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Fic: Rainbow-Hued Monstrosity - Chapter 5/6
Title: Rainbow-Hued Monstrosity
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tarnera
Appearing in this work: 6th Doctor, Peri
Spoilers/Timeline: Set some time before The Two Doctors. No spoilers.
Word Count: 2,462 (this chapter)
Summary: The Doctor's coat gets stolen. He wants it back.
Disclaimer/Thanks: I own nothing, save my crazy theories.
Author's Note: I'm so sorry to those who were waiting for this chapter, I'll try to finish up the last chapter soon!
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Peri stumbled over yet another tree root. Managing to keep to her feet, she made sure that the TARDIS key was still secure, and then she sighed and sat at the foot of one of the trees. "It's too dark, I can't see anything," she complained. "I'm cold and hungry, definitely lost, and my feet hurt. What was I thinking? I should have asked the Doctor for a torch, I'm sure he had one in one of his pockets."
She started to rummage thorough her own pockets just to see what she had in there. They were normal sized, so the search didn't take long; she did discover a small bag of what turned out to be lemon drops. "What's that doing in there?" she asked, surprised. Shaking her head, she admonished herself—"Keep this up, Peri, and you'll be as bad as the Doctor… see? You've even started to talk to yourself!" She sighed, leaned back against the tree, and popped a lemon drop into her mouth. Better than nothing.
There was a rustling sound from a short ways away. Peri sat up quickly and turned in the direction of the noise. Straining her eyes, she stared into the darkness. Nothing, of course. "But with my luck," she muttered, "there's a large, savage, ravenous beast three feet in front of me."
Something touched her arm. It wasn't a branch; she could feel it was warm and alive. A ravenous beast? She thrust out her arms as violently as she could, felt them connect with something and send it sprawling. "Oljerl!" whatever it was cried.
Peri stopped before she could run away and lose herself even more in the uncharted woods. That had sounded… human? Well, sentient, anyway. That was no language she had ever heard of from Earth. "Um… hello?" she said tentatively.
"Iofk," the person said. He—it was definitely a he, by the voice—sounded like he was in pain.
"I-I'm s-sorry," Peri stammered. "I thought you were a w-wild animal or something. A-are you alright?"
"Urjen reatlen. Ria'rte rken soritina rieln," he said. It sounded like he was getting up.
"I'm sorry. I can't understand you," Peri said.
"Trinakl?"
"What?"
There were a few beats of silence. Then, very slowly, the man said, "Come. We… friend. Have house, food, rest."
"No, I have to find the Doctor's TARDIS, he needs my help. Do you understand? I have to help the Doctor," she said.
"Doctor, yes. He… at house, we give medicine."
"I don’t need… wait, you gave the Doctor medicine? He was hurt?" Peri was a little bit startled at how much that question scared her. Well, if he's hurt so badly that he dies or can't pilot the TARDIS, I'll be stuck here forever. That's all. Of course that's all that is.
"Yes, Doctor hurt. He get better. Come." She felt his hand take her arm gently, but he was still waiting for her to make up her mind.
She sighed. "Oh, lead the way."
"Trinakl?"
"I come. I mean, I'm coming." She started walking in the direction he was pulling, and she could feel him guiding her. He was very good; she didn't trip over a single tree root the entire journey.
***
Jast was deeply regretting never properly learning the old tongue from his Grandmother before now. He was sure he had made a complete fool of himself, speaking so brokenly it was a wonder the female had been able to understand him at all. It was only by luck and guesswork that he had been able to understand her as much as he had. Still, she was coming with him now and that's all that mattered. He just hoped his Grandmother was right; if these two turned out to be dangerous, putting them together would only make this situation worse.
***
The Doctor woke and sat up with a gasp. He blinked in the light, looking around himself at the small, earthen-floored hut. "Definitely not in the TARDIS," he muttered. "Where…?" He brought a hand up to his head, encountered the bandaging. "Ah, yes, now I remember. Hmmm… whatever that stuff was it seems to have done the trick! My head feels as good as new. I don't need this thing any more." Suiting word to action, he started to unwind the bandage.
