Buffy sat on the throne, waiting for the visitors to arrive. Visitors only came in two flavors in her experience, evil or confused. She wondered which flavor they were. Shat'tac stood ready to shield her from the intruders or interrogate them to obtain the answers she wanted. He knew she needed him to perform neither task, but it wouldn't keep him from trying. She had to work hard not to smile at her stoic friend. She hated the formality necessary when visitors came to their world. After several scouting parties, she understood and agreed to play her part. It had saved countless lives, especially when the Prior arrived. His focus remained solely on her. He had pointed his powerful staff at her, killing her with a single shot, 'freeing' the people of Dara Seans (Second Chances, Gaelic). He then announced that he would return in three days time, after they had seen how wonderful it was to live free from the Goa'uld. They could chose to live free from the Goa'uld forever if they chose the way of the Ori. Stupid Prior couldn't even tell that she wasn't a Goa'uld. He left thinking he had destroyed her symbiote with his magical staff. As soon as the Prior left, Buffy's body disappeared, only to reappear back inside the sarcophagus. They had learned, quite by accident, that if she incurred a fatal injury or died, her body returned to the golden coffin to heal. Shat'tac welcomed her back and they planned exactly how they wanted to greet the Prior upon his return. This brought her thoughts back to the matter at hand. Did the sudden appearance of these visitors along with the Prior's visit coincide too nicely? She would have to question them closely, together and alone.

SG-1 entered the throne room quietly; their eyes darted around, searching for any means of escape. They came to a stop before the throne where the small blonde sat waiting for them. The guards bowed their heads, which she gracefully acknowledged. She even gave the Jaffa soldiers a soft smile. SG-1 shared confused glances at her behavior, which only got worse when they heard her speak.

"Thank you, I'd like to speak to the visitors in private. Would you please guard the entrances? Tell anyone that needs me that I'll come to them when I'm able."

The men bowed in unison as their leader answered for them. "Yes, mistress, it will be as you wish." They silently marched out, split apart and took up their sentry posts.

SG-1 watched this in wonder. They had only seen Teal'c, Bra'tac and a few other free Jaffa move in the same way. The guards didn't have the stilted walk prevalent in a Goa'uld elite guard. Their bodies flowed gracefully as they walked with soundless footsteps. SG-1 turned questioning eyes back toward the woman on the throne. Did she create Jaffa worse than the Super Soldiers? Jaffa that blended with the free Jaffa, worse yet, could sneak up on them? Were they going to have to fight two enemies? This woman's Jaffas and the Ori?

Buffy almost laughed at their faces. She pointed a finger at Cameron, motioning for him to step forward. "You there, are you not the leader?" she said formally, using Sineya's echoing voice and red glowing eyes.

Cameron stepped forward, standing at attention. His icy blue eyes taking in the changes in voice and mannerism. "Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell, SG-1 Commander from Earth, ma'am," he said, saluting smartly.

Recognition passed fleetingly behind the red eyes, but was hidden quickly. Teal'c watched this byplay, wondering if there was not more than met the eye with this Sineya. She did not feel as other Goa'uld did to him, yet he felt the presence of power deep within her. He had watched her fight and kill the Ori Prior, which no one else had accomplished. His dark eyes wandered over her small frame. Its delicate build, hiding unimaginable strength was, to say the least, stimulating. His vision continued on to the Jaffa that stood beside her. Teal'c remembered his time as First Prime. The power and pride he felt standing beside his god.

"Why are you sneaking around my home?"

Cameron knew she was going to ask him that. The problem was he didn't have a real good reason for coming here. He couldn't tell her that Vala was once a host, so she pretended she was still this planet's god in order to regain what wealth she could. No, that wouldn't get them off on the right foot. Best just to do what his grandpa always told him to do in situations like this. Use your southern charm boy, and then lie through your teeth.

"We heard the Ori might come this way and hoped to arrive in time to stop the people from accepting their offer," he said, giving her his best smile.

"How do I know your aren't Ori spies, trying to trick me into trusting you? You arrived within hours of each other." She saw the surprised reaction to her words, laughing at taking him by surprise. "Did you think I wouldn't know when the Chappa'ai to my own world opened? Don't you know when your eyes are open or shut?"

