General disclaimers apply. I own very little. This is the sequel to my one-shot, The Painting. Though this all takes place after the end of the Atlantis series and I do know what happens, I will not be mentioning anything MAJOR that happens in the final two episodes. So this should be for the most part only spoilerish if you haven't seen before those episodes. Not betaed as I am impatient and a good one is hard to find. If you think you're up to the job (Careful, I'm picky ;-).) drop me a line. Enjoy!
***
Othalaz
Carrie Key
I am free; I am free.
The Gods of my inheritance
are my wealth and protection.
***
Teyla had not seen Major Lorne this excited in a long time. The Daedalus had arrived a few hours ago, and along with it were not just supplies but personal packages for the Expedition members from home. And The XO of the Expedition received one from his sister. Evan had invited Teyla to come with him to open it as he said there was something inside the box he wanted her to see. They found themselves in his quarters, Torren playing happily on the Major's bed with a few stuffed toys Sheppard had gotten him. And the Major himself was sitting on the floor smiling brightly as he cut open the box. Teyla couldn't help herself, his smile was so infectious, she almost giggled.
He quickly glanced over the letter that was placed on top of the contents, and putting that aside, picked up the thick manila envelope underneath it. "This is what I wanted to show you." Carefully, Evan opened the envelope, reached inside and slid the painting out. He took a moment to look at it, his smiling darkening only slightly. Then, turning it over so Teyla could see, "Meet Thraya and Etoh."
Teyla gasped. "It's not the original, but a copy." He explained.
Pictured in the painting were the family that Evan had lost several years ago and the ones he'd told her so much about. Captured were the sharp, green eyes and beautiful smile of Thraya, her long blonde hair loosely bound in a bun at the top of her head. She was gazing down lovingly at their son, Etoh, a dark haired, bright eyed bundle, cradled in her arms. "Oh, Evan…" She really was speechless. What did one say? Even with the frank conversations they'd had, she couldn't find anything to say without feeling like it might re-open the wounds he'd spent a long time healing. "It's your best piece…"
"My sister agrees with you." He chuckled. "I always thought it was lacking something, but she kept insisting it was perfect."
"She's right. You have the scar on her arm right where you told me it was," Evan had captured everything about his wife and son in this painting. From the scar Thraya acquired during a nasty fight with the Replicators right down to the beauty mark under her left eye.
"Thank you." He hands her the painting so she can inspect it more. Once Teyla takes it he grabs the next thing in the box, which is a smaller, more rectangular box with a note attached to it. The note read, "Sorry". Opening it, Evan gasped.
Teyla put the painting down on the floor, turning her attention to her friend. In his hand was a small knife with Asgard runes on the blade. The hilt was a metallic silver color, shaped as a wolf's head, two red jewels in it's eyes. "Was that…"
"I told Arleen to keep this with her." The look on Evan's face had changed from one of happiness to dread.
"What is it, Evan?"
"This was Thraya's. Or more importantly, her father's. A gift from Tyr himself." The significance wasn't lost on Teyla. During one of their conversations, he had explained the meaning behind each Einherjar last name. Thraya's had been Tyrsdottir, showing the connection between her family line and the Asgard. Each of the central thirteen Einherjar was connected in some way to the aliens they served, almost as though they were a noble class, though none of them acted like it. So the fact that the knife had been a gift from Tyr to Thraya's family spoke volumes of how important it was.
"Why don't you want it here?" If it was something special to his wife, then surely he must want it close to him.
"I left it with her in the event that anything happens to me or to Atlantis in general. I didn't want anything happening to it. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to it. Tyr gave it to Jormundr when he became of age and joined the upper ranks of the military. Jormundr in turn gave it to his daughter when she did the same. He didn't give it to Hroder simply because he was destined for other things, like leading the Einherjar once the reign of Leif was over. He wanted his only daughter to have a strong symbol of the loyalty the family showed Tyr. The strong bond between the two. Dammit, Arleen."
Again, Teyla recalled their previous discussions. The Einherjar had thirteen central families, each tied with the ruling members of the High Council of the Asgard, though they all ultimately answered to Odin. Each family would then choose one of its members to rule the entire populace, for twenty-four years. Once their twenty-four were up, the next family would nominate their member and the cycle would continue. Odin's family, lead by Leif, was nearing the end of its rule over Valhalla. Tyr's was next in line, with only three more years left when the Revolution happened.
Though she'd never met any of these people, Teyla felt as though she knew them all. The painting of Thraya and Etoh were exactly how she imagined them with the way Evan had described them. "I am sure Arleen had her reasons for sending it to you. Perhaps she felt that since you had requested the painting you should also have this."
