Rain was pattering against the window, slipping down the pane. It was three in the afternoon and the sky was gray and darkening with bruised clouds. Two weeks had passed since Ronon had come to Teyla, laying bare his fears, and ever since, she felt as if they could finally look at each other for the first time. They knew the other was afraid, but they also knew that the bond they’d forged from pain and survival was still strong, and that if they could still love each other after all they’d been through, then that love was worth holding onto to the last.
Teyla had walked the halls of Atlantis in a bit of a hazy dream, feeling the glow in her heart lightening her step and making her smile at everything even remotely beautiful. She knew it was because she was falling in love all over again, and the feeling was welcome, for she and Ronon had both changed a great deal, yet now had the luxury of time to spend together. To get to know their different selves and to return to the common ground of their affection. Their time together wasn’t without set backs, nor without arguments, but the pleasant moments were worth all the more warmth for they were hard-earned.
She had seen Ronon at breakfast and he hadn’t looked well, so Teyla decided against a workout that afternoon to see how her warrior was doing. She lightly knocked on the door before slipping into his room, smirking when she found him on the couch, frowning as he played with his xbox. “Ronon?”
He spared her a glance then groaned when his Halo soldier was killed. “I was just about to kill him.”
“Who?” she asked, stepping over.
“Sheppard.” He sighed let the controller rest in his lap while the game reloaded.
Teyla took her seat beside him and wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his shoulder in an embrace. His voice sounded as if he couldn’t breathe through his nose. “How are you feeling?”
He didn’t answer because the next round began and his soldier was up and running through the rocky landscape, trying to hunt out Sheppard’s. Teyla couldn’t help but chuckle a little as she watched the screen. She had tried to play several times in the past but failed to see the appeal of pretending to kill your friends. When Ronon’s soldier was blown up again, he groaned and leaned back then quit.
Teyla smirked. He was pouting. “Better luck next time.”
“Yeah right. He always wins.”
“I’m sure he has had much more practice.”
Ronon leaned his head against the back of the couch and looked to her. “I thought you were gonna go for a run.”
“I changed my mind.”
Ronon smiled and rested his forehead against hers.
Teyla’s brows twitched slightly at the warmth of his skin. “Have you gone to see Dr. Keller?”
“It’s just a cold.”
“You should be resting.” Teyla pulled away from him and rose. “Go lie down and I’ll bring you something.”
Where in the past Ronon might have argued and lied, insisting that he was fine, he obeyed instead, lethargically slumping over to his bed and flopping down. Teyla kissed his temple before heading to the commissary, taking amusement in Ronon allowing her to take care of him. Though she knew he had dropped some of his pretense of being a tough soldier as a result of Liliana’s gentle hand, she also knew that his current docility was a reminder of how much he trusted and adored her. Despite being weak and vulnerable as he was ill, he not only didn’t mind if Teyla was around him in such a state, but he accepted her compassion and loved her for it.
Teyla returned with a carton or orange juice and poured it into a cup before handing it to him. Ronon took it and drank the whole glass before thanking her and lying back down. Teyla climbed into bed next to him and felt his forehead again. “You are not terribly warm.”
“I’m warm enough.” He struggled out of his shirt and sighed. They lay in silence for a few moments before he lolled his head to look at her. “You don’t have to stay here, you know.”
“I know.”
“I don’t feel like doing anything. Just resting.”
“I do not believe you.”
He raised his brows. “What?”
“I know you. Even in rest you will be plotting strategies to kill Sheppard on Halo.”
Ronon laughed, which made him cough and groan.
“Do you want more juice?”
He shook his head then snatched up a tissue and blew his nose. “I hate being sick.”
“At least it makes you hold still.”
“Huh?”
Teyla smirked. “Nothing.”
“I hold still.”
“Mmm hmm.”
“I do.”
“When?”
“All the time.”
“Ronon,” she said as she propped herself up on one elbow to study his face. “You cannot hold still for more than five minutes. Even when we watch a movie together, you are always squirming around and shifting your position and looking for food.”
Ronon furrowed his brow. “I don’t go looking for food.”
“I watched you eat a Cheeto that you found in the crevice of the couch cushion.”
Ronon groaned. “That was once. And you’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
She smirked and kissed the tip of his nose.
“I knew how old it was. It was from that afternoon.”
“If we ever have a child, you will not eat pieces of food you discover in the couch. Understood?”
Ronon rolled over so that his back was to her. “You’re such a dictator.”
“Someone has to teach you to not be such a bear, rooting around for snacks.”
“Fine. Then you can’t do certain things, too.”
“Like what?” she asked as she lay back down. “I am not the one who sets a bad example.”
“Oh please. You laugh at me when I fall. You slap my ass in front of other people. You –”
“That was only once!”
“Yeah, well, if you do it in front of our kid, the kid’s gonna think it’s okay to hit.”
“You said you liked it.”
Ronon reached back and pinched whatever part of her he could reach, which happened to be her stomach. She swatted his hand away with a giggle then both fell quiet as the rain began to pelt against the windows in a loud pitter patter. The noise was soothing and Teyla scooted closer to Ronon, resting her hand on his arm and slowly rubbing his bicep, her mind wandering into a possible future where they did have a child and home of their own and a peaceful life where they could absolve each other of the deep scarring of their souls. Though she knew that neither would ever give up in their fight against the Wraith, she couldn’t help but feel that they deserved a long respite after suffering so much under the hand of their own kind.
