Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters here, just the Captain in the beginning and the people on P7X-617. Everything else and the show belongs to those who created it, MGM etc. etc.

A/N #1: There are a couple of dream sequences in this chapter, they're written in full italics. There's also a mention of rape in the first dream, nothing graphic but I have to warn my readers…

A/N #2: '' with italics in between indicates telepathic (mental) conversation.

A/N #3: Thanks so much for the reviews Ashleod (I'm really glad that you enjoyed the chapter so much, lol, hopefully this time you'll let me know what you liked if you can :D And wow, that's a great compliment 'cause I've read lots of stories I don't want to end but want to read more. Thanks again, and can't wait to read what you think of this chapter!), RepliCarter1993 (I'm glad the gun is gone, but leave the bunnies alone! Lol. I hope that you enjoyed the last chapter and will enjoy this one!) and HAZMOT (Always fun to read your insight on my chapters, and I'm glad that this story makes you think like you do. I hope that as it goes on it lives up to your expectations! Thanks anyways and I hope you'll like this chapter too!). I greatly, greatly appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think.

A/N #4: Please keep reviewing so I know if anyone's interested enough for me to continue posting this up! It's all written out, I'm just waiting for some lovely reviews for the readers out there!

Chapter Ten
Preparations

Standing on the balcony attached to the room at Seth's palace, Sam watched as the second sun slipped lower in the sky; the first one having gone at least a half hour before. She sighed as she looked down at her manacles and chains, feeling a sickening sense of despair. Ever since earlier that day, when Daniel told her he would be coming to try and get her out of the palace, she had been trying to think of a way to get out of there on her own, but it was impossible. The metal of the chains was unbreakable with what little she had at her disposal and that would be her single way out since the only time she didn't have the chains on was when Seth had her in the throne room.

She knew there was nothing she could do to stop Daniel from coming. She had tried to get out herself; she couldn't. She had tried to beg him not to come; he wouldn't listen. Now she was worried- no she was terrified- that when he came either tomorrow or the day after, her dream would come true.

Sam was so deep in thought that when she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye she gave a little gasp and jumped back from him. It took her a moment to recover from the shock, but when she did she felt her stomach twist in horror when she saw the evil grin on Seth's face.

"When the second sun has risen," Seth began, holding Sam still. "Tomorrow my men will march out and fight against the pathetic warriors of the cities. Your other friends who came with you through the ring will be at the battlefield. They will die along with the other men."

Sam fought to keep a calm expression on her face, but there was something else to worry about. She hoped the colonel and Teal'c weren't going to be at the battle as Seth said. But knew that was unlikely and she only hoped they wouldn't be hurt or killed.

Seth continued, sensing Sam's struggle to remain calm and his grin became a smile as he said, "Once I have finished with them I will kill all the men left on this world. The women and children will all become loyal to me, as will all future generations. But don't think I have forgotten about you Samantha. I will secure Daniel Jackson and bring him here to you. So he can watch as I consume my marriage to you. Once that is done, the man will die, painfully, slowly." He laughed as Sam didn't try to mask her fear and disgust and he grabbed her chin with his hand, forcing her to look into his eyes. "You will be my queen and bear my heirs to my throne. And when you have given me a handful of boys, I will slit your thin, pretty throat."

Sam was startled by that, but she knew the man was insane. He wanted her for his wife and a vessel for the birth of his sons. But he also wanted to kill her. She suddenly felt her body being released and she fell to the floor of the balcony in her haste to get away. As she looked up to Seth, she was startled to find he was gone. Looking at her wrists she felt herself trembling, everything he had said really hitting her. "Oh god, oh god," she whispered, knowing that her life and the lives of everyone on the planet and SG-1 would change if Daniel brought the stone to the palace, or even if he came empty-handed.

'Sam?" Daniel said softly in her mind.

'Daniel? What is it?' Sam asked, her mind still in a morbid frame of mind and she half expected him to giver her terrible news.

'Nothing, I heard you in my mind you were saying "Oh god." Are you okay?' Daniel asked, walking to one of the windows of the Council Room where he was with Monifa.

