AN: Ashel-veh=darling
You got back to the art studio to find Spock waiting for you, the bag of items in his hands. He handed it to you and you gladly took it back. "Thank you." You smiled.
"There is no need to thank me, princess, I just knew that you would accidentally forget about it." He replied, making you laugh. It was then that your Russian friend came to greet you.
"Pwincess! Vat are you doin' here?" He asked excitedly.
"Oh, just the same old escape from my kingdom, what else would I be doing?" You joked.
"Yes, I had heard zat zings vere getting vorse over zere. I am vewy glad you got here safely."
"I do not mean to interrupt the conversation, but I do need to talk of important matters with the princess in private." Spock butted in. You swore you could see just the tiniest hint of jealousy in those brown eyes of his.
"Of course, sir." Chekov nodded and made his lead. Spock then guided you away to another place.
"Jealous much, love?" You smirked.
"I do not get jealous, ashal-veh. I do have something of importance to talk to you about."
"Where are we heading?"
"You will see." He responded.
"All right, then. Keep your secrets." You smiled, making him raise an eyebrow at your response. Eventually, the two of you found your way to a bedroom with red drapes and an assortment of decorations. It was rather dark and gloomy. "Please don't tell me this is your bedroom, Spock." You guessed, he looked down at you, slightly taken back.
"Is there something wrong with my choices of decoration, (Y/N)?" He asked.
"Well- it's rather gloomy don't you think? It looks quite a bit like my bedroom when I was twelve and was going through what my mother called my 'angsty pre-teen phase'. I really think you could use a bit more light in here."
"It suits my needs." He shrugged. "But I suppose I could add some light."
"Are there any windows in here?"
"Naturally, I just have the drapes closed." He stated. You nodded and let in some natural light.
"Wow, would you look at that, it's almost like there's a sun." You said sarcastically making Spock roll his eyes.
"There is no need for sarcasm, if the state of my bedroom really upsets you so much, I can change it."
"It doesn't actually bother me, love, I'm just teasing you. I do remember a certain conversation back in the gardens where you said you didn't mind the teasing as long as I didn't do it too much."
"That is correct." He nodded. "Now onto more important matters, do you understand how Vulcan marriages work?"
"Not really."
"I see... There comes a time every seven years when a Vulcan goes through Pon'farr, or the mating time. For an engaged couple, this is also when kal'i'farr happens, or marriage. If you were to choose to back down, you would initiate kal-if-fee, or the act of challenge, though I am assuming that won't be the case. Do you understand so far?" He explained with a worried tone as you made yourself comfortable on his bed as you sensed that this would be a longer conversation. Once you gave a nod of understanding, he continued on. "Pon'farr is a type of punishment where we can no longer control ourselves and emotions, it lasts for eight days and to end it we must either mate, kill another person, somehow meditate through it, or evidently- die. Very few have been able to meditate through it as it requires extreme focus and dedication that only the best of Vulcan's have."
"Woah, wait- you could die from this?" You gaped.
"Yes, you know how when humans hold in your emotions for too long it often causes outbursts?"
"Yes."
"Pon'farr can be compared to that but on a more extreme level."
"I see... Is there anything I could do to help during this time?"
"The most I could ask for is your patience as I am unsure how I will react around you. The time will come in a few months, most likely after your brother's coronation. Do you have any questions?"
"Not at the moment, but I will come to you if I do have any." You smiled. He sat next to you and softly put his hand on top of yours. You felt fear and worry from his emitting from his hand. You turned his head towards you and looked into his eyes.
"It'll be alright, I know that this is fairly new for the both of us, but I know that it will be okay." You smiled.
"I don't want to hurt you, there is a high chance that I will either emotionally or even physically harm you during this time." He sighed.
"I'm willing to take that risk, I know I can take a bit of damage."
"I don't understand how you can be so confident in something like this, it's illogical to go about this without a sense of danger." He sighed.
"Love and friendship is something that defies both words and logic." You smiled, you leaned into him and wrapped your arms around him trying to give him comfort. You could feel his chest rise and fall slowly under your head. He wrapped his arms around you as you both sat there enjoying each other's company. Eventually, he laid down on his back. "Do you want me to get up?" You asked.
"Are you not enjoying this?"
