The Queen and the Rose

Chapter 6

Rose felt her stomach drop at the mention of the Queen's magic, though she wasn't really sure why.  Though this woman could have nefarious intent, but it certainly wouldn't be directed at her.  And maybe that was what scared her so much.

The Queen beckoned for them to follow her, and she had supposedly immediately forgotten about breakfast, for she and the guards led them out of the palace and into the desert.  The Doctor kept his grip on Rose's hand as they walked, for which Rose was immensely grateful. 

Instead of leading them to their direct destination, as Rose thought, she saw they were being led to what she remembered being called a 'litter'.  Her teacher in year nine described it as a "taxi carried on the shoulders of your servants", and even though she'd seen pictures, she could see that that was exactly what it was, though bigger than she'd anticipated. 

"Will they be able to lift that?" She whispered to the Doctor, "It looks awfully heavy, especially if we're all three going in."

The Doctor shook his head.  "No, the Queen will have a separate litter.  She won't be seen in the same one as us.  That's definitely for her, though, given how big it is."

Rose nodded and the guards and Queen stopped.  The Doctor and Rose were joined by the two guards, who had backed away from the Queen.  Rose felt her muscles tense as she wondered why they were getting away from her. 

The Queen turned to them and smiled broadly.  "I'll bet you thought there would be two.  Where, there is.  Yours just doesn't exist yet."

"Is this where the magic begins?" The Doctor asked, looking, dare Rose Tyler think the word when it came to the Doctor, bored. 

"You are correct, sweet traveler," The Queen turned her back on them and reached into a small, satin pouch that was tied to her tunic.  She removed something from it and cupped it against her mouth for a moment, speaking quiet words, before throwing it over the litter.  

The Queen's litter appeared to be covered in a layer of the dust she had thrown.  It spread, seemingly by itself, over the entire surface of the thing, and with a small pop, shot off of the litter and created another, smaller one right next to it.  The Queen extended her hand, and the dust flew back into it, settling delicately into her palm. 

Rose clicked her mouth shut, realizing she was gaping.  She looked over at the Doctor, who's brow was furrowed in concentration.  She nudged him with her shoulder.  "Have you seen that before?"

"If I have," the Doctor replied, lifting his chin slightly and looking down his nose at the Queen, "It was a very, very long time ago.  And it didn't come from here."

"No, but it's dust, something she'd be familiar with," Rose replied, "It has to be, or she wouldn't have-"

"Shall we continue in this useless conversation you two are partaking in?" The Queen asked, smiling smugly, "Or shall we begin our trip?"

The Doctor seemed to be regarding her suspiciously.  "We'll go.  That one's ours?"

The Queen nodded towards the smaller litter, "That's yours."

"You expect your two guards to be able to lift both of them?" The Doctor asked, cocking an eyebrow, "They're huge, yes, but that's still not enough strength to go around, is it?"

"The guards carry your litter," the Queen waved him off, "Something else will carry mine."

Before the Doctor could retort again, she was helped into her colorfully decorated litter.  The Doctor removed his hand from Rose's and placed it on the small of her back, guiding her towards the smaller litter.