Fic: Precipice (1/3)

[melyanna]

Title: Precipice
Authors: angelqueen04, melyanna, and miera_c
Rating: PG
Summary: Elizabeth's visit to Neill yields some surprises for Laura, Kate, and herself.


The province of Heightmeyer was a beautiful place. There was hardly a tree in sight, but the many fingers of the River Tethys made the land lush and green. Much of the country's grain was grown in this region, and as the royal party from Atlantis made its way along the roads, they could see men and boys busy in the fields tending to their extensive crops.

However, half a mile away from Kate's family home, the farming stopped. Elaborate gardens, not unlike those in Langford, lined the road to the estate. The watchtower of the old fortress was visible some miles away. The age of the building was a monument to the wealth and importance of the people who lived in it.

Marcus had first seen the Earl of Heightmeyer five years ago when he'd joined the royal guard, but he'd been well beneath the man's notice until his promotion the previous fall. That had coincided with the change in his relationship with Kate, and every time Lord David had spoken to him since, Marcus had feared the earl had heard some rumor about the captain of the guard ravaging his eldest child. Still, he liked Kate's father, and he believed Kate's father liked him well enough, though perhaps Lord David's opinion would suffer once the truth of his daughter's involvement with the son of a commoner came to light.

After the lord and his lady had greeted the royal party, everything seemed to move far faster than normal, likely due to the brevity of the queen's visit. Had the situation not required Elizabeth's presence in Atlantis these past several days, she would have been in Heightmeyer for at least two weeks before moving on to Neill. Now they would only be at the estate long enough to rest for the remainder of the long journey south. Lady Maria seemed to want to pack as much of the original plan into just a few days as humanly possible.

Marcus had hoped to have some days to get to know Kate's family a little better before proceeding with his plans, but there was no chance of that now. If life in the royal court had taught him nothing else, at least he knew that plans existed so that fate could have something to meddle with.

He did not get the chance to speak to Kate immediately, though. The first evening she was occupied with the queen and her parents. It was only as he bid the ladies good night that he was able to snatch a moment to press her hand to his lips quickly, before Lady Maria, who had bustled into the bedchamber to ensure the queen's comfort, could turn and spot the gesture.

The next days were beyond hectic. Marcus was beginning to worry that he would not get the chance to speak to Kate alone until they were gone from here. He had a powerful ally, however. Elizabeth knew his intentions, and she seemed to guess that he had not had his chance. On the last night of the visit, Elizabeth emerged from the bedchamber with only Laura at her side. Kate, she informed Marcus, was staying within to take care of packing some of Elizabeth's belongings. The queen swiftly glanced between him and the door, and he knew what she meant. Marcus nodded to two other guards to follow Elizabeth and Laura as they walked arm in arm towards Laura's rooms. Once they were out of sight, he quietly entered the bedroom.

Kate looked up, surprised to see him enter alone, but she did not seem displeased. A bare ten seconds passed before she had crossed the distance between them and embraced him wordlessly. Marcus stroked her hair and her back, holding her tightly. Kate's family seemed nice enough but clearly the weeks she'd spent with them had been a strain.

He ducked his head to kiss her temple, and then he whispered, "I missed you, Kate." His lips brushed against her ear and she shuddered in his arms. Kate looked up at him, and Marcus could not help himself. He kissed her mouth hungrily, not letting her back away in surprise.

It was strange, standing in her childhood bedchamber and fiercely kissing her like this, but the odd environment, the purpose burning within him and most of all the chance of someone opening the door and discovering them thus entangled made his blood race. Kate began to respond to his caresses. Without thought Marcus stumbled forward until her back was pressed against a wall, pinned there by his body. He tore himself away from her mouth and moved down her neck, tasting her soft skin and feeling her try to suppress a moan of pleasure as she shifted against him. She loved it when he touched her this way.

Sated for the moment and mindful of his mission, he made himself stop. He pulled back to look at her, settling his hands on her hips. Her fingers traced the line of his cheek. "I missed you as well, Marcus."

He pressed a light kiss to her palm and grinned. "Remind me not to allow you to go so far away for so long again. I have been thinking about little else but this for days."

