MEMOIRS OF
MAJOR GENERAL JACK O'NEILL
(Re-activated)
1. La Haia
Chapter Four
By Arrietty
2008
It was dark and I was under the covers, fully dressed. I could just make out a shadow from the starlight that came in from the curtainless window. The shadow moved over towards me and dropped to the ground and lay on the floor. My pack was on the floor out of reach by the door where I'd dumped it. A small sigh came from the person. It was La Haia.
"La Haia," I whispered.
I saw movement.
"La Haia," I whispered more harshly.
She sat up.
"What ya think ya doin'?"
She shook her shaggy head before letting it hang down. I couldn't help the groan that I released as I climbed out of bed. La Haia stiffened; she knew she was in trouble, 'hadn't she learned by now, that I won't hurt her?'
"La Haia," I spoke softly before touching her shoulder. "Why are you here?"
"Kako dream."
"You're going to be all right. We're safe here." She raised her head and looked up at me; the moon touched her face with its soft light. My heart skipped a beat. "La Haia, you can go back to your room now."
For a moment she hesitated. I stood up and opened the door. She wasn't happy about it, but she silently walked out of my room towards her own.
After returning back to bed, I lay there awake, all night, unable to sleep at the disquieting thoughts.
I gave up trying to sleep, when the birds started to compete with Leocold's noisy pan clattering in the kitchen. I certainly don't remember it being so loud here before. My body was still sore and stiff, courtesy of Neeron's friends. With difficulty, I dragged on my clothes, which were in need of a good wash and poked my head out through the door.
All was quiet in the main room except for the whistling, interspersed with a loud bang and clatter of a frying pan and pots, that came from the kitchen as Leocold got breakfast ready for the guests.
The first of order of business was to check on Meadow, Homer and Marge. They certainly would be looked after well here, but they were still my first priority. Plus, there was a good chance that Meadow might start to live up to his other name.
I weaved through the tables and chairs and made my way down the hallway and through the back door towards the stables.
The air was fresh and sweet; birds flitted from tree to tree calling out the alarm as I walked towards the low building set across the courtyard.
The warm smell of horses was strong in my nostrils when I opened the creaking stable door. All the horses were in stalls lined along one wall. A warm wicker of welcome came from Marge. Her large head towered above the half door nearly touching the lintel. I reached up and rubbed her soft nose. I was going to miss these great beasts. I could see why La Haia had grown so close to them.
A neigh and a stamped foot brought my attention to Meadow. He seemed agitated in his stall.
"Sssssssssss . . . Ssssssssss" I could hear a soft hissing sound. Someone was in the stall with Meadow. I moved carefully toward his stall, all the time watching him for any sudden moves. If he got spooked, anyone in the stall with him could get trampled.
Even so he was startled by my movements; he slammed his hindquarters into the back of the stall.
"Sssss… Meadow, it's all right." A voice, I recognised. I watched La Haia sooth Meadow. "It's only Master Tzak." 'I really must stop her calling me that.'
I made soothing sounds and stood very still and Meadow settled down. Very quietly, I asked La Haia, "What upset him? Me?"
She shook her head. "I'm not sure, something spooked him. I was asleep."
I looked at the flattened straw; a crumpled blanket was mixed up in it. A sudden feeling of guilt overcame me. I should have stopped to listen to her last night, but . . . I reached over and pulled a piece of straw from her hair. I felt the soft tickling sensation as Meadow nuzzled the back of my neck and nipped my hair. I don't remember coming into the stall, but I must have. Meadow gave me a small shove and the whiskers from his nose tickled my neck again.
"Leocold is making breakfast, do you want some?" I asked La Haia.
Her reply was a shy smile and a small nod.
Dismissing my confused feelings, I quickly made a hasty retreat from the situation and walked from the stable. "Leo makes a killer breakfast; eggs over easy, bacon and toast – mountains of toast." I grinned at her.
La Haia's eyes grew wide at the thought of all that food. Leocold's cooking was certainly going to be an experience for her, especially after the bad treatment that Neeron had given. Maybe eating good food might help her remember who she really is.
The dining room was packed full when we got there. Leocold must have a full house. I was loath to enter the room with my clothes that would stand up by themselves with dirt and the dishevelled appearance of La Haia; we would draw way too much attention to ourselves.
