"You cannot be serious!" Narvin fumed, already making an argument within the first few minutes of the meeting between him, Romana, Braxiatel and Inquisitor Darkel. "That law hasn't even been in place since the Dark Ages!"
Inquisitor Darkel lips twitched up into a tight smile, as though she knew she had clearly won victory here. "Oh, I am perfectly serious Coordinator. There is no clear evidence of the law itself of actually been abolished. I have checked all the archives and no record has said of it ever been dismissed."
"So you are saying," Romana interrupted, her voice strained and her eyes piercing angrily into Darkel's. "That having a polyamorous relationship is forbidden? Even when all three are in fact, soul mates?"
"Exactly." Inquisitor Darkel pushed the documents forward in Romana's direction. "And Madame President, you really should look at the punishment of the crime for being in a polyamorous relationship. It really is most satisfying."
Before Romana could take a look, Braxiatel snatched up the documents, his icy blue eyes skinning over the words and he felt his mouth go dry. "...Anybody caught in the act of being in a polyamorous relationship, the person who was last to join the relationship is punishable by exile for life." He lowered the document, knowing that this was what Darkel wanted all along. It was to get rid of him. To break up the relationship between him, Narvin and Romana. Not only that, but Darkel wanted to tear them apart so she could attack Romana when she was at her weakest moments. But ha! That was where Darkel was wrong. Romana was never weak and nor would she ever let her guard down, no matter how much pain Darkel would cause her. "As we do not have actual proof of the law still taking place, our Madame President would have to go down to the archives herself and prove it. The law itself is ancient."
"But ah, dear Cardinal. I already have the exact documents you are looking for right here." Darkel brought up a heavy binder folder and placed it on the long, decorated table in front of them. "I thought it would save the trouble for our beloved Madame President."
"Yes, thank you, Inquisitor." Romana shot her a glare and her tone pierced through the air like a knife, warning Darkel not to speak any further as she took the documents into her hands and sat and looked through them as Darkel looked quite smug with herself.
Narvin and Braxiatel shared a sideways glance at each other from across the table, both wondering the same thing. Did this mean that if the law was in place, one of them was to be exiled from Gallifrey forever? That was, until a new law was put in place?
Which put in place to Braxiatel's mind and he looked towards Romana's direction. "Madame President, might I have permission to speak?"
Romana gestured, not looking up from the documents for she was too busy trying to search a way out of the loophole.
"Thank you. Now, if the law has been created since the Dark Ages, surely it is possible to create a new law to abolish the old one? After all, part of Madame President's new policies are in fact to move Gallifrey forward rather than move her backwards. Not only that, but a lot of things have changed since the Dark Ages."
"Braxiatel does have a point," Narvin pointed out, knowing there just had to be one slip hole to this ridiculous law. Not even Darkel could be that good in his opinion. "Surely we can just create a new law to abolish this ridiculous law?"
Inquisitor Darkel was about to reply but Romana held up her hand and Darkel was silenced as Romana looked up, meeting Narvin's and Braxiatel's eyes. "I'm afraid that's not the case, not if the the document has been signed by Rassilon himself." She held up the document to prove that Rassilon himself had signed the law, meaning that no polyamorous soul-mates were allowed on Gallifrey, putting the three of them at high risk.
"Damn that woman!" Narvin sneered, storming back into their apartment angrily. "Damn, damn her!"
"I don't think I have ever heard you say 'damn' so many times in one sentence before." Braxiatel drawled, walking in and followed closely by Romana as he tried to ease the tension slightly. They were all angry with what was happening but it was no good if the anger got to their heads.
Narvin sent him a withering look. "Brax, now is not the time for humour. This is a perfectly serious situation."
"I didn't even know the law existed!" Romana sighed, irritated with herself at this. She was the President. She was meant to know every single law there has been on Gallifrey so how could this one escaped her notice? How could this law go unnoticed for so many centuries that not even Braxiatel knew about it?
