Illiana ran all they way home with tears pouring down her face. Had she done the right thing? Had she done the wrong thing? She didn't know, all she could think about was getting home and spending some quality time with herself in her room. She ran through the door and ran down the hallway to her room. Her father sat in his chair reading a book, he glanced up when he heard someone running through the house.
"Illiana?!" He called out. He put his book down on the table and stood up. I was not like his daughter to come running through the house like that. He heard her door slam shut. He began to make his way towards her room. He approached the door and knocked softly. "Illiana...Illiana may I come in?" He spoke to his daughter.
There was silence and then he heard a faint voice that sounded like it was full of tears. "Enter."
Tekeny Ghemor slowly opened the door and saw his daughter curled up on her favorite chair clutching her pillow over her chest. "What is the matter, my dear?" He said as he walked inside the large room.
Illiana wiped the tears away from her face. "I-It's nothing really. Nothing that I can't handle myself."
Ghemor moved closer to her chair and knelt down besides her. "Don't be so stubborn, Lichky." Illiana smiled faintly when he called her that. Lichky was a pet name Ghemor called his daughter ever since the day she was born. "Now, tell your old man, what is bothering you?" He finished as he placed his gray-skinned hand over hers.
Illiana sighed and looked into her father's eyes. She had always gotten along a lot better with her father even though she loved her mother just as well. Her and her father held a special bond with one another. "Neelan won't be going to the institute with me. He's joining the military." She slowly spoke.
"Ah I see...And?" He smiled at his daughter.
"And we are not seeing each other anymore. You know how I never wanted to marry a military man." She said to her father.
Ghemor looked at his daughter and shook his head. "Tis such a shame. After all that time you and him had known each other. We've been friends with the Boheeka's for many years, we always thought that our families would combine."
"And they would have too but not anymore. I do not want my husband to be in the military." She said sitting up in her chair a bit, squeezing her father's hand gently. "Perhaps, he wouldn't have had if you didn't put those thoughts inside his head."
Ghemor furrowed his brow a bit. "What thoughts? What did I say, my dear?" He asked his daughter. He couldn't remember what he would have said to Neelan to make him choose the military
Illiana shook her head and closed her eyes. "When you told him that I'd be better off with a military husband. It got him thinking that you didn't approve of him being with me." She released her father's hand and grabbed her silk pillow, hugging it close to her.
Tekeny bit his lower lip. He remembered saying that now. "I didn't mean it like that. Neelan is a great man no matter what career he chooses to pursue in. I was just expressing my feelings on the military. I'm sorry my dear, for now on my I should keep my mouth shut." Ghemor smiled.
Illiana couldn't help but smile either. "Father, you know how I value your opinion. I love to hear everything you have to say. It's Neelan; he's so...impressionable. He just wants the best for me, so he says. But when I told him that I would be happily married to an artist, he told me that he'd already made up his mind on joining the military." Illiana squeezed her pillow tighter. "I guess we've grown apart." Illiana cried softly.
Ghemor got up off the floor, from his crouched position and sat up on the edge of his daughter's chair. "Oh, Illiana, these things are unfortunate but the pain will go away in time." He said softly, putting his arms around her hugging her tightly.
Illiana let the tears flow from her eyes on to her father's shoulder. "I can't help to think that it's my fault. I'm being so stubborn, so childish. It's not he that broke our relationship up, it was I! Just because I don't want to marry a man that is going into the military. Any other Cardassian woman would love for their husband to be involved in the government and here I am turning one away from me because he is going into it."
Ghemor pulled away from his daughter but he still kept his hands placed onto her shoulders. "No, my dear you are not being childish. If you do not feel that you will be happy with a man involved in the government, then by all means marry a man that will make you happy. I do not want to see my only child unhappy in her marriage because she thought she was being childish. Once you are married Illiana, it's forever. Choose the man you feel that will make you happy for the rest of your life."
Illiana nodded in agreement. Her father always spoke the right words to make her feel better. "Thank you father. I feel much better." She said as she hugged him back, she was still upset but not as much as she was before. She knew the pain would last with her for a while but in time it would go away.
Ghemor smiled. "I'm glad I can still help you Illiana. You're almost a grown woman, a woman that will be able to make her own decisions and work out her problems by herself."
"Don't say that! I will always come to you when I have a problem, even when I'm 60 years old!" Illiana laughed.
"I hope that you will. I will always be here for you my dear." Ghemor said as he stood up. He started to walk away and then turned to his daughter "Oh! I have an announcement to make."
Illiana's face lit up. Clearly her father was very excited about something. "What is it, father!?" She said almost as excitedly as her father did.
"I've been promoted to legate. There will be a promotion assembly tomorrow tonight, at the Central Command assembly hall." He smiled proudly.
Illiana jumped up off her chair and ran over to her father and hugged him. "I'm so proud of you father! You must be so happy, you have worked so hard to get to this point!"
Ghemor laughed. "I have worked very hard for many years. Finally my time has come. Tomorrow will be a very exciting night for all of us indeed." He hugged his daughter back. "Now my dear, get some sleep and I'm sure by tomorrow morning you will feel much better."
Ghemor smiled and then exited the room. Illiana walked over to her desk and sat down, she wasn't the least bit tired. She opened the top draw of her desk and took out a bone that she had found on one of her walks. It had a beautiful shape and wonderful color to it. She always promised to herself that she would make an ornate sculpture for her father out of it. She studied the bone for a moment deciding what she was going to do with and then a smile crossed her lips. She reached into the draw and pulled out a fabric bag that contained carving tools. Slowly and carefully she began to chip away at the bone.