Originally posted 4/30/07I have no idea where this came from, except that I was shopping for an anniversary gift for my son and his wife and contemplating the idea that the traditional third anniversary gift is leather, which led to Aeryn, which somehow led to Rygel....
This is set about a month after PKWars, and I'm making the assumption (based in part on the script for PKW) that Rygel has been invited back to take up his throne again and isn't going to have to take it back by force....
Rating: G
Setting: About a month after PKW
Spoilers: Through PKW
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Henson is very generous in allowing me to play with them, and no disrespect is intended! (And defintely no money is being made!
Thanks to imloco2 and shipscat for the beta work, and to loby for the delightful picture you'll find at the end....
Fit for a Dominar
John dragged his feet one after the other down the corridor in Moya’s crew quarters, dreading the coming encounter. This was his own fault, though. If he hadn’t given in to the impulse to buy Aeryn a shiny new pulse pistol as a “thank you for having my baby” present, he wouldn’t be here....
“Here” was walking towards Rygel’s quarters, Aeryn at his side, carrying a wrapped gift for the soon-to-be-re-crowned Dominar. A “thank you for carrying our baby” gift. John shuddered. Abruptly, he whirled around, intending to head back to their quarters, where their tiny son was sleeping under the watchful eye of several DRDs.
Aeryn grabbed his arm before he’d gotten more than a few denches, and swung him back around to face her. “You don’t want to do this, do you?” she said. She narrowed her eyes and examined him. “You gave
me a gift.”
And don’t think I don’t regret it! He bit back the retort. Did she really not get it? “That’s different. You’re my wi—um, you pushed the watermelon out through the garden hose!” She gave him a look that said she wasn’t going to put up with any of his human nonsense, and he hastily added, “You gave birth! Rygel was, was, I don’t know, the pinch hitter! The understudy!” He threw his hands up in frustration.
Aeryn stared him down and he finally blurted, “Sparky’s, well....He’s a guy!”
Triumph gleamed in Aeryn’s eyes. “All the more reason to thank him for his part in D’Argo’s existence!”
Huh?
“Pregnancy is not a normal biological function in males. Especially Hynerian males!”
“True, but....”
“John, we owe him. If it hadn’t been for Rygel, we’d still be in pieces. Effectively dead!” She shook her head and added, “He carried the baby through a very critical stage.” She shook her head again and scowled. She was doing a lot of that in this conversation. “He nearly died.”
She had him there. John sighed. “You’re right, you’re right.” He waved down the corridor in the general direction of Rygel’s cell. “Let’s get this over with.” As they started walking again, he added under his breath, “But I don’t have to like it.”
Aeryn turned her head and gave him an indulgent grin, which irritated the heck out of him. “When did you get so sentimental?” he grumbled.
“You know exactly when. When I fell in love with our son.”
That admission stopped John’s grumbling cold. Not only was their little rug rat the light of both their lives, but the enthusiasm with which Aeryn had thrown herself into motherhood had made
fatherhood that much more wonderful. He was being a total jerk making this much fuss over giving thanks where mega thanks were due. He still didn’t have to like it, but he could do this without giving her any more grief. He came to a halt again, and Aeryn paused alongside him. “You’re right,” he said, leaning in and kissing her. “You’re absolutely right.”
“Of course I am.”
There was that indulgent grin again, but this time it didn’t annoy him quite so much. Shifting mental gears and hefting the box, which was about the size of his forearm, he asked, “Do you think he’ll like it?”
Aeryn shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Well, they always say it’s the thought that counts,” John sighed. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
While they walked, John thought about their thank you gift. At least it wasn’t too sappy. His Highness was damned hard to shop for, though, especially after Aeryn had vetoed gourmet food. “It should be a lasting memento,” she’d insisted. “Not something Rygel will eat and eliminate in the first arn!” They’d wandered the commerce center for quite a while, fussy baby in tow, trying to find a gift that was “fit for a Dominar.” Finally, John had spotted a beautiful hand-carved walking stick. The intricate pattern was enhanced on the lower portion with an inlay of dozens of sparkling gems – large ones. It was too long for Rygel’s use, of course, but the top half was fairly plain, and the craftsman had agreed to cut it down to Hynerian size. The alteration left them with a walking stick that was totally jewel-encrusted. As long as Ryge didn’t think they were implying he was old and infirm....