Her cheeks turned pink and he nuzzled her neck, enjoying the familiar scent and feel of her body. It really had been too long that they had been apart.

Kate's hands came to rest against his chest and pushed gently. "Marcus, we need to be careful."

He didn't move back. Instead, Marcus rested his forehead against hers for a moment and took a deep breath. "Kate, there is something I wish to talk to you about."

She stared up at him in silence. More to calm his nerves than anything, he brushed a stray piece of hair from her forehead. He hoped the look in her eyes was one of happiness, but there seemed to be some trepidation as well. "What is it?"

"I spoke with the queen a few days ago," he said quietly.

All the color drained from her face and her eyes went wide. "What do you mean?"

Though he had gone over his words a thousand times in his mind, everything he had planned to say fled when he saw her pale countenance. "I must have her permission to marry, and she has granted it wholeheartedly," he said slowly, hoping she would fill in the rest and he would not have to stumble through this.

Kate looked as though she wanted to shrink into the wall behind her, and he felt panic well up within him. She was frowning deeply. "Marcus, I - that is, I don't know -"

He stared at her in shock. "You don't know?" he blurted out.

She held up a hand. "I don't know that right now is the best time for this," she corrected.

Given that she'd spent so many days with her family, his thoughts immediately went to the most obvious obstacle. "Kate, we have the sanction of the queen on our side. If you are worried about what your parents will say, I know she will support us."

Kate shook her head, as though to deny his concern, but then she turned away as if she could not bear to look at him. "No, I know. It's just... I don't think..." She bit her lip. "I'm not sure..."

Whatever else she said was lost to him. He never would have expected Kate not to know her own mind and heart, and her ambivalence was like cold water thrown on him. He pulled himself back from her immediately.

Kate reached for him. "Marcus, please, we have to discuss this -"

"What is there to discuss?" he demanded, his temper rising as it had not since they had been in Iolan. "I want to marry you, Kate. I've never wanted anything more in my life! You cannot tell me you have never considered it."

Kate looked nervously at the door. His voice had gotten louder as he spoke and her fear of discovery now only served to anger him further. "That is not what I meant, Marcus."

"Pardon my disbelief, madam," he snapped, turning away.

"Marcus!" She grabbed his arm and he saw her hurt look. "There are things we need to talk about. Things we should have spoken of, but I did not want to face them so soon after the attack. It was wrong of me to wait, I know, but we still must talk, Marcus."

The mention of her injuries at the hands of Simmons thawed him slightly. He stopped resisting her hand on his arm.

Kate bit her lip again. "How can we discuss marriage when we cannot even speak of the argument we had? Or have you forgotten so soon what you accused me of in Iolan?"

Marcus felt his jaw tighten, the memory of Kate's flirtation with Aaron of Kensmere slipping unwanted into his mind and goading his temper even higher. "Given what happened afterwards, I am willing to overlook the way you behaved with that man," he told her flatly. "Once we are married, I imagine such things will not occur again." No other man would think he had the liberty to touch Kate again, not if Marcus could help it.

Kate's mouth fell open and she dropped his arm abruptly. "The way I behaved? After your baseless and petty jealousies blinded you to the truth -"

"I saw the way you were around him, Kate," Marcus interrupted. "Though nothing formally existed between us I had hoped I would have your fidelity, if nothing else."

Her cheeks flushed a deep red, her face betraying both anger and shame. "You know exactly why I did what I did. I had no other choice. And you dare speak to me about faith?" Her hands clenched into fists and she stalked towards him, fury radiating from every line of her body. "You think I do not know your reputation in the court? You demand proof of my fidelity? What proof have I ever had of yours?"

Rage swept through him, amplified by his own guilt, although the rumors of his past had always been exaggerated. He had left that part of himself behind long ago. "I have done nothing to make you doubt me. My intentions towards you have never been a secret," he reminded her coldly. He could not believe Kate would cast these things up to him in this moment. It was cruelty he would never have suspected her of.

"Never been a secret?" Kate repeated. "Marcus, have you ever told me you love me?"