'Yeah… I was just told by Seth that the battle is going to be tomorrow,' Sam said, hoping that emotion wasn't transferred by telepathic communication. A moment later she received her answer.

'There's more Sam,' Daniel said. 'What else did he tell you?'

Sam hesitated for a moment, but knew that Daniel wouldn't be satisfied until he knew the truth. Closing her eyes, she finally told him what Seth had said to her, what he was planning to do the next day.

'None of that is going to happen,' Daniel said grimly. 'I have an idea of what to do; I'm just getting everything into place.'

'Daniel, you can't,' Sam said urgently. 'You can't risk your life for mine.'

'I have to, if anything were to happen to you…' Daniel said, trailing off. 'But Jack and Teal'c will be alright,' he said quickly to change the subject before she could try to tell him again not to come to the palace. 'I've talked to Thorcamb, and he's asked them to protect his son, Nassor, at the battlefield, should anyone try to get to the tents where the Council will watch the fighting.'

'How did the colonel respond?" Sam asked.

'After I spoke with him he accepted the request," Daniel said. He turned and looked at Monifa behind him and said, 'I need to go Sam, you'll see me tomorrow.'

'Daniel… please, I don't want to see you killed,' Sam begged again, hating to repeat herself. But she was so afraid of her dream she knew she would do anything to keep it from happening in reality.

'This is the only way Sam,"Daniel said, his voice firm but still gentle in tone. 'There's no other way to get you out of there. And no other way to help these people from being enslaved.'

'How is this going to help…' Sam began when she realized that he was hoping to somehow defeat Seth. 'Daniel, no.'

'I have to go,' Daniel said. 'It's our chance to fix this. I will come Sam.' And carefully he closed the link between them, walking over to Monifa.

"Oh god, I can't let him come," Sam said to herself as she knew he wouldn't want to talk to her about the next day anymore. She jumped up and ran inside the room, grabbing the heavy obelisk statue again. And not caring that the guards might come in and shock her, she struck at the chain on her right wrist over and over again.

"My lady!" Athena said, coming inside to find Sam hitting the chain hard. "My lady, stop, you are hurting yourself!" she cried, seeing that blood was starting to smear on Sam's hands as she ran over to her and grabbed her wrist tightly. "You must stop Samantha!" she begged, seeing that her eyes were filled with tears and they were slowly sliding down her cheeks. She felt relieved when Sam let go of the statue and then fell to her knees. Athena hesitated for a moment before she hugged her and then helped her walk over to the bed where they sat together on the edge.

"Tomorrow… he's coming," Sam said, wiping away her tears that she hadn't realized were falling. When she had hit the chain the first time, she had seen Daniel being stabbed in the heart; as in her dream; and she couldn't help thing that it would really happen. When she felt more under control she said, "He's going to try and… stand against Seth."

"Then he truly has the soul of Hath," Athena said. "He believes that he can destroy him."

"How?" Sam asked in surprise. "How can he stand against a man that can do all the things Seth can?"

"The stone," Athena said simply.

Sam stared at the woman in confusion, and Athena merely smiled and got up, leaving Sam to wonder if there was a possibility she was right.

As night fell, Daniel entered his room and closed the door. He looked at his bed and then walked over to the window that looked down on the garden. He knew he should probably get some sleep for the next day, but he didn't feel tired at all though he'd been busy.

After leaving Jack and Teal'c, he had found Monifa waiting outside his room. The young woman had taken him to the very top of the palace, and in the distance he could just see the top of Seth's palace. There, Monifa had asked about his plan and he'd told her everything he had thought up. The woman had nodded when he had finished, telling him that if he succeeded, it might save her people.

His plan was very simple, but actually accomplishing it would pose possible problems. The next day, when the Council, Thorcamb, Jack, Teal'c and the eighteen thousand and five hundred men; that had come to the city in one day; left for the battlefield, he would be riding out to Seth's palace. Since it took nearly ten hours to get there, he had been given use of the fastest mondary there was. And he would be leaving at midnight to reach the palace by noon, when the battle would begin. There he would sneak inside, dressed in the robes of one of the servants of The Ruler's palace. He would make his way up to the room Sam was being kept in, and set her free. There was just one variable he didn't know what he'd do if it became a problem. Seth.