Leocold rescued us. "Jack, come here." He beckoned to us from the kitchen doorway. With La Haia in tow we scuttled into the hot steamy kitchen. It smelt of good hot food. I was famished. "Sit yourselves down here," he bellowed and thumped down two great plates of eggs, bacon and something that looked a bit like hash browns. Two huge mugs of coffee were slopped down in front of the plates. La Haia cautiously poked the food with her finger, before pulling it away quickly.
"Yes, it is hot," I smiled at her reassuringly.
I gestured towards the table with my hand. Sitting down, she pulled a fork over and plunged it into the middle of the hash browns, remembering to blow on them before shoving in a huge mouthful. 'Yup, Sam was going to die of embarrassment if she ever remembered any of this.'
Unwanted memories came to me of Carter eating blue jell-o in the commissary. Although unwanted, it still made me smile.
I sat down opposite La Haia and started on my breakfast. The food was good and I felt the warmth travel up throughout my body.
The rest of the day was busy. As soon as we finished our breakfast, Leocold's mother took La Haia and a small bag of my money away for the day. I was guided to the bathroom and a clean set of clothes waited for me. Admittedly, they were a little baggy around the middle as Leocold was a tad more rotund than me. But they fit me everywhere else.
As soon as I returned to the kitchen, Leocold handed me an apron. I wasn't fazed, this was something I had done before while living here. In the absence of Leocold's mother, I filled in. The kitchen was a bustling place, full of cooks and workers, preparing, cooking and cleaning up afterwards. Of course, I was in the cleaning up section. I didn't mind. I knew La Haia was in the best of hands.
In the evening the Inn was full to capacity. Dish towel over my arm, I served customers like a pro. It reminded me of my high school days when I worked at Wolfburgers during the summer break. If Daniel could see me now; I couldn't help but cringe at the thought. And then Teal'c's raised eyebrow came to mind, and I audibly groaned. Fortunately, I wasn't serving at the time.
The general buzz of the customers chatter was a sign that all was well in Leocold's inn. Leocold hummed under his breath while filling large tankards with his home made brew. Dark, strong and warm; very much like what I'd tasted in London during my special ops days. A lifetime ago.
Suddenly, the chatter stopped. Spinning around, I couldn't see what had caused the change in the demeanour of the customers. I shot back out into the dining room. After what had happened in Ellatha with the Kull warriors, I wasn't taking any chances. I grabbed a long carving knife from the bench. Not that it would make a mark on any super soldier. I flipped the dish towel over to cover the knife which was gripped in my hand.
Leocold stood behind the counter with gormless expression on his face. I turned my head and looked at what he was gazing at. My heart missed a beat, and then made up for it by rapidly increasing its tempo. "Sam," I hissed under my breath. La Haia pushed the hood back of her new dark brown cloak flicking drops of rain that sparkled in the fire light. Her eyes shone in the lamplight as she searched the room; stopping as soon as her eyes met mine. Her hair was shorter, but in a cut that Carter would certainly approve. The removal of her cloak revealed a dark green dress that fell to the floor in folds from her waist. Slowly the hum started back through the inn. Not from idle chatter, but appreciation of the beautiful woman who stood by the door.
"Go to her, you lummox." Leocold gave me a shove from behind. 'Where did he come from?'
I vaguely remember weaving my way through the tables, not once taking my eyes from this gorgeous woman. The rest of the room faded into a dream, along with La Haia. Sam stood before me.
"Master, Jack." She bowed.
My heart fell with a thump to my boots.
"Do not call me Master Jack," I hissed quietly. An unreasonable amount of anger grew within me, not only because she called me Master, but because my dream was shattered with those two words.
Immediately, La Haia's smile went. I took her cloak and Leocold's mother paused and kicked my shin as she walked past me, showering me with drops of water from her cloak. Confused, I followed the two unhappy women back through the noisy crowd to the kitchens.
Leocold's mother spoke briefly to him and she and La Haia disappeared into the private part of the inn. I kept a wide berth around Leocold. I was sure if I got any closer, I'd get a slap upside the head.
"You idiot." 'What did I do?' I raised my hands up, disavowing all understanding; he rolled his eyes and turned back to the stove. I didn't see La Haia for the rest of the evening.
Three days later, Leocold and I were talking about this and that, basically minding our own business and keeping out of the women's way. I still hadn't been forgiven for whatever I'd done wrong.
La Haia rushed over to me. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Without a by your leave, she yanked back my shirt, a button popped and tinkled on the cobblestones at my feet. With trembling hands, she searched my skin for . . .
"What are you doing?" Gently, I took hold of her shoulders and held her a short distance away from me. Her face was smudged and her eyes were red and puffy from tears that were now beginning to dry on her cheeks.
