Was he breathing? He had to be for something pressed against his ribs... the floor. The floor pressed against his ribs each time he took a breath. He was breathing. And thirsting. He was so thirsty and he could hear water nearby. Where was it? Where was he?

“Ronon...”

His eyes opened a crack, mere slits of light green. Teyla... that sounded like Teyla.

“Ronon!”

No... it wasn’t her. He was sick. He knew he was sick. She wasn’t there, just like Liliana wasn’t really there earlier. No one was there... he was alone. Just himself and his body... he knew there was something else in him than his body because he could still think... how could he think if all he was heated flesh? Was he thinking? Where was he?

Ronon. My name is Ronon.

Minutes passed as he struggled to maintain lucidity. Voices wafted, sounding muffled like whale’s calls, then faded as he slipped into sleep, or maybe it was oblivion. A hand squeezed his shoulder, rolling him over. Something pinched and prodded his side and the pain jerked his eyelids open once more, his vision rippling without focus.

“Well?”

“His fever is extremely high.”

Who were they talking about?

“What can be done?”

Hands were on his face and neck, feeling his racing pulse, and he couldn’t stay awake any longer. Just for a minute... I just need to sleep for a minute. He let his eyes slip shut.

The healer sighed, sitting back on his haunches. “I can give him some herbal teas... apply fresh salve to the wound... but I’m afraid I can’t guarantee that he’ll live, much less fight again.”

Rashid shook his head, scowling at the body on the filthy floor before him. “Do whatever you need to do to get him back on his feet – to get a sword back in his hand.”

The healer looked over his shoulder at Rashid with a doubtful expression on his face.

Rashid sighed. “At least he wasn’t expensive.”

Dannella furrowed his brow, eyeing Ronon’s heaving chest. “He took such a sudden turn...”

Rashid narrowed his eyes and looked over at her.

She blinked and smiled, her lip muscles quivering ever so slightly, shaking the delicate chain. “He fought so well yesterday.”

Rashid didn’t take his eyes off her and she blinked, looking away. He let out a long exhale.

The healer made a distasteful sound as he examined Ronon’s side wound. “It’s all inflamed...” He squinted as he craned his neck to peer further. “The fool. See these marks?” Rashid crouched to view the torn and red streaks coming off the injury like faults. “He’s clawed at his own wound.... the grime of his fingernails infected it...”

Rashid studied the thin red marks for a moment longer then grabbed one of Ronon’s hands, examining his fingernails in the light. They were hardly more than stubs from nervous biting and picking. He swiftly rose, snagging Dannella’s hand and spreading her fingers, looking at her sharpened nails. She tugged on her hand and he scowled, locking eyes with her.

Dannella yanked her hand free and met his gaze with a look of challenge.

The lines outlining her husband’s mouth deepened. His voice was a growl. “You...”

She cocked her head. “What?”

“With him?” Rashid barked, gesturing to Ronon. Dannella wouldn’t let her eyes drift away long enough to acknowledge the unconscious Satedan. Rashid sneered, grabbing her by the shoulders. “How many others?!”

“What’s it matter to you?”

“You are my wife!”

“Yes, I am your wife. Not a slave!”

Rashid shoved her away from him. “You disgust me.”

Dannella’s lip was quivering. “You’ve known for months. You just chose not to see it.”

“Silence!”

“Don’t order me about like some – ”

She gasped and fell quiet when the metal of his unsheathed sword suddenly kissed her throat. Rashid shook his head, his jaw quivering with rage. “You will pay for this humiliation.”

Dannella tentatively swallowed, closing her eyes as the action made the blade nick her throat.

“You are a disease... you are no longer my wife.” He yanked his sword away from Dannella and glanced to the healer who looked reluctant to be dragged into their marital dispute. “What are this slave’s chances?”

“...Rather slim, my lord.”

Rashid sheathed his sword. “Then goldmine or no, he’s of little further use to me...” He pivoted to narrow his eyes at Dannella who rubbed her neck. “Now that you’ve infected him.”

Dannella glanced from her husband to Ronon, then back, regaining her composure. “He was asking for it. He enjoyed it as much as I.”

Rashid nudged at Ronon’s inflamed wound, marked by her nails, with his boot. “I somehow doubt that.” He turned back to her and she swallowed hard but attempted to maintain her haughty stance. “Physician?”

“Yes?”

“How are your stores of the Sonomac herb?”

The healer licked his lips. “That depends on your request, my lord.”

