Title: And Other Rivers of Egypt, Part I
Author: Soft Light
Category: AU, Daniel/Vala
Rating: MA (for later chapters)
Spoilers: Sometime during or after season ten. Definitely before the events of The Ark of Truth.
Content Warning: This fic is not accurate in any way. Words I would use to describe it: contrived, stupid, an excuse for fluff and smut. I know nothing about the military - not even the fake military - and even less about space ships and alien anthropology. Cliches and fantasy abound. So. With that in mind:
Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. Yadda yadda. Do I even need this thing?

P4X-543, Fifteen Hundred Hours

They'd been walking for hours. Telemetry had indicated the presence of advanced life-forms on the planet, and it was SG-1's mission to make contact, hopefully in a peaceful fashion. Then again, that was always the plan, and it never seemed to work out in practice as well as it sounded in theory. As Cam was fond of saying, "Shit happens." In the case of P4X-453, though, it wasn't so much a case of shit happening as it was a baking sun, dwindling rations, and aching feet. None of them had expected they'd have to wander so far from the gate in order to find the planet's inhabitants. If this kept going for much longer, it wouldn't be long before their allotted 24 hours were up and they'd have to turn right back around and check back in with Stargate Command.

Daniel Jackson sighed in relief as Colonel Mitchell called for a break. But his sigh of relief quickly turned into one of resignation as the still-cheerful and somehow not-exhausted Vala Mal Doran plopped herself down next to him. He allowed his eyelids to drift downwards and he sighed again. She was always doing this, following him around. Deep down, he knew his frustration had more to do with his own problems than it did with her constant presence - more to do specifically with the denial of certain urges and feelings - but on the surface, it was easier to let the tension between them manifest itself in other ways. Bickering, prodding, frustration, and a special brand of yelling that he'd perfected over the past several years that mostly involved carefully projected anger, in place of doing, well . . . other things.

In fleeting moments, he recognized their behavior as some sort of perverse flirting ritual, but he always pushed the thought aside. Both concepts - flirting and rituals - involved more than one participant, and the idea that his subconscious might be acting of its own volition in such matters was more than a little discomfiting. No, he wasn't ever going to go there . . . not with her. Being around Vala was like being around a live wire. It was exciting but terrifying. He couldn't deny his attraction to her, at least he'd never denied it to himself, but the momentary physical pleasure derived from being around her didn't seem to be worth the eventual burns he might incure by, er, touching. He may be an explorer of galaxies, but he liked to play it safe with his personal life - it balanced things out on the cosmic scale.

Daniel slapped Vala's hand away as it reached covertly for the water laying at his side. No doubt she'd thought he wouldn't see her, but he could still detect movement from the tiny slit in between his eyelids. He never allowed himself to fully relax when on a new planet, not until they'd been formally introduced to whatever culture and people lived there.

"Ouch," she whined, playfully of course. She could never take anything seriously. "Oh, please, Daniel. Mine ran out an hour ago."

He didn't even bother opening his eyes. He already knew precisely the expression she would have on her face, the exact pursing of her lips, the gleaming of those bright blue eyes. He was too tired to berate her for not conserving her rations. He handed her the water. She bounced up again, her quick "thank you" punctuated by a light peck of her lips on his cheek, so quick he almost thought he'd imagined it. But then again, kisses from Vala weren't really a revelation. She'd kissed him the very first day they'd met, right after beating the hell out of him. Her version of foreplay, he'd guessed, and he'd been right. He'd had three agonizing (and if he was being honest, exhilarating) years of evidence to back that theory up. And it had been a hell of a kiss, no denying that.

"Don't drink it all!" he called after her.

Colonel Samantha Carter glanced behind her as she approached, no doubt to watch as Vala drained the last drop of water from Daniel's canteen, and Daniel finally opened his eyes to give her his attention.

"Anything new?" he asked.

"Not new, exactly," she said. "The readings I was picking up earlier at the gate have only intensified in the last twenty minutes. I'm nearly positive that we're going to find a settlement just over that hill."

She pointed in a southeasterly direction and waved her hand around.

"Well then, we'd best put our game faces on," said Cam, coming up from behind her, followed closely by a now-sated Vala and a stoic as always Teal'c. "Up and at 'em, Jackson," he said, reaching down a hand to pull Daniel up. Daniel took the proffered hand and groaned as his aching muscles protested the movement.

"I believe Daniel Jackson speaks for all of us," said Teal'c. "We are in need of rest, and we must replenish our stores for the hike back to the Stargate."

"One thing at a time," said Cam. "First, we've got to make friends."

"I just love meeting new people," said Vala.

Daniel didn't even try to fight the eyeroll. If he didn't get some food and rest soon, he had a feeling they were going to have a fight, and not the fun kind that ended in kisses and head-bashing.

