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fandomweekly2017-01-29 01:28 am
but_can_i_be_trusted) wrote in fandomweekly2017-01-29 01:28 am
Entry tags:
[#030] Always and Completely (Doctor Who)
Theme Prompt: #030: Redemption
Title: 'Always and Completely'
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating/Warnings: G; no warnings
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 491
Summary: Love might have conceived her, but Hatred gave her a purpose.
River knows she has much to atone for. She endures her presence in Stormcage patiently, a cross she has to bear. Oh, she's able to get out now and then. The constant escapes were initially punished with add-ons to her sentence. Until her keepers realized that, A: Nothing short of killing their most notorious prisoner would get her to stop, and B: She always returned to her cell, mysterious business concluded for now.
River's aware that she's an irritation to the guards. Perhaps she's the cross they bear. One that she'll admit they don't deserve.
She deserves to be here, though. The Doctor didn't die by her hand; she knows that perfectly well, though the details will always be somewhat fuzzy.
But, in the eyes of the universe, River Song is the Doctor's murderer. Everyone believes it to be true. Never mind what she knows in her soul.
She might as well have killed the man. It was what she'd been trained to do. The point of her whole existence. Love might have conceived her, but Hatred gave her a purpose.
That purpose is why River always returns to Stormcage, to continue living out her sentence. She might not have killed the Doctor. But she tried to. More than once.
Never mind what the universe thinks of her. In her own eyes, she's guilty enough, and that's plenty for her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In the Doctor's eyes, River Song is utterly blameless.
She can't help her past. Or the destiny that bound them both to a Utah lakeside. Others made key decisions for her, nudging her along to an inevitable end. They stole her away from her parents, molding her into a breathing superweapon.
No child should have to endure the nightmares she did. No woman should be seen as a mere object, created for someone else's convenience.
The Doctor blames himself for River's fate. He can't help but draw attention to himself, some of which is the wrong kind. He's made too many enemies. Enemies with a knack for bearing grudges. In a way, he feels as though he ought to have seen something like this coming.
Make enough noise, and someone's going to come along to silence you. Forever, if need be.
Daily, the Doctor damns himself. It's his own fault. It always is.
River, though...he refuses to hold her accountable for nearly killing him. She had no true control over those situations. The Order trained her too well.
But not well enough. They could condition her mind and her body. But they could not predict her heart.
Hatred gave River Song a purpose. She fought that purpose with Love.
The rest of the universe condemns her for a murder she did not commit. They can't know the truth: That he pulled off another clever escape. And he can't prevent her sentence in Stormcage.
But he can give her his forgiveness.
He only hopes that it will help her get through.
Title: 'Always and Completely'
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating/Warnings: G; no warnings
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 491
Summary: Love might have conceived her, but Hatred gave her a purpose.
River knows she has much to atone for. She endures her presence in Stormcage patiently, a cross she has to bear. Oh, she's able to get out now and then. The constant escapes were initially punished with add-ons to her sentence. Until her keepers realized that, A: Nothing short of killing their most notorious prisoner would get her to stop, and B: She always returned to her cell, mysterious business concluded for now.
River's aware that she's an irritation to the guards. Perhaps she's the cross they bear. One that she'll admit they don't deserve.
She deserves to be here, though. The Doctor didn't die by her hand; she knows that perfectly well, though the details will always be somewhat fuzzy.
But, in the eyes of the universe, River Song is the Doctor's murderer. Everyone believes it to be true. Never mind what she knows in her soul.
She might as well have killed the man. It was what she'd been trained to do. The point of her whole existence. Love might have conceived her, but Hatred gave her a purpose.
That purpose is why River always returns to Stormcage, to continue living out her sentence. She might not have killed the Doctor. But she tried to. More than once.
Never mind what the universe thinks of her. In her own eyes, she's guilty enough, and that's plenty for her.
In the Doctor's eyes, River Song is utterly blameless.
She can't help her past. Or the destiny that bound them both to a Utah lakeside. Others made key decisions for her, nudging her along to an inevitable end. They stole her away from her parents, molding her into a breathing superweapon.
No child should have to endure the nightmares she did. No woman should be seen as a mere object, created for someone else's convenience.
The Doctor blames himself for River's fate. He can't help but draw attention to himself, some of which is the wrong kind. He's made too many enemies. Enemies with a knack for bearing grudges. In a way, he feels as though he ought to have seen something like this coming.
Make enough noise, and someone's going to come along to silence you. Forever, if need be.
Daily, the Doctor damns himself. It's his own fault. It always is.
River, though...he refuses to hold her accountable for nearly killing him. She had no true control over those situations. The Order trained her too well.
But not well enough. They could condition her mind and her body. But they could not predict her heart.
Hatred gave River Song a purpose. She fought that purpose with Love.
The rest of the universe condemns her for a murder she did not commit. They can't know the truth: That he pulled off another clever escape. And he can't prevent her sentence in Stormcage.
But he can give her his forgiveness.
He only hopes that it will help her get through.
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And, the Doctor being who he is, he can't see that he's not to blame, either. I think it's just easier for him to take it all onto his own shoulders. They should both blame his enemies for hating him enough to go to such insane lengths.
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