He heard what sounded like a scuffle outside and then Peri's unmistakable voice filled the early morning air. "You said you have the Doctor here, I want to see him now! How do I know you haven't k-killed him or something! Where is he?!"
The Doctor rose to his feet, absently noting that he wasn't even slightly dizzy, and moved quickly to the door of the hut. "I'm here, Peri. Now would you please stop making that racket?" He leveled a gaze at her as she spun to stare at him, and was very surprised when she rushed toward him and hugged him fiercely. "Peri? Are you all right?" he asked, a bit concerned in spite of himself.
"They said you were h-hurt! I-I w-was worried y-you'd d-d-died or, or, or…" she stopped to take a breath before continuing in a whisper, "I was afraid I'd never see you again."
"I'm not that easy to kill off, you know," he said gently, gingerly patting her back.
She nodded, and pulled away. "Yeah, I know. But I didn't want to have to get used to another you. Having to do that once was more than enough."
The Doctor chuckled at the resignation in her voice.
"So what now?" Peri wanted to know. "Are they going to let us go?"
The Doctor looked over at the villagers surrounding them, studying their faces. "Somehow, Peri… I don't think it will be that easy." Besides, he still hadn't found his coat. He wanted to get that back before they left, if at all possible.
"You're not still worried about your coat, are you?" Peri rolled her eyes, exasperated.
"No! Well, yes. But that's not the reason I think it will be difficult to get away from here." The Doctor stuck his hands in his pockets and looked cross.
"Oh, yeah? Then what's the reason?" Peri asked, crossing her arms over her chest and grinning smugly.
"Because," the Doctor said quietly, "they don't look like they're going to let us go. In fact, they look rather like they want to see us drawn and quartered."
Peri turned to look at the villagers. "They really don't look happy, do they?"
The Doctor barely suppressed an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Peri, that's what I just said." Shaking his head, he took a step forward, grasping Peri's arm gently as he did so and moving past her so that he was between her and the mob of villagers. "Hello, thank you for your hospitality, but my friend and I really must be going. If you would be so kind as to let us pass?" He moved forward again with Peri following just behind him, but a villager blocked their way.
"How is it you can speak language of the village this morning?" the man asked. He was grasping a wooden spear far more aggressively then Peri was really comfortable with. "Last night, old Tama said you only spoke the old tongue; that you could not understand her words when she spoke this language. How did you accomplish this magic, stranger? Or are you a braani, bent on corrupting our young and devouring our souls?" The man brandished the spear in the Doctor's face.
The Doctor reached out and gently pushed the spear out of the vicinity of his face. "I am a very clever person, that's all. I learned it by listening to your people speaking." Well, really, the TARDIS had processed it through the mental link he had with her, and was letting both Peri and the Doctor speak and understand it. But he would definitely learn it later, when they were off planet and out of danger.
"So swiftly? Impossible!" the mob's spokesperson scoffed.
"Not impossible, I'm clearly doing it, aren't I?" the Doctor snapped back, annoyed. He had learned languages that quickly in the past, but he hadn't been caught in a snare and knocked out on those occasions.
"I think you are braani. I think you are tricking us, and I think you should be killed before you destroy the village of the Sevateem!" the mob behind him shouted their approval of his words. They started to mill about amongst themselves, seeming to forget all about the Doctor and Peri for the moment.
The Doctor was visibly startled at the word 'Sevateem', staring at the man incredulously with his mouth slightly open in shock.
Peri touched his arm. "Doctor? Are you all right?"
The Doctor spared a glance over his shoulder at her. "Hmmm? Oh, yes, yes, I'm fine… I just realized where we are. I did not expect to find myself here ever again, that's all. Tell me," he said, raising his voice and addressing the assembled villagers, "what do you know of the Warrior Leela?"
The mob froze, and then all of them turned toward the Doctor. The looks on their faces were even less friendly then before, if possible. "I'm not sure that was such a good idea, Doctor," Peri murmured, clutching at his shirtsleeve and peering over his shoulder nervously.
"You have no right to utter that sacred name, braani! The noble Leela slew the Evil One and reunited the mighty Tesh with the honorable Sevateem. We now live at peace with each other, an accomplishment that would have never happened were it not for her. I should kill you for your brashness!"
