Parallels

Chapter Two: Questions

Sam ignored the sweat spreading between her shoulder blades and running past her ears. She swiped an arm across her forehead and checked her watch, then wiped slick palms on her pants and shifted her grip on her gun. They had been walking for over an hour and still there had been no sign of civilization.

Daniel had shown no indication of waking up and Sam was starting to grow concerned. Teal'c, despite his incredible stamina, was beginning to tire, and she knew that having any other person carry Daniel's unconscious weight would only slow them down. That was something they could not afford; Sam wasn't quite ready to completely trust Barahir's assurances that the poison in Daniel was not dangerous. She would have much preferred getting him back to Dr. Frasier at Stargate Command, but apparently that was not an option.

Sam cast a cautious glance to the men who marched beside and behind her. They had been subtly watching her throughout the course of their walk, and Sam didn't think they trusted her any more then she trusted them. They kept their arrows notched, but Sam's trigger finger never left her trigger guard either.

She sighed impatiently, finally deciding Daniel couldn't wait any longer for her to say something. "Um, excuse me," she spoke out into the relative quiet, "how much longer until we get to where we're going? I don't like leaving our friend like this."

"Not far now," Barahir answered her easily. "We are almost there. Do not worry about your friend. He will sleep for a long time yet."

Sam pursed her lips at the comment but was glad to hear they were getting closer to their destination. The sooner they were able to get some answers from these people the better. And the sooner she was able to talk to someone with any kind of medical experience the better.

Despite the man's claim, they walked for another solid thirty minutes before Sam finally saw evidence of a settlement. The trees of the forest around them had been steadily growing taller and wider, but now there were wooden platforms built high into their branches, half hidden behind the full summer leaves. She craned her neck up to look at them, marveling at their construction. They were beautifully carved in intricate organic designs, somehow seeming both a part of the tree and separate from it. Every now and then Sam would catch a glimpse of a face moving among the leaves, but as soon as she saw them they would vanish again.

She kept her eyes upward as she walked, halfway expecting an ambush from above and holding her rifle close to her chest in preparation for quick fire. Teal'c abruptly stopped in front of her. Sam bumped into his back and rebounded, then stumbled to regain her balance.

The Jaffa looked over his shoulder, raising one eyebrow in question. Sam nodded her head upwards toward the trees almost imperceptibly, but Teal'c understood her meaning and gave her a subtle nod of his own in return.

A stream of foreign words drew Sam and Teal'c's attention and they both turned to the front to see another stranger talking with Barahir. This one also wore a bow and arrow, though he had not drawn the weapon, and had long, blond hair that he had braided in the back. Sam listened to their conversation with interest but the words were completely incomprehensible to her, and after a few moments she gave up, choosing instead to keep her attention on the trees and the people who occupied them.

At last Barahir turned around to face SG-1, a smile on his face. "Aglarion has agreed to take us to Prince Legolas. You may ask him for refuge and help for your friend. Come, this way." He motioned with his arm, but the blond man called Aglarion went first and then Barahir followed. Jack looked back at Sam, but she didn't know what to do except shrug. The three of them headed wearily after their guides, still surrounded by the ever-watchful eyes of the green-cloaked men.

After a short walk the team came to the base of particularly tall tree, and in its branches high above the ground a wide, round platform had been built. Aglarion motioned for them to stay put, and then he quickly trotted onto a winding ramp that spiraled up the trunk of the tree. Sam watched him go, her eyebrows rising as she realized how comfortable with heights these people must be. The ramp was narrow, and had no handrail, but the blond-haired man went nimbly up its length as casually as if he were running across a flat field. He reached the platform and disappeared out of view.

Sam sighed, dropping her eyes back to ground level. She was surprised to see that there were now many more of the forest people around them, although when they had appeared she didn't know. She hadn't heard any of them approach, yet now they stood all around the base of the tree, watching SG-1 in obvious curiosity and guarded suspicion. Sam searched them with her eyes, but she could see no weapons on any of them. They wore light robes or tunics and all of them had long, straight hair of brown or blond. Their eyes were disturbingly bright and piercing and Carter shifted uncomfortably under their endless scrutiny.

"Hello," Jack said suddenly into the relative silence. Sam turned to see him smiling and waving at the staring people, no doubt as uneasy as she was about their awkward position. "Nice to meet you folks. I'm Colonel O'Neill… this is Major Carter, Teal'c, and that's Daniel. We had a little run in with the Orcs, thought maybe you all could help us…"

The people looked to each other, then back to SG-1. Some murmured among themselves in the strange language, but none of them moved from their places.

