Vignette 11: The Crown of Illsera
Zoe ambled over to the Power Room where the Doctor was having Jamie help him untangle some wiring while he made some adjustments to the power grid. Jamie was sitting on the floor, wires spilling around him like so many garden snakes. She crouched down by him.
"Jamie, what does auld lang syne mean?"
"Auld lang syne? It means … 'old long since', I guess could mean 'times long gone by'. What're ye readin' there?"
"Oh, that book of Robert Burns poetry."
He gave her a wry look. "The one ye tossed in the sea?"
"The same." Zoe said with twitching lips as she thumbed its rippled pages.
"Jamie," the Doctor said from the other side of the grid. "Hand me the fluka wrench."
"Ah …" Jamie cast his gaze over the box of tools with a helpless look. Zoe caught his eye and wordlessly pointed out the one he needed.
"Och, thanks." He flashed her a grateful grin. "Weel, I'm glad ye're showin' an interest in my people."
"I'm trying to broaden my literary horizons. You should try it sometime."
"Try wha'?" Jamie asked distractedly while trying to splice a wire the way the Doctor had shown him.
"Reading more."
"I read plenty."
"I meant reading more than just your usual Scottish stuff or the Bible."
Jamie finally looked up and frowned at her. "There's naethin' wrong with readin' Scottish stuff or the Bible."
Zoe sighed. She had not meant to turn this into an argument.
"I didn't say that anything was wrong with it. I'm saying you should have more variety in your choice of reading material, like me."
"Oh, like tha' deirty American book aboot my people? No thanks."
"And your Robert Burns is wholesome reading?"
Jamie opened his mouth and shut it again. She had him there. "Weel … weel … weel, at least he didnae write it all out, leavin' nae room to th' imagination!"
Zoe crossed her arms and gave Jamie a pointed look. "'The Lass That Made the Bed For Me'?"
Jamie blushed furiously and had the sense to look sheepish. "Oh … ye read tha' one, did ye?"
"As much as I hate to interrupt your literary debate—" the Doctor broke in, "fetch my sonic screwdriver for me, will you Jamie? I seem to have left it in the chair in the control room."
"Oh, I'll get it, Doctor," Zoe offered, rising to her feet.
Jamie got to his feet. "The Doctor asked me tae get it, Zoe."
"But I'm already up, I might as well." Zoe began to walk in the direction of the control room. In the next moment she heard the pounding of Jamie's heavy boots behind her and immediately broke into a run–but she was no match for the Highlander's longer legs.
"Ha!" Jamie skidded to a stop in front of the chair and held up the sonic screwdriver in triumph.
Zoe rolled her eyes. "You're so childish, Jamie."
Jamie wagged a finger and grinned. "Says the lassie who ran, too."
Suddenly the TARDIS' landing noise echoed all around them.
"Not again. I didn't set for it to land!" They heard the Doctor yell.
The TARDIS gave an almighty lurch to one side, sending Jamie backwards into the chair. Once seated he saw Zoe falling backward towards him; arms windmilling, legs pumping as she vainly vied for stability. He immediately opened his arms to catch her as she literally landed in his lap.
"Oof! Och!"
The ship gave one more shudder then went still—remaining at a steep, vertigo-inducing angle.
Jamie and Zoe sat panting together in the chair, gathering their wits and tensely waiting to see if something else would happen.
Once it seemed that all things had settled for good, their seating arrangement registered in their heads. Jamie promptly released her waist and Zoe said, "Oh! I beg your pardon," and hastily tried to get off his lap. But, the press of gravity and her feet not reaching the ground was working against her and she struggled.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Jamie said roughly in her ear.
"What?" Zoe asked, twisting to try and get a look at him. Was he hurt?
"Stop wigglin'!"
"Well, I cannot sit in your lap all day!" She said tersely, thankful that he couldn't see her blush.
"Nae, o' course not! Jist—jist wait a moment!"
With quite an effort, Jamie, whose feet were touching the ground, pushed down on them and stood, sending Zoe sliding off the short distance to the floor. Once standing, though, they both had difficulty keeping their feet. They stumbled sideways into the wall.
Jamie was wincing and slightly doubled over, Zoe noticed his nose growing red.
"Are you alright?"
"Ye knocked the wind out o' me a wee bit and yer big head bumped ma nose when ye landed in ma lap."
"I do not have a big head!" Zoe protested, but then gave the body part a self-conscious pat. Jamie grinned and Zoe quickly lowered her arm. "It's just the haircut," she said archly.