"Peri," the Doctor said quietly, "I think we should start backing away now… and get ready to—" The villager who had been speaking suddenly lunged forward, thrusting the spear point in their general direction. "Run!" the Doctor yelped, taking his own advice. Peri wasn't slow in following it herself. Since all this had taken place very close to the edge of the village they made it to the trees within moments, and had disappeared into them a moment later.
Their attacker all but growled with rage. "Tyl, Onda, go after them! Find them. Kill them if you must, but bring them back here if you can!"
"Yes, Crand," Tyl said, and she and Onda took off in pursuit.
"They have to die," Crand muttered. "If they do not, our village will be cursed by the braani. Our crops will wither and our animals will die. I must find Jast; he and old Tama had the most contact with the braani. If they were corrupted by the braani…" he trailed off leaving the sentence unfinished, but any child in the village could have completed it. Jast was a weakling and Tama was old. If he had to kill them, it would be no great loss to the village. He stalked off in the direction of Jast's hut. He hadn't seen the coward in hours so it was a good bet that he was hiding there, waiting until the excitement died down and everything was calm once more.
***
The Doctor and Peri crashed through the underbrush, not daring to slow their breakneck pace. "Do," Peri said between gasps for breath, "do you—even know—where you're—going?"
"Of course I do," the Doctor said, breathing a bit more easily than Peri. Time Lord and all that. "I have an unerring sense of direction, you know that."
Since Peri was behind him, he didn't see the face she made. "Oh—yes, Doctor. All—the times—you've gotten us—hopelessly lost—I know."
He risked an annoyed glance over his shoulder. "Don’t be ridiculous. Lost? Lost! I'm never lost. Just… a bit mislaid, sometimes."
Peri rolled her eyes. "Oh, mislaid—is it? What about—the time we—accidentally turned the—wrong way, and—ended up in the—Tower of London?"
"A fluke," he said lightly. "This way, Peri. Come on, move a bit faster, would you? I think we may have someone after us."
"When isn't—someone after us?" Peri wanted to know. "Anyway, what about—that one time—in Greece?"
"As you say. That was just one time." The Doctor stopped suddenly, looking around for a moment before heading off again in a slightly different direction.
Peri followed him in silence for a bit, saving her breath for running. The Doctor stopped again, and she took the chance to catch her breath, putting her hands on her knees and breathing deeply. "You really are lost, aren't you?" she asked after a moment.
"Why would you say that?" he said in an injured (and defensive) tone.
"Because I can see the village through those trees over there," Peri replied wearily, straightening up and pointing. The Doctor turned in that direction and peered through the leaves.
"Ah," he said after a moment. "Well, if it's any consolation, it is the other side of the village."
"Wonderful," Peri grumbled. "So much for your sense of direction! It's about as unerring as your sense of style."
He glared at her and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped and looked beyond her. "It would appear that we have company. Hello," he tried a cheery smile, which faded when the two warriors gave him scowls in return.
"You will come with us," the woman said. "Crand would have you return to the village."
"And if we refuse?" the Doctor said.
The woman brought her spear up to his throat. "You will die here, braani, and I will take your curly yellow head back to Crand as proof of your death."
"Ah. That is a most compelling argument," the Doctor said. "I think I will come back to the village with you after all. Come along, Peri, do as the nice spear-wielding people say, all right?"
Peri sighed. "Do you ever do anything but get captured by people, Doctor?"
The Doctor found himself smiling slightly despite the situation they were in. "Well, every now and again I play tiddlywinks with them instead," he said. Peri stared at him incredulously. "Seriously! You wouldn't believe the game I had with Napoleon, now there was a sore loser if I ever saw one."
Peri shook her head. "You're a name-dropper to the end, Doctor."
The woman warrior shook her spear at them. "Move, braani! Or you will taste my spear regardless of your decision to go back to the village."
"All right, all right, we're going!" Peri grumbled.
They walked into the village, Peri hoping all the while that the Doctor would be able to talk his way out of whatever was going to happen... though with the way things had been going, she wasn’t at all sure he would be able to manage it.
