Doctor Who Fan Fiction ❯ Donna and Ten - The Inbetweens and backstories ❯ Chapter Six ( Chapter 6 )

After a very enjoyable pizza in a local restaurant, they meandered through the streets of Pompei back towards the TARDIS. In his usual, alien way, the Doctor asked her if she wanted to see the tourist attractions while they were here.

 

But for Donna, it no longer held the macabre fascination of an event that happened nearly 2000 years ago. What if she walked down one of the ancient streets and saw one of those eerie figures where the fruit vendor had first spoken to her? She would be forever wondering if it was actually him.

 

As they reached the TARDIS, she looked back at the busy town square with its shops and market stalls, and its thriving population. This is how she wanted to remember Pompei, and in that moment, she had a brief insight into why she thought the Doctor never looked back.

 

She followed him up the ramp towards the console, smiling as he threw his long coat over the coral strut in his usual fashion. His steps bounced with energy and eagerness to move on and explore.

 

He started up the Time Rotor, and put them into the Vortex. 'Right then, where next? Let's have a look and see what's occurring out there.' He squared up to the monitor and tapped a few keys. 'Ooh, hold on . . . that's not right.'

 

He took his spectacles out of his pocket and put them on, leaning closer to the monitor.

 

'What is it, what's not right?' Donna asked, looking at the swirly, rotating concentric circles on the screen.

 

'The time line has been changed. It's as though a thousand years of progress never happened.'

 

Donna frowned. 'But it looked all right when we were out there just a minute ago. I mean there were cars and shops and banks and stuff.'

 

'Yeah I know, but that was before the ripple had spread out. Now we're in the Vortex, outside of time, the ripple has passed us by and we can see the change.'

 

'Well can you fix it?'

 

The Doctor looked up from the monitor and gave her a big grin. 'Course I can, I'm brilliant me.' He started orbiting the console making adjustments. 'Can't fix it at the source though, I'll have to follow the ripple forward to a causal nexus point.'

 

Donna put her hands on her hips and tilted her head sideways. `And in English, that means . . . ?'

 

`It means get your coat `cos it's mid February out there and it's been snowing,' he said as he shut down the console.

 

`So where are we now?' Donna asked as she stepped out of the TARDIS, pulling the hood up on her parka and looking around the snow dusted landscape. Her gaze halted on the medieval castle in the middle distance.

 

`Paderborn, eastern North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany,' the Doctor replied.

 

`Ooh, I've never been to Germany before. So what's here then?'

 

`Not much at the moment, being 799 AD. Just the castle and a small hamlet, but I've got a message to give to a man who lives in the castle.'

 

`Who's that then?' Donna asked as she linked arms with him and started strolling along the cobbled road.

 

`A chap called Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, king of the Franks.'

 

`Hang on; I remember hearing about him at school . . . can't remember anythin' about him though.'

 

`A great bloke. He became the father of Europe. At this royal court, he gathered the cream of available intellect, centred around the scholar Alcuin, whom he brought from York. Monks and other copyists were set to transcribing ancient manuscripts, both classical and Christian, for the preservation and extension of learning,' the Doctor enthused. He was obviously a fan.

 

`Schools were established at monasteries and cathedrals, the forerunners of the great universities. Myriad hymns and poems were composed, along with commentaries on Holy Scripture, treatises on music, theological works, and numerous chronicles of history.'

 

`Blimey, I don't remember any of that,' Donna told him.

 

`Shame on you,' he teased before continuing. `Advances were made in architecture at Aachen and Ingelheim. Oh, and technology! Let's not forget the iron horseshoe and the padded harness for ploughing with horses.'

 

`How could I possibly forget that? I never knew about it in the first place.'

 

`And agriculture,' he said, ignoring her sarcasm. 'The system of triple crop rotation was thought of here. Under his leadership, there arose a cultural enrichment still known as the Carolingian Renaissance. Although the political unity Charlemagne imposed on the greater part of the continent didn't outlive him, the cultural unity of Europe does.'

