Chapter 17: Thorek's Birthday
A/N: Romulanlover, thank you very much – you live up to my story with your name!
Anya, Thank you so much for your review! I can reassure you that Asha won't die because of a flower pot falling on her head ;-D Vreenak is one impressive Romulan, and I was as displeased about his demise as Benjamin Sisko. There's no way I could go along with canon at that point. As for Christine and Vekal, it's good that Romulus has got 25 hours (according to non-canon)!
Finally, there have been instances when Romulans changed their minds (Bochra after working together with Geordie in "The Enemy", or the Romulan Commander who showed a really beautiful reaction during his dialogue with Picard at the end of "The Chase", both episodes from TNG). Even Vreenak, despite his exquisitely rude behaviour, was willing to listen to Sisko and drink substandard Starfleet-replicated kali-fal :-)
No, you don't need to have seen these episodes to read on :-D And so…please read on!
After Christine and Vekal left, Asha sat outside in the garden underneath the Y'gora tree, trying to shake off some unpleasant thoughts. The tree's blossoms were starting to turn silver, just like Vekal had said they would. Part of her mind was telling her to stop comparing her marriage with Christine's, and the other part was dwelling on just how perfect the two seemed for each other. Would Thorek soon find a satisfactory Romulan woman to keep his heart and bed warm? And the fact that she couldn't work was driving her insane. She was studying Rihan very hard and trying to keep herself as busy as possible, but her mind longed for more. Inaction depressed her and she longed for André's side-splitting word games, his stories about his latest dating disasters, his calm chilled out attitude, such a contrast to her own nervous temperament, and seeing him zoom around on his turquoise bicycle.
"Chill out, sis, the world's not going to stop turning," he would murmur if she happened to be pacing around in worry or irritation about something or the other; or they would grab their backpacks if time was kind and rumble off into the woods with one of their flitters, sweating their worries out of their respective systems.
If she could have at least sent some kind of message to André, telling him where she was and that she was all right, and that she hoped all was well with him, she would have been so relieved. She even missed her parents' mini-feuds.
Sometimes, she felt too stubborn and angry to maintain a quiet resigned acceptance of the unpleasant truth like Christine did. Asha's acceptance was grudging, and where Christine had found some sense of tranquillity, Asha had yet to achieve such a state of mind. Maybe it would come with time…She frowned and muttered a profanity. She was fed up of time. Everyone was telling her how time would be her ally. She longed for time to be an actual entity she could seize by the throat and force into speedy action.
"My Lady!" Kihika's clear voice floated down the garden, distracting her. Kihika had become a little shy during the past few weeks, for she was being enthusiastically courted by a confident young female assistant from another house and clan, and she was very much in love. Asha found it endearing and encouraged Kihika, even letting her leave half an hour earlier so she could enjoy an evening out with her suitor. Kihika's regard for Asha rose even more, for she knew that Asha was still struggling to make sense of her marriage, and it would have been easy for her to be sour about Kihika's blossoming romance.
Asha stood up. A strong wind blew through the trees, and several silver petals rained down on her. She went indoors. Thorek's stern face softened as he saw her, and he removed the petals from her hair and collar. As he did so, she looked seriously at his face with her brown-green eyes.
"Thank you. I'd almost say that the Y'gora tree has a mind of its own."
"Considering its age, I wouldn't be surprised," Thorek smiled, handing her the petals. "In case you wish to dry them and keep them, as they're from your favourite tree."
She smiled.
Three weeks later, Thorek's birthday started with Asha handing him her very first poem in Rihan. She in fact went rather red as she gave it to him.
"I was informed that Romulan mates gift each other with birthday poems. Rhian went through mine to make sure there were no errors," she said bashfully. She had always loved to write, but she had also always kept her written work stashed away, too embarrassed to expose them to the critical eyes of another reader. It would have felt like taking a knife to the heart if someone had laughed and told her how silly her scribblings were.
She had asked Rhian to simply tear up the paper on which she had written Thorek's birthday poem in case she couldn't stand what Asha felt were horrible clumsy rhymes in stumbling Rihan. But her teacher had read through it seriously, been silent for a good minute or two, and told her that Thorek would be very pleased.
"You have a feeling for the flow of our language, Ihhei t'Darak. I have suggestions to make for improvement, but as your poem stands, it is very good for a beginner."
"I have an excellent teacher in you, Ihhei t'Merek," Asha replied, blushing. "You have been very patient with me."
"I misjudged you. You work hard and you have an affinity for languages." Rhian went through the poem again. "You liken his positive traits to each of the four elements. Smart."
"Thank you so much. I have always been very guarded about my writing and kept it out of sight. It's a hobby on the side and not meant for other people's eyes. It's so…private. So personal."
"Most poetry and writing originate from a private place only the writer has access to. And you have to convey that place to your audience." She paused again and studied Asha's face. "I would like to teach you how to write poetry in Rihan. I do not think your hobby, as you call it, should go to waste."
