Fic: Words and Deeds (1/3)
Title: Words and Deeds
Authors: melyanna, miera_c, and angelqueen04
Rating: Older kid-friendly
Pairing: John/Elizabeth
Summary: As winter draws to a close, Sarah Gardner abruptly arrives in Atlantis, bringing news that could have dire consequences for Queen Elizabeth's rule and could change relationships within her court forever.
Notes: Many, many thanks to sache8, who was, as usual, a huge help. :)
By the time that winter began to fade, it was well known to almost everyone in Atlantis that the queen took a walk every afternoon, so long as the weather was not inclement. Even the lingering cold did not always deter her. Occasionally she would conduct meetings - provided they were not of a sensitive nature - while on these walks, but more often they were a time of enjoyment for her. And now that John of Sheppard was back in Atlantis, he was certain to be at her side whenever possible, even in the bitterest cold.
On a chilly afternoon, Jonathan of Neill watched the pair from several feet back as they ambled along. John was playing fetch with the queen's puppy, Sedge, while they walked. He was also making Elizabeth laugh a great deal. This kind of thing was why Jack had told Daniel, Elizabeth's cousin, that he could not accompany Elizabeth if John were there. He tended to look disapprovingly on her behavior around the knight, but Jack thought she needed the relaxation. John gave her something else to think about, instead of letting her dwell on the endless difficulties of ruling a nation.
Daniel's other concern was the fact that he'd heard a whisper or two about Elizabeth and John. Jack thought he was overreacting, as usual.
Jack had Laura at his side, while Kate was walking silently with Marcus Lorne. Since Solstice, Jack's suspicions about the two had been nearly confirmed. He'd yet to stumble upon any concrete proof, but in all honesty he preferred not to. Unsubstantiated opinions still gave him deniability. Besides, the last thing he wanted to do was walk in on someone trying to romance a young woman he'd known from her childhood.
The party was coming back toward the castle when Jack heard the distant sound of hoofs pounding into hard earth. All three men stepped in front of Elizabeth out of instinct, and Jack looked to see a horse crossing the land bridge towards the gate at breakneck speed. It was a foolish act, as the isthmus still had patches of ice that made it dangerous for horse and rider even at the slowest speed. But as the horse drew nearer, Jack was surprised to see a woman's figure seated on its back.
Lorne, Kate and Laura were already moving the queen toward the safety of the palace before Jack could say anything about it. Sedge went running off after them. While they whisked Elizabeth away, Jack exchanged a glance with John and they hurried around the stone walls toward the grand entrance of the palace, hoping to beat the rider there.
The woman was stopped at the gates by the ever-vigilant guards, and by the time Jack and John arrived, she was arguing with them vehemently. "I have an urgent message for the Duke of Langford," she was saying. "Please, let me pass!"
"The Duke of Langford?" Jack asked, approaching. "What business do you have with him?"
She hedged, and Jack thought she looked as though she was about to faint. "I have information which he must hear," she replied.
"What information do you have for the duke?" said another voice, this one inside the gate. Daniel had come up to the entrance, probably because of the commotion, his arms folded across his chest as he stared down the intruder.
"Daniel," she breathed.
He stared in shock. "Sarah?"
Jack felt the oddness of the situation, in particular the apparent recognition between the stranger and Daniel, sink in as the woman dismounted. She weaved on her feet, and Sir John rushed forward as she fell. Turning to his friend, Jack prompted, "Daniel?"
The other man shook his head while John hefted the unconscious woman in his arms. "I have no idea what is happening," Daniel said, "but that is Sarah Gardner, whom I have not seen in ten years."
Faintly horrified at the possibilities that name conjured, Jack looked at the woman and then nodded to the guards to let them in. "The queen will have our heads on a platter if we don't let Beckett examine her, at least."
As the massive iron gates swung open, John stepped forward carefully. "Where should I take her?" he asked.
"As far away from the queen's living area as possible," Jack said immediately.
They got the woman settled in a small room in a distant wing of the palace. She was still unconscious when Doctor Beckett arrived, and the other three men stood back a respectful distance while he examined her. "Exhaustion, I think," was his verdict. "Whatever her reasons for coming here, she must have thought it most urgent to put herself at such peril. May I be curious and ask why she came?"
"Daniel?" Jack said, turning to him.
Daniel shook his head. "I have no idea why she came, but it cannot be good," he replied quietly.
"What do you mean?" John asked, sounding rather alarmed.
"Not long after King Edmund's death, Sarah was traveling with her parents in the western territories," Daniel explained, lowering his voice. "The party was ambushed by Goa'uld raiders."
Jack shuddered, remembering the story well. He had gone personally at the reports and seen the carnage for himself. He glanced at John and saw the younger man was curious, and he explained, "When I got to the scene, there was one servant still alive, though he did not last long. The raiders had killed the viscount and his wife, and their daughter had disappeared along with several of their younger female servants." He turned back to Daniel. "And you are certain this is the same woman?"
"I would know her face anywhere," Daniel replied, nodding briefly.
Jack sighed. "All right," he said. "You three, go to the queen. She will want to know what the commotion was about."
"And what will you do?" Daniel asked suspiciously.
"Someone has to stay here and watch her."
"I'll not have her under armed guard, Jack," he objected.
"I'll not have the palace at risk," Jack shot back. "You may have known her once, but after ten years with the Goa'uld? You do not know her now."
Daniel glared for a moment, but conceded the point. With a nod, he exited the room, taking John and Beckett with him. Left alone with the unconscious stranger, Jack sat down in a chair next to the bed and stared, wondering what she was hiding.
Elizabeth was quiet for a long moment after Daniel had finished his explanation. Folding her hands in her lap, she said, "Sarah Gardner? Daughter of the Viscount of Berwynn?"
"Yes," Daniel replied. "It is hard to believe, but it is she."
Between Daniel and Doctor Beckett, Sir John was shaking his head. "Ten years ago she could have been no more than sixteen, Lord Daniel. Many things change in the course of a decade."
"Little girls become queens," Elizabeth remarked dryly, drawing the gentlemen's attention back to herself.
"My lady," John murmured as a kind of apology.
Elizabeth looked at Kate and Laura, who were seated off to the side of her private sitting room, as they often were. They both had sewing in their laps, but both had gotten caught up in Daniel's report and were no longer working. Peter Grodin, her personal secretary, stood off to the side, watching attentively, his face carefully neutral.
She looked back at the men standing before her. "Do I remember rightly?" she asked of Daniel. "Did you not once have an understanding with this Lady Sarah?"
"Not exactly," Daniel replied, shifting uneasily. "Our parents arranged the match when we were still quite young."
Elizabeth nodded once. It was obvious why the marriage had not taken place and that the entire subject made Daniel uncomfortable. She glanced at Beckett. "What is her condition, Doctor?"
"She should be awake soon," he said. "I sent word down to the stables, by the way. If her exhaustion is any indication of the last time she stopped, her horse may be nigh on dead."
Elizabeth took a moment to digest this report. "Well," Elizabeth said to the group at large, "we should provide her with food and drink, and perhaps fresh clothing."
"What of her claim of having information for me?" Daniel asked quietly.
"When she is awake, I wish to be informed immediately. We will deal with the situation from there."
When the men had left, Elizabeth moved to stand at the window, looking out at the fading daylight pensively. After a few moments Laura followed her. "You are nervous, my lady," she said.
"Yes," Elizabeth replied, "and I do not know why."
Laura shrugged. "This lady was missing for ten years," she said. "The last we know of her, she was carried off by the Goa'uld. What if she sympathizes with them now? Or is acting on their behalf? That is enough to give anyone pause."
A slight chill ran down the queen's spine as Laura vocalized the fear that had settled into her mind, and Elizabeth turned away from the window. With any luck, this would all pass with as little trauma as possible, but her brief reign had yet to hit upon any such luck.
When Sarah awoke, she was in a strange room. She managed to curb the ensuing stab of panic, but only until she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and realized she was not alone. With a gasp, she shot up.
"My lady," the man said, leaning forward in his chair, "I won't hurt you."
She ran her hand up her chest to her neck nervously, feeling disoriented. "Where am I?" she asked hoarsely.
"You're in Atlantis," he replied. "You fainted at the gate, and we brought you up here."
Sarah nodded, looking at him. It was the older of the two men who had met her outside the gate. He was handsome, with flecks of grey beginning to appear in his brown hair. His eyes were warm and rich now, but at the same time Sarah remembered the steely look he had given her before.
"My horse," she blurted out. "Did someone see to my horse?"
"Yes. There's no need to worry about him." He rose and picked up a blanket that was folded at the end of the bed. "The queen's physician examined you. He said you fainted from exhaustion. You should lie down."
She resisted for a moment. "I need to speak to Lord Daniel. It is most urgent."
He smiled lightly, but it did not reach his eyes. "So you told us, repeatedly. However, you need to clean up and eat something first, or you might faint again."
Though her body was tense with unease, she leaned back and let him cover her legs with the blanket. Then there was a gentle knock at the door, and a young woman with fiery hair tied back in a braid entered the room. "You are awake," she said to Sarah upon seeing her. Sarah saw that she was carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of something, along with a pitcher and a mug. She walked up and set the tray down upon the bed, next to Sarah. "I am Laura Cadman, one of the queen's attendants."
"Sarah Gardner," Sarah replied, though she suspected that by now Daniel had told them her name.
Laura moved about the bed, collecting pillows and propping Sarah up to her satisfaction. Sarah glanced at the man, who had stood back from the bed and now looked somewhat amused at the way the young woman had taken over. Once Sarah was settled, Laura placed the tray on a stool near the bed. "The queen sent food for you. She does not want you to become more seriously ill."
"The queen is most kind," Sarah replied. "Will you convey my thanks to her?"
"Certainly." Laura turned to the man. "Lord Jonathan, may I leave you with Lady Sarah? My lady wished to be informed as soon as she woke."
He nodded once, and Laura took her leave. Awkwardly, he sat down again. "I suppose I should introduce myself," he said. "I am Jonathan, the Marquis of Neill."
Sarah nodded to him. "I remember you now," she said. "My father was a viscount. He brought me to court a few times."
She did not state the reason, but Lord Jonathan guessed it. "To meet Lord Daniel, I imagine."
"Yes."
The stew Laura had brought up looked delicious, but it was very hot. Sarah stirred it absently in an attempt to cool it off, but looked up at Lord Jonathan. He seemed to be watching her single-mindedly, and Sarah suddenly understood that his presence in the chamber was not entirely to do with her well-being. "My lord," she said, "I know I have much to explain, and that you must be very curious. But I have been gone for so long, and it is clear that many things have changed. Could you tell me a little of what I have missed?"
