Throwback to Kell’s time at the General’s. This was so much fun writing!
For Day 7 of @amonthofwhump 12 Days of Whumpmas: Falling Through Ice
CW: war, slavery, captivity (please tell me if I missed anything)
“He won’t make it”, Durian said.
Aya smiled. “Two bucks say he won’t even get to the centre”, she said.
Eagerly they stared out at the frozen river, where a small figure was running away from them, towards the saving remains of Tharlia. The last piece of land, still resisting. The last area they had not yet conquered. But that was only a matter of time. Their resistance was merely an inconvenience.
Dim lights pierced through the grey winter fog. The small city on the other side of the river, embedded between lofty mountains, was called Soria. But it wouldn’t be long before they would invade it and change its name.
The boy was slipping over the smooth ice. Again and again, he fell. But the ice hold.
He was tough for a scrawny boy his age. Durian started to think he could win the bet. He could really use two bucks. He was saving all his money for his proposal. As soon as he would see his girlfriend again, he would propose to her. Butterflies danced around his stomach at the mere thought of it. He had planned it all out. He would cook her favourite meal (pigeon breast with peas) and buy her favourite flowers (lilies). He imagined how she would tell him yes. He would spin her around, hold her, kiss her. He missed her soft lips and her vanilla scent. He missed how she wrinkled her nose when she laughed. He would kiss every single one of her beautiful freckles and then …
“Shouldn’t we recapture him?”, a younger guard said nervously and interrupted his thoughts. Disgruntled, he glanced to his side. He had forgotten the young guards name again. He was such a pain in the ass. Always worrying, always sweating. He made everyone around him nervous as well. It was annoying and really not helpful in the middle of a war.
“Just relax. Nature will do our job today”, Aya said without looking at either of them. Her eyes were fixed on the running Tharlian as if she could trip him with her thoughts alone.
“But won’t the General be angry with us, when …”
“As long as we bring him back in one piece, he won’t even notice”, Durian said irritated. But the young guard had a point. The Tharlian was the Generals latest plaything. None of them knew why he was bothering with him this long. Sure it was great to have him around to translate that barbaric language for them. But there were other Tharlians who could do that too and wouldn’t be as straining. Durian hated to watch over him. Sometimes it felt like babysitting a toddler. He hoped his own children wouldn’t exhaust him like that. He always wanted to have kids. He would gift them tiny wooden swords and teach them how to fight, just like his own father had, when he was little ...
“And what will we do if …”, the young guard started, interrupting his thoughts once again.
“Shut up!”, Aya and Durian said in unison.
In the same moment the Tharlian boy gave a high-pitch scream as he broke through the ice. The crack of the ice echoed back from the mountains, sending a flock of birds scattering from the trees nearby.
Wordlessly Aya put out her hand. Durian grudgingly dropped the money into it.
“Let’s fish that idiot out of the water before he drowns”, Durian sighed and reached for his demon power. The young guard gasped as he saw Durian’s eyes turning black. Durian couldn’t help but smile. Not every Varsennan was strong and brave enough to tame a demon. And not everyone succeeded. He was proud of his power. He had trained hard to get so far. And it was a very handy power as well. Especially this far in the north. When he stepped on the ice it immediately got thicker and carried him without even the quietest creak.
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Tag List: @whumpzone @jo-doe-seeking-inspo @whump-cravings
For Day 24, some good old-fashioned River/Doctor content! Featuring Eight cause I love writing that soft mf! <3
Prompt: Revenge
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: Eighth Doctor/River Song
Rating: G
Summary: River Song hunts down the remainders of the Order of the Silence. An asteroid base off the beaten track appears to be their last hide out. Things get a little bit more complicated when the Doctor gets involved: A Doctor that doesn't know the Silence or who River really is.
