Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG1 or Stargate the movie, or anything else you lawyers can think of! But I do, however, own the heroine of this story, Aster! Yay!
"…Speech…"
'…Thought…'
'…Quote…'
''…Foreign language…''
oOoOoOo
Pain ripped through the back of Skaara's neck, spreading throughout his entire being. He could hear Klorel screaming in pain in the back of his head and felt himself fall to the ground. Everything was in so much pain… Then he felt a hand tentatively touch his shoulder.
"Skaara?"
"What is… happening…?"
"I… I'm really sorry Skaara. Just listen; I need you to trust me, okay? I'll get you out of here as soon as possible, don't worry. Just remember; I would never do anything against you, Skaara, I swear…" Aster whispered hurriedly. It hurt her to see Skaara in so much pain.
"Asuta…" Skaara fought hard against Klorel, his words heavily accented, "Go, get out of here, please…" he begged. He wanted her to be safe, at least.
"I'm not leaving you like this! I'll find a way," Aster tried to smile reassuringly.
"Please, tell my betrothed…" Skaara was struggling to speak, loosing the battle for control, "I…"
Aster didn't know what to say.
Skaara's body convulsed and he cried out in pain. The cry morphed into the inhuman roar of Klorel's Goa'uldly voice. Klorel thrashed around wildly, confused as to what was going on.
"Klorel…?" Aster asked meekly, hesitantly searching his eyes for a sign of who was in control of the body. Klorel's eyes locked onto hers, flashing dangerously, "You…" he growled furiously.
Aster threw herself at Klorel, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing onto his shoulder. Klorel, who expected anything but this from Aster, was in shock. He faintly heard Aster murmuring something about thinking that she had killed him between sobs.
"I was playing with that thing, then it fired and…"
"I told you, I am your God…" Klorel smiled, all his anger melted into warm fuzzies as he returned the embrace, "It will take much more than that to destroy me, my Aster, I assure you." Klorel felt Aster laughing reflexively between sobs with reassurance.
Klorel was absolutely convinced that he could make any girl melt all over him like this.
Aster was relieved at how easy it had been to convince Klorel that she was in love with him.
oOoOoOo
"So, where are we going again?" Aster asked curiously, walking alongside Klorel and half a dozen of his armed serpent guards towards the Stargate.
"Erebus," Klorel replied simply, his smile implying exactly which planet they were travelling to. The planet he had stationed his private army on. Aster expected the planet to be freezing from the attire she and Klorel were dressed in. Aster was happy just to be wearing sleeves again. Anything to keep Klorel from staring at her.
"Really? …Thank you," Aster smiled shyly.
Klorel looked confused, "For what?"
"For taking me with you."
"…I could never leave you behind," Klorel smirked after a pause, his cheeks reddening slightly at the small show of affection.
Aster smiled, looking up at the magnificent stone ring known them as the Chaapa'ai, or to her, the Stargate. A fleeting thought came of taking Klorel forcibly back to Earth through the Stargate to try and get him out of Klorel's body… But the six muscly serpent guards armed to the teeth with alien weaponry made her reconsider that action. That and the fact that they had taken her GDO when they had confiscated her uniform.
Klorel took her hand and led her through the Stargate.
oOoOoOo
"Aren't the serpent guards coming with us?" Aster asked Klorel as he trudged through the heavy layer of snow covering the ground. The wormhole shut off, leaving the surroundings deathly quiet apart from the wind whistling through the surrounding trees.
"They only came to accompany us to the Stargate. I do not want anyone else learning about what is on Erebus, not yet," Klorel stated loudly, dusting the gathering snow off the sleeves of his coat. He was wearing black gloves stylised to fit around the ribbon device he was forever wearing on his left hand and still keep his hands warm.
Aster crossed her arms tightly against herself to evade the cold and waded through the heavy layer of snow to follow Klorel. They were walking out of a bowl-shaped depression in the land that was lined with snow-covered pines, and there wasn't any apparent track leading to a village or some sign of civilisation.