Jonathan sat back in his chair. "Well, as you've likely ascertained, Princess Elizabeth was crowned queen a few months ago," he began.
There was an uncomfortable silence, as it was clear that he did not wish to tell her everything of the current situation in Atalan. Sarah thought of asking about the masts she had seen in the shipyards as she had raced across the land bridge, but instead she looked down again and said, "My parents are dead, are they not?"
"I'm afraid so," he replied. "They were killed in the attack when you were kidnapped."
She closed her eyes. "I suspected as much."
"Your family's lands passed into the care of the crown," he said after a moment. "The regent had no power to grant them to someone else, and Queen Elizabeth has not done so either." He did not say they would be returned to her as the rightful heir, which told her precisely how wary he was of her presence. However, there was some sympathy in his expression now, despite his caution.
"And Lord Daniel?" she asked. "Did he ever marry?"
That question seemed to surprise Jonathan, but he recovered quickly. "Yes," he said slowly. "But his wife died some time ago."
Sarah looked away, feeling a blush rise on her cheeks. She had no right to that information, and did not know why she had even asked.
She turned her attention to her food, and they sat in awkward silence until she had finished eating. By then Laura Cadman had returned with the doctor, and Lord Jonathan slipped away without saying a word.
Lady Sarah was allowed to sleep some more after she had finished eating, largely because she clearly was struggling to keep her eyes open and Carson put his foot down about forcing her when she was still so unwell. While Sarah slept, Laura sat in the small bedchamber with her, working slowly on her embroidery. She was starting to grow weary of pearly grey silk, despite how much she had liked it months ago.
Laura had little idea of what Sarah's life had been like in Goa'uld hands, but given the look on Lord Jack's face when he watched the woman, she had a suspicion that it was beyond her imagination.
She was not sure she wanted to know, either. From what she had gathered, the woman was roughly ten years her senior, about Samantha Carter's age. But while she was beautiful, she did not have Sam's youthfulness, and Laura had seen in Sarah's eyes the look of a wounded animal, searching desperately for a safe haven.
Laura was about to set her needlework aside, as the sun was setting and light in the room was fading, when Sarah awoke. She looked over and did not seem overly surprised to see Laura there. "Has the queen's doctor decided I cannot be left alone?" she asked.
"No," Laura replied, with a small smile. "But I can tell you from a great deal of personal experience that he is very protective of those in his care."
Sarah pushed herself up, and Laura set her embroidery aside to help her stand. She was taller than Laura had anticipated. "When I told Lord Daniel that I had information most pressing," she said, "I was not exaggerating. I need to speak with him."
"Can it not keep an hour?" Laura asked. "They are expecting you after supper."
"I do not know," Sarah answered softly.
Laura did not much like the sound of that, but knew that Daniel could not be interrupted now. "Well, in the meantime, I have brought you clean clothes." She gestured to the screened corner of the room and added, "If you need assistance. . ."
Sarah nodded. "Thank you."
In the main part of the room, Laura shifted about impatiently, waiting for a request for help that never came. She had retreated to the fireplace and was stoking the embers when Sarah emerged from behind the screen. They did not speak to each other right away, but Sarah walked over to the small table where Laura had been sitting and looked at her embroidery. "This is exquisite," she remarked.
"I have not done all of it myself," Laura confessed. "The most intricate parts were stitched by Lady Katherine, the queen's other companion."
"Still," Sarah said. "This is for a special occasion, I presume."
Laura walked toward her slowly. "Yes," she replied, smiling brightly. "It is for my wedding."
When Sarah looked up, Laura saw, for the first time, a hint of pleasure on her face. "Indeed?" she said. "I wish you every happiness."
"Thank you. I will convey that to my husband-to-be as well, as you've already met him." At Sarah's curious look, Laura said, "I am to marry Doctor Beckett."
"And thus you would be familiar with his protective nature."
"Of course." Laura looked down at her hands. "He is a gentle and caring man, and though he is not my equal in birth he is my better in every other sense."
Her comment seemed to drain all the lightness from Sarah's expression, and the lady turned away. Laura grabbed her arm impulsively. "Please, my lady," she said, "I did not mean to upset you."
Quickly Sarah shook her head. "Let me not make you uncomfortable."
Laura moved her hand from Sarah's arm to her hand. "It will get. . . easier," she began awkwardly.
"I hope you are right," Sarah replied earnestly.
Laura brought Sarah Gardner to the queen's audience chamber immediately after supper, where Jack was waiting with Elizabeth, Daniel, Peter and Kate. The newcomer was dressed in clean clothes and appeared, if not rested, stronger than she had during the afternoon. The lady was clearly startled by who awaited her and Jack shifted nervously.
Elizabeth smiled, graciously polite as a sovereign should be. "Lady Sarah," she said. "Thank you for coming."
Though she had never seen the queen, or at least not since the monarch was a young girl, Sarah obviously surmised Elizabeth's identity from her position upon the room's simple throne. She curtseyed low. "I thank you, Majesty, for your hospitality," she replied.
Elizabeth looked at Daniel and Jack, who rose to bring chairs from the wall to the center of the room, before the throne. "Please sit," Elizabeth said gently as Laura took her place next to Kate. Sarah did so and the queen continued, "I have been informed that you came with a message for Lord Daniel, and that this information is most urgent."
Sarah nodded. "The Goa'uld are planning some sort of strike."
A moment of stunned silence followed the declaration. Jack looked at Elizabeth quickly. Her face was carefully blank, but he could imagine her frustration. They had been hearing rumors of this vague nature for months now, mostly spouted by Kinsey. "Have you anything more specific?" Elizabeth asked.
"They have amassed an army," Sarah replied. "I have seen it with my own eyes. They are camped on the other side of the Talas Mountains, and when the snows begin to melt and the passes clear, the Goa'uld could easily strike Atalan, probably around the province of Neill." At her last words, she glanced at Jack briefly before dropping her gaze to the floor.
"Why would they muster troops now, only to wait for the thaw?" Daniel asked. "They leave themselves vulnerable to attack or disease."
"Or spies," Elizabeth added. Jack was a little alarmed at how dark her expression had grown. "They are also within striking distance of Caldora there," she said. "And to attack the western Caldoran provinces they must move before the snow melts and the Mearali River floods its banks."
Sarah looked confused by Elizabeth's calm recitation of fact, but everyone else in the room knew exactly why she would know this. Sheppard was the westernmost province in Caldora.
Elizabeth finally looked away from her guest. "Tell me truthfully, Jack. Is it too late to warn Caldora of this threat?"
"Warn Caldora?" Sarah blurted out. Elizabeth only looked back at her silently, and the older woman met the queen's gaze with finely honed skepticism. "Have I come to the right country?"
Jack and Laura both snickered quietly at that, and even Elizabeth herself smiled a little. "We have had some diplomatic contact with King Henry of Caldora in recent months," Elizabeth explained. "I would not say much has changed, but I am certain that what little progress we have made would be materially damaged if I withheld this information from them."
Those last words were for himself and Daniel as much as for Sarah. Elizabeth looked back at Jack expectantly. "I have serious doubts that a message would reach the king's ears in time to help them," he said. "In good weather the mountain passes are a more direct route than the foothills in the east, but they would be dangerous in this time of year and prone to avalanche."
Elizabeth nodded. "I think that an attempt would still be appropriate," she said quietly. "Even if the message is late, it will still show my intentions are honorable."
"Will they care, if their country has been overrun by then?" Daniel asked.
"They will remember that I tried," Elizabeth replied. "I am sure of it."
She nodded at Peter, her secretary. The young man nodded back. "I will see to it immediately, Majesty," he said quietly, and left. Both Sarah and Elizabeth looked relieved.
Then the queen turned her attention back to her guest. "You said you saw this army with your own eyes," she commented. "Would it be too bold of me to ask how you came to see it?"
Jack had to look down to keep his feeling of awe from showing on his face. He feared he would never be fully accustomed to how easily Elizabeth could disguise an order as a favor.
"They came through my master's lands," Sarah said quietly. "A blind man could have seen them."
Elizabeth looked alarmed. They all knew of the Goa'uld and their slavery, but Jack imagined that few in Atalan beside himself and Daniel would ever truly understand what happened in the realm of the Goa'uld.
"Your master?" Elizabeth repeated.
"Osiris. I called him master," Sarah said dryly. "He preferred husband."
And despite all the years of training to keep her reactions subdued, Elizabeth winced, looking down. Kate and Laura were similarly affected. Jack would have guessed from the wary looks Sarah had given him earlier that at the very least someone had forced himself upon her, and he wouldn't have considered a forced marriage out of the realm of possibility either. He suspected that Elizabeth would have come to that conclusion herself eventually, but that did not make it less painful to hear.
There were many details Jack still wished to know, such as how she had come to escape, but Elizabeth wrapped up the discussion before he could ask. "Thank you for your time, Lady Sarah," she said, "and for your information. This could prove invaluable to our people."
The queen stood, and the rest stood with her. Sarah curtseyed again. "I am glad of that, Majesty."
Elizabeth nodded to her, and Sarah took her leave, one of the royal guards "escorting" her back to her chamber. When the woman was gone, Elizabeth looked to Daniel. "Cousin, there are more things I need to know," she said bluntly. "Can you speak with her and draw her out?"
"Do you not think you could not ask her yourself?" Daniel asked in reply.
"We need to know how she escaped Osiris, Daniel," Jack said. "If the queen asks, it will come across as suspicion that she did not escape but was sent."
"Which is exactly what you suspect," Kate put in.
"Yes," said Elizabeth, "which is why I cannot ask. If Daniel asks, there is a chance it will come across as mere curiosity, or even as concern."
Next to Kate, Laura rolled her eyes. "These games can be ridiculous."
"These games can stop wars," Daniel replied. "I will do as you ask, cousin, but I must treat her with respect. She was my betrothed once, after all."
"I would not ask otherwise of you," Elizabeth said. "I ask you to do what I believe only you can."
Daniel looked skeptical, but nodded anyway. "As you wish."
"Thank you," she replied quietly.
As the other man left, Jack thought to himself that the whole situation was probably more awkward to Daniel than he could ever imagine. He did not envy his friend the conversation he was about to attempt.
"Sarah," Daniel called when he stepped out of the audience chamber.
The lady stopped and turned. "Yes?"
As he caught up to her, he asked, "May I speak with you for a moment? Alone?"
"Of course," Sarah said. The guard attending her fell discreetly behind them.
