Counting with Fairies Ch 10

Chapter 10

"Ouch!" The Doctor felt a sharp spear at his neck.

"Not another word, you two," his guard said.

The Doctor rubbed his neck with his hand.  He watched as a procession approached the area where he and Sally stood.  Five of the local wood fairies were flying towards him.  One of them held a white truce flag.  He recognized two of the fairies, Lady Columbine and Lady Rain.  It was obvious that the fairy in the middle of the group was the Queen.  She was dressed in a most ornate gown that was made of flowers and sparkled like diamonds in moonlight.  A large guard of Poikyo surrounded the fairy queen and her entourage.  She stopped when she saw the Doctor and Sally.

From behind the Doctor, the Poikyo queen and her group appeared and flew to meet the fairy queen.  For several moments, the two queens stared at each other, seemingly sizing each other up.

"Well, well, Queen Oona, you decided to come out of hiding." Queen Shai of the Poikyo said.

"Queen Shai, I have come to you, in peace.  I wish for peace between our fai.  Can we not reach an agreement of some sort?"

"And just what do you propose, Queen Oona?" Shai asked.  Her words were polite, but her tone was anything but.

"I propose a compromise.  We could help you search for a new forest to live.  This land is large and we only occupy a part of it.  There is a very lard land mass to the south called Spain.  It has very little fairy population.  You could go there.  We could help you set up a new home."

"In exchanged for what Oona? So that we owe you a life debt of service?"  Queen Shai spat.

"Of course not.  The exchange is you leave us alone.  Let us live our lives here in this forest as we have for a hundred generations." 

The Doctor could see that Queen Oona was getting nervous.

"Well, that is a lovely idea," Queen Shai's voice dripped with sarcasm, "but I have become rather fond of this area.  I have no wish to leave it.  However, I do like your idea of inhabiting that new area, what did you call it?  Spain?  I think that after we have defeated you and our population has had a chance to grow, we will spread our civilization to Spain."  She sneered at the fairies.

The Poikyo shouted their agreement.  The Doctor knew they were a more aggressive species and would not give into talk and compromise, as they had already showed him with his offer to help.  He admired Queen Oona, though.  Attempting peace and compromise before war.  He felt Sally shift next to him.  She was trying to move away from her guard, who was distracted by the meeting of the two queens.  Her movements were slight and slow, but she was doing it.

"Queen Shai, I beg of you, consider my offer," Oona pleaded.

The Doctor took a large step forward, "Or consider mine," he said loudly to the group.  All fairy heads turned to him.  Sally stopped and held still.  "I can take you Poikyo to a whole new planet.  You wouldn't have to share with anyone!"

"Doctor," Queen Shai flew to him, "I've already told you, no.  We have a new planet.  All we have to do is clean it up a bit and get rid of the locals."  With that, the queen shot something blue from her hand.  To Sally it looked like a blue comet.  It went right to the fairies, but Queen Oona held up her hand and the blue streak bounced away, like there was an invisible shield.

"Queen Shai, I've tried to be reasonable, but you just attacked us while we were under a white truce flag.  Now you will pay the penalty."  Queen Oona shot a stream of pink at the Poikyo queen.  In that moment, a thousand things happened.  Hundreds of fairies appeared from behind trees.  Poikyo shot off in every direction.  Lights of every color shot out in all directions.  The Doctor and Sally dropped to the ground.

"Come on!" the Doctor yelled at Sally.  He started to crawl as fast as he could to a fallen tree.  Sally followed him and flopped on her stomach next to him.  "Go Sally! Get out of here!"

"Doctor, you have to come with me.  The war has started.  There is nothing we can do!"

A purple streak shot past Sally's head.  She screamed and they both ducked.  The Doctor's face was pressed against the forest floor, just inches from Sally's face.  "I have to try.  No go Sally.  Go now!"

