The wind whipped through the Doctor's hair when he and Rose stepped out of the TARDIS. "Welcome to Rhaetia, colonised by humans in the year 3472," he said.
Rose's hand slipped into his. "Is that where we're going?" she asked, pointing to the city in the distance.
"Yep!" he answered as they started walking, their hands swinging between them.
"And why have we parked so far away from civilisation?"
"Well, the Rhaetians are obviously space-age," the Doctor said, gesturing toward the bustling space port now slightly behind them. "But within city limits, they've preserved an old world atmosphere. And to enforce that law, there's a force field up around the city that interferes with all navigation systems."
"Even the TARDIS?"
The Doctor shrugged. "I could get her through, but it would take some jiggery-pokery, and frankly—and this is the only time I will ever say this, Rose Tyler—the navigation system on the old girl is a little… touchy already."
Rose giggled, but she didn't comment on his admission. "So tell me what we're here for while we walk to town."
"Rhaetia is home to one of the best part shops in the galaxy."
"Ah-hah. And what do I get to do while you spend the afternoon dickering over chrono-whatsits?" she asked. "Don't even think about telling me not to wander off. I love listening to your science babble, but watching you examine every part is one of the dullest things I've ever sat through."
The Doctor walked a little taller. "You love my science babble?"
"Doctor…"
"Right." They hit the main road and walked alongside it. "I didn't expect you to come with me—although I'd like to point out that I join you on your shopping excursions…"
Rose wrapped her arm around his and grinned at him. "Only because you can't bear to be apart from me."
The Doctor's hearts stuck in his throat, but when he looked down at Rose, he saw a teasing, not knowing, look in her eyes. "If that were true, wouldn't I be insisting you come with me?"
She shook her head. "Nah… I couldn't possibly compete with your true love."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And who's captured my hearts?"
A hint of tongue appeared between her teeth. "The TARDIS of course! So you're off to buy her a present, leaving me to wander a strange city, all alone…"
They passed the stone walls at the edge of the city, and the Doctor pointed toward the junk shop. "That's where I'll be—and I won't be buying a present for my true love," he said, rolling his eyes.
He reached into his pocket and handed Rose a purse filled with coins. "That's five hundred potin," he told her. "Feel free to wander the city. Rhaetia is a remarkably safe planet, even if their laws are occasionally a bit outdated."
She dropped the purse into her bag. "Where do you want to meet?"
The Doctor nodded at the clock tower dead ahead. "Under the clock in… oh, let's say two hours?"
Rose pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. "Two hours," she confirmed. "Now go and… do whatever it is you do while you shop for parts."
The Doctor watched her wander off, his hand already feeling empty without hers. He winced as the thought crossed his mind. "Ten weddings and I've become a walking cliche," he muttered, then turned toward the junk shop.
DWDWDWDWDW
Rose meandered through the city aimlessly. Between the stone streets, the half-timbered buildings, and the sloping rooflines, she felt like she'd ended up someplace where fairy tales come true, instead of on an alien planet.
Well, who's to say fairy tales don't come true here? she mused as she turned a corner. I've certainly seen stranger things.
The window boxes added charm, and she touched the petals of a bright red flower as she turned the corner. Looking at the throng of people milling about and the signs hanging over the doors, she could tell this was the shopping district. Well, the Doctor did give my money. Maybe I can find something for Mum.
She went through the first door she came to without looking at the name of the shop. Once her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, and she saw the jewellery cases, she turned on her heel and walked right back outside—but not before she saw the prominent display of rings.
For the most part, Rose tried not to think about her weddings. Clearly, the doctor wasn't interested in making them real, so there wasn't much point in dwelling on them. But sometimes, she couldn't really ignore it.
Rose wasn't stupid; she knew the Doctor loved her. She'd known since Downing Street and, "I could save the world but lose you." Getting him to do anything about it seemed to be a lost cause though, if he hadn't made a move after ten weddings.
She snorted. "Can't lose what you've never actually had, my arse," she muttered. That seemed to be the motto the Doctor lived by, but from Rose's point of view, he'd already lost by refusing to take advantage of what time they had. He's gotta figure that out from himself though.
Raised voices pulled her out of her thoughts, and she followed them down a winding side street. "Stupid girl! Your ineptitude has ruined my best jacket. I'll have to pay forty potin to replace it."
"Please sir, I'm sorry. I promise I'll do better next time."
The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed down the street, and Rose sped up to a fast jog.
"Do you think your empty promises can fix what you've done?"
Rose cleared the last bend in the street and saw a brawny man with his fist pulled back. She stepped in front of the girl, who couldn't have been more than fifteen.
"I don't think you want to do that," she said coolly. Behind her, the girl moaned in fright, but Rose kept her eyes on the man. "Looking at your clothes, I'm guessing you can afford forty potin. So why don't you just forgive this mistake and show her how to do it right next time?"
The man quickly sized her up, and Rose tensed, prepared to block any blow he struck. "You wear no sash," he said.
"Yeah, well, I'm not from around here."
His eyes narrowed. "And you, a kasden, presume to tell me how to handle my servants?"
Rose blinked. The TARDIS hadn't translated that word, which probably meant it was a crude insult. "I'm not sure what a kasden is," she said slowly, "but if you're gonna beat young girls, then yeah—I'm gonna stop you."
His lips twisted in a cruel smile. Rose's heart sped up—she'd seen that look too many times on Jimmy's face to not know what it meant. Her brain urged her to run, but the girl whimpered, and she straightened her spine and returned his glare.
To her surprise, he barked out a laugh. It was an unpleasant sound, and she eyed him warily. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, I am merely enjoying the fact that you have no idea how much trouble you're in."
His hand snaked and grabbed Rose's wrist. "Come along, girl—we have a date at the magistrate's office."
