A cliffside citadel perched toward the top is storm lashed with lightning and thunder. Passing scantily clad guards, Chancellor Torbis of this planet Peladon reports to his King, a young man named Peladon himself. He tells him that the delegate from Alpha Centauri has arrived. Hepesh, the High Priest, argues with Torbis. Hepesh warns about the curse of Aggedor who will kill any who have left the old ways. Torbis believes they should move ahead with the delegates' arrivals. The delegates are from a Federation of planets, including Earth -- although the Earth delegate has not arrived. The delegates are to decide if planet Peladon can enter their Federation. King Peladon puts a stop to the bickering of Torbis and Hepesh. If the committee agrees, Peladon will join the Galactic Federation. Hepesh agrees to stand by Peladon if this happens even though it is against the will of Hepesh. The King tells Torbis to inform the others that Alpha Centauri has arrived. But en route, Torbis is killed by some growling monster, that is unseen except by a mute bodyguard named Grun. Grun relays to them that Aggedor's spirit has risen again and the ancient curse of Peladon will be fulfilled.

The TARDIS groans into existence no the cliffside beneath the main part of the citadel. Inside the console stops going up and down: a perfect landing. Jo claims it is about time. Jo is all dolled up for a night on the town with Mike Yates. The Doctor told her it would only be a few minutes but it has been ages. The scanner is on the blink -- Jo tells him the TARDIS always is. The Doctor tells her he hopes Jo is in as good condition when she is as old as the female TARDIS is. Jo laughs. The Doctor finds a tiny fault in the interstitial beam synthesizer and he puts the part in his pocket. Everything outside reads completely normal. The TARDIS shakes a bit. Jo and the Doctor go outside as the TARDIS seems to tip, balanced on the edge. The Doctor pulls Jo out just as the TARDIS falls down a deep ravine, hitting several ledges along the way. Jo thinks it is smashed to pieces. The Doctor admits the TARDIS may have its faults but it is indestructible. The Doctor spots the citadel and the two start climbing.

The one eyed six armed green Alpha Centauri hermaphrodite arrives to address the King Peladon. It has a high pitched voice. Hepesh accepts the hand of true friendship. Earth is many light years away; an unattractive planet at best Alpha Centauri says. Hepesh mentions the death of Torbis and brings up the omens. Alpha Centauri wants to cancel the conference. Peladon assures it that they are safe. Hepesh takes Alpha Centauri to the other delegates.

The Doctor in his chequered cape and Jo in her high heels and formal dress make their way up the wind swept cliffside. At a spot, the Doctor pulls her up. Jo tells him she cannot go on. The Doctor will see if there is another way out of the storm while Jo looks another way. Jo calls the Doctor and tells him she has found a tunnel. They go into it.

Hepesh brings Alpha Centauri to the delegates chamber for meetings. Alpha Centauri meets Arcturus, a multi strand organism which to survive in Earth like environments must be inside a globe of their native life fluids, mounted on a traction unit, a moving giant box. It demonstrated its ray device on the box by destroying a vase with the heat. They renounce violence but can defend themselves. Hepesh tells them they desire only their friendship.

The Doctor and Jo exist the tunnel and find a shrine which has a statue of a giant furry clawed monster... a temple dedicated to Aggedor.

At first, Peladon refused to sit upon his father's throne but Torbis and Hepesh convinced him to be Peladon of Peladon. The Earth woman -- King Peladon's mother -- allowed the boy to become a king. Hepesh must anoint him as king. He tells Peladon that Torbis died because he wanted Peladon to be a servant of the Federation. But the Federation are here at Peladon's request. He must think and realize his dream. Hepesh will not trust these aliens. Peladon insists on talking to the aliens and to convince them that his people are not savages.

Jo and the Doctor come out of the shrine and tunnels. The Doctor starts to figure out which way to go by saying innie-minni-minnie-mo when they hear a loud growl. "Minnie," it is. The pair move to a blocked up dead end. Yet the Doctor finds a torch alight -- why if the tunnel is never used is the torch still alive? He picks it up and down which makes a secret stone door open in the stone wall. The pair come out somewhere inside the castle. They hide as a huge shell backed reptile being named Ssorg, passes... a being the Doctor sees as an Ice Warrior soldier! A native of Mars. They are not pleasant company. The pair attempt to get back to the tunnel but from both sides guards with swords and spears stop them.

