Double-Dealing
A/N: One more to go until the curtain ends the show! Anyway, I'm going to watch The Princess Bride in a movie theater tonight! Yup, an actual movie theater, on the big screen! I never got a chance to catch it in the movie theaters... but I have watched it more than a dozen times on video and DVD. I hope I don't ruin the show for anyone by quoting every line from the movie...
Disclaimer: SG-1 is not mine… blah blah blah… you know the rest!
Chapter Twelve: Betrayed
Daniel managed to elude the crowd by concealing his face with a rag he found on the ground. Unfortunately, he had dropped his radio when he bent down to pick it up. He had no time to recover it as people came flooding in. He continued to track Altair and followed him to the outskirts of the field, away from the crowd. In the distance, there was a small cottage decorated with blue flowers and two guards standing in front of the door. Daniel saw Altair climb through a window on the side of the cottage.
"Lyra!" Daniel shouted as he ran.
He saw the guards hastily enter the small cabin.
Finally, Daniel got to the cottage and ran in. He saw two slain guards on the ground. He looked up from them and saw Lyra, backed into the corner. In front of her, Altair stood with a bloody dagger in one hand and the other outstretched to her. Daniel whipped out his gun and pointed it at the leader of the Underground Merchants.
"Princess, come with me," Altair said calmly.
"Get away from her," Daniel said with anger and contempt in his voice.
Altair saw Daniel and sneered, "Oh, it is Prince Nar, the great actor, trying to act brave."
"I'm warning you," Daniel said as he tightened his grip on the gun, "Get away from her."
Lyra's eyes widened in fear. She was backing further and further into the corner.
Altair turned his attention from Lyra to Daniel, "Prince, do not interfere with things that do not concern you."
"If you're threatening my future wife, I think that concerns me," Daniel replied.
He swore he thought Altair flinched when he said 'wife'.
"I will not let this
wedding happen! She doesn't love you!"
Altair jumped at
Daniel, thrusting his knife at him. Without a second thought, Daniel
pulled the trigger.
"No!" Lyra screamed.
XXXX
The lead guard walked back and forth in front of the table. On the other side of the table, Sam, Jack, King Zaffaloft, and Queen Stoweek sat quietly. Three guards stood behind them. The guard with the knife stood at the doorway. Balibob was still sprawled on the ground.
"Carter?" Jack whispered.
She nodded at him.
Jack glanced over at Zaffaloft and he too nodded. They had to pull this off at the right moment or they wouldn't have another chance to launch their attack.
"Hey you!" Jack shouted at the lead guard.
Immediately, the guard pointed his spear at Jack, exactly what the Colonel wanted him to do. Jack grabbed the middle of the spear and pulled it down, pulling down the guard with it. He crashed into the table and let go of the spear. At the same time, Sam and King Zaffaloft pushed their chairs back, crashing it into the guards behind them. Sam got up and punched the guard behind Jack. She lifted her dress and pulled out the gun that she had attached to her leg. Pointing it at the three guards on the floor, she gestured them to move into the corner. Jack put the final blow on the lead guard and knocked him unconscious.
"Behind you!" Queen Stoweek warned as the guard with the knife came up behind Sam.
"Drop your weapon," he hissed.
Sam could feel the tip of the blade on the nape of her neck. She stiffened and looked over at Jack.
"Do it, Carter," Jack said.
As she was about to relinquish her gun, she heard the knife clatter to the ground. Jack, the King, and the Queen gaped at something behind her. She slowly turned around and saw a frightened, hysterical Balibob with a stack of hard-covered journals in his hands.
"I knew those things would come in handy," Jack said with a smile.
Balibob laughed crazily and started hyperventilating before fainting again.
"What of these men?" King Zaffaloft said as he glared down at the three cowering guards in the corner.
"What's Altair's signal?" Jack asked.
The guard in the middle spoke up after Jack gave him a swift kick.
"Altair?" he snorted, "No one listens to that weakling."
Sam cocked her head to the side, "But he's the leader of the Underground Merchants."
"He is, but we don't follow him. He's weak and has weakened the name of the Underground Merchants. We follow a new leader."
"A rogue faction?" Carter said, thinking aloud, "We need to tell Teal'c and Daniel."
"Good idea," Jack said and then turned to the guards. He really wanted to say 'Take us to your leader', but opted for the more direct approach, "Who's your leader?"
The three were silent.
"You will gain nothing from being silent. If you speak, we will lessen the blow of your punishment," King Zaffaloft said.
"Sir, Teal'c said he's lost Tray's trail but he's heading to Lyra's location. Daniel isn't responding," Sam informed Jack.