Revenge
River inched forward in the dark, her flash light was barely strong enough to illuminate the path ahead. It was almost as if the darkness didn’t want her light to cut through. That was entirely possible. There were probably all sorts of otherworldly defence mechanisms in place but that wasn’t going to stop her. Not when she had come this far. She had dedicated so much time and effort to seeking out every last remanence of the Order of the Silence, she wasn’t going to be denied this final victory. All evidence pointed towards this asteroid being their very last hideout and once she was done here, she would be able to rest assured in the knowledge that they had been well and truly destroyed. While she knew she could have blown this rock with sufficient fire power from orbit, that wasn’t her style. She was going to be sure that they were here before she did anything of the sort.
Mindful of her steps, she made her way along the corridor. The asteroid was riddled with natural tunnels, it made for a perfect hiding place and required very little artificial contractions. She consulted her scanner, heading towards the life signs that were grouped in a central area up ahead. There were life signs dotted along the corridor as well, every here and there. River knew her approach was no secret anymore. She didn’t remember seeing them - of course she didn’t - and that’s how she knew she was in the right place. Her hands and arms were covered with black tally marks.
Her flash light flickered, plunging her into momentary darkness and she cursed under her breath. On the scanner she could see something coming towards her, she whipped around and reached for her blaster but it was too late. The life sign was on top of her and someone knocked into her, though surprisingly, seemingly not maliciously.
“Ouch!“ A male voice huffed and River recognised it immediately.
“Doctor?!“ She exclaimed, feeling her way forward to find her husband in front of her.
“Sister Cantica?“ The Doctor retorted, seemingly recognising her voice as well. “It’s you, isn’t it?“ River’s flash light flickered back on and they both squinted from the unexpected brightness. “You look… different…“ The Doctor said, looking her up and down once his eyes had adjusted. He looked utterly bewildered.
“Ah yes, we’ve done that already have we? Good times,“ River grinned at the memory of an exciting adventure.
“You’ve changed your face,“ the Doctor observed and she gave a knowing smile:
“I’m not wearing a disguise. But I don’t suppose it matters, you’re more than likely not going to remember any of this.“ She looked around, scanning the walls and spotted several Silents on the ceiling. Their presence would certainly prevent the Doctor from remembering anything so she needn’t worry about the timeline. The Doctor’s presence was a delightful surprise though a very confusing one. What was he doing here? And this Doctor in particular?
“Why would you say that,“ the Doctor frowned and River chuckled. He was so young. He didn’t know about the Order of the Silence yet or to behave around them so she explained:
“Because people don’t retain much information when they are around.“ She pointed to the pale aliens and the Doctor looked around, confused and jolted back a little.
“They? Oh! I’d forgotten about them again already. They’re all over this asteroid,“ he admitted, tilting his head. The Silents were hanging back, watching them.
“Yes, you would forget,“ River hummed and gestured for him to follow. She couldn’t waste any time. Since they knew she was here, she had to get a move on. She couldn’t allow anyone to escape. They would have to walk and talk. If the Doctor was here, he might as well be useful.
“Quite brilliant really,“ the Doctor was still in awe. “Remarkable.“
“The moment you turn away you forget, that’s how they work. Perfect memory manipulation,“ River took the opportunity to explain. She shone her flickering flashlight up the walls where there were more of them. The closer they headed to the central chamber, the more of them there were and the more frequently her flashlight gave out. She felt the Doctor grab hold of her arm so they wouldn’t lose each other in the darkness.
“You’ve dealt with them before?“ The Doctor asked, following her. “You know them?“
“Oh do I know them,“ she confirmed with a bitter laugh.
“Know who?“ The Doctor frowned and River chuckled, redirecting his attention to the Silence when her flashlight came back on.
“Keep looking at them while we talk,“ the professor instructed.
“So… Sister Cantica… that’s obviously not your real name,“ the Doctor carried on, changing the subject.
“Obviously not,“ River hummed, inching forward slowly, moving along the corridor.
“And your real name is…?“ He prompted but to no avail, following.
“Spoilers,“ River smirked. “Keep your eyes on them.“ She repeated when his eyes flickered to her as she pulled her blaster pistol from her holster for protection. For the moment, the Silents were keeping back but that wasn’t to say that they would continue to do so.