The sound of quiet footsteps interrupted Jack's exchange and the three team members looked up again to see Aglarion coming back down the ramp with another blond-haired man behind him. The two descended swiftly from the tree, coming to stand before Barahir and the rest of the group. The unfamiliar one stepped forward, clasping Barahir's arm in a friendly grip. The two men grinned at each other.

"Mae govannen, Barahir Elboronion," the blond one said, still smiling.

Barahir bowed his head. "Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion," he returned.

Then the two men stepped apart, each bowing low to the other, one arm crossed over their chests. Sam watched the exchange, feeling a small bit of relief at the friendliness of it. She had half expected this Prince Legolas to be cold and expressionless, but in fact he seemed quite the opposite. He wore a simple tunic and pants outfit, much like the others', but the material of his tunic was colored ivory and shimmered with the iridescence of a pearl. The high collar and wide cuffs of the shirt had been intricately embroidered with some kind of leaf and vine motif, the same design that could be found etched around the front and top of his soft suede boots. His leggings were a dark brown, also made of suede leather, and upon his forehead rested a thin, silver circlet, which Sam guessed to be the outward sign of his sovereignty.

He turned to the team, bowing to them in the same manner as he had to Barahir. "Welcome to the land of Ithilien," he said, and Sam watched Jack's eyebrows shoot up at the sound of the heavily accented but wonderfully understandable English. "I am Legolas, son of Thranduil, Prince of Eryn Lasgalen and Lord of the Ithilien elves."

"I am… Colonel Jack O'Neill," the Colonel began, somewhat uncertainly. "And this is Major Carter, Teal'c, and Dr. Daniel Jackson. We're from Earth… we came through the Stargate, you know that big round ring…"

Prince Legolas nodded. "Yes, the Rind i Galad. Aglarion has told me this much. He said that you seek refuge and healing for your friend as well."

Jack nodded. "Yah… about that healing part… he's been unconscious for almost two hours now, do you think you could make that a first priority?"

"Of course." Legolas motioned to the one called Aglarion, speaking a few words in his native language, and Aglarion bowed low, then disappeared off into the trees. Legolas turned back to the team. "I must apologize for the nature of your reception. We did not receive your arrival message; otherwise we would have sent warriors to escort you. Their presence would have discouraged the attack."

Jack frowned, then glanced over his shoulder to Teal'c and Sam. He turned back to Legolas. "Arrival message?"

Confusion crossed the Prince's face briefly. "Yes," he replied slowly, "the arrival message we prearranged with Belegrandir long ago. Did you not send one?"

Colonel O'Neill took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Um…no. We didn't exactly send a message. You see, before we go through the Stargate, we send a probe called a M.A.L.P. to make sure the other side is safe for us. So… we sent the M.A.L.P. through…"

There was a second of silence.

"Belegrandir did not mention this probe device to us. Did he not tell you of our prearranged arrival message?"

O'Neill hesitated. "Well…"

Sam stepped forward, going to Jack's side. "Excuse me, Your Highness-"

"Please, address me as Legolas."

"Legolas," Sam corrected herself, "we… don't really know who this Belegrandir is. I mean we may speak his language, but truthfully… we've never met him before, we've never even heard of him. We never knew about any arrival message. Sorry."

Legolas looked at them for a quiet moment. "I see. Yet you say you are from the realm of Earth, correct?"

"Yes…" O'Neill answered.

"Belegrandir was also from Earth," Legolas said.

Sam's eyes widened in surprise and she looked to Jack in question. But the Colonel shook his head. She turned to the Prince once again. "Are you sure?" she blurted.

A small smile hinted at the corners of Legolas' mouth. "Yes. I am quite certain. It was he who taught us the language of your people. In return we taught him several of our own languages. Since he left our world, those of us in leadership have made sure to pass on the knowledge of your language to those who would come after us, so that if Belegrandir or others of his realm came to us again, we would be able to communicate with them effectively."

"What a good idea," Jack commented.

Legolas dipped his head in acknowledgement.

Sam opened her mouth to ask another question, but just at that moment Aglarion returned with three other elves, two of them carrying a stretcher made of a large piece of leather lashed between two wooden poles. The third was a female, and her eyes went immediately to Daniel. From the way her brows drew together in concern Sam knew at once she was the healer. Sam had seen that evaluative look cross Dr. Frasier's face many times.

