Fic: Haven (2/2)
Relevant meta info in Part 1
Elizabeth woke and looked about her stupidly. She had heard someone crying, she was sure of it. Her mind cleared and she realized she had been dreaming of trying to reach someone she could hear in distress. It was only a dream, except that she could still hear the noise.
The shutters on the house rattled. The storm outside, the wind keening around the house... that was the source of the sound. The weather had not cleared in the night.
The events of the previous day came back to her; the attack, her terrified flight through the woods, Athos. She was in the capital of Athos, on the mainland.
She looked around the small room. Her own gown was lying across the seat of a worn chair. The dress was filthy and past mending. But draped across the back of the chair was another dress, dark-colored and made of rough homespun thread. Still, it was clean and whole.
It took some time before Elizabeth could gather her will enough to get up and dress herself, though. At the least, within these four walls she could pretend to be safe. She had no way to gauge what waited for her downstairs.
Her stomach grumbled, protesting the lack of food, and she gave in.
Elizabeth rose from the bed gingerly. Her body was covered with bruises of various sizes and she ached with each movement.
She managed to tidy herself with water from the pitcher and basin on the table. The old woman must have provided them, the dress and the brush Elizabeth found. She combed through her hair and braided it as neatly as she could manage on her own. She had nothing to tie the braid with. She looked at her ruined gown and reached down and tore a strip of fabric from the underside and used that to secure her hair.
Thankful she had worn heavy shoes, even though they had slowed her speed the day before, Elizabeth composed herself as best she could and headed downstairs.
The old woman she dimly remembered from the night before was bustling about her kitchen. Seated at the table, working diligently on what appeared to be mending, was Elizabeth's rescuer. The younger woman - Lady Teyla, the only child and heir of the Earl of Athos, she remembered - noticed Elizabeth first.
"My lady, good morning," Teyla said, nodding politely. "I trust you slept well?" There was a momentary flicker of embarrassment as she realized that it was highly unlikely Elizabeth could have slept easily after her ordeal of the day before.
The slight doubt made Elizabeth warm to Teyla, even in the face of her remaining seated when Elizabeth appeared.
Charin urged Elizabeth to the table. "Come, my dear. There is fresh bread." Elizabeth sat, taking the brown bread and tearing off a large piece. Charin offered her a large mug of strong tea and Elizabeth chewed her bread and listened as the two women talked.
It took several minutes for the truth to sink in. These people had no idea who she was.
Uncertain whether this was a positive or negative development, she finished the bread. Once the food was gone, Teyla set down her work and fixed Elizabeth with a look.
"My lady, might I have the honor of knowing the name of the person whose life I saved?" The smile that accompanied the request was intended to put Elizabeth at ease, she knew, before the more difficult questions which were sure to follow.
She parted her lips, hesitated a moment, and then answered, "Margaret." She gave no title with her mother's name, nor any surname. Though she did not suspect these people of having any malicious intent, it seemed wiser to stay silent until she was sure of reaching Atlantis.
Teyla nodded. "Can you tell me what happened yesterday?"
Elizabeth sipped her tea and told the two women an abbreviated version of the previous day, leaving out the mention that her escort had been members of the royal guard, but explaining how she had come to be wandering in the forests alone.
Teyla looked thoughtful. "Halling was correct. These men were not Wraith."
"Wraith?" Elizabeth gasped, startled. "I thought the Wraith were a myth."
Teyla and Charin both looked grave. "I'm afraid not, child," Charin said. "The Wraith are very real. They have been the plague of our lives for long years, though their presence has been far worse since the Ori left us in ruins."
"The Wraith attacked one of the western settlements three days ago," Teyla added. "My father, Lord Tagan, went to provide what aid we could offer."
Elizabeth's stomach was churning unpleasantly. She had been told by her tutors and even Lord George that the Wraith no longer truly existed. Some pirates in the open waters away from Atlantis were said to use the guise to frighten the people in the villages on the shores, but that was all. Yet her mind could conjure no reason why Teyla or Charin would be lying.
"Do you need to return to your room, dear? You look pale," Charin lifted Elizabeth's chin with a finger, looking at her critically.
"No, I thank you. I am quite well. Only grieved to hear of this suffering." The words came out unbidden, and Elizabeth realized she could not afford to sound quite so... royal if her identity was to remain undiscovered.
Teyla looked pleased by her comments, however. "We expect my father to return later today, though I fear the storm will delay him. I'm also afraid we have no means of returning you to Atlantis until the storm abates. It is nearly a day's journey on foot."
"You have no horses?" Elizabeth asked, surprised.
"There are a few that the Wraith have not taken, but they are needed to prepare the ground for crops as soon as the rain ceases," Charin said with a slightly reproving tone in her voice.
Elizabeth nodded, though her heart rebelled. For a moment she nearly spoke out, wanting to demand that she be returned to the safety of familiar ground immediately. But curiosity, and the continued noise of the wind outside, steadied her. She then glanced at the pile of mending in the basket. "Then perhaps I could make myself useful while I wait?"
"That is not necessary," Teyla began but Elizabeth shook her head.
"You have taken me in, provided me with food and clothing." Items which, it appeared, they could barely afford to part with, Elizabeth thought but did not say aloud. She detected a strong undercurrent of pride, especially in Lady Teyla, that she suspected would find reminders of such things unwelcome. "And you saved my life yesterday. The least I can do is not sit idle and watch you work."