Klorel noticed her bewildered look and explained, "It is a long walk to the village, and mostly without a path. I do not want any other Goa'uld taking an interest in this planet so I try to keep it as deserted-looking as I can. There should have been a Pel'tac waiting our arrival…"
"Is it always winter here?" Aster asked curiously, itching to build a snowman in the fine, powdery snow.
"No. It is either layered in ice snow or as hot the deserts of your Egypt. Such extreme weather is perfect for training serpent guards."
"Really?" Aster replied slowly, straying from the track of Klorel's footprints and walking over to what looked like a large impression in the snow. She walked right up to it and ran into a very invisible, but very solid, Pel'tac.
Klorel heard a soft 'thup' as Aster fell backwards into the thick snow. The girl propped herself up on her elbows, "I found the Pel'tac!"
The ship revealed itself to the pair and a door opened. Klorel looked mad. He marched straight over to the open door, "Is it so impossible to operate a cloaking device before your GOD?" Klorel yelled, "How much longer were you planning on concealing yourself from us?"
"F-forgive me, my Lord, I was neglectful of my duties…" whimpered the scrawny pilot that emerged to usher them into the craft. Klorel strode quickly inside, shivering from the cold. Aster followed. The warm air of the inside of the ship blew across Aster's face, bringing life back to her frozen cheeks.
"The citadel, now." Klorel snapped at the pilot on his way past.
"As you wish my Lord."
The interior of the Pel'tac was quite toasty. Aster took off her overcoat and held it in her arms. She smiled at Klorel, who was huddled over by a heating device trying to keep himself warm. He was probably used to higher temperatures. Aster stood up when Klorel strode over to her, as a sign of respect. Klorel rubbed his gloved hands together, "Are you not cold?" He sounded jealous rather than concerned.
"No. The cold's never bothered me much. Tell me more about the village, what's it like?" Aster smiled curiously.
"Self-sufficient, mostly. According to my father's rants about his own planets, I would say Erebus has turned out quite successful. There's enough religion for the people to be loyal and controllable but not rebellious, they economy is well balanced, excreta." Klorel explained.
"It must be difficult to run a planet when there is this much secret surrounding it," Aster sympathised, "I've played city-building simulations on my computer at home. Most of my cities died out after only a few minutes."
Klorel chuckled, "Perhaps I could teach you…" Klorel closed the distance between them soundly, "You'd make an excellent queen…"
"Queen? As in, a host for a queen?" Aster forced her face to remain carefully blank.
"Perhap—" Klorel winced, his face contorting with pain. The faze passed and the Goa'uld straightened up, looking pale and shaky. He avoided Aster's questioning gaze, turning away from her. He felt her touch his arm and looked back, she appeared worried. 'Concerned for the host, most likely.' Klorel thought angrily.
"The host…?" Aster sounded as if she was more concerned for Klorel than Skaara. Klorel was also stunned to hear her refer to the Abydanian as 'the host' instead of 'Skaara' for the first time.
Klorel smiled, warm-fuzzies again swamping his head, "I am alright." That seemed to please Aster. He walked away to a different part of the craft to be alone, alone with his host.
Klorel had never had the luxury of being completely alone.
'NEVER! I will NEVER let you turn Asuta into a host!' Skaara's mind screeched, giving Klorel a migraine. Skaara had been panicked at the prospect of his friend becoming a host, he did not want her to share the same horrible fate he did, she did not deserve it.
Klorel was frightened; he had felt his host almost take control back over the body. The young monarch had never heard of such a thing... Was he really strong enough to handle this host?
'If you do not desist immediately I will make her a host NOW,' Klorel thundered back inside his head. He felt… weak. He needed the sarcophagus…
oOoOoOo
Aster looked around the interior of the citadel in awe. Every place the 'Gods' were expected to visit had been made fit to accommodate them. Furnishings and decorations of immaculate wealth lined even the dingiest of corridors travelled through by Klorel. An amazing wealth of technology existed in the citadel due to its position being so close to naquadah mines.
Klorel had gone before Aster could talk to him, rushing off through the castle and leaving her to the guards and servants of the fortress.
