#oc: tenth sister

[arthrmorgann]

Inquisitor...

Was very fortunate to be able to commission the always lovely @forystr​ to draw my girl Ari Natan/Tenth Sister. With the new game almost here she’s been on the brain again and it was nice to finally get another piece for her after nearly three years.

[southern-stark]

“Master & Apprentice”

Got a piece commissioned of Tenth Sister and her mentor/twisted father figure, Grand Inquisitor!

[Artwork done by the amazing @manofbeskar]

[olive-garden-hoe]

The average interaction of these three

[sicc-nasti]

All Eyes on Him

"Post-Incarceration Syndrome- a syndrome similar to PTSD, meaning that even after serving their official sentences, many people continue to suffer the mental effects."

Before his time as BLU's Courier, Brady was incarcerated for ten+ years in prison after agreeing to take the fall to protect his family. And being thrust back into society is extremely difficult for ex-inmates that suffer from untreated PTSD. Even grocery shopping quickly becomes overwhelming. So much has changed. Too many people are looking at him now. And it might always be this way.

[gryfflepuffinthetardis]

Rose and Lillie - Supernova

Note: Bits have been taken from the "Rose" Novelization by Russel T. Davis in 2018, I've rewritten the parts I felt could be rewritten but still have no ownership; those words are either in italics, bold, or in the chat text style (unless I forgot to do it). I only own Lillie Tyler and Nova and their storylines.

Warnings: Death, Violence, Violently Protective Younger Sister, Overprotective Family, Donna Noble missing an invasion.

Datsuzoku — Japanese — Noun — To escape from the daily routine; to take a break from the conventions of one's life; to discover more creativity and perceive your surroundings differently.

"I am tired of pretending I'm fine to those around me, I've never felt more dead in my entire life."

Nineteen-year-old Rose Tyler woke up on the most ordinary day in her very pink room, not knowing that her life was about to change forever. She would often wonder, many years later, standing on the shore of a different universe, about to witness the biggest heartbreak of her life, whether she had missed any signs on that day, long ago. Presentiments of the dangers and joys to come. A lowering sky, perhaps. Distant lightning. Dogs barking at thin air. A fearful old woman staring at her from across the street. But no. It was simply a Friday. Her alarm went off at seven-thirty.

She knew her schedule—shower, have yogurt, wake up her little sister, argue with her mother about the electricity bill or with her sister about her paper assignments scattered all over the flat, walk her sister to the bus stop, and then walk to work.

--

Princess Supernova of Elder glared at the young Time Lord who would one day choose the name “the Doctor” and his standoffish attitude (that was hiding his immense anxiety as he had spent a lot of time crying in the barn of his orphanage lately as this day had grown closer) and then she punched him in the face in front of the whole of Gallifrey’s Academy. The young boy who would one day choose the name “The Master” but now was known by his nickname, “Koschei” let out an impressed and disbelieving chuckle as the Doctor turned back to her in shock, holding his jaw that would soon sport a bruise.

She smirked and stuck out her hand, "Hi, I'm Princess Supernova."

He stared at her for a few shocked moments, he made eye contact with Koschei who was still grinning.

Lillie Tyler was awoken by her sister, Rose Tyler banging on her door. "It’s time for school, Lillie!”

She heard Lillie let out a nasal, overdramatic groan, which vaguely resembled a dying cat parade. “Naaaaaaaaaaggghhh!” which roughly translated in went-to-bed-at-two-in-the-morning-Lillie as, “Don’t make me get out of bed! I’m allergic to sunlight and socializing and dumb people which is everyone at my school including the teachers! Especially the teachers!”

Rose showed no facial expression, indicating that this was unusual behavior for her little sister.

“Don’t make me sent Mum in there!”

“I’m getting up! I’m getting up!” The younger Tyler sister groaned and then rolled over, pulling all the blankets with her as she rolled off the bed.

Lillie stood up, pushing the blankets off her, revealing her hair to be a brunette frizzy mess and her gray-tinted blue eyes bleary with sleep. She rubbed her eyes and got ready for the day.

She and her older sister, Rose Tyler moved in their usual routine. You wouldn't think it by looking at them that they were sisters as Rose had straight blonde hair and green eyes and Lillie had curly chocolate brown hair and blue eyes.

Rose had dropped out of school when she was sixteen while Lillie was exceptionally bright and liked to think of herself as an empathetic Sherlock Holmes.

When Rose was in school, Lillie was a grade behind her even though she was only six months younger. Lillie was still in school, in her last year, she had wild amounts of potential, in between and after her high school classes, she even took advanced classes—college-level advanced classes that were hard for college students and sometimes even professionals—but she had no ambition or confidence in herself.  She occasionally questioned her own sanity as she still believes she met a man with a stupidly long scarf and a woman with purple hair with a magic box that could travel through time and space that was bigger on the inside.

She and Rose left their house, walking side by side before splitting at the bus stop, accustomed to this routine.

--

Throughout school, she stared into nothingness as she was bored out of her mind. Boredom. That's all she really felt her whole life... except when she met the Doctor and Nova and Sarah Jane Smith. When she was dealing with that "Weeping Angel" she had been scared but she felt alive, more alive than she had ever felt. She'd give anything to feel that again. This September she was supposed to go to the University of Cambridge to study astronomy, cosmology, and quantum physics. That's all she wanted, to reach the stars; that'll be the next best thing as it seemed that they were never coming back for her.

She didn’t really have friends at school, they regarded her as weird and abnormal. She had one school friend, one who was intelligent and resourceful, more than any of the other students, the brilliant Lars South-Woods; they became friends and Lillie had fallen hard, they dated for a year before Lars was given an internship at… well, Lars wouldn’t tell Lillie where but she caught a glimpse of the name, it was two words put together but she only made out a “T” and a “W” but then Lars had caught her nearly had a freakout and Lillie realized if she didn’t want to get yelled at to run. Lars and she had broken up on mutual terms with the promise to stay friends but she was alone again.

“Miss Tyler?” Her teacher asked. Well, it wasn’t her teacher but a professor whose class she audited she had been taking these classes since she was twelve years old when she started outsmarting the teachers by calculating things in multiple dimensions. Some of the professors tried to trip her up but she often both outsmarted them and confused them, like when she kept only referring to “Quantum Entanglement” as Einstein’s name for it, “Spooky action at a distance” even in her papers. She was acknowledging the theory brilliantly but only used that term, simply because according to her when her mother confusingly asked her about it, not understanding a lick of it, was because, “it’s funnier to say.”

“Why did a genius such as Albert Einstein consider Quantum Entanglement impossible?”

Lillie just looked up boredly at her and said, “Well, spooky action at a distance is the phenomenon by which one particle can effectively ‘know’something about another particle instantaneously, even if they are on opposite sides of the galaxy. Einstein argued that this violates the local realism view of causality which is the cause of a physical change must be local—that is, a thing is changed only if it is physically touched, he argued at nothing could move faster than the speed of light, not even information. This idea absolutely rattled the physicist and he never accepted it. But it doesn’t at least, not to our knowledge, experiments show that quantum physics can be used to send faster-than-light communication, whether this theory is true is not truly known to this day and may be that way for quite a while. Most physicists today accept spooky action at a distance as a real phenomenon, based on many experiments that confirm it. They also argue that it does not allow for faster-than-light communication, because the measurement outcomes are random and cannot be controlled or predicted.”

She said this with the utmost causality as if explaining what color the sky was.

“What do you think?”

“I think nothing is faster than light.” She said with a slight smirk as if she knew something she didn’t. Well, not consciously.

“Y-yes, well, once again, Miss Tyler, it’s called ‘Quantum Entanglement’.” The professor said.

Lillie sighed and slumped back in her seat before dropping her head on the table, typical, scienctists always wanted to make everything straightforward and never have any fun. The people who had fun never liked Lillie, they found her weird and the people she almost fit in with were no fun.

She and Rose had been promised this year would be better. A promise made on New Year’s Eve by a complete stranger. She and Rose had been heading across the estate before Lillie got sick from the cold, when a man—some drunk the girls assumed—had asked out to the sisters out to her from the shadows, by the bins. He’d asked them what year it was. It had just chimed midnight, so Lillie told him it was 2005. His face was lost in darkness and snow but somehow she heard him smile as he repeated the year, there was a certain weight to his words that Lillie still thought a lot about, and then he said, “I bet you're going to have a really great year.” He had spoken in a southern Estuary English accent and she could make out the silhouette of his sticky-uppy hair.

Yeah. Sure.

“Never trust a drunk in the dark.” Jackie told that to Rose and Lillie when they were young and Rose still continuously told Lillie this as if they were her own words of wisdom, especially after Jimmy Stone. Lillie never did, not that she had many chances to be around drunks with her rather introverted personality.

But the funny thing was, she did trust him. And so did Rose against all sense of logic. That stranger. There was something about his voice, the way he said it, like he was saying it only for them. He had looked directly at Lillie as if he was applying it more to Lillie than Rose. Somehow, out of all the nonsense the sisters had ever heard from drunken men, they remembered his words.

So Rose and Lillie Tyler kept waiting.

After school, she walked to Rose's work after school, she was just so tired of everyday life. She knew Rose was too, despite never having to talk about it but what could they do about it?

Rose told her that she needed to give Wilson the lottery money at her work and Lillie offered to stay up in the store.

Rose let a sarcastic laugh and said, “Not a chance in hell.” She grabbed her hand and pulled her to the elevator. “Blimey, Lils, you’re eighteen and have been taking genius advanced university classes for six years, it’s just a lift!”

“Ugh, you sound like Mum!” Lillie groaned.

They got on the elevator of the building and went down the elevator shaft.

Wilson was known for being a creep, Rose had caught him eyeing her little sister at times but he wasn’t so dumb to make a move after witnessing Jackie scream at and slap a drunk who had hit on her in the store soon after Rose started working at Hendrick’s and it was immediately followed by Rose doing the same thing while Lillie just blushed, mortified with her arms crossed. So he knew both Rose and Jackie wouldn’t hesitate to slap the living day lights out of him and then there was the story of what Lillie did to Rose’s ex-boyfriend, Jimmy Stone, allegedly, she had somehow hunted him down to Amsterdam when seven full hours away from London by car—and Lillie didn’t own a car or a driver’s license, she had been fifteen years old and allegedly slashed his tires and keyed his car and all of his band equipment was mysteriously stolen and then he was found by the police with his bass drum broken over him, trapping him with a convenient list of proof of his petty crimes just for them which landed him in prison for eighteen months. There had been no proof that Lillie had done it but Rose suspected otherwise.

They stepped out of the elevator and Rose looked down the hall, "Wilson!" The sisters looked at each other before venturing down a hall, "Wilson, I've got the lottery money. Wilson, are you there?" The eldest knocked on Wilson's office door but there was no answer. "I can't hang about cause they're closing the shop. Wilson!"

The two sisters heard a clattering down the hall and the sisters looked at each other and they followed the noise with Rose taking the lead; Wilson was known for being a bit of creep.

Rose has always been overprotective of her and Lillie was for her. Rose’s earliest memory was when she was about a year and a half year old, most don’t have memories form the first three years of their life but this memory always stuck to her because Lillie had gotten really sick during the winter, Jackie had cried as she had feared Lillie would die so soon after Pete but Lillie made it through. It turned out it was a really bad case of pneumonia; apparently Lillie had some aversion to cold weather, it made her particularly vulnerable to illnesses such as the common cold or the flu, which was especially dangerous as she not even a year old at that time. They had been told that while most one-year-old’s immune systems were stronger than people thought, usually maturing somewhere between two and three months but Lillie’s immune system just was maturing more slowly, making her vulnerable to the cold.

Rose remembered getting out of her tiny toddler bed and walking to her sister’s room, being quiet as her mom chattered away on the phone.

“I swear, I’m only twenty-one and she’s giving me gray hairs…”

Rose snuck into her sister’s room and pulled the step ladder thing she used to peer over the crib and she saw her sister asleep, she was hugging a stuffed star, fists pale as she clung onto it for dear life as she slept on her side with her cheek all smushed from lying on the stuffed star, she had curly chocolate brown hair, a vast contrast of her mother and sister’s straighter blonde hair.

Toddler Rose didn’t say anything, she just looked at her little sister. At her young age, Rose had been aware her sister was in danger, Jackie had been crying in the hospital as Mickey and his parents and grandmother were there. Odessa and Jackson had been comforting Jackie while Mickey and Rita-Anne sat with her.

Baby Lillie then opened her eyes, revealing brilliant blue eyes, looking up at her older sister with much more intelligence than an eleven-month-old should have.

Toddler Rose smiled down at her sister, she reached down and felt Baby Lillie take her hand.

“I promise to protect you.” The one-year-old Rose Tyler promised. “Forever.” To this day, Rose recalls that day as the first time she promised to protect Lillie and she never failed to live up to that promise and it had become her instinct to protect Lillie before herself.

"Hello? W-Wilson?" She pushed a door open, the sisters entering a very dark room, revealing a huge room of mannequins. The eldest Tyler sister ventured into the room, closely.

"Right, let's just go for a stroll into the room full of nightmares," Lillie muttered before following her sister to a red door that said: Estates Management Department Access: Restricted to Authorized Personnel Only when the door they came in closed shut.

The sisters ran to the door, trying to pull it open but it seemed to be locked.

"You're kidding me." Rose muttered as Lillie kicked the door.

They heard more clanking behind them.

"Is that someone mucking about?" Rose called.

"Who is it?" Lillie called as they wandered further into the nightmare room.

They heard creaking and turned to see a male mannequin looking at them. Lillie saw the mannequin stepping out towards them, Rose grabbed Lillie's arm, pulling her back.

"Yeah, you got me. Very funny." Rose said, her voice slightly shaky, she sensed danger but didn't want to accept it but was still wary of the danger Lillie was in.

A second mannequin behind the first moved, then a third.

"Right, I've got the joke. "Whose idea was this? Is it Derek's? Is it? Derek, is this you?" Lillie pulled Rose away from the increasing number of moving mannequins, Rose stumbled over a box as Lillie backed into a wall with Rose joining her. The sisters clasped each other's hands tightly.

The lead mannequin raised its arm as if going to karate chop them; Rose noticed in a brief glint of light, dark liquid on the dummy’s hand… she hoped it was oil or paint… but she doubted it… Rose pushed Lillie behind her, shielding her with her body, though it wouldn’t be much use… Rose closed her eyes, bracing for impact, letting out a few soft whimpers of fear but refusing to do anything other than live up to her promise. Lillie stared up at the dummies over Rose’s shoulder with a glare, her compass locket given to her five years ago glowed colors of a rageful red, a protective turquoise, a flowery pink that an Elder would recognize for the fierceness of sisterly love but then before the glow became noticeable a man reached out of the darkness and grabbed Rose and Lillie’s joined hands, and with that and one word changing the sisters' lives forever.

"Run."

It was a bald man around his early-to-mid forties with big ears, wearing a t-shirt and a leather jacket.

He pulled Rose and Lillie out of the way, and the three ran through the basement as the mannequins followed until they got to the lift. One of the mannequins grabbed Lillie's hair and tried to pull her back out. Suddenly some unknown instinct kicked in and she spun, grabbing the arm and pulling it off in one fell swoop and the elevator doors closed on the mannequins.

"I..." She drawled out in shock, backing into the elevator wall next to her sister. "...Pulled its arm off."

The man stared at Lillie in shock for a few long moments. She looked just like her, just with brown hair and blue eyes. She even had a similar fashion style. Graphic tee, plaid skirt, jeans, boots.

"What?" Lillie asked, looking down, she hated when people looked at her for what she felt was too long, she felt like they were judging her and while she ultimately didn't care about the opinion of people who were usually too invested in their own lives to consider other people or only did it to feel better about themselves, it hurt nonetheless, not that she would ever admit that.

The man shook his head as if shaking out of a trance, denying something in his head. "Yep. Plastic." He covered up his shock. There would roughly be about six people in the world who would look like her, nonetheless the universe.

"Very clever. Nice trick! Who were they then, students? Is this a student thing or what?" Rose asked.

"Why would they be students?" He asked, curiously, almost as if he were testing her.

"I don't know..." Rose trailed off, feeling flustered suddenly.

"Well, you said it. Why students?" He prompted.

"Cause to get that many people dressed up and being silly, they got to be students." Rose mumbled, she felt shameful that she had froze up in a crisis, she had just acted as a shield for her sister, lot good that would do before they would’ve gotten to her.

"That makes sense. Well done." He smiled.

"Thanks."

"They're not students."

"Whoever they are, when Wilson finds them, he's going to call the police." Rose said, sternly.

"Who's Wilson?" The man asked.

"Chief electrician."

“Slash-caretaker.” Lillie mumbled.

"Wilson's dead." He said simply.

The lift beeped, announcing that they had reached their destination and they walked out.

"That's just not funny." Rose exclaimed.

"That's sick!" Lillie scoffed. The man noted that this brunette had a different accent than she did. It had been Australian.

"Hold on. Mind your eyes." He took out a sonic screwdriver, it was different than the one she had seen her Doctor with.

Doctor. It was her Doctor but with a different face. Like in her dreams. But… where was Nova?

"I've had enough of this now!" Rose complained, the sisters truly did get Jackie's attitude. Sparks emitted from lift mechanism as he continued to ignore most of Rose's questions, "Who are you, then? Who's that lot down there? I said, who are they?"

"They're made of plastic. Living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device in the roof, which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this." He produced what seemed to be a small bomb, "So, I'm going to go up there and blow them up, and I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me. No, you two go home. Go on. Go and have your lovely beans on toast." He opened a door and pushed the sisters through it, Don't tell anyone about this, because if you do, you'll get them killed." He shut the door.

Doctor. The name appeared in her head and she knew that was who he was.

The man opened the door and opened his mouth to speak but Lillie had spoken, "You're the Doctor, aren't you?"

He blinked at her like he couldn't believe it.

"How did you know?"

"Umm... I don't..." She mumbled, lamely. It couldn't be him. Those were just dreams. Right?

"What's your names?" He asked, narrowing his blue eyes but not in a bad way, but more in a curious way.

"Rose."

"Lillie."

"Nice to meet you, Rose, Lillie. Run for your lives!"

Rose, still holding the mannequin arm, grabbed Lillie's hand and pulled her out of the building onto the street, Lillie pulled Rose back before she became a questionable hood ornament of a car.

"Watch it!" The man shouted.

The sisters looked at one another as they made it to the sidewalk.

KABOOM!

A huge fireball took out the upper floor of Rose's job, making Rose flinch while Lillie just tilted her head. Rose ran straight past an out-of-date police telephone box, Lillie however, stumbled to a stop and the brunette turned to look at it, she walked up to the blue wooden box and went to touch it but stopped when Rose shouted for her and Lillie ran after her.

The Tardis warbled, recognizing the soul of the girl who had tried to touch her, well, the fact that she was the same girl who dressed as Sherlock.

--

The neighbors applauded when the sisters returned much to Lillie’s embarrassment as she pulled her hoodie over her head and then their mother burst out of their flat, resembling five foot tall blonde and denim missile.

Rose flinched and Lillie paused, observing her mother’s mood, trying to decipher, if they’d get a hug or a slap.

A hug. A hug that nearly knocked Lillie off the ground and brought her mother down with her but they managed not to as Jackie squeezed the living daylights out of the sisters.

Jackie Tyler, five-foot-nothing, age—not relevant (thirty-six, but she’d never admit it), karaoke champion of the spinning wheel, life and soul of the party (which birthed Jackie’s eighteen-year-old joke of how she could be Lillie’s mother since she was the opposite) but a monumental lightning storm when angry(which was proof that she was Lillie’s mother), now sobbing and laughing and somehow finding a reason to give Rose a punch on the arm while still nearly strangling her youngest.

“YOU STUPID GIRL!”

“Why am I stupid!?” Rose asked.

“You just are!”

Then she found a reason to get angry at her youngest, “What are you doing out here in the cold! You’ll get hypo-pneumonia!”

“That’s not a thing, Mum!” Lillie protested as Jackie dragged her back to the flat, waving to the neighbors as though she had single-handedly rescued her daughters herself, “It’s ‘hypothermia’ and ‘pneumonia’!

As she dragged her youngest inside as if she were blue from the cold as her oldest, thankful for not being Jackie’s center of attention at the moment, quietly entered as Jackie wittered on, “What would I do if you left! All these textbooks lying about!” To be fair, a bunch of Lillie’s textbooks were at random places, including in the freezer as Jackie had found that morning for some reason and a bunch of her papers were scattered about.

Soon Jackie switched to going on the phone to talk to seemingly everyone she had ever known, as the sisters watched the news, "The whole of Central London has been closed off as police investigate the fire. Early reports indicate..."

Jackie walked out of the kitchen, still on the phone, "I know. It's on the telly. It's everywhere. They're lucky to be alive. Honestly, it's aged them. Skin like an old bible. Walking in now you'd think I was their daughter. Oh, and here's them."

Mickey, Rose's boyfriend entered the apartment, "I've been phoning your mobiles. You two could've been dead. It's on the news and everything. I can't believe that your shop went up!""

"We're all right, honestly!" Rose said.

"We're fine! Don't make a fuss." Lillie agreed.

"Well, what happened?"

"I don't know!"" The sisters groaned in unison.

"What was it though?" Mickey asked. "What caused it?"

"We weren't in the shop. We were outside." Rose lied. "We didn't see anything.

Jackie walked up to them, handing Rose the phone, "It's Debbie on the end. She knows a man on the Mirror. Five hundred quid for an interview."

"Oh, that's brilliant!" Rose said, sarcastically, taking the phone, "Give it here." She took the phone and hung up.

"Well, you've got to find some way of making money. Your job's kaput and I'm not bailing you out."

"Mum, we could've died! Now's not the time to be thinking about money!" Lillie scolded her mother but before Jackie could reply the phone rang and she picked up again.

"Bev! They're alive. I've told them, sue for compensation. They were within seconds of death." She said into the phone as Lillie rolled her eyes. As far as Jackie knew, they hadn’t even been in the building.

"What're you drinking, tea? Nah, nah, that's no good, that's no good. You're in shock. You need something stronger." Mickey told them.

"We're all right." Rose said for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"Now, come on, you deserve a proper drink. We're going down the pub. My treat. How about it?" Mickey told the girls.

"Is there a match on?" Rose asked, knowing her boyfriend.

"No, I'm just thinking about you, babe."

"There's a match on, ain't there."

"That's not the point, but we could catch the last five minutes." Mickey said.

"Go on, then." Rose said.

"We're fine, really." Lillie reassured him.

"Go. Get rid of that."

Rose and Mickey kissed before leaving with the mannequin arm.

"Fire then spread throughout the store. Fifteen fire crews are in attendance though it's thought there is very little chance of saving the infrastructure."

Lillie’s phone rang and she looked at it and stiffened. Lars.

She shut herself off into her room, hearing her mother say, “Oh, Lillie’s gone to her room already. Lasted longer than you thought, Bev but I know my daughter!”

Lillie answered her phone and didn’t even get to answer when a series of fast-paced anxious questions were hurled at her from the other end as if someone had pushed the forward wind button as Lillie repeated the nickname and it wasn’t until about ten minutes later that Lillie could get a word in edgewise.

—

Rose was still shamed how she hadn’t acted as she thought she would in the crisis, wondering if it was a girl thing. She felt like everyone was right about her that there wasn’t anything special about her, that she was simply and utterly average. Maybe Jimmy Stone was right about her, that she was thick. She felt like for the first time, she had let her sister down, who the only person she felt like didn’t look at her like she couldn’t do better. She felt like she had broken her promise to save her sister. Soon she drifted to sleep but she woke up around two when Lillie let in Lars, quietly and snuck into her room. Rose listened to the indecipherable whispering between Lillie and Lars, luckily Rose’s room was in-between Lillie and Jackie’s, so their mum didn’t hear the late-night visitor.  Rose drifted off to sleep again, to wake up again around three.

--

Lillie's alarm woke her from her dream. Her blue eyes opened as she heard her mother shout to Rose, "There's no point in getting up, sweetheart. You've got no job to go to."

Lillie had chosen to stay home that day as Jackie prompted Rose to get another job, even though twelve hours ago her last one blowing up.

"There's Finch's. You could try them. They've always got jobs." Jackie suggested.

"Oh, great. The butchers." Rose scoffed, sarcastically.

"Well, it might do you good. That shop was giving you airs and graces. And I'm not joking about compensation. You've had genuine shock and trauma. Arianna got two thousand quid off the council just because the old man behind the desk said she looked Greek!"

"Mum, Arianna is Greek!" Lillie said, somewhat boredly.

"I know she is Greek, but that's not the point. It was a valid claim."

Lillie dropped her head on the table in exasperation as Rose smiled softly, stroking her little sister's chocolate-colored locks.

Something at the door rattled, the catflap. According to their mother, that was one of the last things their father, Pete Tyler promised to fix, according to Jackie he was a budding entrepreneur and an inventor, at least, that’s who Pete wanted to be; he died before he could. The day of Sarah and Stuart’s wedding, he took the week-old Lillie out to get a wedding present that he forgot about, Jackie had already been furius that he took their newly born daughter who spent most of the week in the hospital because she was born at six months miraculously which had turned to guilt when she was informed of what had happened when the police had tracked her down, baby Lillie had spent hours crying as if she had sensed her father’s death.

Eighteen years later, Jackie had insisted she’d one day fix the catflap but she never did. Lillie didn’t need to take psychology classes to know for Jackie to do it would to fully accept that Pete was never coming back.

Rose and Lillie walked over to it, "Mum, you're such a liar. I told you to nail that cat flap down. We're going to get strays."

"I did it weeks back!" Jackie called.

"No, you thought about it." Lillie called back.

Lillie could swear she heard a familiar sound but she couldn't think where she heard it before. She bent down, finding the screws for the cat flap and it moved slightly. Rose bent down, opening it to see a familiar face.

"What the hell?" Lillie asked as the sisters stood up and Rose opened the door.

"What're you two doing here?" He asked like he was the one who belonged there.

"We live here." Rose said, "what are you doing here?"

"What'd you do that for?" He asked.

"'Cause we do!" Rose snapped. "And I'm only home because someone blew up my job."

He took out the sonic screwdriver again.

"Must have got the wrong signal." He said, "neither of you are plastic, are you?" He knocked on Rose's forehead, then went to do the same to Lillie's who slapped his hand away, giving him a similar drolly glare at Nova was so accustomed to giving him. "Nope, boneheads. Bye, then."

Lillie grabbed him by the arm, glaring at him like, oh, no. You're not getting away so easily again! "You, inside, right now." She pulled him inside, making him stumble from her impressive strength and grip. Lillie herself was surprised by her bold act as she was usually accustomed to just ignoring people listening to her Walkman, because for some reason, she still had one that somehow hadn't broken.

"Who is it?" Jackie called from her room.

Rose poked her head to Jackie's room, "It's about last night, he's part of the inquiry. Give us ten minutes.

"They deserve compensation." Jackie said.

"We're talking millions." The Doctor agreed.

"I'm in my dressing gown."

"Yes, you are."

"There's a strange man in my bedroom."

"Yes, there is."

"Well, anything could happen."

"No."

Lillie had a disgusted look on her face. "Well, I'm scarred for life." Lillie deadpanned, pulling the Doctor away from Jackie's room. "Come into our house, strange stranger,"

"Don't mind the mess. Do you want a coffee?"

"Might as well, thanks! Just milk."

Lillie watched the Doctor as Rose made the coffees.

"We should go to the police. Seriously. All of us."

He picked up a magazine, "That won't last, he's gay and she's an alien.

"I'm not blaming you, even if it was just some sort of joke that went wrong."

He picked up a paperback book, The Lovely Bones, flipping through it and remarking, "Hmm. Sad ending."

"Uh, y-yeah, it's for school." Lillie said, looking at him, strangely. "Don't like it. Very depressing."

"How old are you?" He asked.

"Eighteen. Turn nineteen in October." She answered.

"College?" He asked.

"Cambridge."

"Cambridge? Good school."

"Yeah, astrology. I've always wanted to reach the stars." She said and a smile pulled at his lips.

"They said on the news they'd found a body."

He picked up an envelope, "Rose Tyler." Then he looked at himself in the mirror and seemed to be acting as if he had never seen his reflection before, "Ah, could've been worse. Look at the ears."

"All the same, he was nice. Nice bloke."

The Doctor picked up a deck of cards, "Luck be a lady."

"Anyway, if we are going to go to the police, I want to know what we're saying."

The cards went flying everywhere.

"I want you to explain everything."

"Maybe not." She snarked.

He saw a picture of a thirteen-year-old girl in a Sherlock Holmes costume and then it clicked; he pointed at her, "October thirty-first, two thousand. Sherlock Holmes." He looked her up and down, "You've changed."

She narrowed her eyes at him and scoffed, "You can talk!"

He looked confused for a moment before realizing, "oh yes, the face. I do that."

"You change your face?" She asked.

"And body and personality, done it half a dozen times since I last saw you." He said, causally.

"As you do." She said, sarcastically.

"Why'd you change?"

"Uh, I grew up." She said.

The Doctor made a face at that, like he was Peter Pan thinking of the aspect of growing up.

“What’s this?” He asked, nearly slipping of paper.

“Oh, that’s my paper on spooky action at a distance.” She giggled, “That’s what I call ‘Quantum entanglement’ to annoy my professor. I take university-level classes.”

