Apollo Returns with the Sun
Epilogue to Maenad By Sylvia
Last night, the hills echoed with the screams of feral women.
Now the world has contracted to this hilltop, this morning, and a naked, shuddering, knobby back. Some time in the night, he woke and pulled away from me and now he's sitting, curled in on himself, and I don't know what to say to him.
There's blood on my hands, dried and flaking, and my mouth is sour. I feel like the third day of a two-day pass.
Memory has come with the dawn. I wish the drugged wine had been mixed with Lethe's waters, but I remember everything. The wine, the buck, the women. Daniel.
I touch his shoulder and he flinches away. His eyes are so big as he stares at me and jerks away. "Don't."
I pull my hand back, grimacing at the rusty stains on my fingers, under my nails. "Sorry."
He nods, pulling in on himself once again. "I know it wasn't you, last night," he hastens to reassure me and I have to smile. His quick brain picks up the irony and he manages a half-smile. "We need to get back. Jack will be frantic by now."
He uncoils and I avert my eyes. Hypocrite, I think, you looked your fill last night. I risk a peek and see him bruised and scratched. I make a noise and he turns to me, blinking myopically. "What?" He looks at himself, then back at me. "I'm fine, Sam. Really."
I know he isn't, though. We don't say anything else as we search that battered and bloody hilltop for something to cover ourselves. Daniel finds my stolla from last night hanging from a branch; I find his boxers, only slightly ripped. We cover ourselves and head down the hill.
Daniel stumbles once or twice, but flinches from my touch when I try to steady him. "Sorry," he says. I pick at the blood under my nails and think about she-wolves.
The Maenad were murderous in a pack, killing everything that stood before them. Men stayed indoors on the night of the Bacchanal. The cult died out in a very few years, back on Earth, but here it was apparently a way of life. The women were otherwise oppressed, chattel, save for one night a year. Last night.
"You could have died," I say at last.
He nods. "I know."
"Why did you come after me?" I ask.
He doesn't answer. Just keeps walking. The little village is just ahead and we see other women walking slowly towards it. They are slinking out of the hills like whipped dogs, eyes down and haunted.
Last night, we were strong. Last night, they were free.
The hills are very quiet this morning.
"You were in danger," Danny answers at last. "And I knew you wouldn't hurt me."
He touches me at last, stopping me with a hand on my arm. I can't meet his eyes (his sad sea-blue eyes, the salt tang of his tears, the blood and wine and tears in my mouth and his dried seed on my thighs).
"It wasn't you," he says in his most serious voice. That voice can talk Jack into anything, can cajole Janet, can even sway the General if he's willing to be swayed. I remain unconvinced. "It was a Maenad. A Bacchae. Some wild-woman of the woods. Not Major Samantha Carter of SG-1."
His words flay me, absolve me, leave me breathless and tasting the sea once again.
We reach the village and find Jack and Danny spins his tale. The Colonel teases us and tells us to get back into uniform, but his eyes aren't laughing. He knows. At the least, he knows there is more story than Daniel is telling.
The Colonel stops me as we approach the gate, clean and uniformed and back to normal. Daniel walks on, dialing up home already in his mind and not looking back. Letting me choose my path.
"There was a woman in the woods. She.forced Daniel. I couldn't stop it." There, the truth. Just not all of it. Daniel said it was not me and I have to believe him.
The Colonel grimaces, that pained empathy grimace he does sometimes, and looks forward at Daniel. "A woman. There were a lot of women on the hills last night."
"Yes, Sir." I will take whatever punishment I have coming. A Court Marshal will be easy after seeing Danny's silent weeping on that hilltop. "I was on the hill last night."
He looks at me sharply and nods. "I know." We catch up to Daniel and the DHD and the glowing Gate. From the hunched set of Danny's shoulders, I can tell he has overheard us. "Daniel. Something you want to share before we go home?"
Daniel looks up at the Colonel, then at me, and shakes his head. "Just want to go home." He gives me a tiny smile and only his eyes flinch when I pat his arm.