“You came prepared,“ he observed. “What have I walked into?“
“They’re the reason I’m here, how about you?“ River asked, curious as to what could have brought him here. She had been tracking the Order of the Silence down systematically, her presence here was a result of hard work. The Doctor, and particularly this Doctor, had no business being here. And he wasn’t exactly volunteering an awful lot of information.
“It just… sort of looked like a fun place. We’re still looking for a holiday destination,“ the Doctor retorted, sounding a little defensive. “I thought I saw a gift shop on the way in.“
“You do like a gift shop,“ River chuckled. “But you’re lying. This is a desolated asteroid well off the beaten track. Doesn’t exactly scream holiday.“ The corridor opened up into a chamber and River stopped, trying to work out the best way of approach.
“So you know me well. Interesting,“ the Doctor observed. “And they seem to know you. Is this personal?“ The Silents were reacting to their presence, watching them keenly as they moved through the dark cave.
“You could say that,“ River mumbled.
“What did they do to you?“ The Doctor asked.
“They were her captors,“ a voice sounded up ahead and suddenly, the cave illuminated in a flash. They were not only surrounded by Silents but there were soldiers too that had hidden in the shadows. It was a trap. And at the very centre of the large cave, like a spider in the middle of its web, stood Madame Kovarian.
“I was hoping you’d be here,“ River gave a smile, projecting confidence despite the many guns pointed at them. She didn’t lower her own weapon, in fact, she took proper aim at Kovarian.
“And this is?“ The Doctor asked but neither of the women provided an explanation.
“How nice of you to drop in Melody. And with the Doctor too, how lovely. Maybe we will get a chance to get this right after all. So young.“ Kovarian looked the Doctor up and down who gave an amused huff:
“I’m really not you know.“
“Get back to your TARDIS, Doctor, and leave.“ While River wasn’t too concerned about his memory and damage happening to the timeline, she couldn’t allow for him to get in harm's way and get killed. That would really mess up causality. “This is my fight, not yours, not yet.“
“You don’t expect me to leave you to fight them off by yourself, do you?“ The Doctor looked at her bewildered. “Come with me, we can…“ His eyes flickered to the way they had come. Guards were starting to take position there, barring their way, but if they moved quickly, they could probably make a break for the TARDIS.
“Oh no, this is why I’m here,“ River retorted, not taking her eyes of Kovarian.
“So this is what?“ The Doctor’s eyes flickered in between the two women. “Revenge?“
“Maybe that.“ River smiled. “Maybe I just want to make sure they don’t hurt anyone else ever again.“
“You and what army, Melody?“ Kovarian mocked.
“You know I don’t need an army,“ the professor shot back.
“No, you usually just need him but he doesn’t even know what’s going on. Or who you are,“ Kovarian carried on.
“What did they do to you?“ The Doctor seemed to be ignoring her, focusing on River.
“Set me up to kill my husband,“ she answered.
“You’re married?“ He exclaimed and she chuckled:
“Really? That is what you’re taking from this?“
“Well, I’m sorry, I was just… you know. I must have misread the situation,“ the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver as a means of arming himself as slowly, the guards and the Silents approached.
“Oh you didn’t misread anything, Sweetie, I was most certainly flirting with you,“ River smirked, fondly reminded of another time she had fought these creatures off with her husband’s help. Again, she found herself back to back with him as they each kept their focus in a different direction.
“Your husband doesn’t mind?“ The Doctor carried on and River laughed:
“What can I say, things are rather flexible. And half the time, they don’t even know we’re married.“ River tightened her grip on her blaster. “But as much as I would enjoy getting out of here with you, and I would, I do have some unfinished business and you can not die here.“
“Neither can you,“ the Doctor was quick to retort but they didn’t have much opportunity to argue over it.
“Kill them!“ Kovarian barked an order.
“That’s my cue.“ River took three shots at approaching guards and dropped something to the floor. Before the Doctor could do anything or even realised what was happening, smoke exploded out of the canister River had dropped and engulfed them. She grabbed the Doctor’s hand and hit the button on her vortex manipulator. “Sorry, Sweetie, I know you don’t like it.“ She gave her husband an apologetic smile when they rematerialised and the Doctor pulled a disgruntled face.
