Chapter 1

The shot from the Staff weapon passed by my right ear by an inch. I've been at the receiving end of Staff blasts before, but I couldn't remember when one shot missed my head by so little. Not even escaping from Apophis's dungeons on Chul'lak were Staff blasts that close. Running up to the DHD, I dropped my body into a baseball slide with my right leg out stretched. Daniel was already working on dialing Earth, at least I hoped it was Earth. I just wanted to get out of the line of fire.

"Come on, Daniel!" I shouted.

"I'm working on it, Aaliyah!"

I shot off my P-90, hoping to hold off the Jaffa while Jack, Sam, and Teal'c rushed the DHD. Behind me, I heard the vortex of the Gate activating and saw out of the corner of my eye Daniel go around the other side of the DHD.

"Aaliyah, go!" I heard Jack call out.

"I got your six, Jack!"

"I'm not arguing, you go first."

I hated when he got like this, but considering he was a father figure to me, I couldn't really blame him. "The Jaffa are closing in. Someone's gotta give a fight back!" I didn't hear the retort from Jack, and I couldn't help but wonder if I won out or if he with Sam and Teal'c had already gotten through the event horizon. I got to my feet, firing off small spurts from my P-90, all the while back peddling toward the Gate. At the last second, I turned and jumped through the event horizon. To explain what happens to someone in that millisecond between Gates and emerging from the receiving Gate, I haven't the ability. I just know that it's freezing ass cold when I was unwontedly thrown from the Gate.

I laid there on the ground and heard the Gate shut down, quite possibly stranding me on whatever planet I was place. I moved my hands, feeling grass under me. The warm wind suggested late spring or maybe early summer, so I had time to build a camp and all the other things I would have to do so I could survive the winter. A shadow passed over me before a sudden heat was on my face, telling me that the weather was favorable with passing clouds. Finally I opened my eyes to see that I was right in most of my guesses. I moved from where I laid, feeling nothing more than sore from my unneeded throw from the Gate. Not far away in its usual spot was the DHD, which left me the job of attempting to decipher the way back home. A groove of trees stood some hundred yards away, which wasn't all that bad. It'll give me the cover I'd need for shelter while I kept an eye on the Gate in case it became active again.

I forced my body up to my feet and headed for the woods with the hope of finding a source of water. That was providing there was a source there in the woods. I checked my P-90 and I was down to maybe a couple clips and I had all my clips for my side arm that was still on my right thigh. I patted my left thigh to find that my Zat'nik'tel was still strapped there. I didn't want to be wasting ammo when it wasn't needed. Reaching the woods, I pulled out my survival knife, ready for anything. I found a suitable location for a camp, but to find the items for a lean-to … that was going to be a problem. I stopped at a tree and scratched in the point of origin for Earth into the bark, maybe if I lose the camp area and someone knew the point of origin could possibly report back.

With that done, I started the search for fallen branches and sticks that would be good in making the lean-to. I had one branch that would have served and had a second in sight when I heard the hoof beats before I saw the horses. Just what I needed, unneeded trouble. I sighed and sheathed my knife, resting my hands on my P-90. I wanted to show that I meant no harm, but I'm not to be easily threatened. Two men who were undoubtedly dressed as nobles of some kind rode up through the trees with half a dozen guards in blue and silver clothing that marked them as guards and soldiers.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" one of the noble men asked as his horse shifted under him. His black hair flowed free and his blue eyes showed kindness even though he could kill.

"I'm Aaliyah O'Neill of the planet Earth," I introduced myself. "And maybe a chart of your constellations so I can go home would be nice." I looked to both the men, allowing my mouth to form a small smile. My answer probably wasn't what they were expecting, but it could play into my hand. "Or maybe some warm food and a warm bed." And there was the bit of my uncle that I had picked up showing its head. I had wondered where it had gone to.

"Where are you from?" the second man asked, nudging his horse forward. He had auburn hair, which was bound loose at the nape of his neck, and he looked at me with what looked like grey eyes freckled with topaz flecks.

Okay, I wasn't expecting both men to gang up on me like that. "Earth, sir." I knelt down and drew Earth's point of origin in the dirt so both men could see it. "The Tau'ri as many know my people by."

The two men looked at each other as if they recognized the word. Did I just get myself into trouble with whatever government I just got involved with? The first man looked back to me.

"You may come with us back to the Palace."

Oh, that was a change. What did I do to get myself and Earth into trouble so early in the day? Sure being a part time member of SG-1 had its perks, one of which was getting into trouble a lot. "And how am I to keep up with eight men on horses?"

The man offered his left hand as he shifted his left foot out from the stirrup. "You may ride with me."

