((A/N: Characters are speaking in Romulan/Rihan unless otherwise stated))
Eleanora slowly stepped down the stairs with Mae'el's help. The weight of her pregnancy and everything from that year fell heavily on her mind.
One year. One long year since the Zontak incident.
In that year, she learned much about Romulus, Remus, and some of the Empire's core worlds. Or, at least, enough to fully understand what Toran meant by "hellish". A mining world. If the crew sent there weren't dead, they were miserable.
Some of the other core worlds were similar. Not all, but it was enough for the feelings of guilt and shame to entangle Eleanora near suffocatingly tight.
There was not a thing she could do. She knew that well. But she still had luxury in comparison.
Not even in comparison, the Duvek were upper class in Romulan society.
She had not even seen those who lived on Romulus. However, she never left far from the part of Rateg the manor resided near for her own safety. The times she did was with Toran to the Senate and she either had to stick close or in his office.
On top of it all, she was pregnant. 6 months in. It was a moment of desperation between herself and Pangaere. A need for touch. A need for any kind of comfort. Both slightly buzzed from wine.
The compatibility between Humans and Vulcans was questionable. Romulans no different. It was a shock. A very wary shock. Toran had immediately ordered the Clan doctor to run genetic tests for any potential problems.
There were issues. Eleanora found herself and the child regularly monitored. Already a possibly deadly mutation had to be corrected, along with injections that kept her immune system down.
It was a very tiring pregnancy.
"Here we are!" Mae'el pulled out a seat for her, "Same breakfast or different today?"
"Ah, thank you. Same, please, but with a bit of fruit if ya don't mind?"
"Of course!" Mae'el grinned and joined his sister in the kitchen.
Eleanora sighed, bringing a hand to her belly. Her daughter kicked making her wince but smile. Even in this stage, Romulans were stronger than Humans.
Pangaere had been caled back to service not long after finding out. They sent messages suggesting names back and forth. As expected, Human names were advised against, though Pangaere liked some of them. Toran recommeded keeping any Human names as very special nicknames only heard between certain family and no others.
Eleanora felt it fair. As much as it pained her.
Aehaa, Eirailho, and Fvienn. Dignity, Admirable, and Force... She thought over what they had narrowed down. What about Rhaeha or Eiraenn? I'm sure Toran would love the first one...
Toran did chip in his own opinions, but mostly left the decisions to them. Keras' sister, Areeki, also pitched in. She had helped Eleanora a lot.
Eleanora met a few other members of the family. Both the Duvek and S'Harien sides. At least, those that were not busy with service, but they were made aware of her and Pangaere's union.
It was a nervous prospect.
Many already voiced their opinions. Either neutral or opposing.
Much like the rest of Romulan society's reaction...
Running a hand over her belly again, I hope ya have an easier time of this place...
Toran groaned, rubbing his temples. These reports, messages, and schedules...such absurdity! The Senate changed its scheduled meetings often and rapidly to throw off potential assassins often, sure, but the habit never failed to give him a headache.
The increasingly irritating messages from another senator added to what was already a particularly unpleasant day. Stupid questions about why they just couldn't allocate resources here or there that could so easily be answered with the slightest bit of awareness and research...! It threatened to drive him mad.
Of course, the fact he barely wanted to be there. Unfortunately, between this one senator's blatant, willfully ignorant, stupidity and another incident involving baffling miscommunication between another two and their assistants, and yet another issue with a core world elsewhere... He had little choice but to come in early.
The lingering mess with the Zontak as well...though, given it was found the Orion Syndicate was involved, it was now mostly the Tal'Shiar's mess.
There was his typical paperwork to deal with. The provinces he owned, his military forces, the Houseclans under the Duveks and so on. Usual day to day things. Familiar things.
Alas, that week decided to be utterly bizarre.
His assistant was visibly tired from this nonsense as well.
Toran peered at the clock. It had been a good 4 hours since they started. He did not get much time for breakfast and doubted his assistant did either.
