The figure walks towards a church. They lay down the baby that has been wrapped in a blanket before turning around, walking hurriedly.
But suddenly, the figure stopped, turning back at him, making a silent gesture.
"Not the time."
Arthur woke up with a start, his eyes quickly looking around as his head tried to focus from the deep pain. The room he was in was unfamiliar and rather old. His backpack was placed next to the bed. There was no TV or wall plugs. Sunlight shone into the room he was in. When he looks out the window, he can see the vast green grass and very clear blue sky.
The raven-haired Time Lord looked down and realised that his clothes had been replaced by a white dress. Strangely, Arthur felt that he had seen these clothes and the atmosphere of this room.
Wait…didn't the Scottish Doctor wear this too when he was in London after regenerating?
Oh...he was in the Victorian Era.
He had jumped back in time.
But, why was he here?
Before Arthur could stand up, a servant in a white apron and black dress opened the door and looked surprised when he noticed him. "Oh, you're awake. Thank the Lord!"
"Where am I?" Arthur asked, rubbing his forehead.
"You're at the Torchwood Estate." the servant replied, checking Arthur's head for bruises before preparing a set of clothes, complete with a long white shirt, dark brown vest, black trousers, and black oxford shoes. "Sir MacLeish found you in front of the residence after a sudden light appeared. One of my colleagues and I brought you to this room." he paused. "Are you alright, sir?"
Arthur swallowed nervously. Torchwood Estate. He had a suspicion of what would happen in this place. "I'm fine, but—"
In a second, the door to the room opened loudly and two bald men in red monk clothes walked in quickly. Arthur quickly stood up to protect the maid. Instinctively, he used his vortex energy to immobilise the two men who had entered uninvited.
However, suddenly his ears heard an ear-splitting sound. Arthur covered his ears with a groan. Unfortunately, the two ambushers used this opportunity to immobilise them both.
Arthur could only think 'damn' as his consciousness faded.
︎︎︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
Lady Delaney MacLeish (or Delaney Redwood, as she prefers to be called) looked outside the carriage, taking in the view of the grass and clear sky with a feeling of nostalgia.
It had been almost 10 years since she had visited Aberdeenshire, but the scenery was still the same. Delaney was nostalgic for it, as there were hardly any similar sights during her stay in London to focus on her education.
"Are you nervous, my dear?" Queen Victoria asked with a calm expression.
"No, Your Majesty," Delaney replied nervously. Delaney had known Her Majesty since she was a toddler. Her late husband, Prince Albert, and grandfather, Sir George MacLeish, were close friends, and there were times when she would sit with them as they discussed topics of science and fairy tales. Her father was somewhat reluctant about it, not wanting his daughter to become a strange woman.
Delaney wondered why her father thought this, even though it was clear that Delaney herself was essentially adopted. They never knew where and what happened to her original family. For all they know, her being 'eccentric' like her grandfather has nothing to be ashamed of.
One thing that they know is that a scullery maid came to the Torchwood Estate to hand over the toddler Delaney to Sir George MacLeish.
"I do not know what happened to her," her grandfather said, stroking his five-year-old granddaughter's hair as he recounted her origins at the observatory, showing off his invention. "She just ran away, never to be seen again. I never get a chance to ask her if she is your mother or not. She only gave me information about your name, your kind above the stars, and a mysterious phrase before leaving."
"Phrase?"
"'Run. Run, you loyal girl. We shall meet again.'"
She frowns. "I do not follow."
He laughs. "So do I, child. So do I."
Often, Delaney missed him. His death affected hers deeply. She's never close to her parents to begin with, and when her grandfather passed away, Delaney was immediately sent to London, never stepping back into the Estate.
Until today.
"What is it, Captain?" The Queen asked Captain Reynolds as they stopped.
"There are two strangers. A man and a naked girl," he responded before he clicked his guns. "You will explain your presence. And the nakedness of this girl."
"Are we in Scotland?" The man in a Scottish accent asked.
"How can you be ignorant of that?"
"Oh, I'm...I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing this...this wee naked child over hill and over dale. In't that right, ya...timorous beastie?"
"Ooch, aye! I've been oot and aboot," a woman's voice replied.
"No, don't do that."
"Hoots mon!"
"No, really don't. Really."
"Will you identify yourself, sir?" Captain Reynolds asked.
"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon. From the...Township of Balamory. Eh...I have my credentials, if I may…As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself."
Delaney looks at Queen Victoria, who's eyes glint in curiosity. "Let them approach."
"I don't think that's wise, ma'am," Captain Reynolds argued.
"Let them approach."
"You will approach the carriage. And show all due deference."
One of the footmen opens the door. Both the Queen and Delaney watch as a man in a brown pinstripe suit and a blonde woman without proper dress approach them. "Rose...might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith," the man called Doctor McCrimmon introduced.
Rose gave each of them a courtesy, "Rose Tyler, Ma'ams. And my apologies...for being so naked," she added nervously.
"I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me," the Queen stated. "But you, Doctor...show me these credentials." The Doctor obligingly hands the psychic paper over, and the Queen studies it for a moment. "Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as our Protector."
"Does it? Yes, it does! Good! Good! Um..then let me ask." He glances at Delaney. "First, if you don't mind…I don't think you have introduced us, Lady…"
"Redwood," Delaney introduced, giving each of them courtesy. "Lady Delaney Victoria Redwood."
