The Snow Queen: Chapter 4 (D/R)
Title: The Snow Queen Chapter 4: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Author: angelofprey
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose, Ten/OC...ish
Rating: PG (will probably go up later on)
Summary: The Doctor is kidnapped by the Snow Queen, now Rose must save him from her icy palace before it's too late. This chapter: Rose meets the Summer Princess.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, it's characters, or even this plotline. They belong to the BBC, and Hans Christian Andersen.
Author's Notes: Fourth part of the fic inspired by Skytyne's artwork. Sorry this took me so long, I had major writer’s block. The next chapter will be out faster since it’s already half done.
Chapter 4: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Rose had been wandering through the same patch of forest for a little over a week now and she felt hopelessly lost even with the help of a map. She wasn’t holding it upside-down, she’d checked for that after the first time realizing she was going in circles. Then she had adjusted her course and still, that little town that she could just catch glimpses of through the trees was nestled a few miles away, and that mountain range was still a hazy little patch of blue in the distance.
Rose wanted to scream. So she did. She screamed and threw down the map and crouched down running her hands over her face until the angry tears stopped coming. She also felt much better after doing so.
Hiccupping slightly from the exertion of her fit, she slumped down against the trunk of a tree and decided to see exactly how long her rations would last her before she had to resort to eating wild berries and praying they weren’t the poisonous kind. She could almost hear the Doctor’s voice chastising her for acting like a child-well, to him she probably was a child. Twenty-one, to Nine-hundred-something, was still an awfully large age gap no matter how young he looked since regenerating.
Rose sighed, why was she thinking about this right now?
Her love life was not the most eventful since hitching a ride with the Doctor, and she’d neglected Mickey in the most awful ways, something she honestly felt terrible about. So here she sat, in the middle of nowhere, on a planet about fifty light-years from home, trying to save the only man in the universe who could possibly take her back to Earth to see her mum again, not to mention she was also desperately in love with said man, alien, person, whatever…
Over the course of her walk, she’d come to accept the fact that she was in love with the Doctor and not care whether or not strangers could read her like an open book. It’d been a little over a month since she’d left the Spring Witch’s home and she had done a lot of thinking on the way. She hadn’t even noticed that she’d left all of her Winter clothes at the old woman’s house until it was too late, so she was now sporting a rather flowery sun-dress that looked like it belonged more in Alice in Wonderland than on an alien planet. She was lucky though, it wasn’t cold yet, in fact it was getting warmer every day, but she would definitely need to pick something up for the Winter months the next time she reached civilization…
‘If I can make it there by Winter.’ She thought cynically, munching on a bit of jerky she’d bought in the last town.
“Hellooooo down there!” A voice cut through the peaceful silence of the woods.
Rose jumped up startled and spat out her food.
“Who’s there!?” she demanded brandishing the butter knife that she had “borrowed” from an inn a while back.
“Up here!” the voice called again. “In the tree!”
Rose looked up, and in the branches of the fir tree she’d been sitting under sat a plump crow.
This was obviously no ordinary crow; it wore a black velvet cap complete with a gold feather sticking out of the top, and a gold sash that was tied below its right wing.
“Hello my lady.” The crow said in surprisingly good English, he had a shrill sort of hoarse voice like one would expect a crow to have, but his words were as clear as a bell despite the lack of lips and teeth.
“Eh...” Rose said shifting her weight. “Hi. What are you, now?”
The crow looked as indignant as a crow could look. “I’m a crow!” it replied with a scoff.
“Yeah, I can see that, but how can you talk?”
“Why can I talk? Well for the same reason you can, to make conversation!”
“’kay then…” Rose was debating in her mind which would be the better course of action: slapping herself awake from a dream or bashing her head against the tree to clear the madness. This crow was most definitely not here, and more than that, he was most definitely not talking to her.
She must have spoken aloud because the crow replied:
“Yes, I am here, and yes I can talk. You’re not crazy my lady…”
“Okay Rose, you really have fallen into Wonderland…” Rose muttered to herself.
“Who are you talking to?” The crow inquired. “Do you have a flower as a travelling companion?”
