Sam had never had any one to help her dress before, but she had to admit that she probably wouldn't have been able to get into the gown she had been provided with on her own. Maeve, the quiet girl who seemed to be her personal maid for the duration her stay, quickly laced the dress up in the back. Sam was sure one would have to be a contortionist to do it alone. At least there was no corset. Maeve tied the strings at Sam's wrists in neat bows and then stood back to survey her work so far.
"It's too short," she told her.
Sam looked down. The hem was a good five inches of the floor and she had to admit it looked rather silly that way. Sam had always hated being tall. She'd always had to buy extra long pants and most brands didn't come in varying lengths. Not to mention a great deal of men were shorter than she was. Her own husband was slightly shorter than Sam. She hated wearing heels around Pete.
Maeve had settled on the floor at her feet and had begun ripping out the hem. A short while later the she had not only let out the hem as far as it would go, but added a bit of contrasting fabric at the bottom to further lengthen it. She tied the remaining bit of fabric around Sam's waist to make a matching sash. She stood and then began eyeing Sam's hair. "Were you sick?"
"No, why?" Sam asked, self consciously touching her hair her short hair.
"It's so short. Do all women on your world have such short hair?"
"No it's a personal preference. Some have long and some have short. I just find it easier to take care of this way."
"Your husband approves?"
"It's my hair not his," Sam replied the defensively. The truth was while Pete had never directly said anything to her regarding her hair length; he had insinuated longer hair was more attractive. But honestly who had time for styling long hair to Air Force specifications when you were running around saving the world every other day.
Maeve shrugged and sat her down in front of a dressing table with a small mirror of polished metal. She began running a brush through Sam's hair.
"I can do that myself," Sam told her, but Maeve ignored her and continued to toy with her hair, trying to decide what to do with it.
After a few minutes, Maeve told her, "I'll return in a moment."
Sam waited and stared at the mirror before her trying to figure out what the highly polished surface was made of. It was a silver colored metal, but it wasn't silver or steel. It could possibly trinium, which a really exciting thought. Earth had been looking for a new source of trinium as the continued to build their fleet of X-304s and F-302s. It would certainly help that Colonel O'Neill was the effective ruler of the planet.
Sam had to laugh at the thought of Colonel O'Neill as ruler of a planet. Not that he wasn't an effective leader though. She knew from personal experience that Jack O'Neill was a man that could inspire people to follow him anywhere, hell or high water. But to have found him here after all these years of believing him dead, to be kidnapped to be his bride, that was completely ridiculous.
He had a hell of a story to tell as well. After Jack had been captured by the slavers, he was brought to this world were they were supposed to trade for some prisoners a clan had captured in a raid on a rival clan. Alma had been one of those intended for slavery off world. Her clansmen led by her father-in-law, Auld Sean, had attacked the slavers and rescued most of the prisoners, including Jack. They had escaped across the Barren Lands and through the mountains. It had been close to this time year and Jack had been stranded much as she was over the winter months.
Apparently, the O'Neills were once the High Kings of Ireland and whatever Goa'uld had snatched the ancient Irish up from Earth decided that the O'Neills would be far too troublesome and left them their. This made Jack something of a mythic figure to these people. Auld Sean had been trying for some years to unite the warring clans into a more peaceful, productive society and he realized Jack was just the thing he needed, a great warrior with a legendary name.
By the time spring had come around Jack had become something of a living legend and more clans were aligned than ever. Jack, lacking a GDO, made the tough decision to stay on Temair on fight for peace instead of trying to find a way back to Earth. More than a year later the clans were united and at peace for the first time in thousands of years. It was decided that an O'Neill should once again be their leader on the condition that he marry one of the natives to ensure he wouldn't up and decide to head back to Earth. So Jack had married Fiona, Auld Sean's daughter and Seamus and Ailin's sister. Jack and Fiona had not loved each other but they had been good friends and cared a great deal about each other. Fiona had died giving birth to Wee Sean a year later.
Jack had told Sam the whole story over breakfast and had only just asked about Daniel, Teal'c, and Cassandra when they had been interrupted. Jack had left to handle the issue at hand and she had on Alma's suggestion returned back to bed. Sam surprised herself by sleeping the rest of the day away, but the arduous trip and excitement at seeing Colonel O'Neill alive and well quite wore her out. She had awakened only when Maeve came in to help her dress for the feast tonight.
It wasn't long before Maeve came back bearing a set of combs and a matching broach. They were a Celtic interlocking knot design and made of the same metal as the mirror. She parted Sam's hair down the middle and pinned it back away from her face with the combs. The result was looked like a 1940s hairstyle to Sam and didn't look half bad. When she was through Maeve bid her to stand and she pinned the broach at the center of the modest neckline.
Sam examined herself as well as she could in the small mirror and though that the finished result was quite nice. A lot better than some of the other native costumes she'd worn before.
"Thank you for your help."
Maeve nodded and told her, "Someone will be by in a bit to escort you to the Hall."