"I can't believe this," Jim muttered.

"Which part?" Sam whispered back. "The alliance? Or the marriage?"

"You know damn well which part." He undid the top button of his collar, wishing he could just take off the whole coat. Jim felt like a complete sham wearing what was historically a military uniform.

"Maybe it won't be so bad. That old Vulcan said you two were mentally compatible."

Jim knew that his brother was just trying to give him moral support—and he was thankful for it—but nothing he heard was going to soothe his agitation right now. He couldn't believe this. "There are a whole lot of other things to consider in a marriage besides mental compatibility."

Sam leaned against the stone wall. "Well, I thought he was good-looking enough."

"He's fourteen," Jim gritted through his teeth.

"Yeah, but that's got to be about sixty in Vulcan years. I mean, did you see him? His face was about as rigid as a thousand year-old stone gargoyle."

Jim had only caught the briefest glance of his husband-to-be's face but he personally thought it had been the face of a scared kid. He figured he should probably keep that opinion to himself though. Not much was known about Vulcans, but one very well-known fact was that Vulcans did not like discussing emotions, emotional displays, or emotions period. Besides, he was probably just projecting his own sense of unease over the whole affair onto how he viewed the young… prince, or whatever the Vulcan equivalent was.

"Jim."

"Yeah?" Jim grunted, attempting to straighten his sash. It had slipped off his shoulder when he'd fiddled with his collar.

Sam stepped forward, adjusting Jim's sash and then his belt which had also gone awry with the twisting of Jim's body. "Thank you for doing this. And Aurelan thanks you too, of course."

Jim felt the nape of his neck heat up and stared down at his just-polished boots. "Yeah, well, I figure that since I can't serve Earth by facing down Klingons and Romulans in space, the least I can do is face a Vulcan down the aisle."

Sam frowned, but before he could reply a servant opened the door down the hall.

"Pardon me, Your Highnesses. But the party is now ready to receive Prince James."

Sam cleared his expression and brought out a smile for his brother. He clapped Jim on the back. "Good luck."

Jim returned the smile ruefully, then set his shoulders in resignation before entering the chamber. The servant bowed at the waist and shut the door behind him. The entourage waiting inside was small. Winona Kirk, queen of the United Earth and Jim's mother, stood to one side with the officiant. On the other side was the elderly female Vulcan that had performed the compatibility test earlier. Jim hadn't managed to catch what exactly her title or position was, but he supposed she was something like an officiant since she was going complete the bonding ceremony. Standing sternly beside the ancient alien was a (relatively) younger Vulcan male: Sarek, grandson of T'Pau (empress of Vulcan) and Jim's future father-in-law.

Lurking in the background was the single journalist permitted to record the historic event. Jim was relieved that his mother had agreed to the Vulcans' request of low media coverage. He didn't think he could sustain a smile for a thousand cameras. Still, he imagined that if he turned on a vid screen, every channel would be dominated by news of the royal wedding, lack of information be damned. It made Jim angry to even think about. An inter-galactic war was looming and the news anchors were probably all gossiping about what Queen Winona was wearing for her second son's big day. An inter-galactic war that Jim would be allowed no part in.

The door on the opposite end of the chamber opened, interrupting Jim's silent fuming. Jim moved quickly to join his mother's side as Sarek's son entered, dressed in new, ceremonial garments as Jim had been. He was named Spock and so far all Jim knew about him was that his mother had been human (the famous Lady Amanda, now deceased) and that he was a scrawny teenager with a sleek cap of black hair and ears he hadn't quite finished growing into.

Spock stepped up to his father and across from Jim and the officiant began talking. Jim only listened closely enough to utter the appropriate phrases at the right times. Instead, he stared at Spock hoping to catch his eye or some hint of an expression. But Spock's head was bowed. The Vulcan boy seemed to be about as engaged in the ceremony as Jim was, but he recited the vows clearly. Jim noted that Spock did not speak the same accented Standard that Sarek did—probably a result of growing up with a human mother. Jim found some relief in the fact that at the very least he wasn't the first human to marry a Vulcan.

Goddammit. This was really happening. Jim was getting married to a Vulcan. Everything was moving way too fast.

Four days ago, the news broke that in an unprecedented move, Earth's long-time antagonist, the Klingons, had joined forces with the Romulans. All of Earth had flown into a panic. Altercations against one formidable enemy had been trying enough on their resources, but battling against two would be a disaster.