End
Epilogue to Maenad By Sylvia
Last night, the hills echoed with the screams of feral women.
Now the world has contracted to this hilltop, this morning, and a naked, shuddering, knobby back. Some time in the night, he woke and pulled away from me and now he's sitting, curled in on himself, and I don't know what to say to him.
There's blood on my hands, dried and flaking, and my mouth is sour. I feel like the third day of a two-day pass.
Memory has come with the dawn. I wish the drugged wine had been mixed with Lethe's waters, but I remember everything. The wine, the buck, the women. Daniel.
I touch his shoulder and he flinches away. His eyes are so big as he stares at me and jerks away. "Don't."
I pull my hand back, grimacing at the rusty stains on my fingers, under my nails. "Sorry."
He nods, pulling in on himself once again. "I know it wasn't you, last night," he hastens to reassure me and I have to smile. His quick brain picks up the irony and he manages a half-smile. "We need to get back. Jack will be frantic by now."
He uncoils and I avert my eyes. Hypocrite, I think, you looked your fill last night. I risk a peek and see him bruised and scratched. I make a noise and he turns to me, blinking myopically. "What?" He looks at himself, then back at me. "I'm fine, Sam. Really."
I know he isn't, though. We don't say anything else as we search that battered and bloody hilltop for something to cover ourselves. Daniel finds my stolla from last night hanging from a branch; I find his boxers, only slightly ripped. We cover ourselves and head down the hill.
Daniel stumbles once or twice, but flinches from my touch when I try to steady him. "Sorry," he says. I pick at the blood under my nails and think about she-wolves.
The Maenad were murderous in a pack, killing everything that stood before them. Men stayed indoors on the night of the Bacchanal. The cult died out in a very few years, back on Earth, but here it was apparently a way of life. The women were otherwise oppressed, chattel, save for one night a year. Last night.
"You could have died," I say at last.
He nods. "I know."
"Why did you come after me?" I ask.
He doesn't answer. Just keeps walking. The little village is just ahead and we see other women walking slowly towards it. They are slinking out of the hills like whipped dogs, eyes down and haunted.
Last night, we were strong. Last night, they were free.
The hills are very quiet this morning.
"You were in danger," Danny answers at last. "And I knew you wouldn't hurt me."
He touches me at last, stopping me with a hand on my arm. I can't meet his eyes (his sad sea-blue eyes, the salt tang of his tears, the blood and wine and tears in my mouth and his dried seed on my thighs).
"It wasn't you," he says in his most serious voice. That voice can talk Jack into anything, can cajole Janet, can even sway the General if he's willing to be swayed. I remain unconvinced. "It was a Maenad. A Bacchae. Some wild-woman of the woods. Not Major Samantha Carter of SG-1."
His words flay me, absolve me, leave me breathless and tasting the sea once again.
We reach the village and find Jack and Danny spins his tale. The Colonel teases us and tells us to get back into uniform, but his eyes aren't laughing. He knows. At the least, he knows there is more story than Daniel is telling.
The Colonel stops me as we approach the gate, clean and uniformed and back to normal. Daniel walks on, dialing up home already in his mind and not looking back. Letting me choose my path.
"There was a woman in the woods. She.forced Daniel. I couldn't stop it." There, the truth. Just not all of it. Daniel said it was not me and I have to believe him.
The Colonel grimaces, that pained empathy grimace he does sometimes, and looks forward at Daniel. "A woman. There were a lot of women on the hills last night."
"Yes, Sir." I will take whatever punishment I have coming. A Court Marshal will be easy after seeing Danny's silent weeping on that hilltop. "I was on the hill last night."
He looks at me sharply and nods. "I know." We catch up to Daniel and the DHD and the glowing Gate. From the hunched set of Danny's shoulders, I can tell he has overheard us. "Daniel. Something you want to share before we go home?"
Daniel looks up at the Colonel, then at me, and shakes his head. "Just want to go home." He gives me a tiny smile and only his eyes flinch when I pat his arm.
End