As Time, Unending (Ancient History Challenge) 3/3
As Time, Unending
Pairings: John/Rodney, Rodney/Elizabeth
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: AU Character Death
Summary: John is taken as a slave in the war with Geldar and gifted to the Princess Elizabeth. Rodney is the ship’s captain who loves him. Can they find happiness in a world torn by war and hate?
Words: 18,000+
Author’s Notes: While this is nominally set on Earth (at least in my head), I have chosen to not use Earth-bound countries that anyone would recognize for my fic. Instead, I have chosen to name my countries Hallona and Geldar. Any resemblance to the countries of Hallona and Geldar from the SGA episode ‘The Game’ is purely coincidental.
~~~~~
John paced the small room waiting for Rodney anxiously. He had no doubt that the man would come. He just hoped that Rodney would listen and help him. There was no reason he should. This plan of Teyla’s was dangerous for all of them, but most especially for Rodney. They were slaves and had nothing to lose but their lives. Rodney had so much more to lose. He was willing to give up all that he had for John. John hoped that Rodney loved him enough to give up even more than that.
The door opened and Rodney stepped in. He went to John and kissed him hungrily before pulling him close.
“I have thought of you all day,” he said. “We need to leave today, before my wedding tomorrow. Everything is arranged. The boat is ready at the dock and all is prepared for us.”
Just for a moment John allowed himself to enjoy the arms surrounding him, the warmth of the body pressed against his. He wanted this, he wanted to go with Rodney and have this every day, but his father was going to die and John could not allow that.
“Rodney, I need to ask you something.” John pulled away so he could look into Rodney’s eyes.
“Anything,” Rodney said immediately.
John took a deep breath and shook his head. “No, don’t say that until I tell you what I want.” He took a step back so that he was no longer inhaling Rodney’s scent. He needed to have all his senses about him, and Rodney’s closeness was distracting.
“John?” Rodney asked, concern shining in his eyes.
“The king of Hallona has been taken prisoner, Rodney. Your people are going to kill him.”
Apprehension began to dawn in Rodney’s eyes. They were such expressive eyes. They always showed exactly what he was feeling; it was one of the things that John loved about him.
“I know,” Rodney confessed quietly. “John, I know you want to do something to help him, he is your king. But there’s nothing anyone can do.”
“You are wrong, Rodney. You can help him. As you love me, Rodney, you have to help him escape.”
Rodney took a step back. “John, don’t ask me to do this. If they find out about this, they will kill us. There’s nothing we can do. Come away with me. Now. This moment.”
John shook his head sorrowfully. “I can’t, Rodney, he’s my king. Hallona has already lost their prince, if they lose their king, too, they will be lost. You have to help me.”
Rodney turned away, “John, don’t ask me this.”
John stepped forward putting his arms around him, resting his head on his shoulder, “If not you, then who, Rodney?”
Rodney gave a shaky laugh, “Sometimes I wonder who is the slave here and who is the master, John.”
“Does that mean…?” John asked barely daring to hope.
“Tell me your plan,” Rodney said as he turned and took John’s hand.
~~~~~~
Ronon accompanied John as he went to the slaves’ quarters for the last time before they escaped. He didn’t like it. He thought that John should stay near the princess where he had at least the illusion of safety.
But John insisted that he would go even if he had to go alone, and so Ronon went with him. It was his duty to protect the Sheppard. And John was his friend, he would not have allowed him to go alone.
The moment they walked into the hall where meals were took, Ronon knew that something was wrong. It was normally a noisy place with the people trading stories of their day, there was always much laughter in spite of the fact that they were slaves. But this day, it was silent. The slaves sat eating their meal, very obviously not looking at one another.
Ronon tried to nudge John out again, but he shook his head stubbornly. He went to the common table and took a plate and filled it. Ronon followed him with a sigh. They sat at a table full of people and began to eat.
“What’s wrong?” John asked the man sitting next to him, a slave named Markham.
He gave a surreptitious glance around to make sure they were unobserved. Ronon followed his gaze but could see nothing amiss. “They’re here,” Markham whispered, staring at his plate.
John looked around, too, and shrugged at Ronon before turning back to Markham. “They?” he prompted nudging he man with his shoulder.
“The palace guard,” he mumbled trying to appear as if he wasn’t really talking at all. “They’re looking for someone, they won’t tell us who…”
The door burst open and the guards entered the room swaggering. John and Ronon exchanged glances before doing as everyone else was and turning their attention to their food.
The guard prowled through the room. One of them stepped up on a table and people scrambled to get out of his way. “We want the slave named John,” he said. “There’s a reward in it for whoever tells us where he is.”
They all knew who John was. The entire room sat in silence.
Markham alone stood up, “John belongs to the princess. Shouldn’t you talk with her?”
The guard who had spoken jumped lightly from the table and sauntered over to Markham. “The thing is, this isn’t the princess’ business, or yours slave. Just tell us who he is and we will leave without hurting anyone here.”
Markham glared at the man, refusing to back down.
