Legolas hurried Jacks bearers along towards Glorfindel's home when an elf rushed past him to the imposing hall. He told the elves to hurry with their burden and ran swiftly behind what he guessed was a herald of bad tidings. As he arrived in the hall he saw a hurried conversation between the herald and Glorfindel who saw him immediately he entered. "There are men at the ford who are about to be attacked by a metal dragon," Glorfindel explained. "Are these also your friends?"
"Yes! Gimli and Sam Gamgee is with them."
"Then we had better intervene before someone is killed," Glorfindel responded and ran from the hall.
Legolas returned to Jack who was being carried through the door and followed to the room hurriedly set aside for the dying man. As Legolas settled his friend and helped remove his clothing a soft footfall behind made him look up. "Aragorn!" he cried extending his arms and hugging his old friend. "Why are you here?" was the puzzled question.
"A strange message from an even stranger herald. I had a visit from an Ent sent by Treebeard. He said tell Jack that they are now interested. He did not explain who Jack was or what he was interested in. The Ent did say that I was needed at Rivendell so against counsel we are here."
"We?" Legolas asked and then turned his attention back towards his friend. "This is Jack and he is gravely wounded. I think he may die. He was attacked by a warg, wolf, Goa'uld! I am finding it difficult to tell one enemy from another as this one appears in many forms. Jack said it was not a warg and saved me from a fate I am unsure of at the cost of worsening his injuries."
"Let me see him," as Aragorn the healer moved to help Legolas's friend. "Glorfindel helped your friends at the ford, but he said one died. The horse protecting Sam apparently. How did you manage that?"
"He was one of the stolen horses of Lorien," Legolas explained, "he will be mourned." Aragorn nodded as he inspected his patient.
"He has lost much blood and has a fever from the bite. I can heal the fever, but the weakness is from the loss and I cannot remedy this only time will tell if he can be saved." With that comment he set to work.
Legolas left Jack with Aragorn and strode back through the house. Glorfindel met him at the door and they walked down together passed the beautiful waterfall and through the vale to meet his friends. They had not long to wait as they could see the group galloping across the open ground between the woodland and Rivendell's vale. Glorfindel called for help and several elves arrived to take the horses as soon as the forlorn group entered the courtyard. Sam Carter sprang out of her saddle and grabbed her gear as she looked around. She had seen Legolas as they rode in and strode urgently towards him. A nod towards the stranger beside him was all the notice she gave as she rapped out, "where is he? Is he alive."
"He is being helped as we speak, but Jack is unconscious and the blood loss is more than we are used to seeing someone survive," Glorfindel answered before Legolas could reply.
Daniel joined them in time to hear the comment, "it takes a lot to kill Jack O'Neill. He is a fighter even when he does not want to be." he added cryptically. Daniel looked anxiously at Legolas, "where is he?"
"Go with Glorfindel and I will look after Sam," he replied looking to where the hobbit was sat unhappily surveying the horses, Legolas knew he was mourning the loss of his horse. Both Gimli and Legolas went to comfort the grieving hobbit.
They both nodded and followed Glorfindel toward the house. When they entered the room they found a tall man with a sprinkling of grey in his hair at Jack's bedside. His clothes were elfin although he himself was no elf. Jack was comfortably ensconced in the bed but very white and very still. "This is King Elessar and he is helping your friend," Glorfindel told them quietly.
Daniel looked at the tall aristocratic man and smiled. He turned to Sam and Teal'c, "this is Aragorn, you know Strider."
"Did Sam tell you that?" Aragorn said with a smile.
"No," Daniel replied, "the book did.
Aragorn frowned for a moment, "do you mean Frodo and Bilbo's book?"
"Ohh," Daniel suddenly stopped as a light flickered on in his mind, "I wonder if…" his thought trailed off as he watched Sam move past their latest acquaintance to check on her Colonel.
She checked his pulse and his wound dressing and finally sat down in the chair beside the bed as Aragorn watched her. "You are a healer?"
Sam looked up and shook her head, "no. I only know field medicine, to keep people alive until we can reach a doctor, healer to you I think." Aragorn nodded.
"If only we had some 'O' negative blood. We can't use any here because we do not know the differences and Teal'c cannot help. My blood is also no use even if I was the right blood group…" she continued muttering to herself.
"Err Sam," Daniel tried to interrupt then tried again, "Sam!"
"What Daniel," she responded tiredly.
