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: Again, I'm not sure whether it's zatarc or zartac, I keep forgetting to check!
A/N #2: Thanks so much for the reviews GimmeABeat (Glad to see that you're still reading this story, I hope that when it gets to the battle that you'll like it), RepliCarter1993 (You'll have to keep reading to see what'll happen with them next!), Ashleod (Wow, didn't realize you'd react the way you did to the last chapter, I'm surprised/happy for that, heh. And as I said before you'll have to keep reading to see what'll happen with them!) and HAZMOT (I know there was a mistake in the reviewing, but I know at some point you'll review, so I want to get the thank you out there beforehand this time). I greatly, greatly appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think.
A/N #3: 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 Eleven
Beginning
Walking out of the palace and into the front courtyard where there was a group of people waiting or wandering around five mondaries, Daniel paused for a moment when he saw Jack and Teal'c waiting by one of the animals. He started walking again when they both turned and saw him.
"You're all set Danny," Jack said when the linguist reached him. "All your equipment you asked for; Teal'c and I checked it again for you."
"Thanks," Daniel said with a nod to his friend as he slipped some black fabric on the top of the pack on the mondary's left side. When he turned to face Jack he was surprised for a moment to see the older man holding out a handgun to him. "I-"
"I figure it wouldn't hurt to have both kinds of weapons at hand," Jack said. "And when you give this to Carter that Ruler guy can't stand a chance. I mean, he's not Superman."
Daniel smiled slightly at the heavy sarcasm in Jack's voice and he glanced at him before putting the gun against his hip. He could see the concern in the colonel's eyes, and he felt guilty about everything that he'd been keeping from his friend. But he had the distinct feeling that soon everything would be able to be explained. Shaking away his remorse he said to Thorcamb," Are the men ready?"
Thorcamb nodded and made a motion to the four men who quickly got on their mondaries as Daniel got up on his. "May Mitha watch over you and Samantha, Da'niel," he said, holding the reins of his animal.
"And may he watch over everyone on Philae," Daniel said, nodding to Thorcamb. He watched the leader and Monifa go up to the doors to the palace, and he looked down when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. "What is it?" he asked.
"You'll be okay Daniel, you've got some nice weapons, and your plan is good," Jack said. "You just gotta get out of there as soon as you get Carter."
"I know Jack," Daniel said, smiling slightly. "You better get some rest," he said after a moment. "You've got a job to do later today."
"Right, and you know I need my beauty sleep," Jack said. He patted the mondary on the neck and then went over to the palace, pausing half way when he saw Teal'c step up to Daniel.
"You are unafraid Daniel Jackson," Teal'c commented.
"Yeah… I need, I just want to get her out of there Teal'c," Daniel said, surprised at the Jaffa's statement. "And I am a little… scared, but only that something might go wrong and Sam will be… hurt," he continued, nearly saying 'killed' but stopping himself before he could.
"I do not doubt that you will succeed in returning with Major Carter safely," Teal'c said. He saw there was still a troubled look in the archeologist's eyes and he said in a low voice, "You are in love with Major Carter, Daniel Jackson."
Startled, Daniel looked down at his teammate and for a moment he was going to deny it. But he knew that Teal'c probably perceived a lot more than others, and was probably already aware of his feelings for Sam before they had ever set foot on the planet. So instead he inclined his head to concede the point, but then shook it. "It doesn't matter though, she doesn't feel the same," he said, a little embarrassed to be admitting it.
"I believe you are wrong," Teal'c said. "You must release Major Carter from this evil man. We will help these people gain their freedom." He nodded his head to Daniel and stepped back as the linguist started off to the gate that led out to the city. He watched his teammate ride off into the darkness, knowing already that Daniel would be successful.
Once they left Philae, Daniel and the four men headed north, taking the same path he'd taken the morning before to get to the Stargate. It felt like a lifetime then as he followed two men ahead of him, negotiating through the dim moonlight; two were at the new moon phase, the other two nearly at the same phase, with only a tiny sliver of moon still showing. The ground though, since it was desert, was unobstructed and it allowed Daniel time to think.
