Title: Quiet Strength
Author: Moonshayde
Season: One
Spoilers: Children of the
Gods
Category: Drama/Angst.
Missing Scene.
Character: Shau'ri (Sha're),
Sha're/Daniel
Summary: Shau'ri reflects on
her life, and her time with her husband, as she tackles her destiny.
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Has anyone
else felt Sha're was lacking in the show? I wanted back that strong, proactive
woman from the movie. I wanted Shau'ri. This is my response.
Disclaimer:
Stargate, Stargate SG-1 and all of its characters, titles, names, and
back-story are the property of MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko
Productions, SciFi Channel, and Showtime/Viacom. All other characters, the
story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story
cannot be printed anywhere without the sole permission of the author. Realize this is for entertainment purposes
only; no financial gain or profit has been gained from this fiction. This story
is not meant to be an infringement on the rights of the above-mentioned establishments
He taught me many things, my
husband.
I knew he was special from
the very first day he was brought to us. I had never before seen someone like
him. Only were there stories, from when I was a young child, of peoples of fair
hair and light skin that lived among the stars. I had loved those stories, ones
that my mother had told me, as we listened to the gates rattled by the
sandstorms.
They stayed with me through
my cycles, and as a memory to my mother after she entered into Duat, I kept
them close to my heart, and served my father, as it should be. I learned that I
should not speak my mind and that the ways of written stories were forbidden.
Ra is all knowing and all
seeing. Surely, he would bring destruction upon us all, my father had said.
But then he came from the
stars themselves. A sign from Ra. Or a sign of something better.
I remember my father telling
me the strangers' presence was an omen. If we did as Ra willed, we would pass
his test. If we did as he forbade, fire would rain upon our cities.
I could not understand, not
as I was then, or any time before it. We toiled and worked hard for Ra's light.
Why would our god harm us in this way?
I had wanted to know more,
to understand the strange markings that we held buried in the city. I learned
much before my father punished me.
But it was only years later
that I learned more. Learned from my Danyel.
He taught me the ways of my
ancestors and of his people. Together, we learned and studied the history of
Nagada and the other settlements of my tribal kin.
My Danyel opened up a part
of my heart that I was not allowed to show to the world. He told me that I did
things for him that I would never understand.
I understood. My husband
left his place among the stars to stay with me. He said good-bye to his
friends, to his home, to remain behind and teach the people of freedom from Ra.
But he did not just teach.
He heard me. He listened to me.
No one had ever listened to
me, not even my brother Skaara. I knew my place, but I did not agree with it.
For all the love they gave me, they never let me be. My husband, he listened to
me speak. He listened to my dreams.
I told him things that I
could not tell my father and that I could not tell my brother. I told him the
things that I could not tell the elder women of our tribe.
I would lead my people. I
would show them the way.
Danyel held surprise over my
conviction, but only at first. Not long after, he came to me, encouraged me.
I would stand with my
husband and we would teach our people.
I will still teach my
people. We will still teach them.
I will not allow for it to
end here.
* * *
Sha're opened her eyes,
allowing her vision to adjust to the lighting before she swept her gaze across
the room. It was filled with many people, people that she had never seen
before. Danyel had told her stories about the peoples and customs of his
"planet." He had told her he thought there must be other planets that
held peoples of the stars, as well. Sha're wondered if some of the women here
were from stars far away.
They were scared, as was
she. They had all been taken from the large room, where she had last seen
Skaara, and had been dressed in robes of wealth and luxury. Now, they waited.
They waited for the man to come and take them away.
Sha're was no fool. She
understood that these were signs of horrible things to come. She knew that when
Ra ordered tribute from her people and the other nomadic groups that lived
outside Nagada that often people were sent with the stones.
Sha're also knew the people,
often children, never returned.
Her mother had told her the
stories, the stories of people that were punished for their beauty and their
wit. Courage was not something that could be afforded.
I know it hurts you so, her mother had told her. But be patient. One day
the old ways will be gone, and you will be free in both mind and body.
Sha're knew. She had humbled
herself many times, even as daughter of the leader of their tribe. She did as
her father told; she deferred to her brothers. She kept her silent teachings to
herself, and she did not tell her closest sisters of the burning she felt deep
within her bosom.