He gaped at her in shock. This was madness. How in the world could she doubt his heart? How else could she interpret his affection? "What better proof could I offer of my love than to ask you to be my wife?"

The coldness in her face struck him like a blow. "You could have asked me out of love, not because of a threat to your pride."

Before he could make any kind of response, she fled from the room.

Elizabeth remembered being aboard the Queen Margaret for all those days and feeling as though the voyage would never end, but it turned out that the passage to Iolan was nothing in comparison with the journey straight south through her country. Until the moment she reached the foothills of the Talas Mountains, she had not truly understood how expansive a land she ruled. Traveling past the fields and forests and rivers and lakes was exciting and humbling all at once.

Only in Heightmeyer did they stay more than a night. Elizabeth had wanted to give Marcus as much time as she could to press his suit with Kate's father. She was not sure that she had done any good, however. The situation between Kate and Marcus was now even more frigid than it had been in Iolan. Elizabeth and Laura were both very concerned about the state of affairs, but there were few opportunities to speak privately as they traveled. Never in her wildest fantasies had Elizabeth imagined that Kate might refuse Marcus, but the idea was growing more and more plausible with each passing day of angry silence between the two.

The coldness between them made the journey all the more difficult. Thus Elizabeth was greatly relieved when she first spied the southern mountains, thinking it would be only a matter of hours before she saw her dear friend Jack again. But the mountains loomed for days in the distance, and when they came upon them at last she was almost surprised.

Jack's family seat was not at all like Langford, with its sweeping architecture, the building impossibly spanning a great river, but the keep was none the less impressive. It seemed to spring forth from the forest-covered mountain, as old as time. The highest tower loomed over the very peak. As they began the climb up the slope to the fortress - for there was no other way to describe it - Elizabeth felt her heart racing as it had when they had approached Daniel's estate for the first time.

Kate was watching silently. Since leaving Heightmeyer she had barely spoken unless spoken to. Elizabeth suppressed a sigh on her account. She would have to confront Kate at some point, but she rather hoped that Kate would come to her, both as her queen and as her friend. Next to Carson, Laura was not even watching the approach as Elizabeth would have expected. She was unusually quiet, strangely pale, and staring at the floor as though in deep concentration. Elizabeth was selfishly annoyed that both her companions were acting so strangely as they approached the castle they had heard about all their lives.

Still, when the carriage finally came to a halt in the courtyard of the fortress, Elizabeth smiled to see Jack waiting to help her out. "It is good to see you again, my lord," she said to him as he bowed.

"And you, my lady," he replied, drawing her into a brief embrace. "Was it a good journey?"

"Interminable," Elizabeth said while the others got out behind her. "I cannot fathom how you have made the trip so often."

Jack laughed. "It is easier when one has no choice in the matter."

She smiled back at him and took his arm when he offered it. Beyond him, she saw several men in the crisp uniforms of officers, probably men of the mountain watch towers. With them was a young man whom Elizabeth would have recognized no matter where she met him, for he was the image of his father.

"My lady," Jack said when they reached the group, and Elizabeth let go of his arm, "allow me to introduce my son and heir, Charles."

Elizabeth smiled at him brightly as she offered her hand. "It is an honor to meet you at last, my lord," she said to the man, who was less than a year older than herself. "I have so long heard much about you."

Charles took her hand and kissed it lightly. "The honor is mine, my lady," he replied formally.

Jack began the rest of the introductions on both sides, but a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye distracted her. Elizabeth looked just in time to see Laura clutch her husband's arm as she weaved on her feet. "Laura!" Elizabeth cried, hurrying to her friend's side.

Laura did not faint. In the eleven years Elizabeth had known her, she had never known Laura to faint, but she was terribly unsteady now, when she was usually so graceful. "Laura, are you all right?" Carson asked while Kate and Jack and others hovered around.

"Dizzy," Laura replied. A thin line of blood was trickling from her nose, and her legs appeared to give out. She sagged into her husband's arms.

"Get her inside," Jack ordered. "She needs to lie down."

