Lord Gabus sat upon a rocky outcrop and overlooked the battlefield. Only his closest advisor, dear Thaddon was by his side. He looked down and saw both campsites, the red circular tents of his own warriors and the white and blue square shaped tents of his mortal enemy Yverion. From up here they looked like ants scurrying about. Was this how the gods saw them? Just as mindless insects? He put aside such thoughts and turned to Thaddon. "Yverion favours combat with chariots and horses. Make sure we have plenty of pikes and archers at the fore. We'll use the mangonels to soften up their reserve."

"Very good my Lord Gabus." General Thaddon saluted stiffly to his Ruler and dearest friend. "We shall prevail finally, Thryce will not fall to that Teposian butcher. May the gods smile down upon you tomorrow."

Gabus returned his gaze to the view. "Is this how it ends? Can this feud of blood finally be done with?" He stood up slowly, massaging his tired legs. "After all this time I'll welcome it. Then I can put the memory of my poor dearest daughter to rest." Feeling more alone than anyone else on the face of the world Gabus trudged down the mud track back to his simple tent and his bed.

"Ha!" King Yverion of Tepos blocked the sword blow with his short sword and thrust forward with his own sword. He favoured the use of two such weapons rather than rely on the dubious protection of a shield. A shield cut down your view of the enemy did it not? He laughed as the sword struck the soldier in the chest, striking the heavy duelling armour indicating a kill. Now there were only three of his finest captains left. One came forward quickly, sword held high. Yverion struck him hard in the stomach, a lesson the man would not soon forget. "Come on, attack you dogs!" he shouted, a broad grin on his face. They came at him, one high and the other low. He jumped over the low attack on his knees and rolled forward under the blade of the other attacker. Standing firm he waited. They came once again and he sidestepped, striking the left on his helmet before turning to face his single remaining captain. "So only you left Porat, will you command my finest legion tomorrow? Will you be the one to bring me victory?"

Porat span his sword about slowly. "I am but a Captain sir. Your General Latimos deserve the honour."

"Strike one hit on me and you shall take that old fool's place." Yverion meant it too. He anticipated the young man's badly planned attack and went to block it but Porat was not there, he had blindsided him and his sword blade was at his throat. "Would you kill your King?" he asked. "You could have it all you know my boy. An army to follow you, a kingdom who loved you."

Porat lowered his sword. "The gods know that you are King." He offered Yverion his sword. "I am not worthy to be your General never mind a King."

Yverion laughed and picked the young man up to his feet. "By the gods you've got a good sword arm and I need that. Drink with me General Porat and be merry, for tomorrow we may be dead."

"It will be Lord Gabus of Thryce who lies dead tomorrow Majesty." Porat raised his glass. "May you slay your nemesis and take your revenge for the death of your son."

Jemerina closed her eyes as Zarons lips pressed against hers. Her heart seemed to fill with a thousand rose petals in that instant which seemed to fill an eternity of bliss.

"Marry me, our fathers be damned." Zaron looked into Jemerina's eyes part of their souls meeting and entwining forever in a knot called love.

"Yes," Jemerina said at once. She loved him not because he was the heir to some great kingdom but because he was a kind and gentle man. She knew that there was not a single finer person in this lifetime that she could love more. "I will speak to father, I'm sure he will agree once he knows it is the only thing I truly desire."

Zaron watched as the love of his life left the empty kitchen to speak to her father. He sat down on the edge of the rough-hewn table and considered himself to be the luckiest person ever.

Elsewhere, in a place where time is very much a relative concept a slightly battered but much loved time machine fluttered through the raging storm-filled chaos that exists outside of time and space. This impossible machine, called the TARDIS, was occupied by two very different personalities. The first had a colossal intellect, a personality quite alien to that a human would understand and possessed great personal strength. She was called Romanadvoratrelundar and she was dressed in an elegant long white robe with big lace sleeves and diamonds sewn into the hem and the waist for decoration. The other was called the Doctor; he was dressed in a long brown coat, with an even longer multi-coloured scarf and a big floppy black hat. He had a warm toothy smile and a curiously innocent sense of adventure that often got the two of them into trouble.

Romana looked sternly at the Doctor. "Are you sure the TARDIS is working properly?" She ruffled her hair slightly, trying to work a small tangle out of the dark brown silky mass. "I'm surprised this heap of spare parts hasn't fallen apart by now anyway."

The Doctor put his hands onto the TARDISes six-sided mushroom shaped console. "There, there old girl, she didn't mean it. Say you're sorry Romana."