"Do not blame yourself my lady. As you have pointed out before hand, the law itself is from the Dark Ages and is signed by Rassilon himself. No one is expected to know every single law, especially ones that hardly no one remembers anymore." Braxiatel replied, taking off his head-collar and putting it down on the table and he looked warily at his two soul-mates. "But you both realise, that one of us has to go."
"There has to be a loop hole around this! We can't just give up so easily!" Narvin was never the one for giving up, especially when it came to defending his soul-mates. No, he couldn't lose either one of them. He couldn't even bring to imagine what it would be like to lose one of his soul-mates.
"We're not giving up Narvin, it's a matter of fact that this is what Inquisitor Darkel had planned all along. This is what Darkel has in mind and I know that she knows that we are together. If one of us does not go into exile, no doubt Darkel will have something much, much worse up her sleeve for us." Romana replied dryly, not liking neither of those options in the slightest. Rassilon, it was damn near frustrating. She was the President. She should have the power to abolish this law but she couldn't. Not when Rassilon himself had clearly signed it. "But the main question is, which one of us goes into exile?"
To Braxiatel, it was obvious which one of them was to go into exile. Romana obviously couldn't go for she was the High President of Gallifrey and she had sworn to Gallifrey to protect it and it's people at all costs. Narvin couldn't go into exile because he cared about Gallifrey too much to leave it. That, and he was head of the CIA. They needed him here.
Which left with only one option.
"I will." Braxiatel replied with a heavy sigh, looking disdained about the whole deal. He didn't want to leave Romana and Narvin behind. Nor his good friend Leela whose soulmate was Andred. "I will go into exile."
Romana and Narvin both turned to look up at him sharply. "Brax, you can't. I need you here not only as my soulmate, but as my advisor on the high council."
"You're not going into exile. Nobody is going into exile!" Narvin snapped, trying to get the both of them to listen to seemed as though he was the only one in this room really trying to make a stand for this. "There has to be a way around this."
"You know there isn't Narvin. Besides, you have seen my criminal records, someone is bound to find out sooner or later that I have been using time to preserve art and not to mention the other crimes." Braxiatel pointed out. "You and Romana are needed here and anyway, you can always visit me on my Collection." Although they both know that would be impossible. Especially if Romana's or Narvin's movements were tracked but it was hope that Irving would one day see his soul-mates again.
Romana stepped forward, moving closer towards him and he moved closer to close the space between them as Romana looked up at him. "I'm sorry Brax...I never did want you to make this choice."
"None of us did my lady. But at one point in our lives, we all have to make these difficult choices, choices that we don't want to make but in the end, we have to." He brushed a strand of her blonde hair out of the way of her eyes, his eyes never tearing away from Romana's.
Narvin stepped closer, swallowing thickly as he tried not to falter in his speech. "According to the files, once you are exiled from Gallifrey, you will never get a chance to see your soul-mates again. You have twenty-four hours remaining here on Gallifrey according to the files before you go into exile forever."
"Twenty four hours you say..?" He stroked his mustache and he gave a small smile at the two. Twenty-four hours with his loved ones. Twenty-four hours until the clock strikes. "Then as per my last wish, I would be honoured to spend my last twenty-four hours with you two."
Narvin rolled his eyes. "You make it sound as though you were dying." Perhaps that would have been easier rather than exiling him and knowing that neither he nor Romana could ever see their soul-mate ever again. Communicate with him, yes, but actually seeing him in person was going to be hard and difficult.
"Perhaps I am, in a way." Braxiatel turned and captured Narvin's lips with his, catching Narvin by surprise but Narvin was soon kissing back as Romana began to undress him, her hands dancing as she undid one layer at a time.
The warmth of Braxiatel's skin enveloped Romana's and Narvin's as he snaked his arm around their waist in bed, tugging them closer to him as Romana nuzzled into his neck with her breasts pressed against his side. There, a lazy smile curved her lips and her eyes fluttered closed as she relished on the feel of their naked and warm bodies pressed and huddled together, never wanting to be apart from one another.
The three of them had been at it for the past few hours. They had been exploring and tasting every inch of their bodies as though they were making love for the first and last time despite the three of them having it done many times in the past before. Braxiatel had made Romana writher and whimper in pleasure underneath his touch and he had made Narvin lose control as he teased him over and over, hearing him moan his name inaudibly.
