“Family Ties” – Part
Three
by Lieutenant SG Sara Crusher
and Commander Cyanah Kaelyre
They stood on opposite sides of a shallow valley in the gardens of the
Kaelyre estate, gazing across at each other, their wedding waiting
below. The past few days had been a blur of planning and hurried
arrangements, but the offer of Cyanah’s mothers to host the event was
too tempting when compared to Sara’s grandmother’s efforts to control
every detail of the ceremony. It wasn’t really eloping, they’d decided,
since everyone who would have been invited had been able to make it
anyway, including Sara’s parents and grandmother, who was quite happy
for Sara despite being cut out of the planning.
A lilting refrain began to play on a Delosian woodwind instrument,
which was the cue for the two women to descend the gently sloping
flower-lined paths into the valley. They walked slowly and in time to
the music, each wearing the ring they’d given the other to celebrate
their engagement, as it would be used anew to symbolize their marriage.
They both wore identical flowing gowns elegantly stitched from the same
diaphanous soft airy Delosian cloth that made up the dress Cyanah had
given Sara shortly before arriving on Delos just a few days ago. With a
nod to Terran tradition, the gowns were white and adorned with
embroidery, but without a veil or train.
The two paths converged under a towering tree whose canopy of leaves
covered the ceremony and part of the audience. According to Delosian
tradition, weddings were conducted at such a place to symbolize two
people no longer having to walk solo paths through life, but instead
walking one, together. Standing under the tree were Cyanah’s mothers
and Sara’s parents, as under Delosian law, only the parents of the
couple have the authority to join their families in such a way.
Sara and Cyanah arrived under the tree and stopped to take long looks
at each other. They hadn’t been allowed to see each other since last
night as another nod to Terran custom, and hadn’t even spoken
telepathically since Sara’s grandmother had blocked communication over
their bond until the formal bonding ceremony. Now their eyes locked for
a few moments, still not speaking for fear of breaking the sanctimony
of the event, but speech was unnecessary anyway when their eyes said so
much. They turned to face their parents as the music stopped.
Ryssah Kaelyre, Cyanah’s Life-Mother, began to speak. “Welcome,
everyone, to the Kaelyre home, where this joining of the Crusher family
and the Kaelyre family is about to take place. Let us all give our love
and support for these, our children, and wish them well as they begin
their journey together. Although Cyanah and Sara are from different
cultures, differences can be set aside in the name of love. This
ceremony is even a metaphor for the synthesis of three cultures,
combining the customs of Delos, Earth, and Betazed.
“First we shall begin with the Terran custom of a ring exchange and
vows. Sara and Cyanah have written their own vows and have returned
their engagement rings to each other so that they can give them once
more as symbols of their joining. Sara, place the ring on Cyanah’s
finger and swear your love and devotion to her in your own way.”
Sara had spent most of the night rewriting the vows that she’d been
working on since she and Cyanah had agreed to have the wedding on
Delos. She just hadn’t felt that she was saying what she wanted to
because the actual words seemed to pale in light of the emotion. It had
been her grandmother, despite the initial brooding over the change in
plans, that come to her as she sat on the balcony of the guest room
she’d been in and told her to stop thinking and just feel.
So, that’s what she was doing; she was feeding off the emotions that
began to surge though her as she stood with her Imzadi.
“Cyanah,” Sara began as she looked at the woman before her, “you are my
best friend, my confidante, my lover, and my life. You taught me about
real love, about passion, and about trust. You allowed me to be myself
and to become the woman you saw in me while we were only friends, the
woman I had no idea existed until the first night I spent in your warm,
loving, and safe arms. The night we became Imzadi.”
Sara tried to hold back the tears she felt welling in her eyes, but as
she slipped the sapphire ring from her own finger and placed it on
Cyanah’s a few managed to roll down her cheek.
“I told you when I gave this to you that night in my quarters that this
ring was a blessing, and I was right.” Sara said with a smile. “The
proof is that now I am blessed to have you as my wife as well.”
Cyanah felt her cheeks flush and her eyes water, and in her mind she
could feel exactly what Sara felt, despite the fact that their bond was
currently blocked. She looked at the ring on her finger and then to
Sara’s smiling face, and had to fight the urge to kiss her right then
and there. Instead, she quietly said, “Thank you, love… thank you so
much,” before pausing a moment to collect herself so she could say her
vows to Sara.
“I never thought I would find someone this early in life. I joined
Starfleet to carry my love of astrophysics into the stars, and I’ve
certainly gotten that opportunity, but with a wonderful, unexpected
surprise. Meeting you was the best thing that’s ever happened to me,
and being with you has made being so far from home enjoyable rather
than lonely.”