“At eighteen?” The Doctor asked, actually impressed and picked up another paper.

“That’s my paper on cosmology. It’s about the size of the universe…”

“This… this is like twenty-first century drafting of Camhoolian Flat Mathematics, though oddly with very little mathematics.” He kept turning the paper at different angles as if expecting to spot a secret message.

“I don’t like numbers; they give me a headache.” She said.

“Ah, I understand that! Wait, this paper is dated 1999! And it’s about quantum physics! How long have you been taking university classes?”

“Since I was twelve.” She mumbled.

Then there was a pattering sound, "What's that, then? You got a cat?"

"No."

He peeked over the couch and the mannequin arm jumped up, grabbing his throat. Lillie jumped into action, trying to pull it off.

"We did have, but now they're just strays. They come in off the estate."

Rose came back in and took little to no notice of what was happening, under the impression that it was just a joke.

"I told Mickey to chuck that out... Honestly, give a man a plastic hand..."

"Uh, Rose." Lillie said but Rose didn't seem to hear her.

"Anyway, I don't even know your name, Doctor... what was it?"

The Doctor threw the hand off and it flies across the room attaching itself to Rose's face.

"ROSE!" Lillie screamed, worried for her sister, running to her trying to pull the hand off.

She pulled it off no problem only for it to grab on to Lillie's throat, pushing her down onto the glass coffee table which broke from her weight as it strangled her.

"LILLIE!" Rose screamed.

The Doctor pushed her onto the couch, took out the sonic screwdriver, and disabled the hand. Rose enveloped her sister into a big hug before examining her neck for bruising.

Somehow all of this commotion went completely unnoticed by Jackie Tyler who apparently had the loudest hair dryer known to humankind.

"It's alright, I've stopped it. There you go you see? Armless."

He tossed it at them, Rose snatched it before it could hit Lillie, not wanting to take any chances. "Do you think?" She then whacked him on the shoulder with it.

The Doctor then promptly left with the bemused sisters running after him.

"Hold on a minute, you can't just go swanning off." Rose exclaimed.

"Yes, I can. Here I am, this is me, swanning off. See ya!" He exclaimed.

"That arm was moving, it tried to kill me! It tried to kill my sister!" Rose snapped.

"Ten out of ten for observation." He said, sarcastically.

"You can't just walk away, that's not fair! You've got to tell us what's going on." Lillie said, angrily, getting mad that he had insulted her sister.

"No, I don't."

"Well, you should." Lillie argued.

"Alright then. I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said, if I did that, I'd get people killed. So, your choice. Tell me, or I'll start talking." Rose tried to sound tough.

"Is that supposed to sound tough?"

"Sort of." She said, sheepishly.

"Doesn't work."

"Who are you!?" Rose asked.

"I told you! The Doctor."

"Yeah. But Doctor what?"

"It's just the Doctor." Lillie replied.

"Just the Doctor." He said, their responses overlapping.

"The Doctor?"

"Hello!"

"Is that supposed to sound impressive?"

"Sort of." He mimicked her earlier words.

"Well, it's not." Lillie said, sharply.

"Come on. You can tell me. I've seen enough. Are you the police?"

"No. I was just passing through. I'm a long way from home."

"But what have we done wrong? How comes those plastic things keep coming after us?" Rose asked. "And how do we stop them before they kill my me and sister."

"Oh! Suddenly the entire world revolves around you! You two were just an accident, you two got in the way, that's all."

"It tried to kill us!"

"It was after me, not you! Last night, in the shop, I was there, you two blundered it. Almost ruined the whole thing. This morning, I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down... the only reason it fixed on you is that you met me."

"So, what you're saying is, the entire world revolves around you." Lillie sassed.

"Sort of, yeah."

"You're full of it!"

"Sort of, yeah."

"If we almost ruined everything last night, then you didn't have to save us," Lillie spoke up, "you could've let us die. Why did you save us, then?"

"It's my job."

"You haven't done this is a while, have you?"

The Doctor stopped and looked at her, surprised, "yeah, how'd you know?"

"I-I don't know. I just know things about people. I'm intuitive I guess, part of the ADHD thing."

"You're ADHD?" The Doctor asked, the similarities just kept adding up.

"Yeah, you got a problem with a girl having ADHD?" She demanded, surprising herself with the confrontational tone as she was not a confrontational person.

"No, my best friend had ADHD before she died." He said, "I'm trying to do better in her memory."

"Then you shouldn't tell people they almost ruined everything; you know how much we already do that ourselves!" Lillie reprimanded him, reminding him of someone who always scolded his dismissive behavior.

"But, all this plastic stuff. Who else knows about it?" Rose asked, changing the subject and they all started to walk again.

"No one."

"What, you're on your own?" Lillie asked, noticing the lack of Nova and Sarah-Jane.

"Well, who else is there?" He said, shortly, "I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly, while all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on."

"Oh, yeah? Well, some of us would love do something more but can't! My sister dropped out of school without taking her A-levels for a boy and he thanked her by stealing her computer, leaving her to deal with their shared bedsit to run away with a woman named Noosha in a camper van with no A-levels and an incomplete education!"

"Lillie!" Rose scolded, embarrassed.

"Our dad died when I was barely a week old, he was an inventor, Rose wasn't even a year old and our Mum's a hairdresser who raised us on her own." Lillie didn't mention how while Jackie did the best she could, she wasn't as present in their lives as any of them would've liked, Rose essentially took on the protecting role over Lillie and helped raise her as much as Jackie did. "Not everyone gets the opportunity to do something great with their lives. Some things get in the way, some of those things they may be born with, and sometimes people don't know what they're going to do with their life."

The Doctor seemed shocked by all this and felt a little bad, understanding that with all of this companions, some had had less than fortunate upbringings. Vicki Pallister's dad had been killed by someone who she though was like a father figure to her while gaslighting her for years. Peri Brown had been fearful of her stepfather, not that he made it much better when he throttled her after regenerating into the Sixth Doctor. Then... Nova, her parents hadn't been abusive, they loved her with all their hearts, but... the man she had to marry, however...

"Sorry."

Rose sighed and snatched the arm from him. "Okay. Start from the beginning. I mean, if we're going to go with the living plastic, and I don't even believe that, but if we do, how did you kill it?" Rose asked.

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal, dead."

"So that's radio control?"

"Thought control." Lillie said automatically though she wasn't sure how she knew this.

"So, who's controlling it, then?"

"Long story."

"Well, I happen to like long stories." Lillie challenged.

"But what's it all for? I mean, shop window dummies, what's that about? Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?" And then the three laughed.

"No."

"No."

"It's not a price war. They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you. Do you believe me?"

The sisters spoke in unison but had different answers, "No."

"Yes."

"But you're still listening." He pointed out to Rose.

"Really, though, Doctor. Tell me, who are you?"

He paused, "Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it." He took their hands "The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, both of you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go. That's who I am. Now, forget me, Rose and Lillie Tyler." He took the arm from Rose, "Go home."

Lillie watched as he walked towards the blue box from the day before but it was in a different place, Lillie narrowed her eyes before Rose pulled her away when a rush of air blew through the area and then a strange noise. A strange yet beautiful sound that only existed in Lillie's dreams along with adventure that she had never known in this lifetime. The girls ran back to find the blue box gone.

--

The Doctor walked into the Tardis and started to smack the console as he brought up Lillie Tyler's high school picture and info.

Full Name: Delilah Holmes “Lillie” Tyler

Birthday: October 31, 1987

Appearance: Curly dark brown hair, blue eyes, five foot three

Fears: Claustrophobia — Fear of small, enclosed spaces

Skills/Abilities: Deduction, Problem-solving, Creative solutions, Resilience, Compassion, Empathy, Multi-tasking, Adaptability

Disorder(s): ADHD, Directional Dyslexia

Family:

Pete Tyler (Father; Deceased)

Jackie Tyler (Mother; Hairdresser)

Rose Tyler (Former Student; Dropped Out)

Medical History: Born four months early, fortunately, she was miraculously grown enough to go home with her parents and sister; Frequent visits to hospitals for bruised knuckles acquired due to fights; Sensitive to cold weather, prone to getting colds.

Record: Lillie has been known to skip class and get in trouble with the authorities and rebel.

Notes: "Lillie marches to the beat of her own drum"; Lots of potential, no ambition; Equipped for leadership but lacks interest; Highly intelligent but absent-minded.

"What are you?" The Doctor wondered.

--

"This is why we need to get a car of our own." Lillie complained to her sister.

"You're not coming in! He's safe, he's got a wife and kids." Rose told Mickey.

"Yeah but who told you that? He did. That's exactly what an Internet lunatic murderer would say."

Rose and Lillie got out and knocked on the door of the house, a boy answered.

"Uh, hello, we've come to see Clive. We've been emailing." Rose said, somewhat awkwardly.

"Dad! It's one of your nutters!" He called. Rose and Lillie exchanged looks at this.

"Sorry. Hello. You must be Rose and Lillie. I'm Clive. Obviously!"

"I better tell you now, my boyfriend's waiting in the car, just in case you're going to kill us!" Rose said and the sisters laughed nervously.

"No, good point. No murders." He said, he waved to Mickey who glared.

"Who is it?" His wife asked.

"Oh, it's something to do with the Doctor! These girls have been reading the website. Please come through, I'm in the shed." He invited the girls inside.

Lillie tilted her head, he seemed friendly enough, but she had a taser gun in her pocket... just in case.

"They read a website about the Doctor? Girls?"

In the shed, Clive told them about the Doctor. "A lot of this stuff's quite sensitive, I couldn't just send it to you. People might intercept it if you know what I mean. If you dig deep enough—keep a lively mind—this Doctor keeps cropping up all over the place. Political diaries, conspiracy theories. Even ghost stories. No first name, no last name. Just 'The Doctor'. Always the Doctor. And the title seems to have been passed down from father to son, it appears to be an inheritance. That's your Doctor there, isn't it?"

He pointed to a photo of the Doctor on a computer screen behind them.

"Yeah."

"I tracked it down to the Washington public archive last year. The online photo's enhanced, but if we look at the original..."

He shows the girls some photographs of the Doctor standing in a crowd at the JFK assassination.

"November the 22nd, 1963. The assassination of President Kennedy."

"Must be his father..." Rose mused.

The father/son theory made sense but Lillie wasn't sure. 

"Going further back... April 1912." He brought over a photo album of sorts. "This is a photo of the Daniels family, Southampton. And friend." He pointed to the Doctor standing with them "This was taken the day before they were due to sail off for the New World. On the Titanic. And for some unknown reason, they canceled the trip and survived. And..." He brought them a sketch of the Doctor, "1883. Another Doctor. And look—the same lineage. He's identical. This one washed up on the coast of Sumatra on the very day Krakatoa exploded. The Doctor is a legend woven throughout history. When disaster comes, he's there. He has a storm in his wake. And he has one constant companion."

"Who's that?"

"Death."

Lillie felt offended but it was brief and fleeting. "Death? How do you know he's the cause for all this death?" Lillie questioned, "what if he only showed up because of the death and he stopped it as much as he could?"

“Uh, his name, how can he be ‘the Doctor’?” Rose asked. “It’s a bit vague. When I tried searching online, I got too many results.”

“Yes. That’s how he hides in plain sight. Clever, isn’t he… or she…”

“What do you mean?”

“Well to narrow the search down, I started look for the Doctor—the definite article—specifically no first name, no last name—just the Doctor and all the evidence seems to suggest, the Doctor seems to be some sort of title—given to a freedom fight or a convert operative. Granted by the some sort of government. Because in times of crisis, there’s always been a Doctor. And look, here they are, these people would seem to be the most important Doctors of all.”

Clive laid out photos on the glass table, all the Doctor’s Lillie had dreamed of… “It’s hard to work out the right order, but I think this is the Doctor…”

Lillie took a photo of an old man with white hair under a black cap and a black cape, standing in front of a metal tank that Lillie somehow knew was a called a “War Machine.”

“What’s that thing?” Rose asked.

“A War Machine.” Clive stated and then he explained, “Evil thanks built by a super computer hidden inside the Post Office Tower which invented the internet.”

Rose expressed her disbelief while Lillie stared at the photos of the old man. Another photo with him had a photo of a girl near him that caught Lillie’s attention. She was around fifteen with short dark brown, almost black hair and blue-brown eyes.

“Grandfather!” A girl’s voice echoed in her head before it seemed to tune in her head, making the girl’s voice clearer now, “Oh, Grandfather, I belong with you!”

Then a man spoke, he sounded older, “Not any longer, Susan. You’re still my grandchild and you always will be.  But now, you’re a woman, too.  I want you to belong somewhere, to have roots of your own.  With David, you’ll be able to find those roots and live normally like any woman should do.  Believe me, my dear, your future lies with David, not with a silly old buffer like me. One day, I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine. Goodbye, Susan. Goodbye, my dear.”

Then Lillie saw flashes of the girl, just slightly aged, but her face was smudged with ash and blood, her eyes staring at nothing, but as quickly as the image in her head was there, it was gone.

A little man with a Beatles mop of hair and Lillie had another not-memory of him playing a recorder much to a young man’s increasing irritation.

A man with a gray bouffant hairstyle sitting in a silver hovercraft with… was that Sarah Jane Smith!? There was someone in the backseat but only she bent down, Lillie could only see the top of her head and her multicolored hair.

Lillie saw flashes of him snatching a pair of shoes from a doctor and holding them close to his chest, rather childishly for an old man.

The curly-haired man in the impractically long scarf too small to be seen in detail because he was dwarfed by a silly forced-perspective puppet monster rising out of the Thames at least that’s how Rose’s mind put it together.  Lillie saw another phone of the girl with who seemed to be Sarah Jane again, the girl seemed to be doing a fangirl happy dancing while pointing and squealing to Sarah Jane at the “puppet monster” with her light green hair flying about.

A rather hot blonde man at Heathrow and behind him was the girl again, now with dark green hair sneaking up the stairs as three security guards bolted towards her.

“Is that man wearing celery?” Lillie asked but was ignored.

A curly-haired man clearly on his way to a fancydress party dressed as a picnic behind him was the girl with blue-gray hair with hints of other colors with another girl with dark hair. Lillie saw flashes of some rather tender moments, close ups of the girl who had bruises around her neck as if she had been strangled, as if Lillie herself were comforting, her mind made a seemingly random connection: Perpugilliam. 

Then she saw flashes of the girl, now older, she seemed to be in turn, comforting someone in Lillie’s first-person perspective and she heard her say, “Cute blonde guys can turn into scary violent guys real quick.”

A World War II photo of a short man with an umbrella running with some soldiers but there was no sign of the girl.

A dashing, Byronic man at the opening of some atomic clock thing still no sign of the girl.

And then… “That’s him.” Rose said as Lillie skipped the next two, noting that these didn’t look familiar at all.

A man with floppy hair around his mid-twenties to early thirties with a bowtie and a noticeable jaw and he was adjusting his bowtie, defensively and seemed to be justifying it to a woman whose face couldn’t be seen other than her frizzy grayish hair as another woman who had red hair and seemed to have more legs than most woman, again Lillie couldn’t see her face was her body language seemed indicate she was laughing.

An angry-looking man around fifty-something years old with gray hair and a caretaker's coat, holding a mop for some reason.

 A woman in her mid-thirties with short shoulder-length blonde hair and braces, running away from a giant frog in front of Buckingham Palace.

A Black man in his late twenties-to-early-thirties in an orange coat running through a graveyard.

A tall, bald Black woman wielding a flaming sword.

Another dark-skinned woman who appeared to be middle aged with her hair woven into braids in a navy tweed frock coat with silver buttons with golden hoop earrings. She seemed to be arguing with someone hidden from view.

Lillie was sure she didn’t have any dreams of her but somehow she seemed familiar but at the same time, her appearance put her off slightly, made her feel anxious in ways none of the others had. Like she was part of a deep dark secret Lillie had but didn’t know.

And a young girl or boy in a hi-tech wheelchair with what looked like a robot dog at their side.

“Before we stop, you should see the whole thing. Your Doctor’s not the final Doctor in the sequence, have a look at this next one.”

“We can’t keep Mickey waiting forever.” Rose sighed, checking the time.

Clive was saying something about a man who was usually seen with two pinstripe suits under a brown coat, brown and blue.

“What?” Lillie asked, why did that sound familiar.

She looked at the photo to see a handsome young man in his late twenties to early thirties, he was a distinct look that made Lillie think, oh, this guy could not pass as an American, either he’s British, Scottish, or an alien. He wore a brown trench coat over a blue pinstripe suit covering a dark tie and a white button-up shirt, and vastly contrasting against his professional wardrobe was a pair of white converse sneakers. He had simply fantastic hair, that seemed to defy gravity itself. He looked familiar but Lillie couldn’t place him.

She saw another picture of the man but he seemed a bit more aged, however with a copper-tinge to his chocolate brown fantastic hair, he was wearing a similar but updated wardrobe, a navy blue trench coat over a white button-up shirt with a gray knitted tie, a brown and turquoise checked-tartan waistcoat only buttoned once over his tie with a pair of matching trousers.

“I’m only interested in my Doctor.” Rose said.

“Yes! Yes!” Clive said and fetched a box labeled: 09 but Lillie was examining a picture of what seemed to be the girl but there was a bright lens flare covering her face. She shifted through some more but there were various light or tech problems some lens flares either on or beside her face or full-on glitches; some of the flares were directly over her heart, some had colorful flare-like things around her like an aura. Some looked like filters you’d do for fun, not to convince people, which hinted that Clive hadn’t doctored these. There were only a few you could see her face and in them she seemed preoccupied but the few filtered ones that allowed you to see her she seemed aware of the photographer, from a mischievous glint in her eyes, a uptilt in her cheekbones of a mischievous smirk, or just a feeling Lillie got, like she had power over the lights and even the camera. There were black and white ones with light effect in color. Something told Lillie that these weren’t Clive’s handiwork… but they were because of the girl.

“What are these flares?”

“Blimey. She looks just like you!” Rose exclaimed and then he elbowed her sister, “Look good as a blonde.” Lillie rolled her eyes.

Clive didn’t really see it but he explained, “That’s a companion often seen with the Doctor, she seems to be on and off but it’s rare to get a good picture of her.” He seemed a bit dismissive of her and turned back to the Doctor.

Lillie looked back at the photos to see one with a series of lens glares over her, this one she had red hair.

“What’s this thing?” Rose asked, pointing to the blue box in a picture of the Doctor.

Lillie looked at it and she felt a sense of longing, she missed a home she had never had.

“I don’t know.” Clive said, also sort of dismissing it, like he could see it but because he didn’t know the power of the Doctor or the Tardis he didn’t want to see it; something different that you see but you don’t really focus on it.

“So, how’d you get into this in the first place, Clive?” Lillie asked. “It looks like it must’ve taken years to gather all of this.” She gestured to the research. “So what started it.”

“My dad. He died when I was two years old.”

“Oh.” Rose said, sadly and she wrapped an arm around her younger sister, “I was six months and Lils here was only a week old when we lost ours.”

“I bet you still think about him.”

“Yeah, I do.” Rose admitted.

Lillie’s memory came up blank when it came to Pete as she had only been a week old when he was hit by that car. Only Jackie’s stories, and though neither sister knew, they highlighted who Pete wanted to be and the best of him rather than what she had thought of him at the time. She had always scolded Pete by telling him the girls needed a proper father, that didn’t mean the girls couldn’t think that he was, because he tried to be.

But then Lillie’s memory flashed to a man she was sure she had never seen before but seemed familiar in a way she couldn’t explain. He had dark red hair and blue eyes.

“Me too.” Clive said, “My old fella was a soldier with the Infantry. He was in the London Regiment. Proper little Cockney by all accounts, Mam said he was always scrapping. Handy with his fists. They said he died on manoeuvres. But in Shoreditch, of all places. Sounds a bit odd, dying in peacetime on British soil. Accidental discharge of a weapon, they told my mam. And bear in mind, this was back in 1963. You didn’t argue, back in those days, you accepted what the establishment said. But not me! I got older, I kept asking questions. Second Lieutenant Gary Jonathan Finch, how did he die?” Clive took out a photo from his wallet, laminated—much more personal. A black and white photo of a tough, stocky man in his early thirties, obviously Clive’s father—the same curly hair. “The more I tried to research it, the stranger it seemed. Like something was being hidden. Turns out, Dad’s regiment was caught up in some sort of incident. All very hush-hush. The day he died, they’d sealed off the whole of Shoreditch. Officially, they said a cache of unexploded bombs had been discovered. And there were certainly reports of huge explosions, that day. I tracked down the Service Inquiry, in the end, it was buried deep but I found it. And it said Dad had been killed in a junkyard, in a place called Totter’s Lane.”

Lillie’s mind flashed to an old junkyard, this sounded vaguely familiar but also… different.

“But killed, how? Information redacted. No record of the inquest. But I kept on looking, I searched and searched. Until I found it. The secret.”

“What secret?” Lillie asked.

“There was something else on the streets that day. Something that had no place in this world.” He took a few moments to take a deep breath and he opened a black folder, showing the sisters what he believed to be the real cause of his father’s death. It was a picture of a smaller tank made out of white and gold metal, Lillie hadn’t seen too much of the villians of the Doctor in her dreams, she had mostly seen him saving the day and with Nova but she knew this was one of them.

She had flashes of a young girl just a few years younger than her and she was hiding when a white and gold Dalek came in.

“Small human female sighted on level three.”

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALL!” She bellowed and she started to beat the machine with a bat.

“Under attack! Under attack!”

She hit the eyepiece and then dove under the benches.

“Vision impaired!” The machine whined and started to fire wildly.

The girl had dove under a desk, using it for cover before jumping on it and running along the table towards the window as the creature followed the noise she was making in her haste.

“Reinforcements requested!” Then she jumped through the window into the hallway.

Another creature just narrowly missed her, she ran past it but not before turning around and bashing her bat into its side and taking off down the stairs… apparently they could somehow use stairs… she came upon a dead soldier, making her halt, she saw that he was dead and there was nothing she could do so she took his gun and ran off as one of the creatures rolled into the room.

“Human female is now leaving building!”

Ace ran down a hallway but was then trapped between two Daleks in a large empty area opening onto the playground.

“Stay where you are. Do not move.”

“Exterminate. Exterminate.”

Then a third Dalek arrived, they all closed in on her as they all chanted: “exterminate!”

Ace got down on her knees, taking an anti-tank rocket and launcher out of her rucksack, clearly scared but not going to go down without a fight.

“ACE!” Screamed a voice and Lillie saw the girl again who looked just like her but with multicolored hair, she looked the same as she always did but there was something much more youthful about her, like she hadn’t yet been broken by the universe. She extended her hands, her eyes glowing and all three Daleks exploded.

“Ace!” The woman ran to the girl who was apparently named Ace in a protective manner.

“I nearly had them.” Ace muttered.

“You’re hurt.”

“I had an argument with a window.” Ace dismissed.

“You could’ve gotten killed.” The woman said with obvious worry beneath the her anger that she had taken out on the Daleks.

Clive was speaking again, “No one knows what it’s called. But I believe this creature, from outer space, murdered my dad.”

Lillie’s memory flashed to a fallen soldier, Clive’s dad, dead on the ground of a junkyard.

Rose was clearly not convinced; she looked at the photos of all the aliens. “And all of these things, the lizards and the robots and the blobs. They’re all from outer space? But Clive. Look. I’m sorry about your dad, but … All these creatures, they’ve been photographed out on the streets. In the open. They’re next to Big Ben. That giant big tentacle-thing is wrapped around Westminster Abbey. If all these alien invasions happened in public, how come we don’t know about them?”

“That’s the thing!” said Clive, excited, moving to look them in the eyes, “How do we forget? Why? That’s the biggest mystery of all. Some people say they’ve drugged the water. Some people say there’s an amnesia wavelength being beamed into our heads. And some people say there’s a crack in time, leaching away the memories of the human race.’

“What?” Lillie asked. That didn’t sound good.

He paused. ‘That one sounds a bit too fanciful for me.’

“Mmm-hmm.” Rose hummed in agreement as Lillie gave Clive was bewildered look.

"If the Doctor's back... if you've seen him, Rose... Lillie... then one thing's for certain, we're all in danger. If he's singled you two out... If the Doctor's making house calls... then God help you two."

"Who is he? Who do you think he is?" Rose asked.

"I think he's the same man. I think they’re all the same person. Each Doctor. I think he's immortal. I think he's an alien from another world." Clive said.

Lillie nodded, feeling he was right as Rose felt like this was just crazy... this was fiction... this was the raving of a madman... this was just absurd.

Rose pulled Lillie away from the "crazy" man's house and to the car talking to Mickey before they were even back inside the car.

"Alright! He's a nutter! Off his head! Complete online conspiracy freak. You win!" She said as they got back in.

“Rose! We’ve barley left his house!” Lillie started to scold her sister as she got in and then she stared  at the person in the driver's seat. It seemed to be a poorly made clone of Mickey Smith.

"What're we going to do tonight? I fancy a pizza."

"Pizzaaa! P-p-p-pizza!" The whatever it was said.

"...or a Chinese..."

"Pizza!"

Whatever it was that had taken Mickey's place drove off in a wobbly line. How was Rose not noticing this? Lillie knew she didn't pay as much attention to Mickey as she should've but this was ridiculous.

--

At the restaurant, the trio sat at a table as Rose pondered where she should go to get a job as Lillie stared at the strange-looking Mickey, bemused by how Rose couldn't tell that it wasn't her boyfriend.

"Do you think I should try the hospital? Suki said they had a few jobs going in the canteen. That's it then... dishing out chips... I could do A-Levels..."

"Mickey" just stared at her, grinning creepily.

"I dunno. It's all Jimmy Stone's fault. I only left school because of him and look where he ended up. What do you think?"

Jimmy Stone. Rose's deadbeat ex-boyfriend who she dropped out of school for to which he then repaid her by stealing her computer and dumping her with no A-levels. Lillie had repaid him by slashing his tires and keying his car. Lillie may have been shy but if you hurt someone that she cared about she went all out in getting revenge. She was like a badger, she was often underestimated by her kindness, her quietness, and her non-threatening appearance but when provoked she was able to become vicious and deadly.

"So, where did you meet this Doctor?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, wasn't I talking about me for a second?" Rose asked sarcastically.

"Because, I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Is he something to do with that?"

"No..." The sisters said.

"Come on."

"Sort of." Rose said.

"No." Lillie said, sternly, glaring at her sister like, shut up. “Mickey…” She said the name of her oldest friend as she were meeting someone else with that name and didn’t feel like it belonged to them and she spoke slowly and cautiously to both not set off this fake-looking Mickey and to warn Rose, “we never told you anything about the Doctor.”

"What was he doing there?" Mickey ignored her.

"I'm not going on about him, Mickey, I'm not, because, I know it sounds daft but... I don't think he's safe. I think he's dangerous." Rose said. “And you know, I can’t let anything happen to Lillie.”

Lillie disagreed in a way while she didn't think he was safe at the same time she knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"But you can trust me sweetheart! Babe, sugar, darling, sugar."

Both sisters looked confused.

"You can tell me anything. Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Rose. Because that's all I really wanna do, sweetheart, babe, sugar, sweetheart."

"What're you doing that for?"

A waiter approaches the table, Lillie looked up to see the Doctor, he winked and then put a finger to his lips to silently tell her not to say anything.

"Your champagne."

"We didn't order any champagne." Fake Mickey said, grabbing Rose's hand, "Where's the Doctor?

The Doctor moved to Rose's side and held the bottle out to her, "Ma'am. Your champagne."

"It's not ours..." Rose waved him off, not looking at him, "Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?"

Lillie gave her a drolly look like, seriously?

"I need to find out how much you know, so where is he?" He pressed on.

"Why do you want to know so bad? Why do you need to find out what we know?" Lillie snapped, narrowing her eyes at him, suspiciously. "Huh, Mickey!?"

Then Mickey’s smile fell, along with his eye, revealing just a smooth surface…

Rose gasped, barely managing not to scream and she muttered, “Plastic.”

He popped the eyeball back into his head and then he grabbed both Lillie and Rose’s wrists, tightly.

“Let go!” Rose gasped.

“Now tell me, I want to know everything about the Doctor. Or I will kill them.”

“Who!?”

“The people. The diners. The humans. Everyone. Starting with your sister!”

New kind of fear shot through Rose. She recognized the self-preserving kind of fear and then the fear she had for her sister’s safety. But fear for other people’s safety, there was a family nearby with two kids, two couples on either side of them, and a gang of friends. And most importantly to her, her sister. All in danger. Because of her. She’d brought this plastic monstrosity into the building and sat him down in the middle of them all. She felt a raw terror like never before because other people were in danger now, not just her and Lillie... Mickey. The real Mickey. Where was he?

Lillie looked around, where was the Doctor now!? She huffed and resisted, making fake Mickey look at her perhaps for the first time but he seemed to be able to barley do that.

“Think about it, mannequin. You’re in a pizza place with hot ovens. Large ovens. Blistering hot to humans but it’d just melt you.” Lillie growled as her necklace started to glow and Plastic Mickey’s hand started to loosen, not voluntarily but because the plastic-skin enclosed around Lillie’s hand was starting to melt.

Then suddenly he was back,

"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?" The Doctor asked.

Plastic Mickey, exasperated, finally raised his eyes to the waiter for the first time, "Look, we didn't order any..." He then realized that the waiter was the man he had kept questioning about. Plastic Mickey smirked as if this were his evil plan along. To be rude the waiter. "Ah. Gotcha."

