FIC: "21 Facts About Romanadvoratrelundar, loosely assembled into a narrative" (PG-13)

[lizbee]

Summary: Exactly what the title says.
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rated: PG-13

21 Facts About Romanadvoratrelundar, loosely assembled into a narrative
by LizBee

1. Hearts-haven was an old, fading House, and she was its youngest child. She remembers the way her footsteps echoed in the halls, and the way the older children teased her.

2. She has always been clever. When she was seven, she took a series of aptitude tests. Afterwards, they told her she was exceptional. She wasn't surprised.

3. She finished her Academy training two decades ahead of schedule. Her tutors were reluctant to let her graduate. Their relief, when she was sent away from Gallifrey with her final exams untaken, was palpable.

4. For a long time, she resented the White Guardian for taking her away with her work left unfinished.

5. She doesn't wonder why he chose her. She still knows she's exceptional.

6. She had looked forward to boasting to the Doctor about the early completion of her studies. She really didn't intend to lie about her age, but he was so disdainful of everything she was proud of, so when he asked her age, she added a couple of decades. She didn't even think about it.

7. Come to think of it, she never did tell him the truth.

8. And she really did intend to tell him why she had to regenerate, but of course, she was a different person when it was over, and after that, she saw no need for him to know.

9. She bought postcards in Paris, and spent a day trying to mimic the work of human artists. The results were laughable. She made K9 burn them with his laser, and swore him to secrecy.

10. She doesn't care for Earth, but she quite liked Duggan.

11. The Doctor said she absolutely couldn't take Duggan along with them.

12. Which is for the best, really, because Humans were unpredictable, and he'd go around punching everyone and breaking things. It's just a shame.

13. She has been married three times.

14. The first time, it was to save a planet, and they were quite decent about annulling it after the invasion force had been vanquished by the Doctor's ad-libbed legal argument, and her husband gave her a bracelet to remember him by.

15. The second time, it was an accident. The locals were quite rude about granting an annullment, and afterwards, she and the Doctor agreed never to mention it again.

16. The third time was in E-space, and she stayed planetside for eighty years. Then he died, and she realised why Time Lords weren't supposed to do that sort of thing, because thirteen lifetimes was too long to feel that kind of grief.

17. She missed K9, too.

18. And the Doctor.

19. The journey back into normal-space nearly killed her. The last thing she did before she lost consciousness was set co-ordinates for Tara.

20. Reynart and Strella had a daughter with her name, and they gave her a place to rest.

21. Gallifrey was gone, and the vortex was no longer safe. All that remained were stories, but all the stories had a constant.

      Romana set out to find the Doctor.

Comments

[aella_irene]

Oh, it's beautiful

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[kerravonsen]

because thirteen lifetimes was too long to feel that kind of grief.

*sniff*

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

*hands you a tissue*

[cesario.livejournal.com]

Everytime I think you've closed the book on Romana, there's something new and fascinating right around the corner.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

*grins* I do try. Thanks. *basks in the glow of your appreciation*

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Oh, lovely. And I had an audios-geek moment at the mention of her House.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I felt pretty geeky throwing that in, but "Hearts-haven" is just nice to say. Although when I first typed it, without the dash, it looked like "heart shaven", which was less cool.

[fyrdrakken]

I liked that. It indeed works as a loose narrative and seems to give both important and amusing character notes. And I quite like that you found an explanation for the apparent discrepancy in her reported age.

[my_daroga]

Lovely. I like 2 especially.