At first, he tried to think about what he would be doing once he reached the palace, but soon he began to muse over what Teal'c had told him. He had been surprised at the Jaffa's comment. It was the second time he had been told that Sam might feel something for him. But though he felt a stirring of hope inside him, he pushed it away by thinking rationally. To him, it had always seemed that Sam had had feelings for Jack, and while he'd never tried to ascertain if that were true after Jack and Sam had gone through the zatarc incident, he'd been able to see that something between them had changed slightly. But after that, there had been nothing to indicate that they still felt anything for each other. Daniel still held back though, hiding his own feelings since he thought that, even though it was against regulations for Sam and Jack to be together, they would some day act on their feelings once the military wasn't an issue with them.
At the moment though, it didn't seem like Sam was all that interested in Jack, and Daniel felt a surge of hope as he recalled his earlier thought of Teal'c noticing a lot of what went on around him. Perhaps he'd been able to see something in Sam that told the Jaffa that she felt something for Daniel instead. He closed his eyes, hoping that Teal'c was right. He remembered his dream- before it had become a nightmare- and the way he'd been able to almost taste her on his lips. He groaned under his breath, trying not to imagine what would have happened had the dream proceeded further without changing.
He was surprised when he felt the sapphire in his pocket grow warm, and then start to lightly shake. Daniel shook his head free of the image of his hands holding Sam tightly to his body as they kissed passionately. And almost immediately the stone stopped moving and the warmth went away. He realized then, that somehow his thoughts of Sam; the love, friendship and joy that went with them; were 'activating' the stone, basically turning it on. And he quickly pushed any thoughts of Sam away, knowing that if Seth could sense the stone then it was when it was 'on.' He needed to keep its power off when he reached the palace for as long as he could, it might enable him and Sam to leave the palace without The Ruler coming back. So he turned his attention to what was in front of him, asking the two men ahead, "May we go faster?" In response, all four men sped up, and Daniel in the middle of them nudged his mondary gently, catching up easily as they rode over a low dune. His mind, once he was accustomed to the pace, focused on what he was going to do and trying not to think of the woman he was riding furiously to.
By the time Seth's palace was in sight it was late in the morning, close to afternoon, and Daniel could see a forest about a hundred yards or so from the sprawling building. He rode around the two men in front of him then, and made them and the others stop. "You have done enough," he began.
"We were told to take you to the palace and join you inside," one of the men said, surprised. "We were told this specifically by your leader."
"I know, but it's pointless for you to go any further," Daniel said. "You'll be killed as soon as you go inside. One man has a better chance of getting in and quietly."
"We are warriors, it is our duty to do what we can to help our people," another man said. "And you are our ally, we must help you."
"I must do this alone," Daniel said firmly, knowing he was losing valuable time. "You must go to the battle; you'll be more helpful there." He tugged the reins of his mondary, which was starting to step from side to side, probably sensing his impatience. "Go, please!" he finally begged. He knew that Jack had probably made these men swear to stay with him. But he was pleased when all four men finally nodded and bowed their heads toward him.
"We will go," one man spoke. "May all the gods protect you and guide you." And with that he and the other three men rode off in the direction they had come, leaving Daniel alone.
Quickly, he rode to the forest and dismounted when he was close. Leading the mondary he walked down a path and kept going through it until he could see the palace. He tied the mondary's reins to a low branch and next to a pond. Since the animal had been fed already, all he had to do was make sure it was calmed and not overheated after the ride. It would be his and Sam's transportation back to the city and would be necessary in case either of them was injured in any way and they needed to return in a hurry.
Daniel then went to the pack on the animal's left side and removed the robes he'd put there earlier. He put on the black silk robe that was loose over his body, and then grabbed the short staff weapon that was in a holder on the pack. He slipped it inside his robe and attached it to the belt he'd gotten from Thorcamb. He checked to make sure the staff and gun weren't visible before he took out the headpiece that went with the robes and put it on his head. It was similar to an Arabic headpiece, but it had a length of silk in the front, so there was nothing of his body that was visible. His eyes were covered too, but with thinner silk so he could see but no one else would be able to see his eyes. Ready, he made one last check. Feeling the sapphire in his pocket still, he set off for the palace.
Very carefully, Daniel stopped at the edge of the forest, looking at the palace. Since it faced west, he was now at the back of it. He looked around to see if there were any windows, balconies or walkways where a person would be able to pass by and be able to see him. But there was no one walking by that he could see, and he took the chance, holding his robes tight around him as he ran to the passageway that he and Monifa had discovered. It was a narrow doorway into the palace and he paused a moment to see if anyone had spotted him. When no one came out, which he was prepared for, his right arm out of its sleeve and holding the staff weapon under the robe, he then moved into the dark passage.
