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kelkat9 · 1 year

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Trick-or-Treat! I have come knocking on your Tumblr door asking for a treat. You can answer with a meme, a bit of art/fic, a fic recommendation, pictures of candy, or something else! Then go to your mutual’s Tumblr door and ask them for a treat! Happy Halloween! 🎃👻

Here's your treat :)

Famous jewelry almost always has a mythology or history associated with it. This is one such tale…

Most people in the mountainous kingdom of Gallifrey were familiar with a myth, passed down for generations. The story centered on a young noble lady, fair of hair, kind and with a smile like a thousand suns, who vanished without a trace. Recorded history was vague as to the details and there were many variations regarding the events surrounding her disappearance.

At nineteen years of age and with a substantial dowry, the young lady was quite the catch for any noblemen willing to prove himself for her hand. She disappeared after a ball in her family home. Some suggested she was swept away by a dashing count who carried her back to his castle in the French Alps where they lived content and fulfilled lives. But that happy ending didn’t account for her family’s grief or how her parents died mourning her.

Another account was far more sinister, a cautionary tale recounting the sad story of a young maiden’s fall from grace sent away in the dead of night to a convent after an unhappy love affair which would have embarrassed her family.

And then there was a version far less happy and a touch more fanciful…of a beautiful young girl with a dazzling smile and compassionate nature, coveted by someone with less than noble intentions; of an evil wizard, a power mad and lustful monster who vowed if he could not have the fair lady, no one could.

This was a tale of the lady, a victim of an evil spell, trapped in a jewel, forever condemned to dwell in its cold sparkling depths, consecrated there by magic for all of eternity. Of course like any fairy tale worth telling, there was always a way to defeat the evil wizard. And as one might expect, the secret to her release lay in her own heart and the ability to find true love…

The multi-faceted pink eye of harmony diamond was coveted for its color and a unique amber facet deep within its depths flickering when the light hit it just right. Like many other famous jewels, its history was enshrouded in a legendary curse dating back to the mid Seventeenth century.

It was said any who wear the diamond only find misery. And there were many owners leaving behind, romantic or not so romantic tales, that bespoke of mournful sounds, tears of love lost and feeling a profound sadness haunting the jewel and any who dared wear the fabulous pendant.

Some said it drove any who wore it mad. Others warned the jewel caused more than one bride to rethink her engagement. Those that dared to wear its sparkling beauty, didn’t for long.

Unhappy owners would tuck it away in a vault, pass it down generation after generation as a family heirloom or burden, depending on how one looked at it. Sometimes it would be auctioned off and stored in a private collection. For decades it lay forgotten, secured from view and lost in time.

Now, fate had deemed the legendary jewel should shine in the light once again.

Lord Jonathon Kasterboros, the Earl of Arcadia had no interest in jewels or auctions. Jonathon preferred astronomy and technology focusing his efforts to create some new innovation. Family obligation forced him from his laboratory to uphold the family name, support various charities and continue his family’s legacy.

It was at one such function he met his fiancée Lady Jeanne Poisson. Lady Poisson swept quiet, intellectual Jonathon out of his world of research and innovation and into one of parties, dedications and a purpose he had always shunned. Poised, well-spoken and always fawning over him, her flirtatious and often encouraging compliments plumped his ego. During a trip to Paris, after one too many glasses of champagne and discussions of their future, he somehow asked her to marry him.

The next morning, the announcement was already published and all of society congratulated him even as he gaped and grasped for words. Wedding plans began immediately as Jeanne beamed and cooed at him about romance and how she looked forward to seeing his family home.

It was as Jeanne’s society mother, Cassandra, who joined them at his home that caused him to realize how his life spun out of control. Yet part of him couldn’t deny marriage and procreation was his duty to his family, even if they didn’t live to see it.

Thus, he did his best to keep his chin up and avoid wedding plans and remind himself this was for the Kasterboros legacy. Jeanne might have pushed things along and lacked an interest in his life other than his title, but she had all the requisite lineage and refinement to be a lady of Arcadia.

At least, he thought so at first, but as the weeks progressed, his discontent banded around his chest until the very subject of marriage caused him to choke.

“Jonathon my angel,” Jeanne cooed over breakfast.

“Yes, my dear.” He hid behind a newspaper.

“You have yet to present me with an engagement ring. People are starting to wonder.”

“Right.” He put down the newspaper as Cassandra joined them.

“It is well past time you gave my daughter a ring. Surely, you have family jewels,” Cassandra smiled coldly.

Jonathon’s throat closed. In his heart, any family jewelry still belonged to his mother even if he’d lost her a decade ago. No one had seen those items since she passed. His father long since tucked them away in the family vault in London.

“Well, I’m sure Jeanne would want something--” He drew out and tugged at his ear.

“I know exactly what I want,” Jeanne inserted, pouring cream into her tea. “Everyone is talking about Prydion Auctions and I am told by a close confidant, the auction has a mysterious gem to be auctioned after decades of being locked away.”

