Sheppard woke that night to a sharp rap on his door. He grunted as he came out of a food-induced dream and rubbed at his eyes, awareness dawning a little slower than he would have liked. Pushing at the plush pillows, a book falling off his chest, he stood and crossed to the door, his boots clunking heavily. He hadn't meant to fall asleep.
"Who is it?" he rasped. Reaching for the door knob, he didn't quite get his hand around it before the door cracked open, narrowly missing his nose. Candle light flickered into his room that just managed to illuminate his visitor's face. Nareen. Damn. "I thought there were guards at my door."
She gave him a strange look. "Yes, but they're here to protect you from anyone who might try to kill you. I certainly mean you no harm."
Sheppard just looked at her and said, "What are you doing here?"
Nareen glanced at one of the guards before pushing her way into his room. As she closed the door behind her, Sheppard put a good distance between them and stood with his arms closed, determined not to give in. Not this time, anyway. And when Nareen didn't move any closer, Sheppard allowed himself to relax.
"I would like to take you to your friends," she said finally.
"Excuse me?"
She pulled at the cinch of her housecoat as if nervous. "My father put them in the upper prisons. It's where we keep our important prisoners."
"It's good to know they're considered important," he said, lifting his brow. "Why are you even keeping them around?"
"To prevent them from returning with forces that would overwhelm our own in order to rescue you from the marriage." She looked him up and down. "You're too important to us."
Sheppard frowned. "What's going to happen to them after the wedding?"
"I assume they will be allowed to return to your planet but my father doesn't speak to me of such things." Nareen paused then and squinted at him, apparently thinking. She didn't say anything, though.
"I'm told the prisons are cold," she said instead. "You might want to bring your coat."
He didn't move for a long time and instead watched Nareen. Her eyes narrowed and she looked as if she was about to speak when he finally turned and picked up his jacket from where it had slid off the bed. Nareen nodded.
"You'll want to be quiet," she said. "I've paid the guards outside your door well to let you pass out of their sight, as I have with the prison guards, but I haven't any others in my pocket at the moment."
"There's something you're not telling me," he said as she opened the door and stuck her candle outside to look down either side of the corridor.
"There are a lot of things I'm not telling you," she replied, looking over her shoulder, "but we're not yet married, so I don't believe I'm required to give away my secrets yet." A smile touched her lips.
"You'll want to keep some of them," he said, following her into the hall.
"Oh?"
"Life wouldn't be interesting if I knew everything about you. Besides, I'll need something to keep me from going out of my mind." Sheppard shrugged into his jacket and glanced at the two guards outside his door as he did so. They were looking at the ceiling and doing a very good job of ignoring what was happening just in front of them.
Nareen chuckled and said, "I like to believe that our lives aren't as boring as that."
"We'll see," Sheppard said. The flickering light caught the smile in Nareen's eyes just before she grabbed his hand and blew out the candle.
"Quietly, now," she said, leaning into his ear and forcing him to wonder if she wasn't as innocent as she let on. "The prisons are on the far side of the parade grounds."
Lifting the front of her housecoat, Nareen led Sheppard down the hallway at a fairly quick pace. He would have rather made the journey without holding her hand, but didn't fight it, something telling him that she needed the reassurance of the contact. Was she doing this, he wondered, against the will of her father? They probably wouldn't have to sneak around the palace at night if she had been given permission. Nor would she have had to pay off his guards.
Nareen paused at the intersection of two corridors and peered around the corner. Moonlight flooded the hallway and reflected off the mirrors that helped keep the heavy stone architecture light. Portraits of long dead relatives seemed to watch them, their dull eyes yellowed with age. Sheppard swallowed as he too looked down both sides of the hall.
A tug at his hand told him they were continuing on.
"What'll happen if we get caught?" Sheppard asked several minutes later.
