A trip in time- 16th century to fix everything
They were watching her. Their eyes burned into her soul as she paced back and forth on the shore. The landscape was beautiful, the sea a luscious teal and the beaches as white as snow. Her feet dug into the sand as she watched him, jealousy burning a hole in her stomach. She wasn't supposed to feel this way, he was nothing more than a co-worker, or was he? He kissed her cheek and she slapped his arm in a most playful manner. He didn't even know her that well, she was one of them. She bit her lip to restrain a grunt of anger. Klingon's don't get jealous, she thought. Her eyes moved away from the philandering Tom Paris. In her mind, he was nothing but a cheating scoundrel, but in her heart, she knew that one look from him was enough to make her heart skip a beat. Klingon's don't get jealous! Her mind shouted at her and she turned away from Tom and looked toward Chakotay.
They'd all needed shore leave badly. Even the kid was getting testy. Harry had flipped at him earlier that morning, something about replicators and doctors and monkeys. He knew the kid had been under a lot of stress lately and was glad to see him taking a load of and chatting with the native women. They were interesting looking, distinctly human looking, but not. Their skin was a deep brown and their hair a dark blond with purple color interlaced in the strands. They were exotic, and their attention to Tom and the other males on Voyager was welcomed. Thank God this time there were men on this planet… and the women didn't kill them, at least it didn't seem like it… Tom forced his thoughts in another direction and smiled at the woman who was gently stroking his chest.
Chakotay watched Tom and B' Elanna as he sat on the beach reading a novel. The edges were worn, the binding barley holding together, but he devoured the novel none the less. The story about the English queen and her court favorite intrigued him to no end. Kathryn had given him the novel, Elizabeth and Robert for his birthday way back when their journey was but a few weeks old. It had been a gift of friendship. Robert Dudley showed undying loyalty to Queen Elizabeth and Chakotay new it had been a thank you for the immediate loyalty he showed to her. He looked into the sky as the wind ripped a few pages from his novel. He placed the remainder of the book on the blanket and moved quickly to catch the flying pages.
Kathryn sat in her room, content with the well deserved shore leave for her and her crew. They had been getting rather antsy and they deserved a break from humdrum of Starfleet, yes even she thought so on occasion. She picked up her book and placed her coffee mug back on the table. Horatio Hornblower was calling her and so she sat back in her chair listening to Chopin and content reading the novel Chakotay had given her a few years ago. It was a shame that their friendship had hit such a rock, a barrier that they were stuck at. Part of her wished she had the pocket watch, that she had kept the rose… But she hadn't and she sighed remorsefully. She moved to cross her legs, but her knee knocked against the table and her coffee mug fell to the floor. She placed her novel on the table and moved to clean up the mess. Suddenly a bright light blinded her as she smacked her head against the desk.
As B'Elanna looked towards Chakotay a blinding light slammed into her eyes and she fell back onto the sand.
Tom looked up at the beauty massaging his chest, but there was only a flash of white light to blind him as he saw Chakotay attempt to shield his eyes as well.
The colors swirled about her as she stood mesmerized by the fascinating display before her. Ladies dressed in the finest silks, bright hues and with the most excellent jewelry and ornamental hair that twirled with them as they danced. The men too looked, well, rather silly. They wore puffy pants, rather unique vests and obnoxiously colored tights. She tried not to laugh, but her enthusiasm was curbed as she realized that she was no longer wearing her Starfleet uniform, but rather one of the big dresses, tight as anything at the waist, but rather large at the bottom and not to mention itchy. She reached to scratch her back but as she did, she noticed that her hair had been pinned up and she was wearing a diamond necklace that sparkled in the light. The rather perturbing thing that gnawed at her more than anything else was that she swore that she saw Tom… Yes she was right, there was Tom, dancing with a blond none the less. She wanted to walk over and smack him, but someone touched her shoulder "Milady" a tall gentleman spoke "Would you care for a round?" Before she could protest B'Elanna found herself on the dance floor eye to eye with Tom Paris.
"Tom, what's going on?" she asked as the dance ended. "I don't know…" B'Elanna groaned as she saw Tom throw a glance at the blond that he had been dancing with before. Tom had the funny pants and tights on that she had seen on the rest of the men. "I think B'E that we're stuck on Earth in the 16th century, I think we're either in England or something and there is a big party. Let's just play along…" He grabbed her arms and twirled her around. "Tom…" her voice warned him of impending doom "That my lady is Sir Tomas and you are Lady Isabelle…" She smiled and laughed. She would play along, at least till the end of the party. "By the way, I saw Chakotay here not to long ago, but he just vanished" He peaked her interest at that moment "Tom I think I saw him too…" As they danced around B'Elanna couldn't help wonder what was going on, but she forgot about it and enjoyed the party.
