Chapter Two: Trust

I looked to the sky as the fireworks exploded above our heads. The ball would be beginning soon. I felt an all-to familiar ache in my stomach as I thought of the beautiful women in their expensive gowns waltzing around with their handsome partners. I closed my eyes and saw their faces. I heard the lovely music flat through the air, casting a spell of love and peace. I pictured my step-sisters tripping over their long gowns as they rushed to meet the Prince. I pictured a look of embarrassment on my step-mother's face, one that would grow to anger.

I pictured her true form emerging for all to see. I pictured her being found out. Then, the men would come with fire and swords. They would slice open her scaly chest and rip out her heart that oozed black blood. Then they would set her on fire and I would laugh. I felt a smile coming to my face, but it faded as I opened my eyes.

I was a horrible, sick human being and my papa would be so disappointed. I did not care. I may have thought wicked things, but never once did I act upon them. Despite knowing that, I still felt a bit ill and excited as I pictured my step-mother's icy cold blood wash over my hands.

I looked to the Doctor, who was eying me carefully and I folded my hands, a light blush coming to my face at being caught day-dreaming. I took a better look at the man in the silence after he had called himself my 'Fairy God Doctor'. He was the opposite of the true love in my fantasies, and yet, there was something undeniably handsome about him.

I shook such thoughts from my head; they were improper. Besides, there was also something unsettling about that man, something so strange, still, I found myself trusting him.

He turned to look at me again with his odd, brown eyes that held no cruelty or malice. In fact they held a smile, a smile for me. I rarely ever had smiles and I had to force myself not to look over my shoulder to see who it was intended for.

"Now," the Doctor began."Why do you want to go to this ball anyway?" I sighed and closed my eyes a moment. The image of my imaginary love swam before my eyes. He was so beautiful.

"Because my Prince will be there." I replied in a somewhat dreamy voice, allowing my eyes to open once more to gaze at the twinkling stars above us. I looked from the sky to the Doctor, shivering slightly in the cold night air. He did not seem content with my answer. His mouth set into a small line and the smile in his eyes died.

"What does he look like?" He asked and I frown. I look down at my lap. I imagined the Prince to be everything I wanted; funny, charming, sweet. If he were not all those things; why would he be a Prince?

"I do not know." I replied honestly and he lifted a brown eyebrow. I felt ashamed, but everyone had told me that he was the most handsome man in all of the Seven Lands; why would I not take their word for it?

"Do you know his name?" I looked down at my lap once more. I was sure that I had been told the Prince's name. It was Hector, perhaps. Maybe Henry. Oh good Lord, his name did not matter in the least!

"What his name is has escaped me at this moment, Doctor." I replied curtly, stiffening. The Doctor sighed and crossed one leg over the other.

"That's what I don't get." He replied and I looked t him strangely. I began to wonder just who he was and how he got into my garden.

"What you not understand?" I asked, shifting away slightly. The Doctor seemed too distracted to notice my sudden discomfort.

"In all the faerie stories, you, don't even know the Prince when you gets to the ball!" I shifted away a bit more. I could read, but I was in no fables!

"Doctor..." I trailed off as he continued speaking.

"I mean really, what's so great about a Prince Whatshisname? Literally, you never even know his name!" I felt a harsh laugh escape my throat. The man was mad, but I was not afraid. The Doctor smiled at me as my rough giggling turned to peals of true, high laughter. Usually laughing made my chest hurt, as coughing fits usually came after, but I found that I was in no pain, it felt nice, actually.

It was a shocking realization when It dawned on me that the reason laughing hurt was because I had forgotten how to do it.

I used to laugh with my papa and mama all the time when they were both still alive. We'd go and sit by the park and feed the ducks. Sometimes they'd chase papa fr more food and my mum would have trouble with standing upright she would laugh so hard. I missed them so much as I sat in the garden with the funny man. More so than I had at any other time.

"Are you going to kill me?" I asked when I stopped laughing. I didn't know why I did, but it felt right. The Doctor sobered and looked me right in the eye for a few moments before answering.

"No." He said firmly and I believed him. I really, really did.

"It's just that my friend, Mary let a strange man into her house and she was nearly killed." I said with an urgency in my voice. The Doctor shook his head once again.

"I promise I won't hurt you." He replied and I looked to his strange box. It had an odd light coming from inside. Did he have a fire lit?

"Wait." I said after a moment, looking to him carefully and moving away a little bit. "I never let you in." The realization donned on me and I stood up from stone bench and whipped around, holding my hands out like a shield.

"Alright, just calm down." The Doctor said, but I ignored him.

"What are you?" There was a biting tone in my voice that made him flinch the tiniest bit. I didn't ask him who he was; I knew that, but I wasn't even sure that he was really a he. For all I knew, he could have been an it.

"I'm the Doctor." He replied and I shook my head.

"No. That's who you are. I didn't ask who, I asked what. What are you because you are not of this world." He nodded and lightly slapped the palms of his hands onto the tops of his brown-clad thighs before standing up. I gave him a threatening look, prompting him to raise his hands as if he were surrendering. It made me feel much, much calmer.