"I don't know," she said, glancing back at him once they cleared a flight of stairs. "My father doesn't care if his children wander around the palace during either the day or night, but I'm not sure what he would do if he caught me leading you to your companions. And I don't care to find out."
"Well, I wouldn't want to get you into any kind of trouble." Chivalry hadn't been completely abandoned since the divorce, after all. "I could have done this on my own."
"That punishment I can imagine," she said. "It wouldn't be a pleasant situation for you."
"I thought I was valuable to your family."
"Not that valuable." Nareen paused just inside the door that led outside and let go of his hand. Turning to look at him, she shrugged. "But I'm sure he would lessen the sentence considering I am the conspiring party here, not you."
Sheppard grabbed her wrist as she reached to brush something from his cheek. "So, you're putting my life on the line to feel a little less guilty at night? I'd rather just marry you and get it the hell over with. I kind of like being alive."
Nareen looked away but didn't pull herself from his grip, though it was tight.
"And you will remain alive," she said finally. Whispering, she continued, "I would rather rule Vrschere alone than with a man who doesn't want anything to do with it."
"What are you saying?"
She looked at him. "I'm not saying anything, John. But if I were you, I would be mindful of my volume when we meet your friends. I wouldn't be surprised to find ears in the prison."
He regarded her in the moonlight before releasing her arm. She rubbed at the wrist and held his gaze for a moment longer. It was Sheppard who looked away first. Nareen just turned to the door and lifted the latch that kept it secure, opening it once the heavy piece of wood had been removed.
"We will want to stick to the perimeter," she said, "though I would suggest we run. The guards, I believe, are in the middle of their rotation, but they will still be vigilant."
"Just lead the way."
Nareen nodded and took a quick look outside before exiting the palace and beginning her run along the stone wall to their left, lifting her skirts to free her legs. Sheppard hesitated a moment to take in the large courtyard before following in her wake, surprised at Nareen's speed. He wouldn't have guessed she could run so well.
By the time Sheppard caught up, Nareen was pulling a key from her pocket and slipping it in a large lock. Her breathe was heavy where his was not, Sheppard having taken a slower, more cautious pace than she, and her fingers trembled as she turned the lock. It clicked open like a mining blast in the quiet night. The guards paid them no attention and Sheppard and Nareen exchanged glances before she slipped into the prisons, Sheppard on her heel.
"Take the stairs," she said, closing the door. "They should be in one of the first rooms at the top."
"Where are you going?" he asked, looking in the direction of her voice. There was no light to see by.
"Do not worry about me," she said, pressing something into his hand. The candle. "I will be fine."
She didn't let go of him as she searched her pocket, metal clinking together as she did. A moment later, she struck something against the stone wall and the small vestibule they had entered was suddenly illuminated. Lighting the candle and extinguishing the match before it could burn her fingers, she reached into her pocket once more and removed another key. "This will open the cell door. I trust that you will not try to escape, because I'll warn you now that it would be quite impossible without my help and all you would accomplish is getting yourself killed."
"Got it," Sheppard said, accepting the key. "No escaping with my life."
Nareen lifted her brow at him. "I will be there presently."
And before he could say anything, Nareen turned and disappeared into the dark, her footfall echoing away from him down a different flight of steps.
--
It took Sheppard little time to find the cells and even less to figure out which one held his friends. The presence of small, barred windows was of particular help in the matter. Inserting the key, Sheppard grimaced as the lock click-click-clicked into place and echoed back off the stone walls. It also woke both Teyla and Ronon. Rodney remained asleep.
"John?" Teyla said a moment later. She stood and crossed the room to him. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask myself the same question." He closed the door behind him. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Considering we're in prison," Ronon finished for her. "How'd you get a key?"
"Nareen gave it to me," he said, putting it in his pocket. "She woke me up twenty minutes ago and told me that she was bringing me here."
"Where is she now?" Teyla asked.
"Not here," Sheppard said as he moistened his fingers and snuffed out the candle. Moonlight flooded in through a large barred window. "She took off at the bottom of the stairs."
