When I Grew Up I Called Him Mine (Star Trek XI, T'Pring & Spock)
sacred_20 prompt #12: Faith.
Important Notes: This is an addition piece to Coram Nobis, a sketch of T'Pring's view of her relationship with Spock. This is the "same" T'Pring from TOS in the sense that she was bonded ("more than a betrothal, less than a marriage") at age 7 to Spock, but in this XI-fanfic universe, she's fine with marrying Spock. I have taken a lot of liberties with the whole Vulcan bonding process, mostly by filling in the blanks.
Title: When I Grew Up I Called Him Mine
Characters: T'Pring, Spock
Fandom: Star Trek XI (definitely not TOS)
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine don't sue.
When I Grew Up I Called Him Mine
by Renata Lord (snowlight)
*
Shortly after she reached her twenty-first birthday, T'Pring sent an image of her family crest to the most highly reputed textile maker in Shi'Kahr. When the promised delivery was made a month later, she received the lacquered box in person and went to see her mother, T'Asin. While the former princess inspected the fabric with cooled eyes, T'Pring stood on the side and awaited her judgment.
"The craftsmanship is certainly worthy of you and our name, my daughter," the mother said after a few minutes, fingers still carefully touching the embroidery. "However, given the circumstances, I wonder if you are quite prepared to undertake the task."
T'Pring heard the real question and almost smiled.
"The bond remains unbroken, mother. When the time comes, he will return to me."
With that, in strict accordance with Vulcan traditions, she received permission to begin making her dress for koon-ut-kal-if-fee. It was fourteen years after she had bonded with S'chn T'gai Spock, who at the moment was simply known as Spock. It was also three years after they had seen each other last.
*
S'chn T'gai, Mine
It was commendable of you to pay me the visit before you left for Terra. I cannot say that I agreed with all your conclusions, but I did recognize the great distress that was in your mind. I felt you, as surely as if I received the cut myself; and even though our eyes are made of stone, I grieved with you.
Lady Grayson communicated to me her concern that I might feel neglected by your departure, though I did my best to assure her that Vulcans do not share such an emotional need for intimacy. The very act of joining itself is proof and sustenance enough. Indeed, whenever I am reminded of your absence, I recall all the summer afternoons that I spent at your father's house playing the lute with you, and my mind is once again at peace.
You ask for my forgiveness, but you forget that as bondmates, I can forgive you no more than a person's left hand can forgive her right hand, or the desert below can forgive the sky above. Instead I will say this: until we meet again for the final seal on our bond, I wish you freedom and serenity.
Dif-tor heh smusma.
T'Pring, Yours.
*
As she sat in her garden making the ceremonial dress, there was never any doubt in T'Pring's mind that it would look radiant on her. Once, when she was carefully hemming the sleeve, she even thought of Spock's reaction when he would see her dressed in the glittering silver and gold. She went about her task methodically but without any kind of consistency, for she only wished to work when she was entirely undisturbed. It took her an extraordinarily long timefour hundred and seventeen days, to be preciseto see it to completion.
When the dress was finally finished, T'Pring admired her work for a small moment, then took it to her bedroom. There was an unadorned huge red chest in one of the corners, and it was filled with all the koon-ut-kal-if-fee garments worn by women in her family. With great care, she placed her own dress next to the one made by her mother.
"Parted from me and never parted...."
She sighed quietly, her murmur dying in the sleepy afternoon sunlight. Satisfied that all pieces are properly arranged in perfect condition, she shut the stone lid with a thud, determined to not open the chest again until the ceremony day.
T'Pring thought that day might come soon enough. Maybe Spock did too, but after her first letter, they never talked about him returning to Vulcan again. For each of the seven years he spent away, she only wrote to him for his birthday, and would receive an equally succinct letter on hers. The exchanges were always the same: She informed him of her progress in logic training, the changes in Shi'Kahr, and maybe bits of news regarding Lady Grayson. Spock's letters were veritable reports of the Terran environment and its people.
Yet sometimes, when she played the lute prior to the daily meditations, T'Pring would still recall that there used to be a boy, so many years ago, who performed duets with her in remarkable harmony. Her parents attributed it to the telepathic bond, while Lady Grayson smiled and said it was because of love.
The kind human woman had said the word "love" in the Standard language, however, because the Vulcan word ashaya was not a precise translation for love as humans understood it. Ashaya contained no passion and no heat, only recognition. It was not in an adult Vulcan's place to know savage emotions outside of the time for blood fever, which both her and her intended were yet too young to experience.
So T'Pring waited, as calm and patient as the red stone. She believed that she had all the time in the world.
*
Finis
A further note a T'Pring's background: In canon, Sarek's first bonding was to a princess (T'Rea), therefore I thought it was quite natural for his son Spock to be bonded with the daughter of a princess (this was also needed for the purpose of Coram Nobis), and T'Pring became as such. Totally not Mary Sue, I swear.
