Disclaimer: 'Stargate SG1' and all the characters associated with the show belong to someone who isn't me. As I doubt that the owners would be willing to trade their rights for some magic beans that aren't in any way magical, this is not going to change at any point in the foreseeable future.

Chapter Five

Three days later

"Carter, that dress looks as though it'd stand without you in it." Jack commented when Sam escaped the clutches of her ladies in waiting to join them. "And does anybody else find it creepy that the royal wardrobe seems to have been kept up to date all these years?"

"You should see what they have packed away for a king." Sam told him. "I'm getting off easy."

Daniel shrugged. "It makes sense. The Armidans have been making sure that they would be ready whenever their new ruler arrived."

"Indeed." Teal'c seconded. "A Goa'uld lord would expect his domains to be kept in readiness, regardless of how long he remained absent. He would accept nothing less."

"Will one of you remind me to outlaw corsets?" Sam asked, not enjoying being tightly laced into her most elaborate outfit so far; a gown of white silk embroidered in gold thread and seed pearls, one little bit.

"Ouch." Daniel winced sympathetically. He brushed a non-existent speck of dust from his tunic before glancing across at Jack. "You know, a coronation is a very formal occasion. Maybe you should…"

"Not. A. Chance." Jack cut him off, enunciating each word firmly.

"You can't really attend the ceremony in BDUs." Daniel pointed out reasonably.

"Sure I can. Carter doesn't mind – do you?"

Sam nodded her agreement. "It's fine by me. One of us might as well be comfortable."

"See?" Jack grinned triumphantly. "The Queen has spoken."

"The Armidans might take it as an insult." Daniel warned.

"I'll explain to Lord Cai that Colonel O'Neill is a soldier of our world and that he has to wear a soldier's clothes." Sam suggested. "I'm sure that it won't be a problem."

"I suppose." Daniel agreed, knowing that nothing short of a brute force would have had a hope of getting Jack to don a tunic again. "Has anybody gone to the stargate to meet the representatives from the SGC?"

"An escort has been dispatched." Teal'c told him.

"Representatives?" Jack didn't like the sound of that.

"SG-9, sir." Sam filled him in.

"General Hammond thought that it might be a good idea to send them along as witnesses to the ceremony." Daniel said. "And Colonel Simmons is sending a representative of his own along."

Sam made a very unqueenly face, knowing that the representative in question had undoubtedly been charged with getting the ball rolling as far as the naquadah and trinium mining was concerned.

"Who's he sending?" Jack asked.

"General Hammond didn't know when I last spoke to him."

Jack took a moment to digest this unwelcome news. "Anybody else getting a bad feeling about this?"

All three of his teammates nodded their assent.

"Your Highness?" Rhea cleared her throat politely to get Sam's attention, a pendant held carefully in both hands. "If I may?"

Jolted from her musings, Sam nodded, allowing the younger woman to fasten a gold chain with a large sapphire at the center of a delicate filigree flower hanging from it around her neck. "Thank you."

"It is our honour and our pleasure to serve." Rhea curtseyed.

Adorned with what felt like most of the crown jewels, her gown and hair arranged to Rhea and the other girls' satisfaction, she straightened and nodded to the footmen to open the doors to the throne room.

She scarcely heard the herald's voice as she walked down the carpeted path to the dais, her long train borne by her ladies in waiting, acknowledging the bows and curtseys of the people ranged on either side of her with small, nervous smiles.

The three men of SG-1 stood to one side a few feet away from the throne, smiling encouragingly.

Lord Cai had explained the ceremony in great detail and he, along with the heads of the eight most prominent noble families, stood in line in front of the dais as Sam sat on the throne, her expression betraying no hint of her amusement and exasperation, though her expression narrowed slightly when she saw who Colonel Simmons had chosen as a representative.

She wondered if Colonel Samuels had been chosen deliberately because of his less than friendly history with SG-1, or if it was merely a stroke of bad luck that she would have him serving as Earth's voice in the negotiations.