"She's the granddaughter of my late husband's friend," the Queen added.
"I see," the Doctor replied. "Another question, if you are so kind. Why is Your Majesty and Lady Redwood travelling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?"
"A tree on the line."
"An accident?"
"I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned."
"An assassination attempt?"
"What, seriously? There's people out to kill ya?" Rose asked, shocked to hear that.
"I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun," the Queen shrugs. Delaney nods, agreeing with that statement.
"Lady Redwood's father lives but ten miles hence," Captain Reynolds shared. "We'll send word ahead. He'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow."
"This Doctor and his...timorous beastie will come with us."
"I lend you some of my clothes," Delaney assured Rose while giving her an apologetic look at the way the Queen and the Captain keep mentioning Rose's nakedness.
Rose smiles. "Thank you, Lady."
"Yes, Ma'am," Captain Reynolds agreed with the Queen. "We'd better get moving, it's almost nightfall."
"Indeed. And there are stories of wolves in these parts. Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think. Drive on!"
︎︎︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
As they arrive, one of the footmen opens the door of the carriage and helps both Queen Victoria and Delaney down. Sir Robert, Delaney's father, emerges from a doorway and approaches them. A monk stands behind him.
"Your Majesty," Sir Robert greeted and bowed. Then, he glances at his daughter. Right now, she's wearing a pink and white dress that consist of bodice from 3 different kind of fabric with line of buttons in front that's decorate with lace on the lapels and cuffs, underskirt and top skirt with folds and ruffles, decorated with big folds and bow on the waist. Above her head, there's a little white hat decorated with beaded laces and feathers. "My child."
"Father," Delaney replied. The Doctor and Rose notice how…odd Delaney and Sir Robert, despite having the Queen around. Rose senses that both father and daughter don't seem close.
"Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency," the Queen said, noticing Delaney's mother isn't around. "And how is Lady Isobel?"
"She's...indisposed, I'm afraid," Sir Robert answered. "She's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her, the kitchens are barely stocked...I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you and Delaney wanted to ride on."
"Oh, not at all!" The Queen remarked lightly as she looked at the Estate. "I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is...charming. If rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate. Now, shall we go inside?"
The Doctor cocks his head to one side, watching him. Sir Robert is evidently reluctant and wants them to leave, but the Queen doesn't notice. Delaney, however, lifted her eyebrow, suspiciousness can be seen in her eyes. There's no way her mother would suddenly go without telling her.
"Shame Mother isn't around," Delaney commented.
"And please excuse the naked girl," the Queen added.
"Sorry," Rose apologised.
"She's a feral child," the Doctor chimed. "I bought her for sixpence in old London Town. It was her or the Elephant Man, so…"
"Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused. What do you think, Ma'am?"
"It hardly matters," the Queen affirmed. "Shall we proceed?"
Sir Robert nods and they begin to make their way into the house.
︎︎︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
The prisoners, including Arthur and Lady Isobel, watch the shadows go past the door, fear in their eyes. The Host, the werewolf, raises a finger to his lips, telling them to be quiet.
Arthur growls softly, his eyes glowing gold despite his breath quickening, daring it.
︎︎︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
Sir Robert enters the Observatory, followed by the Queen, Rose, the Doctor, Delaney, and three household staff. Delaney smiles as she looks at the Endeavor, an enormous telescope in the middle of the room. The one her grandfather often shared with her when she was little.
"This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour," the Queen realised.
"All my father's work. Built by hand in his final years," Sir Robert shared. "Became something of an obsession...he spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself."
"I wish I'd met him, I like him," the Doctor said. "That thing's beautiful. Can I um...?" He gestures towards it.
"Help yourself."
The Doctor and Rose move forward to examine the telescope and the wheel next to it.
"What did he model it on?"
"I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little...shall we say, eccentric."
"People just don't understand him," Delaney disagreed, tugging her earlobe.
The Doctor looks amused at Delaney. She's clearly not your typical lady during the Victorian Era. She's much more bold than she let herself shown.
"I wish now I'd spent more time with him. And listened to his stories." Sir Robert confessed, glances at the Queen.
"You should," Delaney agreed, noticing the way her father looks…fearful.
"It's a bit rubbish," the Doctor blurted as he's peering through it.
Delaney turns around. "I beg your pardon?"
"How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top, that's stupid kind of a…" he noticed a glare from Delaney and quickly whispered to Rose, "Am I being rude again?"
"Yep," the blonde stated.
"But it's pretty! It's very...pretty."
"Are you sure you're a doctor?" Delaney retorted, not liking the tone this man called the Doctor just used, like he can be insulting without manners. At least she said what she wanted to say with manners!
"Forgive him, Lady Redwood," Rose said, pats the Doctor fondly on the arm as the man looks annoyed by her words. Rose kinda likes how she's not afraid of showing her opinion, despite her aristocrat status. "He had the tendency to be…rude."
"Still…the imagination of it should be applauded," the Queen declared.
"Mm! Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful?" Queen Victoria stares at the blonde. "You could easily...not be amused, or something...? No?"
"This device surveys the infinite work of God. What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath. Steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales."
"Stars and magic. I like him more and more," the Doctor noted, wandering around the telescope to examine it some more.
"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company. Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg," the Queen glances at Delaney. "I remembered how he often spoke about you, how you look and immersed yourself in their conversations." Then, she's turning to Sir Robert. "When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported."