"Where to?"
"I don't know." He furrowed his brow. "But I have a feeling she's giving us a chance to plan some kind of an escape."
Ronon joined Sheppard and Teyla by the door. "What makes you say that?"
"It's just something she said." He shrugged. "Besides, I don't know why else she would bring me here in the middle of the night some twelve hours before I'm supposed to marry her."
"It might be some sort of a trap," Ronon said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"No." Sheppard shook his head. "But don't ask me to explain."
Rodney grunted from where he lay. "Will you guys keep it down?" The scientist began to roll over when he apparently caught a glimpse of Sheppard. Sitting up, he rubbed at an eye. "What are you doing here?"
"You missed that conversation, Rodney," Sheppard said. He turned back to the other two.
"What's wrong with getting out of here now?" Ronon asked. "You have a key, don't you?"
"I don't think it works for much more than your door."
Ronon and Teyla exchanged glances. Rodney stumbled towards them, his hair pushed up to one side, a line of dry drool down his chin. Scratching at his head, he yawned and gestured at Sheppard. "So, you agreed to come here alone in the middle of the night without a clue as to where this woman you're supposed to marry is now that you're in the prison, and you don't suspect anything is up? What'd she give you to trick you into coming here?"
"Don't be gross," Sheppard said. Ronon chuckled.
"I'm being reasonable."
Sheppard snorted at him. "No, you're being dumb."
"Please," Teyla said, putting a hand on Rodney's chest as he prepared to retort. "Unlike Rodney, I assume she will return shortly to retrieve you, so we might as well use our time wisely rather than waste it bickering over…" She paused. "Rather than waste it bickering."
Sheppard and Rodney regarded each other for a length before conceding.
Teyla nodded. "Good. Does anyone have a plan?"
"I've never had to get out of a wedding before," Sheppard said. "And nothing I've tried so far has worked. She's determined. So is her father. I think he's tired of planning weddings."
"You could always fake your own death," Rodney said. "Is there a friar anywhere?"
"That's very poetic, Rodney," Sheppard said. "But I don't think it'll work. Mostly because that kind of a thing doesn't happen in real life."
"It's not like you've come up with anything yet."
Sheppard pressed his lips together.
Ronon squinted. "Have you mentioned anything about your wife?"
"I somehow doubt she would care about a divorce that happened eight years ago." Sheppard put his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, the reality of his upcoming wedding hitting him a little harder now. He had briefly toyed with the idea of getting married again some years ago if he could find the right kind of girl. Preferably, he thought, one who had the same level of clearance so he wouldn't have to spend another marriage lying. This, however, was definitely not what he had in mind.
"But she does not know you two are no longer together," Teyla said, picking up the point. "I am sure her people have laws against polygamy."
"Besides that," Rodney said, "she might not want to share you with some woman on another planet."
"In another galaxy," Sheppard continued. "I might be able to make it work. I got pretty good at lying to Nancy by the end." He frowned then and glanced away from his friends. The divorce was not something he liked talking about. "Okay, I'll give that angle a try."
"Good timing," Ronon said. "Someone's coming."
Sheppard looked around the room. "That could be a problem."
"Just find some corner to stand in," Ronon said, going to sit on one of the beds. "They usually don't hang around for long."
"Have they been bothering you?" Sheppard asked, retreating to the shadows.
"No," Teyla said. "But they do come to check on us during the night."
Sheppard nodded as a key slid into the lock. It clicked just as loudly as it had for him; his heart beat hard for the adrenaline that poured through his veins.
But it was only Nareen. She looked around, obviously nervous, before spotting him as he came out of the corner. And when Ronon stood, her eyes immediately went to him, wide with fright.
"They won't hurt you, Nareen," Sheppard said, approaching her. "I take it you haven't met them."