Legolas turned to face the arriving group. "Ah, yes." He gestured toward the female elf. "This is Fealglîr, our Master Healer. She has spent many years in Rivendell and was apprentice to Lord Elrond himself. She will be sure to take good care of your friend."

The stretcher was brought over to Teal'c and the Jaffa carefully lowered Daniel's prone form onto it. The two elves then lifted it, and Fealglîr followed them as they moved off again into the woods. Aglarion remained behind, taking up a space beside Legolas and clasping his hands behind his back.

Carter took a step after the healer and her aides, then looked to the Colonel. "Sir… shouldn't someone go with him?"

Jack looked to Legolas, lifting his eyebrows.

"Although it is not necessary, you are welcome to accompany him if you wish," the Prince told them.

Sam nodded in response and started after the stretcher again, but Jack stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Carter, wait. I'll go with Daniel. You stay here and ask questions."

"But sir-"

"Just do it, Carter. You're better at these things then I am."

Sam sighed, then nodded. "Yes sir."

Jack squeezed her arm, glanced to Teal'c, and then jogged after the elves and Daniel. In only a short time they had disappeared behind the endless trunks of trees. Carter took a deep breath and faced Legolas. She forced a smile to her lips, trying to mask her worry. "Well," she said, "there are a few other things we'd like to ask you, if you don't mind?"

Legolas gave another nod, reminding Sam distinctly of the way Teal'c often bobbed his head in affirmation. "Of course. Let us go somewhere where you may be more comfortable." He motioned toward the winding ramp that led to the platform high above.


Teal'c and Sam soon found themselves seated on large cushions on the floor of the platform. Legolas sat cross-legged on another cushion directly across from them, despite the fact there was a chair and small table available in the corner. Aglarion had escorted the three of them to the top of the ramp, but then at Legolas' bidding he retreated again, leaving them alone.

Sam unhooked her P-90 from the tactical harness strapped around her chest and set the rifle on the floor behind her, attempting to convey the fact they truly were peaceful explorers. She cast a sideways glance to Teal'c, and reluctantly he also placed his staff weapon behind him.

"You said that Belegrandir was from Earth?" she asked, unsure of how else to begin. She found herself wishing again that the Colonel had not put her in charge of this discussion. While she knew she was probably more capable of handling first contact situations then he was, given his outspoken manner, she also knew she was not as capable – or as patient – as Daniel. She just hoped she wasn't about to ruin any of the diplomatic progress Belegrandir had already made… whoever he was.

"Yes," Legolas answered her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "That is the realm he claimed to be from."

"But he's not still here?"

"No. He left many years ago."

Sam frowned, trying to remember if another team had been to this planet already. But no matter how hard she thought, as far as she knew, SG-1 was the first and only SGC team to ever come to PT2-571. She wondered if her team hadn't been told something… but that seemed unlikely. "When exactly did he come here?" she asked.

"He arrived in the third year of the Fourth Age and stayed for one and one half years before he was able to decipher the symbols on the Rind i Galad well enough to go home again."

"So he came through the Stargate and then couldn't dial home," Sam said, more to herself then to Legolas. She frowned. That would mean Belegrandir was most likely not a member of Stargate Command.

"I'm sorry," the Prince said, "I am not familiar with what you call a Stargate?"

Sam looked up to him, as if just remembering he was there again. "Oh, I'm sorry… Stargate is our word for the Rind i Galad." She grimaced as she stumbled over the pronunciation of the foreign word, but apparently she had said it well enough for the Prince to understand, because he nodded.

"Yes," Legolas continued. "In truth, Belegrandir wished to return to Earth immediately after arriving here, but he was unable to get the Rind i Galad to function properly. He said our star formations were different from his own, and that made it difficult for him to find the sequence that would lead him back to his home."

Sam lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "So… you know how the… Rind i Galad … works then?"

"A few of us do," Legolas replied. "Once Belegrandir and my people understood each other, he explained to us the workings of the great ring in the hopes that we might be able to aid him in getting back to his own realm. But since his departure, those of us who know how to use it have been very wary of sharing the knowledge with anyone else."

Teal'c raised one eyebrow at the statement and Carter agreed with the Jaffa.

"Why?"

Legolas' bright blue eyes fell to his lap momentarily before rising again to meet Carter's gaze. When he spoke again his voice was low and quiet, as if he were afraid someone else would overhear. "Shortly after the Rind i Galad was brought to this land, the Orcs and other such vile creatures began to attack and kidnap mine and Barahir's people. Recently, those who serve evil have grown bolder and more frequent in their attacks. They have even begun to penetrate our borders, which they have never dared to do before the start of this year. We have learned from those we've captured that they are searching for the Rind i Galad, though for what purpose we have yet to discover. The fewer of our people who possess knowledge of the ring's function the better, for then they can give nothing away if they are captured by the enemy."

