Arts Mécaniques (Chapter 3)
Nyota woke to a gentle rocking sensation. Her head was throbbing and she couldn’t remember falling asleep. She tried to move but found her hands and feet were bound. The memory suddenly hit her; Sybok had attacked them.
She opened her eyes to find she was on a bed in a dim room, lit by a single small window high in the wall. Even the dim light of the twilight outside hurt her eyes and she winced at the pain.
“Nyota?”
“Spock? Is that you?” She struggled to get herself upright.
“Yes. My brother is holding us prisoner. To what end, I do not know.”
“I think I do.” She told him what Sybok had said before rendering her unconscious.
“It would appear my brother has been planning this for some time.”
“Yes, but he failed to take into account the fact that my father might not believe his fake report.”
The door creaked open.
“Oh I knew your father might re-examine the matter,” said Sybok, seating himself in a chair by the door, “but not until after you and I were safely married. What I did not count on was my little brother, who seems to have captured your virgin heart, eh, m’lady?”
Nyota looked at the floor.
“Ha! She blushes! Looks like you’ve made a conquest, little brother.”
“Sybok, I-”
“Be quiet Spock. The funny thing is, I’d happily let you wed our charming guest, but I, as heir to the throne, need that Anthracite to secure the Vulcan stronghold over our so-called allies. So I am very sorry, little lovebirds, but Nyota will marry me as planned.”
“I will not!” she said through clenched teeth.
“Oh? You think you have a choice in the matter?” He laughed. “You poor naive child.” He stood and called for a servant. “The leg irons, I think, Grifka. They may move about the cabin, but no more.”
A small misshapen creature shuffled into the room and bound each of them with a leg iron secured to a steel column in the center of the room.
“Sybok,” said Spock, “Certainly we will be missed. My mother…”
“Your mother is not well, remember? By the time she sleeps off the potion I gave her, we will be long gone. And as for Prince Uhura, a message will soon go out to him that his daughter and I have eloped.
“He will not believe you!” Nyota seethed.
“And why ever not? He and my father were negotiating the terms of our marriage…”
“I told him…I told him I preferred Spock.”
A flash of anger spread across Sybok’s face.
“You little idiot. Well, by the time anyone discovers us, we will be married. Women are known to change their minds. No one will think twice about it.”
He stormed out of the room.
Grifka removed the bonds from around their feet and hands, then shuffled out of the room. They heard the click of the lock.
“Did you?” asked Spock from the darkness.
“Did I what?”
“Did you tell your father that you preferred me?”
“Yes,” she said. “I did tell him that. After our walk this morning.”
“And I told my mother,” he said softly, “that I could not imagine a better match for me than you.”
“Really?”
She saw him nod in the shadows, before standing and walking towards her. He took her hand and helped her up from the bed, and pulled her close. He seemed to hesitate, so Nyota reached up and pulled his face to hers. The kiss was tentative at first, but both of them grew bolder.
“Well,” she said pulling away reluctantly, “I guess this means we have to escape.”
Even in shadow she could see his smile. “Indeed.”
***Feeling around the cabin, they found the door that opened to the water closet. Whether by design or accident, the electric light still functioned in that tiny room.
“At least we have a power source,” said Spock, feeling about his pockets. “Hopefully Sybok did not think to search me…Ah, he did not.” He pulled out what looked like a wallet and a small leather-bound note pad. These he placed on the small table holding the water basin.
“What’s your plan?” Nyota asked.
“I do not know how many of Sybok’s people are on this ship, so fighting our way is unfeasible,” he said, opening the wallet to reveal several small tools. “So the only thing we can do is to get a signal out.”
Nyota took a good look at the small collection of tools, then reached up and began unpinning her hair.
“What…what are you doing?” Spock asked.
“We have a power source, so you’ll need some sort of conductive material.” She pulled several small pins from her hair and handed them to him. “Gold,” she said with a smile. “I thought that might come in handy.”
“You are a remarkable woman.”
