DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from 'Stargate Atlantis'. They're not my property.


Two hours later, they finally reached the other side of the mountain. John advised them to stop as the horses could use the rest and they weren't the only ones.

She shivered slightly at the colder temperature. Putting on her jacket, she rubbed her hands and then crossed her arms. Elizabeth walked over almost to the edge and watched the fog settle close to the trees. It was a beautiful sight. She could even make out shapes emerging from the fog. She caught horses, a feather, a flame, even an eye.

Meanwhile, John was securing the horses and throwing a glance Elizabeth's way from time to time. "What did you catch?" he asked.

Elizabeth turned her face of confusion toward him.

"The shapes in the fog," he explained.

"Oh." She turned back to the fog. "I think a feather and some horses."

Zipping up his jacket, John walked over to stand beside her. "Impressive. I just got a sheep and a flower my first time."

Elizabeth chuckled. "A sheep? Homage to your name, you think?" she teased.

He threw a joking glare her way. "The best one was an eagle."

"That's impressive."

John smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I hope it's alright that I ask what you did for a living before coming here?"

"A ski instructor."

Elizabeth returned her gaze to the fog. "I shouldn't ask what your hobbies used to be then."

"I liked the outdoors. Still do."

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at his reply.

"And what does an archeologist do in her spare time? If she has any."

"She does. And she enjoys the occasional BASE jumping."

"BASE jumping? That's pretty extreme."

"The need for it kicks in from time to time."

He was intrigued. Perhaps he underestimated this woman. John turned to her. "What else?"

"For now that remains the only alternative for me. I don't have the luxury of spare time that I once enjoyed," she admitted. Elizabeth could feel the curious look he was giving her despite her face being adverted to the view in front of her. She finally turned to him. "You didn't think all archeologists sat in little dark rooms dusting away and admiring a piece of earring for days, did you?"

"Well… maybe not for days," he replied.

She could tell this man was in his thirties, probably late thirties but his attitude and particularly that boyish look with which he said the last sentence made him seem much younger.


Continuing their trip, the two made their way through a small but beautiful green meadow. The grass was tall enough for Elizabeth to run her hand through it. The flowers were poor with color and with some you could barely notice they existed, but the beautiful scent made up for that.

It was like a pleasant perfume. Elizabeth inhaled and closed her eyes to enjoy the unique feel.

Passing the meadow, they entered another small forest. The path soon led them to a small settlement with a handful of small wooden houses. Its inhabitants, only different in their modest clothing of red and yellow, appeared to not notice the visitors or they simply gave no thought of their arrival; but a little boy and girl ran up to the two and started shouting something to John.

He laughed the moment the youngsters started pulling on his leg, trying to get him down. "Okay, okay! Calm down!"

Elizabeth watched as he got off the horse with a small bag in his hands. He pulled out two bundles from it and gave one to each of the children. Giggling, they took the bundles and then ran off with them. When he noticed Elizabeth's look, John chuckled and raised his hands. "I'm like Santa to these two," he said.

Elizabeth smiled and jumped to the ground.

They were soon approached by a young woman with the red dress made of silk and the wooden sandals on her feet, her belly showing her pregnancy. "Jon!" She called to the man.

"Ah, Maya!" John greeted the woman and embraced her.

With her braided, light brown hair, and friendly eyes, Maya saw Elizabeth. "You brought a visitor," she said in Delonian.

"Oh, this is Elizabeth," he introduced the newcomer like an old friend. "Elizabeth, this is Maya."

Maya nodded slowly, clapping twice with her hands. Assuming that to be their way of greeting strangers, Elizabeth imitated the woman's gestures.

"You must be hungry," Maya asked. "We cooked the Blue Devil today."

"My kind of meal." John grinned. "Feeling hungry?" he then asked Elizabeth.

"I could use a bite or two," Elizabeth replied.

"Okay, just follow Maya and I'll take care of the horses here," he told her.

Elizabeth agreed and went after the young woman.

She was brought inside one of the houses. A thick, woolen rug greeted her; the bright red and yellow colors almost devouring her eyes. Maya then pointed to her boots and shook her head. Elizabeth understood and began removing them. It was warmer here so she felt easier about doing so. Afterwards, Maya disappeared again, perhaps to gather some needed things.