A small break was well deserved, in his mind.
"Come, we can deal better with this mess after we have eaten."
Clear relief washed over their face. "Agreed, Senator."
As they both walked, they eyed him curiously, "If I may, how is the Human?"
"Llaiir? Physically, she is well. But her mood is dreary. With a life as a changing as the Wind and Water... I regret I cannot offer to ease the heavy clouds this day." In other words, he wished to offer more support, but that day saw him leaving before she awoke. He admired her fire, though he could see it was dimmed. Regardless, such a flame allowed her to survive. A temperament which added a much needed mix to the House. Toran quite enjoyed her snippy wit.
His brother chose well. Grave as the circumstances were.
The child was also of concern. A half-Romulan would not see an easy time in Romulan society. Better than her mother, perhaps, but harsh nonetheless.
Many would expect failure.
It was not long after dealing with the more headache-inducing reports - which took far longer than he'd liked - Toran found himself faced with a peculiar sight. A young albino Denobulan woman being berated by an older, and seemingly drunk, Romulan. Something about the woman seemed familiar. To call Denobulans a rarity was an understatement.
She was clearly frightened by the shouting directed at her. Toran, quite frankly, found the noise irritating and the man's behavior quite uncivilized. Annoyance and curiosity in tow, he moved toward the pair.
"...CAN YOU NOT FOLLOW SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS!? HAVE YOU EVEN BEEN TRYING TO LEARN RIHAN!? USELESS, UNGRATEFUL-"
Toran slammed his staff on the ground. The loud snap enough to startled the man, who whirled around angrily, only to pale upon being faced with a Senator. The scent of alcohol accosted Toran's nostrils and he let his sneer show. "Such uncivilized behavior to be displaying in the Senate! What is the meaning of this?"
"Apologies, Senator, didn't mean to cause a disturbance."
Toran remained unimpressed.
"Just trying to tell off this ungrateful outsider. She gets to live here, I give her a job and even books study Rihan, and she can still barely keep up with our language!"
She shrunk further. Somehow Toran doubted she was given enough to learn from. Books themselves could only go so far. Depending on how much she interacted with other Romulans also a point. Chances were, this man didn't let her speak to others much. Though, Toran was curious, "She is Denobulan, not a common sight here. However, something strikes familiar. Based on your words, was she from the Federation ship?"
"That is right, Senator. One of the lucky allowed on ch'Rhian. I found her wandering the streets in Ki-Baratan, looking for work but worse at our tongue. I generously offered her work."
"Doing what exactly?"
"Simple errand trips and tool cleaning. She apparently used to be an engineer." A scoff, "Like I'd trust her around Romulan tech!"
Glancing at the woman, Toran questioned if she was close to Eleanora. He knew the Human to had been the chief engineer. Even showed curiosity toward Romulan technology and its workings. No doubt Eleanora wished to dirty her hands again. Likely this one did, too.
More repair-hands around the manor would certainly be welcomed.
Eyeing the woman, Toran considered Eleanora's relief to see one of her old crewmates. How it might help her growing depression.
Turning fully to the woman, "You, Denobulan, what is your name?"
She made to speak, but the man interrupted, "What? She's Deni, Dinahl, or something-" His mouth snapped shut at the glare Toran gave him.
"I was not speaking to you."
"Apologies, Senator, I merely-"
"Did I ask for excuses? Be silent. Now, you, speak."
Swallowing, beyond intimidated, she spoke, "My name is Denaal, Senator."
"Is what this drunkard claims true? Were you from the UFP ship and once an engineer?"
"Yes, both are true, Senator."
"Including how he found you and what he offered?"
"Yes."
"Your Rihan seems fine to my ears. Perhaps some needed sharpening on pronunciation... What exactly was he yelling about?"
"I forgot the word for a cleaning fluid and confused it with something else. Then messed up pronouns in panic. My pronunciation also is not good, as you observed, Senator."
Toran raised an eyebrow, "Is that all? Those slips happens with Romulans. I do not see the point of his yelling."