“Not really. Just well versed in basic electronics. So,” she said settling on the floor. “Do you have any idea where we’re headed?”
“There are only two likely places: North to the Romulan neutral zone, or west toward the mountains. There is no extradition treaty with the Romulans, so I think it likely he will take us there.”
“That means we’d pass over Andorian territory. So we’ll need to get the signal out by the time we get there.”
“Correct. Now, let us search the room for any useful equipment. “
Their search turned up a broken lamp and some stray pieces of metal and twine. There was an outdated light projector, with no lamp bulbs, but otherwise in good order.
They scavenged pieces from the projector, the wire from the broken lamp, and used Nyota’s hairpins where needed. Soon bits of Spock’s watch were incorporated and they had a mess of gears, wires and oddly shaped metal plates, all held together with small screws and twine.
“Now we must pray that Sybok is not monitoring this particular frequency, and that someone in Andor is monitoring it.” he said, fitting the device’s wires into the light socket.
“And if he does find us out?”
“We’ll be no worse off than we are now.”
***
The hour grew late, but Wynn was having a marvelous time. She’d danced four dances with her old friend, Dr. Leonard McCoy, and had even accepted a dinner invitation from him. She couldn’t wait to tell Nyota. She smiled when she couldn’t find her young cousin or that devilishly handsome Vulcan in the room. That situation was going quite well! She sat waiting for the good doctor to return with refreshments when a commotion was heard near the door.
The Bolian princess followed a footman to the terrace, and when she returned, her face was gray with worry. Someone clapped for attention.
“Has anyone seen Lord Sybok or Spock?” The Bolian Prince shouted.
“I saw them on the terrace with Lady Nyota,” Kirk said.
“Princess Amanda has been taken ill,” said the Prince. “We must find her sons…”
Wynn’s heart raced. “Nyota,” she gasped.
Dr. McCoy was at her side in a moment. “Wynn, I’m sure nothing’s amiss. I’ll go along and see what’s what. Sit here, and don’t worry yourself.” He went to confer with the staff and Captain Kirk joined him.
Wynn couldn’t bear to sit there doing nothing. She rose just as the captain returned.
“M’lady. There are search parties being organized. Your friend Dr. McCoy is among the searchers-”
“Yes, yes…that’s all very well. But who’s in charge? I have a very bad feeling about this…”
The house was suddenly in chaos, and a deep voice boomed over the crowd. “Ladies, Gentlemen…I am Commander Sulu of the Star Alliance Air Corps. It appears that Lord Sybok has taken the Vulcan airship without registering a flight plan. He has left his stepmother and most of their staff behind. While there were no witnesses, it is likely that he has taken Lady Nyota and Lord Spock with him. A search of their quarters revealed that neither had planned to leave; it is clear that they were taken against their will.”
The assembled company let out a collective gasp. Commander Sulu held up his hand for silence and continued. “The fact that Princess Amanda has been heavily sedated leaves us to conclude that this abduction was planned. I call on all of you with airships to assist us in our search.”
Wynn pushed through the crowd. “Your Highness!” she called to the Bolian princess. “I think I may have some additional light to bear on this situation.”
***
“Sir!” Grifka knocked on Sybok’s door. “We’ve detected an odd signal. We may have been discovered.”
Sybok was on his feet. “Show me…”
They ran to the flight deck. Grifka pointed to an odd blip on the navigational sonar display. Sybok examined it, then ran to the periscope.
“Increase power and magnification!”
“Aye sir!” Grifka swiftly made the modifications.
“There’s nothing out there. What could be making that…?” He stepped back as the realization hit him.
“It’s Spock! Come on!” Sybok, followed by his personal security, ran to the passenger deck.
Spock heard the advancing footsteps. “We have been discovered!”
“Move the bed!” hissed Nyota. “Hurry!”
The pair pushed the metal bed up against the door, then sat side by side with their backs to the bed, holding the door shut with all their strength as Sybok’s men rammed away at it. Splinters of wood were flying and soon the guards were through the door.