Sam felt a small tremor of trepidation roll through her stomach and she had to force herself to ask her next question. "Legolas… these Orcs… do they serve someone who claims to be a god?"

The Prince frowned, then shook his head, causing a long lock of golden hair to fall across his shoulder. "No. We believe their leader to be a wizard known as Romestamo, but that is more rumor then fact. It is hard to discern what is a truth and what is a lie when it comes to the Orcs, I'm afraid."

Sam nodded absently, then looked to Teal'c. The Jaffa fixed the Prince with a steady stare.

"Do you know why this wizard might be looking for the Stargate?" Teal'c asked, the first words he had spoken to these strangers.

Legolas did not fidget beneath Teal'c's scrutinizing gaze like most others did; instead the Prince met the Jaffa's eyes evenly. "We assume he wishes to use it to his own ends, perhaps as a means of increasing his power and influence. It has long been known that Romestamo seeks dominion over this world… we fear that if he finds the Rind i Galad, it would only be a matter of time before his plan succeeds."

Sam chewed the inside of her lip, trying to make sense of things, but it seemed the more questions she asked the more confused she became. According to Legolas, Romestamo did not maintain that he was a god, and yet the other aspects of his character sounded much like those of a Goa'uld, especially if the wizard really was the one looking for the Stargate. Unless… "Legolas," she said, "what if this Romestamo just wants to leave? To go somewhere else?"

But the elf shook his head immediately. "We do not believe that is his intention."

"Why not?"

This time Legolas hesitated before answering. "In the past, the Rind i Galad has been in the possession of evil, and in turn it brought only evil things into our world. If the Orcs truly are in the service of Romestamo, then he too has turned evil at heart. If he only wished for escape, why would he be kidnapping our people?"

Sam dropped her eyes to her hands, opening her mouth to reply. But before she could think of a reasonable answer to the Prince's question there were shadows in the doorway, and she looked up to see Colonel O'Neill standing at the threshold, flanked by Aglarion and Barahir.

"Carter, Teal'c," Jack greeted, ducking through the opening and crossing the floor to the offered cushion. Aglarion and Barahir remained standing, taking up positions just inside the door.

"What'd I miss?"

Sam blinked, trying to think of a good way to sum up all the information Legolas had given them in the last few minutes. "Um… a lot, sir," she said finally, giving him a rueful look. "How's Daniel?"

Jack shrugged. "I think that elf doctor fixed him up pretty good. But he's still sleeping. They had a room for him a few trees south of here, apparently they will tell us just as soon as he wakes up."

Sam nodded, though inwardly she still wished they could get Daniel back to Dr. Frasier for a proper examination…

"So what did we find out about this Belegrandir guy?" O'Neill asked, looking in turn from Legolas, to Carter, to Teal'c, and then back again.

Sam took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Well sir… we know that he was from Earth, and that he was here for a year and a half before he left again. He was also the one who taught the people of Ithilien how the Stargate works."

The Colonel waited. "And…? That's all?"

Sam sighed. "Well-"

"Major Carter and I may have discovered something that requires a more immediate investigation," Teal'c spoke up, coming to Carter's aid. She tossed him an appreciative glance.

"Oh really?" Jack asked, his brow furrowing in mock surprise. "Something more intriguing then a guy from Earth showing up before the SGC's team and teaching elves how to use the Stargate?"

Teal'c merely lifted one eyebrow, then continued, undaunted. "There may be a Goa'uld on this planet," he said.

This time the Colonel's eyes widened in true disbelief. "What?"

"And if it is a Goa'uld," Carter went on, "it doesn't know where the Stargate is. It's stuck here."

Jack stared at his second-in-command for a long moment, trying to absorb the full meaning of such a revelation. In the doorway Barahir and Aglarion looked to each other in confusion.

At last Legolas broke the lingering silence. "I apologize once more, but I am afraid I do not understand the meaning of your words. Could you explain to us the term Goa'uld?"

O'Neill exhaled slowly through his nose. "Ah, yes" he muttered, "The Goa'uld. What can we tell you about the Goa'uld?" He turned abruptly toward Teal'c. "Teal'c, would you care to explain to these lovely people who the Goa'uld are? I think your unique perspective on the matter makes you the authority on this subject."

