So this is the very draft-y bit of my AU after the Starfire Wheel, from Neroon's POV. (This is after things went differently at the end of S3, so Delenn has been back on Minbar the whole time since then, but the scheme with Neroon was about the same as it played out in canon.) I might have posted this before? not sure!
----
She was, as he expected, furious. And not the kind of anger he was used to from her, where she went quiet and cold and let him think he had achieved something while developing yet another way to undermine him in the future. No, this was white-hot unrestrained anger - he had outmanoeuvred her and she knew it. And he would be lying if he pretended that wasn’t at all satisfying.
“You had no right,” she spat. “You had no right. We made an agreement.”
“And that agreement was met. Shakiri stepped out of the circle, and then so did you. Everything went as we planned. Really, Delenn, I thought you’d be happy.”
Somewhat petty. But it had been a very long and very awful few weeks, and she wasn’t helping.
She turned away from him so he could no longer see her face. “We did not agree you would endanger Lennier.”
“I didn’t endanger him. He stepped into the circle of his own will.“
“Because you did! Because you did as Shakiri’s second, you knew he would have to follow. I told you how much he meant to me and you used that against me.”
“He’s fine, is he not?”
“He was injured.”
“Superficial burns. It’s not my fault that you don’t wear gloves.” All right, enough. “He would only have been in danger if you weren’t planning to leave the circle. But as you were of course planning to do that, as we had agreed, then all was well. Wasn’t it?”
No answer, and he knew he had her.
She sat down cross-legged and stared at a space of nothing. It would have been disorienting once; but now he remembered Branmer doing the same, and recognised it as a battle for self-control, an attempt to rein in whatever fury or sorrow or despair she didn’t want to set free. “It was not your concern,” she said. “I did what we agreed. I gave you your surrender. What happened after that -“
“Would have unbalanced us once again. What do you think you would have achieved, sacrificing yourself like that? My caste would have demanded their right to form the new Council since you forfeited yours. And your caste would have held you up as victorious. We would have had a Warrior council ruling over a furious resentful Religious caste determined to fight on in your name. You’re very good at surrendering, Delenn, but you never quite seem to lose.”
“I had left instructions with Lennier,” she said, her gaze still fixed on a candle flame that only she could see.
“For what? For others to carry out after you left us, again? As you’ve done for year after year after year. You come back here, you create chaos, and then you leave us to deal with the aftermath while you go back to hide on your station.”
“Hide?” she snarled.
“With your fleet, your army -“
“I would not have needed any of them if the Warrior caste had agreed to fight! The Shadows are back, our galaxy is falling into chaos, all Valen’s warnings have come to reality in our lifetimes, we have never needed the Warrior caste so much and where were you?”
You, his caste, or you, himself, these were different. But were they, so much? Where had he been? I didn’t oppose you building the White Star fleet, although I made sure you wouldn’t get any crew. I did what I could - some of what I could - to keep the Star Riders out of the recent violence here. I didn’t trust you. I didn’t believe you. You let this happen, yes, but so did I.
“They’ll fight now,” he said. “Under my command, they will, I swear it. Even the Wind Swords. Work with me.“ But she had gone back to staring into space. “Delenn. I did mean what I said to you before. Whatever lies ahead of us, it’s right that we should both have a part in it.” Nothing. Nothing, and he remembered the jarring emptiness he’d seen in her before after she’d returned from the station. “Delenn. We only have until morning to decide some sort of plan. We can’t fight the Shadows if things fall apart here. I can’t do this alone. Please.”
“And what do you suggest, Shai Alyt?” Still staring ahead of her, as if he was not even in the room at all, only a prickle of conscience whispering in her ear. “Stand before our world and promise we can work together?”
“Not exactly,” he said. “I have a suggestion. It’s - not ideal. But it’s better than burning to ashes in starfire.”
no subject
----
She was, as he expected, furious. And not the kind of anger he was used to from her, where she went quiet and cold and let him think he had achieved something while developing yet another way to undermine him in the future. No, this was white-hot unrestrained anger - he had outmanoeuvred her and she knew it. And he would be lying if he pretended that wasn’t at all satisfying.
“You had no right,” she spat. “You had no right. We made an agreement.”
“And that agreement was met. Shakiri stepped out of the circle, and then so did you. Everything went as we planned. Really, Delenn, I thought you’d be happy.”
Somewhat petty. But it had been a very long and very awful few weeks, and she wasn’t helping.
She turned away from him so he could no longer see her face. “We did not agree you would endanger Lennier.”
“I didn’t endanger him. He stepped into the circle of his own will.“
“Because you did! Because you did as Shakiri’s second, you knew he would have to follow. I told you how much he meant to me and you used that against me.”
“He’s fine, is he not?”
“He was injured.”
“Superficial burns. It’s not my fault that you don’t wear gloves.” All right, enough. “He would only have been in danger if you weren’t planning to leave the circle. But as you were of course planning to do that, as we had agreed, then all was well. Wasn’t it?”
No answer, and he knew he had her.
She sat down cross-legged and stared at a space of nothing. It would have been disorienting once; but now he remembered Branmer doing the same, and recognised it as a battle for self-control, an attempt to rein in whatever fury or sorrow or despair she didn’t want to set free. “It was not your concern,” she said. “I did what we agreed. I gave you your surrender. What happened after that -“
“Would have unbalanced us once again. What do you think you would have achieved, sacrificing yourself like that? My caste would have demanded their right to form the new Council since you forfeited yours. And your caste would have held you up as victorious. We would have had a Warrior council ruling over a furious resentful Religious caste determined to fight on in your name. You’re very good at surrendering, Delenn, but you never quite seem to lose.”
“I had left instructions with Lennier,” she said, her gaze still fixed on a candle flame that only she could see.
“For what? For others to carry out after you left us, again? As you’ve done for year after year after year. You come back here, you create chaos, and then you leave us to deal with the aftermath while you go back to hide on your station.”
“Hide?” she snarled.
“With your fleet, your army -“
“I would not have needed any of them if the Warrior caste had agreed to fight! The Shadows are back, our galaxy is falling into chaos, all Valen’s warnings have come to reality in our lifetimes, we have never needed the Warrior caste so much and where were you?”
You, his caste, or you, himself, these were different. But were they, so much? Where had he been? I didn’t oppose you building the White Star fleet, although I made sure you wouldn’t get any crew. I did what I could - some of what I could - to keep the Star Riders out of the recent violence here. I didn’t trust you. I didn’t believe you. You let this happen, yes, but so did I.
“They’ll fight now,” he said. “Under my command, they will, I swear it. Even the Wind Swords. Work with me.“ But she had gone back to staring into space. “Delenn. I did mean what I said to you before. Whatever lies ahead of us, it’s right that we should both have a part in it.” Nothing. Nothing, and he remembered the jarring emptiness he’d seen in her before after she’d returned from the station. “Delenn. We only have until morning to decide some sort of plan. We can’t fight the Shadows if things fall apart here. I can’t do this alone. Please.”
“And what do you suggest, Shai Alyt?” Still staring ahead of her, as if he was not even in the room at all, only a prickle of conscience whispering in her ear. “Stand before our world and promise we can work together?”
“Not exactly,” he said. “I have a suggestion. It’s - not ideal. But it’s better than burning to ashes in starfire.”