"Doctor, this is ridiculous." Romana put a hand on her hip to add body language to her statement. "We have to locate the third segment of the Key to Time." The Key was vital to the White Guardian, the ultimate expression of order and goodness in the Universe, so that he could shift the trend towards evil and chaos and restore the cosmological balance. She had been recruited by President Borusa himself and she was not going to put aside her duty in this task just because that rickety old excuse of a TARDIS was developing a few faults. She was about to suggest repairs when the lights in the console room all went out.

"Romana?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes?" Romana replied.

"I think the TARDIS is falling apart."

Using her photographic memory Romana made her way over to the console and frantically pressed the emergency-landing button. "I think it's working." She called to the Doctor. "We're landing."

"Romana," the Doctor called out. "I think I'm blind."

"The lights aren't working Doctor. I can't see much either."

The Doctor paused for a second. "I can't see anything at all Romana."

"I'll stretch my arm out in your direction Doctor." First she had to complete the powering up process.

Slowly but surely the central column of the Time Rotor rose and fell, a dim light coming from the energy trapped underneath the surprisingly heavy transparent metal column with it's embedded circuitry reflecting some of this light round the console room.

"Doctor, take my hand." Romana held out her arm and felt the Doctor take a hold of it. "Walk towards me." She pulled her friend towards the console. By the very dim light coming from the console she found that the Doctor's hat had slipped over his eyes. She lifted it up and couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it.

The console room light faded up slowly as the power levels returned. The Doctor checked the external reading. "Earth? How did we end up here I wonder?" He pulled the Locator out of its socket in the console and waved it about.

"No activity at all." Romana exclaimed. "The Key isn't here. We should leave as soon as possible."

"That could take hours." The Doctor looked at Romana and smiled. "Why don't we go for a walk? The fresh air will do us both the power of good. We'll have a nice turn around the local area and be back in time to have tea and cakes."

"We should repair this machine first," Romana insisted.

The Doctor stared at his companion. "K9 can do that. He's very good with circuit repairs. Where is K9 anyway?" The Doctor looked around the console room. "Here boy." He whistled.

Romana took K9's dog whistle from out of her dress sleeve and blew gently on it. "He should be here shortly." She handed the whistle to the Doctor.

The Doctor blew the whistle. "There, I think K9 will be here shortly. How did you get this anyway?"

Romana held up a white paper bag of sweets. "Same place I got these. Would you like a pineapple chunk?" She laughed slightly at the Doctor's shocked reaction. "You should see your face!"

Jemerina knocked on the door of her father's study. She saw how his face lit up with joy when he saw that it was her. "Father, would you give me the one thing that I want most in the world if you could?"

Lord Gabus's face lit up. "In an instant my dearest child." He stood up and looked at her. "You remind me of your mother you know, your Aunt too and even your Uncle Rospar."

"Father!" Jemerina exclaimed with a laugh.

"What is it you want Jemerina?"

"I want to be the happiest bride in the whole world." Jemerina took hold of her father's hands. "Please say yes."

"I can hardly agree if I haven't met this lucky boy now can I?" Lord Gabus smiled. "Tell the lad to come and ask me himself for my permission. I promise you he'll get an honest answer once I've talked to him."

She hugged her father with joy. "Oh father I know you'll say yes once you know how much he loves me." She hurried off to fetch Zaron.

Romana looked at the green fields, the volcanic hills and the tents of sleeping soldiers. "Is this what all Earth looks like or is this a special occasion?"

The Doctor stared agog at the sheer number of troops. "I think we've arrived on the eve of a battle." He set off towards the nearest tent.

"Doctor what are you going to do?" Romana set off after her friend.

"I'm going to see if I can put a stop to it of course," the Doctor explained. "I've always been against this sort of thing you know. Humans, they invest as much in killing one another as they do helping each other."

"Is that why you like them so much?" Romana asked, appalled at the sheer scale of brutality about to be unleashed.

"No!" the Doctor scored. "Yes." He changed part of his mind. "Maybe." He made his mind up. "Humans are very complicated considering how much they still have to learn about almost everything. However they have a certain something about them, I guess in their terms they call it humanity."

"What a ridiculous concept," Romana disparaged out loud.

They made their way through the circular red tents until they found a large one filled with the remnants of a large feast.

Romana began to search through this for leads as to which this army was fighting for and what possible reasons they could have for killing their own kind. Suddenly she felt a dagger pushed into the small of her back.