Kathryn squirmed as the women circled around her all holding a various piece of what she hoped was not her clothing. She was already wearing a tightly laced bodice around her middle that uncomfortably pushed her chest up. "God and I thought Starfleet Dress Uniforms were painful…" she thought as the rather large one named Bettina approached her with a brightly colored something or other that she knew was going somewhere on her body. She groaned in frustration. They'd been at this for what seemed like hours and Kathryn was getting antsy. Apparently, as she had been informed by another woman named Kat, today was a "very special day for the princess…" who was indeed her, and apparently she was not any old ordinary princess, but now the "Queen of England". Kathryn wondered if this woman was delusional. "Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought" she reached to feel for a bump, but rather found a large mass of hair. In a state of panic, Kathryn kept tapping her head, feeling for where her short hair had gone. She began to grow nervous, where was she? She knew who she was, or so she thought. "Just think this morning I was drinking coffee… those were the good old days…" she thought as a parade of fat ladies began to assault her with more clothes and jewelry. "Oh God" she muttered.
Chakotay was lost in a sea of bright colors as he tried to spot Tom Paris again. He knew he saw him with a blond, but that was nothing new, except that Tom was dressed just like him. The pants were enticingly uncomfortable, they bunched and the tights that he wore underneath irritated him even more. He never knew that there was anything more uncomfortable than a Starfleet Dress Uniform, if they got out of here, this would be an excellent report for Starfleet. "Puffy Pants More Uncomfortable than Starfleet Dress Uniforms" He laughed to himself as he quickly exited the hustle and bustle of the party. He needed some fresh air, and some time to think. He recognized the dress of the people that surrounded him, but he wasn't able to place it. He saw the costumes in his Starfleet history book. Furrowing his eyebrows he sat on a window sill to think. A few minutes passed and he still had gotten nowhere with his dilemma. He bumped his head on a ledge as he stood up. Elizabethan, England! That was where he was. But the question was who was he? There was no way that he would be called Chakotay here… He walked further down the corridor observing his surroundings. He wondered if this was one of Q's little games, but it didn't seem like it… there was no Q anywhere. The further he walked the darker and quieter it got, that was until he heard a voice. "Dear, you must wear this…" and then another, one he recognized. " No! I already cannot move, don't you think that I'll put on another one of those, those things!"… "But your majesty…" the first voice pleaded. " When I give an order I expect it to be followed, and I order you as your queen to take that garment out of my sight." Stalling a laugh, Chakotay went to check on Kathryn.
She listened closely as the voice of the singer infiltrated through her closed door. She had finally given in and allowed the women to dress her, but as she looked out the window, watching the drops caress the stones that formed the castle she lost herself in thought.
Why was she here? Why did the women think she was the queen? Did she have that much of a resemblance to the great Queen Elizabeth Tudor? She shook her head in disbelief. There was no way that she looked at all like the queen. Her hair was… Kathryn stopped her thought as she heard a faint knock on the door. She figured she might as well play along with the game as long as it kept her out of harms way.
"Come in…" she called, and with a flourish of music in walked Chakotay.
He observed his Captain and friend as she looked not at him, but out the window. She was dressed in a beautiful red and golden hued gown with her gorgeous hair arranged in a most intricate style. He barley recognized her as she turned to face him. In the glow of the candlelight he noticed that she was adorned with sparkling jewels and on the top of her head rested a dainty, but elegant crown. His breath caught in his throat as he went to speak. He had never seen Kathryn look so lovely. The words of the singer filled the room as her eyes locked on him.
Alas my love you do me wrong
To cast me off discourteously;
And I have loved you oh so long
Delighting in your company.
He walked slowly toward the window and he
gently sat down next to her and he could hear the rustle of her gown as she
moved, deliberately distancing herself from him.
Greensleeves was my delight;
Greensleeves my heart of gold
Greensleeves was my heart of joy
and who but my lady Green sleeves.
She looked up at him and in the light she could see he too was adorned in
the costume of the late 1500's. She spoke first… "Am I dreaming?" He looked at
her, surprised. "No…" he replied softly. She turned away from him and rested
her head in her hand.