"Yes, you've outnumbered him." Lillie deadpanned to him and ripped her hand out of his grip, the hot plastic not even phasing her as it just slipped off her skin like rain off of a roof. Plastic Mickey was so shocked he let go of Rose.

The Doctor started to shake the bottle as he said, "Don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy couple. On the house!"

The cork popped out and hit Fake Mickey squarely in the face. His forehead absorbs the cork, and he spits it out of his mouth.

"I knew that wasn't Mickey all along!" Lillie exclaimed and Rose looked at her, puzzled like she couldn't understand how she could've noticed that this clay model-looking thing wasn't Mickey.

"Anyway." The fake Mickey turned his hand into a plastic blade and started to smash tables.

Rose pulled Lillie out of the way as a woman screamed.

The Doctor grabbed fake Mickey's head and started to pull, making a creaking noise until the head popped off.

"Don't think that's gonna stop me." The disembodied head said, the man sitting at a table nearby screamed. It was almost funny.

Rose saw that the Doctor was grinning madly like this was fun to him, like it was a game.

"Rose, get everyone out." Lillie said, pushing her sister towards the fire alarm which Rose pulled as Lillie shouted, "EVERYONE OUT! OUT NOW!"

Everyone ran for the exit except for the Doctor, Lillie, Rose, and fake Mickey whose body was blinding smashing tables.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!"

Then the Fake Mickey swung at Lillie, sensing her voice seemingly. Rose screamed and the Doctor spun around, his glee fading as horror struck him, terrified of losing this mysterious girl, this brilliantly smart girl but Lillie ducked and then jumped as the other hand which had turned into a blade, albeit thinner and weaker swung at her legs, another swing and she spun around of the way, her curly brown hair flying before she stumbled into a table, making it fall over and Lillie noticed a small child at a nearby table, a boy, around the age of four, trying to stay silent but crying, he screamed when he saw the headless Mickey, bring his attention to him.

“No!” Lillie shouted, grabbing a chair and smashing it into the fake Mickey and she went to pick up the boy who clung onto her for dear life, Lillie became aware of the mother of the child was crying out their name.

“Robert! Robert!”

“Mummy!” Robert cried as Lillie handed him over to her.

“Over here!” The Doctor cried and Rose grabbed her sister’s hand and pulled her after the Doctor as they ran through the kitchen, warning the staff to leave, only leaving when the headless Mickey came in, causing Lillie to grab the handle of a pot with bubbling water and she threw the water at the creature, weakening its strong arm before the threw the pot at it and was yanked backwards with Rose yanking Lillie by the hoodie, making her let out a strangled gulping sound.

The head started to bark at Lillie like an angry dog after you took their treat away.

The Doctor, Rose, and Lillie ran down a corridor—he grinned at the sisters and said, “Nice to see you, by the way! How’s your mum?”

“Angry!” Lillie stated in a shout from the adrenaline.

“Makes sense.”

They pushed their way out of a back exit, entering a yard containing… The blue box that the Doctor seemed to take everywhere with him which Rose assumed was no use to them now.

Rose spun around to see the Doctor holding Mickey’s head in the crook of his left arm, his foot jamming the fire door shut, whirring that metal stick to lock the door.

“WE’RE OUTSIDE!” Mickey’s head said, taking a break from barking at Lillie.

“Can’t you shut that thing up?” Lillie asked.

She turned to see Rose had run to a gate but it was locked but she was distracted by the Tardis.

Lillie just walked towards the Police Box, she pressed her hand against its wood and could practically hear whirring as if it were purring.

"Hey, girl. Long time no see." She muttered.

"Open the gate! Use that whirry metal thing, come on!" Rose shouted.

"It's a sonic screwdriver." Lillie corrected her, automatically.

“Yes, it is!” The Doctor exclaimed, proudly.

"Use it!" Rose cried.

"Nah. Tell ya what, let's go in here." He dismissed, walking to the police box, unlocking it, and entering.

Lillie eagerly followed him, her first thought, being that he had redecorated. She liked it better. More personality and more… her style.

"Oh, you've redecorated." She said as much. "I like it so much better."

"Yeah?" He smiled; Nova had always insisted that he use this setting but he had refused because he loved to tease her. Now he finally chose it as a tribute to Nova. “How long has it been since you saw me last?”

“Five years.”

“Huh, for the first time, I’m the one taking the slow path.” He said, thinking that couldn’t possibly be right but it was.

“LILLIE, YOU CAN’T HIDE IN A WOODEN BOX!” Rose screamed from outside.

Rose then ran inside and never being inside was shocked.

Nope! Her mind screamed and she ran back outside, making the Doctor chuckle in amusement. Rose, knowing Headless Mickey was going to break down the door, still ran around the box, circling it, to try and get an understanding at how a box that could maybe fit two people could have that much space. She counted the sides. Four.

Then Headless Mickey finally broke through, only a few more chops would allow him to get through, so she ran back inside. "It's gonna follow us!"

"Then close the door." Lillie said, gesturing for her sister to come in and she jumped past  her sister, sliding down the railing towards the door as Headless Mickey broke through and stopped, trying to sense them and then ran at the Tardis but Lillie slammed the doors shut.

They heard Headless Mickey hit the doors but they only shuddered. Rose wouldn’t turn away from the door, struggling to comprehend.

"The assembled hoards of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried. Now, shut up a minute." The Doctor was wiring up the clone Mickey's head to the center of the control panel.

“She’s not going to bite you, Rosie.” Lillie said.

Rose finally turned around, nodding and trusting her sister.

The Doctor’s blue box was bigger on the inside than on the outside. Much bigger. Hugely so. She was standing on a metal ramp surrounded by curved walls arching upwards, studded with hexagons. What she’d thought was a dome was more of a sphere; she could look down, through the metal mesh at her feet, to see the curve completing far below in one vast circle. The whole interior was weathered, rusting, bruised, and yet humming with life, as though huge engines were brooding somewhere beyond the walls. The skin of the sphere was supported by weird buttresses, shaped like… coral? Yes, she could smell ozone, like the seaside, though this was a coral glowing with internal light. The metal ramp at her feet was part of a suspended walkway leading to the center of the sphere, to the Doctor. He stood in front of a sculpture, a coral mushroom out of which a glass pillar containing tubes of light soared up to the roof and down to the depths, like a linchpin holding the entire globe together.

 "You see, the arm was too simple, but the head's perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source.” He turned to the sisters, he may be alien but he knew enough about humans that they tended to struggle with the bigger-on-the-insideness. “Right. Where do you want to start?"”

The Doctor folded his arms, his feet set apart in a classic pose of masculine supremacy, looking down at them but Lillie knew that wasn’t who he was. He didn’t look down on women and he didn’t think he was as superior as he pretended to be.

But what Rose was focused on what that the Mickey-head had been plugged into the console, she stared at it with her mouth open.

The head was still alive, eyes darting from the Doctor to Rose and then to Lillie, eyeing her suspiciously.

“You must have a lot of questions,” He said, to bring Rose back to reality but then Head-Mickey spoke.

“Not really. Seen all this before. Seen better than this! You lot brought a war crashing down on our civilization, d’you think we don’t remember?”

Lillie studied the Doctor’s body language; the Doctor lost his tough-guy pose, muttered a quick sorry, and leapt to the console and stabbed buttons and pulled a big red lever. “Hold on a tick, we don’t need laughing boy.”

Mickey’s head said, ‘I’m gonna do more than—’

“Hey, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, shut up!” Lillie interrupted him.

He seemed offended but then he froze, and his eyes glazed over. Reduced to inanimate plastic.

 ‘Right, where were we?’ said the Doctor, and returned to that superior folded-arms position, facing Rose and Lillie.

Rose seemed a little overwhelmed but she calmed herself down when Lillie took her hand. Rose was glad she had met Clive as the craziness of his theories seemed to have prepared her.

"Um, the inside's bigger than the outside?" Rose pointed out, though that much was obvious, but understandably Rose was in shock.

"Yes." He said and looked at Lillie like, was that so hard? Apparently still a little miffed that she hadn’t said it, to her five years ago, but to him it was hundreds of years ago,.

"You like it when they say that don't you." Lillie asked.

"Yes."

"It's alien." Rose said, still coming to terms with this.

"Yep."

"Are you alien?"

"Yes. Is that all right?"

"Yeah." Both the sisters responded without hesitation.

"It's called..." The Doctor started before the intelligent brunette cut him off.

"The Tardis. T-A-R-D-I-S. An acronym for Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

"How do you know this?" He asked, not recalling him, Nova, or Sarah-Jane having told her before but before she could reply, Rose burst into tears, Lillie went by her side to comfort her.

The Doctor was uncomfortable for a few moments. Rose thought he was weird. Kind one minute, and yet, when she cried, he stared like a scientist but then again, her sister was like that too. Kind one moment, and then brutal and reckless the next. She had gotten arrested for hacking into the school records once she discovered the school was embezzling money out of the “special needs” program.

"That's okay. Culture shock. Happens to the best of us." The Doctor said, gently. “Natural reaction, for a human.” Rose glared at him. “It does your head in, seeing technology like this.’ He was arrogant, he was alien, and he was an idiot.

"Did they kill him? Mickey? Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?" She asked. Lillie knew that she mostly felt bad because she didn't love him like he loved her. She just loved him as a friend and liked him as a boyfriend.

"Oh. I didn't think of that." He said, blankly, slightly crestfallen getting a glare from the sisters.

"He's my boyfriend. You pulled off his head. They copied him and you didn't even think? And now you're just going to let him melt?"

"Melt?" The Doctor asked, confused, he turned to see the head was indeed melting, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!"

"What're you doing?" Rose cried as Lillie got on her toes, examining the console. the desk had six sides, full of control panels, some sophisticated, some antique, with levers improvised out of bottle-openers and hammers, paperweights in place of dials, toy soldiers and scissors and curling tongs duct-taped to switches to hold them down. Designed by a mad geek wizard child.

No, more like a mad alien science geek man-child who always asked questions like he was in Wonderland. The Doctor had an almost Peter Pan-ness about him. Like he never wanted to grow up.

The Doctor yelled with excitement, “We’re following the signal!’

"Following the signal. It's fading. Wait a minute, I've got it. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Almost there. Almost there. Here we go!"

Then the Doctor yelled, ‘No!’ He had a rubber mallet in his hand – it was chained to the console, standard kit, for him – and he battered the desk, bang-bang-bang!

“Hey! You can’t hit her!” Lillie shouted, not nearly having as much trouble with the tilting as Rose was.

But whatever he was doing, it was too late. “Lost it,” he groaned, and the tilting stopped and the noise faded away, “I lost the signal but we must be close…”

Before he finished, Lillie had turned and ran to the door, opening it and running outside.

“LILLIE, YOU CAN’T GO OUT THERE! IT’S NOT SAFE!” Rose shouted, wondering if the Doctor’s madness had rubbed off on her sister but then he dashed past her and ran outside. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”

The headless Mickey-killer-shovel-hands was still outside in the yard, the Doctor and Lillie would get chopped to death! The fear of losing her sister was enough to get Rose running dwon the ramp and ran to the door and looked outside.

They weren't behind the restaurant anymore but near the Thames River.

"I lost the signal, I got so close." The Doctor was complaining.

"We've moved. Does it fly?" Rose asked.

"More like it disappears and reappears." Lillie said, automatically before shaking her head.

“Oh.” The Doctor said, a bit disappointed and then he asked her, “How do you know this?" Rose looked at her, also curious.

"When I met you when you had an impractically long scarf and wild hair. You had a companion named Sarah-Jane Smith and a friend... with purple-colored hair and purple eyes. I saved your ass with a compact mirror from the Weeping Angel."

"Yes, I know all that." He said, shortly, offended by how she described him.

"Ever since I keep having these dreams of your adventures. Nova?" She had had dreams of Nova's death but didn't want to believe it. His eyes darkened and he shook his head, silently telling her that Nova was gone. "I'm sorry."

He was silent for a few beats before snapping out of it, "Ah, yes. Must be mildly psychic and a bit of the Tardis got in you or... she must've done something. She was quite fond of you for some reason."

"If we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose." Rose cut him off.

"It melted with the head. Are you going to witter on all night?" He said, tactlessly.

"Hey! Don't you dare talk to my sister like that!" Lillie glared.

Rose thought of the body dissolving, the last vestige of her boyfriend, and she felt a surge of horror in her heart, the enormity of it. Mickey. Lovely Mickey Smith, with his smile and his mates and his daft yellow Beetle, the only boy who’d buy a car because it was funny, not because it was cool. And it hurt so much, to see the chain of his family across the decades, Odessa, Jackson, Rita-Anne, now Mickey, all gone.

"We'll have to tell his friends, his uncle, and the kids from the estate." Rose realized, running a hand through her blonde hair as Lillie went to her side to comfort her and the Doctor gave them a confused look.

"Mickey." Lillie said, sharply, glaring at him.

"We'll have to tell his mates--The Bad Wolf band, His Uncle Cliff, all the little kids from the estate, they adored him. Oh my God, I’ve got to tell them he’s dead, and you just went and forgot him, again!" Rose shouted at him, "You were right, you are alien."

"Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey."

"Yeah, he's not a kid." Rose interjected.

"He's older than both of us." Lillie agreed.

"It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, all right?" He said, bluntly.

Lillie narrowed her eyes at him, it seemed like to her it wasn't so much as what he thought but more like what he told himself to ease his guilt.

"All right."

"Yes, it is!"

This whole argument Lillie's eyes darted back and forth like a tennis match.

"If you are an alien, how come you sound like you're from the North?"

"Lots of planets have a north." He dismissed.

"What's a police public call box?" Rose suddenly asked.

"It's a telephone box from the 1950s. It's a disguise."

‘Disguised as what? It’s not a very good disguise if I don’t know what the disguise is. That’s the opposite of a disguise.’ ‘All right, calm down, it’s a bit out of date, that’s all.’ He looked at her askance. ‘I bet you two never lose an argument, do you?’

“Never.” The sister said in unison.

“Well if you must know, they used to have police boxes on every street corner, back in the thirties and forties. They didn’t have walkie-talkies back then, just telephones, so there’s a phone inside that little panel. And that’s the disguise. The TARDIS hides itself, like a chameleon. Park it on a street corner, no one notices.”

“D’you think? It’s a great big box!”

“Yeah, and d’you know what the human race does, when it sees something big and strange in the middle of the street?” He grinned. “You walk right past it.”

“I suppose,” she sighed, and sat down next to him.

“Is that why… we talked to this guy who had information about you…” Lillie started and the Doctor raised his eyebrows at her. “Clive Finch. He said his dad died in Totter’s Lane in Shoreditch.”

The Doctor seemed to recall the event but not the man, he had been there with Ace but Nova… she had been forced to leave him in his sixth regeneration.

“But he didn’t seem to really pay much attention to the box.”

“Perception filter.” He shrugged.

“Do the words you say make sense to you?” Rose asked.

“Sometimes.” He shrugged.

“Why do they want to kill us?” Lillie asked.

“They don’t. They just want a home… there… a long time ago… there was a war and they were swept up into it. Nestene Consciousness. They’re not individuals, but it’s more like a single, vast, physical, thought-hive-aggregation. Huge, restless thing. Ambitious.”

“Like a Hive Mind.” Lillie said.

“Exactly. It’s eyed up the Earth once or twice before. But then the war rolled across and ripped apart the Consciousness, devolved it, rebuilt it into a travesty of its old self. And then the battle boiled away into the stars and left the Nestene to starve.” He gave the sisters a sudden, lovely smile. “I haven’t talked like this in a long time.”

“Well, I’ve never heard anything like it!”

All three of them laughed.

“You’ve been on your own for a while now haven’t you?” Lillie asked and the Doctor just looked at her. The resemblance was uncanny but it was impossible, then again, the universe, there were bound to be look-alikes.

 “So it’s starving,’ said Rose. ‘Is that what the Nestene wants? Is it going to eat us? What’s it got against us?”

 ‘It can feed off the toxic waste of this planet. Loves it, lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins, perfect. Just what it needs. Its food stocks were destroyed in the war, all its protein planets rotted. So it made its way here, so Earth, dinner!"

“And it what, it controls plastic?” Rose asked.

“It is plastic. That was the damage the war left behind. The Nestene was flesh and blood, once upon a time, it just had an affinity with plastic, it could resonate organic polymers. Nice party trick. But then the war came. And rewrote its DNA. Like a cruel joke. The Nestene Consciousness became living plastic, an actual living plastic creature. No wonder it found its way here. Earth, the greatest plastics factory in the cosmos. You’ve littered this world with so much junk, there’s plastic in the food, in the air, in the wildlife, you’ve got plastic lining the entire ocean floor. The Nestene looks at you lot and thinks it’s in paradise.”

“All right, Swampy, I’ve got it.” Rose cut him off.

“He’s a very nice man. I spent a week up a tree with him.”

“I bet he jumped out first.” Lillie smiled.

“He did, yeah.” The Doctor confirmed.

He noticed her fold her arms to ward off the cold, she had taken her jacket off in the Tardis, “where’s your jacket! You know the cold makes you sick!” Rose fussed, sounding distinctly like Jackie.

The Doctor smiled and he opened the door and pulled her jacket off the railing and brought it to her, wrapping it around her, once again showing a deep kindness.

She smiled in appreciation as she pulled her plaid and leather jacket around her and she smoothed so it matched against her skirt.

“So stopping the Nestene, is that like, your job? I still don’t know who you are or what you really do.”

 “I don’t do anything. I just travel.” He gave the sisters a weary smile. “Believe it or not, all I want is a quiet life. No job, no wage, no boss, no tax, no home, no responsibilities. Just me.”

“Sounds like you’re running.” Lillie said.

“Never stopped since I’ve started.

"Any way of stopping it?" Lillie asked.

"Anti-plastic." The Doctor said, holding up a tube of blue liquid.

"Anti-plastic." The sisters repeated.

"Anti-plastic.”

“It’s a polymer-blading reconvertant heuverstatic animotrope.” He said.

“Right,” Rose said. “Anti-plastic.”

“If I can get this inside the Nestene, it’ll stop it dead.”

“Well that’s good news!” Rose said.

“No,” said the Doctor. “It’s the last thing I want to do.” He pocketed the vial and leapt to his feet, holding his sonic screwdriver in the air like a he was trying to get reception. ‘But first things first, we need to find the Nestene. It’s clever. Hiding the signal, it keeps slipping away. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

"Hold on. Hide what?" Rose asked.

"The transmitter. The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

"Well, maybe we can narrow it down. What's it look like?" Lillie asked.

"Like a transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London. A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible." He noticed the girls were staring past him at the London Eye but it took him about a minute to figure it out after looking at the monument several times. "What? What? What? What is it? What?" He finally realizes what they were looking at, "Fantastic!"

"Aren't you supposed to be a genius?" Lillie asked, teasingly with a slight smirk pulling at her lips.

He just smiled and ran off with the sisters taking each other's hands and running after him, their hair bouncing. The Doctor soon took Lillie's other hand as they ran and smiled broke out on the sisters' faces,

They ran over the bridge, across the dark river, running headlong towards danger and disaster and death, and the Doctor surprised himself by taking Lillie’s hand and the three ran together hand in hand in hand, and they smiled as they ran, and the smile became a grin as they hurtled along, the lights of the night streaking past them, and in that moment, for all their fear, horror, and grief, Rose and Lillie had never been happier in their lives. Lillie felt more than that though. She felt… home.

They stumbled to a stop once they were at the London Eye, there were crowds of people around them.

Rose felt a panic rising at the idea of them in danger, but at the same time, she felt a dark, powerful thrill. She understood now, how the Doctor could look so confident, so detached, so scornful at times; it was astonishing to know so much more than everyone else. The people around her strolled along in ignorance, while she knew about alien worlds, and spaceships, and alien creatures made of plastic trying to destroy the human race.

Rose Tyler, four GCSEs, an unemployed shop assistant living with her mother, barely forty pounds in her bank account with a genius rebellious younger sister she had dedicated her life to protecting.

Lillie Tyler, brilliant yet having no ambition. Moral and kind but rebellious and unwilling to abide to authority. More interested in using her brilliance for fun while helping people than being boring and serious about it. Antisocial despite her charm, wit, and undying loyalty.

Tonight the sisters knew things about life on Earth that no one else knew. For once, they felt special. More than that, they felt capable. The Doctor had trusted them, and they wouldn’t let him down.

"Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables..."

"The breast implants." Lillie joked said and Rose giggled.

“So did the Nestene build the London Eye?” Rose asked.

“Don’t be daft. That would be ridiculous.” The Doctor scoffed, “They’re just using it. Although, the Eiffel Tower. That was built by aliens.”

“You’re kidding!” Lillie giggled.

“It’s a good thing I stopped it taking off.” Lillie had a feeling that it hadn’t been him but he was taking credit. “Mind you. I only left it on idle. One of these days…”

“I can never tell when you’re joking.” Rose said.

 “Assume never.” He grinned down at the sisters.

"Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath."

Lillie was searching around as Rose questioned why they couldn’t use the Tardis to track it and he responded, “Word of advice, Rose Tyler, when you’re searching for a hostile alien life form, don’t deliver the universe’s greatest technology into its tentacles.” A few more lines before he noticed Lillie getting too close away and he warned, “Careful. It’s going to be guarded. It knows what we look like, you two and me. Keep an eye out.”

“What for?” Lillie asked.

“Autons.” They stayed silent and kept walking, refusing to ask the obvious, waiting for him instead. He blinked, getting into their rhythm. “Autons are the Nestene in human form. Like the dummies in the shop. They’re just foot soldiers, they’re crude and simple, but the Nestene can make perfect copies. Like your mate Ricky.”

“Mickey,” The sisters said in unison, Rose biting back her fury.

“Don’t make me punch you.” Lillie snapped.

“Understood.” He acknowledged

“So they could look like anyone?”

“Anyone.”

Lillie felt Rose tug her next to her and she rolled her eyes.

“Rose, I’m fine!” She complained.

Rose however was staring at something as they walked. The living statues. Those people in costume, staying frozen in position, to earn money from people throwing coins at their feet. Rose and the Doctor were just walking past a living statue, a comedy tramp like Charlie Chaplin, battered suit and bowler hat, but sprayed silver from top to toe. He stood on a little box, the crowd passing him by.

Jackie always used to complain about living statues. ‘Creepy,’ she’d say. ‘What a way to make a living. If they want to earn money by standing still and doing nothing all day, they could work for BT.’

Lillie used to say she couldn’t last a minute doing that, she had to be constantly moving or doing something.

The Chaplin was perfectly still, he didn’t seem to breathing or blinking He was holding out his hand, offering a fake flower, his arm was still as if he were a real statue. Rose just stared. This was either the best mime of all time, or not a mime at all.

“Doctor,” she said. “You don’t think …”

Hearing the Doctor’s name caused the Chapin to move. It turned its silver face to look at her. It did not blink. ‘Oh my God,’ said Rose. The Doctor, perversely, was delighted. ‘Well done, Rose Tyler!”

Why did he love saying their names so much?

The Chaplin stepped off its box and walked towards them, ignoring everyone other than the trio, its black eyes fixed on them. Slowly, it advanced, holding out its flower like a threat.

A posh little boy stood in front of the tramp. He said crossly, “You’re supposed to stay still.” The tramp swatted the kid aside, whack! Then it kept walking, remorseless.

“Hey!” Lillie shouted out of reflex.

“Come on.” Rose said, taking the Doctor and Lillie’s hand to draw the Auton away from the crowd.

“They’re still in hiding,” The Doctor explained. “The Autons, they don’t want to draw attention. If we can just keep ahead of them.”

They heard shouting behind them. “Hey, you!” They turned to look as a large, red-faced man grabbed hold of the Chaplin. “Did you hit my little boy?” The Doctor started back towards them, but too late. The Chaplin shoved the man and sent him flying. He collided with a gang of drunk lads, which perhaps saved his life as one of them grabbed the man and started waltzing with him, his mates cheering. The Chaplin turned back to face the Doctor and the Tyler sisters and resumed its march/

Then the Doctor said, “Uh-oh.”

“Oh, what now?” Lillie asked. Ahead of them, another living statue. A ballerina, painted entirely white except for blotches of red on cheeks and lips. Eyelashes like spiders, moving towards them.

The crowd was getting jittery as the parents of the boy kept bringing attention to the Autons.

“What do we do?” muttered Rose.

“No idea. Keep going,” said the Doctor. They ran past the London Eye, then stopped. Ahead of them, a third living statue was stepping off its box. A knight in armor. It raised a sword as sharp as steel. Little kids running around it. So close to the sword.

The ballerina was advancing and behind her, the tramp was still pointing with that sinister flower. Behind him, the crowd jostled with violence, Everything volatile. About to explode. Only this explosion wouldn’t kill the Autons.

“This way,” said the Doctor, heading for the Embankment wall where there was a gap, leading to a stone staircase leading down to the river.

The sisters and the Doctor ran towards it as the Chaplin, the ballerina and the knight continued to march towards them—then they followed the Doctor down the wet, worn steps. Plunging into darkness. At least this would take the chase away from the crowds. The sounds of trouble on the Embankment were already fading away. But below them, there seemed to be only mud and black water. No boat, no tunnel, no escape. The knight, the ballerina and the tramp had reached the top of the steps and began to march down.

“But what do we do?” said Rose, panicked, as they reached the bottom, the stink of the river rising up. “We’re trapped, aren’t we? There’s nowhere to go!”

The Doctor grinned—God, he loved trouble—and held up his sonic screwdriver. “What did I say? The absence of a signal. And there is absolutely nothing coming from that!’ He pointed at a manhole, a few meters away, across some slimy flagstones. A hazy red steam billowing from its vents. Like anyone who’d ever lived in any city of the world, Rose and Lillie had spent their lives walking past grilles in the ground that emitted smoke, without ever giving them a second thought. But now, they saw them as a portal to another world. Or to their death. The Doctor ran over the slippery flags, squatting down to aim his sonic screwdriver at the manhole cover.

Rose looked back to see that the Autons were arranged along the steps in a diagonal line. “Why’ve they stopped?”

“Well, yes, problem is,” said the Doctor, a little shame-faced, “I don’t think they’re chasing us. They’re herding us. We’re not escaping, we’re walking into a trap.”

“You mean they wanted us to find this?”

“Yeah. Or we’d be dead by now. We’d have been ballerina’d to death. Which, actually, I’d like to see, but there you go.” The Doctor answered.

“I don’t want a life-sized plastic ballerina to be the last thing I see.” Lillie said.

“Yes. That would be a rather embarrassing death.” The Doctor agreed.

 “So we’re doing exactly what the Nestene wants?” Rose asked.

“Yup!” The Doctor kept whirring away/

"So, you're saying that there's a secret alien base under an English landmark." Lillie deadpanned. "Yeah, that's original."

The Doctor shrugged like, I didn’t write this.

There was a click and release within the manhole. He lifted the cover and a rush of heat and steam billowed up from the depths. An awful stench of sewage and carcasses. And a noise. The distant roar of something vast. Rose and Lillie looked down to see a metal ladder descended into reddish darkness. The Doctor said, ‘Normally I’d say, wait here. But that’s a bit tricky with the Three Stooges behind us.’ ‘Never mind them,’ said Rose. ‘I’m coming with you.’

“We both are. This is our planet and it’s not a replacement.”

“They always used to say that,” said the Doctor, with a sad smile. They didn’t know who he was talking about. But whoever they were, they weren’t them; the sisters do her own thing together.

Lillie moved first, jumping in and landing on a wrung, making Rose move like she was going to catch her. Lillie looked up to see an impressed Doctor and anxious Rose.

“You can wait here if you want.” She said with a cheeky wink and lowered herself down. Rose quickly following.

The Doctor grinned and followed them, descending into the pit from hell. Far below them, deep in the earth, something huge was shrieking with delight.

The trio climbed down a short ladder, all of them now bathed in the red light. They walked past a bunch of chains hanging from the ceiling and opened a door.

"The Nestene Consciousness. That's it, inside the vat. A living plastic creature." He pointed to a vat that seemed to have a pulsing, red-hot substance in it, screaming.

"Well, then. Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go." Rose said.

"No, don't kill it!" Lillie interjected.

"I'm not here to kill it. I've got to give it a chance." The Doctor said, reminding himself of what he swore to do just this one time—do it how Nova would in her memory... but both Rose and Lillie had reignited his passion to save people, reminding him how beautiful humanity could be.

He walked down the catwalk and spoke up, "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation."

Lillie felt lightheaded and stumbled into Rose who looked at her with concern as she could hear a vague voice echo, "Shadow Proclamation." The vague image of a beautiful woman with pale olive skin with her hair up in a ponytail and glasses over her brown eyes, and a warm, motherly smile on her lips.

The substance in the vat flexed and the Doctor continued to speak. "Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?"

Lillie spotted something and she nudged Rose, bringing her attention to a terrified Mickey. "Oh, God!" Rose gasped as the sisters ran over to him and the Doctor rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Mickey, it's us! It's okay. It's all right."

"That thing down there, the liquid. Rose, Lillie, it can talk!" Mickey cried.

"You're stinking. Doctor, they kept him alive." Rose called to the Doctor as Lillie hugged Mickey.

“Yeah, I can see that.” The Doctor said, sounding annoyed at being interrupted. "That was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy." The Doctor dismissed.

