Spock/Relationships/Romances/T'Pring

At age seven, Spock was bonded to T'Pring in a family-arranged Vulcan ceremony described in Human terms as "less than a marriage, but more than a betrothal." ()
T'Pring formally proposed marriage to Spock in 2259, but the two had not been married by 2267. ()
When Spock experienced his pon farr of 2267, he succumbed to the madness of the plak tow mating instinct. The Enterprise diverted to Vulcan in time to consummate the marriage. Accompanied by Kirk and McCoy, Spock arrived at his family's ancient koon-ut-kal-if-fee site for the wedding ceremony officiated by the matriarch T'Pau. Unexpectedly – but within the bounds of Vulcan tradition – T'Pring demanded the challenge of kal-if-fee, forcing Spock to earn the right to marry his bride through victory in personal combat. Rather than her prospective consort Stonn, T'Pring chose Kirk as her champion.
Unwilling to appear weak or disrespectful in front of the legendary T'Pau, Kirk agreed to fight his first officer. Between rounds using the lirpa and ahn-woon weapons, T'Pau belatedly revealed the combat was "to the death," and it became clear that Kirk had little chance against Spock in the throes of his blood fever. McCoy intervened, deceptively dosing Kirk with a drug that simulated his death.
Spock's plak tow subsided after his apparent victory. Appalled at the turn of events, Spock calmly questioned T'Pring's decisions. T'Pring admitted her distaste for Spock's growing fame among Vulcans, and her mutual attraction to Stonn. By her logic, choosing Kirk meant neither victor would claim her in the end, and she would have her life with Stonn. Spock acknowledged her way of thinking, referring to it as "flawless". T'Pring, for her part, was honored, but Spock advised Stonn that he would find that "having… is not so pleasing a thing after all… as wanting."
After returning to the Enterprise, McCoy revealed Kirk's clandestine survival. A rare show of extreme emotion came from Spock when he exclaimed "JIM!" with a beaming smile. ()