Kirito and Asuna's house…
"So you're going to the 1970s." Asuna said, drinking tea with Jared, Jaune, and Pyrrha. "The three of you."
Jared is walking around the log cabin as he is admiring the view of the forest, "Yeah. I know what's gonna happen today too."
"And what exactly will happen today?" Lisbeth asked, entering the room.
"Oh, a werewolf." Jared said, smiling. "Not a big deal."
"A werewolf." Pyrrha said, looking at Jared. "We're gonna see a werewolf."
"Well, that and Queen Victoria."
"Queen Victoria and a werewolf." Jaune said, smirking. "When I thought we saw everything with the Doctor."
"Oh, we have years together. All of us."
"That means Kirito and I won't be with you." Asuna said, sadly. "Not for this adventure."
"I don't know how Queen Victoria will handle you, Asuna. She could just make you her maid."
"What was that?" Asuna asked, looking at Jared.
"Sorry. Acted like Kirito for a second. Anyway, werewolf and Queen Victoria. I'm wearing the wrong clothes for the time period."
"Us too." Pyrrha said, looking over at Jaune. "What do the people from the 1870s wear?"
"I don't know." Jaune said, sadly. "Any ideas?"
"I'm sorry, but you have to ditch the hoodie." Jared said, frowning.
"But it has Pumpkin Pete on it!"
Tardis…
Rose has changed into denim mini-dungarees, "What do you think of this? Will it do?"
"In the late 1970s? You'd be better off in a bin bag. Hold on, listen to this." The Doctor said, putting a CD into the Tardis player. "Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number One in 1979."
"You're a punk." Rose said, as Jared entered the console room with Jaune and Pyrrha. "Hey Jared, Arkos."
"Arkos?" Pyrrha asked, looking between Jared and Jaune.
"Right, that's spoilers." Jared said, laughing quietly. ��I like this outfit a bit. Suits where we're actually going."
"To 1979." Pyrrha said, hiding the fact that she's changed her clothes to reflect 1879 clothing. "Jaune and Jared are set too."
"How'd you mean? In concert?" Rose asked, looking at the Doctor.
"What else is a Tardis for? I can take you lot to the Battle of Trafalgar, the first anti-gravity Olympics, Caesar crossing the Rubicon or Ian Dury at the Top Rank, Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979. What do you think?" The Doctor asked.
"Sheffield it is."
"Hold on tight." The Doctor said, beating the rhythm of the song on the console as they travel.
"Stop!" Rose said, and they stop suddenly, and get thrown to the floor.
"1979. Hell of a year. China invades Vietnam. The Muppet Movie. Love that film. Margaret Thatcher. Urgh. Skylab falls to Earth, with a little help from me. Nearly took off my thumb..." The Doctor said, running towards the door with Rose, Jared, Jaune, and Pyrrha.
Highlands…
"And I like my thumb. I need my thumb. I'm very attached to…" The Doctor said, when rifles are cocked. "...my thumb." They are surrounded by Redcoats. The officer in charge is on a black horse. "1879. Same difference."
"You were right." Pyrrha said, as Jared doesn't have his Augma on his head like he usually does to contact the rest of their friends. "We are in 1879."
"It is an okay year." Jared said, smiling a lot.
"Do guns pointed at us mean okay?" Jaune asked, looking at the rifles.
"Nope. I hate his bad flying sometimes."
"Och, aye! I've been oot and aboot." Rose said, imitating a Scottish accent.
"No, don't do that." The Doctor said, annoyed.
"Hoots mon."
"No, really don't. Really."
"Will you identify yourself, sir?" Reynolds asked.
"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon, from the township of Balamory. I have my credentials, if I may." The Doctor said, taking out his psychic paper. "As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself."
An upper-class English accent comes from a carriage nearby.
"Let them approach." Victoria said.
"I don't think that's wise, ma'am." Reynolds said.
"Let them approach."
"You will approach the carriage, and show all due deference."
A footman opens the door to reveal the Imperial Widow.
"Rose, Jared, Jaune, Pyrrha, might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith." The Doctor said, looking at Queen Victoria.
"Rose Tyler, Ma'am. And my apologies for being so naked." Rose said, sadly.
"I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me." Victoria said, looking at Rose.
"Jaune Arc, Ma'am." Jaune said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you."
"Pyrrha Nikos." Pyrrha said, happily.
"And I'm Jared Shay." Jared said, excitedly. "It's so nice to meet you, Your Highness."
