An: Thanks for all the reviews! Oh yeah, I don't own.
I, Concubine
I walked with Prince Spock in the botanical gardens on the estate, but noticed the prince wasn't paying any attention to them. Instead, his eyes seem to follow my every movement.
"African violets, my mother loves to adorn her hair with them." I pointed the bush, "Do Vulcan have any native flowers?"
"We have a few."
"Oh, that's sad. I love flowers and think no home should be without them."
"Your sadness about a lack of flowers is illogical."
"Illogical?"
"Yes, flowers don't enhance the quality of the home. At least, not on Vulcan."
Prince Spock stood over me like a tall tree and his appearance was stoic, but attractive. I was speechless and wanted to see how far I could go with this flirtation of mine. However, Prince Spock's emotions were so veiled and his attitude towards me so plain, I wasn't even sure if he actually liked me.
We walked over to a tall mango tree and sat down. It was a nice day out and I wanted to hear more about his home world. At sixteen, I didn't concern myself with the fact that so many humans hated Vulcans and that technically the human race were enslaved to them. I just found the prince to be attractive.
"What are your parents like?" I asked.
Prince Spock raised an eyebrow and his lips quivered.
"No one has ever asked me that before."
"Everyone has parents. Mine are stern, but loving."
"My father is the Emperor and my mother was the queen."
I noticed his use of the word 'was'. What did he mean?
"Your mother isn't the queen anymore?"
"No, my mother name was T'Rea and she is dead. I do have an older brother, but he lives outside the palace with my mother's family."
"What happen to the queen?"
The prince appeared to be uncomfortable answering my question and I knew I touched upon a sensitive topic.
He didn't answer.
"I am sorry! I shouldn't have said anything. It wasn't my place." I gasped and covered my mouth.
He stared at me and I felt he was trying to communicate with me without using words.
I could sense he had a secret that not even he was aware of.
"Nyota, what does your name mean?"
"It means star in Swahili."
"Star…" He said almost lazily and I was taken aback by the sound of his voice.
"Your majesty?"
He leaned in closer to me and whispered so low I had trouble hearing him.
"On Vulcan, one could see the stars especially if they are away from the cities. Have you ever seen the stars up close?"
My heart was beating and fear overcame me. Was I really flirting with a member of one of the hated species in the galaxy?
Before I could answer, my mother interrupted us, "Nyota, come here! Jabari wants to talk to you!"
Both the Vulcan and I stood up. If he was embarrassed, he did not show it. Instead, he walked pass my mother as if she didn't exist and went back to his quarters.
I stood there before my mother.
"Nyota, what in god's name are you doing?"
I had no answers.
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"I am telling you father, the Prince has it out for Nyota." Jabari paced himself in his office. He was deeply upset.
"I see it too. I saw the way he looked at her the first day they met and then at the dinner table. What does he want with her?" Antar sat in his large wooden chair; he was nearing seventy-five and was too old to play politics anymore.
"He wants my daughter to be his whore. I won't allow that!" Armand snapped. "I mean he could have any woman he wants and yet he comes here and tries to woo my daughter?"
"Nyota is returning his affections." Ainra interrupted. "I am sorry to intrude, but I just caught the two of them outside under a mango tree. If I hadn't arrive who knows what might have happen?"
Everyone was worried. This could be really bad.
"Where is the prince now?" Antar asked.
"In hell hopefully." Armand snorted.
"He is in his quarters and Nyota is in her room. I have her doors guarded." Ainra assured the men in the room.
Antar folded his arms, "Jabari, you are going to make it clear to Nyota her place. But this situation could get really bad if we don't do anything about it now."
"My father is right. The prince could have taken Nyota any time he wishes but hasn't due to some unknown Vulcan etiquette rule. He is the son of the Emperor for crying out loud, he doesn't have to get our permission to pursue Nyota!" Jabari was exasperated.
"This means he could rape my daughter or even kill her and there would be nothing we can do about it." Armand lowered his head to the reality of the truth.
"Nyota, is being a young girl, she has never seen a Vulcan before and is fascinated by them." Ainra defended her daughter.
"I don't care about his fascination with these emotionless elves! We deal with the Vulcans because we have no other choice! Keep the prince away from Nyota at all costs!" Jabari snapped.
"Even if I have to beat Nyota daily she will stay away from Spock. I will show her the true nature of the Vulcan!" Armand stormed out of the room.
"Where is he going?" Antar rhetorically asked.
"To speak with his daughter." Ainra answered.
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"My father kicked in the door to my room and came in like a hurricane." Nyota's voice was cracking.
Syon ordered the servants to prepare more tea.
"What did he do to you?" Syon asked.
Nyota smiled.