"You knew that and you never said?" Rose scoffed.

"Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?" He continued downwards towards the Nestene Consciousness.

Mickey was terrified, babbling as he clung onto Lillie’s leg tightly, it uneased Lillie as it felt like Mickey was trying to unbalance her. “That thing, down there, it’s alive, it’s been screaming at me.”

“It’s all right,” Rose tried to comfort him as he clawed at Lillie’s black skinny jeans.

“It’s okay, it’s all under control, I promise. But how the hell did you get here?”

“There was a bin, it pulled me inside. Big white light. Opened my eyes. I was here.’ She pulled back to wipe the dirt and snot from his face, and she thought: Culture shock. Like the Doctor had said. Rose and Lillie had discovered this world stepby-step, but Mickey had been thrown in headfirst.

A selfish thought in Rose’s head whispered, maybe I can handle this better than him.

The Doctor started to speak the substance, "Am I addressing the Consciousness? Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warp shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?" The substance gurgled, "Oh, don't give me that. It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights.” It bellowed and the whole chamber shook. But the Doctor shouted over it: ‘I! AM! TALKING!” He silenced the beast. “How d’you want history to remember you? As a fine and rare intelligence? Or a genocidal intergalactic criminal? You once built mighty transparent empires in the sky. Now you’re reduced to this, plotting down here in the sewers. Don’t you think it’s time to stop?” The plastic lava slopped at the sides, a little sulky. “I know you’ve been through agony. And it wasn’t your fault. But look at the Earth around you.  This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go."

Lillie could swear she heard a lilt in the gurgles like a question. Apparently so because the Doctor answered it, “

"Doctor!" The girls shouted as two mannequins walked to him, grabbing him. One of them took the vial of anti-plastic from his pocket. Lillie ran down to help him more out of instinct than anything else, “There are a thousand worlds out there with skies of dioxins. Places you could colonize without hurting anyone. The Western Heights of the Jaggit Brocade. Callistenia. Beynhale. Gris. The Threppitch Consolidation…’ He rattled off names with confidence.

Then Mickey pulled on Rose’s arm, somehow still clinging to Lillie’s leg. “It won’t listen,” Mickey whispered, terrified. “I’ve heard it. Screaming at me. It’s furious, it wants us dead.”

“How do you know that’s what it’s saying?” Lillie asked.

“Don’t worry,” Rose reassuered him, ignoring her sister. “You can trust the Doctor.”

“But it’s going to destroy the whole world.” Mickey whined, clawing at Lillie’s leg again as she tried to shake him off, making the bridge shake but Mickey wasn’t budging.

“No, it can’t.” She leaned closer to him and whispered, ‘He’s got this anti-plastic. He can kill that thing if he has to.”

“Wait, Rose…” Lillie warned.

“Really?’ he said. And Mickey smiled a terrible smile. His voice was cold. “Thanks babes, baby, babyface boombastic.”

He wasn’t Mickey. He was a copy. It copied him twice. Mickey stood, now strong and unafraid, but still clinging onto Lillie like determined to provoke her into attacking him as he faced the pit and calling out to the Nestene in words that were more like roars and howls.

The Doctor turned around, furious, with Rose and Lillie, not Mickey. “What have you two done?”

“LET GO OF ME!” Lillie screamed, punching on fake Mickey’s chest but fake Mickey grabbed her wrists as Rose stood helpless to do otherwise.

Mickey called out alien commands. Two shop-window Autons dressed in sharp navy suits, strode out of the darkness at the back of the Doctor’s ledge.

“Doctor!” Lillie cried but he had nowhere to run, with only the drop in front of him. He was helpless as one Auton grabbed hold of him and pinned his arms behind his back, the second Auton digging into his jacket. It found the vial of blue liquid anti-plastic and held it aloft for the Nestene to see. The beast screeched with rage, betrayed.

“Let me go!” Lillie screamed, her compass starting to glow, fake Mickey’s hands started to melt again until she ripped them out of his grip and bolted to the Doctor.

"No, Lillie, don't!" The Doctor warned.

"I'm not leaving you!" She shouted back but then another dummy grabbed her, making her shriek as she fought back.

"LET HER GO!" Rose screamed.

"Oi, let her go! She's got nothing to do with this! What? That was just insurance. I wasn't going to use it. I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not.”

But Mickey answered as the Nestene’s puppet. He yelled one simple word of English: “Liar!” Then Rose looked on in horror as Mickey turned to her and grinned. His teeth a perfect, plastic white. “See ya,” And he melted away.

“Mickey,” Rose said, helpless.

Then a grill behind Rose moved and the real Mickey Smith tumbled out, panicked and terrified.

“Rose!” He grabbed a hold on her, “Oh my God, it held me prisoner, there was a bin and this light and then that monster!”

“RUN!” Lillie shouted, fighting against the guard holding her.

“Get him out,” yelled the Doctor, still being held tight by his Auton guard. “Rose, both of you, get out of here.”

“Who’s he?” said Mickey, and that convinced her he was real, because the last copy hadn’t even asked. That and the stink of sweat and fear rising off him, God, yes, definitely flesh. But she didn’t have time for him. He’s alive, great, been there, done that, sorry. She sort of patted him on the head as she looked up at the top of the chamber. The living statues were still guarding the exit.

“We can’t get out!” she yelled at the Doctor.

A door nearby Rose and Mickey slid open revealing the Tardis.

Rose could tell from how the guard started handling her sister and the Doctor more aggressively and the horror on the Doctor’s face that this was bad news.

"No. Oh, no. Honestly, no!” He cried.

“What’s going on?” Asked Mickey.

“Shut up,” Then she yelled, down to the Doctor, “What’s going on?”

“It knows the TARDIS,” The Doctor said, “Worse than that, it knows who I am. And it’s terrified.” He turned back to the pit, desperate. “Yes, that’s my ship, but I swear, I’m not attacking you, I promise. That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war.” And now the Doctor was terrified. More than that. He was sorry. “I couldn’t help it,” His voice was raw as if the wound had been reopened. Was he crying? “It wasn't my fault. I tried to stop the war. I lost everything. But it was too late. I’m sorry, but I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them! I couldn’t save her or her world!” The last part was almost a sob.

But the Nestene’s screech was monstrous. It was pure noise to Rose, yet its ferocity pressed on her mind to form words. She was beginning to understand it. She realized: it’s a consciousness, it’s making me conscious. It spoke of pain. It spoke of war. It spoke of planets boiling in space and a thousand TARDISes spinning in flames. And then Rose saw its molten maw shape a word, which seemed to say: ‘Time.’ It reformed, to roar another word: ‘Lord.’

He hadn’t seen her world die. Her world already burned, she (Nova had always said Elder was more of a ‘she’ than an ‘it’) thrived on burning as her inhabitants were literally living stars but then there were no more Elders, or at least, not enough to keep her alive, so she froze and that would’ve killed any remaining Elders on Elder.

"What's it doing?!" Rose asked.

"It's the Tardis! The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Rose! Just leg it now!"

"Not without my sister!" From above, now in front of the Tardis, Rose started the call Jackie but Lillie couldn't hear her from where she was.

Rose couldn’t do anything to save her sister but she could try to save her mother, she took out her phone and called her.

“Hello sweetheart!” Jackie Tyler sang.

It was a bad line, crackling and dipping. Rose’s voice sounded a thousand miles away. “Mum, where are you?”

“I’ve got you that compensation form from a police officer,” Jackie said, waving the paper about slightly, “And who’s that woman that Howard likes, is it Cynthia Rothrock? Cos I thought I could buy him a DVD, after I knackered his washing machine.”

“No, but listen,” said Rose. “Where are you?”

“I’m up West, I’ll tell her, it’s a bit nippy out! You make sure Lillie’s all warm.” Rose looked at her sister in exasperation at her mother’s non-stop chattering phone skills. “You should see Henrik’s now! How the mighty are fallen. It’s like Pompeii. Oh and they found that man, they said he was dead, that’s sad, isn’t it? Didn’t you say he was horrible? I’ve always said that—the way he would eye your baby sister! We don’t need her getting her own Jimmy Stone, not that it was your fault, darlin’…”

Rose’s voice flickered in and out, “Mum,” and then “Don’t,” and then maybe, “Go home.”

“Sorry darling,’ said Jackie. “Bad line. I’ll speak to you later, I’m off shopping. On your money, but you’re a very kind girl. There’s a bit of paella in the fridge if you and Lillie get hungry, although heat it up properly because old rice can kill you, see you later.” As Jackie hung up, she heard Rose swear—cheeky girl. Lillie was rubbing off on her.

“Mum! Mum!” Rose shouted and then she swore.

The Consciousness started to throw energy bolts.

"It's the activation signal. It's transmitting!"

"It's the end of the world." Rose said.

Not too far away, Clive Finch, finally with proof that the Doctor was read, gave his life to save his wife and his children and Jackie Tyler ran for her life in shoes that weren’t meant to be ran in.

--

Far away, beneath the city, Rose looked up. She thought she could hear the terror on the streets. Screams. Sirens. Gunshots. Her mother was out there somewhere. Her mother and everyone she knew, with an Auton army on the march. But then the Nestene bellowed, forming another two syllables with its red plastic maw. It said, “Doc.” And then “Tor.”

On the ledge below, the Auton holding the phial stood back and its twin began to push the Doctor forwards. Towards the edge.

The Doctor struggled, gasped, dug his heels in, but the Auton was remorseless. And Lillie’s the same, surprisingly, having a harder time as Lillie was not going down without a fight as the screams of all those she cared about echoed in her head and she felt like she could feel their fear.

Its rage battered Rose’s mind, hammering ideas into her thoughts. It said feast. It said sacrifice. It said revenge. And one more word, what was it …? Absorb. It would absorb the Doctor and Lillie. And with him, it would gain everything he knew about time and space. The TARDIS would come under Nestene control. The massacre spreading across London would roll on forever and outwards into the stars. Rose sank down, helpless, to hug poor, sobbing Mickey. There was nothing she could do. She’d never felt so small; one stupid girl in the middle of a war, trapped underneath a burning city with entire galaxies pivoting around this moment, and she was tiny, infinitesimal, useless. The Auton pushed. The Doctor and her sister were forced closer to the edge.

Lillie could feel Jackie’s fear and her determination to save her daughters

--

Somewhere in Catford a lanky, rangy, stubbly man was making a quick escape. Jimmy Stone had been living with a Ghanaian woman called Abena for three months. In truth, he couldn’t stand her. But she had money to spare. Her father was the CEO of a petrochemicals firm back in Ghana, and she’d come to London to study Politics and Philosophy at the LSE. Her student life was supported by an open cheque book from dad. Nice flat, nice car, nice meals. And that, thought Jimmy Stone, was very nice indeed. So he’d romanced her, and moved in, and helped her to spend the money. And then he’d got bored. It was all very well, having cash to flash, but he couldn’t bear her smile, her positivity, her relentless dedication to doing good in the world. Give it a rest, love!

She kind of reminded him of Rose Tyler, his ex-girlfriend, only Abena didn’t have an annoying younger sister who Rose had cherished more than him, Lillie had been protective of Rose and saw through his act but Rose, still young and naive when it came to the cruelty of men, dismissed her concerns until Jimmy Stone left her.

Abena was out tonight, at some posh wedding in Henley. Jimmy had wrangled his way out of the invitation by pretending to have food poisoning. Left alone, he went around the flat, helping himself. Six pairs of gold earrings, one gold bracelet, one platinum bracelet, and bingo, her Duom��tre Chronographe watch, worth about £25,000, all shoved into his pockets and off he went, down the stairs, thanks, Abena, bye-bye. He reached the street and inhaled a shock of cold air. He’d done it! He wasn’t a thief by nature—a born liar, perhaps, and unfaithful, okay, that was only natural—but Abena deserved it. In fact, he was doing her a service. He could teach her more about politics and philosophy than the LSE with one simple phrase: always look after Number One.

“You’ll come to no good one day,” said a memory in his head. The voice of that gorgeous, stupid Rose Tyler. Ranting at him as he drove off with her rubbish second-hand computer stashed in the back of his car. Hah, he’d proved her wrong!

Though, he had regretted pawning her computer after he stopped his car, seeing Lillie Tyler in his headlight late one night, staring at him with icy cold eyes that almost looked dead, like she was in trace with her compass glowing with pure fury. It had been days since he left Rose and somehow her fifteen-year-old sister had traveled to Amsterdam. He tried to defuse the situation with his usual charm but as always it hadn’t worked on Lillie. Her eye had twitched and then… even to this day, he swore her eyes had flashed purple several times, then next thing he knew she was chasing him around the woods he had been stopped in as he screamed like a little girl as she laughed manically, taunting him, never feeling such fear as he felt for her, not even the fear he would feel moments from now. The next thing he knew his camper van was ransacked as if by racoons and smudged with ash, his tires slashed, his band equipment gone, later it turned out it had been given to charity after being retuned and polished, except for his bass drum which had been smashed over his head, trapping him like an afternoon cartoon, burn marks he couldn’t explain for the life of him, and a list of everything he had done.

His account of the incident was a little foggy, but he swore at one moment he was in a tree and had nightmares of her walking up the side of the tree trunk like Spider-Man as if it were the floor.

He had considered suing Lillie, not that her family had anything he wanted, but then a good-looking American man in a military coat had entered, smiling at him with false kindness but a rage in his eyes like he had hurt someone the man had cared about and he had threatened him, not to say anything about Lillie.

Besides he refused to acknowledge the time when a fifteen-year-old girl, six years younger than him at the time, he had made him scream and cry like a child. Besides, there was no evidence and no way she could’ve gotten there.

 Jimmy Stone, swaggering in tight jeans, turned the corner onto Catford Broadway, his pockets bulging with so much expensive jewelry that technically he died a very rich man, as a crowd of Autons fell upon him and chopped him into bits.

His last memory was Lillie’s last words to him: When you die, you will remember me and know that if you hadn’t crossed me, you might’ve lived.

And he swore, he saw Lillie Tyler staring at him with no mercy and slight smirk before blackness.

—

As the citizens of London ran, screamed and fought for their lives, someone was fast asleep. In a house in Chiswick, a woman hugged her pillow a little tighter, annoyed by vague alarms from far-off. She’d had hell of a time last night, a bit too much vino collapso because Rufus from Accounts was leaving, to go to Northampton, and she fancied him like rotten, except she drank a bit too much and told him, and he’d laughed in her face, so that went well, and it was still only nine-thirty p.m., and God knows what had happened after that, except she’d arrived home at three A.M, without one shoe. Or, to put a positive spin on things, with one shoe. She’d then wandered through Saturday, dazed and glum. She made a truly disgraceful ham in parsley sauce for her mother’s birthday tea, then gave up. ‘You go to sleep, sweetheart,’ said her granddad. ‘Good idea,’ said Donna Noble. And she slept through the whole thing.

—

Lillie fought, her mind flashed to people she knew who had died or were dying, like Clive, and even those she didn’t like, Jimmy Stone, and those she didn’t know. She didn’t know who she was but she was a woman in her forties, older than her mother with brown hair and brown eyes. Lillie somehow knew she had a daughter around her age, eighteen, who was clever and witty, and… impossible. And… and something about a leaf, the most important leaf in human history or something, whatever the hell that meant! She knew people would die, people she loved, even if half of that list was down here, but people like Jackie and Lars would soon be dead too if they didn’t do something. The Nestene below widened its awful mouth in anticipation.

Lillie pushed the mannequin whose hands were now all melty as a bolt shot it, incinerating it but she slipped and nearly falling into the plastic below but she managed to grab onto the ledge.

"LILLIE!" Rose screamed.

"Get out, Rose! Just get out! Run!" The Doctor shouted.

"I'm not leaving my sister!" She repeated.

"The stairs have gone!" Mickey shouted.

Rose, with no intention to abandon her sister, but to get Mickey somewhere safe, or where at least, he'd stop clinging on her like a magnet, ran to the Tardis but it wouldn't open for her.

"I haven't got the key!" She cried.

The dummies tried to push the Doctor into the vat as Lillie desperately tried not to fall in as the vat spoke, "Time Lord."

Lillie looked down at the vat and vaguely heard it say, "Elder."

She saw flashes of that woman again and then of that man with the blue eyes.

In the shadow of an overturned black cab, Jackie Tyler felt her legs buckle and she sank to the floor as the brides advanced. The dummies raised their stilettos. Jackie sobbed, and she thought of Rose, and thought of Lillie, and thought of Pete, and she closed her eyes, she hoped her daughters were safe.

--

Rose stared in horror as her sister dangled above the Nestene Consciousness, kicking her feet at the faces forming.

Then an old memory came to her from just before she started dating Jimmy Stone.

Rose Tyler at sixteen years old bailed out her fifteen-year-old sister for hacking into the school computer and vandalizing the headmaster’s office, while she had busted the headmaster for having a hacker embezzling money from both the "special needs" program and from parents and had then digitally rerouted it back to the family’s, she hadn't been able to do it from the school, so she had broken into the school's "sponsor"'s mansion, she had avoided the security and disabled the cameras with ease, even bypassing some kind of defense matrix but miraculously she hadn't gotten jail time thanks to the help of a certain American in a military coat who the had flirted with multiple of the officer at once.

“Why do you have to do it this way? You could’ve gotten expelled or worse, arrested.”

“He was embezzling.” Lillie complained.

“You could’ve called the police.”

"And how much much would family and the program lose by the time they arrested him!"

“They never believe me. I stopped trusting them to do the right thing a long time ago. I had to do it myself.”

“Why? Why couldn’t you have just shown them the evidence.”

“True character and integrity is doing the right thing even if no one is watching. I couldn’t stand by and let him do it. It wasn’t right. The coppers are too cautious with their careers and the kids at our school aren’t exactly rich. I looked into it, several families were on the verge of bankruptcy and homelessness, I had to act fast before they lost something they couldn’t just grab back. You can’t just do what is easy, you have to do what’s right, even if it’s the most painful decision you ever make, you have to do what’s right because then what’s the point in doing it at all!?”

It would be so easy for Rose to follow Mickey’s first instinct to run away, to find a way to enter the Tardis. Well, easier than to do what she was thinking of doing but nothing in this universe would keep her from her sister. Nothing in any universe would.

Rose stood up, gathering her courage, it was easy when her sister was in danger. And then Rose Tyler said no. She said it aloud. She said, ‘No.’ She’d had enough. She’d had enough of standing back and doing nothing. Of being told to sit still and behave and go to work and wear this and say that, of being told what to do by men, and boys, and her mother, and teachers, and bosses, and boyfriends, by the Doctor and the Nestene and everyone in between. Above her, the world was ending. In front of her, the Doctor and her sister were dying. At her feet, Mickey was blubbing. Well, to hell with that.

Rose got a determined look in her eyes as she looked at her sister. She may be a high school dropout with a future of a dead-end job but she'll be damned if anything happened to her little sister. She will fight with her life to keep her safe. She ran across the catwalk to the wall as Mickey shouted after her, "Just leave them! There's nothing you can do!"

If the circumstance were different, Mickey would know better than to tell Rose that when it concerned her sister and Rose would've smacked him with the protective ferocity of a wolf in her eyes.

She ran across, jumped down to a lower gantry. "I've got no A-Levels, no job, no future." She said as she grabbed an axe. "But I tell you what I have got." She broke a chain attached to the wall, if she were a physicist, a soldier, an architect, or whatever, she might be able to calculate the angle and distance and velocity but sod it. In a life without many qualifications, Rose had one badge of merit—"Jericho Street Junior School under sevens gymnastic team. I got the bronze!" She took a firm hold onto the chain, wrapping it around her wrist, So she held on tight to the chain and looked at her sister.That was all the motivation she needed.

She took a deep breath and let out a growl of exertion before she jumped off the gantry and swung across the chasm, throughout the chamber. She kicked dummies into the vat and she sailed towards the Doctor. He saw her coming somehow; in that second,or whatever a second was to a Time Lord, he seemedto gaina second wind—with that big stupid grin, he doubled over, to throw the dummy holding him over his shoulder and down into the pit, so easily that later on when she had a second to think, Rose would wonder: What, was he waiting for me?

More importantly, the Doctor was free and he didn’t waste a second before running to Lillie whose boot and sock had been absorbed by the plastic and was burning holes into her other boot, and he grabbed her hand, surprised she had lasted for so long, she looked up, her eyes seemed to get bluer from a purplish hue when he looked at her but it must’ve been a trick of the light.

Rose swung over the Doctor’s head. She wasn’t aiming for him. She was aiming for the second Auton. The Auton still holding the Doctor’s vial of anti-plastic. She managed to knock the dummy off its balance, making it totter and then the one-booted Lillie, apparently not bothered by the metal of the floor in the hot chamber against her bare foot, pushed the dummy and kicked it, knocking it down into the living molted plastic.

Rose’s arc completed and she began to swing back. As Rose sailed back towards the wall, there he was, the Doctor, with that huge, silly smile, arms wide open to intercept her, a whoomph of air from his lungs as he caught her and held on tight. The two of them laughed with joy and looked over the edge. Below them, the cauldron of red and yellow plastic seethed and bubbled, but now lines of dark blue streaked and skittered across its surface. The Nestene started to scream and started to glow brightly as it turned blue.

Rose turned to her sister and laughed out of joy at seeing her alive and safe, she ran to her shouting her name and hugging her and Lillie hugging back, laughing out her sister’s name.

"Now we're in trouble." The chamber started to fall apart and blow up. “Come on!” The Doctor laughed, taking the sisters’ hands and pulling them across to and up the last stairway. Towards the TARDIS.

Mickey who had moved to where Rose had run to, pressed against the wall, wailed, “We’re going to die!”

“Oh, shut up, Rickey!” The DOcote shouted as they reached him and he grabbed his hand, letting go of Lillie’s who moved across the platform to see the Nestene Consciousness as a huge ball of fire erupted up from the create itself but Lillie didn’t flinch, she showed to sign of being affected by heat, not even sweating like the others.

“Oh my God!” Rose cried, grabbing onto her sister’s hand and trying to pull her back away from the fire but so they could still see the Nestene.

The web of anti-plastic had thickened until the creature’s entire skin had become a beautiful, poisonous blue that seemed to have entranced Lillie.

“Doctor, its solidifying, its losing its elasticity.” Lillie shouted.

It reached out into tendrils but its skin tore open and fire guttered from the rips. It tried to rise from the pit but pulled itself apart, red flames bursting out of blue wounds. The chasm below became a lake of fire. And it seemed to entrance Lillie, like an old memory.

“It’s destroying itself,” The Doctor said. In that moment, Rose saw his glee, and his agony, and she was terrified of him. “Come on!” The Doctor shouted and led the three humans to the Tardis.

 “There’s no way out,” Mickey cried.

“In there,’ yelled Rose, pointing at the TARDIS. ‘But it’s just a box!’ said Mickey,

“Oh, hush!” Lillie told him as Rose remembered how dumb she’d been just a short time ago.

Debris began to fall and Lillie instinctively ran back to the Doctor.

Rose ducked, dodging breaking concrete and bits of bricks as she pulled Mickey along the platform as the Doctor shielded Lillie from debris.

Rose reached the rickety blue doors of the police box and yelled to the Doctor, “Key!” The Doctor reached into his pocket and took out the key, holding it between him and Lillie, she stared at it in awe.

“Get this to your sister.” He told her, “I’ll be right there.”

She smiled with a glint in her eyes as she held his gaze, that he had trusted her with a key to the best technology in the universe. She suddenly threw her arms around him in an uncharacteristic act of affection, laughing and she ran off to Rose and Mickey, giddy as if she wasn’t at risk of being hit by falling debris.

The platform shook, the chains threatening to snap but they held as Lillie reached Rose and Mickey and she pushed the key into the door, gently caressing the side of the Tardis as if greeting an old friend she hadn’t seen in a long, long time, then she turned to Rose and Mickey and grinned before swinging the door open and the sisters pushed Mickey inside before Rose did the same to Lillie and tumbled inside after her.

Again, that shock of entering the TARDIS, the change in pressure like a physical thump; the sound of the crumbling evil lair became muffled. And for Mickey, the interior was a brand new terror. He yelped. ‘Whaaat?’ and boggled like he was being attacked by bees as Lillie laughed before realizing the Doctor wasn’t there.

She went to go find him when he had jumped into the doorway, his back to her, standing on the edge to look down. Rose ran forward to join him as Lillie ducked so she could squeeze through the gap under his arm to see, much like how a child would.

“What the hell is going on?” Mickey’s voice was more like background noise as the three saw  the dying Nestene Consciousness.

The creature was ripping itself into blue, fleshy chunks as it descended into the pit of fire, huge explosions blossoming up from the depths, the walls caving in on all sides. And above the roar, a terrible, keening sound as the Nestene wept. Rose looked at the Doctor, though he did not look at her nor did Lillie.

She wasn’t smiling anymore, she looked sorry and apologetic. Like she had the weight of the universe on her shoulders, she seemed to hold more responsibility in that moment than Rose had ever known her to have in her entire life.

The Doctor and Lillie’s eyes were like skies of ice.

“I’m sorry.” The Doctor whispered.

Then he slammed the door shut, sealing them inside the cocoon of the TARDIS.

Mickey, still not understanding how the Tardis was the safest place on Earth, cried, “We’re still going to die!”

The Doctor strode past him, dismissively and he reached the controls, flipped a big red lever. Rose sank to her knees, exhausted, with a blissful smile, welcoming the joyous sound of the engines lurching and stuttering into life as Lillie stood her ground, feeling strong.

The shining glass within the central column began to rise and fall, and the roar of the world outside faded away. In the lair of the Nestene, a final wail rose from the beast as the walls and roof collapsed into the burning ravine. The creature died in fury and despair, and the flames and rocks became its tomb. The rising stanchion reached maximum stress and sheared in half with a snap like a thunderbolt. The last lattices of ceiling fell, exposing the chasm to the night sky above and then as the stars shined down on the Nestene… it felt a sense of peace in its final moments as if the stars were smiling down on it, giving it some comfort in its last moments before death.

—

“Mum!” Rose suddenly gasped, fumbling with her phone as the Doctor frowned at Lillie’s one-booted shoe.

“You look daft with one shoe.” He stated and then he pulsed his sonic screwdriver at her boot, “One second.” And then he left.

“Where’s he going!?” Mickey squeaked.

Jackie was desperate. Thinking of Rose and Lillie. She kept walking. Heading for home. All around her, horrors. Injuries that made her flinch. People lying on the floor, asking for help. Huddled in corners, crying. Lost children. But Jackie didn’t have time, she had to get back to the flat, to find Rose and Lillie. She had to make sure they were safe.

She’d been in that flat so many years ago, when she left one morning with Rose just to go to a wedding, upset with her husband and then returned a widow and a single mother with her two baby girls.

She had to be there now. To stop that news from ever coming again. And then her mobile rang. Rose.

Jackie answered, “Oh my God! Sweetheart, is that you? Are you all right? Is Lillie alright?”

 “Mum! Oh thank God, you’re alive! Where are you? Are you okay?”

“Never mind me, what about you and Lillie.”

“Honestly, trust me, I’m fine. And Lillie’s right here, she’s fine.”

“Where are you?”

A pause. “Travelling,” Rose said.

“What the hell does that mean?” Jackie asked.

“Never mind, I’m on my way home.” Rose said, Rose’s voice became muffled as she asked someone, ‘How long?’ Then she came back to Jackie, “I’m one second away, apparently.”

“I’m still up West. Did you see it? All the dummies? And not just people dressed up, their heads fell off, I picked up this bride’s head and I gave it a tap and it was solid. Then I banged it on the floor, and I’m telling you, 100 per cent plastic! But it was moving! And they tipped over a bus! And killed this man right in front of me, you should’ve seen it, and this great big clown—"

“Yeah, sorry, got to go.” And click, Rose was gone.

“Oh, well thank you, madam,” said Jackie to her phone. But Rose was alive. Her daughter was safe, and heading home. Jackie would get there somehow, even if she had to walk all the way, she’d burst through that door, she’d get out the whisky, she’d knock them up a curry, she’d toast their survival and hold her daughters tight. Hey, she might even sell her story for a bit of money. My Night of Hell, by Jacqueline Tyler. But first of all, she thought of the children she’d walked past. And Jackie went back to help.

—

The Doctor returned with an identical pair of boots to the ones Lillie was wearing and waved off her thanks.

Mickey interrupted. “How do we get out of here?” He was sitting on the floor, on the opposite side of the console to the Doctor, determined to stay as far away from him as possible as if he were suddenly going to grow tentacles. He’d initially retreated down one of the gantries, so scared of the chamber’s size that he’d tried to hide in the shadow of an internal doorway. But then he’d heard a roar from the depths of the TARDIS.

“That’ll be the dragon,” said the Doctor with a bit a laughter in his voice and Mickey had scarpered back to the center. Now he huddled into himself, overwhelmed, smeared with grease and grime. As far as he knew, the police box was still inside the underground lair; he could accept that the inside was calmer somehow, safer and sort of detached, but he had no concept of the box having moved.

Rose supposed she could explain it to him. But later, maybe. The Doctor was more important, right now. Time with him was precious, he could vanish on a whim, and she didn’t like the idea of seeing that happiness fade from her sister’s eyes.