“Where are we?“ He questioned, looking around.
“One chamber over I believe,“ River answered as she checked the schematics of the asteroid on her scanner. “Control room.“
“Why didn’t you go in here straight away?“ He asked as it seemed a rather convenient way of escape.
“I wanted to make sure she was here first,“ River answered but didn’t waste any more time on explanations, she stepped up to the computer equipment.
“So what’s the plan?“ The Doctor carried on, following her.
“What plan?“ River was barely listening as she worked.
“What were you actually going to accomplish here?“ He watched what she was doing, a frown digging into his brow.
“I was sort of thinking of blowing the whole place up,“ River answered matter-of-factly.
“That’s a bit violent.“
“I’m not here to drink tea with them.“ She isolated the reactors that powered the base. She had to work quickly, they were bound to have company soon enough. “Bar that door!“
The Doctor did as he was told, he soniced the single door that led into the control room and dead locked it. It was just in time as well, a sing-song voice sounded the other side of it:
“Oh Melody, come out, come out, wherever you are.“
“Who is she?“ The Doctor asked, growing a little impatient. He had bought them some time, time that could be used for explanations.
“The woman who has taken my childhood from me. I really shouldn’t be telling you this…“ River shook her head to herself, there were no Silents around here, things could get very complicated if she wasn’t careful.
“Why not?“ He retorted and she huffed, annoyed, as she was trying to focus on what she was doing: overloading the reactors to cause an explosion. Banging on the door urged her on, she had to hurry. Even with the door deadlocked, it was only a matter of time until they would break through.
“You can’t know, not yet, I’m from your future,“ she answered.
“Yes, I seem to remember something about that,“ he mused, seemingly wrecking his brain over that last encounter that was a blur.
“Yes, we will have to do something about that,“ River groaned to herself.
“River! That’s your name, isn’t it? Not Sister Kantica, not Melody, it’s River. I remember, in the time vortex…“ the Doctor exclaimed which only worried River more but she tried not to think about it, not now, not when she was getting close to accomplishing something she had worked for for a very long time. She could worry about sorting out the Doctor’s memory later. Part of her wanted him to know, wanted him to understand what she was doing, what she was accomplishing and why.
“Melody was the name my parents gave me… but Melody she… terrible things happened to her. River is the person I put back together. River is a strong, capable woman. Highly trained mercenary. Reputable professor of archeology. Assassin and wife to a mysterious time traveller… and she’s going to rid Melody of her demons once and for all,“ River ground her teeth, determined.
“River, no, don’t do this,“ the Doctor was by her side in an instant and pulled her away from the controls.
“Too late, I’ve rigged the place to explode already, now you better get back to the TARDIS, Sweetie.“
There was loud knocking outside the door and laser fire. They were trying to break in.
“You’re better than this,“ the Doctor insisted and River sighed:
“You always say things like that…“
“I do, and usually, I’m right,“ he insisted and she shook her head as she started putting coordinates into her vortex manipulator again. It was their only way out.
“I didn’t expect you to be here. You’re making this hard.“
“Good,“ the Doctor gave her an encouraging smile. “Because you don’t want to do it. You want me to give you a reason not to.“
“I really don’t,“ she gave a bitter laugh and pulled away from him as she tried to stop her fiddling with the manipulator. “I want you to get back in your TARDIS and leave me to it.“
“Who’s gonna benefit from this?“ He demanded to know. “Not you. You can’t just go around burning worlds, someone is going to notice. Do you want to go to prison.“
“Been there, done that,“ River shot back with some amusement, trying her best not to let his words get to her.
“If you’re doing this for yourself, you’re not doing yourself any favours. Say you get away with it, say no-one cares about what you did here. How are you going to feel about it? You wiped out a race. All that death on your conscience,“ the Doctor argued as he turned to the controls to find out what exactly she had done and if it could be reversed.
“I’ve never had a problem with that before,“ she sniped back.