Teal'c inclined his head in agreement, then began a brief description of the Goa'uld and their rather nasty habits.

Sam watched the three natives of PT2-571 listen in rapt attention as Teal'c spoke and mentally shook her head. This mission was turning into one hell of a trip.


Daniel first became aware of quiet singing; a gentle voice that rose and fell with a beautiful melody, and though he could not understand the words he felt distinctly more peaceful and relaxed when he listened to them. A slight breeze blew across his face, cool and fresh with the smells of a summer evening, and instinctively he drew in a deep breath. He exhaled slowly, pulling his eyes open and blinking groggily.

He squinted at his slightly blurred surroundings, automatically reaching to his left to grope for his glasses. To his surprise he found them resting on a nearby nightstand and he put them on carefully, wincing at the sharp pain that raced through his right bicep when he moved his arm. His left hand went to cover the sore spot and he frowned as he felt the bandage there. He didn't remember being hurt…

The soft singing stopped abruptly. Subtle footsteps padded over to his side and suddenly Daniel looked up into the beautiful face of a young woman. Her hair was long and rich brown and fell over her shoulders in thick cascades. Her eyes were a clear blue color and her lips parted in a bright smile as she saw he was awake.

"Echuivennech," she said lightly, sounding relieved.

Daniel raised his eyebrows at her words, immediately trying to compare the phrase to all the languages he had studied and knew well enough to have a strong vocabulary in, but he could come up with no matches and the dialect was unfamiliar.

She leaned forward, placing a firm palm against his forehead, and Daniel smiled at her as she withdrew her hand. "Yes, I feel much better now, thank you." He looked around the room, abruptly realizing Jack, Sam, and Teal'c were nowhere to be found. The room appeared to be at some height off the ground and had only half walls extending around the sides. The rest of the wall was left open to the outside, with only four posts – one at each corner - reaching up to the wooden ceiling above. He marveled at the architecture and wished he could remember more of how he got to this place. At least the people seemed friendly… he opened his mouth to ask the woman if she had seen his friends, but just at that moment she got up and moved across the room to retrieve a glass and pitcher sitting on a small table by the entry way.

She came back to his bedside, pouring the glass full of water from the pitcher. "Nen?" she asked, holding the cup out to him.

Daniel peered at her, still trying to place the language, but at last he gave up and simply nodded. He pushed himself up into a sitting position with his good arm and accepted the cup from her. "Thank you," he told her.

She gave a nod in return and Daniel put the cup to his lips, not realizing how thirsty he really was until he took the first sip. He drained the cup swiftly and the woman refilled it for him. He gulped the second cup and then handed the glass back to her, signaling that he did not want more with his hand. She gave another nod and placed the pitcher and glass back on the table.

Daniel cleared his throat, rubbing the fingers of his left hand over the bandage again absently. "Um… listen…" he began, but the woman didn't give him time to speak.

"Daro," she said, motioning for him to stay. "Tegithan vellyn lín." With that she turned and trotted through the gap in the walls that was the door, vanishing away below, her footsteps quickly fading.

"Hey, wait, excuse me…" But she was gone. Daniel groaned, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses with his good hand. He sighed heavily, leaning back against the finely carved headboard. He glanced out to the tree branches again, realizing consciously for the first time that it was night and only moonlight and a single lantern hanging from the ceiling lit the room. He checked his watch and was shocked to see it had been eight hours since they had first come through the 'Gate. He wondered if the others had managed to check in with General Hammond; wondered if they were somewhere nearby or if he had been taken to this place alone. He hoped he wasn't alone here… even if the people seemed friendly…

With a start Daniel realized he no longer wore his uniform t-shirt and jacket. Instead his upper half was clad in a beautifully embroidered, short-sleeved tunic that felt as if it were made of the finest silk. He touched the shimmering material gingerly, wondering what kind of thread could create something so soft. He looked around the room again and found his t-shirt, jacket, vest, and belt neatly folded in a pile next to his boots in one corner. His weapons and weapons' holsters were nowhere to be found.

Daniel lifted an eyebrow, throwing back the covers of the bed and swinging his feet over the side. He stood up slowly, carefully, leaning back against the side of the bed as a wave of dizziness made the floor rock. He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them again as the faintness passed. He wished he could remember how he had gotten here, or how he had hurt his arm, but everything short of first starting off from the 'Gate was too foggy to recall details.