That piqued an interest from the Doctor. "So, what's this wolf, then?"
"It's just a story," Sir Robert insisted
Delaney huffs. "Grandfather didn't think so. He often said that—"
"Excuse me, sir," the head staff interjected. "Perhaps Her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark."
"Of course," Sir Robert agreed. Delaney looked at the bald man, knowing the interjection was on purpose. "Yes, of course."
"And then supper," the Queen added. "And...could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I'm tired of nakedness."
"It's not amusing, is it?" Rose remarked.
Queen Victoria glances around at her and decides to ignore this comment and turns back to Sir Robert. Delaney notices the Doctor muttering something to Rose who pokes him in the chest. "My dear child, help Miss Tyler with it. We shall dine at seven. And talk some more of this wolf. After all...there is a full moon tonight."
"So there is, Ma'am," Sir Robert agreed. He bows, and the Queen leaves the room followed by the others.
"You noticed?" The Doctor whispered to Delaney from his left side.
Despite being startled, Delaney nods curtly. "I may not have a very close relationship with my parents, but I know my father doesn't act like himself. Something is very wrong here." She grips her dress. "I will ask Father after I help Miss Tyler."
︎︎︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
Inside Delaney's old bedroom, Rose goes to one of the wardrobes and opens the door, finding a brown dress which she holds up to herself in the mirror.
"Not good," Delaney commented and put it back. Rose takes a frilly blouse up to herself. "Also no," she disagreed and puts it back in the wardrobe.
Rose holds a pretty blue dress up to herself and twirls around a bit. "I like this one."
"Really good on you," Delaney agreed, placing the dress down on the bed, crossing the room and opening another wardrobe door to change her clothes as well. She simply stares back as she discovers a young maid is crouched inside, breathing heavily with fear.
"Lady Redwood?" Rose called as she followed her. "Are you okay?" Her eyes widened at what she had seen.
"Please help me," the maid begged.
︎︎︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
With some persuasive words and encouragements, Rose and Delaney manage to get the terrified maid to sit on the bed.
"They came through the house," the maid began. "The incitements, they took the Steward and the Master. And my Lady and our guest."
"Guess?" Delaney repeated.
"Yes, Milady. A strange man suddenly appeared in front of the Estate, unconscious. We let him stay here until he awakes. When he does…they come."
Rose squeezes her hand comfortingly. "Listen...I've got a friend, he's called the Doctor, he'll know what to do. You've gotta come with me."
"Oh, but I can't, Miss."
"What's your name?" Delaney asked her.
"Flora, Milady."
"Flora, we'll be safe," Rose offered her. "There's more people arrived downstairs. Soldiers and everything, and they can help us. I promise. Come on. Okay? Come on."
Rose and Delaney grab Flora to the door. Carefully, Delaney checks out of the door and sees that the coast is clear. She gestures to Rose and Flora that everything's fine. She quietly gets the door wide open and Rose and Flora down the corridor.
Just around the corner lies one of the unconscious guards.
"Oh, Miss. I did warn you!" Flora mumbled.
Rose kneels and feels for a pulse. "He's not dead...I don't think. He must be drugged or something."
Flora is grabbed from behind by the head staff and his hand stifles a scream. She is dragged away, and before Rose and Delaney can react or do anything, they both also grab and drag away.
︎︎︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
When Delaney awakes, she finds herself inside the cellar. Her mother holds her, putting her head on her shoulder in a very protective way. Despite her head hurting, she can see some maids in fear. Rose looks in front, whispering to a dark-haired man in a nightgown.
"Be careful, Rose," the man warned. "We can't risk more danger."
"Any hint or clues to how we escaped?" She asked.
"One. But sadly, we had to wait. Otherwise, one of those crazy monks will drag us closer to it and make us the next meal."
"Does that happen?"
"One time."
Rose gulps. "But...he's in a cage. He's a prisoner. He's the same as us."
"He's nothing like us. That creature is not mortal," Lady Isobel cautioned.
The werewolf raises his head slowly and opens his eyes...which are completely black. Lady Isobel and her household staff whimper, and Rose stares, scared. But Arthur persisted, still glaring at it.
Meanwhile, Delaney slowly gets herself close to Rose, to know more about what's happening. "Who is he?" she asked this time. Her light-hazel eyes didn't stop looking at this man nearby. Delaney felt curious and attracted to him. Not to mention, the way this man returned her gaze, as if Delaney was very important to him.
"Don't enrage him," Lady Isobel warned.
"He's not from Earth, right?" Rose guessed.
Arthur nods. "Yeah," he confirmed.
"Ohhh...intelligence as well…" it whispered, looking at the blonde.
Rose didn't like that whatever inhabit the body had an interest with Arthur. Still, she takes a moment before asking again, to know more. "Where were you born?"
"This body...ten miles away...a weakling, heartsick boy. Stolen away at night by the brethren from my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart."
"You meant to use him as your vessel!" Arthur snarled.
"All right...so the body's human," Rose concluded. "But what about you? The thing inside?"
"So far from home," it stated.
"If you wanna get back home, we can help."
"It didn't want to," Arthur clarified.
"Why would I leave this place?" It pointed out. "A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose."
Rose frowns, looking at Arthur. "How would it do that?"
"Using Queen Victoria," the Time Lord shared before coughing quietly. Oh boy. He's not in great shape. The Time Vortex in him barely manages to heal himself or provide a solution. This is going to be a problematic circumstance. He needs to check himself with future Doctor afterward.
