God Send Me Well to Keep (short story)
God Send Me Well to Keep was the seventh short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership. It was written by Linnea Dodson. It featured the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa.
Summary
The TARDIS lands on Christmas of 1539. King Henry VIII is negotiating to marry Anne of Cleves, as advised by Thomas Cromwell. However, the Duke of Norfolk wants the Doctor to marry his niece, Katherine Howard.
When the Doctor and Nyssa arrive, they are arrested by Norfolk, and Nyssa makes friends with Katherine. The two women attend the king, who pays attention to Nyssa.
The Doctor and Nyssa manage to get away, but the Doctor informs Nyssa that they have to make sure the king marries Katherine.
They return six days later and put on a magic show, distracting Anne from the king. This angers the king, who chooses Katherine instead to be his wife.
Characters
Worldbuilding
- The Doctor is trying to take Nyssa to Floriana.
- The Doctor gets mulled cider and gingerbread for Nyssa.
Notes
- This story is a "pure historical" featuring no science fiction elements apart from the presence of the Doctor, Nyssa and the TARDIS.
Continuity
- Despite the Fifth Doctor claiming that he had never met Henry VIII in all his lives, the Doctor had numerous encounters with Henry VIII.
- Before he met Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, the First Doctor once argued with Henry VIII, so Henry threw a parson's nose at him. The Doctor threw it back. This argument was actually intentional of the Doctor, so that he might be sentenced to the Tower of London, where the TARDIS was located. (TV: The Sensorites)
- Just earlier that year, Henry VIII met the Third Doctor and Liz Shaw. The Doctor cured Henry of his cataracts, restoring his sight and directly leading to the King's disapproval of Anne of Cleves as prospective wife. (PROSE: Hiccup in Time)
- Earlier still in his personal timeline, Henry VIII had met the Sixth Doctor and Peri Brown on 4 May 1536. From the Doctor's perspective, that encounter has yet to take place. (AUDIO: Recorded Time)
- The Seventh Doctor claimed to have helped the Tudors with their problems with aphids. He maintained that Henry might have written "Greenfly" instead of "Greensleeves" if it hadn't been for him. (PROSE: Tragedy Day)
- The Eighth Doctor claimed that Henry VIII had mistaken him for a jester. (AUDIO: Terror Firma)
- The Tenth Doctor mentioned having had dinner with him. (PROSE: Revenge of the Judoon)
- While travelling with the Eleventh Doctor, Rory Williams accidentally dropped a mobile phone charger in one of Henry's en suites. (TV: A Town Called Mercy) Additionally, while on a side-trip in the TARDIS on her wedding anniversary to Rory Williams, Amy Pond accidentally married Henry. (TV: The Power of Three)