"Maybe. I just wish she'd asked when we talked last. I had thought about giving it to Dr. Jackson, once. I knew he'd take good care of it, but whenever Thraya and Hroder would speak of their father, I always got the impression he was a big family man. I felt he'd want it to stay with family." Sighing heavily, Evan placed the knife back into the box. Picking up the box, he placed it over on the table near him, wanting to keep the sharp object away from Torren, who was at the moment exploring the bed.
Teyla caught wind of this and took her cue to move the painting up with it. It would not be long and her son would make his way to the floor. No need to allow him to put his mark on these precious objects. "I wish I could have met them. They all sound like wonderful people, Evan. And I think Ronon would have gotten along wonderfully with Hroder and Erik."
"Yeah, he reminds me of them at times. Big guys who were passionate about what they held close to them." As Evan went through more of the contents of the box, showing off artwork from his nephews, Torren made his way to the floor finally. Teyla scooped him up so Evan could go through the contents without worry.
"I don't suppose the Asgard left any information in their database about what happened during the Revolution, and why they called it that?" Teyla often spaced questions such as these out over several visits, so as to not overwhelm Major Lorne.
"If they did, we don't know it yet. It wasn't exactly a priority, though Dr. Jackson did find several references to the Einherjar when he searched it. But it was mostly their history and how they came to be. He promised he'd let me know as soon as he did find anything. He and Bodi were on friendly terms in Antarctica, just like he was with Elizabeth."
The two sat, talking more, and not just about Evan's family. During these visits, Teyla had started sharing more information on her people and he own experiences. The conversation lasted well into the evening, with John inviting them both to dinner. The CO of Atlantis had grown used to this, a thing that started with a simple painting that Teyla immediately hung in her and Kannan's quarters. So if he was looking for one and couldn't find them he looked for the other and it turned out successful. The conversations typically ended with the three, sometimes Kannan would join them, in the mess hall eating. Teyla and Lorne never divulged exactly what they talked about, but it didn't matter to John. He knew it was about Lorne's family, and he was happy his friend and co-worker had found someone else to talk to after Elizabeth left.
***
She had asked them if they wanted to play when they interrupted her nap near the Ring. The ugly white creatures had the nerve to fire upon her! So she took to the trees surrounding the Ring and played a delightful game of tag with them. There had been five wearing black and ten foot soldiers. They broke too easily. The creatures she had known at home didn't break that easily. And this was the fourth planet she had run into them on. Very foul and ugly creatures, they often scared off her new friends. Then her new friends wouldn't have anything to do with her when she played with the creatures. These Wraith. Uglies sounded better to her.
There were no people near the Ring this time. Most likely they hid far away from it. That was fine with her. She'd been too sleeply lately and would have had to be rude to them. Mother would not have liked that. Nor would Big Brother. And especially Grandfather…
Her attention went from her wondering mind to the sound of the Ring activating again. The pool it created was pretty, but she remembered you could get hurt by it if you stood too close. So she stayed put, in the trees to see if the Uglies sent more through for her to play with. After a few minutes four figures walked through. Three men and one woman. The clothing that three of them were wearing was oddly familiar, same with the weapons. Cocking her head to the side, she brushed the long braids out of her face. The language they all spoke was familiar as well. Where had she heard it? Where had she seen those clothes and weapons before? The tallest one of the group looked like he'd be fun to play with. Who were they?
She watched them closely as they began walking the path that would lead them to her dead playmates. They talked and talked, or rather one of them was very noisy and very boring. Cousin would love to talk with him. All four became very excited when they came across her former playmates.
It was the tall one that had spotted her first. He aimed his gun at her when the woman spoke and said "Colonel." Something snapped inside her head. Evan!
***
John Sheppard was about to tell Ronon to stand down when a very dirty and badly clothed woman came bounding from the treetops down at them. Ronon was about to shoot her when Teyla knocked the gun out of line. Before Ronon could protest or realign the shot, the woman was already too close. She wasn't bounding, or running… or whatever she was doing on all fours, but crouching down, watching them all closely. It was eerie watching her. John lifted up his P-90, but Teyla held her hand up. "What's going on Teyla?"
"John, I don't think she means us harm."
"Ok, what does she mean us?" John didn't like this one bit. "Do you know her?"
"And while we're at it, who did this to the Wraith?" McKay jumped in.
"No, I don't know her. At least we have never met in person. And I believe she is the one responsible for the condition of the Wraith."
