Disclaimer: I do not own anything Doctor Who.
Outfit's: claires_outfit_chapters/set?id=93117839
The TARDIS came to a halt and the Doctor grinned wildly at me. "Ready to see something truly amazing?" Eagerness lit up his face as he waited impatiently for my answer.
"Where are we?" I asked eying the TARDIS doors nervously. Both fear and curiosity were eating away at me as I wondered what could possibly be hiding behind those doors.
The Doctor grabbed me by the hand and bounced down the steps in excitement as he led me to the doors. He spun around on his heel and put his hands behind his back. A huge contagious grin once again graced his features causing me to smile back. "There's the smile!" He said with a laugh. I felt my cheeks start to burn from embarrassment as I tried hiding my smile behind my hands. The Doctor placed his hand on the door handle before turning his head around to face me. He leaned in close and brought his voice down to a low whisper. "Close your eyes."
Immediately I obeyed and the sound of the door clicking open reached my ears. I attempted to open an eye out of curiosity but a hand quickly covered them before I could actually see anything.
"Oi! No peaking!" The Doctor scolded laying his free hand on my right shoulder as he lead me outside.
"Welcome to Transylvania!" The Doctor exclaimed as he removed his hand from my eyes.
I gasped at the sight before me. We stood on top of a steep hill covered in dark blue-green grass peppered with tiny light blue flowers that glowed like fireflies. The sky was a light grey with an enormous red-orange sun lighting up the sky. The hill we stood on top of overlooked the most beautiful city I have ever seen. The buildings were made up of what appeared to be different kinds of crystals. They ranged from many different colors, the majority consisting of white, grey and different shades of purple. The red orange sun hit the crystals at just the right angle causing them to glimmer beautifully in the light.
"It's beautiful…" I said under my breath. "How is this even real? I must be dreaming…"
At that moment the Doctor pinched my arm.
"Ouch! What was that for?" I asked rubbing my now sore arm.
"You thought you were dreaming, I was just proving you wrong. That is what human's do, right? Pinch each others arms when they think they're dreaming."
I glared at him in annoyance causing him to shuffle uncomfortably. "Right. Sorry. Let's go see what this planet has to offer, eh?"
With that the Doctor linked my arm through his and led the way to the spectacular city before us.
We came to a halt at a crystal gate. Intricate swirls and patterns were carved into the sparkling light purple stone making it appear extremely delicate and fragile. Manning the gate was a very odd looking 7ft tall man. He was extremely thin and boney making him look like he would fall apart at any moment. His skin was a very light blue and semi transparent allowing you to catch a small glimpse of the bones beneath his skin. Not a single hair was visible on him; he didn't even have any eyebrows. His frail form was cloaked in a light black cloak that shimmered whenever the light hit it. Decorating his translucent skin were glittering silver tattoos shaped in intricate swirls and patterns similar to the ones carved on the gate. His most captivating feature was definitely his eyes. They were so pale that the iris was barely visible making his pupils really stand out.
"Welcome to Transylvania. Do you have a pass?" He asked an eerie smile gracing his features.
"Oh! Right! I almost forgot! Hold on I have it here somewhere." The Doctor rummaged frantically through his pockets before finally pulling out a small black pad. He flashed it at the gatekeeper, who seemed pleased even though it was only a blank white card inside.
"Enjoy you're stay." The gatekeeper said as he let us in, the eerie smile never leaving his face.
Once we were out of earshot from the gatekeeper I turned to the Doctor. "The pass is only a blank card?"
"Oh no, this is psychic paper. Very handy, works brilliantly, see?" He spun around and flashed the blank card at me.
"It's blank."
The Doctor turned the card over in his hand before looking up at me in curiosity. "You can't read physic paper." He uttered under his breath.
"Is that bad?" I asked in confusion.
"No, no. Just different, come along, Claire." He said walking off. I ran after him and linked my arm through his again, afraid if we separated I would get lost.