"What do you want here?" a voice, thick and heavy but definitely female, asked.

"I was curious," Romana replied. "I wanted to know whose army this is."

"We're from Thryce of course," the woman replied. "Where are you from that you don't know that then?"

"It would be difficult to explain," Romana answered cryptically. "It would be easier for you to understand if I said I was a traveller from a long way away and I'm not used to being threatened by a crude weapon or an even cruder person."

"Who are you then?" the woman demanded.

Romana took in a deep breath of air. "I am Lady Romanadvoratrelundar from Gallifrey, it's in the constellation of Kasterborous, not that I expect you know where that is." Romana was turned around to look at the serving girl who held a blunt knife.

"I'll tell General Thaddon that we've got a noble visitor such as yourself here milady." The servant turned and all but ran out of the tent.

"How does the Doctor manage this all the time?" Romana asked herself once the woman was out of earshot.

"Father wants to see you," Jemerina informed her beloved Zaron.

Zaron kissed dear sweet Jemerina gently on her flustered forehead. "I shall go to him then and tell him how true our love is." He kissed her once more then twice and a third time for luck before heading up to meet the father of the woman he loved. Standing in front of the heavy oak door he rapped sharply on it three times and the door opened slowly.

"Prince Zaron!" Lord Gabus shouted. "You would dare to defile my only daughter with your vileness? King Yverion must think me a fool to let you take away my lands and title by marriage? He can't take them in honest battle so he resorts to this low cunning. My Jemerina's affections will not be trifled with in this manner!" He drew his sword and advanced on the young Prince, intend on humiliating the youth.

Zaron stood still. "My father does not know of this I swear. My love for Jemerina is pure, I did not know who she was when I first saw her. I took her to be a noblewoman yes but I did not suspect. My love for her grew each time I saw her as did hers for me, we are meant for each other I am sure." He pulled apart his buttoned up tunic. "If you deny me the greatest honour to marry your sweet, beautiful daughter then you should kill me now. For I will not survive without her beside me, she means everything to me. More than my own life do I place her simplest contentment and I know she feels the same way about me. Truly I ask you, can any two people as in love together as Jemerina and myself ever be parted even by death?"

Lord Gabus looked at Zaron and saw that his eyes held no lies, only a truth beyond measure. "You do indeed love her, that much is clear but my people would never accept Yverion as their ruler so I cannot give you her lands as a dowry, they will be given only to any grandchildren you care to give me." He smiled and patted Zaron on the shoulder. "I take it that you have yet to tell your father?"

"I thought it wisest to seek your permission to wed first," Zaron replied.

The Doctor shook his head. "That girl is always wandering off." He stopped when he realised that he had left the red tents far behind and nearby lay different tents, white and blue in colour. "I must have walked across no-man's-land. I do hope they like Doctors." He set off again towards a nearby tent, noting the large gold crest above the opening. However he hardly got near it when there was a sword about his throat. "I say," he protested. "I'm not who you think I am. Unless you thought I was the Doctor then I am who you thought I am." The sword blade started to wilt slightly from against his neck. "There, that's so much more civil of you."

"Who are you?" the soldier asked nervously.

"I am the Doctor," the Doctor proclaimed as he turned around. "You seem like a handy sort of chap with that oversized letter opener, would you like a jelly baby?"

"What do you want?"

"Oh this and that." The Doctor looked about. "I don't suppose I can ask you not to kill anyone tomorrow? In fact could you refrain from anything of a violent nature?"

"No he could not!" King Yverion exclaimed. "He is a soldier and he's paid well to kill my enemies." Yverion looked at the tall, oddly dressed stranger. "What business do you have infiltrating my army? We hang spies, once we'll removed their skin, eyeballs and viscera."

"Really?" the Doctor asked. "Well that sounds awfully fascinating but I'm not a spy. I'm a traveller and I've become separated from my friend Romana. You haven't seen her about have you? About my height, thin as a rake, long brown hair? She's got the attention span of a goldfish you know, just wanders around in a daze most of the time."

Yverion stroked his thick bushy beard. "I would remember such a woman if I laid eyes on her. I hope for your sake she hasn't ended up in that viper Gabus's army camp."

"Is he a bad sort?" the Doctor asked.

"The worst, he's totally ruthless and completely without mercy. I've lost many good men to his foul practices." Yverion finally sheathed his sword, satisfied with the stranger's tale. He certainly had the look and speech of someone from the far off lands of the Franks and the Gauls. "I hope for her sake that she avoids his clutches."