"With one bite, I would pass into her blood. And then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf! So many questions…" the creature suddenly lunges forward, making all of them minus Arthur jump and gasp. "You're dying, both of you! And look! Inside your eyes! You've seen it too!"
"Seen what?" Rose fretted while Arthur gulps, not liking the fact that the wolf had sense Delaney's death in the future.
"The Wolf! There is something of the Wolf about you! Just like there is something of the Fox about him!"
Rose stares at him, breathing heavily. She had a weird dream about calling herself Bad Wolf, witnessing the Bad Wolf interfere with time and space in order to save the universe. "I don't know what you mean," she claimed, looking at Arthur in confusion. "Arthur, what does he mean by that?"
"He burnt like the sun, despite the sun burning in him. But all I require is the moon." The doors of the cellar are thrown open and the moonlight floods in, over the cage. The creature presses its face against the bars with a blissful smile. "Moonlight…"
"Okay, that's our cue to escape," Arthur exclaimed, taking the chain.
The prisoners shift around uncomfortably, not knowing what to make of this. The Host sheds his cloak. A wind blows through the cellar. The creature grasps the bars of the cage.
"All of you! Stop looking at it!" Rose yelled. "Flora, Delaney, don't look. Listen to me. Grab hold of the chain and pull!"
Rose pulls on the chain with Arthur. Delaney helps her. "Mother, everyone!" Delaney yelled as there were growling sounds emitting from the cage. "We need to pull. NOW!"
They all stand and help Rose pull on the chain, trying to free it from the wall. Arthur also helps using his Time Lord strengths and the Time Vortex, not giving a damn how his body starts to feel like it's burning deeply.
The man slowly transforms into a wolf. He screams in pain as his skin bulges horribly. His screams turn into growls as he begins to look more and more like a wolf.
"Pull!" Rose shouted, encouraging everyone to tug on the chain. The transformation is all but complete. "One...two...three...pull!"
Arthur takes a sharp breath and grabs the chain. His eyes glowing as he releases all the Time Vortex he could muster to melt the chain. His own hearts and lungs began to feel very hot. His hands were shaking violently as sweat rolled down. Even his own ears kept ringing. Arthur's mind began to lose focus before he took a deep breath after all the chains melted away.
Delaney could only stare at Arthur in confusion. "How...?" She was interrupted with the Doctor kicked down the door to the cellar.
"Where the hell have you been?!" Rose yelled, rather angry that he's late.
The Doctor turns and stares at the werewolf with wide-eyed awe as it grabs hold of the bars of the cage. "Oh, that's beautiful!"
"Not the time!" Arthur hissed.
Delaney and Rose help him to stand up. He winces, but doesn't scream as the three of them walk out of the room alongside the rest, faintly hearing a howling as they all enter the gun room.
There, the Steward hands guns to all the men, minus Arthur, who's leaning against the wall, panting. "Arms...and your strife...ready everyone?" He takes a brief look at Arthur and addresses Lady Isobel. "Take him and the girls. Get them out through the kitchen."
Lady Isobel approaches her husband. "I can't leave you. What will you do?"
"I must defend her Majesty. Now, don't think of me, just go," Sir Robert pleaded.
"I'm not coming," Delaney digressed.
Lady Isobel sighs. "Delaney—"
"I can take care of myself, you know I can. More than anyone, besides grandfather."
True, Delaney had been taught to use a gun by Sir George. But that doesn't keep her parents at ease, knowing their daughter might be in danger. "I'll make sure she's safe," Sir Robert vowed.
Lady Isobel kisses him. "Be safe," she whispered, then gathered her maids. "All of you at my side, come on!" She pulls them through to the kitchen.
There is a thumping sound from the direction of the cellar. Arthur and Delaney look around at the same time the Doctor and Rose did. The Doctor ventures out into the corridor to investigate. A few minutes later, the Doctor runs back into the room. He grabs Rose's hand and pulls her behind the line of men, not far from Delaney and Arthur's position, as those men with guns poised and ready.
"Fire!" The Steward yelled. They shoot at the wolf, who stumbles back a few steps.
"Fire!"
Rose flinches as they fire again. Then…the room with the firing squad is full of smoke.
There is no sign of the wolf.
"All right, you men, we should retreat upstairs, come with me," the Doctor insisted.
"I'll not retreat. The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault," the Steward claimed.
"That creature isn't from Earth," Arthur denoted, closing his eyes, panting. "Bullet is useless."
"Pardon me, sir, but I can't trust a word from a stranger."
"All of our lives are at stake. Don't do anything stupid!"
He huffed, strides across the room to look down the corridor, checking on the wolf. After a moment, he strides back looking mildly triumphant. "Must've crawled away to die…"
Arthur closes his eyes, turns around as he hears the scream. Then, he feels a hand pushing him against the wall very harshly. "You know he's gonna die! You know and you let him!"
"Doctor!" Delaney snapped as Rose tried to separate his grip on Arthur's.
"You better tell me how to stop it! Because this time, I'm not afraid to let you die!"
Horrified, Rose shouts at him. "Are you crazy?!"
"He's a deceiver! He's not a good person! He's a monster, Rose! A MONSTER!"
"That makes you a monster."
Arthur's body began to tremble. Delaney was worried that Arthur was starting to cry. But instead, Arthur just laughed in a tone that seemed heartbreaking and bitter. Nothing she ever heard before. "Of course you will say that," he realised with a small smile.