The guard pulled out his knife and laid it delicately on Markham’s chest, “Or don’t tell us who he is and we’ll start by killing you, it doesn’t matter to me.”
John could see that the man was serious. He tensed to stand, but Ronon’s hand on his shoulder held him down.
Ronon stood, “I am John,” he snarled.
The guard made his way to Ronon. “Are you?”
Ronon nodded. “I am.”
The guard nodded and turned away for a moment before whirling back a second later. There was a flash of a knife that buried itself in Ronon’s chest. Ronon stared down at the stain of red that spread across his chest.
With a nod to the rest of his men, the guard pulled the knife from Ronon’s chest wiping the blade across his arm. Just as swiftly as they had entered, the guard departed.
Ronon collapsed to the table. John ripped the cloth from his own shirt and pressed it to the wound.
“Someone find Carson, see if he’s here,” he shouted.
Ronon’s hand found his. “No good,” he said.
“Why did you do that?” John shouted at him trying to stem the flow of blood. They both knew it was useless but John had to do something.
Ronon shook his head, “Because you’re the Sheppard,” he said, his eyes closing for the final time.
John laid his head down on his friend’s chest and didn’t move until Teyla came and took him away.
~~~~~
The wedding of the Princess Elizabeth and her handsome Captain was to be the biggest event Geldar had ever known.
It was the morning of her wedding and Elizabeth sat looking in the mirror. She was surprised to see the beautiful bride that looked back at her.
“Are you happy, my Lady?” Teyla asked as she scurried around at her feet adjusting lace and folds of cloth. She knelt back on her knees to peer up at Elizabeth.
“Do you know about them?” Elizabeth asked. Her eyes followed John as he left the room on an errand. He had been silent and withdrawn all morning, barely speaking to anyone.
Teyla’s whole body stilled. “Them?” she asked delicately, carefully, not giving anything away.
“About Rodney and John.”
Teyla took a breath and her eyes widened in surprise. But she didn’t attempt to lie to Elizabeth. “You know?”
Elizabeth nodded unhappily. “I just… I saw Rodney slipping down the corridor so carefully one day like he didn’t want anyone to see him. I followed him, I don’t know why and… I saw them… They were kissing.” Elizabeth thought she might cry. She bit her lip trying to keep the tears from falling.
“I am sorry, My Lady, I know that neither of them wanted to hurt you in this. The heart will love who it will.” Teyla twitched a fold of cloth, smoothing it nervously with her fingers. “What are you going to do?” she asked.
“Do?” Elizabeth repeated, unable to think of anything except of her broken heart.
Teyla spoke slowly, choosing her words careful, “Well, you could refuse to marry Rodney, tell what you know. He has hurt you, after all.”
“No, Teyla,” Elizabeth was horrified at the suggestion. “He would be shamed publicly. And my father would have John beaten, if not killed outright. I love Rodney. I can not hurt him like that.”
Teyla looked up at Elizabeth, her eyes brimming with love, “You are going to be a great queen, My Lady,” she said.
Elizabeth bit her lip, the hurt tearing her from the inside. She would be a queen without a king. “I must marry Rodney. He has not come to me to say he wants to call it off. So I will marry him, and then we will talk afterwards.”
Teyla nodded. There was something more in her eyes, but Elizabeth did not press. Her heart was sore enough for one day. It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Instead it would be nothing but a shallow mockery. She stood and allowed Teyla to adjust the folds of the gown around her.
~~~~~
The church was filled to overflowing with guests come to behold the splendor of Geldar’s princess marrying her childhood sweetheart. It was such a romantic tale and the people sighed as Elizabeth walked through the streets in her beautiful gown looking every inch the royal princess on her way to marry her fairy tale prince.
Teyla followed along behind her mistress, her heart heavy. She knew what was going to happen, it was, after all, her plan. It would hurt Elizabeth even more than she was already hurt, but there was nothing else Teyla could do. As much as Teyla loved Elizabeth, she loved Hallona and her people more.
She had tried to make her peace with being a slave. Elizabeth had been nothing but kind to her. But when John had stepped into the princess’s household, Teyla had known that her life would be changed forever.
Before being taken as a slave, Teyla had been the daughter of a minor lord in the household of the king of Hallona. She had grown up seeing John in the corridors of the palace. She had even had a small infatuation with him before she was captured and taken as a slave to Geldar.
In the months following her capture as a slave, Teyla had dreamed that the Sheppard would ride to her rescue and declare his love for her. But it hadn’t happened. Instead, he had arrived as a slave like her and he was in love with one of their captors.
Despite that, he was still the Sheppard in the way he cared about their people. There was no reason for him to go to the slave’s quarters. He had his own room in the palace, as did she. But he went there nonetheless to offer comfort, a gift of himself freely given. He took them food and cast off items that were of no use to the palace - but the worn out blankets were still warm enough, the clothing no longer wanted could be turned into something else, the smashed lanterns still had use and the little bits of candles could be melted together and eeked out a bit longer. It was all treasure to the slaves. And even though they did not know John’s true identity, he was loved by them all the same. It was her love for the Sheppard and Hallona that forced Teyla to betray her mistress.
