PART THREE: Of Daemons and Flame
Autumn wind of eve,
blow away the clouds
that mass
over the moon's pure
light
and the mists that
cloud our mind,
do thou sweep away as
well.
Now we disappear,
well, what must we
think of it?
From the sky we came.
Now we may go back
again.
That's at least one
point of view.
Hôjô
Ujimasa
1538-1590
The Doctor and Vastra arrived just as the High Priests
ascended the dais. Other than Vastra’s green,
scaled skin, they fit in perfectly in the sea of black before them, though they
did notice their clothes seemed a bit richer than those of the majority. That must be one of the perks of being a
friend of the late King’s trusted advisor, thought Vastra. She looked on with increasing curiosity as
the priests began intoning songs and passages.
The words were mostly alien to her, but here and there she would hear a
word or phrase she would understand. She
wanted to ask the Doctor about this, but when she turned and opened her mouth,
he quickly reached over and placed a hand over it, shaking his head no.
She remembered then.
Kichu-fuda
24 hours’ silence.
Her questions would have to wait.
She found, much to her surprise, that time passed quickly
when there was nothing but silence. She
wandered the area, taking in the still new to her, building style, the
sculptures; the flowers that scented the air with fragrances she’d never
experienced before. She noticed that
people would bow to her as she walked by, and she took to bowing in return as
she passed, not noticing the looks of shock on their faces as she did so.
She walked beyond the city’s gates, along an old path, and
found a small pool surrounded by a copse of low hanging trees. She carefully hung her robes over a branch
and dove into the pool in a single effortless gesture. It felt good to swim again…some of her
favourite times before the hibernation were racing her sisters in the
underground pools, heated by the earth’s hidden energies. Her sleep had not dulled her skills one whit,
and she flipped and turned in the cool water, silently revelling at the
sensation.
After a while, she felt herself start to slow down. The water was cool, and she knew what that
meant. Sadly she pulled herself from the
pool and lay out on the grassy bank she dove from. She felt the sun beat against her skin,
drying the water and warming her blood once again. She had missed much in her sleep, she
thought. So much had changed…including
the apes.
Humans, she corrected herself without a thought. They’re humans, and not at all what I
remember them being like.
She heard a rustle across the pool from where she lay. In a flash she grabbed her robe and pulled it
over her. She quickly and quietly slid
around to the back of the tree, placing it between her and the source of the
sound. She waited a few moments then
peeked around the side.
‘Are we enjoying ourselves, Vastra?’
She walked out from behind the tree. ‘Some warning would have been nice, Doctor,’
she said. She tried to look cross, but
could not find it in her to remain so.
She reached up in the tree, pulled down the black silk sash that had
been tied around her waist, and set to recreating that intricate knot. When she finished, she looked up to see him
sitting on the opposite bank.
‘This was one of my favourite places to come and sit, and
think,’ the Doctor said absently. ‘No
one ever comes here, it’s peaceful, and sometimes that’s what you need. Peace.’
Vastra nodded. At one
point she would not have understood, would not have believed, but her mind was
slowly opening up to many new things.
‘In there…the hall…I started to hear words I knew. How do they know my language?’
The Doctor laughed.
‘It’s actually sort of the other way around. I think.
OK, not really. Well, it is,
but…’
He paused.
‘Let me start over.’
Vastra nodded. ‘I
think you had better, yes.’
‘It’s called the TARDIS translation circuit. It gently modifies your brain’s ability to
understand languages. It’s one of the
reasons I can speak anything.’
Vastra looked at him.
‘So it is in my head, changing me?’
The Doctor shook his head slightly. ‘Not so much changing you as opening up
pathways you always had, but never had to use.
Anyone can learn a new language if they really try, but it can be hard. The TARDIS kind of makes it…well…automatic.’
Vastra looked at him, unconvinced.
‘Think of it is a…gift,’ he said, smiling.
‘It is certainly a surprising one,’ Vastra said. She walked around the pool and sat next to
the Doctor, gathering her robe beneath her.
‘What are they doing now?’
The Doctor picked up a small, sooth pebble and tossed it
into the pool. ‘Right now everything is
silent, which is to be expected. King
Eisō’s family has gathered, and Taisei has offered his final farewell to his
father. He will remain sequestered until
the funeral itself, lest he show any untoward emotion.’