Daniel couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. "Excuse me please, Sineya. I'm Daniel Jackson." She stared at him with those disconcerting eyes, which had him swallowing before asking his question. "Are you saying that you're connected to the Stargate, and can actually feel it opening and closing?"

She turned to Shat'tac to hide the humor in her eyes. He had seen it many times over the past years and knew that the intruders were in for a wild journey through the labyrinth found inside his mistress' mind. "Did I not just say that? I take back my earlier accusation that you're Ori spies. You must be from a backward culture that can't understand even the simplest matters. No, the Ori are too advanced to use ones such as you." She saw Daniel huff in indignation as Cameron started to interrupt. "Unless, that's what you want me to think. Play the bumbling fools, allow us to discover you easily, make a show of shooting the Prior with ineffective weapons that you knew wouldn't do him any harm, and expect the Prior to leave you behind to spread his word." She watched their horrified expressions. Not allowing them a chance to speak, she launched into another scenario. "The only other explanation is that you came here to do as you say, yes."

She saw Cameron and Daniel nod. They started to speak when she rose from the throne, Shat'tac stiffened. Buffy motioned him to remain in place. She walked down the stairs, staring at their faces. Her eyes journeyed to each, then back again. The blazing red burned across the short distance, seeming to shoot straight into their very souls. She circled the two separate groups, creating a figure eight as she walked. Her eyes lingered on Vala, giving the former host a knowing smirk. It left Vala visibly shaken.

Her feet slowed as they journeyed around Teal'c. "You have no symbiote. How is that possible?" Her hand lay spread wide, inches from his stomach. She looked up and found herself drawn to into his dark, serious eyes.

Teal'c looked to Cameron for orders. "His symbiote died after a fatal injury. He takes a special drug that allows him to survive without it," the SG-1 leader answered for the stoic Jaffa.

She stepped back, tilting her head to the side, enabling her to take in his large frame in a single glance. "So, the drug sustains your life in the manner that the symbiote did. Does your strength remain?" She continued to allow her eyes to enjoy the view.

"It does."

"I will have to test that when the opportunity arises." She gave him a challenging smile the others couldn't see. They heard the words and took it as a threat. Teal'c understood it for what it was, a challenge from one warrior to another.

"Indeed."

She turned away, the smile no longer gracing her lips as she returned to her throne. Crossing leather-clad legs, her chin rested against the palm of her hand as she contemplated her guests. They made such a strange group. The stalwart commander was a military man through and through, even though the laugh lines around his eyes hinted at his humor. She had no doubt this man left no man behind and always put his mission first. Daniel, the man of learning, who provided his team answers where perhaps none were seen, except through his scholarly eyes. His fit physique said that he would not sit idly by while his teammates fought for him; no he would aid them with his mind and body. Teal'c, ah yes, Teal'c, the warrior, the muscle that hid a sharp mind and eyes that saw much more than his one word answers implied. Then, there was Vala, ah yes, the woman who still carried her symbiote's traces on her body even though she didn't realize it. She thought that no one recognized her from her previous time here. She was wrong. Buffy practically had to restrain several Jaffa as well as the townsmen from going after the woman. She reminded them where they lived and who they were, which calmed them down considerably. They agreed to keep an eye on Vala and withhold their judgment of her until they knew why she had come back bringing others with her.

"Why have you come here? Please answer truthfully this time?" Her question hung in the air like a death sentence.

Daniel stepped forward, clearing his throat. He knew that he had to give a satisfactory answer, not only for the team, but also for Vala. "You are right. We haven't told you the entire truth." The others shuffled closer to him, as if to show their visible support. "The Ori are dangerous, as I'm sure you already know. We have encountered them on other planets and are searching for allies against them anywhere we can find them. One of our team knew about this planet and we came here, hoping that we could negotiate an alliance against the Ori."

Buffy sat up and gave the scholar a bright beautiful smile. "Very good, Daniel. I thought you'd never get around to actually, you know, spitting it out." Her voice was that of one Buffy Summers, not Sineya, the First Slayer and source of their power.

He blinked at her, owl eyed. Had she just said what he thought she did. He turned his head to stare at his team. Did they hear what he did? The confused expression on their faces told him that they had. He turned back to their capture to hesitantly asked, "Uhm, Sineya, if you don't mind my asking, did your voice change?"