“Huh?” Rose gaped, then in dawned. “No, that’s my name, Rose Tyler.”
“Enchanted, Rose Tyler, I am named Oilwing… Silvercaw Oilwing.” Replied the crow swooping down to the ground before Rose and gave her a clumsy bow.
Rose smiled. “Nice to meet you too. But listen, do you think you could give me a hand?”
Silvercaw looked forlorn. “Regretably Rose Tyler, I do not have hands.”
“Oh, no, that’s just an expression. It means could you help me? I’ve been lost in these woods for ages and I really need to get to the Northern Tundra before the Winter Solstice. I’m trying to get to the palace of the Snow Queen.”
Silvercaw Oilwing seemed to ponder this for a moment. “I can’t say I know the way. But I have a sweetheart who works at the palace of the Summer Princess and her majesty sounds like the right person to ask. Summer Princess, Snow Queen, they must be related somehow. Follow me; I’ll take you to see her!”
Rose was too overjoyed to be making some progress than to worry over the fact that the Spring Witch had warned her to be wary of the Summer Princess, and that the crow was saying something about a Mid-summer Ball.
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“Here you are, safe and sound.” Cawed Silvercaw Oilwing when the palace was in sight.
“Thank you!” Rose said as she began to traverse the distance left to the palace.
“When you get to the door, Golden-child,” Silvercaw addressed her with the name he had given her on their walk through the woods.
“Tell them that you are looking for Daisywing who is a serving-maid in the great hall. She’s my sweetheart; so when you meet her tell her I sent you.”
“S’that simple, yeah?” Rose looked incredulous.
“Quite.”
“’kay then, thanks for the help!” Rose called starting off towards the palace again.
“Good luck Golden-girl! I hope you find what it is that you are looking for!”
Rose shot a grin back at the bird before he disappeared into the tops of the trees.
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“Who are you?” said the Guard at the palace gates.
“M’name’s Rose. M’here to speak with the Summer Princess?” Rose stood before the gates looking terribly small and child-like. Her dress was in need of a burning, nevermind repair.
“Do you have an appointment?” A second guard asked, appraising her over the rims of his tortoise-shell glasses.
“Well, no but-“ Rose replied.
The guards sighed. “Well you can’t get in to see the Summer Princess without an appointment.”
“Right then, so how do I get an appointment?”
“From the Summer Princess.” They answered in unison.
“Let me get this straight,” Rose said feeling more than a little miffed. “You can only see the Summer Princess with an appointment. But the only way to get an appointment is to see the Summer Princess…”
“That is correct.”
Rose rolled her eyes and muttered, “And the Doctor says humans from Earth are difficult…” Then she remembered the directions given to her by Oilwing Silvercaw.
“Well, what if I just wanted to visit a friend who works as a serving-girl in the Great Hall? Her name’s Daisycaw-I mean Daisywing.”
The guards looked at each other.
“Yeah, that’d be alright.” They said and parted the halberds and iron gates blocking her path.
“Now that was almost too easy.” Rose whispered to herself as she stepped into the gardens of the palace.
The gardens looked like something out of a medieval tapestry, minus the unicorns. Everything was in bloom and green and growing. Rose found herself wandering into a maze of shrubberies and hopelessly lost by the time that another crow flew down and perched itself on a branch not too far from her head.
“Word has it you wanted to see me, though I’m sorry miss, but I can’t say I know you.”
“Actually your sweetheart, Oilwing, sent me.”
“Did he? Oh, bless him.”
“He helped guide me here. He said that you could help me get an audience with the Summer Princess.”
The crow tilted her head back and forth a few times. “I suppose it could be arranged. But you may need to disguise yourself as a serving girl during tonight’s banquet to get an audience.
Rose nodded furiously. “Yeah, fine. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Oh,” said the crow. “You’re going to regret saying that…”
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A few hours later that day Rose found herself in an outfit that looked suspiciously like one of the pictures in her old French textbooks of traditional Breton costumes. Well, it was certainly better than a dinner lady…
While working in the kitchens Daisywing told Rose that this banquet was being throw by the Summer Princess for her daughter, who was named June. The Summer Princess aimed to find a suitable suitor for her daughter before June had the chance to elope with her beloved, who was a polar bear but claimed he was really a prince from the kingdom just outside the Summer Forest. The story went that he had been turned into a polar bear by the Snow Queen. The man-bear had also gone missing a few days ago.
