Author's Note: Thank you to you all for the reviews! Hope you all carry on liking it:D As ever, thanks of the huge kind to Binksbabe for beta'ing and enthusiastic support!

Jack ignored the sounds of what was now dry retching behind him and jogged over to where Karrena had slumped to the floor, released from the grip of her attacker. The stench of death surrounded him and he had no doubt that it was one of the larger factors contributing to the reactions of the people. Some people - mostly the older one and the soldiers that formed the martial aspect of the group - had maintained control as he had, and he knew that it would pass for those who hadn't. They would become accustomed to death as he had so many years ago, and seeing a knife embedded in the face of a man wasn't a particularly nice sight.

He knew that he'd been sick the first time he'd seen a body and his experience had shared none of the soul-wrenching violence and slaughter that he could see surrounded him here. Fleeing mothers and children had been mown down as they tried to escape.

Even now, after thirty odd years of death and battle the sight of a child killed so violently turned his stomach. This was the bit that they never showed on the films, that wasn't included on TV. This was the hardest part.

Reaching Karrena he crouched low, opening his arms wide in the least threatening manner he could. "Hey," he began softly.

Karrena jumped violently, her gaze finally ripped free from the corpse that she had been staring at wide-eyed. "I - he – you." Tears began to spill from her eyes and she began to shake as the shock kicked in.

"It's okay; you're safe now," he murmured to her soothingly as he hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her to her feet. If he'd been a few years older and a fair bit stronger, he would have carried her, but he still had a fair bit of growing to do. "Come on, let's get you over here…" He took her around the side of a building at the edge of the village and sat her down on a log."Hey, you!" he called out to a lady of the court who was stood with her horse, wringing her hands in frustration and worry.

"Excuse me?"

"I want you to get a few friends together and light a fire. Look in the supplies and see what you can dig out to make first some kind of hot drink and put lots of sugar in it. Then I want you to cook food for this lot; you might not believe it now, but by the time they're finished, they'll be starving. Nothing fancy, mind you. And someone needs to sit with her and make sure she drinks a little; she's in shock, but she'll be okay."

"I am a lady of the court; give your orde-"

"I don't care if you're the Queen of freaking Sheba; you can take your head out of your ass and do something useful!"

The woman gasped, apparently at Jack's use of coarse language. "Why, I have never been so insulted in my entire life!"

"What part of 'I don't care' did you not understand? You can enlist the help of everyone who is not currently doing something constructive and start setting up the camp while you're there." The woman opened her mouth to protest but one look at the demonic visage of Jack, a trail of blood down one side of his face soon changed her mind.

"Well, hop to it, then; I'm sure that everyone will appreciate the way that you've kept your head during this crisis and made sure that everyone is cared for."

The incentive of the credit that she would receive was all it took to set her on her way, all a-bustle and full of brisk commands. Jack shook his head as she went. Some people were born to order people around, and she was a perfect example of that. Others were born to lead, and he knew only too well the burden this placed on people.

Noting that a ladies' maid who'd heard the orders had already seen to getting Karrena a blanket - albeit a dusty one that stank of horses - and was sitting with her and comforting her, Jack quickly marched back to the battlefield.

Already, the people of the village had come out of their homes, though there were pitifully few of them left and, Jack noted, not a single talking beat amongst them, and together with the people from their royal procession, they were searching the bodies for survivors.

There were barely any. Whoever it was that had attacked them, they were efficient killers and knew their prey exceptionally well.

A shout from a few hundred yards away announced the presence of a survivor, and Jack sprinted over to the crowd that was quickly gathering. At the centre of the group was a squirrel in his early teens.

Trying to push to the front of the group, Jack became increasingly frustrated as he was repeatedly pushed back by larger and stronger men.

"Oh for crying out load!" he exclaimed as his attempt to break through the throng failed once again. Finally giving up on being polite he yelled; "MOVE IT PLEASE!"

