A Girl Named Willow *The Adventures of the Tenth Doctor/COMPLETE*

Chapter Fourteen

As the Doctor and Willow made their way to the courtyard, a muscular Rotarian immediately directed the Doctor to an area that was streaming an expensive looking material through the pillars. The Rotarians in charge of that were all rather large, leaving the not so big Doctor to defend himself.

Willow's duty was far less strenuous. Her task was to pick a few more colors with Talcone, then get whisked off to the dressing room. Fortunately, the Doctor was able to tag along and escape the pillar job.

The Doctor waited outside of the dressing room with his foot on the stone wall and his arms folded tight.

Ironically, King Talcone entered the hallway from a door leading to a room full of servants and seamstresses fixing up his attire, leaving both of them alone with each other.

Talcone glanced up from where he stood and scowled as soon as he realized who was with him. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a sharp pocket knife, causing the Doctor to side eye his movements.

Talcone began to twirl the knife steadily, rotating from one finger to the next. The Doctor kept his head down, but he could see that Talcone's eyes were glued to him, making scoff when he realized that Talcone was trying to be menacing. The knife slashed the air a couple more times until the Doctor couldn't take his ridiculous tactic anymore.

"She's a nice girl, don't you think?"

His voice echoed down the empty hallway, leaving room for a long silence.

Talcone paused his knife twirling session, and stuffed the blade in his pocket. "A woman, you mean. But yes, she is the most beautiful person I have seen in my life."

The Doctor bit the inside of his mouth. "I don't mean her appearance. I mean her personality, the way she goes about things. Her remarks and her habits, stuff like that."

Talcone let out a small wheeze before doubling over with laughter. In between breaths, he managed to respond to the Doctor. "What's the purpose of a woman's personality when they are only good for their looks?"

The Doctor pursed his lips, trying not to let his mouth get the best of him. "She is so much more than that," he said with fire in his eyes.

Talcone shook his head and chuckled. "You are a funny man, Doctor."

The Doctor said nothing and kept his mouth drawn tightly. He stayed standing in the hallway even as Talcone left chuckling down the corridor. The urge to punch him was nearly unbearable after that conversation. The Doctor was ready to challenge him as soon as the wedding began.

"Doctor," Willow muffled voice called from inside the dressing room. "Come see!"

Her twinkling voice softened the Doctor's blazing eyes as he stepped inside the room. Seamstresses and maids filed out of the room, each earning a nod of appreciation from the Doctor.

"I hope it's not too much," Willow murmured to herself behind the big curtain. "It seems too grand. I think it's the makeup. Makeup'll do that to you..."

After a few more sounds of shuffling, Willow grabbed the curtain and pulled it back.

The dress from before looked even more stunning than it had before. The silhouette was perfect, and the cuffs to the transparent sleeves were covered with more fluorescent flowers. When she stepped forward, gold trimmed platforms emerged from beneath her. Willow's golden brown skin matched perfectly with the small hints of eyeshadow and blush on her face. Her eyelashes were curled and her lips were painted a warm orange-brown. Intricate swirls were painted on the sides of her face, mimicking Rotarian markings. Her hair was pinned up and covered in flowers that transitioned from white to yellow after a couple seconds.

Willow did a small twirl and smiled. "So... What d'ya think?"

The Doctor sat speechless for a moment before forcing his eyes away.

"It's nice," his face turned red. "It's very nice. I like the colors..."

"Almost three hours of sitting here and all I get is a 'nice," Willow said jokingly.

"I-I mean-"

"Good grief Doctor, you're redder than a tomato."

The Doctor awkwardly looked down at the ground, desperate to change the subject.

"Isn't it going to be a bit hard to walk away in that dress, you know, when we leave?"

"I'll take it off, it's easily removable," Willow walked to the full body mirror in the corner of the room to mess with her hair. "I requested it," she added into her reflection. She could see the Doctor's face still staring at her in the mirror, and it frustrated her that she couldn't understand how the Doctor was feeling. His face was a mix of embarrassment and stress, so she decided to joke about it.

"I know this might be a bit dramatic for your taste Doctor, but if I'm getting married I might as well go all out."

He hummed a small laugh before looking down at the ground.

Willow raised an eyebrow as she wiped a stray eyelash off her face.

"I never thought I would be doing this. Never even considered it possible. I have a bunch of adrenaline pumping through my veins and I have no clue what to do with it all," Willow kept her eyes on him. "I'm on a planet from another solar system and I'm about to get married to a psycho king!" She let out a laugh. "Do you know how bizarre that sounds? I won't be able to tell anyone back at home! If I did, I bet Mom would put me in a crazy ward right as soon as the words come out of my mouth."

Willow smiled, but it soon fell into a frown. "And she doesn't even know I'm here... oh my god," her hands flew to her face. "She's probably back at home, still pissed off at me."

Her voice wavered as a small tear slipped from her eye, making even her a bit startled.

"Oh shoot, I didn't intend to do that, might mess up the makeup..." she hiccuped and another tear ran down her cheek.

The Doctor hadn't seen Willow cry since their first encounter, and even then she was quick to clean herself up and glare at him. He wasn't exactly sure of how to calm her down, but he felt like he had to make it right. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her sides and pulled her close to him. It was a timid hug and a bit awkward, but Willow settled into it after a couple of seconds.

"Thanks," she breathed. "I normally don't do hugs, so this... this is different for me."

"It's fine, I was actually expecting a punch in the face if I tried this on you, but this slightly better."

Willow laughed before separating from him. "I guess it is," she agreed.

Suddenly, the sound of trumpets bellowed through the halls of the castle. The Doctor ran a hand through his hair and looked outside from a small glass window. Below them was an open seating area that was nearly full of Rotarians.

"Looks like the wedding's about to start," the Doctor leaned back on the wall. "You might wanna get down there before Talcone freaks out."

Willow faced the Doctor and smiled. "You know you're coming too, right?"

"Hm?"

"I don't have bridesmaids, so I chose the next best thing. You're my best man, Doc," she grabbed a flower pin on a small table and stuck it onto his blue suit.

"Actually I should probably just wait-hey!"

The Doctor tried to protest, but Willow grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room.