"Wha'ever ye say. Come on, let's go see if the Doctor's alreeght."
The Doctor then appeared in the doorway of the control room and slowly climbed and crawled his way along the wall to them, using the circular niches in the wall as hand-holds.
"Zoe, turn on the viewer screen and let's see where we are."
The screen flickered to life revealing what appeared to be an alley. The walls were made of even, dressed stone, reminiscent of the grand edifices of ancient Egypt.
"The levels outside are similar to Earth-- but definitely not Earth. Either way, I'll need to get out there and find out why we're at this angle."
The group climbed out of the TARDIS. They then turned to see that the craft had landed on a pile of sacking and pallets.
The Doctor took a few steps forward, then stopped and spun around to face his companions with his arms outstretched and beaming.
"Ah! Smell that! The spices, the flowers, the food! I know exactly where we are!"
"Where?" Asked Zoe.
"We're on the planet Kalmyran, more specifically it's royal capital Illsera and this is its Great Market. 'What you can't find in the great Market of Illsera is not worth finding', as they say here, and rightly so."
Jamie and Zoe stared in awe at the long walkways that seemed to stretch in forever, flanked by amber-colored colonnades. Between every other column were stalls full of all the things they were smelling, and more.
The intergalactic fame of the market brought beings of all shapes, sizes, and colors. But, the native inhabitants were a very tall, willowy, humanoid race with skin the color of sunset and hair the color of milk.
"The Kalmyran are a proud, ancient people," the Doctor continued. "They've been ruled by the same royal family for five hundred years, the Vixanoos." The Doctor finally stopped and regarded his companions. "Now I can see you both are eager to peruse," the Doctor said, "so how about this? Let's meet back here at the fountain in an hour? Hm?"
"Aye," Jamie said with a nod.
"Agreed," said Zoe.
Zoe took off toward a stall with colorful, patterned scarves while Jamie made for the one selling leather goods and blades. The Doctor went to his favorite stall, one that sold various woodwind instruments, from recorders to pan flutes.
The Doctor found the one he liked but when he tried to give the shopkeeper his Kalmyrian coin, the Kalmyran startled and put his hand over the Doctor's. He looked furtively around.
"I can't take that," he hissed.
"What?"
"That's not legal tender."
"Since when?"
"'Since when?' Are you trying to get me in trouble? Move along. And take my advice and get your money changed!"
The Doctor slowly walked away. He tried another vendor and got much the same reaction.
"How curious …" He scratched his head, growing troubled. He made his way back to the fountain and found Zoe already there, looking troubled and a little insulted.
"They wouldn't take my money."
The Doctor studied the coins he brought. They were silver; one side had the royal family crest, the other, the image of an enthroned King Otto Vixanoos on the other.
"Oh, Doctor," Zoe said, touching his elbow.
"Maybe we should head back tae the TARDIS."
"Hm?" The Doctor followed her gaze to see the musical instrument shopkeeper talking to what appeared to be a guard of some sort, judging by his armor plate and pike, pointing in their direction.
"Oh, yes. I think it's time to go!"
"Wait!" Zoe gripped the Doctor's arm. "Where's Jamie?"
…..
"Is this foreigner bothering you, Besa?"
Jamie turned away from the truculent shop keeper towards the new voice. He found himself staring at his own reflection in a silver breastplate. His eyes then followed the hammered lines of the metal up to the face of a tall, grim Kalmyrian.
"He's trying to pass old coin!" The shopkeeper tattled.
"Where did you get this, human boy?" The officer demanded, taking the coin from the shopkeeper.
Even if he had had an answer that would've made sense to the officer, Jamie wouldn't have given it. The Scot bristled at the man talking down to him.
"What's it tae you?"
"I'm placing you under arrest."
Jamie folded his arms and smirked. "Oh, aye? You an' wha' army?"
The officer smiled slowly, showing off two rows of sharp, blue teeth.
"Just me is army enough."
Jamie smiled back. "Och, really?" He rolled up his sleeves. "Weel, come on then. Show me what ye got, big man."
……..
Zoe and the Doctor found themselves locked by Kalmyrian officers in a carriage-type vehicle with only two horizontal slits for windows.
"Oh dear, oh dear, something terrible must have happened," the Doctor said as he sat across from Zoe.
"Something terrible to Jamie, you mean?"
"No, I'm quite sure he's fine," the Doctor said quickly and reached across to give her hand a comforting pat. "He can take care of himself. I'm talking about Kalmyra. It was never like this.
