For Those That See - Chapter Ten

Jack was kneeling on a cold tiled floor, the crosshatched light casting his features into mottled shadow. He was covered with dirt; skin, hair and clothes were all darkened to the same colour. Deep coughs wracked his weak body as he slowly raised his eyes to face the figure seated before him, wearing robes of gold and black and a bright smile, swinging his legs nonchalantly.

"We're losing the battle down there, you know," said Jack. "Carter's started having Goa'uld flashbacks, says if you keep using that sarcophagus you'll go darkside on us. If you haven't already." He coughed again, painfully.

"Well don't worry a bit," Daniel said quietly. "We're getting out of here tomorrow."

"What?" Jack looked up in surprise, having to force himself to meet Daniel's eyes. No, not Daniel's. His eyes were a serene, intelligent blue, not the wild bright blaze that now watched him.

"I agreed to marry her," Daniel said by way of explanation.

"You're kidding?"

Daniel leapt easily to his feet, grinning broadly. "But," he said, grasping Jack by the arms and hauling him to his feet, "I said I had to go home and straighten a few things out first. You guys are coming with me." He draped a friendly arm around his CO's shoulders.

"She trusts you?" Jack did not even try to keep the disbelief from his voice.

"She loves me," stated Daniel, drawing a deep breath and smiling proudly, apparently unaware of Jack trembling with exhaustion beside him. The gold on his robes glinted brightly under the dappled light.

Frodo awoke with a start, confused as his dream blurred with reality for a moment. There had been a mine, so like this one, but it had been filled with labouring slaves, and guards with weapons that cast bolts of light, and pain. There had been a rockfall, and Daniel had died… but then a palace, and Daniel had lived, but he was cruel and unkind. Jack, Sam and Teal'c had been hurting, dying, and there had been a woman Frodo did not know, standing with Daniel and smiling…

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam was looking at him in concern. "What is it?"

"Just a dream, Sam," said Frodo. "I'm fine."

"What was it about?" asked Sam.

"It was about Daniel and Jack…" looking around, Frodo realised with a start what was wrong about the camp. "Where are they?" he asked suddenly. "Have they gone?" Beside him, Pippin, who had been slowly awakening, shot up and stared at the empty space where SG-1 had been when they fell asleep.

"Why would they leave?" he asked unhappily.

Aragorn walked over and knelt beside the hobbits. "They left while we were sleeping, during Legolas' watch," he said. "Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c found something that would help Daniel, or so they thought. That was several hours ago now."

"In the middle of the night?" Merry frowned even as he rubbed Pippin's shoulder consolingly. "Why didn't they wait until we were all awake? Surely it would be safer if we were all together?"

Aragorn smiled tightly to himself, marvelling at how swiftly the hobbits had adopted O'Neill's team into the company. It seemed that once they decided someone was trustworthy, the hobbits were unswervingly loyal. "Perhaps," he said, "but Daniel was very ill, and he needed help as soon as was possible. They are accomplished warriors and I am sure we need not fear for them. In fact, we will probably come across them as we move on." He left unspoken his thought that there was little now that could be of help to Daniel, and he could think of nothing that the abandoned mines could offer.

Looking about himself once more, Frodo was surprised by the realisation that a dim light was falling on his face. High above the eastern archway through a shaft near the roof came a long pale gleam; and across the hall through the northern arch light also glimmered faint and distantly.

"Good morning!" said Gandalf, walking over. "For morning it is again at last. I was right, you see. We are high up on the east side of Moria. Before today is over we ought to find the Great Gates and see the waters of Mirrormere lying in the Dimrill Dale before us."

After some discussion the company was moving once more. Gandalf seemed uncertain as to the correct path for them to take, and so led them through the northern arch in search of the light. They found themselves in a wide corridor, along which the glimmer gently grew stronger. Aragorn had moved to walk beside Gandalf for a spell, frowning at the dusty floor as they journeyed. At length he dropped back again to walk with the hobbits, placing a kind hand on Frodo's shoulder.

"The path ahead of us is disturbed," he told them. "Three have walked here, one bearing a burden. I believe we are following in the footsteps of our friends; doubtless we shall find them in time." Frodo smiled up at him, somewhat lightened by the news, and beside him Pippin gave a little sigh of relief.

Further down the corridor they found that the source of the light was a doorway on their right. It was high and flat-topped, and the stone door was still on its hinges, standing half open. Beyond it was a large square chamber. It was dimly lit, but to their eyes, after so long a time in the dark, it seemed dazzlingly bright, and they blinked as they entered.

Their feet disturbed a deep dust upon the floor, and stumbled among things lying in the doorway whose shapes they could not at first made out. A shaft of light fell from high in the eastern wall onto a table in the middle of the room; a single oblong block upon which was laid a great slab of white stone.

In a sudden flurry of movement, three figures appeared seemingly from nowhere, each bringing a weapon to bear on the company. Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords with a sudden ringing that filled the quiet space, Gimli hefted his axe, and Legolas already had an arrow drawn and aimed. But even as they found their marks, each of them froze, and then lowered their weapons as one of the figures stepped forward.

"Good to see you," said Jack nonchalantly, moving into the light. Behind him, the smaller figure – Carter - relaxed and lowered her weapon, and Teal'c returned his staff to a one-handed hold. "I thought you lot were going straight on," the colonel continued.

"We thought it best to make certain of our location before we moved on," said Aragorn, stepping forward to match him. "Have you found the device you sought? Where is Daniel?"

"He's… well, he's in…" Jack floundered for words for a few moments before giving in. "Carter!" he snapped, and the woman hurried forward.

"This may be a little hard for you to take in," she said, "but Daniel's in something that appears very like a tomb. That's not what it is, though; it's an alien device that heals the body of pretty much any injury. We found one here, and Daniel's been in it for a few hours now. He should be much better by now, and probably will be completely healed."