The kitchens were a hot busy place filled with the smells of cooking spices and delicious foods. However, all of the serving maids seemed like they were simply performing their tasks without registering what they were doing. Their faces were blank and their eyes dull. Rose commented on this to Daisywing who in turn told Rose that this was the spell of the Summer Princess. She could keep everyone in a contented fog and therefore get away with paying them far less than she should for their services.
“Why aren’t you like them?” Rose asked.
“I’m a crow, and crows are immune to the turning of the seasons. I work here because I want to, and I get paid in full because the Summer Princess can’t pull the wool over my eyes. It’s not fair to those poor girls I realize, but there are those strong enough to resist her powers, like the head chef, and you for example.”
“What do you mean by you’re immune to the turn of the seasons.” Rose had realized a while back that she was starting to ask questions in a manner similar to that of the Doctor, finding that it was the best way to find answers.
“We crows naturally stay in one place all year ‘round without change: Winter, Summer, Spring, and Fall. Temperature and snow or thawing and sun make no difference to us. Most humans however have a preference for the warmer days of the year, and huddle inside their homes all Winter long, ergo, they are affected by the Summer Princess’ spell, and I am not. The Summer Princess is of a very frugal nature. Giving only what she sees fit and little more. But her spells keep people happy with her because they find her affections outweigh her faults.”
When Rose finally made it into the Great Hall to start serving the guests, she was shocked to find that the hall was lavishly decorated with flowers, garlands, and all the most beautifully things Rose could think off, she had expected the palace to be a stone fortress and little more. Every other room she’d seen thus far besides the gardens were strictly utilitarian in nature. Due to Daisywing’s gossip about the ball, Rose was not surprised to see that all but the serving maids, June, and the Summer Princess herself, that all in attendance were men. Fine-looking, rich-looking, young men. As Rose watched, each one would be introduced to the Summer Princess’ daughter and would bow ceremoniously, June would give a polite curtsey or nod her head, but overall the poor girl looked frustrated and bored.
Dancing eventually broke out and June was twirled around the floor by almost everyman in attendance. Some of the noble princes even took to dragging a scullery maid out onto the dance floor simply because there was no one else. A few of the more “flexible” men even managed to pull another nobleman out to enjoy the music. Rose simply stood along the wall, inching her way closer and closer to the dais where the Summer Princess watched over the evening’s proceedings with a benevolent eye.
The Summer Princess was by no doubt one of the most beautiful women Rose had ever seen. She had rich brown hair that tumbled down to her knees when she stood, and sparkling green eyes that held a certain gentle happiness behind them at all times. Her robes were made of silk and ermine and velvet in a rich concoction of scarlets, indigos, and emeralds. Gold adorned the trim of her gown and a heavily bedazzled crown sat firmly above a perfectly arched brow. Her face was both young and old at once, and her skin sported a healthy golden glow that Rose could only compare to how many people described women who were pregnant. Every once in a while her laugh would break over the sound of the ensemble playing this planet’s classical masterpieces, and the sound couldn’t help but grace all who heard it with a warm, happy feeling. Rose knew this was simply a being made to represent the season of Summer but she couldn’t help but feel a bit drawn in by the woman.
Rose blinked several times and her hand moved unconsciously to her pocket where the snow-drop charm from the Spring Witch lay hidden. Suddenly Rose saw a flash of the Spring Witch’s face, and the old woman’s voice saying, “don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes, my girl.” Rose shook her head free of the spell that had been slowly wrapping its way around her mind like a drunken haze from a good vintage of cider.
When Rose’s mind finally cleared she realized that the Summer Princess had risen to accept the arm of a courtier and let him lead her to the dance floor. At this same moment June had escaped from a pack of princes vying for her attention long enough to flop gracelessly into her seat and then proceed to massage her aching feet.
