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Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 |
Chapter 7: The Blind and The Dead
The Doctor propelled himself from his boat. Landing in the cold shallow water, he fought against the drag of the current and the resistance of the liquid as he strode towards the white vessel he was sure contained Rose. His sight was cloudy now, but still sufficient to see the still white form laid out in the boat. His breath stilled.
They had dressed her as a bride. Clad in a fine white gown and laid on a bed of flowers, Rose looked like an angel. Her hair fell in soft waves about her head, daisies and other wild flowers threaded through it and scattered across her breast. Her hands were folded across her chest, her feet bare and resting above a basket of provisions and gifts. She was deathly still and pale as the gown she wore.
Hearts thundering, stomach like lead, he leaned forward, pressing his fingers against her neck. For what felt like an eternity he found nothing but chilled skin. His body began to tremble. He was too late. And then, faint and fragile against his fingertips, he felt it, a tiny pulse of life. Almost overwhelmed, he pulled her into his arms, dragging her from her floating tomb and staggering onto the rocky outcrop beyond the shallows. As soon as he was clear of the water he sank to his knees, sitting back on his heels and cradling Rose in his lap. One arm supporting her body, he freed the other and rummaged desperately in his jacket pocket for the elixir. Grasping it in nervous fingers, he pulled the stopper free with his teeth and lowered the vessel to Rose’s still lips. Slowly, with infinite care, he let the liquid drip into her mouth, careful to ensure not one iota of it was wasted. When the small bottle was empty he flung it aside, shifting to hold Rose closer against him, pulling her tight to his chest, one hand gently caressing her hair as he pillowed her head against his shoulder.
Time passed and Rose remained unconscious, her pulse still faint and slow against his questing fingers. He was rocking her gently, like one would a restless baby, one hand wrapped desperately around her limp one. Had he been aware of the motion he would have been forced to acknowledge that it was for his comfort, not hers. She was insensible; it was he who suffered, whose hearts were slowly breaking as the minutes slipped away with no sign of recovery. Had Adelphos lied? His vision was darkening now, the web over his eyes thickening, but he could still make out Rose’s face as he stared at her, willing life to return, willing her to stir from her death-like repose.
He was losing all hope, along with his sight, when finally she stirred in his arms. At first he thought he had imagined it, that the indrawn breath he heard was his own, that the trembling against his chest was a figment of his desperate grieving mind. Then she sighed, her head moving against his shoulder, her hand twitching in his, and he knew she was waking.
‘Rose? Lie still. You’ve been drugged. It will take a moment for the antidote to take full effect.’ He squeezed her hand, feeling relief flood through him as she squeezed back, albeit weakly. He sagged forwards, hefting her into a relieved hug; she was truly alive. For now. He closed his eyes, the movement making virtually no difference to his vision. What should he tell her? Feeling the fragile beat of her heart against the palm pressed to her back he balked at telling her the truth. There was no need for her to know that, should they fail to escape this place in time, she would die. Their need to leave this place was compelling enough given the absence of fresh water, there was no need to frighten her. His incapacity would worry her enough.
Resolved, he drew back from their embrace and opened his eyes. It made no difference, he was entirely blind. He squeezed his eyes closed in despair; he could almost feel Rose’s life slipping away as he acknowledged the severity of their situation. This was one fix he was not at all sure he could extricate them from.
‘Doctor?’ Rose’s voice was soft. He bit back a sudden powerful desire to crush her lips against his own, to savour her living breathing presence before he lost her.
‘Doctor? What is it?’ Her gentle fingers touched his cheek and, involuntarily at the sensation of her hand, his eyes shot open. ‘Doctor! Your eyes! What’s happened!’
He could feel her alarm, her heart suddenly racing, her breath quickening, her hand flattening against his face, cupping his face, before sweeping up to run tentatively along his brow above his eyes.
‘I’m blind.’ His tone was clipped, harsh, and he winced at it, but he was afraid and he could not let her know his fear.
He felt her stiffen, a tremor running beneath her skin and knew that his tone had cut her. Her body spoke to him so eloquently, almost more clearly now the sight of her could not distract him.
‘Adelphos and Nicholas. They intended to sacrifice you, Rose. This is their underworld. I struck a deal with them; I was permitted to come after you so long as I relinquished my sight. Don’t worry. It will return when we get out of here.’
‘I don’t understand! Nicholas told me what they were planning, that I was to be a substitute for Persephone, but I thought he meant to kill me. Why am I alive and why did they blind you?’
‘They poisoned you. Adelphos gave me the antidote when he agreed to let me come after you.’
‘But why can’t you see?’ She exclaimed, her tone desperate and thick with tears.
