Tension and excitement seemed to roll of Ariana as she forced herself to remain still, her hands clasped down the front of her dark blue and gold embroidered dress as she waited for Theta to arrive. She suspected that she probably would have been pacing had her parents not stood behind her, both looking stern, her Father even more so then her Mother, obviously wanting to make a good impression, not for Theta, but on his family.
She might not have been overly fond of politics, but having grown up in a very political family and spent several years studying politics, she knew a political move when she saw one, and her parents going to so much effort was clearly based on politics. She still wasn't entirely sure how she was supposed to feel about what her parents true intentions were when it came to Theta, she just hoped that whatever happened, Theta made a good impression on them, and that they liked him, because if not…well, it would certainly put her in a rather hard position. Go against her parents or end her friendship with Theta? But she did know one thing for sure, whatever happened, she wasn't just going to end her friendship with Theta…of course, she also very dearly didn't want to upset her parents, since she seemed to do that anyway.
She was somewhat shocked by how quickly the first week of the holiday's had past, but she had found that these holiday's had been far more enjoyable then the last time. This time her Cousins had mostly behaved themselves, save from some glares and dirty looks, but those were easily ignored. She had found herself spending most of her day's outside in the one of the fields around her house, reading books under the trees or staring up at the burnt orange sky for hours on end, dreaming up wonderful adventures, and only returning home once night had begun to fall, receiving a scolding from her maid for being late to change for dinner, not to mention the one day that she had fallen asleep in the middle of the field, only to wake up and found herself being caught in the middle of a storm.
She had been soaking wet, covered head to toe in mud, and completely ruined her dress by the time she had managed to run back home, slipping through the kitchen door so to go unnoticed. She had felt very guilty when her maid had caught sight of her, a little less so perhaps when she had been forced into a bath of lukewarm water, and had her hair half ripped out of her head as her maid had ran a brush quite roughly through her long hair, muttering about getting mud and grass everywhere, but she did have to admit that it was her own fault. She had known a storm had been building and had ignored it.
When she wasn't outside, she would spend time in the library, making her way through the many high shelves, but she tended to prefer to read within the safety of her bedroom, since her Cousins also spent their time in the library, and while they had been good since her threat, she still didn't trust them, nor did she expect them to simply overlook a chance to get back at her. And when she wasn't in the library, she had taken to wondering around the house, mainly around the parts that weren't used very often, and up in the attic, taking a chance to explore. She had found that the less used areas were for more interesting then the main parts of the house. She had even come across a very large dressing room that, judging by the dust, hadn't been used in centuries that, much to her delight, had housed a number of Earth clothing from several eras. She wasn't sure who the collection of clothing had belonged to, but she suspected it must have been there even before her Grandparent's time, since she couldn't imagine one of her Grandparent's bothering with such things.
"Ariana!" she jumped and whirled around to see that her Mother had spoken to her, giving her a stern look, "Have you been listening?" she asked her, fixing her with a sharp look.
Ariana licked her lips nervously, glancing at her Father, but luckily he seem to busy trying to make himself look important to pay any attention. She looked back to her Mother, giving her a quick, demure smile, "I apologise, Mother," she lowered her head, forcing herself to sound sincere, "I was merely thinking…"
"Perhaps if you had spent more time thinking about certain subjects you would still be doing them," the older woman cut across her, an edge of coldness creeping into her voice as she continued to look sharply at her youngest daughter.
Ariana inwardly winced and tried hard to hide her grimace. Ever since she had dropped botany, her Mother had been making remarks like that almost every chance she had got, and had grown quite cold towards her, far colder towards her then she had ever been, and even more distance, though, Ariana really couldn't see much difference in that respect.
"Lady Rosslyn," Ariana's Father suddenly spoke up, casting his wife an exasperated look, "Have you not exhausted the subject enough?" Rosslyn opened her mouth, a flash of anger crossing her face, "The girl is intelligent. She does not need you to remind her of her own failings constantly".
Rosslyn held chin higher, her eyes growing icy as she looked at her husband, and Ariana almost wanted to take a step back at the barely supressed anger in her eyes, "And if she had failed your own field, would you not have behaved in the same fashion?" she raised an almost mocking eyebrow at, "Perhaps even more so then I, Lord Hendrix".
Hendrix eyed his wife for a moment, seeming unimpressed by her hint of mocking, "This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion," he replied after a moment, his voice taking on a firm tone, "And you would do well to keep your temper under control. You do yourself no favours attempting to mock me, wife," he said the last word with a sharp look of his own.
