"Good horse, I love you horse."
Legolas smirked to himself as he watched Jack pat his mount affectionately after eyeing the path to the height of Dunharrow. The man always complained of having troublesome knees, and the elf imagined that it would be difficult for him to manage the winding path that lead up to the Rohan stronghold.
Dunharrow was an almost perfect place to gather ones strength for an attack, he mused. The high mountains that surrounded the valley on all sides cloaked their presence from outsiders, and the single, narrow pass that lead into the valley could be held by a minimum of men for weeks. The height of Dunharrow to which they were climbing stood well above the orderly lines of tents and fires, a single switchback horse path the only means of ascent. If worst came to worst, ten men could hold off a battalion.
"You shouldn't massage that horse like that, Jack. I think he's getting frisky."
Laughter burst out of the elf, as well as several others. Jack looked at the horse he was sitting doubtfully, and for a moment the elf wondered if he would choose to continue his journey to the height on foot.
Jack, however, wasn't one to let a challenge slide. "You're the expert, Daniel. I seem to recall a certain book with several graphic-"
"Jack…"
"- pictures depicting things of that nature, as well as-"
"Jack…"
"-some rather interesting sexual uses for man's best friend-"
"JACK!"
"Yeah, Danny-boy?"
Jackson was bright red. "That book, I remind you, was useful when averting further disagreements with the inhabitants of PX7-949. And as I have tried to tell you again and again, not everyone considers sex as being between two individuals-"
"Yeah, but it's usually between two human beings-"
"The majority of the world would disagree with you-"
Jack laughed. "And apparently some people off-world as well-"
"They aren't discussing what I think they're discussing, are they?" Gimli looked…well… green was a good description. He wasn't the only one. Half the men surrounding them were pointedly ignoring the conversation. The other half looked caught somewhere between disgust and fascination.
"Perhaps this conversation would be bettered suited for another time, O'Neill."
"No, no. Daniel wanted to bring up the topic of bestiality-"
"In a joke, Jack."
"So I'd thought I'd elucidate the subject for our audience."
"I'll take a hundred bucks off what you owe if you'll shut up."
"Deal."
Gimli shook his head. "Humans are strange creatures."
"I don't know, Daniel. I think some of Theoden's men would like a more… indepth discussion of the many aspects of bestiality."
"Not everyone is as perverted as you are, Jack."
The colonel shrugged noncommittally. There were times, a lot of times, when Daniel wanted nothing more than one really, really big anvil to fall out of the sky and land on his friend. Then he would remember that this was exactly the reason that he was Jack's friend. His sense of humor was definitely one of his better personality traits.
So long as it wasn't directed at him.
"So, what's the deal, colonel? Theodrid didn't seem to happy when we went through camp." Sam was leaning over, stretching her back. Daniel decided to join her. They were getting used to horseback, but it was still hell on the muscles.
Jack thumped down on his pallet, eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Expecting more men, probably. Saruman's been picking at their flanks for months. Who knows how many've been killed."
Daniel sighed heavily. There was nothing like riding into certain death. During his years with SG 1 he'd seen more than his share of last stands and hopeless causes. Some of them he survived. Some of them he didn't. It seemed, at least to him, that they always took for granted the fact that they would survive. If history was any guide, then they would. There would always be a miracle, a stargate, a sarcophogus, a benevolent being, that would resurrect them.
It was a terrible feeling, depending on something.
"Stop worrying, Daniel."
The archeologist started. Damn Jack and his ability to read his moods. "I'm not worrying."
"Wanna bet?"
Daniel straightened. "And how do you know I'm worrying?"
"Let's see." Jack held up his fist. "1) You're copying Carter, and you never do that unless you cant think for yourself." A finger went up. "2) The only time you cant think for yourself is when you're worrying about something." Another finger. "And 3) You haven't noticed the sign I put on your back when we got in the tent."
Daniel reached behind him. Jack would do something like that. Thankfully, no one could speak English but the four of them.
Somewhere in the middle of turning a circle in an attempt to remove whatever his friend had put on his back it came to Daniel's attention that his three team mates were watching him. Two of them were, anyway. Sam was watching him with one hand over her mouth, while Teal'c had one eyebrow raised. Eyebrow #7, the 'there's-something-you-should-have-noticed-by-now-but-I'm-not-gonna-tell-you-what-it-is-because-that-would-suggest-that-you-couldn't-figure-it-out-for-yourself' eyebrow. Jack was just staring straight up, a smile on his face.
"There isn't a sign on me, is there?"
Sam laughed outright, while Teal'c's eyebrow went into the 'so-you-finally-figured-it-out' position.
"And 4," Jack finished, holding up the last digit. "If you were paying attention and not worrying, you would have known that I havent been close enough to you to put anything on your back, had anything with which to secure said item, or anything to write with or on."
Jack: 437, Daniel:409. The thought flitted through Daniel's head, along with a reminder to begin writing down Teal'c's eyebrow statements for the general reading of stargate personnel.
"Which color does Daniel change to faster guys, white or red?"
"Jack?"
"Hmmmm?"
"Screw you."
"Only if there's a horse present."
Final score. Jack 459, Daniel 400.
I definitely have to stop losing points.
Elrond watched his young charge leave the tent. For years, he'd tried to push Elessar in the right direction, make him accept that he was born to lead. All of his pushing had ended in nothing but hurt feelings for the young man, and a sour disappointment for the elf. The boy's mother had given the child into his keeping because of a trust, trust that he would see to the boy's best interests, that he would not let him linger in obscurity as so many others had.
