Broken Hearts Still Beat
Chapter 14: Dancing With The DoctorAlexine woke early the next afternoon, alarmed that she had slept in so long. Knocking on the adjoining door to the Doctor's chambers and not receiving a response, she peeked in to find the bed made and the chamber empty.
She entered the sitting room and found tea on the table, to which she gratefully helped herself. Remembering what the Doctor had said the evening before about having meetings, and the agreement they made that she would stay with him, she felt guilty for sleeping so late.
She answered "Come in" to the discreet knock on the door. A staff member entered holding a small disc in her hand. "A message for you from the Doctor," she said, holding out the object.
Alexine took it from her, but turning it over, didn't see any message. "How does it work?" She inquired, instinct tell her there was more to it than appeared.
The woman took the disc back from Alexine and walked over to the door. Next to it was a panel that slid into the wall when she held her hand up to it. Appearing from behind it was a monitor similar to what she saw in the control room aboard the Tardis, with the exception that this one was dark and silent. "Insert it here," she said, indicating a slot on the side of the monitor. "The message will play. When it's finished, the message plate pops back out." She inserted the plate slightly into the slot, and unobtrusively slipped back out the door.
Alexine approached the panel, and pushed the message plate fully into the slot. The monitor sprang to life and the Doctor's face appeared on the screen. He looked refreshed and energized, a far cry from her own sleepy and bedraggled appearance.
"You're awake! Great! I hope you slept well!" His voice cheerfully called out.
"Doctor, I'm sorry I –" She was cut off as the message continued.
"I decided to let you sleep. These first meetings are just fact finding and are" – here his eyes rolled up and he scrunched up his face to emphasize the next word – "BORING!"
Realizing that this was a recorded message, Alexine giggled at his silliness.
"But hey – I'll need you this afternoon, so if you can please get all of your Cinderella glory – right – I still have to tell you about Cinderella. I'll do that over tea this evening. Remind me. Anyway, what I have to tell you is that tonight there will be a ball. That's a formal party where everyone dances and lies to each other about how wonderful they look. It's part of a treaty negotiation – the opportunity to socialize with each other in the attempt to build friendships. "
"Mother is going to come to you later to help you with a dress and I need for you to do something for me while she's there." Here the Doctor looked around, as if to make sure that no one was listening to him record the message. "Mother will not be alone – remember, the council laid down the law that no one is to have a private conversation with either of us. So you have to be careful when you ask her this not to let it look like the question is anything but casual. Ask her if you can have a tour of the palace. You know, just girl stuff, talking about tapestries and pictures."
"I need for you to find out where the transformers for the castle are. They're probably underneath, in some dodgy chamber, but I'll need for you to tell me how to get there later. Make up something – you're interested in energy or something. You're brilliant, you'll think of a reason. It's not something that I can request without anyone thinking I had ulterior motives for examining the power structure."
He paused, and Alexine could see him reaching towards the panel in front of him as if to turn it off. He stopped in mid movement, again looked up at the monitor, and said: "While you're at it, find out where the kitchens are. I'm starved!" After winking and flashing his grin, the monitor went dark again.
Alexine removed the message plate from the console, which immediately closed its panel over the monitor. Tapping the plate against her chin, she thought about the message she had just heard. A ball. Ask for a tour. Transformers. He's hungry. A ball! She jumped out of her own thoughts. She read about balls! Her excitement rising up in her, she forcibly tapped it down while she returned to her chamber to dress in her jeans and sweater.
As if on cue, Mother arrived, with several other ladies of both the Parakemble and Brethren races. A few staff members entered the room behind them, carrying trays that they placed on the table that was against the wall. Mother made the introductions, after which she explained to Alexine that the Doctor had told them that she wasn't feeling well that morning after her accidental over-imbibing of the wick nectar the evening before. They decided to bring a late lunch to her, so that they could all take a moment to "get to know each other".
As the women settled themselves into their seats, Alexine observed their appearance. The Brethren women were a feminine version of the men. They also did not have any hair, although they adorned their bumpy heads with circles of gilded metal shaped into patterns that crisscrossed each other, not unlike a crown. Their faces wore brightly colored eye powder, reminding Alexine of the color eggs from her planet. Their clothes were made from the same substance as the armor that the men wore, but cut into shifts that hung from their shoulders. Their wrists were adorned with dozens of thinly cut circular rings which tinkled musically as they moved their hands.