After glancing at Charin, Teyla said, "Very well," with a small smile.
***
Athos, as Elizabeth remembered from her history lessons, was one of the more important territories within Atalan. As the gatekeeper of the sole land access to Atlantis, the territory had been well protected and well supplied for generations. The nobility who ruled there had always been treated with great respect and deference, even though the shire of Athos was not as rich or as large as the duchy of Langford. She dimly recalled meeting the Earl and Countess of Athos when she was very young, but she had not socialized with the nobility of Atalan for many years, and being barred from meetings of the college of lords, she had not seen Lord Tagan since then.
When the rain eased and the wind faded in mid-afternoon, Teyla escorted Elizabeth as they walked through the main village. She saw first hand how much had changed. Looking at the ruins of what had once been a large, formidable fortress that had housed the ruling family of Athos and sheltered their people, Elizabeth felt a fury rising within her that made her head spin.
Why were these people not being cared for? Why was aid not being sent from Atlantis to rebuild the defenses? How could the security of Athos not be a significant priority for the entire realm?
And why had she not been told of this situation? The queen-elect should not have believed the Wraith were a mere fairy-tale when her own subjects were being killed by those monsters.
Elizabeth asked as many questions as she dared to without raising suspicion. Thankfully, Teyla seemed to divine her desire for information and provided it fully. Elizabeth learned that the fortress had been destroyed by the Ori. Athos had lacked the resources to rebuild it, and promises of assistance from Atlantis had been delayed first by the war and the general ruin of the realm by the Ori armies, and then by the neglect of Lord Robert Kinsey.
When Teyla began to speak of the regent, a hardness swept her lovely face. Elizabeth had difficulty reigning in her native sympathy on the subject. It appeared that Lord Tagan and his daughter shared Jack's opinion of the regent, to the point that Lord Tagan had almost ceased attending meetings of the college of lords entirely.
Near sunset, scouts were sent out from the village to keep watch for signs of a Wraith attack. Seated near the large fire in the main village hall, Elizabeth listened to Teyla's invective against Lord Robert. It was both strange and comforting. She thought of Lord George, Sir Marshall and Daniel with a pang. Though the weather had cleared, it was too late in the day to start for the city. Elizabeth suspected there would be soldiers patrolling the roads, looking for her, but to explain that they would recognize her would betray her secret, so she remained silent.
Some part of her was also enjoying being only another well-born lady, rather than the princess. While Teyla had been arranging the sentries with Halling, Elizabeth had wandered the village for a time by herself. With the storm abated, people were stepping outside their homes. Men moved through fields and small gardens, while women prepared food. Elizabeth watched a number of children playing with some sort of leather ball, racing back and forth despite periodic scoldings from mothers about avoiding the mud.
In the face of her earlier fury, Elizabeth was comforted to see that these people valiantly continued to live despite the threat that hung over them. She walked through the village slowly, drinking in the sounds and sights undisturbed.
Never, in all the years she could remember, had she been completely alone like that. The freedom of it was almost too sweet to bear, even though she knew it was bought at the expense of the frantic worry that must be going on about her at home. She salved her conscience with the thought that they would start for Atlantis first thing in the morning.
Her happy wanderings had been cut short by Charin, who had summoned Elizabeth to help her with the evening meal. Her occasional interest in the kitchen of the palace had in no way prepared Elizabeth to do more than fetch and carry, much to Charin's dismay. Elizabeth heard several mutterings that suggested she "had no more skill at a stove than young Teyla."
Talk around the table as the evening meal wound down moved from Kinsey to a different subject, one that startled Elizabeth: herself.
"Our hopes must remain with the young princess," Halling said in response to Teyla's ranting about the regent of Atalan. "In less than three years, she will take the throne."
"We have no guarantee she will serve Athos any better than the regent," put in a young man whose name Elizabeth had not caught. "Besides which, I have heard stories of her," he added with a dismissive wave of the hand.
Elizabeth could not restrain herself. "What stories have you heard, young master?"
Something in her face must have alerted the youth to her displeasure, but he answered. "They say she is simple-minded, and that is the reason she is kept sequestered in the castle and allowed few visitors and never seen by her own people."
Elizabeth bristled, opening her mouth to demand just who the "they" were that spread such vicious slanders about herself. Teyla spoke before Elizabeth could. "I do not believe there is a speck of truth in those rumors," she said decisively. "The princess is descended from generations of wise rulers, and she has surely been educated by the best tutors available."
"Then why do they not parade her through the kingdom so that we may see it for ourselves?" the young man responded.
Teyla's glare was withering. "I should think the suspicious death of her new husband last fall was answer enough. My father says-"
"Your father says what?" a new voice interrupted. A tall man with deeply tanned skin and an even more deeply lined face stood near the doorway, shaking out his cloak.
Everyone in the hall stood, including Teyla, who hurried forward with a smile. "Father! Welcome back." The two embraced tightly for a moment.
He hooked an arm around her shoulders and approached the table, saying teasingly: "Now, what exactly had you profaning my name..."
The words trailed off as he stared at Elizabeth in shock. She had no idea what to do or say. Lord Tagan opened his mouth in surprise and then snapped it shut harshly.
Teyla drew away, looking confused. "Father, this is Lady Margaret-"
She got no further. He held up a hand and looked from Elizabeth to Teyla with one swift glance. "Come with me, both of you."
Feeling rather like she was being called before Lord George for a scolding, Elizabeth avoided Teyla's bewildered look and followed to a small, private room.
