"As It Was In The Dawn Here's the Challenge scenario I was given:
Summary: Sarek and his newly bonded mate discover how some of the Ancient celebrations began.
Disclaimer:I am having all the fun, Paramount owns all the headaches. No money will be made from this endeavour.
Notes: Part of the Rumarie Fuq-Fest
Posted: April 2001
***Many thanks to Salatrel and her 'tweak until it squeals' beta services...
"As it was in the Dawn of our Time..."
The newness of their bond was most interesting. Never had they shared so much with another individual. And now Sarek, one of Vulcan's newly appointed Ambassador to Earth, sensed that his bondmate was keeping something from him. He felt it tucked behind the 'darkness' of her shielding. It was not a strong shielding, it was something he could break through but he honoured her privacy. The honouring however did not quench his curiousity.
T'Rea had requested that he arrange a few days free. Her reason was that they were to engage in a celebration. He was not aware of any celebration at this time in the Vulcan calendar.
Sarek stepped into his home. He heard the gentle sounds of the temple chimes that hung just outside the window. T'Rea favoured the deep tones as the chimes sounded with the slight breeze. The scent of his favourite roasted vegetables and roots were picked by his acute sense of smell. He removed his outer robe, placed it in the closet then walked through to his office. As he placed his small case on the desk, Sarek realized that he had brought home a great deal of work. He would have to find time for it all.
His mate, T'Rea, greeted him. She was dressed, as she was most nights since their bonding, in a silk robe, with her dark silken hair fanned out across her back. He approached her, his paired-fingers reached to touch hers. He noted the sparkle in her eyes as the 'secret' was still heavily guarded within her thoughts.
T'Rea slipped her arm in his as they walked together into the dining area. As they talked about their day, she dished out supper. Sarek poured the water into the heavily cut-glass goblets. This pair had been a gift from an artisan of her House.
The end-meal was eaten in silence, with the exception of the low-level music playing in the background. If they had nothing else in common, both shared an appreciation for music.
Sarek moved aside his plate. "Now, my mate, tell me of this celebration that you are so intent on participating in."
T'Rea drank down the last of her drink then noted. "You are impatient?"
Sarek's eyes lowered for a moment. "Merely curious."
T'Rea stood and began to collect the dishes, "Before it is explained, take time to change into more comfortable clothing." She turned from him with the plates and cups in her hands. "I have laid out the proper attire on the bed."
*****
Sarek made his way into the common room. T'Rea had transformed this Vulcan styled room into one that almost resembled the private rooms at the temple of Gol. It was very much like the one that they used in their bonding. A single low table, surrounded by an assortment of pillows, dominated the room. The lighting in the room had been lowered and soft Vulcan harp music played in the background.
"The ceremony will be conducted here?" Sarek accepted the offered glass of ale with a slight bow of his head.
"Yes." T'Rea poured some ale for herself. She knelt before the low table. In its center, a simple silver stand held an elaborate copper bowl. Sarek had used the khaf-tukh (copper) ceremonial bowl before in his own purifying rituals. But this bowl held hot coals that had been lit only a short time ago. Beside the bowl stood a metal cylinder. T'Rea lifted the stopper out then sprinkled the powder over the hot coals.
The powder caught with a sudden flash then settled into a smoldering ash. The heavy, musky perfume-scented smoke began to rise in curls only to dissipate just above their heads.
T'Rea slowly and deeply breathed in the scent.
A fascinated Sarek knelt by her side and admired the transformation of his mate. Her handsome face took on a slight flush and her eyes began to darken. The young Vulcan man had become enamored with this woman and her mysterious rituals. She held truths and magic that he longed to touch upon. At times she treated him as a mere student, but Sarek was willing to learn about the ancient ways at her hand. "The purpose?" he inquired.
"The Rumarie."
Sarek was perplexed. "Vulcans have not celebrated the Rumarie in centuries. Why the fascination?" His next breath brought the scented air into his lungs.
"Vulcans do not celebrate the rites in public. Many celebrate this in private." She poured a small amount of the soft powder into her hand then sprinkled in onto the coals again. "The orensu (students) that study at Gol practice all ceremonies. The old ones were remembered to retain the reasoning and the ceremony itself. The more modern ones, to understand change."
Sarek raised an eyebrow, "Logical." He felt the first of the reactions. "To feel lightheaded is normal?"
"Yes. It will lead to the most interesting of sensations." T'Rea moved closer to her life-mate. He was a commonly handsome male, possessing aesthetically pleasing features. But his emotionalism was a detriment. For the priestess this was something that over time, she planned to have an effect on. She would be able to teach him more control, more shielding and in time, curb his flagrant curiousity for other species.
Sarek closed his eyes as T'Rea's paired fingers stroked his face. Her touch was one that he welcomed, even if his Time had recently passed. "It is the incense that is causing this?"
"You are most observant." T'Rea ran the back of her fingers along the softness of his skin. "It is an ancient recipe. Do you wish to hear the tale, My Mate?"
Sarek tried to speak but had to clear his throat before he could get his voice to work. "Yes."
T'Rea reached for a large pillow then placed it behind him. After sprinkling a touch more incense upon the coals, her attentions turned back to her mate and the tale she wished to share.
"In the time of the beginning, there was one that was powerful. She had conquered a great deal of land, either absorbing or slaining many of the small clans that dotted her path to the legendary T'Gol'masu (waters of Gol). In a bloody massacre, they conquered the small clan that lay claim to Gol's possessions." T'Rea continued to stroke Sarek's face and run her fingers through his hair. "Many lay dead by the time she attained her goal. She was to be the first of the Reldai of Gol."