The women were all wives and mates to the ministers and elders of the negotiating parties, left to their own devices while their partners were in their meetings. Mother fulfilled her hostess duties by passing around plates laden with sandwiches made with their flat bread and small bowls of what Alexine assumed were vegetables. One dish she particularly liked had small brown puffs tossed with a creamy sauce that had a delicious savory taste. Seeing her pleasure, Mother explained that the brown puffs were grown in the fields beyond the mountains during their warm months and that particular food item stored excellently throughout the winter. She promised to pack some for Alexine and the Doctor to take with them when they left Parakemble.
The chatter quickly turned to the ball. The other ladies, knowing well in advance that interstellar custom dictates that there would be a ball, were well prepared with their arrangements. Mother turned to Alexine. "I had the staff put several garments in your room for you to look at. The Doctor told me that he didn't have time to bring you back to the ship to get your ball gown. Men don't think of these things," she added with an indulgent smile. "I'm sure at least one of them will be suitable, I've given a selection of different styles and colors. Contact me if there's anything else needed."
Alexine nodded. "Thank you, Mother. You're very kind. I was wondering if I could take advantage of your kindness and ask for another favor." At Mother's encouraging nod, she continued: "I've never been to a palace before. Is it possible that you and your companions can give me a tour?"
Mother's face lit up with happiness at the request. "Of course! No one else was interested when I offered a tour earlier in the proceedings. I'm delighted to show off our palace!" She turned towards the other women present. "Who will come with us?" The women all seemed to be looking anywhere but at Mother. "Oh, come on! Someone must want some adventure! Alexine and I can't go without at least one of you present!" Finally, one of the women reluctantly nodded her head. "There, it's settled! After lunch, we'll take our tour!"
Mother's excitement was infectious, and Alexine had to remind herself of her own ulterior motive for requesting to see the castle. Recalling that by the Doctor's own decree that they were bound to have some fun while here, she decided that it was ok to mix a little pleasure with her business. Imagine – her in a palace!
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The sheer volume of stairs they had to climb soon had Alexine slightly out of breath, and the Brethren lady (whose name she learned meant flower in her native tongue, but translated to 'Aisle' for Alexine) wheezing for air. Mother gracefully paused in their climbing, allowing them to rest for a moment, her poise unflappable. "The alcoves in the walls all hold busts of our Elders that have passed before us." At this she paused, laying a reverent hand on the name plaque below the bust in front of her. "This was Pranis's father, my husband, Lead Elder Ganit. He's been gone these past 60 years now and is still missed." A hint of sadness enveloped her before she turned back to them and said, "Shall we resume our tour?"
Aisle said to Alexine in a soft voice "Waste of space if you ask me. What's dead is dead."
"Aisle" Mother reprimanded gently. "No private conversations." Aisle's eyes flashed quickly before she lowered her head in a slight nod of agreement.
"Aisle was just commenting on your custom of honoring your beloved ancestors" Alexine quickly interjected, not wanting any treaties to evaporate because of a single snide comment.
Both Mother and Aisle stared at Alexine for a moment, identical looks of surprise on their faces. "Thank you, Aisle," Mother said. "That was so kind of you to notice!"
Aisle in turn looked at Alexine and responded "Thank YOU, Alexine. You honor me with your diplomacy." At that, she walked past them and began the remaining climb up the stairs.
Mother and Alexine shared a glance and a shrug and fell into place behind Aisle on the stairs.
After touring the upper floors of the palace, where there were mostly private chambers and sitting rooms, they found themselves on the main floor in front of a double gold door. "Our ball room," Mother announced proudly. A staff member who was polishing the outside of the door snapped to attention and reached forward, pushing the doors open to allow the group entrance.
Alexine stepped through, and exclaimed out loud in unexpected pleasure "Oh my Lord, it's beautiful!"
Alexine had expected a room similar to the one where dinner was held the evening before. This room couldn't have ever been dreamed up in her imagination. The area was very large and reminded her somewhat of the Tardis's ability to be much larger on the inside than it seemed on the outside. The room was bordered with lush tropical gardens that didn't seem to notice that they were indoors or that it was winter outside. Dark green foliage reached to the ceiling, sporting brightly colored feather like growths in between the branches. Small waterfalls splashed gaily into their own pools while impossibly delicate flowers grew in between the rocks that seemed to protect them from the large foliage of the trees.