I arched an eyebrow, unsure of the offer. Really I would have preferred to be marched back to the Palace, but considering I didn't know how far that was from where we were, I walked over and accepted the offer up behind him. Grateful to Jack for the riding lessons from a few years ago, I threaded my left foot in the stirrup and pushed myself up with the hand as a stabling point. The man I was now sitting behind turned the horse around and was joined his companion and the six guards. I adjusted my P-90 to my side and hoped I didn't pass out from exhaustion and fall off the horse.

What felt like hours later, I spotted white walls and a gate that stood open with guards standing above it. The six guards stopped along with the two noble men.

"Who passes here?" one of the gate guards called down.

"Prince Rolande and Anafiel Delaunay," the man in front of me replied. "Along with Aaliyah O'Neill of the Tau'ri."

I peeked over my black haired, blue eyed friend and waved at the guards. I tried putting on the good ol' O'Neill charm, but either my mind wasn't in it, or my body wasn't having it. The guards at the gate waved us in and I had my first look of the city.

"Welcome to the City of Elua," my riding partner said. "And I'm a horrible host thus far. Please allow me to introduce Anafiel Delaunay."

I followed the hand motion over to the auburn haired man that now rode on our right. "Then I am to easily assume that you are Prince Rolande."

"That is correct, my lady. And it would my honor to have you housed in the Palace."

"That's a little much isn't it, Your Highness?" I really needed to stop hanging around Sam, she started rubbing off on me.

"I won't have you living off the land like some wild person."

I didn't even bother trying to correct him that I had training to survive in the wild. The adrenaline had worn off and I was attempting to fight off falling asleep. I hoped that Prince Rolande didn't plan on me meeting his parents or his j. In my attempt to remain awake until we reached the Palace, I watched the City pass by. From the everyday homes and businesses all the way up to the neighborhood that stood below the Palace. In the distance, I saw a hill with several large buildings.

"Your Highness, that hill over there." I pointed. "What's that?"

"That is Mount Nuit, home to the Court of Night-Blooming Flowers. Perhaps I'll take you for a visit."

Night-Blooming Flowers…Did that mean what I think it meant? And I had left my notebook at home. "So, what do you have planned when we arrive back at the Palace?"

"Have you bathed and dressed like a proper woman of the court." Rolande turned a corner and entered a stable, followed by the six guards.

I watched the guards dismounted their horses. I felt Rolande shift and saw that he had freed his left foot from the stirrup and offered his hand once again.

"If I may be of some assistance."

I shifted my foot into the stirrup and accepted the hand down, feeling stiff and sore from the horse ride. I stepped away a couple steps so the prince could dismount himself. I looked around to see that Anafiel wasn't in the stables. A stable hand had come up and took the reins of the horse and led it away while Rolande walked over to me.

"Where's Anafiel?"

"He has lodgings in the city. I'm sure he merely wishes to wash up before coming to join us. Come, I'll show you to the chambers you may have." Rolande offered an arm, and even though I was probably in unsuitable clothes, I saw no reason to refuse.

He smiled and led the way from the stables and into the Palace. The further we got away from the stables and made our way into the Palace proper, the more we passed nobles and others of high rank that could call the Palace home. And the more stares that followed, and the more I felt uneasy and there was the nagging voice in my head that told me that I was to be the newest piece of gossip that arrived.

"Here we are, the Courcel Wing," Rolande said as we rounded a corner. "Home to the chambers of my father, myself, and other immediate family members. Of course, your chambers are here as well."

I pulled away, shock ran through my body. "Are you trying to ask me something in a subtle way? Because I'm not having it."

Rolande gave an amused laugh. "There is no need for that, My Lady Aaliyah. I am telling you that you are a guest of me and House Courcel. Now come. Allow me to escort you to your chambers."

"Prince Rolande!"

I turned at the sound of a woman's voice. She was dressed for court life, I gave her that. Long blonde hair bound up in some sort of mesh thing, and her violet eyes were focused on the prince. I stepped back a little to give them a little privacy.

"I had heard that you were escorting a new visitor through the Palace," she said. "I had hoped to extend a welcoming hand."

"You will have the chance, Isabel. Once she is suited to be seen among the peers and other nobles."

I watched as Isabel finally turned her attention to me. "How you do, ma'am." There was the good ol' O'Neill charm I missed earlier.

She gave a huff and turned her attention back to Rolande. "I expect to see her when she's ready." Isabel turned and walked away.

I waited and watched as she walked away and out of hearing range. "That's a mess waiting to happen, Your Highness." I wasn't all that great at watching people and judging them on first meetings, but I hoped I was right about Isabel. If I was to be stuck here on whatever backwater planet this was, I didn't want to deal with her.

