Disclaimer: I do not Star Trek or any of its characters.
One month before Ellara Lat'toy's birth, her mother and father visited their small towns' leader. Igbandu was located at the edge of the Leurielle sector, one of the four countries on Rendoria VI. It was one of the closest towns to The Middle, an area inhabited by what could be described as peacekeepers. Meritha and Nalli Lat'toy were overjoyed with the knowledge that Meritha would soon be giving birth to a child. And so, as was customary, they visited Elliha, who would read the stars and tell them who their child would love more then life itself.
When Elliha put her hands to Meritha's belly, she smiled, and seemed to know exactly what would happen. Which would be preposterous, considering that only the High Priests and Priestesses knew the future. However, it was tradition, and so the two parents listened with equal rapture as Elliha began to speak.
"You will have a beautiful baby girl," she began, only to be interrupted by Meritha's squealing.
Nalli quickly calmed Meritha, and signalled to Elliha to continue. "She will travel the stars, and see some of the most beautiful things this universe has to offer. Her beloved… she shall be the Barut's daughter. They came by not two weeks prior, and they are aware that your daughter and theirs shall be bonded."
At the couples' expectant looks, Elliha sighed before exclaiming, "Well? Aren't you happy? You're having a daughter! She has her soulmate!"
It took a few moments, but the news finally seemed to sink in, and Nalli and Meritha both cheered, before hugging. At Meritha's groan of pain though, Nalli quickly grew concerned. These past few weeks had been harsh on his beloved, and he wanted to make sure that she was as comfortable as possible. Meritha waved him off, before beginning to give thanks to Igbandu's leader. Nalli joined in, and Elliha had to practically chase them home to get them to stop talking.
Once they arrived, the two got ready to sleep, and rejoiced in the thought that they were going to have a little daughter.
Exactly one month later, little Ellara Lat'toy was born. She had the cutest face anyone had ever seen, but she was a screamer. She came out with such a fuss, the doctors wondered if she was premature. But Nalli assured them that this was her time, and that she would just be an emotional child.
After being cleaned up, Meritha was able to hold Ellara, and that is when she finally opened her eyes. The Barut's and their daughter, Lywa, had joined the two parents, and everyone gasped. Her eyes…. they were a startling green. It was expected that every single Rendorian in the Leurielle sector would have brown hair and green eyes, but none were as striking as little Ellara's. They looked simply magical. And in the intensity of the moment, Meritha began crying because her child was just so beautiful, and so then Ellara started crying, and this triggered two week old Lywa, and soon everyone in the room was crying and the doctor's were wondering what was wrong with this family.
But once they had calmed down, the nurse shoo'd everyone out, and finally understood why they had been crying. Their child, she looked like an angel. This family was blessed, the nurse could tell right away, and she was so glad to have been able to witness this miracle.
Fifteen years later, Ellara was celebrating her birthday with her best friend Lywa. The two were aware of their engagement, and were in complete agreement that they were meant to be. However, Rendorians courted much differently than humans; while humans would date and kiss and be affectionate, Rendorians would behave like the closest of friends until their marriage. This was to allow them to become as familiar with each other as possible. Well, that, and that the two were rarely more then a town apart until their marriage. Rendorian law dictated that two people betrothed to each other must stay as close as possible at all times. It was something that all children resented, but then grew to appreciate.
This was one moment were Ellara definitely appreciated that law. If someone had asked her three months prior of her opinion on her soulmate, Ellara would have said she was alright. But now… now, Ellara was without a doubt hopelessly, sickeningly, and madly in love with Lywa. She couldn't get the girl out of her mind. Her hair was always tied up, and Ellara cherished the moments when she let it down, and would admire the older girls' flowing curls. Her eyes, they were a deep forest green that Ellara felt she could get lost in. And her skin… oh god. Lywa's skin was like the colour of the richest chocolate anyone had ever seen, and she was sure that it tasted just as sweet. With full lips and sharp cheekbones, Ellara could not wait for the day she would be able to cherish Lywa in full, as her wife, rather then as her friend.
"Ellara? Ellaaraa? Ellara!" The fifteen year old was snapped out of thought by the sound of her friend's voice.
"Whu-?" Ellara began, recovering from her daze.
Taking notice of her surroundings, Ellara remembered that the two had been sitting on a log, discussing the bright purple designs that adorned Lywa's skin. Having turned fifteen two weeks prior, Lywa had already received her stripes, claiming she was an adult. Among other things, these also allowed her to legally drink alcohol, as well as be challenged should she ever traverse into another sector. Such as Zellphori. Those Southerners had always been jealous of the Northern beauty.
"What's wrong?" Ellara asked, finally noticing Lywa's concerned gaze.
"You're burning up, sweetie. Are you alright?" she asked, pressing her hand to Ellara's forehead.
Ellara was in too much of a daze, lost in the reality that Lywa was touching her forehead what should she do to realize that she should be worried. This problem was soon rectified, however, when Ellara began to experience pain like nothing she'd ever felt. She fell onto the ground, writhing, and Lywa began to panic, crying for someone, anyone, to help.
And that was when Ellara promptly burst into flames.
As soon as the flames began to lick up Ellara's skin, burning her beyond repair, Lywa calmed down, and decided to call Meritha, and tell her the news.
