(Dark themes ahead, ladies and gents! Enjoy ;))

When the Doctor lifted you out of the cart, his coat around your shoulders, you were still trembling.

You'd made it to the town surrounding the castle, and it was officially sunrise. A few people were walking around, leisurely strolling with baskets of bread or lambs on leads, among other things, to be sold. Almost all of them watched Doc and you as they passed. The castle was before the two of you, each entrance guarded by soldiers in shiny armor. The castle itself wasn't as big as you thought it was going to be. It was only two or three times the size of the tavern, but much better built. The stone bricks were nestled closely together, and the windows were fashioned out of stained glass.

You didn't know much about the medieval era, but you figured this wasn't a castle for the king and queen or anything, but a mini one for a noble family or two.

"This is where we'll find Lady Eluned?" Your throat was sore, and your voice came out in a monotone. The Doctor mercifully pretended to not notice. You didn't want him doting on you. At least, not when there was work to do.

"I hope so." He scowled up at the castle.

"What's the plan?"

His eyes jumped down to yours. "I don't know, find her? Ask her some questions. See if we can figure out what the hell she's doing all this for."

You scoffed. "I guess I'm the good cop."

The Doctor crinkled his nose. "What? Why?"

"Have you seen you? You're the bad cop incarnate."

He hummed like it didn't really matter, and started for the castle. You shuffled after him, pulling his coat tighter around you.

"Halt!" Barked a guard, his blonde hair so light you had to squint so it wouldn't blind you. He extended his spear to block yours and the Doctor's path into the castle. "Who are you?"

You bristled, realizing you still had possession of the Doctor's coat and psychic paper. You pulled the blank badge from the inner pocket of his jacket and offered it to him.

"Funny you should ask that," Doc began, forcing a joyful tone to his voice. He gave you a subtle wink before taking the paper, his hand cold when it brushed yours.

The Doctor flipped it open and held it where the guard could see, whose face dropped in horror.

"The nobles from the East! I'm so sorry, no one told us you were coming."

The Doctor feigned surprise. "What? Well, that's just ridiculous, we sent a courier months back!" He turned to you, crossing his arms. "What do you think we should make of this, my lady?"

Trying not to smile, you shook your head. "If you want something done right, you gotta' do it yourself."

"No wiser words were ever spoken," He added turning back to the man. It was quiet for a moment while the guard raised his eyebrows. "Well? Are you going to keep us waiting out here all day, with all the commoner breath and such?"

You snorted, but the guard was too busy frantically opening the door in front of you to notice. You whispered lowly to the Doctor, peeling off his coat to return it. "Commoner breath?"

"I was improvising."

You smiled at his familiar, stingy tone as he slipped on the purple coat. The two of you stepped together through the door.

---

It wasn't long before the two of you stood in an ornate throne room. Even if this family were only nobles, they seemed to like to play king.

Mossy green banners hung from the stone brick walls, showing off the yellow insignia of the family-- a buck with impressive antlers. There was a yellow and green carpet that led up the walkway to two thrones made of dark wood. There were patches of people hanging around the room, chatting in groups of three or four.

In one throne, an intimidating looking man with messy long hair and a fluffy beard had a fierce expression. His appearance matched Lady Eluned, with an icy white complexion and onyx hair. Next to him sat a blonde woman with sunburnt skin and freckles. They both wore silky-looking clothing and metal circlets.

The two of you waited while you were being announced.

The Doctor leaned over to whisper in your hearing range. "The Duke and Duchess, they're like mini kings and queens. A few are scattered across the kingdom, watching over the capitals. They're basically royalty, so be careful how to speak to them."

"Like in Skyrim?"

"Exactly like in Skyrim."

You giggled. "I'm surprised you know what that is."

The Doctor puffed up his chest, frowning, but didn't raise his voice beyond a mutter. "You don't give me enough credit."

You laughed, and the conversation was cut short by the gruff duke.

"The nobles from the East, I'm told?" As the words left his mouth, the patches of people around the room straightened, and their conversations faded away until they were all staring at the pair of you.

