CHAPTER 17

CHANCELLOR DRU

It had taken some doing, but Jason finally managed to calm Constance down, the strain of the last few days having taken their toll on her nerves. The fact that she finally believed he wasn't working against her helped a great deal, as did the realization that she could trust him implicitly. Something she hadn't been able to do with anyone for a very long time.

Jason ordered dinner brought to his quarters, hoping a quiet meal taken with friends might further help in calming Constance's frazzled nerves, which it did. By the time the meal was over she felt more like her old self again, controlled and confident. She knew it was only an illusion, of course, but at least she didn't feel so hopeless and afraid anymore. All thanks to the efforts of the man she assumed had betrayed her.

Still under the watchful eye of Corporal JoHanna, they went into the main room to have their after dinner coffee. Jason looked absently out the window and was surprised to see it was already dark outside. They had spent quite some time talking at dinner and he had completely lost track of the time. "The Doctor must've finished by now," he muttered. Rising to his feet, he started to prowl the room as he usually did when he was worried. "It shouldn't've taken him this long to present our evidence to get the judgment canceled."

Suddenly Chancellor Dru burst into the room, looking quite beside himself.

Jason stopped dead in his tracks. "I don't believe I heard you knock, Chancellor."

Dru glared back at him in disgust. "I had to see it with my own eyes," he snarled in contempt. "You actually convinced his Majesty to let that…that…thing out of confinement."

Jason's temper flared, his eyes burning like hot coals. "I don't believe that's any of your business, either."

"Treason is always my business, boy," Dru snapped.

There was something about his tone and manner that rubbed the aristocrat the wrong way, and he bristled. "You will address me by my proper title, Chancellor!" he snapped angrily.

The Chancellor smiled evilly. "Certainly, my Lord Krystovan. Enjoy it while it's yours. After this creature's been dealt with, it's your turn. You don't deserve those titles or holdings any more than LiaDonna did. And now you have the audacity to pledge them away on that!"

Constance saw Jason stiffen visibly, apparently having received a very powerful verbal slap in the face. Then she saw a pained look come to his eyes, which only served to make her extremely angry. There was nothing Dru could say to her now that was worse than what she was witnessing. It was all too obvious he was enjoying his attack on her self-proclaimed champion and benefactor.

"You're just like her," Dru snarled. "Deceitful, untrustworthy, manipulative. A traitor from a traitor." Turning an angry gaze in Constance's direction, he spat, "You probably even think you're in love with this…thing."

Having heard quite enough, Constance rose with dignity to her feet, the picture of cold, dispassionate calm. She walked slowly over to Dru and asked blandly, "Did you come here to try and frighten me, Chancellor? Or to hurl insults at Lord Krystovan?"

Dru opened his mouth to reply but was immediately cut off.

"Not that it matters, of course. I'm not really interested. Good-night, Chancellor. Please, close the door on your way out."

Dru gaped at her. He had not experienced so terse a dismissal since taking office, and to have it come from someone who was supposed to be afraid of him. Outrageous! Recovering himself quickly, he spat back, "I don't take orders from criminals. You're a Changeling. A creature of death from the dark times." Looking pointedly at Jason, he added, "Your poison's already starting to spread. If it were up to me, I'd execute the both of you."

Without thinking Constance slapped him across the face as hard as she could. "By God! If Jason's birthright weren't on the line, I swear I'd do something worthy of a death sentence. Now get out!"

Chancellor Dru changed through three shades of purple before he said tauntingly, "Enjoy your false freedom, Changeling. Tomorrow you die. Judgment will begin at midday." With that, he stormed from the room.

Miss Sorenson blanched visibly, turning to the others, a horrified expression on her face. "Tomorrow?" she said in small voice. "Then…the Doctor failed."

Unaware of the confrontation going on in his companion's quarters, the Doctor was blithely making his way through the corridors of the Palace. He had barely stepped from the elevator when Chancellor Dru came charging from Jason's room, practically knocking him down as he rounded the corner.

"And you call yourself a Time Lord," Dru sputtered feebly before disappearing down the corridor, leaving the bewildered Time Lord staring after him.

The Doctor entered Jason's suite to find three very long faces. "Now what's going on in here?" he boomed cheerily. "I've seen happier faces at a funeral."

His companion shot him a reproving look. "That's not funny, Doctor!" Jason snapped. "The Chancellor's just informed us the judgment's to be held at midday tomorrow."

"Ah, did he now?" the Doctor replied thoughtfully. "That's very interesting. I wonder how he found out so quickly?"

"Then… it's true?" Constance breathed in horror. "I'm to die tomorrow."

"Well, not exactly tomorrow," the Time Lord replied vaguely. "The Chancellor thinks so, I suppose?" He furrowed his brow and muttered thoughtfully, "Why, I wonder?"

"He wants blood, Doctor," Leela injected astutely. "He will not be satisfied until he gets it."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. He would have rebuffed this observation had it come from anyone other than Leela, the only one present who knew bloodlust when they saw it. "Really?" he said at last. "Now that is interesting."

Jason could feel himself growing very angry at the Doctor's sudden cold bloodedness. How could he not see how upsetting this was to Constance? He was about to verbalize his annoyance when another thought struck him and he eyed his friend suspiciously. "Just what went on between you and the Emperor, Doctor?"'

