Chapter Four

Years passed, and soon Teyla had grown both into an adult and into her role as leader of the Athosians. She had learned much in the intervening years, about the people she called her own and life in general, as well as about herself. She found that empathy came easily to her while self-control did not, and that she could not cook certain things very well although fishing and hunting were like second nature.

Often, she found herself asking what her father would have done and then following whatever the answer might be, and more often than not it worked out well.

The Wraith had continued to attack their planet, though not as often as in the past. Fortunately, very few Athosians had been either taken or killed, and once the aftermath had been cleared away, life quickly resumed where it had left off.

Charin and Halling had remained close to Teyla's heart, and she sought their advice or comfort perhaps even more these days. They were always glad to spend time with her, opening their homes to her any time she needed them. In thanks, she would often bring a small gift she had purchased on trading journeys, never leaving out Halling's son, Jinto. He had recently lost his own mother, and so Teyla tried to spend as much free time as she could with him. Under her and Halling's care, he seemed to growing into a respectable young man, though his curiosity often got the better of him. That was to be expected however, as all young boys loved adventure and exploring more than anything.

As Teyla and Halling were talking, Jinto's best friend, Wex, ducked into Halling's tent.

"Hello, Halling," he greeted, and the tall man smiled warmly. "Hello."

"Hello, Teyla."

She smiled as well. "Good morning, Wex. How is your mother?"

"She is well. The baby is giving her trouble, but Charin gave her a tonic to help him sleep."

"Hey, Wex," Jinto said as he returned from getting water at the stream. He set the bucket down at his father's feet, then wiped his hands on his pants. "You wanna go play?"

Wex nodded, and Jinto looked expectantly up at Halling. "Father? May I go?"

Halling paused just long enough to make his son think he would refuse.

"Yes, you may," he finally replied, and Teyla stifled a giggle behind her hand. "But stay out of the forest. The sun has not yet risen; it is still quite dark."

Jinto nodded, fully aware of his father's rules. "Thank you!" He called as he and Wex darted back outside together.

Now, Teyla did laugh, as did Halling.

"He reminds me of myself at his age," he said, still grinning.

"What do you mean?" Teyla replied. "I am not sure you have ever grown past 'his age'."

They chuckled again, and then Halling's gaze turned serious.

"Teyla, I wish to thank you for all that you do with Jinto. I was so worried for him after his mother was taken by the Wraith. I am so glad that he has you to look to."

"I am happy to do it. Jinto is a wonderful boy – very bright and funny – and he has a very gentle heart." She smiled softly. "Not unlike his father, actually."

"Still, you are a very busy woman most days. That you can find time to guide a young boy is a great blessing."

Teyla shrugged. "I see it as preparing for the future. The Wraith have not come to us in a few years, but one day – soon, I fear – they will return. If I can teach the young men in our village to behave with honor and courage, the next time the Wraith come and find great resistance they might think harder about returning."

"You are a wise woman. Not unlike your mother."

"That is kind of you," she replied graciously. "Shall we go and see if there are any leftovers at the main tent?"

Halling nodded. "I could use a small morsel to tide me over."

They walked together to the main tent, where the people came together once a week to take their evening meal. The rest of the week, each family prepared their own suppers, but the last night of the week was set aside as special, the Athosian version of a Sunday dinner. Every woman who could cook would come and help prepare the meal, and then everyone would meet and join in on enjoying the food. Afterward, the men worked together to clear the tables, and early the next morning a strong tea was served along with any food left over from the meal.

Two mugs of tea later, Halling suddenly frowned and stood up. Going to the front of the tent, he peered through the flaps, staring hard into the distance though it was still too dark to see much of anything.

"What is it?" She asked him, setting her drink back on the table.

"I must go and find Jinto," he merely replied, just before he rushed from the tent. Teyla stood to follow him, but Kanaan, who had grown quite tall and strong, stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"You should remain here, where you are protected," he told her.

