Epilogue I

Several days passed as Amanda and Sarek tried to come to terms with what had happened. They had been almost inseparable since, remaining sequestered in their rooms and using the time to discover new parts of each other and to help Amanda control her newfound ability.

The Matriarch visited them twice daily to monitor their state but found no ill side effects from the V'Shar's intervention. Sarek shared his memories with his clan leader so that they could be used as evidence in S'Kelnek's trial which Amanda would not take part in, asking to be excused.

The one small excursion they had made from their rooms was to the roof to find a cowering T'Pen hiding there. After they had reconciled, T'Pen returned to serve as Amanda's attendant and Amanda took special care to sing (well hum) and do her best to dance with her.

After the trial of S'Kelnek had completed which found him guilty of mind crime, he was handed over to the V'Shar to remain in isolation for the rest of his life. Amanda was not comfortable enough to talk about it so S'Kelnek and the events that had occurred were only discussed in private between the couple if at all.

The V'Shar agent was also tried and found guilty of escaping his mandatory confinement. With Amanda's testimony he was cleared of attacking her or causing any harm. He was declared inactive as a V'Shar agent and his partner Satik chose to join him in his retirement instead of being paired with another agent. Amanda had secretly requested Sarek to speak on their behalf to the Council to prevent them being exiled or ostracized by offering them positions on his security staff. It had taken some persuading but eventually Sarek had agreed. The Council had agreed with his proposal and the pair had accepted their offer with gratitude.

The time finally came when the Matriarch would no longer allow Amanda to hide away in the shelter of their rooms. With T'Pen and Sarek's support, they had walked to the great hall together to join the clan for the evening gathering.

As she entered through the archway in her customary blue, all heads turned to her and Amanda paused on the threshold as she took in all that were present.

"Sarek… why are there so many here? These aren't all from our clan are they? " she whispered across their bond.

"We have visitors tonight," he explained calmly.

Amanda held back the impulse to glare at him.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" she accused.

"Would telling you have helped?" he responded wryly.

Amanda didn't have to say anything for him to understand that she knew he was right but didn't want to gratify him with admitting it.

Amanda began to descend the steps to enter the hall when T'Pen did something strange. She stepped in front of her, touched her head with her hands and then bowed to touch Amanda's feet.

Sarek sensed her confusion.

"She is performing a traditional rite, a request for absolution," he explained softly. "The gesture symbolizes all the participant's wisdom and knowledge being laid at your feet as an offering."

Amanda realized that he had not known that T'Pen would do this.

"Absolution from what, though?" she asked.

Sarek made the equivalent of a mental shrug.

"Either she is ashamed for not protecting you or for her ignorance to the danger you were in," he guessed.

"But she did nothing wrong," Amanda said helplessly, T'Pen still kneeling at her feet.

"To absolve her you must rest your hands on her head. If you don't wish to absolve her, then do nothing," he instructed.

Amanda hastily bowed to touch her gloved fingertips against the top of the hair she had decorated for T'Pen just this morning. As she straightened, the girl rose, her face relaxed and she moved away to secure them some seating in the hall.

Ritual over, Amanda made to continue into the hall but Sarek called her to a halt.

"There is more," he pointed out.

Amanda watched in horror as the Matriarch rose with her entourage and made her way to them. As she approached, Amanda started to bow.

"Don't," he ordered.

Amanda stiffened awkwardly. The Matriarch repeated the same movement as T'Pen and Amanda absolved her quickly, not wishing to cause offence to her clan leader. Then one by one the rest of her council performed the rite, even Sarek's mother…

Once they had returned to their seating, others stepped forward to do the same. T'Arris, T'Sang, T'Ling and her husband, students from her class, Se'tek, Svolnak and other diplomats as well as Socran and T'Nerrin who she noted came to her as a pair. Svelda and her family also came as well as those she had only ever met briefly before. Eventually when the stream of people ended, Sarek surprised her by also stepping before her.

"Oh Sarek, no…"

She wanted to grab him by the shoulders to stop him from doing it but the look he gave her stopped her. He bent forward to touch her feet.

"You don't have to do this," she said softly.

"On the contrary, I of all should be the one to do this. I should have been more discerning and listened to the warnings of T'Pen and I-Chaya. If it hadn't been for T'Pen… the outcome could have been very different," he said grimly.

Realizing that people were beginning to notice that she hadn't completed the absolution, she bent to place her palms gently on his head.

"It's not your fault," she said.

She felt something stir inside him. She found it difficult to capture the emotions that were only briefly lit and dampened within him but this time she thought she felt remorse that melted into relief.

She reached downward to take his wrists and pull him to standing. Once fully standing she looked up into his eyes and found approval there.

Now truly and officially done with the impromptu ceremony, they wound their way to the seating T'Pen had secured for them and settled down to pass the evening.

Later that evening, they joined another circle to sit with Svelda and Varok. As Sarek conversed with his sister, Amanda was able to take the opportunity to speak with Taro now that his parents seemed no longer against it.

"How are you, fellow shu-pal talsu?" she asked, admiring his blue sash that matched the color of her robes.

