Guardian of Dreams

'I was a discorporeal entity, Doctor,‘ the Toymaker said quietly. 'Oh, I could assume forms for brief periods as it suited me, but not for ever. My natural form is -‘

'A collective consciousness, possessing neither form nor substance,‘ the Doctor said. 'I‘ve studied things, you see. You, like the other Great Old Ones, exist between the dimensions, creating universes, planes... whatever... to suit yourselves. I know all that. I have encountered a few of you, you know.‘

'And you know of the Guardians of the Universe?‘

'The upper echelons of the Great Old Ones. In effect a pantheon within a pantheon. The Guardian of Chaos, the Guardian of Light, both using the Key to Time to balance all things.‘

The Toymaker nodded, although he seemed to find the movement a strain. 'You collected the key, I understand. Six segments, Doctor. Not an arbitrary number.‘

'Indeed. According to the legends, there are six guardians.‘

'Six gods,‘ added Rallon.

'I have yet to be convinced of the other four.‘ The Doctor smiled suddenly. 'So, if the history lesson is over, I‘d like to collect my companions, leave Dymok or wherever we are, and go back to my TARDIS.‘

'All sentient races perceive something greater than themselves, Doctor,‘ said Rallon. 'It‘s a factor that keeps them progressing, reaching out. Take your favourite planet, Doctor. Earth. Sol 3. Whatever you want to call it. Each civilisation throughout its history had its own pantheon. Greeks, Romans, Norse, Christian, Hindu... Who knows whether they existed? Probably somewhere along the line, they did. Or do. A binding force that brings people together, gives them a reason to exist, to strive. They form their morality, their culture around these gods. Dymok is the same.‘

'I found the people on Dymok hundreds of years ago, Doctor,‘ said the Toymaker. 'Aimless, they needed a god. And, as a telepathic race with no material needs, they saw me as their god. I never claimed to be one - I am a guardian, Doctor. All races dream, aspire and hope. As there must be a Guardian of Light and a Guardian of Chaos, so there must be a Guardian of Dreams. That is why I am in this universe, Doctor. Throughout the multiverse, everyone has dreams. I shape them. That is my part.‘

Nyssa spoke up. 'And the games you play? The torments you inflict?‘

'The Guardian of Chaos creates wars to justify his existence. The Guardian of Justice creates conflict to justify his. I create my mental games to justify mine, my dear. Without me, without what I do, dreams would become stale, the need to learn, to advance, would desert so many species overnight. They would stagnate, wither and die. Without the peoples of the universe, I cannot survive. Without me, they cannot survive.‘

***

Divided Loyalties, Round 3, Chapter 2