supernova (11th doctor)

The Pandorica Opens (pt 1)

"Where did you just land?" I asked, stepping into the console room where the Doctor and Amy stood.

"Planet One," The Doctor answered.

"Ooh, oldest planet in the universe?" I smiled.

"Yes! There's a cliff of pure diamond and, according to legend, on the cliff there's writing, letters 50 feet high, a message from the dawn of time, and no one knows what it says, cause no one's ever translated it– till today." The Doctor explained. It felt like all my bones went stiff when I remembered what the letters said, and what the start of this was.

"What happens today?" Amy asked.

The Doctor tapped her nose. "Us. The TARDIS can translate anything. All we have to do is open the doors and read the very first words in recorded history."

The Doctor held out both of his hands, one for Amy to take and one for me. We placed our hands in his, and he led us out the open doors.

The words on the cliff read "HELLO SWEETIE," just like they were supposed to—but I still couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong about it.

888

"Right place?" Amy asked, as we stepped out of the TARDIS again just a few moments later.

"Yup," I sighed, looking on at the Roman camp in front of us.

"Just followed the co-ordinates on the cliff-face. Earth. Britain." The Doctor checked his watch. "1:02am. No, pm." The Doctor looked up from his watch, and finally noticed his surroundings. "No, AD..."

Amy stepped closer. "That's a Roman Legion."

"Well, yeah. The Romans invaded Britain several times during this period." The Doctor pointed out.

I shrugged. "I never had to learn British history."

"Well, I know. My favorite topic at school: Invasion of the hot Italians." Amy wiggled her eyebrows at me, and I laughed and shook my head. "Yeah, I did get marked down for the title."

A breathless Roman soldier with a red stain by his lips ran up to us, breathless, saluting and dropping himself to his knees. "Hail Caesar!"

"Hi," The Doctor responded awkwardly.

The Roman soldier looked up for just a few moments, enough to recognize me, grab my hand, and kiss it for a time that was far longer than necessary. "Hail, Arsinoe."

I raised my eyebrows in confusion—that was new. "Okay... Hello to you too."

"Welcome to Britain. We are honored by your presence," The soldier recited, still on the ground, the Doctor giving me a weird look, and taking the hand that the Roman kissed in his.

"Well, you're only human. Arise..." The Doctor lifted our intertwined hands up, signaling the man to stand. "Roman... person."

"Why does he think you two are Caesar and Arsinoe?" Amy asked, sounding disgruntled at the fact that things were already looking to be weirder than usual, which was saying something for the Doctor.

"Cleopatra will see you now." The Roman soldier began leading the way.

I held up the hand that the Doctor was holding, and showed the lipstick stain that was on it to the Doctor. "You know, Arsinoe was Cleopatra's sister."

"Oh boy," Amy smiled mischievously.

888

"Hello, Sweetie," River greeted—completely decked out as Cleopatra, with two servants tending to her in her ornamental tent.