"Cryptic much?" McKay interjected.
"If I am right about who she is, pointing weapons at her will not matter and will not help us. The only one that would be able to help us is back on Atlantis and we would be dead before he was able to get to us."
"So, who is she?" John was beginning to loose his patience. It was rare to have Teyla act like this on a mission, and when she did it was for good reason. So he gave her the benefit of the doubt.
The woman spoke a few words that made no sense to them, except for McKay. "How do you know that language? No one here should know it, let alone speak it!"
"What'd she say? And what language?" It was one of those days that Lt. Col. John Sheppard knew he'd lost control of the situation. It often happened when they were on a mission. Not that he'd openly admit it.
"She just spoke in Asgard." McKay looked alarmed.
At this Teyla took a few steps closer to her, slowly and with her hands up. "Are you Sif?"
"You know Sif! You know Sif!" the woman seemed very excited by this, but then her face darkened and she looked closer at Teyla. "How do you know Sif? Sif does not remember you."
"We have a friend in common. Though he will be very surprised to see that you are alive." Teyla was one hundred percent certain now that this woman crouching in a cat like fashion before her was Sif, one of the Einherjar that Evan told her about. She had been very unstable mentally, though he never went into why. She also acted very feline and was fiercely loyal to Thor. Teyla caught sight of the Hammer of Thor around her neck, and her doubts all but washed away. "You are Sif Thorsdottir, are you not?"
"Sif is here. Who is our friend? Who tell you about Sif?" Sif moved in a few steps, making John very nervous. This woman screamed dangerous.
"Teyla, you know what you're doin'?"
"Yes, John." Smiling her crooked smile, Teyla turned her attention back to Sif. "We are all friends, actually, of Major Evan Lorne. You know him, don't you?"
The darkened face on Sif disappeared and she jumped up in the air, doing a back flip with what they figured was a howl of joy. When she landed she stood up straight, arms at her side. "You know Baby Brother! Where is he?" Then she slipped back into her native tongue, talking very excitedly.
"Wait, what does Lorne have to with her?" John asked. He couldn't recall Lorne ever mentioning a whack job of a woman named Sif in any of their conversations or mission reports.
It was McKay who answered for Teyla when he spotted the Thor's Hammer. "She's Einherjar, isn't she?"
"Yes, she is. And we must take care around her. As you can obviously see, she is not…" Teyla was searching for the words. Though Sif was still chattering, Teyla did not want to say anything to offend her.
"All together there." Sheppard finished.
"Yes."
"Einherjar?" Ronon piped up.
"They were a race that fought alongside the Asgard. They were often used as the human faces when dealing with the Protected Planets. I thought they were all dead." McKay studied Sif a little more closely, from his current position. The woman had gone from chattering standing up, to singing crouched down. He'd only met a small handful and didn't know about this one. But the Hammer was unmistaken. Unless this was some cruel joke from the evil Asgard, all the Einherjar were dead. They were either taken in that explosion from their home world or wiped out by the Ori. How could one be here? Two galaxies away from home?
"The Others are about. They are playing with each other. Sif told them when they stop playing with each other in such a mean way, then they can come find her. The star is not in the sky, nor is the bridge. The Rainbow is lost. Lost. Lost. Lost."
"I think it wise for us to wait for Major Lorne. He knows her and I imagine she would respond better to him." Teyla interjected.
"Well, then we better dial the Gate and call him in. I'm not taking her to Atlantis." Sheppard said. The moment he said Atlantis, Sif began to sing the word, over and over again. "You're sure this is one of the chosen warriors of the Asgard?" He shot Teyla a look. "She could be a clone."
"No, I don't think so. You can't clone one." McKay spoke. He'd taken out his hand held scanner. "Bodi once told me that Loki had made sure they couldn't be cloned. Something about preventing the degradation that the Asgard faced."
"I'll
stay with her, and one or two of you can go back to the Gate. I think
if we want to make certain that this is Sif…"
"Sif is
here!"
"… then Major Lorne is the one to do so. And I believe time is of the essence. He and his team are slated for their own mission in a few hours."
"Fine. Ronon, you stay here with Teyla and our new friend, while Rodney and I go get Lorne. She's not setting foot on Atlantis until he vouches for her." Sheppard grabbed McKay and started heading for the Stargate.
"Baby Brother knows Sif. You see."