The Doctor beamed back at him, putting a finger to his lips. "I'm sworn to Imperial secrecy on that. You'll find out soon enough, though." Turning to Miss Sorenson, he could see she was already showing signs of panic. He took her by the hands and said gently, "His Majesty did give me a message for you. He requests that you do and say nothing until after the judgment is given. You are to admit to your name and status as a Changeling and that's all." Pausing, he said in a firmer tone, "After the proceedings begin, much of what will happen will sound terrible, but you're not to be frightened."

"It's too late, Doctor," Constance replied shakily. "I'm already terrified."

"You must trust us, Constance, now more than ever. Do you think you can do as his Majesty asks?" The frightened woman nodded, and the Doctor gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulders. "That's the stuff." Turning to his companions, he said, "By the way, I bumped into our lovable Chancellor a few minutes ago. He must've only just left here, but I'd hardly describe him as a man reveling in victory."

"That was my doing, I'm afraid," Constance sheepishly admitted, lowering her eyes. "I'm afraid I struck him rather savagely across the face."

"Really?" the amazed Doctor grinned. "I'm almost sorry I missed it. What on earth did you do that for?"

"He was being so horrible to Jason. I just…I couldn't help myself."

"To Jason?" The puzzled Time Lord looked over at the young man, who seemed either un able or unwilling to elaborate.

"He called him a traitor," Leela informed. "From a family of traitors."

Considering all the Emperor had said about Jason's integrity as well as everything he had put on the line thus far, the Doctor readily understood the severity of the insult.

"Jason," Constance ventured, "what did he mean about your not deserving your titles any more than…than…" She paused, trying to recall the name.

"LiaDonna," Jason said wistfully, lowering himself slowly into a chair. "Yes. My undeserved titles and holdings, as our lovable Chancellor put it, were hers. Well…except for the marquisate of Krystovan. That's from—" Cutting himself off, he jumped to his feet in anger. "How dare he say that about her! What gives him the right!"

"Alright, alright, just calm down," the Doctor said gently.

"Calm down!" his companion snorted. "Oh, that's all very well for you to say, Doctor, but you didn't hear what that pompous—" Waving a hand, he sputtered, "You didn't hear what he said about my mother!"

Constance blinked. "Your mother?"

The young Lord's unstable emotional state flip-flopped again and he was once again subdued. "She died when I was very young." Drawing a deep breath, he said in a stronger voice, "I inherited her titles and holdings here on Alterrous as well as the ones on Tel-Shye the Emperor bestowed when she and my father were married."

"And that's the reason Chancellor Dru hates you and the Lord Emperor."

This statement was made by Corporal JoHanna, who had been standing quite forgotten by the wall. She flushed and lowered her eyes when they all turned a questioning gaze at her.

"Please, forgive me, your Lordship," JoHanna said meekly. "It wasn't my place to speak."

Speechless, Jason exchanged an astonished look with the others. The Doctor was the first to recover and went over to the embarrassed Imperial Guard. "No, Corporal, I think you should tell us about it." She looked up slowly and he added, "Please?"

JoHanna shifted uncomfortably on her feet, knowing she had seriously breached the formal protocol of her position. It was only when Jason assured her that there would be no recriminations that she finally explained her remark.

JoHanna began by saying that most of what she knew was based on rumor. As the story went, Dru had fallen in love with the Emperor's niece, LiaDonna, to the point of obsession. She, on the other hand, did not care for him and had tried unsuccessfully to discourage his advances. Eventually she became engaged to a visiting nobleman many times her age and announced that she was leaving Alterrous for good. The jilted Dru went to the Emperor with a petition that would not only stop LiaDonna from leaving, but also prevent the marriage from taking place; it being Dru's contention that she could not possibly love this other man and that she was only mar rying him because of his highly placed social rank.

This act of insolence so outraged the Lord Emperor that he turned the petition down flat, go ing on to forbid the spurned Dru from ever setting foot on Tel-Shye, where his niece had gone. Her new husband had sworn never to return to Alterrous again, cutting off all contact with the Imperial court in order shield his wife.

Because of his audacious act, Dru fell out of favor with the Emperor. They had been in com petition with one another for many years, Dru always being the victor. Always, that is, un til Quinton's startling rise to the throne, the first bitter pill for Dru to swallow. The loss of LiaDonna was the next. In the ensuing years, Dru grew to hate the Emperor, his niece, and then her descendants—meaning, of course, Jason himself.

"Good Lord…" Jason breathed, having had no knowledge of any of this. "My poor father. How I used to badger him about never bringing me here so I could take my mother's place at court officially. If only he'd told me instead of making excuses."

"Well, that explains the Chancellor's hostility, if nothing else," the Doctor remarked. "Thank-you, Corporal. You've been most helpful."

"Yes," Jason muttered. "Enlightening."

They received a sheepish half smile in reply.

JoHanna's relief came on duty at that moment and the Doctor seized the opportunity to break up the gathering. The time for the judgment would be upon them before they knew it.

Before she left, Constance turned to the Doctor and Jason. "I want to thank you both for every thing you've done for me. I know you tried your best to save me. It just…wasn't enough."

"Have faith, Constance," the Doctor soothed gently. "And remember what I said. Do and say nothing until after his Majesty proclaims the judgment."

Leela and Jason exchanged glances as Miss Sorenson left and then the Alterran turned pointedly to the Time Lord. "Alright, Doctor. What do you know that you're not telling us?"