Teyla did not see any sign of anger or malice in Elizabeth’s beautiful face as she stepped up onto the dais at the front of the church to join Rodney, putting her hand into his. Rodney looked sad and lost, but he smiled bravely when he saw Elizabeth coming up the aisle towards him. The people in the church murmured because they saw nothing but how beautiful Elizabeth looked, how handsome Rodney appeared in his uniform.
As soon as the couple stood hand in hand, the service began: words were murmured and vows exchanged, songs were sung. Through it all Teyla listened, for what she did not know. As long as the wedding continued then everything was alright.
Half way through the ceremony, the disturbance she dreaded happened. The door of the church was flung open and soldiers poured in from the back of the room. The priest came to an abrupt halt and stared at them in outrage. Those seated in the back moved away from the soldiers in fear.
The king pushed himself up from his place at the front of the church. “What is this?” he demanded.
Lorne came forward to kneel at his feet. “I am sorry to interrupt, Your Majesty, but we need the captain right away. The king of Hallona has escaped from his cell.”
Teyla’s heart began to beat faster; this was not part of the plan.
Rodney kissed Elizabeth on the cheek. “I will be back,” he promised. He was a terrible liar; Teyla could read the lie in his eyes. She held her breath as she waited for Elizabeth’s reply.
Elizabeth leaned in to Rodney and whispered just loudly enough for Teyla to hear, “Be happy, my love.” She stepped away and released his hand.
Rodney blinked at her, unable to move for a moment he was so surprised by her words. Then he turned to follow Lorne down the aisle.
~~~~~
Outside the church Rodney paused. It was unexpected that anyone would discover the king of Hallona wasn’t in his cell before they were all safely escaped, but the plan wasn’t too far gone that Rodney didn’t think he could fix it. Lorne stood expectantly, waiting for his orders. The rest of his men waited patiently, trusting Rodney as they always had. He felt a pang of guilt at betraying their trust. Ruthlessly he pushed it aside. This was for John. Everything was for John now.
“Lorne, I want you to take your men and search the prison. The king might have found somewhere to hide there and he’s just waiting for us to leave before he makes good his escape,” Rodney ordered his second-in-command.
Rodney thought Lorne might object. He was confident that his second-in-command had already searched the prison thoroughly. He braced himself, ready to bludgeon the other man with his words until he capitulated. But it wasn’t necessary. With a tight nod, Lorne nodded and turned on his heel, beckoning for his men to follow him.
Rodney turned towards the dock and tried not to run.
~~~~~
When he reached the dock, all was quiet. There was no sign that anything untoward was happening. Two men waited there as Rodney approached.
“John?” he called hesitantly.
John turned as did the other man. Rodney’s breath stuttered as he caught sight of the king of Hallona for the first time and saw him side-by-side with John. The resemblance was unmistakable.
“Rodney?” John took a step forward. “Is everything alright?”
Rodney shook his head, “No, they’ve discovered your father is gone. We’ve got to hurry.”
“How did you know?” John asked.
Rodney snorted, “Oh, please, you both even have the same crazy hair.” Both men reached for their hair with the same aborted movement. “Hurry now, you can explain it to me later how you are the Sheppard of Hallona and you never thought to tell that to the person you were sleeping with.”
The king raised an eyebrow in the direction of his son, but he didn’t say anything.
Rodney led the way past Atlantis with a pang of regret. There was no way he could escape on her. He would miss her a lot, but she was large and unwieldy and it would take too much crew to manager her. They hurried instead toward a smaller ship sitting docked by itself far away from the other ships at the end of the pier. Behind them there was a shout. Rodney looked back the way he had come to see armed men heading in their direction.
“Go,” he said to John. He turned back to see if he could head off the pursuit.
John looked like he might object before he turned and obediently did as Rodney asked. It was the only piece of good fortune that Rodney expected. All he could hope for now was to try and to stall the guards long enough for John and his father to escape. They’d never had a chance to be happy, not really. They couldn’t buy their happiness by ignoring their duty.
Rodney wasn’t even surprised to find Kavanagh leading the men who were headed for the docks.
“Why, brother,” Kavanagh called out in greeting. “Imagine finding you here. And isn’t that the king of Hallona you were just talking to?”
“You know it was,” Rodney snapped at his brother. “I guess this means I won’t be marrying the Princess after all. So much for your plans to be the power behind the throne.” Rodney almost knew a moment of triumph at the look of pure hatred on Kavanauh’s face.
“You always thought you were so smart,” Kavanagh snarled. “Well you aren’t the only one in the family with a brain, Brother.” Kavanagh waved at something behind Rodney.
Rodney whirled to see soldiers pouring off one of the ships moored next to Atlantis. They were too close to John and his father. There was no way that they were going to be able to make it to the safety of the boat waiting for them.
Rodney shouted “John,” and took a step to go to their aid.