"You could say that, Daniel. Consider it my real voice, with Sineya dropping in when needed, or if you piss me off. How's that work for you?" she explained in her own Buffy style.

"Thank you, that will work just fine," he said. "Can we take this to mean that you're willing to talk about a possible alliance against the Ori?" His boyish features brightened with a hopeful expression.

"No," she answered him as she rose from her throne. She bowed her head to Shat'tac, a small smile playing on her lips, which she hid from the others.

"B-but, why?" he stammered. He stepped forward, but found his way blocked by Shat'tac's large form. "Please," he called after Buffy's retreating back as she left the room. He looked to Shat'tac for answers. "Why?"

"The mistress has reasons for everything that she does. She will tell you when she believes that you are ready. The mistress does things in her own time; this you will learn." He bowed his head, before following after his mistress, with a small smile lifting the corner of his lips.

Daniel turned to Cameron after Sineya left the throne room. "What was that? Why wouldn't she accept our offer? What did I miss?"

Vala walked forward, craning her neck to search around the corners for the guards. Not seeing any, she promptly made herself at home on the throne that used be hers. Daniel and Cameron frowned at her, while Teal'c's eyebrow rose in that way he had. She quite admired that eyebrow thing, although she would never tell him, of course. Daniel crossed his arms over his chest, which she had noticed was getting very muscular of late, and that interminable toe started tapping, indicating that he was angry with her, again. She didn't really want to talk about this any longer, but she did so like to push Daniel's buttons. They were such nice buttons after all. She gave him that bright knowing smile that she reserved only for him. "Daniel, it's rather simple really. Why should she agree to go with us when she already knows how to take care of the Ori, and we've just told her that the Ori are the biggest threat out there?" SG-1 stared at her in shock. She shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly.

Daniel scrapped a hand through his hair when he realized that Vala was right. Sineya didn't need them. "We have to convince her to help us. Would you get down from there before someone sees you?" He glared at Vala as he started to pace the room.

They heard loud footsteps coming their way. It was obvious whoever the person was, they wanted them to know that they were coming. Vala rushed over to join the team at Daniel's side, straightening her clothes as she went.

Shat'tac had watched them silently, before sending a guard to carry out their mistress' request. He wanted to see their expressions when they heard it. Ry'kal walked loudly into the throne room, announcing his approach. He stopped when he got to Cameron, bowed his head and announced, "Sineya requests the presence of the one you call Vala. She wishes to speak to her in private. Please, follow me." He turned to stare into his former god's face; no flicker of recognition showed on his face.

Vala startled at the request, looking at Daniel anxiously. She didn't want to leave the team, bad things happened to her when she left them. There wasn't any other choice available to her; hopefully she wouldn't end up at the wrong end of a staff weapon. "Here I go, off to speak to Sineya, all alone, by myself, to do what I can for the team. Yep, that's me, always ready to take one for the team. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." She walked slowly behind the Jaffa guard, casting glances back over her shoulder, expecting Daniel at least to show some sign of concern. Her lips fell into a deep pout.

He had resumed his pacing as he tried to figure out a way to bring Sineya over to their side. "Oh, yes, Vala do be careful." She smiled brightly at him. "Don't do anything to upset Sineya. We still need her." Vala turned away in a definite huff, stomping loudly from the room.

Cameron smiled at his Jaffa cohort. "Think that Daniel's going to get an earful when ole Vala gets back."

Teal'c eyebrow rose. "Indeed."

Buffy stood gazing up at the stars from her bedroom balcony. She wondered how many other worlds, other races existed out there, blanketed within the twinkling stars. This world, this dimension, was so different from the one she had left behind. She could barely remember it most nights. Somehow, her visitors brought those memories rushing back, even though she knew that the Earth they spoke about wasn't the one she had left when she died.

She didn't turn around when she heard the silent footsteps of a Jaffa guard, followed by the Vala's much louder ones. "Thank you, Ry'kal, leave us, please."

"As you wish, mistress." He bowed proudly, and silently left the room.

"Does everything seem changed since you were last here?" Buffy continued staring at the night sky.

