The Veil Between the Worlds

The Fairy Queen

They had an unusually bumpy ride and landing. They walked out into an open field with tall grass. Rose couldn't quite place the plants, the scent of the soil, or the noisy insects. The TARDIS already looked half-covered in fog. "Is this Elphame already?" Rose asked.

"I'm not sure."

"What do you mean? Did we malfunction?"

"I don't know. This could be a no-place, like the Cybermen's universe. We could be on Elphame or on a prehistoric or alternate Earth. It's like there's fog in every universe. But fog's weather. That wouldn't make sense."

"Creepy," said Rose, following his long strides anyway. He took her hand. The Doctor explained why the Fae were often called the Good People or the Fair Folk.

"I reckon people liked them," said Rose.

"Maybe not. Sometimes it was more to appease them. They were hoping the Fae would be nice to them."

"Like when Mum bought a white Christmas sweater for her vicious dog named Jingles? Wishful thinking!"

"Exactly. She would!"

Rose shivered in her black shirt and skirt.

"Rose, are you cold?" the Doctor asked.

"Eh, I'm fine."

He wrapped his camel trench coat around her. She never passed up a chance to cuddle up against him, enjoying the warmth and closeness. He removed his sonic screwdriver from his coat and placed it in the breast pocket of his suit. Then he took off the coat, folded it, and handed it to her. "Here, take it," he said.

"Really? You love this coat."

"I'll need it back! You can't keep it. Janis Joplin gave it to me. But wear it for now. I'm not the one who decided to go out at night as a sexy cat, am I?"

"Aw, thanks." She put it on, trying not to let the coattails drag in the dirt. The coat smelled like him, his cologne or something. Was that a weird thing to notice?

"I always wear too many layers anyway. Don't quote me on that."

For a few minutes, they felt mesmerized, walking aimlessly in the grass. They both knew it was a great way to get dangerously lost, but they drank in each other's company and the unfamiliar, fresh air. Rose heard dissonant music and felt more vibrations than she could hear. She wondered if the Doctor could hear any notes that were inaudible to her. Maybe they had entirely different senses and art forms here. Aliens often did.

As the music got louder, they approached a stone dais or altar and rows of worshippers dressed in white. They all chanted in such perfect unison. She wondered if this was one of those telepathic planets with a hive mind. Their lyrics were even more unsettling than the music:

"For tonight, after seven years,

We pay a tithe to Hell."

"The Satan Pit Planet?" whispered Rose.

"Maybe. Shh. I'm trying to concentrate. Oh no, no, no!" the Doctor said suddenly. "I'm sorry I brought you here. I know what this is. The teind. I thought it was a myth."

"Is that what they're called then?"

"No, the teind is this ritual. I might have power over them if I say their real name out loud, but I have to do it right. It only works the first time."

"Bad Fae, then."

"Basically, yeah. Whatever you do, don't eat or drink anything they offer you. They speak in riddles. They love bargains, but don't make a deal with them. They'll set you up to walk right into a trap. No one can outsmart the Fae. And never, ever tell them your real name. Remember what I said about power and names?"

"No food, huh. Good thing I bought candy and soda."

"Were you listening to a word I said after that?"

"Yeah. Let's go home." Rose took the Doctor's hand and turned around.

"Good idea," he said, but he didn't move.

"Come on!" she urged. She wanted him to say, "Allons-y!"

"Wait. Listen." He planted his feet and held up an index finger.

"Help me!" called a haunting voice that sounded exactly like a human child. "I'm to be the sacrifice! Save me, please!"

Rose felt even more chilled. "Sounds like a trap, huh?" she whispered to The Doctor. He dropped her hand and ran back towards the stone altar.

"Oi, don't walk right into a trap, he says," she said sarcastically, to herself. The Doctor was already near the dais, facing the Fairy Queen on her throne. Rose sprinted after him.

"Fairy Queen, I name you Unseelie!" The Doctor shouted dramatically.

A beautiful voice that seemed to shimmer off the stones replied: "And I know what you are, Time Lord from Gallifrey! And your human lady love."

Rose had no time to process those shocking words. Instead, she thought the Fairy Queen looked like Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings-if she'd taken the Ring and gone evil. She had pale skin, blue eyes, long, blonde hair, a white dress, and pointed ears. She looked and felt malevolent, radiating evil in a way Rose couldn't describe. She thought again that these aliens might have senses she couldn't imagine.

The Doctor said brashly, "I know you. Even you don't kill children! Take me instead!"