Tales, Ch. 7
The Doctor was so excited that he started running toward the front door, intent on getting to the task of setting things right.
Luckily, River was there to pull him back to reality, and prevent him from gunning headlong into the psychotic Wheelers outside. She dug in her heels and snapped her fingers at the same time.
“Uh uh, sweetie,” she barked. “There’s about ten freaks-on-wheels out there just waiting for you to do something stupid, which by the way, is exactly what you were about to do. And that half-jibberish speech you made back there? Not going cut it. You need to explain what’s going on, now!”
She sat down on the icy staircase and waited.
“Oh dear,” the Doctor sighed as he sat down next to her. “This isn’t going to be easy…”
River raised one eyebrow, reinforcing her argument wordlessly.
“Okay,” he answered slowly. He thought about telling her the truth, but instantly decided against it. Telling someone that they weren’t real didn’t seem like a good idea. Instead, he opted for a middle ground.
“I woke up in the forest yesterday without remembering anything about how I got there,” he began. “I’m from another land, you see. When I woke up, Rose Red was the first thing that I saw, and I’m not even sure if I was dreaming at the time, but I watched her get on a boat and disappear on a stormy lake. The next thing I knew, I met a little dove who apparently wanted to help me, and it gave me this key which led to a secret shelter. I think it wanted my help too, though, because it showed me an empty box, where a ring should go. That witch Baba Yaga is the one who took it, and I need to find her and get the ring back in order to fulfill my promise to the bird. But I also need to save Rose, who is in danger of getting whacked by the evil Huntsman. Lastly, I need to stop that White Witch from giving more power to Baba Yaga, who is likely the cause of all of this nonsense.”
“And the book?” River asked pointedly. “It’s related to all this how?”
The Doctor sucked in a breath and posed both hands in the air, ready to illustrate his point. “I think it’s enchanted, and it’s going to help me figure out how to save the world. You said the stories had disappeared, and I think the book is how I can bring them back. Each time I finish a story, I’m one step closer to achieving each of these goals.”
“How do you finish a story?” River asked. “Do you just write it in?”
The Doctor paused for a moment before shaking his head in disbelief. “I suppose we could find out. Have a quill on you?”
“Fresh out,” River retorted. “And we won’t find one here, either. Everything is frozen solid.”
“True,” the Doctor agreed. “We need to get out of here anyways. I can’t break the curse from inside. I have a feeling I’ll need to go straight to the source for that. Any ideas on how we can escape from those wheely devils outside?”
River clucked her tongue against her teeth before straightening up and looking up toward the second floor.
“Let’s visit the roof,” she said thoughtfully.
Once outside, the Doctor walked to the edge and began to survey the surroundings.
“We’re going to need a rope,” he plotted. “Something that we can make a grappling hook device out of.”
“Doctor…” River broke in.
“Or a long sturdy stick,” he offered as he scanned the horizon. “We could vault ourselves over to that bakery and then find a means down from the surrounding wall.”
“Doctor, really!” River pleaded.
He turned around to catch her knowing look, framed perfectly in front of a large hot-air balloon.
“The mayor of Munchkinland’s,” River explained, with one thumb pointing behind her.
"Right," he answered shortly.
She turned her back on the Doctor to assess the balloon’s condition.
“Think she can still fly?” she asked.
The soft envelope looked a little worn in some areas.
“Only one way to find out,” the Doctor responded as he handed her into the gondola.
River held on to the edge of the basket as the Doctor made short work of the simple mechanisms that would inflate the balloon and lift them skyward. As the sun began to sink on the horizon, she felt the first jolt that let her know the aircraft was ready to go.
“Drop the weights!” the Doctor commanded as he tended the open flame below the mouth. “I haven’t said this in a while, and maybe I’m just feeling nostalgic, but Allon-sy Goldilocks!”
River followed his instructions and whooped with joy as they began to sail heavenward, away from the cursed castle and the evil Wheelers below. As they flew into the clouds, the first stars began to drift out from the milky blue atmosphere.
“It’s beautiful!” River sighed. “I’ve never been this high before!”
The Doctor hid a knowing smile and leaned back on the rail before folding his arms contentedly. He watched River’s hair getting tousled by the wind, and laughed when she peered back at him with the most exhilarated look on her face.
“I’m glad you’re here, Locks,” he admitted. “It’s good to have you on my side.”
His face fell as he imagined all that was yet to come, and how many challenges they would still have to face.
“Doctor,” River said softly. “We’ll save Rose Red, and you’ll set the kingdom to rights. I know that you’ll find the happy endings to all the stories.”
“And how do you know that?” the Doctor asked, so uncertain of himself in that moment. He still didn't even know what he was up against, let alone how to finish the book.
“Because I know,” River answered honestly. “I just…believe in you. Is that incredibly silly? I feel it every time I look at you…that you’ll do whatever it takes to make things right.”
The Doctor pulled River into a tight hug and kissed the top of her forehead, overcome with gratitude and pride. The moon shone brightly behind them, almost bigger than the sky itself.
River pulled back and shook her head as she leaned against the opposite side of the gondola.
“Rose is a lucky girl,” she remarked with a grin.
“And the Emperor is a lucky guy,” he answered, hiding his smile behind one hand. “I can’t tell you how much I want to meet him.”
River blinked as she glanced at the ground below, a huge smile spreading over her face.
“Doctor, land this balloon. You’re about to get your wish!” she cried.
The Doctor followed her gaze to a white castle, shining in the moonlight and set off from the dark green hills all around it.
“Is that where your beau lives?” he asked incredulously.
“Oh yes,” River replied. “He is an Emperor, after all. I’ve always liked powerful men. Take us down, Doctor! I just know he’ll be able to help in all this!”
The Doctor acted quickly, reducing the heat of the burner and adjusting the weights on the balloon so that they came about in a wide arc. As they drifted toward the ground, he saw that a small crowd was gathering outside of the castle. Everyone had been driven out of doors by the spectacle, apparently.
They landed in the soft grass and were immediately surrounded by small children, who had outrun their parents in the quest to identify the unexpected visitors.
“Who are you?” a little boy demanded excitedly.
“I’m the Doctor and this is Goldilocks,” the Doctor responded. “But the real question is...what are you doing up past your bedtime?”
The little boy frowned defiantly. “I’m allowed to be up as late as I want!” he bragged.
His round nose suddenly extended about two inches away from his face, at the same time that a pair of strong hands closed tightly around his mid-section.
“What have I told you about lying?” his father admonished, yanking him away from the growing crowd.
But the Doctor had turned his attention to another man, who was making his way through the curious throng and keeping his eyes solely on River. A retinue of attendants followed quickly behind him, laying rose petals on the ground.
“You sure know how to make an entrance, Goldi,” he said admiringly. “Did you spring the pen just to come see me?”
“Oh Jack,” River purred. “Actually, after all that time in jail, I only had one thing on my mind. I just had to come and give what I owed you.”
The Doctor’s astonishment at seeing Jack Harkness was only surpassed by one thing, which immediately followed afterward. River Song slapped his former companion across the face for all she was worth.
“Oh and I almost forgot to say it,” River smiled darkly. “Hello Sweetie!”
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