The floor in the center of the room was polished to a glass like shine. A raised area in one corner had staff members busy setting up chairs and equipment, which Alexine assumed were for the musicians. Alcoves that appeared between the gardens had tables already laid with clothes and glasses for the evening's refreshments. Garlands of flowers hung across the ceiling, their intoxicating scent perfuming the air. She stood a couple of steps inside the room, overwhelmed by the beauty and grandness of the ballroom. Tears unexplainably gently crept into her eyes and a pressure on her chest made her feel as if her emotions were overflowing.
Mother approached her and placed her hand on her shoulder, speaking a little louder than normal. "My father designed this. He missed his gardens during winter and sought to bring them into the palace so we could remember the warm months."
She nodded, incapable of speech. There were no superlatives available in her repertoire to adequately describe the beauty of the room. She fantasized for a moment about dancing in this place tonight in a ball gown and wondered if this was really happening. Maybe she was still in her bed on Sandgel, delirious with fever and was dreaming this whole adventure. Her sight slightly blurry, she turned at the pressure from Mother's hands on her shoulders and let her propel her back out of the room.
"There's more of the tour, Alexine," she said with laughter in her voice.
It was admittedly difficult for Alexine to rip her mind away from the experience of the ballroom and concentrate on the narrative that Mother was reciting. She noted the locations of the library and meeting rooms (of which the doors were all snugly closed with staff members on duty outside of them).
They paused at the huge kitchens, which were undergoing a frenzied operation of preparing the refreshments for the days meals and the nights ball. Staying to the sides to keep out of the staff's way, Mother explained that there was a large quantity of people living in the palace that had to be fed several times a day, along with the staff and sentries. The regular dining hall was just off the kitchen, with more practical tables and chairs then what they dined off of last night.
"That's about it for the main parts of the palace," Mother began, signaling that the tour was over.
"Mother, wait. How do you keep it all so comfortable?" Alexine asked, her real reason for the tour now coming to the front of her mind.
"You mean the utilities?" She waved her hand. "They're below level. You don't mean to want to see them too, do you?" A bit of disbelief crept into her voice.
"Mother, I'm fascinated on how to keep large dwellings warm and pumped with water and energy. I've read all about it and would like to see the machinery in action. Can't we take a quick peek? I promise not to touch anything!" She realized that her voice may have seemed a little whiney, but was desperate for her request to be allowed.
Hesitating for just a moment, her natural grace returned and Mother gave an indulgent smile. "Of course, child. Come this way, we'll be going below ground next." Alexine and Aisle dutifully followed Mother into the less habitable part of the palace. There were no busts of dearly departed ancestors here or any tapestries hanging on the wall.
They crept lower until Alexine felt they were at the very base of the mountain. Soon they could hear the noises of machinery, and entered an area that had a walkway around the circumference of the circular room. Staff members were seen walking around the machinery with clipboards, making notations and checking readings. Cable and pipes were gathered up with braces adhered to the walls to keep them off the floor. It was hot, noisy and the air was heavy with dust.
Fanning her hand in front of her face, Mother asked: "Alexine, is this what you wanted to see?"
"Thank you, Mother. I think I have a better understanding now." She replied.
Aisle addressed Alexine. "My education is complete now. A ball room and a utility room in the same walk." Sarcasm dripped through her voice. "Are we done now? I would like to begin my preparations for the ball."
"Of course, I'm sorry to hold you up." Alexine stated.
Mother led them back up to the main area of the palace, and they said their goodbyes in the main entrance. Alexine was able to find her way back to her room and was greeted with chaos when she opened the door.
Strewn about the room was heaps of fabric and boxes. Of course, the ball gowns! She had forgot about this part! Walking over to a fluffy yellow pile, she picked one up and held it against her. Reminding her of the crinolines for the poodle skirt back on the Tardis, the gown poofed out at the bottom half making Alexine think that if she wore that particular gown she would have to keep a wide distance away from anything that she didn't want to knock over. Turning to take in the rest of the room, she gave a startled exclamation at the sight of the Doctor, leaning on the doorjamb, eating an apple and crunching loudly.
"I don't like yellow on you" the Doctor said with his mouth full. "It makes your skin look sallow."
"Doctor!" She exclaimed, tossing down the gown and approaching him. She reached up and wiped the apple bits off his chin.