He offered his arm, and they walked toward a small courtyard where they might be afforded some privacy. They stood there, uncomfortably silent. He was unsure of how to begin. Truthfully, this was an aspect of political life to which he was ill-suited, and it bothered him some that his cousin seemed so good at it. Elizabeth had certainly not learned that skill from him.
"You must have questions," Sarah said quietly. "Perhaps even more than the others."
Daniel opened his mouth and closed it again, wondering if perhaps Sarah already understood his intent. "You were gone so long," he decided to say. "I wonder how you even survived."
"Hour by hour," she replied. "Sometimes that was the only way."
"And Lord Osiris forced you to be his wife?"
She nodded, biting her lip. She looked as though she was about to start crying, which was the last thing Daniel wanted to deal with just now. He hadn't meant to ask that, but given how flippantly she had mentioned the man in front of the queen, he had not expected her to react quite like this.
"Daniel," she said, as tears threatened to tumble out like the torrent of words that followed. "Daniel, I came here to deliver that warning, but I never thought about what would happen to me after I had given it. I don't know what to do. I don't know if I can enter society here again, if I want my family's lands again, if I should just go somewhere else entirely. And now I can't stop thinking that if I had stayed in Atlantis instead of leaving with my parents, I would have been married to you and none of this would have happened. . ."
Sarah trailed off then, crying quietly. Daniel embraced her awkwardly, as he didn't know what else to do in the situation. He did not think she noticed his discomfort, for she clung to him as she wept. In a moment of panic, it occurred to him that she might be clinging to him in other ways as well.
She pulled away after a little while, and though her face was reddened from crying Daniel could see her compose herself behind a carefully blank expression, one which must have kept her sane through her ten-year ordeal. He was a little sad to see it, for the girl he remembered had been eager to smile.
"I am sorry, my lord," she said. "I fear there is still much I must adjust myself to."
"Sarah," he began hesitantly, "Jack told me that he informed you I was married, but that my wife died." Her brow furrowed, she nodded but said nothing. "We never made promises to each other, Sarah," he continued. "I would never dream of holding you to anything unless-"
Daniel stopped abruptly, realizing what he was about to say and how terribly this could turn out. But Sarah's eyes widened in alarm, and she shook her head. "I couldn't possibly," she said, and she suddenly dropped her gaze to the ground. "Not now."
Considerably relieved, Daniel allowed himself a smile, and he lifted her chin gently. "I understand. I would encourage you not to do anything drastic now. There are people in Atalan who are willing and able to help you, if you wish them to."
"Are you one of them, Daniel?" she asked.
He told her yes, but the truth of the matter was that he did not know what good he could do.
As a knight in the service of the queen, John had the right to eat in the dining hall provided for the nobility of the royal court, but since the autumn he had avoided the place religiously. Too many of the nobles in Atalan still looked askance at him because of his Caldoran birthright, and he feared his temper would snap at some point in the face of their prejudice. It was safer, and far more comfortable, for him to eat with the soldiers and guardsmen in their barracks. For those men, the only necessary virtues were experience and willingness to serve, and since he had saved the queen's life so that she could reach her throne, he encountered few difficulties there.
What Rodney McKay was doing eating in this place rather than the public dining hall was something of a mystery, until John noticed he was seated with Captain Pendergast. A number of the younger men were listening avidly to Pendergast's recounting of an old naval skirmish. McKay appeared more interested in his food, so John settled opposite him at the table.
McKay glanced at him and nodded, not pausing in his eating. John smothered a smile. Rodney had certainly not changed in John's time away.
The months he had spent with the Athosians on the mainland had been productive ones. He was grateful to be of real use to Lady Teyla and her people, and there was a certain peace in the village. Yet over the last three weeks, John had found himself growing more and more eager to return to Atlantis.
The last four years, he had never settled long in any one place, but something about this restlessness felt different. It was not his normal urge to keep moving. He had missed the palace, the great spires and the balconies and parapets sprinkled liberally around the towers. He had missed Captain Lorne's dry humor, Kate and Laura and their vastly different personalities and deep friendship. He had missed Doctor Beckett's curiosity and yes, even Rodney's incessant chattering.
He had missed Elizabeth. He had not realized how much until they were face to face again. Her genuine smile of welcome upon his return had made his face grow hot. Even though he would have said nothing remarkable had occurred during his stay in Athos, he found himself telling her even the tiny details of the past two months.
Every time he made her laugh, his heart lightened with relief. He could see from the lines on her young face that the stress of court business had not made life easy for her, even though no great emergencies had arisen over the winter. At least, none that he knew of.
Pendergast reached the end of his tale. John looked at the old captain. If he lived to be that age, perhaps he would find himself retelling stories of battles and war, but for now, he had no wish to dwell on memories which still haunted his dreams occasionally.
Pendergast glanced at him. "Sir John."
"Captain."
"Do you know how long you will be staying here in Atlantis?"
Caught off guard, John shrugged. "I am at the queen's service. I imagine I shall stay until she finds employment for me."
"Or grows weary of you," Rodney put in with a smirk. John narrowed his eyes as some of the other men chuckled.
The captain ignored them. "Young Lady Kate tells me you spent time on a merchant ship."
John nodded. "Indeed. It was over two years ago. I was aboard her for above four months."
Pendergast grew thoughtful. "I wonder if you would be willing to help me, then, Sir John? The weather grows milder by the day-" Here he paused as John raised a disbelieving eyebrow. He chuckled. "Warm weather will be upon us soon enough, and when it arrives, I will need to find crewmen for her Majesty's new ships. While many of the coastal villagers have experience on the water, few of them have been on larger ships."
He turned that over in his mind. He was hardly a skilled sailor, but Pendergast was already bearing a heavy burden overseeing the shipyards and construction. He would need someone familiar with the basic workings of a ship to evaluate the new men.
"They will need to know how to fight, as well, or be trained before they put to sea," Rodney added thoughtfully. John bristled slightly, but as usual with Rodney, he was more concerned with the facts than with making veiled insinuations.
John gave another shrug. "I would be pleased to offer you any assistance, Captain, so long as the queen approves."
Pendergast gave a gruff nod. John returned to his meal, thinking to himself that this task would probably keep him in Atlantis for some weeks.
Elizabeth was visibly unhappy with Daniel when he reported the lack of progress he had made with Sarah. Kate had attempted to reason with the queen, saying that Sarah needed time to adjust to her freedom, but while it was plain to Jack that Elizabeth understood such things, she was also frustrated. Kinsey had hinted and intimated and insinuated that if the Goa'uld were to strike - and with him it was an eventuality, not a possibility - Elizabeth would not be able to handle such a crisis. She was desperate to prove him wrong in the very circumstance he had predicted, and to do so she needed information.
Already, that was the theme of Elizabeth's rule.
After dinner, Jack had followed Daniel to his private quarters, where he watched his friend drink an entire glass of brandy before sitting down. "I don't know what to do with her, Jack," Daniel confessed. "I don't know her."
"The lady needs time to find herself again," Jack began, but Daniel cut him off.
"No, I mean I don't know her and never did." He rubbed his face with both hands. "I could count on one hand the number of times we have met. Those meetings did not even foster a friendship. All we knew was that we did not hate each other."
"Which I suppose would be useful."
Daniel shot him a look, and Jack tried to look apologetic for the sarcasm.
"I don't know what to do to help her, Jack," Daniel said. "It is most strange to have this connection to her - that she would have been the Duchess of Langford now - and yet not know her at all. I cannot help but pity her, but that does not help me understand her. Nor does it help the queen."
The conversation resolved nothing, and when Jack finally left his head was hurting. He turned down a corridor, headed to his own room, and heard a tell-tale bark that made him want to flee. But before he could escape, he saw that Elizabeth's white puppy had found yet another person to love and adore her. Lady Sarah was kneeling down near a window and scratching Sedge behind the ears.
"I see that animal has lured you in too," Jack remarked while still a few feet away.
Sarah looked up, startled, but seemed to relax a little upon seeing him. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"That is the queen's pet," he explained. "Given to her at Solstice by a knight who managed to outshine the rest of us with his gift. She is charming and knows it, and uses it to great advantage in the palace."
Sarah smiled, giving Sedge one last pat and standing. Sedge trotted over to Jack, sniffed at his boot, and walked away. "Apparently I do not smell as indulging as a lady," he said, drawing a little laugh from Sarah.
The laughter surprised him, in fact. Daniel had not said as much, but Jack had surmised that Sarah had lost her composure in a very different manner earlier. The woman had been in the palace for no more than twelve hours, and already she had him confused. Jack did not know what to make of her yet, and he was one of the very few in the country who would have some inkling of what she had been through in the clutches of a Goa'uld. Even Daniel, with all his experience with the lords of that fractured realm, did not have Jack's more direct experience with the Goa'uld.
But that might not be enough. Despite the smile and laugh he had provoked, Jack could see that Sarah had been hurt very deeply, in ways she had not yet begun to express.
The lady sobered and looked at him critically. "Did the duke report his conversation with me to the queen?" she asked. He attempted to look innocent in the matter, but she shook her head. "You are not a fool, Lord Jonathan, and pretending to be one does not become you."
Jack smiled wryly. "It did when I was a younger man," he replied. "You did not tell Lord Daniel anything of interest to the queen."
"What does she wish to know that she will not ask me?"
With a small sigh, he offered Sarah his arm, and they began to walk down the corridor together. "The queen has many burdens," he explained, feeling a little awkward about it. "She is young, and there are some in the country who do not feel her capable for the task ahead. She is rebuilding the navy, and we have been hearing since the coronation of a possible Goa'uld attack. She has made some mistakes already and is still paying for them."
"Might one of those mistakes explain why she knows so much about Caldoran geography?" Sarah asked quietly.
Jack was rather impressed by her deduction. Daniel had told him that she had always struck him as an intelligent person. "You probably don't remember him," he said, "but the gentleman who caught you when you fainted upon your arrival is Caldoran. He did the queen a great service and she knighted him for it."
Sarah looked a little disbelieving. "And what did the college of lords have to say to that?"
"I think you can probably imagine that." Jack paused for a moment. "My lady, there is something I have wanted to ask you ever since Lord Daniel identified you."
It was slight, but he could feel her tense in preparation. "What do you wish to know, my lord?" she asked, her voice lowering to a delicate volume.
"How did you escape?" he asked directly. "I have known a few who escaped the Goa'uld, but they were all men, and sometimes they had to kill."
Sarah looked down, her lips pressed tightly together. "Please, sir," she replied, "please. It has been ten years since I felt safe, and I am only just remembering what it is like to be free. Please, do not make me answer that today."
Slowly, Jack nodded. She had not refused entirely, and it would not harm anyone if he waited till morning.
