Hi all!
New chapter is up! Things are moving pretty fast for the pair over the next few chapters but don't forget there's still a hell of a long way to go!
Hally looked up and took in the familiar room as she tried to slow down her breathing. Her calves burned as she pushed herself away from the door towards the dark brown armchair that was angled towards the impressive bookcase. She sank down into the cool hug of the leather, leaning back and letting out the long breath she'd not realised she'd been holding.
She slowly replayed the events of the arena over in her mind. The Doctor was free. She was apparently going to be a queen. Rassilon was going to murder her and…
Where was The Master?
Hally frowned and ran a hand through her hair, trying to think of what would be the next best course of action. She looked over towards the door warily, expecting Rassilon and his men to come bursting in to arrest her.
A thought crossed her mind as she scanned the spines of the large history book volumes lining the shelves. Would Rassilon really be able to arrest her now? Wasn't she protected, that's what the King had said, she was now protected by the fact that her eventual ascension to the monarchy on An Garradh was a fixed and therefore a protected point in time. So Rassilon couldn't kill her and it wouldn't benefit him to lock her away…
Hally lurched forward and up out of the chair as she grabbed a few of the heavy history volumes and lifted them onto The Master's desk. She flicked through the contents of a few of them before she found what she was looking for, a unit on the incomplete history of the legacy and monarchy of An Garradh. Hally heaved open the book to the page she needed and waved her hand behind her, pulling the armchair in towards her so she could sit. She grazed her fingertips over the page as she read, noting a few of the passages that might now be of use.
She'd had her head in the book for around 30 minutes when a particular passage caught her eye and upon reading it her blood ran cold.
"… King Abstrax I – Straxation period. King Voleane Abstrax ascended the throne alongside his wife ~Queen~ Hertia Abstrax during the late 33rd cycle. The pair had been wed 18 years prior to the King's coronation making him only the second monarch to ascend to the throne already having chosen a counterpart."
Hally's eyes widened as she reread the passage and a cool trickle of realisation ran down her back. Rassilon wasn't going to try and kill her…
The door to the bedroom finally burst open and The Master came speeding through it, looking extremely agitated. His eyes fell on her and she thought she saw a flicker of relief pass over his face before it was quickly replaced with annoyance.
"Where the hell have you been?!" He seethed, keeping his voice low. "I've been looking ALL over this bloody academy for you." He growled and advanced on her, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her up and back towards the door. "We need to get you out of here tonight. You're not safe."
Hally yanked her arm back from his grip. "I'm not running away." She stood her ground defiantly. "I'm going to be staying right here and you're going to help me." Hally jutted her chin out slightly when The Master scoffed loudly. However, before he could challenge her further, Hally had grabbed his arm and had pulled him further into the room. He then watched, quite bewildered as she frantically dotted about the room, grabbing random items from his bedroom drawers and bookshelves.
"What do you think you're doing?" He jabbed, shooting her a withering glare.
Hally ignored his question and bundled a few items up in her arms. She finally strode over to stand in front of The Master, he was unnerved at the expectant look on her face.
"What?" He raised an eyebrow.
She sighed softly, "Surely a genius like you can work it out?" She cocked her head slightly to the left. "You've just come back from an emergency meeting with the Council, no? And after fantasizing about all the ways he could rid me of my body parts, Rassilon came up with the brilliant plan of using me to his advantage. He's going to try and marry me himself so that he can secure his place of power within An Garradh as well as Gallifrey right?" The Master looked at her in surprise, however, he nodded his head slowly. Confirming Hally's theory.
"Right. Well. As I said. I'm not running." The Master raised an eyebrow, amused by her naivety. Hally almost laughed.
"I don't think you're quite following me." She finished, looking down pointedly at what she was carrying in her hands. The Master frowned and followed her gaze, she was holding a long black ribbon and a ceremonial handbook. The Master looked back up at her quickly, she couldn't tell if it was excitement or disbelief glinting within his wide eyes.
"Rassilon can't marry you if you're-"
"Already married. Yes. I'm glad you're catching up." She finished for him, before pulling him by the wrist out of his room. The Master let out a bark of laughter as she continued to pull him down the dimly lit corridor towards the staircase which would lead them down to the ground floor of the academy.
"…and you want me to what… officiate for you?" Hally could hear the self-assured smirk in The Master's voice.
"Don't be a bastard and make me ask." She snapped back, not looking at him as she hurtled them around the corner. She wasn't entirely sure where she was headed, but it felt like they needed to get out of the academy.
"Call me old fashioned." He countered, tugging her back suddenly, causing her trip over her foot and land on his chest. She scowled at him and looked around them nervously, expecting someone to jump up out of the shadows and find them. She turned back to him and crossed her arms over her chest. The Master was smiling smugly and Hally knew that he'd be quite happy to drag this out for as long as possible, so she sighed deeply and said through gritted teeth.