“I want you to prepare your most potent dose and administer it to this man. That should be enough to keep him lucid, no?”

“Yes, my lord... it would be far more than enough.”

“Good. I want him on his feet and ready to die in an hour.”

Dannella looked to Rashid out of the corner of her eye.

The healer bowed. “Yes, my lord.”

“Now,” Rashid continued, turning back to Dannella. “You will say nothing of your indiscretions. When the time comes, I will spread the word that I am tired with you and you may return to that brothel you ran before we met. One slip on your part and I’ll kill you myself. Is that clear?”

Dannella narrowed her eyes.

“Good.” Rashid smiled and held out his elbow to her. “Shall we?”

Dannella hesitated then stepped forward, linking her arm with his. The two strolled out of the cell.

“I’ll have my men fetch him in an hour.”

The healer nodded. “Very good, my lord.”

Dannella licked her thumb, running it over the sting of her cut, attempting to wipe away the drying blood before she was in public.

Teyla, Sheppard, and the Espens hung around the entrance to the stands that rung the fight arena, standing to the side as spectators filed in. Teyla clenched and unclenched her jaw, glancing surreptitiously in the direction of the stairs leading to Ronon’s cell. Liliana’s face was flushed and Curtis had her hand linked in his to keep her still. Both women shared an impatient, frenzied look then turned to Sheppard.

The colonel was zoning out, watching the various passerby then did a double-take when he noticed the two women looking to him with accusing, expectant gazes. He furrowed his brow and shrugged a little, silently asking “what?”

Teyla dragged her head away, letting out a chest-heaving sigh.

“There he is,” Curtis mumbled, peering into the arena as Rashid and Dannella stepped into their spectator’s box.

Sheppard craned his neck to follow his gaze then nodded curtly. “That’s good enough for me. Let’s go.”

Teyla and Liliana swiftly took the lead, each woman’s cloak billowing out behind her as they strode to the gates leading to the stairwell. Sheppard and Curtis had to jog to catch up at first. Teyla had her pistol drawn and made no move to conceal it as she descended the stairs, Liliana and the two males on her heels. She all-but ran down the hallway of cells, her heart slamming into her ribcage when she saw that the door to Ronon’s cell was wide open and the Satedan was gone. She dashed inside.

Liliana looked around frantically. “Where is he?”

Teyla slowly looked to Sheppard, her eyes dark. Sheppard shook his head a little. “He’s not dead... Rashid wanted to help him... maybe he’s in the infirmary.”

Curtis leaned against the cell door, biting his lip in thought. When he noticed Liliana staring about at the ghoulish prison, lost in thought over Ronon having been cold and wounded, locked up in this semi-darkness, he stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. “It’ll be all right, Lil...”

He could feel her exhale against his neck and knew she was fighting back tears. “We let them do this to him... we let them take him...”

Curtis rubbed her back, his own throat tautening.

Sheppard and Teyla were already making their way down the opposite hall. The colonel glanced over his shoulder at the couple. “We’re gonna check the infirmary!”

Curtis nodded then looked back to his wife and offered her a small smile. She sniffled and didn’t return the smile so he tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear and whispered. “We’re gonna find him.”

“We should never have let him go.”

“He knew, love. He wanted to protect us.”

“He’s too young... we should’ve been protecting him.”

Curtis sighed, pulling her close again and rubbing her back. “...If we didn’t have the girls to think about... you know we would’ve fought tooth and nail. But he wouldn’t want that. He loves you and those girls like his own family. He’d rather die than put them in harm’s way.”

Liliana closed her eyes, a tear escaping. “I know... I’m just terrified that it’s come to that.”

Curtis squeezed her tightly and she returned his strength in her own hug.

“He is not there,” came Teyla’s breathless voice as the Athosian trotted back over, Sheppard on her heels.

“They must have him in a private sickbay. I’ve still got his signal but can’t see how to get to it down here. Unless there’s a –”

He cut himself off and furrowed his brow as the drumbeat of hundreds of feet thumping in the stands began to echo through the floor of the arena, into the holding cells. Teyla also furrowed her brow, her brown eyes locking onto Sheppard’s. Liliana took a step away from Curtis and over to the two from Atlantis, cocking her head at the sound. The muffled reverberations of a chant slithered through the stones.

Curtis’ voice was a whisper. “What’re they saying?”

Sheppard listened for a few heartbeats longer before his face suddenly went lax, his voice low. “Satedan.”

Teyla shoved him out of the way as she raced for the stairs, the others on her heels.

Branded Heart

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