When Elizabeth's feet touched they surface of the rug, they immediately sunk in it. The interior of the house looked much bigger than the exterior. Grasping the handles of her backpack, she could see a small ladder leading to the second floor. This room appeared large but simple. There were four big bundles of white wool – two on the left side and two on the right. In the middle was another, much smaller white rug with an image of a black bat woven into it. Elizabeth found that image interesting.

On each wall she saw small nets filled with flower and pieces of grass. The smell of fried fish also reached her. She stood in her place, unsure whether to sit or not and if she was supposed to sit, then where?

When Maya emerged again, she had two large bronze dishes with her – each filled with food. She placed them on the white rug and then motioned to Elizabeth to sit down.

Accepting the invitation, Elizabeth sat on one of the bundles. After the hours spent in the saddle, this soft surface was a welcomed change to her tush. Setting the backpack next to her, she crossed her legs and looked at the dishes in front of her. One was filled with fresh fruit and vegetables, strangely mixed together, while the other one had what looked like fish, boiled rice and potatoes. The fish though appeared large, almost the size of her arm; she couldn't make out the color that had been lost during the cooking, but she noticed the crossed eyes and the traces of spikes around the fins and mouth that had been removed. Two bronze cups and a jug were also brought in. Maya then placed a large green leaf on each side. When Elizabeth looked up at the woman, Maya smiled kindly back at her. "Elizbet?" she asked as if to make certain she remembered her name.

Elizabeth nodded at Maya with a smile. "Yes." She wished so badly to begin a conversation with her but she cursed not knowing any other word apart from Thank You.

Just then John entered the house. "That's done with," he said and then sat down opposite Elizabeth. "Ah, the Blue Devil!" He took Maya's hand and squeezed it. "You always know how to make the best meals," he told her.

Maya giggled. "Somehow I had a feeling you would come today. But I was not aware you would bring a woman with you." She glanced at Elizabeth.

"She's a history seeker."

"Oh! An outsider?" Maya was surprised.

John nodded and looked back at Elizabeth.

"What did you say?" Elizabeth asked.

"I just told her what you do," he replied.

Elizabeth was met with a curious look from Maya. "Should she be standing like that in her state?" she asked with worry.

As if understanding Elizabeth's question, Maya took out a larger bundle of wool and sat down on it.

"How do you manage by yourself?" Elizabeth asked her in English, relying on John for translation.

"Oh she's not alone. Her husband goes regularly to the town to sell fruit," John replied instead.

"First child?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes. I attended the wedding ceremony last year," he told her.

"You know them well?"

"I've passed through here a lot of times."

"Is she your wife?" Maya asked him.

John chuckled. "No, we only met yesterday."

"You have the same eyes. Amazing."

"So do a lot of other people."

"But it could be a good omen."

"I don't know, Maya. We don't have the same customs. We don't choose our life partners because of the same eye color."

"Yes, but… maybe, Jon." She smiled at him.

John shook his head. "Don't go there. I'm not ready for marriage."

Maya giggled. "Is the fish good?" she then asked Elizabeth.

With the help of John, Elizabeth understood Maya's question. "It's delicious." She wasn't lying. The meat was tender and juicy and the few spices added to it made it even better.

They spent the next few hours talking about the region and the history it had. Elizabeth was amazed by some of the knowledge that the Mountain Krolevans - as they were called, had of this place and some of the legends that swirled around it. Maya's soft voice and patience made the conversations truly enjoyable and it helped that the way John had been translating was just as easy-going. In the end it felt like three old friends sitting down over a meal and talking. It had been a pleasant atmosphere, so much so that she barely noticed the darkness which was falling outside.

When they finally noticed, both soon agreed that it would be better to spend the night here and continue in the morning.


This time a chicken running past her face awoke Elizabeth. The startle and dust made her sneeze.

"Bless you!" he said. Turning to the other side with the woolen blanket over her, Elizabeth saw him sitting down, rubbing his neck. "Morning. Sure beats an alarm clock, doesn't it." He grinned.

"You mean a chicken nearly colliding with my face?" Her voice sounded rougher. By the look of his face, John had been awake for at least an hour. He appeared fresher than she. "What time is it?"

"Um, I'm guessing around five," he replied.

Elizabeth pushed the blanket away, and shivered when the wave of cold air hit her. It had been a very cold night but this one blanket made it exceptionally warm for her. She contemplated buying one on her way back.

"Got enough sleep?" he asked her as he put on his jacket.