"You would do that for me?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, Ihhei. And…Do feel free to call me Asha. I will soon have been on Romulus for a year, and you have tutored me for almost as long."
"Allow me to return the honour. I am Rhian for you."
They inclined their heads towards each other.
"And now that we know each other better - what do you think of me as a Human?"
Her teacher was silent for a few moments.
"It is very difficult to question one's upbringing, especially in our kind of society. It is like questioning one's family. Getting to know you has put me in an uncomfortable but rewarding situation. I have been forced to reconsider my views, and the end result is that I regard you as one of my most rewarding students."
And she smiled.
Asha thought of that smile as she watched Thorek read the poem. She anxiously watched his face for a sign of amusement, scorn or boredom. Instead, he remained serious and when he had finished, he ran a forefinger across the lines.
"You have an aptitude for making words almost tangible. You have gifted me with your art and praise, and I will keep your words close to me. Thank you, my ailhun."
He bowed his head before her, and she blushed even more.
"How did you get the idea of including the four elements?" he inquired.
"I was watching the sunset and it occurred to me spontaneously. Just like that."
"And if I am not mistaken, you pursue the idea until it meets your approval?"
"Yes." She smiled mischievously. Thorek stooped a little, placed his hand gently on the back of her head and kissed her between her eyebrows. Then he bowed again and left with her poem.
Thorek had never received a poem from any of his previous lovers before. He was deeply touched, and his wife had a gift for words. The only problem was that she was very shy verging on ashamed about it. He decided to speak with Rhian. Asha was mastering the language quickly because she studied very hard and was disciplined about practising Rihan with him, and no longer just in the evenings. She would get impatient with herself, and he would have to coax her away from wanting to get things right on the very first try. He put the poem into the poetry album she had given him along with it.
They went out for dinner to his favourite establishment, the In'hhui Khfau, where they had fish. Asha was quite used to Romulan cuisine and knew which dishes were safe for her palate by now – at least in the city of Romulus; other provinces had their own culinary traditions. She had regained the weight she had lost, too. Not far away, the imposing senate building was lit up in green, and the raptor on its domed roof seemed to be keeping an eye on them all.
In the back of the restaurant, a casually dressed middle-aged Romulan was watching them, his well-manicured fingers holding a glass of kali-fal. He was seated so he could see them but they couldn't see him. His brown eyes rested almost lazily on the couple. His gaze drifted to the raptor on the roof of the senate building and back to the occupants of In'hhui Khfau, coming to rest on Asha. A slight smile touched his lips. Then he raised his glass, drained the last of his kali-fal and pulled out a PADD. Leaning back and crossing his legs in a relaxed manner, he almost absent-mindedly scrolled through the device.
Thorek and Asha took a yall'ianen carriage home.
"I love these carriages," Asha said enthusiastically, listening to the jingling of the bells attached to the animals' harnesses. Thorek smiled. "I am fond of them, too. Romulus would not be Romulus without them."
When they reached home and were indoors, Thorek took her hand.
"It has been a very long time since I had a birthday celebration. Thank you, my wife."
She chuckled and gave him a quick hug. "You're most welcome, my deyhhan."
They wished each other good night, and she went upstairs to have a shower.
It felt like she had gone out with a good friend – something she never would have imagined when she had first moved into his home. Now she had ended up writing her very first Rihan poem for him and they had enjoyed dinner together. It seemed like quite a couple thing to do. Asha arrived at the conclusion that it was silly trying to stuff the current state of their relationship into a category. She discovered she enjoyed their conversations and interactions the most when she let go of her impatience and the expectations she put on herself. She had always held herself to very high standards and had often become stuck, unable to move forwards, because everything she wanted to do had to be perfect. Romulus was forcing her to confront that fact. She was rebuilding her life in a still new environment. Mistakes and misunderstandings were a bigger part of the package than ever in such a situation. She could be proud of how far she had come after almost a year on Romulus.
After her shower, she prepared herself for bed and checked her PADD for the latest news. There were pictures of Merken tr'Vreenak posing in nondescript grey robes next to a farmer and his produce on the market – a clever move to showcase Vreenak's speech on social cohesion and hide the strict hierarchies so characteristic of Romulan society.
Even then, however, he managed to look aristocratic, sporting just the tiniest of smiles on his thin lips and a cool blue gaze. His hair had an auburn undertone in the sunlight. His face was sharp and angular, with high cheekbones and a thin nose. Very charismatic. And that man had stared right at her.
She pulled up his history from the equivalent of the Romulan internet. His career was full of awards, and one of his biggest moves had consisted of organising the blow against the Dominion a few years ago, when the Federation had discovered that they had been planning a sneak attack on Romulus all along. It had looked like the resulting treaty between Romulus and the Federation was on stable ground – until the new attack on Romulan outposts in the Neutral Zone had roused all suspicions and spite again.
Asha shook her head, put the PADD away and turned off the light. She smiled in the dark as she thought of Thorek's reaction to her birthday gift for him.