"It's nice to meet all of you too. But you, Doctor. Show me these credentials." Victoria said, when the Doctor hands her the psychic paper. "Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector."
"Does it? Yes, it does. Good. Good. Then let me ask...why is Your Majesty travelling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?" The Doctor asked.
"A tree on the line."
"Was there an accident?" Jared asked.
"I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned." Victoria said.
"Let me guess, it was another assassination attempt."
"What, seriously? There's people out to kill you?" Rose asked, finding it hard to believe.
"I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun." Victoria said.
"Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence. We've sent word ahead. He'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow." Reynolds said.
"This Doctor, his friends, and his timorous beastie will come with us."
"Yes, Ma'am. We'd better get moving...it's almost nightfall."
"Indeed. And there are stories of wolves in these parts. Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think. Drive on!" Victoria said.
The Doctor, Rose, Jared, Jaune, and Pyrrha, walk with the soldiers behind the carriage.
"So, Queen Victoria." Pyrrha said, walking in between Jared and Jaune. "What was she all about?"
"Oh, she was the Queen who was a part of the Industrial Revolution." Jared said, smiling.
"Industrial Revolution?" Jaune asked.
"It involves a lot of metal and stuff."
"Metal." Pyrrha said, placing her hand on Jared's shoulder. "I unlocked your Aura a while back like with Jaune's."
"Yeah, you did." Jared said, nodding his head.
"I want her to say we are not amused. I bet you five quid I can make her say it." Rose said.
"Well, if I gambled on that, it'd be an abuse of my privileges of traveller in time." The Doctor said.
"Ten quid?"
"Done."
Courtyard…
"This house is old fashioned." Pyrrha said, as they entered the courtyard with the Royal procession. "What's it called?"
"The Torchwood House." Jared said, smiling. "That's what it is called."
Sir Robert comes out to meet Queen Victoria. The rest of the monks are also dressed as indoor servants, "Your Majesty."
"Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?" Victoria asked.
"She's indisposed, I'm afraid. She's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her. The kitchens are barely stocked. I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on." Robert said.
"This place is British." Jaune said, looking between Victoria and Robert. "Like really British."
"We are in Scotland." Pyrrha said, happily. "I like it."
"Me too."
"Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused. What do you think, Ma'am?" Rose asked.
"It hardly matters. Shall we proceed?" Victoria asked.
"So close." Rose said, when Queen Victoria goes inside.
"Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the property. Hurry up." Reynolds said.
"Yes, sir." The soldiers said, and they took a small locked box from the carriage and carry it into the house.
"So, what's in there?" Pyrrha asked, looking at the box.
"Property of the Crown. You will dismiss any further thoughts, ma'am. The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions." Reynolds said.
"You heard the orders. Positions." A soldier said.
"Sir." Soldier 2 said.
The shadows of the soldiers pass the cellar lights. A cloaked figure in the cage makes the Shush gesture to the captives.
"I wonder what's in there." Pyrrha said, holding Jaune's hand.
"It's something valuable." Jared said, smiling. "You'll find out more later."
Observatory…
"This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour." Victoria said, looking at a massive bronze telescope.
"All my father's work. Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession. He spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself." Robert said.
"I wish I'd met him. I like him. That thing's beautiful. Can I?" The Doctor asked.
"Help yourself."
"What did he model it on?"
"I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little, shall we say, eccentric. I wish now I'd spent more time with him and listened to his stories."
"It's a bit rubbish. How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top. That's stupid kind of…�� The Doctor said, looking at Rose and Pyrrha. "...am I being rude again?"
"Yep." Rose said.
"You are." Pyrrha said, sadly.
"But it's pretty. It's very pretty." The Doctor said.
"And the imagination of it should be applauded." Victoria said.
"Mmm. Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful? You could easily not be amused, or something? No?" Rose asked.
"This device surveys the infinite work of God. What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath, steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales."
"Stars and magic. I like him more and more." The Doctor said.
"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company. Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg." Victoria said.
"That's Bavaria."
"When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported."
"You haven't told us anything yet." Jaune said, as Jared is eating some crab fries. "About what will happen."
"The diamond and the telescope is the key." Jared said, dipping the crab fries into cheese dip. "That's all I'm saying."
"You really aren't giving us much hints."
"Jaune." Pyrrha said, crossing her arms. "It's not that big of a deal."
"It kinda is."
"And then supper. And could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I'm tired of nakedness." Victoria said.
"It's not amusing, is it?" Rose asked.