Vastra looked at the Doctor in shock. ‘But he was the King’s son? Should he not be sad?’
The Doctor nodded.
‘Of course he should be, and he is.
But his people must not see that, or else they may fear that he will be
a weak leader for them. They will expect
him to be kind, and compassionate…but also strong of mind and body. This is a delicate time for the kingdom, and
should someone wish to do these people harm, there would be no better time than
now for that to happen.’
Vastra nodded. ‘I
certainly can understand that.’
She thought for a moment, and then spoke again. ‘Why are you here, by the way? With how close you seem to be to that
advisor, Tsugu, I’d have thought you would remain at the hall.’
The Doctor smiled and waved a hand dismissively.
‘Oh, I’d just be in the way right now. Besides, if I know Tsugu half as
well as I
think I do, I expect he thinks you have questions that need answering.
He’d have expected you to take a walk, and
when you left the city gates, he…might have gently nudged me in the
right
direction.’
He paused for a second, wincing.
‘Nearly ninety years old, that man, and he can still leave a
bruise with that walking stick of his.’
Vastra reared her head back and laughed heartily. By the time she finally got her outburst
under control, she could see the pout on the Doctor’s face.
‘Enjoy my misery, go ahead,’ he muttered.
Vastra patted him on the shoulder, a move that shocked both
of them. ‘Oh, I am sure you will
survive, Doctor. Certainly you must have
had worse before.’ She turned away
before seeing his face drop, sadder than she could possibly have conceived.
‘So? What do we do
the rest of the day?’
The Doctor looked up at the sky. ‘It’ll be close to evening soon. We can head back to the hall…I am certain
that there’ll be a small repast left for us in our rooms. Sleep, then tomorrow will be much the same as
today, except there’ll be a bit less silence.
I’ll see if Tsugu can set aside some time so we can catch back up on my
Sanshin lessons, and you can explore to your heart’s content. By this point I think you’re pretty well
assured that people will treat you with respect.’
Vastra smiled. ‘I
noticed that today, actually.’
She paused, deep in thought, before asking the question that
had been burning at her for some time.
‘Doctor?’
He looked over to her.
‘Yes?'
‘You really were not late for a music lesson, were you?’
The Doctor opened his mouth in dramatic surprise. ‘Of course I was! You heard it from Tsugu himself!'
Vastra’s eyes narrowed.
‘But that was not the real reason you brought me here, was it?’
The Doctor smiled as she asked that question, pointed at her
and laughed quietly. ‘Now you’re
catching on!’
‘So you lied to me.’
The Doctor’s face went from joy to seriousness in a
beat. ‘I always lie, Vastra…unless it’s
important.’
‘So this is important.’
The Doctor nodded.
‘Yes it is…and when you figure it out, you’ll know why.’
The Doctor stood up, dusted himself off, and started walking
around the pool toward the path Vastra took hours earlier. He turned, saw her still standing there, and
motioned to her. ‘Come on, Vastra…it’s
nearly dinner time and I’m starving!’
Sighing, Vastra lifted her robes (ensuring they didn’t collect
any mud or dirt as she walked perilously close to the edge of the pool) and
followed the Doctor back toward the city proper.
~~~
Vastra clenched her eyes tightly, trying to block out the
bright sun that shone through her window.
While the Doctor seemed sad that he’d not wake to the sun’s light, she
still would have preferred a somewhat less blinding wake up call. Still, she could tell that this day was
different than yesterday. For one, she
could head voices outside. They were
subtle, hushed, reverent, but there was not utter silence. She heard activity, and her natural curiosity
was getting the better of her. She rose
from bed, feeling her muscles ache slightly.
The swim had been a good workout yesterday…and if she was lucky, and the
day not too busy, she thought she just might steal away to that pool and
indulge a second time.
Then she thought about the fact that the Doctor knew about
it.
No, perhaps I won’t after all, she thought to herself. Though I could always see if I could find
someplace else…
Her mind wandered as she dressed. She saw a fresh robe and sash laid on a low
table against the far wall, and figured it would be best to continue what
seemed to be the custom. The Doctor had
used some strange phrase…‘When in Rome,’ he had said, and while she really had
no idea what he meant (she sometimes thought he didn’t even know what he
meant), she thought it might mean that it was best to try and fit in. So she pulled the robe around her, carefully
knotted and laid flat the sash, and cheerfully ignored the footwear that had
been left for her. They thought her a
dragon, and by their gods she would walk like one.
