These Foreign Stars
By: AngelQueen
CATEGORY: Drama, General
WARNINGS: None
SEASON/SPOILERS: Season 10. “Flesh and Blood”, “The Quest: Part 2” and future episodes.
AUTHOR’S NOTES: I watch The Quest, Part 2 and my mind is just flooded with at least three different plot bunnies. *g* This fic does have Daniel/Vala aspects to it, even though Vala does not expressly appear in the story.
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:
http://angelqueen04.livejournal.com/
The stars have become almost familiar now, Tomin thinks as he
gazes out the portal within the Orici’s chambers.
Since he was a boy, he has loved to gaze upward at the tiny spots of light in
the night sky, finding their simple beauty captivating. In those days, he
learned the constellations taught to him by the school masters, memorized every
single one. When he had first arrived here, in this place of unbelievers, he
had found the unfamiliar patterns strange, almost distressing. But no longer.
No one questions his presence in the private chambers of the Orici. She has been kind enough to bestow great favor upon
him, even in the wake of her mother’s defection. Because of her partiality, the
other soldiers also treat him with ever-increasing respect, something Tomin is
not entirely sure they would do if they knew of Vala’s
actions. As far as any of them know, the revered mother of the Orici has been taken and forcibly persuaded against the Ori, against her husband and daughter. Only a precious few
know the truth.
And precious fewer know the truth behind the newest Prior in the Orici’s service. Hardly anyone heard his screams within the
interrogation room as the Orici worked with him.
Tomin himself had been the only witness to his delirious mutterings in the wake
of the Orici’s persuasions.
The activating of the door and the rustling of robes interrupts his thoughts.
He turns and upon seeing the man of his thoughts now clad in the simple thin
robes and carrying the staff of his office, Tomin turns fully and bows.
“Prior,” he murmurs respectfully.
“Tomin,” the Prior who was once Daniel Jackson replies as he comes to stand in
front of the portal, next to him. Silence reigns briefly. “You have questions,”
he states.
Tomin hesitates. It is not his place to question anyone, least of all a Prior,
but his curiosity has grown much in the past months.
The Prior seems to sense his uncertainty and speaks again. “Questioning the
will of the Ori is blasphemous, Tomin, but it is not
so when you seek knowledge and understanding. Speak your mind.”
Unwilling to disobey a Prior, Tomin does as he is commanded. “Why did she turn
away?” he asks simply, but winces internally at his still-unspoken questions. Why did she throw herself in front of a shot
meant for you? Why did she consider you so worthy of her protection, of her
devotion, when she would not even give that to the gods themselves?
“Her past is filled with horrors you cannot possibly imagine,” the former
unbeliever answers. “She was forced to believe for so long in false gods,
forced to serve as an unwilling vessel for one of them. Now that she has
experienced freedom from them, she fears to place her trust in the true gods
for fear of being deceived yet again.”
Tomin nods. This is understandable. Fear is powerful, even in one as seemingly
fearless as his wife. But there are other questions. Slowly, he forces himself
to gaze into the Prior’s milky eyes.
“I heard you speak during your illness, Prior. Do you…
Are you close to my wife?”
For several moments, he does not reply and Tomin fears he may have offended
this servant of the Ori. He opens his mouth to
apologize, but is prevented when the Prior speaks.
“There has long been an… understanding between us. She
and I… needed each other, and perhaps still do, especially now. She must see
the light of Origin if there is to be any hope, however.”
“But she will?” Tomin asks hopefully.
The Prior nods. “In time, yes.
Together, we can make her see that all that she loves most has seen the truth.
She will see.”
When Tomin asks no more questions, the Prior walks away toward the other end of
the room, no doubt intending to wait upon the Orici,
he thinks. Tomin himself turns back to the portal.
The Prior is right. All those closest to her have seen the truth and are now on
the right side. Her daughter, her husband, her lover.
All three were here, waiting for her with open arms. In time, they could make
her see.
But a part of him still doubts. She is the most stubborn woman he has ever
known. Would she allow herself to see? Both Tomin and the Orici
had been trying before her defection. Could one person make such a difference?
The image of Vala flinging herself in front of the
man, taking the shot Tomin had fired at him with her own body, appears yet
again within in his mind. She had believed so much in him that she had been
prepared to die for him. Tomin doubts she would do that for any other, even her
husband and daughter.
No, it would not be him or the Orici that would
convince her. Her love for them could not override her fear. Only the Prior
could do that, only he could soothe away her troubles and make her feel safe
enough.
Tomin wonders at his seemingly calm acceptance of the situation. Any other man
would rage at the idea of being forced to share his wife’s heart with another
man. Or, he thought rather bleakly, be faced with being denied her heart
because it had already been claimed by another. It was very possible. He could
never imagine Vala doing for him what she had done
for this new Prior.
He closes eyes. When all is said and done, that is the truth. Vala’s salvation rests in the hands of this one Prior, not a mere soldier. Her husband he may be, but he has
no claim over her heart or soul, even if she does claim to care for him.
He may be favored by the Orici, and that gains him
the respect and awe of his fellows, but it does not give him his wife’s love,
for it is already taken.
** The End **
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