Something else had piqued her curiosity. "You have known others who escaped?" she asked. When he nodded again, she added, "Lady Laura said to me today that. . . that this would get easier."
"I do not know what experience she could possibly draw upon," Jack remarked, thinking of his own time at war in various parts of the world, "but I believe I would agree with her. The memories will never go away, but they may become easier to bear."
They began to walk again in silence. When they reached her door, she did not open it immediately. "I have found myself living on hope for ten years," Sarah said. "It seems that I must rely upon it a little longer."
"You've had a big day," Jack replied, though he felt a little out of his league in offering comfort to her. "Perhaps in the morning things will be clearer."
On an impulse he took her hand and kissed it formally. The gesture startled her so much that he almost regretted doing it. But then she composed herself and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Lord Jonathan," she said.
"Good night, Lady Sarah."
She slipped into her room and Jack walked away from her door. If the next few days yielded nothing else, they would at least be interesting.
Elizabeth still had some reports to read when she retired to her chambers, which was not an uncommon occurrence. Laura had excused herself much earlier - with the wedding fast approaching there were always things to draw her away - and thus Elizabeth was alone with Kate. She was a little surprised that Kate was still there. Throughout the winter Kate had spent much of her time attempting to keep Laura sane through all the wedding preparations, but quite often it was Marcus Lorne who divided her attentions from Elizabeth.
There was a soft knock on the door, and Elizabeth looked up from her lengthy reading on expected fruit harvests in eastern Atalan. "Come," she said, and Marcus entered.
"My lady, Kate," he greeted, nodding to both of them. "May I have a moment of your time?"
"Certainly," Elizabeth replied, setting aside her reading all too eagerly. After her earlier conversation with her cousin, her work was not helping her mood. "How can I help you?"
"I need to know where you intend to travel this summer," he said. "Each location will have to be surveyed and secured before you arrive. I could begin this process now if you know the first few places you will be visiting."
"Of course," she said. "I'm sure you know that Prince Radek has invited me to Iolan. At the moment I intend to go there first." She did not add that a Goa'uld invasion would keep her in the country indefinitely, but then, a Goa'uld invasion would likely keep her locked up in Atlantis anyway.
Marcus nodded. "I met the lieutenant of Prince Radek's guard when he was here for the coronation," he replied. "I can coordinate with him."
Elizabeth rose and crossed the room to open a small chest as she talked. "After that, I fear my choice of locations to visit will be dictated primarily by geography and politics," she said, producing a stack of letters. "I have been invited by nearly every member of the college of lords to visit their lands. I think I shall be lucky to pass through a quarter of them, let alone spend any considerable time there."
The captain smiled a little. "There will be other tours."
"Perhaps you could inform them of that."
On the other side of the room, Kate laughed. Marcus looked at her and smiled.
"I will visit Langford," Elizabeth continued. "I have long wished to see my mother's home."
Marcus nodded again. "Hammond is not far from there," he prompted.
Elizabeth smiled wistfully. "As much as I would like to, perhaps I should not show so much favor to those who are already my friends."
"Of course, my lady. Is there any other place you are set on?"
Elizabeth had thought to pass through Kate's and Laura's respective homes that they might see their families, but had not even discussed it with them. "I believe you will have occupation enough preparing for my visit to Iolan," she said. "I will settle the rest of the trip with my advisors in the coming days and give you the list then."
"Very well," he replied. "Do you have anything you wish to discuss with me?"
Elizabeth smiled. "No, not at this time."
"Then I will take my leave of you for the evening," he said with a bow. Elizabeth nodded to him, but he did not leave right away. He walked over to Kate, who rose, and he kissed her. Elizabeth was so surprised by this that she forgot to look away.
As they bade each other good night, she had the sense to feign deep interest in the letters of invitation still in her hand. When Marcus was gone, she looked up and saw that Kate's cheeks were flushed. Elizabeth smiled a little wickedly. "So this has progressed to him kissing you in front of your queen?" she teased.
"In front of my best friend," Kate corrected. "I am weary of hiding my affection for him."
Elizabeth settled down at the table again. "You never hid it very well," she said dryly.
Kate blushed further but did not attempt to deny that.
A few minutes later, they were interrupted again, this time by Laura. "Look who I found," she announced upon her arrival. Elizabeth heard the barking before Sedge came bounding at her, but when she looked up at the door again, she was surprised to see who stood behind Laura. "Sir John," she said, absently rubbing Sedge's neck.
"My lady, may I?" he asked, gesturing at the doorway.
Elizabeth nodded, and he followed Laura in, closing the door behind him. She could not help but think of the last time he'd been in this room, the morning of her coronation. It was somewhat remarkable how much had changed in those few months. John shifted his weight. "Captain Pendergast spoke to me today," he said. "He is in need of someone to assist him in recruiting sailors to man your new ships, as well as training them in both seafaring and fighting. Kate had informed him that I spent some time aboard a merchant vessel, so he has asked me to help him."
Elizabeth had been in the room when Kate had passed that information to Pendergast, so she did not have to think about his request for this employment. Instead, she remembered her conference that afternoon with Sarah Gardner, and how the reported army could attack Caldora as easily as it could Atalan. So far only the people who had been in that room knew anything about the army, and Elizabeth's impulse was to tell John about it. After all, his homeland was in danger.
But something did not feel right. The information had not yet been confirmed, so she decided to hold her tongue on the matter.
"If Captain Pendergast believes you will be useful, by all means, assist him," she replied instead, then grinned slightly. "I know how you detest idleness."
He smiled and bowed his head. "Thank you, my lady. I bid you good night."
Elizabeth nodded to him, and he departed. By then Sedge had settled down at her feet, keeping her toes toasty warm. Laura got up and stoked the fire. "I'm surprised you didn't tell him about the Goa'uld," she said.
Elizabeth tried to turn her attention back to the reading on fruit harvests, though she suspected that was a lost cause. "What I have been told has not been confirmed," she replied neutrally.
"That is your only reason not to tell him?" Kate asked.
"It would be cruel not to," Elizabeth said. "If the Goa'uld do attack Caldora, his homeland will be the most likely to suffer great harm."
"I suppose that is true," Kate replied, and she did not press the issue.
But the rest of the night, it bothered Elizabeth.
The next morning, Elizabeth was abnormally quiet as she readied herself for the day ahead. Kate thought at first that she was still irritated by the previous day's events, but soon it occurred to her that the queen was actually displaying some amount of contrition for having been irritated with Daniel the evening before, after he had failed to get the information she needed from Lady Sarah. Kate did not mean to think ill of her friend, but it was something of a rare occurrence.
When Daniel and Jack arrived for the morning conference, Elizabeth remained standing, fidgeting a little with her hands. "Before we begin, gentlemen," she said, "I feel I owe an apology to Lord Daniel." She was not looking at him.
"Cousin-" Daniel began.
"No, it was wrong of me to expect you to accomplish this so quickly," she interrupted. "And it was foolish of me to believe that you could do so in such a short span of time, after so much has happened to the lady."
He nodded in understanding and Elizabeth took her seat, and the rest followed suit. "It is still important that you know how she escaped," Daniel said. "I should speak with her again and glean what information I can."
"Actually, your Majesty," Jack put in. It was the first time he'd spoken since he'd arrived. "I happened to speak with Lady Sarah last night."
Kate shot a surreptitious glance at Laura. After John had left the previous night, Laura had explained that she had found Sedge loitering in a corridor, and at the other end of it she had heard Jack speaking with someone she could not identify. Elizabeth looked surprised to learn that Jack had been speaking with Sarah. "Indeed?" she prompted.
Jack nodded. "We spoke for a few minutes. I am not sure why, but I think she trusts me." Elizabeth's eyes narrowed as she took this in. "I did ask her how she escaped, but she asked me for time to settle here before she tells that part of her story."
"Do you believe she will tell you?" Elizabeth asked.
"She might," Jack replied. "I explained to her my time with the victims of the Goa'uld. She seemed to take some comfort from the fact that others have escaped the same plight."
"It is not the same," Laura abruptly said. Everyone else in the room looked at her in surprise, as she and Kate normally did not go beyond observation during these meetings. "It is not," she repeated. "I know that Teal'c suffered under the hands of his oppressors, but I sincerely doubt that he was forced into anyone's bed."
A hard look came over Jack's face, and he opened his mouth to respond. But he glanced at Elizabeth first. Her lips were pressed together and she looked distressed, so he held his tongue. Kate wondered what he was thinking. She knew abstractly that there were many horrors in the life of any slave, but she also understood Laura's perspective. Laura was about to be married, about to give herself freely to a man who adored her. Kate could not imagine what it would be like to be sixteen years old and taken unwillingly as wife of a man who had killed her parents and kidnapped her.
Elizabeth did not encourage further discussion on the subject, however. "We have done what we can with Lady Sarah's information," she said. "We have sent a warning to Caldora, and we have sent word to our own troops wintering near the border. I do not think anything remains to be done, at least in that regard."
"Then let this be your first lesson in war, your Majesty," Jack said. "Sometimes the only thing you can do is wait."
Kate resisted the urge to smile. Waiting had never been Elizabeth's greatest strength.
The queen nodded anyway. "In the meantime," she said, "I would like to know that the lady is comfortable here, until such time as she decides what she wishes to do."
"She will be," Daniel assured her.
Elizabeth rose then, and Daniel excused himself. Jack lingered, though, and turned his attention to Laura. "You are an intelligent woman, Laura," he said, "but you are young. All three of you are young. I understand that the idea of being forced into such a marriage is a frightening one to a young woman, but I have fought in wars. I have seen good men hacked to death alongside evil men, and I have seen the slavery of the Goa'uld for myself. I have seen men forced to do things so terrible that the guilt of it becomes a living torment. Believe me when I say there are fates worse than whatever you imagine Sarah's to have been. Things for which death would be a mercy."
Jack departed then, leaving the girls alone. Laura sat down and said nothing. Kate had observed long ago that Jack was probably the only man in court who could subdue Laura like this. In some ways, the two were much alike, and Jack had learned how to deal with her when others had written her off.
Elizabeth was quiet too, but while that was not uncommon, Kate found the silence a little uncomfortable. "So," she said, "now we know who Lord Jack's mysterious companion was last night."
The queen looked a little amused, and a devilish smile formed on Laura's face. "Indeed," she replied. "I wonder what will happen when the gossips of the court learn about this."
Elizabeth was taken aback. "Laura, surely you would not -"
"Of course not, my lady," Laura said. "But if I saw him, it is likely someone else did too. Jack has been the subject of every idle gossip's tongue for years now. Now they have a shred of what some people might call evidence."
Kate looked at Elizabeth, who was shaking her head. "Oh, that poor man."