Once the door was closed, Tagan swung about and looked at her intensely. "Your Highness?" he asked quietly.
With a small sigh of regret, Elizabeth nodded. She shot a guilty look at Teyla.
"I thought so. You have your father's eyes, my lady. Pardon my bluntness, but what in the name of the ancestors are you doing here?"
Elizabeth hastily explained. Tagan looked horror-stricken as she described the attack on the guard and the chase through the woods. "When I awoke this morning, my identity appeared to be unknown. Given what had happened, I thought it prudent not to announce myself until I was safely back among my own guard." Elizabeth looked at Teyla apologetically. The young woman's face was drawn, but Elizabeth hoped there was a glint of sympathy in her brown eyes. She might be forgiven the deception in time.
"I can well understand your caution, Highness, though I am certain you would be safe among my people."
"I meant no offense to you, my lord, or to the Athosian people. You have long been of vital importance to the safety of Atalan-" Elizabeth answered, before she trailed off, her cheeks growing pink. There was no need to lecture the Earl of Athos on his own importance.
Tagan smiled grimly. "Indeed, Princess. I am relieved to see you are aware of history. I would expect no less from your father's daughter."
Curiosity burned within Elizabeth. "Did you know him, Lord Tagan?"
He nodded. "The king was a good man, and a good friend." He drifted to some private place Elizabeth felt herself loath to disturb.
Tagan returned to the present with a slight shake. "Perhaps at some future time your Highness will allow me to share my remembrances of her honored father. For now, I am morally certain that Captain Sumner will have the whole of Atalan's army searching for you. We should restore you to his safe-keeping with all speed."
He had barely finished speaking when there was a knock upon the door. "My lord? Your presence is needed in the square."
The three of them hastened from the room. As soon as they were out-of-doors, Elizabeth heard a familiar voice.
"We are looking for a young woman who was lost on the road outside of Atlantis yesterday," Captain Sumner was calling to the assembled crowd from the back of his horse. "She ran on foot from a group of men who attacked her party. She may have come in this direction-"
"Rest easy, Captain," Tagan bellowed, the crowd parting to make a path between him and the soldiers. "I believe I have what you are looking for."
Elizabeth stepped around Tagan, into the light. Murmuring began in the crowd as Sir Marshall leapt from his horse. "Your Highness," he said, approaching her and stopping close enough for her to feel him swaying with tiredness. Close-up she could see that his face was haggard with exhaustion and worry. His eyes, however, bored into hers. "Are you all right?"
"I am fine, thank you, Captain." The revelation of her identity was causing the crowd to grow even louder and Sumner looked about them unpleasantly. Elizabeth was all too familiar with his disposition. Before he could speak, she added loudly, "These people took me in last night, provided me with shelter, food and clothing. This was after Lady Teyla, Lord Tagan's daughter, saved my life in the forest."
Sumner's eyes widened as he looked at Teyla. Elizabeth could just imagine his thoughts on the slip of a girl acting as Elizabeth's protector. Teyla was after all significantly smaller than, say, Marcus Lorne.
That thought made her heart choke in her throat and she lowered her voice as Sumner steered her away from the crowd. "Captain, several of the men were injured in the attack..."
He paused. "We lost four of them, including Markham."
"Master Lorne?" she asked, not quite daring to hope.
"He lives. Beckett can't say how well he'll recover yet."
Elizabeth breathed a deep sigh of relief. Lorne had been a personal favorite of hers since his arrival in her service. It was enough for now to know he survived.
"We should return you to the city, Highness, and allow the good doctor to examine you."
She nodded, but when he would have urged her towards the horses she pulled back and turned to Tagan and Teyla. "My lord, Lady Teyla, I am in both your debt and the debt of your people. I shall not forget that Lady Teyla has saved my life, or that the Athosians opened their homes to me and cared for a stranger out of sheer compassion with no expectation of reward."
There was a breathless excitement to the crowd now, and all eyes were fixed on her. She wished she could speak further, assure them that their welfare would be foremost on her mind from this day until she was finally in a position to do something material to aid them. But she would not make them false promises.
"Would you both do me the honor of visiting Atlantis in two days' time?" she asked instead.
"We would be most honored, your Highness," Tagan said with a bow.
Elizabeth smiled. "I shall have horses sent for your use." Sumner shifted next to her but Elizabeth ignored it. "I know this is a busy time and you can ill afford to be absent for more than a day."
Teyla smiled at her and Tagan bowed again. "Your Highness is most considerate."
Halling assisted Elizabeth in climbing on the horse one of the soldiers had offered up for her use. She thanked him and waited as the enormous man then assisted Sumner back onto his horse. The captain's arm was no longer in its sling, but Elizabeth doubted the broken bones had miraculously healed themselves in just two days.
They started out of the village, so she never was certain who began the cry behind them. "Hail Elizabeth, Princess of Atalan!"
There was a loud chorus of cheers and she was grateful for the chill air against her face to explain the tears that began to run down her cheeks.
***
Elizabeth had not been hugged so much in her life as she was during the first hour after her return to Atlantis. She had expected Laura and Kate to come flying at her and cling to her in relief. Daniel's embrace, strong enough to strangle her breath, had not been unanticipated. But even Lord George's staid demeanor broke sufficiently to wrap his arms about her and hold her tightly for a moment. Carson expressed his relief by fussing over her inordinately as he examined her injuries.