"Sir Robert, your wife must have left some clothes. See to it. We shall dine at seven, and talk some more of this wolf. After all, there is a full moon tonight."
"So there is, Ma'am." Robert said.
Bedroom…
"So, Pyrrha." Rose said, and she and Pyrrha explores the contents of a wardrobe. "You and Jaune."
"What about me and Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, while she is drinking a cup of tea.
"How long have you two…"
"Known each other? Well, it's been a while."
"And how long is a while?" Rose asked, as she found a blue velvet dress that is to her liking.
"A couple of months or so."
"Basically, it's around the same time we've known the Doctor." Rose said, opening another cupboard and discovers a housemaid.
"What happened?" Pyrrha asked, looking at Flora.
"The monks. They came through the house. In the excitement they took the Steward and the Master, and my Lady." Flora said.
"Listen, we've got a friend. He's called the Doctor. He'll know what to do. You've got to come with us." Rose said.
"Oh, but I can't, Miss."
"Well, what's your name?" Pyrrha asked. "You must have one."
"Flora." Flora said.
"Flora, we'll be safe. There's more people arrived downstairs, soldiers and everything, and they can help us. I promise. Come on. Okay? Come on." Rose said.
Corridor…
Around the corner they find one of the soldiers lying on the floor.
"Oh, Miss. I did warn you." Flora said, sadly.
"He's not dead." Pyrrha said, looking down at one of the soldiers. "He might still be alive."
"Yeah." Rose said, agreeing with Pyrrha. "He must be drugged or something."
Father Angelo grabs Flora from behind and drags her away. Two more took Rose and Pyrrha and a fourth removes the soldier.
Dining room…
"Your companion begs an apology, Doctor. Her clothing has somewhat delayed her." Angelo said.
"Oh, that's all right. Save her a wee bit of ham." The Doctor said.
"The feral child could probably eat it raw." Victoria said.
"Very wise, Ma'am. Very witty."
"Pyrrha never takes this long." Jaune said, looking over at Jared. "When it comes to helping others choose their clothes."
"I know." Jared said, frowning. "But Pyrrha, she'll be fine."
"Yeah. Let's hope she gets out alright. With Rose."
"Indeed. Since my husband's death, I find myself with more of a taste for supernatural fiction." Victoria said.
"You must miss him." The Doctor said.
"Very much. Oh, completely. And that's the charm of a ghost story, isn't it? Not the scares and chills, that's just for children, but the hope of some contact with the great beyond. We all want some message from that place. It's the Creator's greatest mystery that we're allowed no such consolation. The dead stay silent, and we must wait. Come. Begin your tale, Sir Robert. There's a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the eaves. Tell us of monsters."
Cellar…
The young monk in the cage is sitting quietly.
"Don't make a sound. They said if we scream or shout, then he will slaughter us." Isobel said.
"But he's in a cage. He's a prisoner. He's the same as us." Rose said.
"He's nothing like us. That creature is not mortal."
The young man opens his eyes. They are completely black.
"I know that the opposite of mortal is immortal." Pyrrha said, using her semblance of polarity to break free of her part of the chain. "But how?"
Dining room…
"The story goes back three hundred years. Every full moon, the howling rings through the valley. The next morning, livestock is found ripped apart and devoured." Robert said.
"Tales like this just disguise the work of thieves. Steal a sheep and blame a wolf, simple as that." Reynolds said.
"But sometimes a child goes missing. Once in a generation, a boy will vanish from his homestead."
Cellar…
Rose gets up and moves towards the crate, as far as the chain will let her.
"Rose, don't." Pyrrha said, placing her hand on top of Rose's. "So, who are you?"
"Don't enrage him." The steward said.
"Where are you from? You're not from Earth. What planet are you from?" Rose asked.
"Oh, intelligence." The werewolf said.
"Where were you born?"
"This body? Ten miles away. A weakling, heartsick boy, stolen away at night by the brethren for my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart."
Dining room…
"Are there descriptions of the creature?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh, yes, Doctor. Drawings and wood carvings. And it's not merely a wolf. It's more than that. This is a man who becomes an animal." Robert said.
"Oh, it's a werewolf." Jared said, happily. "I love a good werewolf."
Cellar…
"All right, so the body's human. But what about you, the thing inside?" Rose asked.
"So far from home." The werewolf said.
"If you want to get back home, we can help."
"We really can." Pyrrha said, agreeing with Rose. "We like helping others whenever we can."