Three days ago, in face of the news that their foes the Romulans had combined with Klingons, the Vulcans had apparently decided to abandon their isolationist tendencies and reached out to Earth with what they considered a logical proposal: Vulcan did not have the numbers necessary to combat a dual threat as few of their people chose the path of a soldier and Earth lacked the amount of dilithium necessary to fuel a fleet strong enough for such a war. Thus, an alliance would be most beneficial for both sides.

Two days ago, a treaty between the two planets had been hashed out and it was decided that the alliance would be sealed in what was apparently a Vulcan tradition for such occasions—marriage, or as they called, a bonding.

One day ago, Jim had found himself volunteering to be wed in his brother's place. Unbeknownst to the public and most of the court, Crown Prince George Samuel Kirk was currently courting a lovely young lady he'd met at university. Aurelan was kind, beautiful, and frightfully clever, but as a commoner her prior relationship with Sam had no standing in comparison to a Vulcan prince. Sam had been prepared to do his duty, but Jim was unattached and saw no reason for his brother and his intended to be miserable.
A scant eight hours ago, the ship had from Vulcan arrived. Some more details concerning the treaty were discussed, including the switch from Prince George to Prince James. The Vulcans did not seem to mind so long as the pair was mentally compatible and so the mysterious Spock that Jim was to marry was procured for the testing.

And so, two hours ago, Jim had discovered that the being who was soon to be his husband was, in fact, a teenager eight years his junior by Earth's reckoning. He wouldn't have thought that marrying off a fourteen year old was legal, but at this very moment he was signing the marriage certificate so apparently it was.

The officiant finally stopped his droning and the old Vulcan woman came forward. Jim was completely unfamiliar with this ceremony, aside from some brief coaching earlier, so he resolved to pay better attention. Luckily, it seemed, Vulcans preferred their rituals short and to the point.

"We are gathered at this stardate, 2332.24, to perform the lifelong binding of these two individuals." Her accent was heavy, much heavier than Sarek's, but the voice emitting from her wizened frame was surprisingly loud. She turned to Jim. "I, T'lag T'kn T'Laypa, ask you, James Tiberius Kirk, to confirm your intent before these witnesses to bind yourself, mind and body, for the duration of your lifespan to S'chn T'gai Spock."

Still staring down the dark head across from him, Jim swallowed around the lump that had suddenly risen in his throat. "I confirm."

She looked to Spock. "I, T'lag T'kn T'Laypa, ask you, S'chn T'gai Spock, to confirm your intent before these witnesses to bind yourself, mind and body, for the duration of your lifespan to James Tiberius Kirk."

Spock had not yet met Jim's eyes. "I confirm."

"The intents are one. These two individuals now kneel so that they may become the same." At that cue, Jim knelt within reach of the elderly Vulcan. Spock likewise lowered himself and T'Laypa laid one hand to each of their temples. Prior to the compatibility testing, Jim had been warned that he may feel some sensation from the presence of another being in his mind. At that time he had felt a slight pulse, almost as though his hand had been dipped into water. This time it was more like his entire body had been plunged into a pool. He sensed at the same instance someone drifting nearby. Spock. The two of them flowed closer and closer together until he felt a warm brush, like skin against skin.

A camera flashed. Jim blinked and realized it was over. T'Laypa had straightened and Spock was already rising. Jim got to his feet again and discovered Spock's eyes finally upon him. They were large and brown and… human, Jim recognized. Spock had a human's eyes.

"The binding is now complete; a bond has been formed. Let it be so recalled."

And that was it.

On any other occasion, a royal wedding would have been preceded by a dozen lavish ceremonies and receptions and followed by a dozen more. However, due to the circumstances and the Vulcans' distaste for such exuberant rituals, Jim was spared from suffering through endless handshakes and chatter and gifts. He usually would not have minded going through the motions, might have even enjoyed some of it, but today he was distinctly not in the mood to fulfill any more princely duties. As it was, Jim had gotten married at a little past eight in the evening, so he simply had to sit through the most awkward dinner of his life before being allowed to retire.

He'd hoped that he would get a chance to speak with Spock at the dinner; he was sitting right beside him after all. But the teenager was completely closed off and did not respond to any of Jim's overtures. Unconcerned, Jim diverted his energies to establishing a positive rapport with his new father-in-law. Vulcan or not, the man was going to be leaving his kid behind on this planet and he didn't want the man to worry too much. He thought he might have had some success in that arena (Sarek was unexpressive, so it was hard to tell) but as the dinner wound up doubling as an informal strategic meeting, there weren't many opportunities to talk to Sarek one-on-one.

Eventually, Jim was allowed to escape, Spock two steps behind him. He was so relieved to finally have the day done with that he didn't notice where the servant was escorting him until they'd already arrived.

