[ussbansheec] Family Duties
- From: Andy Maluhia <CaptainAndy@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 16:13:03 -0500
_Family Duties
_by Aidoaneth & Aneirin S'Ghaladriel
/"The father who does not teach his son his duties is equally guilty
with the son who neglects them."--Confucius/
***takes place just after Banshee arrives at DSVP
It was impossible to tell whose eyes were opened wider, Aneirin's or his
father's, though it was certain that Aneirin's were wide with shock
whereas Aidoaneth's were...Aneirin had seen that look rarely, and it had
certainly never been directed at him as it was now, but the incandescent
fury, the sheer Fire fed rage, was unmistakable. But for their
breathing, there was no sound after the sharp crack of the back of
Aidoaneth's hand striking his son's face.
"What--" Aneirin began, his hand automatically reaching for where he'd
been struck.
"Vaed'rae!" Aidoaneth hissed, marginally pleased to see the younger
man's mouth snap shut. His hand stung from where he backhanded his son
but he left rubbing away the sting as he leveled a finger at Aneirin.
"/Never/ have I ever raised my hand to you. I deferred to the softness
with which the Lloann'mhrahel raises its children but I cannot, I /will/
not, tolerate such behavior from a son of my Hfihar."
Aneirin almost opened his mouth again but thought better of it,
especially not while his father was still literally shaking with barely
restrained fury and not before he himself could find the proper words.
He was a physician, a trained scientist. What set the man off couldn't
be too difficult to discern. They'd been talking together, alone, at
his father's request and it was clear to Aneirin from the start that
something was bothering him. Aidoaneth had begun by asking him about
his, to use his father's words, 'interest' in his ship's tactical
officer and Aneirin, pleased that his father had noticed, answered him,
speaking uninterrupted, blissfully unaware of the man's growing ire
until a strong right hand struck him.
"How /dare /you?!" Aidoaneth continued, his voice shaking and his face
flushed emerald. "One who would seek to end an innocent life? /Five/
innocent lives? It goes against the principals, the /heart/, of our
Hfihar."
The color slowly drained from Aneirin's face. Oh. No matter that he
had talked her out of it, the fact of the matter was that she still
thought about it. It was the very thing that tore one twin from
another, that made a man chose between leaving the Empire and the Noble
Born life he'd always known and allowing a Tal'Shiar agent to murder an
innocent young Human boy. There was no choice at all, not in Eisnas' eyes.
"Di'nanov..." Aneirin began yet again.
It struck him like a kaleh in the gut, hearing that word in that voice
he thought he might never hear again. Yes, he had the presence of his
second son now, too, but this was Aneirin, his youngest child, the
symbol to him that life could indeed continue here in the
Lloann'mhrahel. This was the child of his heart. That he was the one
speaking such vile things made the wound so much worse. He wanted to
embrace the younger man and remember when he'd done so to the small boy
but he couldn't, not at the cost of the mnhei'sahe of S'Ghaladriel.
"No--let me speak. Listen, Aneirin, and closely because I will not
repeat myself. You are free to choose whatever companions you want but
if you persist in this...relationship, "Aidoaneth said coldly, his gorge
almost rising at the word, "then you cannot be S'Ghaladriel. Ssuej-d'ifv?"
"Di'nanov..."
"Quiet, boy," came the sharp reply. It took the iron will of a Hfihar
backed by thousands of years worth of mnhei'sahe for Aidoaneth not to
flinch from his son's eyes. "A name thrice written and thrice burned,
Aneirin. A Rihanha with no name is no Rihanha at all and certainly not
my son."
She would certainly hate him. He had no doubt about that. Most
certainly her sister, the daise he worked so well with, would wreck his
career in Starfleet for treating her sister so poorly but so be it.
There were other venues open to physicians, including the sort his Uncle
Eisnas had. But to not have his father in his life? To be, to use the
Human term, a living ghost? Aneirin was a strong man but he knew he
would be lost without the man and the rest of the family.
They'd been standing there, face to face and Aidoaneth with his arms in
the typical position of being crossed over his chest tightly. Slowly,
Aneirin lifted his own right hand and, after a gentle tug to loosen an
iron grip, and took his father's right hand, the same one that smacked
him. He knelt and bowed his head over the hand, holding it to his
forehead. The gesture also left his kaleh within easy reach of the
other man.
For the first time since his sister had birthed the boy for him and his
wife, Aidoaneth felt the sting of tears in his eyes. What the young man
had done was give an old fashioned gesture of obeisance, one that
acknowledged the respect held for the one standing. Leaving the kaleh
so open indicated the level of trust between them.
"Forgive me, Di'nanov," Aneirin murmured. "I will not disappoint you
further."
As Aidoaneth tapped his son's shoulder, he felt as though a huge weight
was lifted from his own. As the younger man stood up, he pulled him
into a fierce hug. "You have no idea how much it hurt me to do that,
child," his whisper said.
"Usae, Di'nanov. No more hurt, not from me," Aneirin promised. When
Aidoaneth finally released him, he offered a slight smirk. "Thee are
too old to be subjected to such upheaval."
"Disrespectful pup," Aidoaneth snorted as he mussed his son's hair. It
was an ongoing personal joke between father and son, one that let him
know things were as they were. Whether they would stay that way between
him and his wife once she learned of this conversation remained to be
seen. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. "Come, child," he
eventually said after giving Aneirin a rare kiss on the temple, "I want
to introduce you to your older brother. I believe you will get along
quite well."
--
Ua mau ke ea o ka `âina i ka pono `o Hawai'i
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