Kavanagh growled, “Take him.” The men with Kavanagh stepped forward catching Rodney firmly between them.
Rodney could only watch helplessly as John pushed his father towards the boat. Instead of trying to escape with him, John ran towards the soldiers surprising them long enough for John to grab a weapon from one them. He plunged the blade into the man’s heart and the man fell without making a sound. He swung the blade in a wide arc and the soldiers backed up warily to regroup. But it was only a momentary lull before they fell on John from all sides. He fought bravely and there would be more than one soldier of the army of Geldar bearing scars inflicted by John that day. He fought long enough that Rodney could see the little boat carrying his father sailing away.
Seeing the ship getting away, Kavanagh said spitefully, “They’ll never escape. The Atlantis will catch it.”
Rodney turned to his brother, “That’s where you are wrong, brother. That ship is the fastest we have. Providing the winds stay true and the weather good, they should reach Hallona in two day’s sailing.”
The crew on the ship was volunteers, sailors selected by John from among his own people. Rodney wished them Godspeed in his heart as he saw John fall to the soldiers who had overwhelmed him. They picked him up and he shuffled his feet trying to walk on his own.
Kavanagh’s face turned a satisfying shade of red. “Well at least I have you and your lover.”
When they drew near, Rodney shook free of the hands that held him and went to put a shoulder under John’s arm.
“Hey,” he said softly. “How you doing?”
John, the Sheppard of Hallona, smiled at Rodney, “My father is away, I am fine. You?”
“I almost got married today, but I’m better now.”
They walked back to the palace with Rodney supporting John’s weight. They were taken to the cell that John’s father had previously occupied and left there alone.
~~~~~
The Judgment room was packed with the same people who had come to see the wedding the day before. The story had quickly spread through the city of the lovers who had risked everything to help the king of Hallona escape. All of Geldar was there to be certain that they paid for that crime.
The king was brought in in his litter, too weak now to walk on his own. Elizabeth walked behind her father, already dressed as queen in royal robes. On her head rested the crown of Geldar. She sat in the throne and her father’s litter was placed next to her. The prisoners walked in slowly behind them. John was filthy and bloody but he walked with his head held high. He held hands with Rodney who still looked dashingly handsome in the same uniform he had stood to be married in.
Elizabeth felt as if she could die from the sorrow that was suffocating her when John and Rodney knelt in front of her. John smiled at her, that same confident smile he had given her that morning in her room when he told her that she would make a great queen. Rodney offered his crooked smile, the one she had fallen in love with because it meant he’d done something he was going to have to ask her forgiveness for. Her heart ached for them. Her father had already pronounced sentence on them. They were to die. There was only one more thing she could do for them. She stood with head held high as all eyes turned to her.
“I know that these two must be punished for their crimes against the people of Geldar. But as Rodney is my dear friend and John a slave in my household, it is my wish that they be allowed to die together. In this way perhaps they will go into the afterlife together, there to live as they were denied in life.”
The king nodded his head heavily. He was close to death. He would be dead before the day was over, Elizabeth thought. While she didn’t look forward to being queen, she was determined to be the best queen she could be. She would free the slaves and end the war with Geldar. Somehow she would bring peace to their two peoples. It was the last thing she could do for Rodney and John.
~~~~~
It was near to evening as they were taken to the docks for the final time. Teyla had visited them with Elizabeth’s last gift to them. In Rodney’s pocket was a vial procured from Carson and John carried a bottle of wine they would use for their last moments together. John offered Rodney his hand as they stepped onto the barge without looking back. They made their way to the bow of the ship where they sat facing the setting sun and Hallona.
There was no crowd on the dock to witness the execution of the sentence against the two men. It was just Elizabeth and Carson there, along with the new head of her armies - Lorne, and the men necessary to carry out the task at hand.
The line tethering the ship to the dock was cut and the barge was pushed out to sea. When they were a safe distance from the dock, one of the archers on the dock knocked his arrow and took aim. He let loose the flaming arrow and it landed with a solid thunk in the deck of their barge.
John took out the bottle and pulled out the cork. Rodney poured in the contents of his vial and they both drank. They sat in the bow of the little boat holding one another as the darkness stole over them swiftly.
“I’ll love you forever,” Rodney whispered as he felt his breath slowing.
“We will meet again,” John promised kissing the top of Rodney’s head for the last time.
~~~~~~
Elizabeth stood back watching in awe as the control chair lit up as they’d never seen it light up before.
Rodney was practically vibrating he was so excited. “Major, think about where we are in the solar system,” he instructed.
Above John’s head a map appeared, blooming like fireworks. Rodney would say that it was a 3D holographic map of the Milky Way Galaxy. Elizabeth would say that it was a miracle, like lovers reunited after being apart for a thousand years. There was a moment when John and Rodney’s eyes met and electricity crackled in the air.
“Did I do that?” John asked, his voice dazed and confused.
Elizabeth watched them in satisfaction. It had taken far longer than she’d thought possible but the lovers were finally reunited, and this time she was determined that they would not be separated again.