"He threatened to choke the life out of me if I came near your father again. When I refused, he took me to the database and showed me the complete history of the Vulcan occupation of the Earth. The things I saw soured me to the Vulcans. My father pleaded with me and told me how much Jabari loved me. He made such a big issue about keeping the lines pure and free from alien contamination. But I was just a kid and didn't understand what he meant."
"So you kept away from father?"
"Yes, I did. My father was a hurt man, the Vulcans killed so many of his clan, and his words managed to reach me when he told me the story of my great uncle."
"Uncle?"
"Yes, my great uncle Nassir who my brother was name after. My great uncle Nassir was killed brutally by Emperor Solkar's men while trying to defend his home. There were such sadness in his voice and I slowly felt a great hatred for the prince."
"Your father poisoned you against the Vulcans."
"It wasn't hard to do. The Vulcan empire has a violent history with the people of the Earth and terrible things were done in the name of Vulcan supremacy." Nyota coughed and closed her eyes. The urge to sleep was overwhelming, but her time was short and she needed to tell the story.
She continued.
"Two days had passed since I've seen the prince. I feared him and did everything I could to avoid him."
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An hour passed since Nyota had dinner with her parents and she decided to spend time with younger brother.
Nassir made her forget her troubles.
He was too young to see his sister's faults.
"I got you!" Nyota picked up the child and kissed him on cheeks.
"Cooties! Yuck!" Nassir wiped the kiss from his cheeks.
"Someday you won't mind a girl giving you a kiss." Nyota laughed and threw stuff bear at her brother.
"Yeah, but not from my sister!" Nassir dodged the toy and ran to his train set.
Nyota loved her brother, a child so full of emotion and wished Syon was the same way.
Syon, like all Vulcan children were in training to keep their 'illogical' emotions suppressed and hidden.
"You know Nassir I have a son around your age."
"I have a nephew?" Nassir said excitedly.
"Yes, you surely do. His name is Syon."
Nyota wasn't sure if she should tell her brother that her son was half-Vulcan. Although he was only a child, he grew up around her father who hated all Vulcans.
"I want to see him."
"He is on his way."
Ainra and Armand weren't looking forward to seeing their grandchild at their estate. It was embarrassing enough Nyota was here and if the nobles discovered she had a son with the prince it would greatly upset them. The balance between the royal families would be upset, as they would think it was all Armand's doing.
Still, as the servants prepared for the arrival of the young prince they realize it was nothing they could do.
Nyota took Nassir by the hand and stood by the entrance where her son would be arriving. The small shuttle docked and the doors opened. Servants prepared themselves to submit to the will of their young Vulcan master.
Syon emerged from the shuttle and without hesitation walked towards his mother.
He was the same height as his uncle Nassir whom screamed at the sight of his nephew.
"Mother, it's a monster!" Nassir broke free of Nyota's grip and ran into the safety of his mother's arms.
Syon who had never seen a human child was also concern. However, being Vulcan he did not display his distress so openly.
"Mother, it appears that this human child is afraid of me. I have never even seen a human child before, so why is it in so much distress?"
Nyota reached down to hug her son, but Syon did not respond. Armand noticed this and commented.
"Even as children those heartless elves have no love. He won't even embrace his own mother!"
Syon turned to him.
"You must be my grandfather, Armand," Syon extended his hand towards his grandfather who balked at the idea of having to touch a Vulcan.
When Syon noticed Armand's hesitation he said, "I thought it was customary on Earth to shake hands during a greeting. Am I correct mother?"
Nyota was heartbroken. Her father's prejudice had no bounds.
She didn't know what to do.
"Syon, why don't you to your quarters and I will come to your room later."
"But mother I am not sleepy and I would rather be with you. Father has told me about the botanical gardens here."
Ainra walked over to Syon with Nassir in her arms.
"Syon, go with Nassir to his room and play. Nassir has many toys and would love to play with you."
Nassir squirmed. "You won't hurt me will you?"
Syon shook his head. "I don't have a reason to inflict bodily harm, Nassir. You are family."
Armand was disgusted. If his ancestors could see the abomination before him now they would twist and turn in their graves.
Nassir got down from his mother's arms and the two boys went to Nassir's room. When they were out of sight, Nyota berated her father.
"How dare you treat my son that way? He hasn't done anything to you! Syon is only a child!"
"Who will grow up and become our enemy!"
"Syon is Prince Spock's son and he will have your head if he saw what you did."
"He already has my daughter so what more can he do to me?"
Nyota couldn't believe her ears, "Listen, father I have tried to be polite about this, but now I must pull rank. I am an imperial concubine and my title is 'Lady', which means I out rank you. Syon is a prince and he outranks you as well. I demand that you show us the proper respect."
Ainra had never heard her daughter speak so sternly before, neither has Armand.
"Nyota is right; Syon isn't the enemy here, but rather the Emperor." Ainra suggested.
"The Emperor is Syon's grandfather in case you forgot." Armand retorted.