His idea was based mainly on the idea that The Ruler would be at the battle, leading his soldiers since they had no minds to think of tactics or maneuvers. But if Seth was able to sense or somehow know that Daniel and the sapphire were at his palace and he came, Daniel wasn't sure what he would do. He had a weapon, but with the abilities that Seth had, he had a feeling that they would be of little help. But even so he had to go and try; something in his mind telling him that if The Ruler showed up, he'd think of something to help Sam; even if it meant that he wouldn't be leaving the palace himself. And that was all he wanted, to get Sam out of there.

The rest of the day had been spent with the young Princess. She had found four warriors willing to ride with Daniel that night, and picking the mondary from the palace stables. He had then been taken to the armory of the city where he chose a smaller staff weapon that would fit in the robes he had received after leaving the armory with Teal'c. The Jaffa had insisted that he go, since he was able to suggest what weapon out of the variety of there would be best for the linguist. From then until he was dragged to eat with the rest of the royal family and his teammates, Daniel went over the layout plans of Seth's palace with Monifa. They had spent considerable time looking over every inch; the Princess' powers a great asset as she was able to see some hidden passageways that weren't on the parchments. She had also pointed out which room Sam was being kept in and just before the meal began, Daniel had the final piece of his plan in place.

Yawning, Daniel could feel exhaustion coming over him and he decided to give in and try to get some rest until midnight. He took off his glasses and set them down on the table next to the bed. He laid down, still in his clothes, and he closed his eyes once he was comfortable. Though he'd been tired, he was surprised when he fell asleep only a few minutes later, and it seemed a second after he was opening his eyes; in a dream.

Daniel found himself entering a room that was large and had murals on the walls. But what caught his attention was the person that he was walking towards.

"You're set on coming here Daniel," Sam said softly, watching him as he neared where she was standing next to a well. 'You can't attempt it; you know that as soon as you come inside the palace he'll know. He'll come back to-"

Daniel had reached Sam as she had started to speak, and he reached up to her face, cupping her cheek so she would stop before saying any more. He watched her eyes widen in surprise and he cupped her face with his other hand, staring intently into her eyes. He received his own surprise when Sam's hands came up to rest on his cheeks and she seemed to be telling him with her eyes that she wanted it too. So without another second he closed the gap between them and their lips met.

It was as if he'd been struck by a shock of electricity. His whole body tensed up before he relaxed and wrapped his arms around Sam to hold her close. A moment later he felt Sam's lips part slightly, and he carefully slipped his tongue inside. His heart was pounding frantically as he touched her tongue gently with his, and she responded quickly. He almost thought that it was real.

A few seconds passed like nothing to Daniel, and he reluctantly pulled from Sam, his need to breathe too much. He opened his eyes and looked at her, seeing the emotion, strong in her blue pools. He couldn't stop himself and kissed her again, this time a little harder. He made it quick though, as he moved to her neck after, pressing a tentative kiss to the skin above her racing pulse. He was afraid for a moment that Sam didn't want it but the soft gasp that escaped her lips; her breath gentle against his ear; let him know that he could continue.

Daniel could taste Sam's skin as his lips went over her neck and it was almost as if his other senses were being affected as his body temperature went up along with his excitement. He trailed down to the hollow of her throat as Sam's fingers tangled in his hair. He pressed a small kiss to the skin there as she shivered in his arms, and he then descended further. Just as he was getting to the point above where the chiton-like dress she wore started above her breasts, something moved and shifted around him, and he was suddenly inside a different room. He heard a voice growl his name and he whirled around, seeing Seth standing next to a large bed where Sam was laying, looking as if she was frozen in place.