“But surely, there was always a reason? You say we know each other in the future, I think I know what you’re implying, so… I know you are a good person, you don’t just go around blowing up places. If you do this, you become just as bad as them, you disregard life!“ He exclaimed. “They seem to be a remarkable species, just because they’ve been used by…“
They were interrupted when the guards finally managed to break through the control room door. River raised her gun again and the Doctor his sonic.
“Oh Doctor, you really are too weak. Go on, talk her out of it, though you probably won’t need to. She doesn’t have the stomach for it, not anymore. You’re right about that. She’s not the sort of person who could,“ Kovarian smirked.
“We will see about that!“ River snapped.
“I don’t think I would approve. Future me. They wouldn’t want you to do this,“ the Doctor grabbed River’s hand, to stop her from engaging the chain reaction that would rip the asteroid apart.
“What has that got to do with anything?“ River huffed.
“I think they are probably torn up about what has happened to you already, they don’t need this on their conscience as well, to know the damage was so bad that you did this just to move on… they would surely prefer you talk to them instead? They’d want you to let go of this anger and move on, not for them, but for yourself. Only by facing something head on and walking past it can you move on. You can’t blow up the obstacle and pretend it was never there… move past it, River. Leave them in your past and head to the future. Your future, my future.“
“Is that why you’re here? Did someone tell you…“ River contemplated his words, as the possibility occurred to her that maybe, his presence here was not a coincidence as all.
“Spoilers.“ He winked and her expression softened.
“More than just a pretty face, hm?“ She hummed. “So young and already so wise…“ She leaned over to him, across the controls and pressed a kiss to his lips.
“What was that for?“ He looked at her surprised, blushing a little.
“To say thank you,“ she retorted with a smile. “And to make you forget about this. Foreknowledge is a dangerous thing.“ She grinned when suddenly, he grabbed on to the controls for support, unsteady on his legs. He couldn’t do anything as her hands flew over the controls, issuing final commands.
“This has carried on for far too long,“ Kovarian was getting fed up and gestured for her guards to take aim.
“River,“ the Doctor blinked, his perception blurring as she grabbed hold of his wrist again.
“Don’t worry Sweetie, you’ll only lose the last few hours,“ she smiled. “Have a nice life, Kovarian, what’s left of it.“ She turned to Madame Kovarian and waved goodbye. They disappeared into thin air as the first blasts started flying.
The Doctor and River materialised just outside the TARDIS at the entrance of the tunnel system.
“Did you do it?“ The Doctor asked as she manoeuvred him to the door of his blue box.
“I think you know the answer to that. You know me well enough already,“ she answered in a soft voice. “Give my best to the girls. How did you manage to keep them in the TARDIS?“
“May have locked them in…“ He pulled his key out of his coat pocket, but struggled to make out the keyhole.
“They won’t be happy with you,“ River chuckled as she helped steady his hand.
“They’ll be perfectly happy, locked them into a bedroom together, that might move things along.“
“You really are more perceptive about these things than you’re letting on,“ she smiled and opened the door for him. “The lipstick is starting to work, let’s get you out of here.“ She walked him inside the console room. There was no way he would be able to actually steer the TARDIS. Somewhere way off, outside the blue box, an explosion went off.
“The explosion…“ The Doctor dropped onto the floor, leaning against the console and put his head between his legs, hoping the world would stop spinning. He was struggling to remember what he was even doing here.
“Just a little one. I may have just taken out their whole computer and security system, as well as all their space crafts… no getting off this rock for them,“ River revealed the slight alterations she had made to her plan in the heat of the moment.
“Was that your plan all along?“ He asked, blinking, trying to stay alert.
“You will never know,“ River winked as she launched the TARDIS.
“I have a feeling there are a great many things I’ll never know…“ he huffed, frustration evident in his voice.
“You will… but not until you’re a bit older…“ She retorted. “Don’t worry, I’ll take you somewhere nice, then be out of your hair, you wanted to go on holiday, didn’t you?“
“Do you maybe want to stay?“ He asked drowsily, with a smitten smile and River felt her heart warm.
“Whenever and wherever you like… but not all the time… you’ll learn that one day,“ she gave him an affectionate smile as he dropped out of consciousness as she steered the TARDIS to safety.