"Transylvanians are a very fascinating species. They're pretty similar to humans, but they're skin varies in color and they tend to be taller, skinnier, and more translucent. They're actually very fond of humans and a few of them like to go to and from Earth as much as they please. You've probably seen one before, just never realized it. They're also really creative and artistic! Thought you'd might like that since you're an artist. Ooh, maybe we can find you some Transylvanian art supplies!" The Doctor rambled happily as we strolled through the crowd of Transylvanians.
I watched in awe as we walked past Transylvanians of different height, color, and age. All of their outfits, makeup, and hairstyles were equally outrageous. One of them was completely decked out in feather boas of red, orange, and yellow. Some of them it was even hard to tell what gender they belonged to. That's when it all clicked.
"Doctor, are they cross dressers?" I asked curiously.
"Some of them I suppose. They usually like to dress up in whatever form of attire they please, it's part of their culture." He glanced down at me in concern. "Claire, are you alright? The color's completely drained from your face." He put a hand to my forehead in an attempt to check my temperature. Across the street from us I spotted a Transylvanian who seemed to notice us. He was staring rather intently at the pair of us, causing my anxiety to burst through the roof.
"Doctor, I'm fine. I just think that maybe it would be better if we went back to the TARDIS. Maybe venture a different planet, time period, anywhere, but here!" I said frantically not taking my eyes off the Transylvanian across the street.
"Oh don't worry, Claire. They're friendly. I won't let them hurt you, I promise." The Doctor draped his arm around my shoulders in reassurance.
"But they're Transylvanians. Have you not heard of Rocky Horror?" I whispered through gritted teeth.
A laugh escaped from the Doctor's lips. "Is that what you're so worried about? Don't worry none of them are like that. Richard O'Brien just happened to accidentally bump into one on Earth and made up all of that crazy, inappropriate…stuff." The Doctor cleared his throat awkwardly and removed his arm from my shoulders. He started tugging at his collar in discomfort, almost as if it were choking him.
At that moment the Transylvanian from across the street was standing in front of us a friendly smile plastered across his black painted lips. His skin was pure white with a light dusting of black blush across his cheekbones. His eyes were a light may green which were outlined in a dark smokey eye. He had pin straight blonde hair that came just past his shoulders as well as bangs that were cut straight across, just covering his black outlined eyebrows. He was decked out in a black vest with a pocket watch hanging from the pocket and an emerald green suit jacket and pants.
"Erasmus!" The Doctor exclaimed happily before leaning in and kissing the air beside both of his cheeks. He then motioned to me. "This is my companion Claire." I smiled shyly at Erasmus earning a slight nod of the head from the Transylvanian. "How've you been? I haven't seen you in probably about a thousand years now. How's Aeliana?"
"That's why I've come to you Doctor." Erasmus slurred sadly.
"What's happened?" The Doctor's smile fell automatically as if it were never even there.
"About three hundred years ago, Aeliana and I had a daughter, Valeria. She was the most beautiful little treasure I could of asked for. Well anyways, about a few months ago my dear Valeria disappeared. She vanished without a trace in the middle of the night. I tucked her in the night before and the next morning she was rather late coming to breakfast. I went to go fetch her, but she was gone. I don't know where she could've gone; it is very unlike her to runaway especially for this long. Shortly after, other children were beginning to disappear as well. All in the middle of the night, taken from their beds without a sound. It's very worrisome. Can you help us Doctor? The police have been nothing but the useless lazy bums that they are." Erasmus pleaded.
The Doctor sniffed the air suddenly and frowned. "Anything else out of the ordinary? Anything different or new happen between the time Valeria disappeared and now?" The Doctor asked before licking his finger and twirling it around in the air. I raised an eyebrow at him. This guy's nuts…
"I'm not entirely sure…" Erasmus put a boney finger to his chin in thought. "We got a new Gatekeeper a week before Valeria disappeared."
"Right. Thought so." The Doctor looked around wildly before grabbing my hand and dashing towards a dark alleyway, leaving a confused Erasmus in the dust.