"I-I am." You pouted.
"Then we can continue." He stated, allowing you to adjust and cuddle up against him. With the warm beams of the sun against you, you couldn't help but feel sleepy. Feeling that the stress from the fiasco of last night and this morning has made you lethargic you eventually drifted off against him, napping on top of his chest.
"(Y/N)," He lightly shook you awake, making you grumble slightly. "Now is not the time for your protests, please get up."
"Alright, just please stop your shaking." You yawned as you rolled over and rubbed the sleep out of your eyes.
"It is almost time for dinner." He replied as he got up and grabbed a brush from your bag and handed it to you.
"Thank you." You took the brush and began to brush out your hair. That was when Kieran burst in.
"Princess! You need to get to your hiding place now!" They gasped.
"Mx. Kieran, what happened?" Spock questioned.
"King Derek has just arrived! She needs to hide!" They replied. You quickly shot up, now full of energy.
"On it, I will see you soon, love." You smiled at Spock. He nodded and you ran away swiftly yet silently. Luckily, your dress was rather loose, allowing more free movement and you managed to avoid any humans and made it into your hiding place, gasping for breath. Fear filled your heart as you sat there waiting. Multiple times you heard footsteps outside in the room, but as soon as they came, they left. The small corridor made you feel so cramped like you were about to be buried alive, you had so much trouble keeping yourself under control as your mind became plagued with the memories of your punishments. You remember the smell, the chills, and the pitch black. Each time you suffered that punishment, it always felt the same.
"Svai." Sarek stated. You quickly opened the door and crawled out, still trying to keep your composure. You were still on the break of hyperventilating, as you looked around, you couldn't help but see your own home kingdom.
"Are you alright, Princess?" He asked. you couldn't help but hear a little bit of your father's voice in his even though you knew it wasn't him. Your breathing became quick and shallow and hurt as it went down your throat. "(Y/N, you're hyperventilating," He stated as you closed your eyes to keep the tears from coming out. Your chest hurt and it felt so tight. "Come with me, princess. I'm not trained on this." He put a hand on your shoulder as you nodded. He guided you to an empty foyer where Amanda was waiting.
"Princess, are you alright?" She questioned, fear in her voice. You could only shake your head in reply as your mind felt so full yet empty at the same time.
"I believe that she is having an anxiety attack." Her husband theorized.
"Oh, dear. Alright, (Y/N)? I need you to breathe with me for a bit, okay? Just follow my lead." Amanda softly spoke with sweetness as she took you from Sarek and sat you down on a chair and sat down in front of you. You nodded in reply and she carefully guided you through a breathing exercise. Four beats in, hold for four, out for eight beats, then release for four, and then release. After a few rounds of doing that she asked another question, "Do you think you can talk?"
"Y-yes." You breathed out shakily.
"Good, I'm sure you already know that breathing exercise but I want to try one more exercise to help you calm down some more. Can you name five things you can see?"
"You, Sarek, the table, um- the door, and the er- the chair." You stumbled out.
"You're doing great, now try naming four things you can hear."
"You again, footsteps, candle flame, and my heartbeat." You laughed, trying to lighten things up, Amanda gave an encouraging smile and put a hand on yours.
"Good, now how about three things you can touch."
"My dress, the chair, and your hand."
"Great! The next step is two things you can smell." She instructed. You took a deep inhale through your nose and took note of any scents around you.
"Lavender and old books- Your castle smells exactly like I would imagine an old library to smell." You laughed again, making her chuckle. She then unwrapped a small piece of chocolate and popped it into your mouth.
"Now name one thing you can taste."
"The chocolate." You laughed.
"Do you feel better?" She questioned with a smile.
"Much better, thank you so much." You wrapped your arms around her, thankful for your help.
"It's no problem of mine, now come with me, we must meet with Spock." She stated, helping you out of the chair.
"Though princess, if I may ask, why did you have such a strong reaction?" Sarek questioned.
"King Darek has put me into small unlit rooms as punishment as a child whenever he was drunk, I didn't think I'd react that way when I was asked to go in those corridors but- my attacks can sometimes be unpredictable." You explained.
"Understood, let us go." He nodded. The royal couple then guided you through the castle to a new part that you have yet to discover.