Author:
tarneraAppearing in this work: 6th Doctor, Peri
Spoilers/Timeline: Set some time before The Two Doctors. No spoilers.
Word Count: 2,462 (this chapter)
Summary: The Doctor's coat gets stolen. He wants it back.
Disclaimer/Thanks: I own nothing, save my crazy theories.
Author's Note: I'm so sorry to those who were waiting for this chapter, I'll try to finish up the last chapter soon!
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Peri stumbled over yet another tree root. Managing to keep to her feet, she made sure that the TARDIS key was still secure, and then she sighed and sat at the foot of one of the trees. "It's too dark, I can't see anything," she complained. "I'm cold and hungry, definitely lost, and my feet hurt. What was I thinking? I should have asked the Doctor for a torch, I'm sure he had one in one of his pockets."
She started to rummage thorough her own pockets just to see what she had in there. They were normal sized, so the search didn't take long; she did discover a small bag of what turned out to be lemon drops. "What's that doing in there?" she asked, surprised. Shaking her head, she admonished herself—"Keep this up, Peri, and you'll be as bad as the Doctor… see? You've even started to talk to yourself!" She sighed, leaned back against the tree, and popped a lemon drop into her mouth. Better than nothing.
There was a rustling sound from a short ways away. Peri sat up quickly and turned in the direction of the noise. Straining her eyes, she stared into the darkness. Nothing, of course. "But with my luck," she muttered, "there's a large, savage, ravenous beast three feet in front of me."
Something touched her arm. It wasn't a branch; she could feel it was warm and alive. A ravenous beast? She thrust out her arms as violently as she could, felt them connect with something and send it sprawling. "Oljerl!" whatever it was cried.
Peri stopped before she could run away and lose herself even more in the uncharted woods. That had sounded… human? Well, sentient, anyway. That was no language she had ever heard of from Earth. "Um… hello?" she said tentatively.
"Iofk," the person said. He—it was definitely a he, by the voice—sounded like he was in pain.
"I-I'm s-sorry," Peri stammered. "I thought you were a w-wild animal or something. A-are you alright?"
"Urjen reatlen. Ria'rte rken soritina rieln," he said. It sounded like he was getting up.
"I'm sorry. I can't understand you," Peri said.
"Trinakl?"
"What?"
There were a few beats of silence. Then, very slowly, the man said, "Come. We… friend. Have house, food, rest."
"No, I have to find the Doctor's TARDIS, he needs my help. Do you understand? I have to help the Doctor," she said.
"Doctor, yes. He… at house, we give medicine."
"I don’t need… wait, you gave the Doctor medicine? He was hurt?" Peri was a little bit startled at how much that question scared her. Well, if he's hurt so badly that he dies or can't pilot the TARDIS, I'll be stuck here forever. That's all. Of course that's all that is.
"Yes, Doctor hurt. He get better. Come." She felt his hand take her arm gently, but he was still waiting for her to make up her mind.
She sighed. "Oh, lead the way."
"Trinakl?"
"I come. I mean, I'm coming." She started walking in the direction he was pulling, and she could feel him guiding her. He was very good; she didn't trip over a single tree root the entire journey.
***
Jast was deeply regretting never properly learning the old tongue from his Grandmother before now. He was sure he had made a complete fool of himself, speaking so brokenly it was a wonder the female had been able to understand him at all. It was only by luck and guesswork that he had been able to understand her as much as he had. Still, she was coming with him now and that's all that mattered. He just hoped his Grandmother was right; if these two turned out to be dangerous, putting them together would only make this situation worse.
***
The Doctor woke and sat up with a gasp. He blinked in the light, looking around himself at the small, earthen-floored hut. "Definitely not in the TARDIS," he muttered. "Where…?" He brought a hand up to his head, encountered the bandaging. "Ah, yes, now I remember. Hmmm… whatever that stuff was it seems to have done the trick! My head feels as good as new. I don't need this thing any more." Suiting word to action, he started to unwind the bandage.
He heard what sounded like a scuffle outside and then Peri's unmistakable voice filled the early morning air. "You said you have the Doctor here, I want to see him now! How do I know you haven't k-killed him or something! Where is he?!"