Vala stared at the small woman who had taken her place as this planet's ruler. She saw her standing at the balcony bathed in moonlight, not bothering to turn and speak face to face. "I'm not sure I know what you're speaking about." A soft laugh brushed across Vala's skin, raising goose bumps.

"Come now, Vala, or should I call you Qetesh? Did you really think that no one would recognize you if you simply changed you clothes and put you hair up in a childish style?" Vala's hand unconsciously went to touch a pigtail. "Why did you bring these men here? Did you seek to regain the treasures that you hid in the storage room?"

"You found them? Where are they? Those are rightly mine!" Vala said without thinking. She took several steps toward Buffy, stopping when the blonde whirled around to face her with blazing red eyes.

"You dare!" Buffy stalked forward until her body pressed against Vala's much larger form. "You knew about the Ori and came only to steal back gold that you stole off the people's sweat."

Vala stepped back, trying to put room between herself and the enraged woman. She knew that she should have kept her mouth shut, but not her, oh no. Her mouth always got her into trouble. "Daniel and the others are truly here about the Ori. That's the truth. Please, punish me if you have to, but they don't deserve it. They're good men, all of them. They, they care about people, all people, and try to help them. I did come here hoping to get my treasure back, but that doesn't mean that I didn't want to stop the Ori, too. They're horribly dangerous people, who care nothing about anyone and want to dominate us until they rule everyone."

Buffy stepped back, leaving Vala to fall to her knees. "Finally, the actual truth. It's about time it came tripping off someone's lips. Daniel gave some of it, but he left your part out completely. I've had a hard time keeping the people away that you angered from your last visit." She circled her with that predatory grace, sniffing the air as she went. Her eyes narrowed as Vala's unique scent assaulted her. The woman smelled of the Chappa'ai, and her former symbiote, but the other scents, the ones underneath, surprised her. She smelled the sulfur and brimstone from the Ori's holy fire, and even deeper still, she smelled an Ancient's touch. There were others, which Buffy couldn't identify and didn't care to, no the ones that had her mind and senses going in many directions were the ones that someone had tried to erase from her aura. Only another such as her, or an ascended being, could have found it. What is so special about this woman?

It worried Buffy that by Vala being here on Dara Seans, she had brought the outside world and their problems to her doorstep. The protector in her wanted to send them away without knowing anything about them; most especially, before they learned anything about her or the people she cared for. Another part, the part that listened to the Voice, the one that led her here, to her new destiny, would not let her turn away. She knew that the Voice that came to her in her dreams was an Ancient, although it had never told her this. It whispered to her through her Slayer dreams, putting the pieces together that she would once have gone to Giles for.

"What did you do to make the Ori baptize you by fire?"

Her soft question startled Vala, who had thought the strange woman had forgotten her. "How did you know?"

Buffy touched the side of her nose. "No matter how long ago it happened, the life changing things a person survives leaves markers on them. I know that Daniel Jackson has been among the Ancients. What did he do to fall from their grace?"

Vala took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She had no idea on what to say. It wouldn't be as if she was telling tales out of school, but then again, did she really need to confirm it? "I don't know much about Daniel's past; for that you'll have to ask him. As for my baptism, as you call it, the Ori decided to use me as an example of their power. I woke up in their inner city with Daniel. We met the Doci, who told us his master's plan and gave us a chance to join his fun party. When we declined, they decided to baptize us again. Luckily, Cameron and Teal'c showed up in time to save us."

"SG-1, your team, you have been together for a long time?" Buffy prodded for more information.

"Oh, I'm not really a part of the team. Daniel and the others have been together for years." Vala gave a Gallic shrug. "Do you mind if I get up off the floor? I'm starting to get a crick in my neck. I take it you're not going to kill me."

"Not at the moment. Take a seat." She motioned to some chairs against the wall. A plate laden with fruits and cheeses, along with a large pitcher of water sat on the table beside them.

Vala's eyes lit up when she saw the food. "May I?" She grabbed a handful of grapes before she received an answer. "Uhm, thanks, this is so good. Where did you get these? I don't remember ever having fresh fruit when I was…" She stopped talking, stuffing more fruit into her mouth before she said anything more.