P4X-453, Sixteen Thirty Hours

Sam had been right. Immediately on reaching the crest of the hill, they could see in the valley below a settlement of some kind nestled next to a small lake. It had been hard to tell from a distance, but Daniel had recognized marble enclosures and tall columns. These weren't people of thatched huts or tents, these were masons, artists by the look of it. The settlement looked beatiful in the late afternoon light, even more so an hour later when they'd been greeted by the citizens of Lyta and given fresh drinks and friendly smiles. All in all, Daniel thought, it was shaping up to be one of their more pleasant off-world encounters. There seemed to be several thousand inhabitants in the town, and according to several of the locals, it was only one of many such settlements on the planet, all accessible within a one to two day journey by horse. A tall, husky man named Telak with a wide open face escorted them to a nearby inn, chortling and slapping Cam, Teal'c and Daniel by turns on their shoulders with his beefy hands.

"It's not often we receive visitors from the Stargate," he told them. "It's always a bit of a celebration when it happens - we're so far from it now."

"The town used to be closer to the gate?" asked Daniel.

"Yes," said Telak. "It was moved several decades ago as a protective measure against the Goa'uld. It seemed to work, for the most part. We've largely been left alone since then, barring a few incidents." He shuddered slightly. "Before that, I'm afraid our little paradise was quite the choosing spot for several of the false gods. They liked the look of our women, the strength of our stock." He pounded on his chest with a thick hand. "Before we moved the settlement, our population was decimated quite frequently, by the Choosings, and by battle when we resisted." He shook his head slightly and grinned again.

"But those times are behind us now . . . ah! Here we are." He waved a hand towards an archway. "Please, make yourselves at home. I've sent a messenger to the temple. The Elders will wish to meet you, today especially."

"Is today a special day?" asked Sam.

"Today," said Telak, "Is a holy day. You are most fortunate to have come when you did. I can think of no better way to welcome you than to offer you a place in our most holy ceremony."

Daniel's interest was definitely peaked. "What is it that you are celebrating, exactly?"

"Today is the Feast of the Long Sun. It is a celebration of life and growth for our people. In more troubled times, it was a way for our people to keep hope alive, and much of the ceremony was performed out of necessity, but these days it's more celebratory. But you shall see!"

Daniel smacked his head with the palm of his hand. "Of course," he said, "The summer solstice. It's January back home, but it must be midsummer here."

Telak cocked his head in confusion.

"The longest day of the year," said Daniel.

"Oh, yes," said Telak, nodding his head. "But more later, I'm sure. For now, make yourselves comfortable, and I'll send a carriage for you soon. Most of the settlement will congregate around the Temple for the feast, and I'm sure the Elders will wish to speak with you before that happens."

Daniel had been engrossed in his conversation with Telak, he'd barely noticed Vala hanging onto his arm. She was practically vibrating as she leaned up to whisper in his ear. "A party, darling. Let's hope they'll be dancing." He had to fight a shiver as her warm breath tickled his ear, and both of them waved goodbye to Telak as he walked off to make the arrangements. A wave of cool air hit his side as Vala pulled away to bounce around Teal'c.

"Wonderful place we've found, right, Muscles?"

"Indeed," said Teal'c, as Vala's hair bounced up and down in the light. Daniel shivered again and looked away. Enough of that, he thought, and pulled his eyes away from her to go and join Sam and Mitchell in exploring their new quarters.

P4X-453, the settlement of Lyta, Seventeen Thirty Hours

Cam, Teal'c, Vala, Sam, and Daniel stepped one by one into the serene shade of the Lyta Temple. It was a beautiful temple. Daniel hoped relations remained good with the people of Lyta so that he might have the chance to come back here for a longer period of time and examine the place more thoroughly. The Temple itself was made out of carved marble. The walls were inlaid with elaborate patterns, half carved, half fixed in place, as though in a mosaic. Daniel had never seen anything like it. The walls seemed to be dancing. Daniel glanced upwards and saw that the ceiling of the temple, too, had been carved and that portions of the sky were visible through the carvings. It was the light coming through that was giving the dancing effect, and upon closer scrutiny, Daniel noticed that the floors of the circular main room they were entering sloped outwards, and small culverts near the walls led outside.

Telak, who was walking behind him, provided the explanation. "For when it rains," he said. Ah, thought Daniel, drainage.

The main room seemed to be offset by a large complex of smaller adjoining circular rooms, and from the outside Daniel had guessed that entire building occupied thousands and thousands of square feet. In the center of the room was crescent shaped stone table, at which six elderly citizens sat. Daniel and the rest of SG-1 took their places in front of the Elders as they had been instructed. Mitchell addressed the Elders.