Alpha Centauri, Arcturus, and the Ice Warriors -- the soldier Ssorg and his Ice Lord Izlyr who has a curved helmet are gathered in the throne room. They discuss the threat and the omen -- the Royal Beast of Peladon, Aggedor. His fur trims their royal garments and his head is their royal emblem. Young men used to hunt this beast. This legend has been handed down through centuries. It is said that in the day of Aggedor's spirit's return, a stranger would appear, bringing great peril and tribulation. The Doctor is here with Jo and brought in as Hepesh tells this...

Izlyr assumes the Doctor is the Earth late delegate. The Doctor asks if his crashed space shuttle could be rescued. He meets all the others. His credentials were lost in the crash, the Doctor says. Hepesh presumes the female is of royal blood -- only men of rank and females of royal blood may pass in here. The penalty for disobeying this is death. Jo plays the part and the Doctor greets the King and presents, "Princess Josephine of TARDIS." He greets her and seems smitten with her. Jo tells the King the pilot of her craft was seriously inefficient. The Doctor drops his face at his.

Grun sneaks around in the tunnels.

The Princess, Jo, is here to observe only. The Doctor tells this to a questioning Izlyr. On Mars, they retain the aristocratic process -- the Doctor mentions Earth does so but in a democratic sort of way. Arcturus and Alpha Centauri bring the Doctor up to speed, explaining what has been going on. As they do, Grun is above the exit, using a large stick to pry the giant statue on a balcony. It is a heavy, giant granite statue of Aggedor.

The delegates begin to disagree and yell at each, feeling intimidated. The Doctor yells and brings the arguing of the delegates to an end. The Doctor thought his ears deceived him: the members of the Galactic Federation squabbling like a gang of children. Hepesh agrees that the throne room is not the place for this debate. The delegates will withdraw to the conference room. Peladon tells Jo she looks forward to speaking with her again... less formally. She thinks that will be very nice. The Doctor gives a scornful look -- he doesn't like that Jo and Peladon are getting close, it seems.

The Doctor yells and pushes Alpha Centauri and the two Ice Warriors out of the way, saving them all. Arcturus was behind the Doctor. Hepesh holds Peladon in the throne room. The Doctor and Alpha Centauri agree that they should find out what caused this. Grun ducks out of sight behind a curtain. Jo feels wobbly at the knees. Hepesh blames the ghost of Aggedor. Alpha Centauri tells the others the Federation are here to raise the Peladon people from barbarism. Jo asks what if they don't want to be raised. Izlyr and the Doctor ask more about this curse. Peladon tells them he is king and not Aggedor. He asks them all to rejoin him in the Throne Room. The negotiations, he pleads must, continue. As they talk, Jo moves behind a curtain behind the throne. The Doctor asks who the people on the planet will believe -- their king or Aggedor. Jo examines the area on the balcony and finds an advanced device. She quietly returns to the throne room. The delegates discuss what is happening, and they wonder if there is some plot against the Federation to hold them as hostages. Peladon insists there is no plot. The Doctor leads the delegates in adjourning. Peladon dismisses Hepesh but wants Jo to remain behind. He asks her if she believes him, asking from a personal point of view. Being a king is no fun... it is very lonely. It is difficult to find someone to talk to. Peladon says, "Hepesh is an old man... like your friend, the Doctor." Jo smiles and thinks the Doctor wouldn't care for being referred to that way. Peladon does not get to see someone young or beautiful. He was brought up by old men. His mother was an Earth woman..and he tells her there is a bond between them. He holds her hand and asks if she believes him. She does. He asks for her to speak for him to the commission. Jo thinks all he wants is a political ally. He just wants a friend. Jo claims she is neutral, "Count me out." She runs out.

Hepesh tells Grun it was not his fault that Aggedor was showing mercy to his enemies... those who escaped. He puts flame to a fire and prays to the statue of Aggedor, claiming that the Doctor is chief among the enemies. Hepesh tells Grun to destroy the Doctor.

