A/N: I have only seen the first three seasons of "Stargate SG-1" so please forgive me if this is AU. It probably is.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the "Stargate SG-1" characters.

Rating: PG to PG-13

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Friendship/Angst/Drama/Romance and all that good stuff

Spoilers: Seasons 1-3

Summary: Slight AU. "Would you die for me?" he asked, his eyes blazing with the power of the Goa'uld. His fingers tightened around my throat. "No," I said firmly, although my slight body was shaking. "But I would die for him."

Brave New World

Prologue: Debriefing

When the men first came to me, I was afraid. I had not seen anyone from what Dan'yell called the "S.G.C." for a long time: about two years. I hide behind Kasuf as he spoke with them. I understood their language for Skaara had taught me when I had first come to Abydos through the Chappa'ai. They spoke in soft tones, as if they were afraid of what my reaction would be if I could hear them.

Kasuf turned to me and placed his hand on the top of my head. "You must go with them, my daughter," he said gently.

"But why, my father?" I asked, looking up at him imploringly, not wanting to leave his side as I had not since the Jaffa had taken Skaara from me.

"You must go, now!" Kasuf insisted, his hands shaking slightly as he took my arm and handed me over to the men. Two took each of my arms and gently led me back into the pyramid from whence they had come. I cast one last long look back at the man whom I had called father for the past twelve months as I hobbled away. The men led me through the Chappa'ai. It felt strange to be traveling through it once more.

The first person I saw was Dan'yell. I gave a cry of relief and delight, leaping into his arms, wrapping my own thin arms around his neck in a tight embrace.

"Dan'yell, I have missed you," I spoke softly into his ear. He gathered me in his arms, lifting my slender form off of the ground easily. My long skirt hid my feet from the observers. When he set me down again, he patted my head as if I were a younger sister.

"I'm glad you could make it," he said, reaching up to adjust the glass circles that sat on the bridge of his nose. He called them "glass'ez."

"Why am I here, Dan'yell?" I asked, straightening my robes. "Why have you sent for me?"

"Uh, the General wants some uh, information, you could say . . . about . . ." he seemed to be hesitating. He rubbed his hands together nervously as I waited for the rest of his statement. "About Skaara."

The shock on my face must have seemed like a bad thing, for he quickly began speaking once more, explaining how they had encountered Klorel on a Serpent Lord mother ship and something about a shooting and a sarcophagus. I barely heard him. Looking over his shoulder I saw Car'ter and O'Neill, and the Jaffa they called Teal'c approaching. I held my head high, trying to appear brave despite my small stature.

"I shall tell you what I know," I said, only because I saw no reason not to. "But I do not know what help it will give."

"Great!" O'Neill exclaimed, clapping his hands together so loudly it made me jump. "Let's go."

"Uh, Jack," Dan'yell said hesitantly. "First I think Dr. Fraiser would like to see her in the infirmary?"

"Riiiight," O'Neill said, nodding.

I was puzzled. "But I am not ill," I said, looking up at Dan'yell. He gave me a small smile.

"It's standard procedure," he said reassuringly. "Nothing to worry about."

I nodded, still afraid but not enough to make me refuse. Dan'yell held out his hand to me and I latched on to it, holding him tightly. He gave me another smile and led me down a hallway with walls of metal to a room filled with unfamiliar equipment. A pleasant looking woman with red hair stepped forward and led me to a bed, motioning for me to sit. I did.

"Now these are just a couple of test I have to take just to make sure you did not bring back anything harmful. You okay with that?"

I nodded. She lifted my arm and swiped a wet white ball over the inside of my arm and then lifted a sharp needle. I eyed it fearfully but Dan'yell appeared at my side, patting my shoulder.

"It's okay," he said. "It doesn't really hurt at all."

I turned wide eyes up at him then back over to Dr. Fray'ser. She gave me a small smile and injected the needle. I flinched slightly but all I really felt was a small sting. She continued with the test and I waited patiently until she was done.

"There you go, all done," she said finally. "You're completely healthy."