Rose studied the girl and noted the differences between mother and daughter. June was much shorter than her mother, and a fair bit skinnier. Rose would compare her to the willowy appearance of a fashion model, all arms and legs, and a neck like a swan. However for all of her gracefully constructed limbs, June seemed to have no proper sense of control over them. Rose had watched her dancing and had winced as June botched up what Rose reckoned was supposed to be a waltz. June was very beautiful in her features as well, bright blue eyes with a sparkle of slight mischief and unending kindness, a long straight nose, gracefully curved lips. Overall the girl looked perfect, but moved more like a baby giraffe.
“You alright?” Rose was shaken from her silent observing by June’s voice.
“What?” Rose garbled, this was definitely not her moment of eloquence.
“I asked if you were alright.” June repeated with a concerned smile.
“Yeah, I’m fine… just takin’ in all the…” Rose trailed off, turning her face back to the swirl of dancing colors.
“You are new here aren’t you?” June commented. “I noticed you enter the great hall this evening, but I figured you were new, considering I know all of the serving maids, or at least I did, until you showed up.”
There was a bit of silence.
“So why did you come here?” June asked.
“What do you mean?” replied Rose, startled by the girl’s spot-on perception.
“Well, I know for a fact that my mother hasn’t hired any new serving girls since the last banquet, and most people only sneak into the Summer Palace when they want something from us. So, what do you want?”
Rose stared at June for a long moment. She seemed trustworthy enough. “I need to speak with your mother… I need information about the Snow Queen.”
Suddenly everything in the Great Hall stopped dead.
“Who dares mention the name of my sister in my hall!?” The Summer Princess moved with inhuman speed up to the dais and was suddenly looking down her expertly sculpted nose at Rose.
Rose felt her words catch in her throat when she noticed the unbridled fury in the woman’s eyes.
“Um…” Definitely, not her most eloquent day.
“Prohibition of speaking my sisters’ name aloud in my hall is one of the fundamental rules of my keep! But you wouldn’t know that would you, Rose Tyler, since you do not work here?”
Rose held the woman’s gaze but her eyes grew to the size of saucers.
“Yes, I know who you are, my sister, the Spring Witch, told me all about you… she sent me word that if I harmed even one hair on your head that she would deal with me personally. I honestly do not see how she can do that as she is trapped in that pitiful cottage of hers just as I am trapped behind the stone walls of my palace! Still, she told me why you have come and that you might be able to help us with our… problem. Again, I don’t see how as you are so…” the woman sucked on her tongue as she wrestled for the right word. “Human…”
Rose finally found her voice again.
“I’ve come here because I’m trying to rescue a man called the Doctor from the Snow Queen’s palace. He’s very important to the universe and-“
“Yes, I know who he is… But I have little care for the universe outside of my world. Why should I care for it? It has nothing to do with me.”
“Because if something’s wrong with the universe than your world would be in danger too!” Rose said, growing bolder. “Because he is the only man in the universe who can put an end to the tyranny of your sister, the Snow Queen! You should care because he is the only man who can find a way to turn your daughter’s boyfriend back into a man, and he is the only man who can stop you from drugging all of those poor girls who work in the kitchen!”
The Summer Princess raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow at Rose. “I think a better name for you would be Snapdragon, or Tiger Lilly, nothing as innocent or demure as Rose.” The Princess took a moment to breathe and to stare Rose in the eye and see if she wavered. She didn’t. “Though all roses do have their thorns, yes? Very well Rose, I’ll give you what help I can. Though mark my words, I do not do this for you, or even for my daughter. I do this for me and my people, so that I may walk through the woods beyond my palace walls once more and spread rays of sunshine and summer over this icy planet, as is the natural order of things.”
“S’fine with me.” Rose countered. “I’m not doing this for you either.”
The Summer Princess smirked knowingly. “The Snow Queen flew over my woods to gloat after enchanting your Doctor; my spies say that he is a handsome man, one worthy of even my daughter.”
Rose saw June roll her eyes from her place behind her mother.
“They say he might even have the power to help the Snow Queen succeed in her plans should he succumb to her charms.”
“What’s that then?” Rose asked.