Sarek's thoughts began to wander, but her warm silky voice held his attention. His fingers reached up to stroke her face, her neck and to run his fingers through her long dark hair. Sarek was grateful that T'Rea had notopted for the modern custom of shearing her hair after betrothal. He enjoyed how magnificently long and lush the hair was. In his eyes, it was one of her most desirable attributes. The second of course was her mind's strength. He breathed in; his body was beginning to feel the effects of the incense. He was beginning to desire her.
"She was an intelligent and ruthless female, far ahead of her time. It was she who discovered the caves under what we now know as the temple of Gol. She moved her clan into these caves, to enjoy the protection from the heat and diminish their thirst. But mysteriously her people began to die. Believing that the place was either cursed or the gods were punishing her clan for some sin, she prepared to lead her people back out into the desert... but then she discovered the cause of the deaths.
"It was the Lichen that grew on the walls of the lower caves... the darker caves that had never been lived in before.
"The lichen clung to the cave walls absorbing the moisture and nutrients from the mineral rich stones. The people that had been sent to clean the walls of the lichen were the ones who were dying. The upper caves had been occasionally used in the case of bad storms or for the care of an ailing elder, protecting them from the heat of the desert.
"But her clan, in the interest of creating a permanent settlement, had been wandering about the deeper caves. Questing males had returned with buckets of the lichen. Once dried, the lichen became an extremely potent drug... an hallucinogenic. In some cases individuals had died, as they had become addicted to it. Another variety seemed to cause the Raptures to surface."
"An aphrodisiac," Sarek noted.
His mate silenced him with her fingertips. Her tale continued, "This lichen was sought in great quantities and soon the entire clan was weakening. The use of these two drugs was eating away at the strongest individuals in her clan.
"The First Reldai made a decision. All the lichen was to be carefully collected and kept under her security. She had discovered that she was immune to its effects."
"How fortunate for her... or rather unfortunate." Sarek spoke softly, his thoughts were becoming centered on only one activity and it was not listening to this story. His hands began to slowly travel along T'Rea's shoulders, then as she continued the story, his hands slipped under her robe.
"It was most fortunate for her... or rather the ones that she chose to mate with. Long ago, the original names of the lichen species were lost. We now only refer to them by colour and the effects the various mosses produce. The yellow Rapture-inducing lichen was administered to the male of her choice. She would mate with him. If she deemed him worthy, she would spare his life... otherwise she would use the red lichen and end his life."
"As it was in the Dawn of our Time, our females still give and take life," Sarek muttered as his senses reeled from the incense and her nearness. The bond between them bloomed as T'Rea opened the link to it fullest.
T'Rea stretched out beside her mate, her hands began to make their way under his robes. "It was most fortunate that she found the correct formula to share with the rest of the clan. It was at this time, after she had mated and a viable pregnancy was confirmed that she would share a mild form of the lichen with all that chose to celebrate the mating. It was in this way the Rumarie had begun."
"Fascinating," Sarek was referring to more than his mate's tale. "And this Reldai's name?"
"She was Ri'Govan'fes."
Sarek smiled, "How appropriate, Ruler of the Demon Dreams." He wrapped his arms around her shapely figure then pulled her close. "And this is the incense used here."
"Yes." She brushed her lips against the warmth of his neck. "I trust that this is enjoyable?" The priestess drew her mate down to the platform.
"You have never ceased to *be* enjoyed." Sarek rolled them over onto her back. He brushed back her hair then stripped T'Rea of the remainder of her robes. "How long is this Rumarie Celebration to last?"
"A five full cycles of the setting sun. They believed that the long duration of the celebration strengthened the life within the Reldai's body."
"It is no wonder she remained undefeated. Her stamina is legendary."
T'Rea took note of his facetious tone and with a raised brow reprimanded her husband.
A rebuked Sarek placed his fingers against the contact points, hesitating to begin their meld. "And this is what you learn in your study at Gol?"
"Yes." T'Rea held his hips as he positioned himself to enter her. All of these actions had a deeper intention, but her mate treated this rite as a trivial indulgence and not a profound ritual. This disappointed T'Rea and she trusted that with this mating there would be a viable pregnancy and she could return to Gol. Another property of this incense was to help insure the female's body was ready to conceive.
Sarek's thoughts slowly wove their way into hers. He felt her hands caress their way up his body then she reached into his thoughts.
They became one.
Their minds had moved together, their bodies had moved together, and with a shared thought... they began to satisfy their most basic needs.
The incense burned for another hour, dying slowly into a grey ash. The container held enough for the next five days, as was planned. In this moders Vulcanhome, in the city of Shi'kahr, the ancient ritual. was enacted to honour the powerful matriarch, from centuries ago. Far off in the deepest ancient caves of Gol, the Reldai who were not bonded, and the Masters who chose not to bond, would revive the memory of Ri'Govan'fes, observe their roots and rejoice in how they began.
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The artist of the picture that helped to inspire this story can be found here...
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Feedback cheerfully accepted, send to
Gayle
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of Our Time..."
By Gayle Rochefort-Potts
The Vulcans use a special kind of incense to help "enhance" the Rumarie experience. Write a scene pairing Sarek with another character of your choice including the use of this incense.
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By Gayle Rochefort-Potts (aka T'Aitlu)
(c)March 2001
Luis Royo
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