"That 'mess' is the Lady Isabel L'Envers, a member of one of the noble houses of Terre d'Ange," Rolande said. "And I hope you didn't saying the wrong thing to her." He started down the corridor.

"I just asked how she was doing." I followed along. So, the O'Neill charm could get me in trouble, when hasn't it gotten me in trouble. It certainly has in high school, and it didn't stop once I started going off world. Rolande didn't speak while he led the way down the corridor. I hope I didn't mess things up already. My feet dragged, but I pushed on. Jack had insisted that I go through a week long camping trip after a five mile hike into the woods that bordered the house. He made sure that I had little sleep and I took care of the camp and foraged for food. I hated him for it, but I was about to use that training before Rolande and Anafiel showed up.

"Here we are." Rolande's voice broke into my thoughts. "Here are the chambers you may use at your disposal during your stay here in the Palace." He opened the door and allowed me to enter first.

Walking in, there was a place where one could hang their coats and put their shoes. Beyond that, I took in a sitting area complete with a table fit for a chamber in the royal wing of the Palace, with matching chairs. A large fire place sat unused for the time being. Good, I was sweating enough as it was, I didn't want to sweat more. Behind the table and chairs was a section of windows, what they looked out over I wanted to know but wasn't so curious. Beyond the fireplace was a door I was sure led to the bathroom. To the left of the door was a very large bed, surely larger than a king size back home. And there was a large wardrobe that I was sure housed a plethora of dresses that didn't fit me.

"How do you like it?" Rolande asked from behind me.

"I've wanted to decorate my room back home like this." I turned around to face the prince. "I love it, thank you."

"I'll have some servants come shortly. Make yourself at home." Rolande turned and left the chambers, closing the door behind him.

Turning back around, I was finally left alone and my legs threatened to give out from under me. First thing was first; I had to take care of my guns. I didn't want them getting into the wrong hands and having a panic because someone got shot. I walked over to the wardrobe then stopped. If Rolande was going to have servants come in, most likely to attend to me getting dressed, the wardrobe wasn't the best spot. Under the bed would be the next best thing for the P-90 and my standard nine millimeter with the ammo and clips in the wardrobe. Standing by the bed, I slipped the P-90 over my shoulder and head, removing the ammo clip from the gun and emptied the chamber. Double and triple checking that the safety was on, I placed the P-90 under the bed where one couldn't see it on first glance. I did the same thing with my nine millimeter, but placed that actually under the wardrobe.

Anyone else would have kept the guns and clips together for easy access, but after my cousin shooting himself just over a year ago, I wasn't going to risk having some medieval servant getting a hold of either gun that was hot. A knock came from the door, and I turned to see that it was opened just enough for me to see the face of a young woman.

"Come in," I said with a hand motion that mimicked my words. "I'm not going to bite."

The door opened fully and the young woman was accompanied by two others that appeared to be no older than she was.

"Prince Rolande sent us," the first woman said with a polite curtsy. "I am Emilie, and this is Danielle and Michele."

I nodded politely to each. "Nice to meet you. I'm Aaliyah." I undid my tactical vest and shrugged it off, making it sure that it was done back up and folded on the bed. I watched as Danielle and Michele headed for the door beyond the fireplace as Emilie made her way to the wardrobe. My heart started beating fast and my stomach tightened; she was close to the nine millimeter. But she opened the wardrobe and began pulling out pieces of clothing that looked like they went under a dress before pulling out a yellow colored dress. My mind pulled away from the sheer color of the dress. If I hadn't stood out before walking through the Palace with Prince Rolande, I certainly would now. "Um… Are you sure about that color, Emilie?"

"I think it's a lovely color."

"Think of it like this, I've walked through the Palace with the Prince himself wearing clothing unfit for a woman, no doubt, and caused a big stir among the peers and nobles. And you wish to dress me up in a bright yellow colored dress. That screams 'hey, look at me. I'm new and I'm making myself look like a fool'." Besides, if the wardrobe had the clothing I was to wear for the next few days, I wanted to make the choices on what I wanted to wear; especially my first day in court.

"Very well, my lady," Emilie said, ceding the point. "What do you wish to wear?"

Huh, that was easy. Where did I put my Staples button? I walked over and looked at the dresses that hung before me. The dark blue might intrude on the blue and silver of what might be the colors of House Courcel. The dull red reminded me too much of dried blood, and that wasn't something I wanted to have constantly in my mind when I was meeting people. The purple … like I wanted to show support for Isabel. There was a blue dress in the wardrobe that was lighter than the dark blue. It certainly wouldn't push my support for the royal house, but it would certainly show where my loyalty was for the moment. "The light blue one."