Feedback, as always, makes our day. :)
Authors: melyanna, miera_c, and angelqueen04
Rating: Older kid-friendly
Pairing: John/Elizabeth
Summary: As winter draws to a close, Sarah Gardner abruptly arrives in Atlantis, bringing news that could have dire consequences for Queen Elizabeth's rule and could change relationships within her court forever.
Notes: Many, many thanks to sache8, who was, as usual, a huge help. :)
By the time that winter began to fade, it was well known to almost everyone in Atlantis that the queen took a walk every afternoon, so long as the weather was not inclement. Even the lingering cold did not always deter her. Occasionally she would conduct meetings - provided they were not of a sensitive nature - while on these walks, but more often they were a time of enjoyment for her. And now that John of Sheppard was back in Atlantis, he was certain to be at her side whenever possible, even in the bitterest cold.
On a chilly afternoon, Jonathan of Neill watched the pair from several feet back as they ambled along. John was playing fetch with the queen's puppy, Sedge, while they walked. He was also making Elizabeth laugh a great deal. This kind of thing was why Jack had told Daniel, Elizabeth's cousin, that he could not accompany Elizabeth if John were there. He tended to look disapprovingly on her behavior around the knight, but Jack thought she needed the relaxation. John gave her something else to think about, instead of letting her dwell on the endless difficulties of ruling a nation.
Daniel's other concern was the fact that he'd heard a whisper or two about Elizabeth and John. Jack thought he was overreacting, as usual.
Jack had Laura at his side, while Kate was walking silently with Marcus Lorne. Since Solstice, Jack's suspicions about the two had been nearly confirmed. He'd yet to stumble upon any concrete proof, but in all honesty he preferred not to. Unsubstantiated opinions still gave him deniability. Besides, the last thing he wanted to do was walk in on someone trying to romance a young woman he'd known from her childhood.
The party was coming back toward the castle when Jack heard the distant sound of hoofs pounding into hard earth. All three men stepped in front of Elizabeth out of instinct, and Jack looked to see a horse crossing the land bridge towards the gate at breakneck speed. It was a foolish act, as the isthmus still had patches of ice that made it dangerous for horse and rider even at the slowest speed. But as the horse drew nearer, Jack was surprised to see a woman's figure seated on its back.
Lorne, Kate and Laura were already moving the queen toward the safety of the palace before Jack could say anything about it. Sedge went running off after them. While they whisked Elizabeth away, Jack exchanged a glance with John and they hurried around the stone walls toward the grand entrance of the palace, hoping to beat the rider there.
The woman was stopped at the gates by the ever-vigilant guards, and by the time Jack and John arrived, she was arguing with them vehemently. "I have an urgent message for the Duke of Langford," she was saying. "Please, let me pass!"
"The Duke of Langford?" Jack asked, approaching. "What business do you have with him?"
She hedged, and Jack thought she looked as though she was about to faint. "I have information which he must hear," she replied.
"What information do you have for the duke?" said another voice, this one inside the gate. Daniel had come up to the entrance, probably because of the commotion, his arms folded across his chest as he stared down the intruder.
"Daniel," she breathed.
He stared in shock. "Sarah?"
Jack felt the oddness of the situation, in particular the apparent recognition between the stranger and Daniel, sink in as the woman dismounted. She weaved on her feet, and Sir John rushed forward as she fell. Turning to his friend, Jack prompted, "Daniel?"
The other man shook his head while John hefted the unconscious woman in his arms. "I have no idea what is happening," Daniel said, "but that is Sarah Gardner, whom I have not seen in ten years."
Faintly horrified at the possibilities that name conjured, Jack looked at the woman and then nodded to the guards to let them in. "The queen will have our heads on a platter if we don't let Beckett examine her, at least."
As the massive iron gates swung open, John stepped forward carefully. "Where should I take her?" he asked.
"As far away from the queen's living area as possible," Jack said immediately.
They got the woman settled in a small room in a distant wing of the palace. She was still unconscious when Doctor Beckett arrived, and the other three men stood back a respectful distance while he examined her. "Exhaustion, I think," was his verdict. "Whatever her reasons for coming here, she must have thought it most urgent to put herself at such peril. May I be curious and ask why she came?"
"Daniel?" Jack said, turning to him.
Daniel shook his head. "I have no idea why she came, but it cannot be good," he replied quietly.
"What do you mean?" John asked, sounding rather alarmed.
"Not long after King Edmund's death, Sarah was traveling with her parents in the western territories," Daniel explained, lowering his voice. "The party was ambushed by Goa'uld raiders."
Jack shuddered, remembering the story well. He had gone personally at the reports and seen the carnage for himself. He glanced at John and saw the younger man was curious, and he explained, "When I got to the scene, there was one servant still alive, though he did not last long. The raiders had killed the viscount and his wife, and their daughter had disappeared along with several of their younger female servants." He turned back to Daniel. "And you are certain this is the same woman?"
"I would know her face anywhere," Daniel replied, nodding briefly.
Jack sighed. "All right," he said. "You three, go to the queen. She will want to know what the commotion was about."
"And what will you do?" Daniel asked suspiciously.
"Someone has to stay here and watch her."
"I'll not have her under armed guard, Jack," he objected.
"I'll not have the palace at risk," Jack shot back. "You may have known her once, but after ten years with the Goa'uld? You do not know her now."
Daniel glared for a moment, but conceded the point. With a nod, he exited the room, taking John and Beckett with him. Left alone with the unconscious stranger, Jack sat down in a chair next to the bed and stared, wondering what she was hiding.
Elizabeth was quiet for a long moment after Daniel had finished his explanation. Folding her hands in her lap, she said, "Sarah Gardner? Daughter of the Viscount of Berwynn?"
"Yes," Daniel replied. "It is hard to believe, but it is she."
Between Daniel and Doctor Beckett, Sir John was shaking his head. "Ten years ago she could have been no more than sixteen, Lord Daniel. Many things change in the course of a decade."
"Little girls become queens," Elizabeth remarked dryly, drawing the gentlemen's attention back to herself.
"My lady," John murmured as a kind of apology.
Elizabeth looked at Kate and Laura, who were seated off to the side of her private sitting room, as they often were. They both had sewing in their laps, but both had gotten caught up in Daniel's report and were no longer working. Peter Grodin, her personal secretary, stood off to the side, watching attentively, his face carefully neutral.
She looked back at the men standing before her. "Do I remember rightly?" she asked of Daniel. "Did you not once have an understanding with this Lady Sarah?"
"Not exactly," Daniel replied, shifting uneasily. "Our parents arranged the match when we were still quite young."
Elizabeth nodded once. It was obvious why the marriage had not taken place and that the entire subject made Daniel uncomfortable. She glanced at Beckett. "What is her condition, Doctor?"
"She should be awake soon," he said. "I sent word down to the stables, by the way. If her exhaustion is any indication of the last time she stopped, her horse may be nigh on dead."
Elizabeth took a moment to digest this report. "Well," Elizabeth said to the group at large, "we should provide her with food and drink, and perhaps fresh clothing."
"What of her claim of having information for me?" Daniel asked quietly.
"When she is awake, I wish to be informed immediately. We will deal with the situation from there."
When the men had left, Elizabeth moved to stand at the window, looking out at the fading daylight pensively. After a few moments Laura followed her. "You are nervous, my lady," she said.
"Yes," Elizabeth replied, "and I do not know why."
Laura shrugged. "This lady was missing for ten years," she said. "The last we know of her, she was carried off by the Goa'uld. What if she sympathizes with them now? Or is acting on their behalf? That is enough to give anyone pause."
A slight chill ran down the queen's spine as Laura vocalized the fear that had settled into her mind, and Elizabeth turned away from the window. With any luck, this would all pass with as little trauma as possible, but her brief reign had yet to hit upon any such luck.
When Sarah awoke, she was in a strange room. She managed to curb the ensuing stab of panic, but only until she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and realized she was not alone. With a gasp, she shot up.
"My lady," the man said, leaning forward in his chair, "I won't hurt you."
She ran her hand up her chest to her neck nervously, feeling disoriented. "Where am I?" she asked hoarsely.
"You're in Atlantis," he replied. "You fainted at the gate, and we brought you up here."
Sarah nodded, looking at him. It was the older of the two men who had met her outside the gate. He was handsome, with flecks of grey beginning to appear in his brown hair. His eyes were warm and rich now, but at the same time Sarah remembered the steely look he had given her before.
"My horse," she blurted out. "Did someone see to my horse?"
"Yes. There's no need to worry about him." He rose and picked up a blanket that was folded at the end of the bed. "The queen's physician examined you. He said you fainted from exhaustion. You should lie down."
She resisted for a moment. "I need to speak to Lord Daniel. It is most urgent."
He smiled lightly, but it did not reach his eyes. "So you told us, repeatedly. However, you need to clean up and eat something first, or you might faint again."
Though her body was tense with unease, she leaned back and let him cover her legs with the blanket. Then there was a gentle knock at the door, and a young woman with fiery hair tied back in a braid entered the room. "You are awake," she said to Sarah upon seeing her. Sarah saw that she was carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of something, along with a pitcher and a mug. She walked up and set the tray down upon the bed, next to Sarah. "I am Laura Cadman, one of the queen's attendants."
"Sarah Gardner," Sarah replied, though she suspected that by now Daniel had told them her name.
Laura moved about the bed, collecting pillows and propping Sarah up to her satisfaction. Sarah glanced at the man, who had stood back from the bed and now looked somewhat amused at the way the young woman had taken over. Once Sarah was settled, Laura placed the tray on a stool near the bed. "The queen sent food for you. She does not want you to become more seriously ill."
"The queen is most kind," Sarah replied. "Will you convey my thanks to her?"
"Certainly." Laura turned to the man. "Lord Jonathan, may I leave you with Lady Sarah? My lady wished to be informed as soon as she woke."
He nodded once, and Laura took her leave. Awkwardly, he sat down again. "I suppose I should introduce myself," he said. "I am Jonathan, the Marquis of Neill."
Sarah nodded to him. "I remember you now," she said. "My father was a viscount. He brought me to court a few times."
She did not state the reason, but Lord Jonathan guessed it. "To meet Lord Daniel, I imagine."
"Yes."
The stew Laura had brought up looked delicious, but it was very hot. Sarah stirred it absently in an attempt to cool it off, but looked up at Lord Jonathan. He seemed to be watching her single-mindedly, and Sarah suddenly understood that his presence in the chamber was not entirely to do with her well-being. "My lord," she said, "I know I have much to explain, and that you must be very curious. But I have been gone for so long, and it is clear that many things have changed. Could you tell me a little of what I have missed?"