"I am 'O' negative," he said softly, "you can use some of mine if it will help."
Aragorn looked between the two of them as Sam jumped up and made a grab for her pack. "You can do that, give your blood to another."
"Some of it," Sam explained as she rummaged through her sack for the means to transfer the blood. "A little won't hurt Daniel and may make a huge difference to Jack, the Colonel."
"What do you need?" Glorfindel asked from the doorway where he had remained.
"I have needles and I can use the drip feed for the saline, then we can put the saline in as well to add volume to his collapsing vascular system. We can do this, Daniel come over here and… we need to lay him down beside the Colonel but higher up so we can use gravity a little too, just in case we need it. She began stripping and preparing his arm and the equipment while Daniel was settled into place.
Aragorn stood back with Glorfindel and watched them. "She says she is no healer but I would say she is," Aragorn commented. Glorfindel nodded his agreement. They stood to one side of the room out of the way and that is where Legolas found them a few minutes later. Gimli and Sam entered the room behind him and the group watched wide eyed as Sam attached Daniel and Jack together by a tube and blood began to flow between the two of them. "Just relax Daniel, open and close your hand slowly and tell me if you feel any faintness as I cannot tell how much you are giving." She looked up and smiled for the first time, "do not want to bleed you dry." Daniel grinned back at her and then turned his heard to watch his friend.
After a few minutes a groan was heard from Jack's bed and his eyes flickered open. Above him was a ceiling and he could hear a lot of movement in the room. Sam's face appeared above him and she smiled in relief. "Hello Sir. Welcome back."
"I know this is old, but, where am I?" Jack whispered through a dry throat then he looked down at his arm, "and who am I attached too?"
"Hi Jack," Daniel called and laughed as Jack's eyes followed the tube from his own arm to Daniel's.
"You are not infusing me with Archaeologist Carter. Sam tried to smother a giggle and Jack smiled as a shadow fell over him. He looked up to find Teal'c and Legolas on the other side of the bed. "Hi guys. What have I missed? Someone got some water for me?" He motioned to his throat and accepted a carefully placed goblet. When he took a mouthful he looked up in surprise at the helper, "that is not water."
"No," Aragorn said with a smile, "it is a potion of the elves."
Jack was beginning to feel a little stronger and looked back with a straight face, " I am not going to get taller am I."
"No," came a voice from behind, that is a Ent potion," and Sam Gamgee popped into view. "We are glad to see you looking better."
Meanwhile Sam had disconnected Daniel and was connecting up the saline bag to his arm. She turned back to Jack with a big smile, "you have Legolas and Aragorn to thank for getting you here and treating you. I am just adding a bit of Daniel because you managed to lose so much of you." He grinned back but his grin faded as he saw her suddenly frown. "What is wrong?"
Sam glanced at Teal'c and Jack tensed but she put her hand to his shoulder and shook her head. Aragorn caught the undercurrent and his old instinct for danger cut in and he looked around. Sam leant down to her pack and came up with her P90 and moved towards the door with Teal'c on her other side. Glorfindel opened his mouth to speak but Legolas shook his head and silenced him. SG1's three companions had seen this reaction before and waited to find the cause. Teal'c suddenly reached out of the door and yanked an elf into the room. Sam put the muzzle of the gun to the back of his neck. "I do not know if you know where we are from but this weapon will remove the head and destroy whatever is attached to it."
The elf froze in place as he looked around the room. His eyes came to rest on the bed and Jack pushing himself up to look at him. "He was right you are not easy to kill."
"Carter," Jack asked and commanded in the one word.
"He is carrying a Goa'uld sir. Indra has had some one here for some time I would guess. This is why we were being hounded. Indra may have been missing for some time but…"
"I know, I know Carter, he is obviously aware of the Tauri," Jack finished. "We appear to be gaining a reputation for being a pain in the ass."
"This is Denola, he is a friend," Glorfindel spoke concern on his face.
"Denola is a friend. What has invaded him and is using his body is not," Legolas responded. "Is there no way to save our friend?"
Sam looked across at Jack now sat up in the bed and he shrugged his good shoulder. "There may be a way," she said, "but you must keep him secure and not listen to anything he might say. It will be a lie to gain his freedom. There are people we know who can remove the Goa'uld from him, but we cannot."
Aragorn looked at the expression on Jack's face and asked, "you do not like these people?"
Jack led back against the pillows and sighed, "do not like, do not altogether trust, but they are on our side," Aragorn did not miss the irony in his tone.