"The girl is a dreamer," she said to him, waving a hand towards Ariana, who desperately wished that she could leave the room. Her parents always seemed to fight if they spent enough time in the same room as each other, she supposed that was what happened when you were poorly matched and forced to marry so young, "She spends all her time thinking about other worlds, when she ought to be focusing on her studies…"
"She has been doing very well in her other studies," Hendrix pointed out, an almost proud hint in his tone, "It is only your area she has struggled in".
"Because she does not focus! If the girl was as truly intelligent as you say she is, then she would have no issue with any of her subjects, including botany".
He gave her another exasperated look, "Intelligence does not mean that you are suited to every subject. You are merely upset that she did not inherit your skill".
"Of course I am upset," Rosslyn snapped, glaring at him again, "Our other two children have excelled in the subject, and yet our youngest and so called brightest child cannot even pass a simple test!"
Ariana felt herself blushing as she ducked her head, shifting the spot uncomfortably. She was quite used to her Mother attempting to compare her with her older siblings, whether it be something to do with her appearance, her schooling, or even her personality, it more often resulted in her wishing that the ground would open up and swallow her. Her Mother, she had long since resigned herself would never be completely happy when it came to her, it would seem that whatever she did, she still managed to upset her Mother, but that didn't make it any easier.
Just ahead of them at the end of the hall, the transmat bay began glowing a bright blue light, and as the light faded, a tall man appeared.
"We shall discuss this later," Hendrix hissed to his wife, having caught sight of the new arrival, and quickly removed all emotion from his face as he seemed to hold himself higher.
The man had dark hair and sharp features, making him look quite handsome, appearing to be in his mid-forties, and he seemed to hold himself with an air of authority about him. As he stepped out of the transmat bay, it began to glow again, and a small woman with styled red hair appeared. Her features seemed softer then the man's, but very beautiful. The man, obviously her husband, held out his arm towards her and she placed a small hand on to his elbow he guided her out of the bay, just as it began to glow again, and Theta appeared.
Ariana found herself fighting back the urge to smile broadly as Theta stepped beside his parents, his eyes roaming around the large, opened spaced entrance hall, taking everything in with curious eyes, when he noticed her, and broke into a bright, happy smile, not seeming the slightest bit bothered about attempting to hid his own happiness to see his friend again. He even went so far as to give her a little wink, almost causing her to laugh aloud, but she managed to stop herself. She was already finding it hard enough not to laugh, never having seen Theta so neatly dressed with his dark, floppy hair combed back and with his robes actually looking as if they had been ironed, rather than picked up from his bedroom floor.
The man and woman, following by Theta, made there was towards Ariana and her parents, coming to a stop a short distance from them, and Ariana took note that Theta obviously took after the man with looks with his own sharp features growing stronger the older he became, but he seemed to have inherited his Mother's dark green, almond shaped eyes. Ariana was quite surprised as it suddenly occurred to her that Theta was actually quite handsome, even more so perhaps then Koschei, and despite having the appearance of a human ten year old, he was almost as tall as his Mother, who seemed even smaller then she had before.
She wasn't sure why it came as such a surprise to her, she supposed that she had never really thought about whether Theta was handsome before, nor taken much notice. His personality had always been what she had noticed, not his appearance, but she did have to admit that she had always admired his eyes, of course, she would most certainly never tell anyone that. Half the school already seemed to believe that they were engaged in some sort of relationship as it was.
"My Lord Ulysses," Hendrix greeted, bowing his head to the man as a sign of respect, as the other, slightly taller man returned the gesture.
"Lord Hendrix, it has been quite some time, has it not?" Ulysses raised his dark eyebrows to the other man, "Why, I believe the last time I was welcomed beneath this roof was before my marriage," a strange look passed Hendrix face, almost as if he was struggling to stop himself from clinching his jaw as his eyes flickered across to the red headed woman, who seemed to be avoiding his gaze. The other man smiled softly and turned to the woman beside him, still grasping his arm, "You will remember my wife, of course. Lady Penelope".
The red headed woman curtseyed, her eyes still seeming determined to look anywhere but at Hendrix as Ariana glanced at Theta, only to see him looking as puzzled as she felt by their parent's strange behaviour. She had heard rumours that centuries ago, her Father and Ulysses had been childhood friends, both having been tutored under the same Time Lady, Patience, who also happened to be a member of Ariana's own family, and who had been claimed to have once been married to Omega, but after his disappearance, she was said to have fallen in love with the Other, and married him. Whether she ever did marry two of the most well-known Time Lords in Gallifrey's history, was still debatable, but she had certainly tutored Ariana's father, that she knew for sure.
"Thank you for your gracious offer," Penelope said as she straightened from the curtsey, her voice sounding soft, almost musical as she let go of her husband's arm, and placed her hands on Theta's shoulders, pulling him forward, "This is our youngest son, Theta".
