down and balancing on his Converse clad toes, Sonic aimed at the ground.
" If I can key into the absorption matrix and separate the last victim… It's too late for total reconstruction, but…" There was a bubbling sound as the Doctor stood, " Elton! Fetch a spade!"
OOOO
So, after helping Elton out that one last time, they jumped back into the TARDIS and made way for whatever adventure was next to happen.
" Let's find out what happens to our favorite Prince," Rose teased as the Doctor began to search the monitor for files on Hal. She turned to Selene, who was smirking slightly as the Time Lord muttered something about 'pompous royalty,' and asked, " Would you have actually married him?" The Doctor allowed himself to listen as Selene began to respond.
" No. He has a Princess to marry—a French princess. I may have a minor crush on him but I wouldn't marry him. He is one of my favorite Shakespeare characters… Not to mention he actually is quite attractive," Selene admitted, laughing and smiling. The Doctor smiled a bit as it seemed her depressed mood had gone away.
" Well, we should all be glad to know that history has stayed basically the same. Hal married Catherine of Valois, had a son… Hang on a moment…" The Doctor's brows furrowed. " There's a few new portraits." The two women crowded around the monitor and stared at the very first portrait of Hal as king. Selene laughed and grinned, noticing something rather familiar in Hal's hand…
Over his poised hand, something incredibly familiar was draped. There was a necklace with its gold chain interwoven between his fingers, and the pendant on the end rested against the back of his hand; it was a golden cross with small roses etched into the sides and a shining moonstone set in the center. Selene felt a smile pull onto her face as she stared at the painted version of her necklace on Hal's hand. She clasped her own hands together and ran her fingers over Hal's ring, feeling the impression of the family crest under the pad of her thumb.
oooOooo
Hal stared towards the painter, keeping his head held high. He'd been crowned King less than a week ago and this was his very first portrait as King. His mind slipped to the necklace in his hand, memories floating back to the woman who gave it to him. He ran a thumb over the chain and his hand shifted, causing the cross to bump against his skin gently. A smile pulled onto his face as he stared down at the moonstone inlaid in the special piece of jewelry; he could still see it sitting around Selene's neck.
Selene… He thought, chuckling to himself. The Almost Queen of England.
The painter cleared his throat abruptly, catching Hal's attention. A slight glare was fixed on the new King, who said,
" My apologies."
He forced the smile away, but it didn't leave his eyes. The cross continued to bump teasingly against his hand and pull at well-missed memories. The sun glinted off the golden cross as it finally settled against Hal's skin, finding its rightful place.
Afterword: Hi. So. Yeah. There's that chapter… I'm VERY if-y on this one… I've been working on this for an ENTIRE WEEK. I got the idea for it after watching a production of Henry IV (it was filmed at the Globe and it was AMAZING), so I started writing it once I kind of realized that each companion sort of has at least one person (famous or not) that fancies them: Rose has Mickey, Martha has Shakespeare, Donna has her husband in that alternate universe and then eventually her actual fiancé, Amy has Van Gough… So I thought maybe Selene should too… and then this came to mind and I wrote it up… yeah… So… I was worried she'd seem too (God, I can't find a word for it…) Player-y (?) since in the last chapter Toby had a thing for her…
Uhg, if you didn't like it, I'm sorry DX
Also, I took all of your AMAZING suggestions and wrote them down so I can use them later on =D
REVIEW REPLIES:
The Yoshinator: I'm glad you like the original scenes, they're really fun to write. I LOVE the idea of Nintendo being inspired by aliens. I'll definitely have to use that sometime! I really hope the chapter wasn't too… weird… Thanks again!
: I WAS going to do Lewis and Clark originally… I had the beginning written up… then I lost the plot XD But I hope the Doctor seemed at least a little jealous during this, because… well… it was Prince Hal, and Tom Hiddleston's portrayal at that XD I'm sorry your laptop likes to get viruses… with me that always happens when I have a paper due -_- I hope the chapter wasn't too weird, thanks again!
Jayceejade: Yeah, Selene hasn't been having a good few weeks it seems… but it has all been resolved for the moment and the next one will be fun to write! (It's Fear Her, another one of my favorites) Again, I say I hope the chapter wasn't weird, and thank you again!
grapejuice101: The ending WAS quite sad… poor Selene… I hope this wasn't a too-off chapter. Thanks again!
Whyna Katran: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! And I would do anything for warm weather right now… we keep getting snow and I'm sick of it! But again, I thank you and hope you enjoyed this chapter!
E-Man-dy-S: I'm glad you like the story! Hope this chapter was satisfactory! Thanks again!
dirtyconfessions: I'm glad you've enjoyed all the chapters and the last one (and hopefully this weird one…) and he does believe in both of them, it's quite sweet =D And I've marked down the idea of seeing Jesus' birth down, because I DO believe that he says that… I'll check into it XD And thanks again!
KatieTheBaka: I'm glad you've been enjoying! Thanks again!
Evil's Horcrux: Again, I've marked down your ideas, because I plan on doing more original adventures in the future! Cleopatra sounds pretty good XD Gotta love her! Thanks again and hope you enjoyed!
Blusilver: Edgar Allan Poe… I love him. It's really weird, I was talking with someone a month or so ago saying the show should have them go visit him, because he just SEEMS like someone aliens would plague at SOME POINT. Anyway, I'll definitely do that one some time and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
And thank you do those who have read and added this to their story alerts/favorites, it means a lot!
So, that's it for this chapter! Let me know what you think about all the weirdness I wrote. If you enjoyed Hal and want to see him again at some point, be sure to let me know. Also, updates may be slower again. I JUST finished performing in A Chorus Line (Broadway choreography in a school production… THAT was fun…) and now I'm delving RIGHT into a Shakespeare production. I like to torture myself with a LOT of theatre. So, anyway, let me know what you think, you are all AWESOME!
~Mary