"Why would I leave this place? A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose." The werewolf said.
"How would you do that?" Rose asked.
"I would migrate to the Holy Monarch."
"Do you mean Queen Victoria?" Pyrrha asked, crossing her arms.
"With one bite, I would pass into her blood, and then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf. Many questions." The werewolf said, with his human form lunging at the crate. "Look. Inside your eyes. You've seen it too."
"Seen what?" Rose asked.
"The Wolf. There is something of the Wolf about you."
"I don't know what you mean."
"You burnt like the sun, but all I require is the moon."
Dining room…
The full moon hangs high in the sky.
"My father didn't treat it as a story. He said it was fact. He even claimed to have communed with the beast, to have learned its purpose. I should have listened. His work was hindered. He made enemies. There's a monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine. The Brethren opposed my father's investigations." Robert said.
Angelo gazes out at the moon and starts chanting lupus deus est.
"Perhaps they thought his work ungodly." Victoria said.
"That's what I thought. But now I wonder. What if they had a different reason for wanting the story kept quiet? What if they turned from God and worshipped the wolf?" Robert asked.
"Well, what if they're with us right now?" Jaune asked.
"They could be." Jared said, agreeing with Jaune.
Cellar…
The cellar doors are flung open, and the light shines in on the crate.
"Moonlight…" The werewolf said, and the young man removes his cloak as an unnatural wind starts to blow through the cellar.
"All of you! Stop looking at it! Flora, don't look. Listen to me. Grab hold of the chain and pull! Come on! With me! Pull!" Rose said, when the young man begins his transformation. "I said pull! Stop your whining and listen to me! All of you! And that means you, your Ladyship. Now come on, pull!"
"Pulling a chain like that would work." Pyrrha said, crossing her arms. "Even if I could use my semblance to unlock the chains."
Dining room…
"What is the meaning of this?" Victoria asked.
"Explain yourself, Sir Robert!" Reynolds said, angrily.
"What's happening?"
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, they've got my wife." Robert said, sadly.
"Rose! Where's Rose? Where is she?" The Doctor asked, looking at Jared.
"She's in the cellar." Jared said, pressing a button on his bracelet to take off the perception filter off of his modern day clothes as well Jaune's and Pyrrha's.
"How about Pyrrha?" Jaune asked, running off with Jared and the Doctor.
"She's with Rose!" Jared said, as Captain Reynolds keeps his revolver trained on the chanting monk. "Now come on, you three! There's women to save!"
Cellar…
The young man becomes more vulpine.
"One, two, three, pull! One, two, three, pull!" Rose said.
Hallway…
"You knew that Pyrrha was in danger with Rose." Jaune said, happy that he is in his normal clothes again. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I thought the slow pace would interest you." Jared said, running down the hallway with Jaune, the Doctor, and Robert. "Not much danger and all that."
"So, those little hints you give would have come in handy."
"I know, I know."
Cellar…
The werewolf is fully formed, and examining its paws.
"One, two, three, pull!" Rose said, when the end of the chain breaks free of the wall.
"It looks like our friend Pyrrha is safe and sound." Jared said, kicking his way in with Jaune, as the Doctor and Robert are behind them.
"Hello again!" Pyrrha said, waving her hand. "Werewolf?"
"Yeah, I don't like it." Jaune said, dragging Pyrrha away for her to behind him.
"Where the hell have you been?" Rose asked.
The Doctor sees the occupant of the crate, "Oh, that's beautiful."
"Come on, go. Get out!" Robert said, when the werewolf breaks out of the crate.
"Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out!" The Doctor said, angrily.
"Come on." Rose said, annoyed.
The Doctor stares in admiration, then ducks as the werewolf throws a piece of crate at him. He runs out and locks the door with the sonic screwdriver.
Hallway…
The werewolf's howl echoes through the house.
"The werewolf looked rather cool." Pyrrha said, running in between Jared and Jaune. "So, any hints?"
"The diamond and the telescope is the key." Jared said, happily. "As well as something you kiss under."
"What diamond and telescope?" Jaune asked.
"We already saw the telescope. You'll find out what the diamond is."
"I'm looking forward to it." Pyrrha said, smiling. "Especially what the something you kiss under is."
Gun room…
The Steward hands out the contents of the gun cupboard to the men.
"Arms, and you five. Ready, everyone?" The Steward asked, and he looked at Lady Isobel. "Take the girls. Get them out through the kitchen."
"I can't leave you. What will you do?" Isobel asked.