"You're a clever girl, I'm not from around here." He replied and I felt a rush of pride at the same time I felt a stab of fear.

"T-then what are you if your not from here." I said, stamping my foot on the ground. My eyes went wide. "Are you a demon?" I asked, clutching the cross that hung round my neck and the Doctor shook his head.

"No. I'm a Time Lord. I'm not a demon, they don't exist." He told me in a slow voice and I resisted the urge to snap at him for treating me like I was a stupid child.

"What's a Time Lord?" I asked in a small voice and he sighed.

"An alien." He said before pointing to the dark sky above up. "I'm from up there." Was his reply and I shook my head.

"No, your can't be an alien. Aren't they supposed to be green and scaly. Your not either of those things." The Doctor smiled brightly at me before looking down at himself.

"No, you're right, I'm not. But I'm still an alien. From Gallifrey." I was positive that this man was mad now.

"Stay back. You're half lunatic!" I said loudly and he made a noise that told me to be quiet. I didn't appreciate it, needless to say.

"Nope. Wrong again." He said before taking a step forward. I held my hands out in defense, knowing that this mad man would probably win if I tried to fight back.

"Stay away." I said, but I no longer sounded confident. "Please." It came out as a choked, frightened question. The Doctor looked to me with kind, trusting eyes, but I was still so very afraid.

"I won't hurt you, Ella." He told me with a confidence in his voice. "And I'm not mad," He paused for a beat. "Well, technically, yes, I am. But I'm still an alien." My breathing quickened as he took a step forward.

"Don't come any closer!" I shouted out. It was rushed and came as one word strung together.

"I won't. I made a promise. Now look, I'll show you." He took one of my hands gently in his, I had not the strength to fight back, and held it to his suit-clad chest. I wondered, for a moment, what he was doing until I felt the thumping of his heart.

The Doctor, who still kept his hand on mine, then moved it to an entirely different place where I felt a slower, more rhythmic beating. I gasped and jerked my hand away. He let me. I stumbled back a little bit and felt icy cold fear snake through my veins.

"You're like my step-mother. Aren't you?" I asked and the Doctor looked at me with curiosity.

"What do you mean by that, Ella?" He asked. It felt so good to be called by my real name by this man; but I'd never been more afraid in my life.

"Y-you're a monster!" The look on his face was enough to still my heart. My step-mother knew what she was; calling a monster didn't bother her. The look of shock and hurt that passed over the man's face was almost enough to convince me that he wasn't. "My step-mother is beautiful on the outside, but her ugliness begins where her skin ends. She's shown it to me many times." The Doctor again advanced slowly, but I found I was less afraid.

If this man was a monster; he didn't know it and that was comforting for some reason.

"I'm not a monster. I'm an alien. There's a difference." He said in a calm voice. "Your step-mother is a monster, but I'm not sure what kind." He said. I felt a sense of relief flood through my system as it occurred to me that this strange man with two hearts believed me. I still thought that this man was mad -in fact, he admitted it- so I was not sure about how comforting that was.

"Why are you here?" I asked him as he took a step closer to me, reaching into his pocket. I stiffened a little bit, as I was sure that he would pull out a weapon and I would die here in my garden with blood on my roses, but he did not.

Instead, he pulled out a flat, brown piece of leather, which he opened to reveal a slip of paper with writing in loopy font. I felt my neck flush red in embarrassment as the Doctor looked at me as if he wanted me to read it. I could read, but not well. My papa wasn't alive long enough to ensure that I got a good grasp of they way the written word worked.

"Could you read it to me?" I asked quietly and the Doctor lifted an eyebrow.

"You can't read." It wasn't a question, it was a statement, one that did not come out with any malice or mocking tones behind it. It was surprising.

"Not very well." I replied and he nodded. He turned the piece of paper towards him.

"It says; 'Help me please, I don't have much time left.'" He put the piece of paper back into his pocket. "I figured you'd sent it." I furrowed my brow.

"I sent no alien any pleas for help. I can't even write" I told him and he shook his head.

"You don't have to. Were you thinking about somebody coming to save you from..." He trailed off, looking around the garden and then at my clothes. "All this?" I frowned at him. While I may wear worse clothes than beggars, I still held my head high. I was a Schamp. My father's daughter, no less.

"No." I replied in a slightly stony voice. "I do not call for help. I stand and fight on my own." The Doctor seemed to believe me and he almost looked impressed.

"They really do have you all wrong, don't they?" He asked to himself under his breath. I assumed it was the mad ramblings of one half lunatic and payed his whispered words no heed. "Then who sent this?"He asked, gesturing to his pocket. I shrugged.

"I haven't the foggiest." I replied truthfully.

"Well then, I suppose I'll have to find out. You did say that your step-mum was a monster, yes?" I nodded, shuddering at the thought of her.

"She's horrible." I replied and he seemed to agree.

"Then I guess we'll just have to stop her, then." He again gestured to his pocket. "Because I'd bet anything that she's the one our mystery signal-sender is afraid of." I allowed myself to smile at the lanky man.

"I'll get the torches." I replied, turning on my heel and heading towards the house.