Denaal's eyes brightened in pleasant, though wary, surprise.
The man sputtered, "I- Senator, with all due respect-"
"Did I ask you to speak? I thought I demanded silence of you or is basic respect too hard for you?" Toran cut in, cold and irritated. "I should have you thrown out with how you have presented yourself. Drunk in the Senate, causing a disturbance, speaking out of line! Disgraceful!"
It was the man's turn to look frightened. Toran could do far worse than simply throw him out, he knew well.
"You clearly are not competent enough to teach an outsider the glory of ch'Rihan. I have seen outsiders get further along in a year with the correct guidance. I question if you are capable of teaching our own, with such behavior." Toran sneered. Granted, he normally did not care for the affairs of outsiders when it did not concern him. This, he decided, did. If only for Eleanora's sake. "As a Senator, I am taking custody of this outsider."
"I-"
"And I have had enough of your disgrace. Leave my sight before I make you."
The man stepped back, then again, eyes wide. Hastily, he bowed and retreated.
Toran scoffed, "Pathetic." What that man was doing here, he didn't know or care. Instead, he snapped his figures, making Denaal flinch to attention. "You work for me and Houseclan Duvek now. Come. We are leaving." With a softer tone, he said, "I am sure you will find relief in my House. But I will not tolerate disobedience or blatant disrespect to me and my family. Understood?"
Denaal nodded, a guarded ease in her eyes. "Yes, Senator."
"Good, now let us leave."
A gentle breeze brushed past red hair. Eleanora inhaled, savoring it. The evening was cool, but not intolerably so. Calm. With only a few clouds. Wasteful to let such a day pass indoors. Besides, the manor's air tended to stale quickly - the weigh of its history not helping. Its yard, almost a garden, was always kept as nice as the inside. Eleanora quite enjoyed resting on the patio.
An emptied tea cup sat beside her, the lingering smell adding to the calmness of the moment. Only occasionally broken by kicking or a servant checking in.
The sky of Romulus was slightly greener than on Earth. Even in the setting sun.
One of the strange dragonfly-butterfly creatures zipped past her. Quicker than she could keep up with.
The door to the patio slid open. She glanced over, expecting one of the servants, and found Toran standing in the doorway. "Welcome back. Should hope the Senate wasn't too much a headache for ya?"
A beat of silence. Toran regarding her with a look she was never quite able to read. Was it fondness or something else? Finally, he spoke, the look dropping with a scoff, "If only fate had been so kind. I need not weigh you down with the dreadful details of stupidity these last few days have been. Not on an evening as lovely as this." As if for emphasis, he waved his staff in gesture to the sky. Eleanora smiled at the display. How very Toran it was. "But I did happen upon something - or rather someone - that may please you to see."
Before she could inquire about this someone, he stepped aside. Denaal, rather hesitantly, entered the patio and froze seeing her former commander. "Commander McCoy...?"
"Denaal?" Eleanora breathed, shakily standing up. Relief washed through her. A relief not felt in a long time. "Denaal! Oh, thank the gods you're still alive!"
Denaal rushed over to meet Eleanora in an embrace. "Commander, it's been so long! I never thought I'd see you again and I was so worried and-"
Huffing a laugh, amused seeing old behaviors hadn't changed, "I can say the same about you. And I ain't a commander anymore... Kinda lost that title after..." She trailed off then shook her head, "I'm glad to see you safe. Where have you been this whole time? How did-" Glancing between Denaal and Toran, the question was clear.
"I found this one with some drunken fool. Apparently employed by him." Toran rolled his eyes, "Barely a person adequate to work with a Romulan, much less show an outsider the glory of our ways. Could not have such disgrace, so I took her in. Plus, she claims to have been an engineer so I assumed she'd work best with you." It was said in a dismissive manner, Toran inspecting his claws all the while. Eleanora raised a brow, knowing well it was a facade.
