The Littlest Timelord: The Fall of the Eleventh

Chapter 2

As Elise followed Cyril, the tracks kept getting bigger.

They soon came upon a stone tower with a glass door.

Just as Cyril was about to open the door, Elise stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

Cyril gasped and spun around. "Elise!"

Elise pulled out her sonic screwdriver and opened the door. "Stay behind me."

They went inside and closed the door behind them. There were no floors. Just a long staircase winding up the walls. In the center of the room was a wooden carving of a king.

Elise took Cyril's hand and they started up the stairs.

They passed by a window and saw a searchlight sweeping the forest. They eventually made it to the top of the tower and walked through an open door that closed behind them.

Cyril gasped.

"It's okay. It's okay," Elise reassured him, "Nothing bad will happen while I'm here."

A wooden Queen stood in the center of the room holding a circlet in her hands above an empty chair.

Cyril walked over to a window to look out, while Elise observed the Queen. The Queen blinked and stared at Cyril.

"No!" Elise yelled, throwing herself in front of Cyril.

"Cyril? Elise? Can you hear me?" the Doctor's voice came through the door.

The circlet was glowing.

Cyril and Elise ran out of the way.

The Queen backed them up towards the throne.

Elise lost her footing and fell to the ground before she could stop the Queen from putting the crown on Cyril's head.

"Cyril? Elise! Can you hear me?" the Doctor's voice yelled.

The door finally opened and the Doctor and Lily came running in.

The Doctor rushed to Elise and helped her up.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I tried! But they...he..." Elise stuttered.

The Doctor gathered her in his arms. "Shhh. It's okay. I know. You were brave. You did the right thing trying to protect him."

Lily ran over to her brother. "What's wrong with him, Caretaker? Is he dead?"

The Doctor walked over to him and examined him. "It's okay. He's just unconscious." He looked at the wooden Queen. "So what are you? Not a King, a Queen! The Queen Bee of the forest."

Lily looked out one of the windows. "Caretaker, look."

Stars were coming out of the trees towards the tower.

"It's like..." the Doctor said.

"Like what?" Lily asked.

"Like the life force is leaving the forest."

The wooden King from downstairs entered the room.

"What are they doing? Stop them!" Lily said as the wooden King and Queen came toward them.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and waved it around. "Oh aliens made of wood! It was always going to happen, you know. Er, it's okay. I think they just want to talk to us."

Cyril opened his eyes as the circlet on his head started glowing.

Lily knelt in front of her brother.