The Fall of Arcadia (Book ONE)

Chapter 25

Sera:

"Take, it, off."

"No."

"Doctor, I will blow it up in the Eye of Harmony."

"Seraphina, I am trying to make the Ood laugh about the fact we messed around for 3 weeks before actually coming to see them about something important. The hat and necklace of flowers are hopefully going to do that. Plus when I lock the TARDIS, that should also make you laugh. Come along, Pond." He laced his fingers through mine after putting on his sunglasses and the cowboy hat back onto his head. I was so killing it later.

We stepped out of the TARDIS and Ood Sigma was patiently waiting for us, his orb in hand. The Doctor swung me out of the doors and grinned. "Ah! Now, sorry. There you are. So, where were we? I was summoned, wasn't I? An Ood in the snow, calling to me. Well, I didn't exactly come straight here. Had a bit of fun, you know. Travelled about, did this and that. Got into trouble. You know me. It was brilliant. I saw the Phosphorous Carousel of the Great Magellan Gestadt, saved a planet from the Red Carnivorous Maw, named a galaxy Alison. Got married. That was a mistake. Good Queen Bess. And let me tell you, my fiancée was not best pleased when she tried to um, anyway, what did you want us for?"

"You should not have delayed, especially not with the Writers mind in turmoil."

"Oi, trying to saying I'm, insane?"

The Doctor interrupted, making a very good point as to why we delayed. "The last time I was here you said my song would be ending soon, and I'm in no hurry for that. I want to be the one to greet my Seraphina at the bottom of the aisle, not some man with the same name that might not love her the same."

Ood Sigma showed no compassion to this as I looked down at my engagement ring, now half green. "You will both come with me."

"Hold on, better lock the TARDIS." Grabbing his key, he turned and and pointed it at the box, pressing a new button on the front. It bleeped like a car and I couldn't help giggling when the top light flashed. "Told you it would make you laugh, Princess." He looked at the Ood who was just standing there. "See? Like a car, I locked the TARDIS like a car. It's funny. No? Little bit? Blimey, try to make an Ood laugh."

Still giggling slightly, I looked at Sigma. "So how old are you now, Ood Sigma? Ah." I looked up and saw their city, beautifully spiralling towards the sky, perfectly formed in the icy mountains. "Magnificent, oh come on, that's splendid."

"And you've achieved that in how long?" The Doctor asked, something looking like it was troubling him.

"100 years."

"Then we've got a problem. Because all of this is way too fast. Not just the city, but your ability to call us, to see the Time Vortex burning through Seraphina's mind. Reaching all the way back to the 21st Century. Somethings accelerating your race way beyond normal."

I looked at the Doctor, my eyes widening. Well, not my eyes, but my borrowed blue ones. "How can they see Time? Only I'm the one to do that, me and Koschei."

"The mind of the Ood is troubled."

"Why, what's happened? What's it got to do with me and Time?"

"Every night, Doctor, Priestess, every night we have bad dreams." Sigma replied, his eyes worn. You could see he was tired, and if one Ood was tired, then they all were.

He lead us to the council, so much friendlier and kind than the one I used to sit in, be High Priestess of and tell them whether or not we should do something. At the time, I thought it had been an honour to serve under Rassilon, but now, I see I was more there to look pretty in the outfits.