To his horror, Daniel found that he couldn't move either as Seth removed the linen schenti around his waist and got on the bed. Pushing up Sam's dress, the man mounted her roughly, and she shrieked in pain and surprise as The Ruler immediately began to move. Daniel tried to move, tried to free himself from the hold Seth had him in, but it was no use. He watched every moment as Sam kept crying out in pain. Cries that made him think that she was dying. His struggles started again, but all that moved on him was a single tear on his cheek as The Ruler yelled and moved off Sam, who was crying quietly.

A sword suddenly appeared in Seth's hand, long with a curved blade that shimmered gold in the light. Before Daniel could process it, the man had brought the blade to Sam's throat, and with a smooth, fluid stroke, slit the skin.

"No!" Daniel yelled as his body immediately took him out of the nightmare. Panting heavily, he jumped off the bed, almost running into Monifa.

"A terrible nightmare," the young woman said as she looked at the linguist sadly as he washed his face with water she had brought.

"It can't happen can it?" Daniel asked when his face was dry and he felt more awake. "This dream isn't an… omen of what might happen today."

"No, it is a seed planted by Seth, to lure you, to make you especially eager to go to the palace. I know that he will give Samantha a similar nightmare, to show her she will become his. But it will not happen," Monifa said firmly as Daniel looked up at her in surprise. "The ghosts of the past are there to help us Daniel, you must open your mind and soul to them." She smiled slightly at his surprise and then said, "It is midnight, everything is ready."

Daniel nodded to the Princess before he walked out the door and down to the courtyard of the palace, his jaw clenched tightly in determination.

It took Sam a while to even think of sleeping that night. After Seth had left her and she had spoken with Daniel and Athena, she had wandered around her room, tempted to try and find a way to escape. But again, it was no use and she gave up, going to the balcony to watch as the stars came out. She had eaten little of the meal Athena had brought her at that point, only drinking the water that was on the tray. She felt anxious, and was worried about what the next day would bring.

But finally, Sam's exhaustion; which she still carried from being placed unconscious by Seth; caught up to her stressed mind and body, and she soon fell fast asleep. Her dream that night starting soon after.

She dreamt that she was in the throne room, and she watched in surprise as Daniel entered and walked up to her. She immediately tried to tell him not to come to the palace; though why she didn't know since it was pointless to try yet again. But as she spoke, Daniel reached up and cupped her cheek and she was surprised, but pleased as a shock went through her whole body. When he touched her other cheek she stared up at him before she placed her hands on either side of his head. When he pressed his lips to hers, she fought her moan of pleasure at the touch of his mouth on her. Her heart was beating frantically but it seemed to triple as she took a chance and parted her lips ever so slightly. With his arms around her waist, she wrapped hers about his neck; his tongue gently touching hers. And as they moved slowly together, she wished that it wasn't a dream. It didn't feel like a dream.

When Daniel began to kiss her neck after he pulled away to breathe, she couldn't help but gasp. The touch of his lips was electrifying and she could have sworn her knees were giving out when he kissed his way down to her chest. But before he could get any further than an inch above her neckline, she felt him being jerked away and she opened her eyes, horrified to see that Daniel was being strangled against the wall by Seth. She tried to move, but not surprisingly she was unable to. But she was able to speak still, and she screamed, "Stop! Daniel! Try to fight it!" But The Ruler took no notice as Daniel almost turned blue. She gasped when Daniel was let go suddenly and he fell to the floor, wheezing harshly for air.

Seth then drew a sword that was on his hip, long, with a curved blade. And Sam watched in absolute horror as Seth grabbed Daniel's hair and pulled his head up, exposing his neck. He placed the curved edge to Daniel's throat, and in one swift jerk of his arm, he cut the skin deeply.

"Daniel! No!" Sam cried, jerking up. She gasped roughly, sighing in relief when she realized that it was a dream. But she shuddered at the memory of seeing Daniel killed and rubbed her eyes, hearing the sound of her chains rattling. "This is still a nightmare," she murmured as she got up off the bed.

Sam suddenly remembered that Daniel would be coming and she ran as fast as she could to the balcony. Though she had no sense of time there on the planet, the color of the sky filled her with fear.

It was morning.