Tera's appearance is based off of myself, as well. Basically I'm telling my own fantasy without overdoing anything. :)

Chapter Two

Rose on Water

She should be ashamed, enraged even - because Weyoun had so boldly kissed her and had the nerve. She had actually enjoyed the evening more than she thought she would, had even been eager to tell him about the Arabian Nights - and she definitely knew the many more nights to come would parallel to Scheherazade and Shahryar.

She'd had lunch with her friend Ziyal over this, and the half-Cardassian woman was stunned utterly as if she'd just messed up the progress of one of her newest latest arts. "I would be careful if I were you."

"I intend to be," Tera assured her. "I don't see how Weyoun would lay a hand on me like that brute tried..."

"Only that he breathes down my father's neck, and he's very manipulative. He tricks, smiles, and does what he can to get what he wants," Ziyal told her softly, clasping her hand with her own. "You don't want to end up in that position."

The human chewed her lip. It wasn't like she wasn't thinking about her own life, but she felt like a rose on water who was being carried away and letting whatever happens happen. Life was about things getting worse before they got better, and that was how it was for her. How could this be any different?

"So, when do you meet him again?" Ziyal asked, to mildly move on from the subject.

"Tonight."

"And the story of the fisherman and the jinni is next. Saving Aladdin and Ali Baba for last, are we?" the other woman asked with a slight smile, knowing the thousand and one nights of stories as well as she did.

Tera could not shake off the feeling on her lips. He was brave, bold, and powerful. He dominated her every thoughts for the next day to come, and when she did go to him again, this time wearing a soft ivory dress that wrapped around her body and graced her innocence. But why didn't Weyoun ever make a comment about her as other people did? Not that it was a big difference, but he didn't say much as other men would. Something in her needed to ask him someday soon - or rather, now.

"Why don't you give me any form of compliment?" she asked.

He blinked when he sat down, looking down at her before she began the tale of the fisherman and the jinni. "Pardon?"

"Usually a man speaks of how lovely a lady looks, even comments something special about her - not that I give myself credit," Tera answered, clasping her hands behind her back. "Just anything to make her feel special." He looked very surprised that she was asking this of him, but did she feel like she was pressuring?

Weyoun sighed and lowered his eyes briefly. "If only I could, my dear. I have...weak eyesight. My people don't know how to appreciate such beauty, don't know how to describe it, much less pick and choose what we think is best with what. The Founders deemed it not important."

She gaped before closing her jaw. Now she felt terrible; the Vorta were helpless, engineered slaves who could not help how they were made, and they had to obey or die. That was nothing new in life. It wasn't excusable, but it was understandable. Tera whispered softly, "I'm sorry."

His sadness in both the face and eyes quickly changed to enthusiasm, smiling as she remembered ear-to-ear. "Well, it's not as important as it seems. We've learned to live with it," he said. "Carry on as planned about the fisherman and the jinni...I've waited all day and night to hear this..."

So, there had been a mistake when she said fisherman and the jinni - that was actually a different story for later, and right now was a trader and a jinni. Weyoun looked mildly irritated at the confusion when she enlightened him with this one story instead - the mistaken fisherman - and then onto the trader's tale. For several more nights to follow, Tera would sit before him cross-legged, given she was used to this position; she enticed him with the three Shaykh's stories and then more...ultimately getting to the one of the husband and the parrot.

"Really, a husband and a bird?" Weyoun asked, chuckling with utter amusement on the eighth night.

"Yes. A tale of the suspicions of fidelity; I always thought Scheherazade related this to her husband because of his last wife's wrongdoings against him," Tera explained slyly. The titular man himself was a merchant with the most beautiful wife in existence; however, one day - because he was jealous and often suspicious - he went to the market and bought a parrot to live as a spy on his wife while he was away on business next time. He had been told the bird was secretive, gifted and watchful; this had been proven well when he returned and was informed of a great shock: his wife had a lover while he was away, and because of his wild nature, he confronted her before severely beating her. Not long after, the wife herself recovered and was convinced any of the maidservants had been watching and spoke to the husband behind her back; all of them swore they told him nothing, and one broke word that they claimed they heard the parrot snitch on the cheating woman. This devised a devious plot for next time her husband was away, so flashing mirrors and sprinkling water as well as rattling to give off the illusion of a rainstorm completed with lightning and thunder would trick the parrot when actually no storms of the like ever occurred at this time of year - even the husband knew that when he asked his little spy of recent events; he flew into a rage when he assumed she lied to him, and so took her from her cage and killed her just like that.

Weyoun gaped in utter horror at this. "Founders have mercy...he killed his own little agent all because she was tricked!" he exclaimed.