The master bedroom was now quiet as they let themselves relax and enjoy the simplicity of laying together, naked under the sheets. Narvin refused at first of course, but Braxiatel soon persuaded him and he soon gave in.
As Romana lay asleep on his left side, he studied her as though she was a work of art, To him, she was. Braxiatel would always worship Romana. No matter where in time and space, Romana would always be his. Just as Narvin would always be his. Braxiatel knew that he was the oldest out of the three of them. He had hired painters to paint pictures of them, knowing that if he had hired painters to paint them in real life, Narvin would only scowl and say it was a complete waste of time and Romana, well, she perhaps would manage one or two before becoming annoyed at him. But he had pictures of them in his private art collection, hidden away from others to see so that he could be the only one to ever gaze upon them. To remind himself that he had two soul-mates back here on Gallifrey, always waiting for him. Always longing for him just as he was longing for them.
Braxiatel had never really considered a man to love himself. He was nicknamed the Icicle for a reason for how could a Time-Lord like he actually love himself? With all the lies he has told, the lives he has manipulated to get to where he was today. But when he looks at Narvin and Romana, Rassilon help him, he loved them so much that he forgot what not liking himself felt like. Perhaps that was the meaning of having soul-mates was to him.
He shifted gently in bed, turning over to see Narvin who was asleep beside him, slightly detached but yet, close as Narvin would allow himself be to him. He had his eyes pressed shut, his mouth slightly open as he slept. Irving reached out and gently stroked Narvin's hair which caused him to stir slightly, but not enough to wake him up.
Quietly, Braxiatel removed himself from the pair, already missing the warmth of his soul-mates being pressed against him as they slept, unaware that he was leaving. For Braxiatel, it was better this way and would make the goodbye's less painful. However, he wasn't going to be completely selfish. He had left a note for the both of them to read.
He quietly and quickly put on his robes, his belongings already packed in his type-80 TARDIS down at the TARDIS bay and he took one last longing look at them, a small sigh escaping his lips before he left his quarters, pulling the door to a gentle click.
The corridors of the capitol were quiet at night, save from the chancellory guards patrolling the city and the few people who worked at night but mostly he went unnoticed and it was only when he was about to put his key into his TARDIS door when he saw someone watching him.
He paused in his movements. "You wanted this all along, didn't you?"
Darkel stepped out of the shadows, her hands clasped together in front of her. "Wanted this? Oh no, I designed this."
He turned his head slightly so he could see her. "You really do have a poisonous mind Darkel. Are you really that old fashioned you want to plunge Gallifrey back into the Dark Ages?"
"Not quite dear Cardinal. You see, somebody has to keep an eye on our dear Madame President now that you are leaving us and I think, I am suitable enough for the role." She leered at him. "How's the Pandora inside that handsome head of yours?"
"Ah-Argh!" Braxiatel trembled as he concentrated, his hands reaching for his head as closed his eyes, holding back the Pandora in his mind. No! He had perfect control of this! He had perfect control! Sweat began to form on his forehead as he "Don-Don't you dare!"
"Oh, you don't like that now, do you Cardinal? What would happen, I wonder what would happen when you finally lose control and hurt the ones you love? Will they finally see you the monster who you really are?" Darkel jeered, taking great delight in this. She was going to take this whilst it lasted.
"I am not the monster here Darkel," Braxiatel panted, straining his voice to speak as he concentrated on building his mental shields up once more. "You are the Monster and one day Darkel-" He managed a sneer, pushing his TARDIS doors open and backing up inside. "Do not forget, I am still a Cardinal and you will show your respect to me. One day, you will get what is coming to you." He slammed the doors shut angrily, the TARDIS disappearing before Darkel's calm gaze.
Braxiatel rested his forehead against the doors of his TARDIS, already he could feel the pain of not being near his soul-mates sear through him and he clenched at the door tightly, trying to hold himself together one last time.
He will see his soul-mates again. He will get his revenge upon Darkel and he will return home.
He will.