"I must defend her Majesty. Now, don't think of me, just go." Robert said.
"All of you, at my side. Come on!"
"You might need a helping hand." Pyrrha said, running behind Isobel, and she unlocked the shackles with her semblance of polarity. "I can protect you."
"It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths. Did it say what it wanted?" The Doctor asked.
"Well, the werewolf wanted Queen Victoria." Jared said, happily. "It also wanted the Crown, and the throne. Basically, it's power hungry."
There is a crash of something bursting through a wooden door.
"Um, guys." Jaune said, peeking at the hallway to see the werewolf at the other end of it. "We've got trouble!"
"Werewolf?" The Doctor asked, grabbing Rose.
"Yeah."
"Fire! Fire!" The Steward said, angrily.
Kitchen…
The outside door will not open.
"It won't open. They've sealed us in." Isobel said.
"Maybe I can open it." Pyrrha said, holding out her hand for the door handle to glow black for a moment.
"Oh, my Lady, Pyrrha. Look!" Flora said, when there are monks armed with the soldier's rifles stand outside. "They'll never let us out. They mean for us to die!"
"Don't say that, Flora!" Isobel said, angrily.
Gun room…
"All right, you men. We should retreat upstairs. Come with me." The Doctor said.
"I'll not retreat. The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault." The Steward said.
"I'm telling you, come upstairs!"
"And I'm telling you, sir, I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall." The Steward said, stepping into the corridor then looks back. "It must have crawled away to die."
"We should really help him." Jaune said, when the Steward is hoisted up to the ceiling. "He doesn't deserve to die like that."
"There's nothing we can do!" The Doctor said, running out of the room with Jared and Jaune.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Jared said, hearing the sound of snarling and wet meat ripping.
Kitchen…
The women hear the shouting and gunshots.
"Did they kill it?" Flora asked, when the werewolf entered the room.
The werewolf sniffed the air and left the room.
"I don't think so." Pyrrha said, sadly. "But what caused it to leave?"
Meanwhile, Victoria recovers her property from the strongroom.
Staircase…
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty!" Robert said, annoyed.
"Sir Robert? What's happening?" Victoria asked, running down the stairs. ���I heard such terrible noises."
"Your Majesty, we've got to get out. But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?"
"Captain Reynolds disposed of him."
"Well, we can't go through the front door." Jared said, happily. "It's locked."
"He's right, it's been boarded shut." The Doctor said, looking at Victoria. "Pardon me, Your Majesty. You'll have to leg it out of a window."
Drawing room…
"Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress." Robert said.
"A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh." Victoria said.
"This werewolf is not cool." Jaune said, as the Doctor regains his London accent. "I don't like it."
"Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?" The Doctor asked, as Robert opens the window and the monks outside open fire. "I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside."
"Do they know who I am?!" Victoria exclaimed.
"Yeah, that's why they want you. The wolf's lined you up for a, a biting." Rose said, happily.
"Stop this talk. There can't be an actual wolf." Victoria said, and the werewolf howls nearby.
Corridor…
"What do we do?" Rose asked.
"We run." The Doctor said.
"Is that it?"
"You got any silver bullets?"
"Not on me, no. Jaune, Jared?"
"Nope." Jaune said, sadly.
"Sorry." Jared said, frowning. "I prefer to wield two swords and a gun."
"There we are then, we run. Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigourous jog. Good for the health. Come on!" The Doctor said, as they're running up staircase.
Staircase…
The werewolf smashes its way out of below stairs and follows them.
"Come on! Come on!" The Doctor said, angrily.
Library corridor…
The werewolf is nearly upon them when Reynolds turns and shoots. It retreats.
"I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty, I went to look for the property and it was taken. The chest was empty." Reynolds said.
"I have it. It's safe." Victoria said.
"Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert, you're a traitor to the crown."
"But bullets can't stop it!" Jaune said, annoyed. "It's not like hunting down Grimm!"
"They'll buy you time. Now run!"
Library…
Reynolds empties his revolver at the werewolf before it pounces and rips him apart.
"Rose!" The Doctor said, dragging Rose inside the room.
"That's a big werewolf!" Jaune said, looking at the werewolf.
"Let's barricade the door." Jared said, as they picked up materials and moved them around to barricade the door. "And done."
"Wait a minute. Shush, shush, wait a minute." The Doctor said, while there is one lonely howl. "It's stopped." The werewolf sniffs at the door, then leaves. "It's gone."