Seeing the fatigue in all of them, Elizabeth told her tale as they ate a hastily prepared supper, minimizing her own fear and hurt for their sakes.
"You were very fortunate, Highness, that this Lady Teyla arrived when she did," Lord George observed.
Elizabeth nodded. She looked at Lord George and Daniel, and Sumner who insisted on standing near the door as they ate. "I heard some information from the Athosians that has me curious." Her voice was as neutral as she could make it, but she recognized the instant tension in the three men. Abandoning subtlety, her voice went dangerously soft. "Why did you tell me the Wraith were no more than a fairy tale?"
Daniel blinked. "Cousin, the Wraith are a myth. There are pirate bands that use the legends of the Wraith to strike fear into the hearts of the simple-minded, but they are few."
"Lady Teyla and her father say otherwise," Elizabeth said, curious to see how they reacted.
Lord George, unsurprisingly, blustered a bit. "I would not take it upon myself to dispute the lady's word, Highness, but is it not likely she has been misinformed?"
"By her own father?" Elizabeth retorted. "Lord Tagan was not in the village when I arrived because he was visiting one of the western settlements. It had been attacked and plundered by the Wraith two days previously. Did we not hear of this?"
Her eyes shifted to Sumner, whose face darkened. But he answered honestly, "No, your Highness."
"My people are being slaughtered by barbarians, our coast is defenseless, and yet nothing is being done about it?" she snapped, anger getting the better of her.
"Cousin," Daniel protested. "You know full well the extent of Lord Robert's control of the military expenditure. We simply do not have the resources-"
"Of course not!" she bellowed, rising abruptly. The others scrambled to their feet. "What seems not to have occurred to any of you is that Lord Robert, for all his political power, did not in fact chart the course of the sun across the skies! He can and must be opposed, by whatever means are available."
"Highness," Lord George asked worriedly. "I do not know what you believe we have the capacity to do..."
"Our capacity is only limited by our own will, Lord George," Elizabeth said harshly. She regretted showing the edge of her temper immediately as he looked away. She reminded herself that the last two days had possibly been worse for them than they had been for her.
"What is it you wish, Elizabeth?" Daniel asked quietly, gently steering the conversation to a more personal tone.
"I hardly know," Elizabeth answered, rubbing her forehead. "I do know that our present course will no longer suffice. I understand your collective impulse to shield me." She glanced at Lord George, who seemed to recognize the unspoken apology. "Believe me, the past two days have been a thorough education on that score. However, by protecting me so carefully, I begin to wonder if you have not left me vulnerable in an entirely different fashion."
She sighed as Daniel and Lord George looked bewildered at one another, while she thought of the rumors, no doubt circulated by Kinsey or his supporters, of her own feebleness. But that information would keep until the morrow.
Kate, who was at her right side, said in a voice barely above a whisper, "My lady." The accompanying look was sufficient and Elizabeth nodded minutely.
"It grows late and I find myself extremely tired. We shall speak of this another time, perhaps the day after next, when Lord Tagan and Lady Teyla will arrive." Without waiting to see their reaction to that announcement, she walked to the door. "Good night, my lords."
***
Elizabeth had resigned herself to confining her morning exercise to walking the perimeter of Atlantis for the foreseeable future. Captain Sumner would not soon allow her beyond the towering walls of the sanctuary. She walked along the shore, staring across the water in the direction of the Athosian village, deep in thought for some time. Finally she sighed and turned back towards the palace.
Sumner walked on one side of her, Bates on the other. Though she was not in the mood to talk just now, she found herself already longing for the day when Lorne returned to his duties. Carson believed the young man would recover fully in due time. She didn't envy Lorne being under Carson's relentless supervision for the next several months, knowing from personal experience how unmovable the doctor could be when a patient's welfare was at stake.
When Elizabeth had visited Lorne in the sick room the previous afternoon to thank him, she had the amused satisfaction of seeing the sturdy guardsman blush like a woman at her gratitude and praises.
Daniel had exploded into quite a temper when she had repeated the rumors being spread about herself among the populace. Lord George, as expected, was angry as well. But for the first time, he did not dismiss Elizabeth with assurances the situation would be dealt with. Instead, he invited her opinion on the matter.
She had less success on the subject of the realm's defenses. Elizabeth hoped that perhaps meeting Lord Tagan themselves would persuade them. If that failed, she would wait until Jack returned from his winter spent on his own estates and overseeing the far defenses of Atalan, along the border with the Goa'uld-held territories.
It was nearing midday when a puzzled servant appeared to report that two people who claimed to be invited were requesting an audience with the princess. Elizabeth briefly upbraided the servant and hastened to greet her visitors. She had sent an escort with two horses at dawn to collect Tagan and Teyla. Unbeknownst to them or to Lord George or Daniel, Elizabeth had ordered the horses be left at day's end with the Athosians. Her horse-master had looked surprised, but did not argue, and she felt certain he would not question a direct request from the princess.
The midday meal was a lively one. Lord Tagan appeared to remember Captain Sumner and Lord George of old, and Elizabeth heard a fair number of stories about her father that both stunned and delighted her, not to mention hints from Tagan of certain tales of Sumner's younger days that had Laura fairly dancing with curiosity. Meanwhile, Teyla and Kate seemed to take to one another almost instantly.
Elizabeth was most pleased with the company, but as the last of the dishes was removed, she folded her hands upon the table and turned a serious eye toward her guests. A silence fell in the room and everyone looked to her expectantly.