Rose and the Doctor discussed how they were in flight when Mickey interrupted, “What the hell are you on about?” The Doctor had a wolfish gleam in his eye, that made Mickey regret his question. A challenge. He strode down the entryway, his big boots making the metal clatter and clang. He looked at the sisters, seeing the excitement in their faces, returned his challenge and he opened the left-hand door. Lillie was immediately at his side, leaving a gap for Rose to see the outside who soon joined them as Lillie sat down, dangling her feet as she looked at the view.

They were in flight above the entire planet. They held the whole of the world within their sight.

“It’s a trick. That’s not real,” Mickey denied. They didn’t look back at him.

Down below at Great Britain, the lights of London a yellow sprawl in the dark of night. Down there, she supposed, there must be fires and alarms and tragedies, but it seemed mercilessly peaceful from above. The clouds of the Atlantic curling towards a bright fringe of sunlight, the long day ending beyond the curve. When Rose looked at the north-east curve of the horizon below, some plains of Russia, focusing on particular dips of landscape. Up and out where the infinite stars.

Rose had imagined space as a simple black. But it was paler, and richer, and so much more complex, infused with extraordinary maroons, reefs of light blue, glints of yellow on vast clouds of the deepest green. They stood there together, Rose and the Doctor, standing over Lillie, in an intimate silence.

Lillie waited, and then, as she knew she would, she saw them change under the planet’s slow revolve, she felt an exhilaration, a thrill, that almost made her feel powerful, like she was capable of universal possibilities.

“I can feel it,” she said aloud so the Doctor and Rose could hear her. “The turn of the Earth.”

The Doctor smiled and they stayed there for a while. Lillie soon became antsy and moved back into the Tardis and the Doctor closed the door. Time to go home but Rose knew that the Powell Estate was no longer Lillie’s home. Earth was no longer home to her.

The TARDIS had settled with a big, resounding thump, the glass column hissing to a halt and the groan of engines falling away. The end of the line. The Doctor had promised to bring them back to the Powell Estate. With a grin, Rose opened the door. Onto the cold and dark. She stepped out, into the London night with Lillie behind her.

“We’re in the wrong place!” She realized this was Henrik’s. Where it all began. They were just beyond the ruin of the shop. The TARDIS had brought them to a mountain of blackened rubble sealed off by hazard tape and chain-link fencing. Just twenty-four hours ago… One day in which everything had changed. But the sisters also knew it couldn’t last forever. Rose turned back to the Doctor who was leaning against the TARDIS doorway, arms folded. “You said home, you got it wrong.”

Then he was pushed aside as Mickey ran out, came to a halt. He looked around, looked back at the TARDIS, then at Rose, then at Lillie, down at the ground, up at the sky, down again. He stamped on the street to prove it was real. He’d convinced himself that seeing the Earth from orbit had been some sort of illusion, but now he had to face the truth. That they’d moved.

Then he asked, “Were we thrown?”

“What?” Lillie asked.

“What d’you mean, thrown?” Rose asked.

“Like, we were underground. And it exploded... And we got thrown out. And we landed here.” Mickey tried to reason.

Rose took a deep breath, to explain, but the Doctor interrupted, “Actually, that’s not bad. Same difference. Well done, Ricky.”

“It’s Mickey,” He said, trying to hide behind a large piece of wood, away from the Tardis.

Rose went to him to check on him, “Is he all right?”

“Don’t talk like I’m not here,” Mickey complained.

Lillie spun on her heels to look at him, “Oh, so you know the side effects of you being copied into plastic twice?”

Mickey opened his mouth, shut it, and then open it again, like fish out of water.

“He was copied. Bit knackering. Ten minutes, fresh air, right as rain. So, are we done?”

Rose saw her sister’s posture fall and her smile falter, the happiness in her eyes dimmed. She herself could feel a sudden rush in her heart. This was it. The Doctor was going. He’d step into that box and slam the door, never to be seen again. She saw her sister trying to hide her emotions like she always did and Rose didn’t want to give her disappointment away either.

She said, as though indifferent, “I suppose.”

“Good,” The Doctor said,

“Yeah,” said Rose.

“Yep.” Lillie choked down, looking down.

And they stayed where they were.

Then the Doctor said, “Right. I’d better go.”

Lillie noticed that he seemed to be hesitate to leave them too.

“Well, good luck,” Rose said, “You’ll need it.”

“What makes you think that?” He asked with mock offense.

“You were useless in there. You’d be dead if it wasn’t for me,” Rose smiled that brilliant smile, quite proud of herself.

“D’you think?” He was smiling too, just a little and then he admitted, “Yes, I suppose I would be. Thank you.”

And still, all three of them hesitated. The Doctor’s weight shifted onto his back foot, his hand tensed on the wooden door, about to close it—but not yet. The moment suspended. The Doctor knew these two girls were special; his empathy for all life—especially humanity was back, the one he thought had died with Nova.

"Right then, I'll be off… unless, uh, I don't know,” He shrugged, to appear casual, “you two could come with me. As you know this box isn't just a London-op, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge.”

Everything fell away: the sirens, the city, the cold, the pain of her new replacement boot rubbing against the back of her bare heel raw.

Then he blinked, drew in a sharp breath, looked at the sisters as though preparing to forget them, “Anyway. Never mind. Just a thought.” He took one step back.

“No! Don’t go!” Lillie blurted out and he looked at her.

Forcing herself to process what he was asking, Lillie got a surge of excitement in her body at the idea, her happiness coming back. For the first time in her life, something felt... right. She wasn't a kid anymore; she was eighteen and Rose could come with.

"You're serious?" She asked, grinning wildly.

"Nova made you promise, didn't she?" He smiled.

Mickey looked up at Lillie and said, “You can’t. It’s not safe. He’s an alien. He’s a thing.”

"Don't. He's an alien. He's a thing." Mickey said, pointing as if it needed to be clarified who he was referring to.

"He's not a bad alien." Lillie said, not looking away, "besides I've saved his hide twice now."

"He's not invited. What do you think? You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go anywhere. The choice is yours, Lillie Tyler.”

"Yes!" Lillie exclaimed at once, practically giddy with excitement.

A flash of relief passed over the Doctor’s face and he looked at Rose.

Rose looked tempted too but she forced herself to think logically.

"Is it always this dangerous?" Rose asked.

"Yeah." Doctor admitted and Mickey clung to Rose’s waist.

Rose thought about the fear she had felt but it had been worth it, to do the good that she did. She wanted to feel that again.

But then, ping, ping, ping. Her phone was bombarded by texts as it reconnected with the network came back to life; thirty-four messages received—thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven.

The list of names: Sally, Shareen, Mook, Patrice, Omar, Maxwell, Suki, Janice, Keisha, Cole, Mum, Mum, Mum. Rose's old world coming back.

Lillie checked her phone and the Doctor spotted, only two people had messaged her. Mum. Mum. Mum. Lars. Lars. Lars. Lars. Lars. Lars. Mum. Mum. Mum.

Rose wondered if any of those texts would be someone’s final message. And then Jackie, of course, she thought of Jackie, wandering home. And Mickey, poor Mickey Smith, that lovely bright boy shattered by events. Needing her help. And tomorrow the sun would shine and life would go on and she needed a job, she needed a wage, she couldn’t go running off like she’d done with Jimmy Stone, she wasn’t a kid any more. She had to buckle down and behave and face her responsibilities.

"Yeah, I can't. I've uh, I've got to go and find my mum, and someone's got to look after this stupid lump, so..." she turned to her sister, "you have fun and be safe. Okay, Lillie? I'll tell mum that you've... gone studying abroad or something..." Rose shrugged. "Take a year off before you head off to Cambridge."

While Rose didn't want her sister to go without her, she knew that Lillie had been waiting for a moment like this all her life and it wouldn't be fair to take it away from her. Lillie deserved it.

The Doctor’s expression did not change. He kept a level stare, as though none of this mattered at all and Lillie ran in the Tardis with the Doctor with a huge grin on her face. Though she knew that Rose wanted to go.

 “You watch after her. She’s sensitive to the cold.” Rose warned, “She gets sick easy when she’s cold.”

The Doctor didn’t mention that the radiation of the Tardis mutated human cells, making them better at fighting off diseases.

"Okay. See you around." The Doctor said, closing the door.

The Tardis started to dematerialize…

Mickey stood up to stare alongside her and they saw the miracle of the box for the first time. The lamp on top of the stacked roof flared as bright as the sun. Then it pulsed up and down, seeming to draw all the color out of the box as the noise heaved into a bellow, a fierce little wind whipping up, a vortex of papers and flakes and ash spiraling around the shape of the box even as that shape began to disappear. The lines and light melted away into the night. The wind died down, the debris settled to the floor, and the noise faded down to a whisper, and then nothing at all. The Doctor had gone with Lillie.

Rose stared at the empty space for a long time where the machine that had her sister and the Doctor inside were. Her eyes fell to a mirror in an alley and she saw herself in a tall broken shard of mirror that was a Hendrik’s display that had been thrown across the street.

And there she stood. Nineteen years old, London born, average height. Hoodie and jeans, like everyone her age. A scoop of dirty blonde hair around her face. Eyes like her father’s, mascara and hair like her mum’s. A bit of a sullen expression which made everyone, her whole life, say “Cheer up.”

The most ordinary girl in the world. And I’m happy with that, she thought. This ordinary girl helped to save the world, not with magic, not with science, not with any particular skill, I just did one simple thing: I never gave up.

--

The Doctor caught Lillie staring at the door from the console as she bit and sucked on her lip and she felt his gaze on her, she looked at him.

"She wants to go, you know." Lillie said. “She ran away from her responsibilities once for a prat of a boy. Dropped out of school.”

“How do you know this isn’t that?” He asked.

“It’s not.” She said, confident.

The Doctor smiled before heading back to give Rose a second chance.

And then she heard it again. The grind of engines. The light blazed into existence, a rush of, a spiral of wind, and the outlines of the box, bleeding into the air, and then with a thump, the TARDIS was back.

The Doctor opened the door again and said, "By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?"

The spin of the world beneath her feet seemed to tilt. Now so many things made sense. The photographs in the shed. Those two words, spoken by a furious beast: “time” and “lord”. Rose turned to Mickey. She loved him, but that seemed a very small thing, right now. She thought of the people who’d abandoned him, the people he’d lost over the years. And she was sorry, but above and beyond that, she thought: That’s his story. But this is my story, now. And the only person who can tell it, is me. She gave Mickey a kiss. She said, "Thank you." Then she ran towards the rest of her life, joining her sister.

Lillie and Rose knew that the stranger’s promise, given to them in the dark and snow of New Year’s Eve, had finally come true. Lillie thought back to that man from what little she could see of him.

And that’s how the journey began. And they hoped it would never end.

[viperixsworld]

GUTS, luke castellan x oc

(chapter one: new kid)

summary: Arianne and Luke just existing in camp and being the it couple.

disclaimer: im in introduction mood, so sorry. im thinking of making this story a full of oneshots and not a chapter after chapter think, idk. Enjoy this!!!

Set in Percy Jackson and the Olympians E1S1

Cabin ten, home to Aphordite's children. If Barbie and a military battalion had a kid, it would be the tenth cabin on Camp Half-blood. Arianne Deveraux was named captain and head counselor of the tenth cabin the day of her sixteen birthday, and since then she had to deal with all her brothers and sisters.

Two days later, Luke Castellan asked her to accompany him to a counselor meeting.

Said counselor meeting was actually a secret, not so secret, party for older campers, that had absolutly nothing to do with the fact that Chiron was out of camp in a secret quest and Mr.D had being persuaded with coke zero.

"Come on lovie, let's have some fun"

Wasn't he charming?

Apollo kids were at some (probably stolen) dj stuff, while Castor and Pollux were serving drinks and food. And every camper at sight waves and said hello to Luke. Three years at camp, and Ari was just starting to understand how deep Luke's influence run in the campus.

"So... are you gettin me a drink or what, champ?"

"And they said you were meek" laughed the boy.

"What can i say? Looks are deceiving"

"You don't have to swear it"

Later that night, when they had to break up the party after the earlier arrival of Chiron, some Demeter kid spread the rumor that captains of cabin 10 and 11 were making out behind a tree at the bonefire.

Some months after that, it was natural to see the two of them walking aroud camp, training together or swimming at the canoe lake. Her brothers and sisters would wait in the door of cabin 10, waiting for her to arrive past the curfew just to watch them say their goodbyes until next day.

"Quick! Hide behind the curtain!"

"Mitchell, she's gonna see you"

"Shut up, Val"

Arianne just draw her palm to her face as they stayed at the front door of cabin 10, her back facing the window while Luke only bit his tongue to avoid laughing at he situation. When Ari lifted her eyes from the floor, she found Luke's eyes just looking straight to her, as if he was trying to remember every little spot of her face, as if he was about to spend so much time without seeing her.

"Guess we have public tonight".

"They being spying us the whole day, I really hope they're not that bad when monsters are around"

Luke took a step foward, and before she could say her goodnight, he grabbed her face with two hands and kissed her on the lips. It was sweet and innocent and felt like being on a Pegasus. Her heart was beating faster than being chased by a monster and she actually heard the voices of her siblings giggling and clappin their hands.

"See you tomorrow at training, lovie"

Ari opened her eyes, finding Lukes mischievous grin, who was already on his way to his cabin.

"You just gave them a show" the girl complained

"No, your face did" responded the boy.

"I hate you".

"Nah".

She waved her goodbye to her boy with a foolish smile plastered on her face and prepare herself mentally for the nightmare of children behind that pink door. So, before entering, she breathed in and out three times, and stepped inside. She found all of her siblings looking at her, grinning at her, while poorly hidden behind curtains or under blankets.

"If your not dead sleeping before the count of ten, I will personally hunt you one by one in Capture the Flag"

This being said, the children practically flew to their bunkbeds as she directed herself to the twinbed she shared with her half-sister Silena.

The black haired girl was pretending to read a Vogue magazine when Ari just threw herself on her bed.

"Stop the act, Silena. I saw you looking out the window with Mitch and Val" said the captain.

Silena just left the magazine on the nightstand and looked at her big sister. They endured this for five seconds before brusting in laughs and putting her hands over their mouths to avoid bringin the attetion of the younger.

"Is he a good kisser?"

"Silena!"

"Don't shout! A girl just wants to know, don't blame me"

"It was all right" Ari said just staring at the ceiling "He felt right, get me?". Silena just looked to her sister in admiration, a look of pure happiness.

"Got it" she responded "Ugh, I'm so jealous... wish Charlie wasn't that dense".

"Give him time... it's not an easy task falling in love with a daugther of the goddess of love".

"Says the one with a boyfriend".

"Hey! It took time too, you know? Charlie will get it, don't worry about it. And if not, you can always leave it to your big counselor sister who can give him more chores!"

Silena just pushed her a little and they laugh again, falling sleep on the same bed after their conversation.

Later the same night, Arianne and Silena were woken up by a loud thud and the sun rays that sneak to the pinkish courtains. Apollo was feeling it today, huh? Arianne got off the bed, stretching after spending the night sharing a single bed with her dear sister, who kicks like hell.

"Mitch, what's going on si early?" she asked her little brother, who was running around the cabin with only one shoe one.

Did she sleep in? Why is everybody up that early? It was only 8:30 in the morning, most of the campers (especially HER campers) wouldn't leave their cabins until 9:00 for breakfast at mess hall.

She was sure as Tartarus that it wasn't inspection day, and she knew because the one in charge of that, was still lying in bed trying to get up. And Silena was really serious when it came to inspection day.

"A new kid entered at camp last night! Michael from Apollo said he killed a minotaur entering camp with Grover! Gods, he said the kid kept the horn!" said the boy before sprinting out the cabin.

What?

"Sil? Wake up, come on".

"Only five minutes" she murmured.

"Get your ass up!"

They dressed as quick as they could, (easy for Ari because she went to bed with the clothes from the day before). When both of them get to the mess hall, everyone was talking about the mysterious kid that one handedly got to kill a minotaur.

Apparently, poor boy passed out from the attack and was recovering in the infirmary, not even Apollo's children had access right now by Chiron's orders.

Silena went to their table, as for Ari, she was getting her food when Chris Rodríguez and Clarisse La Rue were having a conversation about it.

"I mean, a minotaur is big thing Clarisse".

"Beginner's luck, Rodríguez" said the Ares kid.

"Don't be mean, Clarisse" scolded the Aphordite's daugther entering the chat.

Despite being two opposite poles, La Rue and Deveraux had a good friendship and mutual respect. That probably comes from the close relationship between their godly parents (so to speak).

It was kind of relieving for Clarisse to know someone that she didn't need to impress. And for Arianne it was nice to have someone that wouldn't just underestimate her because of her looks, and actually saw that she wasn't a shallow, pretty face and that she could defend herself as well as any other demigod.

"Bet he's the son of Ares" said Chris "A new baby brother, Clarisse!".

Needless to say, Chris earned a hit from the Ares girl.

"What problem do you children of Hermes have with betting?" asked Arianne laughing while serving herself some pancakes with strawberry syrup.

"Make's life more insteresting, lovie" said a voice behind her, while an arm rested comfortably on her shoulders. "What are you three bickering about this morning, huh?" said Luke's voice.

"Good morning for you too" Arianne greeted.

With his arm still on her shoulder, Luke left a discret kiss on her hair. " What are the news?" he asked.

"Newbie kill a minotaur last night, and everyones freaking out" Clarisse said disdainfully.

"Unclaimed?".

"Seems like we'll have the bullslayer at our place, bro" said Chris before he and Clarisse went to their respective tables.

"Be nice to the kid, he is probably super scared right now" Arianne told Luke, gettin face to face.

Luke raised an eyebrow questioning her words.

"Im always nice to new campers".

Arianne just grinned and pecked his cheek before going to her sister, who was eagerly waiting for her pancakes.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

A Dragon Does Now Bow Down 🐉 | HOTD Imagine P.1

GOT/HOTD masterlist | | Part 2

Characters & Pairings: Targaryen/Lannister!OC—Daerra Targaryen x the Greens (platonic) & the Blacks (platonic)

Content Warnings: follows episodes 1-7 of S.1, fluff (between oc and kids) angst, implied character death, blood, violence, dysfunctional family dynamics, eventual B&C, slight canon divergence | female!OC (she/her) | wc: 8k

Premise: The House of the Dragon is an impenetrable force when standing together. Bound by love, duty, and sacrifice. But when sides are drawn between kin, not even the glue that holds them together can withstand.

Note: this is a direct result of an AU idea I had where the children of the Greens had an actual motherly figure who cared for them and was also a neutral party between the Greens & Blacks. So yeah, I’m sorry this will be more angsty and dark in part 2.

-----------------

Hand turns loom; spool of green, spool of black; dragons of flesh weaving dragons of thread.

It was believed by the Wise King Jaehaerys I that the only thing that could tear down the house of the dragon was itself. Oh how right he was. 

The threat of war loomed over with each passing moon. Bringing unease to his youngest grandchild, Daerra.

Born to his daughter Gael in 95 AC when she was only ten and five. The only legitimate child to her marriage to a lord of House Lannister who shared Targaryen heritage. He died shortly after her birth resulting in Gael returning to the Red Keep where she raised the babe with her siblings and cousins. They took a liking to Daerra--especially the Good Queen Alysanne. Her older cousins; Rhaenys, Viserys, and Daemon were around at times. Mainly at family gatherings since they were all 15+ years older than Daerra. 

A Targaryen beauty with signature attributes to Lannisters, Daerra was a sight to behold. Silver hair she often kept short and curly, and piercing green eyes that resemble emeralds. While her father may have been a Lannister, she only ever referred to herself as a Targaryen. Only ever wearing the colors of red and black. 

Unfortunately Daerra would know loss again at the age of four, when her mother drowned herself in the Blackwater Bay following the stillbirth of her younger brother. From then on, Daerra was under the care of her cousins Aemma and Viserys, who had their young daughter, Rhaenyra, two years prior to Gael’s death. Raising them like sisters since the couple were not blessed with another child by the Gods. 

As children up until adolescence the two were like peas in a pod, though they had their differences. Both enjoyed riding their dragons, though never together. Rhaenyra with her golden queen Syrax, and Daerra with the ferocious Cannibal. Whose eyes were a stunning green as though they were filled with Wildfire. Matching Daerra so closely, it made people wonder if it were the reason the wild beast surrendered to her. Earning her the title, ‘Daerra the Daring,’ when she claimed the mighty dragon on the eve of her tenth nameday at Dragonstone, after stumbling upon his nest when she ventured too far from the castle. Removing red from her wardrobe to only wear black with green trimming in honor of him. 

The bond between dragon and rider was something Daerra was taught by her grandmother the Good Queen. A longing feeling she desired to connect with their ancient heritage. Cannibal was a magnificent creature. When not on Dragonstone, Cannibal was free to roam the outskirts of the city away from the Dragonpit. 

So as to not cause an issue with his….particular taste for food. 

While Rhaenyra had to maintain the statue of a Princess, Daerra had much more freedom during childhood. Which in turn resulted in slight envy from the young heir. Daerra got to go to Dragonstone whenever she pleased so long as the King approved. She got to train under the Rogue Prince himself, Daemon--which fueled Rhaenyra’s jealousy, and learn to fight like a warrior. While Rhaenyra always had a book or quill in her hand, Daerra had a sword or her trusty leather whip. She was his protege. On her fifteenth name day, Lady Daerra was gifted a Valryian steel blade she named Destiny.

Daemon taught her strategy and ways to disarm a man. Not to mention he warned her of snakes in his brother's council.  

Speaking of the council, there were mixed reactions when it came to Daerra and the privileges her cousin gave her. Viserys didn’t rush to marry her off when she came of age, much to the displeasure of his Hand, Otto Hightower. The cunning man desperately wanted to rid the Red Keep of her when she grew to be a mini version of his political headache. Even tempted to offer his own son's hand, until whispers spread of young Lords attempting to court the Lady going missing. Fruitless accusations that were enough to ward off prospects. 

“Is it true,” Rhaenyra raced after Daerra, dressed in her riding gear as she brushed through the mane of her horse before departing to see her dragon. 

“What do you speak of, cousin?” 

Rhaenyra gave a pointed look, glancing over her shoulder before leaning closer to whisper, “People are saying you fed those men who tried to win your hand to Cannibal.” The princess received a snicker.

“So that is the rumor I’ve been hearing amongst the court,” her laugh was dry, turning slightly to face her cousin. “Don’t be foolish, Rhaenyra, he only eats his own,” Daerra denied, but her eyes told a different story. One the princess wasn’t sure she wanted to know. 

Whatever the truth was, it had the outcome Daerra wanted. And that was to avoid marriage for as long as possible. The main reason being when Viserys named his daughter the heir to the Iron Throne. Daerra was ten and seven, beaming with pride while masking the bubble of anxiety in her chest. Greedy Lords would race to win her hand, and offer up their daughters/sisters to the King now that his wife, Queen Aemma, was with the Gods. 

Daerra scoured the court intently. Observing everyone who crossed paths with the King. Particularly Otto Hightower and Corlys Velaryon, who both had young daughters and were ambitious for power. 

“Any ladies the object of your attention, dear cousin?” Daerra clasped her hands behind her back, matching Viserys pace along the gardens. He’d appeared solemn, stress making his features age. 

“Don’t tell me you dragged me out here to hear of my quarrels with marriage prospects. I thought you better than that, Daerra.” His tone was fond, almost fatherly like. Considering he practically raised her since she was four. The two were semi-close with each other.

The young woman snorted, “Oh, you know I prefer the training yard or the skies. But I worry for you.” She stops, making him do the same. The sun beating down brought heat to their skin as their thick clothing absorbed the rays. Illuminating their emerald and lilac eyes that would have any artist wanting to paint a portrait. “Daemon is off in the stepstones doing Gods knows what. Your council keeps bothering you about a wife--and for Rhaenyra to take a husband. Not to mention they still question your decision to name her your heir. Must be exhausting.”

“It is,” the King agrees with a sigh, looking down at his boots. Wishing nothing more than to return to his model of Old Valyria. “With everything happening, I find myself missing Aemma more than ever.” Daerra’s heart tightened, mirroring his saddened expression. Aemma was like a mother to her, raising her as a surrogate daughter following multiple failed pregnancies. 

“I as well. Queen Aemma was the heart of this family,” Daerra glanced up to the heavens, feeling a light breeze drift over them. “Her loss is felt within the Keep. And you should not rush to pledge yourself to another until you feel the time is right. Otherwise you are dooming the both of you.” 

Though she did not have experience with love, Daerra witnessed it throughout her life. The love her grandparents had with each other. The way Corlys and Rhaenys were. The devotion Viserys had to Aemma, and the stories of his parents, Baelon and Alyssa. Love matches were rare, but they existed. And if blessed, one may experience more than one in their lifetime. 

She had hoped that for Viserys. Unfortunately, her advice was met on deaf ears when he announced not long after his intent to marry Alicent Hightower. The daughter of his Hand, and dear friend to his own daughter. 

Daerra was enraged. Disgusted even. How could her cousin marry a girl the same age as Rhaenyra. Younger than her by three name days. Never did she see the two together during the day, and it took some convincing for the King’s guard to tell her the two had secret meetings during the night. 

‘Of course,’ she thought, clutching her fists as the need to break something became too much to bear. If there was one thing Daerra was also known for in the Seven Kingdoms….it was her temper. Rivaling that of Daemon when she finally burst after penting up frustration for days. Earning her another nickname of the Dragon with a Lion’s roar. However, she had to remain composed. This was the King, not just her cousin. And while he allowed her freedom and often glanced the other way when she gave cheek to Lords and Ladies of the Court, the same would not be directed at him. 

In the end, Daerra told Viserys, “I hope you know what you’re doing, cousin.” And when he questioned her statement, her reply was simply, “You lack to see the weight this union has put on our House. And I hope you are ready for the pressure that will come the moment you sire more heirs. For yours and Rhaenyra--and even Alicent’s sake,” she paused, narrowing her brows at the man who raised her. “I hope the Gods bless you with only daughters.” 

Of course, Viserys believed her to over exaggerate. Even when he caught her stiff expression at his wedding. Standing beside his daughter with her hands clasped behind her back, dressed in black with gold accents. The way she assessed him was almost like a warning. But again, Viserys took it like a grain of salt. In his eyes, Rhaenyra was his heir and the Lords of Westeros pledged to her before him and the Gods. Swearing fealty, which was more valuable than any gold in the country. 

He failed to realize they would not be forthcoming once he had a son. When that day came, Daerra felt the shift. As she glanced down at the babe in her arms, having taken him while Alicent rested before Viserys was to present him to the court, Daerra’s usual rough exterior crumbled. 

There was such an innocence to babes. Unaware of the harsh realities the world possessed. Small little things who only desired love and attention. “Hello, little one,” she whispered to Aegon. His bright lilac eyes staring up at her in wonder. Silver strands of hair on his head, skin soft and smooth as her finger stroked his cheek. “I’m your cousin, Daerra. Oh how the realm has awaited your arrival,” her gaze softens, a tinge of sadness in her tone. “But I’m sorry for what your life is set to be like. You’re the first born son--named after the Conqueror himself.” 

Of course little Aegon had no clue what she was saying. To him the only concern was when he would eat, sleep, and have his nappy changed. Still, he gazed up at her as though he was taking in every word. 

Helaena came a year later, with Aemond not long after. As she did with Aegon’s birth, Daerra was present in the Queen’s chamber. Offering support and watching the babes while she rested following the endless hours of labors. Though her and Alicent’s relationship was rather hot and cold, there was a mutual respect. Especially when it came to the children which the Queen greatly appreciated. There were times where Daerra was the only person who could calm them when they fussed. 

“You’d be a great mother, Daerra,” Alicent exhaled, waiting for the sleep to take her while watching Aemond in the woman’s arms. “You’re a natural with him. With all of them.” Still in her youth, the young Queen wondered why Daerra never seeked to marry or have children. After Daemon left for the StepStones a lot had changed for Daerra. 

Though she still had her reputation. 

Daerra only smiled, not taking her eyes on the baby boy, “Everyone’s destiny is different, my Queen. I don’t think mine was to birth the next generation of Targaryen’s. But I do think I was meant to help raise them.” 

Lastly a few years later, came the arrival of the last child of the King and Queen. A boy named Daeron. Who the King, with the surprise approval of his wife, named in honor of his cousin. 

“Gentle, Aemond,” Daerra brushed away a hair from his face and tucked behind his ear. Kneeling down on the ground so she was eye level with the toddlers, Daerra held a sleeping Daeron in her arms. Six-year-old Aegon had a toy dragon in his hand, while five-year-old Helaena sucked on her thumb. Aemond, the curious three-year-old, kept leaning over her arm to get a look at his baby brother. 

“Tiny,” his finger came down on the babe’s head, lilac eyes peering up at the woman in awe. Daerra beamed, a bright smile on her lips. 

“Yes, my darling, he’s a tiny thing. Like you were many moons ago,” a giggle left the boy’s mouth upon her poke to his stomach. Helaena leaned onto her shoulder, lightly tracing the leather and texture of Daerra’s outfit. Aegon himself found entertainment twirling the chains attached to her cloak.

“How come all our eyes are purple and yours are green, aunt?” 

Daerra felt warmth at the title, like it always did when the children referred to her as such. That they viewed her more as an aunt than a distant cousin. 

“Well, my father was a Lannister and said to have bright green eyes,” she explained to the boy.