"Lord Klorel is resting in the sarcophagus," a tall, middle-aged serpent guard announced a few moments later, "He requested that we take you to his quarters in the citadel to wait for him."
Aster frowned, "The sarcophagus? Why? What's wrong with him?"
"He complained of being fatigued," the serpent guard replied gruffly to the impertinent question, "Come."
"Okay. So, who are you?" Aster had to take larger stride to keep up with the serpent guard.
"My name is Wosret."
"Aaah, the 'powerful one', right?" Aster recalled the lectures Daniel had given her on Egyptian names and their meanings.
"That is correct. And your name?"
"Aster S. West," the teen smiled back.
"That is… an unusual name. What planet are you from?" Wosret questioned.
"Earth. Also known here as the infamous Tau'ri planet," Aster smirked.
"Is that so? I have heard many stories about the people from the Tau'ri planet from master Bra'tac."
"Oh yes. Fighting for truth and justice, the whole lot of us. I was captured by Apophis when we were scouting for new technology to defend our planet. Now, I'm a slave to Klorel," Aster recited.
"How long have you been a slave to Klorel?"
Aster's brows crossed, "Gee, It's kinda hard to tell without a calendar. I guess it's been almost a year by now…"
"Impressive. I have not yet heard of a servant in Klorel's company to last that long," Wosret admitted.
" 'Last that long'? Why? What happens to them? Do they get shot at? Do people try and assassinate Klorel all the time or something?" Aster babbled in alarm.
"Yes and no, Klorel is known to kill his servants if they displease him. It used to happen quite regularly. I am surprised you have survived so long."
'Skaara must be still trying to protect me…' Aster thought distantly.
"Lord Klorel's quarters," Wosret announced, "Enjoy your stay."
"Thanks," Aster tried to say, but Wosret was already heading back down the hallway.
Aster pushed open one of the huge, copper-plated double doors that looked as if they were right out of the Dark Ages, but were probably practical for being in a fort. She swept through the silky curtains surrounding the other side of the doors and closed the heavy door behind her.
Klorel's quarters were a lot nicer, and a lot bigger, on Erebus than they were Chulak, and there was less of Apophis' influence dominating the rooms. Aster admired its every aspect as she walked along, from the hieroglyphs decorating the stone walls to the small arrangements of imported flowers and plants in little ornate vases and the exotic smell of incense being burned.
She also recognised some of the furnishings that used to bein the castlein Chulak, 'Moving in?' Aster thought bemusedly. She moved silently through Klorel's spacious living quarters, marvelling at the level of detail and culture.
"Like it? I've been working on it for decades… it's almost impossible to find any time to come here, under my father's watchful eye. This will be where I live when I overthrow my father. By then Chulak will be reduced to ruins and there will still be followers loyal to my father infesting the area," Klorel smiled, waltzing up behind her, "It will be easier to start a-fresh."
"Why did you run off the sarcophagus like that?" Aster asked him softly.
"I felt unwell."
Aster could tell by the way that he wasn't quite meeting her eye what was wrong; Skaara was fighting his control. And probably almost winning, in some cases.
"We will spend the night here, but I have to be back on Chulak before night tomorrow, or Father will suspect something," Klorel explained, "Which will mean a lot of travelling through the village and warrior camps to sustain their loyalty tomorrow…"
Aster smiled, "I guess I could handle that."
"Thank you," Klorel breathed.
"For what?" Aster looked up at Klorel, puzzled.
Klorel tapped her playfully on the nose, "For staying with me."
Aster blushed profusely, "Well you couldn't just leave me behind, could you?"
oOoOoOo
"Aster? Aster… Aster!" Klorel tried to wake the girl up, "For my sake! What does it take to wake a girl up?" Klorel sighed in defeat.
'…Wake her up,' Klorel commanded Skaara, letting the host have control of the upper body.
'What? Wait… no. I will not do anything to her for you. I want you to let her go, she does not deserve this torture!' Skaara argued.
