AN sorry about the earlier confusion, this is the proper chapter. i am infact an idiot of massive proportions and didn't check the first time round that i had put in the right file.

***

"Elena? What's wrong?" Eldarin asked, casting a worried look at Anarion, Vala did not look pleased.

"Come with me." She told them, turning her back on them and simply expecting them to follow.

"Do you think she knows you spoke to Dr. Jackson?" Eldarin asked Anarion quietly.

"I think it's a definite possibility." Anarion replied sarcastically.

"And I'm in trouble because…"

"Because if you think I'm going to be shouted at by our baby sister on my own then you have another thing coming."

The two men followed her into one of the drawing rooms in silence, knowing they were about to have their heads handed to them. Vala turned, hands on her hips, and glaring through her brothers, addressed the footman who had dutifully followed as well.

"Close the doors and make sure we are not disturbed." She told the retainer who whirled, coattails flying to exit the room and do her bidding. The silence grew colder as she looked from one to the other; Anarion stared straight ahead, determined to out-stubborn his sister. "Now, what exactly did you two say to Daniel?"

"Elena we were only doing what we thought was best for you." Anarion started, playing the part of concerned brother, "We know nothing of this man, of his world or where he is from. How can we trust a man with our sister's heart if we do not know him?"

"You could have asked about him, for a start." Vala huffed, "but that wouldn't have mattered because that's not why you really intervened was it?"

"I did what I did for your own good, Elena." Anarion said sternly, "You lead a dangerous life out there among the stars, fighting battles that are not your own, getting into trouble, always running and never looking back. What man that claims to love you can let you lead this life?"

"One who knows me!" Vala exclaimed, "One who will not try and tie me down, put me in a cage, give me a label. I like the life I have now, I'll have you know! I love my friends and going off on adventures. And we might get into fights that are not our own but they are fights worth winning."

"You should not be fighting at all!" Anarion's tone was growing less controlled as he went on, "You should have come home!"

"I didn't want to!" She shouted. Vala stopped and closed her eyes briefly to regain control. She continued in a low, dangerous voice. "Nothing you can think of can compare to what I suffered as a Gou'ald host, and you gave me to them! I was 15 years old and so scared and you threw me away like I meant nothing to you. You claim to love me, to rejoice that I've come home and then you do this."

"We thought you were dead! They lied to our father, Elena. They told us you were dead. It killed his soul when he sent you to them and when he found out what you had endured it killed his body."

"You still haven't told me what you said to Daniel."

"I told him exactly what I have told you. He is not good enough for you and this infatuation you share will end. Now."

"You have no right to do that."

"I am your brother and I am your King." Anarion shouted, "You are on my world in my house and you will learn your place, Elena."

"Is that so?" She drew herself up to her full height, imperious in her royal finery. Her voice became very low, very dangerous. She continued in a bare whisper. "You, of all people lost the right to claim sovereignty over me when you abandoned me. I am my own woman, and I will not subvert myself to you. Not now, not ever. I am leaving!" She turned and started to walk away from them when Anarion grabbed her wrist. "Let go of me!" She said coldly.

"You will do no such thing, not in this way. There is a room full of people in there who are expecting your company for the evening."

Vala winced as Anarion tightened his grip on her wrist but her mother's words from earlier came back to her and, with her free hand, she slapped Anarion across the face, almost knocking him off his feet.

Anarion dropped her arm in shock.

"You are my brother and believe me when I say that is the only reason you are still standing right now. No man treats me like this without consequence." The words where out of her mouth before the small voice in the back of her mind reminded her that she had let Tomin hit her once and done nothing. "Daniel is a noble man. He may not have a title, he may not be what you think is good enough for me, but he has never treated me like you have tonight, nor will he ever. He is a good man, an honest man, and he is the man I love. So I am giving you two choices. Either stand by me or get the hell out of my way."

"Elena, please, you have to understand…" Eldarin spoke up for the first time.

"No. I am through trying to understand. I know you probably didn't have much to do with this, but those are your options, take them or leave them."

She brushed past both of them and, drawing herself up into full princess mode, re-entered the ball room, her brothers left stunned in her wake.

They were still standing in silence when their mother came into the room.

Aranel took one look at her boys and nodded her head in satisfaction, "Serves you right, When has dictating anything to your sister ever worked in the past? I am going to bed now. You will have this straightened out by the morning." There was no doubt that her last statement was a command and not a question.

"Yes mother." The mumbled in unison.

"Good."

***

"What in the hell did you do to piss princess of this time?" Cam asked as they watched Vala stride out of the room, her brothers shuffling along behind her.

"Anarion may have told me to stay away from Vala… romantically, and I may have listened to him." Daniel admitted.

"Oh boy…" Was all Sam could think of to say.

"Yeah, I'm beginning to think that it was a bad idea."

"Indeed."

"Beginning to?" Cam questioned.

Teal'c reached out and grabbed another glass off a passing waiter and, in a rare moment of humour, handed it to Daniel, "You may need this."

"I think he's going to need a lot more than that when Vala gets her hands on him," Sam chuckled.

"You're right." Daniel said as he downed his glass and reached for another one.

