RULE OF THE VALEYARD
Chapter Two Clara led Rose to a semi-detached brick house near Trafalgar Square. On the way there, Rose noticed CCTV cameras mounted everywhere and after what Clara told her, she suddenly became very self conscious about being out in public so it was a relief when they went up the stone steps and Clara unlocked the door and let her inside before following her in. the inside of the house was old and the furniture was used and mismatched but it was clean and warm and Rose felt safer being inside it. "Erica! We're home!" Clara yelled as she took her leather jacket off and put it inside a cupboard near the door. She directed Rose to do the same with her leather jacket and Rose took it off and handed it to her. While Clara hung up her jacket, Rose looked around but there was no sign of Erica and no one responded to Clara's greeting. "She might be out running errands," Clara said to Rose as she shut the door. "She lets me stay here with her. I'm actually on the run and snuck into the city and Jenny gives me shelter and food in return for my help in defending her home. She's actually a freedom fighter like I am. Come with me and I'll find you something to wear." Rose followed her up the stairs to her bedroom. The windows in all the rooms had heavy drapes on them that no one could see through so the only source of light in the room was from a small brass lamp that was near her tiny wooden, four poster bed in the corner. There was a chest of drawers near the door and Clara opened the middle drawer, glanced at Rose and handed her a black t-shirt. Rose was wearing black trousers, socks and shoes so Clara nodded at that and pointed to the door across the hallway. "Bathroom's there," she said to her. "I'll hide your jumper for you…actually…" She reached down into the drawer, underneath three layers of black clothing and pulled out a red skirt with white polka dots on it. "See, I also have contraband. Rebel, me," she said while Rose chuckled. "When you're finished, come downstairs. I'll make some tea for us and we can talk in the lounge." Rose nodded and thanked her. She went across to the bathroom while Clara put the skirt back under the black clothes. "When you're done, just leave the jumper on the counter by the skin," she called out. "No one will bother it and I'll hide it later." "Okay," Rose yelled through the door. Clara shut the drawer and went downstairs. She walked into the kitchen and made some tea and looked through a nearby cupboard and found some chocolate chip biscuits. She put some on a small plate and carried that out to the living room. By now, Rose was sitting on an overstuffed beige sofa, looking around while she waited. She had on the black shirt which was slightly faded but fit well. Clara sat the plate down on a coffee table and heard the whistling of the kettle. She asked if Rose wanted to make her own cuppa and Rose nodded, following her into the kitchen. Once the cups of tea had been made and they were ready, Clara and Rose walked back into the living room. Rose sat on the sofa while Clara rested in a beige, leather club chair beside it. "Help yourself," Clara said, gesturing to the plate of biscuits. Rose nodded, thanked her and she ate and sipped her tea while they chatted. She first told Clara about herself and being separated from the Doctor and her quest to find him. Clara listened in an enraptured silence, sipping her tea while she kept quiet and let her new friend talk. When Rose was finished, Clara and Rose went to get more tea and then settled back down before she explained her side of the story. "Here, I was traveling with the Doctor before he turned evil," she said. "Started out with his eleventh life and had no problem with him then. In fact, I enjoyed it. But there came a time when he had to regenerate and he was actually on his last life and in danger of dying. The Time Lords are in another universe, still alive, and I pleaded through a crack in reality to do something so he could live on. Now I regret that decision because they gave him a new life cycle but somehow that unhinged his mind. I suppose that's why they're only given a limited life cycle to begin with. He started out being very grumpy and sarcastic and angry and I kept traveling with him in the hope it would get better and he would lighten up but it just got worse and he got more and more...cruel, I suppose, and more arrogant until he became a megalomaniac and announced that he was no longer the Doctor because the Doctor was a weak do-gooder in his eyes. He became the Valeyard and declared that since he was the only Time Lord left in this universe, it was up to him to guide it in the way he saw fit. I tried to stop him but I ended up being imprisoned and tortured." "The scars on your face and hands," Rose said. "Yes, that was part of it," Clara said, sighing. "I thought that perhaps he would show me mercy since we were friends but there are no friends anymore, all he has are slaves and lackeys and secret police to do his bidding. I managed to escape when he came to Earth to survey his domain. The TARDIS helped me, I think, since it was easier than I thought to get out. But after that, I had to hide in forests and barns and make my way to London from Cardiff, which took a very long time and wore me out mentally and physically. I got here and found Erica and a few others who were trying to form a rebellion and Erica took me in and she has risked her life by hiding me here. So far, no one has spotted me, which I find hard to believe since there are CCTV cameras and spies everywhere. I'm beginning to think he knows I'm here but he's tracking me and seeing what I do before moving in and capturing me. But it's gotten to the point where I really don't care, Rose. I can't live like a rat in a hole, afraid the cat'll pounce on me. So I go out from time to time to meet with others in our rebellion and see if there is anything I can do to help others. I do deliver some food from time to time to people less fortunate than us and there are others I'm watching out for. I was on my way back when your jumper and jacket caught my eye. It's not hard to miss in a city of black clothes. And now you need to leave before you do get caught." "No, I want to try to help," Rose said, shaking her head. "My Doctor would do something and he taught me to stand up for what's right and try to make a difference in the universe. I want to stay and help if you'll let me." "Of course. We'd welcome the help but are you sure? Because if you think the Valeyard will be merciful towards you, you better think again. He's not the Doctor anymore, he's become evil and twisted and being his friend won't save you, trust me," she said, pointing to the scars on her face. "I understand that and I accept the risks," Rose said. "Well, in that case, we'll speak to Erica when she comes home. I'm sure she'll be happy to take you in. this house is more than enough for all of us." Rose thanked her and the two women continued with small talk and sharing stories of their time with the Doctor while they waited for Erica to come back.
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