A smile played at the edges of Buffy's lips. "Imagine my surprise when I found a treasure trove in a storage room. Using some careful negotiation skills, I traded some trinkets for seeds and various tools needed for growing. Out beyond the dunes, hidden from easy sight, are groves that sustain this village. Similar ones cover the planet."

"My gold, uhm, the treasure, is gone? All of it?" She watched the blonde's lips curl into a full-blown smile. "But, how? There was enough there for two planets to live off for years."

Buffy's smile turned into a full-blown laugh. "For all your experience, you're quite naïve at times. This planet was dying. You had them slaving away in an almost barren mine, while you sold off the naquadah for gold that you horded. When you left, the Jaffa under your command returned about a month later. They continued your ways in loyalty to you. I came a year later. No, Dara Seans takes what's given and uses it to take care of its own. We deal quickly with any intruders that wish us harm. You witnessed the Prior's warm welcome?" Vala nodded, unable to speak at the words and furious expression on Buffy's face. "He isn't the first that has come here, thinking to find easy conquest and slaves. They were wrong. Your team is too, if that is what they seek."

Vala's hands came up with the palms facing up, signaling surrender. "Talk to Daniel, or the others; you'll see that they're telling the truth. I'm not the best candidate. I know that, but don't let that influence you against them."

Green eyes stared into the other woman's face. She saw the earnest plea for her teammates. Buffy knew that Vala considered herself unworthy, but she proved that she cared about their welfare, even went as far as putting it before her own; although, she had not a doubt the woman would deny it with her dying breath.

"Go back to your team. I will think on what you have said and speak with you tomorrow." She waved a hand at the dark haired thief.

Vala didn't need telling twice. She all but ran from the room, only glancing back once to see Buffy back at the balcony. She wondered what the blonde expected to find in the stars.

Shat'tac silently entered the room, watching his mistress as he had since she entered his world. He wondered what she saw as she studied the night sky. It always amazed him how she seemed so alone even in a room full of people. She took them all into her heart, but there was no one who shared her heart. It wasn't fair that one who gave to all had no one to give back to her. Several had tried to catch her heart over the years; none had succeeded in capturing it.

"Come in my friend," Buffy's soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

"How do you always know that I am near, mistress?"

A slender shoulder shrugged as she turned around to face him. "It's a gift or a curse, a gift and a curse, take your pick. Tell me what you think about our guest." She motioned for him to take a seat at the table.

The two friends sat down as Buffy poured them some water. She offered him fruit, which he declined. Taking several choice pieces of fruit and cheese, she placed them on a plate, then sat back to wait for his impressions.

"They are an odd lot. I do not think they have been a team long, if at all. They are not, how you say, comfortable in their skins. The Jaffa is more like us, as for the others, I'm not sure. The former Qetesh, I do not trust, nor do I think I ever will. Their leader seems an honorable, if misguided, man. The scholar is an enigma to me. He's earnest about his work, and believes in what he does, perhaps so much that it blinds him to everything else."

She nodded as she listened to him dissect the team. He was, as always, insightful, only missing minute details due to his limited perception as a Jaffa. When he finished his dissertation, she smiled at him. "Thank you, Shat'tac. You always see to the heart of things. Would you think it unwise if I offered the Jaffa the sarcophagus' healing powers? I know he doesn't have a symbiote, but he's still dependent on a drug. Something tells me he will need no restraints in the coming months."

His hand touched his stomach where his symbiote used to rest. He remembered rising from the sarcophagus, no longer a slave to the Goa'uld. His strength had remained, which surprised, him since he would have willingly given it up to live free from his symbiote. The golden chamber not only brought them Buffy with Sineya's powers and wisdom, but also her healing powers had changed their lives, literally.

"He is an honorable man. If you think he is in need of this gift, then it should be given freely."

She stood up to lean across the small table and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for always listening to my worries. Somehow, talking them out with you helps me to sort them out in my mind."

His cheeks darkened at her compliments. He stood, bowing his head. "I am ever at you service. It is my honor to help you in any way that I can. I will leave you to your rest; perhaps your dreams will give you the other answers that you seek."

She watched him go, not letting the worry enter her eyes until she was sure that he was gone. "Yeah, dreams, they're so helpful with all the Technicolor and surround sound, so helpful - not."

