AN: sorry for the delay but had a busy weekend and no time to write, it's a little shorter again but not too bad. If the speech seems off a wee bit it's because I've been reading LOTR again and that always gets stuck in my brain, I'm sure it'll sort itself out sooner or later.
Love it? Hate it? Let me know what you think.
***
Later that evening, while Daniel and Vala were walking along the wall, the others sat talking around the fire.
"I wish you would stay longer." Anarion told them as he smoked his pipe, "There is much to be seen on Eriador that is beautiful and ancient to behold. Long have my people lived here and created many wondrous things."
"What we've seen is pretty impressive." Sam told him.
He laughed but there wasn't the joy behind it that he so often showed, "The White City is but one jewel in a crown of many, I hope when you return you will see the rest."
"How long have your people been here?" Cam asked, channelling Daniel since he wasn't there to ask the question himself.
"It is almost 6000 years since our people arrived here, led through the gate by Nienna the Ancient. Long she watched over our people in her ascended form, shielding us from the dangers of the stars." Eldarin told them when Anarion did not provide an answer; his gaze was focused on the wall where his sister walked.
"The Ancients brought you here?" Sam was amazed, up until now they had thought that all the humans across the galaxy had been put there by the Gou'ald. "What happened to Nienna?"
"That is a long and sorrowful tale, as is the stories of all of her people. Nienna protected us from the stars, ever watchful and all seeing, but once her gaze fell on Carnil her doom was sealed for Carnil was a mortal man. For him she gave up all and came down among her people. Their rule was long and beneficial, as during their time many of our greatest works were made. What finally became of them no one knows but still to this day their descendants rule in line unbroken from Carnil to my brother."
"The book that I gave to Dr Jackson has the full tale of their lives," Anarion spoke, his attention still not fully on the group, "But perhaps it was a wasted gift for Elena knows it by heart." He sighed, "Perhaps there is more to this than my eyes have yet seen." He muttered as he left them, wandering off into the darkness.
"Is he ok?" Cam asked as they watched the king leave them.
"His mind and heart are heavy but he has always kept his own council. He sees much that lesser men cannot, only time will tell if something is amiss." Eldarin told them, "but come, tell me of your people."
***
Anarion found Daniel and Vala on the wall talking quietly as lovers often do.
"May I have your leave to talk with Dr Jackson?" He asked as he approached them.
Vala gave him a questioning look, "Why?"
"Simply to talk and maybe to find some answers."
Vala leaned over and kissed Daniel's cheek before walking to her brother's side, "No meddling." She told him sternly then walked off to find their friends.
Daniel and Anarion stood silently for a moment, each looking out over the wall at the dark valley beyond. After a while Anarion drew out his pipe and lit it again.
"That'll kill you one day." Daniel told him.
"As it often is with the things that bring us most pleasure, but for all of us there will come a winter without a spring. So why not take such pleasures as life brings our way?"
Daniel chuckled, "Still, you'll live longer if you give that up."
"I shall live long enough, the people of my house live far beyond that of normal men and almost as long as the Jaffa."
Once again they lapsed back into an uneasy silence.
In the far distance Daniel could see two small points of light. He knew they weren't from the White City because they were on the other side of the way-point and hidden behind high hills, "What's that light over there?"
"Those are the High Towers that mark the edge of Ereigon in the south. They're almost a mile high and are always alight to show the way to the sea far beyond."
"This is a pretty amazing planet." Daniel told him, the more he learned about it the more he longed to stay and see all the things he had been told of or read about.
"Maybe you where once right." Anarion told him, shocking Daniel slightly with his tone, "My people are forgetting the wisdom we once had, we grow idle and content and it has been a long time since we built anything new." He paused and took a deep breath. "Since my sister's return there is a change in the air, though for good or ill I cannot tell. If it were not for the warning in my heart I would say that the time has come for my people to move forward once more, yet these are strange days and I fear that there is another storm we must weather first."
"You think there is danger coming?" Daniel asked sceptically
"I am not sure, none know what the future will hold for certain. I fear the joy of my sister's return will be short lived, there is much I have learned in these past few days that seems to me more than coincidence."
"Coincidence?"
"Don't you think it strange that in the whole galaxy my sister, descended from an Ancient, came across you who were once ascended? Or that she carried the child of the Ori?"
"I never really thought about it and until a few days ago I didn't know Vala was descended from an Ancient. As for Adria, I think that was just bad luck. If it hadn't been Vala, it would have been someone else." Daniel didn't know what Anarion was thinking but he thought the older man was reading too much into things.