"I became good friends with the royal family when I helped avert a potential Dalek invasion. Those officers should have known me when I introduced myself, and not only that, there are a lot more soldiers around the market than there used to be … there also seems to be an indefinable air of fear hovering over the city that was never there before …"
"What can it mean?"
"I'm not sure, Zoe … but, I'm going to find out."
…….
Before Jamie even opened his eyes he was awakened by a throbbing head.
Och, dè a thachair … ?*
The Highlander had made quick work of the one guard that had challenged him, but of course, the officer had friends and they had come to their comrade's aid. The very last thing Jamie remembered after sending the fourth guard head-over-heels, was a strange, acrid smell and then nothing.
Jamie finally opened his eyes. For the first few seconds he found himself staring up at what appeared to be swaths of lustrous fabric, similar to damask, gathered above his head. He blinked again and his brain cleared a little more:
He was lying in a canopied bed.
"Where … ?" He started to ask himself when he got a prickling sensation up the back of his neck.
Someone was watching him.
……
"At least tell us why you're locking us up!" The Doctor insisted, addressing the Kalmyrian guard through the bars of the cell into which he and Zoe had been forced.
"For suspicion of conspiracy."
"Conspiracy? I haven't the foggiest notion of what you are talking about. What sort of conspiracy are we supposed to have engaged in?"
"Conspiracy to overthrow the crown."
"What?! This is ridiculous. I am a personal friend of King Vixanoos!"
The guard looked quite taken aback. He wordlessly turned to his fellow guard standing nearby. The man mirrored his surprised expression.
"A little name dropping never goes wrong," the Doctor murmured to Zoe with a smug grin.
The first guard put his hands on his hips and regarded the Doctor, but addressed his comrade. "Well, if that's not the easiest confession we've ever had, Xenny, I don't know what is! We didn't even have to apply the thumbscrews!"
Zoe and the Doctor exchanged despairing glances. Zoe gave a long-suffering sigh.
"Oh, Doctor! You've dropped the wrong name."
"I don't understand it …"
"Clearly, things has changed since you were last here and this King Vixanoos is persona non-grata now."
The Doctor looked very grim. "Oh, dear."
Both guards reapproached their cell. They had even more questions for them now.
……
Jamie found the source of the stare: a beautiful pair of almond-shaped eyes with irises the color of thistle blossoms. The rest of the face was just as striking. A female of the native species, sitting in a chair by the bed, richly dressed in a gown that winked with jewels. A gold diadem was pinned to the back of her milk-white hair that made it seem like she had shafts of light surrounding her head, like a halo. At the base of the crown were clusters of dried flowers,
red and white.
Jamie would have thought her a work of art if he hadn't seen her blink those bright eyes that seemed to hold him in thrall.
"W-where am I?" He managed to say once he remembered to breathe. A heady perfume teased the Highlander's senses.
"My chambers."
Her voice sounded as beautiful as she looked, yet despite this, Jamie felt a flash of annoyance at her unhelpful answer.
"An' who are ye?"
The vision laughed melodically as if he'd said something very funny. When Jamie gave her a blank look she sobered.
"You are a stranger here, indeed! I am Princess Vectra."
Jamie's eyebrows shot up. Not only was he lying in a strange woman's bedchamber, but that of a Princess? Jamie flushed and pulled back the heavy duvet. His whole body felt like lead.
The Princess lunged forward and put a hand gently, urging him to lie back down.
"No, no, no, rest. It's quite alright, I don't mind."
"Weel, I mind," Jamie said bluntly. He gave one more effort and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The luxurious room swayed a bit, or was that him? Jamie sat heavily down on the edge of the bed.
"Be careful, you're still under the effects of the Heeva blossom
"The wha'?"
"It's a flowering herb that only grows on Kalmyra. Quite multifunctional. Every part of the plant has a use. A tisane made of its leaves relieves pain, the blossoms make a marvelous perfume, and the roots, when crushed and burned, make a potent disabling powder. That's what rendered you unconscious—courtesy of one of my guards armed with a sachet of it."
Jamie thought fleetingly how Zoe would've found all this information very interesting.
"Tha' still doesnae explain why I'm here and not locked in one of your gaols."
The Princess gave him a playful smile that did strange things to his insides. She lightly tapped his nose with a perfectly manicured finger.
"Patience, patience. I'm getting to that."
The Princess fished through the long, belled sleeves of her gown. She pulled out the coin Jamie had tried to use and held it up.