“Oh?” Jonathon drawled, not the least bit interested in jewelry.

“Yes, I have it on good authority this diamond is special, an unusual pink color. And if it is the diamond I think…oh Jonathon, I must have it!”

“A pink diamond?” He gritted his teeth. If Jeanne wanted it, he was sure it was ostentatious. He hadn’t missed how the balance in his account plummeted after she and her mother’s last shopping trip.

“Angel.” She reached across the tabled and covered his hand with hers. “It would make me so happy and everyone would be impressed. I know you want me to represent Gallifrey well.”

She fluttered her eyes and a knot formed in his stomach. Her mind was made up and if he didn’t do this, god knows what part of his family home, she’d decide needed renovating. He’d already witnessed enough of that to cause him to lock himself away in his lab permanently.

“All right. Just give me the information and I’ll see what I can do.” Jeanne laughed coquettishly.

“Of course you will! It has such history and the sparkle.” Her eyes glazed over as if she gazed into the gem. Jonathon knew he was doomed.

He read the email Jeanne received from the auction house. The Pink Eye of Harmony. He snorted at the name. How silly to name a mineral solely because it sparkled. This particular gem didn’t seem to have the same mystique as the Koh-I-Noor or was as grand as The Hope.

He nearly choked at the size. A 32-carat pink diamond pendent surrounded by twenty smaller diamonds.

Jeanne’s perfectly painted lips smiled coyly as she eyed the historic gem in the auction catalogue. She had been looking for something unique and lavish, something grand enough to match the wedding she had been planning for the past year. She deemed the gem a perfect accouterment to her pearl encrusted designer wedding gown which would inspire fashion across the world, or so she convinced herself.

Her mother was determined Jeanne’s wedding would be the event of the season and even grander than any royal wedding ever.

He’d tried one feeble argument at dinner one night. “It’s a bit big and pink. Wouldn’t you rather have something more traditional? Or something less ostentatious? It’s not like you need more sparkle,” he tried lamely to compliment his fiancée.

“Jonathon, really,” Cassandra admonished. “You’re Lord Kasterborous, the Earl of Arcadia and expected to present a certain image and standard. As will my daughter. She represents refinement, elegance and status all will work to achieve.”

He winced as she patted Jeanne’s hand as Jeanne sipped tea and tapped out more wedding orders.

“It’s not like you don’t have resources and it’s about time you used them. Look at this drafty house.” Cassandra frowned. “Bachelorhood has left you living in a decrepit manner hardly befitting a man of your title. You should thank your good fortunate Jeanne is willing to take all this on.”

Jonathan looked around his castle which these women had now insulted. He enjoyed the historic aspect as had his parents who remained determined to maintain its authenticity. It was one of the things he always loved about both his parents, their devotion toward historic preservation and not wasting their inheritance on things like expensive Persian rugs, heavy silken drapery imported from Paris or crystal chandeliers, the glare of which gave him headaches.

He once thought Jeanne appreciated the same things. They’d often traveled to French estates admiring the artwork and architecture. But since they’d become engaged, she seemed less enamored of historic relief work and had developed grand expensive plans for renovations that did not require his consultation. They only required his ample checkbook.

“I really would prefer--”

“Oh, my poor angel,” Jeanne tutted. “You have no need to worry about the house or any household decisions. I will take care of everything. Besides, don’t you have a project in your lab requiring your attention?”

“As a matter of fact I do,” he admitted, grateful to escape matrimony obsessed women and hide out in his underground work shop.

“Just don’t forget the diamond,” Cassandra coldly reminded.

“Yes,” he answered dryly. “How could I forget the pink abomination.”

“Jonathon!” Jeanne exclaimed, her perfect pink lips pursing.

“Which of course my beloved must have.” He added tightly before ducking out of the room.

And that was how he found himself, one week later, on his way to the auction. He sat in back of the car driven by his trusted companion and valet Jack.

He sank into the leather seats thinking about loss and family. He missed his parents. Even though he often focused on studies and developing a new technology based on sonic resonance of crystalline structures, Jonathon didn’t like being alone. He yearned for the sort of companionship his parents enjoyed.

He wanted a family, happy voices to fill his cavernous family mansion. Although after months of enduring Jeanne’s plans for their life together, he was quickly learning, he yearned for more peaceful times as he watched his home transformed, his family heirlooms disappear and replaced with items he found garish, ostentatious and not the least bit homey or representative of him or his family name.

The auction was at least a distraction and held the potential to acquire other mineralogical samples for use in his experiments. Unfortunately, nothing caught his attention and he sat bored out of his mind waiting on the pink atrocity to come for auction. When it was announced, he sighed and raised his auction paddle as if it was some heavy weight, a burden to bear.