Ainra turned towards her daughter.
"You said that Syon was six years old, but how could that be when you only been away for the same amount of time."
Nyota took a deep breath. "Let's go into one of the living rooms. I want for you to know the truth."
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Prince Spock stood before the commlink and waited for Stonn to patch his father through. On the screen was the insignia of the royal family and Spock for some reason thought of his mother T'Rea. Nyota's questions stirred up some troubling issues.
He had never met his mother and there were much secretly behind her life and death. As a child whenever he brought up his mother, it was treated like a taboo subject and Spock was displeased at his servants lying to him.
Emperor Sarek never remarried after the death of T'Rea despite the fact that other nobles presented him with several attractive females.
It was something the prince always wanted to learn more about.
The screen came on and Emperor Sarek who was sitting on this throne chair greeted his son.
"Peace and long life my son."
"The same to you father."
"What news do you have for me today?"
Prince Spock looked down at the reports Stonn prepared for him.
"Well, Antar the leader of the House of Ndogo wants to expand his territory and use the lands for labs for Starfleet. Scientists there are working on a cure for the virus that has creped up again in that region of the world. I told him that the other noble families will have to agree on it."
"Good son. Allow the humans to think they have some control over their own affairs that is why my father established the noble houses in the first place. Humans must believe they have some say over their lives and you will find that they are easier to work with that way. When will the meeting take place?"
"Antar is preparing his estate for the arrival of the guests, so I would estimate another two days before a decision is made."
"I don't mind allowing the House of Ndogo expanding its lands; they have proved useful to me in their many mining expeditions along with the House of Akan in southern Africa. However, the other houses must be made aware of what is going on or else they will prove to be an annoyance."
Prince Spock hesitated for a moment.
"Why don't you come to this meeting?"
"Spock, I am on Solaris Prime doing some work myself. Ever since the Klingons went extinct nearly a hundred years ago, there has been a massive effort to record and savage their culture. They didn't have the sense to do it themselves."
"Perhaps because we destroyed their home world when they refuse to obey us."
"That is one reason and besides Spock I sent you here to learn about diplomacy. I want you to be ready when it is time to lead the empire."
Prince Spock wanted to ask his father about his older half brother Sybok and dismissed Stonn from the room.
"Father, will I ever get to see my brother?"
Emperor Sarek was confused. "Why?"
"I want to talk to him and get to know him. Perhaps, he will tell me more about our mother."
"There is no need! Sybok is a busy Vulcan with his own princely duties."
"Very well then. I do have a problem that is going to need immediate attention."
"Yes, I know. Your seven years are up and you must go through Pon Farr."
Prince Spock nodded his head.
"I feel the blood fever upon me again."
"Don't worry my son, I have already sent your wife T'Pring and she is on her way."
Prince Spock cared for T'Pring, although not in the way his father would have liked. While his father talked to him about sending his wife, all Spock could think about was Nyota, he wanted to rip her clothes off, suck her nipples, and thrust inside her until he couldn't any longer.
Jabari would pay for keeping the young girl away from him.
"Spock…" Emperor Sarek noticed his son's attention was some place else.
"Yes, father."
"Report back to me after the conference. Live long and prosper."
"Live long and prosper, father."
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"Live long and prosper." What an ironic saying Vulcans have. They live longer than any other species I know and the Vulcan Empire has immeasurable wealth, so they are clearly prosperous.
Nyota slipped more of the tea. It was becoming harder to think clearly and she was fighting with all her strength the urge to sleep.
"Mother, will father come to see you before…" Syon was interrupted by a commotion coming from the hallway.
There was a brief knock at the door and T'Rina opened it.
T'Pring walked in.
Everyone stood and bowed as was customary, T'Pring was the queen and outranked them all.
"I came to see you Nyota, how are you?"
"I am dying but couldn't be better" Nyota sneered she knew Vulcans hated humans idioms and coded ways of talking.
T'Pring and Nyota never got along and while Spock did his best to keep the women away from each other, conflict ensued.
"The Emperor and the priest will be here shortly to prepare you."
"I don't want a Vulcan priest! My family believed in Allah!"
"We are not Muslims and that culture is strange to us."
"As is this one to me." Nyota snapped.
"Nyota, it is illogical for you to be this way. These last few days of your life should be met with peace and comfort that your bloodline will continue here on Vulcan."
Nyota struggled to roll her eyes. T'Pring annoyed her to no end. They could have been friends as both were force into a situation neither wanted. Nyota knew T'Pring was secretly in love with Stonn whose low status made it impossible for him to marry her and T'Pring knew the horrible truth behind Nyota's arrival to Vulcan.
A truth Nyota desperately wanted to reveal to her children before it was too late.
An: You like? More secrets will be revealed in the next chapter. Hit me up with the reviews!