"My Lord and Lady," Theta, sounding and looking more serious then Ariana had ever seen him before, bowed respectfully to Ariana's parents, but as he straightened, he winked at her again, and she was forced to hold back a laugh.
"And this is our youngest daughter," Rosslyn stepped forward, placing one hand on Ariana's shoulder, taking her mildly by surprise at the sudden contact from her Mother, but she quickly hid it, "Lady Ariana".
Ariana dropped into a curtsey, fixing a polite smile to her face, trying hard not to blush as all eyes turned to her.
"Ah, yes, of course," Ulysses remarked, taking in Ariana with interest, "You would be the girl that my son seems to have developed an interest in," Ariana felt her cheeks warm even more and she lowered her eyes, "You look like your Mother, though…" he tilted his head, his eyes drifting across to Hendrix, who seemed to have moved past wherever had happened before, "I can also see your Father," he continued, looking back to her, "More so in personality, then in looks, perhaps".
"I would not be entirely sure about that, Ulysses," Hendrix cut in, casting Ariana a quick look as he spoke, "She certainly seems to have more of her Mother's temper".
Rosslyn shot her husband a sharp look, fixing a small smile to her face, "Perhaps we should continue this conversation over tea?" she suggested, stepping into the role of perfect hostess as she made a gesture off to the side of the hall were a set of double doors had been left open, leading into the more nicer sitting room that was used for the important guests.
"Oh, we would not wish to impose…" Penelope began, a look of almost panic crossing her face as her eyes flickered from her husband to Hendrix, who had tensed.
"Nonsense," Rosslyn waved her off, her smile widening as her eyes came to rest on her husband, and Ariana realised that she and Theta were definitely missing something, "It has been so long since you have seen each other. It would be a wonderful to get to know each other again. Don't you agree, dear?" she said the last word with a slightly sharper, almost mocking tone.
Hendrix shot her a look, very obviously not pleased, but nevertheless, he inclined his head towards her, "Wonderful idea," he smiled politely, if not a little painfully as he looked back to Penelope and Ulysses, "Shall we?"
"But…but what of the children?" Penelope asked, seeming to be trying to find some way out of the situation.
"They'll be fine," Rosslyn assured her, looking at Ariana, "Ariana, show Theta to where he will be staying".
Ariana could only nod, "Yes, Mother".
Penelope tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace, "Very well, then," she agreed with a small, barely hidden sigh, "I shall say my goodbye's now," she turned to Theta and almost at once her smile grew genuine and brighter, "Be good, my darling boy," she reached forward and lightly brushed his hair back, and Ariana couldn't help but watch curiously. Time Lords so rarely showed affection in public, or in her parent's case, even behind closed doors.
Theta smiled at her, "I'll try, Mother…"
"Theta," she cut across him firmly.
He sighed and reluctantly nodded, "Yes, Mother".
"Good boy," she smiled and kissed his forehead, before straightening.
As the adults moved into the sitting room, Ariana began to lead Theta up the staircase, only the sound of their footsteps on the marble steps broke the silence until they reached the landing, and broke into a fit of giggles, knowing that they were safely out of earshot.
"Oh, you just had to wink at me," Ariana said through giggles, leaning against the wall to stop herself from collapsing, "Twice!"
Theta grinned broadly, almost looking proud of himself as he fell against the wall beside her, "You just looked to serious," he told her, shaking his head with a mock scolding manner, "I couldn't let that happen".
"No, I'm sure you couldn't," she rolled her eyes fondly, her giggles subsiding as she straightened herself from the wall, brushing a hand down the front of her dress. She began to lead him down the left side of the hallway, "Did you notice our parents strange behaviour?" she asked him curiously, glancing across to him.
His smile faded slightly and he nodded, "Yes, what do think that was all about?"
She sighed slightly, a small, thoughtful frown crossing her face, "I'm not sure," she replied, "Were your parents an arranged marriage?"
"No, they meet towards the end of their schooling and their families thought they made a good match, so they let them get married. Why?"
"Well, I was just thinking…" she began slowly, still looking thoughtful, "I've heard rumours that our Fathers were friends during their time at school, and if your parents meet at school, then it would be possible that they all knew each other at the same time…"
"What?" Theta paused, making her stop to as he raised an eyebrow at her, "You don't think…" he laughed slightly, shaking his head, "You don't think they were involved in some sort of love triangle, do you?"
Ariana blushed slightly, but despite that, she held her chin higher, "It makes sense," she insisted.
"Yeah, but…" he made a face, waving his hand around.
"And what is that…" she mimicked his hand waving around, "…supposed to mean?"