That wouldn’t go over well!
They came to a halt in front of Rygel’s quarters.
Aeryn called for Rygel, and he called back, “Come in, come in!” He sounded very distracted.
John and Aeryn looked at each other, shrugged, and then she reached out and pulled open the grille. They stopped in amazement only a step or two inside the cell.
Stuff was everywhere. There were packing boxes, storage containers, clothing, artifacts, paintings.... Rygel was in the middle of it all, floating on his throne sled.
He looked up at them and scowled. “I’m just sorting through all this to see what’s worth taking with me to Hyneria. When I return to my royal palace, I’ll have the finest examples of everything Hyneria has to offer. Most of this dren should just go into the recycler.” He waved his stubby arms in royal disdain.
Uh-oh.... Here they were, bringing more dren.... John was tempted to just turn around and leave, but Aeryn snatched the package from him and handed it to Rygel.
“What’s this?” he asked, after a quick glance down at the package clutched firmly in his small hands.
Aeryn looked to John, but he shook his head imperceptibly. This was her idea. Let her explain it. With a slight frown aimed at John, she began, “It’s a thank you gift.” She shook her head so her long black hair rippled down her back, then flashed another quick look at her husband and turned back to Rygel. “You’ll be leaving Moya soon, and we wanted to tell you we’re very grateful for everything you’ve done for us. Especially for your part in D’Argo’s birth. He wouldn’t be here if not for you.”
At the mention of the baby’s name, Rygel’s expression softened. “I didn’t have much choice in the matter,” he said gruffly. “But thank you for noticing.”
Without further comment, he turned his attention to opening the package. He peeled back the paper with deft fingers, exposing a simple hinged box made of dark, fine-grained akasha wood. They’d chosen that particular box because the craftsman assured them it was one of the rarest of woods, and Rygel rubbed the surface thoughtfully. As the gift-givers watched, he opened the box to reveal a soft burkahide wrapping inside. When Rygel extracted the walking stick from its protective covering, John and Aeryn held their collective breath.
Humming, Rygel held the stick up and rotated it to see all sides. The multi-colored jewels sparkled even in the low light of Moya’s crew quarters. With a grunt, he ran his fingers over the sparklers, and examined one or two of them up close, probably trying to judge if they were genuine. His eyebrows twitched, and his eyes widened. “Crichton!” he bellowed. “It’s mag-nificent!”
Bemused, John began, “Well, thanks, Sparky, we weren’t sure—”
Rygel cut him off. “Bishan’s head is going to look
splendid on the end of this stick! Thank you!”
Speechless, John and Aeryn stared at each other, eyes bugging out, and John decided they’d better beat a hasty retreat before they burst out laughing. He cleared his throat and managed to croak, “Well, I guess it’s a keeper then.”
“Most definitely,” Rygel purred, still examining the stick, apparently picturing his revenge over his traitorous cousin.
Aeryn licked her lips and said, “We’ll leave you to your packing, then.”
“Yes, yes, that’s fine,” Rygel said, dismissing them casually and turning his attention back to their gift.
They backed out into the corridor and walked quickly in the direction of their own quarters. When John judged they were out of earshot, he collapsed in giggles. “Bishan’s
head???” he gasped at last.
Aeryn was made of sterner stuff, and managed two whole sentences before breaking into a wide grin. “It was a gift for Rygel. It’s up to him what he uses it for.”
John shook his head. “Well, at least he liked it.”
“And you were worried,” Aeryn snickered.
John snickered back and pulled her into a gentle hug. It wasn’t so much he’d been afraid Rygel wouldn’t like the gift. It had cost plenty, and that alone guaranteed it would get some respect from Sparky. No, he’d just been thinking like a guy again, or maybe like a human. He knew they owed Rygel a huge debt of gratitude. He’d just felt queasy about giving Rygel a gift for something as intimate as carrying his child, but here in the UTs, things just as weird happened every day.
He kissed Aeryn on the top of her head and murmured, “You were right, babe. It was the right thing to do.”
Aeryn hugged him tight and then stood back and gave him an approving smile that made his stomach do flip-flops.
Still, he thought, as they started walking again, life had certainly been easier before she’d gotten so sentimental....
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