"I think so," she replied.

"Good. We have a two-hour trek waiting for us today."

"What about the horses?" she asked.

"They'll stay here."

After being treated to breakfast by Maya, they set off on the trek. The uphill climb through the forest was a tough one and had they both not been in excellent shape, it would've been murderous. Almost three hours later they reached the opening of a cave. As she stood there, looking at the black entrance, Elizabeth tapped her foot. "And this is?"

"The way to the Southern Wing."

Elizabeth was flabbergasted. "Come again?"

"You wanted to see it, right?" He saw her nod. "Well, then." He motioned toward the cave.

"You're saying this cave leads to the Southern Wing," she sounded doubtful.

"Haven't you come across some whacky entrances to ancient ruins in your experience?"

"Uh, sort of."

"Okay then." He removed the bag from his back and opened it. John pulled out two protective helmets. At her look, he added,

"Just in case."

"I thought your job was to take me to the Northern Wing," she said whilst securing the helmet.

"Doc, if George had wanted you to really see the Northern Wing instead of the Southern one, he wouldn't have recommended me as your guide," John responded and pulled out a flashlight. "Now, coming?" he asked.

Elizabeth smiled. "Oh yeah," her eagerness surprised even herself.

As they stepped inside the dark cave, the smell of animal droppings hit Elizabeth's nostrils hard. "Are there any bats in this cave by any chance?" she asked.

"Yeah, quite a lot of them."

The next step she took, Elizabeth felt her foot sink in a thick mass. Pointing her flashlight to the spot, she saw her boot being almost devoured in the brown mass. "Well aren't I lucky today. My foot is in bat poo," she spoke sarcastically. "And I thought the idea for the boots was only for the trek."

"I should've mentioned it," John said and she knew he was grinning. "You'll be walking through tons of it soon, don't worry."

"It's comforting knowing I won't be the only one." Elizabeth passed with the light by John's face.

As they continued, Elizabeth could also hear the sounds of the small creatures that were the contributors of this fertilizer. She would scan the walls of the cave and see several bats; some even with younglings. "It's amazing knowing that these small creatures could build an entire eco system."

"You know a thing about bats?"

"Very little. I do remember seeing a documentary once on National Geographic about a remote bat cave in Africa. It was incredible."

"And so is this fertilizer. The people here could make but-loads of money from it."

"Are they aware of its value?"

"They are. They just don't want to disturb the flow of life here."

"Ah, something we are doing right now?"

"I meant not remove the droppings because of the value they have in this cave and what they mean for the other things that live here."

"I see their point. And how many times have you been through here?" The next step she took almost swallowed her entire leg in the droppings. "Crap!"

"Crap is right." John laughed and took Elizabeth's hand to pull her out. "Three times."

"What?"

"That's how many times I've passed through this cave."

As they continued, Elizabeth sneezed again.

"Bless you."

"Thanks. How did you find out that it leads to the Southern Wing?"

"By accident. I like exploring here."

"You've come to know this region well, huh?"

"Why I became a guide," he replied and then stopped at what seemed like a dead end. He touched a rock on the wall and then pressed the rock into the wall. The wall in front of them suddenly opened.

Their flashlights came across a small opening with a very low ceiling, too low in fact, for them to be able to walk through. "Now, we crawl," he said.

Getting down on their hands and knees, the two started crawling through the small opening. Long cobwebs on the way and other states of the walls, made it obvious how seldom this area had been visited; the spiders on those cobwebs were a pale red and yellow color – one of them even having its lunch in a form of a tiny six-legged bug when Elizabeth passed it. They took a left turn, and five minutes later another left turn. "How long is this corridor?" she asked.

"We're almost there," he told her.

The dusty ground beneath her palms appeared itchy at times and caused her to sneeze again.

"Bless you."

"Thanks."

"Catching a cold?"

"No, it's all the dust; which if funny, considering I'm in it constantly at digs."

John chuckled. "As long as you don't have any allergies."

"Thank God, I don't," she replied. "I haven't sneezed before like this during work."

"Should that be worrying?"

"No, it's just annoying."

"Actually, it's cute."

Elizabeth wanted to look up at his face but his rear got into a better focus instead. "Cute!"

"Yeah, the way you sneeze – it's cute."

"First time a man complemented me on my sneezing," she said.