As the years passed he began to fear that, despite his best efforts, Aragorn would not live up to the potential he had within him. He seemed to throw himself in harms way, becoming a ranger, spending most of his life among elves and animals rather than among his own people. Now his daughter's life depended on that unfulfilled promise.
He will do anything to keep her safe, Elrond. Gandalf's words from a long ago conversation seemed to echo in the empty tent. There will be a time when you must use that against him.
He'd often wondered when that time would be. More than once, the attempt had backfired. For a time he feared that his friend had misjudged Aragorn. The wizard should have added that it would work only in the extreme. If he could not find the strength within himself she would die, and perhaps all of Middle Earth with her.
Her life is in your hands, Aragorn. Hold it well.
"Lord Elrond, are you well?"
Theoden was at the door to the tent, no doubt wondering what he'd said to the young ranger to make him storm out of the tent. "I am weary, King Theoden," the elf answered.
"Would you stay the night in our camp?"
The offer brought a smile to Elrond, a rare occurrence in these times. "I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep." He pulled up the hood of his cloak.
Theoden nodded in understanding. "Then may you journey in the graces of your gods."
"May they shelter you as well."
If you love her, let her go.
Aragorn tensed, making his horse shift uneasily. Elrond had told him that months ago, but he hadnt. Not truly. A small part of him had held on to her, if just for the comfort of having her near. He should have insisted that she keep the necklace, insisted that the relationship between them was well and truly over. But he hadnt. Because of his weakness he kept what should never have been given. Now she might die because of it.
So might the friends he traveled with. None of them were willing to be left behind, not once they knew he was leaving. Teal'c's comment about undomesticated equines made their wishes plain. The ranger wondered what he'd done to engender such trust in them, to make them willing to travel with him into what could well be certain death. No doubt those that didn't know had heard about the curse upon the mountain. No man, or woman, had returned from it since the traitors made it their home. Some men disbelieved it, arguing that the descendants of that army could be holding all those who entered captives in an attempt to hide themselves, but even they gave the pass a wide berth.
"It's official, my ass has become molded to this saddle."
Jack's serious comment broke the tension. "Then we wont worry about you falling if you fall asleep." Legolas answered.
"As if you could fall asleep on one of these great beasts."
It was an easy flow of banter that had served them well over the course of their journey, a journey that would end in two days, one way or another. Aragorn hoped that he would see all his friends home. Thrones and crowns were little concern of his. The lives he'd come to know, to cherish, were worth more than the greatest kingdom.
"You keep scowling like that, you might just scare away whoever we're supposed to meet."
Sam's words broke through his thoughts. She was riding next to him, rocking easily in the saddle. More than once she'd attempted to correct Jack, but none of her lessons made much of an impression. "Perhaps it would be better if it did."
She shrugged, the movement barely visible in the small light afforded by their lanterns. The darkness seemed to swallow it, hiding everything more than a few paces ahead. "We haven't talked much have we, Aragorn?"
The question caught him off guard. "I don't believe we have, Samantha."
"Sam. The only one who calls me that is my dad, and that's when I'm in trouble."
He smiled. "Then Sam it shall be."
"Soooo…. What are our chances? If we can convince this army to fight for us."
"If they cant be convinced we will have no chances."
"Oh," she looked ahead. "Well, that's comforting, I guess." They rode in silence until she laughed. "I think I know why we haven't talked."
"You do?"
"Yeah. You're a lousy conversationalist."
Aragorn laughed. Arwen had told him much the same thing when he was in his pensive moments. "You're not the first to say such a thing, Sam."
"Then why don't you fix it?" Her voice was full of confidence. "You seem to do anything else you put your mind to. So. Horses?"
He was confused. "Horses?"
"Yeah, horses. You like them? Hate them? Or do you think they're useless except for dog food, like the colonel?"
Aragorn looked behind him at Jack. He thought horses were for dog food? "A good horse can save a man's life. Brego saved mine when I went over the cliff. Though horse spit leaves much to be desired."
"Horse spit?"
"What do you think of them?" He asked, all to aware of the earlier conversation.
"I like them." she patted Shadow's neck. "Every girl wants a horse, and I'm no different. I took lessons for a while."
"So that explains why you have better horsemanship. Jack as lead me to believe that everyone on your world travels around in carls."
"Cars. Most people do, when they can. They're more comfortable, and faster, depending on the terrain. But a lot of people still use them."
"Ah." The smile that crept onto his face at the start of their conversation hadnt waned at all. "How would they be in this terrain."
Sam looked around. "A Hummer might be able to hack it, but some of the passes might be too narrow. Maybe a Jeep."
That lead into a half an hour conversation about the different between different cars, how they were made, and her own project of rebuilding a classic motorcycle, which also required explanation. Her understanding of cars went far beyond Jack's 'you put gas in it and it runs' description.
For the first time in many days Aragorn found his attention on something other than war and death.
I APOLOGIZE for taking so long between posts. I've been struggling with this fic, and it looks like it's finally starting to come together! So, hopefully there wont be another :clears throat: four, five month period between updates. I'm shooting for sometime in the next two weeks, so wish me luck!
And once again, thank you ALL of my reviewers, every last one of you. I LOVE YOU! Mental hugs for everyone!