'Host, you can either wake her up, or I will leave it to the torture-masters in the dungeon.'
Skaara sighed reluctantly, savouring what he could of this temporary freedom. He put a had on her shoulder and gently shook it, "Asuta? Asuta, please wake up…" Skaara called quietly.
Aster stirred, her crystalline eyes still blurry from sleep, "Huh? Who… Skaara?" Aster tried to blink through her sleepy haze to get a clearer view of Skaara's face.
"Hey," Skaara smiled weakly, "You okay?"
Aster nodded calmly, "Yeah, you?"
Skaara nodded, despite everything. His face became abruptly pained; Klorel was trying to reassert control. He managed one last message, ''Asuta, I trust you.''
"Next time, wake up when I say so," Klorel told Aster in a dead serious voice, "Don't EVER make me have to do that again!"
"I'm a heavy sleeper…" Aster mumbled, a little disoriented, "…W-was I dreaming or was I talking to Skaara just then…?"
"What? No, you were dreaming," Klorel lied. Skaara's loud protests rattled inside of his head, but he ignored them, "Breakfast?"
Aster nodded, "I'll go get it."
"No, no. There is a ritual morning feast I am to attend. You are coming too; which is why you have to come now so the handmaidens can get you into your robes for the feast," Klorel insisted.
"Really? What do they look like?" Aster asked in delighted awe, following Klorel as he led her to the awaiting handmaidens.
"I do not know, you shall have to surprise me," Klorel smiled.
oOoOoOo
"Wow, thanks! This looks great!" Aster grinned into the mirror. Although the dress was a bit more revealing than Aster would have liked to wear around Klorel, it was a wonderfully elegant design with intricate embroidery and all different shades of green. One of the handmaidens adorned her forehead with a jewelled headband while another made up her hair.
The handmaidens admired their handiwork as they ushered the girl out of the room, "Come, Lord Klorel is waiting!"
"Oh, right…" Aster blushed self-consciously at the thought of Klorel seeing her in the gown.
Aster was lead into the feast hall, a decorative chamber with an Egyptian theme and a long, low-to-the ground table, which was situated in the centre of the room. Aster was ushered to a cushion near the head of the table, adjacent to where Klorel would be seated. The rest of the guests all looked like priests or important people of the planet here to pay tribute to their God.
Klorel entered the room through a different doorway and the guests kneeling around the table immediately touched their foreheads to the ground, Aster with them. Klorel seated himself at the head of the table, dressed in the most decorative and extravagant attire Aster had yet to see him wear. Then again it was, after all, his feast and not his fathers, for once. Ritualistic formalities were exchanged and the breakfast feast was begun.
Aster was used to the foreign food by now, easily picking her way through the selection to find her favourites. She even knew how to cook some of the dishes they served.
"I like that…" Klorel smiled at her, his head cocked to one side, indicating at her new dress.
Aster's cheeks flushed, "Thanks, you too. Nice… hat," Aster gave Klorel's Arabic hat an amused look.
Klorel made a face, "It looks horrible, doesn't it? I hate hats, especially in this host. Nothing I wear ever looks good."
"Less is more," Aster suggested, "You could always go for black and, say, dark reds."
Klorel twirled an exotic piece of fruit between his thumb and forefinger, frowning in consideration; "…That might work."
"Hmm," Aster murmured in agreement, "Dark colours, definitely dark colours."
"My wardrobe is completely full of bright coloured clothing from my previous host, I will have to arrange a change when I return," Klorel groaned.
"And I'm coming back with you too, right?" Aster smirked in jest, knowing Klorel's habit for never using the word 'we'."
"No."
Aster did a double take in disbelief; "You're not leaving me here. Are you? Don't you think at least your father will notice?"
"You angered me, I killed you," Klorel told her calmly, "That is all that he needs to know, and he will believe me, it's perfectly likely for that to happen… to anyone else."
"So what, you're smuggling me in here to decorate your quarters like a nice couch you thought you'd like in your new home?" Aster murmured, keeping her tone even to not disturb any of the other guests.
