Fanfic--Another Country
Title: Another Country
Author: tarayith
Word Count: approx. 1200
Pairing: None at the moment, maybe Arthur/Merlin later
Rating: G
Warnings: It's a Merlin/Doctor Who crossover. And the Doctor deserves his own warning ;)
Summary: A blue box lands in Camelot. It's just a normal day for Merlin.
Notes: This bunny brained me over the head last night and made me sit down to write it. There's more in the works; this is just the prologue. I've never written crossover fic before, nor Doctor Who fic, so please bear with me! Involves 10th Doctor and Donna as companion (because she's awesome). Please let me know if you want more!
Merlin was used to strange happenings around Camelot. There hadn't been a week since he'd arrived when there hadn't been a winged creature trying to kill Arthur, or something unsavoury lurking in the water or else trying to eat him, or at the very least a disillusioned sorcerer aiming to bring down all of Camelot. Nevertheless, magic could still apparently surprise him.
He'd spent the afternoon in the woods surrounding Camelot gathering herbs and roots and the like for Gaius and had been returning back through the open fields as the sun set behind him, when suddenly there came a great screeching noise that seemed to throb in step with his panicked heartbeat and with it came a pulsing blue light that cast a strange purple hue where it mixed with the molten orange of late afternoon.
And then a large, blue box appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of the field.
As strange happenings went, it certainly seemed one of the more innocuous. After arriving, however impossibly, it simply sat there, double doors firmly closed, the light above the door giving off a faint blue glow and the sign just underneath spelling out in strange letters he didn't understand:
PUBLIC
POLICE BOX
CALL
which certainly made no sense at all to him.
They stood there for long moments, Merlin and the strange, blue box and all around them the world continued on as normal as though this weren't entirely impossible.
The silence was broken when the doors suddenly flew open and a man stumbled out, long brown coat flaring around him and turned back to face the box and proceeded to shout into it.
"--don't know," he yelled and Merlin had the distinct impression that he was talking to someone, but that could hardly be possible since the box was surely barely big enough for two people, "the circuit got jammed. We could be anywhere, anywhen! Isn't that brilliant? Although," he added, stopping briefly to breathe as he gazed at the distant, mist-shrouded hills, "it looks like England. Around about...oh, could be anywhere from the 5th to the 15th century, frankly."
Clearly, the man was utterly mad, but at least he seemed to be enjoying himself if the huge grin was anything to go by.
"--always get it wrong," someone else said angrily and Merlin thought she sounded a great deal like Morgana. "Every time, 'welcome to ancient Rome, Donna--oh no, oops, it's Pompeii and it's volcano day'--"
Merlin, now thoroughly bemused and a very tiny bit scared, chose that moment to accidentally fumble and then drop his basket full of mushrooms which fell with a great thud to the ground and proceeded to roll all over the place.
The two turned to look at him. "Oh. Hello!" said the man and fixed Merlin with a truly blinding smile, "sorry for dropping in unannounced on you like that, slight problem with the steering, you see. I don't suppose you'd have the date?"
Merlin stared for a long moment and then realised the man actually really wanted the date. "It's the twelfth day of Thrimilci," he replied warily and watched as the other's eyebrows rose.
"Oh, now that's very interesting. That's Anglo-Saxon---twelfth of May, Donna---but this,this, is a very interesting spot of history. I've never been here before! Isn't that exciting?"
The other, Donna apparently, rolled her eyes and offered her hand. "Donna Noble. And this is the Doctor. Ignore him."
Merlin shook her hand and smiled, trying to ignore the fact that these people were obviously demented, "Sorry, doctor...who?"
"Oh no," the man said, "just the Doctor. Don't I know you?"
Merlin blinked. "Er, I don't think so," he hedged, privately thinking there was no way he could have ever forgotten this man. He certainly made...an impression.
"No, no, I have, it was quite recent--" he continued on, mumbling quietly to himself, but Merlin was abruptly distracted by the crack of door that had been left open and let him see into the blue box.
Because the room that he saw inside there should most certainly not fit in that box.
"What sort of magic is that?" he blurted and promptly flushed red when the Doctor looked at him as if he'd just drooled all over his shirt.
"What?" the other paused in his monologue, "oh, the Tardis? Not magic, just technology. Timelord actually--aha! Jethro! I knew it!" He pointed a finger at Merlin who looked at it blankly. "No? Midnight? Planet made of diamonds, alien possession? Maybe you haven't got there yet."
"Sorry," Donna interrupted, "but where are we?"
"Albion," Merlin answered promptly, because this, at least, he understood.
"Albion?" the Doctor repeated. "Now that's interesting, sounds familiar."
Merlin sighed. These people obviously needed help and far be it from Merlin to deny them that. "Look, clearly this is some sort of strange magic, but you two need to leave or at least hide that box before Uther's knights find it and he has you executed on account of being sorcerers!"
"Sorcerers?" Donna exclaimed loudly and laughed, rounding on the Doctor, "what kind of Dark Age have you taken us to? They believe in magic!"