"Halling might need my help," she argued. "I should go with him."

Kanaan shook his dark head emphatically. "We do not know what the trouble is out there. There could be an attack."

"And if that is the case, then Halling truly will need me."

"But if it is an attack, then our enemy might be waiting for you to go outside, into the open."

She fell silent, conceding his point, and allowed him to gently press her back down in her seat.

"I do not sense Wraith," he continued, "but we should still be cautious."

A half-hour went by, and the nervous feeling that had settled into Teyla's stomach had uncurled enough to allow her to return to enjoying the company of the others in the tent. They sat at the table, trading stories and jokes interspersed with bouts of laughter. More than once, Teyla found herself covering her mouth with her hand to keep from giggling too loudly. There were children still sleeping in the tents surrounding them, and she was certain that their parents would not appreciate them being awakened so early.

"It is Halling," her friend's voice called from outside. "I bring men from away."

"Enter," Teyla responded, her brow creased in curiosity.

The tent's flaps were pulled aside as Halling stepped inside. He was followed by three strangers dressed in black clothing, with objects that she had never seen before strapped onto their heads. All that was forgotten, however, when she saw the weapons that hung from their vests. She glared at Halling in surprise, and he bowed apologetically at her.

"These men wish to trade," he said.

"Ah, it's, uh," one of the newcomers stammered, simultaneously pulling the goggles off his head and trying unsuccessfully to fix his dark hair as he smiled at Teyla, "it's nice to meet you."

Though she was certain she had never met him before, this man seemed somehow familiar to her. "I am Teyla Emmagan, daughter of Turghan," she replied.

The oldest of the three, a man with light brown hair cropped close to his head and sharp blue eyes that unnerved her in a way that not even the fiercest Wraith could, spoke next. "Colonel Marshall Sumner, Major Sheppard, Lieutenant Ford. We have very few specific needs."

Teyla ignored both his clipped introduction and overt appraisal of her as she said, "We do not trade with strangers."

"Is that a fact?" Sumner asked, though the look in his eyes told that he had guessed at her reaction long ago, possibly even before they had entered the tent.

"Well, then," Sheppard put in, the wheels in his mind turning as she watched, "we'll just, uh, we'll have to get to know each other. Me, um, I like Ferris Wheels and college football; anything that goes more than two hundred miles per hour."

Ford, a dark-skinned man not much younger than Kanaan, leaned toward Sheppard and spoke quietly. "Sir, that's not going to mean anything to them."

Still smiling at Teyla, Sheppard clenched his teeth and murmured his reply. "Feel free to speak up. I'm just trying to break the ice, here."

Colonel Sumner made a soft comment to Sheppard that Teyla could not hear, but she could see from the look on the younger man's face that he did not like it. In fact, she was getting the impression that the Major thoroughly disliked the Colonel altogether, though she was certain that if pressed Sheppard would back his superior, simply because it was expected of him.

Sensing that her chances of negotiating a trade were slipping quickly through her fingers, Teyla said, "Each morning before dawn, our people drink a stout tea to brace us for the coming day. Will you join us?"

Major Sheppard took a step toward her, smiling. "I love a good cup of tea. Now there's another thing you know about me." He took a moment to smile at Sumner before turning back to Teyla. "See? We're practically friends already!"

Teyla studied his ready smile, trying to sense his veracity. He seemed open enough, friendly and accommodating, but there were depths to his hazel eyes that belied a lifetime of pain and regret. Hurt and loss made themselves plain, though his humor and undying sense of hope tried to push them from sight.

His face was thin and quite handsome, but again the tiny scar on the bridge of his nose – so miniscule that almost no one would have seen it – told her that he was not afraid to take risks, and that he had paid for that trait at least once before. The beginning of a five-o-clock shadow was making itself known on his defined jaw line, and he reached up and brushed his thumb across his itchy cheek in response.

Deciding that he was worth trusting, Teyla smiled at him in return as he walked toward the table to sit down.