Sleeping Beauty's Tale by Baalsgirl
Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate. Maybe I could ask Brad Wright to sell me some rights... Just kidding. This isn't for money, just for your (and my) pleasure.
Setting: Short before "Chimera" (Yeah, I know we had that before... This ep has been sort of impressing for my fanfics, you know...hehe)
Rating: PG - Cause this one goes kinda easy.
Pairings: S.G./ D.J. (Pete-free.)
Author's notes: Kind of a fairy tale this one, but don't be scared, you'll get some thrill albeit. I hope you'll like this story as you liked my last one. I'll do my best not to bore you anyhow. Hold on, the ride's gonna be a little bumpy...
Daniel Jackson had been working all night and all day through. He was more than tired, even the coffee was no longer able to keep him awake though he must have had a gallon of it since he had started the translation on Thursday evening and it was Friday night now already. Daniel was in the middle of a long well-deserved yawn as Sam Carter entered the room.
"Hey Daniel", she greeted him, "how's it going?"
"Hi Sam." He had to yawn again. "If you're talking about the translation, everything's fine, I'm almost done with it."
"Well, that's good to hear. But to be honest: you're looking as done as your work is", Carter eyed her colleague and friend with a slight trace of concern.
"Yeah, I know. I've been working through last night." Another yawn. "The translation of those inscriptions is kinda important so I've been working through them as fast as I could."
Sam frowned then proposed: "Why don't you go home for today and try to get some sleep? The translation can wait until tomorrow morning, don't you think?"
"Maybe you're right. As tired as I am I won't be able to finish off properly anyway", he gave in rubbing his sleepy eyes.
He started to collect his sheets and stacked them in the middle of his desk's usual busy mayhem. Then he closed his books putting bookmarks to where he had opened them and put them on a halfway orderly stack as well. Having finished the little clean-up action he finally turned toward the door.
"Okay then, bye Sam. See you tomorrow", he called to Carter before he left.
"Yeah, see you, Dan. Good night", she replied with a smile.
As soon as Daniel got home he went to the bedroom. He was so done in there was not even enough strength left in him to lure himself to the bathroom for a shower. He took off his sweater and his pants then threw himself onto the unopened bed and dozed away immediately.
That night he had a strange, almost visionary dream :
Daniel found himself on a clearing in a big forest that extended all around it. He was standing in front of a small pond that threw his mirror image back at him. He was dressed like a medieval nobleman with tight black trousers, a chain shirt, dark brown knee-high riding boots and a bluish shimmering cape over his shoulders. How had he come here and why? Daniel frowned thinking about it. Suddenly he felt a wet nab on his neck. He glanced over his shoulder with a start to see a tall white horse standing close behind him.
Daniel had to sneeze owing to his light horse allergy.
He had no idea where he was going as he finally mounted the horse and it started trotting through the woods. After about half an hour they reached open field, galloping along alleys of blooming cherry trees that gave the whole scene a romantic, almost fairy-tale character. Finally Daniel came to a small village. Riding along its sandy main road an old man stopped by his side saying:
"Greetings, stranger. You must be the prince foretold to free the princess from the oath the false gods have put upon her. Many have tried it, but they all failed. You must be the one who will finally break the spell; if you make it you'll not save only hers but all our lives."
Daniel gave him a curious look. "Where do I have to go and what do I have to do?" he questioned.
"You'll find your task in the fortress of Lord Anubis just outside the village and over the hill", the man told him.
Anubis?,Daniel thought, what's going on here?
He thanked the man for his help and continued his way into the direction he showed him. After a short ride Daniel reached his destination. A Goa'uld fortress like he had seen it many times before, but this one was covered by an energy field that reminded him very much of a thorny, rampant hedge.
Daniel leaped off his horse and tethered it to a tree nearby.
How could he get in there? Climbing was out of discussion, the walls were straight and high and he would have fried himself if he just touched the energetic wires covering them. Daniel went further through his list of possibilities: High-jump? Get himself a ladder or a climbing rope? Not kind of a chance if he wanted to survive the thing without instantly toasting himself.
But wait, there was a tall tree next to one of the side walls and it looked pretty easy to climb.
Daniel decided to try it. He grabbed one of the lower branches and swung his way up. Just a minute later he was on top of the wall and jumped onto a roof only a few feet below it. After a journey over several more roofs and ledges he came to a huge courtyard.
To his surprise there was no movement in and around it at all. Daniel saw busy servants and Jaffa trapped in their very motion. He wandered on along an open passageway coming along more and more dormant people under them was Her'ak, Anubis's first prime, who was frozen in the middle of an angry yell having his staff pointed at a younger Jaffa.
