Summary: Rya'c works through his guilt and his grief with help from Master Bra'tac
Warnings: Character death
Author's Notes: Written for Stargate LAS. For the prompt - [character] loses someone very close to them (family, friend, lover.. etc.) and grows from it.

Rya'c stood alone on the hill overlooking the Chappa'ai. The Tau'ri would come soon and he would be ready. He stood tall as he waited, determined to show everyone that he was Jaffa, no matter the feelings that lie beneath the surface. He waited quietly for his father to return for he had died in battle, as was fitting for a Jaffa, and his funeral was to be held that very day.

Dark clouds billowed overhead, but Rya'c paid no heed. His mind was on other matters. He watched as the Jaffa below rallied around the Chappa'ai, waiting for the arrival of their fallen hero. Teal'c, the one who betrayed his God in order to bring freedom to his fellow Jaffa. The shol'vah turned hero. He glared down at the activity below. They only know of their fate as of this day, he thought angrily. They know nothing of the real Teal'c.

"They will arrive soon," said a voice from behind. Rya'c nodded, his anger still simmering within. He should have known that Master Bra'tac would be near.

"You will not meet them?" Master Bra'tac asked.

"They have not arrived as of yet," Rya'c told him quietly. "I will go down to meet with them when the Chappa'ai is activated." He glanced at the old man by his side and saw Master Bra'tac nodding his head as if he understood. Rya'c was sure that he did not. Still, he knew that a full rebuke would be ignored, so he said instead, "I require a few moments before meeting with anyone."

Bra'tac nodded again and stood by, a silent gesture of strength. Rya'c stared out at the people below, his pain deep as he struggled with the loss of his father, a loss that extended over the years, ever since the day he first learned of his father's betrayal.

"They will honor him in death," Rya'c said with a nod toward the people at the bottom of the hill.

"He is a hero among the Jaffa," Master Bra'tac replied with a good amount of pride. "It is because of your father that they are free."

"I remember when he first defied Apophis," Rya'c said with a growl. "My mother and I were outcasts." Bra'tac said nothing. He faced Rya'c and waited. "Our friends turned on us and we were burned out of our home. All because my father believed in freedom."

"Was he wrong?"

Rya'c did not know what to believe. He remembered the hardships that he and his mother endured when they were abandoned so long ago, but he also remembered when his father came to save him. His father had been right, but they all paid dearly for the sacrifices they were forced to make.

"My mother was treated as a pauper when she died," he said. Grief built up in him as he tried to reconcile his thoughts. "And my father is now a hero."

Bra'tac placed a hand on Rya'c's shoulder. "A title he had to fight for." The outer ring of the Chappa'ai began to turn, a signal that someone would soon arrive. Rya'c stared at it as Bra'tac went on, "He fought for what he believed in and in the end he died free." The Chappa'ai came to life as Master Bra'tac said, "Your mother would be proud."

Rya'c thought over these words as the first of the Tau'ri stepped out of the Chappa'ai. He wanted to believe that his mother would be happy. He remembered all too well the tears she tried to hide from him whenever old friends turned their back on her. He saw General O'Neill and Colonel Carter as they stepped out from the ring, reminding Rya'c of those times when his father came to Chulak. Teal'c had never forgotten his family and Drey'auc had found it in her heart to forgive, or so it seemed. Perhaps it was time for Rya'c to finally let go of the memories that haunted his days, as well as his nights.

A shrouded body came through at that moment. Rya'c nodded, then turned to Bra'tac. "It is time to go welcome my father back into the family," he said with firm resolution.

Master Bra'tac took a deep breath as he nodded. "Yes," he replied as he prodded Rya'c along. "It is time."