In a room, the Doctor has an eye glass in his left eye and examines the device Jo found: it is a trisillicate key, an electronic one used to open doors by identifying a particular person and this is used on the spaceships of the Ice Warriors. The Doctor suspects Ssorg was the one on the balcony. He might have managed to slip away. The Doctor tells her the last time he encountered the Ice Warriors, they were trying to colonize the planet Earth and that Peladon is very like Earth. He knows the Ice Warriors -- a savage and war like race. The Doctor is drinking something. Only Ssorg's strength could have shifted that statue. They discuss the others. Jo thinks Alpha Centauri is rather sweet, asking if he is a she. The Doctor explains that Alpha Centauri is neither. It is a hermphradite hexopod. Jo wonders why they cannot just get out of here, getting someone to help them organize the TARDIS. She chides the Doctor for loving all that chairmen stuff even though he claims he didn't have much choice... just like Jo. They hear some kind of alarm. The pair run out and to Arcturus's quarters and find Arcturus in a state: someone has taken the servo junction to his life support unit. A small plastic tube full of very fine circuitry. The Doctor forbids Jo from searching the others' rooms while he rewires the circuits to save Arcturus. The Doctor tells Jo he is going to try to use a Dalek configuration to save Arcturus. Izlyr and the others come in with Hepesh. Izlyr asks the Doctor what he is doing to Arcturus. He tells them and then tells them to leave him alone. The Doctor suggests this was the work of skilled technical knowledge, accusing the Ice Warriors. Izlyr says that Alpha Centauri is skilled and so is that of Earth -- and it was the Doctor they found.

Jo has slipped off again and inside the quarters of Izlyr she finds hidden in a box, the device that was stolen from the box. Before she can leave, Ssorg returns and finds her hiding behind the curtains. Jo blames Ssorg for trying to kill poor Arcturus. Ssorg tells her to stay, takes the missing unit and his sonic rifle gun, and leaves, locking Jo in.

Arcturus cannot remember what happened to him. The Doctor tells Izlyr how fortunate. Grun stops the Doctor in the hallway and takes him off, watched by Hepesh.

Arcturus believes the attack was too quick. Izlyr tells Alpha Centauri to ask the Doctor's masters on Earth what the Doctor wanted when the Doctor sabotaged Arcturus. The Ice Lord thinks the Doctor wants to use Jo to marry the King, strengthening the bond between Earth and Peladon over the other planets. Ssorg arrives and must speak to the Ice Lord privately. Ssorg tells the Ice Lord he found the missing unit in the hands of the Princess...

Jo uses a bench and a metal box to climb up to an open window. She inches her way along the outside of the ledge where wind and lightning still storm about. Her foot slips but she recovers quickly. The ledge gets narrow but she makes her way to another alcove and slips inside. She jumps down to a bench and runs.

Grun opens a secret passage and relates to the Doctor that someone is in trouble... perhaps the Princess. Jo hears a loud growl and sees the looming form of a giant furry, clawed monster with large fangs and a horn!

Grun deserts the Doctor when he hears Aggedor's cries. He has shown the Doctor into the tunnels. Jo runs out of the tunnels into the hands of Ssorg, who gives her over to Izlyr. Izlyr sends Ssorg into the area to kill the monster. He reports back to them... there is nothing. Izlyr thinks Jo is trying to trick them. She wants to find the Doctor. He wants Jo and the Doctor to answer his questions.

In the tunnels, the monster and the Doctor seem to be playing cat and mouse, with the monster chasing the Doctor.

In a room, the Ice Lord questions Jo. He thinks maybe Jo brought the missing piece to their room to blame the Ice Warriors. Izlyr tells her that to disconnect the unit from Arcturus would not have killed the box dwelling alien. To kill Arcturus the helium regenerator must be deactivated. The missing unit was a sensor equipment... it would have been a metabolic coma. Jo apologizes to the Ice Warriors. Izlyr tells her they were once a race of warriors as the Doctor told her. Now they reject violence except as a means of self defense. She asks about Ssorg's gun. In order to preserve peace, it is necessary to survive. Izlyr thinks maybe the Doctor will be able to explain.

The Doctor runs from Aggedor in the secret tunnels. He opens a secret door using the torch and slips into a new area, the door closing behind him. The Doctor finds a large statue of Aggedor, the inner temple of Aggedor. He touches it but Hepesh arrives and orders Grun to forcibly take him to the Throne Room.

Federation Law means the other delegates cannot interfere. Accordingly, Jo cannot interfere either. The Doctor tells them he had no idea the tunnels lead to the temple. Hepesh continues to insist on the Doctor's death. Peladon knows of no tunnels. Izlyr asks for a royal pardon. Arcturus tells them that according to Galactic Articles of Peace Paragraph 59, subsection 2 tells them they cannot interfere. Jo turns to Peladon to pardon the Doctor and show he is a civilized king. Jo begs Peladon but he cannot pardon him totally. He gives them an alternative: trial by combat. A man of rank is a nobleman of the citadel, Peladon argues against Hepesh. The Doctor will be held captive until dawn and then lowered into the pit beneath the citadel where he will fight Grun, the king's champion. Hepesh and guards take the Doctor to his room. The Doctor calls him a wily old bird but warns that his death would cause a major scandal, the Doctor knowing that Hepesh still wants to kill him before he gets to the pit.