Turning and recognising the boy they had seen killing two soldiers so easily, they began to move out of the way quickly, one small bear sucking on his paw and hiding behind his mother - or it could have been father; Jack wasn't particularly adept at telling with the talking beasts - as Jack passed, obviously afraid, as people are prone to be when faced with the unknown.

Finding Corrin in the centre of the group, talking to the young squirrel as another person bound a wound on his left arm, Jack asked how he was doing, making a point of not dismissing the child as just that.

"I am fine," he replied, trying to sound manly and brave even as he squeaked at a bandage pulled to tight.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

Fleetpaw, as he'd been introduced, nodded, tears welling in his eyes despite his attempts not to cry. "They appeared at the very edge of the village, by the Otters' burrow. It was as if they jumped out of the air and there- there was snow where they appeared." He paused to sniff back tears. "And then they killed everyone. My mother and my father and my sisters and my brother. They're all gone!" At the last sentence his brittle control over his tears broke and he wept openly.

Corrin sighed and, suddenly realising that they had acquired an audience, he waved them off, berating them for making a spectacle of Fleetpaw in the way that they had.

Seeing that Corrin was apparently finished talking to the boy, Jack stepped forwards and seated himself cross-legged on the floor in front of him. "Hey, buddy. I need you to do something for me, okay?"

Fleetpaw nodded timidly and rubbed at his tears, making the fur around his eyes stick up everywhere.

"I need you to be real grown up and keep a friend of mine company, can you do that?"

Jack received a slightly confused nod and a sniffle in reply and continued unabashedly, gently leading the young squirrel towards the area where camp was being set up. "See, she was attacked just now, and she needs someone to be brave for her and to keep her company until she feels better. Can you do that for me?"

Stopping at the edge of the 'camp', Jack got an affirmative from Fleetpaw and sent him in the direction of Karrena. Pausing only long enough to make sure that he was headed in the right direction, Jack returned to help with the abhorrent job of sorting through the dead.

Already at the end of the village furthest from their camp was the dark shape of the dead villagers, each of them laid out respectfully side by side, awaiting their burial.

Shoulders slumped and aching, all expression fallen from his face, Jack finally allowed himself to slump dejectedly on a log beside Karrena. Her face was a pale, almost white shape in the deceptive twilight. Fleetpaw had long since been whisked off by caring neighbours better suited to looking after him, and Karrena had been left to her own thoughts by well-meaning people who had misguidedly refused to give her something to do, thinking she was in too delicate a state.

Tearing her gaze away from the fire to stare at Jack, it was several long moments before she could bring herself to speak, and Jack remained silent, knowing that the best thing he could do was to allow her time to think things over. She'd talk when she was ready, and he would reassure her then.

"You…killed him…"

Jack carefully kept his face neutral, although it had not been the comment he'd been expecting. Sure, he'd been expecting it to come up, but he thought she'd be more focused on the fact that the man had been trying to kill her.

He gave a slow nod. "Yeah…"

Shaking her head as if he'd misunderstood what she'd meant, her forehead furrowed as she rephrased the comment. "You….you didn't even hesitate…didn't think about it."

More than a little lost, Jack cocked his head ever so slightly to one side and gave a barely visible shrug. "He was gonna kill you."

Karrena blanched at that reminder of her own mortality and Jack inwardly winced, aware that he should have perhaps phrased it a little less callously.

There was another long pause before she forced herself to continue, struggling to order her thoughts and sort out the mess of questions in her head.

The sounds of normal life, of the fire, of cooking, of a child crying for food, of the snores of people too exhausted to stay awake all contrasted sharply with the grief that hung in the air like a tangible presence, the stench of death lingering and lurking behind that of the smoke.

When Karrena finally broke the tense silence between them, she spoke haltingly, almost stuttering. "I've…I've seen death before and, I mean I've been out…on hunts…my parents…" Her voice wavered, and she took a breath before continuing. "So violent…so many… and you, you're just a boy. Younger than I am. And you just…killed them." She took another shuddering breath as her voice cracked, and Jack didn't doubt that she was playing the scene over in her head again, unable to escape the horror. "Even the oldest of the soldiers…they didn't…couldn't."