When the strangers came and
helped expose Ra the Deceiver, Sha're felt that she had been woken from a long
slumber. On the first moon cycle anniversary of their victory, not long after
the farewell of the warriors from the stars, the first public lesson of writing
had been given by both Sha're and her husband. She had felt that on an occasion
such as this, on a day of peace and happiness, she should honor the one that
gave her the will to live through the hard cycles of her life. Sha're would
give praise to the one that embodied serenity.
It was that day she had
changed her name. Shau'ri took on the name of her mother. Shau'ri became
"Quiet Strength." Shau'ri became Sha're.
Danyel had been so proud of
her.
But Sha're knew that to
honor her mother justly, she could no longer be Quiet Strength. The time of
peace had ended. Summoning her courage, she laid down her mother's name and
reclaimed her name of action. She stood
before the women.
"I am Shau'ri of
Nagada," she announced. "We have been taken from our homes, from our
families. We have been taken by those that wish to deceive us and enslave
us." She paused, calling upon any strength that she had left, fueled by
the knowledge that if she succeeded, she would see her father, her brother, and
her husband again. "We cannot remained seated and do nothing."
The women listened to her,
but Shau'ri could see they did not hear. Shau'ri could not accept this. They
had to be strong; they had to be brave.
"My people—we defeated
the one known as Ra. He took us from our home, long ago, and made us his
slaves. The warriors from the stars came and taught us to fight. We must fight!
If we are to see those that we love, we must rise against those that wish us
harm."
Again, it was as if the room
was in deep slumber. Angry, Shau'ri tried again, speaking in both the language
of her people and that of her husband. It did not seem that anyone had been
moved by her words.
But she noticed the one. A
woman with fair skin was watching her. Her hair was like sunshine and reminded
Shau'ri of the other woman that had come back with the warriors. Shau'ri had
determined that the women of Danyel's tribe were not like her own. They were
strong and firm, much like she wished to become one day.
Shau'ri watched the woman
closely and spoke again. "Do you
wish to go home? Do you wish to see your families?"
"To be chosen by the
gods is a great honor," a woman said from some place in the back of the
room.
Danyel had taught of her of
"aliens." She knew the truth of Ra. And if there was no Ra, there
could be no Apophis. It meant that all their tales, the wars of the gods, were
not as they seemed.
They could not be treated as
things. They were people.
"We are not pretty
things that cannot think. We are strong, as are the peoples from the stars. If
we join, if we fight, we can return to our homes!"
"She's right!"
said the fair woman. "Next time those jerks come to the door, we rush 'em!
Then, we find a way out of here and get ourselves home."
Shau'ri's heart soared. The
woman understood even if the others did not. She approached her, both excited
and amazed. "You speak Englesh?" Shau'ri now not only felt strong,
but also hopeful. "You are from the stars?"
"I'm Sergeant Ann
Patterson, United States Air Force."
Shau'ri had heard of Air
Forces from Danyel and his friends. Could she be from his people?
"We will fight,"
Shau'ri told her. "We will-"
Shau'ri's words were interrupted
when the doors opened. The man and the others had returned, come to take
another and make her disappear. Shau'ri clenched her fists and bit down her
anger as she saw the man choose a young girl. The young one cried but none of
the others moved to help her. Shau'ri began to step forward, but was held back
by the fair-haired woman.
"Wait," she
whispered.
Shau'ri sank down onto one
of the cushions, watching helplessly as the girl was taken away. The others in
the room did not seem to care, or maybe they were relieved it was not them. Why
did they not fight?
"I cannot sit and do
nothing," Shau'ri muttered.
"We have little
support. We can't just bust out, the two of us. They'll use that thing
again." She sat down beside Shau'ri and lowered her voice. "We wait
until one of us gets nabbed. Then, from the outside, we'll break lose and come
back and free the rest."
Shau'ri considered the
woman's words, but she still remained feeling unsettled. Though she talked like
the women of Danyel's people, and appeared to be strong, Shau'ri could see the
fear in her. It was a different fear, a kind of fear Shau'ri knew could hurt
them more than help them.
Shau'ri frowned. "I do
not like this."
"Me either. But—"
The woman stopped, her gaze
fixed somewhere over Shau'ri's shoulder. Feeling uneasy, she turned her head
and glanced back to the doorway.
The man was watching them.
She froze.
He knew.
Shau'ri tried ignoring her
thoughts and her fears over the man, watching him as he left with the girl. She
and the fair-haired one must succeed.