The Summer Princess frowned, but not at Rose. “She aims to gain dominion over this planet. To make it so that we are in a perpetual state of Winter. We four sisters of the seasons draw power from our respective times of the year to keep the natural balance. Normally, each of us have one quarter of the year to rule, and during part of our time we are so powerful that we can leave our homes and wander over the world to spread the gifts of our seasons to other kingdoms. What my sister has done thus far is slowly spend all of her powers making her season last longer. The longer she makes Winter last, the more power she has, which she then uses to gain more time. She seeks to make it so that my other sisters and I age and die. You have already seen her effect on the Spring Witch who now appears to be much older than she should. The Autumn Robber is also beginning to show signs physically that the Snow Queen’s plots are working. It starts with being caged to your own home… this is the first year that I am unable to journey outside this palace’s walls. This is why it is so important to stop her, Rose. Winter is not meant to last all year long, it isn’t natural. The time for the planting and harvesting of crops is quickly growing shorter, and the time to allow them to grow is being challenged. This world will wither and die if the Snow Queen is allowed to succeed. Unfortunately, since I am now caged here I cannot be the one to stop her.”
“Why can’t you leave?”
“As I said before, my power comes from the heart of Summer, and the heart of Summer lies here in my palace. If I leave with too little power I will cease to be, and the season of Summer will share the same fate.”
“’Kay, yeah this is worse than someone just kidnapping the Doctor.” Rose mumbled to herself.
“It is, Rose.” The Summer Princess said. “It is very much worse indeed. Every living creature on the planet is in great peril. Once the crops lose the chance to grow, the planet will simply starve to death, until only the Snow Queen remains.”
“There’s one thing I still don’t get though.”
“And what would that be?”
“What’s the Doctor got to do with it? Why does the Snow Queen keep on kidnapping men?”
“It’s because she’s lonely I suppose.”
“That’s it?!”
“Yes, she lives in the coldest part of the Northern Tundra in a palace made of ice. Humans cannot survive there for long, she steals plenty of them for servants but they wither and die, the only company she truly has are the wolves and polar bears who guard the palace. Not exactly good conversationalists.”
“She’s just lonely?”
“Yes. We sisters of the seasons are not meant to be alone. If we are alone for more than a turning of the year we go mad. Just look at the Spring Witch, she is desperate for a companion and kidnapped you. However, your connection to the TARDIS and your devotion to the Doctor saved you. ”
“Then what did you mean by, the Doctor might ‘have the power to help with her plans?’”
“The Doctor is a Time Lord, as I understand it. Rose, I honestly can’t even begin to imagine how you put up travelling with that man, but I’m willing to peg it on ignorance.”
“What d’you mean?”
“Rose, that man is the most powerful being in all of creation, aside from his TARDIS, and his TARDIS would do anything for him. Do you understand me?”
Rose shook her head no; though she suddenly felt as if she didn’t know the man she was looking for at all.
“The problem is you see him as a man, and why shouldn’t you? He eats, sleeps, walks, and breathes like a man. This is the only mould you can fit him into, but he doesn’t fit it very well does he? You do not have the knowledge of what a Time Lord is, what a Time Lord truly is, therefore you cannot fathom it, and therefore, you have no fear of the being you travel with. I have a feeling this is the reason the Doctor likes humans so much. They see him looking like a human, and automatically they assume he is human. They include him into their club. You wouldn’t know from looking at him that is he what he is, therefore why would you suspect it? Rose, you have heard him referred to as the ‘Oncoming Storm’ have you not?”
“Yes.”
“There is a reason for it. He did things during the last Time War that would make you run away from him screaming and never once look back. Albeit he didn’t do these things by choice, but just knowing he has the power to do so would make you run far, far away.”
Rose was silent was she contemplated this, but then she spoke:
“I think I’d stay.”
“Pardon?” the Princess looked startled.