He raised his hand and touched her face. "Having fun playing Cinderella?"
"You keep talking about Cinderella and forgetting that I don't know who it is," she said.
He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and led her into the adjoining sitting room. "Tell you what. I'll tell you about Cinderella" his voice lowered before he completed his statement "and you tell me about your tour of the palace."
Her eyes met his in acknowledgement that she had completed her task. He nodded towards the staff member that was still present laying out the tea things, and she patiently sat while the Doctor enthusiastically launched into his story of Cinderella, her stepsisters, glass slippers and an intolerable midnight curfew.
The Doctor had a knack for telling stories with such a humorous tone to them that he had Alexine laughing and gasping for breath. "Cinderella and the Prince lived happily ever after, and the stepmother and stepsisters had to work as servants at the castle for the rest of their lives," he ended.
"That's a child's story," Alexine said.
"Maybe. But today it's your story. Minus the step sisters. And the step mother. Well, there's probably not going to be any pumpkins turned into coaches. Or rats. Well, most likely not any glass slippers either. And you can probably stay past midnight. What's more, there's no fairy godmother." Pausing for a moment as if checking that he mentioned all of the disclaimers, he finished with "but there IS a ball and you ARE going in a ball gown!"
"But will Prince Charming dance with me?" She asked shyly.
"No. No Prince Charming. You're stuck with me. It'll be fun! I haven't danced in ages!"
"I've never danced at all," she realized out loud.
"That's easy," he said while jumping up from his chair. He gave a slight bow and held out his hand. "My lady, may I have the honor of this dance?"
"Isn't there supposed to be music?"
"I'll sing."
"Can't miss this!" She sprang up and the Doctor positioned her, placing one of her hands on his shoulder and the other one in his grasp. His free hand wound around her waist, holding her in a position a couple of inches from his body. He started humming. Unfortunately, it was the same song from the two headed opera singer story, so the effect was that she immediately burst into laughter.
"Oi! You can't do that on the dance floor, you'll embarrass me!" he exclaimed.
"If that's the music they're going to play then we're doomed," she pronounced grimly.
"Let's try again." Instead of singing, he started chanting 1-2-3-4, which had the desired effect. Once her feet found the pattern of his lead, he pulled her against him closer and whispered in her ear "while we're dancing, talk soft and tell me about the transformer. Did you find it? I'm pretty sure that we're being watched right now. 1-2-3-4"
The Doctor kept cadence and Alexine whispered in his ear, telling him where the room was located and how it was set up. "What are you going to do?" She asked him, her feet moving more in sync with his as the dancing continued.
"After the ball starts tonight I'm going to go down and see if I can find anything amiss. I need for you to think of an excuse to send me back to the room on an errand for you so that my absence is explained. When I'm done I'll return to you and no one will be the wiser."
The Doctor continued: "the talks today did not go well. Minister Sockren insists that he's not been drilling yet. He said that they have no intention of pulling anything off this planet except for its crystal ore which is badly needed in other parts of the galaxy." At her questioning look he added "it's not a precious mineral here. It's not used for anything except to make gardens pretty. I'm pretty sure he's lying but I need proof. There's a reason he's going after transformers and I need to find out why. The symbols on the cable and the wall match their style of writing."
His whisper lightly tickled her ear and caused a shiver to go down her spine. Pulling away from him slightly, she gazed into his eyes while they ended their dance, nodding slightly to their agreement.
"My lady, allow me to escort you back to your room so you can begin your preparations," the Doctor said, keeping up the childish game. Again holding out his arm, he covered her hand with his when she slipped it through.
At her door, he pulled her to him in a hug, again whispering in her ear. "Where is the message plate from earlier?"
She turned and looked at the maelstrom that her room was at that moment. Hopelessly, she turned back towards him and shrugged her shoulders.
"I suppose that if you can't find it no one else will either," he said. "If you come across it, keep it safe. That isn't meant for anyone else to see."
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Preview: Chapter 15: Midnight
He followed the cable to see if he could dismantle it to give them some time. It wasn't possible. The cable had "kill" switch. If it was cut, the spark ignited. If it was removed, it ignited. The Brethren were prepared to die themselves rather than see this plan be sidelined.
It was about 10:00. That meant he had about two hours to evacuate the palace and the town, because there was enough explosives here to take out the entire mountain.
The Doctor ran.