The Rose & Crown

Chapter Thirteen

Cumbria, 1212

The lifeless bodies of the holy men of God lined the floors of the hauntingly quiet monastery. Their frozen expressions portrayed the horrors of the last thing they witnessed before ceasing to exist in the vessels they were born into. The stone walls shed crimson tears; the blood of the massacred. The only sound permitted within the silent walls of the sacred structure was echoing from inside the dining hall; a determined tapping.

An agitated Missy paced beside a long dining table centred in the middle of the draughty room. Her heels struck the floor in rhythm as they strode across it. On the table's surface sat the wicker capsule, the linens draped over it to conceal its contents. Turning on her heel at each stopped position, she glared at the basket in front of her. Another strange sound was heard from beneath the cloth. She halted her pace and turned towards the source of the foreign noise. Approaching the basket, she placed her hand upon the fabric and peeled it back to expose the creature inside; an infant.

In its small hands, it grasped a perfectly round orb. Far too strange in design to have been a child's toy. She observed as it tried to put the object in its mouth. Missy's face contorted in disgust as the child slobbered and drooled on the ball. Taking a closer look at the tiny beast, her nose twitched in reaction to a ghastly smell coming from the cloth draped around the infant's body.

"Ugh! Such repulsive creatures," she uttered, holding a hand to her nose in protest. The infant focused its attention on the woman as a toothless grin formed over its face. "What are you looking at?!" Missy demanded. "If you think for one second I'm going to change you." The baby only gazed at the strange woman in amazement. "What does this look like, a daycare?! Be warned. When it comes to babysitting, I take that quite literally." The child returned its attention to the orb and attempted to fit it in its mouth. "Yes, that's it. Choke on the ball. One less stupid human on this planet I'd have to deal with." She stood maleficently over the child, observing the construction of the strange sphere in its hands. "What is that thing, anyway?" she asked, grabbing the orb to inspect it. The infant pouted and fussed, flailing its small arms with objection. It opened its mouth and wailed in disapproval.

"Waaahh!" Missy childishly mimicked the small creature. It cried louder, bringing its tiny fingers to its mouth. The Time Lady rolled her eyes in annoyance and pulled an object from her blouse. "That will be enough of that," she claimed, aiming the weapon at the baby. Before she could vaporise the innocent young mortal, she noticed a parchment partially tucked behind the quilted bedding. She replaced her weapon beneath her blouse and reached into the basket to retrieve the folded paper. Upon opening it, she began reading the letter quietly to herself as the infant whimpered in hunger. She raised a questioning brow as her mind attempted to process the information she was receiving. Once she'd read through its entirety, she placed the letter into her blouse and leaned forward, pressing her hands onto the table. A grin parted her lips as she glanced eerily into the basket.

"How extraordinarily clever I am," she told the creature as it continued to cry. "There, there. Hush now," she cooed. Placing her hands inside the basket, she carefully retrieved the child and embraced it in her arms. As she gently rocked the tiny being, whispering her calming lulls, the young girl ceased her crying to observe her caretaker. "That's right. Mummy's got you."

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The Doctor leaned on the console, distraught over the events that had brought him to this point. Four weeks had passed since Clara left him alone in the TARDIS once more. He was overwhelmed with sadness and guilt, pinning away every waking moment with the thought of how deeply he had damaged his companion. Every second spent without her under his protection was a chance she could be in danger. The life and love he could be sharing with her were being given to her by another man. A man who could barely take care of himself, let alone her. He loathed every part of himself. His regrets were tearing him apart, piece by piece. He screamed with such uncontrollable rage and slammed his fist on the keys. The vengeance inside of him was transforming him into something he feared he could never come back from. He was terrified of himself and what he knew he was capable of.