"Chakotay…" she looked over at him
seeking his response. He mumbled a bit of a response as she began, never
looking at him, just out the window. As she finished her tale of women and
clothes, accompanied by various chuckles by Chakotay, they lute sounded its
final chord and the singer's voice could be barley heard as the rain soaked the
English country side.
I have been ready at your hand
to grant whatever thou would'st crave;
I have waged both life and land
your love and goodwill for to have.
They looked up and into each others eyes, unwilling to move and ruin the moment. Rather abruptly, a plump lady swung open the door. "Mistress Elizabeth!" she shrieked as Kathryn and Chakotay both stood at the same time. "What do you endeavor you are doing?" Kathryn bit her lip to prevent her smile escaping at the sight of the red faced maid that stood before. "I was but listening to the rain…" she managed to choke out before she gave a un- ladylike grunt of laughter. " Master Robert…" she looked over at Chakotay and pointed her finger. "Did Lord Cecil not make it clear that you were to be at the ceremony? Get out of here!" Kathryn looked wide- eyed at Chakotay, and with a slight wave of her hand shooed him out. As the maid continued to scold Kathryn she looked over at Chakotay and mouthed. "Meet me here later". He smile as the rain pounded against the stone.
Tom was getting tired of dancing. He wanted nothing more than to escape with B'Elanna and take a walk around the gardens, but the rain made that impossible. He twitched in his pants. It had been quite an interesting evening. Everyone was waiting for, apparently Queen Elizabeth, it was the night of her coronation and he found that these English folk were rather fond of addressing him as Sir Tomas and Be as Lady Isabelle. He wondered what exactly was going on as B'Elanna grabbed his arm. "See Tom! Look, there's Chakotay…" They moved toward their friend as he was rapidly surrounded by women. "Hey, I thought I was the chick magnet…" Tom whined as he was rewarded with a rather painful jab from B'Elanna's elbow. The group of ladies parted as the pair approached Chakotay. One of them spoke to another "I was disappointed when Sir Tomas married Lady Isabelle, but it is very nice to see the fresh faces at court…" The smaller one responded with a giggle "especially Sir Robert's" the two shifted to B'Elanna's side as she approached Chakotay. "Hi there stranger…" she muttered as Chakotay turned rather startled. " B'Elanna, Tom!" she took Tom's arm and the trio began to exchange stories of their adventures.
"Lady Isabelle, Sir Tomas…" Chakotay laughed as they told him their "names". "We'd better use them so we fit in, I'd rather not like to be beheaded by the queen, she did that you know…" Tom joked as they walked down the corridor toward the gardens. The rain had stopped and they amicably agreed that it was time for a walk. "I don't think she'd do that Tom, I've met her and she seems rather partial to me…"
"That's because Robert Dudley was her court favorite, I read your book Chakotay" B'Elanna interjected.
"Robert Dudley? I thought that he was a traitor…"
"That was his father and the queen loved Dudley very much…" Chakotay stopped himself as a wicked and mischievous smile spread across Tom's face. "Wait a minute, if I'm Sir Tomas and B'E is Lady Isabelle and we're married and your closest friends, say Chakotay, did the queen happen to look like, well say, Captain Janeway?"
"Yes, it was her…"
Kathryn watched as the rain slowed. There was no way that she could be Queen Elizabeth, this had to be a joke, and the maid had called Chakotay "Sir Robert", did she mean Robert Dudley, Kathryn shook her head in disbelief. If she was Elizabeth that would mean she would have to be in love with him, Robert, Chakotay, whoever he was… Aren't you Kathryn…she asked herself aren't you in love with his smile, his laugh, the way he warms your frigid hands at dinner, his eyes and that tattoo, the way his chest feels under the gentle touch of your hand. Damn! She chastised herself. You certainly have it bad Kathryn…For God's sake, when he would look at you on the bridge; you have to fight to remember how to breathe. Her dress caught under her foot as she moved toward the door of the room. "Milady, where are you off too?" She looked at the frail figure before her, she looked so familiar… "I was…" Kathryn was at a loss for words, the face was so damn familiar. "I was, well," Shit, Shit! This isn't very queenly of me… "I was going for a stroll about the gardens, as it is still early and I am not expected at the celebration for a few hours yet." The pale eyes stared at her as she responded to the inquiry. "Then, if your ladyship permits, I would be honored if you would endeavor to allow me to join you…" Kathryn scrunched her forehead and raised an eyebrow. Amy Rosebart Dudley…That's who she was… "Of course my dear Amy, of course" They exited as Kathryn heard the words of the lute player again in her head. "Alas my love you do me wrong, to cast me off discourteously; and I have loved you oh so long, delighting in your company." Kathryn knew the story of Elizabeth and Robin, and she sighed, it certainly wasn't a happy one. Her beautiful dress trailed behind her as the two women advanced outdoors.