 

'A bit of a player then. So what's the message?'

 

'Ah, now that's a bit tricky', he said as they approached the large wooden gates studded with metal. 'A bit timey-wimey,' he added, scratching the back of his head.

 

Before Donna could ask him why he was talking like a child, he banged his palm on the door that was set into one of the large gates.

 

'HELLO! Any one in?' he called out. From the other side of the door, there came the sound of footsteps on the flagstones. A small wooden panel opened in the door, and a flat, angular face appeared in the square aperture that looked every bit like Lurch from the Addams Family.

 

'Yes?' the face asked in a gruff voice that sounded like he ate gravel for breakfast.

 

'We come from Rome bearing news of the pope. We must speak with the king most urgently,' the Doctor said, reaching into his pocket and holding the psychic paper up to the face.

 

'Er, I'm sorry sire; although Brother Michael's teaching is very good, and he does his best, I'm afraid I'm not yet able to read anything too complicated.'

 

The Doctor lowered the paper and frowned. 'Y'know, I never thought about that before.'

 

'Had your bit of paper been about a cat sitting on a mat, then I may have been able to help you,' the face added helpfully. Donna unsuccessfully tried to suppress a giggle.

 

'Perhaps then you could summon Brother Michael and he could read our credentials.'

 

The face at the aperture thought about this for a moment before coming to a decision. 'I will see if I can find him.'

 

'Yes please,' Donna said, stamping her feet to get some warmth in them. 'Quick as you can, there's a good lad. It's a bit parky out here.'

 

The wooden panel closed, and the footsteps hurried away.

 

'So what news are we bringing?' Donna asked, feeling left out of the proceedings.

 

'Well, originally Pope Leo III invites Charlemagne to Rome to celebrate Christmas with him, where he crowns him Roman emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.'

 

'That's a bit of an extravagant Christmas present,' said Donna.

 

`Yeah, but now the time line has changed, Leo gets set upon by a bunch of thugs, Charlie boy storms into Rome and starts a fight, and Europe stays in the dark ages for centuries longer than it should do.'

 

They heard hurrying footsteps returning to the door, and a new face appeared in the aperture; a face with kind eyes and a serene smile.

 

The Doctor held up the psychic paper. `Brother Michael I presume.'

 

Brother Michael's eyes went wide with surprise. `Oh my. Claus, quickly, open the door.'

 

Bolts were drawn back, and the door opened with a creak of hinges. `Father John, Sister Donna, please come in, come in.' The monk ushered them through the door.

 

`Sister?' Donna started to ask.

 

`Ah, thank you Brother Michael. Very kind,' the Doctor interrupted.

 

'Had I known the papal emissary was coming . . .' the monk said, bowing and scraping.

 

'You'd have blown our cover,' the Doctor said as he held the monk's shoulders to stop him bowing. 'We have important news for the king.'

 

'Of course, he's in his apartments; I'll take you to him straight away.'

 

They were led through the castle's hallways, up staircases, and along galleries until they came to an ornately carved, arched door. Brother Michael knocked on the door.

 

'My Lord, a papal emissary from Rome has arrived and seeks an audience with your highness.'

 

'Pray enter,' a deep voice called out from behind the door.

 

The room that Brother Michael ushered the Doctor and Donna into was large with a homely feel to it, due in part to the roaring fire in the large, stone fireplace. There were dark oak chairs and sofas with deep red velvet upholstery, along with dark oak dressers and sideboards.

 

The grey stone walls were draped with tapestries that added to the homely feel. A tall man rose from a high backed chair, and turned to face them. He placed his hands behind his back to enjoy the warmth of the fire.

 

`Your Highness, may I present Father John and Sister Donna, emissaries from Pope Leo in Rome,' Brother Michael said.

