Micaela
- Ingenious Pilot -
no, not THAT Micaela, the other one%\1\%
Posts: 239
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Post by Micaela on May 13, 2011 2:28:32 GMT -5
"Well it's not the Princess part that I'm--hey!"
Except he was already headed off in another direction. "And how am I meant to just waltz in and grab the heir presumptive, Doctor?" she called after him.
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Eleven
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Post by Eleven on May 13, 2011 2:41:46 GMT -5
The Doctor spun round "What? Oh Micaela, look at you," he flicked his hand carelessly at her, "and you're the favorite lady-in-waiting to the Duchess of -----, loyal friend of the royal family, who just happens to want to inquire about her small highness's' health?"
"You ought to be able to arrange something for the poor old Duchess, now can't you Micaela?" Grinning at her, he turned and continued down the swiftly down the hall.
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Micaela
- Ingenious Pilot -
no, not THAT Micaela, the other one%\1\%
Posts: 239
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Post by Micaela on May 13, 2011 3:21:02 GMT -5
She frowned. She did not like being talked to like she wasn't clever, which she knew she was, and though it was clear he was on a completely different level she wasn't stupid. In a strangely excited huff, she set off towards the nursery.
Just to spite him she'd come up with another story, of course.
**TIMESKIP WHOOSH**
Being able to lie convincingly was a talent Micaela was now incredibly grateful for, and her story had worked out better anyhow. It did well to remember your Royal Diaries books, and so she knew that Margaret, Lady Bryan was the princess's nurse, charged with her care as her Lady Mistress, but Elizabeth would be sent off to Katherine Champernowne in January 1537 with the birth of Prince Edward. Jane Seymour was already pregnant--pregnant enough for them to know and pregnant enough for rumors to have begun swirling.
It was a piece of luck that Lady Bryan was out, and that another nurse was taking care of the Princess (who was napping in the next room), and it was easy to convince the girl that Micaela herself was Champernowne. Her name was Nell, and she couldn't have been older than Micaela. An easy camraderie was struck when Micaela shared the gossip--Nell hadn't known, of course, which meant maybe nobody knew, so Micaela had taken a bit of a risk, historically speaking, but rumors made sense anyhow when the King had a mistress.
It was even easier to convince Nell to go have a nice cup of tea in the kitchens, meet with her beau. Micaela, or Kat as she was calling herself, could handle the Princess for the night, as she was going to take over her care when the new baby arrived and the royal Lady Mistress (Bryan) was transferred to the babe. To be on the safe side, she told Nell to keep the news of the baby and Elizabeth's transfer quiet, especially from her Mistress. The baby thing was irrelevant, but best not have the whole palace thinking she was Kat Ashley.
It turned out that Elizabeth, for a two-and-a-half year old, could speak quite advanced sentences. From the doorway came a "you're not Muggie or Nell." Meg was, presumably, Lady Bryan. Micaela would have liked her anyway--seeing a favorite historical figure as a baby was fun--but it didn't hurt that the child was adorable, with curling red hair and pink cheeks and eyes that were far more intelligent than any 34-month-old's should have been.
"No, I'm ... I'm Kay. It's nice to meet you, Elizabeth. How old are you?"
Kids. Kids she could handle.
**TIMESKIP WHOOSH**
It was in her simplest outfit and a cap, to avoid notice, that Micaela brought Elizabeth out to find the Doctor. At the appointed spot on time, Micaela had a giggling toddler in her arms as she told a vaguely-remembered version of Dealing with Dragons. She figured the princess-who-didn't-want-to-marry theme was appropriate.
"D'you know what Cimorene did then? She left! Walked right out of the palace without a word to Therandil or her mother or father or sisters. And guess who she went to stay with?"
"Who!"
"Dragons."
A gasp and then a shared giggle.
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Eleven
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Post by Eleven on May 13, 2011 3:29:17 GMT -5
"Ah! Micaela the Magnificent!" The Doctor exclaimed, "I knew you could do it, and little Elizabeth, well, so the rumors your old nurses told me were true, you were an adorable little thing," he reached out a hand to touch her red curls, "you know," he said in a slightly more somber tone to Micaela, " I think I found evidence of a relay network all throughout the palace, whoever these people are, they've been planning this for a while, and they're working for someone big--very big."
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Micaela
- Ingenious Pilot -
no, not THAT Micaela, the other one%\1\%
Posts: 239
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Post by Micaela on May 13, 2011 3:33:10 GMT -5
"Oh I wouldn't--"
Little Elizabeth did not like to be touched without her say-so. Princess, and all that. Also adorable was not her favorite word. Micaela cringed a little at that one. A clever child hated to be called cute, it was patronizing. Elizabeth scowled at him.
"I've got her for the night, so keeping track of her shouldn't be a problem..."
"Who are you," the tiny princess demanded.
"Elizabeth, this is my friend, the Doctor."
"A Doctor?" Elizabeth suddenly looked filled with distrust.
"Oh! No, not that kind of doctor. Not going to bleed you, don't worry. He's a nice Doctor."
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Eleven
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Post by Eleven on May 13, 2011 3:45:22 GMT -5
"Ah! So old enough to talk," The Doctor shook his head, "I always find it hard to remember the ages with human babies, or with babies in general, don't you? Then again I suppose that's why I'm the Doctor, not a nanny."
"Yes, quite right," He lowered his head to look Elizabeth in the eye, "I'm going to help you, but in a good way, not a stupid way, that hurts you know, and all that." He glanced back up at Micaela, "we have to get her out of the palace now--or at least really, really soon."