"That's us," Doc replied, his hands behind his back. Bristling, you mirrored his stance.

The Duchess spoke next, her voice louder than you'd expected, and strong. "I had no idea the Eastern family had such... strange members."

The Doctor forced a smile. "They don't talk about us much. My... ward and I."

"Ward?" You whispered, before turning back to the duke with a smile. Doc gave you a shush, earning a playful glare in return.

"We do apologize for not having a meal or celebration prepared," The Duke began.

"Not a problem at all, we're just here for the night."

"Very well. Our doors are open to you. Let any of my servants know when you'd like to retire to your chambers for the night and they'll be happy to show you the way."

Doc smiled and bowed his head slightly. "Thank you." He gave a salute and took your hand, dragging you from the throne room as the casual chatter and ambiance resumed.

---

You sped behind him, scanning door after door for any sign of foul play. The Doctor led the way, holding his screwdriver like a flashlight, his long legs making it hard for you to keep up. Your ankle was still sore from the death grip of the "cyber corpse", but you did your best not to limp.

"Wait-- Doc!" You called. "I don't understand, how are we going to find her?"

He spun to face you, the green light of his screwdriver shining against your eyes. You flinched and raised a hand to block some of the offending beam. He flipped the light toward the ceiling, showing off the side of the device.

"I scanned a lot of signatures in the sewer. The cybird, Eluned's clothes, the tech, if I'm lucky, some of her DNA." He turned back to scanning, walking more slowly this time. "I'm applying the data I collected, in hopes that my screwdriver will lock onto something familiar, lead us right to her."

Your flats made soft noises against the stone as you took the time to grab the fabric of your skirt and hoist it up, making it easier to stride after the Doctor. Your eyes scanned the walls.

After a few moments of walking, the Doctor pointed the screwdriver at a door on his left, before letting his arm drop. You glanced between the door and him, he met your eyes. "Is she in there?"

After a quick swipe with his sonic, he raised his eyebrows and gave a quick tilt of his head. "No life signs that I can read." You gave an unsure sigh and looked back to the door. When after a moment the Doctor still didn't move, you gave him a confused look. "Well, go ahead," He said, gesturing for the door.

"What? Why me?"

"Well you go first, you're the expendable one."

After a heavy eye roll and a boost of confidence, you grabbed the rusted door handle and pulled it open.

Her room was somewhat of a mess, only in that books covered every surface. Her huge ornate bed was swallowed by them, so much so you couldn't figure out the color of her blanket. Her chairs, nightstands, dresser, even windowsill had stacks of these publications. There was hardly a spot to place your foot, but you inched forward. Once you reached the bed, you picked one up and read the title.

"'Forbidden Rites: Necromancy and the Un-Dead'?" You screwed up your lips and grabbed another. "'The Devil Works Among Us'? Doc, what are these?"

He looked up from a book of his own. He looked like he was trying to find something to say, but eventually, he closed his mouth. A stillness fell over the room.

It was broken abruptly though when a new voice sounded. "Those, my sweet girl, are the last hope."

With a gasp, you spun. Lady Eluned stood there, her arms crossed by the doorway. You were right about her being older than you, and her skin being ice pale. Her raven hair was still in a tight bun, but strands of it were undone. Her eyes were red, maybe a little puffy, but her expression was stern. With a turned-up nose and an emerald dress, she definitely looked like a noble.

"I knew... after the tunnels... that I hadn't seen the last of you two."

You glanced nervously to the Doctor, who now stood in a defensive position a few feet away, his arm outstretched to your heart.

Your eyes glided down him, and as they did, confidence started filling your gut. His presence made you feel safe, but it was more than that. His presence made you feel strong.

With a glare, you turned back to the noblewoman. "What did you do?"

Scowling and screwing up her lips, she shook her head. "No... No, you wouldn't understand."

"We saw your little monster in the forest, Eluned," Doc began, his voice sharp. "I'm right, aren't I? That was your doing?"

