Support Stacie Fic: Witch Are You - Chapter 5
Title: Witch Are You
Author: janna_hawkins
Beta: danaems
Summary: Sometimes even the Doctor goes a lttle domestic and it gets out of hand...
Characters: Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Doctor Who except my psychic paper, sonic screwdriver and sonic pen :)
Author Notes: Second to last chapter: Rose meets the dragon. I put in a few references to other dragon things(movies/tv shows/books)in this chapter. See if you can spot them! ;)
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Rose looked around the dim cave the men had deposited her in before they had boarded up the entrance. Wet, smelly and, of course, dark. It really didn't seem anything like what she thought a monster's cave would be like. In every story she had read, a monster surrounded itself with gold and other precious objects. This cave had nothing like that. In fact, it looked like any other cold, wet cave, except for the warm air and bright glow coming from further in.
She struggled to her feet and tried again to pull apart the ropes binding her hands. Having only succeeded in painfully scraping her wrists, she decided to check out the light coming from the back of the cave. Using her previous gymnastic training to get herself to her feet without the use of her hands, she carefully made her way to the back of the cave. Once there, she stopped in amazement.
There, around a sharp corner, was a gigantic room filled with every sort of treasure she could imagine. Golden jewelry, precious stones, and what looked like the royal family's crown jewels. And on top of all of it, nearly unseen amidst all the riches, lay a large golden- "Dragon," Rose whispered. "Oh, no"
The creature stirred as she spoke and Rose shrank back against the wall squeezing her eyes tightly shut. Please, please, please, oh, please, don't let it...
"I can still see you, you know."
Rose opened her eyes to see the dragon watching her with huge blue eyes that seemed to sparkle with mirth. "Did...did you just talk?"
"Of course I talked. Why are you surprised? It's not as if I'm making a huge fuss out of a little ape like you speaking intelligibly."
"Oi," Rose complained softly, keeping a close eye on the dragon's enormous paws.
The dragon followed her gaze and laughed softly, causing a puff of smoke to float towards the roof. "Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you. I'm a vegetarian."
"Wha-what?"
"A veg-e-tar-i-an. I only eat plants. Don't you learn anything?"
"I know what a vegetarian is. I just didn't expect a...dragon to be one."
The dragon rolled its eyes. "Please, not dragon. I prefer incendasaur. It's more accurate. Besides, I don't want to be confused with my northern cousins who only seem to prefer fish and sheep when I can't stand the taste of seafood or mutton."
"There are...more of you?"
"Of course! In fact, in the Norse lands they nearly have overcrowding issues. Anyway, enough about my race, tell me about you. How did you get here? You certainly don't smell like a villager. What's your name?"
"Um...Rose Tyler. I'm from London. In the...twenty-first century."
"Ah, a time traveler. It's been a long while since I've met a time traveler. The last one I met was probably around seven hundred years ago. A fellow by the name of...oh, I can't recall. He wore this ridiculously long scarf and his assistant attempted to kill me claiming that I was a demon of the Seva something or other. Nice girl her after she calmed down."
"Uh, huh," Rose said quietly, leaning against the wall and trying to scrape the ropes apart.
The dragon narrowed its eyes and raised its head. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. I'm just trying to get these ropes undone."
"By rubbing them against a smooth rock face? If you plan to be here for months at a time, I suppose it would work. I can think of an easier way." The dragon extended a long claw and gestured for Rose to turn around.
She hesitated for a few moments before slowly turning around. She tensed as she felt the dragon's claw slip through the ropes like a knife through butter.
"There. All finished. Feel better?"
Rose carefully brought her arms around and winced at the bright red marks on her wrists. "Yeah, this is better. Thank you."
"My pleasure. Please, feel free to sit. Am I to understand that the villagers brought you to me as a sacrifice?"
"Yeah, they thought I was a witch."
"Ah. Yes, they do that rather frequently. They seem to think I'll burst out of my cave and ravage their village if they don't appease me."
"So...you're Kilgharrahsh?"
He inclined his head. "Yes, that's me, Kilgharrahsh. Not to be confused with my brother, Kilgharra, who enjoys being all cryptic and terrorizing. Shame that, he was such a great seer before he decided to go bad."
Rose nodded silently, feeling a bit awkward with this look into the dragon's past.
After a few moments of staring into the distance, Kilgharrahsh glanced at Rose. "Oh, excuse me; I was lost in the past for a short time. It happens a lot when you're my age."
"I see. So, now what?"
"Well, normally now is the time I take the wrongfully accused maidens to their homes, unless of course they've swooned. In that case, I bring them outside the cave and they find their own way home. However, I suppose in this case I can't do that seeing as how you're not even from this time. Do you know where your time machine is?"
"Yes, but..." Rose hesitated, remembering her fight with the Doctor.
Kilgharrahsh cocked his head curiously. "But?"
"Well, you see, the thing is, I kind of had an argument with my designated driver and he sent me on a walk to cool off. I don't even know if he'd let me back in right now."
"I see. When was this?"
Rose glanced at her watch and frowned. "Over eight hours ago."
"I think your driver is going to be a bit worried, don't you?"
"Either that or he's left and said good riddance."
"Do you really believe that, Rose Tyler?" Kilgharrahsh asked, looking her in the eye.
Rose sighed. "No, not really. He might be the universe's biggest prat but he wouldn't do it. He was pretty apologetic when he brought me home twelve months late."
"There, see? He'll still be waiting for you. Now, would you care for something to eat before you return? I have all sorts of fruits brought by the villagers."
"Sure, why not?"