There was only one other bidder for the jewel; a man similar to his own age, finely dressed in a designer suit, short blonde hair and cold blue eyes. He glared at Jonathon after Jonathan won the diamond necklace. At the conclusion the man stormed over.

“You know its cursed and any who own it are doomed to misery. Do you really want to inflict that on your bride?” Jonathon arched a brow.

“Clearly you have not met my bride.” He then turned on his heel, retrieved the pendent and left, with it in the breast pocket of his brown pinstriped suit. He collapsed in the back of his car, pinching the bridge of his nose at the pricey gem and how much he already despised it.

“Jack, I need a cuppa, someplace off the beaten path please.”

“With that rock in your pocket?” Jonathon winced.

“You’re right. Make sure they have a decent selection of pastries. I need the sugar rush after picking up this rubbish.” He jumped as he swore the stone vibrated his pocket.

“You got it boss.” He patted the pocket to find nothing but a cool stone. He scoffed and watched them pass through a village and stop in front of a quaint tea house.

It wasn’t until he was sitting in a corner of the empty shop and Jack standing guard that he looked at the jewel, gazing into the multi-faceted pink depths.

He snorted at the thought of a jewel being bad luck as he held the sparkling gem up into the light. Perhaps it was a bit of sunlight hitting it just so but out of the corner of his eye, he swore he glimpsed a face in it, a beautiful blonde haired girl.

He jerked back and rubbed his eyes. He looked again and saw nothing. He tucked it away in his pocket and shook his head thinking how the wedding nonsense was making him see things. Instead, he enjoyed two slices of banana cake, licking the crumbs from his fingers and nodded at Jack to take him home.

As he pulled out his phone and caught up in an article, he kept swearing he heard humming, some old song from long ago.

He smacked his phone wondering if Jeanne had installed some annoying app when he wasn’t looking. Then again, she wasn’t really technically oriented. He doubt she could unless by accident. He vowed to keep his mobile well out of her reach.

When he arrived at the house, he groaned at white vans delivering full length crystal embedded mirrors and instead went into the super-secret back entrance into his shop. Inside he took off his jacket the necklace fell out. The humming stopped and he swore her heard someone say ouch!

He sat up looking around his dimly lit shop but he was the only one there. Scratching his head, he walked toward the stairs, peering up but still found no one. Shrugging he walked back to his work table.

Again, he heard someone humming a song and something glinted deep within the jewel. He pulled on his glasses and reached for the pendent holding it up to his work light. The smaller white diamonds sparkled around the deep pink depths of the main jewel. The humming continued. It was a mystery that itched at the back of his mind.

It was not possible for a gem to emit sound waves like that on its own. This required testing. Intrigued, he began exposing the jewel to different kinds of lights. Hours passed as he tried ultra violet, sunlight, heat lamps and varying light exposures. After staring at it sitting on a black velvet pad, he fell asleep.

He dreamed of being in a castle lined with the ceiling dripping with various colored jewels. Jeanne was running around in a big puffy white gown yanking them down and draping them around her neck until she collapsed from the weight. The room glowed pink as the pink diamond pendent hung just out of his reach. A voice whispered help.

He awakened with a gasp and rubbed his eyes. When he looked at the diamond, he very clearly saw a blonde woman watching him. She was dressed in a long butter yellow gown, wearing white long gloves, her hair in an old fashioned updo of curls and with a sparkling diamond tiara.

“Hello?” he says softly, his brown eyes reflecting surprise and delight.

She smiled the biggest smile he’d ever seen.

“Oh, you can see me! She cried out in delight.”

He scratched his head and rubbed his eyes.

“Yes, yes I can but…who are you and what are you doing in this rather ostentatious diamond?”

“I’m Rose, Lady Rose Tyler and I sort of got put in here by this wretched horrible man, a wizard who consorts with demons and well he’s just awful. You know, evil and all.”

“Okaaay,” he drawled and “Why? I mean and how exactly are you in there?”

“I wouldn’t marry him. Because you know evil and all, and well, he was a bit upset. I don’t really know how he did it but I’m trapped…forever I think. I’m so lonely. You’re the first person to talk to me in a long while.”

“How long have you been in there?” he asked, knowing this was loony but unable to stop investigating. It was in his nature to be curious and this…this was definitely on the list of interesting

“It was my twentieth birthday, 29th day of April in the year of our Lord Eighteen Hundred and Forty-Two.”

“Blimey,” he breathed out. You’ve been in there for 166 years. Uh this is 2008 I mean.”

Her shoulders slumped and she pressed her face in her white gloved hands weeping

“Oh, don’t cry, please. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“I didn’t know it had been so long, she said miserably. Everyone I love, my family they’re all gone.”

He felt an incredible sadness fill the room. The girl disappeared and when he touched the jewel it was cold and just the slightest bit damp.

“Please come back” he whispered cradling the jewel in his hands.

#Halloween treat #ten x rose #au #unfinished fic

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