The Forest Nymph

Abandoned

Abandoned

Dismissing the latest serf with a disdainful hand the man on the wooden throne took the meagre food offerings that had been left by his feet. Since he had landed here - the people took him to be some sort of god. At first he was pleased, finally somewhere to rule - to be able to do so without any hassle or fuss. To just stroll right in without having to lay groundwork first. All that time on Traken and for it all to fall to pieces because of ... Him! The bloody Doctor and his current annoying accomplice.

Odd for the Doctor to not be travelling with a girl, though he had heard his previous companion was Romana. A fellow Time Lady though several centuries younger. Of course before her it was the Jungle Queen. He was sure there were others between Jungle Queen and Jo, Jo Grant. Sweet, trusting Jo Grant! He leaned his leathered finger on his bearded chin and reminisced about Jo until a man who appointed himself the Guardian of the Door, allowing other serfs to fawn, pander and generally flatter him started to yell. The man rolled his ice blue eyes as raggedy hags were followed by warty toads of men. The vikings had a name for people like this.

With a sigh he nodded to the oik who was Guardian of the Door and the servant shut the door after the last serf left. Another thing, the man growled in his head, how come the Doctor always ended up with a string of beautiful women and handsome men? Anyone somewhat willing to let him lead them were always stupid, ugly people who had no real chance at succeeding at anything other than the Olympics for the Cerebrally Challenged!

"What annoys you so?" the Guardian asked, somewhat perceptively of him.

"I am alone, Graf," the man replied. "For what is an Enchanted King without his Enchanted Queen?"

"You wanna woman?" Graf asked.

Yes, the man thought, but not one of those scruffy wenches you insist on pushing towards me. "Not now," the man smiled to Graf. "You let me know when an enchanted Princess comes your way?"

Graf scowled in thought: "What will she look like?"

My word, no wonder the last ruler of this people committed suicide! "Clean!" was his sharp response.

"I'm clean m'lord," Graf said. "I bathe every time moons full!"

"In absolute detail then," the man sighed, "my maiden fair is to have blushing cheeks, fair complexion with a touch of pink and big blue eyes - lustrous hair, thick and shining, the colour of burned bronze in the sunlight with threads of gold throughout," the man sighed, "nicely made with femininity sparkling from within," Graf furrowed his brow, "There shall she lay amongst the forest flowers as a gift to us - and you must present this Enchanted Nymph to me." Graf scowled again in thought raised a finger to question what Nymph meant but the man cut him short: "To use your verbiage: she will look like someone whom you would never have seen before and her beauty will at once frighten yet enchant you!"

"Right!" Graf said as he walked out to leave the man in thought.

"That should keep him busy," the man sighed as he sat back on his wooden throne. Wooden... about time he mined the resources of this planet see what is hiding beneath - put these people to good use. No brains between 10 of them maybe a smidgen between 100 and that was being generous to a stupid people. "At least they will realise I cannot be satisfied without a Queen!" thankfully his instructions were so specific that really and truly only one person answered his description.

Unfortunately, she was with him!

♦♥♦

Typical, she thought! The TARDIS had to shift gear the moment she had stepped out into the foliage. The Doctor had one of his rare moments where he was actually tired and he had gone to sleep putting the TARDIS in voice command and programmed her to obey HIS Companion's voice.