Jo asks Peladon how she can believe in him now. She yells at him. "He means a great deal to you," Peladon says. "Yes," she answers. He begs her not to hate him. She doesn't. Both Torbis and his father died before they could break the traditions that bind his people but his mother taught him all she could of justice, compassion, and love. Jo tries to get him to be the king his mother wants him to be and which Jo wants also. Peladon asks her to marry him which he claims comes from his feelings as a man. This makes Jo recoil -- she doesn't understand him, she’s wondering if there is a connection between the Doctor's condemnation to death and his proposal to her. She runs out.

The Doctor lays down in his room Hepesh tells him no one will try to stop him if he tries to leave. Hepesh doesn't want his death -- he says and asks the Doctor to trust him. The Doctor thinks Hepesh will have him killed while trying to escape.

The other delegates discuss what is happening. Alpha Centauri is not sure what is happening. Arcturus believes it is a conspiracy to break up the Federation unity.

Hepesh tells the Doctor the large blue box has been brought to the citadel, having been recovered. He also draws the Doctor a map which will take him back to his space shuttle (the TARDIS) and will allow the Princess Josephine to leave with him. Hepesh doesn't want the Federation to retaliate against Peladon for the death of the Doctor which is why Hepesh will not just have the Doctor killed. Hepesh believes the Federation will exploit them for the minerals of Peladon. The Doctor tries to convince Hepesh otherwise, to free his people from superstition and rituals. Hepesh slips that he and his followers do not stand alone. The Doctor wonders who stands with him.

Alpha Centauri bouncingly tells Jo that they must leave -- it is too dangerous to stay. Arcturus agrees, claiming they risk being taken as hostages if hostilities break out. The Grand Council would not allow them to cancel the mission and Lord Izlyr agrees with her. If the Doctor is killed, the situation would erupt into war. Arcturus finishes this discussion with the claim that they must do nothing. Jo yells, "Oh great, thanks a lot," and pushes between the Ice Lord and Warrior to run out. The Ice Lord makes a motion for the Warrior to follow her.

In his room, the Doctor seems to make an attachment to the sonic screwdriver which now has a mirror on the top and when it spins, it almost makes the Doctor dizzy. He has been making something. He takes the map and walks out. The Ice Warrior Ssorg asks Jo to speak with Izlyr. He takes her to Izlyr, who talks to her. Arcturus is a coward by logic and Alpha Centauri is a coward by nature but Izlyr voted to stay to help the Doctor. He would not leave the Doctor stranded. Federation law allows only unanimous decisions. They are all staying thanks to Izlyr's vote to stay. He feels he owes the Doctor this since the Doctor saved his life when the statue fell. The conversation between Jo and Izlyr is being overhead by Arcturus who is using a listening device attached to the wall. The Ice Warriors leave with Jo to go get the Doctor.

The Doctor has left his room and is making his way through secret tunnels and passageways. Finding the Doctor missing, Hepesh orders his Guard Captain to search all catacombs, telling him the alien is dangerous. If he resists, he is to be killed. In the catacombs, the Doctor meets up with Aggedor, the horned fanged beast. He uses his device to confront the beast, calling it "Old chap." Jo is following the Doctor, separated from the others.

Hepesh tells Grun that the Doctor will be discredited as he is moving into even greater danger. Hepesh knows Grun wanted to kill the Doctor himself and asks Grun to trust him. The King's honor will be maintained.

The Ice Lord and Warrior find the Doctor gone from his room. Ssorg thinks the Doctor may have been eliminated. The Ice Lord is angry -- if that is so, then Hepesh and this planet will have much to answer for. He storms out and the Warrior follows.

The Doctor is using his device and a lullaby song to calm the beast into a docile state. It is a Venusian lullaby. The Doctor has some more work to do to get the monster under some more. Jo arrives with a torch to ward the beast off and it runs away. The Doctor calls her an idiot. He has some kind of empathy -- a kind technical hypnosis, a telepathic understanding. As he talks to her, his device puts Jo under, "Oh good grief!" He snaps her out of it. She claims she only wanted to help him. He tells her he realizes this and calls her very brave.

