Chapter 5.
Ianto entered the Boardroom, eyes cast down and walking towards Jack, leaned over the table and laid the tray in the centre. There were no biscuits this time, just the four mugs of coffee. He lifted two mugs from the tray and passed them carefully to the Doctor and Prince Varnia, refusing to meet their eyes. Then handing Jack his mug, he picked up the last one and took his seat beside Jack.
The tension was so tight in the room that a sneeze could have snapped it into spikes strong enough to skewer them all. Ianto was still in daze, unable to comprehend how on earth he was at the centre of this nightmarish ménage-a-trois.
As he slipped into the chair beside Jack, he felt a hand rest gently on this thigh, squeezing it lightly in reassurance. His breathing began to ease at his lover's touch.
"Right", the Doctor began looking around at each of them in turn, "Ground rule, gentlemen.
"First. Each person is to be given the opportunity to speak without interference or interruption of any kind."
"Second. We do not resort to coercion, whether it be physical violence, name-calling, threats or downright rudeness. We call ourselves 'civilised' so let's behave as though we are."
"Third. We need to reach a resolution. The whole point of this meeting is for a resolution which is in the best interests of everyone, including those waiting outside this room. I don't need to remind you all that a bloody lot rides on this meeting!"
"Fourth. We may not reach a consensus, therefore majority rules. A split vote is not acceptable."
"Fifth. As with a human jury, this meeting doesn't end until a final decision is made. We can take breaks, as necessary, but we're on the clock! 23 ¾ hours remaining."
"Now, are we all agreed, gentlemen?" asked the Doctor.
Three voices all spoke in the affirmative. Then Jack asked calmly, "Who gets to speak first?"
"Prince Varnia", replied the Doctor. "He needs to explain certain things about his culture and about himself that we all need to understand. Especially Ianto. Any objections?"
Jack and Ianto both shook their heads. Ianto slipped his hand discreetly under the table to meet Jack's hand and entwine their fingers. Jack felt lightness in his heart at Ianto's affirmation.
Prince Varnia straightened in his chair and looking straight at Ianto's bowed head gently asked, "Ianto. Will you please look at me while I'm speaking?"
Ianto immediately turned to look at Jack, fear and uncertainty in his eyes and gripped Jack's hand tightly … painfully. He was unable to answer the Prince.
"No! He doesn't have to look at you. He can hear you well enough!" declared Jack hotly glaring at the Prince. Jack knew Ianto was afraid of succumbing to the Prince's considerable charms. And Jack was afraid of what might happen if Ianto did succumb.
"Jack! The question wasn't put to you!" stated the Doctor, then turning to the Welshman said, "Ianto. I'm asking you to respect the Prince's request. I'm asking you to respect him as he speaks."
The blatant reminder of good manners in this situation, was like a whiplash to the Welshman. He immediately turned and glared at the Doctor, before slowly turning to look at the Prince.
"Yes", Ianto replied in a small voice, and hated himself as he felt emotions soar and swirl within him at the sight of the devastatingly handsome Prince. Oh no! Why am I reacting like this to him? I love Jack! Damn it! I could fall in love with this man so easily. Treacherous heart! Why are you betraying me? Betraying Jack?
And seated beside his young lover, Jack felt a pain as sharp as a dagger twist in his gut. He watched Ianto struggle again with his attraction for the Prince. And he died a little bit more.
Prince Varnia smiled softly at Ianto and sensed the turmoil within the young man. From the moment the Prince had felt within himself the dormant love in his heart flare into life when he first laid eyes on Ianto, a small connection had been made. Ianto wasn't conscious of it … yet.
It was there and he knew that was why Ianto couldn't look at him as everyone else was able to. Because Ianto was unknowingly reaching out to him already. It was there, buried under defensive shields and protective walls but Prince Varnia knew one thing about Ianto, that the young Welshman seemed oblivious to. Ianto was an Empath, a very powerful Empath … just like him.
Prince Varnia began with his upbringing, explaining what it was like growing up in the palace of a kingdom that not only ruled a planet, but also co-ruled the Tallexian System with six other principalities. He explained in detail the Tallexian System which consists of fourteen planets and twenty-one inhabited moons, the latter primarily being mined for valuable ores used throughout their Sector.
Ianto listened in wonder to the Prince's description of a seemingly fairytale life in a ruling kingdom, where his father was much loved by his people, as was his son. He listened in sadness of the tragic death of his younger sister, Viyella, who contracted a rare viral disease that slowly and painfully ravaged her body until she died at the age of nine. His eyes filled with tears when the Prince spoke in broken tones of his mother's decline after her daughter's death, the melancholy she could not shake, and how it ultimately lead to her throwing herself off the highest battlements of the castle.