For an amount of time
Shau'ri could not read, they waited, watching the women be taken but never
return. The two of them remained at different places in the room, as to not
make their plans known, but continued to make occasional eye contact. Even so, Shau'ri was beginning to feel more
and more alone. She knew not of the fate of her people, nor her husband and his
people.
She did not even know if any
of them lived.
Shau'ri was taken from her
thoughts when she heard the doors open again. The man looked at her, his face
unreadable, before his gaze shifted to the woman named Ann Payttersen. Inside,
Shau'ri stiffened, knowing that their futures rested in the victory of this
woman.
"Where
are you taking me? I'm a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. I demand to know where
you're taking me! Let go!"
She
will return,
Shau'ri thought to herself. She will come, and we will be free.
Ann Payttersen ever came
back.
Shau'ri found herself
sinking into a state of despair. The woman of Danyel's people had not returned.
Was there no hope behind those doors?
Shau'ri sniffled, sitting
alone in the corner of the room. Danyel should never have unburied the
Chappa'ai. Danyel was selfish. Danyel placed his mind before people, before
her. He should not have unburied it. Was he not happy to be with her? Had he
planned on returning to the stars one day?
She hated Danyel. Her
husband was to blame. Her father had been right. The strangers were omens of
bad things to come.
For the next few minutes,
Shau'ri sobbed. But the anger and the pain could only last so long before they
turned into sadness and then numbness. She sat, quietly, considering what she
could do. Maybe the guards would not notice her. Maybe there was a way out that
she could not see.
Shau'ri might not be like
the pretty and strong women from Danyel's people, but she would not be taken.
She would find a way.
The sense of dread returned
when the man and his guards opened the doors. Shau'ri swallowed hard, eyes cast
away, as she kept her back to them. She needed more time to plan a way to find
her brother and then get home to see if her husband and father had lived or
died.
She sobbed, gasping as she
felt the man's eyes on her.
"You."
As the guards stepped
forward to grab her, Shau'ri cried out. "No! No!" She fought. She
kicked, and she pushed with everything she had within her. She remained vocal
and lashed outward to the men that wished her harm as she was carried away to
the place where the women did not return.
There, inside, waited another
man. No, he was a demon. A pretender. A deceiver. He stood, eyeing her in ways
that made her feel dirty.
"No!" she cried
again.
"Come," he said in
a voice that reminded her of Ra.
"No! No! No!"
Shau'ri knew for certain why the women did not return. Shau'ri saw the coldness
in this demon pretender's eyes.
Shau'ri used her teeth as
her weapon and bit one of the guards.
The deceiver mocked her.
"This one has spirit!"
Shau'ri saw the device
again, as the pretender brought it in front of her. Against her will, she felt
her body loosen, her mind give way. She almost forgot where she was and why she
was there, giving into the pleasurable numbness the device gave her.
But when she felt his cold
eyes on her again, and she was lifted onto the table, Shau'ri felt her mind
coming back into focus. She knew the man was watching, along with the other
guards who had taken her. She could hear their words, but not make them out.
And she felt it.
A demon itself. The
creature, possibly the "alien" Danyel had told her about once long
ago. There were more; now she was sure. She had seen for herself. The alien
creature of Ra was not alone—there were more.
She gasped as she saw the
snake-like creature with its snapping and pinching mouth slither across the
surface of her bare skin. Then, before she could fully understand what was
happening to her, she was flipped onto her back. The demon came closer to her,
closer to her neck…
Shau'ri chose to block it
out. She did not want her last memory to be of these evil men.
She thought of her Danyel.
She allowed her mind to wander through her memories, picking out one that would
carry her through this moment, if this were to be her end.
The fire from the candles
created deep caverns on his face, a place where the light and shadow could
dance freely amidst the evening sky. She smiled and touched his cheek before
removing the battered glasses from his face. Quietly, she rubbed her thumb over
his bottom lip.
"Why did you
stay?" she asked him.
Her husband seemed
surprised or embarrassed by the question. "Because of you."
She nodded, but could not
help the sly smile from reaching her lips. He could speak her language well,
but still could not grasp some of the nuances of the speech. Some of his words
sounded amusing to her ears. But that was not her concern this night. She
flicked her nail over his upper lip, eliciting a soft "ow" from him.
"Why did you
stay?" she asked again. Before he could reply, she shook her head, asking
him for allowance to continue. "Do you not have ones you love?"