The Doctor rose to his feet, absently noting that he wasn't even slightly dizzy, and moved quickly to the door of the hut. "I'm here, Peri. Now would you please stop making that racket?" He leveled a gaze at her as she spun to stare at him, and was very surprised when she rushed toward him and hugged him fiercely. "Peri? Are you all right?" he asked, a bit concerned in spite of himself.
"They said you were h-hurt! I-I w-was worried y-you'd d-d-died or, or, or…" she stopped to take a breath before continuing in a whisper, "I was afraid I'd never see you again."
"I'm not that easy to kill off, you know," he said gently, gingerly patting her back.
She nodded, and pulled away. "Yeah, I know. But I didn't want to have to get used to another you. Having to do that once was more than enough."
The Doctor chuckled at the resignation in her voice.
"So what now?" Peri wanted to know. "Are they going to let us go?"
The Doctor looked over at the villagers surrounding them, studying their faces. "Somehow, Peri… I don't think it will be that easy." Besides, he still hadn't found his coat. He wanted to get that back before they left, if at all possible.
"You're not still worried about your coat, are you?" Peri rolled her eyes, exasperated.
"No! Well, yes. But that's not the reason I think it will be difficult to get away from here." The Doctor stuck his hands in his pockets and looked cross.
"Oh, yeah? Then what's the reason?" Peri asked, crossing her arms over her chest and grinning smugly.
"Because," the Doctor said quietly, "they don't look like they're going to let us go. In fact, they look rather like they want to see us drawn and quartered."
Peri turned to look at the villagers. "They really don't look happy, do they?"
The Doctor barely suppressed an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Peri, that's what I just said." Shaking his head, he took a step forward, grasping Peri's arm gently as he did so and moving past her so that he was between her and the mob of villagers. "Hello, thank you for your hospitality, but my friend and I really must be going. If you would be so kind as to let us pass?" He moved forward again with Peri following just behind him, but a villager blocked their way.
"How is it you can speak language of the village this morning?" the man asked. He was grasping a wooden spear far more aggressively then Peri was really comfortable with. "Last night, old Tama said you only spoke the old tongue; that you could not understand her words when she spoke this language. How did you accomplish this magic, stranger? Or are you a braani, bent on corrupting our young and devouring our souls?" The man brandished the spear in the Doctor's face.
The Doctor reached out and gently pushed the spear out of the vicinity of his face. "I am a very clever person, that's all. I learned it by listening to your people speaking." Well, really, the TARDIS had processed it through the mental link he had with her, and was letting both Peri and the Doctor speak and understand it. But he would definitely learn it later, when they were off planet and out of danger.
"So swiftly? Impossible!" the mob's spokesperson scoffed.
"Not impossible, I'm clearly doing it, aren't I?" the Doctor snapped back, annoyed. He had learned languages that quickly in the past, but he hadn't been caught in a snare and knocked out on those occasions.
"I think you are braani. I think you are tricking us, and I think you should be killed before you destroy the village of the Sevateem!" the mob behind him shouted their approval of his words. They started to mill about amongst themselves, seeming to forget all about the Doctor and Peri for the moment.
The Doctor was visibly startled at the word 'Sevateem', staring at the man incredulously with his mouth slightly open in shock.
Peri touched his arm. "Doctor? Are you all right?"
The Doctor spared a glance over his shoulder at her. "Hmmm? Oh, yes, yes, I'm fine… I just realized where we are. I did not expect to find myself here ever again, that's all. Tell me," he said, raising his voice and addressing the assembled villagers, "what do you know of the Warrior Leela?"
The mob froze, and then all of them turned toward the Doctor. The looks on their faces were even less friendly then before, if possible. "I'm not sure that was such a good idea, Doctor," Peri murmured, clutching at his shirtsleeve and peering over his shoulder nervously.
"You have no right to utter that sacred name, braani! The noble Leela slew the Evil One and reunited the mighty Tesh with the honorable Sevateem. We now live at peace with each other, an accomplishment that would have never happened were it not for her. I should kill you for your brashness!"