"Listen." Rose said, as there are footsteps and growls from outside the walls as it walks around the room.
"Is this the only door?" The Doctor asked, looking at Robert.
"Yes. No!" Robert said, and they quickly barricade the other door.
"Shush." Rose said, while the noises continue outside the walls. "I don't understand. What's stopping it?"
"Something inside this room. What is it? Why can't it get in?" The Doctor asked.
"So, you know why the werewolf can't get in here." Jaune said, looking at Jared.
"Of course." Jared said, excitedly. "When don't I know what's going on? If it's in the future. At the point in time when I don't know what will happen in RWBY and Doctor Who."
"And when will that happen exactly?"
"Volume 6 of RWBY and Series 11 of Doctor Who. We have a long way until we reach both of them."
"That's good. Something tells me you've been keeping Pyrrha alive."
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. It's all my fault. I should have sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong. I thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?" Robert asked.
"Well, they were bald, athletic. Your wife's away, I just thought you were happy." The Doctor said.
"I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now." Rose said, looking at Victoria.
"Do you think this is funny?" Victoria asked.
"No, Ma'am. I'm sorry."
"What, exactly, I pray tell me, someone, please. What exactly is that creature?"
"You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's a more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform." The Doctor said.
"And should I trust you, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?" Victoria asked.
"Oh right, sorry, that's…"
"I'll not have it. No, sir. Not you, not that thing, none of it. This is not my world."
Kitchen…
Isobel and Pyrrha spot something draped over the shoulders of the guarding monks.
"Something under you where you kiss someone when it's Christmas time." Pyrrha said, crossing her arms. "It's mistletoe."
"They're all garlanded in mistletoe and the wolf doesn't attack them. Who brought this into the kitchen?" Isobel asked, agreeing with Pyrrha.
"It must've been the Brethren." Flora said.
"Gather it up. Quickly. Every last scrap. Quick, now!"
Library…
A carving of mistletoe on the door.
"Mistletoe. Sir Robert, did you father put that there?" The Doctor asked, looking at Robert.
"I don't know. I suppose." Robert said.
"On the other door, too. No, a carving wouldn't be enough. I wonder." The Doctor said, licking the woodwork. "Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe. It's been worked into the wood like a varnish. How clever was your dad? I love him. Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins."
"And the wolf's allergic to it?" Rose asked.
"Well, it thinks it is. The monkey monk monks need a way of controlling the wolf, maybe they trained it to react against certain things."
"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon." Robert said.
"Well, weapon that does wonder on a werewolf." Jared said, taking out the Monado and looking down at it. "We don't have any."
"Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?" The Doctor asked, looking at Robert.
"Being rude again." Rose said.
"Good. I meant that one. You want weapons? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world. This room's the greatest arsenal we could have." The Doctor said, throwing some books to Rose. "Arm yourself."
Kitchen…
The housemaids and Pyrrha are chopping up the remaining mistletoe.
"There's no sound of the wolf, my Lady, Pyrrha. Perhaps it's gone." Flora said.
"Perhaps it's toying with us. But my husband's up there, and if there's any chance he's still alive, then by God, I'll assist him." Isobel said.
"Jaune is alright." Pyrrha said, smiling. "I know he is. He is with the Doctor, Jared, and Rose."
Flora throws the mistletoe into boiling water.
(Jared's POV)
Library…
"Biology, zoology. There might be something on wolves in here." Rose said, looking through the books.
"Hold on, what about this? A book on mistletoe." The Doctor said.
"A book on magic." I said, smiling. "If only we were in Hogwarts or Camelot."
"Some form of explosive." Robert said.
"Hmm, that's the sort of thing." The Doctor said.
"How about wolf's bane?" Jaune asked, picking up another book.
"Look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth." The Doctor said, looking down at a book.
"A spaceship?" Rose asked.
"A shooting star." Robert said, reading a page off the book. "In the year of our Lord 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit. That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the monastery."
"But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?"
"Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations, it survived through the humans, host after host after host." The Doctor said.
"Like regeneration." Jaune said, coming up with a comparison. "Or incarnation."
"But why does it want the throne?" Robert asked.
"That's what it wants. It said so. The, the Empire of the Wolf." Rose said, recalling what the werewolf said.
"Imagine it. The Victorian Age accelerated. Starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam, leaving history devastated in its wake." The Doctor said.
"Sir Robert. If I am to die here." Victoria said.
"Don't say that, Your Majesty." Robert said.
"I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me. But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself."