"Uh… we're sleeping here?" he asked numbly.

The woman inclined her head. "Yes. These rooms were specially prepared, Your Highnesses."

Jim scratched the back of his neck. "Couldn't we just go to my rooms? There is plenty space for both of us there."

"That would not be appropriate, Your Highness. In addition, this suite is traditional, is it not?" Jim flushed. The servant was older, perhaps his mother's age or a bit more, and Jim got the distinct impression that she was teasing him. He thought to ask for a different suite to be set up if his own rooms were inappropriate, but it was late at night and he did not want to put the staff through the trouble.

Jim glanced at Spock, but the teenager was back to staring at the floor like he'd been earlier that day. Jim sighed and opened the door to the honeymoon suite. It was just one night. Hopefully.

"Is there anything I can get for you, Your Highnesses?"

"Ah, not for me." He almost called out to Spock to see if he needed anything, but the Vulcan had already slipped past him, though the suite's living room, and into the bedroom. "I guess we're good, thank you." The woman bowed and bade them a good night.

Jim kneaded his forehead with one hand. The honeymoon suite? He supposed that technically this was his honeymoon, but surely no one was actually expecting him to have sex with a fourteen year-old. This suite had just been set up because it was, in fact, tradition.

Jim glared at the solitary couch in the living room. It was a loveseat and a very intimate one at that. Jim was not particularly tall, but even his body was too long to sleep on it. Spock could fit, but Jim wasn't about to make the kid sleep on a couch his first night on Earth. Not unless he wanted to.

He wished he had some idea what Spock was thinking. It was obvious that the Vulcan wasn't pleased to be here and, though it didn't show much, the boy had to be nervous. Beyond that though, Jim was lost and he was too tired to try to feel Spock out anymore tonight. Tomorrow he'd try anew, but for now all he wanted to do was sleep.

That decided, Jim entered the bedroom to join the teenager. Spock had already changed into what Jim supposed was Vulcan nightwear. He spied a trunk that was decidedly un-Terran and noted that the servants must have brought Spock's things up to the room. He'd have to see about getting a valet assigned to Spock tomorrow. Spock was sitting rigidly on the very edge of the huge bed, large eyes fixed upon Jim. His back was perfectly straight and his hands were folded neatly in his lap, but Jim could detect some sort of tension coming off of him and realized that his suspicion had been correct—Spock was nervous.

Shit, he hoped the kid didn't think Jim was planning to have sex with him. Well, that was one chat that definitely could not wait for tomorrow. He cleared his throat. "Look. You don't have to worry about me… forcing you or anything." Jim felt a flush rise up on his neck. Was he really having this conversation? "…I'm not like that," he finished lamely.

Spock blinked once. "I have no such concerns," he said. His voice was level, though a little hoarse. "When T'Laypa entered your mind for the compatibility screening, she also sought for any nefarious tastes. If she had detected something unacceptable, she would have alerted my father."

"...Okay." Jim wondered if he should feel like his privacy had been invaded. Maybe on another occasion he might have objected, but right now he was too exhausted, too overwhelmed, to care. Besides, it was already done. "All right. Well, I'm tired and you had a long trip to get here, so I bet you're tired too. I'm going to go get changed. You go ahead and pick your side of the bed."

He opened the armoire and pulled out a set of pajamas that his valet had undoubtedly brought in. Usually he only slept in pants if anything at all, but Janice had sensibly set aside both top and bottom. Jim was glad. No matter what Spock said about not being worried, he wasn't going to give the kid any reason for concern. With that in mind, he changed in the bedroom before washing up. By the time he came out, Spock was already tucked deep under the blankets with only the top of his dark head visible and totally still except for the slight rise and fall of his chest. Jim crawled into the bed and laid down a decent distance away. He turned on his side to look at the lump that was his young husband.

Fourteen. When Jim was fourteen, his biggest strife had been worrying about making a fool of himself dancing at a court ball. His entire life had been building model starships and reading war novels and learning how to take apart computers by trial and error. He couldn't imagine being fourteen and landing on Vulcan to get hitched to some older guy he'd never met. He especially couldn't imagine doing so with the fate of his people riding on his shoulders.

Spock is brave. He added this to the short list of facts he knew about the Vulcan. Spock is fourteen. Spock is the second son of Sarek and Vulcan royalty. Spock is half human with a human's eyes. Spock's mother is gone. Spock is brave.

Jim closed his eyes to try to fall asleep. Jim didn't know if he could come to care for Spock like a married couple should. He didn't know if he'd even be able to get along with the kid. But at the very least, he knew he could admire him. That was somewhere to begin. That was a start.