No one questioned him when he used that tone of voice, and in a rush of activity Laura was whisked away by Carson and two servants. Elizabeth, knowing when she was useful and when she was not, lingered behind. She looked at Jack in concern. "What do you think happened to her?"

He answered her with a question. "Was she out of sorts as you came up the mountain?"

Elizabeth blinked. "Yes, as a matter of fact, she was."

Jack nodded. "It's the mountain."

"The mountain made her ill?"

"You are not only much further south than you have ever been before, Majesty," Charles put in, drawing Elizabeth's gaze away from Jack. "You are also much higher. I am not sure what causes it, but some people do not take to the mountains well."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes as she looked at him, for she thought she could detect a small amount of disdain in his voice. She turned her attention to his father, though, who looked both concerned and a little curious. "Will she recover?" she asked.

Jack nodded. "It could take a few hours or a few days, but yes," he told her. "It's not a permanent condition, but she needs to rest for now."

"I see," Elizabeth replied. She thought about Kate's sullen silence, now compounded by Laura taking ill. Already this visit was off to a wonderful start.

The sick room within the fortress appeared well-stocked and clean, from what little Laura could actually see of it. Carson had carried her here under the guidance of the servants. They were promptly met by the citadel’s resident physician.

"May I help you?" the doctor inquired politely.

"The lady seems to be suffering from the mountain’s grip," one of the servants explained.

"Ah, of course," he replied. He gestured to a small chaise. "Please, set her there." Carson wasted no time and did so, allowing Laura a better look at her surroundings, but she had no time to dwell on them when the doctor appeared next to her worried husband.

"Bleeding at the nose?" the man asked, though he clearly expected no answer. "Well, then, keep your head back, my lady."

Laura glanced at Carson, but did as she was told. Moments later, a cloth was pressed gently against her face, and her hand was taken up and pressed against it. "Just hold it there," the doctor instructed. "And pinch the bridge of your nose," he added. "It should stop on its own soon enough."

It was then that Carson spoke up, introducing them both. "Forgive the interruption, Doctor," he said. "I am Doctor Carson Beckett, her Majesty’s personal physician, and this is my wife and one of the queen’s companions, Lady Laura Beckett."

Beneath the cloth, Laura managed a faint smile at being called Carson’s wife. She could admit without reservation that it was a title she had yet to grow weary of hearing.

The doctor bowed his head to them. "I am honored," he replied. He then focused his gaze on Laura. "Lady Beckett, did you experience any ill symptoms on your journey here?" he asked.

Laura paused, thinking. When their group had departed Atlantis, she had felt fine, if a little tired. That, though, was understandable. She and Elizabeth had been kept thoroughly busy with soothing any other offended lords, as well as preparing for this next long journey away from home. Their visit with Kate's family had been anything but restful. Also, the carriage was hardly comfortable after so many days. The constant bumping along from Athos to Neill made her a little lightheaded a few times.

She said as much to the man, and he nodded. "Yes," he said, "weariness is only to be expected from a long journey from the north. Also, you have been moving about a great deal these several months, traveling with her Majesty, have you not?"

"Yes," Laura said. She took the cloth away from her nose and saw a large bloodstain. She winced a little, but it was quickly taken out of her hand by Carson, who then handed her a new one. "We have hardly sat still in one place for more than a week in the past month alone."

"I see. Well, nosebleeds are fairly common to those who have never visited Neill before," the man explained. "The mountain's grip, as we call it here, affects some newcomers but not others. The best course is to rest and remain quiet for a few days." He smiled kindly. "I daresay it will do you a world of good, my lady. However, if the bleeding continues or you develop any other ill feelings, please do not hesitate to return and speak with me."

She smiled at him in return. "Thank you, Doctor," she said. However, Laura was a little worried. She had only just made peace with Elizabeth in regards to managing both her duties as lady-in-waiting and as Carson’s wife. She did not want anything to disrupt the balance that had only just been restored, and Kate's odd behavior meant Elizabeth would need Laura's help. But there seemed to be nothing for it but to do as the doctor advised, at least for today.

They waited a few minutes until the blood flow was staunched. Carson carefully helped her stand. He then thanked the doctor for the extra cloths he provided for them and asked if he might come speak to him at a later time.