Even Jack was drawn into the tale of a Prince who lived life on a double-edged sword; on one hand surrounded by the rich trappings of royal life, on the other, the harsh realities of personal tragedy and brutal experiences learning first at his father's side, then under his father's former mentor, the art of Tallexian politics and battle strategy as alliances splintered and rebellions rose up.
The young Prince's teen years were spent on the neighbouring planet Oksiria under the Mentor Jarrol, who had guided his father before he ascended the throne. Jarrol had been a demanding trainer in hand-to-hand combat, weapons proficiency and strategy. When Prince Varnia was only 16 he was put in the front-line facing a rebellious uprising that had to be quelled on the planet Salencia-IV.
Before he returned to Tallex at the age of 20, he had fought in seven battles mostly involving rebellions against the ruling powers. He still had the scars from combat and from torture when he was captured for ransom by the Mollorazian Faction. Their particular rebellion and kidnap had been brutally put down. Permanently.
Jack shook his head slowly in amazement. A new found respect for this young man opposite him crept into his heart. He was so like his Ianto in some ways. Prince Varnia was far more than just an unbelievably beautiful being; he was a Prince who had crammed into his short life both exhilarating and devastating experiences that would have broken a less man.
Jack's admiration for the Prince overwhelmed him, as well the obvious attraction he also battled to control. Someone as unbelievably gorgeous as Prince Varnia should not be allowed to wander around without a stern warning "Keep out of eye range of this person as exposure to his countenance may be hazardous to your emotional health …your relationships … your sanity.
How can the Doctor sit there beside him and remain absolutely unaffected by the Prince? Do Time Lords have internal protection that shields them from being normal and falling head-over-heels for people like Prince Varnia? Hmmm … perhaps they do. Maybe it's the effect of having two hearts. Because he certainly didn't fall for MY charms!
Ianto's heart strained with emotions railing against the rigid confines they were in, begging for freedom as they dipped and soared in their restrictive prison. His eyes reflected their bid for freedom and Prince Varnia's heart sang in response to every emotion he saw moving in those blue depths.
The Prince reached out tentatively with his heart, sent a mere touch of the tremendous love he had for Ianto and poured it into his gaze. He watched as Ianto's eyebrows lifted in recognition, then eyelashes fluttered gently down across his cheeks that slowly coloured to that deep shade of rose. And the Prince felt himself falling, falling yet again … into the cool, blue depths of Ianto's eyes.
Caught up in his own thoughts, Jack failed to see the imperceptible change taking place in his lover right beside him, creating a distance that would only grow wider. Failed to notice that Ianto had removed his hand from Jack's and placed it on the table, clenching tightly with his other one.
Jack even missed the frown on the Doctor's face as he watched the wordless communication between Prince Varnia and Ianto and realised what he was seeing. An empathic exchange … a very deep and meaningful one.
The Doctor's shoulders sagged as a deep regret filled him because of his part in this exchange. He had sensed that Ianto was empathic when he had meet him long ago, but both Jack and Ianto had denied it vehemently when he had suggested it then. Both men had been blind to the fact that their love was as much an empathic connection, as it was a physical union. Both men had misplaced faith in Torchwood London's reports on the young man. Bloody Torchwood! Why had they lied about Ianto's empathic abilities? Why hadn't they capitalised on it?
Then the truth broke through his revelry. Ianto hid his ability from Torchwood London. That's it! For obviously personal reasons, he deliberately failed their tests. But why? His empathic abilities are so strong, they're leaking out of him now, pushing against the barriers that Ianto has erected. To protect himself. From what? From whom?
Prince Varnia finished and turning his eyes upwards, let out a long sigh. It was hard for the others to know if it was relief. Or sadness. Gazing at the ceiling, not seeing the lights and plaster before his eyes as he remained lost in the overwhelming memories he had just shared, the Prince's voice spoke softly into the air, "I would ask for a rest break now. I am fatigued and need to gather my strength." Lowering his head to gaze steadily at the two men before him, the Prince continued, "Before I tell you of how I came to be here."
Jack nodded in agreement. The Doctor nodded as well. Ianto just gazed into the young man's eyes, compassion filling him as he fought back the urge to reach a comforting hand out to him. Prince Varnia's breath hitched slightly, as he felt within himself, the 'offer' Ianto battled against … and his heart renewed it's song of love.
As one, the four men rose and slowly made their way out of the room, Jack reaching for Ianto's hand and pulling him close. The Doctor was unusually quiet as he lead them all out. And Prince Varnia let the knowledge of where Ianto had wanted to put his hand, ease the dull ache of watching Jack stake his claim over his lover.
None of them heard the mad scrambling of guilty feet as the other three team members hurried back to their stations, so deep were they in their thoughts. None of them saw a shadow retreat back down to the Archives.