Dinner was served in a similar manner to how it was served back in Atlantis. The light ones simply carried a few tables into the room they were in – apparently it doubled as a council room/dining room – or maybe it was just for special occasions – and loaded the tables with platters of food, and dishes to eat it off of. In moments the room was filled with the smell of meats of all sorts – including more of the baked fish, but also venison, and turkey and who knew what other kinds were there – and the smell of fresh bread, steamed vegetables, and berries and more of the sponge cake for dessert. Even though they'd only eaten a few hours before, everyone felt their stomachs start to rumble.

The others were escorted to the table by whichever Light One had been seated next to them – Aron had gently helped Sheppard to his feet so he wouldn't have to use his injured hand. Melony wasn't allowed to get to her feet. Kale had held his hand on her shoulder to keep her from trying to rise.

"I will bring you your meal," he said. "What would you like?"

Since she didn't have a clue what there was, she shrugged.

"How about a little of everything?" She asked. "That way I can see what you and your people eat."

He smiled, and rose to his feet, telling her he'd return shortly, and a few of the other light ones – all males – came over to sit next to her while she waited.

"You are not like the others," One of them said, although it came out as a question.

"What do you mean?" She asked, certain that they meant Talon, but not positive.

"Your life force is stronger than theirs."

She nodded.

"So I've been told." Apparently more than just Teyla's people could sense or feel the life forces of those around them. She wondered if it was a trait that was common to the galaxy or area or something. Whatever it was, it was going to get real old, real quick if everyone treated her oddly when she met them.

Since she didn't explain it, and the Light Ones were too polite to ask her, they changed the subject, asking her about her injuries.

She assured them she wasn't hurt all that badly – although she was aching something awful from moving on the leg that she had no business moving around on for at least another few days, even with Talon's help.

"Kale is most distressed he has injured you," One of them admitted to her. This one had introduced himself as Shad.

"He shouldn't be. It was as much my fault as his, most likely."

"I did not know if you wanted water or something stronger," Kale said, walking over and interrupting the conversation. He moved through the group of males and sat down beside her, resting a large tray over his lap – thank God – and handing Melony a plate filled with steaming food. "So I brought you water, and tea. If you desire something else, let me know and I will get it for you."

"Tea is fine," Melony told him with a smile. "Thank you."

Kale smiled as well, and shooed away the others, telling them to stop gawking at her so she could eat. Grumbling good-naturedly, they did as they were told, heading off to find others to eat with, and gossiping a little about what little they'd found out about Mitchell.

"Your people are very friendly," Melony said as she took a sip of her tea.

Kale nodded.

"We enjoy having guests – and do not have many. Your people will find that many of my people will want to make themselves known to them."

She nodded and took a bite of a piece of meat, and found it to be tender and delicious – although she didn't have a clue what it was.

Eat up, Talon told her. You need the nourishment

"The ones I was talking to were telling me that you're feeling bad about hurting me..."

Kale nodded.

"I was clumsy."

"I don't want you to feel bad, okay?" She told him. "It wasn't any more your fault than it was mine."

He started to say something, when Rodney McKay came over and sat down nearby, accompanied by the female that had escorted him to the dinner table. He was holding a plate that was filled with food, and was apparently asking her about the Sundering. Melony turned to listen as well, as she explained some of what had happened.

"The Dark Ones were like us – able to change their forms at will – and we all lived in the sacred city," she told McKay, but also turned slightly to include Mitchell and Kale as well. Melony looked for Sheppard, and found he was standing in the middle of a large group of Light Ones – mostly female – with Aron by his side. He was obviously in the middle of telling them some kind of story, because he was gesturing and they were all watching intently. Ah well, Rodney or she could tell him and the others the story later.

"One day a human child wandered into the city. This angered many of my people, who thought that the humans were a plague on our planet in the first place – and irate that they'd dared to intrude where they weren't wanted." The female shook her head. "The child was lost, obviously, but it didn't matter to those who found her, and she was killed in a very violent fashion – as an example to any other humans that might have come after her."

McKay had a pained look on his face – this wasn't a good story to be told over dinner, after all, but the female Light One didn't seem to notice.

"Others heard the commotion and came to investigate, and most were horrified by what had taken place. The humans are our kin – from way back in our own bloodlines, and they had killed one. It was the same as killing one of us. They took the body of the child from those who had killed her before they could desecrate it further, and admonished the ones who had done the horrible deed. But those were not to be rebuked. They felt what they had done; they had done in the name of our people."

"You're related to humans?" Rodney asked, intrigued.

She nodded.

"We have many races in our lines – and as you can see from this form we take – your kind is one of them."

It was his turn to nod and he asked her to continue the story, which she did.

"The ones who had killed the human child had now had a taste – figuratively – for human blood, and they and many who felt the same way they did decided that it was time for the humans on this planet to be exterminated – though our races had lived together for many hundreds of years without interference from each other. The others pleaded with them to stop and think about what they were saying – the Humans were protected by the gods it had been told in our histories, and although we did not have much to do with them, we were supposed to love them as the kin they were.

"They would not listen, and more than three hundred of our people went off one morning in search of more humans to kill."

"Genocide?" Mitchell asked, bleakly.

She nodded.

"That was what they had in mind. It is not what happened, however."

"What happened?" Rodney asked, so intrigued that he'd completely forgotten about his meal.

"The gods rose up and smote the ones who left. They punished them – taking their ability to change forms from them and ripping away from them their souls in chastisement. Left reeling and wailing – in whatever form they happened to be in when they left the city – they were proclaimed to be Dark Ones from then on, always living away from us, and unable to ever return. To protect the humans from them, the gods did something – we're not certain what – that makes the Dark Ones feel terrible pain if they approach the human settlements – any of them – although if a human is unwary enough to be caught outside the protective area, then they are in grave danger of attack, for the Dark Ones hate humans still – and blame their agony on them, instead of placing the blame where it truly belongs – on themselves."

"Wow..."

Mitchell looked over at Kale, whose eyes were saddened, even though he obviously had heard the story many many times before.

"The Dark Ones are also unable to approach the scared city – although they try frequently, as if they long for what once was – so they roam outside the protective area, always desperate, and always filled with hatred because of it."

"That's what you saved us from?" Rodney asked, swallowing hard.

The female nodded.

"The gods themselves gave us the duty to protect the humans of the planet, and we roam the forests in patrols, and keep an eye on the movements of the Dark Ones. We moved from the city because it hurt us to live in a place that was no longer happy and peaceful and came here, where we do not hear the howls of agony that sometimes come from the Dark Ones as they try to penetrate the barrier that keeps them from their ancestral home."

"We saw you and your companions were getting close to an area where they frequent, and although there were none there at the time, we knew it was just a matter of time," Kale said. "So we decided to take you, and bring you here, where you could be safe until we knew what you wanted."

"Ah."

"Your gods...?" Rodney asked. "What are they called?"

Kale shook his head, confused.

"We have no names for them. They are simply there. How can we name a god? Who could name a god?"

"I can name one," McKay said, smugly, grinning over at Mitchell, who suddenly realized he was about to say something she definitely didn't want him to say.

"McKay..."

"Colonel Mitchell here is a god to about five million Jaffa. Well, goddess, actually..."

Kale turned to Melony so quickly he spilled the water.

"Is it true?"