He eyed her curiously.

"Better now that you are fully recovered," he stated.

Amanda was warmed by his concern. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a young slender girl with dark waves in her hair staring at them intently. She regarded them closely and Amanda guessed that she was about Taro's age. Maybe a bit older.

"Who is that girl?" Amanda asked.

Taro turned to look and the girl glanced away sharply, a small green tinge reaching the tips of her pointed ears that poked out of her hair.

"My bondmate," he explained coolly before returning his attention to her.

Amanda noted that the girl's gaze returned to them again.

"If I may ask, has the situation… improved?" she asked tentatively.

Taro nodded.

"I am top of my class in all my studies and I receive more respect from my peers due to our new title," he explained.

"I meant regarding her behavior," she said delicately.

Taro's spine straightened.

"Well… As I understand it, she no longer spends her time with another. She has sought me out a few times but I have kept my distance."

"You are concerned that she is only seeking you now because of your new status?" she guessed.

Taro nodded again. Amanda pondered. The girl was still staring at them.

"Well, she definitely can't seem to take her eyes off you. Have you considered speaking with her to see if she has really changed her ways?"

Taro cocked his head.

"Yes. But I do not want to waste my time unnecessarily. My productivity has greatly increased since I stopped…" he tailed off but Amanda understood what he meant.

"Surely one meeting wouldn't be too impactful?" she suggested.

Taro dipped his head to think and Amanda suddenly saw the girl straighten in her seat. Were they communicating telepathically? Amanda was not yet able to tell that easily. He returned his face to her once more.

"I will be back shortly," he said abruptly before leaving the circle and going to sit next to the girl. Amanda watched and was pleased as the girl briefly fussed with her hair before realizing what she was doing and stopped. He had her rapt attention.

Looking back across the circle, Amanda's eyes met Svelda's who nodded to her approvingly. Amanda was relieved to find that her instincts had led her to do the right thing.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she heard a gurgle behind her. Turning around she saw T'Ling's baby girl had crawled toward her and was examining the blue color of her robe curiously. Her chubby fingers prodded the cloth and intrigued, she moved forward to investigate more closely. As she shuffled though, the small cloth that had been folded neatly around her mid-section and bottom began to come undone. She didn't seem to notice and tried to grab some of the cloth to stuff in her mouth.

To prevent the embarrassment of her parents, Amanda picked her up by the armpits and laid her on her lap to fix the diaper-like piece of clothing. She was heavier than she had anticipated but she had managed it. The baby stared at her wide eyed as she secured her garment.

As much as she would have liked to play with the girl, she wasn't sure what was allowed so she looked about to find her parents only two rings away. Standing up, she hoisted her to rest on her shoulder and the baby gurgled excitedly as she was finally able to taste a sample of the blue cloth. Amanda noticed her still though once she realized it didn't taste as nice as it looked. She managed to stop herself smiling.

Reaching T'Ling, she lowered the baby to her and she received her gratefully. The woman fretted over the drool on Amanda's robe but Amanda reassured her that she should not concern herself. Amanda complimented her on how healthy and inquisitive the girl was before turning to return to her seat.

Amanda was surprised to find that before she could do so, she found herself facing T'Nerrin. They had not seen each other since the performance that now felt like it had been years ago. This time though, her face was no longer guarded. Amanda admired again the plaited loops that dangled around her ears.

"Socran told me that without your help he would not have been able to join his guild this year," she said, cutting straight to the point.

Amanda was so taken aback by this that she struggled to find words to say but T'Nerrin didn't seem to mind.

"That was kind of you. You have my gratitude," she said, bowing her head.

Amanda felt a moment of unease as she remembered who had helped her arrange the concert that led to his successful membership. Her stomach twisted… But then she wondered: why was T'Nerrin grateful? As if she could read her mind, T'Nerrin answered this for her.

"You see, Socran and I have been given permission to become bondmates," she said eagerly.

Amanda couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in surprise but T'Nerrin was not offended.

"That is wonderful news," Amanda said warmly. "I can't think of a couple more suited to each other."

She realized then that she didn't know whether T'Nerrin had recovered from Sarek's rejection so she could have just insulted her. But T'Nerrin was oblivious and seemed pleased with her response.

"We would be honored if you and the Ambassador would come to visit us once we are settled," she requested.

Amanda nodded.

"Of course," she agreed. "It would be an honor to receive you in your new home."

Satisfied, her old rival bowed and made her way to another part of the room. Amanda imagined she would be busy all evening letting everyone know.

Beginning to feel fatigued, she reached out to Sarek to see if he was ready to retire for the night. On their way back through the compound's winding passageways listening to the ambiance of nocturnal insects in the darkness, Sarek informed her that after speaking with T'Ling's husband, he had agreed to take T'Sang on as an attendant to his wife.

Amanda felt both sadness and relief at this. She did not want to let the girl go but to keep her with them would have been torture for them both.

Taking note of her dip in mood, Sarek rested his hand gently on her shoulder and offered her comfort through their bond. But when she looked in her heart, although this was the end of their shared chapter, she felt sure that one day they would be able to start anew together.