"Which would probably be easier if we convinced her father," The Doctor straightened up, "except he doesn't seem to be in too pleasant a mood right now. Exec--state events will do that to a man you know."
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Micaela
- Ingenious Pilot -
no, not THAT Micaela, the other one%\1\%
Posts: 239
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Post by Micaela on May 13, 2011 3:50:20 GMT -5
"She's quite advanced in talking actually, for 2 years 8 months she's talking more like a 3 and a half year old..." Irrelevant information. Micaela thought for a moment. "Jane Seymour. Closest to him, and in his good graces now she's pregnant. Convince her this one shouldn't be here for... well. You know. She tells the King and we're good."
"He doesn't come see me anymore," Elizabeth commented sadly at mention of her father. Smart or not, a little girl wanted to see her own parents once in a while. "And mummy's going away. Why's she going away? They won't tell me." She looked between Micaela and the Doctor, who clearly knew what everyone else seemed to know.
Micaela's heart squeezed a little. "Oh..."
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Eleven
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Post by Eleven on May 13, 2011 4:15:27 GMT -5
"Listen to me Elizabeth--" The Doctor bent to look her level in the eye once more, "It's a long story, your mother--can't see you right now--but--I can promise you, you're going to do things that would make her very, very proud."
He straightened up and glanced at Micaela, "Lady Jane? I suppose I ought to pay her ladyship a visit. Don't move--"he called as he hastened toward the dining table, he paused and turned back to them, "Well I mean, you can move, in fact it'd probably look a bit suspicious if you don't, but be careful when you do, in fact it's probably better if you do move, but stay about near-ish!" He gestured in a quick circular motion with his finger at the floor of the dining hall, and was off.
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Micaela
- Ingenious Pilot -
no, not THAT Micaela, the other one%\1\%
Posts: 239
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Post by Micaela on May 13, 2011 4:19:32 GMT -5
Micaela sighed in exasperation and called after him, "we'll be in the nursery!" Frankly it was weird if children were outside the nursery here, especially royal children.
She turned back to the little girl and grinned. "So Cimorene. She marched right up to those dragons..."
**TIMESKIP**
"And so Woraug turned into a frog! Because that's what happens when dragons don't act like dragons anymore--they stop deserving the title."
"Did Cimorene see her mummy and daddy again?"
Micaela's heart clenched again and she reached out again for the girl's hand. "Of course she did, sweetie, but it's time for bed soon--"
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Eleven
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Post by Eleven on May 13, 2011 4:27:23 GMT -5
"Micaela--and--very little Elizabeth. There you are!" The Doctor burst into the room panting, "I got the permission, but we better hurry!" he glanced nervously out into the hallway, "I don't think one of the guards felt Lady Jane's bribe was quite enough."
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Micaela
- Ingenious Pilot -
no, not THAT Micaela, the other one%\1\%
Posts: 239
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Post by Micaela on May 13, 2011 4:30:43 GMT -5
"I-- what?" Ugh, children were so cranky when they didn't sleep enough; Elizabeth would be a horror in the morning...
"Come on, Liz, seems bedtime's not quite come." She picked up the child, who looked quite bewildered. "Kay, what's wrong?"
"You know I haven't the faintest idea."
With that Micaela turned to the Doctor. "Shall we, then?"
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Eleven
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Post by Eleven on May 13, 2011 4:47:29 GMT -5
"Yes, let's and hurry--" The Doctor seized Micaela's arm, and led her out into the hallway, and led her swiftly down the hall, at one point there was a short of "There he is!" and the clank of boots, but they hurried down a maze of corridors, and the shouting died down.
"Now--last time I was here, 1480 I think it was, there used to be an exit right here," he turned on the sonic and scanned the area, "yes, right here." Shoving an elaborate wooden cupboard out of the way, he revealed a door that seemed to have been sealed off, or plastered over. A quick zap to the lock, some violent shoving, and the door was open, "Come along, don't mind the dust, there shouldn't be anything but some spiders, and other--creeping...things."
"Once we get outside," he continued, shining the the still trilling sonic about like a slender blue flashlight, "we head straight for the TARDIS, then skip ahead several--what, days--hours, take her to the estate in the country, makes it harder for anyone to follow 52nd century or not!" he turned a slightly dust-smudged face to smile at Micaela, "Nothing throws the hounds off the trail like a little time travel!"
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Micaela
- Ingenious Pilot -
no, not THAT Micaela, the other one%\1\%
Posts: 239
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Post by Micaela on May 13, 2011 4:48:49 GMT -5
At the smile, she stopped and looked quite nervous, biting her lip. Despite the running, Elizabeth had opted to fall asleep on her shoulder.
"Look, I know this isn't the best time but--"
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Eleven
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Post by Eleven on May 13, 2011 4:54:33 GMT -5
"Time! Oh! Time! Time! Time!" He flung out a hand carelessly, then began shaking it furiously when it encountered several thick sticky white strands of webbing. "I think you'll find Micaela, that when you have a time machine, such as I do, you have--well, maybe not all the time in the world, but a lot more at your disposal than other people could--afford." The Doctor paused, looking a bit displeased, "And I just made my time machine sound like a banking machine didn't I? Never mind--rotten example, time and money, money and time, nothing alike, forget that, what did you want to ask me?"
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Micaela
- Ingenious Pilot -
no, not THAT Micaela, the other one%\1\%
Posts: 239
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Post by Micaela on May 13, 2011 4:55:40 GMT -5
She looked down at the little head and stroked the crop of red curls. "Her mother, Doctor..." Micaela looked back up, plaintive.
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