Sally got up on her hands and knees and took off crawling.  She ducked behind a group of trees and looked back. The Doctor was on his hands and knees and crawling off towards the battle.   She looked around her.  There were no fairies as far as she could see.  She stood up and began to run.  It was hard to see, in the dark of the night.  More than once she tripped over branches, got her dress caught in a thorn bush, and had several colored fairy comets wiz past her head.

As last she reached the edge of the wood.  She stopped to look around and get her bearings.  She didn't see anything familiar.  It was pitch dark in the French countryside.  Sally decided to move away from the trees.  She hoped that getting out in the open would at least show her light if there was a nearby city.  She ran as fast as she could away from the trees.  She ran until she was out of breath and found herself next to a stone wall.  She sat down on it, breathing heavily.  Off in the distance, she could see the forest and the flashes of light deep within the trees.  She hoped the Doctor was alright.

There was no moon and Sally could see no lights.  She didn't know what to do.  She had no bearings and no light.  She couldn't see the lone oak tree.  She decided her only choice was to follow the wall.  Perhaps it would lead to the road or a home.  Sally was exhausted.  How many hours had it been since she got up from her bed and gone to work at the institute?  She didn't know.  Too many.  It was hard to keep an even footing as she walked on in the dark and she tripped and fell several times.  Once in a while she would sit on the wall and listen.  She heard animals, mostly sheep and birds, but some noises sounded more wild to her.  As a London girl, she was use to city noises and lights.  This pitch black countryside was unnerving.  If she hadn't been so tired, she would have broken out into a run.

It had been a long, long walk by the time she finally saw a house.  There were no lights shining in the windows.  Sally went up to the house and pounded on the heavy wooden door.  After several moments, the door opened slightly and Sally saw a man in a long white sleeping gown and hat staring out at her.  He held out a candle to see who the visitor was.

"Good sir," Sally said, "I've lost my way."

The door opened wider and Sally saw a woman standing next to the man.  "Come in and rest," the woman said.

"That's very kind of you, but I'm going to have to say no.  I just need to know some directions.  There is no moon and I've very turned around."

The man stepped out of the stone cottage and took a few steps away from the house.  "That direction is east and that way is north." He pointed at the various directions.  Sally was still unsure where she was.

"I'm looking for a single oak tree in the pastures or the road to the village," Sally explained.

The man chuckled.  "Well, those aren't anywhere near each other.  To find the oak tree, you follow this wall for three kilometers and turn east.  But the road to the village is just half a kilometer to the south here.  Find the road, turn left and it will lead you to the village."

"Thank you, I'll go that way,"  Sally started off.

"Wait mademoiselle, why don't you stay here for the night and head out when it is morning?  It isn't safe to be out at night."  The man called to her.

Sally was tempted.  She was so tired.  She could find the TARDIS tomorrow.  But, no, she had promised the Doctor she would go straight to the TARDIS.  "That is very kind, but I really must go.  Thank you sir, for your kindness." 

Sally turned and left.  She headed the direction the man pointed.  Finally the road came into view, but as Sally got close to the road, she stepped in a hole in the ground and fell.  Her ankle hurt.  Gingerly she moved her foot.  She didn't think anything was broken.  Probably a sprain.  Sally sat in the grass and rubbed her leg.  Tears welled up and fell down her cheeks.

She knew she couldn't stay there.  The only option was to keep moving.  She pulled off her green over tunic and started to tear it into strips.  She tightly wrapped her ankle.  It felt a little better.  Several feet away she saw a large stick.  Sally crawled over to the stick and used it as a cane.  Her ankle hurt, but the wrappings and cane made it possible for her to reach the road.

Sally looked up and down the road.  The man had told her to go left towards the village.  Sally took out the TARDIS key that she had stuck into the pocket of her petticoat.  It felt warm in her hand.  She wondered how far away from the TARDIS she was.  Sally was exhausted and her leg was really hurting.  She put the key back into her pocket.  There was nothing else to do, Sally turned left and began hobbling down the road.

Chapter 11