And the story begins anew…
Pairings: John/Rodney, Rodney/Elizabeth
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: AU Character Death
Summary: John is taken as a slave in the war with Geldar and gifted to the Princess Elizabeth. Rodney is the ship’s captain who loves him. Can they find happiness in a world torn by war and hate?
Words: 18,000+
Author’s Notes: While this is nominally set on Earth (at least in my head), I have chosen to not use Earth-bound countries that anyone would recognize for my fic. Instead, I have chosen to name my countries Hallona and Geldar. Any resemblance to the countries of Hallona and Geldar from the SGA episode ‘The Game’ is purely coincidental.
~~~~~
John paced the small room waiting for Rodney anxiously. He had no doubt that the man would come. He just hoped that Rodney would listen and help him. There was no reason he should. This plan of Teyla’s was dangerous for all of them, but most especially for Rodney. They were slaves and had nothing to lose but their lives. Rodney had so much more to lose. He was willing to give up all that he had for John. John hoped that Rodney loved him enough to give up even more than that.
The door opened and Rodney stepped in. He went to John and kissed him hungrily before pulling him close.
“I have thought of you all day,” he said. “We need to leave today, before my wedding tomorrow. Everything is arranged. The boat is ready at the dock and all is prepared for us.”
Just for a moment John allowed himself to enjoy the arms surrounding him, the warmth of the body pressed against his. He wanted this, he wanted to go with Rodney and have this every day, but his father was going to die and John could not allow that.
“Rodney, I need to ask you something.” John pulled away so he could look into Rodney’s eyes.
“Anything,” Rodney said immediately.
John took a deep breath and shook his head. “No, don’t say that until I tell you what I want.” He took a step back so that he was no longer inhaling Rodney’s scent. He needed to have all his senses about him, and Rodney’s closeness was distracting.
“John?” Rodney asked, concern shining in his eyes.
“The king of Hallona has been taken prisoner, Rodney. Your people are going to kill him.”
Apprehension began to dawn in Rodney’s eyes. They were such expressive eyes. They always showed exactly what he was feeling; it was one of the things that John loved about him.
“I know,” Rodney confessed quietly. “John, I know you want to do something to help him, he is your king. But there’s nothing anyone can do.”
“You are wrong, Rodney. You can help him. As you love me, Rodney, you have to help him escape.”
Rodney took a step back. “John, don’t ask me to do this. If they find out about this, they will kill us. There’s nothing we can do. Come away with me. Now. This moment.”
John shook his head sorrowfully. “I can’t, Rodney, he’s my king. Hallona has already lost their prince, if they lose their king, too, they will be lost. You have to help me.”
Rodney turned away, “John, don’t ask me this.”
John stepped forward putting his arms around him, resting his head on his shoulder, “If not you, then who, Rodney?”
Rodney gave a shaky laugh, “Sometimes I wonder who is the slave here and who is the master, John.”
“Does that mean…?” John asked barely daring to hope.
“Tell me your plan,” Rodney said as he turned and took John’s hand.
~~~~~~
Ronon accompanied John as he went to the slaves’ quarters for the last time before they escaped. He didn’t like it. He thought that John should stay near the princess where he had at least the illusion of safety.
But John insisted that he would go even if he had to go alone, and so Ronon went with him. It was his duty to protect the Sheppard. And John was his friend, he would not have allowed him to go alone.
The moment they walked into the hall where meals were took, Ronon knew that something was wrong. It was normally a noisy place with the people trading stories of their day, there was always much laughter in spite of the fact that they were slaves. But this day, it was silent. The slaves sat eating their meal, very obviously not looking at one another.
Ronon tried to nudge John out again, but he shook his head stubbornly. He went to the common table and took a plate and filled it. Ronon followed him with a sigh. They sat at a table full of people and began to eat.
“What’s wrong?” John asked the man sitting next to him, a slave named Markham.
He gave a surreptitious glance around to make sure they were unobserved. Ronon followed his gaze but could see nothing amiss. “They’re here,” Markham whispered, staring at his plate.
John looked around, too, and shrugged at Ronon before turning back to Markham. “They?” he prompted nudging he man with his shoulder.
“The palace guard,” he mumbled trying to appear as if he wasn’t really talking at all. “They’re looking for someone, they won’t tell us who…”
The door burst open and the guards entered the room swaggering. John and Ronon exchanged glances before doing as everyone else was and turning their attention to their food.
The guard prowled through the room. One of them stepped up on a table and people scrambled to get out of his way. “We want the slave named John,” he said. “There’s a reward in it for whoever tells us where he is.”
They all knew who John was. The entire room sat in silence.
Markham alone stood up, “John belongs to the princess. Shouldn’t you talk with her?”
The guard who had spoken jumped lightly from the table and sauntered over to Markham. “The thing is, this isn’t the princess’ business, or yours slave. Just tell us who he is and we will leave without hurting anyone here.”
Markham glared at the man, refusing to back down.