“Tie them up!” Sybok barked. He turned to Spock. “If you wish to live, little brother, you will reveal the device.”
Spock said nothing.
“Over there,” said Nyota, “In the water closet.”
“Nyota!”
“Don’t blame my bride-to-be, Spock,” Sybok sneered. “She just saved your life.” He turned to one of the guards. “Destroy that thing.”
The guard unhooked the signaling device, dropped it to the floor, and put his heel to it, grinding the makeshift apparatus into pieces.
“Well, we’ll be arriving at our destination soon, so there’s no time to move you. You,” he called the guards. “Stand guard.” He walked away.
“I’m sorry,” said Nyota, quietly.
“There is no reason to apologize,” Spock replied. “They would have torn the room to pieces and found it soon enough.”
“True, but I…”
Suddenly the ship lurched, and a commotion was heard on the flight deck.
“They’ve found us!” Nyota said.
“Vulcan vessel,” a voice boomed from a megaphone, “This is the Star Alliance Airship Enterprise. You will release your drop lines and prepare to be boarded.”
Nyota sat back and smiled, but Spock was not ready to celebrate. “I do not believe my brother will give up without a fight.”
The ship lurched again and decelerated rapidly. They began to descend. The guards left the broken doorway and made their way to the flight deck.
“Sybok wouldn’t deliberately crash, would he?”
“My brother is many things, but not suicidal.”
Clang. The sound of steel on steel, then of splintering wood. The airship dipped and bobbed. Running footsteps were followed by shouts and the sound of swords clashing.
“Lady Nyota! Lord Spock!”
“Captain Kirk! Here! We’re over here!” Nyota shouted.
Soon the captain and Commander Sulu were in the room, loosening their bonds.
“We detected your signal,” said the captain. “However did you manage to rig a transmitter?”
“With a lamp, a watch, and some hairpins,” said Nyota, beaming.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Not at all, Captain,” said Spock, slightly affronted.
“Well, good job, however you did it,” said Commander Sulu, untying the last of the knots around Nyota’s feet. “We’re less than 50 klicks from the Romulan neutral Zone. You couldn’t have cut it much closer.”
***
The Star Alliance Corps maneuvered the ship into an airfield north of the Great Lake of Andor. There, Spock and Nyota joined Captain Kirk aboard the Enterprise and made their way back to Bolius. Lady Wynn and Princess Amanda were there to greet them when they landed.
“Thank heavens!” Wynn cried, throwing her arms around her young cousin as Spock ran to embrace his mother. “I could never forgive myself if that man had succeeded in his plan.”
“Dear Cousin, I am fine, and I hear you had a played a part in our rescue.”
Wynn began to protest, but Princess Amanda wouldn’t allow it.
“Your cousin put it all together,” the princess said, “down to the direction my stepson likely took. Her logic was impeccable, and that, coupled with your ingenuity, brought you safely back to us.”
It was nearly dawn, and the entire party was exhausted. Nyota slept until after noon, when voices from the other room roused her. She pulled on her dressing gown and entered the sitting room, to find Cassie closing the outer door.
“Lady Ny, a messenger has just come with this letter for you.”
Nyota took the letter eagerly, and was pleased to see it was from Spock.
“My dear Lady Nyota,
I sincerely hope you have recovered from our ordeal. Your courage and resourcefulness during our captivity were admirable, and I shall never again be able to see a gold hairpin without thinking of you.
I am writing to inform you that I must return to Vulcan immediately. While the good Dr. McCoy provided an antidote to the sedative Sybok gave my mother, she is anxious to recover in her own home. I am therefore unable to say farewell in person.
I realize that circumstances have changed, and that our families are no longer seeking an alliance through marriage. But allow me to assure you that what was said aboard the airship still holds true: I cannot imagine there being a better match for me than you.
If your feelings on the matter are as they were last night, be so good as to tell me. If I do not hear from you, I will remain silent, and wish you peace and long life.
