CHAPTER 4
"It's too tight."
"It is supposed to be tight, Dear. I have not taken a deep breath since I was a girl."
The dressmaker pulled at the bodice laces again, "I can let out the waist if the Mistress would prefer," she said.
"Of course not, the dress is perfect." Sirella said to her and then to her daughter, "Anderel, I don't know why you are so opposed to having a few adjustments done. We may not talk about it, but everyone does it."
"That is where I draw the line, Mother. I am not having my waist reduced or my chest enlarged so I look the way you think I should in my wedding dress."
"Your mother is right, My Lady. Surely you don't think we were all born with bust lines like this?" the dressmaker said with an offhanded laugh.
"It's vanity and it's dishonorable. I will not, and Worf would be disappointed if he found out that I did."
"Worf is a man, they care far more about what they see than you seem to realize."
"Discussion over," Anderel said sternly, "Alter the dress, I plan to breathe at my wedding."
Sirella nodded in defeat. She had to pick her battles with her willful daughter, and this wasn't one of them. She was grateful that Anderel had been willing to go through with a formal wedding at all, though Sirella guessed that it was probably Worf who wanted it more than she did.
Anderel stepped out of the heavy red dress and it fell to the floor in a thick heap of leather and wool. It was so hot that she had no idea how she'd last an entire day in it- traditional Klingon wedding celebrations were known to begin at dawn and lasted until nightfall.
"Have you and Worf decided where you will begin the tour? The House of Chintap right there in Ketha would be honored to host you for an evening. They have been trying to find a way to ingratiate themselves with us for years."
"I don't think we will be doing your Grand Tour," Anderel said as she put her utilitarian clothes back on.
Sirella sighed in exasperation, "I have already made commitments to several Houses, they will be expecting-"
"We both have commitments of our own. I agreed to this circus of a wedding, mostly for Worf's sake. I am not doing all the other things."
"A Great Lady and Mistress of the House has certain duties that are expected. If Worf is to succeed your father, then that means you will be taking my place one day- it is our way. For someone who claims to honor tradition so much, you seem to pick and choose which ones to follow."
Anderel did not respond right away because she knew her mother was right, "It is not my intention to be dishonorable. Worf has been very busy, I just do not know that he has the time."
"If he really wants to be Martok's yaS cha'DIch as badly as I think he does, he will make the time."
Moonlight streamed through the window and gently illuminated Anderel's face as she slept. Sometimes Worf had to remind himself that this was indeed his life. He'd been given another chance at everything and he had no idea if he even deserved it. Worf let his fingers touch Anderel's ridges, the intricate markings of her father's lineage. If she and Worf had children of their own, they would inherit his- the House of Mogh's. Right now, only he and Alexander had them.
Kurn had. But Worf took them away.
"No, do not do that," Worf said to himself in the dark, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.
Anderel stirred. "Hmmm?"
Worf did not respond, hoping she would go back to sleep.
She did not, "Are you okay? Why are you still awake?"
"I am fine."
"No, you're not," Anderel sat up, "You have been so preoccupied lately, it is no wonder that you can't sleep."
"I was not pre-occupied when we came to bed tonight..." Worf replied with an uncharacteristic smirk as he stroked her bare shoulder.
"Okay, maybe not then. But you cannot hide from me, par'mach'kai," she said, using the Klingon word to remind him of their bond, "And I can tell that you are trying to," she paused, then asked quietly, "Are you reconsidering our marriage?"
"No, Anderel, of course not," Worf sat up as well, "That is not even a thought in my mind."
Because without this marriage, you don't get to be yaS cha'DIch, Anderel thought to herself.
Anderel opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the sound of Worf's Federation comm system. He quickly grabbed the padd that had been on his bedside table, "I am sorry, I need to respond to this. I will take it in the other room so that you can go back to sleep."
Worf placed a kiss on her ridges and disappeared into the dark. Anderel reminded herself that Worf was an important man to both the Federation and the Klingon Empire. He conducted affairs across the quadrant, which sometimes weighed heavily on his mind and called him out of bed in the middle of the night. She'd need to get used to this and not take it personally.
His padd was still sitting there- he must have taken the call on the main computer console. She wanted to look to see who it was from. He left it there so it must not be a big deal, right? Looking didn't mean that she didn't trust him, she was just curious. It could have been her father- if it was, she would make sure to tell Martok to pick better times to call.
It wasn't her father. The words Nebara- Mor'em Cha- In Progress were blinking. Anderel remembered that Worf took a private call from Mor'em Cha a few days ago. Curiosity got the better of her. She touched the blinking words and a communication history appeared. Whoever this was, Worf had spoken to her every day for the last two weeks.