Walking over to a large bed, she let her clothes fall to the floor as she slipped under the covers. The silken sheets felt cool to her bare skin. Sleep found her not long after her head hit the pillow.

She looked around, seeing nothing but gold. Far off in the distance stood a castle straight from Camelot. Gold and white flags flew from the spires; the entire castle seemed bathed in golden light. The Voice surrounded her, pushing her forward, telling her to walk the path meant for her. Her feet set off toward the castle without her knowing it. She gazed at the fairytale world that, though beautiful, felt evil, setting off Slayer senses. She felt Sineya close to the surface, eager to find release. The Voice urged her to use caution, to wait for the proper time, to see all that she needed to see.

They stopped at large golden doors that the Doci threw open. "The Ori have awaited your arrival. Come bathe in their flame, know enlightenment. Join them in Origin. Use your power to burn a path through the Cosmos, turning all who do not obey to ash." She felt Sineya rush forward, wanting to slay the abomination that stood before her. The Voice's caution came back to her as the Ori's living flame called to her. She bowed to the Doci, slowly walking into the room. He bowed to his masters, backed away, closing the doors behind him. Loud, horrible screams came through the door. The Doci smiled, "Hallowed be the Ori."

Buffy startled from her sleep. Her sheets soaked through with sweat as she gasped for breath. A hand clasped her heart as it beat rapidly in her chest. "Great, just what I needed." She threw the covers off, climbing from the bed to wrap a robe around herself.

The guards had escorted SG-1 to a small suite that held two large bedrooms. They found dinner waiting for them. Although, no longer in a cell, they were still prisoners, as attested to by the guards standing outside the door. The minute they were alone, the men pounced on Vala.

"What did she do to you...What did you tell her...Are you injured ValaMalDoran?"

"Guys, guys, I'm fine. She scared me, but she didn't physically hurt me. I resent that, Daniel, what makes you think that I told her anything?" She threw him an exasperated look. "Well, all right, I may have told her a few things. Only to confirm what she already knew, though. How she knew those things, I'll never know. She said that she could smell them. Something about major changes leaving their mark on a person. She even knew about your Ascension, Daniel. I don't know who this Sineya is, but she isn't a normal Goa'uld, if she's even a Goa'uld at all."

Teal'c thought about Vala's words. He admitted he was thinking the along the same lines. Sineya didn't act like any Goa'uld that he had ever met. She had their mannerisms and formalities down, yet there was too much humanity about her. The Goa'uld was a soulless race. "Indeed. I am in agreement with ValaMalDoran. Sineya is a formidable warrior. She cares for her people, protects them. Did you not notice this when she dealt with the Prior? Her first concern was for the injured man. That is not the behavior of a Goa'uld."

Cameron walked over to the table. "My grandma always said problems always got better after a person had some food in 'em. Why don't we eat while we talk it over?" He sat down, filled a plate and started to eat. The others shrugged and one by one joined him. They remained quiet while everyone fought off hunger's edge. Cameron reintroduced the previous conversation. "She certainly is beautiful? Sineya, I mean. If she isn't a Goa'uld, then what is she? We know she isn't with the Ori. What does that leave us? You think she's connected to Merlin, somehow? What would that make her, Guinevere, Morgan La Fey, Lady of the Lake, who?"

Daniel reviewed the Arthurian Legends, trying to fit the small blonde into any of the female characters. He didn't see any resemblance that jumped out at him. "No, I can't see her in any historical roles. Although, from what we've learned, everything isn't what it seems. She could be anyone or no one. Sineya is an unknown, a wild card. We just have to see where we can place her to see what impact it's going to have."

Vala didn't think that the Daniel and Cameron saw the whole picture. She thought Teal'c might see, if not all of it, at least a larger part. Men were narrow minded at times, seeing only the smaller picture. She realized when she spoke with Sineya that this woman was important to their futures. The problem was that SG-1 thought that they would be the one driving that future. Vala knew that Sineya's hand would have to captain the wheel if they had any hope to survive. How she knew this, she didn't know. Deep inside her soul, she recognized the power that resided in the small blonde; it called to her, soothed her with feelings of safety. Sineya scared and fascinated her at the same time. Tomorrow should prove quite interesting.

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