‘It’s a myth, Rose. Orpheus was permitted to rescue his wife from the underworld so long as he did not look upon her until they reached the living world. I have to enact the role of Orpheus.’
She was still in his arms. He could almost hear her processing what he had told her, deciding which part of his response to question first.
‘Wife?’
Ah. Not the part he would have focused on, but humans could be peculiar creatures.
‘Yes.’
‘I’m not your wife.’
‘No.’
‘So?’
‘So, why are you having to be Orpheus if I’m not your wife. Doesn’t make sense!’
‘I told them we were betrothed. As far as they are concerned, we are virtually man and wife.’ He paused, before adding defensively, ‘It was either that or pretend to be your father.’
Rose was silent. He felt anxiety rise in his blood, suddenly incredibly frustrated that he couldn’t see her face, fathom out her reaction. Her face was so expressive, so revealing, and not seeing it was becoming almost painful.
‘Rose?’ Was she angry with him? Disgusted? Flattered?
‘Sokay, I get it. Had to get them to treat me with respect, you said. Sorry it’s gotten you blinded.’ She shifted in his lap, pressing her small hands against his chest and levering herself away from him, forcing him to relinquish his hold as she struggled to her feet.
‘We need to find a way out of here, then, yeah?’ Her voice was steady and entirely devoid of emotion. He had no idea what she was feeling, thinking. He ground his teeth in frustration and tried not to panic at the feeling of his suddenly empty arms, the remoteness in her voice and his overwhelming sense of isolation. Striving for control he steadied his breathing and calmed his raging mind.
‘Yes. As quickly as possible. We’ve no water or food.’
He tilted his head as he heard splashing. Rose was in the water. ‘Rose?’
‘’Salright. I’m right here. Just checking out the boats. The one with flowers has got some food and stuff in it. No water, though, although there’s something that looks like wine. Better than nothing, yeah?’
He was impressed. She was holding it together, figuring things out, using her initiative. He focused again as the sound of ripping fabric reached his ears.
‘Rose? What’s that noise?’
‘I’m making a sling to carry the food and wine in. This dress needed shortening anyway!’ There was a pause then a satisfied grunt. ‘Done it!’ She announced triumphantly. The sound of feet dragging through water resumed as she headed back towards him, then her hands were on his shoulders and her body was pressed against his back.
‘So, what’s the plan? How we gonna do this? I’m guessing we can’t use the boats. That means climbing and trying to find a path, yeah?’
The Doctor swallowed. ‘Yes.’
‘Okay. Here, hang onto this,’ she shoved a bundle into his hands, ‘I’m gonna take a quick look around.’
He waited. Moments stretched into minutes and anxiety began to blossom. He could no longer hear her. Where was she? Was she all right?
‘Rose? Rose!’
‘Over here. Sorry. Should I keep talking to you? So you know where I am?’
‘That would be helpful, yes.’ He snapped. When she responded, however, there was no sign that she had taken offence at his harsh tone.
‘Well, I’m trying to find a way up. I think there’s a path over here, but it’s really high. You could probably make it, climbing is all about feeling for foot and hand holds, not looking so much, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it.’ Her voice had a quiver in it now. Was she afraid?
‘Rose? What is it?’
‘Nothing.’ He started. She was virtually beside him again. How had she moved so quietly? ‘Reckon climbing is our only choice. I can’t see any other paths and the water is way to cold and fast flowing for us to make a swim for it.’
He felt her hand slip into his. ‘Come on. Get up.’
He got to his feet, holding Rose’s hand a little more tightly than was strictly necessary.
‘How do you want to do this?’ She asked.
‘You go ahead, I’ll follow behind.’
‘Okay. Here, put your hands on my shoulders.’ She grabbed one hand and guided it to the corresponding shoulder. When both his hands were settled she stepped forwards and he followed. Almost instantly he cannoned into her. ‘You’re gonna have to take smaller steps, Doctor, my legs aren’t as long as yours.’
He grunted, feeling frustrated and clumsy. She moved forwards again and this time he took only a small step after her. She waited, then moved again, stepping up her pace as they grew more confident in their rhythm. Then she stopped and he crashed into her.
‘Sorry! Forgot to warn you. We’re here. At the rock face, I mean.’ Again, he could hear trepidation in her voice. Before he could mention it, however, she was speaking again, her voice artificially bright.
‘Time to go climbing.’
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Rose’s voice was soft. He bit back a sudden powerful desire to crush her lips against his own, to savour her living breathing presence before he lost her.
i love that little part.
dunno exactly why, but i do.
love this story, you really should write more nine/rose stories, because you really capture him wonderfully!
can't wait for your other stories to come out!
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I do have another Nine/Rose story underway, hope to start posting it soon :-)
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