...And, back into some fun with another cross-over episode modified from SG-1 Canon.

*denotes dialogue taken directly from episode 10x10 "The Quest" I hope I explained it enough (and filled in the blanks) to make sense to the Non-Gater, Merlinians who are reading. :D

Proofread by Nance, any remaining errors are my own. (If you see something really out of line, let me know via PM or review!)

Shelle-me-belle: AW! I know of a few who haven't been receiving updates. I wish ffnet would fix the issue already. Glad you were able to find it and catch back up, I missed your reviews!

(from chap 60) Peneople the Perky Penguin: Thank you so much! Hopefully, some of the stuff in this chapter will help clear up a bit of the confusion in the plot for you!

Please comment and review, I miss you guys! Next chapter should be available by Sunday, May 11th.

Gwaine had been sitting in the command chair, and Percival was nodding off in a neighboring seat. Meanwhile, Leon and Merlin were somewhere else in the ship. He figured Leon was tinkering with stuff, as he always did, and Merlin was probably in meditation. Flexing his hand, he was more than grateful for Merlin's healing touch. He still had bruises from his capture, but the more serious of the injuries had all but disappeared.

Worrying about his sister and the boys, how they were at the manor with only Harri and her family as company, played on his mind. Gwaine could tell that Leon was also concerned, but there wasn't much either of them could do from out here. Laney was strong, though, and Gwaine knew his sister would push past her troubles by focusing on the boys.

The news about Gwen and the baby had shaken them all. Even though Arthur had desperately wanted to accompany them, they had all agreed that this was simply another scouting mission, and it was more important for him to stay with his family for the time being. Just to be safe, though, Arthur had given Merlin the sword.

Gwaine glanced over the console display. Dark eyes narrowed at what he saw, "What the bloody hell...?"

"Hmm?" Came Percival's half-hearted question. The large knight cracked open his eyes.

"Nothing."

"Then, why did you curse?" He mumbled, and shifted in his seat to try and get comfortable.

"Because...there's nothing!" Gwaine drawled out. "We're here...and there is absolutely nothing."

They had left Earth, and set a course in Leon's ship to the coordinates of the planet. Their initial thought was to fly by, and check out the defenses Ba'al had alluded to. Now that they had reached the coordinates, it was only to find they had arrived in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't a planetary star system in sight, according to the scanners.

Percival cocked his head to the side and glanced at the display. "I'll go let Leon and Merlin know."

After sitting down and debating the situation, they finally concluded that the main 'defense' they were concerned with, turned out to be that the planet was somewhere else entirely. It wasn't as if it had been destroyed, or anything so ominous. Leon suggested that a skillfully programmed Gate protocol might have rerouted the Gate address from the real coordinates of the planet, to someplace else entirely.

A decision was made to head to the Camelot planet, one of the closest in the system to the Gate address. Reluctantly, Leon set his ship down in the forest, a few leagues from the local Gate, and secured it as well as he could. He remotely engaged the cloak to hide it in the small clearing. Turning back, as they began to trudge their way through the forest, he felt a bit of anxiety creeping in. The sword was now in Merlin's hands; the ring on Laney's; his ship was the last material possession he owned, that held any real meaning for him.

"Come on, Han Solo, your ship will be fine!" Gwaine had cackled, while Merlin and Percival snickered at the reference.

The ancient knight glared at them for a moment, before following them to the Gate.

"So..." Percival said quizzically. "Does that make you Princess Leia or Chewbacca...with all that hair?"

It was Gwaine's turn to glare, as he flipped his bangs out of his face.

Emerging through the Stargate from Camelot to the displaced world, they ran into their first challenge. Followers of the Ori were guarding the area around the Gate. The knights managed to defeat them fairly easily, and Merlin had reached out with his magic to trip one who tried to run, presumably to warn more of his fellow soldiers.

