Doctor Who Fan Fiction ❯ Rose and Ten The Inbetweens and backstories ❯ Chapter Sixteen ( Chapter 16 )

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As usual, the brilliant adventure turned out not to be as brilliant as Rose had hoped. Although they had met a Time Agent called Lance Elliot, who it turned out happened to know Jack Harkness. He had come to Camelot to take the alien sword Excalibur, and return it to Tezzaria, the world where it was created.

The Doctor had stopped him, pointing out that without the sword, Arthur would not have been the great king that legend remembered. And it had turned out that he needed that sword to help defeat the dragon-like alien that was threatening to take over Camelot and claim the throne for itself.

Arthur and his knights of the round table had taken the Doctor, Rose and Lance into the Mara Forest to find the alien's lair so that the Doctor could speak to it and offer it a lift home. The Craigon was disgraced by failing to recover the sword of his enemy, and faced a court martial and dishonourable discharge if he returned home.

Lance had used the teleport on his disabled Vortex Manipulator to get them out of the Craigon's den, and they party returned to Camelot to prepare for an aerial attack. The Doctor had stood on the roof of the keep in his orange space suit to draw the Craigon's fire, and challenge it to ritual combat.

The Craigon had refused the challenge, preferring to rip him apart with its bare claws. So the Doctor had distracted the alien with an insult, and ran inside the keep, luring down towards the dungeon. Khysssh Shhrysshk was enraged when the Doctor claimed that his mother was a damp match and his father couldn't light a barbecue with a fart.

Inside the keep, the Doctor had met up with Rose and Lance, who were carrying large, gun-like fire extinguishers. They acted as bait, to lure the Craigon down towards the dungeon where they hoped to trap it.

They were now halfway down a hallway when a group of terrified servants came around the corner and skidded to a halt.

`Damn' the Doctor thought, if he went that way they would all be killed by the Craigon.

Rose spotted the handmaiden that had be appointed to her the previous evening. `Methanwy run,' she called to her as they all screamed.

Khysssh Shhrysshk had come around the corner, his bulk filling the hallway. The Doctor opened the nearest door and pushed everyone inside. He rested his back against the door and fused it with the sonic. They were in Rose's bedroom.

`Well, as usual, this isn't quite going to plan,' he said. `I wanted to get him into the dungeon.'

`Did you really call his mother a damp match?' Rose asked with a laugh.

`Yeah, you should hear what I said about his dad!' he laughed as he took off the helmet. The door pounded and the Doctor jumped forwards to join Rose and Lance, turning to look at the door.

The door lurched again. All three instinctively moved backwards towards the wall. There was a loud splintering bang and the door toppled forwards to land flat on the floor.

Khysssh Shhrysshk ducked and stepped into the room as Arthur came around the corner with Bedivere and Tristran.

`See the servants to safety,' Arthur told them as he drew Excalibur from its scabbard.

`Sire, Lady Rose is in there with Lord Doctor,' Methanwy told him.

Rose could hear the gurgling noise from his rumen that she had heard in his den. He was about to `fire'.

She aimed the extinguisher and pulled the trigger as the air rippled. Khysssh Shhrysshk grabbed the extinguisher and pulled it out of her hands. Unfortunately the strap was around her neck and Rose went with it, straight into the arms of the Craigon.

Rose's back was against the belly of the Craigon, a powerful, scaly, muscular arm around her waist held her off the floor. She could feel the points of razor sharp claws at her throat.

`Well Time Lord, you may be difficult to kill, but I'll wager this one isn't' Khysssh Shhrysshk growled. He looked at Lance. `Drop the device.'

Lance looked at the Doctor who nodded for him to comply. Lance took the strap from around his neck and dropped the extinguisher to the floor. They both saw Arthur peep around the door frame to assess the situation and disappear again.

`So Doctor, my father couldn't light a barbecue with a fart?' Khysssh Shhrysshk hissed with venom in his voice.

Even being in a life threatening situation, Rose spluttered as she suppressed a laugh.

`You will suffer for that Doctor, you will see the skin stripped off your precious lady here, and then I will deal with you.'

Arthur leapt through the doorway and thrust Excalibur into the side of the Craigon's chest. Khysssh Shhrysshk swished his tail and knocked Arthur across the room, his sword clattering across the floor, and ending up under the bed.

As Khysssh Shhrysshk instinctively reached to feel the wound, he dropped Rose to the floor who screamed as she fell.

Going down the stairs, Methanwy heard Rose scream and turning, pushed past Tristran and ran back to the hallway. She ran to the doorway and skidded to a halt, looking into the room.

She saw Rose lying on the floor with the dragon standing over her. `The dragon has killed her' she thought.

`ROSE!' she yelled.

Khysssh Shhrysshk, surprised by the sudden entrance belched and roared a jet of flame which engulfed Methanwy and killed her before her charred body hit the polished, oak floor.

`METHANWY!' Rose screamed as she saw her charred corpse on the floor.

She looked up at the Craigon who was grinning at his handy work.

Rose had what the Doctor called the `Jackie Tyler' look on her face.