She took off the ring that she’d given Sara, and held Sara’s hand in
both of hers as she placed the ring on her finger and said, “I never
even had heard the word Imzadi before I met you, Sara. Now I’m
convinced that it isn’t only for Betazoids, as you are my Imzadi in
every sense of the word. You described yourself when you described me -
best friend, lover, confidante, and life… and now I am grateful to add
wife to that list, Shael-Celes.”
There was no stopping the tears any longer. They fell freely as Sara
held tightly to Cyanah’s hands. She smiled brightly and mouthed the
words ‘I love you’ just as her mother stepped forward taking Ryssah’s
place in front of their parents.
Stephanie Crusher stepped even closer to Sara and Cyanah and placed a
hand on each of their shoulders as she looked out over the gathering of
families. She smiled warmly, a real smile not her polished professional
one Sara noted, and cleared her throat. The brides were not the only
ones shedding a tear or two.
“Both Sara and Cyanah have confessed their love for one another and in
doing so have acknowledged being Imzadi. Imzadi is word used by
Betazoids in reference to the one person who has done what no other
person had been able to do before or will ever be able to do again.
They’ve touched each other’s souls.” Stephanie paused to look down at
Sara and Cyanah. “The bond the two of you formed between each other,
the bond only true Imzadi can have, is something remarkable, special,
and timeless.” She paused again as she caressed each of their cheeks.
“And now as you stand before your families, is the time to make it
eternal.”
Stephanie looked quickly at her own mother. Sorcha, being the matriarch
of their family and a full telepath, would be the one reinforcing the
bond between her granddaughter and Cyanah. She nodded at Stephanie who
then returned her gaze to the young couple. Stephanie took Sara and
Cyanah both by the hand, placed their hands together, and then reached
up to remove a long silk scarf from around her neck. “Look at each
other as you clasp hands. Think of only each other, the love between
you, and the bond you share as I bind your hands, a symbol of your
coming together and of the bond that only the two of you can feel.”
Sara turned and looked into the depths of Cyanah’s sparking green eyes.
She could see how much Cyanah loved her and knew that in return Cyanah
could see the same thing in her own green eyes. As she began to focus
only on Cyanah and herself, she could feel everything and everyone
around them melt away. Her eyes closed of their own will and suddenly
she could see multitudes of images of them from her memory.
Cyanah coming in for her crew physical, which was when they first met.
Playing volleyball on the beach and sitting on Cyanah’s couch talking.
Sara could see herself dragging Cyanah towards a turbo lift heading for
the spa on DS9. That night in Cyanah’s quarters, their first kiss, the
first time they made love, giving Cyanah the chameleon rose on the
beach, skinny dipping on the holodeck, the night in the cabin, asking
Cyanah to marry her. It all pasted in a blur in mind.
Cyanah closed her eyes and was amazed to find that she could vividly
recall every single moment that she’d shared with Sara. It was as if
their combined memories filled in any gaps, leaving them with a
complete record of their life together, so far. She could feel that the
block on their bond had been lifted as Sara’s emotions flooded into her
mind, stronger than ever before, and she welcomed them, having felt
uneasy without their comforting presence. Maintaining her focus on Sara
and Sara alone, she waited, her hand clasped tightly in Sara’s.
Sara felt slightly light headed as she finally opened her eyes, but she
didn’t care, being too wrapped up in the new, stronger sensations that
were washing over her. She’d barely heard her mother end the bonding
with the traditional, “It is done.” Sara smiled brightly at Cyanah. It
all still seemed like a dream; she was no longer alone, not that she’d
been alone over the past year, but somehow it was different now - she
was different now.
A soft sound coming from her left made Sara blush as she turned. Her
mother and Ryssah now stood side by side, and her father and Trallah
had stepped up to stand next to their respective partners. Sara could
feel Cyanah squeeze her hand that made the silk scarf brush against her
skin. This was the final moment, and Sara could feel her breath
catching in her throat as she watched Ryssah closely.
A wide smile danced across her face as she watched and listened to
Ryssah, and the thought, ’I have mothers-in-law now!’ passed though her
mind.
Stephanie and Ryssah joined hands and began to speak as they removed
the scarf that bound their daughters. “The bonding is completed. We,
the mothers of these two and representatives of our families, hereby
declare them to be Life-Partners, Shael-Celes, in accordance
with Delosian and Federation law.” Ryssah continued alone, “Sara has
decided to take the Kaelyre surname, so I now pronounce her to be Lady
Sara Kaelyre, a noble of Delos, and welcome her into our family as I
know the Crushers welcome Cyanah into theirs.”
Stephanie smiled and added, “In a Terran wedding, now would be the time
to seal the union with a kiss, so please, if you will.” At least two
minutes later, she spoke up again, “And everyone else will be at the
reception waiting, so join us when you’re done.” Sara and Cyanah broke
their long kiss, and turned to walk back to the main house together, a
hint of a blush on Sara’s cheeks.