"For every new monarch of Kalmyra a new coin is minted. Now, normally, previous coinage can be used but King Vixanoos was deposed. So, you could see how it would be in poor taste to circulate money with the deposed ruler's face on it, can't you?"
Jamie nodded in understanding. It was the same in his time. New monarch, new face on the money.
"It could be seen as a token of rebellion," Jamie mused.
Vectra looked delighted. She pressed a hand on his arm enthusiastically. "How clever you are! That's it exactly!" Jamie couldn't help but glow under her enthusiastic praise.
"Och, weel …"
"The old money is now being used as a token of resistance as a means of identifying themselves to other members."
Despite the obvious allegiance of this kind and beautiful woman, Jamie naturally couldn't help sympathizing with the resistance.
"Why was the last king deposed? Was he a tyrant?"
"Oh, yes, a terrible tyrant!" Princess Vectra exclaimed hotly.
And just as quickly, Jamie's simple heart swung around again and sided with the present royal family.
"Wha' did he do?" He asked, looking the princess over with gallant concern.
"Oh, it upsets me to even talk of him, so let's not." Vectra smoothly placed her hand over Jamie's. "Let's talk about you, instead. Tell me all about yourself!"
"I still dinnae understand why I'm gettin' sich regal treatment," Jamie said, ignoring the question. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you …"
Vectra gave him a slow smile and looked up at him coyly through her full lashes.
"I-I dinnae want tae seem ungrateful …". Jamie swallowed and fingered the collar of his black turtleneck. "Erm …"
Vectra fiddled with the edge of the coverlet. "I didn't want you to have a bad impression of Illsera. Our capital city is what draws the tourists to Kalmyra. If rumor got around that we ruthlessly beat and imprison visitors over a simple misunderstanding, well … you see what I mean?"
"Oh, a-aye. Um, speaking o' visitors, I came with two friends and I need tae rejoin them. Uh, thank ye for yer hospitality, your Highness, but I really need to get back tae them."
The Princess leaned a little closer. Her delectable perfume surrounded him in a sweet cloud. Jamie felt warm all over.
"Here on Kalmyra we don't consider our hospitality complete until our guests have had a bit of a repast. You will stay for tea."
…..
The Doctor folded his hands on the table and looked at the guard sitting across from them.
"So, to summarize: King Vixanoos and his family have been deposed and the lesser noble house of Tresh took over, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"And you said that was four years ago?"
"Yes. Hey, wait a minute, who's the one asking the questions here, me or you?"
The Doctor flashed him an innocent smile. "Why, you of course."
"That's what I thought."
There was a knock at the door of the interrogation chamber, then before Officer Xenny could respond the door was opened and the other officer stepped in. In two strides he was by Xenny and leaned down to whisper in his ear.
Officer Xenny's body jerked in surprise at whatever the other officer said. The Doctor and Zoe exchanged glances.
Xenny stepped out of the interrogation room, leaving the other officer to guard Zoe and the Doctor.
Shortly though, Officer Xenny was back looking astonished and puzzled. After some hesitation he said to the Doctor and Zoe, "you're to be escorted to the palace. Her serene royal highness, the Princess Vectra requests your presence."
"As prisoners?" The Doctor asked sharply.
"No. As guests."
….
The Doctor beamed and straightened his shabby tie. "Ah, well, this is more like it," he said as they were led down a long, tapestried corridor.
Zoe didn't comment. She was busy noting their surroundings, committing the layout to her eidetic memory—just in case they needed to find their way out on their own …
"Oh, we're not going to the throne room?" The Doctor asked the two palace guards escorting them. He still vaguely remembered the layout himself to know they had passed it.
"No. We're taking you to the Princess' receiving room.
The Princess's receiving room felt like walking into a tent—a palatial tent. The walls and ceiling were draped with richly colored fabric. They were apparently in a kind of foyer, as it was a small space with a curtain at the other end of it.
A servant bid the Doctor and Zoe to remove their shoes and Zoe's feet sunk into soft, deep-pile carpet.
The servant pulled aside the curtain and Zoe and the Doctor gasped at the sight before them:
The tent motif was continued with even richer colors. There were no chairs but large, plush pillows piled in the center of the room, acting as seats. And reclining against those pillows was a beautiful woman and—
"Jamie!" Zoe exclaimed.
Jamie looked up from his comfortable spot; a welcoming smile lit up his face as if they had just dropped in for tea. And there actually was on a low table, in front of Jamie and the Princess, a tea service.