More gently, I repeated my question. "What are you doing?"
"I . . . I thought, I saw . . ." La Haia looked at the ground. "Nothing, it was just a dream." I didn't pursue her comment to find out what she meant. I wish I had.
We stayed in Leocold for several weeks. Every day I saw a change in La Haia. Slowly, I weaned her off using 'master'. Soon she was calling me Jack or Tzak in a voice that was disturbingly like Carter's, it was hard not to let slip and call her Carter.
After four weeks, I decided it was time for us to leave. It was a hard decision to make as La Haia and I had grown to love it in Leocold, but I really needed to get moving with these horses. SGC needed the technology that these horses would be traded for. What made it extra hard was that I knew that there was no way I would be returning to this planet filled with slave traders - an abomination to mankind. The town of Leocold was a safe haven amongst the evil that permeated this planet. I was going to really miss Leocold and his family.
Dawn broke just as I helped Leo's son Brunoc saddle up Meadow and load the great horses with enough feed for two weeks. It was only three days to travel to the city that had the Stargate, but there would be another seven days after we went through the Stargate to travel before we arrived at our destination. I didn't like goodbyes at all and this time was no exception. They were all there to see us off. Leocold handed me a bag of food. His mother hugged La Haia. They talked quietly before I pulled her up to sit behind me on Meadow. Leo's two sons stood beside him. I didn't look back as we rode down the cobbled street towards the town of Leocold's gate.
As the sun rose over the hills, it began to warm. Yes, it was going to be a scorcher. We had to move swiftly, because my next rendezvous with an SGC team was in ten days time. I had missed the last two, and there would only be two more chances before they considered me lost. When we met, they would take the horses onto Mongoon to exchange for the ancient thingy. I couldn't help smiling to myself when Mongoon rubs in the fact he has some of Neeron's horses and it was all because of us.
The journey was uneventful. La Haia insisted on wearing the spare set of BDU's of mine on the journey right up until the day we arrived in the city. Then she wore one of the traditional outfits that had been purchased in Leocold. I have to admit, it wasn't very practical for travel, but man! She looked good in it. The constant chatter that followed La Haia everywhere stopped as we approached the city. A slight tremble travelled through her fingers to my sides as she clung tightly to me.
The city bustled with activity. Animals of all kinds were herded through the streets, clouds of dust kicking up around them, causing us to choke on the minuscule particles. Slave traders called out from high platforms where they paraded poor souls. They were integrated with horse and stock sales. La Haia pressed close to my back. Her body trembled with fear.
"It's all right, La Haia. I won't let anyone hurt you." I felt her relax, but she still clung tightly.
I stopped the horses and we climbed down and started to lead them. Meadow took that moment to kick-up a fuss at the noise. I'd almost forgotten what he'd been previously like. Whether he had sensed La Haia's fear or just all the noise had caused it I don't know, but he shied sideways then his front hooves lifted from the ground. I held him steady for a few moments.
"Hold on," La Haia warned. But Meadow reared up fully, his legs flailing in the air. People scattered as his hooves came crashing down on the cobblestones. Homer and Marge waited patiently, as I tried to control the frightened animal.
"Keep back!" I yelled as a courageous 'stupid idiot' man ran forward to help. La Haia let go of me and there she was under his thrashing head holding his bridle. Between the two of us, we managed to get him under control. After this, we decided the best thing was for La Haia to hold onto him.
"Roll up. Roll up. Come and see these fine specimens." La Haia blanched. It was Neeron selling.
La Haia lifted a small veil to cover the lower part of her face, leaving her eyes clear. Without saying a word, we both moved over to where he was selling. I was pleased to see that he was trading in horses and not people. Still hanging onto Meadow's bridle, we weaved our way through the crowded streets towards the Stargate. I could hear the familiar Kawoosh in the distance as the event horizon opened. Someone was either leaving or arriving.
Our papers were safe in my inside pocket ready to produce when we left the planet for good.
I heard a gasp from La Haia. "Jack, look."
On a large, raised platform stood several slaves for sale. The owner, I recognised, he was the man that had captured and treated us both so badly.
I grabbed hold of La Haia's hand, "Come, we need to get out of here."
"No, look, it's Mara." I looked again, taking longer this time. Standing, bent over slightly was the old woman that had convinced me to take La Haia with me; the same woman that I'd given some money to, so she could buy her freedom. The anger rose within me, making me sharp and ready for action. "We must buy her." La Haia's eyes pleaded with me.