`YOU BASTARD!' she yelled with all the anguish and venom in her body.

Khysssh Shhrysshk ignored her and headed for Arthur, swatting the Doctor and Lance out of the way. He stood over Arthur and prepared to stamp him through the floor.

Rose looked down at the bed and grabbed the heavy blanket and cast it like a fishing net at the Craigon's head. It covered his head and he stopped to try and pull it off, it was catching on his crest scales.

As Rose had grabbed the blanket it had uncovered Excalibur and she saw it reflecting the candlelight.

`DOCTOR!' Rose grabbed the sword and slid it hilt first towards him.

The Doctor leapt into a forward roll, grabbing the sword and rolling into a sitting position under the Craigon. He thrust upwards and buried the sword deep into his abdomen. The room filled with the stench of bad eggs.

Khysssh Shhrysshk roared again and grabbed the Doctor's shoulders, lifting him off the floor, opening his mouth wide to bite the Doctor's head off.

Lance picked himself off the floor and leapt into a double footed flying kick, catching Khysssh Shhrysshk's lower jaw and spinning his head around. Lance landed on top of Arthur and grinned at him. `Harkness would have loved this' he thought to himself.

The Doctor was thrown across the room, crashed into the wardrobe, and crumpled into a heap on the floor. Khysssh Shhrysshk turned and saw Arthur and Lance entangled together. This was his chance to finish them.

Lance got to one knee and protected the King. He could see blood seeping from the stomach wound and smell rotten eggs. Suddenly his thoughts were crystal clear and he had a plan.

He quickly reached inside his jacket and found the shiny metal object he was looking for, part of his survival kit. Khysssh Shhrysshk menacingly approached, gathering himself for a final attack.

Things seemed to happen in slow motion. Lance brought his fist from inside his pocket and punched it through the wound in Khysssh Shhrysshk's underbelly. The Craigon looked stunned.

In his cheesiest Australian accent Lance said. `Time to light the barbie!'

With his hand inside the rumen, he flipped the lid on his trusty petrol lighter and ran his thumb down the flint-wheel.

The windows in the room blew out with a deafening `BOOM' followed by a damp `SPLAT' as bits of Craigon covered the room.

Rose pulled herself from under the blanket that had landed on her after the Craigon had thrown it off its head. She scrabbled over to the Doctor's motionless form and cradled his head on her lap.

`Doctor?' she whispered, stroking his unruly hair. `Doctor!? Don't you go an' die on me! Don't you dare go changin' again!' She was crying now, tears rolling down her cheeks. `Don't you dare go an' die on me! Not now! I've got to tell you,' her voice caught in her throat. `Tell you that I . . .'

`Rose?' he breathed. He reached up and caressed her face, wiping the tears with his thumb.

`I'm here,' she laughed and cried. `I'm here.' She hugged his head fiercely.

`Help me get to the TARDIS, I need the medi-bay,' he told her.

She kneeled and put her shoulder under his armpit and they staggered across the room to the door. Arthur and Lance were unmoving, either unconscious or dead. They didn't know. The Doctor took in the scene of devastation.

`Blimey! The cleaners are going to be pissed!' he laughed and immediately winced. `Ooh, cracked ribs. No laughing, definitely no laughing.'

They made it to the TARDIS medi-bay and Rose helped him lie on the examination couch. The couch came to life and started beeping and pinging as various robotic tools and implements attached themselves to the Doctor. An oxygen mask fitted itself over his face. A gold mist started to envelope his body as the nano-genes started to repair his body.

Rose went back to the other room and found that Arthur was trying to extricate himself from under Lance. She grabbed Lance's lapels and started to drag him across the floor. Arthur grabbed his knees and lifted him off the floor.

`Where are we going?' Arthur asked her as they struggled through the door.

`TARDIS medi-bay' she replied.

`Rose, I have a confession to make.' He smiled at her. `I understand less than half of the things you and the Doctor say.'

Rose had a fit of post-stress hysterical giggles, knowing what was coming next.

`What the fuck!' Are the very un-royal words that came out of Arthur's mouth when they entered the TARDIS.

`Gadzooks!' is what Rose heard; as the TARDIS thought that this language was a bit choice for a young ladies ears.

The Medi-couch lowered itself to the floor so that they could easily lower Lance onto it. As with the Doctor, after the couch had risen, it sprang into action and started to repair his body.

A green anti-burn gunk was sprayed on his face and his burnt right hand was placed in a plastic container of the same gunk.

Exhausted, Rose looked over at Arthur. `Fancy a cup of tea?' she asked him.

`I don't know, do I?'

`Oh, that's right, you haven't got tea yet have ya. I wonder if it'll cause a paradox thingy if I make you a cuppa. Oh, who cares? I need a cup of tea.'

The Doctor woke up and looked over at Rose. She was sat in a chair and had her feet up on the couch, grinning at him over the top of her mug.

`Howya feelin'?' she asked him.

He looked at the display above his head. `Apparently I'm all right.'

`Here y'are then.' She handed him a mug of tea.