She drew the curtains aside and saw the Doctor waiting for
her.
‘Good morning, sleepyhead!
I was wondering when you’d decide to join us!’
Vastra glared at him.
‘And how long exactly have you been there?’
‘There as in here, or there as in awake,’ he replied, the
smile not leaving his face for an instant.
‘Either. Or. I want to know if I should be mildly offended
or…slightly more than mildly offended, if you must know.’
‘Honestly? Just a few
minutes. It’s really quite strange…I’m
so used to rushing about, and it’s weird seeing things happen slowly, and in
the right order.’
He paused.
‘Anyway,’ he finally said after a few moments’ pause,
looking down at the ever present wristwatch, ‘it’s nearly breakfast time. We’ll be eating with the King’s…future King’s
advisors, along with Prince Taisei. I
hope you’re hungry.’
She could feel her stomach grown, and only hoped that the
Doctor did not hear it.
Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed when he laughed quietly
and put an arm around her shoulder.
‘And it seems you are.
I am, too. Let’s go…we don’t want
to miss anything!’
They walked into a small chamber off one side of the great
hall. The few attendees’ voices hushed
as the Doctor and Vastra entered. She
watched as the Doctor bowed, and figured she should do the same. As she did, she heard a slight gasp from across
the room.
Looking up, she saw a youngish
man of perhaps 20 looking at her in surprise.
As she looked around the room, she saw that she was the only female in
attendance.
‘I told you,’ spoke a familiar voice. She turned to see Tsugu enter the room behind
her. ‘I told you she came to bring you
great honour, much as her friend Kyoujyu did for your father.’ Tsugu wrapped one arm around the Doctor’s shoulder, and the
other around Vastra’s.
‘Come and join
us, friends. I am sure Prince Taisei
would like to learn more of you while we eat.
The next few days will be busy ones, even for an old man like myself,
and we must keep our strength.’
Over breakfast, the Doctor regaled Taisei and the court with
his tale of how he met the late King Eisō.
There was laughter, gasps of shock and surprise, and in truth, Vastra
was not sure how much of this tale was fact and how much was fiction. It didn’t seem to matter…with every word the
Doctor made more certain their stay would be a safe and pleasant one. In return, they heard from Taisei and his
late father’s advisors more tales of his rule.
She felt as if she were in the center of some contest to see who would
tell the most outlandish, yet believable story.
Yet she found it fascinating, and learned more about these people, and
the Doctor, with every passing moment.
It was a nudge from the Doctor that focused her attention on
the fact that the room had grown silent.
She looked around, and noticed all eyes were on her. She suddenly felt very self-conscious, something
she was quite unfamiliar with.
‘You will excuse me…I was just so engrossed in your tales.’
The Doctor smiled.
‘Prince Taisei was asking how it was that you came here at this time,
Vastra.’
She swallowed, not sure how or what to say.
‘I…’ she began, her single word fading into silence.
Still they waited, patient for her to continue. She finally found the
words she was looking
for, and continued.
‘I was woken from a deep sleep…a sleep, apparently, of
thousands of years. While I slept,
apparently, so much had changed on my…our…planet. This man found me, and offered to show me how
humans had changed since I was last awake.
In my youth, your kind hunted us, and we them. He told me so much had become different, and
asked me to come with him so he could show me.’
She paused, turned, and looked at the Doctor. He nodded his head, almost imperceptibly, and
one eyebrow raised just the tiniest bit.
‘What he has shown me is almost beyond my capability to
understand. I am learning much from my
journey with him, and I hope I can use that knowledge to teach others.’
The room fell silent at these words. Vastra felt the silence to be almost
unbearable. She was about to speak again
when Tsugu finally bowed his head, smiled, and spoke.
‘The wisest man is the man who knows he knows nothing,
because it means he is open to learning everything. Remember this, Taisei. Never think that you will have all the
answers. You will grow, and learn, and
as you do you will grow wiser. But never
allow yourself to stop learning. That is
the sign of a foolish and poor leader.’
Prince Taisei bowed his head. ‘Thank you, Tsugu.’
He then turned and faced Vastra. ‘And thank you as well, for honoring
me with
your presence and your words. I hope I
can learn from them.’
Vastra smiled, and if she could have blushed from the
compliment, she would have.