A voice that no one recognised brought all eyes back to Denola, "if the Tokra try to take me from this host I will kill it." The elf's eyes glowed showing itself for the first time.
Teal'c caught at its hidden arm and drew it round, pulling the gold decoration from Denola's hand. "This is a weapon of the Goa'uld, used to kill and for punishment." Teal'c told his audience.
"It is useless to you Shovva. I will enjoy watching you die."
"What is a shovva?" Aragorn enquired, "it does not sound polite the way it was said."
"Traitor, they call Teal'c The Traitor because he was the first of the Jaffa to defy his god and help free some of their captives. We," Jack continued waving a hand around at his friends, where the first people he saved, but not the last. Teal'c has a guilt trip every time someone accuses him of what he was but…"
"He was brave enough to defy a god to do what was right," Aragorn finished and Jack nodded. "We should have more friends who have this courage do you not think Glorfindel."
Glorfindel smiled a rare occurrence in recent times, "you will always be welcome here Teal'c, I name you elf friend." Denola hissed but did not move as the gun was unwavering placed at his neck. Glorfindel called for a guard and arranged for Denola to be placed in a secure location with strict instructions as to his care.
As he left Jack spoke up from the bed. "Be careful there are always at least two watching him or the Goa'uld could move to someone else and we would not know who."
Denola began to struggle as rage consumed him as his one plan of escape was effectively thwarted. "You will pay for your interference Tauri!" he screamed as he was dragged from the room.
Later Glorfindel returned to the sick room to find everyone seated and becoming acquainted or renewing old ties. With him he brought Arwen and a babe in arms, a little figure also peeked from behind her skirts. "Well this is a merry meeting," Glorfindel said as he looked at the returning colour in his sick guest's face. "I have arranged for food to be brought here, I think we will have a celebration of Rivendell's deliverance from a spy and for new friends."
Jack looked at him for a moment and then replied, "I think Sam and Teal'c need to check your hall to see if there was only one. Then we maybe can celebrate a little."
"How do they do that? Gimli asked. "How do they know when the enemy is here?"
Jack looked at Legolas who nodded encouragement to share his team's special gift. "Carter was possessed by a Tokra, this is one of our 'friends' who may help you get Denola back. The Tokra died in Carter but saved her, that was when we believed them when they said they were not Goa'uld. Now because of what happened, Carter can sense when a Goa'uld or Tokra is near."
"That was also how I knew my blood would not be good for the Colonel. I have a marker in my blood that has changed it and my perception of some parts of the world around me. That weapon that Denola had, I can also use it up to a point." Sam said and Aragorn turned to look at Teal'c.
Before he could ask a question or Jack could continue Teal'c spoke. "The Jaffa of which I am one were bred to carrying the larval form of the Goa'uld. I still carry one of these creatures because I cannot survive without one in my body. It is young and cannot control me, but one day it will be grown and wish to take a host."
"We will have to find a replacement for Junior or a way to end Teal'c's dependence on it," Jack finished. "Teal'c, would you mind showing these people the face of their enemy?"
Sam noticed the he was becoming a little pale and interrupted, "Sir you need some rest now."
"In a minute," Jack responded, "Teal'c it is important they all understand what is wrong with Denola."
Teal'c nodded and stood up and opened the front of his shirt. They could all see the pouch of flesh across his belly as he thrust his hand in and pulled out Junior. Arwen grabbed her two children and backed hurriedly away, but Aragorn barely flinched.
"That can control another being?" he asked.
"Totally, it cannot be resisted," Sam commented.
"It is intelligent, it creates all these weapons?" he also asked.
"So," Jack eyed him with a new respect, "you know they are not magicians?"
"That is now apparent. Put it away Teal'c it is causing you distress I think to have it removed," Aragorn said quietly.
Teal'c nodded and replaced Junior and slumped into a seat to recover. Sam Gamgee went to his friend and rubbed his arm in sympathy. Teal'c eyed him curiously and pulled a chair forward for Sam to sit beside him.
Jack looked at the group surrounding his bed and said softly, "now we just need to find what they want and dislodge them from your world."
Aragorn smiled and added, "I have a message for you from a mutual friend. He said to tell you he was now interested."
Jack smiled and murmured, "Tree Beard. Now what have they done to piss you off?" then he slipped into sleep even though the room was full of people. They all quietly got up and moved into the next room to allow him to sleep.
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