"She was one of my subordinates, yes. A damn impressive one at that." She grinned at Denaal, who flushed. "Whatever your reasons, thank ya, truly, for bringing her here."
A very faint smile graced Toran's lips, and he nodded. "Of course. As she was one of yours, I expect her to do repair work and maintenance for the manor's systems. Namak will help guide her in what she needs to know."
Eleanora smiled and patted Denaal on the shoulder. "I think that'll work well for her just fine. Ain't that right?"
A dazed, slow, nodded was the first response. As if Denaal could not quite believe this was happening. Not only getting to be around her old superior but also be doing engineering work! "Yeah- Yes! Thank you, Senator! I will not disappoint you!"
"I count that as a promise. And that is Hru'hfirh Toran to you here." While serious, the tone was light. He turned around, "I will leave you both to your reunion," and left.
"Hru'hfirh Toran, yes, of course," Denaal said, still dazed and still rather intimidated by Toran.
Eleanora chuckled and spoke in Standard. "Don't mind him. He seems cold at first, but he cares in his own way." Her smile lessened, "So, found ya employed by someone else? Someone not very pleasant I take it?"
"Oh, uh," She snapped out of her daze, "Yeah. Unpleasant is an understatement... Constantly yelled at me for the slightest thing, wasn't above hitting me..." She rubbed her arm, Eleanora frowned and squeezed her shoulder.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Denaal..." A pang of guilt, a reminder of the deal which brought that fate. "But ya don't have to worry about that here. Toran can be hard, sometimes snappish, but I've never seen him abuse the servants here. Trust me when I say you'll like it here."
Denaal was silent, looking over Eleanora, the yard, the manor, and nodded. "Do...do you know what happened to everyone else? Yvell and S'Niir...I heard they were executed."
"They and quite few others were. There wasn't anything Toran, Pangaere, or I could do about that... I only have vague knowledge that those who lived are either here or on some other key world like Remus. I doubt they've had it easy..." The pain of that knowledge and the pain now gripping her legs made her sit down. She felt another kick and rested a hand on her belly. "I take it ya know as much as I do?"
"I only briefly saw some of the crew when we were dismissed from processing. Shariv and I stuck together for a while but he suddenly vanished." Denaal swallowed, fearing what happened to her colleague. "I haven't seen him since."
Alarm rang in Eleanora's mind. Suddenly vanishing on Romulus was never a good sign. Warnings of the Tal'Shiar still clear in her ears.
"I hope he's safe, wherever he is..." Denaal muttered. Eleanora wanted to say something, whether of likely truths or false hopes, she wasn't sure. Nevertheless, Denaal continued, "I don't know how the others are. You're the first I've seen in a while. Has the commander treated you well, at least?" She eyed the bump and empty tea cup.
Throat dryer with misplaced shame, Eleanora wished she still had tea to drink. Little could be done, especially with the Tal'Shiar involved. She knew this. Had since she got there. If only her mind would catch up with the facts. "Yes," She finally said, "Pangaere has been kind. Far softer than you'd expect of Romulan Commander." A weak chuckle was offered, though genuine. While there were lingering sore feelings, she had warmed to Pangaere a lot over that year. Part of her wished he was here. "Got called back into service, though. So it'll be a while before you can meet 'im, if you were wantin' to."
Denaal gave a small smile. "I'm glad you're well, at least. When...when are you expecting?"
"If all goes well, three more months. Though the family doctor says risk of prematurity is high... There've been a lot of complications... Romulans and Humans apparently don't mix well genetically. Been needin' a lot of monitorin', this one." The worry was plain in her voice. So far, most major concerns had been corrected, and the child was kicking as strong as ever...
But anything could happen. Eleanora silently prayed all would go well.
She couldn't take another major loss.
Her daughter kicked. As if to remind her mother she was still there and healthy.
"She is quite the active one, though." Eleanora chuckled, pushing her worries aside.