"Lord Tagan, tell me of the Wraith."
***
Elizabeth woke and looked about her stupidly. She had heard someone crying, she was sure of it. Her mind cleared and she realized she had been dreaming of trying to reach someone she could hear in distress. It was only a dream, except that she could still hear the noise.
The shutters on the house rattled. The storm outside, the wind keening around the house... that was the source of the sound. The weather had not cleared in the night.
The events of the previous day came back to her; the attack, her terrified flight through the woods, Athos. She was in the capital of Athos, on the mainland.
She looked around the small room. Her own gown was lying across the seat of a worn chair. The dress was filthy and past mending. But draped across the back of the chair was another dress, dark-colored and made of rough homespun thread. Still, it was clean and whole.
It took some time before Elizabeth could gather her will enough to get up and dress herself, though. At the least, within these four walls she could pretend to be safe. She had no way to gauge what waited for her downstairs.
Her stomach grumbled, protesting the lack of food, and she gave in.
Elizabeth rose from the bed gingerly. Her body was covered with bruises of various sizes and she ached with each movement.
She managed to tidy herself with water from the pitcher and basin on the table. The old woman must have provided them, the dress and the brush Elizabeth found. She combed through her hair and braided it as neatly as she could manage on her own. She had nothing to tie the braid with. She looked at her ruined gown and reached down and tore a strip of fabric from the underside and used that to secure her hair.
Thankful she had worn heavy shoes, even though they had slowed her speed the day before, Elizabeth composed herself as best she could and headed downstairs.
The old woman she dimly remembered from the night before was bustling about her kitchen. Seated at the table, working diligently on what appeared to be mending, was Elizabeth's rescuer. The younger woman - Lady Teyla, the only child and heir of the Earl of Athos, she remembered - noticed Elizabeth first.
"My lady, good morning," Teyla said, nodding politely. "I trust you slept well?" There was a momentary flicker of embarrassment as she realized that it was highly unlikely Elizabeth could have slept easily after her ordeal of the day before.
The slight doubt made Elizabeth warm to Teyla, even in the face of her remaining seated when Elizabeth appeared.
Charin urged Elizabeth to the table. "Come, my dear. There is fresh bread." Elizabeth sat, taking the brown bread and tearing off a large piece. Charin offered her a large mug of strong tea and Elizabeth chewed her bread and listened as the two women talked.
It took several minutes for the truth to sink in. These people had no idea who she was.
Uncertain whether this was a positive or negative development, she finished the bread. Once the food was gone, Teyla set down her work and fixed Elizabeth with a look.
"My lady, might I have the honor of knowing the name of the person whose life I saved?" The smile that accompanied the request was intended to put Elizabeth at ease, she knew, before the more difficult questions which were sure to follow.
She parted her lips, hesitated a moment, and then answered, "Margaret." She gave no title with her mother's name, nor any surname. Though she did not suspect these people of having any malicious intent, it seemed wiser to stay silent until she was sure of reaching Atlantis.
Teyla nodded. "Can you tell me what happened yesterday?"
Elizabeth sipped her tea and told the two women an abbreviated version of the previous day, leaving out the mention that her escort had been members of the royal guard, but explaining how she had come to be wandering in the forests alone.
Teyla looked thoughtful. "Halling was correct. These men were not Wraith."
"Wraith?" Elizabeth gasped, startled. "I thought the Wraith were a myth."
Teyla and Charin both looked grave. "I'm afraid not, child," Charin said. "The Wraith are very real. They have been the plague of our lives for long years, though their presence has been far worse since the Ori left us in ruins."
"The Wraith attacked one of the western settlements three days ago," Teyla added. "My father, Lord Tagan, went to provide what aid we could offer."
Elizabeth's stomach was churning unpleasantly. She had been told by her tutors and even Lord George that the Wraith no longer truly existed. Some pirates in the open waters away from Atlantis were said to use the guise to frighten the people in the villages on the shores, but that was all. Yet her mind could conjure no reason why Teyla or Charin would be lying.
"Do you need to return to your room, dear? You look pale," Charin lifted Elizabeth's chin with a finger, looking at her critically.
"No, I thank you. I am quite well. Only grieved to hear of this suffering." The words came out unbidden, and Elizabeth realized she could not afford to sound quite so... royal if her identity was to remain undiscovered.
Teyla looked pleased by her comments, however. "We expect my father to return later today, though I fear the storm will delay him. I'm also afraid we have no means of returning you to Atlantis until the storm abates. It is nearly a day's journey on foot."
"You have no horses?" Elizabeth asked, surprised.
"There are a few that the Wraith have not taken, but they are needed to prepare the ground for crops as soon as the rain ceases," Charin said with a slightly reproving tone in her voice.
Elizabeth nodded, though her heart rebelled. For a moment she nearly spoke out, wanting to demand that she be returned to the safety of familiar ground immediately. But curiosity, and the continued noise of the wind outside, steadied her. She then glanced at the pile of mending in the basket. "Then perhaps I could make myself useful while I wait?"
"That is not necessary," Teyla began but Elizabeth shook her head.
"You have taken me in, provided me with food and clothing." Items which, it appeared, they could barely afford to part with, Elizabeth thought but did not say aloud. She detected a strong undercurrent of pride, especially in Lady Teyla, that she suspected would find reminders of such things unwelcome. "And you saved my life yesterday. The least I can do is not sit idle and watch you work."
After glancing at Charin, Teyla said, "Very well," with a small smile.