Anderel sat the padd down, wishing she'd just left well enough alone.
Worf had never been to Mor'em Cha. It was located in the southern hemisphere, quite a distance from the First City. He was embarrassed to admit that as the descendant of nobility, visiting what was almost entirely a poor, working class city was not high on his priority list. Sirella's Grand Tour most certainly did not include a stop here. Mor'em Cha was a sprawling city made up of manufacturing zones and crowded ghettos. The stench from the factories filled the air as soon as he materialized.
That said, he did not hesitate to come when Nebara asked. She had dutifully kept him updated on her husband's condition and her last call had been a request to visit them at their home. Worf stressed that he did not want Rodek to know that he was involved, but she assured him that her husband knew nothing of the Ambassador's interventions.
Worf found his way to the location she provided. After looking but not finding an automated door chime, he had to pound on the door instead.
Nebara opened it and greeted him with a respectful head bow, "Ambassador, please come in. Thank you for coming."
"Of course," Worf stepped inside and looked around the meager home. It was small, not much bigger than single crew quarters on a bird of prey. His eyes were drawn to all the places of disrepair- a broken window on one side of the room, a steady leak filling a small bucket on the other. The overhead lights flickered haphazardly.
Nebara noticed his gaze and suddenly felt embarrassed, "Please forgive our home, a place like this must be very different than what you are used to."
Kurn was born of noble blood, our father had been one of the most influential men in the Empire before he was killed. Our servants did not even live like this.
"There is nothing to forgive, Nebara. Honor comes from deeds, not material possessions."
"We just had to move here recently. With Rodek unable to work, I was covering his shifts at the shipyard. But I was never been able to produce as well as him and our accommodation allowance was reduced. That is not why I asked you here, though."
Nebara opened a door on the opposite side of the room. In stepped two young children, both sheepishly looking up at Nebara. She took both by their hands and they clutched hers tightly.
"Ambassador Worf, this is our son Noggra, named for his grandfather. He is our eldest," Nebara stopped down and took the smaller child into her arms, "His sister, came only a year after he did. I wanted you to see the real reason I asked for help. Not for Rodek or myself, but for our family."
The words Our Family stung. Kurn had a wife and two children. Which also meant that Worf had a niece and nephew. A family.
Worf kneeled to face the boy, who still clung to his mother, "Qapla Noggra, son of Rodek."
"Qapla," he answered quietly.
Worf smiled, the boy's strong yet child-like voice reminded him of when Alexander was this age, "How is your father?"
"He was sick but he is better now. Did you make him better?"
Worf shook his head, "No. Your mother did."
Noggra looked up at Nebara, "Can I go back outside?"
"Yes, my son. Stay close by."
"He has a family," Worf whispered as he stood and looked around the room again, "My office will be contacting you about a new home. You are not staying here with children."
"Ambassador, you have already done more than-"
Worf put up his hand to stop her, "I will hear no objections. Ready your things."
"How will I explain that to Rodek?" her tone got defensive, "It was hard enough to convince him to take the medical treatments. We may be of little means but we do have our pride. I asked you here to thank you in person and so that you could meet our children and see firsthand how your help has affected us. Not for charity."
Worf thought about the home that Gowron gave them as a show of gratitude for killing Duras and getting him installed as Chancellor all those years ago. It was a sprawling estate befitting their station in Klingon society. Kurn had lived there while Worf went back to his life on the Enterprise. Kurn had a seat on the High Council and commanded a squadron of ships. Rodek lived in a hovel and assembled the very ships he used to captain.
"Your husband deserves so much more," he replied, his voice filled with sorrow and regret.
Nebara put the child down and she toddled after her brother. None of this made sense to her, "There are millions of families living just like this that nobles like you think nothing of. Why does our plight get your attention? Why the specialized medical care, the daily check ins, and now a new home? Who are we to you?"
Worf straightened his back, "I did not mean to offend you. Your husband's medical treatments will be available as long as he needs them. You do not need to check in with me unless there has been a change. My offer for a new home still stands, if you change your mind just contact my office. It was truly an honor meeting you and your children," he paused, his voice getting caught in his throat, "More than you can ever know."
Drex and Anderel had a turbulent relationship growing up. They were opposites just like Martok and Sirella were, but where their parent's differences complimented one another, the siblings clashed. Sirella had been an only child, so the sibling rivalry was foreign to her. It was foreign to Martok as well, but that was because he grew up in a large family that worked hard together and was loyal to one another.