Jack brushed a hand through his beard and sighed. He looked back at the three guards, "King Zaffaloft is right. You talk and we won't be so hard on you stooges."
The first guard glared at them. The middle one was done talking. The third guard looked shaken enough to talk soon.
"Who is your leader?" Jack reiterated.
XXXX
Daniel had moved in time to dodge the knife, but because of his movement, his aim was off. He had shot Altair in the leg.
Lyra moved out of the corner and to Altair's side.
"Altair, I am sorry," she said as she took his hand.
Daniel lowered his gun and opened his mouth to say something but nothing would come out. He just stared at them in disbelief.
Lyra looked up at him and saw how hurt he was.
"Prince Nar, I did not want to hurt anyone. I am sorry," she said as tears sprung from her eyes, "I wrote that note because I loved another."
Daniel's sorrow turned to one of anguish as he glared at Altair, "You tried to kill me and my friends. How could you love someone like this, Lyra?"
Altair pressed on his wounded leg. He looked at Daniel and his expression softened.
"Prince Nar, I was bitter toward you because I let my emotions take control of me. However, I would not go so far as assassinate you," Altair said calmly.
Daniel gripped his gun. His mind was racing. His heart was beating a mile a minute and he licked his dry lips, trying to think. All he could see was Sha're beside a man she loved and that man wasn't him. It was breaking his heart, shattering the very core of his soul.
Lyra stood up and walked over to Daniel. She touched his face.
"You loved her…" Lyra said quietly, "You loved… Sha're."
Daniel gasped. He remembered when he whispered her name when he looked at Lyra and that glint of recognition she had when she realized that Daniel had loved someone named Sha're.
He closed his eyes and relished her touch one last time before he opened his eyes. He dropped his gun.
"I understand Lyra. You love him."
Lyra smiled at him and he was dazed by her radiance.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Daniel looked over at Altair and smiled weakly, "Sorry about that."
"I'll forgive you if you help me up."
Altair grimaced as Daniel and Lyra got him to stand up. He leaned on both of them for support.
"We must leave," Altair said urgently.
"I don't think you should be standing, let alone moving," Daniel replied.
"These dead guards aren't your guards. They are part of a rebel group that branched off from the Underground Merchants. They resort to violence and terror and they are probably the ones who set that bomb at the Courtship Ceremony. If only I knew who their leader was… I'd have stopped them. In any case, they'll come back here. We need to leave as soon as possible."
"That's an interesting take on it," said a silhouetted figure in the doorway, "We prefer to call ourselves the Underground Merchants Reborn."
The figure stepped out of the doorway and picked up Daniel's gun. Daniel mentally kicked himself for leaving around the gun like that. If Jack were there, he would have spouted something about him lacking common sense.
"Trayen!" Lyra exclaimed.
"Tray, what are you doing?"
Tray smiled as he pointed the gun at Lyra, "Since you decided to fall in love with this royal brat, the name of the Underground Merchants has been dragged through the mud. You turned us from a powerful, fearful force into a pathetic group of traders! You were weak in your dealings and you made us weak!"
"That's not true!" Lyra shouted, "He tried to integrate the Underground Merchants back into society without relying on underhanded tactics. He has not ruined the name of the Underground Merchants, but lifted it up from the shambles it once was!"
Daniel tried to assess the situation to figure a way out. If he could divert Tray's attention, there would be enough time for Lyra and Altair to escape. He could try tackling Tray but the gun would probably be faster than him. Besides, Lyra wouldn't be able to get far dragging Altair. There had to be another way.
"Why…" Altair said softly, "You of all people… I trusted you… I thought you understood that we could not keep going down that road… change brings progress…"
Tray was glowering and still held the gun at Lyra, "You could have been great, my friend. I will show you the error of your ways— by ending the life of this witch!"
He smiled sadistically as he watched the fear grow in Lyra's eyes. Tray and Daniel positioned themselves in front of her.
"So be it," Tray said, "I will enjoy ending the lives of the pitiful Prince, the witch, and the man I once called friend."
A shot rang through the air. Another shot followed it and finally, a third, fatal shot sounded.
Teal'c stepped through the cottage door and peered down at Tray, his blue eyes staring lifelessly up at him.
"Teal'c," Daniel said in relief.
"I am glad you are safe," Teal'c replied.
"We need to get Altair to an infirmary."
Teal'c nodded and radioed Jack and Sam, "O'neill, Lyra is safe as well as Daniel Jackson. We have an injured Altair as well."
"Copy that Teal'c. We'll seeya soon."