Chapter 17 "Koon-ut-kal-if-fee"

Amanda

With the issues of my work visa, Sarek's sudden unaccounted disappearance, and my overactive imagination, the last two days were nail-biters. All that halted when Sarek sent me a message to directly prepare for our koon-ut-kal-if-fee (marriage). The tone of his message was adoring and warm, bringing me much blissfulness when I received it. Consequently, I was all too quick to send one of my own. Sarek did not provide any details, so I concluded that T'Pau would communicate with me. Regrettably, I had to wait until then, which wasn't one of my strengths. My elation was palpable.

Instead, I took a hot bath after putting on a cosmetic clay mask to clear my skin of any blemishes or other imperfections.

"Computer, what is the koon-ut-kal-if-fee" I called from my fabulous bath, soaking. I listened half-heartedly because I thought about finally being Sarek's adun'a and bond-mate. Next, I pondered our future, home, and possible children.

Vulcans were usually extremely solemn about their traditions and ceremonies. Still, I deduced it would be a brief affair with the limited timing for preparation. I scrubbed my body with a cream color loofah and lovely smelling soap, determined to smell as good as possible for my Adun. After my bath, I dried my body with a fluffy pink towel and slipped into a matching robe before collapsing onto my bed to sleep.

Several hours passed before there was a knock on the door, and I hesitantly rolled off of my bed to answer it.

"Who is it," I whispered before opening the door.

"Ko-bath, ish-veh nam-tor I ish-veh ezyet," a female's voice announced from the door.

(Niece, it's I, your aunt," she replied).

Forthwith, I unlocked the door, and T'Pau promptly walked in then indicated that I bolted it again. She handed me a black garment bag and told me to hang it up. Dutifully, I did. I offered her a seat and refreshment, but she declined the latter with a wave of her hand.

"I apologize for the lateness of the hour, Amanda, but I didn't want to be seen," she said, lowering herself onto my couch.

We sat down on the sofa, and I eagerly waited for her to speak.

"Calm down, ko-bath," she soothed, "give an old lady an opportunity to sit down and gather her thoughts."

"I will make tea," I offered, rapidly rising from the sofa. T'Pau gave me an amused glance, and I found my Vulcan Aunt's favorite tea in the kitchen. I removed two teacups from the cupboards and began boiling water for our beverage.

A few minutes later, I brought my ezyet her drink, and we silently drank out of our cups. My heart banged vociferously in my body, and it sounded like a drum.

"I recall my own great enthusiasm before marrying Aravik," T'Pau declared as she observed that I twitched my foot up and down involuntarily. Therefore, she gave me an impish half-smile while raising her right eyebrow.

Blushing, I lowered my head and admitted in a squeaky unsure voice, " I apologize, T'Pau. Despite meditating, my mind seems engrossed with Sarek."

"It is of no consequence, Amanda. In twenty-eight point four hours, you and Sarek will be married by a priestess in a remote location in the sizzling Vulcan desert. You two will share the sacred bond of our forefathers," T'Pau commented, her face displaying a content expression.

"How do I prepare for this, Aunt?"

"Arrange a bag for your clothing and essential items as you will be going on vacation off the planet for five days. At that time, I will arrange for your apartment to be packed up and your belongings transferred into Sarek's current dwellings. You and he will find a more suitable place for you later that you will be able to decorate and make your own," my ez-yet described after sipping her tea.

T'Pau pointed to the garment bag she brought, motioning for me to open it. Unzipping it, I discovered a lightweight silver sleeveless garment. It was similar to a salan-sai, a sheer draped dress worn casually around the house on hotter days, yet more elegant and elaborate with gold trimming. I realized its significance, and my mouth went agape. It was like a mother handing down her wedding dress to her daughter on Earth.

"This is the y;'osalan-sai I wore when I married Aravik. I would be honored if you wore it to your koon-ut-kal-if-fee with my favorite nephew, Sarek," T'Pau spoke with a pang of emotion in her soft yet commanding voice. With it, she demanded respect from all.

"It is illogical that you have a favorite nephew, ezyet," I teased, laying the dress down and giving her a warm embrace.

"True, Amanda, but you are also my favorite ko-bath," she revealed, allowing herself to hug me back for a good seven seconds. It was an enormous improvement for T'Pau.

"I can't tell you how privileged I am, " I confessed, tears coming to my eyes after I withdrew my arms from her lithe body. My emotions were running high as I began sobbing.