Just a boy. Jack had inwardly bristled at that, but seeing the distraught figure beside him made him swallow his pride and for once accepted that this was how they saw him. They couldn't really be blamed for treating him as a boy when they didn't know the truth.

Concentrating once more on her words he tried to understand what she meant, what it was that was bothering her. He wanted nothing more than to be able to reassure her and easer her mind.

Her last sentence, unfinished as it was gave him the final link and he finally began to understand what she was trying to say.

The mere thought of a boy who looked as if he had only just reached sixteen having had his innocence stolen to the point that he could kill so easily and without thought or hesitation sickened him to the very bones. He knew that he was really more than 50 years old and had over 30 years experience at killing but to them he was 'just a boy'.

Nodding to Karrena but avoiding meeting her eyes. "Seeing someone who looks so young killing is enough to freak even the most battle-hardened of soldiers out."

Karrena nodded once but remained silent, mulling things over in the privacy of her own head for a few moments more.

Should he tell her or not? God knows it would be a relief for him to not have to watch what he said for a change; to be able to share the weight of his secret with someone else…to not have to feel the guilt of lying to people who put trust in him.

Coming to a decision he felt a weight lift from him as he stared into the darkness and took a deep breath before plunging ahead. "Truth is, Karrena…I'm not as young as I look."

From the corner of his eye he saw that she was sending him a confused look that told him she didn't understand the full significance of what he was saying.

Before he could take his explanation any further they were approached by a young page boy from the King's entourage who informed them that they were to attend the king immediately in his tent.

Ever obedient, Karrena was on her feet and striding off before the boy had even finished.

Letting out a short growl Jack pushed himself to his feet and walked stiffly after her, regretting sitting down in the chill air for so long. Every muscle had seized up and screamed at him to just lie down and never move again and his ankle reminded him that it had been sprained as he stepped into a dip he hadn't seen coming, jarring as he touched ground several inches lower than he'd expected.

He was still cursing as he glared at the guards until they allowed him to enter the tent, at which point he fell silent and nodded respectfully at the gathered beings, automatically noting who was there and where they were sitting. Most notable were the King's advisors, including the Captain of the Guard, and Lady Sinere, who was sitting almost intimately close to the King, although he seemed oblivious to it.

He also couldn't help but notice Karrena's tense body language as she stood, head respectfully bowed. Jack limped over and stood beside her but resolutely refused to bow his head to the people, meeting their eyes defiantly.

Corrin gestured for them to both seat themselves on the cushions that had been set out for them, following the suit of the others in the tent. Pausing only long enough for them to seat themselves, Corrin jumped straight to business. "All of us have been wondering what exactly it was that prompted you to charge off into the forest as you did, Jack. We only surmised that there had been another attack after the wounded creature managed to relate the information to us with her last gasps…"

Jack shrugged, fighting the tightening of his muscles as he picked up on Corrin's aggressive and distrustful tone. He could only wonder at what had caused this drastic change in Corrin's behaviour. "I'd tracked the bird's trajectory and seen the direction that she came from. I also saw that it was an arrow wound that had almost crippled her…I put two and two together and got four. I knew that if I were to ride in the general direction that the bird had come from, I would see signs to tell me more precisely where the village was…it couldn't have been far for her to reach us with such a serious wound."

Sinere frowned, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "How could you be so certain that there had been another attack on a village, and it wasn't merely an unfortunate accident? It seems a rather foolish presumption to make."

"Believe me, I'd rather have looked like an idiot and been wrong about the whole thing."

Another of the Lords gathered, an owl, ruffled his feathers and gave a short disapproving hoot. "But you were not wrong," he stated. "In fact, you seemed to know unerringly just what was going to happen and where they'd be… especially for a mere hatchling."