"Oh, Doctor! Zoe! Ye've made it!"
"So have you, apparently," The Doctor said, looking bemusedly at the Highlander.
The Princess, fixing her purple eyes on the pair, rose gracefully to her feet and approached them, the folds of her gown rippling out in her wake. Zoe blinked as she was surprised by a sharp stab of envy.
"Welcome to my home! Please, sit." She said it so warmly but somehow it was also a command.
Zoe and the Doctor sat.
The servant stepped forward, clearly intending to pour the tea to the newcomers, but the Princess waved him away and took up the teapot herself.
"My deepest apologies for the little misunderstanding," she said as she poured.
Zoe snorted. "'Misunderstanding'! That's rather an understatement!"
"Zoe!" The Doctor said sharply. "Manners." Zoe gave him an indignant, questioning look, then caught Jamie's eye. His expression was also reproachful.
Zoe put her tea cup down with a slight clatter. "May I ask what this 'little misunderstanding' was, your Highness?" She asked with a tight smile.
The Princess then proceeded to tell the Doctor and Zoe the same story she told Jamie. Zoe glanced at the Doctor. Although his expression was carefully neutral she could see the slight tension in his jaw as the Princess casually spoke of King Vixanoos' deposing.
Zoe's gaze slid to Jamie. His eyes were studying Princess Vectra, a silly little grin on his face.
Princess Vectra wove her fingers together and rested her chin on them. "So, I've been told you've been here before and were close to the former king."
The Doctor shrugged and gave Vectra a sheepish glance, "well, I may have exaggerated the closeness of our relationship a bit. I was not aware of the regime change and thought claiming such bonhomie would've been to our advantage in the situation. Obviously not."
Princess Vectra gave him a sympathetic and encouraging little smile.
Is the Doctor blushing? Wondered Zoe. Men.
The Princess rose to her feet and the men, being the gentleman that they were, rose too.
"You must be tired after your ordeal. I will have one of the servants show you to the guest rooms I've prepared."
"You're too kind," Zoe said flatly. "But we're not—"
"Not properly dressed for an overnight stay," the Doctor cut in. "Why, I haven't even got my toothbrush, much less pyjamas."
Princess Vectra gave that musical laugh again.
"We have the greatest marketplace in the galaxy. Everything you need we can provide."
……
Zoe could not help but run her hand in awe over the Kalmyrian gown that had been draped across her guest bed. She had just stepped out of a refreshing bath that had been drawn for her and was now wrapped in a silken dressing gown.
She had never seen such a uniquely lovely dress. She lifted it off the bed and held it up to her body, regarding its effect in a full-length mirror.
It was ivory colored with a boatneck collar and very short sleeves that just covered her shoulders and a small amount of her upper arms. The bodice was embroidered with orange, blue, pink and red flowers blooming on curling, golden vines. Her skirt was made of a slightly more transparent material with two panels of the same embroidery design over where her legs would be.
But there was more than just a dress left for her.
On the vanity there was a delicate golden headpiece made of two woven chains that clipped to her hair on either side of her head, to then drape around the back. From the chain and from the medallion shaped clips there hung leaves made of thinly beaten gold.
Zoe held one of the golden leaves in between her fingers. She thought about the Princess as admired the delicate craftsmanship. It was very kind of the Princess to lend to her such beautiful clothes and to show them such gracious hospitality.
And yet, she did not like her. Why?
Zoe mentally played back their reception in the receiving room and re-observed Vectra. There was nothing offensive in her manners toward them, there was even warmth. Zoe blushed in slight shame over what her own manners had been. Was there something about the princess herself to dislike?
Or was she just prejudiced because Jamie seemed to like her so much?
A knock sounded on her door.
"Yes?"
"It's the Doctor, are you decent?"
Zoe looked down at her modest dressing gown and shrugged. "Yes, I suppose." She laid the dress back on the bed and let him in.
"She's lying," The older man said as he stormed into the room and immediately began to pace.
"What?"
"The tyrant she described is not the King Vixanoos I knew."
"How well did you know him?" Zoe asked gently, but the Doctor heard the dubious tone in her voice.
"I'm telling you, he isn't like that!" He snapped.
Zoe sighed. "If you say so, Doctor, but you don't know how much time has passed. People change."
The Doctor stubbornly shook his head. "No. Not him."
Zoe tilted her head and regarded him sympathetically. The Doctor was really distressed. She stepped forward and gently touched his arm.