DWDWDWDWDW
The Doctor was whistling when he left the junk shop with all his purchases tucked into his dimensionally transcendent pockets. He'd found everything he was looking for, and a few extras beside.
He didn't see Rose by the clock, so he poked around the nearby buildings while he waited and thought about how they could spend the rest of the afternoon. After ten minutes, he had the rest of the day planned and started looking at the clock impatiently. After twenty minutes, his impatience had shifted to worry. Rhaetia was a safe planet, but Rose Tyler could find danger at a fun fair.
He followed the street he'd seen Rose take. As he walked toward the city centre and the shopping district, he stopped people periodically to ask if they'd seen someone meeting Rose's description.
No one had, and his hands started twitching by his sides. But finally, someone nodded. "A blonde off-worlder? I saw a stedhul dragging one toward the magistrate's office about two hours ago."
"You're sure?" the Doctor asked, his heart filling with dread. "Wearing a red jacket?"
"Yeah, that's her. If you know her, you should—"
But the Doctor was already running for the jail before he could finish the sentence. Why didn't I tell Rose about the strict caste system on Rhaetia? Stedhul was the highest caste. If she—an off-worlder—had offended one of them, the typical punishment was either life imprisonment or death.
He stopped in front of the large, two-storey building and pushed the double doors open. They bounced off the walls, and the sound echoed in the atrium. The clerk at the front counter stood halfway, then dropped back into her chair, a wary look on her face.
"How can I help you, sir?"
He placed his hands on the high counter and leaned toward her. "I'm looking for an off-worlder—blonde, jeopardy friendly, doesn't understand the meaning of, 'Don't wander off.' Her name is Rose Tyler."
The flicker of awkward recognition on the woman's face confirmed the Doctor's fears. "Miss Tyler stands accused of a very serious crime."
The Doctor set his jaw. "Well that's too bad, because I'm going to make sure she gets home safely, and there's no power on this planet that can stop me." The clerk shrank back, and he sighed. "I don't think you have the authority to help me, so why don't you take me to the magistrate?"
"Yes sir," she said, sounding a little relieved. She led him down a hallway and knocked on a door, pushing it open when a summons came from inside. "Someone is here to talk to you about Rose Tyler, sir."
The Doctor pushed past her before the magistrate could reply. "What do I need to do to convince you to release Rose Tyler?" he asked without preamble.
The magistrate stood and gestured to the empty chair in front of his large, wooden desk. "Won't you sit down…"
"I'm the Doctor, and I'll stay standing, thanks." The magistrate nodded and sank back into his own chair. "Now, about Rose."
"I'm afraid it's not as simple as that." He shuffled a few papers around on his desk, then picked up the one on top and handed it to the Doctor. "She gravely insulted Lord Skern when she interfered with his punishment of his servant. He has demanded the full weight of the law be brought to bear."
"Yes, but even off-worlders are allowed a trial, correct?" the Doctor demanded, dropping the paper back on the desk without bothering to read the charges against Rose. Rhaetian law was zealously enforced, but never without a trial.
If possible, the magistrate turned even more fidgety. "Yes, but when a stedhul is the wronged party, he has the right to demand any sort of trial he wishes. And Lord Skern has asked for trial by combat."
For a moment, the Doctor could hardly hear over the sound of his rapid dual heartbeat pounding in his ears. Why did this have to happen on Rhaetia, the one place where I can't just use the TARDIS to break her out of jail?
He breathed in and out three times, then made the obvious offer. "I'll fight on her behalf."
"I'm afraid only family are allowed to stand in the place of the accused," the magistrate said, holding his hands out, palms up.
"Only family…" The Doctor's hearts beat even faster. "But… Husband! I'm her husband."
The magistrate leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow. "You will excuse me if I ask for proof of this."
The Doctor nodded furiously, a relieved smile spreading across his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bracelets. "See! Bonding bracelets from Fasway." He reached in again and found— "and the necklaces from Jablarth, and the anklets from Smoldurlia, and the chain and pins from Briri." Another handful. "Ooh, the belt from Swides!That was one of my favourite weddings."
He kept digging until all the wedding tokens were on the desk of the now bemused magistrate. "There, you see? I've married Rose Tyler ten times." The magistrate reached for the collar, and the Doctor shoved it back into his pocket. "Let's not talk about the collar," he said hastily.
"I've married her ten times, so don't even think of trying to stop me. I will fight for my wife," the Doctor said, a hint of the Oncoming Storm seeping into his voice.
Drops of sweat beaded over the magistrate's upper lip. "My apologies. She did say she wanted to talk to the Doctor, but we assumed she meant a physician. Since she's an off-worlder and wore nothing to mark her as a married woman…"
"Our life is a bit different," the Doctor said in answer to the obvious question. "It's often safer for these," he gestured at the desk," to be tucked away."
"Of course. Well, as her husband, you certainly have the right to stand trial in her place. I confess I was not looking forward to watching that fight, though judging by her fearlessness when she was brought it, she would have made him work for his victory."
The Doctor rocked back on his heels, his hands tucked into his coat pockets. "Oh yes, she definitely would have."
The magistrate stood and shook the Doctor's hand. "Lord Skern has asked for the trial to be held tomorrow morning. We will provide you with accommodations for the night, and a weapon for the fight."
"And my wife?"
"She will remain in custody, of course," he said with a frown.
"I would like to see her," the Doctor clarified.
"Oh! Of course." The magistrate smiled suddenly. "Actually, that fits nicely with the one remaining piece of business we need to conduct before you can fight Lord Skern tomorrow. Though I believe you are, in fact, married, to stand in her place your union will need to be solemnised according to Rhaetian traditions." He cast an amused look at the table. "But a couple who's already had ten weddings shouldn't have any objections to a simple hand-fasting."