first_in_time | Knights in Shining Armour [for Splendid

In the TARDIS wardrobe Barbara was squeezing herself into appropriate clothing with the help of Susan. The whirling of the engines had stopped a short while ago and one quick glance at the scanners determined that they were in an era which required suitable clothing. Barbara had bustled everyone into the wardrobe room and assisted in their outfit decisions.

"I still don't understand why I have to be a boy," Susan commented once Barbara was laced up and covered with yet another layer of cloth. "I'd quite like to wear a pretty dress and a corset."

"Trust me, Susan, I'd be a boy too if I could get away with it." Barbara placed a cloth over her head and secured it down with a band of twined, neutral colours. Susan admired her in the mirror.

"But with Ian and Grandfather around, we'd be alright."

Barbara tried not to look doubtful and managed well enough. "Yes, I know. Come on, they're waiting for us."

Arm in arm, the female companions of the TARDIS team walked elegantly from the wardrobe and into the control room where the Doctor and Ian were meant to be waiting for them. The doors were wide open, however, indicating that they'd already left.

"We'd best go and find them," Barbara sighed and stepped out into a pleasant, English summer day in the early fifteenth century.

Colourful tents and crests spread out before them, and a wide array of people went about their business. Some in armour, some in finery and others dressed in every day clothes. There were squires, ladies, rich looking old men, knights and some questionable women. Barbara, however, was keeping her eyes out for more familiar faces, namely those of the Doctor and Ian.

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From:

splendid_roman

Ian frowned after Barbara. "What's wrong with her?" he wondered, before looking up to the guard. "All right, I'm coming," he said to him. He picked up a vegetable before going, though, and chewed it as he approached the king.

From:

first_in_time

King Henry threw a half eaten chicken leg at a servant, who hurriedly picked it up and took it away.

"Your uncle here tells me that you're in charge of Barbara. Is that correct?"

The Doctor sat next to the king and was trying to communicate with Ian using just a look; a very dangerous look. One he often reserved for situations where someone might very well loose their life if they didn't think quickly.

From:

splendid_roman

Ian noticed the look, but couldn't see anything he could do, but confirm what the Doctor has said. "That is correct, Your Grace." He wanted to ask why, but then remembered you weren't supposed to ask royalty questions, so he stood and waited.

From:

first_in_time

Henry quickly shovelled more food in his mouth, tossing the left overs to his servants who stood on standby for that very reason.

"A man's got to have a wife, Sir Knight, and with my wife now dead as these creatures on the table, I am in search of a new one. You might not understand why exactly, but you're an experienced man, experienced enough to know the sorts of things a woman can do to a man. But a king needs sons to pass on the family line. Lots of sons incase anything happens. And your sister just so happens to have the right shape to bare strong, healthy sons. Her beauty is merely a very pleasant bonus. Do you not agree, Magician?"

The Doctor coughed and looked away.

"I'm going to marry your sister. What say you? What is it that you want in return?"

From:

splendid_roman

Ian opened his mouth in shock and scrambled for what to say. No didn't seem like an option and he was in a time when he couldn't ask Barbara if she wanted to marry him, which would have at least given him time to stall. "It's a very great honour." Also one that would change history, if they couldn't run away in time. None of Henry's six wives were called Barbara.

"I would like lodgings for the night for all four of us." At least that way they'd get some sleep and Henry would think they weren't going to run away. Which would make it easier to run away. "And my sister would like a new dress to be married in. Women are fond of dresses," he added, not looking at the Doctor.

From:

first_in_time

The Doctor's shocked look had his mouth gaping and his eyes bulging. The king, however, was laughing.

"Is that all? Well, we have ourselves a deal. Let us shake on it and I shall tell her the good news as soon as I'm able!" He held out his hand to be shaken.

From:

splendid_roman

Ian frowned at the Doctor. He should have asked for more, but if the Doctor had something in mind he should have told Ian before he was surprised by this. He shook Henry's hand cautiously.

Henry turned to the Doctor afterwards to clap him on the shoulder. "We will have a fabulous wedding," he said. "and you can provide some magic tricks."

From:

first_in_time

"Ah yes," the Doctor cleared his throat, "I believe a congratulations are in order, yes." He didn't look as though congratulations were being given. "Well yes I'd better start working on something, hm?"

"Yes, you'd best and I th-oh! There she is!"

Barbara stood at their table, looking confused. Susan pointed to where Ian, the king and the Doctor were standing about just as the king called out her name.

"Barbara, my sweet, I have the most excellent news!"

She cautiously approached, not liking the looks on their faces. A delighted king, and a worried Doctor wasn't going to end well.

"Your grace?"

"Sir Knight has agreed to give you to me. We will be married in the fortnight and you will give me many sons!"

Barbara felt ill in the stomach. She looked between Ian and the Doctor, then shook her head. "No!"

"I beg your pardon?" roared the king, his voice echoing around the now silent room so that everyone could hear him when he spoke his next words in a deathly low voice; "you will marry me or your brother will be beheaded for lying to me."

((OOC: I have Brian Blessed's voice in my head...))

From:

splendid_roman

"Barbara," Ian said in a low, warning voice, and touched her arm. "I've already given my permission and the king has promised you a new dress." He hoped that she'd see sense and would use the new dress as a reason to change her mind.

((OOC: Now I do too :) ))

From:

first_in_time

Barbara twitched away from Ian's arm. "But I'm not a princess, your Highness," she tried, knowing that kings didn't always marry princesses or queens, "how could I possibly marry a king?"