"Thank you," I said, unsure of what else to say. I hopped off the bed and made my way to the door with Dan'yell at my side. I felt Dr. Fray'ser's eyes on me and I waited for the question that was sure to come. However it did not. I was surprised but continued limping down the hall with Dan'yell.

"This is the conference room," Dan'yell said, opening the door to a room with a large table surrounded by multiple chairs. He gestured for me to take a seat in one. Just as I did, a door opened at O'Neill, Car'ter, Teal'c, and General Hammond entered. I stood swiftly, but Dan'yell motioned for me to sit again. I was sorry for my flighty behavior, and I said so. The others seemed to understand.

"Now I know this may be difficult for you," General Hammond said as he sat down. "But you must tell us everything, from the moment you first saw Skaara. Start with just stating your name."

I watched at Car'ter placed some sort of device in front of me and turned it on. I watched two small wheels turn around and around before Dan'yell clearing his throat snapped me out of my daze and reminded me to talk.

"I am called Kyra'lo'lani, from Rict'ta'tica," I began. I received several blank stares. My lips twitched slightly into a small smile. "You may call me simply Kyra." O'Neill looked relieved.

"Go on," Dan'yell prompted quietly from my side. I glanced at him then back at the others.

"My homeworld was taken by the Goa'uld," I explained. "My uncle Rosh'nita and I were the only survivors. We escaped through the Chappa'ai moments before the Goa'uld destroyed it with fire and thunder."

"Where did you gate to?" Car'ter asked, looking very interested and concerned.

"Abydos," I said with a tender smile. My eyes drifted to the side as I remembered first stepping through the gate with Uncle Rosh at my side. I remembered when I first saw him.

Flashback

We had stumbled into a cavern of some kind. The Chappa'ai disengaged behind us. We had fallen when we had raced through and now we stood shakily. My left foot could not support me and I stumbled over to Uncle Rosh who, although badly wounded, wrapped his arms around me as though I was the one who required assistance.

There were rustlings and whisperings all around us. I was afraid. Then a man stepped forth. A man with glass circles in front of his eyes. A beautiful young woman stood right behind him. He approached us cautiously.

"Uh, hello," he said hesitantly.

I glanced at Uncle Rosh. He raised a blood-covered hand to motion me not to speak.

"It's okay," the man said, stepping closer. I eyed him warily. He did not appear dangerous, but not everything is as it seems. "I'm a friend, we," here he gestured around him at the pillars (undoubtedly there were beings behind them), "are friends."

Uncle Rosh stumbled forward. I saw then the deep gash in his side. My eyes widened with horror and I looked at the man. Disregarding my uncle's wish for me to remain silent, I decided that my uncle was going to die anyway if I did not ask for help.

"Please!" I said in the man's tongue. "Help . . ." I scrambled for more words but I had never been very good in my language classes. I understood him, but I was not sure I could communicate.

Fortunately, he seemed to understand. He spoke quickly to the woman who I assumed was his wife, and she hurried to me while the man attended to my uncle. They helped us up and led us into an encampment set up in the cavern which I now saw was instead a large room.

The woman began looking me over. She found my many cuts and bruises and began to minister herbs to soothe the pain of them.

"Sha'uri," she said softly after a while, laying a hand on her chest.

I understood she was introducing herself, so I laid a hand on my own chest and spoke quietly.

"Kyra'lo'lani."

She smiled and handed me a bowl filled to the brim with water. I drank greedily. It was then that I saw him, looking over Sha'uri's shoulder as if to get a glimpse of the strange girl who had come through the Chappa'ai.

I lowered the bowl quickly and drew my knees up to my chest, as if to protect me from this stranger. Sha'uri sensed my discomfort and turned to him. Her face broke into a grin and she gestured for him to come closer. My breath caught in my throat in fear. I had just witnessed my entire family's death. I could not let them have my trust too easily.

He stepped forward cautiously, as one would approach a wounded animal. He knelt beside Sha'uri and spoke with her in hushed tones for a few brief moments. He was most likely questioning her about me. He finally turned back to me again.

For weeks after he was taken I would remember that moment: his dark eyes full of innocent wonder and curiosity, his dark face open and attentive, his lips slowly upturning into a small smile.

He pointed to his chest. "Skaara," he said and nodded. "Skaara."