"I'm sorry. Tell me about him."
The Doctor gave her a sad smile then gestured for her to sit down on the small loveseat that came with the room. But just as he was about to begin his narrative another knock came at the door.
"Zoe?"
Jamie.
"Yes? What is it? I'm still getting dressed."
"Oh." There was a short pause. "Then the Doctor's nae wi' ye."
"No, I'm here, Jamie."
The doorknob rattled violently and Jamie burst into the room, glancing wildly between the Doctor and Zoe. When he saw that Zoe was modestly wrapped and the Doctor was standing a decent distance away, the Highlander blushed and visibly relaxed.
Zoe's eyes twinkled mischievously. "James Robert MacCrimmon, whatever is the matter with you?"
"Weel, I …" Jamie pivoted to the Doctor and wagged a finger at him. "Ye shouldn't be in here when a lady is dressin'!"
The Doctor rolled his eyes.
A servant poked his head into the doorway and looked at the trio quizzically.
"Ah … dinner is in half an hour. Please be prompt." The servant then scuttled away to gossip with the other servants.
"Neither of you should be in here!" Zoe declared with a laugh. She then gripped both their arms and hustled Jamie and the Doctor out the door. "Now, for heaven's sake, let me get dressed!"
…….
When Zoe opened the door again Jamie and the Doctor were waiting to escort her. The Highlander was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
"Wha' took ye so …" Jamie began testily, but then trailed off as his jaw fell open.
"Ah, you look lovely, Zoe!" The Doctor said warmly.
"Thank you," Zoe took her place between the Doctor and the Highlander, taking hold of each proffered arm. She glanced at Jamie who was staring at her with open admiration.
"Close your mouth, Jamie, before you catch a fly," she said playfully, her confidence and heart soaring.
"Yes, you wouldn't want one of the Kalmyrian variety getting in there, believe me," the Doctor commented. "The size of house cats."
Jamie tore his gaze from Zoe to give the Doctor a horrified look. Zoe mirrored him.
"Th' size of …"
"House cats?!"
"Well, perhaps I exaggerate …"
His companions relaxed.
"More like house finches."
"That's not any better!" Zoe exclaimed.
"Och! Enough aboot flies. I dinnae know aboot you two, but I'm famished."
"I think I lost my appetite," Zoe groaned, still thinking about giant bugs.
"Weel, ye can stay up here if ye like, I'm still hungry."
"Of course you are. Nothing could put you off food."
Jamie grinned at her.
"Look out, Jamie!" Zoe snapped and pulled the Highlander to the side. He had been so focused on the petite scientist he had nearly walked into a column.
The company was put in a drawing room as they were waiting to be called into dinner. There were other Kalmyrian dignitaries and lesser royal persons among the dinner party. The Doctor chatted with them all, trying to get a feel of the current political climate and what happened to the former family without sounding too interested.
Apparently the takeover happened not too long after he had left. The Doctor's stomach dropped after he heard this. At his last visit he had been his previous regeneration, with his granddaughter, Susan.
The Doctor pulled Jamie aside and quietly explained as much to the Highlander.
"So they dinnae recognize ye?"
"No, and maybe we should keep it that way."
"Eh, aye."
Jamie's eyes drifted to the other end of the room where the Princess was standing surrounded by Kalmyrian suitors, the type of men Jamie recognized as Court dandies: thin, effeminate and cloying. The Princess' purple eyes met his and she gave him a warm, beckoning smile. Jamie felt a strange tingling in his head, like he'd taken a healthy swig of whiskey.
Dinner, when it commenced, was very elegant and consisted of many courses. But Zoe found her appetite, only lately regained, failing again as she noticed Jamie's eyes straying to the Princess at the head of the table, beside the King.
"I remember the new king," the Doctor commented to Zoe, being seated next to her. "He was the former king's brother, Vex is his name if I recall, and rightly named. I never much cared for him, and now I know why."
When the dessert course came King Vex rose to his feet, goblet in hand. "My friends, join me in welcoming our guests to our table on this most important memorial feast."
The Doctor rose and bowed, a trifle awkwardly, in thanks. He nodded for Jamie and Zoe to do the same.
"A memorial feast to what, may I ask?" The Doctor ventured, half sitting back down.
"You did not know? Most outsiders know of the Time of Tears, but I suppose there are exceptions."
The Doctor held out his hands in an apologetic gesture. "If your majesty wouldn't mind elucidating …"
"Of course not, if our company does not mind my rehearsal of events still so keenly felt by all."