"Yes, we will, La Haia."
I had no proof that I'd given her money to buy her freedom, but my estimation of Neeron lowered another notch on the already non existent level of respect that I had of the man. We waited patiently in the crowd. La Haia stood very close beside me while I firmly held onto Meadow's bridle and Marge and Homers halter ropes. Soon it was Mara's turn. The angry red welt stood out vivid on her arm. Her clothes were ragged and she looked totally done in. I hadn't seen her amongst the slaves when we were captured. It was a puzzle for me to find out later.
"Don't let looks deceive you. This woman is strong. She has many years left in her yet."
Mara didn't even seem to notice the crowds or what the man was saying about her. Her eyes were downcast and her shoulders slumped. I did have one thing to say for Neeron – apart from La Haia, he had treated his slaves a whole lot better than this trader was.
"Come on! Someone start the bid."
I complied.
"One gold coin. I didn't want to attract too much attention by bidding for more.
He continued calling for more bids. No one bid.
"Sold, to the man in the black coat."
I handed Meadow's bridle and the horse's ropes to La Haia and walked around to the back of the platform. The owner was standing waiting for his money. He didn't recognise me.
"Where did you get the woman?" I asked. He still didn't recognise who I was.
"From some of my men, they were scouting for stock." I bridled at the inference, but chose to keep quiet. "They got her from two youths; not sure where from." He shrugged. 'The nephews' a different kind of anger settled deep, mixed with sorrow for this kind woman.
I nearly revealed myself, but decided to leave well alone.
"Kind, sir?" she recognised me.
"Come, kind mother, I wish to take you somewhere safe."
She smiled and a new light shone in her eyes.
"Mara!" La Haia hurried forward, dragging the three horses behind her, making a small wave of people as they dodged out of the way. "Mara," she called out again, her voice breaking with emotion.
I paid my money over to the trader, supporting Mara by her elbow, I steered her towards La Haia.
"It's me, La Haia," she clutched Mara's hands in hers. I rescued forgotten ropes attached to the horses.
"La Haia, it is you." Mara touched La Haia's cheek as a tear rolled down her smooth skin. La Haia pulled the dear old woman into a hug, tears making her eyes shine. Gratitude poured out at me. I coughed to cover my emotion.
"Come, we must move away from here, we are being noticed too much." I steered them away from the sale area towards the Stargate; a shiny beacon rising above the dusty crowds. I really wanted off this planet as soon as possible.
It was as I thought, after paying Neeron for her freedom; she travelled home to her village. The two young nephews that were her only living relatives met her before she got there. They robbed her of her money and sold her to the nearest trader who then sold her onto the trader that brought her here. I quashed my anger; it wasn't going to do anyone any good. Of course if the nephews had happened to be in my vicinity – well that would be another story. But they weren't so I had to let it go.
La Haia and Mara prattled away in their language, talking so fast I couldn't follow. I was pleased to see that La Haia was so animated, and I suspect that Mara was too. More of Sam was prevalent in La Haia as her confidence blossomed. All I needed now was for her to remember, and then I could take her back to her Dad. It was strange how much Jacob's approval meant to me.
Finally, we made it to the Stargate. I had all the necessary papers clutched in my hand; we waited to pass through, for want of a better word, customs. Mara whispered quietly to La Haia in Greek, while Meadow nibbled La Haia's blond short hair. Every few moments Mara would touch La Haia on the cheek, or push a stray piece of hair behind her ear, a caring touch. A touch that I . . .
I handed my papers over to the official. I started to walk to the DHD.
"What is the address?" I was stopped by a hand firmly placed on my chest.
"Pardon?"
"Where you want to go. What is the address?"
I frowned at him. "None of your business." I tried to move forward again.
"I'm sorry, sir. You can't go anywhere without logging in your destination."
I closed my eyes, drew in a deep calming breath. "For crying out loud," I muttered under my breath.
Glaring at him, I quickly wrote a totally different address I'd planned on using on his clip board. This planet was very much like Abydos, but no people, just sand, sand and more sand.
The official then walked over to the DHD and punched in the address. It was total bedlam. La Haia's hair forgotten, Meadow reared up and screamed in terror at the kawoosh of the Stargate. It took both La Haia and myself to hold this horse and keep him from hurting himself. Mara took the ropes that held Homer and Marge. She went through first and La Haia and I dragged through a screaming kicking horse. The last thing I saw of that planet was Neeron's smirking face as he watched from the sidelines.
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