She agreed; she always thought so herself. Her cerebrum pricked with the thought that the Vorta were in a similar position as the poor parrot had been after being so loyal, but she wasn't sure what he'd say if she said this. "Definitely that. Not many days later, he found out the truth from one of the servants who helped trick the poor bird and therefore took care of his traitorous wife and her paramour herself, before throwing their bodies into the fire to pay for their sins. He had time thereafter to cry his sorrows for killing the parrot."

"He gets what he deserves." He snorted.

"In a way."

Weyoun leaned back, crossing his legs together. "He wasn't entirely sympathetic in terms of uncontrollable jealousy and impatience -" He was cut off then, irritated that his enjoyment was interrupted. The computer was calling him to Quark's bar. "My dear, I'm sorry. I am afraid we must finish up tonight. It seems I am needed elsewhere."

~o~

How could Damar be such a fool? He let a memo regarding the shortage of Jem'Hadar white be laying around for anyone to pick it up, and look at this mess!

He sneered at the sight of the dead soldiers - Cardassian and Jem'Hadar alike - being taken away, and the Ferengi beaten halfway in the chaos. Odo was far from pleased himself, ordering his deputies around to take the corpses out of here. Weyoun glared at the surviving Jem'Hadar who had been involved in the brawl; he would deal with them all later, and he would speak to Dukat about doing the same to his men. Their men despised each other, which was not good on either of their parts.

Regrettably, he could not finish the evening with Tera, when he returned to her. She'd nodded her understandings, but when she left without another look, a wave of sadness washed over him like the sands of time described in the stories she enthralled him with as of late. He enjoyed her company more than anything, because she was all he looked forward to at the end of each day. He could not pretend to know she might have wanted space from him, but he couldn't give it to her. It was a small price to pay for heroic efforts.

Dukat still had not yet found a way to take down the mines, but these were not ordinary mines, and that was no less inexcusable because Dominion reinforcements were still on the other side of the wormhole. They needed those supplies of ketracel-white and soon; the main facility established in Cardassian space had been destroyed because of Captain Sisko and his crew in none other than the same Jem'Hadar warship that Kilana had let him have following the death of the Founder aboard and her own men taking their own lives.

Kilana was always the more sensible one, but why they never reconciled was best left in the past for obvious reasons. He had his eyes on a new prize. He would do whatever it took to make Tera his - and he knew just the manner. With a war going on, it would be difficult to make such grand preparations, but it would be done.

~o~

Word had gotten out that the newly promoted Gul Damar had found a way to deactivate the minefield, but not long after, Quark's brother Rom had been caught trying to break into a secure conduit to cut out the weapons line to Ops. He was currently being held in a holding cell and had been in for over a week now.

Weyoun was the one who authorized the imprisonment - and would determine the Ferengi "saboteur's" fate. She swallowed hard as she stared out a window on the Promenade, into space where the minefields were being deactivated, disabling the replication unit so the final touch would be made in a matter of time, and those Jem'Hadar ships would come into the Alpha Quadrant, marking the end of the Federation and all they protected. A tear slipped down her cheek in fear. Her own freedom was at risk; she wasn't going to play stupid and say she'd be safe just because she was a nightly companion of the Vorta.

She got looks from around her when she passed by as of late. There were whispers about her, that she was rumored to be going to Ambassador Weyoun's quarters every night in the past couple weeks - not that they actually did anything! Tera, the unknown but beloved, was said to have become his concubine, and she wanted so much to scream at the top of her lungs that she was NOT, but that would earn even the attention of the Jem'Hadar, and Weyoun might not be there to save her. But at least it prevented the Cardassians from taking her.

Tera looked down at her shaking hands, looking at the two rings she always wore which did not ease her trembling terror. On her right forefinger was a round larimar surrounded by rich blue sapphires, her favorite color to match her eyes, and on the other was a treasure of light blue stones as well as light green and amethyst - her eyes, the fresh air around her, as well as Weyoun's eyes. Who ever thought the last would tie her fate to that man?

"My dear, don't look so melancholy."

She jumped and hissed, baring her teeth but not turning around. She would never know whether or not he would surprise her or not. "Do tell me," Weyoun breathed against her ear, not caring whether or not anyone passing by would stop and look at him, and his soldier escorts were not present either, "why are you so alone here?"

Tera was tempted to not answer; it was because of Rom, and even he knew that. "Tera, Rom is an enemy to the Dominion. He must pay for attempting to sabotage the station," he said, bringing a hand around her waist to bring her closer to him. She trembled not out of this unwanted sensation of bliss, but because of his lack of mercy. "If it is any consolation -" He pressed a kiss to her ear tenderly, caressing her with his spellbinding sensations. "- when those ships come through the wormhole once we've taken down the mines, I will do everything in my power to ensure you are kept out of the way of what will come."

