Chapter Three. All Is Not As It Seems

Daniel watched the horse with Prince Phillip and Vala on it, disappear through the gates and wondered where they were going. Then he caught himself and thought, 'Why do I care? I don't even like her.'

Upon entering the village, a woman came running up and Daniel could see the obvious resemblance between "Goldie" and her mother. He handed her over and then said to Mitchell, "We need to talk to the sheriff. I want to find out what's going on around here."

Prince Phillip stopped his horse in front of a tavern and helped Vala down. She saw the rest of her team come through the gates and went to greet them.

"Have a nice ride?" Daniel seemed upset.

"It beats walking, any day."

"The Prince might have kept going, right through the village, with you unable to stop him."

"Oh Please! I was never in any danger."

"Next time, stay with the team. I don't want to have to start a search if you vanish!" He turned around and walked away.

Vala stood there for a moment and thought about what he'd said. She'd never been part of anything before and the thought of people wanting to find her caused a small lump to form in her throat. Usually, anyone wanting to find her meant bad news. This 'belonging' was nice. She wondered how long it would last.

Cam was carrying Aurora and asked Daniel if he could find a doctor. They turned a corner and Daniel saw a sign hanging over a doorway that said, 'Healer.' "Let's take her in here."

An old woman came towards them as they entered the house. There were dried herbs hanging from the ceiling and the place smelled very exotic. "Here, put her down on the bed."

"Hey, you speak English!" Cam placed Aurora on the bed and stepped back.

"Of course, I do. Everyone here does."

Daniel stepped forward, "Then why was I doing all the translating?'

"They were testing you. I hope you didn't say anything to make them distrust you." The old woman looked from Cam to Daniel. They both stopped to think back.

"No, Ma'am," Cam said. "I don't recollect that we did."

"Fine, you probably passed the test. If you hadn't, they'd have arrested you by now. My name is Argriff."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Daniel." He pointed to the others and gave their names. "Can you help her?" Daniel was hoping that this wasn't some Ori plague, or something.

"Have you tried kissing her?"

"I did," Mitchell said. "But, it didn't work."

"Did you?"

Daniel blushed. "Uh, that would be a 'no.'"

"Why not? Don't you care?"

Daniel was really embarrassed now. "Of course, I care. I just thought it would take a healer like yourself."

"Young man, that's an Enchanted Forest out there! Herbs and such won't work on cases like this. Go ahead, give it a try."

Daniel looked around the room at his friends. Sam was trying not to smile and Vala was still ignoring him while she chatted with the Prince. Teal'c was looking his usual stoic self. And Cam was looking at Sleeping Beauty, hoping that something would work.

"Go on, Jackson! You heard the woman!"

"Okay, but I doubt that this is going to work." He sat on the edge of the bed leaned over and kissed Aurora lightly on the lips.

Immediately, her eyes popped open and she looked around. Then she started screaming!

Daniel jumped back so fast, he lost his footing and fell over backwards and hit the floor, hard! He covered both his ears and winced. "Ow!"

Cameron jumped into his place and grabbed Aurora's hand and started to console her. "Shhh. It's okay. You're gonna be fine, now."

"See," said the old woman with a smile. "It worked!"

"How come it didn't work when I kissed her?" Cam seemed disappointed as he helped Aurora sit up.

"I don't know. Some guys have it, and some guys don't."

"Indeed," said Teal'c as he helped Daniel up off the floor.

Aurora stood and went over to Prince Phillip and slapped him hard on the face. "What are you doing with that trollop! You and I are betrothed!" She grabbed him by the shirt sleeve and dragged him out of the house, ranting and raving at the poor man as she pushed him down the street.

Sam was standing in the corner trying very hard not to laugh and Vala looked around and asked, "I don't get it. Why would kissing her wake her up?"

"It's like the Fairy Tale," Sam answered.

Teal'c asked, "What's a Fairy Tale?"

"Wait, you mean you've never heard of Fairly Tales? You know, 'Cinderella,' 'The Three Bears', 'Jack and the Beanstalk?'"

Daniel hurried over to the window and looked up at the sky. "Please tell me you don't have a giant around here?"

"Oh, no," said Argriff. "He fell out of the clouds a few years back. Made a big hole in the ground, let me tell ya."

Daniel quickly sat down and mopped his face. "Thanks! I was worried."

"It's the Dragon you have to worry about!"

"What?" Cam jumped out of his seat. "No. No. No. Look Daniel, I can fight holographic knights in armor, I can fight Ori and other bad guys, but I don't do dragons!"

"Don't worry, Sweetie," Argriff said as she patted him on the shoulder. "They're in hibernation this time of year. The only way you would see one of them is if they got hungry. They sleep most of the time."

Cam ran over to the window and looked up.

"Daniel, would you please explain?" Vala was confused.

"Well... Fairy Tales are stories about make believe people in magical lands. Although, it looks like the stories are not make believe. At least, here there not. And Dragons play a big part in some of the stories. Dragons are basically giant flying lizards that breathe fire and terrorize the local population, according to the stories."

It took the better part of the afternoon to explain to Vala and Teal'c what Fairy Tales were. They sat around the table at the healer's house and told story after story. When they got to the one about Snow White, Daniel got a horrified look on his face and asked Sam and Vala if they had eaten the apples, yet. He turned around to see that Vala had eaten about half of hers.

"What? I was hungry! It's been hours since lunch!" And with that, she passed out.

Cameron was sitting next to her and quickly reached over to catch her before she smacked the back of her head on the floor.

"Bring her over here," said Argriff, indicating the bed that Aurora had left.

"Do I have to kiss her?" Daniel looked horrified.

"Not yet. It'll be tomorrow before the spell can be broken. I've seen this many times. I don't know what it is about those apples, but they're deadly! We'll have to keep a close eye on her."