“Knowing what I know, and knowing him, I’d stay with him, no matter what he did during the war. War’s a terrible thing, and it changes a person. And I may not know the Doctor, or his history like you do, but I do know him well enough to know that he would never let me get hurt. He may not be human, but he needs a friend just like you and your sisters. Cause ‘it’s better with two,’ and I’m gonna stay with him for as long as I can. I’m gonna hold his hand ‘till I don’t have a hand for him to hold anymore, because I do know this: It keeps him sane, it keeps him grounded, and it keeps him fighting. He may be the most powerful being in the universe, but I’m his… well, I don’t know what the word is, but he told me he wasn’t gonna leave me behind, that I could stay with him as long as I wanted. So I know I mean something to him, even if it is just as a hand for him to hold.”
“I’m going with you.”
All eyes turned to the Summer Princess’ daughter, June.
“I’m going with you,” The girl repeated, “To the Northern Tundra.”
“Nonsense June!” Her mother cried. “I won’t allow it.”
“Try and stop me then! You can’t leave the palace, but I can. Mother, it would be best this way! If Rose fails perhaps I will succeed!”
“June it’s too dangerous for you!”
“Who knows the way through the Robber’s forest better than me? Yes, it’ll be dangerous, but Rose and I can watch out for each other, and furthermore she needs a guide!”
The Summer Princess frowned even more.
“You just want to go and find that polar bear…”
June sighed in frustration and strode up to her mother. June knelt at the Summer Princess’ feet and clasped her mother’s hands.
“First of all,” June said, “He’s not a polar bear. Second, yes I do want to find him. Third, Mother, I want to help you! I hate seeing you confined to this place as much as you hate being confined here. Please mother, let me help you, let me help Rose!”
For a moment the Summer Princess did not look like the embodiment of the seasons, and for a shining moment, she just looked like a mother.
“What if you get hurt?” she said.
“Then I can come home saying that I’ve lived!”
The Summer Princess sighed, then spoke, still gripping her daughter’s hands. “Very well, you shall be Rose’s guide to the Snow Queen’s palace. You will both leave tomorrow morning.”
A murmur went around the hall, June smiled and pressed a kiss to her mother’s hand, and then stood to kiss her cheek.
“Thank you, mother.” She said.
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That night, after being escorted to a guest room Rose lay down to sleep and dreamed.
She dreamed of a camp, with gypsies all twirling and singing around a fire-pit. Flashes of crimson and amber flashed through her mind. As the image faded to black Rose barely registered the sounds of breathing next to her ear, and the feeling as it puffed gently over her cheek. Rose couldn’t see anyone but she could feel someone next to her, and she could feel her heart galloping in her chest, because of fear or something else she couldn’t be sure. Warmth was spread across her body and everything felt heavy with sleep and sore from use. Her eyes were focused on a candle burning happily on a table near where she lay. Rose sighed and closed her eyes, willing her heart to slow down. The form next to her shifted and grunted in her ear pulling her closer to its cooler body. Then everything went white. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust and she saw a pale, beautiful woman fill her plane of vision. Rose felt a bone-deep cold settle into her limbs and refuse to leave. Off to the side June was wailing over the form of a furry-white lump. The pristine white of the floor was stained as something dark and wet spread slowly outwards. Suddenly the Doctor filled her vision and Rose saw his expression transform from one of fear and concern to something much harder, and much much more terrifying. Rose never wanted to see his expression like that ever again. He left her field of vision and everything went white again. He heard him shouting, and someone answering him calmly, but she couldn’t make out the words.
“Cold.” She managed to force out of her frozen lips, before the whiteness turned black.
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Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5
A/N: Rose’s costume as a serving maid is a cross between Sienna Guillory’s costume in the movie Inkheart, and a traditional woman’s dress from Brittany in the Northwest of France. (They make really good crepes there.)
If my explanation of what the heck is going on in this world doesn’t make sense, please ask, I will do my best to clear things up. This chapter was written in various states of sanity, so sorry if it’s quality is not the best.
I actually had to break this chapter up into two pieces because it got too long. The next chapter will be mainly Doctor-centric but will include Rose’s departure from the Summer Princess’ palace.
Please comment, I’m not picky, just a good/bad/ugly/etc. would be appreciated. Rose seemed a little OOC to me in this chapter, I dunno, tell me what you think... And thank you to everyone who has commented on previous chapters. I enjoy hearing feedback for my work.