"First off: that's not what I looked like," he pointed at her, looking amused as she laughed, "Secondly: Time Lords and a love triangle?" he gave her a dubious look, "That sort of thing just doesn't happen".
"Time Lords can fall in love, too. It just…doesn't happen quite as often as some other races".
"But love triangles are those things you find in romance novels".
"Oh, and you have read a lot of these novels, have you?" Ariana smirked slyly at him, giving him a teasing look.
"No!" he practically yelped, blushing faintly as she laughed. He huffed slightly and crossed his arms, "I thought you were supposed to be showing me to my room?"
"Yes, I expect you will be wanting to finish your latest romance novel," she flashed him a grin, turning on her heel, and continuing to lead him down the hall.
He groaned before a thought occurred to him and he sent her a sly look, "Ariana, are you ticklish?" he asked her, sounding innocent.
Luckily, she was too busy still laughing to really pay much attention, "What…" he suddenly jumped forward, taking her completely by surprised, and began tickling her. She shrieked and laughed even harder, trying to bat his hands away, "No…stop it…that…!"
"I knew it!" Theta cheered triumphantly, continuing to tickle her as she practically collapsed from laughing so hard. He had guessed that she was ticklish when he nudged her side a few weeks back and she had squirmed away from him, "Now, take back what you said about me and romance novels".
She was laughing so hard by that point that she had tears running down her face, her usually pale cheeks bright red as she half fell against the side of the hallway wall, "Fine!" she cried though giggles, "I take it back!"
"And I'm the most dashing person you have ever seen," he added, grinning broadly.
"Yes, yes, you are handsome!" she nodded quickly, and he stopped tickling her, taking a small step back as she slipped down the wall and onto the floor, gasping for breath, "I hate you," she muttered, using the sleeve of her dress to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
"No, you don't," Theta shook his head cheerfully, holding out a hand to help her up, which she took after a moment, and allowed herself to be pulled back onto her feet.
Ariana sighed after a moment, casting a look back down the hall, "I do hope none of my Cousins heard that," she commented quietly.
"No one looked to see what was going on," he shrugged, not seeming the slightest bit worried about what might have happened had someone seen, since tickling someone, especially when that someone was a girl, and you were a boy was hardly the most proper behaviour.
"They wouldn't have come to my aid even if they had," she sighed.
"They sound lovely".
"Oh, they are," Ariana nodded, throwing another look back down the hall before moving down the hall, pausing outside a set of double doors, "Well, this is it," she gestured to the doors, glancing at Theta, "My rooms the last one down there," she informed him, pointing past a few more doors, and to a set of double doors at the very end of the hall.
She stepped back as he reached for the door handles and pushed the doors open, stepping inside. The room was large and bright, with two windows running along the other side of the room. There was very little art hanging on the walls, since it was only used for guests, and the room itself was decorated quite plainly with mostly shades of white, cream, and polished wood on the desk and four-poster bed.
Theta whistled softly as his eyes roamed around the room, before he moved across the space to look outside the windows, "This is bigger than my room at home," he remarked, seeming almost impressed as he peeked through the window, "Nice view".
"So…you like it, then?" Ariana asked him.
"It's brilliant," he turned away from the window and frowned slightly when he noticed that she was still standing by the doors, "You can come in you want…" he shrugged a little awkwardly, feeling strange for telling her that when it was her house.
She gave him a small smile, "I'm not allowed," she shook her head, "Boy and girl being in a bedroom together, and not related?" she raised an eyebrow at him, "Do you see how bad that might look?"
"Ah, right," he coughed slightly, running a hand through his hair, completely ruining the neatly combed style it had been in, "Sorry'.
"Its fine," she waved his apology off. A few years ago the idea of being in a boy's bedroom would have been unthinkable for her, but while she still might not have been overly comfortable with the idea, she found that she became less concerned about it. She and Theta were just friends, nothing inappropriate would ever happen between them, it was just that the rest of the world didn't see it that way, "I'll let you settle in," she smiled at him, moving to leave.
"Thanks, and Ariana?" he called, just before she stepped out of view, ducking her head around the doorframe, "I promise I'll be on my best behaviour," he told her, "I might act like an idiot most of the time, but I can be respectful and serious".
"I know you can be," she smiled brightly at him, "It's not you I'm worried about, but how my parents and Cousins might act towards you, that's what I'm worried about. Just…be yourself, because the last thing I would want is for you to pretend to be anyone else".
And with that, she turned on her heel and headed down the hall, leaving Theta smiling broadly.
I apologise for the wait, but this chapter turned out longer then I had thought, and with what I needed to cover within it, it felt too early to have them going off on their first adventure together, so that will either be in the next chapter, or the chapter after that. Tell me what you thought, please review :)