"Skaara," I repeated slowly. His smile widened into a full grin, a beautiful grin full of excitement. He nodded vigorously then pointed to me.

"And . . . you?" he asked hesitantly.

"Kyra'lo'lani," I answered. I was still wary of him, but something about his entire being inspired a sense of security and benevolence. There was not one thing about him that gave me a reason to fear him.

He struggled with repeating my name. He could not get past "Kyra." I actually laughed, surprising myself and him. I shook my head and simply said, "Kyra" while pointing to myself.

"Kyra," he repeated confidently, his grin still lighting up his dark face like the sun. A beautiful face.

End Flashback

"My Uncle died there," I said softly, turning my eyes down onto the table. The last image of Skaara was still imprinted in my brain. I did not push it away. Instead I pulled it close to me as though it would comfort me during this personal interrogation.

"I tried my best to save him," Dan'yell told me, although he did not have to. I had forgiven him a long time ago.

"Do not worry, I do not hold you responsible," I reassured him. He nodded but still appeared guilty.

"So you stayed with the Abydonians, is that correct?" General Hammond asked.

I nodded. "Indeed. Dan'yell and Sha'uri took good care of me. They taught me the language of your people. Skaara helped me as well, in many ways more than one. He . . ." I suddenly hesitated but then continued although my voice was not as strong as before. "He assisted me greatly during times of great emotional torment within me when I began to miss my family. We became close. Very close."

I took a deep shuddering breath. The listeners waited patiently. Dan'yell rested a hand on my arm and I reached up to brush a strand of dark hair away from my face.

"You were there when they came," I said quietly. "You know what happened after that moment."

I shut my eyes and tried to block out the next images that entered my memory. But they came anyway.

Flashback

Darkness. Pressing bodies. Sobbing. Jaffa guards at the gate. Skaara's arms around me, holding me close. I had buried my face into his chest, not wanting to see. They should not have picked me. They would not have picked me if they had seen it. I knew that they would surely kill me for I was of no use to them. Skaara knew it too.

When the Jaffa guards opened the gate to let in the Goa'uld to choose their children or servants, Skaara stood with the others, pushing me behind him so they could not see me. I gripped the back of his robes tightly and pressed my forehead into his back, shivering like an abused animal. I was so afraid.

They looked right at me. I saw one step towards us, but then another one picked O'Neill. A struggle ensued. Skaara leapt forward to assist his friend. He was chosen . . . by Apophis. He was taken. I could do nothing but stand there, screaming his name. I came out of my daze finally and rushed to him but my foot crippled my movement and before I knew it, a staff weapon came out of haze that was my vision and then I saw only blackness.

End Flashback

"Wait a moment," Car'ter said at the end of my narrative. "Why weren't you chosen?"

I titled my head and waited for her to continue her thought.

"I mean, you're a very lovely young woman if you don't mind me saying so," she went on.

"Thank you," I said slowly. I paused, waiting for her to realize the answer on her own. She seemed to be waiting for me to tell her. I sighed and stood.

"I believe they would have chosen me," I said. "If it were not for this."

I lifted the end of my long skirt and displayed my deformity. My left foot turned inwards in a particularly grotesque way. It had been that way since birth. The only way to right it would be to break it and let it set straight again and my mother could not bring herself to do that. So I remained deformed the entirety of my sixteen years.

"Please go on," General Hammond requested.

I lowered my skirt and sat back down. "As you know the Jaffa Teal'c helped us all escape and I was taken back to Abydos. Kasuf welcomed me graciously and we became very close. I consider him to be a surrogate father, and I: his daughter."

Those around me nodded. Dan'yell shifted in his chair so that he could face me.

"Kyra," he said. "Tell us what happened a couple months ago."

I took another deep breath and let it out slowly. "About two months ago, I was captured by a bounty hunter . . . and taken to Klorel's ship."

My audience all exchanged glances. I did not wait for any comments or questions. I simply gazed off at the wall in front of me and continued telling my story.

A/N: This is my first "Stargate: SG-1" fanfic so please be patient with me. Btw, Kyra's name is pronounced Kai(rhymes with sky)-rah.