Jonathan sat back in his chair. "Well, as you've likely ascertained, Princess Elizabeth was crowned queen a few months ago," he began.
There was an uncomfortable silence, as it was clear that he did not wish to tell her everything of the current situation in Atalan. Sarah thought of asking about the masts she had seen in the shipyards as she had raced across the land bridge, but instead she looked down again and said, "My parents are dead, are they not?"
"I'm afraid so," he replied. "They were killed in the attack when you were kidnapped."
She closed her eyes. "I suspected as much."
"Your family's lands passed into the care of the crown," he said after a moment. "The regent had no power to grant them to someone else, and Queen Elizabeth has not done so either." He did not say they would be returned to her as the rightful heir, which told her precisely how wary he was of her presence. However, there was some sympathy in his expression now, despite his caution.
"And Lord Daniel?" she asked. "Did he ever marry?"
That question seemed to surprise Jonathan, but he recovered quickly. "Yes," he said slowly. "But his wife died some time ago."
Sarah looked away, feeling a blush rise on her cheeks. She had no right to that information, and did not know why she had even asked.
She turned her attention to her food, and they sat in awkward silence until she had finished eating. By then Laura Cadman had returned with the doctor, and Lord Jonathan slipped away without saying a word.
Lady Sarah was allowed to sleep some more after she had finished eating, largely because she clearly was struggling to keep her eyes open and Carson put his foot down about forcing her when she was still so unwell. While Sarah slept, Laura sat in the small bedchamber with her, working slowly on her embroidery. She was starting to grow weary of pearly grey silk, despite how much she had liked it months ago.
Laura had little idea of what Sarah's life had been like in Goa'uld hands, but given the look on Lord Jack's face when he watched the woman, she had a suspicion that it was beyond her imagination.
She was not sure she wanted to know, either. From what she had gathered, the woman was roughly ten years her senior, about Samantha Carter's age. But while she was beautiful, she did not have Sam's youthfulness, and Laura had seen in Sarah's eyes the look of a wounded animal, searching desperately for a safe haven.
Laura was about to set her needlework aside, as the sun was setting and light in the room was fading, when Sarah awoke. She looked over and did not seem overly surprised to see Laura there. "Has the queen's doctor decided I cannot be left alone?" she asked.
"No," Laura replied, with a small smile. "But I can tell you from a great deal of personal experience that he is very protective of those in his care."
Sarah pushed herself up, and Laura set her embroidery aside to help her stand. She was taller than Laura had anticipated. "When I told Lord Daniel that I had information most pressing," she said, "I was not exaggerating. I need to speak with him."
"Can it not keep an hour?" Laura asked. "They are expecting you after supper."
"I do not know," Sarah answered softly.
Laura did not much like the sound of that, but knew that Daniel could not be interrupted now. "Well, in the meantime, I have brought you clean clothes." She gestured to the screened corner of the room and added, "If you need assistance. . ."
Sarah nodded. "Thank you."
In the main part of the room, Laura shifted about impatiently, waiting for a request for help that never came. She had retreated to the fireplace and was stoking the embers when Sarah emerged from behind the screen. They did not speak to each other right away, but Sarah walked over to the small table where Laura had been sitting and looked at her embroidery. "This is exquisite," she remarked.
"I have not done all of it myself," Laura confessed. "The most intricate parts were stitched by Lady Katherine, the queen's other companion."
"Still," Sarah said. "This is for a special occasion, I presume."
Laura walked toward her slowly. "Yes," she replied, smiling brightly. "It is for my wedding."
When Sarah looked up, Laura saw, for the first time, a hint of pleasure on her face. "Indeed?" she said. "I wish you every happiness."
"Thank you. I will convey that to my husband-to-be as well, as you've already met him." At Sarah's curious look, Laura said, "I am to marry Doctor Beckett."
"And thus you would be familiar with his protective nature."
"Of course." Laura looked down at her hands. "He is a gentle and caring man, and though he is not my equal in birth he is my better in every other sense."
Her comment seemed to drain all the lightness from Sarah's expression, and the lady turned away. Laura grabbed her arm impulsively. "Please, my lady," she said, "I did not mean to upset you."
Quickly Sarah shook her head. "Let me not make you uncomfortable."
Laura moved her hand from Sarah's arm to her hand. "It will get. . . easier," she began awkwardly.
"I hope you are right," Sarah replied earnestly.
Laura brought Sarah Gardner to the queen's audience chamber immediately after supper, where Jack was waiting with Elizabeth, Daniel, Peter and Kate. The newcomer was dressed in clean clothes and appeared, if not rested, stronger than she had during the afternoon. The lady was clearly startled by who awaited her and Jack shifted nervously.
Elizabeth smiled, graciously polite as a sovereign should be. "Lady Sarah," she said. "Thank you for coming."
Though she had never seen the queen, or at least not since the monarch was a young girl, Sarah obviously surmised Elizabeth's identity from her position upon the room's simple throne. She curtseyed low. "I thank you, Majesty, for your hospitality," she replied.
Elizabeth looked at Daniel and Jack, who rose to bring chairs from the wall to the center of the room, before the throne. "Please sit," Elizabeth said gently as Laura took her place next to Kate. Sarah did so and the queen continued, "I have been informed that you came with a message for Lord Daniel, and that this information is most urgent."
Sarah nodded. "The Goa'uld are planning some sort of strike."
A moment of stunned silence followed the declaration. Jack looked at Elizabeth quickly. Her face was carefully blank, but he could imagine her frustration. They had been hearing rumors of this vague nature for months now, mostly spouted by Kinsey. "Have you anything more specific?" Elizabeth asked.
"They have amassed an army," Sarah replied. "I have seen it with my own eyes. They are camped on the other side of the Talas Mountains, and when the snows begin to melt and the passes clear, the Goa'uld could easily strike Atalan, probably around the province of Neill." At her last words, she glanced at Jack briefly before dropping her gaze to the floor.
"Why would they muster troops now, only to wait for the thaw?" Daniel asked. "They leave themselves vulnerable to attack or disease."
"Or spies," Elizabeth added. Jack was a little alarmed at how dark her expression had grown. "They are also within striking distance of Caldora there," she said. "And to attack the western Caldoran provinces they must move before the snow melts and the Mearali River floods its banks."
Sarah looked confused by Elizabeth's calm recitation of fact, but everyone else in the room knew exactly why she would know this. Sheppard was the westernmost province in Caldora.
Elizabeth finally looked away from her guest. "Tell me truthfully, Jack. Is it too late to warn Caldora of this threat?"
"Warn Caldora?" Sarah blurted out. Elizabeth only looked back at her silently, and the older woman met the queen's gaze with finely honed skepticism. "Have I come to the right country?"
Jack and Laura both snickered quietly at that, and even Elizabeth herself smiled a little. "We have had some diplomatic contact with King Henry of Caldora in recent months," Elizabeth explained. "I would not say much has changed, but I am certain that what little progress we have made would be materially damaged if I withheld this information from them."
Those last words were for himself and Daniel as much as for Sarah. Elizabeth looked back at Jack expectantly. "I have serious doubts that a message would reach the king's ears in time to help them," he said. "In good weather the mountain passes are a more direct route than the foothills in the east, but they would be dangerous in this time of year and prone to avalanche."
Elizabeth nodded. "I think that an attempt would still be appropriate," she said quietly. "Even if the message is late, it will still show my intentions are honorable."
"Will they care, if their country has been overrun by then?" Daniel asked.
"They will remember that I tried," Elizabeth replied. "I am sure of it."
She nodded at Peter, her secretary. The young man nodded back. "I will see to it immediately, Majesty," he said quietly, and left. Both Sarah and Elizabeth looked relieved.
Then the queen turned her attention back to her guest. "You said you saw this army with your own eyes," she commented. "Would it be too bold of me to ask how you came to see it?"
Jack had to look down to keep his feeling of awe from showing on his face. He feared he would never be fully accustomed to how easily Elizabeth could disguise an order as a favor.
"They came through my master's lands," Sarah said quietly. "A blind man could have seen them."
Elizabeth looked alarmed. They all knew of the Goa'uld and their slavery, but Jack imagined that few in Atalan beside himself and Daniel would ever truly understand what happened in the realm of the Goa'uld.
"Your master?" Elizabeth repeated.
"Osiris. I called him master," Sarah said dryly. "He preferred husband."
And despite all the years of training to keep her reactions subdued, Elizabeth winced, looking down. Kate and Laura were similarly affected. Jack would have guessed from the wary looks Sarah had given him earlier that at the very least someone had forced himself upon her, and he wouldn't have considered a forced marriage out of the realm of possibility either. He suspected that Elizabeth would have come to that conclusion herself eventually, but that did not make it less painful to hear.
There were many details Jack still wished to know, such as how she had come to escape, but Elizabeth wrapped up the discussion before he could ask. "Thank you for your time, Lady Sarah," she said, "and for your information. This could prove invaluable to our people."
The queen stood, and the rest stood with her. Sarah curtseyed again. "I am glad of that, Majesty."
Elizabeth nodded to her, and Sarah took her leave, one of the royal guards "escorting" her back to her chamber. When the woman was gone, Elizabeth looked to Daniel. "Cousin, there are more things I need to know," she said bluntly. "Can you speak with her and draw her out?"
"Do you not think you could not ask her yourself?" Daniel asked in reply.
"We need to know how she escaped Osiris, Daniel," Jack said. "If the queen asks, it will come across as suspicion that she did not escape but was sent."
"Which is exactly what you suspect," Kate put in.
"Yes," said Elizabeth, "which is why I cannot ask. If Daniel asks, there is a chance it will come across as mere curiosity, or even as concern."
Next to Kate, Laura rolled her eyes. "These games can be ridiculous."
"These games can stop wars," Daniel replied. "I will do as you ask, cousin, but I must treat her with respect. She was my betrothed once, after all."
"I would not ask otherwise of you," Elizabeth said. "I ask you to do what I believe only you can."
Daniel looked skeptical, but nodded anyway. "As you wish."
"Thank you," she replied quietly.
As the other man left, Jack thought to himself that the whole situation was probably more awkward to Daniel than he could ever imagine. He did not envy his friend the conversation he was about to attempt.
"Sarah," Daniel called when he stepped out of the audience chamber.
The lady stopped and turned. "Yes?"
As he caught up to her, he asked, "May I speak with you for a moment? Alone?"
"Of course," Sarah said. The guard attending her fell discreetly behind them.
He offered his arm, and they walked toward a small courtyard where they might be afforded some privacy. They stood there, uncomfortably silent. He was unsure of how to begin. Truthfully, this was an aspect of political life to which he was ill-suited, and it bothered him some that his cousin seemed so good at it. Elizabeth had certainly not learned that skill from him.