"Of course, sir," he said. "It is not often that I have another physician to speak with." The man smiled sardonically. "Most of the people who come through here simply wished to be patched up and don’t particularly care to know the specifics. I would be honored."

Laura smiled faintly at the exchange. Her husband was never, it seemed, without someone to compare cases with. But she was glad when Carson assisted her out of the sick room. The doctor’s recommendation of rest sounded wonderful at the moment.

After the scene in the wake of Elizabeth's arrival, Jack led her inside the castle with Lorne, Kate, and a few of the guards trailing behind them. Charles and most of the other men had made themselves scarce, so as not to overwhelm the queen immediately.

"I have heard that you've been busy since our last meeting," Jack said to her, his voice teasing.

He was somewhat relieved to see her smile, but also concerned when it did not reach her eyes. "You might say that," Elizabeth replied. Her voice dropped lower. "Perhaps we should speak now."

"You don't wish to rest?"

She shook her head. "No, it's best that we discuss this now."

Nodding, Jack led her to his study. Once they arrived at the door, however, Elizabeth paused and turned to Kate. "Could you check on Laura for me? See if she's all right?"

Jack was surprised when Kate barely reacted. "Yes, Majesty," she said, continuing on down the hall, one of Jack's own men escorting her. Jack also didn't miss the cold glance Kate sent Lorne's way before departing. He wondered for a moment what had happened there.

Shrugging the subject off for now, Jack opened the door and let Elizabeth walk in ahead of him. Lorne waited outside. Once they were both seated, Jack behind his desk, Elizabeth in front of it, Jack remarked, "So, things didn't go as well as some had hoped they would in Iolan?"

Elizabeth sighed. "Please, no lectures on my supposedly not giving Prince Radek a chance to win my affections, Jack," she said in exasperation. "I have already had that argument with Daniel."

"So I've heard." In fact, Daniel had warned him to tread carefully if he mentioned Elizabeth's courtship with the Iolanian prince. Daniel hadn't spared him the details in his letter, but Jack had no intention of lecturing Elizabeth. It was her decision and her life, not Daniel's or his or George's. Jack had learned his lesson with the Wallis disaster.

When he didn't press the subject, Elizabeth relaxed marginally and asked, "What news from the south?"

Jack was not surprised that her first question would be of Caldora. He answered her plainly. "The Caldorans have already engaged the enemy once and won, but they had the element of surprise, which they now have lost. Thor and the others are overseeing negotiations between the two sides, but he sounded less than optimistic in the last letter I received."

"Master Thor sent me a message that he and several of his brethren were going to Caldora, but he never explained why the Asgard were suddenly returning there, especially in the middle of an invasion."

Jack suspected Elizabeth knew half of the answer. "I asked Thor and the Asgard to assist. He and his people have long said that the time was coming for them to stretch out beyond the borders of Atalan again, and this seemed as good a time as any."

Elizabeth looked at him curiously. "May I ask what motivated you to involve yourself? I know you are not fond of Caldora in any particular."

Jack hesitated for a moment before replying. "I received a letter from the Marquis of Sheppard, asking for my assistance in delaying the coming attack. That was the reason I spoke to Thor."

There was a momentary pause as Elizabeth fought to maintain her composure. He had suspected that John of Sheppard was very much in her thoughts as they waited for news regarding the war. Knowing Daniel and George's opinions about the foreigner, Jack wondered if this was perhaps the first time anyone had broached John's name with Elizabeth in weeks.

He took a breath, and then added, "I also told him that the Tok'ra were on the move and would arrive as soon as possible."

"Let us hope they arrive in time to do the Caldorans some good," Elizabeth said quietly.

Jack nodded. "Did you find out anything new during your trip to the capital?" he asked her.

Her expression was closed. "Not what I expected, but definitely some things worth considering," she stated cryptically. "There seems to be little more that can be done concerning Kinsey," Elizabeth told him. "All of his faction claim they knew nothing of his treasonous activities."