"I'll stay with her," Sam said. "You guys go talk to the sheriff and see if he can tell us what's going on around here."

O O O O O O

Sheriff Miller was in his office down the street from the healer. When he saw Cam, Teal'c and Daniel come in, he said, "I figured you would show up here sooner or later. You went into the forest, didn't you?" He indicated for them to have a seat. His office had a desk and a few chairs. There was a window that looked out onto the street. The flagstone floor was swept clean of debris and a small fire was burning in the hearth on the back wall. Another room in the back was used as a cell. "Would you have tea?"

"No, thank you. And as answer to your earlier question, yes, sir," Cam said. "We were helping the prince find his girlfriend."

"Sir," said Daniel. "Can you explain to us what's going on around here?"

"You said you were from a land far away. Did you come through the stone circle?"

"The Stargate? Yes, sir. We did. We're the Tauri from Earth," Daniel said.

"From the Home World?"

"Yes, you've heard of us then?"

"Yes, though I never thought I would meet anyone from there."

"Yes, sir. We meant it when we said we were peaceful explorers. We wish you no harm."

"I'm thankful. Maybe you can help us. Our people were brought here about a thousand years ago. The Goa'uld brought us here and they made us their slaves. A rebellion took place about 3 years ago and it failed. We started an underground movement and have been battling them ever since."

"So, the queen?"

"A Goa'uld. She's very evil. The dungeons are full of prisoners who have been caught in the rebellion."

"Like who?"

"Jack, the Giant Killer. She was really mad when the giant was killed. She arrested Jack and stole the goose that lays the golden eggs. Made a fortune with it, she did."

Daniel sat in the chair rubbing his face. 'I can't believe this. I'm dreaming, I just know it.' "Who else," he asked.

"Cinderella. Her stepmother and stepsisters had her arrested after the prince married her. She's been locked up down there for about two years now. The marriage was annulled and the prince was banished to the mines."

Daniel groaned through his hands, "Of course. Is Rebecca a Goa'uld?"

"No, she's Asgard. In disguise. So are the Seven Dwarfs. They are all deputized. Snow White runs the home for the children of all those imprisoned. She's Tok'ra. The Dwarfs keep them hidden well into the forest. I don't even know where they are. Something about crystal tunnels but I've never seen them."

Mitchell had to ask. "The Three Bears?"

"Furlings."

"Of course they are!" Mitchell had to laugh. "It fits."

"How?" Daniel looked confused.

'Furlings? Fur? Bears?" Cam chuckled to himself.

Daniel got up and went to look out the window at the castle that dominated the horizon. "What about the dragons?"

"Well... we haven't seen them for a few months. They sleep this time of the year. But they could start waking up anytime soon. Most of the time they steel a cow or two. There's only been one sited around here for a few years. I don't think there are as many as there used to be. They're mostly nocturnal but they'll come out during the day if they're hungry enough."

Daniel said, "So, the queen is a Goa'uld and pretty much in control here."

"Yes, that's right, Dr. Jackson."

"Let me guess. The mines you mentioned are naquadria mines?" Daniel turned back with an inquiring look at Sheriff Miller.

"Yes. In the forest behind the castle.

"How many are enslaved down in the mines?"

"Quite a few. Others work as slaves in the castle."

Cam asked, "The Butcher, The Baker and The Candlestick Maker?"

"The Butcher and the Candlestick Maker are there. The Baker escaped with..."

"Let me guess, the Gingerbread Man?"

"You guessed it. After he made a pie with the four and twenty blackbirds. What a vile thing! It was tainted. Made the Queen sick for a few days. It took a while for her snake to heal her. It was long enough for the Baker to grab the Gingerbread Man and make their escape. The Three Blind Mice tried to go with him, but Puss in Boots captured them and they're now in a cage in the throne room. She keeps a close eye on them."

Cam said, "I can't believe what I'm hearing! I thought Fractured Fairy Tales were funny when I was a kid and watched them on Rocky and Bullwinkle'. But this is ridiculous."

Teal'c looked at Cam, puzzled.

"It's a TV show that was on back in the 60's. Never mind."

"Rocky's here too. He flies reconnaissance. Reports in twice a day. He's not large enough for the dragons to bother with."

"You're kidding?" Cam was astonished.

"No, we have quite a large underground network. We're doing everything we can to stop the Queen but it's been tough. I think a lot of her guards could be turned but they're afraid of her."

Teal'c asked, "Are they Jaffa?"

"Yes, they are."

"Maybe they would turn if Teal'c spoke to them. The Jaffa are free now and have formed their own nation. If the Queen's guards knew this, it might inspire them." Daniel was hopeful.

Cam looked at Daniel for a moment and said, "Are you thinking what I"m thinking, Pinkie?"

Daniel looked at him for a moment and then turned to the Sheriff and said, "Sir, it's possible that we can help you with this problem. We've gotten rid of a few Goa'uld before."

Sheriff Miller stood and said, "If you could help, we would be eternally grateful! I'll talk to the ones that are working undercover and see if we can arrange a meeting."

Cam said, "Good! I think we can do this!"

"Indeed." Teal'c smiled. "I am confident that we will succeed, Colonel Mitchell."

Daniel said, "First, we have to come up with some sort of strategy. We'll have to meet with the rebels and form a plan. Can that be arranged, too?"

"I'll send Rocky around to let the different groups know about it. We can meet at a clearing near the stargate. I'll let you know when."

"Thanks, Sheriff." They all stood as Cam offered his hand in friendship. "If we do this right, we will be able to free the slaves and get rid of the Queen in the process. I'll contact General Landry, our leader, and see about reinforcements."

With that, they left and headed back to the healer's home to check on Vala.