 

Charlemagne had dark, shoulder length hair and a full beard that was flecked with grey. His eyes were bright and alert, and his mouth was quick to break into a smile. Donna thought that his appearance resembled that of the actor Christopher Lee.

 

`King Charlemagne, what a pleasure to meet you. I've been a great admirer of your work for ages,' the Doctor said, shaking the king's hand enthusiastically.

 

The king's eyebrows were raised in surprise as he appraised his visitors. `Father John, Sister Donna? You are the most unusual looking cardinal and nun I have ever seen.'

 

`Nun? Sister? What's everyone on about?' Donna asked in confusion. There was no way she thought you could confuse her with a nun.

 

The Doctor tapped his pocket where the wallet of psychic paper lived to give her a clue. `We have travelled incognito to bring you news of a plot to discredit and harm the pope.'

 

Charlemagne's face became stony, his eyes like ice. `Come, please sit and tell me what you know.'

 

They sat around the fire, and Donna finally learned what the Doctor had seen on the TARDIS monitor.

 

`Prompted by jealousy or ambition or by feelings of hatred and revenge, a number of the relatives of Pope Adrian I have formed a plot to render Leo unfit to hold his sacred office,' the Doctor explained.

 

Charlemagne was aghast. `How dare they! Tell me, what do they propose to do?'

 

`On the occasion of the procession of the Greater Litanies on the 25th of April, when the pope makes his way towards the Flaminian Gate, he will be attacked by a body of armed men. They will attempt to root out his tongue and tear out his eyes.'

 

`Ugh, that's horrible,' said Donna.

 

`Horrible indeed,' Charlemagne agreed. `Not to mention blasphemous. I'll have Adrian's head for this.'

 

`Well, yes you could, but Adrian and his followers will have made sure that there is no connection between them and the attackers. If you were to take action against them, you would be seen as the aggressor,' the Doctor advised.

 

Charlemagne was fuming. `I cannot let this plot go unpunished.'

 

`No, you cannot,' the Doctor agreed. `But there are different punishments.'

 

The king nodded sagely. `Tell me Father, what do you have in mind?'

 

 

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Back in the TARDIS, the Time Rotor pumped up and down with its familiar grinding wheeze. The Doctor was moving from section to section, making adjustments. Donna looked at the monitor, trying to make sense of what it was showing her.

 

`So Charlemagne sends a few of his boys to rescue Leo then?' she asked.

 

`Yeah, although he still gets clobbered and roughed up a bit. The Duke of Spoleto gives him shelter and helps him get to Paderborn. When he arrives, he'll be received with the greatest honour at the castle.'

 

`And that got the time-line back on track did it?'

 

`Eventually. His enemies had accused Leo of adultery and perjury. Charlemagne orders them to Paderborn, but no decision can be made. He then has Leo escorted back to Rome. In November 800, Charlemagne himself goes to Rome, and on 1 December holds a council there with representatives of both sides. Leo, on 23 December, takes an oath of purgation concerning the charges brought against him, and his opponents are exiled. Two days after Leo's oath, on Christmas Day 800, he crowns Charlemagne as Roman emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.'

 

`So all's well that ends well,' said Donna, but frowned in thought. `But how come it all went wrong in the first place?'

 

`Ah well, that was all to do with Pompeii,' he said with a raised eyebrow.

 

`Pompeii?'

 

`Four people survived the volcano that hadn't survived originally. Caecilius and Metela's children, Quintus and Evelina had children of their own, who had children, who had children, and so on. They spread out like ripples on a pond, ripples through time. Some of those descendants ended up as disgruntled relatives of the former Pope Adrian I.'

 

Realisation dawned on Donna. `Oh my God, it was me! I made you go back and save them.' She was horrified that she'd nearly plunged Europe into an extended barbaric dark age.

 

'Yeah, I suppose, but things turned out as they should in the end. A quick rewrite of the history books and Bob's your mother's brother.'