Your servant,
Spock”
Nyota read and re-read the letter. Should she write back? Would it be too bold to tel-com him? Should she tell her father first?
“M’lady. M’LADY!” Cassie’s voice roused her.
“That must be some letter!”
“It is, Cassie, it is!”
***After she was dressed, Nyota went in search of her cousin. A servant informed her that Wynn was walking with the doctor in the gardens, and she made her way out to find them. She didn’t rush, and pulled out the letter to read the again. A rustling in the shrubbery made her jump.
“Shhh! Someone might see!” said a familiar voice.
“I hope someone does,” said a distinctly more masculine tone. “I’ve been tryin’ to get this close to you for 20 years, Wynneth, and I’d like to have a witness on this auspicious occasion.”
“Oh, get on with you!” Wynn said as she made her way back to the path, brushing her skirt and straightening her hair.
“Ahem!”
“Ny! I…that is…we were just…”
“My Lady,” the doctor bowed, obviously enjoying Wynn’s discomfort. “Your cousin and I were behaving like a pair of lovebirds in the shrubbery. Don’t let her tell you otherwise.”
“And I’m glad of it,” Nyota said laughing. “And please, do not stop on my account!” she turned and ran cheerfully back to the palace.
“Nyota, get back here!”
“You heard her,” the doctor said, pulling Wynn off the path. “I have 20 years worth of catchin’ up to do.”
***
Six months later, during the wedding reception of Dr. Leonard McCoy and Lady Wynneth Uhura, a different couple was hidden in the shrubbery.
“Hush! If my father finds us…”
“…he will make us marry. Which has been my goal all along.”
“You and your logic!” Nyota laughed, brushing her skirt and pinning up her hair.
Spock reached up and helped her. “Gold hairpins,” he said, smiling at the memory. “I think I will have the royal crest changed to incorporate gold hairpins.”
“You might now be the heir to the throne, but your subjects can have you deposed if they think you’re mad!”
“I do not need a throne; if I am your prince, that is all that matters.”
She reached up and pulled his face down for another kiss.
“Come, let’s find the bride and groom before they leave on their honeymoon.” She slipped her arm in his, and they slowly made their way back to the festivities.
She opened her eyes to find she was on a bed in a dim room, lit by a single small window high in the wall. Even the dim light of the twilight outside hurt her eyes and she winced at the pain.
“Nyota?”
“Spock? Is that you?” She struggled to get herself upright.
“Yes. My brother is holding us prisoner. To what end, I do not know.”
“I think I do.” She told him what Sybok had said before rendering her unconscious.
“It would appear my brother has been planning this for some time.”
“Yes, but he failed to take into account the fact that my father might not believe his fake report.”
The door creaked open.
“Oh I knew your father might re-examine the matter,” said Sybok, seating himself in a chair by the door, “but not until after you and I were safely married. What I did not count on was my little brother, who seems to have captured your virgin heart, eh, m’lady?”
Nyota looked at the floor.
“Ha! She blushes! Looks like you’ve made a conquest, little brother.”
“Sybok, I-”
“Be quiet Spock. The funny thing is, I’d happily let you wed our charming guest, but I, as heir to the throne, need that Anthracite to secure the Vulcan stronghold over our so-called allies. So I am very sorry, little lovebirds, but Nyota will marry me as planned.”
“I will not!” she said through clenched teeth.
“Oh? You think you have a choice in the matter?” He laughed. “You poor naive child.” He stood and called for a servant. “The leg irons, I think, Grifka. They may move about the cabin, but no more.”
A small misshapen creature shuffled into the room and bound each of them with a leg iron secured to a steel column in the center of the room.
“Sybok,” said Spock, “Certainly we will be missed. My mother…”
“Your mother is not well, remember? By the time she sleeps off the potion I gave her, we will be long gone. And as for Prince Uhura, a message will soon go out to him that his daughter and I have eloped.
“He will not believe you!” Nyota seethed.
“And why ever not? He and my father were negotiating the terms of our marriage…”
“I told him…I told him I preferred Spock.”