Romana continued herself. It was typical of the Doctor just to wander off when she least expected it. He had the attention span of a butterfly and spent most of his time wandering about in some sort of trance, his magpie-like mind attracted briefly to this and that before he lost interest and found something else to interest his curiosity.

"You don't look like a spy." Lord Gabus leaned against the wooden frame of the large mess tent. "Can your story be true I ask myself? A simple traveller who just happens to find herself here, searching my tents, on the eve of a great battle. A simple traveller dressed in such finery as what you're wearing. I find myself wondering many things." Gabus walked over to the tall noble woman. "Can you be some succubus sent by Yverion to tempt me before battle and kill me in your embrace?"

"Most certainly not," Romana exclaimed in shock. "I don't know what one is anyway. I'm from Gallifrey and we don't go in for that sort of thing."

"What thing?" Gabus played with her a little.

"Anything," Romana half smiled. "I'm Romana. You haven't seen my travelling companion about have you? He's tall, with curly hair, wears a hat and an absurd scarf."

"I think I would have seen such a fellow." Gabus held out his hand. "Would you take wine and bread with me Romana?" Truly she was a heavenly creature sent by the gods as a good omen for the battle tomorrow. "I'm Ramón Gabus. You're quite safe, I'm quite well known around here."

Romana took his hand, the promise of wine and bread seemed honest enough and she should sample human food eventually. The Doctor spoke so highly of their species, although she couldn't see what the fuss was about, he had mooted a couple of trips here and there once they had found and assembled all the parts of the Key to Time. She found his simple tent to be strangely warm and comfortable, a large portrait of a young woman all but filled one part of the interior.

Gabus saw Romana looking at the portrait. "My daughter Jemerina, she was the dearest thing in my life. Anything she wanted I would give her, even the man she wanted to marry." He brushed away a warm tear that trickled out of his eye and down his cheek.

Romana saw the pain and anger inside her newfound friend. "What happened to her?"

Gabus raised his head and expressed his agony and rage in one word. "Yverion."

"Where's that?" Romana asked.

"He was the father of Zaron, my daughter's one truest love." Gabus sat down on his bed, his legs unable to support him any longer. "Zaron loved my daughter for who she was, that much was easy to see. The poor lad was hopeless at hiding it. His father on the other hand..."

"He wasn't so happy?" Romana put her hand on Gabus's shoulder.

"Happy? He was overjoyed. Our armies had been at one another for years, trying to expand our territories to create a buffer zone to cool tensions down." Gabus gave Romana a brief history of the conflicts between Thryce and Tepos. "He saw the marriage as a way to take my lands without battle. When I told him that I would not include my lands as part of Jemerina's dowry he went ballistic."

Romana almost went ballistic; the sheer thought that women were treated as bargaining tools made her blood run at a temperature slightly colder than the freezing vacuum of the emptiness between the stars.

"Before I could explain that I wanted to save it for their children Yverion insulted my honour and swore that he would take our lands by bloody conquest." Gabus sighed. "If only I had explained things better, gotten him to see my concerns and my hope for the future."

Jemerina fastened the heavy cloak around her shoulders and looked at Zaron. He looked noble, dressed in ordinary clothing, his regal bearing and beautiful face transcending his garments. She laughed as he smeared a bit of mud on his face.

"What is so funny?" He asked his beautiful lover.

She stopped laughing finally. "That's not mud." She pointed at the nearby cow. "It does look splendid on you though."

Zaron started to laugh too. "Can you love a smelly Prince who's father has disowned him?"

Kissing him softly Jemerina nodded her head. "Oh yes, it was never your title I was after and you've always been smelly." She laughed again before kissing him once more. "We should go now if we are to catch the tide."

Zaron lifted the love of his life up onto the back of the cow. From now on they had to pass as simple common folk if they were to stand any chance of getting out of Thryce and start a new life together. "Yar!" He got the cow moving with a slap on its behind.

"Zaron." Jemerina looked deeply into the eyes of Zaron. "I love you so very much."

"I know." Zaron fell into her eyes. "I love you too with all that I am."

It was almost dawn, the horizon had lightened from the darkest of blues to purple then blue and now a tinge of orangey yellow was creeping into view. The Doctor looked around the campsite, already the soldiers were preparing for their futile conflict. Many would be killed for no gain while others would kill for no advantage. Horses were being harnessed to the large number of chariots and large pieces of metal attached to the wheels, no doubt to injure and maim those the horses didn't trample to death. With sadness in his eyes the Doctor turned his back on Yverion's forces and made his way over to nearby hills. He could follow them and make his way back to the TARDIS.