Emilie pulled it out and I stepped away, stripping off my belt and jacket that had my SGC and SG1 patch and tossed it onto the bed. I hoped that I wouldn't have to put it away like it was some sort of relic of a past life. I leaned on the bed so I could strip off my mil boots followed by my pants. This might be the last time I wore such things until an SG team arrived. With the pants joining the jacket and the black tee shirt to follow, I felt like I had just stripped off what I really was and was about to put on a farce so I could possibly survive for a time.

I stood there by the bed in my sports bra and a pair of workout shorts I had converted over to underwear. What was going through the minds of the three maidservants that Rolande sent, I had no clue. The look on Emilie's face seemed to have told me that I would have to remove the last two pieces of clothing that linked me to Earth. I struggled to hold in a sigh as I pulled my bra up and over my head, tossing it onto the bed, and took off my jogger underwear. Now stark mad nude, I watched Emilie, Michele, and Danielle move to start helping me dress in whatever the undergarments were called in medieval times.

"Is all of this really necessary?" I struggled trying to keep my footing while either Michele or Danielle was putting a stocking on a leg.

"If you are to appear as a proper court woman," Emilie said, putting some sort of slip over my head. "Prince Rolande had made it clear that you were to be given care for clothing and life inside the court."

I had hoped that I would have had Prince Rolande or Anafiel as my guide, but if I was to have these three women, it couldn't be worse than me going at it alone. Finally, Emile put the dress over my head and secured it.

"There, a properly dressed woman for their high station." Emilie guided me over to a mirror that I hadn't seen earlier.

The seventeen year old female that looked back at me didn't look like me. The dress flared out a little from the hips down, and the sleeves hugged my upper arms and had that loose flare happening from the elbows down. My skin looked darker than it was against the light blue dress that actually didn't look so bad. I never really knew my father, and my mother and uncle never wanted to speak of him. My classmates never questioned my dark skin tone. From behind me came a knock on the closed chamber door. Michele, I thought it was anyway, walked over and answered the door.

"Who is it?" I asked, turning around.

"Lord Delaunay, my lady. He wishes to speak with you."

I nodded and Michele stepped aside while she opened the door. I saw that Anafiel had changed into a brown tone outfit that suited his hair well. "Lord Delaunay." I attempted a curtsy, but I lost my balance more than appearing like some low member of the Terre d'Ange court of peer and noble.

Anafiel chuckled. "Lady O'Neill, I come on the behalf of my foster sister and the betrothed of Prince Rolande, Edmeé de Rocaille."

Well, that was a relief. The whole prince rescuing a young woman fresh from a different world then somewhat parading her through the Palace did get me worried. But what did she want to speak with me about? "And what does she want? I'm not here to take her betrothed if that's what she's worried about."

"She wishes to meet the dark skinned visitor that came through the Astria Porta. You have no fears of the meeting being before the king and all of the court."

"Because that's exactly what I needed right now is to be paraded around some more like some wild beast." I watched Anafiel walk over and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"You are no wild animal, Lady O'Neill. You merely came from a distance planet where women apparently dress and carry on like men."

"Then it seems like both sides could learn a few things." I hoped I didn't learn too much here in Terre d'Ange that I lost everything that made me who I was back on Earth. "Shall we go?" I motioned to the door. One thing was for sure, I would like to learn my way around the Palace so I wouldn't need an escort all the time.

Anafiel offered his bent elbow and I attempted to walk in the small heeled ankle boots like I had years walking on heel shoes. I had more skill with my mil boots than I did heel shoes, and I guess it showed since one ankle decided it'd twist out from under me. I probably would have fallen flat on my face if Anafiel hadn't caught me. Now, I'm not one of those girly girls who would flash a smile whenever a cute guy caught me in mid fall. That's because I wasn't one of those girly girls. I'd take the fall like a guy and get up, brush it off and go on about my day with the hope that no one saw it.

"Maybe Edmeé could help you with that," Anafiel mentioned.

"I'll ask." I accepted the elbow and walked with him out into the corridor. It seemed like things changed when I stepped out dressed as I was. I had taken that step back into time and it took me changing into a dress for it to happen. Movies and books gave so much detail and I couldn't rely on that forever. "I'd still like a chart of the constellations of whatever planet we're on."

"I'll see that you receive them by the end of the day. You're quite insistent on diving into the realm of Shemhazai."

Why did that name sound so familiar? Maybe from the time my mother attempted to force me to read the Bible and attend church. I never was one of those mindless faithful people who lived by the Bible and omitting what they didn't want to obey. "And Shemhazai is…"

"He is one of Elua's companions and he gifted us with the knowledge of writing and treasured knowledge," Anafiel said. "I will also gain you a couple of the Eluine Cycle as well."

I had hoped to be working on attempting to get the DHD deciphered by now, but it seemed like that hope was slowly slipping from my grasp.