The guests murmured their assent and King Vex began. It was with growing dismay that the Doctor heard recounted the events that he had been a part of with King Vixanoos …
A strange plague had swept throughout Illsera, with its origin point seemingly in the city itself. All outside business was stopped and the city quarantined. A heavy blow to the economy of Kalmyra.
King Vixanoos did not respond to the crisis as the people had expected. Instead of working with his own advisors he took the counsel of a strange old man and young girl who had both from off-world just before the plague started. He had closeted himself away with them and a handful of Kalmyrian scientists.
The people were dying and no answers were coming from the king. It was not until the, then Lord, Vex—and here the man himself touched his heart and bowed his head in a self-deprecating manner—brought forth a cure. He had had his own team of scientists working behind the scenes. He distributed the cure and the city and the planet was saved.
"King Vixanoos had come up with nothing. He had failed the people."
The Doctor suddenly slapped the table and jumped to his feet, nearly upsetting his wine glass.
"What do you mean nothing?!"
All eyes turned on him.
King Vex's eyebrows rose.
"Just what I said … what is it to you, honored guest of my daughter?" King Vex turned questioning eyes on the Princess.
For once, the Princess seemed to lose her poise. She even looked a little frightened.
"Royal father—"
"Eh, forgive my friend, yer majesty." Everyone's eyes' shifted to Jamie who now also stood up. He held out a placating hand. "He wasnae questionin' yer story, he was jist so shocked tha' the former king had come up empty-handed. He's verra sensitive." Jamie yanked on the Doctor's coat sleeve, urging him to sit back down. "Is no' tha' reeght, Doctor?"
"Oh, uh, yes. I'm … absolutely shocked."
Zoe, sitting on the Doctor's other side, now also tugged on his sleeve.
The Doctor looked down at her with a bewildered and sad look on his face and Zoe's heart went out to him.
Conversation at the table resumed. The Doctor sat down. Zoe put a her hand over his, which was balled into a fist in his lap, and gave it a squeeze. She then whispered, "we'll figure out what happened, Doctor, don't worry. It will be okay." The Doctor looked doubtful, but gave her a small, grateful smile anyway and patted her hand with his free one. Zoe leaned forward a bit to look across him to catch Jamie's eye, to get his agreement, but his attention was focused further down the table.
"Jamie."
"Hm?"
Zoe sniffed and tilted her chin. "Never mind. You clearly don't care."
Jamie finally ripped his eyes away from the Princess to give her a bewildered frown. "Wha'? What did I do?"
Zoe looked down at her plate with the remains of her half-eaten meal. "Nothing."
"She's actin' stranger than usual," Jamie whispered to the Doctor.
The Doctor did not respond. He was also staring at his barely touched food without actually seeing it.
"Are ye alreeght, Doctor?"
The Doctor glanced around the table and noticed not a few speculative looks being cast his way by the other guests; some were even downright suspicious.
"Later, Jamie," he murmured and gave the staring guests his most charming smile.
King Vex clapped his hands, the servants came forward and the meal was over.
"Were the dishes not to your liking, honored guest?" The female servant who had come to clear his plate had asked as she inspected the barely eaten dessert she was removing. "I noticed you hardly touched the other courses. If you would like, I could apply to the kitchens and have something else made for you."
The Doctor looked up at her then and his eyes widened. "Eässa!" He blurted out in a hiss.
The willowy woman froze and blinked her ice-blue eyes, her mask of servility slipping slightly.
"Do I know you, sir?" She asked with a touch of indignation.
The Doctor glanced about then leaned in. "Well … yes and no …"
……
Back in the Doctor's room Jamie and Zoe sat together on the settee and watched as the Doctor sought to explain to the servant what even they did not fully understand.
The woman refused to sit and stood against the wall by the door. She appeared to be in her early fifties, by earth-reckoning. She was tall and there was an undeniable air of authority about her as she stared them down.
"So … I am to believe that you are the same old man that came to us seven years ago during the Time of Tears?" She said slowly.
"Yes."
"And what proof do you offer?"
"I know who you are."
A briefly hunted look passed over the servant's face followed by cold impassivity.
"I am no one."
The Doctor gave her an indulgent smile. "But once you were someone. Eässa Vëtrix, the Crown Prince's nursemaid and bodyguard. You showed my granddaughter how to throw daggers."
Eässa gazed at the Doctor with a look of cautious wonder and pushed herself away from the wall. She slowly made her way to him, studying him.