He took it off her and had a sip. `Aaaahh.' He looked over to Lance who was still asleep. Arthur was sat the other side of the couch enjoying a mug of tea.

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It was first light and the servants had started to clean up after the night's activities. Tradesmen were repairing the doors. Rose watched with tears in her eyes as Methanwy's charred body was placed on a wooden stretcher and carried away.

One of the handmaidens wailed and collapsed to her knees on the floor. Rose walked over and kneeled down besides her putting an arm around her shoulders.

`Did you know Methanwy?' Rose asked her.

`Yes m'lady, we came from the same village,' she said between sobs. Rose pulled her into a hug and they both wept.

`My name is Rose,' she told her gently. `I'm not a m'lady. Methanwy wouldn't call me Rose, thought she'd lose her position. But I wanted her to, and now she can't.' She wiped a tear from her cheek.

`Tell me about her, I want to know everything about her. Everything about a woman who was so courageous and yet was afraid to call me Rose.' She was looking up at the Doctor who stood there in silence. His face showing all the usual pain of a Time Lord who could not save everyone.

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Lance was out of the medi-bay and healing well. The nano-genes had fixed up most of his injuries. The burns would take a bit longer so he had his right arm in a sling and bandages on his hand.

He had been summoned to the throne room along with the Doctor and Rose, by command of King Arthur.

Arthur and Guinevere sat on their thrones in front of the assembled court, the knighting-stool in front of them. The ceremonial sword was in its stand by the side of the stool.

`Ladies and gentlemen, today I have the great privilege to confer the honour of knighthood upon a man who demonstrated great courage, fortitude and presence of mind under extreme duress. His action not only saved Camelot and the City of Legions, but also saved my life.' Arthur picked up the sword.

`Lancelot, please come forward and kneel before your King,' Arthur commanded.

Lance stood and walked forwards to stand before Arthur. He knelt on the stool and Arthur touched his right then left shoulder with the tip of the sword.

`Advances Chevalier au nom de Dieu,' Arthur said solemnly. Lancelot stood and Arthur hugged him gently. The assembled guest applauded and cheered as they left their seats to congratulate the new knight.

Rose hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. The Doctor grinned and slapped him on the back.

`So you two are on your way then,' Lance said. `Leaving me here to my fate.'

`Hey, you're the one who came here on your own volition, and you need to be here to throw Arthur's sword in the lake when he dies.'

`Does that really happen?' Rose asked excitedly.

`Why not? The rest of the legend has been fairly close, and we can't have an alien sword lying around, now can we?' the Doctor said smiling.

`Tell you what Lance, before I put the Time Agency out of business, I'll get them to come and pick you up if you like,' the Doctor told him.

Before Lancelot could answer, a guard called to him. `Sir Lancelot, the apothecary is here with your healing remedy.'

He screwed up his face making Rose laugh. A young woman entered the throne room carrying a tray and placed it on the table.

She had curly, black shoulder length hair and beautiful green eyes. She wore a pale green dress with a white apron, and a white scarf head dress.

Lance looked at Rose and the Doctor, grinned and looked back at the young woman. She was pouring a dark green liquid from a bottle into a goblet. She brought it over to Lance and he gave her a smile that made her blush.

As he took the goblet, his fingers touched hers and held the contact for a little longer than he should have.

`What is your name apothecary?' he asked with a silky smooth voice.

`Gwyneth Sir,' she said, unimpressed with his attentions. `You must drink it down in one go,' she told him.

He smiled and knocked it back. He immediately stuck out his green tongue, gasped and shuddered. The Doctor and Rose laughed at the expression on his face.

Gwyneth put a small spoon into a jar on the tray and scooped up the contents. She put the spoon in his mouth and closed his mouth by pushing his chin up.

`Mmmmm, strawberry jam, you should have given me that first,' he told her.

She looked at him slightly seductively and said. `Maybe next time.'

`He definitely knows Jack!' Rose said laughing as he walked over.

`Don't be too eager to send the Agency to get me, will you?' he said with a grin.

Arthur and Guinevere strolled over to say goodbye as Rose's phone started to ring.

``Scuse me,' she said as she took the call. `Hi Mum, how are ya?'

`What magic is that?' Arthur asked the Doctor in amazement, pointing at Rose's mobile phone.

`No magic Arthur, just a complicated machine that allows Rose to speak with her mother over a distance,' he explained.

`Remarkable!' Arthur exclaimed.

`Mum, stop cryin' an' tell me what happened,' Rose said.

`Well, Arthur, Guinevere, we will be going soon. Thank you for your hospitality,' the Doctor said.

`Elton? Who's Elton when he's at home?' Rose said.

`Our hospitality seems inadequate for the service you have provided us,' Guinevere said in earnest.

`He was usin' you to get to the Doctor! I'll kill `im.' Rose had her `Jackie Tyler' face on.

`Er, I think we'd better be going now, bye.' The Doctor grabbed Rose's arm, waved at everyone and headed for the door.

`He had a photo of me? I'll bloody kill 'im! No one upsets my Mum!'.