Oswalds and Roses | A Doctor Who Fanfic

►Chapter 5 - Queen◄

Even the Doctor was awestruck as him and the others were led into the ballroom. It was one of the most beautifully made rooms he had ever been in.

The ballroom was located in the centre of the castle, with towers sprouting up from around it. If one looked up they could see the sky as there was no roof to obstruct their view. Above grey and black clouds swirled like ingredients in a potion, snowflakes the size of the Doctor's thumbnail fell from them. However, not one touched the floor of the ballroom. There seemed to be something about nine feet up that melted the snowflakes as they all seemed to dissipate around there. On the far side of the room there was a monumental fireplace. It was taller than the Doctor and wider than a elephant. It was crafted from a fine bone coloured stone into shapes that appeared to be almost like flowers growing within wires. As though fantasy and science fiction had become mixed into one. It was a breathtaking sight. On either side of it there were pictures, hand painted in acrylics. One depicted King Basil and Queen Angelia, they were dressed in all white and surrounded by purple flowers, they appeared younger in the painting than they were. The other painting had Claire and the man the Doctor assumed to be Arthur, Claire's husband. They too were surrounded by purple flowers and held each other's hands tightly. They were gorgeous paintings, somebody had put a lot of work into each of them. The Doctor had to admire that even though these people had extremely advanced technology, they still took the time to do things like paint, dance, and ride. They could have left all of these things behind long ago, but they instead chose not to.

White pillars were built into the sides of the ballroom and stretched up to the sky, curving over the ballroom but not touching the ones on the other side. They were shaped like trees and it gave one the impression of being in a stone forest. Statues of white hawks were built into the walls like a medieval castle might have suits of armour. The eyes of the hawks were clear however, making them seem watchful, but not threatening. The walls were a mahogany colour, at first it was hard to tell what they were made out of, but if one stepped close enough they would be able to tell that they were made of stone. Hard stone that had taken a long time to carve into walls, but these people were innovators, they were engineers, they could build anything they pleased. When one looked down they would be faced with a nearby reflective white floor, polished so that it shone in the light. It was made from the same stone as the pillars and the fireplace, they seemed to all be connected, which rose more questions about how this ballroom was even possible. Another question arose, where was the light coming from? There didn't seem to be any torches or lights of any kind other than the fireplace, and yet it was beautifully illuminated. Another mystery. Three doors led out of the ballroom, there was one on every wall except for the one with the fireplace. Nobody was coming into of leaving the ballroom, their group was the last to arrive.

The fire was blazing, it provided warmth for the entire ballroom, yet it didn't feel stuffy or dry. Kids raced around, wearing suits that looked so soft you could use them to swaddle a baby. Very few children wore dresses, it got in the way of their playing. A young boy with a long, dark braid and chocolate skin ran in front of them laughing, he was followed by many others. The Doctor smiled. The adults too seemed to be enjoying themselves. A long white table had been brought into the centre of the room and on it were treats and delicacies that the Doctor had never seen much less tasted. The smells were delicious, the Doctor had no idea how to describe them, they smelt nothing like anything from anywhere else. Almost like sour sugar, sweet lemon, and fruity meat. All the scents were confusing, yet he found himself rather gruntled by them. Musicians sat in every corner of the room, never more than four of them together. They played in perfect harmony on instruments that looked almost recognizable. There was a lady sitting on a cushion with a very small box. There were six keys in front of her, and against the side of the box there were six more vertically arranged keys. The sounds coming from it seemed to be like that of a piano, only sweeter. If a piano were a marshmallow, this was a lollipop. Dancing couples spun around one another, laughing and occasionally stealing quiet kisses.