by Nicole Mayer.
8 March 1998.
***
It lay, alone, on the table. Such an intricate piece of work,
so lovingly crafted, so delicately wrought. Two strands of
intertwined gold, a simple design yet with the finest etchings.
And on each strand, written amongst the carvings, was a name. A
name that could not be separated from the other; they were two
names that belonged together for an eternity.
Or so he had hoped.
With the rustling of the wind outside, the leaves of the trees
parted and banished the shadows that fell across the open doorway.
A thin ray of light darted into the interior and caught the ring
where lay. It sparkled brilliantly for a moment, echoing the
promise and hope of when it was made.
Yet all too soon, the moment was gone and shadows once again
shrouded it in darkness. It lay, alone, on the table.
The people were gone, and soon, this small shelter would be
gone too. Then what would become of it? The ring had once been
promised such a future as it was gently placed onto the inviting
finger. Held with such love, adored with such rapture, it had
seemed that the ring would be a part of her life forever.
But she had left it. Here, alone.
Had she told him yet what she had done? Did he know that his
heart was betrayed, did he know that the promises were broken? He
must, if he truly knew her as well as he claimed he did. Yet it
was possible that his love for her was blinding him to the
inevitable truth, that it could not continue. And the abandonment
of the ring was the irrefutable proof.
Now there would be no more glorious days for the ring. No
more treatment with such reverence, no more gentle kisses, no more
chance for a companion ring that meant a further, lifetime
commitment. There would be no partner now, the ring, like its
owner, was destined to be alone.
The wind blew again, bringing the first smattering of dust.
Now the ring's shine was diminished, it looked older and more worn.
The names were hidden in the shadows, perhaps never to be uncovered
again.
And then there was a shimmering sound as light briefly filled
the small shelter, giving one last hope to the ring. Someone had
returned...it was *him*.
He looked around the cabin, a wistful expression on his face.
Earlier, *she* had been the last to leave whilst he continued
packing outside. But it seemed that he had been unable to say
goodbye so easily; he had returned for one last moment. A final
farewell to a place which had inspired so many hopes and dreams, a
place he had been willing to call home for the rest of his life.
And it had been a place where he had finally found the
courage, deep within himself, to declare his love for her. And
then, despite all of her reservations and protests, she had
accepted it, even returned it.
The evening when he gave her the ring had been one of the most
beautiful and special of his life.
He had spent days crafting it in secret, searching nearby
mineral deposits for traces of gold and painstakingly extracting
them. He wanted only the best for his love and wasn't prepared to
present her with anything less.
Once all the elements were procured, another process had begun
of selecting the perfect design and then incorporating the names.
The names. It had been a frightening step to intertwine their
names in such a fashion, it was admitting the depth of his love.
Admitting that he couldn't picture his life without her. The whole
concept scared him to death yet he persevered, somehow crafting the
true essence of his love into the small ring.
And she had accepted it. He would never forget the beautiful
smile on her face, or the pounding of his own heart as he let her
place it gently on her finger. It was a proposal, they both knew
it. Something about this magical planet had managed to diminish
the barriers and protests she held in her mind and she had looked
deep into his eyes that evening and said yes.
Yes. Such a simple word, such a profound meaning. She had
accepted the ring, she had accepted him to be a part of her life
forever. He had never known such joy as he knew that night, when
finally the barriers between them were absolved and she allowed
herself to love him as much as he loved her.
The days that had followed were pure magic. She wore the ring
constantly, either on her finger or around her neck when gardening,
so as not to lose it. She treasured the ring; she even wore it in
the bath.
His thoughts ebbing back to the present, he smiled, recalling
the beauty of her hair as he had washed it for her. Again he
glanced around the cabin; the bath was already gone and soon, so
would all of this. This place of endless, happy days and nights
spent together would be gone.
And then he saw it.
The ring, so innocently placed on the table.
At first, he couldn't believe it. It must have been a
mistake, perhaps it wasn't *the* ring, maybe just a twisted piece
of metal that had the misfortune to approximate that shape...but
no. Upon closer examination, he could not deny the truth. It was
her ring.
His hands trembling, he picked it up. Held it to the
artificial lights in the ceiling, recognised his own craftmenship
almost immediately. Saw the mockery of the joined names, saw his
own name and the dreams that crashed around it. She had abandoned
the ring and in doing so, destroyed their future together. By
leaving this planet, it was over.
She had known he would find it. That was why there had been
no protests when he requested permission to beam down one last
time. That was why she had avoided his eyes when he suggested she
come with him. That was why she had wanted to be alone upon their
return.
After everything they had been through, after all the promises
they had made, she had caved to the pressures of command once
again. Pushing aside her personal life and abandoning him.
Abandoning their dreams and their future together.
She had betrayed him.
Suddenly angry, he raced from the small house and shook his
fist at the sky, where he knew she was. The ring was clenched
tight in his fist as rage and terrible hurt coursed through his
body. An anguished cry passed from his lips and then he hurled the
ring outwards into the forest. The small band of gold shimmered as
it spun away, twinkling in the sunlight before passing into the
deep, deep greenness of the trees. It fell, its arc lasting an
eternity as he watched it disappear from view. Then he fell to his
knees and grieved.
The ring fell softly upon a bed of leaves amidst the quiet
shadows. And there it remained until the sun went down and a
gentle dew was laid over the land. Morning passed and with it came
the first fluttering of leaves, the beginning of the burial.
The ring was gone. And so were the lovers.
As the days and weeks and months passed, more foliage landed
above and it was pushed deep into the earth. It lay there,
quietly, a remembrance of a time and a love lost long ago. As the
years flew by, and then the centuries, the ring was surrounded by
soft earth turning slowly into rock, yet it did not lose its shape.
Nor did it lose the fine inscription of two alien names.
And when the primates began to walk taller, to speak, the ring
was still there. It had lain untouched for a thousand years, it
remained hidden until discovered by an emerging culture, vastly
different from those who had created the ring.
Yet the ring was revered, for it was the first proof of the
legends of the beforetime on this planet. And so the ring was
placed in a museum and surrounded by ancient drawings and tales of
the two gods who had visited their planet so many centuries ago.
The children heard the story of the lovers and their lost
ring, knowing that its story would remain for an eternity. And so,
long after the human race had departed the universe and Kathryn and
Chakotay were no longer remembered by their own people, the legend
survived. The two names were together for eternity, because of the
ring. The ring.