Gwaine had made an offhand comment about how they were lucky very few aliens saw fit to give their troops means of actual communication...such as radios. Most, like the Goa'uld, didn't care enough about their subordinates to give the common soldiers a method of relaying orders, or updating their status. Other, such as the Ori, were too over-confident in their ability to crush their enemies, that they felt it was unnecessary.

Cautiously, the knights made their way toward the village. Slipping through the alleyways, they managed to avoid most of the Ori followers, and pick up tidbits of conversation along the way. Two parties, both of which were interested in finding the Sangraal, had come through the town. The first one, a few days prior, sounded suspiciously like it had been lead by Ba'al. To hear the second group described, left no doubt that it was SG-1.

From what they overheard, however, it appeared the Ori had arrived before Mitchell's team and had laid a trap for them. There were whispers from the townsfolk. Cautiously, the four men made their way through town, attempting to figure out which way SG-1 had gone, after leaving the area.

At the center of the medieval styled town, was the square. A large pile of smouldering ash was ringed by Ori warriors. They had come into town, taken it over, and burnt all the books from the local archives...just as they had in many other worlds.

Amidst the embers, Merlin was able to make out the remains of a rectangular box, which seemed to be of much finer construction than anything else in the dying fire. "I need a distraction." He explained, when Gwaine caught him looking around the square with narrowed eyes.

"Will do. Distraction is my middle name." Gwaine didn't question Merlin's need, as he smirked and winked.

"How about one where you don't get caught this time, Gwaine?" Leon smiled.

"Says the one who gave me the job last time." Gwaine patted Percival on the shoulder, and the large knight followed his friend back around the corner of a building, and down an alley.

"What are you after?" Leon asked, once the other two had gone.

Merlin pointed to the half-burned scroll box. It looked like it had been covered in dark silk, with a bit of padding inside to help protect the treasured parchment within.

Leon nodded and then pointed toward another place in the fire. "...Another one, there."

"What the..." Merlin's lips turned up in disdain. He hissed out a curse. "Damnit, Gwaine...I said a 'distraction,' not a huge scene!"

Leon barely managed to stifle a laugh. Gwaine was on the other side of the square, coming out of a side street next to the local pub; tankard in his hand and a mischievous grin on his face.

Merlin stared at the motionless people. It was like some weird form of modern art. His heart went out to each one of them. A man here: just preparing to draw his bow to shoot an immobile bird out of the sky. A woman there: looking frantically ahead at a child she might never reach; her arms stretched out in front of her. Her eyes glistened, as she tried to call her son back. There was an older man with a book he'd been so engrossed in, that he hadn't been paying attention to where he was walking.

From Merlin's spot at the edge of the odd phenomenon, he counted at least thirty people who were trapped. The leaves in the trees above seemed to sway in the wind; a facade perpetrated by the alien technology that held everyone inside captive. The illusion was betrayed by the insects and birds that hovered, frozen, in the air.

"Temporal dilation field." Leon said, coming along side his friend. "It could go on for miles, in either direction."

Merlin nodded, grasping only the basic concept of what Leon was explaining. It was a trap; set in place by the Ancient known as Morgan Le Fey. The 'field' perceptibly stopped time. Although, that in itself, was only an illusion. He could feel that now. The people trapped inside were still alive...still moving...but, it was so slowly that it couldn't be seen with the naked eye. Much like his magic that halted things in mid-air: the object still moved, yet it was completely outside the normal progression of time. The men, women, and creatures stranded probably had no concept of the world passing by outside of the area.

Gwaine and Percival were crouched near the edge, studying the ground and speaking quietly.

"SG-1 came this way. I'm certain of it," Gwaine stated loudly. He pointed to a barely visible track, left by combat boots that appeared to walk directly into the field. "They must have found a way through. Might be only a couple of hours ahead of us, at most."

Moving away from the time field, Merlin sat down under a tree. He dug through his pack, while the others attempted to figure out how to get through. He carefully extracted his treasures, which had been rescued from the flames in the nearby town.

Gwaine and Percival had managed to get the attention of the guards around the fire by starting a tavern brawl, of all things.