"Amanda, I appreciate your heartfelt sentiment, but I have more information to impart on you," T'Pau reprimanded gently. I wiped my face with my hands and nodded.

"One of my assistants will arrive here to retrieve you two hours before the ceremony. She will style your hair in a traditional Vulcan updo and dress you. Next, you will meet me, the Priestess, and Sarek at an undisclosed location to commence the koon-ut-kal-if-fee," she explained.

"There is one other tradition that is secret only to the women of the clan," T'Pau sneakily admitted, rising from her chair. She removed her long black hair from her neck to reveal a symbol that I recognized as their clan's right underneath the nape of her neck.

"A tattoo?"

"Yes, many moons ago, one of our ancestors had the clan symbol etched into her skin before her wedding night. It is done in only a place that her husband would see it. Notice it is quite small, only two square inches," she said, pointing to it with her index finger.

"It's an honor," I acknowledged, wondering if this was a requirement. I didn't have any other tattoos.

Reading my mind, T'Pau responded,

"You do not have to do it, Amanda. T'Rea did not because she had a similar etching of her clan. Please do not feel forced. If you would like it, I can do it now. If you choose, the clan matriarch has to do it no less than twenty-four hours before the koon-ut-kal-if-fee.

"For Sarek, I will do anything," I thought and told my Aunt the same.

As one who had a low tolerance for pain, I felt a little frightened at the prospect of a tattoo. Regardless, I summoned as much courage as possible as my Aunt inked the stamp of the clan on my lower back. I found mainly reciting Surak's tenets and thoughts about the impending bliss of my honeymoon with Sarek helpful.

"Is there anything else that I need to know?"

" Stay still, ko-bath, as I will bandage your marking. You can remove it before or after you two consummate your marriage. Please put vaseline on it," she described, after placing a binding on it.

"No, about the ceremony," I corrected her, the pain from the tattoo smarted, but I trembled due to a sense of exuberance of Sarek's clan mark on me officially. Discomforted, I sat down on the sofa next to T'Pau and picked up my teacup.

"Would you like another cup before you begin, ezyet," I offered after draining my own, and she bobbed her head slightly downward. A few minutes later, I returned with two piping hot cups of tea. T'Pau gratefully accepted hers blew on it to cool it down a little before starting her detailed explanation.

"What if I forget a line," I wondered nervously, placing the cup on the saucer on my brown coffee table.

"You will not, Amanda. My assistant and I will be reviewing the events with you so that it is automatic," T'Pau confidently replied, sipping her tea.

As she divulged her trust in me, I felt a little consolation.

"Seems simple enough," I postulated, but I felt a mixture of apprehension and jubilation inside.

Before T'Pau left, she gave me an affectionate embrace and reminded me to trust in Surek's teachings. That left me with twenty-six hours until her assistant would arrive, and I squealed out of euphoria as I collapsed on my bed. I know I would need additional rest because Sarek and I hadn't been intimate for almost a month.

Wiggling underneath my blankets, I drifted off to sleep after contemplating the fact that I would be "Mrs. Sarek" in only a little time.

Twenty-seven and half hours later

"You are radiant tal-kam (dear)," T'Pau announced as I stood in a room in front of a full-length mirror in the temple. She surprised me by her noiseless entrance, and I jumped a little in fright. Prior to her appearance, my mind alternated between trepidation of making a mistake on my lines in the koon-ut-kal-if-fee and the jubilation of consummating with Sarek.

I turned around to face my Aunt with a chagrined expression and happily greeted her.

"Forgive me for startling you, I wanted to let you know that the ceremony will start in a brief amount of time," T'Pau informed.

She stepped closer to me and closely examined my face. Her fingers gently brushed a part of my hair that wouldn't sit down despite the product I added and then corrected a bit of smudged eyeliner on my face. T'Pau had an aura of subdued happiness around her that I picked up on as she fussed over my appearance like a mother hen. Finally, she approved of my appearance and wondered about my feelings.

"Exhilarated," I admitted, grinning at her.

"In my opinion, Sarek made the most logical choice in selecting you, Amanda. I pray for a long, fruitful marriage for the both of you full of love, prosperity and joy, much like mine and Aravik," she wished.

I didn't have time to respond, but I gave her a slight grin as the gong sounded in the background.

" Ish-veh tor wak, ko-bath. Kal-tor's hau Sarek," T'Pau commanded.

(it is time, niece. Let's go join, Sarek).