She raised her chin, an unreadable expression on her pale face. "You saw it?"

"It almost killed me! Nearly tore my foot off!"

She jutted out her jaw. "I had to. You- you wouldn't understand."

The Doctor spoke up again, this time clearly getting impatient. "Well, try us, would you? That creature almost tore us apart, and it's getting closer to the town. We are running out of time."

She went silent, her eyes dropping to the floor. That when you noticed something in her eyes.

"Wait... Wait, you regret it, don't you?" Her eyes shot up as her gaze drilled a hole through your head, her anger piercing. "You-- You want it to stop?"

The room fell silent.

Eluned's anger melted away, and soon she was staring at the ground with an almost, desperation. "I just... I couldn't take it anymore."

"Take what?" Doc snapped. You raised a gentle hand toward him, and he took the hint to cool it.

"Look around you! This castle... this world... it's no place for women like me, like the Duchess. No one would listen! I just-- just wanted a chance to show people what I can do! There's so many ideas, so many plans, that come to me, all the time. But no one would listen!" Her eyes pooled up, and by the state and color of them, this wasn't the first time today. She started to massage her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut. "So when I found the tunnels... and all the strange materials..."

"The Sontaran tech," The Doctor muttered to himself. "But how did you make anything of it? It's way beyond advanced for you."

"As strange as it must sound," she hissed, dropping her hand, "it wasn't that hard to understand once I saw all the inner pieces. Each part had a purpose, once you figure out how they piece together, you figure out what they do. You can break it down from there."

"But that kind of experimental reasoning can take months!" The Doctor scrunched up his face in confusion.

"It took me years. And I started with the bird. To move onto mankind... it just took more time."

You thought back to the cybird, and how it had been smart enough to lead Doc and you to her base of operations. To build something like that-- especially in this era? She had to be a genius.

"But why? Why take that much time and all those people just to create some kind of monster? What's it all for?"

Again, you remembered the bodies you'd found. One in her makeshift lab, and three more in a much smaller room, hanging like pigs at a butchery. All of which had been brutally mutilated and left to rot.

Lady Eluned faltered, hugging herself. "I didn't-- didn't mean to, they just-- they just kept dying!" Her eyebrows cocked up. "I was trying to make a solider, a theoretical idea, anything that would get them to see me! But they just kept dying, and when I finally thought I'd done it, I realized what I'd done."

"The creature that attacked our carriage?"

Eluned gave a sigh. "Yes. I couldn't contain it. Almost as soon as it was conscious, it had escaped my lap and vanished into the wilderness. I've been looking for it for three days since then."

"Her," The Doctor corrected. "You've been looking for her ."

Her expression sombered. "Yes. Her."

"Lady Eluned, let us help." Her unsure eyes slid to meet yours. "Unchecked, that poor woman is going to hurt a lot of people. I don't know all the things you did to her, and you are certainly not an innocent party, but I think working together is our best bet."

You paused to check with the Doctor. He puffed up his chest but didn't make an attempt to correct you.

"If you really do regret what you've done, prove it and get to work."

(HEYO! Just in the nick of time! Lol I told @AmaliaBowles that I'd publish this chapter today, so yay! I just barely made it haha! So I know this took me foreverrr as usual, and tbh I don't know how much that's going to change in the future. I'm definitely still trying! Lol 10 chapters in 3 years, and it shows!

I've actually been considering rewriting the first few chapters to keep the style more consistent, you know, keeping the story the same and everything? So let me know if that's something you guys would be interested in! :D

Also, Idk if it's apparent by now, but I know fuck-all about the medieval period, I mean oof, I barely know how to spell it XD. But If I got something so wrong in this that it's painful for you, feel free to correct me for future reference, but I don't plan on going back and changing stuff of that nature.

So not the best part in the world, but I'm happy to get it out there! Hope you guys enjoyed and thanks for reading! Wattpad is glitching like crazy so I'm gonna keep this short :)

XOXO
TheMatriarch (still not dead and trying to write when I can ;D))