A flash of anger spread across Sybok’s face.
“You little idiot. Well, by the time anyone discovers us, we will be married. Women are known to change their minds. No one will think twice about it.”
He stormed out of the room.
Grifka removed the bonds from around their feet and hands, then shuffled out of the room. They heard the click of the lock.
“Did you?” asked Spock from the darkness.
“Did I what?”
“Did you tell your father that you preferred me?”
“Yes,” she said. “I did tell him that. After our walk this morning.”
“And I told my mother,” he said softly, “that I could not imagine a better match for me than you.”
“Really?”
She saw him nod in the shadows, before standing and walking towards her. He took her hand and helped her up from the bed, and pulled her close. He seemed to hesitate, so Nyota reached up and pulled his face to hers. The kiss was tentative at first, but both of them grew bolder.
“Well,” she said pulling away reluctantly, “I guess this means we have to escape.”
Even in shadow she could see his smile. “Indeed.”
***Feeling around the cabin, they found the door that opened to the water closet. Whether by design or accident, the electric light still functioned in that tiny room.
“At least we have a power source,” said Spock, feeling about his pockets. “Hopefully Sybok did not think to search me…Ah, he did not.” He pulled out what looked like a wallet and a small leather-bound note pad. These he placed on the small table holding the water basin.
“What’s your plan?” Nyota asked.
“I do not know how many of Sybok’s people are on this ship, so fighting our way is unfeasible,” he said, opening the wallet to reveal several small tools. “So the only thing we can do is to get a signal out.”
Nyota took a good look at the small collection of tools, then reached up and began unpinning her hair.
“What…what are you doing?” Spock asked.
“We have a power source, so you’ll need some sort of conductive material.” She pulled several small pins from her hair and handed them to him. “Gold,” she said with a smile. “I thought that might come in handy.”
“You are a remarkable woman.”
“Not really. Just well versed in basic electronics. So,” she said settling on the floor. “Do you have any idea where we’re headed?”
“There are only two likely places: North to the Romulan neutral zone, or west toward the mountains. There is no extradition treaty with the Romulans, so I think it likely he will take us there.”
“That means we’d pass over Andorian territory. So we’ll need to get the signal out by the time we get there.”
“Correct. Now, let us search the room for any useful equipment. “
Their search turned up a broken lamp and some stray pieces of metal and twine. There was an outdated light projector, with no lamp bulbs, but otherwise in good order.
They scavenged pieces from the projector, the wire from the broken lamp, and used Nyota’s hairpins where needed. Soon bits of Spock’s watch were incorporated and they had a mess of gears, wires and oddly shaped metal plates, all held together with small screws and twine.
“Now we must pray that Sybok is not monitoring this particular frequency, and that someone in Andor is monitoring it.” he said, fitting the device’s wires into the light socket.
“And if he does find us out?”
“We’ll be no worse off than we are now.”
***
The hour grew late, but Wynn was having a marvelous time. She’d danced four dances with her old friend, Dr. Leonard McCoy, and had even accepted a dinner invitation from him. She couldn’t wait to tell Nyota. She smiled when she couldn’t find her young cousin or that devilishly handsome Vulcan in the room. That situation was going quite well! She sat waiting for the good doctor to return with refreshments when a commotion was heard near the door.
The Bolian princess followed a footman to the terrace, and when she returned, her face was gray with worry. Someone clapped for attention.
“Has anyone seen Lord Sybok or Spock?” The Bolian Prince shouted.
“I saw them on the terrace with Lady Nyota,” Kirk said.
“Princess Amanda has been taken ill,” said the Prince. “We must find her sons…”
Wynn’s heart raced. “Nyota,” she gasped.
Dr. McCoy was at her side in a moment. “Wynn, I’m sure nothing’s amiss. I’ll go along and see what’s what. Sit here, and don’t worry yourself.” He went to confer with the staff and Captain Kirk joined him.
Wynn couldn’t bear to sit there doing nothing. She rose just as the captain returned.