"I have not," she said, stepping closer, her knuckles barely a hairsbreadth from his. She looked back at Ronon. "My father might try to recruit you for our army."
"I don't plan on being around much longer," he replied. Nareen just frowned and looked at Sheppard.
"Have you finished?" she asked. "If not, then I suggest you bid them good night as quickly as possible and allow me to return you to your quarters before your absence is noted."
"That doesn't sound like much of a suggestion."
"It's not," Nareen nodded to the other three. "I'll be outside. Be quick about it." She left the door open behind her.
"Wow," Rodney said under his breath. "She's really hot. You've got some kind of luck there, Casanova."
"Shut up."
A smile crossed Rodney's lips. "Hey, if she doesn't believe you, it can't be all that bad. Hot wife, endless amounts of money, rule over an entire planet."
"Exactly," Sheppard said. "I've got to get out of this."
Rodney just continued to grin stupidly and Sheppard shook his head as he said goodbye and joined Nareen on the landing, closing the door behind him.
"Your friends are well?" she asked as they took the stairs.
"As well as you can expect after being locked up for two days."
Nareen watched where she stepped, another candle in her hand. "I do apologize for that, but you understand the reasons behind it, yes?"
"We've done the same," Sheppard admitted. "I mean, no one was trying to marry anyone else, but we've locked people up to get someone else to do something."
"I don't believe that's why my father put them in prison."
"You don't have to explain yourself again," Sheppard said, his words more bitter than he had intended. He didn't apologize.
After that, the journey back was silent and by the time they reentered his room, dawn was just touching the horizon. Nareen walked to his window to throw back the curtains rather than leaving him for the remainder of the night and Sheppard followed, curious about what she was doing.
"I never actually believed this day would come," she said, not looking at him as he approached. "There have been queens in my family who never married because of our traditions. My grandmother was one of them." Nareen signed and leaned into the sill, her nose centimeters from the glass.
"But your father…?"
"Born out of wedlock. It's why he's so adamant that I marry and why our betrothal has been so short. With our marriage, his line will become legitimate."
Sheppard swallowed. It just kept getting worse.
Silence descended then and the two of them watched the sun rise. Before it was halfway above the horizon, however, Sheppard touched her shoulder as she sniffed and tried to hide her tears behind a hand. She turned to look at him, though, faint traces of makeup streaking her face.
"Please consider everyone," she said. "My people need someone like you to survive the Wraith."
"Unfortunately," he said, "so do mine."
She tried to smile and when it didn't come she cupped one of his cheeks and kissed the other. In the same motion, she pushed a long dagger into his hand and he took it as she stepped away again. Her side trip must have taken her to an armory.
"Sleep as well as you can, John," Nareen said as she backed towards the door, saying nothing of the weapon. "Today is your wedding day."
Sheppard just frowned as he watched her leave, his fingers gripping the scabbard in his hand, before he turned back to the dawn. It stained, now, the clouds in the distance and the land that stretched out before it; the kingdom that would be his to protect.
Would he really be able to leave them to their own devices against the Wraith? A broken engagement would ruin all hopes of gaining a new ally. Who was he to make a decision that could affect the lives of so many. Sheppard shook his head and wondered for the first time since arriving if it really would be best to just go through with it.
Taking in a breath, he tucked the scabbard into his belt and leaned against the window sill, contemplating the morning. There had to be something he could do.
--
A/N – Hey, thanks for the reviews! I wasn't sure how this would be received considering the plot and the topic (you know, fear of those ever-dreaded cries of "Mary Sue!") and am happy that a few of you out there took the time to review. Those are always helpful. Thanks also to you who favorite'd this or put an alert on it. Always good for an ego boost ;) and considering the following days of work, those kinds of compliments were needed. I don't mean to sound haughty (if I do) but, man, bad, bad days during which just about everything I touched managed to go wrong (I kid you not). Thanks for helping me out of a funk. Hope you enjoyed it! One more chapter to go…