"Elders," he began, "We are an exploratory team from a planet called Earth. With your permission we are here to learn about your culture and establish friendly relations between our two peoples. My name is Colonel Cameron Mitchell, and this is Colonel Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran, and Teal'c." Some of The Elders visibly flinched when they saw the gold symbol etched onto Teal'c's forehead, but Cam anticipated their reaction.

"I'm not sure how long you folks have been out of the loop, but the Jaffa are a free people now, and Teal'c is a friend, and a good man."

An elderly woman sitting in the middle of the table rose to her feet and cleared her throat. Daniel could see the outline of her veins in her arms and her neck through her paper thin skin. She must have been at least ninety years old.

"Apologies, friends. I am Meera and I speak for the Elders. We are aware that the galaxy has changed much over the past few years, but memories of atrocities committed by the Goa'uld and their servants are fresh in our memory. We do not wish to offend you. In fact, we wish to accept your proposal. My fellow Elders and I have long thought it time that we reach out past the borders of our own worlds, now that the dangers of the Goa'uld have passed. We very much wish to put old hurts behind us and make new alliances."

She looked Teal'c straight in the eye and smiled. He inclined his head in gratitude. She smiled again.

"Well then," she said. "Now that we have accepted your proposal, we have a proposal of our own. As you have been informed, today is a holy day among our people. It is the day we remind ourselves that life goes on. It is a day of rebirth and renewal. The ceremonies of the Feast of the Long Sun have evolved throughout the years. I'm sure Telak has told you that we were once a people in grave trouble, and the ceremony bolstered us as a people, brought us closer together and gave us new life. Nowadays, with our population thriving, the ceremony is of no less importance to us, but it is no longer a necessity and has become more of a private affair." She cleared her throat again, and passed her eyes along the line of SG-1. Daniel couldn't help but notice that her eyes lingered on him just slightly. Daniel noted out of the corner of his eye that Vala was bouncing slightly on her heels, and her head was swiveling as she gazed in awe at the ceilings, almost as if she could already hear the music.

"We are very interested in learning more about your customs, Elder Meera," said Daniel. "Please, what is your request?"

"We would like to offer two of you the chance to take part in our central ceremony. It is a great honor, usually reserved for citizens who have distinguished themselves in some way. We feel that giving you a part of that honor will cement our new relationship in bonds of understanding and trust. Telak has explained to you the nature of the ceremony?"

"Yes, Elder Meera," said Daniel. He glanced at all the other members of SG-1, who nodded their heads at him. "We are honored that you would include us in something so important."

"How should we proceed?" asked Cam.

"Two of you have already been chosen." Meera nodded her head at two young girls who had been standing in a nearby archway. They approached her and she directed them over towards SG-1. Daniel could see they both carried delicately wrought chains of silver in their palms. The two girls stopped in front of Daniel and Vala; Daniel's heart skipped a beat in his chest. Of course it would be him and Vala. Of course.

"Please kneel," said Elder Meera. Daniel shot a quick glance to his teammates. Mitchell and Sam were grinning like fools, Teal'c as stoic as ever, but Vala was surprisingly sober. She knelt in front of the small girl, and Daniel watched as the girl laid the chain over Vala's inclined head, letting it come to rest like a crown, the pointed front of the thing resting on Vala's brow. She looked up at Daniel for an instant and that old devilish Vala gleam appeared. He knelt beside her and allowed himself to be similarly adorned. It was curiously intimate, kneeling there with Vala, and it was making his stomach churn. Meera nodded for the two of them to stand, and the two girls scampered off into the corner.

"We will prepare you for the feast," said Meera. "When the time comes, you will join the other celebrants in the garden for the presentation. Afterwards, you will be separated from the crowd and led off to your own room where you will feast in private. The feast will continue outside for most of the night. Our people will be in and out - it could become quite hectic and loud," she cleared her throat a third time, this with a mischievous smile, "it usually goes that way." Daniel felt another jolt in his stomach. "The rest of your team will be free to intermingle and feast as they wish. Mattresses and pillows will be strewn throughout the gardens and the temple, excluding our ceremonial rooms." She grinned, even more mischievous this time, reminding him weirdly of Vala. "Celebrating can be an exhausting affair. Of course, you will also be free to return to your rooms at the inn if you wish, but most people choose the Temple accommodations on feast nights, for obvious reasons."

Daniel noticed that Cam was definitely chuckling to himself, and Sam was grinning as well - he made a mental note to hit both of them at the nearest possibly opportunity. Probably Teal'c, too. The Jaffa was just better at hiding his amusement. Putting up with Vala all night, and on the night of a party no less . . . he sighed - it was just that kind of a day.

Daniel started as he felt a tiny hand cover his own. The little girl who'd crowned him pulled him to his feet and began to lead him off into one of the adjoining corridors, Vala not far behind.

"See you at the feast," she cried out to the rest of them. "Daniel, darling," she said, creeping up behind him, "This is going to be fantastic."