"How?"
"I just told you. My kind regenerates when we die and we take on a different appearance, but we are, for the most part, still the same person. Now, tell me what happened, Eässa. How could Vex claim that the King did not produce a cure. We did! Susan was made well!"
Zoe gasped. "Oh, my! So your granddaughter caught the illness as well?"
"Yes," the Doctor replied heavily. The lines in his face seemed to deepen as his mind went back to that anxious time.
Eässa finally sat down in a plush chair that was situated near the sofa on which Jamie and Zoe were seated. The Doctor settled down on the edge of the bed.
"You left us right after the cure was found. You did not stay to see the King present it to the people, so you did not know that Vex brought out his cure before the King did.
"We all tried to tell everyone that the King had come up with a cure, but it did not matter. They would not hear us. Vex had delivered and the King had not. Emotions were high. All the good things about King Vixanoos seemed to be forgotten and only every failure of his tenure was remembered and heightened. Vex made sure of that through his minions—infiltrating the public squares and workplaces, spreading slander and gossip.
"The people demanded that Vixanoos step down. He was already heartbroken as the Queen had been one of the tragic casualties of the plague. He did not have the heart to fight. He set the young Prince on the throne as his successor but was forced to accept Vex as regent, Lord Protector. Of course, that did not last long. We knew it would only be a matter of time before Vex dropped all pretense and took the throne. We could see it already happening as more and more of King Vixanoos' counselors mysteriously disappeared or resigned, to be replaced by those of Vex's choosing.
"And so we fled: The king's main retinue and any faithful administrators that were left. The Prince was only seven summers old at the time."
"What are ye doin' back here then?" Jamie asked. "Wouldn't Vex and his people recognize ye?"
The Doctor answered for Eässa. "The faces of the members of the Royal bodyguard are rarely seen, not even by those they guard. They are veiled or masked when outside of the royal apartments, so that when they are off duty they have some level of anonymity."
"But, then how did th' Doctor recognize ye?"
"As the Crown Prince's nursemaid, I was a bit of an exception," Eässa answered. "I went unveiled in the inner rooms, when I was caring for him. That's why the Doctor recognized me. He was allowed the privilege of entering those spaces."
"Why are you back here instead of with the Prince and the King?" Asked Zoe.
"I was selected to be a spy of sorts and infiltrate the Royal palace since few knew my face. I have been reporting back to the King and his administrators on the comings and goings, the climate of the court and the people. We're looking for an opportunity to return."
"Is there anyone here in the palace you might ally yourself with? Anyone still sympathetic to the old King?" The Doctor inquired.
Eässa frowned. "Most are too fearful of the current regime to dare whisper discontent. There may be some of this royal family or his courtiers who may be sympathetic, discontent in their position, as Vex was, and could be turned."
"Do you think the Princess would help us? She seemed verra nice. Is she on Vex's side or Vixanoos?"
Eässa gave Jamie a pointed look.
"She's on no side but her own. Whatever serves her own purposes best."
Jamie jumped to his feet. "Weel, then she could be persuaded tae help! She doesnae seem tae be overdone of her father, and she seems tae like me. I'll go an' talk tae her."
Zoe went to grab his sleeve as he rose but her hand closed on air.
"I would be wary of the Princess," Eässa said once Jamie had left.
"Why?" Zoe asked, alarmed.
"She is a neutral party, but her neutrality is what makes her unpredictable. She could go either way."
"I'm going to go get him," Zoe said and hurried out the door.
On the departure of the young people a reflective silence stretched between the Doctor and Eässa before the Doctor began to ask her general questions about the changes in Illsera and about the newer inhabitants of the palace.
"The Princess is an … extraordinary young lady," he commented.
Eässa gave a wry smile. "Yes, she is very beautiful. She has many suitors, but none are to her liking, from what I can see. But she is also very skilled in herb-craft. She has always been a bit of a prodigy in that regard, surpassing the skills of most of our healers and gardeners."
"Ah. How very interesting. I must ask her about that sometime."
Eässa and the Doctor continued to chat companionably for a few minutes before the door handle suddenly jingled and the door flew open.
Eässa immediately leapt to the Doctor's side, a dagger in her hand, ready to defend him. But it was Zoe who came stomping in, her face a veritable storm cloud.
"I can't believe you!" She snapped over her shoulder.
Jamie slowly came into view in the doorway. His hair was slightly disheveled and there was a deep pink smudge on his lips.
"… I think I'm engaged," he said dazedly.
…….