After a while Daniel came to a wide staircase, he climbed it and finally reached a huge door. Something was telling him that the cause for his presence here was waiting for him right behind it. He struggled to open it for several minutes. Then it suddenly slid open to let him in. He looked around the big room behind it. Its interior was stuffy in the typical Goa'uld way. It contained a lot of gold-ornamented furniture and there were many pillows made of velvet or brocade spread across the floor. One part of the room in its faraway corner was separated by long white chiffon curtains that were drained into sunlight giving them an ivory shimmer.
Daniel crossed the room and went through the curtains. Before him lay a golden bed covered with white satin sheets. On it lay somebody, seemingly a woman with her face averted to the opposite side. She had long blonde curls reminding Daniel of someone certain he used to love, his heart made a jump. Full of curiosity he stepped closer in order to get a better look at her. Carefully Daniel put a hand on the woman's shoulder turning her around. Out of surprise he let it slip from her again. His feeling had been right, it was Sarah or better said Osiris who lay on the bed before him slumbering peacefully.
Daniel pondered what he should do now. This all here reminded him of a fairytale he had known as he was a kid... The Sleeping Beauty; and he seemed to be the prince here. In the story he had to kiss the princess, obviously Sarah, to wake her from an almost eternal sleep. But should he really do it? Sarah had become the host of a Goa'uld... maybe she would kill him... or he would get the chance to finally save her?
After some hesitation he decided to do it. Quickly he kissed her beautiful red lips. A moment later Sarah opened her eyes to look at him.
"My hero", she whispered, "you've freed me."
Her voice was not a Goa'uld's one. It was the Sarah Daniel had known for so long. But he did not trust the peace.
"You're not Sarah", he stated clinically, "you're Goa'uld."
She glanced at him with a start: "No, Daniel. It's over now. Osiris enslaved me and as Anubis stopped trusting him and convinced her to this tower his oath sent Anubis's whole empire to an eternal sleep. As you came and kissed me you've broken the spell and killed Osiris."
"How can I be sure...?"
"You can't. All you can do is trust me, Daniel. Soon everybody will be awake and then they'll chase us. We have to escape, please take me with you."
Daniel furrowed his brows. This decision wasn't easy for him to make. But finally his love for Sarah won the battle in his mind. He grabbed her hand and they ran down the stairs he had come from. As they reached their bottom the shouts of Jaffa could be heard from around the corner.
There was nowhere they could hide from them, Daniel and Sarah ran along the corridor ducking into a doorway. The Jaffa passed them in a run not remarking them. The two of them continued their way into the direction Daniel had come from previously. They passed the corpse of the young Jaffa, Her'ak must have shot him. Finally they reached the courtyard, but for their bad luck it was still crowded. Daniel shoved Sarah into a side alley. At its end they found a low roof to climb, bricks crashed down under their running steps. Some Jaffa noticed them, staff blast impacted shortly behind them. Finally they reached the outer wall and ran along its edge until they reached the tree on its side and slid their way down its trunk. Daniel untied the horse's reins and helped Sarah up its back before he mounted himself. He kicked the horse into fast gallop. They flew along the fields as they crossed the small village's main road the people stood to its sides and jubilated at them. They crossed the wood and came to a beautiful beach.
It seemed that there was no one in their immediate pursue so Daniel leaped off the horse and reached out his arms to lift Sarah to his side. She threw her arms around him and started kissing him...
They were still kissing and Daniel felt Sarah's warm loving touch around him as the dream fade away.
Daniel blinked several times before he sat up and thought about it. What weird dream he had just had. He could not explain it. Was it a sign or just his subconscious playing tricks at him?
He did not know what to think about it.
Back at the SGC having breakfast with his teammates and friends, he told them everything.
Jack O'Neill eyed him for a long time before he stated: "Dan, ya work too much."
"You think?" Daniel frowned.
Sam agreed with him: "He's right. Maybe you really need a break..."
"Oh c'mon, can't you think of something else than my work?" Daniel inquired becoming unnerved by their continuos concern.
Teal'C picked up his statement: "Daniel Jackson is right. His dream could be some kind of message."
"Saying what?" Jack questioned.
"Maybe Sarah will be saved", Daniel thought out loud.
"Ya really think this's gonna happen?" Jack asked skeptically.
"Perhaps it's all wishful thinking", Sam added.
But it's the best wishful thought I've ever had, Daniel thought.
The End
Okay, this one was sorta short, peeps. Just a little humorous chill-out one. I hope you liked it though. Next time I'll come up with something more exciting for you, I promise.