"Hardly the time to worry about your valuables." The Doctor said.
"Thank you for your opinion, but there is nothing more valuable than this." Victoria said, revealing a finest white 105.6 carat diamond.
"Is that the Koh-I-Noor?" Rose asked.
"Oh, yes." The Doctor said.
"And what is the Koh-I-Noor?" Jaune asked.
"Jaune, it's the greatest diamond in the world." I said, happily. "When it comes to gemstones, they keep me in awe."
"Given to me as the spoils of war. Perhaps it's legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die." Victoria said.
"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I?" The Doctor asked, examining the diamond. "That is so beautiful."
"How much is that worth?" Rose asked.
"They say the wages of the entire planet for a whole week."
"Good job my mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing."
"And she'd win."
"Where is the wolf? I don't trust this silence." Robert said.
"Why do you travel with it?" The Doctor asked.
"My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew, the Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting." Victoria said.
"Oh, but it's perfect." Rose said, sadly.
"My late husband never thought so."
"Now, there's a fact. Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting." The Doctor said.
"He always said the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished." Victoria said.
"Unfinished. Oh, yes." The Doctor said, tossing the stone back to Victoria. "There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research, and your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond. Hold on, hold on. All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected. Oh, my head, my head. What if this house, it's a trap for you. Is that right, Ma'am?"
"Obviously."
"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But, what if there's a trap inside the trap?"
"Explain yourself, Doctor."
"What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true, and they planned against it, laying the real trap not for you but for the wolf." The Doctor said, when plaster dust falls from the ceiling. They look up to the domes skylight. "That wolf there." The glass in the skylight cracks. "Out! Out! Out!"
Library corridor…
The Doctor shuts the mistletoe doors on the werewolf.
"Your Majesty!" Robert said, looking at Victoria.
"Get to the observatory!" The Doctor said, as the werewolf catches up with Rose and Jaune.
Rose screams then a pan of liquid is thrown over it. It retreats.
"Good shot." The Doctor said, looking at Pyrrha.
"It was mistletoe." Pyrrha said, crossing her arms. "That Christmas hint came in handy."
"I told you so." I said, laughing a lot. "So, how did it go?"
"Not much."
"Pyrrha." Jaune said, happily.
"Hello again! We managed to stop the werewolf."
"Girls, come with me. Down the back stairs, back to the kitchens. Quickly!" Isobel said, angrily.
"Come on!" The Doctor said, annoyed.
"The observatory's this way." Robert said.
We carry on up the staircase as the werewolf recovers.
Outside the observatory…
"No mistletoe in these doors because your father wanted the wolf to get inside. I just need time. Is there any way of barricading this?" The Doctor asked.
"Just do your work and I'll defend it." Robert said.
"If we could bind them shut with rope or something."
"I said I'd find you time, Sir. Now get inside."
"Good man.��
Observatory…
"Your Majesty, the diamond." The Doctor said, looking at Victoria.
"For what purpose?" Victoria asked.
"The purpose it was designed for."
"I can help him indirectly though." Pyrrha said, when Robert takes a sword from a display on the wall and stands ready as the werewolf comes up the stairs. "My semblance after all is polarity."
"Yeah, magnetism." Jaune said, as Victoria hands over the diamond to the Doctor. "I know you helped me back then with the Grimm."
"Rose, Jaune, Pyrrha." The Doctor said, and the four go to the control wheels and start raising the telescope up. "Lift it. Come on."
"Is this the right time for stargazing?" Rose asked.
"Yes it is." The Doctor said.
Outside the observatory…
"I committed treason for you, but now my wife will remember me with honour!" Robert said, and it is a very short fight.
"I really am sorry." I said, looking out of the window. "I wish I could have saved you, though."
Victoria holds up her jet cross and prays.
Observatory…
"You said this thing doesn't work." Rose said, when I ran up the stairs back to them.
"It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is. It's a light chamber. It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up." The Doctor said.
"It won't work." Jaune said, moving the cog on the same side as the Doctor. "There's no electricity, Doctor."
"Werewolves rely on the moon." Pyrrha said, smiling. "Moonlight."
"But the wolf needs moonlight. It's made by moonlight." Rose said, agreeing with Jaune and Pyrrha.
"The four of you are seventy percent water but you can still drown. Come on! Come on!" The Doctor said, angrily.