Once the flames died down, Ellara was left lying on her back on the ground, in complete pain, and wondering why her stripes had to arrive just as Lywa was being affectionate. Most humans would be worried that they just spontaneously combusted, but this was normal for Rendorians. As soon as they turned 15, they would burst into flames, and the purple stripes that Rendorians were known for would appear. Most other species were unaware as to how they appeared, but admired their beauty. Those who knew admired the pain Rendorians had to go through to acquire them. They were, indeed, scars caused by the fire. No one was sure exactly why this happened, but it did, and it would repeat every 10 years until the day they died.
Ellara then spent the next week recovering, and finally was able to admire the beauty of her newfound maturity.
A little over a year later, in the Zellphori sector, another child was born. This one had skin as white as snow, hair as light as paper, and eyes so light that she would be mistaken for a ghost. A High Priestess was born, and she would soon be moved to the Leurielle sector to begin her training. After all, the North-Western quadrant was in charge of the education, upbringing and defence of all High Priests and Priestesses. And one family in particuliar was tasked with safeguarding them on their way there. The Barut family.
So, it was with much protest from the children that the Barut and the Lat'toy packed their bags, and began their trip across The Middle to the Zellphori sector. The new Priestess was born in a town that was also on the edge of The Middle, so the journey was quite short. So short, in fact, that it only took a week.
Once they arrived, they received many stares from the residents of Neutris, but the two families knew exactly where they were going. They received the child, and began making their way across town. However, along the way, Meritha wanted to stop in a shop to look at some jewellery, and who was Nalli to refuse? So the Barut's continued on their way, leaving Lywa with Ellara, as the two were discussing schoolwork.
As they excited the store, Meritha clutching a necklace made of crystals, a drunken man approached the family. "Well, well, well," he slurred, raking his eyes up and down the women.
Nalli took a protective stance as the man continued. "You're all some fine meat. It's not often we get some Northerners down in this town, but I can tell you, we treat them all the same. And so…"
The man glanced at Meritha and Lywa with an evil glint in his eyes. "I challenge you two, to a duel."
Nalli paled, realizing their was nothing he could do to help his family, and began to panic. He was, however, not as worried as Ellara. She began to mutter, shaking her head quickly, begging Lywa to walk away and pretend she hadn't heard. But she couldn't. The challenge was issued, and law stated that she was not allowed to deny.
With a brave faces, Meritha and Lywa waited for a mediator from The Medium to arrive. There was always at least three per city, and one was not far away when the duel was issued. When he arrived, he glanced from the man to the women, and lowered his gaze, already assuming the outcome.
And so the fighting began. The drunk, who had seemed to be practically dead when he issued the challenge, had clearly been faking as he punched and kicked his way through. In one fell swoop, he managed to get both woman in a choke hold at the same time. Ellara prayed to all of the Priests and Priestesses she knew of, begged the gods, and pleaded with her ancestors. But it wasn't enough. Finally, after five long minutes of fighting, Meritha and Lywa were dead.
Ellara's world went numb. She couldn't really comprehend her father's cries, or the fighters cheers, or the mediator's sad head shake. All she could see were the lifeless eyes of her mother, and the blue lips of her betrothed. Her bonded. Her soulmate. Her friend. Dead.
It took a few moments, but Ellara finally came to the realization that they were dead, and sank to her knees, crying out for the lost souls of her family. She knelt over Lywa's corpse, sobbing, and not even the most hateful Southerner could deny that this girl, this Northerner, she looked like an angel in that moment. If heaven was real, and angels were guarding over every single Rendorian, they would all agree that when Ellara cried, it was like heaven itself were weeping, and nothing broke a heart more.
It took a few months before Ellara accepted that they were both truly gone, and they weren't coming back. Her and Nalli had taken to wearing black, as they were both widowed. Ellara may have not been married, but to Rendorians, being bonded meant that you were together for life, and so if one died, you were a widow.
One evening, as father and daughter stared blankly at the television, Nalli finally spoke after five months of complete silence. His voice, albeit a little hoarse, spoke some of the saddest words ever heard. "I feel empty, without her. I was always so used to feeling what she felt, being able to see what she did, that now… It doesn't feel right."
Ellara simply kept staring.
Over the years, as Ellara returned to society, Nalli began to retreat. He wasn't a terrible father by any means, but he didn't pay attention as much as he used to. He wasn't as active or involved.
He didn't care much the day Ellara came home with the news that the Federation had finally accepted Rendorians into their ranks, something he and Meritha had been wishing upon for years.
He shed a small tear the day of Ellara's twentieth birthday, as did she. This was when Lywa and Ellara would have been married, when she could have finally loved Lywa a she wished.
Nalli was away on business the day that Ellara left home to join Starfleet. She would be the fourth Rendorian in history, and first female to join Starfleet. Like the other three, she would be studying to become a counsellor, a position well suited to Rendorians and their skills at communication. It also helped that a majority of Rendorians were known to be excellent listeners, and alarmingly accurate problem solvers.
As she boarded the shuttle craft to her new home, Ellara silently wished her father well, and hoped the her mother and Lywa were happy, wherever they were.
The title Tears of an Angel comes from the song by RyanDan, which I recommend you listen to. I don't know if it's one YouTube, but it's definitely on Spotify. There's also a girl who sings it, but I don't recommend it, I guess? The one by RyanDan(the original) is the one that I love and that I sort of draw inspiration from. I've obviously written that people compare Ellara to an angel on Rendoria, and that her crying is like heaven weeping, so hence, tears of an angel. It's definitely going to be played upon further on in the story, so it's not just a one-chapter thing. The song may or may not relate to the story, not sure yet.
- fangirl0012345
Published July 25th, 2016. Edited September 1st, 2016 to add A/N at the bottom.