That reaction made the Doctor pause. Before he could process Arthur's response and what it means, he heard the wolf's howl. He grabs hold of Rose and pushes her from the room with him. Delaney and her father follow, helping Arthur to run faster.
They all hurry into a room. The Doctor slams the door behind them and locks it with his sonic screwdriver.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Sir Robert called.
Queen Victoria coming down the stairs in a hurry. "Sir Robert! What's happening?" she asked as the Doctor dashed off somewhere. "I heard such terrible noises."
"Your Majesty, we've got to get out. But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?"
"Captain Reynolds disposed of him."
"The front door's no good, it's been boarded shut," the Doctor told them, then glaring at Arthur. "Now will be a good time to show us your skills."
"Just a minute," he muttered, rubbing his neck. "I need to focus."
"We don't have time!"
"He said a minute!" Delaney retorted.
"The next door," Arthur mumbled.
Rolling his eyes since Arthur was slow, the Doctor decided to take another option. "Pardon me, Your Majesty, you'll have to leg it out of a window." He gestures through a door.
Queen Victoria obliges with her head held high. Thought, Rose notices the way the Queen narrows her eyes at the Doctor with a…displeasure. Still, since their situation isn't any better, she stays silent as they all follow Sir Robert and find themselves in another upstairs room.
"Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress," Sir Robert suggested.
"A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh," the Queen denoted.
"Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?" The Doctor hurriedly asked.
"You really know nothing about patience," Delaney remarked.
"Delaney," Sir Robert chastised his daughter's inappropriate comment before climbs onto the window sill and has to immediately dodge out of the way as he is shot at by the Monks standing outside.
The Doctor stares out of the window, eyes wide. "I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside."
"Do they know who I am?" The Queen asked.
"Yeah, that's why they want ya," Rose replied. "The wolf's lined you up for a...a biting."
"Now, stop this talk. There can't be an actual wolf."
The words are no sooner out of her mouth than a howling rings through the house. The company spun around, alarmed, and left the room hurriedly. They run into a hallway and the wolf is battering on the door
"Apologies, Your Majesty, but the howling might suggest otherwise," Arthur commented.
Rose looks at the psychic. "Arthur, what do we do?"
"Mistletoe."
"What?" Delaney asked.
"We need mistletoe."
The Doctor glances at him. "Why would we need mistletoe?"
Arthur frowns. "No idea."
"Some help you get."
"Oh, and you do?" Delaney dared. "Let me guess, running?"
"Do you have any plans?" He growled, rather annoyed the way this prattling girl kept talking to him like he did wrong, while Arthur had done many wrong things.
"The library," the dark-haired man suggested. "I…I think the answer lies there."
"Better than just running," Rose admitted, making the Doctor pouted.
︎︎︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
They run as fast as they can up the staircase. Arthur glances behind, spotting the wolf's bounds up the staircase after them.
"Come on! Come on!" The Doctor shouted.
Having reached the top of the stairs, they run through the corridors, the wolf close on their tails. It is nearly upon them, ready to pounce when Captain Reynolds appears holding a gun. He shoots and the wolf reels backwards down the corridor.
The Captain ducks behind the corridor where the others are standing, out of breath. "I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty, I went to look for the property, it was taken. The chest was empty."
"I have it. It's safe," the Queen answered.
"Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you and the stranger stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert, you're a traitor to the crown and your daughter shall suffer from it."
Arthur quickly stands in front of Captain Reynolds, looking straight at his eyes. He didn't like the way Captain Reynolds made such an accusation. It's not like Sir Robert even had a choice from the beginning. People's lives are at stake, and since this is the Victorian Era, they know nothing regarding aliens. "His family was in danger. He's a victim. You think you know honour, Charles James Reynolds? Let me tell you, you know NOTHING."
Captain Reynolds cocks his gun, despite a swell of fear reaching him with how this man knows his full name. "Empty words are useless to me, stranger."
"You'll die if you fight it."
"They'll buy you time. Now, run!" He positions himself at the end of the corridor, gun held ready.
Queen Victoria and Sir Robert have already started running in the opposite direction, followed by the Doctor, and finally by Rose who stares at Captain Reynolds in dismay for a few seconds before running with Delaney as well.
"This isn't an honour. This is stupidity," Arthur said before joining the others into the library, trying to shut down the guilt. He could save him. He could. But, Reynolds is too stubborn to be reasonable. That man rather dies with honour, even if said honour is by doing something without plan. Still…who can he judge, since he and the Scottish Doctor did/will do the same thing far in the future? He quickly notices Rose stops outside the door, frozen in horror and unable to move. "Don't look, come on!" He reminded her before grabs Rose round the waist and pulls her into the room just in time to slam the door shut.
Both Sir Robert and Delaney help the Doctor barricade the doors with chairs and bits of wood.
"Wait a minute," the Doctor shushes them. "Wait a minute…It's stopped." He pushes Arthur aside, stands on the chair and presses his ear against the door. "It's gone."
Footsteps can be heard padding around the outside of the room. "Close the other door," Arthur whispered to Delaney.
Delaney gives him a suspicious look, but keeps it to herself. She and Rose dashes to the other door and they barricade it shut.
"Shh!" Rose said quietly. They look around uneasily as they hear the sounds the werewolf is making, and then it stops. Footsteps pad away into the distance. "I don't understand. What's stopping it?"