Jack's mood immediately darkened and he stood up, snorting derisively. "Of course they do." He scowled and stared at her hard, crossing his arms over his chest. "Is that why you brought Kinsey's wife and daughter to Atlantis and placed them under royal protection? Because they claimed they knew nothing?" His tone was sharper than he intended.

Elizabeth frowned at him. "Jack, there is no evidence that Lady Georgiana knew anything of her husband's activities, and I seriously doubt her daughter knew anything." She shook her head. "Besides, that is not what I want to talk to you about."

"Really?"

"Yes. I need to start making inroads with the rest of the college, cultivating their support," she told him.

Jack blinked. Whatever topics he might have expected her to introduce, that had not been on the list. "Why?"

Elizabeth explained her encounter with one of the lords while she was in Atlantis and what he had said to her. Jack couldn't help but feel skeptical. "Matthew of Glaston has a tendency to run his mouth too much," he began.

She shook her head and cut him off, rising from her chair and moving toward the single window. "Nevertheless, he made a valid point," Elizabeth maintained firmly. "I cannot simply rule through myself and rely solely on my closest associates. I must show more faith in my people than that."

"Majesty, you do not know the lords -"

"Because I was kept under veritable house arrest for the past ten years in order to preserve my life from a few undesirable elements of our society," Elizabeth interrupted, turning back to face him. "That is no longer the case. I cannot rule effectively without the support of the lords. They swore loyalty to me on the day of my coronation, but that oath goes both ways. I am bound to serve them just as they are bound to serve me."

Jack pursed his lips, thinking that Kinsey too had made that oath and had trampled upon it. "Have you talked to George or Daniel about this?" he inquired.

She shook her head. "This situation did not come up until after I left Langford," Elizabeth said. "I was kept so busy in Atlantis that I didn't have time to discuss this at length with Lord George and I have yet to send any word of this to Daniel." She smiled at him weakly. "I wished to hear your reaction first."

"Was it what you expected?"

She shrugged. "For the most part. But this is something that must be done, Jack. In the years to come I will have far more important things to do than fight a constant uphill battle in gaining the trust of the college every time I put forth a plan for their approval. I need to be able to count on their support, and I cannot have that unless they know and trust me."

Jack nodded, though he was still not entirely sure why Elizabeth had come to him first with this idea. Of all the men that surrounded her during her childhood, quite possibly the only one with even less liking for politics than him had been Marshall Sumner.

"You should start talking to Daniel and George about this," he advised. "Perhaps even talk to Jacob as well. He has no seat in the college, but he has the respect of many who do. He has avenues open to him that the rest of us do not." Jack sighed. "I think we've sprung enough on each other for the moment. Why don't I show you to your rooms so you can prepare for supper?" He couldn't help but grin. "We're having cake for dessert."

The tension between them eased somewhat and Elizabeth's smile became genuine. "Is that a common occurrence here in Neill?"

Elizabeth stayed rather quiet during supper while her mind lingered on her conversation with Jack. There was a great deal she wanted to do with her reign, and it felt like nothing was going quickly or smoothly enough to suit her. She remembered her last conversation with Sir Jacob, when he'd left for the Tok'ra territories once again. Her father had been an impatient man, Jacob had told her. The idea made her feel somewhat closer to her long-dead father, but didn't particularly help her when she found herself forced to wait.

After the meal Elizabeth and Kate went to their chambers to begin unpacking, letting the contents of their trunks air out. "I must say," Kate mused, "that I will be very glad when you have had your fill of traveling."

Elizabeth smiled at her. "And why is that?"

"I want to be finished with packing and unpacking." Kate held up a corset. "Is this yours or mine?"

Elizabeth looked up from the trunk she was working on. "Mine, I think."

Kate frowned and brought it over to a stack of Elizabeth's undergarments. "I am sorry, then. I had this with me in Heightmeyer. Heaven knows when it got into my trunks."

There was a knock on the door, and since Kate was leaning over into her trunk to retrieve something, Elizabeth called, "Come in!"

In came Marcus, whose eyes lingered on Kate's form for a moment before settling on Elizabeth. "Majesty, Lord Jonathan wishes to know if you and Lady Katherine will join him for a tour of the fortress," he said, a little coldly.

