The Ordeal of Peladon (audio story)

 was the first story in the Peladon audio anthology, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Jonathan Barnes & Robert Valentine and featured David Troughton as King Peladon, Jane Goddard as Alpha Centauri and David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor.

Publisher's summary
When King Peladon hears of a holy man with seemingly magical powers and the gift of foresight, he resolves to discover the truth of it for himself. But his quest to understand the shifting loyalties of his people is one from which he cannot return unchanged.

Plot
Skarn the Fisherman is told by a voice to "save the girl" for the good of Peladon. He arrives at the house of Harfair and tells her that he has been sent by the Old Gods to help her daughter, who is, according to the wise, beyond all help. Although hesitant, knowing that he is considered mad, Harfair invites him in.

King Peladon gets agitated by constantly hearing about the wandering prophet Skarn and talks about him and his claim to hear the Old Gods with Lord High Advisor Raarlan, who insists that he has does not need to worry about society regressing to the old ways. Raarlan offers to have Skarn removed, but King Peladon will order no such thing and simply wants to know more about the prophet and why he attracts the people. He realises that he does not recognise the servant serving him his wine and demands to know who she is; she says that she is Harfair and that she has a message from Skarn.

Skanlar awakens Ixmari from his hibernation as they have almost arrived at Peladon.

Harfair says that she is a disciple of Skarn and that he has a warning for the people of Peladon; he says that the Peladonians are taking the wrong path and diverting from the true faith. Harfair asks King Peladon to go with her to meet Skarn, but Raarlan has her arrested.

Ixmari, on his final inspection assignment, contacts Alpha Centauri to let them know that they have almost arrived. Ixmari does not like that the Galactic Federation has a member planet which is as superstitious and feudal as Peladon is, but Alpha Centauri warns him that the mission is important and that he should not underestimate King Peladon.

King Peladon retires to his chambers, accompanied by Raarlan, and notices that his advisor knows a lot more about Skarn and his followers than he claimed to. Raarlan makes an excuse and, when King Peladon mentions that Harfair wanted him to meet Skarn, he says that he would not allow such a meeting to take place. The King says that a listener would get the impression that Raarlan was the one in charges and threatens to replace him if he keeps information from him again.

In her cell, Harfair prays to the Old Gods for liberation so that she might serve them and her saviour, Skarn. The King arrives, having knocked out the guard outside of his chambers with a technique taught to him by an old friend, and frees her, both of them dressing up in disguises to escape the castle. Skarn is, Harfair says, waiting for them at Antonar and that they will have to make the journey there on foot to avoid attracting attention. King Peladon is unhappy with being gone for so long, but gives in.

Raarlan is informed by his captain that the King and Harfair have disappeared and orders that the King be returned at all costs.

In range of the Citadel of Peladon, Ixmari opens communication and do not receive a response. He has Skanlar scan for King Peladon's signature and finds that he is not at the Citadel, which he finds strange and wonders if he has been deposed. Raarlan contacts them and says that this is not an appropriate time for an investigation, claiming that the King is ill with a fever. Ixmari knows that the King is missing and catches Raarlan out in his lie.

King Peladon, who wonders how much Raarlan really has kept from him, asks Harfair to tell him everything that she knows about Skarn.

Ixmari offers Raarlan his assistance in locating King Peladon and says that, should they be unable to locate him in one solar cycle, Peladon will fail its inspection. Ixmari tells Skanlar that they will give Raarlan an hour to search and, if he does not find him in that time, they will descend and begin searching themselves.

The King and Harfair arrive at the Valley of Antinar and head across the salt flats towards the village. Harfair tells the King that Skarn was once an ordinary fisherman, but he was changed when he almost drowned in a storm at the Great Lake of Undoing and was miraculously saved. From then on, he heard the voices of the Old Gods. King Peladon has not heard of the lake before but says that, for some reason, the name seems familiar to him. When he suggests that Skarn might have simply been changed by the near-death experience, Harfair tells him that he saved her daughter with his powers and that, afterwards, Antonar was visited by someone from beyond the sky. Before she can finish, they notice brigands on horseback and flee.

Raarlan and his captain head off to Antonar in search of the King, Raarlan surmising that he will have gone with Harfair to see Skarn. He wants the King returned and Harfair killed.

King Peladon runs out of breath and tells Harfair to run and save herself. However, they are saved by the arrival of a spacecraft. Once the brigands have fled, Ixmari disembarks and tells the King about the inspection and that he will return him to the Citadel, but the King says that he must meet with Skarn and invites Ixmari to join them. He agrees, telling Skanlar to wait on the ship.

The trio arrive at Antonar and Harfair commands the people to seize the King and Ixmari. They are locked up to await a meeting with Skarn, but Ixtari has a laser sword which he uses to free them both. They escape into the street and the King says that he will not leave for Ixtari's ship until he has spoken with Skarn. They find his house and meet Skarn, who knew that they would come of their own volition and takes them out to the people.

Skarn tells the people that King Peladon is not yet worthy and that he and Ixmari must be driven out of their sight and to be forced to wander in the wilderness without food or water for forty solar cycles so that they will see the truth. With no other option, the King and Ixmari leave whilst Skarn tells Harfair that there is one more thing that she needs to do.

to be completed

Cast

 * King Peladon - David Troughton
 * Alpha Centauri - Jane Goddard
 * Harfair / Skanlar - Moyo Akandé
 * Raarlan - David Sturzaker
 * Skarn - Ashley Zhangazha
 * Ixmari - Nicholas Briggs
 * The Doctor - David Tennant

Continuity
to be added