So it came as a huge surprise to Anderel when at the end of her lectures for the day, her brother appeared as her students were filing out of the room.
"I swore I would never come back here," he said as he looked around the lecture hall.
"Brother, to what do I owe the honor?" She asked, genuinely happy to see him.
"Ktana wants to me make sure to secure a place for our son when the time comes."
Anderel frowned, "She hasn't even had the baby yet and you're looking for training academies?"
"This place is the best. It's why Mother insisted that we go here."
She smiled at the memory, "Father would have been happy with us learning everything we needed on the bridge of his ship. Which I think would have been a better use of your time, you barely went to class."
"You went to enough for both of us. I was not surprised when you ended up right back here, torturing a new generation of warriors."
"Well, I don't think the son of Drex will have any problems gaining entry. What used to be an institution for physical and mental discipline and rigor has merely become a place for nobles to send their spoiled children."
Drex narrowed his eyes, "That doesn't sound like you..."
Anderel shrugged, "I don't know… I suppose I have become weary of all the pageantry. It feels hollow."
"Not exactly the attitude that the future Mistress of our House should take…"
Their banter was unusually pleasant, which made Anderel suspicious, "You didn't come here because of your son, Little Brother. Out with it."
Drex knew his sister well enough to know not to try to pull one over on her. He invited himself to sit on one of the tables, "How well do you know Worf?" he asked casually.
Anderel folded her arms defensively, "Well enough to have made him my par'mach'kai. What are you getting at?"
"I know why Father is doing this, but do you really want to become our mother someday? The sister I know would sooner die."
Anderel wasn't going to admit to Drex that he was right, she had to stand by Worf even though she had her doubts, "Father has made his decision. It is my duty to honor it."
"I think if he knew the whole story, he might think differently about the Son of Mogh."
"Would you stop dancing around the point?"
"What do you know about Worf's brother?"
Anderel's face showed her confusion plainly, "He has a human brother, but I know little of him, only that he-"
"No," Drex interrupted her, "His Klingon brother."
"Worf doesn't have a Klingon brother. His entire family was killed at Khitomer when he was a child."
Drex produced a padd and handed it to her. On the screen was a face that she'd never seen before, yet the resemblance to Worf was undeniable. She scrolled through the data, reading furiously, "Where did you get this?"
"A simple search of the Defense Force and High Council records. Worf didn't do a very good job of hiding him."
"Perhaps there is nothing to hide," Anderel passed the padd back to him, "Do you speak of every relative you have?"
"Something happened, something Worf doesn't want anyone to know. Kurn lost everything when Worf sided against us- titles, lands, everything. His last known location was Deep Space Nine. After that, nothing. No death, no updated whereabouts, he just disappeared."
"How did you find this?" She asked again, her voice getting angry, "Were you looking for something to take to Father to slander Worf because he made a fool of you at the banquet?"
"Don't you want to know the truth about your own husband?" he asked.
Anderel began gathering her things, "Why not just go to Father with this, why come to me?"
"Because you are my sister and as much as I despise Worf, I do not want to hurt you."
"And if you take this to Father you'll like a scheming Romulan. So you want me to be the one to do it."
That had occurred to Drex, "Just ask Worf, see what he says. If he is all you say he is, he will tell you the truth and it will be done."
Anderel slung her pack over her shoulder, "To prove you wrong, I will do just that. He is away settling a labor dispute at the Mor'em Cha shipyards, but when he gets back I will settle this."
Mor'em Cha, Drex thought to himself as his sister pushed passed him and left the room, Why does that place sound familiar?
Anderel had tried to hide from her brother how much his accusations had shaken her. Worf had been elusive and pre-occupied lately, and then there were all the secret communications from Mor'em Cha. He told her that morning that he had to go there for his duties but Anderel couldn't help thinking about the woman's name- Nebara. And now this from Drex. Worf had always been honest to a fault, so the idea that he had something to hide seemed preposterous.
Just as she was trying to figure out how to approach this with Worf, her comm unit buzzed.
"Anderel here."
"Daughter!" Martok's boisterous voice filled the air, "I need you to meet me at my house as soon as you can."
She groaned, "Father, I have had a long day and I need to get home-"
"Come, we are just about to have the evening meal and I just got a new barrel of wine that I want you to open with me. Worf is already here."
She could never resist her father, "All right, Father, I'm coming."
When Anderel entered the cavernous home, her parents along with Worf were already gathered. She could hear Martok's voice bellowing through the halls- he had clearly opened that barrel without her. Anderel took a seat across from Worf and next to her mother.
