The Fall of Arcadia (Book ONE)

Chapter 39

Sera:

"No!" My eyes flew open and I sat upright, feeling my eyes burning gold and my glass of water on the bedside table smashed. Breathing hard, I looked to where the Doctor was normally lying, but he was at the end of the bed, claw marks across his forearms.

"Sera? Sera, are you alright, Dear?" He asked, moving forward to hold me as I put my hand over my mouth, seeing blood under my nails. "Hey, its not your fault, you were dreaming. I'm fine, Seraphina..."

I shook my head, a small sob going through my body as I hugged my knees to my chest, my entire body drenched in a cold sweat. "I hurt you, my Angel, how could I do that? Legacy, I don't know what's wrong with me."

His cool arms wrapped themselves around me, pulling me onto his lap and the Doctor rocked me gently, kissing my hair. "There's nothing wrong with you, Seraphina. Whatever this is, it isn't you, I know it isn't. You would never hurt me on purpose."

"You don't know that." I whispered, burying my face in his bare chest, breathing in his smell, feeling it calm my racing hearts. "I killed that poor Krafayis, I knew it was charging, but I didn't move until the last minute..."

"Oh, Sera that wasn't your fault. You put that poor thing  out of its misery." He looked down at me, and his beautiful jade eyes met my tigers eye ones, holding my gaze. "When was the last time we spent the day together, just you and me?"

I thought about it, then shook my head. "I don't know. When you were still Mr Anti-Gravity-Hair, I think. Why, Angel?"

"Because you need to let off steam. You've been trying to be there for Amy, and you are burning for yourself out."

"No, I've always been there for her, this is something more, Doctor. Besides, we can't just leave her in the TARDIS on her own." I sighed, tracing my fingers gently over the scratches on his arm. "I'm so sorry, I, I can't believe I did that..."

"Seraphina, listen to me, please. You were having a night terror, just like you used to at the Academy. Look at your chest, alright? You did worse to yourself." The Doctor grabbed a mirror out if my draw and handed it to me.

I looked, seeing deeper claw marks in my own chest, over both my hearts. "I, I was dreaming that they were being ripped out..." I breathed, touching the cool glass of the mirror to make sure it was real.

"Well, they kind of were, Princess. Tell me about it, you know that helps, Sera." He kissed my head again, moving me so I was facing him. "What was it, a vision or a memory?"

I didn't want to talk about it. Not this one, this one memory that hurt more than anything. But he was right, once I told him, once I told him anything it helped. Because he was my one true love.

"It was a memory. When they first took me from the battle field, when, when they turned me into her." I spat the words out, hating who I used to be, the Dragon Warrior. "They didn't knock me out. They just put me on bypass and took out both of my hearts, putting emotional inhibitors into them, so I couldn't feel anything but hatred and rage. I couldn't even feel love for Koschei, or for you..."

The Doctor, my Doctor took my hands, kissing them gently. "What they did to you... But that's gone now, you aren't her any longer, Seraphina. You are my beautiful Princess, and you are an amazing sister to Amelia Pond, an amazing prophetess, saving the universe ever day and you are everything to me."

I cupped his face in my small hands, tracing my thumbs along his delicate cheekbones, watching as small tear trickled down his cheek. "Why are you crying, Legacy? Please don't cry, I, I hate it when you do..." My voice thickened, and tears started falling from my own again.