Elizabeth couldn't make out the view in front of her as John's body had been blocking it almost entirely. "There." She heard him say.

Moving closer to the left side of the wall, John held his flashlight straight forward and nodded toward the end of the corridor.

Finally shimming through the even smaller opening, Elizabeth was thankful for her slender figure. In the room where they emerged there was, of course, absence of light. The only things that were keeping them from becoming totally blind in the darkness had been their flashlights. She felt the floor being smooth before sprinting on her feet.

"Here we are," he said.

"This is the Southern Wing?"

"This is it. Unless the translations were wrong."

Elizabeth began scanning the wide hallway with her flashlight. It appeared to be a giant room with a door on the other end. There were no drawings on the wall but she saw tapestries on every available space instead. The ones she managed to have a closer look at had colors of red, green, blue and black; and many of them were filled with ancient texts. There was a small number of images on the tapestries, the rest though were only words, words and words.

"Amazing," she said.

"Yeah."

"Has anyone else been in here?" she asked.

"Just you and me."

Elizabeth looked at him. "No one else stepped in here? Not even from the museum?"

"They are aware of the location but no one has had a chance to visit it yet."

"Why?"

"They like to take their time," he replied.

"Huh." Elizabeth returned her light on the tapestries. "This is truly amazing. Oh, I wish it was lighter in here," she said quietly.

"There are more rooms," he told her.

"Care to lead again?" Elizabeth asked, looking at the beautiful handwork on the walls. Hearing the sound of a rock moving, she pointed the flashlight toward the source and saw John standing next to an opened stone door. The shape of the doorframe resembled a tree leaf painted in green. Giving another look at the tapestries, Elizabeth then walked over to her guide.

Entering the next room, she found the size to be similar to the first one but instead of tapestries there were stone shelves on each wall filled with pottery. She couldn't help but feel highly privileged to be only the second human being to set foot in here after five thousand years when the Bronze City came to its end. In her view, this city had only been in slumber, waiting for the new generation of explorers to awake it and return it to life once again.

The different vases, pots, glasses, and other objects were painted with bright red and black colors and carefully placed on these shelves. They took great care of their belongings, Elizabeth had been aware of this even from documents she studied before coming to Kroleva. What happened to these people? Why did they abandon this city?

In the same darkness she was then led by John through two more rooms of pottery. When he opened the fifth door, John stepped aside. "After you," he said with a smile.

"Thank you." When she stepped into the next room, it wasn't the smooth stone plates that she had gotten used to by now, but something very familiar. Looking down, she frowned. "Bat droppings?" Elizabeth quickly turned her flashlight behind her where John stood, laughing quietly. "Very funny," she said flatly.

John shrugged and snickered.

Looking ahead, she noticed the empty room.

"I didn't venture beyond that."

"Why's that?"

"I just realized I didn't have much time left before sunset so I decided to head back."

"And how much time do we have before sunset?"

"Uh, nine hours."

"Enough time for a start." Elizabeth took another step further.

"You wanna continue?" he sounded surprised.

"Well, yeah," Elizabeth replied as she made her way through.

"You sure it's a good idea?" John asked her.

"Why?"

"It's just that we have no idea how big this place is."

"Just a few more peeks, Mr. Sheppard!" Elizabeth was already to the other side of the room when she shouted.

"I would advise us to not go further than this!" John had to shout back so she could hear him better.

"You could go back if you want!"

"You can't make it back to the village by yourself!"

"So come on then!"

John glanced back and exhaled. He knew it was against his better judgment to take this step. "Two more hours and then we turn back!"

"Two more! You got it!" Elizabeth turned around, looking for a handle or some other way of opening the next door. When she felt that John had approached her and was standing behind her, she asked, "So, how does this one open?"

"Tried to push?"

"Of course, the simplest methods always come to mind last." Elizabeth leaned on the door and tried to push. Nothing. John offered his assistance but the door remained in its place. "You think it opens on the other side?"

"It's possible."

Elizabeth felt a bit disappointed by this. Surely there was another way. The Southern Wing had been described as one of the most beautiful parts of the City in the scrolls. So far what Elizabeth saw partly justified that description but she was sure there was more and something much better.

Rubbing the back of her hand against her forehead, Elizabeth exhaled. "Maybe you're right." The moment she said this, the floor beneath their feet suddenly crumbled. "What-" Before they could escape, both fell through the cracked opening into the darkness.