“M’lady. There are search parties being organized. Your friend Dr. McCoy is among the searchers-”
“Yes, yes…that’s all very well. But who’s in charge? I have a very bad feeling about this…”
The house was suddenly in chaos, and a deep voice boomed over the crowd. “Ladies, Gentlemen…I am Commander Sulu of the Star Alliance Air Corps. It appears that Lord Sybok has taken the Vulcan airship without registering a flight plan. He has left his stepmother and most of their staff behind. While there were no witnesses, it is likely that he has taken Lady Nyota and Lord Spock with him. A search of their quarters revealed that neither had planned to leave; it is clear that they were taken against their will.”
The assembled company let out a collective gasp. Commander Sulu held up his hand for silence and continued. “The fact that Princess Amanda has been heavily sedated leaves us to conclude that this abduction was planned. I call on all of you with airships to assist us in our search.”
Wynn pushed through the crowd. “Your Highness!” she called to the Bolian princess. “I think I may have some additional light to bear on this situation.”
***
“Sir!” Grifka knocked on Sybok’s door. “We’ve detected an odd signal. We may have been discovered.”
Sybok was on his feet. “Show me…”
They ran to the flight deck. Grifka pointed to an odd blip on the navigational sonar display. Sybok examined it, then ran to the periscope.
“Increase power and magnification!”
“Aye sir!” Grifka swiftly made the modifications.
“There’s nothing out there. What could be making that…?” He stepped back as the realization hit him.
“It’s Spock! Come on!” Sybok, followed by his personal security, ran to the passenger deck.
Spock heard the advancing footsteps. “We have been discovered!”
“Move the bed!” hissed Nyota. “Hurry!”
The pair pushed the metal bed up against the door, then sat side by side with their backs to the bed, holding the door shut with all their strength as Sybok’s men rammed away at it. Splinters of wood were flying and soon the guards were through the door.
“Tie them up!” Sybok barked. He turned to Spock. “If you wish to live, little brother, you will reveal the device.”
Spock said nothing.
“Over there,” said Nyota, “In the water closet.”
“Nyota!”
“Don’t blame my bride-to-be, Spock,” Sybok sneered. “She just saved your life.” He turned to one of the guards. “Destroy that thing.”
The guard unhooked the signaling device, dropped it to the floor, and put his heel to it, grinding the makeshift apparatus into pieces.
“Well, we’ll be arriving at our destination soon, so there’s no time to move you. You,” he called the guards. “Stand guard.” He walked away.
“I’m sorry,” said Nyota, quietly.
“There is no reason to apologize,” Spock replied. “They would have torn the room to pieces and found it soon enough.”
“True, but I…”
Suddenly the ship lurched, and a commotion was heard on the flight deck.
“They’ve found us!” Nyota said.
“Vulcan vessel,” a voice boomed from a megaphone, “This is the Star Alliance Airship Enterprise. You will release your drop lines and prepare to be boarded.”
Nyota sat back and smiled, but Spock was not ready to celebrate. “I do not believe my brother will give up without a fight.”
The ship lurched again and decelerated rapidly. They began to descend. The guards left the broken doorway and made their way to the flight deck.
“Sybok wouldn’t deliberately crash, would he?”
“My brother is many things, but not suicidal.”
Clang. The sound of steel on steel, then of splintering wood. The airship dipped and bobbed. Running footsteps were followed by shouts and the sound of swords clashing.
“Lady Nyota! Lord Spock!”
“Captain Kirk! Here! We’re over here!” Nyota shouted.
Soon the captain and Commander Sulu were in the room, loosening their bonds.
“We detected your signal,” said the captain. “However did you manage to rig a transmitter?”
“With a lamp, a watch, and some hairpins,” said Nyota, beaming.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Not at all, Captain,” said Spock, slightly affronted.
“Well, good job, however you did it,” said Commander Sulu, untying the last of the knots around Nyota’s feet. “We’re less than 50 klicks from the Romulan neutral Zone. You couldn’t have cut it much closer.”