Merlin frowned and the Doctor frowned with him. "Who is Uther?" he asked.
Merlin gaped. "What...how can you not know---Uther is the king."
"Right," the Doctor said, blithely ignoring Donna's laughing, "and why would his knights finding us be a bad thing?"
"Because you're sorcerors," Merlin told them, ignoring the disbelieving looks, "and everyone knows magic is banned in Camelot."
There was complete, utter silence.
And then:
"Camelot? Seriously, Camelot? Who's idea was it to call it that?"
"Er," said the Doctor cautiously, "where would this Camelot be?"
"Just there," Merlin said and turned to point to the castle that shone brightly in the evening light.
"Right, of course," Donna continued, "I suppose there's an Arthur and a Round Table and--"
"What do you know about Arthur?" Merlin interrupted suddenly, because that was highly suspicious. Not knowing where or when they were, not knowing Uther and yet knowing Arthur...
"Arthur?" Donna stopped. "King Arthur?"
"Well, one day I suppose, though he's still a prince and a bit of a prat to be perfectly honest."
The Doctor looked intrigued. "You said magic is banned in Camelot," and he waited for Merlin to nod, "then what about Merlin?"
Merlin's breath froze in his chest and his entire body tightened. There was a long moment of awkward silence, before he managed to speak. "What...how do you know about Merlin?"
"Who doesn't? Greatest sorcerer to ever live? Fantastic man, if he's real, although if magic is banned-- " the Doctor answered, ignoring Merlin's face as it went white.
"Maybe that's why we're here," Donna added, "to un-ban magic!" Neither of them seemed too concerned with Merlin silently having a heart attack right next to them.
"Maybe. I don't suppose you could show us to this Merlin could you?" the Doctor asked, "Sorry, I didn't get your name...?"
Merlin sighed, thinking today had already been long enough and this sort of thing shouldn't be allowed to happen.
"Merlin," he said wearily and received two blank stares.
"Yes, please," the Doctor said slowly, "but what's your name?"
Madness. Utter, undiluted, unfathomable madness.
"I am Merlin," he said and watched with something like resignation as twin expressions of awe and amazement dawned on both of their faces.
"Nooo!" Donna exclaimed, "No way! Me, a temp from Chiswick, meeting Merlin! The Merlin!"
"Nooo! said the Doctor, a huge, mad grin stretching across his face. "That's amazing. That's, that's brilliant!"
The three of them stared at each other for several long moments.
And then:
"Hang on," Donna said, "aren't you supposed to be old?"
Author: tarayith
Word Count: approx. 1200
Pairing: None at the moment, maybe Arthur/Merlin later
Rating: G
Warnings: It's a Merlin/Doctor Who crossover. And the Doctor deserves his own warning ;)
Summary: A blue box lands in Camelot. It's just a normal day for Merlin.
Notes: This bunny brained me over the head last night and made me sit down to write it. There's more in the works; this is just the prologue. I've never written crossover fic before, nor Doctor Who fic, so please bear with me! Involves 10th Doctor and Donna as companion (because she's awesome). Please let me know if you want more!
Merlin was used to strange happenings around Camelot. There hadn't been a week since he'd arrived when there hadn't been a winged creature trying to kill Arthur, or something unsavoury lurking in the water or else trying to eat him, or at the very least a disillusioned sorcerer aiming to bring down all of Camelot. Nevertheless, magic could still apparently surprise him.
He'd spent the afternoon in the woods surrounding Camelot gathering herbs and roots and the like for Gaius and had been returning back through the open fields as the sun set behind him, when suddenly there came a great screeching noise that seemed to throb in step with his panicked heartbeat and with it came a pulsing blue light that cast a strange purple hue where it mixed with the molten orange of late afternoon.
And then a large, blue box appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of the field.
As strange happenings went, it certainly seemed one of the more innocuous. After arriving, however impossibly, it simply sat there, double doors firmly closed, the light above the door giving off a faint blue glow and the sign just underneath spelling out in strange letters he didn't understand:
PUBLIC
POLICE BOX
CALL
which certainly made no sense at all to him.
They stood there for long moments, Merlin and the strange, blue box and all around them the world continued on as normal as though this weren't entirely impossible.
The silence was broken when the doors suddenly flew open and a man stumbled out, long brown coat flaring around him and turned back to face the box and proceeded to shout into it.
"--don't know," he yelled and Merlin had the distinct impression that he was talking to someone, but that could hardly be possible since the box was surely barely big enough for two people, "the circuit got jammed. We could be anywhere, anywhen! Isn't that brilliant? Although," he added, stopping briefly to breathe as he gazed at the distant, mist-shrouded hills, "it looks like England. Around about...oh, could be anywhere from the 5th to the 15th century, frankly."
Clearly, the man was utterly mad, but at least he seemed to be enjoying himself if the huge grin was anything to go by.