Using his magic, the warlock had summoned the smoldering scroll cases, and what remained of their contents to him. Once they had been secured, he had caused the pile of embers to flare, turning the guards, who had been laughing at Gwaine's spectacle, back to the remains of the fire.

A few minutes later, they had regrouped at the edge of town, where Merlin took a quick look at the contents. The one in the worst shape, was the blackened edge of a map. It showed the town and the basic direction they should follow. Leon had argued that it could have been any map, but Merlin's gut instinct told him it was the one they needed.

Unfortunately, there was only enough left to get them started, and the area they were now in, was uncharted territory. He glanced back to where the people stood, frozen in the forest, and pulled out the second scroll fragment. Using a hint of magic, he smoothed it out and tried to repair what he could of the ashes. At the widest point, the unscorched part of the scroll was less than two inches. A few other random pieces made what little writing he could see, even more confusing.

"Were you able to save anything worthwhile?" Leon asked, sinking to the ground near Merlin.

The warlock shrugged, "From what little I can discern, it appears to be a list of virtues. Only in the language of the Ancients."

"Kind of like: Courage, Magic, and Strength, eh?" Gwaine said as he and Percival approached them.

Merlin sniggered, recalling the bridge. "Something like that."

"Well, we needed all three of those to get through that quest. Maybe these..." He pointed at the blackened remains of the parchment. "...Are the ones we need to get through the defenses."

Leon scanned the pieces, over Merlin's shoulder. He pointed at one word he was able to distinguish. "Perhaps, it would be 'prudent' to follow the tracks SG-1 left. They obviously managed to get through the field."

Nodding thoughtfully, Merlin glanced back at the area. "I can sense places where the distortion appears to wane. Between that and the footprints...I think we might have a chance."

Gwaine smiled and held out his hand to help Merlin stand. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Much to their relief, the temporal distortion field had a labyrinthine path winding through it. Once they were past the initial few turns, it was obvious that someone ahead of them had resorted to more primitive methods of finding their way through. Occasional rocks had been suspended in mid-air, marking invisible walls of the frozen time. Once they were through, the four men continued on their way.

"What is that?" Gwaine paused. He motioned the the area ahead of them.

In the center of a clearing sat a lone, treasure chest. A myriad of feet had recently trampled around the area, almost as if they had been stuck near the chest. It was small, similar to a medieval lockbox that would have been tucked under the beds of the nobles back in Camelot.

"Do we check it out?" Leon looked at Merlin, waiting for him to make the decision.

Shrugging, the warlock really had no idea what the situation was, or what they might be facing. The fact that SG-1 was no longer trapped, meant that if it was a trap, there was obviously a way out. Percival had skirted the area and was on the other side of the clearing. "There are tracks here, but..."

"But, what?" The ancient knight asked.

"These are not SG-1's tracks. They seem to be the same boots the Jaffa wear, and appear to be a few days old, at least."

The four men scoured the surrounding area, and were surprised to find that those were the only tracks leading away from the clearing. There was no sign of where SG-1 would have gone to, beyond the chest.

"What do we do now?" Gwaine's eyes were squinted, as he surveyed the clearing, before they landed back on the chest.

Merlin shrugged. If this was another test left by the Ancient, Morgan Le Fey, there was only one option left. "We open it."

Cautiously, Merlin reached his hand toward the latch, and paused.

"Expecting something to jump out and bite you?" Gwaine asked, noting the hesitation.

Merlin chuckled, because that had been the thought running through his head. Memories of various ferocious creatures, that resided in an altered dimension within a similar chests, were clear in his mind. "Indeed, Gwaine."

The younger man strode forward with a smirk, and flipped open the lid. The moment he did, a force field sprung up around the four men. "Well, that explains why all the tracks were dancing around in a circle here."

Just as the chest had been centuries before, this one was also empty at first glance. Reaching back through his memory, Merlin was surprised to recall the words that were used. Closing the lid, Merlin shut his eyes and cast a spell. "Gebiede ic þone feorhberend þære ealdaþ æ!"