My heart beats as it pumps my blood through my veins as I follow her at a respectful distance outside. Bells are ringing around us. The blood rushes to the tips of my fingers, the pulse coming in hot waves that cause everything else to pulse.

Immediately, I spotted Sarek, my beloved, my everything. An inexplicable feeling of a cool breeze of relief floats over my body even though we are in the middle of the arid Vulcan desert. His mouth fell agape at my appearance, causing me to blush and lower my gaze.

"What you are about to witness comes down from the time of the beginning without change. This is the Vulcan heart. This is the Vulcan soul. This is our way. Kah-if-farr!" An officiant loudly declared.

Next, both Sarek and I kneeled and faced each other in front of the officiant wordlessly, although we communicate telepathically. We exchanged declarations of love towards each other, and I felt excited about our joining.

With the officiant's guidance, we both lifted our hands and pressed our middle and index fingers together. I simpered softly as I felt Sarek's familiar and gentle hands.

The priestess guided my love's fingers to the contact points on my face, and then I did the same for his face. We shut our eyes as she began the mind melds, solidifying our bonding, and I felt a convalesce in my heart as I did so. Sarek and I felt closer when we opened our eyes and removed our hands.

" I would bond with thee, ever, and always touching and touched," Sarek solemnly announced, with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I would bond with thee, ever, and always touching and touched," I fondly repeated with a slight smile on my lips. Showing emotion wasn't allowed, so I attempted to hold back my excitement. Lastly, a cup was presented to Sarek first then myself to drink from.

"Sarek from the clan - I declare you bonded successfully with Amanda Grayson," the officiant loudly exclaimed in a grave voice.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I stood slowly from my kneeling position and awaited to leave the ceremony at the correct time. Following T'Pau, she led me to a small room quietly.

"Congratulations, my niece. Now enjoy your time with your Adun," she suggestively remarked with a smirk on her lips before she opened the door.

Quizzically, I walked into the darkroom filled with little sunlight beaming into it in awe. The room had two levels, one sunk in with a large mattress filled with pillows of all sizes. Large column candles lit the room as I wandered the area happily.

"Aduna," Sarek's voice materialized behind me. Turning around, I felt my pulse race as I saw my husband calmly walking towards me from another door.

"Adun," I answered as he halted in front of me.

"You are most sumptuous, Amanda. I could barely keep my eyes off you, my ashaym," Sarek admitted, placing his agile hands on my waist with a raised eyebrow.

Giggling, I couldn't form words to express my happiness, and understanding this, he nodded as he pulled me against his body for an embrace.

"I love you, my aduna," Sarek confessed, using his right hand to affectionately caress my cheek, and I repeated the sentiment with a grin.

Tilting my head upwards, I wanted him to kiss me.

"So impatient my ashayam," Sarek teased, using his thumb to tickle my lips, and I pouted at him for a moment.

"Mmm, we have waited a long time to be reunited, my Adun," I flirted, batting my eyelashes at him. The oh-so-tiny smile he only reserved for me appeared on his face as he remarked.

"Indeed."

Sarek bent over, and I dreamily shut my eyes as I felt his lips affix to mine slowly at first. I felt endorphins take over my body as we kissed innocently at first and then more hungrily as our passion raged. Later, Sarek clasped my hand and led me to the bed, where we sat down facing each other, making love among the candlelight.

Later

My Adun rubbed my back as I groggily awoke after our lovemaking.

"Are you well, Adun'a?"

"Yes, quite. Oh, I have a surprise for you, Sarek."

Since I was already lying on my stomach, I told him to remove the sheet and the small bandage on my lower back.

"How did I miss this? I thought I kissed every inch of your luxurious body," he wondered, before uncovering the tattoo, "most illogical."

After my encouragement, Sarek did so and let out a loud gasp. That was new for him.

"Our clan symbol," he stated wowed, gingerly fondling the sensitive area then I felt his lips ever so softly kiss it.

"I wish I could see your face, my love. Do you like it?"

"It is perfect, my t'hyl'a," my new husband revealed as he laid on his side to view me. His brown eyes danced with happiness and pride.

"Good, it is a tradition," I explained, then leaned into him to kiss him but stopped.

"You can inform me later," Sarek energetically growled and moved the distance towards me to kiss again. As a result, I felt my whole body tremble with excitement.

Two more chapters are left in my Sarek and Amanda saga. Hope you are enjoying it!