Romana had investigated the camp once Lord Gabus had fallen asleep due to the combination of tiredness and that strange drink called wine. She had found the soldiers were a combination of young men, little older than children really, and battle hardened veterans who all bore many scars thanks to their years of service. The thought that they wanted to kill the enemy repulsed her greatly and finally she resolved to leave this madness and make her way back to the TARDIS.

Jemerina sang a song of joy and contentment while Zaron lay nearby, his face warmed by the first rays of dawn. Their moment of tranquillity was broken however by the arrival of a repaired type 40 TARDIS.

"By the gods what is this?" Zaron leapt to his feet as two figures emerged.

"Who are you?" Jemerina asked.

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor announced to all and sundry. "This is Romana." He put his arm around his best friends shoulder. "Say hello to Jemerina Gabus and Prince Zaron of Tepos."

"Hello." Romana wasn't sure to bow or not but as they were only humans she simply nodded her head instead.

"How do you know our names?" Zaron demanded.

"I met your father," the Doctor explained to the angry prince.

"And I met yours." Romana smiled at Jemerina, the portrait she had viewed hardly did the girl justice. "When we left they were just about to go to war over your disappearances. Each blames the other you know."

"We left messages for them." Zaron insisted. "We don't want to be their political pawns anymore so we came here to raise our child." As if on cue a cry came out of the nearby cottage. Jemerina rushed to the cottage to attend the needs of her baby while the others followed at a slower pace.

"My father is a good man." Zaron said as they entered the cottage. "Quick to anger yes and slow to forgive but to his friends he is kind and generous and would do all that he could even if it was to his own detriment. Lord Gabus too is a kind and honest man; he would do anything for anyone if he could make it so. It is their duty to their kingdoms that set them at each others throats, had the circumstances been different I'm sure that they would have been the best of friends."

Jemerina entered the kitchen, her baby cuddled in her arms. "I wish that our fathers could see him and know that peace is preferable to war."

Romana looked at the Doctor. "Perhaps we could arrange something?"

"I'm not sure if that's wise." The Doctor looked at the two lovers. "I'm not sure if they could cope."

"Doctor, they have a right to know. You can stay here if you like, I'll pilot the TARDIS. I am better qualified after all."

"I thought you said my ship was a pile of spare parts?" the Doctor grinned and Romana smiled too. "Come on you two, time to catch up with the world."

The aftermath was a burned and bloodied field of the dead and the dying. Those who could had made their escape, fleeing the slaughter. Four people trekked through the carnage, the fifth asleep in his fathers arms. They came at last to the very centre of the war zone, here bodies were unrecognisable as such, only entrails and blood-covered chunks of flesh lay on the ground, except for two figures.

Jemerina gasped and buried her face in the Doctor's scarf. Her face a mask of sorrow and fears as she howled out her suffering.

"They killed each other," Romana observed. "I'm sorry for your losses."

Zaron patted the strange Romana on the shoulder. "Thank you, please hold my son while I grieve with my Jemerina? We have both lost much this day. Only the carrion birds can claim any sort of victory here."

Romana took the child into her arms, hoping she held it correctly. She wasn't sure how these small people worked but he seemed content to be still. She looked at the Doctor who was grinning at her. "What is it?" she asked her friend. "Am I holding the child upside down?"

The TARDIS was much the same as they had left it. K9 had finished the repairs and tidied away all the damaged components. The Doctor walked over to the console and began to input dematerialisation codes. "Well where shall we go to now?" he asked Romana.

Romana picked up the locator from its place atop the time rotor. "Business first, holiday later," she laughed as she placed the thin wand into the TARDIS console. "I hope we go somewhere nice this time."

"Nice?" the Doctor asked. "You didn't think that the Earth was nice? I think that it's terribly nice don't you K9?" He looked about for the small metallic dog. "Where has he gone now?"

The TARDIS dematerialised and they were on their way once more through the empty eternities of Time and Space.

The High Priest looked at Jemerina and waited for her reply.

Jemerina looked at Zaron and her heart turned from rose petals to butterflies. "I do."

"Then by the power invested in me by the gods I now pronounce your union eternally blessed." The High Priest motioned for the two to kiss and found that they needed no encouragement. With that a new golden age of peace was born...