Another spell was on his lips, the one that would destroy the chest, if need be. He stepped back and motioned for Gwaine to open it. Leon and Percival held their weapons ready, unsure of what to expect.

Gwaine flinched and jumped back, raising his rifle, prepared to shoot whatever Merlin was expecting to come through.

Chuckles of relief escaped them all, when they saw that the box remained empty.

"That was rather anticlimactic." Leon said, clapping Merlin on the back. He immediately grasped his friend's shoulder, as Merlin shifted clumsily from the brotherly pat. Although, many of the spells Merlin had been using appeared rather simple, it didn't stop Leon's concern for the other man. "You holding up alright?"

"Yeah, just disappointed more than anything," he responded, staring at the chest. "First time I saw one of these, it had a manticore in it."

"...And the last time?" Percival asked, feeling the inside of the chest.

"You don't want to know."

"So, if there is nothing in the chest, how do we use it to get out of this trap?" Gwaine questioned, tossing a rock at the force field. He watched the invisible wall glow and ripple, while the stone fell harmlessly back to the ground.

Leon scratched at his chin. "Can I see that scroll again, Merlin?"

Pulling it out of his pack, Merlin carefully unrolled the crinkled remains of the parchment, watching as few pieces of cold ash fluttered to the ground. He passed it over to Leon, who had been reading the alien languages for much longer than he had been.

The ancient knight began reading what he could discern around the singed parts out loud. Sadly, not a single complete line of text had survived. "'Only those virtue true...reach the flawed and tainted...speak the guardian's name.' That's all I can make out from the first section. The second is a bit clearer: 'The true man...prudence, wis...' probably wisdom '...charity and...' some word that begins with the letter 'f.'"

"Since the chest is empty, what would happen if we put something into it?" Percival suggested. Even in Camelot, the large man had always been among the most giving of the knights. He saw Gwaine's raised eyebrow and decided to clarify, "Charity. I know...it's a foreign concept for you."

It hadn't taken long for the four men to realized that they each needed to leave an item inside the chest. The moment the lid closed, the force field had fallen. Outside the circle of its containment, the tracks had changed. No longer did they see their own tracks leading to the chest, nor the Jaffa's footprints leading away. Instead, the trail they had been following, that of SG-1 had reappeared. Throughout the day they had determined that SG-1 was not alone, at least one other set of footprints traveled with them.

The new set, leading away from the chest and out of the forest, had been joined by yet one more pair of footprints. They assumed that someone, possibly one of the Jaffa or even Ba'al himself, had been trapped with the chest, since they saw no other sign of the Goa'uld's presence.

As they reached the edge of the forest, a large meadow spread out ahead of them, and in the distance, a lone mountain stood tall against the blue sky. Cautiously, they continued tracking SG-1 to the base of the mountain, and paused for only a moment before a cave opening. Pulling out their torches, they walked in carefully.

Merlin paused briefly. He felt like a blanket had been pulled over him. His magic and inherent abilities were suddenly muffled. Shaking it off, he kept the issue to himself, as they moved deeper into the cave.

A few yards in and the cavern split into two paths. A stone tablet, in the language of the Ancients, was carved into the wall ahead of them. "Choose the way that is just and true." While they stood debating, they heard a child crying from the left passage. Percival was the first to react, not caring which way they were supposed to go; his only thought being the welfare of the child. The others sped along after their friend, until they found their way barred by an iron gate.

On the other side, a small boy was curled up in a ball, sobbing.

They didn't need to argue, as each of them knew saving the child took priority over their current quest. Together they lifted the gate to free the boy, only to discover he was a hologram...and another test.

That was when they found another stone plaque with a riddle on it. As they read it, the cavern began shaking, blocking their way out.

Leon's time of traveling the stars had taught him the ability to speak in the Ancient dialects, as many worlds still referred to the language for various reasons. He read the riddle, translating it out loud for the others. "I'm struck and cut, shaped and cooled, then bound by rings to release what's stored."*

"Wow, way to go all 'Lords of the Rings' here!"