“Like Cannibal!” Aemond exclaimed, causing Daerra to gently hush him and carefully adjust Daeron who made a sound at the movement. Daerra cooed at him before looking back at Aemond. He’d always been so fascinated by the Dragons in his young age. Especially Cannibal after learning of his reputation. Begging Daerra to one day take him with her flying. She also had a tradition of taking the royal babes to the Dragon, much to the horror of Alicent and Otto, presenting the beast with the new generation of their house. 

Daerra chuckled, petting the top of Aemond’s head, “Inside voice, little dragon.” He mumbled an apology. Daerra bopped his nose, “but yes, Cannibal and I have matching eyes. That’s why some say he chose me as his rider.” She turned back to Aegon, “Sometimes certain traits are stronger than others. My father’s mother was a Targaryen, but he inherited his father’s green eyes. You all took on after your father, his grace the King. The spitting image of the blood of Old Valyria.”

“But what about Jace?” 

Daerra felt her heart stop, eyes widening a bit at the sudden question by her surrogate nephew. As the years passed with many unions blooming and children born to the royal family, Rhaenyra’s marriage to Laenor Velaryon produced their first son. Jacaerys. Born only a few moons prior to which Viserys ordered the babes share a wet nurse, following rising tensions between the houses in hopes to restore the strained relationship between Queen Alicent and Princess Rhaenyra. The former donning to wear only the color green, representing her house calling their bannerman to war. 

An act that had Daerra nearly tapping back into her destructive nature by driving her dagger straight through her heart. She resisted…..with a lot of hard work.  

Like most in the Keep, Daerra knew the boy had been sired from the honorable Ser Harwin Strong. Sharing his dark brown hair, eyes, and similar nose. Opposite of the traditional Valyrian features such as silver hair and lilac eyes. A kind man and dutiful knight, Daerra saw the behavior her cousin and her sworn protector shared when they thought no one was looking. 

Rhaenyra was currently carrying her second child, and rumors of the potential paternity of Jace and his unborn sibling were spread. Making Daerra’s brows narrow in question. 

Gently tugging the boy closer after confirming they were the only ones in the nursery, Daerra whispered, “What is this you speak of, sweetling?” Young and naive to the concern in her tone, Aegon continued to fiddle with her chains. 

“He doesn’t have hair like us. I heard mother shouting at the maid that Jace is a ba-ba-bast,” he couldn’t get the word out, and Daerra immediately stopped him with a soft hand on his cheek. 

“Jace is your nephew. Your older sister's son,” she told him sternly but also soothing as one would to a child. “You boys will grow up with each other--and there is nothing stronger in the Seven Kingdoms than the bond between kin. You mustn’t utter these words again, sweetling. Regardless of whom you hear them from.” 

Aegon only nodded, saying something along the lines of, “I won’t,” but Daerra already feared what was to come for the future of her family. Alicent already showed disdain for her Rhaenyra after her father Otto was released as Hand. Now with her voicing the questionable parentage of the Princess’ son, there was little to no hope of reconciliation. 

The rumors only got worse with the arrival of a second son, Lucerys. A spitting image of his older brother. Like Alicent’s children, Daerra was close to Rhaenyra’s sons. Making her often feel in the middle of the feud between the two. Thankfully when it came to the children, both were respectful and grateful for Daerra’s assistance. 

“Come here, my dreamer,” Helaena grasped Daerra’s outstretched hand, not clutching Luke to her chest, to help the princess step out of the carriage. The Lady turned to the knights, “You are to remain here. We’ll only be a moment.” The man’s face consorted to worry, eyes peering into the woods where he swore he heard the rumble of the beast lying ahead.

“My Lady, the Queen and Princess ordered that you must be in sight with the young prince and princess. You’re not to be alone with them and your dragon--for precaution as you can understand.” 

Having dealt with this a number of times already, Daerra’s face stayed neutral, “I appreciate your concern, and honor of maintaining order, good Ser. But you must know my Cannibal does not take kindly to strangers.” Her tone went cold, as did her eyes sending a shudder up the man’s spine. He visibly paled. “He will see you as food. So,” her head tilted in defiance, “do you still wish to join us? Or will you be smart and do as you’re told.”

“I-I-I shall await your return, my Lady,” he nodded, wishing nothing more than to wipe the sweat from his head. Or throw up from the anxiety he felt. 

Daerra smirked, nodding back and holding Helaena’s hand while cradling Luke in her other arm. Guiding the girl through the woods until they reached Cannibal’s nest. Once in front of the clearing, Daerra bows, “Rytsas, uēpa raquiros.” Hello old friend. 

A low rumble filled their ears, followed by the rustling of leaves. The clearing between the trees filling as Cannibal shook the twigs from his back, wildfire eyes focusing on the group. Daerra heard him sniff, letting go of Helaena’s hand to approach. The girl stayed put, gaze glued on the dragon with awe. She’d never seen him up close before, the only time Helaena had made his acquaintance was when Daerra presented her to him as a babe. Then when Daeron and Jace were born, she took Aegon with her. 

Daerra approached with caution. Glancing down at Lucerys while she untucked the blanket to show his face. 

“Nyke’ve maghatan ao nykeā irudy. Nykeā Targārien naejot kustikagon īlva ānogar. Rhaenagon prince Lucerys, tresy hen Rhaenrya se ser Laenor Velaryon.” I’ve brought you a gift. A Targaryen to strengthen our blood. Meet Prince Lucerys, son of Rhaenyra and Ser Laenor Velaryon. 

Cannibal leaned down, bringing his snout level with Daerra, who gently extended her arms. Holding Lucerys out as though she was offering him up to the dragon, making Helaena gasp lightly. Slight fear at what might happen despite finding the sight mesmerizing. 

Emerald eyes met wildfire. Dragon and his rider. Daerra kept her stare as Cannibal’s snout came only a mere inches from the babe. Feeling the heat radiate off him, the fire seeping through his veins. Cannibal sniffed again, Lucerys moving in Daerra’s hands though she kept a grip on him while never taking her eyes off her dragon. Watching him smell his Targaryen blood, the blood of Old Valyria. 

A sound of approval left Cannibal, his body raising to his true height. A stunning sight for anyone who dared graced the wild dragon with their presence. It made Daerra smirk, bringing Lucerys back to her chest when he began whimpering. She cooed softly, stepping back to where Helaena stood. Crouching down, Daerra said, “The dreams you have are not mere illusions or fantasies, Helaena. It is a rare thing for a Targaryen to dream the way you do--but it is in our blood. They are a window into the future--or what the future may bring. I know it’s hard for you to explain when they happen, but you must not be frightened. For you are a dragon,” the girl met her gaze, a mini Rhaenyra staring back at her. “And a dragon does not bow down to fear.”

Alicent’s distant nature for her children was observed early on. As well as the neglectfulness of his Grace the King. So it came as no surprise to servants and guards in the Keep when the children of the King and Queen often sought council and companionship from Lady Daerra and Ser Criston Cole. The two hardly acknowledged each other, only when the time called for it. She disliked his insults of Rhaenyra, and he despised her closeness to the Princess and her sons. 

But when it came to Aegon, Helaena, and Aemond, the two were a force to be reckoned with. Daeron had been sent to Oldtown once he learned to walk. A decision that put a small hole in Daerra’s heart, for she felt she lost a son, although the decision was a wise one. Alicent continued to drive hate into her children while Daerra fought to prevent it. And having Daeron away meant he had a chance to not sour like the rest of the Hightowers in the Keep. Helaena remained a sweet girl. The only solace as Aegon began drowning himself in wine and Aemond grew restless at not having a dragon. 

Like today as a matter of fact. 

Daerra made her way to Rhaenyra’s apartments, passing Laenor and the boys as he escorted them to the Dragonpit. “Aunt Daerra!” Jace bounded to her, excitement coating his entire being. “We’ve got a brother! His name is Joffrey.” 

“So I’ve heard,” she ruffles his hair, then leans down to scoop up Luke who had latched to her leg. “Are you excited to be a big brother, my prince? You’re not the youngest anymore and have to step up to the role Jace has had.” He nods frantically. Ready to prove himself to his family. 

“I can’t wait to go dragon riding with him,” he smiles but then pouts, “but that won’t be till Arrax gets bigger and his egg hatches.” Daerra lightly pinches his cheek, making him squeal.

“Fair not, little dragon, the time will come. Until then--,” she sets him down, bidding a nod to Laenor who returned a nod in respect. Silently thanking her for all the times she was there for the boys and not audibly questioning their lineage. “You gotta grow your bond with Arrax. And we shall pray to the Gods they bless Joffrey with his dragon. Now, I shall leave you to it. I have a new nephew to meet.”

With a kiss to each of their heads, the woman departs as they wave goodbye, continuing on until she reaches Rhaenyra’s chamber. The Whitecloak nods, moving to open the door and announces her arrival, “The Lady Daerra Targaryen, Princess.” 

“Thank you, Ser.” Rhaenyra sits up, grinning up at her cousin, who exchanges courtesies with Harwin. “Good morrow, cousin.” 

“Good morrow it is, my Princess,” Daerra clasps her hands behind her back. Slowly walking forward until she’s directly in front of the woman. Noting the evident exhaustion in her face. “My congratulations to you and Ser Leanor on the healthy birth of another son.” Her head gestures to the babe, cradled in the knight’s arms. “I hear his name is Joffrey.” At her silent reaction, Rhaenyra softly chuckles, giving a knowing look. 

“Laenor chose it. I believe it is a name dear to him--I recall him wanting to name Jace, and then Luke, it when they were born,” her smile was small, lingering with sadness at the memory of Laenor’s lover that’d been killed the night of their wedding. Knowing it was the reason behind the name. “But his father had a hand in naming the boys. Making sure their names were fit for Velaryons.” Daerra didn’t miss the way her cousin’s eyes flickered to Harwin. Or how he looked up from the babe to meet the Princess’ gaze.

Clearing her throat, the woman once again turned her attention to the babe. “Well they are certainly happy to be older brothers. Already planning to take him and their dragons out for their first flight.” Together they all shared a laugh. Daerra made the motion to Joffrey, “Might I?”

“Of course,” Harwin passed the babe, carefully placing her into her arms and lingering when he believed she had him settled. Daerra stayed silent, not wishing to make him uncomfortable by commenting how she'd held all the royal children as babes. 

Harwin took his leave, bowing to Rhaenyra and Daerra as he did so. Leaving the two women and Joffrey alone. That’s when Rhaenyra finally let out the breath she’d been holding, closing her eyes to soothe the tiredness consuming her. Daerra sat on the opposite chair, shaking head with a frown. 

“I’d hoped the maids were speaking nonsense when I heard what took place after the birth.” Daerra took in her cousin, taking her eyes off Joffrey, who fell into a soundless sleep. Rhaenyra opened her eyes, the small smile turning into a frown. 

“I fear it will continue, so long as I produce heirs.” 

Daerra sighed, face consorted with concern. “I admit I have some sympathies toward the Queen for her situation. Only a girl herself when she married your father and had the children. Still,” her face turned strained, indicating she was not defending Alicent. “That does not excuse her behavior toward you. And your boys.”

Rhaenyra looked down, muttering a ‘thank you’ to which the woman simply nodded. They stayed that way for a few minutes, Daerra requesting permission to take the babe to meet Cannibal after the two had rested. Once received, Daerra handed the Joffrey to the maid, gave a comforting squeeze to Rhaenyra’s shoulder, and left the Princess. 

As she migrated through the halls, she heard sniffles in a nearby room, the one belonging to Aemond. Once again the guard acknowledged her with a nod, moving to allow her to pass. 

Her heart broke at the sight of Aemond sitting on his bed, head tucked between his knees. Dust and soot covering his usually clean silver hair and green attire. An indicator he’d been in the Dragonpit. Alone, in an attempt to claim his mount he desperately wanted. After the many years of teasing from his brother and nephews.

Who only did it when Daerra wasn’t present. Fearing her wrath as she did not tolerate bullying in her presence. The one time they did it left them all crying. Mostly out of embarrassment and shame at disappointing her. 

His soft cries echoing in the silent room, until her footsteps entered as she strolled up to him. Daerra takes the spot on the bed beside him. “Aemond.”

“I do not wish for a lecture, Aunt Daerra,” he rubbed his nose, turning the other way to shy away his reddened eyes. He knew she already figured out his adventure in the pit. “Mother already gave me one.” 

“I’m not here to lecture. I’m here to ask if you’re alright.” 

Aemond turned back to face her, eyes glossy with tears and bottom lip beginning to quiver, “They gave me a pig.” Daerra tilted her head, confused at the statement.

“A pig?”

A tear escaped as he nodded, Daerra wiping it away with her thumb. “Aegon. Him, Jace, and Luke told me they had a dragon for me to claim. That it was finally my time to join them as riders.” His head frantically shook, leaning onto her side to which she opened her arm to embrace him. “But-but really it was a pig they dressed up and called it the pink dread.” 

Daerra listened silently, comforting the boy as he began to cry once more. Her fingers raked through his silver locks, as a mother would her child. A gesture he loved, considering his mother hardly showed affection. Unlike his older half-sister did with her children. 

“Why don’t we take a walk?” she suggested, pulling away from Aemond to stand. She held out her hand, “There’s something I want to show you.” Putting himself together, Aemond hopped off the bed and took her hand, letting Daerra lead him out of his room. They reached Rhaenyra’s chamber, where the lady told him to wait while she went inside. A moment later, she returned with Joffrey in her arms. 

“What are you doing?” Aemond’s eyes widened, standing on his tippy toes to see his nephew. Noting the babe was still asleep. 

Daerra smirked, “It’s been some time since a Targaryen babe has been born. Lucerys being the last,” she began to walk, Aemond trailing behind her with an eager pace. “And I’m not one to stray from tradition. Cannibal will be pleased to meet the newest member of the family.” Immediately Aemond lit up. Realizing what Daerra was referring to. 

It was his turn to join her as she introduced a Targaryen baby to her dragon. He’d been four when Luke was born, and Helaena was who she brought with her. Which had Aemond pouting as he wanted to go but Daerra refused. Now he was getting his chance. 

The first stop was to see his mother. Alicent’s already dampened mood increased when the two arrived at the Kings’ chambers. Alicent saw Joffrey and instantly knew what was about to be asked. 

“Is this really necessary, Lady Daerra?” she argued, trying to ignore the pleading eyes Aemond was giving her. Focusing only on Daerra, who did not break under her stare. “The babe was born mere hours ago. And I’m sure the Princess--.”

“Already gave her consent,” Daerra interrupted, keeping her expression neutral. 

From the side, Viserys let out a pained groan, catching their attention. “Let the boy go with her Alicent. All the children have met Cannibal when they were born, and Daerra has proven he will not do harm. Both Aegon and Helaena have joined her with the births of their brother and nephews. Aemond shall go with her to introduce Joffrey.” 

Alicent attempted to put up another argument, but with a 3v1 against her, she ultimately relented. Ordering that a guard must be present at all times and they are to return before the hour is up.

“Of course, your Grace,” Daerra bowed. “We shall make haste so that Aemond is not late to the training yard.” 

“You will be joining them, yes?” Alicent had a tight smile. She had mixed feelings of Daerra assisting Criston Cole and Harwin Strong in training the boys. For one, she admired the woman for being able to do things most women were frowned upon doing. She too, found herself mesmerized as a young girl watching Daerra train with Daemon Targaryen. She was a beauty to behold with her whip and sword. 

But Alicent also resented Daerra for it. Mostly due to envy she spent more time with her sons than she did. 

And that they preferred her company. 

Daerra’s chuckle brought her out of her thoughts, “Someone has to put these princes in line. They forget themselves when a Lady is not present.” Both women drew their gaze to Aemond, the residue of the dragonpit still on him. Pink tinged his cheeks as he looked away. 

“As I agree,” Alicent’s jaw tightened, but she quickly masked her disdain with a tight smile. Shaking her head while looking back at Daerra, “Very well. I shall leave you then.”

Daerra curtsied again, “Your Grace,” then she turned to Viserys. “My King.”

“Thank you, mother,” Aemond bowed, before doing the same to his father. Both wearing small smiles, though only Viserys’ reached his eyes. 

When they finally reached Cannibal’s nest, Aemond was buzzing with nerves and excitement. Heart pounding against his chest. For it would be the first time being so close to his beloved Aunt’s dragon. A moment he’d been waiting years for. 

He remembered Daerra telling him many moons prior that she brought him as a baby to the beast, where the dragon spit his wild green fire into the sky in celebration of the birth of a Targaryen prince. Then Aemond often watched from the Godswood as Daerra flew him around Kings Landing. His shiny black scales bouncing off the sun’s rays. Shouts of the small folk reacting to his massive form. Aemond was always in awe. 

Sitting down on the grass after Daerra presented Cannibal with Joffrey, they watched him find a comfortable spot in his nest to return to his nap. Daerra beamed at the sight, switching Joffrey in her arms when they started to ache. 

“I know you wish nothing more than to claim your dragon, Aemond. I too was upset with each nameday passing and not having one,” Peering down, Daerra saw the way his face shifted to sadness. “I was the age Jace is now when Cannibal chose me.” 

“He chose you?” He repeated, now displaying confusion. 

Daerra raised a brow, “To believe we have the power to control a dragon is a myth. They are who really chose us. It is why when you attempt to claim one, you must accept death as an answer.” Aemond processed her words, fiddling with his fingers that were clasped in his lap. 

“So I have to wait for a dragon to deem me worthy.” The dejection in voice pulled at her heartstrings. His shoulders dropped in defeat. 

Taking his hand in hers not holding Joffrey, Daerra signed and stroked his knuckles. “What your brother and nephews did was cruel. And I’m sorry you had to endure that, Aemond. But remember this, my darling,” Tucking her finger under his chin, she pulled his gaze to hers. Green eyes meeting lilac, “You are a Targaryen. Made of fire and blood, whose ancestors conquered Westeros with the dragons we hold dear to our house. Your time will come. And when the opportunity presents itself, you will know.” Her eyes turn serious, filling Aemond with hope. “And the dragon will choose you.”

Disaster struck an hour later. One that no one, even Daerra, could have anticipated. When Criston Cole decided to instigate a spar between Jace and Aegon. Leading him to antagonize Harwin Strong. 

It all started when all four boys took turns switching off against the four dummies. But not before they were lectured by the woman on their mistreatment of Aemond that morning. All their heads bowed, not able to face her which brought a bit of joy to the prince. Once finished, they took their spots in the yard. Daerra stood on one side while Cole took the other. Observing the four closely as they met their targets. The knight was not pleased or offered technique advice whenever Jace and Luke were by him. Whereas Daerra was equal. Pointing out mistakes for each boy. 

When they switched off again, Jace bumped shoulders with Aemond. An action he did on purpose which received a scolding look from Daerra. She didn’t say anything, her face alone brought a blush to Jace’s cheeks. The boy mumbled a ‘sorry’, embarrassed to have been caught and looking away to not meet her eyes. Daerra moved closer to him, right next to the dummy. 

“This is practice, not the battlefield. I expect better from you.” The red on his cheeks got brighter, nodding his head in silent promise to not do it again. Once satisfied, Daerra commanded. “Feet light, Jace.” Bringing his wooden sword up, he struck the dummy one, two, three times before pivoting on to attack from behind. A sound of approval left her, “Good.” 

Briefly lifting her focus, she caught her cousin and his Hand, Ser Lyonel Strong watching the scene below from the top of the Keep. Surrounded by his Kingsguard. The king raised a hand to wave, a smile on his face and pleased to see his sons and grandsons training together. He received a firm nod from his cousin before turning to speak with Lyonel. 

When she returned her attention to Jace, he had stuck his sword in the dummy, only for it to be smacked down by Aemond. 

“Don’t stand too upright, My Prince,” Cole lectured, tone laced with mocking. “You’ll get knocked down.” The glare from Daerra was ignored, moving his attention to Aegon, who got distracted by passing servants. 

Daerra’s disproving eyes went to Aemond, now facing the dummy Jace had left. “I understand what transpired this morning has made you upset. But to add fire will only make it worse. You are better than that, Aemond.” 

His brows narrowed, “It’s not fair. Everyone tells me to deal with it--why should I? Why does no one--apart from you--say anything!” he whisperer-shouted the last sentence, not wanting to draw attention to them. Daerra didn’t blame Aemond for his outburst. After years of teasing it was bound to take a toll. And part of her blamed his parents lack of involvement for letting it slide for so long. 

“Your anger is justified,” she affirmed, leaning down to lower her voice so only he could hear. “And judgment will come when the Gods deem it so. For now, display your frustration on the dummies. Not your kin. Do you understand?” 

“Yes, Aunt Daerra,” came his mumble. Daerra straightened up when she heard Cole suggest a challenge between him against Aemond and Aegon. Her brows furrowed in suspicion, but made no move to stop the knight. Instead she backed up to stand between Jace and Luke. 

Their spar lasted roughly thirty seconds. Both Targaryen’s put their best efforts to disarm Cole. But the knight was faster. 

“Ah,” the sound of Harwin Strong came from her right. Daerra stiffening when the boys turned to him. Which did not go unnoticed by Cole. “Weapons up, boys. Give your enemies no quarter.”

“Thank you for your input, Ser Harwin,” Daerra gave a curt nod. Motioning for the two to approach the dummies, and much to her displeasure, Harwin turned to address Cole. 

“It seems the younger boys could do better with a bit of your attention, Ser Criston.” 

Daerra cursed under her breath, panning to Cole who did not take lightly to the Lord Commander's words. 

“Do you question my method of instructions, Ser? Or that of the Lady Daerra?”

“Ser Criston,” Daerra warned, then sent a look to Harwin. Pleading to not say anything. Of course, it went to no avail.

“I merely suggest that method be applied to all your pupils.” It didn’t help that Aegon shoved little Luke to the side, the boy bumping into Daerra who had to stop him from hitting the ground.

“Aegon.”

Cole’s animosity breached his expression, “Very well.” Harwin’s face changed as the knight stunted forward. Daerra tensing where she stood. “Jacaerys,” his hand reached out and yanked the boy. “You spar with Aegon.” The silver-hair boys laughed as Cole dragged Jace to the other side. “Eldest son against eldest son.”

Daerra voiced disapproval, “Mayhaps we should continue as we were, Ser Criston.” 

Harwin appeared to agree, “It’s hardly a fair match.” Aegon patted Jace’s back as he passed him. An eager smile painted his lips while the younger became nervous. 

“I know you’ve never seen true battle, ser, but when steel is drawn a fair match isn’t something anyone should expect.”

Daerra hated that Cole had a point. When battle came there was no such thing as fairness. But still, this was training for the young princes. Not a duel between steel. 

She could intervene. Harwin and Jace’s faces were filled with worry. Silently pleading for her to reprimand Cole. Daerra knew better though. This was his element and had all the power. She was only to supervise and offer assistance when needed. But she did say one thing, voice stern as she looked all three--Cole, Jace, and Aegon--in the eyes, “Keep it clean. No blood or this ends as quick as it starts.” 

Cole tightened his lips, “Well said, my Lady.” Their glares on each other lingered, Cole breaking it first when he motioned at the boys. “Blades up.” They awaited the command. “Engage.” 

Aegon charged with a cry, Jace using all his might to counter his attacks. He was brought to the ground with a shove, sword still in his hands. The older boy laughed menacingly, retaking his spot in front of Cole. The smirk, however, left his lips when he caught Daerra’s cold stare. Then Jace came running at him with a shout. 

“Ahhhhh!”

They danced across the yard, the spar pausing when Aegon tried to push a dummy onto Jace. Resulting in Harwin to step in, “Foul play!”

“I’ll deal with him,” Cole announced, both men stepping toward their respected princes. Daerra stiffened, peering up to see her cousin looking awfully confused. The rigid posture of his Lord Hand was a telling sign they too felt unease.

“You!” Aegon yelled, startling Jace who quickly met his oncoming attack. 

“Close with him,” Cole ordered, all three adults following behind the boys. Daerra pointing at Aemond and Luke to stay put. “Push him backward!”

“Light feet, Jacaerys!” Daerra matched Cole’s tone. The brunette boy’s face painted red and stumbling with each step. Aegon was relentless, coming at him like a wild animal. 

“Use your feet!” A harsh kick met Jace’s armored chest, plowing him down. “Don’t let him get up!” Aegon brought the sword down, Jace barely able to counter. He was losing his breath, running out of energy. 

Harwin was losing his patience. As was Daerra, “Ser Criston, that is enough--.”

“Stay on the attack!” 

Aegon raised his sword, ready to charge it onto the already weakened Jace, but was stopped when Harwin grabbed it and pulled him away. “Enough!” With a single movement, Aegon was spun around and thrown to the side. 

“You dare put your hands on me!?”

Daerra cut in front of the heated prince as he hastily pushed up from the ground to challenge Harwin. “Calm down, now.” Her pointed finger while free hand hovering over her whip was enough to draw him back. His offensive stance shrinking down, mumbling curses more out of annoyance. 

“Aegon!” the King shouted, mirroring his cousin’s tone. Finding his son to be overdramatic by his choice of words. 

“You forget yourself, Strong, that is the prince,” Cole snarled. 

“This is what you teach, Cole?” came the response. Harwin picked up the disposed swords, spitting “Cruelty. To the weaker opponent.”

“Your interest in the Princes’ training is quite unusual, Commander. Most men would only have that kind of devotion toward a cousin.” 

Oh no.

Harwin stilled, picking up the last sword as Cole turned to face him with a cunning smirk. Daerra narrowed her eyes. Not blind to his indirect accusation, but vexed he would openly announce it in the yard. In front of onlookers. In front of the boys.

“Or a brother.” 

Harwin stood, Daerra unable to see his face to tell what he was thinking. Instinctively she motioned for Jace and Luke to get behind her. While throwing pointed gazes at Aemond and Aegon who were watching with amused expression. 

“Ser Criston, mind your tongue.”

Her warning was left to the wind. Cole let out the final blow, “Or a son.” Faster than they could blink, the Commander of the Night’s watch spun, fist raised to impact Cole’s cheek. Sending him sprawling to the ground as he landed another one. Straddling his chest to continue unleashing deadly hits causing Cole’s face to bleed in various areas. 

It came to an end when the man they called Breakbones was yanked off of Cole by the power of Daerra’s whip. The leather wrapping itself around his neck, the woman jerking it with all her might, letting out a cry until Harwin fell to the ground. A sight that shocked her nephews, all standing wide eyed with their mouths agape. 

They didn’t call her the Daring for nothing.

That was when the Whitecloaks seized him, taking four of them to drag the knight away from Cole. “Say it again!” He seethed, spit flying from his mouth. “Say it again!” Daerra marched up to Cole, surprising him with her strength as she hauled him to his feet. Dizziness filling his vision.

“How dare you speak freely and make that suggestion in front of them,” By her tone, Cole feared he was about to get a second beating. “Go to the maester, you fucking imbecile,” she didn’t care if he was concussed, thrusting him in the opposite direction, making him stumble. And seeing he was in no mood to argue, Cole obeyed, heading to the maester and left Daerra to clean up his mess. 

Turning to where Harwin struggled in the arms of the guards, she bit the inside of her cheek. “Release him.” Once unhanded, Daerra stepped up to the knight, voice low. “Commander, I do not fault you for the rage you just displayed, but It is disappointing you let yourself go so easily--allowing the Princes to be exposed.” Sharply inhaling, she drew her gaze around the yard, displeased to find most in hushed conversation. Not hiding the way they watched the two and eyed the boys. 

Daerra motioned to where his father stood, pale face with fear at what this meant for his house. “You are dismissed.” Turning on her heel, she picked up the discarded swords and threw them onto the rack. “That is it for today,” she called to the boys, who stood like lost sheep waiting to be herded. Jace more so than the others, holding back tears as he was old enough to understand the implication Cole had revealed. “To your chambers--or wherever your Lady mothers need you. Go.” 

To say everything changed that day would be an understatement. Harwin was relieved of his position, and ordered to return to Harrenhal, leaving the boys heartbroken. Daerra, exhausted from the events of the day, found herself using the hours before dusk to ride Cannibal. Sensing her distress, the dragon flew for miles, passing Driftmark and circling Dragonstone. 

Caressing the scales of her beloved friend, Daerra succumbed to her thoughts. Letting her anxiety and fears come to the surface instead of masking them. The only witness being the dragon who’d never judge her. Only share her feelings. 

“Nyke gīmigon, issa raquiros, nyke gīmigon.” She stroked Cannibal’s rough scales. I know, my friend, I know. A grumble filled her ears, Daerra’s slightly curled up then dropped to a frown. “Nyke feel ziry tolī.” 

I feel it too.

[myladysapphire]

My Lady Strong (III)

Aemond had always been protective of his neice, obssessed even, insiting on keeping her sheltered, and purley his, he never let her stray far and following the incident at Driftmark, Aemma was rarley without Aemond as her shadow. How will the kind, sheltered girl fair in the dance of dragons?

word count: 2613

CW: Mentions of death, violence

Fem!oc x Aemond Targeryen can be read as x reader)

Masterlist | series masterlist | previous part | next part

disclamer:  i do not own any of claim any of the A song of ice and  fire characters, all rights belong to GRR MARTIN, all characters are his except for my OC

A/N sorry i haven't posted in a while I've been ill and busy will college, hope you enjoy, I don't really like how this chapter turned out, but next chapter their will be a little time skip

Two months following her and Aemonds betrothal, grief struck Kings Landing.