"I usually just let you handle all the diplomacy Worf, but apparently this one I need to attend."
"We do need to show our faces from time to time, Martok," Sirella said.
"The Federation is sending a diplomatic escort to act as a neutral site for the treaty signing, their flagship the Enterprise helmed by Captain Jean-Luc Picard," Worf added.
"I am not traveling on a Federation ship!" Martok pounded the table.
"You traveled on the Defiant, Chancellor," Worf reminded him calmly.
"That was different, that was Captain Sisko. Who is this Picard?"
"He too is an honorable man. I have trusted my life to him many times," Worf sounded like he was trying to convince a child to take his medicine.
Anderel's mind was on other things and her patience was thin, she had no idea why she had to be here for this, "Father, why are you arguing? You know you are going to go."
He laughed as he took another drink, "I know. But so are you."
"Me?"
"Your father and I will be attending the treaty renewal with the Argosians hosted by the Federation. Worf will be there obviously, so I thought it a good idea to have you there as well. You need to start taking your place in this family's affairs," Sirella added.
"Am I there as the Chancellor's daughter or the Ambassador's mate?" Anderel said as she poured herself a drink, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "I guess it doesn't matter. Either way I'm just there to look pretty,"
Sirella frowned, "What is the matter with you?"
Anderel's blood was up, "You know, I can't just pick up and leave, I have duties here. As do you, Worf. If you're on the Enterprise, however will you take your daily calls from Nebara?"
The room fell silent. Anderel hadn't planned to say what she just did, but she didn't regret it either. Worf's blood ran cold and he thought his heart might have actually stopped. He said nothing, eyes locked onto Anderel's in shock. She was giving him a defiant glare in return.
Sirella gently placed her hand on her daughter's, "Anderel, come with me," she said, her voice even and measured.
The two women stood and left the room. Worf could feel the life slowly returning to his body.
"Do you know what she is talking about?" Martok asked, his voice eerily calm.
"Chancellor, I, I can explain… It, it is not what you think," Worf stammered.
Martok shook his head in disbelief, "I have never met a more honorable, trustworthy man than you Worf so I am going to assume that whatever has my daughter so upset is truly a misunderstanding between the two of you. And I am also going to respect the boundaries of your relationship and not ask you to explain," he paused, his tone sobering, "But if my daughter gives me any reason to think that you have betrayed her, to say that it would not go well for you would be an understatement."
Worf gulped, "Sir, I would-"
"Go home and decide how you will fix whatever this is. I will see you on the Enterprise."
Worf nodded curtly and stood, his legs barely able to carry him out the door.
Meanwhile, Sirella pulled Anderel by the arm and led her down the hall to one of the empty bedrooms "What are you doing?"
"Excuse me?"
"Who is this woman you named? Ebara?"
"Nebara."
"Who is she?" Sirella demanded.
"I don't know. Some woman from Mor'em Cha that Worf has been talking to for the last few weeks. And today he went to see her."
"So you throw out her name in anger without even knowing the whole story?"
"Something is going on, I just don't know what."
"Let me give you a lesson about being married to a powerful man. Never give up your power. Gather your information, then decide how to use it to your advantage. Throwing out names angrily over dinner is not the way. Whoever this Nebara is, I'm sure she is just a distraction and not worth your ire. You are the Mistress of the House, you are the wife. Do not lose your composure, especially in the face of an enemy."
Anderel sank wearily onto the bed, "Mother, I am not like you. I love Worf and I-"
"You think I do not love your Father? We always love them, that is why we put up with the things they do."
She looked up at Sirella with wide eyes filled with tears, "Father would never-"
"Father is a man. A man who has spent more of our marriage away from me than with me. I am no fool, and you should not be either," Sirella stroked her daughter's face, "Get some rest child, I can see how tired you are. You will be much more clear headed in the morning."
Anderel nodded. Sirella left the room and closed the heavy door behind her. She reached into her dress and pulled out a comm unit, "This is Mother… I need a favor… Yes, just listen… I've got a name that I want you to get some information on… Nebara from Mor'em Cha."
Author's Note: Though I have always been a fan of Klingons and Klingon culture, I felt that the rather one-note way that Klingons were portrayed could be expanded on. For a civilization this technologically advanced and culturally rich, not everyone could be a soldier. Who builds the ships, who teaches the young people, and who makes those elaborate outfits? My goal in writing about Klingons is to show other parts of their society and give Klingons some nuance. Hope you enjoy!