Elizabeth glanced at Kate, who had straightened up and developed a keen interest in a pair of stockings. Repressing an exasperated sigh, Elizabeth turned back to her guard. "Yes, tell him we shall be with him directly," she said.

Marcus nodded. "If you do not have business for me, I would like to review the guards' duties with the commander of the watchtower."

Elizabeth nodded to him. "I have nothing more in the way of business for you tonight."

He bowed to her and left swiftly. Elizabeth lowered the lid on a now-empty trunk. "Kate," she began.

"Yes, he asked me to marry him," Kate said, anticipating the question.

This time Elizabeth did sigh. "I take it you refused him."

"We never got that far," Kate replied, busying herself immediately in the inner recesses of her trunk.

Elizabeth recognized her friend's mood immediately and knew she wasn't going to be able to budge Kate from this fit of sullenness. Laura might, but Elizabeth didn't even want to attempt it now, though she was curious to know how Marcus' proposal could have gone so badly. Instead, she walked over and laid her hand on Kate's shoulder. "We should not keep Jack waiting."

Jack was indeed waiting for them in the corridor, as was his son, to Elizabeth's slight surprise. "I trust you've unpacked?" Jack asked when they came out of their chambers.

"For the most part," Elizabeth replied. "I think we were ready for a break."

Jack gestured toward the open corridor. "Then allow me to show you around."

The fortress was stark and bare in comparison to most of the places Elizabeth had ever been to, which did not surprise her. After all, it had first been a watchtower, not a home. Even then Elizabeth found it strangely cozy, perhaps because of the obvious signs of age and ownership. It had been built over time, and one corridor did not necessarily match the one it intersected. In Atlantis, every generation had taken care to make new parts of the palace harmonize with the old parts, so that without careful study it would be difficult to tell where one section ended and another began. Neill was more of a hodgepodge, but Elizabeth thought it rather endearing.

Jack was in the middle of a rambling history of one of his ancestors having gotten lost in a foggy night and come down the wrong side of the mountain, ending up in a heated argument with some Caldoran shepherds, when a young officer approached them, bowing deeply. "My apologies, your Majesty," the man said. "My lord, the commander of the watch asks for a moment of your time."

Jack glanced at Elizabeth, who nodded. Then he turned to his son. "Charles, could you continue the queen and Lady Kate's tour?"

"Of course, Father," Charles replied.

The officer directed Jack away then, and Charles looked at the two ladies a little awkwardly. He cleared his throat and avoided meeting Elizabeth's gaze. "If I may direct your attention to these tapestries?" he said.

The rest of their tour lacked the color of Jack's meandering narratives, though they did perhaps learn more about the actual fortress from Charles than from Jack. The young heir of Neill was quite knowledgeable about his home and the surrounding area. He was polite without pandering, attentive without obsequiousness, but also distant and formal. Elizabeth found herself wishing she'd known him when he was younger, before he'd become a rather serious man.

Jack had not yet returned from the business which had called him away before they had finished a cursory circuit of the fortress, so Charles escorted them back to their chambers. Once alone, Elizabeth and Kate went back to unpacking the last two trunks. "Do you know what I want to do tomorrow?" Elizabeth asked.

"Hmm?" Kate responded.

"Sleep until noon."

Kate smiled broadly. "Perhaps that could be arranged."

Seeing Kate smile again reminded Elizabeth of how ill-tempered her friend had been during the journey to Neill. Quite simply, she hated the whole situation but was reluctant to interfere. The best thing she could think of was to try to lift Kate's spirits, so that when she and Marcus had to confront each other again - and Elizabeth did not doubt that they would, for neither of them would be so cross if their feelings had not run so deep - she might be better able to talk with him rationally.

Elizabeth moved to sit on the bed, fingering the torn hem of a chemise and wondering if the worn garment was worth the repair. "I have to say, Jack's son is not quite what I imagined," she mused.

"Nor I," said Kate, pulling one of Elizabeth's gowns from a trunk. "Though I suppose it was unfair to expect an exact replica of Jack. Charles would have spent more time with his mother than with his father over the years."