"Something inside this room. What is it? Why can't it get in?" the Doctor guessed and looked at Arthur again. "Did you know?"
"Instinct," was all Arthur responded with before helping Sir Robert sit on one of the chairs barricading his door.
"This is all my fault," he cried.
"Lives are at stake. You did the right thing."
"And endanger more people more than should be."
"I'm not sure your daughter would appreciate that you sacrificed your wife and the housestaff's lives, even if she knows what it will do to the Queen."
He looks up. "You know my daughter?"
Arthur stays silent for a moment. "Do you believe in fate or destiny, Sir Robert?"
"My father would. But after all these…nothing would shock me more."
"I'm someone from a distant place who met Delaney," Arthur shared, in a way that his (future) father-in-law would understand. "I can assure you this…Delaney will be saved from that wolf. She shall have experienced more after this."
Sir Robert looked at Arthur for a moment. He didn't know this man, but this man seemed to know a lot about him and his family, especially Delaney. He still wasn't sure how that was possible, considering he and his wife never met him until they found him unconscious in front of this residence. The Doctor's actions all day seemed to suggest that this man was a liar and brought problems . But his expressions and gestures indicated that Arthur Jonas was far from these things. Perhaps this black-haired, grey-eyed man was a gift from his late father and the universe to keep them all safe. "Promise me you will keep Delaney safe," he ordered. "Promise me that you will be at her side till death."
Arthur held back the tears. "I promised."
"Thank you," he thanked him and glanced at Queen Victoria. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. It's all my fault. I should've sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong, I...thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?"
"Well, they were bald, athletic...your wife's away, I just thought you were happy," the Doctor confessed.
"I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now," Rose pointed out.
"Do you think this is funny?" The Queen snapped.
"No, Ma'am, I'm sorry."
"What, exactly, I pray someone please, what exactly is that creature?"
The Doctor's scratching his head, nervous. "You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's a more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform."
"And should I trust you, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?" She accused him.
"Oh...Right, sorry…"
"I'll not have it. No, sir, not you...not that thing...none of it. This is not my world."
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Delaney said, her head up. "This is insanity, I agree. But you had seen in with your eyes. That thing is real. There are creatures beyond our understanding, hidden in this land, be it good, neutral, or bad."
The Doctor touches the woodwork. There is a carving of mistletoe on the door. "Mistletoe," he realised, looking at Arthur. "You said mistletoe before. Why?"
"It contains something that is against the wolf," he blurted, and then blinked. "But…it's not enough."
"Why?"
He scrunched his nose before suddenly walking to the bookshelves and took a good look at all the books in it. The Doctor quietly holds his anger to him, knowing a pressing matter at front. Doesn't mean he won't do it later.
"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon," Sir Robert remarked.
"Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?" The Doctor pointed out.
"Being rude again," Rose commented.
"Good. I meant that one." He strides towards the bookshelves. "You want weapons? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world."
Then, a book suddenly flies to his hands, which he immediately catches. Everyone quickly catches the one who throws it.
"Check it," Arthur said with a shrug before coughing while his eyes were twitching. He can feel blood in his mouth, ready to slip out of the side of his mouth if he doesn't cover it with his handkerchief. He can't let them know he's sick. Not now. "And Your Majesty, if you don't mind, you can share it here. It might be a key to our survival."
"I do not follow," the Queen admitted while everyone was busy with the book.
"I think you do."
She narrows her eyes at him. "I don't trust you completely," she stated. "But you have proved me wrong again, young man." She steps closer to him. "If I am to die here…" she paused, expecting a protest, but he stayed silent. Somehow that earned her more trust in him. "I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me. But that's no matter. If you claim that my possession can ensure our survival." She opens her bag, takes the Koh-I-Noor from her bag and holds it in the palm of her hand. "I trust you with it."
Delaney gasps, earning everyone's attention to the Queen and Arthur. "Is that…?"
"Is that the Koh-I-Noor?" Rose finished.
"Oh, yes...the greatest diamond in the world," the Doctor added as they all took a closer look.
"Given to me as the spoils of war," the Queen explained. "Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die."
"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I...?" He holds out his hand for the diamond. Queen Victoria gives it to him. He pushes his glasses down his nose to look at it closely. Rose prods it, eyes wide. "That is so beautiful."
"How much is that worth?" Rose asked.
"The wealth of the entire planet for a whole week," Arthur mentioned.
"Good job my mum's not here. She'd be so angry if you had it, Arthur. She would fight the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing."
"And she'd win," the Doctor added. Rose laughs.
"Where is the wolf?" Delaney suddenly realised the silence.
"I don't trust this silence," Sir Robert agreed.
"Why do you travel with it?" The Doctor asked the Queen.
'My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting," she replied.
"Oh, but it's perfect," Rose argued.
"Not to Her Majesty's husband," Delaney recalled.
"Now, there's a fact, Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down," the Doctor informed Rose. "It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting."
"He always said...the shine was not quite right," the Queen continued. "But he died with it still unfinished."
"Unfinished...oh, yes!" He tosses the Koh-I-Noor back to Queen Victoria, who catches it. "There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research, your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond, hold on, hold on—" He ruffled his hair violently in his eagerness to work it out. "All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected! Oh, my head, my head! What if, this house, it's a trap for you, is that right, Ma'am?"