***
Athos, as Elizabeth remembered from her history lessons, was one of the more important territories within Atalan. As the gatekeeper of the sole land access to Atlantis, the territory had been well protected and well supplied for generations. The nobility who ruled there had always been treated with great respect and deference, even though the shire of Athos was not as rich or as large as the duchy of Langford. She dimly recalled meeting the Earl and Countess of Athos when she was very young, but she had not socialized with the nobility of Atalan for many years, and being barred from meetings of the college of lords, she had not seen Lord Tagan since then.
When the rain eased and the wind faded in mid-afternoon, Teyla escorted Elizabeth as they walked through the main village. She saw first hand how much had changed. Looking at the ruins of what had once been a large, formidable fortress that had housed the ruling family of Athos and sheltered their people, Elizabeth felt a fury rising within her that made her head spin.
Why were these people not being cared for? Why was aid not being sent from Atlantis to rebuild the defenses? How could the security of Athos not be a significant priority for the entire realm?
And why had she not been told of this situation? The queen-elect should not have believed the Wraith were a mere fairy-tale when her own subjects were being killed by those monsters.
Elizabeth asked as many questions as she dared to without raising suspicion. Thankfully, Teyla seemed to divine her desire for information and provided it fully. Elizabeth learned that the fortress had been destroyed by the Ori. Athos had lacked the resources to rebuild it, and promises of assistance from Atlantis had been delayed first by the war and the general ruin of the realm by the Ori armies, and then by the neglect of Lord Robert Kinsey.
When Teyla began to speak of the regent, a hardness swept her lovely face. Elizabeth had difficulty reigning in her native sympathy on the subject. It appeared that Lord Tagan and his daughter shared Jack's opinion of the regent, to the point that Lord Tagan had almost ceased attending meetings of the college of lords entirely.
Near sunset, scouts were sent out from the village to keep watch for signs of a Wraith attack. Seated near the large fire in the main village hall, Elizabeth listened to Teyla's invective against Lord Robert. It was both strange and comforting. She thought of Lord George, Sir Marshall and Daniel with a pang. Though the weather had cleared, it was too late in the day to start for the city. Elizabeth suspected there would be soldiers patrolling the roads, looking for her, but to explain that they would recognize her would betray her secret, so she remained silent.
Some part of her was also enjoying being only another well-born lady, rather than the princess. While Teyla had been arranging the sentries with Halling, Elizabeth had wandered the village for a time by herself. With the storm abated, people were stepping outside their homes. Men moved through fields and small gardens, while women prepared food. Elizabeth watched a number of children playing with some sort of leather ball, racing back and forth despite periodic scoldings from mothers about avoiding the mud.
In the face of her earlier fury, Elizabeth was comforted to see that these people valiantly continued to live despite the threat that hung over them. She walked through the village slowly, drinking in the sounds and sights undisturbed.
Never, in all the years she could remember, had she been completely alone like that. The freedom of it was almost too sweet to bear, even though she knew it was bought at the expense of the frantic worry that must be going on about her at home. She salved her conscience with the thought that they would start for Atlantis first thing in the morning.
Her happy wanderings had been cut short by Charin, who had summoned Elizabeth to help her with the evening meal. Her occasional interest in the kitchen of the palace had in no way prepared Elizabeth to do more than fetch and carry, much to Charin's dismay. Elizabeth heard several mutterings that suggested she "had no more skill at a stove than young Teyla."
Talk around the table as the evening meal wound down moved from Kinsey to a different subject, one that startled Elizabeth: herself.
"Our hopes must remain with the young princess," Halling said in response to Teyla's ranting about the regent of Atalan. "In less than three years, she will take the throne."
"We have no guarantee she will serve Athos any better than the regent," put in a young man whose name Elizabeth had not caught. "Besides which, I have heard stories of her," he added with a dismissive wave of the hand.
Elizabeth could not restrain herself. "What stories have you heard, young master?"
Something in her face must have alerted the youth to her displeasure, but he answered. "They say she is simple-minded, and that is the reason she is kept sequestered in the castle and allowed few visitors and never seen by her own people."
Elizabeth bristled, opening her mouth to demand just who the "they" were that spread such vicious slanders about herself. Teyla spoke before Elizabeth could. "I do not believe there is a speck of truth in those rumors," she said decisively. "The princess is descended from generations of wise rulers, and she has surely been educated by the best tutors available."
"Then why do they not parade her through the kingdom so that we may see it for ourselves?" the young man responded.
Teyla's glare was withering. "I should think the suspicious death of her new husband last fall was answer enough. My father says-"
"Your father says what?" a new voice interrupted. A tall man with deeply tanned skin and an even more deeply lined face stood near the doorway, shaking out his cloak.
Everyone in the hall stood, including Teyla, who hurried forward with a smile. "Father! Welcome back." The two embraced tightly for a moment.
He hooked an arm around her shoulders and approached the table, saying teasingly: "Now, what exactly had you profaning my name..."
The words trailed off as he stared at Elizabeth in shock. She had no idea what to do or say. Lord Tagan opened his mouth in surprise and then snapped it shut harshly.
Teyla drew away, looking confused. "Father, this is Lady Margaret-"
She got no further. He held up a hand and looked from Elizabeth to Teyla with one swift glance. "Come with me, both of you."
Feeling rather like she was being called before Lord George for a scolding, Elizabeth avoided Teyla's bewildered look and followed to a small, private room.