"You must have questions," Sarah said quietly. "Perhaps even more than the others."
Daniel opened his mouth and closed it again, wondering if perhaps Sarah already understood his intent. "You were gone so long," he decided to say. "I wonder how you even survived."
"Hour by hour," she replied. "Sometimes that was the only way."
"And Lord Osiris forced you to be his wife?"
She nodded, biting her lip. She looked as though she was about to start crying, which was the last thing Daniel wanted to deal with just now. He hadn't meant to ask that, but given how flippantly she had mentioned the man in front of the queen, he had not expected her to react quite like this.
"Daniel," she said, as tears threatened to tumble out like the torrent of words that followed. "Daniel, I came here to deliver that warning, but I never thought about what would happen to me after I had given it. I don't know what to do. I don't know if I can enter society here again, if I want my family's lands again, if I should just go somewhere else entirely. And now I can't stop thinking that if I had stayed in Atlantis instead of leaving with my parents, I would have been married to you and none of this would have happened. . ."
Sarah trailed off then, crying quietly. Daniel embraced her awkwardly, as he didn't know what else to do in the situation. He did not think she noticed his discomfort, for she clung to him as she wept. In a moment of panic, it occurred to him that she might be clinging to him in other ways as well.
She pulled away after a little while, and though her face was reddened from crying Daniel could see her compose herself behind a carefully blank expression, one which must have kept her sane through her ten-year ordeal. He was a little sad to see it, for the girl he remembered had been eager to smile.
"I am sorry, my lord," she said. "I fear there is still much I must adjust myself to."
"Sarah," he began hesitantly, "Jack told me that he informed you I was married, but that my wife died." Her brow furrowed, she nodded but said nothing. "We never made promises to each other, Sarah," he continued. "I would never dream of holding you to anything unless-"
Daniel stopped abruptly, realizing what he was about to say and how terribly this could turn out. But Sarah's eyes widened in alarm, and she shook her head. "I couldn't possibly," she said, and she suddenly dropped her gaze to the ground. "Not now."
Considerably relieved, Daniel allowed himself a smile, and he lifted her chin gently. "I understand. I would encourage you not to do anything drastic now. There are people in Atalan who are willing and able to help you, if you wish them to."
"Are you one of them, Daniel?" she asked.
He told her yes, but the truth of the matter was that he did not know what good he could do.
As a knight in the service of the queen, John had the right to eat in the dining hall provided for the nobility of the royal court, but since the autumn he had avoided the place religiously. Too many of the nobles in Atalan still looked askance at him because of his Caldoran birthright, and he feared his temper would snap at some point in the face of their prejudice. It was safer, and far more comfortable, for him to eat with the soldiers and guardsmen in their barracks. For those men, the only necessary virtues were experience and willingness to serve, and since he had saved the queen's life so that she could reach her throne, he encountered few difficulties there.
What Rodney McKay was doing eating in this place rather than the public dining hall was something of a mystery, until John noticed he was seated with Captain Pendergast. A number of the younger men were listening avidly to Pendergast's recounting of an old naval skirmish. McKay appeared more interested in his food, so John settled opposite him at the table.
McKay glanced at him and nodded, not pausing in his eating. John smothered a smile. Rodney had certainly not changed in John's time away.
The months he had spent with the Athosians on the mainland had been productive ones. He was grateful to be of real use to Lady Teyla and her people, and there was a certain peace in the village. Yet over the last three weeks, John had found himself growing more and more eager to return to Atlantis.
The last four years, he had never settled long in any one place, but something about this restlessness felt different. It was not his normal urge to keep moving. He had missed the palace, the great spires and the balconies and parapets sprinkled liberally around the towers. He had missed Captain Lorne's dry humor, Kate and Laura and their vastly different personalities and deep friendship. He had missed Doctor Beckett's curiosity and yes, even Rodney's incessant chattering.
He had missed Elizabeth. He had not realized how much until they were face to face again. Her genuine smile of welcome upon his return had made his face grow hot. Even though he would have said nothing remarkable had occurred during his stay in Athos, he found himself telling her even the tiny details of the past two months.
Every time he made her laugh, his heart lightened with relief. He could see from the lines on her young face that the stress of court business had not made life easy for her, even though no great emergencies had arisen over the winter. At least, none that he knew of.
Pendergast reached the end of his tale. John looked at the old captain. If he lived to be that age, perhaps he would find himself retelling stories of battles and war, but for now, he had no wish to dwell on memories which still haunted his dreams occasionally.
Pendergast glanced at him. "Sir John."
"Captain."
"Do you know how long you will be staying here in Atlantis?"
Caught off guard, John shrugged. "I am at the queen's service. I imagine I shall stay until she finds employment for me."
"Or grows weary of you," Rodney put in with a smirk. John narrowed his eyes as some of the other men chuckled.
The captain ignored them. "Young Lady Kate tells me you spent time on a merchant ship."
John nodded. "Indeed. It was over two years ago. I was aboard her for above four months."
Pendergast grew thoughtful. "I wonder if you would be willing to help me, then, Sir John? The weather grows milder by the day-" Here he paused as John raised a disbelieving eyebrow. He chuckled. "Warm weather will be upon us soon enough, and when it arrives, I will need to find crewmen for her Majesty's new ships. While many of the coastal villagers have experience on the water, few of them have been on larger ships."
He turned that over in his mind. He was hardly a skilled sailor, but Pendergast was already bearing a heavy burden overseeing the shipyards and construction. He would need someone familiar with the basic workings of a ship to evaluate the new men.
"They will need to know how to fight, as well, or be trained before they put to sea," Rodney added thoughtfully. John bristled slightly, but as usual with Rodney, he was more concerned with the facts than with making veiled insinuations.
John gave another shrug. "I would be pleased to offer you any assistance, Captain, so long as the queen approves."
Pendergast gave a gruff nod. John returned to his meal, thinking to himself that this task would probably keep him in Atlantis for some weeks.
Elizabeth was visibly unhappy with Daniel when he reported the lack of progress he had made with Sarah. Kate had attempted to reason with the queen, saying that Sarah needed time to adjust to her freedom, but while it was plain to Jack that Elizabeth understood such things, she was also frustrated. Kinsey had hinted and intimated and insinuated that if the Goa'uld were to strike - and with him it was an eventuality, not a possibility - Elizabeth would not be able to handle such a crisis. She was desperate to prove him wrong in the very circumstance he had predicted, and to do so she needed information.
Already, that was the theme of Elizabeth's rule.
After dinner, Jack had followed Daniel to his private quarters, where he watched his friend drink an entire glass of brandy before sitting down. "I don't know what to do with her, Jack," Daniel confessed. "I don't know her."
"The lady needs time to find herself again," Jack began, but Daniel cut him off.
"No, I mean I don't know her and never did." He rubbed his face with both hands. "I could count on one hand the number of times we have met. Those meetings did not even foster a friendship. All we knew was that we did not hate each other."
"Which I suppose would be useful."
Daniel shot him a look, and Jack tried to look apologetic for the sarcasm.
"I don't know what to do to help her, Jack," Daniel said. "It is most strange to have this connection to her - that she would have been the Duchess of Langford now - and yet not know her at all. I cannot help but pity her, but that does not help me understand her. Nor does it help the queen."
The conversation resolved nothing, and when Jack finally left his head was hurting. He turned down a corridor, headed to his own room, and heard a tell-tale bark that made him want to flee. But before he could escape, he saw that Elizabeth's white puppy had found yet another person to love and adore her. Lady Sarah was kneeling down near a window and scratching Sedge behind the ears.
"I see that animal has lured you in too," Jack remarked while still a few feet away.
Sarah looked up, startled, but seemed to relax a little upon seeing him. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"That is the queen's pet," he explained. "Given to her at Solstice by a knight who managed to outshine the rest of us with his gift. She is charming and knows it, and uses it to great advantage in the palace."
Sarah smiled, giving Sedge one last pat and standing. Sedge trotted over to Jack, sniffed at his boot, and walked away. "Apparently I do not smell as indulging as a lady," he said, drawing a little laugh from Sarah.
The laughter surprised him, in fact. Daniel had not said as much, but Jack had surmised that Sarah had lost her composure in a very different manner earlier. The woman had been in the palace for no more than twelve hours, and already she had him confused. Jack did not know what to make of her yet, and he was one of the very few in the country who would have some inkling of what she had been through in the clutches of a Goa'uld. Even Daniel, with all his experience with the lords of that fractured realm, did not have Jack's more direct experience with the Goa'uld.
But that might not be enough. Despite the smile and laugh he had provoked, Jack could see that Sarah had been hurt very deeply, in ways she had not yet begun to express.
The lady sobered and looked at him critically. "Did the duke report his conversation with me to the queen?" she asked. He attempted to look innocent in the matter, but she shook her head. "You are not a fool, Lord Jonathan, and pretending to be one does not become you."
Jack smiled wryly. "It did when I was a younger man," he replied. "You did not tell Lord Daniel anything of interest to the queen."
"What does she wish to know that she will not ask me?"
With a small sigh, he offered Sarah his arm, and they began to walk down the corridor together. "The queen has many burdens," he explained, feeling a little awkward about it. "She is young, and there are some in the country who do not feel her capable for the task ahead. She is rebuilding the navy, and we have been hearing since the coronation of a possible Goa'uld attack. She has made some mistakes already and is still paying for them."
"Might one of those mistakes explain why she knows so much about Caldoran geography?" Sarah asked quietly.
Jack was rather impressed by her deduction. Daniel had told him that she had always struck him as an intelligent person. "You probably don't remember him," he said, "but the gentleman who caught you when you fainted upon your arrival is Caldoran. He did the queen a great service and she knighted him for it."
Sarah looked a little disbelieving. "And what did the college of lords have to say to that?"
"I think you can probably imagine that." Jack paused for a moment. "My lady, there is something I have wanted to ask you ever since Lord Daniel identified you."
It was slight, but he could feel her tense in preparation. "What do you wish to know, my lord?" she asked, her voice lowering to a delicate volume.
"How did you escape?" he asked directly. "I have known a few who escaped the Goa'uld, but they were all men, and sometimes they had to kill."
Sarah looked down, her lips pressed tightly together. "Please, sir," she replied, "please. It has been ten years since I felt safe, and I am only just remembering what it is like to be free. Please, do not make me answer that today."
Slowly, Jack nodded. She had not refused entirely, and it would not harm anyone if he waited till morning.