The four of them stood watching the doors for any sign of Vala returning. They got it almost a full ten minuets later when they flew open and Vala, looking every bit a royal princess, glided back into the room.

As a group they jumped when Aranel came to stand beside them, "Are you alright Dr Jackson, you're looking a little pale." There was an evil grin on her face as she spoke and they knew she knew exactly what was going on.

"Any advice?" Daniel managed to get out passed his fear.

"Telling her how you feel would be a good start and if you happen to have something shiny and expensive in your pocket that would help too." She gave a laugh and patted Daniel on the shoulder, "You'll do fine."

With that she was off again and Daniel was left with the feeling that her comment extended to more than just his coming confrontation with Vala.

Vala was the picture of civility as she made her way across the crowded room towards her friends, accepting compliments and greetings, never being sucked into a conversation but at the same time never being rude or abrupt. As he watched her Daniel wondered how old she had been when she had mastered this skill.

As she reached them her smile never faltered and to those around them had no idea of the hell that was about to be unleashed.

"Daniel, would you come with me, please." The smile never faded but her tone was as cold as ice, "We're going to walk over to the balcony and you're going to get that look off your face and smile. Understand?" Daniel was too flabbergasted to do anything but nod, "Now be a good man and take my arm like a gentleman."

He took her arm and led her out onto the balcony, she paused briefly once they where through the archway and pressed a panel on the wall. Daniel saw a force field flicker to life and then all sound from the ball room stopped.

"How…?" He asked.

"The force field is giving us privacy, they can't hear us or see us from the other side." She told him curtly The smile left her full lips and was replaced by a taut line. "You… you... you listened to my brothers!" She finally managed to get out, "Of all the stupid, pig-headed things you've done over the years, Daniel, that takes the cake. How could you do that to me? What makes you think you, or they, or anyone else for that matter, have the right to decide anything about any part of my life? "

"I didn't want to lose you." He told her.

"Well, that makes no sense at all! You didn't want to lose me so you listened to my brothers when they told you to stay away from me?"

"I didn't want to lose you as a friend Vala, no matter how much I want whatever this is between us, I didn't want to lose you as a friend! He told me to stay away from you and I didn't want to make you have to choose between me and your family. I thought if I could just be your friend then everything would be ok." Daniel tried to explain.

"That wasn't you being my friend this afternoon Daniel. That was you being an ass."

"I just… I didn't know how to act around you! I still don't, you're a princess and I'm clearly not of very much importance to anyone here!"

"You're important to me!" She cried, why where men so stupid sometimes. "No one else matters, why do you care so much what they think?"

"Because they were right. Look at you. You look like something out of a fairy tale, the beautiful princess in the castle, just waiting for a prince to come and sweep her off her feet. You've been so happy since we've been here. I… I saw this look of contentment on your face yesterday that I've never seen before… I just guessed that this is where you would want to stay. Princesses don't live under mountains and go on missions through Stargates."

She walked over to him and gently cupped his face, "You can be rather sweet sometimes Daniel, if a little stupid." She took one of her hands from his face and smacked him on the chest, "When have I ever given you the impression that I'm the kind of woman that waits around for a prince, or any man, to come and sweep me off my feet? Or that I would remotely tolerate anyone even trying it?"

As she had hit him the sleeve of her dress had fallen back and Daniel caught sight of raw red mark of her wrist. Completely ignoring her original remark he tenderly took her wrist in his hand, "Who did this to you Vala? Did your brother do this?"

"It doesn't matter Daniel."

"Yes it does." Daniel made his way back towards the archway, completely intent on going in there and showing Vala's brothers what happened to people who hurt her.

Vala watched with an amused smile on her face as Daniel tried to open the force field then she remembered she was mad at him, "What did I just say about not needing someone to come and rescue me? I handled it Daniel, and believe me you go in there and try to lay a hand on either of them you'll be dead on the floor in seconds."

She waited for him to give up and come back over to her, "No more rushing off to save me Daniel, no more thinking you know what I deserve. I know what I deserve, after everything I've been through since I left this place I deserve to have what I want. I want you Daniel. Nothing else matters."

Daniel reverently took her bruised wrist and raised it to his lips, kissing the raw skin he found there. "Nothing else matters." He repeated as he moved his lips to her neck, pausing over her pulse point as he felt it racing beneath her skin. "Nothing." A kiss to just below her ear, "Else." Another to her jaw line "matters." Finally he placed a kiss on her lips and he felt Vala sigh against his lips.

Daniel wrapped his arms around her waist as he deepened the kiss and she giggled against his lips as he dipped her.

When they finally broke apart Vala leaned her forehead against Daniel's, a smile on her lips as she stared into his eyes, "You were going to go and beat up my brother." She laughed.

"To defend your honour? Definitely."

"He's around 50 pounds heavier than you and could snap you in half like a twig, not to mention the fact that he deplores violence."

"I would have given it a good shot."

She smiled and leaned back in to kiss him again, "Cameron gave you wine didn't he?"

"Actually it was Teal'c, he seemed to think I would need it." He gave her a lazy smile "You still angry with me?"

"I might be, you'll just have to work on turning me around."

"Well Your Highness, it just so happens I have a plan for that." With that he leaned in and kissed her again.

It was almost an hour before they reappeared in the ball room.