A white haired priest, resplendent in deep green and silver robes, approached the dais, flanked by a young page entrusted with the task of carrying the crown. They both bowed deeply before the elder of the two relieved the younger of his burden, holding the crown a few inches above Sam's head as Lord Cai led her through the ritual oaths.

"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern and protect the people of Armida? Will you in your power cause law and justice and mercy to be executed in all judgements?"

"I solemnly promise so to do." Sam said softly, appreciating the seriousness of the oath and conscious of the fact that the Armidan people were entrusting their planet and their lives to her.

It was a sobering thought.

At Lord Cai's nod, the crown was gently lowered onto her head. It was lighter than she had expected it to be, a gold circlet adorned with various filigreed symbols and studded with jewels. A sceptre was placed in her right hand, the royal seal in her left. And then Lord Cai, along with the eight chief nobles standing next to him, knelt before her to swear fealty.

As one, the Armidans in the hall dropped to their knees, SG-9 diplomatically doing the same with Colonel Samuels reluctantly following their example.

Her teammates, heeding her earlier pleas, remained standing.

"Behold," Lord Cai intoned solemnly. "Samantha I, Queen of Armida."

"I'll give them this much, the Armidans certainly know how to throw a party." Jack commented appreciatively, accepting a handful of honeyed nuts from a servant before helping himself to the wide array of dishes spread on the top table.

Unlike the previous meals they had eaten at the castle, the coronation banquet was slightly more informal with people moving from table to table to converse with friends.

Sam, after politely sampling each dish, stuck to fruit, mentally reminding herself both to thank General Hammond for the coffee he had sent and to see if she could rig a kettle of some kind in her suite to boil water.

"Do you think they'll let you bring that thing back to Earth?" Jack asked, gesturing towards her crown. "I'd like to see Hammond's face if you wore it to a briefing."

The newly crowned queen smiled briefly at the thought of the general's reaction. "I don't think so, sir."

Daniel, making polite excuses to the two nobles he had been conversing with, joined them at the table. "I think you may end up with another suitor, Sam." He told her quietly, not wanting anyone but his friends to hear his words.

"Why do you say that?" Sam asked apprehensively. The attentions of Lord Gawen, Sir Arran and Sir Drustan had been more than enough without adding another prospective husband into the equation.

"Because I was just offered a tidy bribe to put in a good word for Sir Fionn over there. I didn't accept." He added hastily, seeing the black look on Jack's face.

Sam groaned softly. "Is there a diplomatic way to convince these guys that I don't want to marry any of them?"

"Just keep saying 'no'." Jack recommended. "They'll get the message… eventually."

"Excuse me… pardon me… excuse me." A somewhat flustered looking Colonel Samuels manoeuvred his way through the crown to the top table. "Major Carter." He clipped her name, earning several disapproving looks from the Armidans within earshot.

"That should be 'Your Highness', Samuels." Jack told him helpfully.

"Of course." Samuels' tone was less than gracious but he wouldn't object in front of the Armidans. "Your Highness, the Pentagon has asked that we begin negotiations for the trade of naquadah as soon as possible."

"I see." Sam inclined her head slightly. "We can start negotiations next week."

"Maj… Your Highness." Samuels protested. "Colonel Simmons indicated that he would prefer that the trade arrangements be made as soon as possible."

"I understand." Sam said with apparent sincerity. "But there won't be any official business done for the next eight days – coronation celebration, you know it is." She finished innocently.

"Oh." Samuels looked disappointed.

"You're welcome to stay here, Colonel." Sam offered generously.

"Thank you." Samuels sounded put out. "But I'll need to report back to my superiors on Earth. They may want me to return."

"Better not keep them waiting." Jack hinted heavily, smirking slightly as Samuels, doing his best to maintain a dignified expression, bid them a terse farewell and moved away. "So," He spoke quietly to Sam as soon as the other officer was well out of earshot. "Are you planning on letting Samuels know that the eight day break for the court was your idea?"

She returned his smile. "Maybe that should be our secret."

TBC.

Author's Note: That's all for now. I'll update as soon as I can, but in the meantime, please review and, as always, if there are any requests, let me know.