***
The Star Alliance Corps maneuvered the ship into an airfield north of the Great Lake of Andor. There, Spock and Nyota joined Captain Kirk aboard the Enterprise and made their way back to Bolius. Lady Wynn and Princess Amanda were there to greet them when they landed.
“Thank heavens!” Wynn cried, throwing her arms around her young cousin as Spock ran to embrace his mother. “I could never forgive myself if that man had succeeded in his plan.”
“Dear Cousin, I am fine, and I hear you had a played a part in our rescue.”
Wynn began to protest, but Princess Amanda wouldn’t allow it.
“Your cousin put it all together,” the princess said, “down to the direction my stepson likely took. Her logic was impeccable, and that, coupled with your ingenuity, brought you safely back to us.”
It was nearly dawn, and the entire party was exhausted. Nyota slept until after noon, when voices from the other room roused her. She pulled on her dressing gown and entered the sitting room, to find Cassie closing the outer door.
“Lady Ny, a messenger has just come with this letter for you.”
Nyota took the letter eagerly, and was pleased to see it was from Spock.
“My dear Lady Nyota,
I sincerely hope you have recovered from our ordeal. Your courage and resourcefulness during our captivity were admirable, and I shall never again be able to see a gold hairpin without thinking of you.
I am writing to inform you that I must return to Vulcan immediately. While the good Dr. McCoy provided an antidote to the sedative Sybok gave my mother, she is anxious to recover in her own home. I am therefore unable to say farewell in person.
I realize that circumstances have changed, and that our families are no longer seeking an alliance through marriage. But allow me to assure you that what was said aboard the airship still holds true: I cannot imagine there being a better match for me than you.
If your feelings on the matter are as they were last night, be so good as to tell me. If I do not hear from you, I will remain silent, and wish you peace and long life.
Your servant,
Spock”
Nyota read and re-read the letter. Should she write back? Would it be too bold to tel-com him? Should she tell her father first?
“M’lady. M’LADY!” Cassie’s voice roused her.
“That must be some letter!”
“It is, Cassie, it is!”
***After she was dressed, Nyota went in search of her cousin. A servant informed her that Wynn was walking with the doctor in the gardens, and she made her way out to find them. She didn’t rush, and pulled out the letter to read the again. A rustling in the shrubbery made her jump.
“Shhh! Someone might see!” said a familiar voice.
“I hope someone does,” said a distinctly more masculine tone. “I’ve been tryin’ to get this close to you for 20 years, Wynneth, and I’d like to have a witness on this auspicious occasion.”
“Oh, get on with you!” Wynn said as she made her way back to the path, brushing her skirt and straightening her hair.
“Ahem!”
“Ny! I…that is…we were just…”
“My Lady,” the doctor bowed, obviously enjoying Wynn’s discomfort. “Your cousin and I were behaving like a pair of lovebirds in the shrubbery. Don’t let her tell you otherwise.”
“And I’m glad of it,” Nyota said laughing. “And please, do not stop on my account!” she turned and ran cheerfully back to the palace.
“Nyota, get back here!”
“You heard her,” the doctor said, pulling Wynn off the path. “I have 20 years worth of catchin’ up to do.”
***
Six months later, during the wedding reception of Dr. Leonard McCoy and Lady Wynneth Uhura, a different couple was hidden in the shrubbery.
“Hush! If my father finds us…”
“…he will make us marry. Which has been my goal all along.”
“You and your logic!” Nyota laughed, brushing her skirt and pinning up her hair.
Spock reached up and helped her. “Gold hairpins,” he said, smiling at the memory. “I think I will have the royal crest changed to incorporate gold hairpins.”
“You might now be the heir to the throne, but your subjects can have you deposed if they think you’re mad!”
“I do not need a throne; if I am your prince, that is all that matters.”
She reached up and pulled his face down for another kiss.
“Come, let’s find the bride and groom before they leave on their honeymoon.” She slipped her arm in his, and they slowly made their way back to the festivities.