"And… I am going away from either world for a short while, with my father. I don't think you want to witness a planet being destroyed. I have seen it many of times, I know you would not enjoy it," Klorel continued, interrupting Aster.
"Enjoy it? I really underestimated how sick you aliens are."
"I do not enjoy it. What needs to happen, happens," Klorel growled.
"That's not the reason," Aster told him quietly, "You don't want me there because you are going to destroy the Earth."
"Urth?" Klorel frowned.
"My home, the Tau'ri planet. I heard you, Klorel," Aster looked up at him with disappointment.
Klorel's cheeks flushed, "I…"
"Blowing up my home planet is one thing. Not allowing me to say goodbye, not even telling me, is another."
"We will talk later," Klorel assured her softly.
oOoOoOo
"We are not going to 'blow your planet up'," Klorel elucidated uncomfortably, "We are going to destroy your communications, your leaders, your authorities, and then we will seize hold of the remaining and take them as slaves, soldiers or even hosts."
Aster bit her lip; this sounded almost worse than blowing the Earth up. And there was nothing she could do about it. What was worse is that she knew she should feel sick, violated and distraught at the thought of her home planet being overrun like this, but she felt nothing. Fear, she felt that, but she couldn't focus on the end of her world, all she could focus on was Klorel. She felt as if she was betraying her people. And for that, she felt sick.
Klorel tried to smile, "It would have been different if I had not known you. Father has granted me to take whichever Tau'ri I so wish and as many as I like. If you can show me where you live, I can save your family and friends."
Aster shook her head, still staring at the floor; "I don't have any friends, apart from Danny and the gang. But I'm sure Apophis will want to see them dead before you could get your hands on them. My family… no. They probably don't even know that I'm MIA yet. I have... no one…"
"You have me," Klorel smiled, taking her hand in his and squeezing gently.
Aster smiled, despite everything, "That's good."
"So… you are okay?"
"The part where you guys kill and torture a lot of innocent people is disturbing, Klorel," Aster scowled.
"But they will not all be killed," Klorel promised, "I will try to transport as many as I can to Erebus, there will still be hope for your people."
"Right under your father's nose?" Aster asked incredulously.
Klorel shrugged, "There are ways. I have another ha'tak stationed in your planet's solar system. I can use that to traffic people to Erebus."
"As long as your father doesn't find out," Aster agreed uneasily.
"Do not worry," Klorel embraced her warmly, "I am doing this for your happiness. I will not let this fail, you have my word."
Aster hugged him back, her head resting on his shoulder; "Can I come with you?"
Klorel nodded, "If you so wish."
oOoOoOo
Aster walked at a fair pace behind Klorel's litter, enthralled at the energetic atmosphere and crowds lining the streets as the procession made its way to the city-square. It seemed that all occupants of the city had gathered for the parade paying tribute to their God. Snow fell from the sky like shimmering confetti, coating the city in white.
Dancers, musicians, soldiers and priests were walking, dancing, marching and playing their way along the road. Klorel's litter was being carried near the front of the line, with his most trusted servants and soldiers of the planet following him. Aster was part of this group, grinning with the excitement. Everyone was euphoric, even the usually stoic guards seemed proud rather than strict.
And for once, Aster found her future didn't look so bad.
She, like everyone in the parade apart from the serpent guards and Klorel, was dressed in white linen to symbolise purity, hope and light. Klorel had been decked out in gold to symbolise his 'Godliness'. Aster's white, hooded overcoat was so long that it trailed in the snow behind her.
Aster couldn't get over how cute the little children were, running around in front of the crowds of people on either side of the street and being hoisted up into arms or onto shoulders to get a better view.
The walk along the main road took a long while, and Aster's legs were protesting by the end of it.
The religious aspects of the ceremonies Klorel and the head priests were preforming interested Aster greatly, as she made mental notes on things to ask Klorel about later. With all the speeches and ceremonies preformed, the sky was starting to darken by the end of it.
The gathering soon turned into one big party, with food and the local 'beer' being distributed through the crowds by energetic servants celebrating the visit from their God. Aster managed to make her way through the crowd to Klorel, who was obviously waiting for her.