First was the death of the Strongs, ser Harwin and lord Lynol. Then came the news of her Aunt Leana’s death.

They had travelled to Driftmark for Leana’s funeral, a morbid affair she did not wish to attend, especially after receiving all those nasty looks from her Veleryon kin. Her father had been lost to the world of grief, the death of his sister taking over, and his days spent wallowing in the sea. Her mother was better, though isolated. Focusing all her attention on the new babe.

She, as always, stood beside Aemond, few things had changed between them since their courtship began, Aemonds possessive nature towards her had come out tenfold. Though the general rules of courtship dictated they remain an ‘appropriate distance’ from one another and must always remain accompanied (a fact her septa had constantly reminded her), they instead broke every rule, acting as if they were already wed, they even shared a bed every night (which Aemond insisted had to remain secret), Aemond claiming it was then ‘practising for married life’. Though Aemma was not too sure what the fuss was about. People had begun to treat her like a grown woman, even her mother, acting as if she were not a child who had yet to reach her tenth name day.

She had decided grown-up life seemed incredibly dull, even her lessons changed, now focusing on new responsibilities, such as sewing and running a household.

She hated the whole thing, hated that her lessons with Aemond were now few and far between.

Her brothers had too changed since her betrothal, namely Jace. Though it was more recent, (mainly due to the strong departure and death, why that seemed to greatly affect Jace’s behaviour she was not sure) He had insisted on being her and Aemonds chaperone, though they usually managed to escape him, he would follow them around, breaking them apart whenever they did something ‘improper’, she had begun to refer to him as septa Jace, though not out loud, she even began to think allowing her septa to chaperone them may be better than his company.

Aemond himself didn’t seem to care, he had never liked Jace and seemed to act up more in his presence, becoming more possessive of her, even manhandling her (not that she knew what that was). If she was anyone else perhaps, she would have been worried over his possessive nature, But she did not, she loved it. In truth, there was nothing wrong with it as far as she was aware.

Her mother had been the same. So protective and controlling of her life that it felt right.

With Aemond though it never felt like he was controlling her, she felt it was normal, he would protect her from the mean words and looks from others (not that she knew they were even happening), and he would even take her out of septa lessons were she was being taught ‘nonsense’, an action both her mother and Aemond partook in.

Aemond was a constant presence that she could rely on, he was the one by her side as she heard the news of each of the deaths. He had instantly sought her out after the news of Ser Harwin, she may not have been as close as Jace and Luke were to him, but he had always been there with a kind smile and open arms for her. As for her aunt, she had never met Laena, but her father always told her stories of her, she had wanted to, and now she never would.

Aemond gripped her hand tightly as she sniffed her tears.

“We have nothing in common!” Aegon whined next to them.

She had decided to stand with Aemond and Helena, having had enough of the stares she received from the Velaryons as she stood beside her mothers and brothers. Heleana was on one side, crotched in the dirt playing with some new insect she had discovered, and on the other stood Aegon, already deep in his cups.

“she’s our sister” Aemond reminded, following their betrothal her grandfather saw fit to preserve the Valyrian bloodline once more and betrothed Heleana and Aegon.

“You marry her then!”

“He is to marry me, uncle” Aemma replied, naively, moving to crotch near Heleana “Perhaps he should have betrothed Heleana and Jacaerys, Helena would be a good queen!”

Aemond and Aegon shared a look.

“She is to be your wife, brother, show her some respect”  he replied, choosing to ignore her words. He moved to pull Aemma back up from the ground “You’ll muddy your dress”.

“Heleana already has, what does it matter if I do!” she replied, kneeling, and looking at Helena’s newest bug, “what is that?” she asked, but instead of an answer, she was met with Heleana muttering about a hand and spools of black and green.

“Aemma” she heard her mother call her, pulling her away from the ground and Aemond.

“Mother? What is it?” she asked,

“it is time to bed sweet girl,” her mother spoke, caressing her face.

“But it’s early!” she whined, Aemond would not wish to go to bed yet, she was sure to not find any sleep.

“just go.” Her mother sighed.

Aemma was woken to the sounds of shouts coming from the great hall. The whole family had gathered in the dead of night, the hall was silent when she reached it, her mother comforting her brothers, receiving Alicent’s disapproving stare.

The Hall was split in two, the whole of Driftmark in attendance. On one side stood her mother, brothers, cousins and Veleryon grandparents, on the other her grandsire, Alicent, Heleana and Aegon. Someone was sitting in a chair facing away from them all, maesters surrounding them.

“Muña?” she questioned confused as to what was going on “What happened? Where’s Aemond?”

“Oh, my sweet girl” her mother ran, pulling her to her and her brothers.

“What happened? Where’s Ae-“She was cut off, a sob leaving her mouth as his head popped around the chair. His eye gashed out and his face was swollen.

“Aemond!” she gasped, moving from her mother’s grip, “what happened?” she cried, reaching for his face.

He hissed, pulling back, “They attacked me!” he shouted pointing to her brothers and cousins.

“What! Why?” she sobbed, burying her face in his chest, “why? Why would they do that to you?”

“He attacked Baela” she heard Jace shout back.

“He broke Luke’s nose!”

“He stole my mother’s dragon!”

“ENOUGH!” her grandsire demanded; his anger apparent.

“He was going to kill Jace!”

“I didn’t do anything!” Aemond insisted, pulling Aemma’s face closer into his chest, finding solace in her presence.

“ENOUGH!” her grandsire demanded once again.

“It should be my son telling the tale” Alicent insisted, moving her hand to rub Aemma’s back.

Her grandsire hit his cane to the floor, demanding silence, “Aemond, I will have the truth of what happened, now!”

“What else is there to hear? Your son has been maimed…Her son is responsible”.

“It was a regrettable accident” her mother spoke.

“How was taking his eye an accident?” Aemma questioned, moving her head back to look at her mother, “what could he have possibly done to deserve his eye being taken?” she questioned, glaring at Luke as he shrunk back behind their mother.

Alicent nodded her head, agreeing with Aemma, “The prince Lucerys brought a blade to an ambush. He meant to kill my son!” she insisted, causing Aemma to gasp and continue her teary glare at her brothers.

“It was my sons who were attacked and forced to defend themselves… Vile insults were levied against them” her mother declared.

“What insults?”

Her mother hesitated “The legitimacy of my…son’s birth was put loudly to the question”.

“What?”

Speaking up, Luke said “he called us bastards!” sending her a pleading gaze, trying to prove his innocence, but Aemma only saw his guilt, he took her Aemonds eye, and whatever Aemond did she doubted had cause for his eye to be taken.

Looking at Aemond, she whispered “What’s a bastard?” with confusion written on her face, Aemond only shook his head, guilt shimmering in his eye.

“My sons are in line to inherit the iron throne, your grace. This is the highest of treasons…. Prince Aemond must be Sharpley questioned so we might learn where he heard such slanders”.

“He just lost his eye, and you want to… to interrogate him, over an…” Aemma lead off, confusion clear in her tone, but Alicent continued for her.

“Over and insult? My son has lost an eye!”

Her grandsire moved towards Aemond, Aemma was ushered off Aemonds lap, moving to stand near Heleana. “You tell me, boy, where did you hear this lie?” her grandsire demanded.

Alicent was quick to respond, coming to Aemonds defence, (perhaps even her own) “This insult was training yard bluster, it was nothing”. But her grandsire paid no attention to her, only moving to question Aemond again.

where is Ser Laenor, I wonder? The children’s father? Perhaps he might have something to say on the matter.”

“Yes, where is Ser Laenor?”

“he’s at the beach” Aemma interrupted, “ he has not left the sea since we arrived,” she looked around the room, her move gaining some sense of confidence from Aemma’s interruption.

“yes, he nor I could find sleep, we took a walk on the beach, where Laenor chose to remain” Her mother nodded, a smug smile gracing her face as Alicent kissed her teeth.

Her grandsire spoke, stopping Alicent from changing the subject once again “Aemond, look at me. Your king demands an answer. Who spoke these lies to you?”

Aemond shifted his gaze to his mother, “It was Aegon” he answered, moving his gaze to his brother.

“Me?” Aegon asked confused, she had never heard him say it before, then again until today, she had never heard the word at all. And seeing how uncomfortable the word made everyone, it made sense for Aegon, he seemed to thrive on the discomfort of others.

“And you, boy? Where did you hear such calumnies?” her grandsire spat “Aegon! Tell me the truth of it!”

“We know, father. Everyone knows. Just look at them” Aegon sighed, eyes turning to her brothers, Aemma herself was pulled back to Aemond, who hid her from everyone’s gaze.

“This interminable infighting must cease! All of you! We are family! Now make your apologies and show goodwill to one another. Your father, your grandsire, your king demands it.” Her grandsire demanded.

“That is insufficient. Aemond has been damaged, permanently, ‘Good will’ cannot make Aemond whole” Alicent demanded.

“I know Alicent, but I cannot restore an eye,“ a deep sigh left her grandsire.

“No, because it’s been taken!” 

“What would you have me do?”

“There is a debt to be paid. I shall have one of her son’s eyes in return” Alicent declared, gasps filling the hall.

“My dear wife-”

Her eyes watered, her son, their sons’ eye had been taken and he does not seem to care “he is your son, Viserys. Your blood”

“Do not allow your temper to guide your judgment”

“If the king will not seek justice, the queen will. Ser Criston… Bring me the eye of Lucerys Velaryon.” Alicent ordered.

Luke let out a nervous shout for his mother, moving to hide behind her. 

“he can choose which eye to keep, a privilege he did not grant my son” Alicent spoke, Ser Criston stared down at her, unsure of what to do.

Turing to Ser Cole, her grandsire demanded “You will do no such thing… Stay your hand”.

“No, you are sworn to me!” she shouted at Ser Criston, as he stood unsurely “As your protector, my queen.”

“This matter is finished, do you understand?” her grandsire spoke to Alicent, moving away before declaring “And let it be known, anyone whose tongue dares to question the birth of Princess Rhaenyra’s children should have it removed!”

“Thank you, Father” her mother spoke, relief clear in her tone. But Alicent was enraged and moved towards grabbing the dagger from her grandsire and moved to charge at her mother and Luke.

Shouts filled the hall, trying to get Alicent to stop, but she continued.

“you’ve gone too far” her mother spoke, grabbing Alicent’s arm, preventing the dagger from diving into Luke’s eye.

“i? What have I done but what expected of me? Forever upholding the kingdom, the family, and the law. While you flout all to do as you, please” Alicent spat in reply. “Where is duty? Where is sacrifice? And now you take my son's eye, and to that event, you feel entitled”.

“Exhausting, wasn’t it? Hiding beneath the cloak of your own righteousness” her mother replied, seeing Alicent face drop and her grip on the blade began to loosen. “But now they see you as you truly are,” she said lowly, the dagger slipped from Alicent’s hand, down her mother’s arm, blood dripping to the ground.

“This proceeding is at an end”

Aemma had not left Aemonds side since that night. She took over from the maesters, changing Aemonds bandage, and applying the ointment. She refused to let others near him, to leave him. Even when her mother tried to carry her out of the room herself, she would scream and protest. She only left once her mother came and told them they were leaving.

“I will not” she shook her head, ripped her arm from her mothers “I will not leave him, you can not make me!” she screamed.

“dōna riña” her mother begged, “please, my sweet girl, for me and your brothers they miss you, you will see in in a few years when you are to wed.” her mother sneered the last part, the maids had whispered about how her mother had pleaded with her grandsire to end the engagement, but only a fool would think she herself would let anyone but Aemond be her husband.

“I do not care! Alicent has said I can stay in Kings Landing, in my home, Mother please!” she begged “I cannot leave my Aemond, especially after what they did, stay Muña, please”.

“I cannot, sweet girl, it is for the best” her mother continued.

“For whom? For you? Mayhaps, but for me it will be nothing but pure torture, I will scream if you make me go, I will bring you nothing but hell if you take me there, take me away from MY AEMOND!” She shouted, streams streaming down her face.

She noticed the man then, he had silver hair like her mother’s family, she remembered who he was then, Aemond had mentioned him, their uncle Daemon, rider of Caraxes. He stood against the wall, his lip quirked and laughter leaving his lips, “leave her, let the Hightower cunts have her” he spoke up.

“Do not-“ her mother began, a sigh leaving her lips. She looked at Aemma, defeat filling her features, “Please, sweet girl, please”

“I won’t, I can’t leave him, Muña”.

Her mother sighed “ok, but if you ever, and I mean if for a second, a minute second, wish to come to Dragonstone, come. You are my daughter, my dōna riña, and you always will be my favourite girl” tears filled her mother’s eyes.

“of course, Muña, I love you” she whispered the last part, looking down “I’m sorry, I’ll miss you”.

“I love you too, I’ll miss you, sweet girl, I’ll visit whenever you ask” her mother promised.

Though that would soon become a lie, as Aemma would not see her mother for years to come.

next part

Taglist (bold means could not tag)

My lady strong: @aemondssiut @idonotknowenglish @sydneyyyya @wondergal2001 @whitejuliana1204 @meowtastick @bellaisasleep @tinykryptonitewerewolf @sarahkimtae @winchesterfamiliebusiness @iiamthehybrid @zzz000eee @spookydaddy01 @melllinaa @ateliefloresdaprimavera @aelora-a @aleemendoza2425-blog @chittakii @gghoulzz @ryiana @duckworthbean @cynic-spirit @may-machin @Gianinaa19

Hotd: @targaryenmoony @theanxietyqueen17

Aemond: @blossomedflowerofluv @violet-potter

[exitpursuedbyavulcan]

The Silver Dragon (4)

The Book

Though Arianwyn wants nothing more than to devour the book Aemond gifted her, she finds herself tear her mind from Aegon’s taunting words. But as she recalls a difficult conversation with her cousin and lady’s maid from the night before, she decides that perhaps she does not want to be married – ever.

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x OC (Daemon and Rhea's daughter)

Warnings: none

Author's Note: An Alicent POV? It's more likely than you think...

Series Masterlist - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

Arianwyn sat at one of the great oaken tables in the library of the Red Keep, elbows on either side of the great tome before her as she pressed her balled fists into her still-flushed cheeks. She had been waiting for the answers contained in this book for as long as she could remember, but now that they lay before her, all she could think about was Aegon’s words.

“As soon as your father acknowledges you’re alive…”

What did it matter that he acknowledge her? Had she not been taken in by the King and Queen themselves? Lived in their castle, raised alongside their own children? Was she not the Lady of Runestone, head of an ancient and noble house in her own right? Why should her fate be determined by a man she had never met?

Daemon Targaryen was across the Narrow Sea, living happily with his young wife and two daughters. According to the latest ravens, a third child would join them soon.

Did Lady Laena know about her stepdaughter—or Baela and Rhaena about their sister? Did they care? Did they yearn to know her as she did for them?

Likely not, she told herself. Daemon had remarried before Arianwyn had seen her first full moon. He had not written to inquire about her health nor that of her mother. He had said nothing before fleeing across the sea. Ten years had passed, and he had never once written to his firstborn daughter.

He did not want her as part of his family.

“Aria?” Aemond’s soft voice echoed through the cavernous library. He had been wholly silent as they raced through the stone corridors of the Red Keep, passing by her chambers to retrieve the book before coming to the library.

Now, he sat next to her at their usual table, a stack of parchment in front of him. They had been here many times before – at this same table, delighting in each other’s companionship and curiosity, but their hours here had grown quieter in recent years. They were no longer the rambunctious children they once were. Aemond would readily admit much of the fault in that lay with him.

He was not as happy as he once was.

But he was still happy here, in their place. It was perhaps the only place he could still depend on to find comfort and respite. Here, he was never alone. Even if Aria was elsewhere, he could still find her in the books. The winding rows of shelves held happy memories of their childhood, when they first delved into the paper forest in search of knowledge.

Here, they had uncovered the great tales of their ancestors and felt the great legacy that sat upon their shoulders. Only now, Aemond realized the true, overwhelming weight of that legacy.

Just after his tenth nameday, Aegon had caught Aemond reading one of the more romanticized books of Valyrian history in the library. He snatched it and began reading aloud. “And so the fair Princess Elaenyra was granted mercy by her uncle, the noble King Synar, for he knew she was not to blame for her father’s treason. They were soon married, and Elaenyra became Queen. In the end, Prince Vaerion succeeded at placing his blood on the throne, but at the cost of his very life.”

Aegon laughed, holding the book aloft so Aemond could not take it back. “Is this history, or is it one of your fairytales?”

“It’s history!” Aemond whined, jumping to try and reach the book to no avail. “You would know that if you actually cared about our family’s past. Now give it back!”

“But it’s so stereotypical for real history,” Aegon finally let Aemond have the book again, but the mischievous smile remained on his lips. “The king rescues the fair princess, and the second son is killed for his hubris. Actually…” He made a show of looking over his brother from head to toe. “I suppose that’s quite realistic.”

Something about the way he said it made Aemond panic. He went into a deep obsession, trying to prove Aegon wrong. He read through the histories furiously for every mention of second sons. Not just Valyrian history but that of the Andals, First Men, and every other civilization.

In every book he read, the second son never got a happy ending. Most died young, having been sent to battle in the place of their more valuable elder brother. Some survived, living to see their sibling take the throne. Of these survivors, many became valuable advisors and received the great honor of being mentioned, however briefly, alongside their King’s noble deeds. Others earned more notoriety by attempting to build their own legacy. Whether they tried to usurp the throne or establish their own lands, those men died bloody. From what he could glean from the stories, the best he could hope for was to fade into the annals of history.

Aemond had never told Aria of this revelation. He knew she would not understand.

She still saw the glory and romance of these stories. And why shouldn’t she? As the only daughter and heir of an ancient Westerosi house and a dragonriding descendant of Old Valyria, there was no doubt that her story would be a legend told for ages to come.

Until fate decided otherwise, Aemond would cherish being a small part of that legend.

Aria dropped her hands from her face, draping them over the book he had given her only that morning. “What?”

Her steely eyes were more distant than Aemond had ever seen them. No girl should look that way on her nameday, especially not her. “Are we going to read the book?” He asked, tapping his quill on his parchment for emphasis.

She looked down at the faded title pressed into the linen. Then, to Aemond’s delight, she finally smiled.

“You never told me how you found this,” she said, carefully prying open the ancient tome.

Aemond grinned eagerly. This was a story he had waited a long time to tell.

“I wrote to my Uncle at Oldtown,” he began. “Not Hobert – Devran, the Maester. He is an archivist in the library at the Citadel. Maesters there have been studying the Runes since the Andals first came to Westeros. I told him how important being able to understand them was to you, as the future Lady of Runestone.”

Aria looked away, focusing instead on the inscription on the book’s first page. It did not stop Aemond from spotting the way her cheeks flushed.

He continued, “Devran spoke to the other archivists and the Conclave to find out if they had any information there that we did not and if he could get permission to send it here. But they had nothing to send.

“When King Jaehaerys made peace with the Faith, he ordered copies made of everything in the Citadel. Knowledge is powerful, and he did not want the Maesters to be the only ones able to wield it. But the libraries of the Citadel were not exhaustive. A few libraries of the older houses, especially in the North, had books the Maesters considered unholy, so they weren’t copied. An initiate from north of Winterfell told Devran about the library at the Wall. It is small and ill-cared for but has been untouched for hundreds of years. So he wrote to the Maester there – I forget his name – and found this.”

He reached across the table and touched the page, indicating the title. Deciphering the Runes of the First Men. The author’s name had long since faded. “I don’t know how accurate it is. Devran made sure I knew it was only a theory, but it’s still more than you ever had before. I had my mother write to the Maester at the Wall to get it sent here. It took two months; I was almost worried it wouldn’t arrive in time.”

Hearing his tale, Aria’s smile had returned in full force. That was why he had spent so long trying to find this perfect gift. There was no sight quite like that smile. It illuminated her whole face, sending a delicate sparkle into her silver eyes.

He loved that smile.

“I don’t know how to thank you, Aemond,” she whispered, unable to tear her eyes from the book. “No one has ever done anything like this for me before.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” he replied, “just read.”

Hours later, both children lay underneath their table, their chairs long abandoned. Instead, Aemond lay on his belly, chin resting on his crossed arms as he tried yet again to comprehend the page in front of him through increasingly blurred eyes. Arianwyn lay perpendicular to him, using the flat of his back as a pillow while she sorted through the dozens of pages of parchment Aemond had filled while she read aloud.

Again, they were silent. But it was not the angry silence from earlier that day nor the melancholy silence that often followed Aemond. It was a happy silence—comfortable and inviting, like the silence that fills the air of a fire-warmed family hall on a snowy day.

Aemond groaned and let his head topple onto the book before him. “Aria?”

“Yes?”

“Why did Aegon make you so angry? Earlier, at the party. What he said was no worse than usual.”

Arianwyn tensed and sat up. She did not face him but crossed her legs and folded her arms around her. The words, when spoken, had evoked burning hot anger. Now, their memory only caused her heart to race with panic. “Because I am afraid to be married.”

“What?” Aemond shot up so swiftly that he hit his head against the bottom of the table with a loud ‘thunk.’ He stared at her as if she just said she wanted to marry her dragon. “But you haveto get married someday. It’s your duty. Why should you be afraid?”

Arianwyn scoffed, “And it may be your duty to go to war one day! Are you not afraid of that?”

“Of course I am,” Aemond insisted, “but that’s war, not marriage!”

“Marriage can be just as dangerous,” she whispered, too soft for him to hear. For the second time that day, her mind drifted back to what happened the previous night.

After dinner, Ser Gerold had insisted Arianwyn retire to her rooms early. He claimed she needed rest to prepare for the party the next day. But when the door closed behind them, he dismissed all her servants but one. Brynna Taler, who had formerly been a lady’s maid to her mother, Rhea, and was now Arianwyn’s, was allowed to remain.

Arianwyn knew immediately that something was wrong. Gerold was always so happy around her, loud and nearly boisterous. But as he sat in front of her now, elbows on his knees, he seemed nervous and visibly struggled to find words.

Brynna, at last, stepped forward. “Tomorrow shall be an important day, Aria. We wish to speak with you before the party to prepare you.”

Arianwyn looked between her cousin and her maid. “What is there to prepare for? It is a party.”

“It is not just any party,” Gerold said, speaking at last. “It is the party celebrating your tenth nameday. The Queen and I have discussed it, and we agree that tomorrow is the right time for you to start... meeting the young men of the realm.”

“But I have already met them,” Arianwyn said, puzzled by her cousin’s words and grim tone. “Most of them, at least. They have been to court before.”

Gerold laughed once, an uncomfortable sound. “Yes, I know. But it is time you start to… get to know them better. To consider them not just as visitors to court, but as potential companions.”

“I don’t understand,” Arianwyn said, beginning to mirror her cousin’s nerves. “I already have friends.” She looked toward Brynna, “And companions.”

The maid smiled. “Oh, my dear child. Allow me to explain.” She knelt on the floor in front of her. “Ser Gerold and I have both feared this day, but we have put it off for too long.”

She cupped the girl’s face in her hands, savoring her innocence. “Tomorrow, the Queen shall introduce you – or reintroduce you – to many of the noble boys your age. For when the sun rises, you shall no longer be a girl but a woman coming into her own.”

Arianwyn shied away from Brynna. “I am not a woman until I am twenty, and I take charge of Runestone.”

“That is when you shall come into your title,” Gerold said. The age had been decided when she was first put in the king’s care. She had never learned its reasons. “But you will be a woman before then. And though I am loathe to admit it, a woman needs a husband. You need a husband.”

At last understanding, Arianwyn nodded. “So, I must meet him tomorrow.”

“No!” Both adults shouted at once.

Gerold cleared his throat. “Tomorrow is only the beginning. We let the nobility know of your eligibility and allow you to meet their sons. No decisions need to be made tomorrow, nor the next day, or even in the next few years. I personally do not want to see you wed until you are six and ten. But we do need to begin somewhere, so it shall be tomorrow.”

Arianwyn nodded. She had expected a husband to come more naturally. He would save her from tripping on a dance floor or bring her wine at a ball. She had even imagined, on occasion, of saving a dashing young knight with Emrys, and together they would fly off to Runestone. She had never expected to meet him by appointment.

But she was the Lady of Runestone. To marry and bear children was her duty. Her romance may not be like the stories she had read for so long.

“I understand. I will do my best to present myself well tomorrow.” She stood from the couch and began to make her way to her private chambers.

“Wait.”

Arianwyn turned back, unsure what else there was to say. But a grim look from both her companions chilled her blood. Tentatively, she stepped back to the couch and sat down. Such a gloom fell over the room that she dared not speak.

“It is time you learned how your mother died.”

Tears sprung to Arianwyn’s eyes at the memory of the gruesome tale. She had come to realize that Daemon did not care for her, but she had never imagined the depths of his cruelty. She was so consumed by her thoughts of grief that she did not realize when Aemond crawled along the carpeted floor to sit beside her until he put his arm around her.

Noticing her wet eyes, he lowered his voice. “Why are you afraid to marry, Aria?”

She could not tell him. Gerold had told her so. They could not predict what Daemon would do if the tale got out. Besides, there was no law against a man raping his wife, and the King had never truly punished his brother before.

“I am afraid,” Arianwyn started, “because I do not want to leave. King’s Landing is my home, and all my friends are here. I don’t want to go back to Runestone with only a stranger for company.”

She supposed it was not a lie. The Red Keep had been her home since she was two months old. Except for Gerold, all her family and those she cared about were here: the king, queen Alicent, Helaena, and Aemond.

“Then I shall come with you,” Aemond declared, sitting as tall as he could under the table. “I shall travel to Runestone with you and your husband and make sure he is kind and treats you with honor.”

Arianwyn smiled. He had no idea how reassuring those words were, even if what he proposed was impossible. “And what will you do if he does not? If he is cruel to me?”

A fire blazed in his violet eyes, the fire of so many Targaryen kings and conquerors that came before him. “If he does anything to harm you or even make you sad, I shall cut off his head and feed it to Emrys!” he declared, entirely serious.

A brief moment of devoted silence passed between them. But in a heartbeat, both children collapsed into laughter, their studies and troubles forgotten.

Queen Alicent Hightower observed the children from between two distant shelves. She had witnessed the confrontation earlier at the party but had been too deep in conversation with some lord from the Reach to intervene. Not that her interventions had any impact on how her children behaved. Not anymore.

“Were there any tempting offers?” her father’s voice rumbled behind her. He had been sneaking up on her like this for years – she did not flinch anymore. He had only been back at court a few days – ostensibly for Arianwyn’s nameday – and already he was grating on her nerves.

Alicent sighed, hand instinctually flying to grasp the amulet around her neck. “A few. None I plan to pursue.”

“Hmm,” her father placed his hand around her shoulders to lead her away from the sharp ears of the children. “I think I best to seal her betrothal while her father remains in Pentos. We don’t want to lose that advantage.”

The Queen brushed off her father’s arm. Rage took root in her heart at the mention of Daemon, the horrific tale Gerold had relayed to her just hours ago still ringing in her ears. “Arianwyn is not a political advantage to be leveraged.” Her voice was as fierce as she would allow in the quiet of the library. “She is my niece, dear to me, and a great friend to my children – two of them at least.”

Otto blinked, raising his chin to look down his nose at her. She hated that look. He only used it when he considered her behavior foolish and immature.

She steeled herself to continue, “She is a young girl who has lost her mother and been abandoned by her father. I do not doubt that if he ever returns, Daemon will see her as a pawn for his own aims. Until she comes of age, there is little I can do to protect her from him – or any other man who seeks to manipulate her. So, I will do whatever I can for her while I still can.”

Not waiting for a response, the Queen swept out of the library.

Taglist: @heartb8k2 @queenofshinigamis @leptitlu @xxxkat3xxx @malfoycassimalfoy @lokiofasgard12

[valaenatargaryensdragon]

Only a Dragon

pairing: Fanon!Maegor Targaryen x Female OC

summary: Aenora Targaryen, twin sister of Princess Rhaena Targaryen and older sister to Aegon, Viserys, Jaehaerys, Alysanne and Vaella and Aegon Targaryen's betrothed, or is she?

Word count: 3,9K

Warnings: Fluff, Angst, Kidnapping, Exile, Forced marriage, Smut, Childbirth, Maegor is a warning on his own

Navigation

Aenora did not know what was going on when she was rudely woken up from her sleep by her great aunt, Visenya, in the middle of the night. The woman hurriedly made Aenora change her nightgown to a maid's dress along with a cloak and sneaked her out of her room and the Red Keep, trying as hard as possible not to notify the workers still working on the red walls. Aenora tried to resist but she was no match to the warrior woman despite her age.

"Where are you taking me, sodjisto?" Aunt. Aenora rubbed her eyes tiredly. Visenya did not answer and pulled her harder. Aenora felt sleep slip out of her as the cold night air welcomed her. Her eyes trailed around the yard to find Vaghar waiting her and her aunt's presence.

"What is the meaning of this?" Aenora questioned. Eyes never leaving those of Vaghar. The dragon glared right back at the girl.

"Climb up child" Visenya ordered. The lack of Dark Sister did not make her the less intimidating. That woman helped unite the seven kingdoms, she was a warrior queen.

"Where are we going?" Aenora asked. The ten and six name days old girl reached carefully to touch Vagahr's snout. She had her own dragon, Crystalwing, a male dragon as white as snow with fire as blue as the sky with yellow eyes, what earned him the name Crystalwing was the shimmering of his white body under the sun, Aenora has been ridding him since her tenth name day when he was large enough to hold her safely on his back.