"Marry me."
The Master pouted thoughtfully, cocking his head to one side. "That didn't sound too much like a question."
"Urgh! You're unbelievable. I don't have to ask. I know the answer is yes. It has to be yes. You'd never pass up a chance to be a King. Now get a move on." She shook her head in irritation and made to turn on her heel and continue the way they'd been headed.
"Wait." The Master interrupted, making Hally turn back to him. She raised her eyebrow impatiently.
"We will actually need a member of the Gallifreyan Council to officiate if the marriage is to be noted within the official documents." He said, his voice hushed. He motioned his head to the right. "Follow me. I have an idea of someone who can help." Without waiting for her reply The Master starting walking in the opposite direction, Hally had to jog to catch him up and fall into stride with him.
"Who?" She turned to face him, walking backwards. He rolled his eyes and motioned towards the staircase.
"Councillor Shay. He is reliably weak-willed and I have him in my pocket. So if you'd be so kind…" The Master motioned up the staircase and Hally narrowed her eyes at him but started to ascend none the less.
"Fine. I suppose that's not a terrible idea." The Master smirked and watched as she moved up the steps slightly ahead of him. They climbed to the fourth floor where the majority of the Councillor apartments were, The Master moved past Hally when they reached the floor, leading the way to Shay's apartment.
Hally quickly stepped up beside him, keeping up with his long strides. He snuck a glance to the side, admiring the way she was marching them down the hallway, he could see the enticing flames that were dancing behind her eyes and it excited him. She looked so incredibly fierce, strong and determined. The dim golden light outlining the angles of her face into that of a fierce warrior. The Master tucked the picture away into his memory, promising himself to remember how alluring she was in this riled state.
He smirked to himself, wondering how far he'd be able to push her. "You know, we can't just marry and hope that that'll be enough. Rassilon could just as easily have me killed. We're going to have to do this properly. Tonight."
He grinned triumphantly as he saw her clench her fists. "Yes, yes." She waved a hand dismissively. "I'd really appreciate it if you could stop thinking so many steps ahead. Can we just get past step one first and then you can onto that."
He chuckled softly. "It's not really something we can ignore dear. The bond of two Time Lords is a ceremony in itself. Not something you should be entering into lightly." He raised an eyebrow, she huffed loudly and stopped, turning on him.
"Look. If you don't want to do this then say so and I'll disappear. Problem solved." She'd folded her arms across her chest.
He shook his head, chuckling. "That's not what I meant and you know it." He cocked his head to one side and her stance faltered. For a moment his face softened and he looked at her sincerely. "If we do this you're going to be bonded to me forever. I will become a part of you and you will become a part of me. I'll always be in here." He slowly moved forward and touched his fingertips to her temple. Hally felt his familiar presence in the corner of her mind, the comforting sound of the drums seeping from his mind and into hers.
A moment of quiet passed between them both, an unsaid admission of intimacy on both parts.
"That doesn't sound too bad." Hally muttered quietly with a small smile.
"Good. Because we're here. Stay outside, I won't be a moment." The Master grinned and turned to the door behind him, he tried the door handle but found the door locked. He shot Hally a look over his shoulder. She rolled her eyes and concentrated on the lock, they both heard it click and The Master pushed open the door.
"Thank you, my dear." He shut the door slowly behind him, shooting her a wink.
Hally rolled her eyes and leant against the wall as she crossed her arms over her chest. She kept a close eye on the hallway, trying to think up a few good excuses for her being there should someone come along. It was only three minutes later that The Master emerged from the room, Councillor Shay following behind him. The dark, long-haired Councillor didn't even close the door behind him and when Hally stared at him she realised that his face was totally vacant. She looked accusingly at The Master.
"What the hell have you done to him?" Her voice was laced with intrigue rather than accusation and The Master chuckled, simply raising an eyebrow back at her in reply.
"Wait… did you actually hypnotise him!? You CAN actually do that?!" Hally gaped and The Master laughed in confirmation, moving past her, leading Shay with him. She stood frozen for a moment before she turned and quickly caught up with him.
"Have you been hypnotising me…?" She looked at him with a deep frown. He just laughed loudly at her.
"No. You fell madly in love with me all on your own."
"Urgh!" She responded and quickened her pace, overtaking both him and Shay.
"Where are we going?" She heard from behind her.
"Outside, we're going to have to be outside to get to the top of the ridge at the foot of the mountain by midnight anyway. Plus it'll be almost pitch black outside now, I doubt anyone will be looking for us there." She led them back towards the staircase, jogging down it hurriedly.
"Well, it sounds like someone's thought all of this through. Did you steal two rings from my room whilst you were at it?"