The garden was beautiful, even though it was January. The evergreen plants formed a hedge around the small patches where the flowers would grow in spring. Kathryn smiled as she and Amy ambled forward. She heard laughter and recognized the voice. Tom… then another, B'Elanna and finally Chakotay. Apparently Amy recognized their voices as well. "That sounds like Robert…" Kathryn stubbed her toe and tripped at the sweet lull of Amy's voice. It disgusted her. She was talking about Chakotay and just the thought of him with that skinny little blond… Kathryn grimaced as she saw Chakotay walking with B' Elanna and Tom. She decided that she ought to be the first one to speak. "Lord Robert, what a pleasure." Chakotay decided that he should show some respect to the queen, even if it was Kathryn. Her dress fluttered in the wind and he knelt and kissed her hand. Kathryn's heart jumped to her throat, as she caught sight of Tom and B'Elanna's smiles. "Come now Lord Dudley, this display is unnecessary…" Amy began to grow red in the face as Chakotay stood up and winked at Kathryn, flashing a dimpled smile. She felt her cheeks flush and her knees weaken as she fought to keep a crooked smile from finding its way to her lips. "Robert…" the frail voice of Lady Dudley emerged from behind Kathryn. "Do stop making such a scene."
Chakotay and Kathryn ignored her as they continued flirting. He traced kisses up her arm, as he turned to see if B'E and Tom had left. Indeed they had, and Chakotay smiled. He was glad that they finally had some time together. But that other woman was rather annoying. Chakotay didn't care, until he saw her backhand Kathryn across the face, her ring slicing deep into the Captain's delicate cheek. Chakotay quickly stepped in front of Kathryn. Her hand clenched at the pain as Chakotay reprimanded the frail figure that stood before them.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kathryn could feel the heat of the blood trickling down her cheek and in that instant Amy flushed a deep crimson and a few tears welled in her eyes. "I am terribly sorry your majesty…" Chakotay's eyes swerved toward Kathryn who was determined to keep a straight face, amidst the scene unfolding before her. She grabbed Chakotay's arm to restrain him. She looked over at Amy and cursed to herself. "Lady Dudley, she emphasized her last name, hoping Chakotay would get the message, this woman was his wife. The jealousy burned inside Kathryn, it seemed the more she grew to love him, the further out of her grasp he became. "My dear Amy, I am forced, for your actions to confine you to your chambers for the evening." Kathryn felt as if she was reprimanding a child, and it was fitting. Amy Dudley was at most twenty, and looking at her, Kathryn suddenly felt old, old and alone.
As the young, frail Amy sauntered off to her bedchamber, Chakotay approached her. "What's going on Kathryn? Who was that woman…?" She was worried. Did he find Amy attractive? Just then out of nowhere came Q's son. Kathryn wanted to launch herself at him and slaughter him, but she managed to control her anger. Stupid Qs and their little mind games. As she touched her cheek she felt the blood had stopped and she quickly looked over to her first officer. "What is the meaning of this Q?" He smiled and began to laugh. "Dear sweet, sweet auntie Kathy, don't you see… this is just a fun little game, you and the big oaf over there, and that Klingon girl- even her little human boy, you all have a few issues to work out. Come on, the whole ship, and even the people in this little game know you are in love. So suck it up and get over yourself Aunt Kathy, you too tattoo boy. You two aren't getting out of here until you fix everything. Think of it as an early birthday present… or I could give you a watch." He sneered at the two officers. "If you didn't want to be my mother, the least I could do is to get you together with that man… lowly creature… Anyway, you have two more days, until Robert Dudley gets sent away to Scotland… so stay in character and I'll be watching. Get it together kids, or its just going to get harder from here on out. Now where did lover boy and that temperamental Klingon get to?" He vanished as quickly as he appeared, leaving a very confused Kathryn and Chakotay, eyes locked.