"I am no doctor but I know that to carry the child of such people one must first carry some piece of their DNA. Few people of that lineage walk now in this, or any other, galaxy. Not for nothing is my sister called 'child of the stars'. In her again there lives the light of the Ancient ones."
"The ascended Ancients don't meddle in the lower planes of existence, believe me I know, they kicked me out for doing it." Daniel told him, a tight smile on his lips.
"Not directly, but they have ways of subtly shaping events. There have been times when they helped you."
This time when Daniel answered it was proceeded with a harsh laugh, "Not very often and never without being punished for it."
"But still it happens. Who knows how often and in what other ways they influence us?" He sighed and clapped Daniel on the back, "The hour grows late, go and sleep, there is still too much I do not know."
Long after Daniel left him, Anarion stood beneath the stars but his thoughts did not clear. As the grey dawn light came about him he went inside to find what little rest he could but his dreams where filled with the forebodings of his heart.
When he woke, only a few hours later, he was sure of only one thing.
A storm was coming.
***
The next day was cold and the sky was filled with menacing grey clouds. The wind had shifted to the east and now held a frightful chill.
Eldarin stared at the sky, "This is unusual weather for this time of year." He told Cam who was standing beside him. "Summer should not begin to give way to autumn for at least another month and even then days this cold do not come till autumn is fading to winter."
"Must just be a fluke." Cam told him as he checked the tack on his horse.
Eldarin was saved from responding by a soldier coming towards him with several large cloaks over one arm, "For the journey ahead, My Lords." He spoke before handing one to both of them and scuttling off.
"Ready to go?" Sam asked as she came up behind them, Teal'c and Vala at her side.
She and Vala had decided to join Cam and Teal'c in dressing in the clothes of Eriador, both of them had been given cloaks of deep blue and trimmed with thick warm fur. Teal'c had a cloak the same as Eldarin and Cam, blue to match their tunics with the emblem of the four kingdoms embroidered on the back.
"We're just waiting on the King and Daniel." Cam told her as he moved on to check her horse for her, "Shouldn't be too long."
Even as the worlds left Cam's mouth, Daniel joined them. He, too, was wearing the clothes that had been given to him for the ball and a long grey cloak.
"Very dashing, darling." Vala told him as she kissed him.
"Well, I didn't want to be the odd one out." He joked, returning the kiss but mindful of Eldarin standing near by.
"Might as well give 'em a show when we get back." Cam laughed, "I can just see the look on Landry's face now."
The others laughed along and talked a little before Anarion came out to join them. The fear that was in his heart could clearly be seen on his brow but he smiled nonetheless when he came beside them.
"Is everything ready?" He asked Eldarin.
"We were just waiting on you. Even if it cannot be seen the sun has been up some hours already, you slept late, brother."
"And yet I feel no more rested but new days oft bring new council, or so they say, let us start out now and hope that the sun wont be far behind us."
As they rode on and the day grew, the sky brightened only a little and after a few hours rain set in. They stopped around noon and took lunch under a group of trees, savouring what little protection from the wind and rain they brought. Soon after they set out again the day began to grow dimmer and all three siblings grew concerned at this strange weather.
They rode down the road that lead to the gate a great roll of thunder was heard in the distance and lightning struck far off in jagged lines that split the sky.
"This foul weather troubles me greatly." Eldarin spoke loudly to be heard over the wind.
"Me, as well. We shall not stay long on Earth." Anarion agreed. The storm was coming towards them and gaining momentum as it moved over the plains. "This is no natural weather."
With that they began one last gallop towards the gate and even Teal'c was happy for the horse beneath him.
***
It was a wet and cold group that descended the gate ramp where Landry met them with Jack standing beside him. Their mood lifted a little as the warm air hit them and they where able to shed their wet cloaks.
"Welcome back SG1, Prince Eldarin." He turned to Anarion, "I don't believe we've been introduced, I'm General Hank Landry and this is General Jack O'Neill."
"Generals, this is my elder brother, King Anarion the Fourth of Eregion and High King of Eriador." Vala introduced him.
Anarion reached out his left hand and clasped Landry's, "It is an honour to meet you General Landry." He repeated the gesture to Jack, "You are O'Neill of SG1?"
Jack cast an amused look at the others, "Yup, that's me."
Anarion clapped him on the back and Jack winced with the force of it, "I have come to meet those that have sheltered my sister for so long and about whom so many tales are told."
"Well. you've come to the right place." Jack smiled.
"SG1 report to the infirmary with our guests then come up to the briefing room, He cast an amused look at his lead teams dress, "I'm sure it's an interesting story you have."
They all trudged out towards the infirmary, Jack joining them and walking beside Daniel.
"What have you let Vala drag you into this time, space monkey?" He laughed.