Once again, Jack bristled at the implied insult and clenched his jaw to stop himself from being snarky. "Are you trying to suggest that I somehow had inside information on this?" he ground out instead.

"You must admit; it does seem most strange that no sooner do you appear than these attacks start happening," Sinere pointed out carefully.

Corrin remained silent and thoughtful, taking in everything that was said but refrained from commenting. Jack could sense the tense anger in Karrena next to him but couldn't decide whether it was directed at him, or in defence of him.

"I know what I know through observation and training. The wounds on the bird were similar to those found on the owl who'd been shot at the edge of the first village; shot as they tried to take off and tried to flee. It was the same MO." Even as he tried to explain, he knew that he was fighting a losing battle. Something had turned the people in the tent against him and there was little he could do to convince them otherwise. It reminded him vaguely of Kinsey's assertions that SG-1 were at fault and that they had brought the wrath of the Goa'uld down upon earth. He pushed away the now familiar pang of pain that thinking about SG-1 brought him, waiting for them to reply; he was surprised, however, when it was Karrena who cut in.

"He was sent by Aslan to help us."

He felt a rush of gratitude towards her and found his resolve bolstered by the knowledge that he was not entirely alone.

"We have no proof of this…he himself has professed that he has never heard of Aslan, let alone met and been sent by him."

Jack felt an urge to glare at the Captain's quick reply and barely checked the urge to roll his eyes. They expected him to both believe and admit that he was sent here by some snotty little Goa'uld? I don't think so, buddy!

It was now that Corrin decided he would speak and his words filled Jack with both relief and tension.

"Why not let Jack speak for himself? He claims training and obviously has experience, and yet he has not told us the truth behind this." Corrin's suggestion received nods and murmurs of approval all round.

"Okay, this is going to be a little bit hard to explain but…here goes… Where I come from, we have a really different life. I am…was a Colonel in the Air Force - a kind of army - and I used to go out and fight all kinds of bad guys…recently, aliens."

"Aliens?"

"Beings from other planets…other worlds. Well, one of these aliens was from a race that is friends with us, but he was a renegade of sorts…" He gave them a wry grin, trying to fight off the sinking feeling that none of them were going to believe him. "…A mad scientist. He took me - the original me - and cloned me, along with a complete copy of all of my memories. For some reason though, the cloning went wrong, and I came out looking fifteen instead of my true age of fifty…" ish.

He was met by disbelieving stares.

"…clone?"

He sighed and explained. "An exact genetic copy, right down to the tiniest freckle."

It took a further half hour of repeating himself before they finally understood and began to accept what he was saying. Their response was not, however, anything he would have expected.

"…So you were created not by the union of husband and wife but in a …'test tube'?"

Jack didn't like the revolted, disgusted, and sickened looks that this affirmation received, but he also knew that he couldn't and wouldn't lie about it again.

His reply was long and drawn out, unsure of what the result would be. "Yeeah…"

"Aslan save us!" someone exclaimed.

"Blasphemy!" cried another.

"He is an abomination!"

The furore went on and Jack was dismayed to notice that Karrena too was looking at him, an appalled expression on her face. He belatedly realised that these people who believed that all life had been created by Aslan neither liked, nor could cope with the idea that there was any other way to create life. The idea that it could have been done another way was abhorrent to them, and he felt a sick fury that they couldn't be reasonable, or rational about it. He was obviously there, he was obviously alive; he wasn't evil for crying out loud!

The explanations became only more vehement as they began to fear that they, too had been tainted by their association with him.

Unable to stand the complete rejection of even Karrena who'd earlier defended him and trusted him, someone he'd liked to have considered a friend, Jack didn't even bother to mask the pain on his face as he sent one last, pleading look at Karrena before he turned on his heel and took off, stalking into the dark tree line and leaving them and their accusations behind.

Screw you all! he thought viciously as he left them to fight for themselves, trying to pretend that he didn't feel utterly betrayed.

So, tell me what you think:D Pretty please?