Denaal held out a hand, "May I...?" at the confirming nod, she stepped forward and place her hand on Eleanora's stomach. Her hand was guided to where the child normally kicked, and after a few seconds, a kick was felt. Denaal's eyes widened and she grinned. "Does she have a name yet?"
"Not yet. Got a few narrowed down. Sent some recent ideas to Pan I think he'll like."
"I've heard Romulans are a bit...complicated with names. Is that true?"
Eleanora huffed a laugh. "Very. We're workin' on her given name first, then her "false" name for strangers. Even I have a false name, "Llaiir". Claim it's for safety, which I don't doubt, given how paranoid people can be here..."
Romulan naming conventions usually consisted of three to four names. The usual three: public, given, and true. Then the "nahi" or "false name". False names tended to change rapidly compared to the other three, which made sense as nahi were meant to hide one's identity. "Llaiir" was not the first nahi Eleanore had gotten. True names were special. A reflection of how a Romulan saw themself in truth. These were only given to those they gave their heart to.
Eleanora knew Pangaere's true name. He spoke it to her a few months back, before he left.
Rhaeha and Eiraenn. Whichever doesn't become your given can be your false...
"I've noticed... I never got a false name. I'm still plain old Denaal!" She chuckled, it was awkward but easier. "Am I allowed to hear the names you picked out?"
"I don't mind it, but I do want Pangaere's agreement first."
"I understand."
"Why don't ya sit down? We still have some daylight to chat. I can bring ya up to speed about this here House."
"I'd love that, sir!"
It was not but a month from that day. Denaal had settled into routine with only a few hiccups. Her Rihan greatly improved and she had proved very skillful in Romulan tech once she was shown the ropes. Namak was an excellent teacher and soon friend.
The only unfortunate thing was Pangaere, while understanding, was not keen on sharing given names. Nor was Toran, for that matter.
Rhaeha was chosen as the given name and Pangaere agreed with using Eiraenn as a nahi until Rhaeha was old enough to choose her public name. Talking about their daughter, Pangaere always looked a mix of giddy and nervous. Feelings Eleanora knew the reasons for, sharing in them. Quite a bit of the family did.
And, thankfully, none had to keep worrying about any more complications for long.
Eleanora and Areeki were pleasantly chatting over tea and Romulan books. They did so often. Normally they were interrupted by Toran, a servant, or someone calling Areeki for important business. That time, however, they were interrupted by Eleanora's water breaking.
Areeki was quick to respond, summoning servants to get Eleanora to her and Pangaere's bedroom, ordering others to call Toran and the Clan's doctor.
It would be several excruciating hours of labor. Nearly a day. Pangaere and T'Auethn were informed in the meantime.
Eleanora held Rhaeha close. Small hands wrapped in mits as to prevent the child from clawing herself grasped tightly at her mother's night gown. Rhaeha purred lightly in her sleep. For most of the world, she appeared Romulan. Pointed ears, a ridged forehead, retractable claws she had yet to master, and, while not yet the most prominent, slanted eyebrows. Her blood was green, as well. The only thing unusual, according to the doctor, was the begins of red hair inherited from Eleanora. Something exceedingly rare on Romulus.
It would no doubt mark her as half-Human. Something Toran feared.
She was in for a hard life.
Eleanora had hope she would make it. Toran planned to ensure she would.
At some point, Eleanora fell asleep and Toran took Rhaeha to be branded as the rest of the family had before her.
Rhaeha whimpered, no longer smelling her mother. Her uncle adjusted his hold to sooth her. "You will be returned shortly, child. But you must go through this first, as all Romulans do." He knew she couldn't understand him, mostly muttering to himself. "I share your mother's hope. If you are anything like her, you will survive. Ch'Rihan is harsh. Especially to those different. And you...not only are you different, you will be expected to fall short of your peers while also having the expectations of Heir of House..." Toran sighed, what a cruel fate. But the House needed a Heir and he and T'Auethn were unlikely to have children.
He was going to need to be hard on Rhaeha, harder than he would normally.
He would ensure she survived.
Whatever it took.