Once the door was closed, Tagan swung about and looked at her intensely. "Your Highness?" he asked quietly.
With a small sigh of regret, Elizabeth nodded. She shot a guilty look at Teyla.
"I thought so. You have your father's eyes, my lady. Pardon my bluntness, but what in the name of the ancestors are you doing here?"
Elizabeth hastily explained. Tagan looked horror-stricken as she described the attack on the guard and the chase through the woods. "When I awoke this morning, my identity appeared to be unknown. Given what had happened, I thought it prudent not to announce myself until I was safely back among my own guard." Elizabeth looked at Teyla apologetically. The young woman's face was drawn, but Elizabeth hoped there was a glint of sympathy in her brown eyes. She might be forgiven the deception in time.
"I can well understand your caution, Highness, though I am certain you would be safe among my people."
"I meant no offense to you, my lord, or to the Athosian people. You have long been of vital importance to the safety of Atalan-" Elizabeth answered, before she trailed off, her cheeks growing pink. There was no need to lecture the Earl of Athos on his own importance.
Tagan smiled grimly. "Indeed, Princess. I am relieved to see you are aware of history. I would expect no less from your father's daughter."
Curiosity burned within Elizabeth. "Did you know him, Lord Tagan?"
He nodded. "The king was a good man, and a good friend." He drifted to some private place Elizabeth felt herself loath to disturb.
Tagan returned to the present with a slight shake. "Perhaps at some future time your Highness will allow me to share my remembrances of her honored father. For now, I am morally certain that Captain Sumner will have the whole of Atalan's army searching for you. We should restore you to his safe-keeping with all speed."
He had barely finished speaking when there was a knock upon the door. "My lord? Your presence is needed in the square."
The three of them hastened from the room. As soon as they were out-of-doors, Elizabeth heard a familiar voice.
"We are looking for a young woman who was lost on the road outside of Atlantis yesterday," Captain Sumner was calling to the assembled crowd from the back of his horse. "She ran on foot from a group of men who attacked her party. She may have come in this direction-"
"Rest easy, Captain," Tagan bellowed, the crowd parting to make a path between him and the soldiers. "I believe I have what you are looking for."
Elizabeth stepped around Tagan, into the light. Murmuring began in the crowd as Sir Marshall leapt from his horse. "Your Highness," he said, approaching her and stopping close enough for her to feel him swaying with tiredness. Close-up she could see that his face was haggard with exhaustion and worry. His eyes, however, bored into hers. "Are you all right?"
"I am fine, thank you, Captain." The revelation of her identity was causing the crowd to grow even louder and Sumner looked about them unpleasantly. Elizabeth was all too familiar with his disposition. Before he could speak, she added loudly, "These people took me in last night, provided me with shelter, food and clothing. This was after Lady Teyla, Lord Tagan's daughter, saved my life in the forest."
Sumner's eyes widened as he looked at Teyla. Elizabeth could just imagine his thoughts on the slip of a girl acting as Elizabeth's protector. Teyla was after all significantly smaller than, say, Marcus Lorne.
That thought made her heart choke in her throat and she lowered her voice as Sumner steered her away from the crowd. "Captain, several of the men were injured in the attack..."
He paused. "We lost four of them, including Markham."
"Master Lorne?" she asked, not quite daring to hope.
"He lives. Beckett can't say how well he'll recover yet."
Elizabeth breathed a deep sigh of relief. Lorne had been a personal favorite of hers since his arrival in her service. It was enough for now to know he survived.
"We should return you to the city, Highness, and allow the good doctor to examine you."
She nodded, but when he would have urged her towards the horses she pulled back and turned to Tagan and Teyla. "My lord, Lady Teyla, I am in both your debt and the debt of your people. I shall not forget that Lady Teyla has saved my life, or that the Athosians opened their homes to me and cared for a stranger out of sheer compassion with no expectation of reward."
There was a breathless excitement to the crowd now, and all eyes were fixed on her. She wished she could speak further, assure them that their welfare would be foremost on her mind from this day until she was finally in a position to do something material to aid them. But she would not make them false promises.
"Would you both do me the honor of visiting Atlantis in two days' time?" she asked instead.
"We would be most honored, your Highness," Tagan said with a bow.
Elizabeth smiled. "I shall have horses sent for your use." Sumner shifted next to her but Elizabeth ignored it. "I know this is a busy time and you can ill afford to be absent for more than a day."
Teyla smiled at her and Tagan bowed again. "Your Highness is most considerate."
Halling assisted Elizabeth in climbing on the horse one of the soldiers had offered up for her use. She thanked him and waited as the enormous man then assisted Sumner back onto his horse. The captain's arm was no longer in its sling, but Elizabeth doubted the broken bones had miraculously healed themselves in just two days.
They started out of the village, so she never was certain who began the cry behind them. "Hail Elizabeth, Princess of Atalan!"
There was a loud chorus of cheers and she was grateful for the chill air against her face to explain the tears that began to run down her cheeks.
***
Elizabeth had not been hugged so much in her life as she was during the first hour after her return to Atlantis. She had expected Laura and Kate to come flying at her and cling to her in relief. Daniel's embrace, strong enough to strangle her breath, had not been unanticipated. But even Lord George's staid demeanor broke sufficiently to wrap his arms about her and hold her tightly for a moment. Carson expressed his relief by fussing over her inordinately as he examined her injuries.
Seeing the fatigue in all of them, Elizabeth told her tale as they ate a hastily prepared supper, minimizing her own fear and hurt for their sakes.