"Maegor is awaiting us" Visenya finally answered. Aenora turned to look at the older woman in confusion, why was her uncle waiting for her?

"What of Crystalwing?" Aenora questioned. Visenya stepped forward placing a hand on Aenora's cheek firmly. Her eyes sparked as watched the frown on Aenora's face simmer away.

"We will return for him" Visenya promised. Aenora gulped but nodded her head believing every single word uttered by her great aunt. She shuffled to the rope on Vaghar's side and struggled a little climbing up the beast.

Visenya smirked victorious climbing after Aenora taking her place behind the small girl. She ordered her dragon to fly just as guards swarmed the yard. Aenys, Aenora's father followed with her mother Alyssa screaming for Visenya to land again. The Queen listened not to them and headed to Dragonstone with a very concerned Aenora.

"Father did not know?" Aenora felt tears prick at her eyes. She loved her father dearly, her mother was overbearing always telling her that it was her duty to marry her brother Aegon when she gets he is of age, her having already had her moon's blood at ten and three. Aegon still had three more years to reach his adult age of ten and six but it seems their marriage will never happen. Aenora was glad so, she did not hold such affections for her brother but she was ready to do her duty.

"He did not agree no, but he knew this was going to happen some day" Visenya responded. She personally delivered the request to Aegon her brother/husband when Aenora and Rhaena were born but he had refused her and then when Aenys rose to the throne she had the same request, one of the twins to marry Maegor, but was denied again. Aegon refused the match because of the age difference of eleven years however Aenys refused it with fear of Maegor usurping his throne.

"Will he be angry with me?" Aenora wondered. Visenya had no answer and focused on her dragon landing on Dragonstone. The sun has begun rising in the horizon and the sky was turning a shade of orange and pink. Maegor was awaiting their arrival in the yard with a maester by his side.

"Mother, niece" He greeted. He had a smirk of sorts on his face, it caused shivers to run down Aenora's body.

"Come my dear, we have much to do and so little time" Visenya wrapped an arm around Aenora's shoulder once both were on solid ground again.

"What are we to do? What is going on?" Aenora pulled away from the Queen and took several steps away from the trio. Vaghar grumbled annoyed before taking flight leaving the yard looking empty. Visenya's eyes hardened as she looked at the angry girl.

"Has your mother not taught you manners? That is no way to speak to a Queen" Maegor was more amused than angry at Aenora. She looked adorable angry, thinking she could fight him and his mother, he was almost twice her height and size with Dark Sister strapped by his side while she was a small girl, short with no weapon except her tongue.

"My mother taught me what I needed but when I get taken against my will with no information I think not manners matter anymore, uncle" His title left her lips dripping venom. He wondered what his brother told his children of him, they were not close they never were and Maegor lived on Dragonstone as its rightful owner although Aenys did have sons, three for that matter.

"Sweet girl, no need to worry or tire your weak brains" Maegor was the only one brave enough to step closer to the enraged girl. Aenora did not hesitate to throw a punch at him when he was close enough, her eyes widened when he did not move or seem the least bit affected, his head stayed in place unlike when her brother would punch soldiers during training and his lips quirked up in a smile. He thought she looked like a mouse, eyes wide and lips parted in shock.

"I am not a sweet girl and my brains are not weak" She hissed not growing dishearten by her failed attempt at hurting her uncle.

"Then you should know why you are here" Maegor pointed out. One of his hands rested on the hilt of Dark Sister, a silent threat, while the other moved to push the hood of her cloak off her head showing her short platinum hair, it barely reached her shoulders almost like a man's would.

"You are already married" Aenora pointed out. Maegor laughed loudly at her words, she sounded desperate.

"Have you forgotten that we are Valyrians, your grandfather had two wives and I shall have two as well" Maegor leaned closer to her so their faces were almost on the same level.

"Uncle, please" Aenora pleaded. Maegor felt his heart grow softer at her wavering voice. He leaned closer to place a loving kiss on Aenora's forehead if there was any love in that kiss, Aenora did not feel it.

"Listen to the Queen" Maegor instructed. Aenora sighed in defeat, looking up into his eyes. She prayed in her head for her father to come flying in but he did not, there was no sound of another dragon or the sighting of it. Aenora was sure Maegor had men on the roof to inform him at the sight of a dragon, Maegor was no idiot.

"Go" He urged. He placed a hand on her lower back pushing her gently toward his mother. Despite how gentle he was Aenora stumbled a little, she wondered what would have become of her if he were to push her with all his strength. She cursed herself for feeling butterflies in her belly. Maegor was a better match than Aegon who was in love with Rhaena.

Aenora made no more complains and followed after Queen Visenya who dressed her in robes fit for a princess. She stayed silent the entire walk to where Maegor waited for her in matching robes with some witnesses among them Ceryse who looked beyond furious. Aenora felt sad for the woman but no guilt which concerned her, when did she begin feeling like this was right? Was it when her father told her of Maegor's adventures or was it when Maegor crushed rebellion after rebellion for her father?

It was Queen Visenya who officiated the marriage in the ways of old Valyria. Maegor insisted on a feast being held in the main hall of Dragonstone. Maegor never smiled in his life and he did not that day either but his eyes held a mischievous glint to them, Aenys may have the throne for he had his first born daughter.

On action of Maegor surprised Aenora beyond imagination, he asked if she were comfortable with a bedding ceremony, he worried for her comfort, that was so unlike Maegor that even Queen Visenya's eyes widened in horror. Aenora replied with "You may have forced me into this but now you are my lord husband, I must prove to you and the realm I am pure".

Maegor chuckled darkly whisking her away to their chambers. Men tried reaching for Aenora to undress her but were pushed back by Maegor, he wanted to do the honours himself. Woman did the same but he swiftly moved out of their grabby hands wanting his new and young wife to undress him.

Maegor ordered drapes around their bed to be as black as the night sky showing only shadows, his niece was a princess and should not be viewed in such a manner. He took his time much to the annoyance of the lords and his mother and his first wife awaiting the bedding ceremony as fast as possible. Visenya almost began scolding her son when he decided he wished to devour his wife's soaking cunt but held her tongue.

Aenora tried not to show her pain as his stretched her open but it was inevitable, a man his size could never have a tiny cock, it was enormous and she cried when it first entered her, she felt like she was being ripped in half from the inside. Maegor shushed her staying as still as he could, she was tight enough to cause him some pain as well. Aenora took hold of his shoulder and pulled him down from his kneeling position in between her legs, Maegor feared he would crush her with his weight and held himself up as much as he could with her short arms holding him as close to her a possible.

"I wish to hold you husband" Aenora whispered in his ear. He looked down at her tear stained face with a smirk. Then he began his moving feeling her open up around his length. He enjoyed every second of it, watching her face scrunch up in pain and morph to pure pleasure. He enjoyed hearing her sob desperate for more. He enjoyed seeing the lords squirm uncomfortable at the display they could never give their wives. He loved seeing Ceryse's jealousy through the small opening of the drapes, he was never this gentle with her, he never gave her any pleasure. Maegor treated his niece better, she was blood of the dragon and not some common whore like her.

"Uncle, please" She whimpered in his ear. For the first time Maegor showed his pleasure with a rumbling growl, rutting into her at a faster pace, stomach tightening as she came around his shaft.

"I shall fill you with my children and you will thank me for it" He groaned in her ear. Aenora rewarded him with a loud moan. His hips stilled as he seeded her, cock pulsing with pleasure.

"Thank you, Kepus" Uncle. Aenora whispered to him. Maegor looked down at her red and puffy face, satisfied with him. He pulled the drapes down once everyone had left their room awkward and uncomfortable.

"I am not done with you just yet, niece" A savage smirk grew on his face at her shocked face. Cock still deep inside of her moved again still as hard as before if not more.

"I will not stop until you swell with my heir, do you understand?" He grabbed her chin so she would not take her eyes off of him. She had a hard time keeping her eyes open when she was feeling so euphoric.

"Yess" Her words were slurred like a drunk, she was drunk on his cock already. Maegor could only chuckle darkly and rut harder into her tight hole.

He bred her until the first rays of sun rose in the distance. He stayed in her bed even after holding her exhausted body against his own. She glowed in the sunlight, burying her face in his chest to block the sun from disturbing her much needed sleep.

It was around midday when Maegor heard the roar of a dragon. He could not help but feel excited to see the look on his brother's face at the sight of his precious daughter covered in bruises to show his claim to her. Maegor pulled her with him to the court yard where her father was descending from the back of Quicksilver.

"Maegor" Aenora has never seen her father so angry in her entire life. She was not one to cower however and stood tall by her husband's side.

"How dare you take my daughter from her bed-" Aenys Targaryen paused seeing his daughter free beside her uncle, no chains and no threat. She looked different if that were possible in a fortnight. Aenys guessed what has happened but he refused to believe it.

"I may have taken her from her bed brother but now her bed is in my rooms, where she will stay for the remaining of her years" Maegor responded, pride filled him at the shattered look on Aeny's face. Visenya joined them then taking the space on Maegor's other side. Aenys was outnumbered, his wife too distraught to join him at the Red Keep in what little space has been already built while his mother was long gone.

"Maegor, she is but a little girl" Aenys pleaded. His eyes looked his daughter up and down, she wore a red and black dress much different in style than the ones she wore only hours ago. It was open showing her feminine traits with a cape blowing behind her. Her shoulder were covered but her arms were out in the open. Her hand trailed down to hold one of Maegor's.

"Father I wish to remain by my husband's side" Aenora's voice was steady holding a new womanly tone to it, or maybe it was just Aenys' imagination no longer viewing her as a little girl. Maegor held her hand tightly showing his claim to his brother, not shying and hiding their intertwined fingers like Aegon used to do whenever she tried initiating any affectionate touches. Maegor was a man grown not a boy still, he did not stutter in her presence nor did his cheek turn as red as wine.

"You know not of what you saw, tala" Daughter. Aenys never used such a hard tone on one of his children before in his life. He immediately regretted it at the sight of hurt in her eyes but she masked it as fast as it appeared.

"I will give you a choice, brother, either you annul and end whatever this is or you go to exile for five years" Aenys chose to be a king over being a brother and father.

"What is your answer, byka zaldrītsos?" Little dragon. Maegor asked turning to Aenora. She did not turn to him and kept her eyes locked on her father who stared back at her, begging her to chose returning with him to the Red Keep.

"Pentos will be our new home, valzȳrys" Husband. Aenora answered. Maegor chuckled turning to Aenys. The King's face hardened into a glare.

"Shame, tala" Daughter. Was the last thing Aenys said before climbing on Quicksilver's back and flying away. Aenora's heart broke seeing her father losing some of his love for her. She wandered then if she had made the right choice.

Maegor did not need be in her mind to know what she was thinking of so he pulled her to his room and fucked her doubt out of her. The next morrow he flew her to the Red Keep to retrieve Crystalwing. Rhaena was there awaiting her and begged her to change her mind but she replied with "I cannot take back what happened, dōna idaña, for all we know, our kepus' child is already growing in my belly" Sweet twin. Uncle.

Aenora climbed atop Crystalwing in her red riding gear, Maegor thought she almost looked like a red priestess making his cock stir in his trouser. Aenora looked at the Red Keep one last time knowing her parents were watching her from somewhere along with Aegon, she could feel their heated glares. She yelled loud and clear for Crystalwing to fly and join Balerion in the skies. The two flew away with a heavy heart but not looking back.

Aenora was right in assuming she was with child, mere weeks after moving to Pentos and being filled ever single day several times with her kepus' cum she was proven right, her moon's blood never showed and the maester announced her pregnant.

"I told you only a dragon can birth a dragon, not some Hightower barren whore" Maegor mumbled in Aenora's ear fucking into her weeping cunt. She moaned his name feeling her heart hammer with anticipation for their child.

"Will you hate our child if it were to be a girl?" Aenora asked him one day. She was standing in front of a window looking out, watching as pentoshi women collected weeds and water to feed the royals inside their palace. Queen Visenya had taken flight a couple days prior to the Red Keep. News reached them that she ordered a feats boasting that her son will have an heir soon. Maegor deemed the women of pentos were of no worth to his Aenora and only two women kept her company, the wife and daughter of their host alongside his own company.

"I could never" Maegor threw Dark Sister on their shared bed. He walked over to her, still much shorter than him and smaller despite her growing belly. He had to bent down a little to reach for her hips and slid his hands up to her belly where their child kicked furiously.

"This is as much my child as it is yours" He kissed the crown of her head. He was still cruel, just not to her, she was his Aenora, the mother of his heir.

Aenora was rended speechless when Dreamfyre landed near the palace she stayed in, bedridden, too big and heavy to move comfortably. Rhaena barged in with red eyes. Maegor has chosen to stand in front of the bed protectively. Rhaena did not spare him a second glance running to her twin's side.

"I had to come and see you, are you alright?" Aenora laughed at Rhaena's worry.

"I am with child, this is normal" Aenora shook off Rhaena's worries. Rhaena refused to leave even when their father sent a raven ordering her to. She wanted to remain here with her sister till she birthed the child.

Rhaena was shocked when Maegor refused to leave the halls when Aenora's labors began. He paced in front of the doors with only his mother for company. It was just as the moon settled when Aenora groaned in pain worrying him and a maester was summoned.

"You're killing her" A voice spoke. Maegor turned to the woman who dared speak, she was old in age and small in size.

"A maester cares not for the mother, she needs a midwife who will save her life as well" The woman dared step closer. Visenya wanted to block her way but Maegor pulled his mother away.

"Save her then" He gestured. The woman's face softened and walked into the room. Aenora was laying on her back, the first mistake and she was immediately moved to crouch on a birthing chair. The woman ordered for oils and for everyone to clean their hands at least ignoring the maester's screams. Aenora sighed in relief as some of the pressure released in this new position.

"Take him out" She ordered pointing at the maester. She now believed that only a woman will understand another woman's pains and needs.

"Your grace, what if I was needed to intervene?" The maester whined to Maegor after being pushed out by Aenora's new handmaidens having been sent to her by her mother.

"You mean to butcher my niece-wife" Maegor replied. What saved the maester from being one of the many victims of Dark Sister as it was held in Maegor's grasp was the loud piercing cry of a child filling the air. Visenya refused him entry however and walked in herself.

"A healthy child, your grace" The midwife informed. Unlike the maester the gender was not a priority in the birthing bed of Aenora. Aenora was being moved back to the bed by Rhaena and Alysia Torrent, one of the handmaidens sent by Alyssa Valeryon.

"Give me my child" Aenora demanded. The child was much bigger than the normal child, Maegor's size. Visenya remembered when Maegor was born, many deemed it a miracle she was not ripped in half birthing him and but seeing her grandchild she also deemed it a miracle that Aenora was alive after birthing him or her.

"Oh my boy" Aenora cried pushing the blanket away just enough to check his private parts. The child's wails quietened down in his mother's arms.

"Where is Maegor?" Aenora questioned looking up. Her arms were tight around the child although she was very weak and tired. Her face glowed with sweat shining against the sunlight now streaming through the window.

"Outside, dear girl" Visenya responded.

"Tis unfair how much he looks like, as if I was not the one suffering" Aenora grumbled. Maegor could not help laughing, eyes twinkling with happiness now that he had the child he desired so much.

"The next one shall be a copy of you then" Maegor humoured her. The baby looked like a normal newborn in his father's huge arms but looked at least a couple of moons old in his mother's, it could be because she was still small from her young age or it could be because he was huge or maybe both.

"What shall we name him?" Aenora shifted into a more comfortable position. Her hands rested on her belly still big but much smaller than earlier.

"Gaemon?" Maegor suggested bouncing the fuzzy child.

"He does not look like a Gaemon" Aenora shook her head in refusal.

"Daeron?" Maegor moved to sit by her side. Aenora peered down at her son pushing the blanket away from his face watching as his violet eyes looked around curiously while at the same time cooing, trying out his voice outside of the womb.

"Baelon" Aenora responded with a name of her own. Maegor's gaze looked over her face. She looked on the verge of falling unconscious but still smiled brightly at her child.

"Baelon it is then" Maegor nodded in agreement. He placed the baby in the cot close to the bed on Aenora's side, it was so close that if Aenora wished she could reach for her child without having to sit up much.

"My little Baelon" Aenora slurred resting her head on Maegor's shoulder letting sleep crawl up on her. Maegor moved to stand up but she was quick to hold him in place.

"Stay and guard our son and heir" She demanded. Maegor laughed kissing her forehead. He moved to lay beside her, the two squashed uncomfortably on Aenora's side of the bed wanting to stay close as possible to their only child but neither minded as sleeping consumed them both. Maegor may be cruel to the world but he was Aenora's guard and protector.

[starogeorgina]

𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐯𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐫

Paring: Oberyn Martell x Baratheon OC

Warnings: None

1.02

You watch as the hot wax runs onto the surface of the rolled-up scroll, the color of which is much like blood. You press a stamp onto it and wait for the impression of a stag to set into the wax.

“Sending another letter to King's Landing?”

Looking over your shoulder, you smile. “Uncle, I had no idea you were there.”

In jest, he wags his finger. “You’re a very bad liar. Deceit wasn’t a Lannister trait you inherited.”

“Well, as my mother likes to remind me, I am my father’s daughter.” Your uncle was right; you were an awful liar. And you knew it was him approaching because Meraxes always hissed at him. “But no, I’m sending this to Winterfell.”

Tyrion places the jug of wine he brought with him in the middle of the small table. He sits across from you, smirking, “Oh, pray tell. The king's daughter, who’s going to marry a prince, sends love letters to her former betrothed. How scandalous.”

When you are happy that the scroll is securely sealed, you place it with the other two you wrote. “You sound like a gossiping lady at court, uncle.”

“That is not a denial, Cassana.”

Rolling your eyes, you huff, “Of course I’m not writing to Robb; I’m writing to Jon.”

Not long after your tenth name-day, Lord Stark traveled south with two of his sons, his eldest son Robb, and his bastard Jon Snow. You liked both of the lord's sons, but only Robb made you blush. Your father had proposed to betroth you to Robb, but your mother fought against it for years until she finally got her way and you were promised to another.

“Ah yes, Ned Starks bastard. Do let me know if you ever find out who the boy's mother is." He takes a large gulp of wine, then lets out a satisfied sighing noise. “That truly has been a mystery at court.”

“And betray my friends' trust? Never,” you chuckle. “I’ve written to my father and siblings, but I’ve yet to receive anything back.”

“If it’s any consolation, I very much doubt my sister is letting them receive it. I’m sure Myrcella and Tommen would both be thrilled to know you’ve written to them.”

“I hope so.”

Tommen and Marcella were both you and impressionable; you didn’t want them to think you’d abandon them deliberately, gone to start a new life while leaving them behind without a second thought.

—

Burying your toes into the sand, you enjoy the feeling of warmth surrounding your feet. You lean to the side and dip your finger into the cool water of the pond, causing a ripple effect on the surface. After a few moments, you watch as several colorful fish swim closer to your finger to investigate; one of them brushes against it, causing you to giggle slightly.

Feeling eyes on you, you look up and see Ellaria walking in the opposite direction across a wooden bridge. She was looking over her shoulder and glaring right at you.

The people of Dorne were rightfully still furious about the horrific deaths of Elia Martell and her children, and the anger was aimed in the direction of house Lannisters. Which has resulted in you being very lonely. Most people were indifferent or just outright hostile towards you. The only people who spoke to you daily were your uncle Tyrion and your lady-in-waiting. But you were the daughter of the king, so no matter how you felt, you needed to hold your head up high and not let them see how badly you were hurting.

“Princess.”

“Prince Oberyn.”

Oberyn stands in front of you with his hands behind his back gracefully. Your mouth goes dry. Oberyn was tall and slender, with lustrous black hair. Even now, with his eyes squinting slightly because of the sun shining in them, you avoid his gaze, afraid you’d get drawn in by the darkness of them.

“Where is Lord Tyrion?”

A Dornish beauty who works in a pillow house had caught your uncle’s eye, so he would be most likely absent for the rest of the day. You click your tongue. “He has gone to drink the finest wine and bed the most beautiful woman.”

“Oh,” he laughs.

Your gaze remains on the pond as the prince sits down beside you. Oberyn was very flirtatious with both men and women; however, a mere simple interaction would cause your cheeks to burn.

“I’ve got you a gift,” he says, pulling a book from behind his back and giving it to you. “When we first met, you said your septa only told you what they wanted you to know.”

You read the title out loud, “The Songs of Robert's Rebellion.”

Oberyn seems intrigued as he watches your reaction closely. His intention was never to offend you, but when he heard the book had been written, he thought you might find it interesting.

You straighten your shoulders up, place the book on your lap, and look up at him, finally locking eyes, and it’s him. “They say my father had the strength of a giant; the weapon he used in battle was a spiked iron warhammer that was so heavy that Lord Stark could barely lift it himself. In his youth, my father was known to be quite fearless.”

“I dare say he was.”

Your lips press together into a thin line. It was easy for you to get carried away talking about your father. You want to believe the version of his heroics that the septa told you, but it was just a lie. They knew it, you knew it, and Prince Obryen knows it, but no one dares speak the truth.

“Are the two of you close?”

“Yes, we are. Are you close with your daughters?” It was common knowledge that the prince had several bastard daughters. You had briefly met his eldest, Obara, whom Obryen fathered at the age of thirteen.

“They are my whole world.”

“All my life, I’ve heard King Robert Baratheon was strong as a bull and fearless in battle, a man who loved nothing better than war. But he doesn’t feel that way.” Your father shared that he never felt so alive as when he was winning his throne, but from the moment he sat on the iron throne, he felt dead inside.

“Even a man with a reputation such as the king has a softness to him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have named his firstborn daughter after his mother.”

Crossing your arms over you, you hold the book to your chest and smile softly. “Thank you for the gift; it was a thoughtful gesture.”

[arthrmorgann]

- OCS as fictional characters

tagged by the lovely @risingsh0t​ to take this quiz and share five results! thank you so much! <3

tagging: no-one because I’m super behind again 😅

Elinor Dashwood (Sense and Sensibility) Emma Pillsbury (Glee) Lexi Howard (Euphoria) Betsy Heron (Mean Girls) Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre)

Aeryn Sun (Farscape) Melinda May (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) Kate Beckett (Castle) M (Tommorrow Never Dies) Mamá Imelda (Coco)

Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Dune) Howard Payne (Speed) Ivar Ragnarsson (Vikings) The Joker (The Dark Knight) The Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz)

[southern-stark]

Tenth and Reva ❤️🖤

Decided to get another commission made of Tenth and Reva together, and I’m absolutely in love with how it turned out!

Do Tenth and Reva have a healthy and stable relationship together? No

Does this ship come with a lot of angst? Absolutely!

Do they get a happily ever after? Nope!

[Artwork done by the fabulous @manofbeskar]

[xiyouyanyi]

Welcome!

@ryin-silverfish here, also known as "That person who talks a lot about FSYY and fox spirits".

This is my little LMK AU sideblog, which started off as a bunch of disjointed background notes for my fanfics, but developed into its own gigantic thing over time.

I've said elsewhere that, despite LMK (and many other JTTW adjacent works) lifting certain tidbits wholesale from FSYY——like Nezha's backstory or the Golden Dragon Shears, neither the show nor the fanworks really go into the implications of a FSYY/JTTW combined universe.

(For one, Zhao Gongming's three sisters, the Sanxiao, showing up to kick Jin and Yin's butts for stealing and breaking their treasure would be very satisfying, and also hella badass.)

Well, be the change you want, they said. 

So here it is: Journey of the Gods, aka "LMK, but FSYY is also canon and an extremely influential historical event".

Inspired by @digitaldoeslmk 's By the Book AU.

What even is FSYY?

"Ancient China's bloodiest bureaucracy recruitment program, kickstarted by a king who simped too hard for the creator goddess of humanity and the fox girl she sent to end his dynasty."

"I'll write my own God-Demon novel, with blackjacks and fox hookers and no Buddhist allegories!" ——Xu Zhonglin/Lu Xixing/Li Yunxiang

Okay, jokes aside: Investiture of the Gods(Fengshen Yanyi) is the other big "God-Demon Novel" of the Ming dynasty, written after JTTW. It's about the toppling of the Shang dynasty and its tyrannical King Zhou by King Wu of Zhou——but with more Daoism, immortals and demons helping out both sides, and ten billion magical formations and treasures. 

At the end of the story, almost everyone who died in battle were deified and became the 365 gods of the Celestial Bureaucracy, thus "Investiture of the Gods". 

Here is a link to the only full English translation of FSYY, by Gui Zhizhong.

Here is my overview of FSYY's grand overarching conflict, a.k.a. "Why are all the Daoist immortals fighting?" 

Compared to JTTW, it's a lot more formulaic and suffers from a massive character count inflation problem, but also extremely influential in Chinese folk religion, to the point of some modern temples, like Qingyang Palace, basically worshiping characters from the novel! Like, the western equivalent would be a church worshiping Dante and Beatrice from the Divine Comedy.

(Similarly, it is to orthodox Daoism what the Divine Comedy is to medieval Christian theology, and should not be treated as actual religious scriptures.)

Okay, FSYY happened in the LMK universe. So What?

Well, first, it will really do wonders to fill up that eerily empty Celestial Realm we see in the Spider Queen special, and the Celestial Bureaucracy will no longer consist of a grand total of five people.

Secondly, it can solve some major show-not-tell problems and actually give legitimacy to the grievances of the LMK Brotherhood + Havoc in Heaven, as well as fleshing out the Celestial Realm.

Third, so many cool magical treasures.

Fourth, LBD gets an origin story, with a twist.

Fifth, I delight in quality angst and horror, and FSYY had some seriously messed-up stuff and implications.

Sixth, Celestial Bureaucracy office politics.

Seventh, Nezha kicking asses and winning fights like he should.

Eighth, crazy Xianxia shit, as you’d expect from the great-granddaddy of modern Xianxia genre.

Ninth, infodumps about Chinese mythos and history trivias.

Tenth, Underworld lore.

...As you can probably tell, this is mostly just me nerding out and writing walls of texts. I'm not a very good artist and can't do Lego style, but will probably doodle some symbol/character designs for funsies.

I also derive most of my enjoyment from writing fix-its and worldbuilding, not shipping characters. Like, I love exploring individual characters through relationships, but just ain't a fan of romance.

There will be a lot of OCs, but unless otherwise specified, all of them will be based on actual characters from FSYY and JTTW, with a few folk gods sprinkled in for funsies.

With that taken care of: good luck and happy reading!

[jaybluebugs]

Improvement!!!

Raghhhh hi guys!! Unfortunately I don’t have access to my drawing tablet, left it at my cousin’s house like the silly that I am, so I haven’t really been able to upload any new drawings.

So instead I’ve decided that I’ll show some redraws I’ve done of old art in the past few months!!

Thanks @justahuman667 for helping me to decide <33

Ordered from oldest to most recent:

1. Pepper the cat

Yes, believe or not this is the oldest of all the redraws I’ll be showing you. This was back when lil Jay was still developing her art style and wasn’t sure what she wanted it to look like, awwww womp womp </3 I believe I redrew it when I was 13 going on 14. Anyway, you’ll probably never see Pepper again; back into the oc graveyard she goes.

2. Raccoonpaw

Mwah mwah mwah oh Raccoonpaw my sonnnn, honestly all of my ocs are my babies and to be fair Raccoonpaw over here was made WAYYY before Cooper, all the way back when I was in fifth grade I think (I’m in tenth now)

BONUS: His sister, Sandpaw (They’re extremely close 💞)

Ahhh I LOVE HER SM too! My sympathetic yet snarky little gurl. Don’t be fooled by her constantly warm smile, because she won’t hesitate to sass you if you mess with her, her overly-forgiving Raccoonpaw, and her mother, Bluestorm, that she adores

3. Pigeonfeather

Years later and I’ve finally learned to spell pigeon, huh? Lol anyway the redraw was really more of a doodle so I didn’t really put that much effort into it. Either way MWAH MWAN MWAH I LOBE HIM HE LIKE ONE OF MY OLDESR OCS EVER. But yeah it’s nice seeing my style develop :]

4. And last, but certainly not least, Sagetail

Ohhhh looking at this one just makes me so happy. You guys can not understand how much love I hold for this silly goober. He’s definetly not one of my oldest ocs, well compared to my other ones at least. But even still, I love him so so so so so so much like one time I’ve been hyperfixated on him for like a month like oh my goodness, my love <3

If y’all would like me to post more content like this showing my improvement, just let me know! 🩵

[gryfflepuffinthetardis]

Supernova Series/Season One Masterlist

Supernova Season One Summary

Lillie H. Tyler Season One 2005 Bio

Supernova Season One 2005 Bio

The Doctor's Regenerations (SPOILERS)

Companion Titles (SPOILERS)

Prolouges Cast

First Prologue: October 31, 2000

Second Prologue: January First, 2005

Third Prologue — Her Death and One Hundred Years of Traveling Alone After the Time War

Series/Season One Cast

Rose and Lillie

The End of the World

The Unquiet Dead

Aliens of London (Part One)

World War Three (Part Two)

Dalek

The Long Game

Father's Day

The Empty Child (Part One; Jack Harkness' debut)

The Doctor Dances (Part Two)

Boom Down

Bad Wolf (Part One)

The Parting of Ways (Part Two; Tenth Doctor's Debut)