Merlin shook his head. "Nice reference there, Gwaine."

The cavern shuddered and quaked around them. Leon rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Do any one of you have a clue what it means?"

"Yep." Gwaine replied with a smile. "It's a key."

"Clavia." Leon said in the alien language. The wall with the inscription disappeared and a new tunnel was open before them. The shaking increased, threatening to bury them in the cave if they didn't move quickly.

The moment they were all in the new section, the wall behind them reformed. Finding another panel, Leon read the new words. "I shake the earth with booming thunder; fell forests whole and homes complete! I influence ships, topple kings, sweep down swift yet remain unseen!"

"Wind." The warlock stated, without hesitation.

Once again, the ancient knight spoke the answer in Ancient. "Ventio." The wall n front of them melted away.

As they entered the next room, the shaking increased. The roar and grumbling of the mountain, as it was rocked by unseen forces, was near-deafening. Barely discernible over the earthquake were voices ahead of them.

"Battle-scarred in times of strife. Resistant to… resistant to…" Came the frantic voice of Daniel Jackson.

"To what?" Vala asked, just as nervously.

"Uh, I don't know. I...I can't translate this section of the text."

Another voice, young and feminine, hastily yelled out a word. "Contagia!"

The world around them went still. The wall opened up in front of them. Adria walked through with a smug smile, not even noticing that they had been joined by others coming in from behind them, and was followed closely by Daniel and Vala.

"Well, Mister Dallon," Mitchell said with a smirk, emphasizing the civilian title. "I was wondering if you boys were going to show up to the party." He held out his hand and Gwaine clasped it in greeting. "I don't see the boss man with ya."

"Naw. He had to stay behind for some family stuff." Glancing around, Gwaine gave a friendly nod to Teal'c, who returned the gesture. His smiled turned into a scowl when his eyes came to rest on the Goa'uld with them.

"Sirs Gwaine and Leon." Ba'al said with an arrogant smirk. "I must say Sir Gwaine, you've healed rather well since our last meeting. Who are your friends?" His eyes fell on Percival and Merlin.

Both Leon and Gwaine had their weapons pointed at the Goa'uld, when Jackson's voice called to them all through the open doorway. "Guys! We may have a problem!"

Following Mitchell through the tunnel, none of them were surprised when it closed up behind them.

"I don't believe we have been properly introduced..." Ba'al gave his most professional smile and held out his hand.

Merlin glanced briefly at it, but didn't move to take it. "No, we haven't." He left the Goa'uld standing awkwardly and moved over to Dr. Jackson. He raised his arm to shield his face from the wall of fire that barred their way. "A bit toasty, eh?"

"Yeah...and I can't seem to find anything like the previous rooms, in the way of a riddle." He spread his arms towards the rough stone walls.

Adria's voice, though soft, seemed to carry through the cavern, and over the sound of the flames. "I know you..." She was staring at Merlin. Her dark eyes were wide with a deep-seated fear that came from a soul that was not completely her own. "I remember hearing your voice."

"Adria. Ba'al. This is Colonel Emrys." Mitchell informed the two aliens. Seeing the concern in the faces of the knights, he explained, "Ole Daniel here likes to pick up strays along the way, and bring them home...even if they do have a tendency to bite."

Merlin gave them a brief nod, before turning back to the fire. He kept his breathing steady, although his heart was racing with nervous energy. Part of him wanted to acknowledge Adria and the anxiety that was present in her voice. However, pushing the issue of her hidden depths, in such a small cavern could prove to be rather volatile, especially with the knowledge of her Ori-given powers. The last thing he needed was for her to turn on him in the close confines of the room.

"That is a rather beautiful sword you have on your hip, Colonel Emrys...or should I call you King Arthur?" Ba'al stated in his arrogant voice. The smirk on his face announcing that he believed he had figured out the puzzle.