"Peri," the Doctor said quietly, "I think we should start backing away now… and get ready to—" The villager who had been speaking suddenly lunged forward, thrusting the spear point in their general direction. "Run!" the Doctor yelped, taking his own advice. Peri wasn't slow in following it herself. Since all this had taken place very close to the edge of the village they made it to the trees within moments, and had disappeared into them a moment later.
Their attacker all but growled with rage. "Tyl, Onda, go after them! Find them. Kill them if you must, but bring them back here if you can!"
"Yes, Crand," Tyl said, and she and Onda took off in pursuit.
"They have to die," Crand muttered. "If they do not, our village will be cursed by the braani. Our crops will wither and our animals will die. I must find Jast; he and old Tama had the most contact with the braani. If they were corrupted by the braani…" he trailed off leaving the sentence unfinished, but any child in the village could have completed it. Jast was a weakling and Tama was old. If he had to kill them, it would be no great loss to the village. He stalked off in the direction of Jast's hut. He hadn't seen the coward in hours so it was a good bet that he was hiding there, waiting until the excitement died down and everything was calm once more.
***
The Doctor and Peri crashed through the underbrush, not daring to slow their breakneck pace. "Do," Peri said between gasps for breath, "do you—even know—where you're—going?"
"Of course I do," the Doctor said, breathing a bit more easily than Peri. Time Lord and all that. "I have an unerring sense of direction, you know that."
Since Peri was behind him, he didn't see the face she made. "Oh—yes, Doctor. All—the times—you've gotten us—hopelessly lost—I know."
He risked an annoyed glance over his shoulder. "Don’t be ridiculous. Lost? Lost! I'm never lost. Just… a bit mislaid, sometimes."
Peri rolled her eyes. "Oh, mislaid—is it? What about—the time we—accidentally turned the—wrong way, and—ended up in the—Tower of London?"
"A fluke," he said lightly. "This way, Peri. Come on, move a bit faster, would you? I think we may have someone after us."
"When isn't—someone after us?" Peri wanted to know. "Anyway, what about—that one time—in Greece?"
"As you say. That was just one time." The Doctor stopped suddenly, looking around for a moment before heading off again in a slightly different direction.
Peri followed him in silence for a bit, saving her breath for running. The Doctor stopped again, and she took the chance to catch her breath, putting her hands on her knees and breathing deeply. "You really are lost, aren't you?" she asked after a moment.
"Why would you say that?" he said in an injured (and defensive) tone.
"Because I can see the village through those trees over there," Peri replied wearily, straightening up and pointing. The Doctor turned in that direction and peered through the leaves.
"Ah," he said after a moment. "Well, if it's any consolation, it is the other side of the village."
"Wonderful," Peri grumbled. "So much for your sense of direction! It's about as unerring as your sense of style."
He glared at her and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped and looked beyond her. "It would appear that we have company. Hello," he tried a cheery smile, which faded when the two warriors gave him scowls in return.
"You will come with us," the woman said. "Crand would have you return to the village."
"And if we refuse?" the Doctor said.
The woman brought her spear up to his throat. "You will die here, braani, and I will take your curly yellow head back to Crand as proof of your death."
"Ah. That is a most compelling argument," the Doctor said. "I think I will come back to the village with you after all. Come along, Peri, do as the nice spear-wielding people say, all right?"
Peri sighed. "Do you ever do anything but get captured by people, Doctor?"
The Doctor found himself smiling slightly despite the situation they were in. "Well, every now and again I play tiddlywinks with them instead," he said. Peri stared at him incredulously. "Seriously! You wouldn't believe the game I had with Napoleon, now there was a sore loser if I ever saw one."
Peri shook her head. "You're a name-dropper to the end, Doctor."
The woman warrior shook her spear at them. "Move, braani! Or you will taste my spear regardless of your decision to go back to the village."
"All right, all right, we're going!" Peri grumbled.
They walked into the village, Peri hoping all the while that the Doctor would be able to talk his way out of whatever was going to happen... though with the way things had been going, she wasn’t at all sure he would be able to manage it.
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Which is probably why it made such a great twist.
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The fact that I've been listening to various BFAs doesn't hurt, either.
I'm so glad you liked!