The guard pulled out his knife and laid it delicately on Markham’s chest, “Or don’t tell us who he is and we’ll start by killing you, it doesn’t matter to me.”
John could see that the man was serious. He tensed to stand, but Ronon’s hand on his shoulder held him down.
Ronon stood, “I am John,” he snarled.
The guard made his way to Ronon. “Are you?”
Ronon nodded. “I am.”
The guard nodded and turned away for a moment before whirling back a second later. There was a flash of a knife that buried itself in Ronon’s chest. Ronon stared down at the stain of red that spread across his chest.
With a nod to the rest of his men, the guard pulled the knife from Ronon’s chest wiping the blade across his arm. Just as swiftly as they had entered, the guard departed.
Ronon collapsed to the table. John ripped the cloth from his own shirt and pressed it to the wound.
“Someone find Carson, see if he’s here,” he shouted.
Ronon’s hand found his. “No good,” he said.
“Why did you do that?” John shouted at him trying to stem the flow of blood. They both knew it was useless but John had to do something.
Ronon shook his head, “Because you’re the Sheppard,” he said, his eyes closing for the final time.
John laid his head down on his friend’s chest and didn’t move until Teyla came and took him away.
~~~~~
The wedding of the Princess Elizabeth and her handsome Captain was to be the biggest event Geldar had ever known.
It was the morning of her wedding and Elizabeth sat looking in the mirror. She was surprised to see the beautiful bride that looked back at her.
“Are you happy, my Lady?” Teyla asked as she scurried around at her feet adjusting lace and folds of cloth. She knelt back on her knees to peer up at Elizabeth.
“Do you know about them?” Elizabeth asked. Her eyes followed John as he left the room on an errand. He had been silent and withdrawn all morning, barely speaking to anyone.
Teyla’s whole body stilled. “Them?” she asked delicately, carefully, not giving anything away.
“About Rodney and John.”
Teyla took a breath and her eyes widened in surprise. But she didn’t attempt to lie to Elizabeth. “You know?”
Elizabeth nodded unhappily. “I just… I saw Rodney slipping down the corridor so carefully one day like he didn’t want anyone to see him. I followed him, I don’t know why and… I saw them… They were kissing.” Elizabeth thought she might cry. She bit her lip trying to keep the tears from falling.
“I am sorry, My Lady, I know that neither of them wanted to hurt you in this. The heart will love who it will.” Teyla twitched a fold of cloth, smoothing it nervously with her fingers. “What are you going to do?” she asked.
“Do?” Elizabeth repeated, unable to think of anything except of her broken heart.
Teyla spoke slowly, choosing her words careful, “Well, you could refuse to marry Rodney, tell what you know. He has hurt you, after all.”
“No, Teyla,” Elizabeth was horrified at the suggestion. “He would be shamed publicly. And my father would have John beaten, if not killed outright. I love Rodney. I can not hurt him like that.”
Teyla looked up at Elizabeth, her eyes brimming with love, “You are going to be a great queen, My Lady,” she said.
Elizabeth bit her lip, the hurt tearing her from the inside. She would be a queen without a king. “I must marry Rodney. He has not come to me to say he wants to call it off. So I will marry him, and then we will talk afterwards.”
Teyla nodded. There was something more in her eyes, but Elizabeth did not press. Her heart was sore enough for one day. It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Instead it would be nothing but a shallow mockery. She stood and allowed Teyla to adjust the folds of the gown around her.
~~~~~
The church was filled to overflowing with guests come to behold the splendor of Geldar’s princess marrying her childhood sweetheart. It was such a romantic tale and the people sighed as Elizabeth walked through the streets in her beautiful gown looking every inch the royal princess on her way to marry her fairy tale prince.
Teyla followed along behind her mistress, her heart heavy. She knew what was going to happen, it was, after all, her plan. It would hurt Elizabeth even more than she was already hurt, but there was nothing else Teyla could do. As much as Teyla loved Elizabeth, she loved Hallona and her people more.
She had tried to make her peace with being a slave. Elizabeth had been nothing but kind to her. But when John had stepped into the princess’s household, Teyla had known that her life would be changed forever.
Before being taken as a slave, Teyla had been the daughter of a minor lord in the household of the king of Hallona. She had grown up seeing John in the corridors of the palace. She had even had a small infatuation with him before she was captured and taken as a slave to Geldar.
In the months following her capture as a slave, Teyla had dreamed that the Sheppard would ride to her rescue and declare his love for her. But it hadn’t happened. Instead, he had arrived as a slave like her and he was in love with one of their captors.
Despite that, he was still the Sheppard in the way he cared about their people. There was no reason for him to go to the slave’s quarters. He had his own room in the palace, as did she. But he went there nonetheless to offer comfort, a gift of himself freely given. He took them food and cast off items that were of no use to the palace - but the worn out blankets were still warm enough, the clothing no longer wanted could be turned into something else, the smashed lanterns still had use and the little bits of candles could be melted together and eeked out a bit longer. It was all treasure to the slaves. And even though they did not know John’s true identity, he was loved by them all the same. It was her love for the Sheppard and Hallona that forced Teyla to betray her mistress.