"Hey," Aster grinned, "Nice party."
"Glad you like it!" Klorel grinned back over eagerly.
"…Have you been drinking?" Aster laughed over the loud noise of thousands of people partying around them.
"Yeah, you?" Klorel smirked knowingly.
"Yup, but just a bit!" Aster added desperately when she saw the look Klorel gave her.
"A Dance?" Klorel offered, waving his hand towards a crowd of dancing people surrounding an orchestra of musicians from all parts of the city.
"With a Tau'ri?" Aster asked slightly self-consciously.
"With a Goa'uld?" Klorel pleaded.
Aster grinned, her face lighting up brightly, "Of course."
oOoOoOo
Aster rolled over and curled up into a ball, holding her head. She felt the all-too-familiar symptoms of a hangover, a pretty bad one at that too. Her head throbbed painfully. 'I hope Klorel's got one just as bad… he was drinking as much as I… Oh shit.' Realisation hit, and Aster opened her eyes to check her surroundings. She found herself in the most luxurious bed she had ever seen… with Klorel.
"Oh shit," Aster repeated in a shaky voice, sitting up. She held the blankets to her chest tightly, 'Oh please, what ever God is not an alien, PLEASE let me still have clothes on!' She peeked under the sheets and found that she was still in her underwear, "Well that's good," she whispered to herself.
Then she looked at Klorel, giving the sleeping monarch the evils; 'You'd better have pants on, buddy.' She gave him another shrewd look and lifted the blankets at her end and trying to look through the dark to see if Klorel did still have his undergarments on, just to be sure.
"See anything you like?"
"Aaaah!" Aster cried in alarm. She looked intensely worried, "We didn't… did we?"
"Er, no," Klorel answered honestly, "Even when you are drunk, you are still very responsible. You have a very strong nature about you." Klorel smiled at her fondly.
Aster blushed deeply, "Thank you, but you're sure we didn't…"
"We didn't."
"Good…"
"But we did share one very passionate kiss," Klorel grinned evilly.
"I remember that…" the memory flowed through Aster's mind. How they were so close… their mouths… his hands… "Yup, VERY passionate," Aster interrupted herself, screwing her eyes up and chasing the memory out of her mind, for now.
"That was nice…" Klorel smiled sleepily and laid back down, then shot straight again, "It is morning!" he cried in dismay, "We were supposed to have left last night!"
oOoOoOo
"Like a Prayer" by Madonna
Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone
I hear you call my name
And it feels like home
Chorus
When you call my name it's like a little prayer
I'm down on my knees; I wanna take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your power
Just like a prayer you know I'll take you there
I hear your voice; it's like an angel sighing
I have no choice; I hear your voice
Feels like flying
I close my eyes, oh God I think I'm falling
Out of the sky, I close my eyes
Heaven help me
(Chorus)
Like a child you whisper softly to me
You're in control just like a child
Now I'm dancing
It's like a dream, no end and no beginning
You're here with me; it's like a dream
Let the choir sing
(Chorus)
Just like a prayer, your voice can take me there
Just like a muse to me, you are a mystery
Just like a dream, you are not what you seem
Just like a prayer, no choice your voice can take me there
Just like a prayer, I'll take you there
It's like a dream to me
oOoOoOo
Phew, that took a while. I had to edit that three times because it crashed twice and the third time the file got corrupted in a huge crash and I lost half of it. It is SO frustrating to have to make the same changes three times! Arg!
Anyway… I would like to thank my TWO reviewers; ISHA and BlueJay, who have given me such great reviews and support, you guys are inspiring!
ISHA: I'll update as soon as possible, I'm trying really hard to churn this stuff out because of how many times my laptop crashes and I have to re-edit and re-edit and re-edit everything. I hope you like this chapter and the ones following! :D
BlueJay: :D WOW thank you! That was such a nice review! Kudos to you, mate! Evil cliff-hangers rule! Hehe…
I'm updating as quickly as I can, and just for you guys! :D