Something else had piqued her curiosity. "You have known others who escaped?" she asked. When he nodded again, she added, "Lady Laura said to me today that. . . that this would get easier."
"I do not know what experience she could possibly draw upon," Jack remarked, thinking of his own time at war in various parts of the world, "but I believe I would agree with her. The memories will never go away, but they may become easier to bear."
They began to walk again in silence. When they reached her door, she did not open it immediately. "I have found myself living on hope for ten years," Sarah said. "It seems that I must rely upon it a little longer."
"You've had a big day," Jack replied, though he felt a little out of his league in offering comfort to her. "Perhaps in the morning things will be clearer."
On an impulse he took her hand and kissed it formally. The gesture startled her so much that he almost regretted doing it. But then she composed herself and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Lord Jonathan," she said.
"Good night, Lady Sarah."
She slipped into her room and Jack walked away from her door. If the next few days yielded nothing else, they would at least be interesting.
Elizabeth still had some reports to read when she retired to her chambers, which was not an uncommon occurrence. Laura had excused herself much earlier - with the wedding fast approaching there were always things to draw her away - and thus Elizabeth was alone with Kate. She was a little surprised that Kate was still there. Throughout the winter Kate had spent much of her time attempting to keep Laura sane through all the wedding preparations, but quite often it was Marcus Lorne who divided her attentions from Elizabeth.
There was a soft knock on the door, and Elizabeth looked up from her lengthy reading on expected fruit harvests in eastern Atalan. "Come," she said, and Marcus entered.
"My lady, Kate," he greeted, nodding to both of them. "May I have a moment of your time?"
"Certainly," Elizabeth replied, setting aside her reading all too eagerly. After her earlier conversation with her cousin, her work was not helping her mood. "How can I help you?"
"I need to know where you intend to travel this summer," he said. "Each location will have to be surveyed and secured before you arrive. I could begin this process now if you know the first few places you will be visiting."
"Of course," she said. "I'm sure you know that Prince Radek has invited me to Iolan. At the moment I intend to go there first." She did not add that a Goa'uld invasion would keep her in the country indefinitely, but then, a Goa'uld invasion would likely keep her locked up in Atlantis anyway.
Marcus nodded. "I met the lieutenant of Prince Radek's guard when he was here for the coronation," he replied. "I can coordinate with him."
Elizabeth rose and crossed the room to open a small chest as she talked. "After that, I fear my choice of locations to visit will be dictated primarily by geography and politics," she said, producing a stack of letters. "I have been invited by nearly every member of the college of lords to visit their lands. I think I shall be lucky to pass through a quarter of them, let alone spend any considerable time there."
The captain smiled a little. "There will be other tours."
"Perhaps you could inform them of that."
On the other side of the room, Kate laughed. Marcus looked at her and smiled.
"I will visit Langford," Elizabeth continued. "I have long wished to see my mother's home."
Marcus nodded again. "Hammond is not far from there," he prompted.
Elizabeth smiled wistfully. "As much as I would like to, perhaps I should not show so much favor to those who are already my friends."
"Of course, my lady. Is there any other place you are set on?"
Elizabeth had thought to pass through Kate's and Laura's respective homes that they might see their families, but had not even discussed it with them. "I believe you will have occupation enough preparing for my visit to Iolan," she said. "I will settle the rest of the trip with my advisors in the coming days and give you the list then."
"Very well," he replied. "Do you have anything you wish to discuss with me?"
Elizabeth smiled. "No, not at this time."
"Then I will take my leave of you for the evening," he said with a bow. Elizabeth nodded to him, but he did not leave right away. He walked over to Kate, who rose, and he kissed her. Elizabeth was so surprised by this that she forgot to look away.
As they bade each other good night, she had the sense to feign deep interest in the letters of invitation still in her hand. When Marcus was gone, she looked up and saw that Kate's cheeks were flushed. Elizabeth smiled a little wickedly. "So this has progressed to him kissing you in front of your queen?" she teased.
"In front of my best friend," Kate corrected. "I am weary of hiding my affection for him."
Elizabeth settled down at the table again. "You never hid it very well," she said dryly.
Kate blushed further but did not attempt to deny that.
A few minutes later, they were interrupted again, this time by Laura. "Look who I found," she announced upon her arrival. Elizabeth heard the barking before Sedge came bounding at her, but when she looked up at the door again, she was surprised to see who stood behind Laura. "Sir John," she said, absently rubbing Sedge's neck.
"My lady, may I?" he asked, gesturing at the doorway.
Elizabeth nodded, and he followed Laura in, closing the door behind him. She could not help but think of the last time he'd been in this room, the morning of her coronation. It was somewhat remarkable how much had changed in those few months. John shifted his weight. "Captain Pendergast spoke to me today," he said. "He is in need of someone to assist him in recruiting sailors to man your new ships, as well as training them in both seafaring and fighting. Kate had informed him that I spent some time aboard a merchant vessel, so he has asked me to help him."
Elizabeth had been in the room when Kate had passed that information to Pendergast, so she did not have to think about his request for this employment. Instead, she remembered her conference that afternoon with Sarah Gardner, and how the reported army could attack Caldora as easily as it could Atalan. So far only the people who had been in that room knew anything about the army, and Elizabeth's impulse was to tell John about it. After all, his homeland was in danger.
But something did not feel right. The information had not yet been confirmed, so she decided to hold her tongue on the matter.
"If Captain Pendergast believes you will be useful, by all means, assist him," she replied instead, then grinned slightly. "I know how you detest idleness."
He smiled and bowed his head. "Thank you, my lady. I bid you good night."
Elizabeth nodded to him, and he departed. By then Sedge had settled down at her feet, keeping her toes toasty warm. Laura got up and stoked the fire. "I'm surprised you didn't tell him about the Goa'uld," she said.
Elizabeth tried to turn her attention back to the reading on fruit harvests, though she suspected that was a lost cause. "What I have been told has not been confirmed," she replied neutrally.
"That is your only reason not to tell him?" Kate asked.
"It would be cruel not to," Elizabeth said. "If the Goa'uld do attack Caldora, his homeland will be the most likely to suffer great harm."
"I suppose that is true," Kate replied, and she did not press the issue.
But the rest of the night, it bothered Elizabeth.
The next morning, Elizabeth was abnormally quiet as she readied herself for the day ahead. Kate thought at first that she was still irritated by the previous day's events, but soon it occurred to her that the queen was actually displaying some amount of contrition for having been irritated with Daniel the evening before, after he had failed to get the information she needed from Lady Sarah. Kate did not mean to think ill of her friend, but it was something of a rare occurrence.
When Daniel and Jack arrived for the morning conference, Elizabeth remained standing, fidgeting a little with her hands. "Before we begin, gentlemen," she said, "I feel I owe an apology to Lord Daniel." She was not looking at him.
"Cousin-" Daniel began.
"No, it was wrong of me to expect you to accomplish this so quickly," she interrupted. "And it was foolish of me to believe that you could do so in such a short span of time, after so much has happened to the lady."
He nodded in understanding and Elizabeth took her seat, and the rest followed suit. "It is still important that you know how she escaped," Daniel said. "I should speak with her again and glean what information I can."
"Actually, your Majesty," Jack put in. It was the first time he'd spoken since he'd arrived. "I happened to speak with Lady Sarah last night."
Kate shot a surreptitious glance at Laura. After John had left the previous night, Laura had explained that she had found Sedge loitering in a corridor, and at the other end of it she had heard Jack speaking with someone she could not identify. Elizabeth looked surprised to learn that Jack had been speaking with Sarah. "Indeed?" she prompted.
Jack nodded. "We spoke for a few minutes. I am not sure why, but I think she trusts me." Elizabeth's eyes narrowed as she took this in. "I did ask her how she escaped, but she asked me for time to settle here before she tells that part of her story."
"Do you believe she will tell you?" Elizabeth asked.
"She might," Jack replied. "I explained to her my time with the victims of the Goa'uld. She seemed to take some comfort from the fact that others have escaped the same plight."
"It is not the same," Laura abruptly said. Everyone else in the room looked at her in surprise, as she and Kate normally did not go beyond observation during these meetings. "It is not," she repeated. "I know that Teal'c suffered under the hands of his oppressors, but I sincerely doubt that he was forced into anyone's bed."
A hard look came over Jack's face, and he opened his mouth to respond. But he glanced at Elizabeth first. Her lips were pressed together and she looked distressed, so he held his tongue. Kate wondered what he was thinking. She knew abstractly that there were many horrors in the life of any slave, but she also understood Laura's perspective. Laura was about to be married, about to give herself freely to a man who adored her. Kate could not imagine what it would be like to be sixteen years old and taken unwillingly as wife of a man who had killed her parents and kidnapped her.
Elizabeth did not encourage further discussion on the subject, however. "We have done what we can with Lady Sarah's information," she said. "We have sent a warning to Caldora, and we have sent word to our own troops wintering near the border. I do not think anything remains to be done, at least in that regard."
"Then let this be your first lesson in war, your Majesty," Jack said. "Sometimes the only thing you can do is wait."
Kate resisted the urge to smile. Waiting had never been Elizabeth's greatest strength.
The queen nodded anyway. "In the meantime," she said, "I would like to know that the lady is comfortable here, until such time as she decides what she wishes to do."
"She will be," Daniel assured her.
Elizabeth rose then, and Daniel excused himself. Jack lingered, though, and turned his attention to Laura. "You are an intelligent woman, Laura," he said, "but you are young. All three of you are young. I understand that the idea of being forced into such a marriage is a frightening one to a young woman, but I have fought in wars. I have seen good men hacked to death alongside evil men, and I have seen the slavery of the Goa'uld for myself. I have seen men forced to do things so terrible that the guilt of it becomes a living torment. Believe me when I say there are fates worse than whatever you imagine Sarah's to have been. Things for which death would be a mercy."
Jack departed then, leaving the girls alone. Laura sat down and said nothing. Kate had observed long ago that Jack was probably the only man in court who could subdue Laura like this. In some ways, the two were much alike, and Jack had learned how to deal with her when others had written her off.
Elizabeth was quiet too, but while that was not uncommon, Kate found the silence a little uncomfortable. "So," she said, "now we know who Lord Jack's mysterious companion was last night."
The queen looked a little amused, and a devilish smile formed on Laura's face. "Indeed," she replied. "I wonder what will happen when the gossips of the court learn about this."
Elizabeth was taken aback. "Laura, surely you would not -"
"Of course not, my lady," Laura said. "But if I saw him, it is likely someone else did too. Jack has been the subject of every idle gossip's tongue for years now. Now they have a shred of what some people might call evidence."
Kate looked at Elizabeth, who was shaking her head. "Oh, that poor man."
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