Prompt (089) Found
Sam, Jack, Teal'c, Daniel
Part II of the Dragonrider series
A/N: This not a crossover with anything, though it is inspired greatly by Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey. Sorry if I confused people by not stating this earlier.

Looking into Sarya's eyes, seeing her in all her glory, filled a hole in him he hadn't known he had. Her acceptance of him--despite knowing him completely, seeing everything he had done and failed to do--and her happiness at meeting him radiated from her in waves. He knew it went both ways. For the first time since he could remember, he felt content. He reveled in the feeling, the connection with this strange, wondrous creature.

Her scales were smooth under his hand, and warm. He rubbed his palm between her eyes, and they slid half-closed in pleasure.

"She says she's a dragon," Jack repeated his earlier statement dryly. "Did anyone else hear her say that?"

Before Daniel could voice his confusion—he had heard her plain as day, how could Jack have not?—Teal'c interrupted, "O'Neill. More are approaching."

Everyone turned to look at the sky, where three shapes were slowly resolving themselves into dragons. Sarya growled deep in her throat, her head whipping from under Daniel's hand to bear teeth as long as Daniel's hand at the approaching forms. She swept Daniel under a wing protectively, and he felt safe in a way he vaguely remembered, but couldn't place. Leaning against his dragon's smooth, red flank, he waited for what would happen, knowing Sarya would protect him come what may.

The two other dragons landed, sweeping dust and debris into the air. Saddles were strapped to the dragons, just above the wing-joint. The man and woman astride them dismounted and stood before SG-1.

A sword and a dagger graced a belt around each rider's waist, and they were covered in protective leather armour. A bow and quiver of arrows crossed each person's back.

"Who are you?" the one in front asked. He was fair-haired, with ruggedly handsome features and green-grey eyes. His cheeks and nose were pink, faintly sunburned. He had dismounted a dusky brown dragon, which was about Sarya's size and a bit smaller than the other one.

"Who are you?" Jack shot back. The woman's lip twitched, and she rolled hazel eyes in annoyance. Her dragon was colored a dark, rich brown.

"What kind of question is that?" she asked. She was the younger of the two, and her red clay-colored dragon gazed confusedly at Sarya and Daniel.

"We're not from around here," Sam explained.

"Look, we don't mean any harm," Daniel said finally, hoping to diffuse the situation. Sarya's muscles were like rocks under him, and he could feel her caution resonating inside him, making him more wary than usual.

"Nor do we," replied the blond. "My name is Gabriel. Where are you from, strangers?"

"Far away," Jack hedged, not lowering his weapon. "And you folks?"

"The city down the trail, Porta Custodis," said the female. "I am Lith."

"Porta Custodis," Daniel murmured, catching the rest of SG-1's attention. "Latin for gate, or door guards."

"Who are you?" questioned Lith sharply.

"Colonel O'Neill," Jack pointed to himself, and then his team, "Major Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel."

"I see Sarya has finally found her pairbonded," Gabriel observed with some amusement. Daniel felt Sarya relax.

He will not separate us, Sarya said, and Daniel smiled in relief.

"Pairbonded?" Teal'c inquired. All three looked at him like he was crazy for not knowing.

"We come from very far away," Jack reiterated.

"Of course," Gabriel agreed. "Supper will be served soon. I know the High Lord will wish you to dine with him. Will you allow us to escort you to Porta Custodis?"

"Do we have much choice?" Jack asked rhetorically.

"No," answered Lith shortly.

"We will walk," Gabriel continued, as if Jack hadn't spoken. "Lith, fly ahead and inform the High Lord of our guests."

The woman nodded, face blank, and remounted her dragon. With a few powerful flaps of long, dark wings, she and the dragon took off into the sky, heading back the way they had come. Gabriel looked at SG-1.

"Shall we?" the man asked. His dragon, whose name they later learned was Falchion, fell into step beside him. A disgruntled Jack went next, Sam behind him. Teal'c was fourth, and lastly Daniel, Sarya pacing next to him. Jack only allowed that with assurances from Gabriel and Daniel that Sarya would never let anything happen to him, and a stern glance from the dragon herself that sent him grumbling to the front of the line with no more objections.

Overall, it was a quiet journey. As the ground began to slope gently upward, Daniel asked Sarya, What exactly is a pairbonded?

The dragon paused before answering slowly, Pairbonded are complementary souls. A human and his or her pairbonded dragon are like two sides of the same coin; two halves of a whole.

What does it take to be pairbonded? Daniel asked, curious. How does a dragon pick a pairbond, or is it the other way around? For that matter, are dragons indigenous to the planet or was your race transplanted from somewhere else?

One question at a time! Sarya exclaimed, with an amused feel to the thought. Every dragon has a pairbonded, and usually it is the dragon who finds his or her pairbond. I believe dragons are indigenous to this land, but I believe humans were transported from somewhere else by way of your "Stargate".

What was it that passed between us? Daniel wondered, recalling the feeling when their eyes first met, the rush of emotions and inundation of images.

That was the strengthening of our bond, Sarya responded. And the backlash as our whole histories were exchanged and stored away in our minds.

So that feeling of complete acceptance, Daniel started hesitantly. Sarya swung her great, dark red head around to fix both eyes on his.

I know everything there is to know about you, Daniel Jackson, Sarya stated solemnly. It does not lessen my love, or my acceptance. Nothing will ever do that.

Daniel smiled, an overjoyed, true grin. He reached out to lay a hand on Sarya's leathery wing.

Can you scratch? It's always terribly difficult, and you get itches in the most inconvenient places… Sarya said. Daniel's smile melted to indulgent, and he began to scratch her wing, moving his fingers as Sarya directed.

We really are communicating telepathically, Daniel half-asked, half-stated. Sarya's distracted yes was merely a confirmation. Daniel continued, Can you speak to anyone else?

My fellow dragonkind, Sarya said. For the most part, dragons don't speak to any human but their pairbonded. On rare occasions, we speak to our pairbonded's soulmate or close friend. We have the ability to speak to anyone, of course; not doing so is a courtesy that dates back to the First Pairbonding.

They topped the rise, and it was only Sarya's gentle warning that kept Daniel from bumping into Teal'c. Everyone had stopped—except for Gabriel, who was a few feet down and watching SG-1 with amusement and pride. Daniel sidestepped the jaffa to see what everyone else was looking at. He caught his breath in amazement.

Down the slope, which was considerably less steep than the other side, was the entrance gate to a city. The city was sprawled around a majestic castle, and behind that a mountain range rose to pierce the sky.

The tallest peak you see is where this division of the Dragonguard resides, with the exception of two dragons and riders who rotate and live in the city, Sarya explained. Gabriel was pointing the same mountain out to the rest of SG-1.

"Dragonguard?" Jack echoed.

"There is the Royal Army, the City Guard, and the Dragonguard," Gabriel explained. "The City Guard is a subdivision of the Royal Army, and are made up completely of humans. The Dragonguard, ask you can probably guess, consists of pairbonded dragons and their riders. Come. The sun is setting, which means supper will be held soon. As I said, the High Lord will wish you to dine with him tonight."

By the time they reached the gates of Porta Custodis, the sunset was bathing everything a muted, red-orange light. Daniel could feel Sarya's smile in his mind as she murmured, Welcome to Porta Custodis, my pairbond.