Her husband shifted,
moving beside her, and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his
shoulder. "I have no kin. I have nothing. All I ever had were my ambitions
and my need to prove myself right." He laughed. "It's ironic that now
I have all the proof in the world, er, universe, and I can't share it."
Shau'ri did not fully
understand what her husband was trying to tell her, but she could see it was
important to him. She took his hand. "Why not go back and show this
proof?"
"No one would
believe me."
"I believe
you," she said lightly.
She heard him chuckle.
"Yes, you do."
Smiling, she reached up
and ran her fingers through his long hair. Playfully, she rubbed at his scalp,
releasing some of the sand that had been caught near his roots. "Why would
no one believe you?"
Daniel suddenly became
quiet and for a brief moment, Shau'ri feared her husband had a terrible past.
She tried not to show fear or to appear upset. Instead, she kissed his hand,
offering him support.
"Uh, I…" Her
eyes were trained on him, waiting for him to pass through his hesitation.
"I wasn't taken too seriously there." When he realized that she did
not understand, he licked his lips and tried again. "I, um…People didn't
like my ideas. They thought I was…like my grandfather. That I…I was ill of
mind."
Surprised, Shau'ri pushed
away, turning to face him.
"Which isn't
true," Daniel quickly added. "Not true at all. Not in the slightest.
At all."
Shau'ri brought her hand
to cover her mouth, hiding her grin over her husband's needs to reassure her.
She might not have known him for long, but Shau'ri knew he was not sick of
mind. She had seen for herself.
"You stay for me and
because you have no where to go?"
Daniel shook his head.
"No. It's hard to put into words, even Abydonian, but…." He took a
moment to search for the right words. "I belong here. I feel like this is
where I am supposed to be."
"This is where you
should be," she whispered.
"Yes." He
touched her face. "The truth is, I don't have the need, nor the want, to
prove myself to them anymore. I--"
She could feel the heat wafting off his body as he stumbled over his words.
"I have you. We're together. Here. That's all I need."
Grinning, she leaned
forward and kissed him before she wrapped her arms around his neck. "That
is the right answer."
He laughed, a good
healthy laugh. One blessed with life. The laugh made her happy, knowing she had
made him happy, seeing as he had experienced such a hard time since he had
arrived.
"You keep me
sane," he said softly. He kissed her on the cheek. "You always
listen. You never judge." He passed a small, bashful smile. "You
never let it all go to my head."
She felt herself blush.
But he continued.
"You're strong.
You're brave."
"Me?" She
pushed him teasingly. "You amuse me, husband."
"You."
It was in the way he said
that word that made Shau'ri realize he was serious. Stunned, she said nothing
else, allowing for him to continue.
"I've never had
anyone listen to me before, someone who was really interested in what I had to
say. Or, someone that could show me something that I had seen a thousand times,
and teach me how to appreciate it in a number of different way, ways that I'd
never thought of before." He reached over and cupped her face.
"You're not afraid to fight for what you believe in. You, uh, you taught
me that."
She found it difficult to
speak for she had always felt the same of him. "Danyel…"
"Teach me." He
approached her, guiding her down into their bed of blankets and pillows. "Continue to teach me."
Shau'ri held onto the
memory, the sensations of her husband's hands on her body, his lips caressing
her skin, the two of them happy, intertwined, as she blocked out the terror she
felt as the creature nipped at her neck.
She shook, holding onto her
Danyel. She would give anything to see him again, to embrace him, for the two
of them to happy.
The nipping…pain…
She screamed and was plunged
into darkness.
"Danyel!" she
cried out through the blackness, the fog, as the pressure pushed her down.
But her husband did not
answer. Instead she heard her and her mocking laughter, teasing her and
scolding her for her foolish wants and desires. And as the laughter increased
and the darkness waned, Shau'ri found herself living a nightmare, moving and
being without living.
Your husband is dead, it said to her. Dead. And if he is not, we
shall find him and bring him to us. If he resists, then we shall kill him
together.
No! Shau'ri screamed back. No, you will not take him
from me…
Shau'ri ignored Amaunet's
laughter and fell back into herself, into her thoughts, and into her newfound
determination.
No, even if Danyel no longer
lived, even if he had crossed the rivers of Duat, Shau'ri would not stop
fighting. She would fight against her demon. She would fight for her brother
and for her people. She would fight for the memory of her mother. And she would
fight for the love and honor of her husband, her dear Danyel.
But for now, she would
remain Sha're, Quiet Strength, watching and waiting for her time to be set free
once again.
THE END
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