In the throne room, Izlyr demands to know where the Doctor and the Princess are. Hepesh calls the Doctor a coward admitting his guilt. He will be hunted and killed like an animal. The Doctor shows up with Jo. Hepesh orders the guards to stop him but Peladon allows him in. The Doctor tells them about Aggedor, a noble beast whose power is being used forcibly to stop them from entering the galactic Federation. The entrance to the tunnels is hidden. Aggedor has been scratched behind the ears by the Doctor. Peladon allows Hepesh to take the Doctor away -- to the pit.

At the pit, Alpha Centauri listens to the chimes and bells. The others arrive. The Doctor minus his jacket climbs down a rope while Grun climbs down another rope. They pick up spears and bow to the King and each other. The ropes are taken up and the fight begins before the Doctor realizes it is to. The Doctor keeps hitting Grun away from him in a defensive move. Grun gets the Doctor down and spears at him but the Doctor gets up and de-spears Grun. Above, the Guard Captain takes out his sword. Hepesh drops a sword down to Grun. Grun cuts the Doctor's spear tip off. He also makes the Doctor drop it after a few hits to it which kept cutting it down. The Doctor dodges the next few thrusts and gets Grun into a hold and floors him to a huge wooden log in the pit. He also gets Grun to drop his sword by hitting hit against the log. Grun pushes the Doctor off and tackles him, then throws him about. The Doctor gets in a few tackles of his own, wrestling with Grun. He also tosses Grun over with a throw. Grun throws the giant log at the Doctor, who jumps onto the netting. Without weapons, they face each other. The Doctor jumps out of Grun's way and they face each other again, the Doctor faking a fall on one knee. When Grun moves in, the Doctor gets him into a hold and against the netting, choking him. Yet he stops choking Grun -- he would not kill the King's champion, "Allright, live, Grun."

Peladon waves to Grun that the fight is over.

Ssord's sonic gun fires on Arcturus and destroys it. Hepesh and a guard leave. The others figure out what has been going on: Arcturus was behind it all along with Hepesh and his agents. The attack on Arcturus was faked. The things on the balcony in Izlyr's room were planted. Hepesh trained the monster deep in the catacombs. Arcturus's planet lacks mineral deposits and made a private deal with Hepesh for all the trade. Hepesh believes entering the Federation will enslave the planet which is what Arcturus told him. Now Hepesh can accuse the Ice Warriors of murdering Arcturus. The world of Arcturus and the Ice Warriors are old enemies. Peladon may become the first battlefield of this war, leaving it barren and sterile. The Doctor tells Peladon to replace Hepesh. He tells the King it is not easy to replace Hepesh. If he does, there could be civil war. Alpha Centauri tells the others that if so, the Federation does not allow interference and even if it does allow for it in emergency situations, Alpha Centauri is not sure it can justify it in this case.

Grun sneaks off and uses a torch open lock to enter a small room where he finds a small round rock to keep the door open.

Alpha Centauri reserves the right to veto. This could set a precedence. Alpha Centauri doesn't want to act rash or too quickly. If Hepesh brings the people of Peladon to his way of thinking it could still go his way. Jo and the Doctor talk in the hallway. The Doctor sees the rock holding open a door to the catacombs. He sends Jo to try to convince Alpha Centauri to vote their way while he goes into the catacombs "to see a man about an open door."

Hepesh has his men armed and ready. He is planning to take over the throne chamber but he does not want the king harmed in any way. Grun attacks Hepesh when the old man will not listen to him. Grun bests several guards and faces the captain who holds a sword on him. From behind, Hepesh knocks Grun out.

Izlyr and the committee of assessment vote to aide Peladon to bring peace to this to troubled planet. Alpha Centauri votes to but for the record says the vote is under protest. This morning Alpha Centauri found its communicator broken. Alpha Centauri and the Ice Warriors' spaceships are orbiting this planet. Jo gets nervous when Izlyr mentions contacting Earth but gets stunned when Izlyr mentions her forthcoming marriage to King Peladon. Ssorg finds the Ice Warrior communicator device also smashed beyond use.

The Doctor finds a hurt Grun, who has been trying to help the Doctor ever since the Doctor spared his life. The Doctor sees a fallen soldier. Grun relays that Hepesh is trying to take over the citadel. They hear the monster and the Doctor has to pull Grun into helping him with some plan of his.

Jo tells the delegates that a forthcoming marriage has not been arranged. Ssorg reports about the damaged communicator. Jo tells them hers was damaged when she and the Doctor crashed.