"Yep." She popped the 'P' as they continued to descend, thankfully The Master remained silent for the rest of the walk to the ground floor. Hally opened one of the two heavy doors which led out into the grounds and the three of them slipped through. Well, Councillor Shay had to awkwardly sidestep. Hally knew that she should be feeling sorry for him, she should be berating The Master for abusing his power over the poor man but at the present time, she was too anxious to care.
She led them along the outskirts of the academy walls, being sure to avoid anyone on patrol. She kept her senses heightened, sneaking them to the bottom of Mount Cadon. Hally looked up, she could see the ridge that her and The Master would need to climb to by midnight in order to perform the merge ceremony that night. They would hopefully be able to reach it within the hour once Shay had officiated the marriage.
"Right, here will do." She placed the bundle that she'd been carrying down on the ground. She picked up the ceremony book, the black ribbon and the two rings she'd stolen from The Master's room. She passed the book over to Councillor Shay who was staring vacantly off into the distance.
"Umm, here." He took it, giving her a small blank smile.
The Master watched Shay. "Well get on with it." He snapped at him. Shay opened up the book and took out a pen. He started scribbling in the book, he would be inserting the details of their marriage which would later be transferred into the marital archives of the library.
Hally held both of The Master's rings in her hands and took the time to have a look at what she'd actually picked up in her rush to get out of the room. In her right hand she held a thin silver band, small intricate vine-like designs laced their way around the entirety of the ring. In her left hand there was a slightly thicker golden band with what appeared to be black point diamonds encrusted along the outside. She held the silver ring up to her face, concentrating. The silver began to morph and it slowly shrunk to the size of Hally's finger. She handed the silver ring to The Master and held onto the golden one herself, they would swap the rings during the ceremony. The Master was watching her carefully and his burning gaze made her face flush hotly.
Finally, she held up the black ribbon and wrapped one end around her own hand, she held out the other end for The Master. He moved forward and wrapped it around his hand, he remained quiet for a few moments. Hally looked up into The Master's eyes, they were burning with something dangerous. The pair listened to the sound of Councillor Shay scratching away with his pen in the ceremonial book. Finally, he stopped and silence fell on the trio.
Shay awkwardly stepped up beside the bound pair, holding the book out in front of him.
"Are you ready?" The Master asked her, raising an eyebrow.
Hally nodded and turned to Shay. "Make it quick."
Shay nodded and cleared his throat, he held one of his hands over the ribbon which bound their hands.
"As Councillor of Gallifrey I stand witness to this union between the Time Lords known as The Master and Hally. This union shall be upheld by the laws and traditions of Gallifrey and shall from this day forth be honoured in the great archive." As he spoke, the ribbon wrapped around her and The Master's hand began to glow a warm golden colour. Shay nodded at The Master and the pair swapped rings silently on their non-bonded hands.
"Should you agree to pledge your life to the other, I invite you both to complete this marriage by sharing with one another, your first name." The ribbon continued to glow and Hally looked into The Master's eyes. As The Master looked back he must have found some evidence of nervousness because he took pity on her and leant forward, brushing his lips up against her ear. He whispered a single word in her ear, his breath tickling her neck.
As she heard the word she felt the ribbon around her hand tighten pleasantly, the skin underneath felt like it was burning. Hally leant forward slightly and encouraged by The Master's first move she whispered her name, the name she had been born with, in his ear. As she did she felt the ribbon give a final tug which bordered on painful. Hally looked down at their hands, the ribbon had dissolved completely and in its place was a very faint golden scar etched into their skin which was still radiating heat. As she watched the scar faded and disappeared into nothing, the heat slowly dissolving along with it.
The Master slowly lowered his hand, turning it over and examining it as he did so. He turned to Shay and said in a hushed tone. "Take this book straight to the archives, guard it with your life." He growled out the last part, shooting Shay a warning look. Shay nodded slowly and started walking hurriedly back towards the academy. Hally looked up, judging by the sky they had just 30 minutes to make it to the ridge before their window for completing the merge was over.
"We need to move." She whispered, The Master nodded and stepped out of the way, allowing her to lead the way.
Hally walked past him and began the climb up to the ridge, she wasn't sure if it was the sharp incline or the knowledge that she was now officially married to The Master that was causing the incessant butterflies in her lower stomach. Perhaps it was what was still to come?
The pair mainly walked in silence, for which Hally found herself quite grateful, she wasn't sure she could deal with The Master's snide comments at this time. Her peace was fairly short-lived, however.
"So… Queen of The Garden hey?" Came his smug voice from behind her, she shot a glance over her shoulder sighing softly.
"Supposedly." She snapped back.
She heard him chuckle. "Someone's touchy. That was either very brave or very stupid speaking to Rassilon like that."
"Careful. That almost sounds like flattery." She sniped back.