Teyla did not see any sign of anger or malice in Elizabeth’s beautiful face as she stepped up onto the dais at the front of the church to join Rodney, putting her hand into his. Rodney looked sad and lost, but he smiled bravely when he saw Elizabeth coming up the aisle towards him. The people in the church murmured because they saw nothing but how beautiful Elizabeth looked, how handsome Rodney appeared in his uniform.
As soon as the couple stood hand in hand, the service began: words were murmured and vows exchanged, songs were sung. Through it all Teyla listened, for what she did not know. As long as the wedding continued then everything was alright.
Half way through the ceremony, the disturbance she dreaded happened. The door of the church was flung open and soldiers poured in from the back of the room. The priest came to an abrupt halt and stared at them in outrage. Those seated in the back moved away from the soldiers in fear.
The king pushed himself up from his place at the front of the church. “What is this?” he demanded.
Lorne came forward to kneel at his feet. “I am sorry to interrupt, Your Majesty, but we need the captain right away. The king of Hallona has escaped from his cell.”
Teyla’s heart began to beat faster; this was not part of the plan.
Rodney kissed Elizabeth on the cheek. “I will be back,” he promised. He was a terrible liar; Teyla could read the lie in his eyes. She held her breath as she waited for Elizabeth’s reply.
Elizabeth leaned in to Rodney and whispered just loudly enough for Teyla to hear, “Be happy, my love.” She stepped away and released his hand.
Rodney blinked at her, unable to move for a moment he was so surprised by her words. Then he turned to follow Lorne down the aisle.
~~~~~
Outside the church Rodney paused. It was unexpected that anyone would discover the king of Hallona wasn’t in his cell before they were all safely escaped, but the plan wasn’t too far gone that Rodney didn’t think he could fix it. Lorne stood expectantly, waiting for his orders. The rest of his men waited patiently, trusting Rodney as they always had. He felt a pang of guilt at betraying their trust. Ruthlessly he pushed it aside. This was for John. Everything was for John now.
“Lorne, I want you to take your men and search the prison. The king might have found somewhere to hide there and he’s just waiting for us to leave before he makes good his escape,” Rodney ordered his second-in-command.
Rodney thought Lorne might object. He was confident that his second-in-command had already searched the prison thoroughly. He braced himself, ready to bludgeon the other man with his words until he capitulated. But it wasn’t necessary. With a tight nod, Lorne nodded and turned on his heel, beckoning for his men to follow him.
Rodney turned towards the dock and tried not to run.
~~~~~
When he reached the dock, all was quiet. There was no sign that anything untoward was happening. Two men waited there as Rodney approached.
“John?” he called hesitantly.
John turned as did the other man. Rodney’s breath stuttered as he caught sight of the king of Hallona for the first time and saw him side-by-side with John. The resemblance was unmistakable.
“Rodney?” John took a step forward. “Is everything alright?”
Rodney shook his head, “No, they’ve discovered your father is gone. We’ve got to hurry.”
“How did you know?” John asked.
Rodney snorted, “Oh, please, you both even have the same crazy hair.” Both men reached for their hair with the same aborted movement. “Hurry now, you can explain it to me later how you are the Sheppard of Hallona and you never thought to tell that to the person you were sleeping with.”
The king raised an eyebrow in the direction of his son, but he didn’t say anything.
Rodney led the way past Atlantis with a pang of regret. There was no way he could escape on her. He would miss her a lot, but she was large and unwieldy and it would take too much crew to manager her. They hurried instead toward a smaller ship sitting docked by itself far away from the other ships at the end of the pier. Behind them there was a shout. Rodney looked back the way he had come to see armed men heading in their direction.
“Go,” he said to John. He turned back to see if he could head off the pursuit.
John looked like he might object before he turned and obediently did as Rodney asked. It was the only piece of good fortune that Rodney expected. All he could hope for now was to try and to stall the guards long enough for John and his father to escape. They’d never had a chance to be happy, not really. They couldn’t buy their happiness by ignoring their duty.
Rodney wasn’t even surprised to find Kavanagh leading the men who were headed for the docks.
“Why, brother,” Kavanagh called out in greeting. “Imagine finding you here. And isn’t that the king of Hallona you were just talking to?”
“You know it was,” Rodney snapped at his brother. “I guess this means I won’t be marrying the Princess after all. So much for your plans to be the power behind the throne.” Rodney almost knew a moment of triumph at the look of pure hatred on Kavanauh’s face.
“You always thought you were so smart,” Kavanagh snarled. “Well you aren’t the only one in the family with a brain, Brother.” Kavanagh waved at something behind Rodney.
Rodney whirled to see soldiers pouring off one of the ships moored next to Atlantis. They were too close to John and his father. There was no way that they were going to be able to make it to the safety of the boat waiting for them.
Rodney shouted “John,” and took a step to go to their aid.
Kavanagh growled, “Take him.” The men with Kavanagh stepped forward catching Rodney firmly between them.