Two soldiers lie in wait above the guards to the citadel. One of Hepesh's men--the captain asks them to fall in. When they follow him, their backs are turned and the two above on the balcony drop down behind him and beat them down. Hepesh tells the guard captain that no harm must befall the king.

Alpha Centauri is whining and nagging on and on toward Ssorg as Jo and Izlyr try to figure out what has happened to the Doctor. Jo and Izlyr try to get Alpha Centauri to stop babbling. Izlyr mentions he prefers Arcturus's cold companionship to Alpha Centauri's babbling. They both stop Alpha Centauri's hysterics. Jo claims they are safe here. They would not dare to attack Federation delegates.

With a minimum of murder, the guards of Hepesh reach the throne room and storm into the doors. There, a major scuffle of swordsmen takes place. One is choked down. Two others fight over a spear and one falls and loses. Another guard is run through and another is punched. The guards do not seem to be winning on either side until the guard captain tells them to surrender or the king will die. Hepesh tells the king to return to the ancient ways of his people and he will live on as beloved king, if not the royal line of Peladon will meet an ignoble end.

In the caves, the Doctor and Grun meet the monster. The Doctor uses his device and Venusian lullaby to lull the monster into a hypnotic state.

A knock comes to the delegates' room. Ssorg will destroy Hepesh if he attacks. Hepesh enters and tells them they will not be harmed but if he does not return to the throne room with all of them, the King will die.

The Doctor leads Aggedor by the horn. Grun follows.

Jo follows Hepesh into the throne room. Izlyr is angered and tells Hepesh he will answer for this treachery. Hepesh tells Alpha Centauri that the delegates may go in peace and tell their masters that Peladon wants nothing of their Federation. The Doctor makes a stunning entrance with the beast of Peladon. He speaks for Aggedor, accusing Hepesh of treason and of being a traitor to the sacred trust and his King. A guard stops the Doctor from interfering as Hepesh tries to prove he is in control of this monster and it is not Aggedor. Hepesh uses a torch to try to make the Doctor the target of the monster. But the monster attacks Hepesh instead and claws him. The Doctor uses his device to lure the monster back outside.

Hepesh dies in Peladon's arms, declaring he might have been wrong. He just wanted to help their planet. The future is the King's now. As Peladon cries, Jo puts her arm around him and tells him they are waiting for him. Peladon covers Hepesh's face. The Doctor returns to see Jo's look of sadness about Hepesh's death. The Doctor tells the guard captain to lay down his arms and to tell his men the same. Peladon declares there will be no punishment and that the memory of this unhappy day will be wiped from their history.

The Doctor takes Jo down a hall, promising a nice surprise for her. In a room, he shows her the TARDIS. Some of Peladon's stout lads heaved it up the mountainside. He reminds her the TARDIS is indestructible when she asks if the ship is all right. Jo and he hope the TARDIS will get them back to Earth this time. They both figure the Time Lords made the TARDIS appear in this crucial point in the history of Peladon. "The Time Lords again," Jo says, "You didn't beat them after all." The Doctor rubs the right side of his neck, "No, not yet but I will Jo, just give me time." He supposed the Time Lords will whip them straight back to Earth. Before they go, they will see the coronation of Peladon. The Doctor hasn't seen a coronation since Elizabeth the First or he is not sure if it was Queen Victoria. Aggedor arrives and the Doctor tells Jo not to worry. Aggedor has been following the Doctor about, rather fond of the Doctor. It tries to jump on the Doctor in fond ways. He will go and lock him up.

Peladon arrives in full cape as the Doctor leaves. Peladon asks Jo to stay but she tells him she cannot. He wouldn't believe her reasons even if she could tell him. He needs her. But she tells him she is not even a real princess. He tells her it doesn't matter. Jo is very, very fond of him but she cannot stay. He must go now and will talk to her after the coronation. He shan't give up and will go on asking her. The Doctor arrives after Jo kisses Peladon on the lips. He tells Peladon his court officials are in a state of panic. Jo says goodbye to him and Peladon leaves. The Doctor tells her they will just see the ceremony and then just slip quietly away. She cries. He asks her if she does want to come back to Earth. She supposes she had better. He agrees, "In any case, I wouldn't like to lose you." The Doctor takes her arm and asks her if they should join the procession as they hear the sound of cheers. The two arrive to see the official Earth delegate, an older woman in black who explains to Izlyr, Alpha Centauri, and Ssorg that she is the delegate, not this other person they tell her is the Doctor. She asks them, "Doctor? What Doctor? Doctor who?"