He went to one of the room's half walls, putting a hand on the railing and looking down over the side. His eyes widened as he saw how tall the tree really was, but then movements on the ground below drew his attention. He watched several robed figures walk slowly along a narrow path between the trees, talking among themselves. In the stillness of the night Daniel could barely make out the sound of their words, but he could not understand them. He recognized the language as the same his caretaker had used, but he still couldn't identify it.

The shadowy silhouettes passed beneath his tree and Daniel moved away from the wall, looking around his room aimlessly for a moment. The woman had acted like she had wanted him to stay here, but Daniel's inquisitive nature could not be restrained. He hesitated only a second longer before making up his mind and leaving the bedroom.

He walked barefoot down a sloping ramp of cool, smooth wood, trying not to put much thought into how far above the ground he was. He looked out at the trees around him, noticing most of them had similar rooms and platforms like the tree he was now in, all of which were connected by narrow, arching bridges. A few of the rooms had lanterns lit within them, but at the moment the tree directly ahead drew most of Daniel's attention. It held a huge platform, bigger then any of the others he could see, and was brightly lit with both candles and lanterns. He headed in that direction, eager to see if he could find out more about these people.

He rounded a curve in the ramp only to crash into another body, the force of the collision throwing him backwards. He landed hard, staring up at the leafy canopy above him in bewilderment.

"Daniel?" a familiar, irritated voice asked, and the archaeologist sat up only to see Colonel O'Neill looking down at him with a displeased expression. Sam and Teal'c stood behind Jack and off to the side was the woman who had given Daniel water and another man he didn't recognize.

"Jack?"

The Colonel rubbed his jaw where Daniel's forehead had bruised it. "Fer cryin' out loud… don't you watch where you're going?"

The woman beside Jack said something in her native tongue, shaking her head, and the unfamiliar man translated. "She says you should not be out of your bed, Daniel Jackson. She says she told you to wait and she would bring your friends to you."

Daniel accepted Jack's hand up with his left hand and brushed himself off. He tossed a glance to the woman and then to the man, then turned to Jack, shrugging guiltily. "Well I… couldn't understand her," he told them, thinking that should have been obvious.

"Nice shirt," Jack commented.

"What? Oh, yah…" Daniel looked down at the shimmering tunic again and plucked a few spare specks of dirt off of it. "It's nice. Comfortable too." He cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. "Um, Jack… where are we?"

"Well we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."

Daniel didn't appreciate the joke and crossed his arms over his chest, giving the Colonel a look.

Jack ignored it. "While you were so conveniently napping we met up with this fellow here," he gestured to the man Daniel didn't recognize and the man stepped forward, bowing low as he folded an arm across his chest.

"I am Barahir, son of Elboron," the man introduced himself. "Prince of Ithilien and Steward of Gondor. It is good to see you well again, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel returned the man's bow with a short, awkward one of his own. "It is an honor to meet you," he said, but in the back of his mind something bothered him about this man's title, and he couldn't think of what it was. "Obviously you already know who I am…" he straightened, looking around at the trees again. "So… this is your… kingdom?" he asked uncertainly, not sure how someone could be both a Prince and a Steward at the same time.

Barahir smiled warmly. "No. This is not." The man opened his arms to encompass the forest around them. "You are in the land of Ithilien, but this place is the home of the Silvan elves and of Legolas, Prince of Eryn Lasgalen."

Daniel frowned, sure he had hit his head harder then he had originally thought. "Excuse me, did you say… elves?"

"Exactly what I thought," Jack murmured.

"Indeed," Barahir replied. "We brought you here to be healed. Your companions were convinced you were on the verge of death, but I knew the kind of poison you had been afflicted with. My people have seen it many times."

"Um… yah, about that…" Daniel said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I don't really remember what happened…"

Jack smiled, clapping Daniel on the shoulder and ushering him along the ramp toward the massive, brightly lit platform ahead. "You missed out on a lot, Dannyboy. Come on, we'll fill you in on the way."

"On the way to where?" Daniel asked, still feeling helplessly overwhelmed by all that he was hearing and seeing.

"Dinner, of course," Jack answered cheerfully. "Barahir says these elves really know how to cook."


TO BE CONTINUED...


Notes:

Mae govannen: Sindarin Elvish, "Well met", a greeting.

-ion suffix: Sindarin, "son of."

Echuivennech: Sindarin, "You have awakened."

Nen: Sindarin, "Water."

Daro: Sindarin, "Wait."

Tegithan vellyn lín: Sindarin, "I will bring your friends."