Elizabeth nodded. "He's so aloof," she said. "I certainly wasn't expecting that."

Kate closed the lid on the trunk and came to sit next to Elizabeth. "He might be somewhat intimidated by the queen," she replied. "He would not be the first."

Elizabeth smiled. "I know." It did bother her greatly, though. Jack was so dear to her, and she had long thought of Charles as a distant cousin, almost. At the very least, she had expected to find in him a friend like his father. His formal behavior toward her was both startling and disappointing. "I wish I had met him when we were all younger. It might have been nice to know a boy our age."

Kate laughed a little. "I suspect you would have had a crush on him instead of his father, then."

Sitting up straight, Elizabeth affected a haughty look. "And who is to say I don't prefer older men on principle?"

"I concede the point," Kate said, rolling her eyes.

Having heard reports of Elizabeth's last few months, Jack was determined to make her stay in Neill as relaxed as possible. He had no doubt that some sort of drama would present itself - in fact, given Laura's sudden sickness and Kate's sullen silence, he was certain that was already unfolding - but he would do his best not to compound the issue.

The girls all retired early, so Jack was alone when a messenger arrived. He had been expecting news from George or Daniel, but he was in no way disappointed when the letter turned out to be from a very different person.

He and Sarah Gardner had been writing each other almost since they had both departed from Atlantis. Her letters swiftly became a source of distraction from the reports he received almost daily concerning the state of the country's defenses. He had many concerns with the country's defenses now, not the least of which was the unprovoked aggression by the Goa'uld against Caldora, and he worried that Elizabeth was too singularly focused on the navy and the Wraith. Sarah let him think about other things. Her letters were often long and precise, not dwelling on the ten years she'd lost to Osiris but realistic about the challenges she now faced, ruling a province and holding her place in an often hostile court.

Jack still missed his late wife, even after the passage of so many years. The mother of his heir would always have a special place in his heart. He had not expected to find anything even remotely like the love of his youth, but this second Sarah was beginning to fill a void that had been in him so long he'd almost forgotten that there was any other state.

At a knock on the door, Jack set Sarah's letter aside and went to answer the door. To his surprise, his son was on the other side. "Father," Charles said.

Jack held the door open further and let him in. "Charles," he prompted.

The young man cleared his throat slightly. "I wanted to know why you did not allow me to deal with the watch commander," he said. "You know I oversee the keep more than you do."

"Yes, and I deal with the queen more than you do," Jack replied. "I thought you could use the practice."

"I have no interest in dealing with the queen, Father," Charles said coolly. "I have no desire to curry favor with her, or to flirt with young ladies while their fathers try to maneuver them to my side before an altar."

Jack snorted. "Is that what you think court is like, Charles? I tell you, it is half politics, half war zone. Romantic intrigues are less often inspired by love than by ambition."

Charles glanced pointedly at the letter on Jack's desk. At some point rumors about Sarah Gardner had reached his son, rumors that he would soon have a stepmother less than a decade older than him. The rumors were untrue, of course, but Jack could understand why his son would be upset by them. Still, he wished that Charles would speak to him on the subject instead of making these sorts of silent accusations.

"You will be marquis in about a hundred years when I am dead," Jack told his son. "You may as well get used to the idea of spending some of your time at court."

Charles made no reply, only shrugged indifferently. Jack repressed a sigh. "I would ask one thing of you, however."

"What?" Charles asked.

"That you be friendly with Elizabeth," Jack said. He and his son did not have the warmest of relationships, but he knew Charles could be as charming and engaging as his mother had been. "She's had little contact with people her own age. I think you would both benefit from the companionship."

"Father," the boy began to protest.

"Charles," Jack reproved. "She is our guest. Stop acting as though her presence here is some great hardship for you."

Charles opened his mouth as though to say something, but thought better of it. "I interrupted you," he said instead. "Good night, Father."

Jack waited a moment before replying. "Good night, son."

After staring at each other a little longer, Charles nodded and left. Jack returned to Sarah's letter, utterly unconvinced that anything he'd said had sunk in.