Important Notes: This is an addition piece to Coram Nobis, a sketch of T'Pring's view of her relationship with Spock. This is the "same" T'Pring from TOS in the sense that she was bonded ("more than a betrothal, less than a marriage") at age 7 to Spock, but in this XI-fanfic universe, she's fine with marrying Spock. I have taken a lot of liberties with the whole Vulcan bonding process, mostly by filling in the blanks.
Title: When I Grew Up I Called Him Mine
Characters: T'Pring, Spock
Fandom: Star Trek XI (definitely not TOS)
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine don't sue.
When I Grew Up I Called Him Mine
by Renata Lord (snowlight)
*
Shortly after she reached her twenty-first birthday, T'Pring sent an image of her family crest to the most highly reputed textile maker in Shi'Kahr. When the promised delivery was made a month later, she received the lacquered box in person and went to see her mother, T'Asin. While the former princess inspected the fabric with cooled eyes, T'Pring stood on the side and awaited her judgment.
"The craftsmanship is certainly worthy of you and our name, my daughter," the mother said after a few minutes, fingers still carefully touching the embroidery. "However, given the circumstances, I wonder if you are quite prepared to undertake the task."
T'Pring heard the real question and almost smiled.
"The bond remains unbroken, mother. When the time comes, he will return to me."
With that, in strict accordance with Vulcan traditions, she received permission to begin making her dress for koon-ut-kal-if-fee. It was fourteen years after she had bonded with S'chn T'gai Spock, who at the moment was simply known as Spock. It was also three years after they had seen each other last.
*
S'chn T'gai, Mine
It was commendable of you to pay me the visit before you left for Terra. I cannot say that I agreed with all your conclusions, but I did recognize the great distress that was in your mind. I felt you, as surely as if I received the cut myself; and even though our eyes are made of stone, I grieved with you.
Lady Grayson communicated to me her concern that I might feel neglected by your departure, though I did my best to assure her that Vulcans do not share such an emotional need for intimacy. The very act of joining itself is proof and sustenance enough. Indeed, whenever I am reminded of your absence, I recall all the summer afternoons that I spent at your father's house playing the lute with you, and my mind is once again at peace.
You ask for my forgiveness, but you forget that as bondmates, I can forgive you no more than a person's left hand can forgive her right hand, or the desert below can forgive the sky above. Instead I will say this: until we meet again for the final seal on our bond, I wish you freedom and serenity.
Dif-tor heh smusma.
T'Pring, Yours.
*
As she sat in her garden making the ceremonial dress, there was never any doubt in T'Pring's mind that it would look radiant on her. Once, when she was carefully hemming the sleeve, she even thought of Spock's reaction when he would see her dressed in the glittering silver and gold. She went about her task methodically but without any kind of consistency, for she only wished to work when she was entirely undisturbed. It took her an extraordinarily long timefour hundred and seventeen days, to be preciseto see it to completion.
When the dress was finally finished, T'Pring admired her work for a small moment, then took it to her bedroom. There was an unadorned huge red chest in one of the corners, and it was filled with all the koon-ut-kal-if-fee garments worn by women in her family. With great care, she placed her own dress next to the one made by her mother.
"Parted from me and never parted...."
She sighed quietly, her murmur dying in the sleepy afternoon sunlight. Satisfied that all pieces are properly arranged in perfect condition, she shut the stone lid with a thud, determined to not open the chest again until the ceremony day.
T'Pring thought that day might come soon enough. Maybe Spock did too, but after her first letter, they never talked about him returning to Vulcan again. For each of the seven years he spent away, she only wrote to him for his birthday, and would receive an equally succinct letter on hers. The exchanges were always the same: She informed him of her progress in logic training, the changes in Shi'Kahr, and maybe bits of news regarding Lady Grayson. Spock's letters were veritable reports of the Terran environment and its people.
Yet sometimes, when she played the lute prior to the daily meditations, T'Pring would still recall that there used to be a boy, so many years ago, who performed duets with her in remarkable harmony. Her parents attributed it to the telepathic bond, while Lady Grayson smiled and said it was because of love.
The kind human woman had said the word "love" in the Standard language, however, because the Vulcan word ashaya was not a precise translation for love as humans understood it. Ashaya contained no passion and no heat, only recognition. It was not in an adult Vulcan's place to know savage emotions outside of the time for blood fever, which both her and her intended were yet too young to experience.
So T'Pring waited, as calm and patient as the red stone. She believed that she had all the time in the world.
*
Finis
A further note a T'Pring's background: In canon, Sarek's first bonding was to a princess (T'Rea), therefore I thought it was quite natural for his son Spock to be bonded with the daughter of a princess (this was also needed for the purpose of Coram Nobis), and T'Pring became as such. Totally not Mary Sue, I swear.