He pulled out a flashlight that had been in his pack, and he saw the wall going up at an angle which had notches carved into it. Daniel put the flashlight away and he started climbing. He had no idea how long he climbed, but soon he was nearing the hidden door that opened out on the same floor the room Sam was in. He raised his left foot to put it up on the next notch, when he suddenly slipped and started to slide down.
Before he got too far though, Daniel was able to grab the notches in the stone, which stopped him long enough to put his feet on the small ledge he was nearest. Breathing roughly and sweating under the robe and head covering, he took a moment to calm before he started to climb again. This time he got to the top without incident. He slowly pushed open the panel that lead out to the floor the room Sam was in was on, pushing it slowly until it was open a crack. He peered down the hall and saw the only door that was near him guarded by two men. He paused, wondering how exactly he would get over there without being questioned, when he saw the guards walk down the hall to a window towards the end, their weapons at the ready. When they moved to a second window, he ran to the corner that was across the hall and just a few feet from the door and hid there for a moment before peering around.
The guards were by the door, but they were standing next to it instead of in front of it, looking down the hallway. It surprised Daniel to see that, but he pulled out the staff weapon and squeezed his hands around it tightly. Finally, he walked out into the hall, stepping as quickly as he could before he swung hard, hitting the guard on the left before hitting the other leaving neither one with time to react to him. The men collapsed quickly to the floor and Daniel breathed out slowly in relief.
Pushing the door carefully, Daniel slipped inside and closed it behind him. He drew off his headpiece and tossed it aside, breathing in fresh air. It was then he saw Sam, lying on her side on the floor in the middle of the large room. He threw his robes off and ran to her, kneeling next to her. "Sam?" he asked, worried that she had been hurt. He carefully moved her onto her back, being careful of the manacles and chains attached to her wrists. He winced inwardly at the bruises on her cheek and neck; they were mirror images of the ones on him, in the same areas, though they were much darker on her pale skin. "Sam, can you hear me?" he whispered. He got no response, and he gently touched her cheek, taken aback slightly when she let out a little moan. "Sam?" he said, seeing her eyes slowly start to open.
"D-Daniel?" Sam asked, surprised to find him there, thinking it was a dream until she felt his touch on her cheek; he was really there.
"Yeah, are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Daniel asked concerned, touching the bruises on the right side of her neck. "You were unconscious here on the floor when I came in."
Sam nodded and said, "It was Seth, he came to me this morning, told me he was leaving for the battle. He said... he would come back after and… make me his wife to celebrate his victory."
Shuddering inwardly as the memory of his nightmare came to his mind unbidden, Daniel pushed it away quickly as he helped Sam stand up. As soon as they were on their feet he could see that she was okay, and he suddenly hugged her tightly to him impulsively as he felt a sense of relief as she wrapped her arms around his neck a moment later.
Closing her eyes tightly, Sam could feel a warm travel through her body, chasing away the last of her grogginess that she'd had coming out of unconsciousness. She wasn't sure how long the embrace landed, but when they finally parted she felt a lot better.
"We need to get out of here before someone comes in," Daniel said, looking into Sam's eyes. He looked down at the manacles around her wrists, and he frowned for a moment before he suddenly knew what he needed to do. "Sam," he said quickly. "I need you to help me take these off." He continued before she could ask him what he was talking about, knowing he didn't have time to explain. "Just trust me on this, I want you to imagine the chain link there opening," he told her, pointing to her left wrist.
Sam looked at Daniel skeptically, but when he told her, "Help me," she nodded and looked down at her left wrist. Staring at the chain holding the manacle closed, she conjured up an image in her mind, of it parting and allowing her to take it off. For a moment, she felt foolish as nothing happened, but suddenly a sense of warmth again permeated her whole body and she felt as if she were floating, when suddenly the link snapped open cleanly, and Daniel removed it. "Holy Hannah," she breathed in shock as he stared at the right chain. A second later that one snapped too, and she was freed. "How-" she started to say.
"Later," Daniel said urgently, shaking off the warmth that had flooded his body as he'd stared at the metal. He grabbed Sam's hand and they turned to the room. Before they could get more than a foot away from where Sam had lain, a deep laugh stopped them dead in their tracks.
"I thank you Daniel Jackson, you have brought my stone right to me."