Once Upon a Time Lord

Chapter Seven

                 
"Illustration" by Savannah

Peter said the walk to the mermaids wasn't long, but soon Jane's legs began to ache and Killian showed up beside the two of them.

"Say, Pan," Killian said, "what exactly are we up against with these Amazons?"

"Dangerous," Peter said.  "They're actually called the New Amazons; descendants of the original all-female tribe from ancient times.  Expect poison arrows."

"Are they still all women?" Killian asked.

Peter tilted his hand side to side in a so-so gesture.  "They keep men as slaves to occasionally fight in their battles, but mostly they're women warriors and queens with men who work in the fields."

"Lovely," Killian said.  "What's the plan?"

Peter shrugged.  "Make a break for the TARDIS, I suppose."

"This doesn't sound like a battle the lasses should be involved in," Killian said.

"I'm right here," Jane protested.

"I know, love," Killian said.  "I'm trying to keep you safe, not disrespect you."

Jane was too pleased to hear the word "love" from him again to object.

"Are you saying we should leave them out in the lagoon with the mermaids?" Peter asked.

"Why not?" Killian said.  "They'll be safe from the Amazons there, won't they?"

"The Amazons, yes, but mermaids are creatures of envy," Peter said.  "Two beautiful girls like them..."

The Doctor glanced back at Peter warningly and interlaced his fingers with Lucy's.  Killian glanced at Jane's hand, but moved it to grip his sword instead.

"I don't see why we're bringing them with us in the first place," Killian said.

Peter shrugged.  "I can't think of a safer place for them than with us, can you?"

Killian didn't answer.

The group approached Mermaid Lagoon, a place that seemed to have unnaturally blue water and golden sand.

"Oh, girls!" Peter called.  After a moment, a head surfaced, two, three.  Lucy tried to count them and thought the total was seven, but they started bobbing around and she found it hard to count.

"Peter!" one exclaimed.

"Oh, Peter, you're back!" another said.

"We've missed you so!" a redhead cooed.

"Oh, shut up," Lucy muttered.  The redhead heard and stuck her tongue out, to which Lucy responded with by splashing her with her foot.  The mermaid's face turned almost as red as her hair.  She darted forward and grabbed Lucy's foot, pulling her legs out from under her.  Lucy screamed, grabbing at the beach for any sort of thing to hold onto as the mermaid pulled her toward the water's edge.

The Doctor sprinted to Lucy's side and grasped her free hand, pulling her back toward the beach in an odd sort of tug-a-war. 

Two other mermaids joined the fight, and Jane and Killian dashed over to pull Lucy back onto the beach.  Lucy knocked the first mermaid on the head with her free foot, making her loosen her grip so the Lucy's leg slipped from her grasp and she could scramble back away from the water.

"What the heck?" Jane shouted at the mermaids.

"She splashed me," the redhead said defensively.