"Obviously."
"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But! What if there's a trap inside the trap?"
"Explain yourself, Doctor."
"What if Lady Redwood's grandfather and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true. And they planned against it. Laying the real trap not for you...but for the wolf." He glances at Delaney, remembering her mentioning about taking care of herself with her parents. "And that's why he taught you self-defence! Your grandfather was aware of your heritage outside this world and prepared you as well!"
A fine sprinkling of plaster falls from the ceiling, cutting their discussion. All of them look up, and the werewolf is walking over the glass dome above their heads, looking down at them and growling. Arthur glares at it, and the wolf makes a painful yelp as it steps back. "Observatorium, now!"
They all quickly destroy their barricade and run out into the corridor. Arthur takes one last look at the roaring wolf who manages to break into the library before slamming the doors closed.
︎︎︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
The four of them run down the corridor.
"Gotta get to the observatory!" The Doctor reminded them all as they careen around a corner, the werewolf close behind. Rose turns around and is transfixed by the wolf. Just as the wolf is on her, she screams and Lady Isobel throws the pan of mistletoe water onto the wolf. Rose screams again, but the werewolf bounds back down the corridor away from them.
"Mother!" Delaney called.
"It was mistletoe!" She told them.
"Great job," Arthur complimented her as the Doctor followed the wolf a ways down the corridor.
"Isobel!" Sir Robert noticed. He and Isobel kiss as the Doctor and Rose make sure the wolf has gone. "Get back downstairs."
"Keep yourself safe," she pleaded, gripping each of her husband and daughter's hands.
"We will, Mother," Delaney assured her.
Lady Isobel and the maids go past Sir Robert and make their way back to the kitchen. "Girls, come with me. Down the Back stairs, back to the kitchen. Quickly!"
As they run off, Sir Robert stares after his wife, a look in his eyes that suggests he's wondering if he'll ever see her again.
"You'll see her again," Arthur promised him.
"Come on!" The Doctor said and they set off to run again down the corridor.
"The observatory's this way!" Sir Robert told them, leading them at the central staircase and hurrying up it as fast as they could, but the werewolf recovered and soon returned to the chase.
They finally arrive at the observatory, the Doctor in the lead. "No mistletoe on these doors, your father wanted the wolf to get inside! Get inside! I just need time! Is there any way of barricading this?!"
"Sir Robert, you can help them," Arthur suggested.
He stares at the dark-haired man. "What?"
"If we could bind them shut with rope or something!" The Doctor said, not paying attention.
"I'll buy you more time," Arthur added.
Rose, Delaney, and Queen Victoria stare at him, aghast.
"Whatever you're going to do, I disagree," Delaney protested.
"I'll find a way," he insisted. "Now get inside."
The Doctor looks at him for a second. "Are you sure?"
"100% sure." He turned back but stopped by a grip on his hand. He's not even surprised to see Delaney's eyes glared at him. "I won't die. I promised."
They hear the roaring.
Delaney's eyes swollen in tears. Her mouth trembles as she says, "Come back."
He simply smiles and closes the door. Quietly, he locks the door from the outside. The howls of the werewolf can be heard coming down the corridor.
He arms himself with nothing as the werewolf bounds up the stairs. The werewolf has found him, guarding the door. As it approaches slowly, Arthur glares at it. "I warned you," he hissed, creating a large Vortex Energy and dispel it at the wolf.
It shrieked, hurling in pain at the smoke injury Arthur had caused. But the Time Lord knows it won't stop the wolf from getting what it wants. It only immobilises the wolf for some time.
Knowing he had done what needs to be done, Arthur quickly closes his eyes, using one last remaining energy to teleport himself inside the observatory and immediately collapses.
︎︎︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
"You said this thing doesn't work!" Rose reminded him as Delaney kneels beside Arthur and checks his condition.
"Grandfather always said that lights are the source," Delaney shared. "But I had no idea what it meant."
"Of course! It's a light chamber!" The Doctor concluded. "It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up!"
"But there's no electricity!" Rose argues as both Sir Robert and the Doctor grunt, turn to the light chamber.
"Moonlight!" Delaney said quickly. "It might work with moonlight!"
"You're seventy percent water but you can still drown. Come on!" The Doctor remarked to Rose. The Light Chamber finally starts to align with the moon. "Come on!"
At last it is properly aligned. Rose, Sir Robert, and the Doctor step away from the gears as the moonlight bounces off the prisms. Just as the wolf breaks through the door and Delaney manages to drag Arthur away from it, the light spews forth from the end of the light chamber onto the floor far short of the werewolf.
The werewolf advances on the Queen but the doctor dives across the floor and throws the Koh-I-Noor into the beam of light. A fantastic, prismatic beam of light hits the werewolf. He is lifted off the floor and hangs there, caught in the wash of moonlight. As they look on, the werewolf retakes human form.
"Make it brighter. Let me go," he begged.
The Doctor slowly walks across to the light chamber and flicks a switch. With a final howl from the wolf form, the creature vanishes and the light shuts off. Rose breathes a huge sigh of relief. The Queen, however, is staring intently at some wound on her wrist.
Both the Doctor and Delaney notice her gesture. "Your Majesty? Did it bite you?" He asked.
"No, it's...it's a cut," she replied.
"If that thing bit you—"
"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart."
"I can check it," Delaney offered, knowing the Queen's hesitation regarding the Doctor. "Grandfather often taught me basic medical knowledge. I can check if it's a bite—"
"It is nothing, my child."