Henry laughed loudly. "I'm the King! And head of the church. A queen is any woman I choose to marry." He waved his hands and guards swarmed in to surround Ian and hold him in place. "I've never had to persuade a woman before. You should remember your place."

((OOC: this is why we work well together :) ))

From:

splendid_roman

"Barbara!" Ian wanted to struggle in the guard's grip, but knew it wouldn't help their case at the moment. "I'd really rather not be beheaded, thank you."

From:

first_in_time

"Alright!" she said quickly, "I'll marry you."

The king smiled and took both of her hands so that she couldn't get away from the oncoming kiss which sealed the promise of a union. The gathered court clapped and cheered their king and future queen.

When they broke, Barbara feigned a smile. "You can let Ian go now," she said sweetly.

Again, the king laughed. "Not yet my sweet! I'm going to give him a nice dungeon to stay in until the wedding, just so you don't suddenly run out on me." He was grinning as though he'd shared some kind of joyous secret and the guards started dragging Ian out of the hall.

From:

splendid_roman

Ian protested and struggled, but it didn't do him any good. He was thrown in a cell with straw on the floor and a bucket in the corner. And he was still hungry.

The Doctor looked shocked and he stood up. "I give you my word that my niece won't run out on you."

The king shook his head. "No, I don't think such a dangerous knight should be running around the castle. Who knows what he might get up to."

From:

first_in_time

The remainder of the feast went by without another argument. Room was made on the king's right side so that Barbara could sit by his side. She couldn't eat and couldn't talk when members of the he court approached to congratulate them on their engagement. Afterwards, Barbara was taken to a large room with a four poster bed and a wardrobe full of dresses. It had been the previous wife's bedroom which made Barbara feel a little more sick.

When the castle slept, Barbara found her way down to the dungeons. It took a while, since she made a number of wrong turns but she got there eventually. Guards attempted to stop her but she only need to mention the king and they let her through.

"Ian," she said softly through the bars of his cell, "are you awake?"

From:

splendid_roman

Straw on stone wasn't a terribly comfortable bed, so he was lying awake, thinking about what he could have done differently. Upon hearing Barbara's voice he sat up and went to the bars. "Barbara. Are you all right?" He was worried about what the king had done to her.

From:

first_in_time

"I'm fine," she told him quickly and brushed her fingers over his, "he might have redefined the Church but he still has some morals thankfully. How are you? They weren't too rough with you, were they?"

From:

splendid_roman

"No." He shook his head. "They even fed me." It wasn't anything like the feast he'd missed, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

He couldn't fit much of his hand through the bars, but he held on to her fingers with two of his. "I'm sorry. I didn't think I could say no when the king asked me if he could marry you. He is the king."

From:

first_in_time

Barbara tried to smile. "I understand. He's...I don't think he's entirely sane. I don't think that any of us want to lose our heads." At first Barbara had thought that Ian was still distracted by serving wenches.

"Those women are going to be disappoint that you didn't show them your lance skills," she said sarcastically but there was a small smile curling her lips.

From:

splendid_roman

"That was all I was going to show them," he said, smiling slightly. "I have no desire to catch syphilis." But there was nothing wrong with enjoying a little female admiration.

"Does the Doctor have a plan?" he asked more seriously.

From:

first_in_time

"I think that giving you syphillis was the only plan they had in mind," she told him with a soft chuckle.

"Not as of yet but I'm sure he'll think of something. He always does. Or we'll find a way to escape and drag the Doctor with us. I can only hope that it's before this wretched wedding. If I have to kiss him again..." Barbara shook her head.

From:

splendid_roman

He squeezed her fingers. "I'm sure it won't come down to that." The biggest trouble with escaping at the moment was him being locked in here. "Henry VIII's fourth wife was Anne of Cleves, not Barbara of Tardis. So you can't marry him."

From:

first_in_time

"I hope that you're right. The Doctor tells us that we can't rewrite history but sometimes it's difficult to believe him." Barbara"a fingers stroked Ian's again. "I should get back before I'm missed."

From:

splendid_roman

"All right." He let her fingers go. "Be careful. We don't want the king locking anyone else up in here."

From:

first_in_time

"I will, I promise. Try and get some rest, if you can," she told him and with a final look of worry, Barbara disappeared from the dungeons.

The next two weeks went by relatively quickly. Barbara was fitted for a dress, presented with dozens of different flowers to choose from. She met with different important people and practiced her role in the ceremony. She was lectured by the king about being a good wife and the different things she should do each day to ensure that any babies she was going to have, would be boys.

And every evening she visited Ian.

The Doctor and Susan made sure they visited him, too but it appeared that nothing was going to convince the king to release Ian. At least not yet.

"Most women go to the chapel to pray before marriage," an elderly advisor said to Barbara as she visited the dungeons an hour before the ceremony was meant to start. She had made certain that she was ready in enough time that she could see Ian before everything happened.

Unlike the other times Barbara had visited her pretend brother, it was daylight.

"I brought you some things from the breakfast feast," she told him and a guard unlocked the cell door so that the basket of food would fit in. "I managed to convince the kitchen hands that you, too deserved something special to eat."

From:

splendid_roman

Sitting around in the dark with not very nourishing food had made Ian pale and thin. With his beard having grown he looked quite different. He'd had a lot of time to think, sitting in his cell. Between that and his chats with the Doctor, Susan and Barbara, he had a plan to get him out of this cell and them all away from here. It did require Barbara to convince the king to release him, which was risky.

"Thank you," he said, smiling at Barbara. He took the basket and reminded himself not to wolf it down. "Are you ready to become a queen?" he asked her, grinning between bites.