Rodney could only watch helplessly as John pushed his father towards the boat. Instead of trying to escape with him, John ran towards the soldiers surprising them long enough for John to grab a weapon from one them. He plunged the blade into the man’s heart and the man fell without making a sound. He swung the blade in a wide arc and the soldiers backed up warily to regroup. But it was only a momentary lull before they fell on John from all sides. He fought bravely and there would be more than one soldier of the army of Geldar bearing scars inflicted by John that day. He fought long enough that Rodney could see the little boat carrying his father sailing away.
Seeing the ship getting away, Kavanagh said spitefully, “They’ll never escape. The Atlantis will catch it.”
Rodney turned to his brother, “That’s where you are wrong, brother. That ship is the fastest we have. Providing the winds stay true and the weather good, they should reach Hallona in two day’s sailing.”
The crew on the ship was volunteers, sailors selected by John from among his own people. Rodney wished them Godspeed in his heart as he saw John fall to the soldiers who had overwhelmed him. They picked him up and he shuffled his feet trying to walk on his own.
Kavanagh’s face turned a satisfying shade of red. “Well at least I have you and your lover.”
When they drew near, Rodney shook free of the hands that held him and went to put a shoulder under John’s arm.
“Hey,” he said softly. “How you doing?”
John, the Sheppard of Hallona, smiled at Rodney, “My father is away, I am fine. You?”
“I almost got married today, but I’m better now.”
They walked back to the palace with Rodney supporting John’s weight. They were taken to the cell that John’s father had previously occupied and left there alone.
~~~~~
The Judgment room was packed with the same people who had come to see the wedding the day before. The story had quickly spread through the city of the lovers who had risked everything to help the king of Hallona escape. All of Geldar was there to be certain that they paid for that crime.
The king was brought in in his litter, too weak now to walk on his own. Elizabeth walked behind her father, already dressed as queen in royal robes. On her head rested the crown of Geldar. She sat in the throne and her father’s litter was placed next to her. The prisoners walked in slowly behind them. John was filthy and bloody but he walked with his head held high. He held hands with Rodney who still looked dashingly handsome in the same uniform he had stood to be married in.
Elizabeth felt as if she could die from the sorrow that was suffocating her when John and Rodney knelt in front of her. John smiled at her, that same confident smile he had given her that morning in her room when he told her that she would make a great queen. Rodney offered his crooked smile, the one she had fallen in love with because it meant he’d done something he was going to have to ask her forgiveness for. Her heart ached for them. Her father had already pronounced sentence on them. They were to die. There was only one more thing she could do for them. She stood with head held high as all eyes turned to her.
“I know that these two must be punished for their crimes against the people of Geldar. But as Rodney is my dear friend and John a slave in my household, it is my wish that they be allowed to die together. In this way perhaps they will go into the afterlife together, there to live as they were denied in life.”
The king nodded his head heavily. He was close to death. He would be dead before the day was over, Elizabeth thought. While she didn’t look forward to being queen, she was determined to be the best queen she could be. She would free the slaves and end the war with Geldar. Somehow she would bring peace to their two peoples. It was the last thing she could do for Rodney and John.
~~~~~
It was near to evening as they were taken to the docks for the final time. Teyla had visited them with Elizabeth’s last gift to them. In Rodney’s pocket was a vial procured from Carson and John carried a bottle of wine they would use for their last moments together. John offered Rodney his hand as they stepped onto the barge without looking back. They made their way to the bow of the ship where they sat facing the setting sun and Hallona.
There was no crowd on the dock to witness the execution of the sentence against the two men. It was just Elizabeth and Carson there, along with the new head of her armies - Lorne, and the men necessary to carry out the task at hand.
The line tethering the ship to the dock was cut and the barge was pushed out to sea. When they were a safe distance from the dock, one of the archers on the dock knocked his arrow and took aim. He let loose the flaming arrow and it landed with a solid thunk in the deck of their barge.
John took out the bottle and pulled out the cork. Rodney poured in the contents of his vial and they both drank. They sat in the bow of the little boat holding one another as the darkness stole over them swiftly.
“I’ll love you forever,” Rodney whispered as he felt his breath slowing.
“We will meet again,” John promised kissing the top of Rodney’s head for the last time.
~~~~~~
Elizabeth stood back watching in awe as the control chair lit up as they’d never seen it light up before.
Rodney was practically vibrating he was so excited. “Major, think about where we are in the solar system,” he instructed.
Above John’s head a map appeared, blooming like fireworks. Rodney would say that it was a 3D holographic map of the Milky Way Galaxy. Elizabeth would say that it was a miracle, like lovers reunited after being apart for a thousand years. There was a moment when John and Rodney’s eyes met and electricity crackled in the air.
“Did I do that?” John asked, his voice dazed and confused.
Elizabeth watched them in satisfaction. It had taken far longer than she’d thought possible but the lovers were finally reunited, and this time she was determined that they would not be separated again.
And the story begins anew…