"This tomb?" Gandalf swept over to the great stone form in the centre of the floor, and frowned down at the covering slab. Pallor swept over his features. "The runes read Balin son of Fundin Lord of Moria. He is dead then." Behind Aragorn, Gimli gave a little gasp and drew his hood low across his face.

"The writing is incorrect," said Teal'c impassively. "There was no body in the sarcophagus when we placed Daniel Jackson within it."

"What else could the writing be, but the text of Balin's tombstone?" said Gandalf, his eyes flashing. "Where else would Balin be?"

"He was not within the sarcophagus," repeated Teal'c firmly. Gandalf frowned fiercely, but before he could reply Frodo had spoken, drawing all eyes to himself.

"Isn't the sarcophagus dangerous?" he asked. O'Neill and Carter exchanged a look that Aragorn could not read, and the major dropped onto one knee to put herself on a level with Frodo.

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

Frodo shifted uncomfortably. "It is, isn't it?" he pressed. "Won't it make Daniel… wrong, in the head? Doesn't it make him, well, crazy?" He glanced around, keenly aware that everyone was staring at him in amazement.

"Did Daniel tell you that?" asked O'Neill gruffly. Frodo shook his head, and the colonel looked around to fix each of his teammates with a hard stare.

"I have not spoken of it," Teal'c said.

"Not a word, sir," agreed Carter. O'Neill looked back at Frodo.

"How do you know?" he asked. Frodo shifted uncomfortably under his questing gaze, and Aragorn stepped softly to the hobbit's side, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"What is it, Frodo?" he asked.

Relief flooded Frodo's features as he looked up into the Ranger's kind gaze, much more comfortable speaking to him than to Jack, with his closed, hard eyes. "I had a dream, last night," he said. "Daniel was there, and Jack and Samantha and Teal'c, but Daniel was different… he was using something like a tomb, but it was great and golden… he would lie in it for hours at a time, I don't know what it did. But he was different, unkind and thoughtless." He took a deep breath and looked back to Jack, and then to Samantha and Teal'c. Each of them bore an expression of disbelief and discomfort. "Eventually they took him away from the sarcophagus," continued Frodo, "but Daniel became ill. He was raving, and they had to tie him down… he even tried to kill Jack."

"You dreamt all this?" Carter asked him increduously. "How…"

"What have you done?" interrupted Boromir suddenly. "This device will drive Daniel to madness, and to enmity with his allies?"

"We didn't have a choice," Jack snapped, the bite of years old pain colouring his voice. "Look, everyone, what Frodo saw did happen. The sarcophagus is addictive, and Daniel had a problem with it, and when we took him from it he went through withdrawal. But that was years ago and frankly, I don't give a damn about it, because he was going to die if we didn't do anything. Whatever happens, we'll get through it… all of us. Alright?" A ringing silence fell around the companies.

"What is done, is done," said Gandalf finally. "And for the little I can see, I believe you have made the true choice. Daniel would not have long survived, but now he will grow only stronger. Was it his choice?"

"It had to be," said Jack, his voice both firm and defensive. He glared around, but none of the others would meet his eyes, save Frodo. Finally he spoke again. "He'll probably be a while longer," he said. "You guys should probably head on."

"No," said Frodo quickly. Unexpectedly, Aragorn spoke in agreement.

"It will be safer to move as one," he said in a tone that brooked no argument. "Especially if one of your number is unwell. We will wait with you."

"Thanks," said Jack, not bothering to explain that Daniel should be just fine, at least to begin with. He gave Aragorn a gruff nod of thanks, and settled with his back against the sarcophagus to wait. The stone was not cool, but it hummed and emanated slight warmth that he hoped meant it was doing its job. The Fellowship settled around the chamber; Gandalf found an old tattered book that Daniel probably would have given his eye teeth for and began to read to an audience of two intrigued hobbits and a glowering Dwarf. Carter and Teal'c had resumed their defensive positions near the door, and Legolas and Aragorn flanked them, watchful eyes glancing through the darkness. Boromir too had joined the guard, but he settled near Carter, and soon they were speaking in low voices. Jack frowned, ignoring the protective twinge he felt and firmly telling himself that it wasn't jealousy. He turned his head away, and was startled to find a pair of blue eyes watching him quietly. Before he could tell Daniel to go away and find some interesting rocks to play with, he realised that it was not Daniel, but Frodo who sat next to him. I must be more tired than I thought, he told himself, what sort of mistake is that to make?

"Frodo?" he said.

"Daniel will be well," said Frodo softly. "Do not worry. He has strength enough for this."

"Right," said Jack. "Frodo, how do you know all this stuff?" Before Frodo could answer, though, the scrape of stone on stone made them all jump, and Jack leapt to his feet as a familiar voice called his name, sounding vague and confused.

"Right here, Dannyboy," he said, hoping the nickname would comfort Daniel somewhat. Either that, or it would annoy him, which was familiar enough that Jack was happy to settle for that. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine," said Daniel, sitting up and squinting. Jack handed him his glasses, and he grinned around at the rest of SG-1 as they crowded around with relieved smiles. "For now, at least," he amended. "I'd like to apologise for anything I might…"

"We understand, DanielJackson," said Teal'c compassionately. "Your friends are with you; perhaps more than you expected to find." He looked down almost fondly at Frodo, who was peering up over the high-sided sarcophagus. Daniel smiled gently.

Suddenly they heard a great noise: a rolling Boom that seemed to come from the depths far below. Then came the echoing blast of a great horn blown in the hall, and answering horns and harsh cries. There was a hurrying sound of many feet.

"They are coming!" cried Legolas.