"--always get it wrong," someone else said angrily and Merlin thought she sounded a great deal like Morgana. "Every time, 'welcome to ancient Rome, Donna--oh no, oops, it's Pompeii and it's volcano day'--"
Merlin, now thoroughly bemused and a very tiny bit scared, chose that moment to accidentally fumble and then drop his basket full of mushrooms which fell with a great thud to the ground and proceeded to roll all over the place.
The two turned to look at him. "Oh. Hello!" said the man and fixed Merlin with a truly blinding smile, "sorry for dropping in unannounced on you like that, slight problem with the steering, you see. I don't suppose you'd have the date?"
Merlin stared for a long moment and then realised the man actually really wanted the date. "It's the twelfth day of Thrimilci," he replied warily and watched as the other's eyebrows rose.
"Oh, now that's very interesting. That's Anglo-Saxon---twelfth of May, Donna---but this,this, is a very interesting spot of history. I've never been here before! Isn't that exciting?"
The other, Donna apparently, rolled her eyes and offered her hand. "Donna Noble. And this is the Doctor. Ignore him."
Merlin shook her hand and smiled, trying to ignore the fact that these people were obviously demented, "Sorry, doctor...who?"
"Oh no," the man said, "just the Doctor. Don't I know you?"
Merlin blinked. "Er, I don't think so," he hedged, privately thinking there was no way he could have ever forgotten this man. He certainly made...an impression.
"No, no, I have, it was quite recent--" he continued on, mumbling quietly to himself, but Merlin was abruptly distracted by the crack of door that had been left open and let him see into the blue box.
Because the room that he saw inside there should most certainly not fit in that box.
"What sort of magic is that?" he blurted and promptly flushed red when the Doctor looked at him as if he'd just drooled all over his shirt.
"What?" the other paused in his monologue, "oh, the Tardis? Not magic, just technology. Timelord actually--aha! Jethro! I knew it!" He pointed a finger at Merlin who looked at it blankly. "No? Midnight? Planet made of diamonds, alien possession? Maybe you haven't got there yet."
"Sorry," Donna interrupted, "but where are we?"
"Albion," Merlin answered promptly, because this, at least, he understood.
"Albion?" the Doctor repeated. "Now that's interesting, sounds familiar."
Merlin sighed. These people obviously needed help and far be it from Merlin to deny them that. "Look, clearly this is some sort of strange magic, but you two need to leave or at least hide that box before Uther's knights find it and he has you executed on account of being sorcerers!"
"Sorcerers?" Donna exclaimed loudly and laughed, rounding on the Doctor, "what kind of Dark Age have you taken us to? They believe in magic!"
Merlin frowned and the Doctor frowned with him. "Who is Uther?" he asked.
Merlin gaped. "What...how can you not know---Uther is the king."
"Right," the Doctor said, blithely ignoring Donna's laughing, "and why would his knights finding us be a bad thing?"
"Because you're sorcerors," Merlin told them, ignoring the disbelieving looks, "and everyone knows magic is banned in Camelot."
There was complete, utter silence.
And then:
"Camelot? Seriously, Camelot? Who's idea was it to call it that?"
"Er," said the Doctor cautiously, "where would this Camelot be?"
"Just there," Merlin said and turned to point to the castle that shone brightly in the evening light.
"Right, of course," Donna continued, "I suppose there's an Arthur and a Round Table and--"
"What do you know about Arthur?" Merlin interrupted suddenly, because that was highly suspicious. Not knowing where or when they were, not knowing Uther and yet knowing Arthur...
"Arthur?" Donna stopped. "King Arthur?"
"Well, one day I suppose, though he's still a prince and a bit of a prat to be perfectly honest."
The Doctor looked intrigued. "You said magic is banned in Camelot," and he waited for Merlin to nod, "then what about Merlin?"
Merlin's breath froze in his chest and his entire body tightened. There was a long moment of awkward silence, before he managed to speak. "What...how do you know about Merlin?"
"Who doesn't? Greatest sorcerer to ever live? Fantastic man, if he's real, although if magic is banned-- " the Doctor answered, ignoring Merlin's face as it went white.
"Maybe that's why we're here," Donna added, "to un-ban magic!" Neither of them seemed too concerned with Merlin silently having a heart attack right next to them.
"Maybe. I don't suppose you could show us to this Merlin could you?" the Doctor asked, "Sorry, I didn't get your name...?"
Merlin sighed, thinking today had already been long enough and this sort of thing shouldn't be allowed to happen.
"Merlin," he said wearily and received two blank stares.
"Yes, please," the Doctor said slowly, "but what's your name?"
Madness. Utter, undiluted, unfathomable madness.
"I am Merlin," he said and watched with something like resignation as twin expressions of awe and amazement dawned on both of their faces.
"Nooo!" Donna exclaimed, "No way! Me, a temp from Chiswick, meeting Merlin! The Merlin!"
"Nooo! said the Doctor, a huge, mad grin stretching across his face. "That's amazing. That's, that's brilliant!"
The three of them stared at each other for several long moments.
And then:
"Hang on," Donna said, "aren't you supposed to be old?"