Snickers erupted from the three knights, but before anyone could respond, Adria spoke up again. "No...he's not the fabled king. He's the servant." Her voice deepened and filled with disdain.

The corner of Merlin's mouth twitched. It was still Adria's voice, and it was her face that sneered at him, but in the recesses of her dark eyes, he began to see a familiar spirit burning.

"As fascinating at this is, we need to find a way past the fire." Colonel Carter said, breaking the tension.

Jackson immediately turned back to the task at hand. "The parchment told us that five virtues would guide us in our quest for the Sangraal: prudence, kindness, charity, wisdom, and faith. Now, we displayed prudence in finding a way out of the temporal maze; charity in escaping the forcefield trap; kindness by helping the child and finding the hidden passageway, and wisdom in solving the riddles. The only virtue left is faith."*

"Faith is something I've always had." Merlin gave a soft smile. He met Jackson's eyes, and they shared the same conclusion. "Would you like to go first, or shall I?"

The archeologist blinked and stared at the red flames blocking their path. Without another word, he moved forward. Merlin was barely a step behind him, while the others cried out various warnings. The two men passed directly through the fire...and the flames disappeared.

As the others filed into the next room, after seeing Merlin and Jackson uninjured, they found themselves on a stone shelf overlooking a vast chasm.

In the center was a stone platform, surrounded by the abyss. On top of that was a dais, and in the center...shining bright and red...was the Sangraal Crystal.

Merlin stared at the jewel. It looked it the exact same as the one that had hung around the neck of Moros' hologram. He felt Leon brush against his shoulder and he looked up into his friend's eyes. Leon gave a minescule shake of his head. Even without his magic, Merlin could sense...or rather, not sense...the presence of the crystal.

Months prior, Leon had mentioned two crystals in his possession. Merlin nodded in understanding. One of those data crystals, the ancient knight had explained, was different - in that it he had never found a control panel that was able to read the data. It made sense to Merlin now...Leon already had the Sangraal in his possession.

Mitchell was discussing the situation with Jackson, while the others made various comments about the narrow path spanning the dark expanse of nothingness below.

They watched as Adria, no longer concerned with the recent re-emergence of her memories, crossed to the dais. Jackson was with her, and although they couldn't hear their words, it was clear the two were arguing about something concerning what Merlin already suspected was a hologram of the crystal.

"What's the hold-up?"* Mitchell called out, his voice echoing in the vast chamber. Jackson didn't respond, still in his heated discussion with Adria.

Merlin chuckled, he finally remembered where he had seen a similar cavern, but without the bridge. He glanced at Leon. "You remember the dragon's cave?"

The blond knight paused and looked around the place with new eyes. "Bloody hell..." He turned to the other knights and whispered for them to be ready. A bad feeling crept into his spine.

Jackson finally took a step forward and made a grab for the Sangraal. His hand passed right through the hologram of the crystal. A loud grating sound, followed by a roar, resounded from the depths of the abyss and the cavern began to shake again.

"Is it just me?" Gwaine muttered, with a grin towards Merlin. "...Or, did that sound like a pheasant?"

Jackson and Vala had rushed back to the ledge with the others; Mitchell calling for everyone to get out of there. The way they had come in through had disappeared, becoming a solid wall of stone.

Merlin felt his heart quicken at a sound he hadn't heard for so long. Large, leathery wings pressed against the air, lifting the form of the ancient beast.

Vala's fearful voice cut through the noise. "We agreed there's no such thing as a dragon, right?"*

He didn't hear anyone elses response. His blue eyes were wide with wonder and anticipation as the creature rose above them. It was neither a dragon, nor what Gwaine had referred to as a pheasant. He hoped it would have at least been a wyvren; some form of kin to the dragons. What he saw was an odd, hybrid creature, obviously created simply for the purpose of guarding this cavern. The dragon-like wings replaced the front legs, making it seem deformed.

Merlin stood mesmerized by the beast. He reached out to it, just as it took a breath. Flames surrounded them and he instinctively reached for his magic through the dampening sensation and threw up a shield.