"You were very fortunate, Highness, that this Lady Teyla arrived when she did," Lord George observed.
Elizabeth nodded. She looked at Lord George and Daniel, and Sumner who insisted on standing near the door as they ate. "I heard some information from the Athosians that has me curious." Her voice was as neutral as she could make it, but she recognized the instant tension in the three men. Abandoning subtlety, her voice went dangerously soft. "Why did you tell me the Wraith were no more than a fairy tale?"
Daniel blinked. "Cousin, the Wraith are a myth. There are pirate bands that use the legends of the Wraith to strike fear into the hearts of the simple-minded, but they are few."
"Lady Teyla and her father say otherwise," Elizabeth said, curious to see how they reacted.
Lord George, unsurprisingly, blustered a bit. "I would not take it upon myself to dispute the lady's word, Highness, but is it not likely she has been misinformed?"
"By her own father?" Elizabeth retorted. "Lord Tagan was not in the village when I arrived because he was visiting one of the western settlements. It had been attacked and plundered by the Wraith two days previously. Did we not hear of this?"
Her eyes shifted to Sumner, whose face darkened. But he answered honestly, "No, your Highness."
"My people are being slaughtered by barbarians, our coast is defenseless, and yet nothing is being done about it?" she snapped, anger getting the better of her.
"Cousin," Daniel protested. "You know full well the extent of Lord Robert's control of the military expenditure. We simply do not have the resources-"
"Of course not!" she bellowed, rising abruptly. The others scrambled to their feet. "What seems not to have occurred to any of you is that Lord Robert, for all his political power, did not in fact chart the course of the sun across the skies! He can and must be opposed, by whatever means are available."
"Highness," Lord George asked worriedly. "I do not know what you believe we have the capacity to do..."
"Our capacity is only limited by our own will, Lord George," Elizabeth said harshly. She regretted showing the edge of her temper immediately as he looked away. She reminded herself that the last two days had possibly been worse for them than they had been for her.
"What is it you wish, Elizabeth?" Daniel asked quietly, gently steering the conversation to a more personal tone.
"I hardly know," Elizabeth answered, rubbing her forehead. "I do know that our present course will no longer suffice. I understand your collective impulse to shield me." She glanced at Lord George, who seemed to recognize the unspoken apology. "Believe me, the past two days have been a thorough education on that score. However, by protecting me so carefully, I begin to wonder if you have not left me vulnerable in an entirely different fashion."
She sighed as Daniel and Lord George looked bewildered at one another, while she thought of the rumors, no doubt circulated by Kinsey or his supporters, of her own feebleness. But that information would keep until the morrow.
Kate, who was at her right side, said in a voice barely above a whisper, "My lady." The accompanying look was sufficient and Elizabeth nodded minutely.
"It grows late and I find myself extremely tired. We shall speak of this another time, perhaps the day after next, when Lord Tagan and Lady Teyla will arrive." Without waiting to see their reaction to that announcement, she walked to the door. "Good night, my lords."
***
Elizabeth had resigned herself to confining her morning exercise to walking the perimeter of Atlantis for the foreseeable future. Captain Sumner would not soon allow her beyond the towering walls of the sanctuary. She walked along the shore, staring across the water in the direction of the Athosian village, deep in thought for some time. Finally she sighed and turned back towards the palace.
Sumner walked on one side of her, Bates on the other. Though she was not in the mood to talk just now, she found herself already longing for the day when Lorne returned to his duties. Carson believed the young man would recover fully in due time. She didn't envy Lorne being under Carson's relentless supervision for the next several months, knowing from personal experience how unmovable the doctor could be when a patient's welfare was at stake.
When Elizabeth had visited Lorne in the sick room the previous afternoon to thank him, she had the amused satisfaction of seeing the sturdy guardsman blush like a woman at her gratitude and praises.
Daniel had exploded into quite a temper when she had repeated the rumors being spread about herself among the populace. Lord George, as expected, was angry as well. But for the first time, he did not dismiss Elizabeth with assurances the situation would be dealt with. Instead, he invited her opinion on the matter.
She had less success on the subject of the realm's defenses. Elizabeth hoped that perhaps meeting Lord Tagan themselves would persuade them. If that failed, she would wait until Jack returned from his winter spent on his own estates and overseeing the far defenses of Atalan, along the border with the Goa'uld-held territories.
It was nearing midday when a puzzled servant appeared to report that two people who claimed to be invited were requesting an audience with the princess. Elizabeth briefly upbraided the servant and hastened to greet her visitors. She had sent an escort with two horses at dawn to collect Tagan and Teyla. Unbeknownst to them or to Lord George or Daniel, Elizabeth had ordered the horses be left at day's end with the Athosians. Her horse-master had looked surprised, but did not argue, and she felt certain he would not question a direct request from the princess.
The midday meal was a lively one. Lord Tagan appeared to remember Captain Sumner and Lord George of old, and Elizabeth heard a fair number of stories about her father that both stunned and delighted her, not to mention hints from Tagan of certain tales of Sumner's younger days that had Laura fairly dancing with curiosity. Meanwhile, Teyla and Kate seemed to take to one another almost instantly.
Elizabeth was most pleased with the company, but as the last of the dishes was removed, she folded her hands upon the table and turned a serious eye toward her guests. A silence fell in the room and everyone looked to her expectantly.
"Lord Tagan, tell me of the Wraith."
***