The lick of the whip had left permanent marks on Ronon’s back, though under advice from Keller, Teyla had been rubbing vitamin E into the scars for the past few weeks, and she could swear they were becoming smaller. While the scars didn’t bother her in the least, other than as a painful reminder of what her lover had endured, she knew that they were a source of some measure of shame for Ronon. She reached out to the nightstand and grabbed some oil, rubbing it onto her hands before smoothing it over the marks on his back.
Ronon didn’t flinch and the muscles of his back hardly tensed, which made her smile, for in the past, no matter how gentle she was or how relaxed he tried to become, he couldn’t help but grow taut at the press of her palms against an area that used to give him such pain. She kissed the back of his neck as she rubbed in the oil into his skin, so very proud of how far he had come. He showed more and more of his quirks and charm everyday, blossoming back into who he had been amongst the Espens, and Teyla couldn’t adore him more.
His steady breathing soon told her that Ronon was asleep and she rested her hand on his side, closing her eyes relaxing behind him, willing her affection into his body to help him heal.
Green was growing where before the ground had been so trampled that not even the hardiest seed could survive. In the absence of hundreds of slaves milling about, the barracks were being slowly reclaimed by the land. Teyla and Ronon hardly recognized them as they walked past, heading towards the eating area where food used to be served in rough troughs, as if for livestock. Ronon slowed as they approached and Teyla realized what had caught his eye. There were thousands of former slaves gathered around barbeque pits and musicians, dancing and eating and celebrating. Colorful banners hung between buildings and from trees, declaring freedom and jubilation. Teyla couldn’t help but smile.
“Teyla!” a familiar voice called, and Teyla turned to find Binti dashing over to her. The two women embraced with squeals and giggles that morphed into tears on Binti’s part. “We have waited for this day for long. Welcome. Welcome, sister.”
Teyla inclined her head in a bow then gestured to Ronon. “Ronon, do you remember Binti?”
Ronon parted his lips but it was obvious that if he had known Binti once, the strain of his fever and time spent away had erased her from his memory.
“I remember you, tall man,” Binti offered with a smug expression. “I see where Teyla gets her inspiration.”
The Athosian smirked. “How have you been, Binti?”
“Wonderful. The revolts were planet-wide, you know, so there is much rebuilding to do.”
“You were brave to remain when so many others took up our offer of relocation.”
“I have spilled my blood on this land. It is where I was born. It was safer for others to flee the blacklash of the drivers, but I had nothing and no one to lose. We have made our voices known and now it is written in the very laws of the government – slavery is outlawed. We may not yet have the rights of the others, but we will soon.”
“I wish you the best, Binti,” Ronon spoke up for the first time.
Binti grinned then gave him a small bow before ushering the two towards the gathered crowd. Several faces peered at Teyla, and when they recognized who she was, they sent a hissing message through the crowd so that the excitement built to a palpable level as people began to whoop and cheer and shout that Teyla Freedombringer was here.
Ronon couldn’t help but laugh as a chant of “Tey-la! Tey-la! Tey-la!” erupted from the crowd and Teyla took on the expression of a surprised turtle. Binti guided her up onto a stage and Ronon helped her ascend the stairs but remained with the crowd below, despite her threatening looks that tried to coerce him to share in the gazes of so many.
“Brothers! Sisters!” Binti shouted, calming the crowd. “Teyla Freedombringer has returned! Teyla Freedombringer walks among us!”
The crowd erupted into an ecstatic roar, making Ronon laugh and tempting him to cover his ears. Several shouted out calls of welcome, and one woman even screeched that Teyla was a goddess, which made the Athosian laugh. She raised her arm to quiet the crowd, and silence fell almost immediately. Appearing baffled by her own power, Teyla’s expression turned sober.
“You are a free people,” Teyla began, “but you did not need me to tell you so, for you were free from the moment you were born. Free with thought, free with will, and now, free with your lives.” The crowd let out another cheering roar. “Brothers and sisters, I congratulate you on all you have achieved. May your vision continue to change the hearts of those who would stand against you. But I have no doubt that, united as you are, you will change this world even more than you already have, and your daughters and sons will grow up in a place where equality is revered, freedom is never taken for granted, and where all who wish to speak shall have a voice!”
Ronon jumped at the power of the roar that boomed behind him, feeling like the joy of the former slaves had slammed into him. The crowd began to chant Teyla’s name once more, and this time he joined in, clapping in time with the others as her name beat out a tempo. Binti raised her voice in a strained, howling song that the crowd immediately recognized and began to sing along. Ronon was confused for a moment until he remembered the song as a tune he had often heard in the fields, though the lyrics were new to him. Teyla raised her voice to join Binti’s in leading the tune.
I call out to my sister,
I say “Where you gone?”
I call out to my brother,
I say “Don’t be long.”
I cry out to my mother,
I say “Make me strong.”
I cry out to my father,
I say “I sing your song.”
Hands are bleeding’,
But my heart is strong.
Back is broken,
But my faith lives on.
So long as I have my soul,
I’ll never be gone.”
I call out to my sister,
I say “Where you gone?”
I call out to my brother,
I say “Don’t be long.”
I cry out to my mother,
I say “Make me strong.”
I cry out to my father,
I say “I sing your song.”
“My hands are bleedin’
But my heart is strong.
When we carry each other
Love lives on.
Oh, when we carry each other
Love lives on.
Ronon clapped in time with the others, smiling up at Teyla as she started the song again. People behind him were shouting out their agreement and enthusiasm at the power of the words, but despite all of the noise and momentum and change, what Ronon treasured most was the pride and jubilation shining in Teyla’s eyes.
Branded Heart
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