***
It had been perhaps the most unusual request he'd ever gotten from the Colonel. Typically Sheppard would just wait for one of them to get back from their mission to confirm or deny anything. Nope, this time he had to abort his own mission and head out to the planet Sheppard and his team was on. And all Sheppard said he wanted was for him to identify somebody. He refused to give any other details, and McKay was very adamant about him knowing who this person was.
So he and his team finished gearing up and instead of checking in on a trading partner, they gated to meet up with Sheppard. "Aren't we usually the ones to rescue you and your team, sir?" He couldn't resist the crack.
"Sometimes. But this time, Major, we don't need rescuing." He paused. "At least I don't think we do?" He looked at Rodney for confirmation. He nodded and his words were lost at the sound of a high pitched squeal and the sight of the whack job bounding for them. It amazed John at how she moved on all fours with no trouble, bouncing off of trees and the ground, and made it look all graceful and purposeful.
"BABY BROTHER!" Sif screeched again.
Evan stood there frozen. She was incredibly dirty, but the braids and the body and the general chaos were the same. "Sif?" He chocked out. Next he knew he was flat on his back, with Sif perched on his chest and stomach, talking fast and excitedly, staring him in the eyes, much like a cat would.
What happened next surprised them all, as Evan wrapped his arms around Sif, and managed to get her in a sitting position. He spoke back to her in her language, almost as excited. Then he pulled her away, looked her in the eyes, "Is it really you? You are alive?"
"Silly. Thor's favorite cannot die by normal means." She pursed her smiling lips and cocked an eyebrow. "Sister will be so happy to see you. And Mother. And Big Brother. And…"
"Wait?! Sif! Who else is alive? How did you get here? You all died in the explosion on the mountain! Odin himself confirmed there was nothing left…" He trailed off, piecing a few things together. One of their own must have done something. Perhaps the evil Asgard helped in someway. How else could they get here? And it would explain the fact there were no bodies left to even piece back together.
"You already guess. You right. Baby Brother is smart. Sister likes smart men."
"Who is the Traitor?"
At that Sif spit at Lorne's face and jumped back, away from him. "No talk of that! Is bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad."
At her sudden movements, Lorne's team had readied their weapons. He waved them down, standing up. "Sir, we need to take her back to Atlantis. Maybe in a calmer environment I can get her to talk more. Out here she'll be too volatile."
"So, she's who Teyla claims she is?"
"If Teyla means that she is Sif Thorsdottir, then yes, she is. How she's alive, I don't know. She died when the mountain exploded."
"It not explode. Power feedback for the transporter and ship. Erik guessed wrong with bad numbers and we all had bad headaches." Sif now crouched by Lorne, watching his men curiously.
"What are you talking about?" McKay asked, a little harsher than he should have. Sif tripped him and was pointing a knife at him. Lorne and Sheppard both had to make the others back off. Evan went over to Sif, gently placing his hand on her shoulder, which she shrugged off.
"It's ok, Sif. I know his tone wasn't nice, but he means well. He's like Bodi. A Scientist." Lorne held his breath as he watched Sif. At first it looked as though she wasn't going to back down. Then she turned and smiled at him.
"Cousin was always nice. Sif misses him." She takes his outstretched hand, allowing him to guide her up.
"I miss him too. Come on. Let's see if the nice Colonel will let you come with us so we can catch up."
"Catch up?"
"I'll tell you what I've been doing and then you can share with me what you've been up to." He gave her a soft smile.
She glanced over at Sheppard and narrowed her eyes. After a few seconds she nodded her head, her eyes still narrowed. "Ok."
"Great." John said. "We'll radio Woolsey and let him know we company coming."
"Woolsey?" Sif made a face as if she'd smelt something bad.
"Yeah, he's in charge of my new station." Lorne explained.
"He better?" She made a weird face of her eyes wide and her nose and mouth scrunched up.
"Yeah, he's gotten better. Not like the others told you. Not anymore." He took her hand. "Let's go."
As they walked toward the Stargate, Sif stayed near Teyla and Evan. She kept eyeing Ronon and it was unnerving him. She made her dislike of McKay known, a little too well. Lorne told him not to take offense as she does that with certain people upon meeting them, and then she attaches herself to them like they were long lost best friends. McKay was thrilled to discover that is what she did to Evan. For the most part Sif was quiet. Every once in a while during the short walk she would pipe up in song or say something to Evan in Asgard. During these brief moments of talk, Lorne was able to find out that yes, Thraya was indeed alive, as well as about two hundred other Einherjar. He didn't dare push it as she could change her mood without a moments notice. He would soon find out what had happened though. The soothing waters of Atlantis should help calm Sif and allow her a few moments of lucidity.