"Almost." She saw him bend down out of the corner of her eye, she turned back to look at him and she saw what he was doing. He had come across some of the blue flowers that only grew on the mountain, the flowers which would be used as part of the bonding ceremony they were about to undertake. A ghost of a smile touched Hally's lips at the almost caring display. The Master straightened up and raised an eyebrow at her.
"Are you going to stand gawping all evening?" He drawled.
She huffed and turning on her heal carried on along the path towards the ridge.
Finally, the pair arrived at the spot and with only a few minutes to spare. Before she could consider how to proceed she felt a gentle tug on her hair, frowning slightly she turned her head to try and see what The Master was doing.
"Stay still, this is fiddly enough as it is." He huffed and continued his ministrations.
Hally realised that he must have been tangling the bright blue flowers into her hair. She was pleasantly surprised at how gentle the feeling was, his touch lightly tickling at her neck. Hally shivered.
A small jolt of panic fell through her when she felt his hands move from her hair to the top of her robe, intent on undoing it. She let out a small noise of protest and wriggled away from his grip automatically, turning on him.
"Stop being such a prude." He berated gently, stepping after her and turning her by the shoulders back to face away from him. He continued to undress her from behind.
"I'm not." She countered awkwardly, however, she remained still, resolved to letting him undress her.
She felt the robe drop to the floor, leaving her very exposed in only her underslip, Hally wrapped her arms around her chest turning back to face The Master. He was watching her expectantly, she bit her lip, suddenly feeling all too cold and vulnerable out in the open.
"I…" She started, failing to form a coherent sentence.
"Come on, I've seen a female body before, I promise yours is nothing special." He chuckled to himself lightly, raising his eyebrow.
Hally gritted her teeth, flushing angrily at his comment. She lifted her chin defiantly and pushed her slip off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor leaving her fully naked, lit only by the moon peeking through the scarce clouds.
The Master nodded and shrugged off his own clothes quickly, stepping out of his undergarments confidently. Hally gritted her teeth as she blushed, focusing very hard on keeping her eyes on his face. The Master didn't offer her the same kindness, instead roaming his eyes appreciatively down her body. She let out a disapproving sigh as she looked up at the sky. The moon was casting a strange blue hue on the ground, lighting the pair in an otherworldly glow.
"So…" His smirk widened into a smug smile. "How would you prefer to do this? We only need the smallest bit of physical contact for the merge to start. Obviously some Time Lords like to do things a little more intimately." He winks. "I for one-"
Hally suddenly pressed her lips softly to The Master's, shutting him up. As their lips met, it felt like the entire universe took a sharp intake of breath. The blue light of the moon bored down on Hally's face, somehow shielding her from the cool air of the night. She felt her mind ease and the gates open, there was a gorgeous moment of absolute stillness before she became aware of The Master's presence growing stronger and stronger. He was kissing her back now, his arms had snaked their way around her waist and he was pulling her tight to him. She could feel the rapid beating of his hearts against the front of her chest. His skin was hot on hers and somehow the heat of him was surrounding her, protecting her from the cool midnight air. Hally let him glide into her mind with ease, the drums rolling through into her thoughts. It was as if his entire being was open to her, she could feel every inch, every hidden corner of him. It was warm and enticing, she held him close and bathed in the feeling of their minds winding throughout each other. Images and thoughts that weren't her own flashed through her mind. She could see him, eight years old as he looked into the vortex. She felt his fear, his apprehension and then she felt the sound of drums wash over him. She felt how the sound sunk deep into The Master's veins, filling him with a deeper understanding and drive. The vision faded away and she watched as a more familiar image filled both their minds, she was watching herself, she could feel The Master watching the scene alongside her. As they watched a young Hally looked into the vortex quite alike The Master had done, but this time the feeling of fear was washed away by the overwhelming sensation of power. The feeling was so strong it felt like the eight-year old Time Lady was flying, soaring throughout the vortex. The feeling slowly faded from them both, she could feel him within the darkest corner of her being, he had consumed her and she, him. The feeling was so intense, being so connected with another that Hally could hardly distinguish where she ended and The Master began. Slowly the feeling began to sink down into her chest and the light ribbons of connection clicked into place as she felt The Master sit back on his heels, his lips pulling away from hers.
Hally opened her eyes, the smirk that she's expected to see wasn't there. The Master was looking at her in what could only be described as awe. There was nothing between them at that moment, no hiding, no shields or games. She was truly seeing him, open in front of her. And he was so beautiful.
She felt like she wanted the moment to continue forever but her mouth fell open, "Thank you." She whispered softly.
The Master frowned slightly in confusion.
"Thank you for helping me. Thank you for saving me from him…" Hally bit her lip as The Master's ocean blue eyes twinkled with what looked suspiciously like possessiveness.
"Did you really think I'd let anyone else touch you?"