The moon shines down into the telescope lens and bounces between the prisms, magnifying as it goes. The werewolf breaks in and goes for Queen Victoria. The Doctor slides the diamond over to where the light hits the floor. It refracts upwards, catching the werewolf in its beam and lifting it up off the floor. The wolf turns back into a young man, hanging as if crucified in mid air.
"Make it brighter. Let me go." The werewolf said, as the Doctor adjusts the magnification on the eyepiece.
"Now that is the coolest thing I've ever seen." I said, when the man turns back into a wolf shape, howls and vanishes. "Even if it's sad."
Victoria looks at a small scratch on her wrist.
"Your Majesty? Did it bite you?" The Doctor asked.
"No, it's, it's a cut, that's all." Victoria said.
"If that thing bit you?"
"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart. It's nothing."
"Let me see."
"It is nothing."
(Open POV)
Drawing room…
Morning. In the presence of the whole household, the Doctor, Rose, Jared, Jaune, and Pyrrha kneel before Queen Victoria, who is armed with a sword.
"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Sir Doctor of Tardis. By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Dame Rose of the Powell Estate. By the power invested in me by the Church and State, I dub thee Sir Jared of Manhattan. By the power invested in me by the Church and State, I dub thee Sir Jaune of Beacon. By the power invested in me by the Church and State, I dub thee Dame Pyrrha of Beacon. You may stand." Victoria said.
"Many thanks, Ma'am." The Doctor said.
"Thanks. They're never going to believe this back home." Rose said, smiling.
"We really appreciate it." Pyrrha said, happily. "Knighted by Queen Victoria."
"Oh, Weiss is so gonna be jealous of me." Jaune said, excitedly. "She might even want to date me now."
"Uh, no." Jared said, crossing his arms. "She doesn't want you."
"Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving no message from the great beyond. I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now, Ma'am, from beyond the grave." The Doctor said, looking at Victoria.
"Indeed. Then you may think on this also. That I am not amused." Victoria said.
"Yes!" Rose said, cheering.
"Not remotely amused. And henceforth I banish you."
"I'm sorry?" The Doctor asked.
"I have rewarded you, Sir Doctor, and now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the five of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars and magic and think it fun. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death, and I will not allow it. You will leave these shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you came to stray so far from all that is good, and how much longer you may survive this terrible life. Now leave my world, and never return." Victoria said.
Highlands…
"Whoa!" Dougal said.
The Doctor, Rose, Jared, Jaune, and Pyrrha get off the back of a cart.
"Cheers, Dougal!" The Doctor said, as Jaune is holding Pyrrha's hand.
"Walk on." Dougal said.
"No, but the funny thing is, Queen Victoria did actually suffer a mutation of the blood. It's historical record. She was haemophiliac. They used to call it the Royal Disease. But it's always been a mystery because she didn't inherit it. Her mum didn't have it, her dad didn't have it. It came from nowhere." The Doctor said.
"So, you think it's a wolf bite?" Pyrrha asked, coming up with a theory. "That infected Queen Victoria."
"Well, maybe haemophilia is just a Victorian euphemism."
"And haemophilia is for werewolf?" Jaune asked, looking over at the Doctor. "I never knew that."
"Could be." The Doctor said.
"Queen Victoria's a werewolf?" Rose asked.
"Could be. And her children had the Royal Disease. Maybe she gave them a quick nip."
"So, the Royal Family are werewolves?"
"Well, maybe not yet. I mean, a single wolf cell could take a hundred years to mature. Might be ready by, oh, early 21st century?"
"Nah, that's just ridiculous! Mind you, Princess Anne."
"I'll say no more." The Doctor said.
"Neither am I." Jared said, walking next to Jaune and Pyrrha. "I know things way too much. Especially about today."
"And if you think about it, they're very private. They plan everything in advance. They could schedule themselves around the moon. We'd never know. And they like hunting!" Rose said, as she, The Doctor, Jared, Jaune, and Pyrrha go inside the Tardis. "They love blood sports. Oh my God, they're werewolves!"
The Tardis dematerialises.
Kirito and Asuna's house…
"The British Royal Family are werewolves." Asuna said, drinking a cup of tea. "Who knew."
"Of course you knew." Weiss said, crossing her arms. "And Jaune got knighted. How unbelievable!"
"We were banished though." Jared said, happily. "But we inspired Queen Victoria for the wrong reason."
"What did you do?" Ruby asked, looking at Jared.
"We might have accidentally created Torchwood."
"And what's Torchwood?" Lisbeth asked.
"It's an institute that investigates aliens and fights them. Their purpose is to defend the Earth from aliens."