Chapter Text
Castellan Elim Garak took walks sometimes to get out of the Castellan’s mansion, to get away from the pretentiousness and unnecessary ceremony that politics oftentimes demanded. He wanted to gauge whether he was actually helping Cardassia Prime or whether he was just as pretentious and unnecessary.
The rebuilding of the capital city was going as quickly as they could. It had been two years after The Fire. The first year was absolute misery; not enough food, not enough medical supplies, not enough anything. Mass graves; round the clock rubble clearing; pleas to outside governments for help; it had gone by in a blur of coldness, emptiness and darkness. The second year was looking better; rebuilding had started, infrastructure was at least up but rationed; yet there was still not enough of things to eat, to do, and still too much need.
At least Julian was here. He had shown up with the Federation contingent towards the end of the first year and had immediately caused a stir by demanding to see the Castellan. When Garak had heard the name of the person risking scandal and jail time to see him, he had run out of the meeting with the provincial governors. He hadn’t cared that the news media caught every single moment of him running to a human, throwing himself into that human’s arms, and soundly kissing him. Installing Julian in the household after that had just been a formality easily taken care of and the First Couple had been the talk of Cardassia for days afterwards.
His security detail walked 10 paces behind him, as he requested for these walks. He wanted to go alone but they insisted. There were reactionary elements on the planet that saw destabilization as a way to gain power. Like most movements though, their bite had been lessened due to the extreme suffering, but their bark could still be dangerous.
People nodded and smiled at him as he passed. Some said hello and a few asked for things such as blankets or clothes. He made sure they knew where to go to obtain such things, watching their expressions turn into surprise when they heard that there was such a place and it was free. Others, like the old woman who sat outside her hovel shivering, he made one of his security personnel run to the Federation warehouse to obtain for her warmer clothing. Many of the women smiled as he walked past and jokingly called, “How was your night?” He took the joke as it was meant. He and Julian had had their enjoinment ceremony only a month ago, yet people still called out with that age-old Cardassian joke that all newlyweds had to endure.
There were also complaints, and he listened. Many of them were for things that were on the list to get done but couldn’t be accomplished until the city had reliable electricity or other things of that nature. People seemed content to just be heard and so he stood with them and let them talk.
As he rounded a corner, he saw people loading items up on a makeshift cart and he wandered over. An orphanage was closing. With so many dead, Cardassians were redefining what a family unit meant and that translated into war orphans being quickly adopted; this allowed for the closing and consolidating many of the orphanages to be renovated into desperately needed housing. He considered this a major win.
As he drew closer, he noticed a young girl sitting on the steps with a small suitcase. She was the only child in attendance. The matron of the former orphanage quickly set down the items she carried and hurried over to him.
“Castellan, such an honor.”
“Another orphanage closing?”
“Yes. It still seems family is important to us. Third closing this month for the city.”
“Good to hear.”
He asked before he could stop himself. “The child on the stairs?”
“Oh, yes, Ziyal. She was the last orphan here and is being moved. Poor thing, this’ll be her third orphanage.”
The name had struck a chord with him. “Third orphanage?”
“Yes, she is a little older than most war orphans so she hasn’t been chosen yet. But we’ll keep trying.”
“Has she been seen? That’s the correct word, right?” Garak was a little vague on the adoption process but he remembered hearing something about being seen, referring to the event where an orphan is chosen to meet with prospective families.
The woman grew uncomfortable. “Not as such. Not yet.”
Garak read between the lines. Three orphanages and not once had a family even asked to see her. In his mind, he was transported back to a different time and a different planet and a small voice asking him, “Are you here to take us back to Cardassia?”
“May I speak with her?” he asked the matron.
“Certainly, Castellan.”
She brought him over to the young girl, who watched their movement with alert, bright eyes.
“Ziyal, this is the Castellan.”
“Hello,” she said.
“Hello to you as well.”
She looked expectantly at him. “How old are you?”
“Ten,” she replied.
Small for her age then, but most war orphans were. Malnourishment from the latter years of the war and then The Fire and the year afterwards, had stunted much of their growth. Other maladies were also more significantly expressed amongst the war orphan group.
“Ready to move again?”
“I suppose. I’ll miss this place a little though. We had our own chamberpots here.”
“Ziyal,” the matron sounded as though she was long-suffering with this one.
Garak liked the fire and courage it took to say something like that and at her age no less.
“Unlike the other place?”
“And the new place from what I hear,” said the 10-year-old going on 75.
Matron looked embarrassed and Garak smiled. Julian was going to kill him.
“Matron, may I speak with you?”
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“Chu’lian!” he called as he arrived home. “You home?”
“In the kitchen, be right there!” his enjoined called back.
The Castellan’s mansion had been damaged in the bombings but not as badly as most houses in the city. Renovations had been completed within the year, and he was told in no uncertain terms that he was to live in it. While most of the mansion was set aside for official duties, the family apartment connected to it was for the private use of the Castellan and his family members. It was a spacious area with two living rooms, six bedrooms, a library, a kitchen, a small and big dining areas, and multiple bathrooms. Garak called it palatial. However, Garak held himself to the same rules regarding electricity usage, water usage for bathrooms and other such rationed items. Just another reason he was seen as a popular choice.
As Julian rounded the corner, he saw the look of surprise cross his husband’s face.
“Well, hello,” Julian immediately kneeled on the floor. “I’m Julian. What’s your name?”
He felt Ziyal’s claws dig into his leg as she peeked around it. “Ziyal.”
He saw Julian startle and look up at him. “Are you hungry?”
“You have food?” she sounded eager.
“Indeed, we do.”
“What type of food?” the suspicion in her voice made Garak smile a little.
It made Julian smile as well. “Well, what’s your favorite and I’ll see if we have it.”
“Ikri buns.”
“Now I don’t even have to look because I brought some home this afternoon. Would you like one or two?”
Garak could imagine the delight showing on her face. “I can have two?!?!” He felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down. “He said I could have two. Can I have two?”
Garak cleared his throat. “I agree with your father, you can have two.”
Garak saw Julian’s eyebrows raise in sheer shock at being called a father.
“Wait,” she replied. The two adults stared at her. “I have two fathers?”
Julian let Garak get this one. “Yes.”
“Well,” she looked very serious. “I can’t call you both Papa.” She pointed at Garak. “You can still be Papa.” She turned to Julian. “And I think…hmmm…Daddy works for you.” She looked pleased with herself. “Okay, now that that’s settled, I can go eat.”
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As they watched Ziyal sit at the kitchen table, swinging her feet and humming to herself over her ikri bun, Julian pulled Garak into an embrace.
“My love, I still need an explanation.”
Garak fiddled with his lover’s shirt. “I was on one of my walks when I walked past an orphanage. It was closing and she was the last child there. She was moving to her third orphanage and she still hadn’t been seen, not once. And then I heard her name and then I thought about the last time we spoke with orphans. And then I signed the adoption papers.”
“Which I will also need to sign, correct?”
“Sooner rather than later.” He sighed. “You aren’t mad are you?”
“No, startled and surprised, yes, but not mad.”
“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t say no.”
Julian kissed his husband. “I know.”
“And we did speak about children.”
“But not for a few years. We’re still trying to put this world back together and we’ve been uber-busy with that!”
Garak grew silent.
“We’ll make it work my love.” Julian kissed him again and then smirked. “So Papa, which bedroom will be hers?”
“I don’t know Daddy. Shall we let her choose?”
They smiled at each other and kissed.