The Doctor glances at Delaney. The girl looked at him with the same expression. They're not believing her words.
"Father, can you call Mother and other staff?" She asked, holding Arthur's hand. "We need to check Mister Jonas' condition."
︎︎︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
The next day
It was hard for Arthur to explain his feverish condition. One local doctor who had long been friends with Sir Robert was astonished at Arthur's condition. The dark-haired man insisted that he just had an unexplained hereditary disease. He didn't believe him, but could only accept Arthur's explanation and told him that he should get plenty of rest after this.
Later that noon, the Doctor, Arthur, Delaney, and Rose step forward and kneel before Queen Victoria. Everyone is present, including Sir Robert, Lady Isobel, and the maids.
"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the: Sir Doctor of Tardis," the Queen taps him on each shoulder with a sword. "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the: Sir Arthur of Tardis." She taps Arthur like she did to the Doctor. Likewise with Rose and Delaney as she states, "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the: Dame Rose of the Powell Estate. You may stand. By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the: Dame Delaney of Torchwood."
The Doctor, Arthur, Delaney, and Rose rise. "Many thanks, Ma'am," the Doctor thanked her.
"Thanks! They're never going to believe this back home," Rose beamed. Both Flora and Delaney smile.
"Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving a message from the great beyond; I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now, Ma'am, even from beyond the grave."
"Indeed," the Queen denoted. "Then you may think on this, also: that I am not amused."
The Doctor groans whilst Rose looks jubilant. "Yes!" She smiles.
"Not remotely amused," she continued. "And henceforth...I banish you two."
The Doctor and Rose look stunned by that order. Meanwhile, Arthur just solemnly nodded and Delaney shook her head, both knowing this would happen.
"I understand, Your Majesty," Arthur said with a nod.
"I rewarded you, Sir Arthur, because not only do you show a great understanding, but you truly are a good man."
That comment stunned him as his mind flashes the question his father had asked to Clara.
The Queen takes her eyes at the Doctor with anger. "But you, Sir Doctor. You and Dame Rose are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the two of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with star and magic, and unlike Sir Arthur and Dame Delaney, think it fun. They both know your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death. While they allow it, I will not allow it! You two will leave this shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you managed to stray so far from all that is good. And how much longer you will survive this...terrible life."
She steps away from them. "I had discussed a matter with Sir Robert and Lady Isobel. This place is far from safe. Therefore, we allowed you to take Dame Redwood from this estate and let her explore the world you two are living with."
Both the Doctor and Rose were stunned by this statement. Delaney could only shrug when they stared at her. Once Queen Victoria realised the Doctor's comments regarding Delaney's species identity from outer world, it was only a matter of time before she discussed the issue with her adoptive parents and subtly expelled her from this place as well.
The blonde woman had no problem with this. This place was not safe for her, and her parents were clearly traumatised by last night's events. They can't look after Delaney like they used to. Besides, she can break free from the constraints of a haughty social class that annoyed her to no end and spend more time knowing the mysterious man called Arthur Jonas.
"Now leave my world. And never return," the Queen ordered.
︎︎︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
That night, Arthur, who was already dressed in his spare clothes from his bag, simply watches the sky above outside the house. "Banishing seems rather extreme," he remarked, knowing that Sir Robert and Lady Isobel approached him from behind.
"After what happened last night, I don't think Her Majesty appreciates another being beyond ours," Lady Isobel reluctantly admitted.
He turns around to see their faces. They want to know about Delaney. He recalled how his wife view her adoptive parents never care much about her. But he disagreed. They clearly care for her, just not expressingly well enough. "I shall keep my promise."
The Queen finally steps outside the house. "What will you do? Will you stay here?"
"I don't think we could," Sir Robert decided.
"We sell it. Or pull this place down," Lady Isobel added.
Queen Victoria glances at the sign on the wall saying Torchwood House, and then away again with a look of grim resolution in her eyes. "Do you think sending her with a man like the Doctor is a good choice, Sir Arthur?"
"He and I may have…disagreement," Arthur articulated. "But he values life, Your Majesty. That, I can assure you."
She nods. "Although we may not speak of these events in public, they'll not be forgotten. I promise you that." She stares at the Time Lord. "Your bravery...the ingenuity of Sir George...Dame Delaney's existence…they will live on."
"But how?" Lady Isobel asked.
"I saw last night that Great Britain has enemies beyond imagination, and we must defend our borders on all sides. You cannot do it alone, Sir Arthur. I propose an institute to investigate these strange happenings and to fight them. I would call it: Torchwood. The Torchwood Institute. And if this Doctor should return, he should beware, because Torchwood will be waiting."
Arthur could only nod slowly. Although he knew that his father and Rose were not enemies, Queen Victoria didn't think so. And as reluctant as he was about Torchwood's methods regarding the alien threat, he knew that Torchwood would contribute greatly to the future of Earth in his father's absence, especially Torchwood Three that Jack Harkness would lead with his friends. He couldn't prevent the formation of Torchwood, not without risking lives on Earth in the future.
Still…there's a pit of fear in his stomach even as he departed with them to continue his travel until his next jump. His gut feeling was that preventing Torchwood from forming could have prevented him from escalating the strife between him and the Doctor, the infighting that could have occurred, and the deaths of people on Earth.
He hopes that's just a fear and nothing else.