"I don't need you protecting me," she snapped softly, pulling from his touch.

He scowled; she could hear it in his voice. "On the contrary, a young lady like yourself who entertains with her life needs a protector. Solo can be quite limited, and it won't last much longer," he told her. "If you came with me, I won't ever lay a hand on you or let any harm befall upon you - and I won't take what you love most away from you." His voice dropped low to a whisper as he leaned into her ear again. He was speaking of her dreams, her freedom - he was trying to lure her into a false sense of security, words instilled into her by Odo who knew him better than she. Ziyal had warned her, too.

From what she heard about Ziyal, her father even refused to let Rom be forgiven, and his right hand Damar confronted and assaulted her only to be backlashed by Major Kira none other. Things were really not looking up, but it wasn't entirely grim:

Captain Sisko and the rest of Starfleet were aware that the minefield was being taken down, so they were on their way here. She prayed there was a chance that they could make it on time and stop the Dominion...

She came to Weyoun that same night, still reeling from his so-called promises of protection, but he had her in the palm of his hand. No matter, since she had her talents to keep him from killing her or maiming her at least. Several more nights, and she had a brand new story, first of seven: Sinbad the Sailor and His Seven Voyages. She went to the ambassador in a soft and sweet dress with curved panels of silk falling to the floor, the top part daring and baring more skin than usual, but the Vorta wasn't affected by the revealing of her body - or if he was, then he was being the proud rep he was and not showing his true feelings.

"Sinbad the Sailor is one of many popular Terran icons in this history," Tera explained as she played with the necklace she wore: a dainty square diamond sparkling like the star she was in everyone's eyes. "He was renowned for his magical voyages, meeting monsters in such places and everything involving the supernatural..."

"As we've covered in the past tales," Weyoun stated, before frowning at her yet again and making her wonder if she did something wrong. "Dearest, please come and sit with me now." He reached over and gently patted the bare spot beside him on the sofa, surprising her.

He wanted her to sit with him.

Tera obeyed without second thoughts. Somehow she felt equal to him now, and began the first story of Sinbad without breaking eye contact with him on the spot. This was amongst her number one favorites that never abandoned her love, and he would never forget this one either, but there were two others to come that would do the same...

~o~

Just when things go from getting better to getting worse in ways Weyoun could not decipher in correct words to anyone wanting to know what happened the day he and the rest of the Dominion and Cardassia evacuated Terok Nor, retreating back to Cardassia.

And taking Tera with him.

He knew what he was doing, and that was taking her away from her home so she could be with him. He half-expected her to object, but was pleased when she did not protest. Whether or not it was out of fear or not, he didn't care. He got what he wanted, but that meant the war would go on much longer than expected because of Dukat and his overconfidence. Cardassian-sized ego was right in his book.

The Founder was far from pleased, but her attention was on all of the Cardassians because of how disappointing they turned out to be, and so he followed her on it. Damar would take up Dukat's mantle in a few months' time, but meanwhile, they were lying low and letting the Federation alliance enjoy its victory for now. Dominion shipyards would be increasing, and ketracel-white needed to be manufactured; they needed the one main ingredient even if it was in Federation space, so it would not be easy to acquire it.

A couple weeks passed since he settled in on Cardassia, and that meant things were quiet which gave him time to contact a Cardassian seamstress in the city for a private, personal matter. After he did, he returned to the assigned quarters he shared with her; the Founder knew nothing about her, and he would keep it that way as much as it wounded him. But it was not like he had any intention of turning against her. He loved serving her, accepted her disapproval if necessary - but his lifetimes weren't complete without anyone to share them with.

And when did any relationship last longer than a few weeks, maybe months?

Tera never had a long-lasting affair herself. Which was why he was willing to make this equal for both of them. There was one solution to it, and a few weeks with her was enough for him to make this decision he never did with those before her.

Weyoun never used the word love as it was only for the Founders, but with the girl in his life and who made him feel more whole than he could ever recall, he decided it was time to stop outsmarting it - but what about her? He was well aware she was in awe of him, trembled before him, but she could not feel the same way for him. She was light, innocent and yet strong-willed. She was his breath of fresh air he would relish and shelter from any storm to cross their paths.

So, the next chapter will be the last. I wasn't going to make this extravagant like him and Mia, him and Kilana, or even him and Ezri Dax, but I have no regrets about him and Tera. :)