DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions; all the powers that be, not me; This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement intended. The story is the property of the author and may not be posted without the author's consent.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story is based on two versions of the legend of The Maid of the Mist. I gave my opinion on which legend I consider to be right and which I consider to be wrong plus added a little Stargate-fiction to the right one, otherwise I had no story to tell. It has no intention to insult anybody, to betray one's culture or what-so-ever. Any mistakes concerning the true legend are mine and not made on purpose. This story is meant for fun only. Please let me know what you think.

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Colonel Jack O'Neill motioned his team to take cover, holding up one finger in front of his lips to keep them quiet.

They all knelt, keeping their heads down.

O'Neill crawled forward up the hill and peered over the top. From that position he had a perfect view over the valley that lay spread out beyond the hill. His instincts had been right on track; he'd sensed the presence of people before the team had reached the top.

The valley was green, with some huge trees scattered throughout providing shade from the sun. A river crossed the valley, the banks sandy and dry. On the other side of the river were plenty of bushes, while this side contained a group of smaller trees. O'Neill could spot orange and yellow fruit hanging amongst them.

There was also a camp on this side of the river. A tribe of natives inhabited it. Their homes resembled Native American teepees. They were each made of a circle of large poles, bound together high above the ground. The teepee coverings were made of layers of animal hides. A group of women was settled around the campfire, they seemed to be cooking. Children were playing in the sand near the river. A small gathering of men was occupied with the horses, a couple were fishing in the river and some were sitting in the sun, sharpening tools or weapons, the Colonel couldn't really tell.

Major Carter, Teal'c and Daniel Jackson silently joined him and studied the scene in front of them.

"Well, they look familiar," whispered Daniel. "They could be descendants of any Native American tribe. I'll have to do a closer examination to determine which they resemble most."

"This is interesting," Carter added softly. "How did they get here?"

"I would like to know if they're hostile first. What do you think, Teal'c?" Jack looked at the Jaffa.

Teal'c raised his shoulders. "I have never met people like these, O'Neill."

"Daniel?"

"There's only one way to find out, Jack," Daniel answered. "Most Indian people are very friendly, unlike the way they're pictured in some juvenile books."

Jack tapped on his cap. "So I'm not going to lose the few hairs I have left up here?"

Daniel shook his head. "I don't see scalps anywhere. Tribes who were known to do that usually exhibited them outside their tent, as a visual prove of their qualities and achievements."

Jack shivered. Although he'd never come across activities similar to that, the stories about those rituals were scary, horrible and disgusting. As a kid, he'd had plenty of nightmares about scalping as a result of reading those particular stories plus watching the old-fashioned western movies.

Suddenly, a sound from behind them startled him. O'Neill turned and aimed his gun. Carter and Teal'c reacted similarly. It took Daniel a little longer to respond.

"Shit! Where did they come from?" hissed O'Neill, unpleasantly surprised to find he and his team were surrounded by a group of the Native warriors.

"I did not hear them approach either, O'Neill," Teal'c stated, a worried frown over his face.

The Natives were aiming their spears at the team. Jack's mind raced, assessing their situation and looking for a way out. He had not lowered his gun and neither had Teal'c or Carter.

"Uh, hi," Daniel broke the silence. He raised his hands slowly in the air. "We mean you no harm."

The group of Natives stood motionless, still aiming their spears at SG-1.

Daniel lowered one hand to point at his chest.

One of the Natives immediately reacted by making a low sound, his spear moving closer to the archaeologist's chest.

"Now, hold it!" O'Neill barked, aiming his gun at the man.

Daniel forced a smile on his face. "It's all right. I wasn't going to hurt you. I'm Daniel Jackson. These are my friends…" This time, he kept his hands where they were and just nodded with his head in the direction of Teal'c. "That's Teal'c, this is Sam and that's Jack. Who are you?"

"We are the tribe of the Ongiaras," one of the warriors said.

Daniel very slowly lowered his hands again. "Okay. It is nice to meet you. Think we can put our weapons down now?"

The man stared at him unresponsively.

"Jack?" Daniel's voice urged the Colonel to lower his weapon first.

The Colonel hesitated briefly, and then shrugged. "Well… yeah, okay. Just keep your eyes open." With that, he lowered his gun. Sam and Teal'c followed his example.

The Natives responded by lowering their spears. Daniel stepped forward and offered his hand to the one who had aimed the spear at him. The man accepted the gesture by raising his own hand flat next to his ear. Daniel quickly repeated the procedure.

"I am Chief Eagle Eye. Where did you come from?"

"We came through the Stargate," Daniel answered; visually relieved the tension was gone. Taking in the man's frowning, he made a circle with his hands. "The Chaapa'ai… the big circle."

The man nodded, apparently understanding it now. He pointed at the valley. "Please, join us at our camp." With that, he started walking them downhill into the valley.

><><><><><><><><><

They'd spent the evening around the campfire. The Chief had told them about his people, their habits and their way of life.

Daniel had tried to explain where they came from, telling the Natives about the people on Earth and their habits. Major Carter had told the tribe about the Stargate, and they'd soon found out the tribe had never traveled through it, nor had they seen anybody coming through.

They'd received their own teepee to spend the night in and despite the fact that the Ongiaras turned out to be very friendly O'Neill scheduled the night watches.

The sun rose early, just after five. The Ongiaras got up to start their day; the women re-lit the campfire to make breakfast while some men fanned out through the valley to collect fresh fruit.

Daniel had the last watch and walked silently through the camp, softly talking to some of the men, gathering more information about the culture. When it was nearly time for breakfast, he woke the others. Soon they were all enjoying the morning meal; some sort of soft tortillas and lots of fresh fruit.

Later that morning the team watched as the Ongiaras stuffed a large canoe full of fresh fruit. One of the women walked up to the riverbank, her arms full of flowers and she spread them around and over the fruit in the canoe.

All the Ongiaras gathered on the riverbank. They took position around the canoe, forming the shape of a horseshoe and started singing.

The team silently approached the group, exchanging glances. Jack asked Daniel if he had any idea of what was going on, but the linguist shrugged his shoulders.

"Seems like some kind of sacrifice, maybe to appease their Gods," he whispered.

Out of respect they didn't step any closer to the singing group but watched them quietly. The singing faded and Chief Eagle Eye snapped his fingers. Two other men stepped forward and pushed the heavily laden canoe slowly into the river.

All of the Ongiaras knelt, bowing their heads to the ground as the current caught the canoe, dragging it away until it was out of sight. Everybody rose, turned and headed back to the camp, leaving the team to follow.

Later that day, Daniel stepped closer to Chief Eagle Eye.

"Excuse me, Chief Eagle Eye," he started. "What was that all about, with the canoe?"

"We offer this to Hinum, to please him," the Chief explained.

"Hinum?"

"The God of Thunder. He lives in the caves."

Daniel frowned. "The caves? Which caves?"

"There is a great fall a couple of miles downstream. Hinum lives in the caves behind the falls."

"Hmm. What happens when you don't send him the offering?"

The Chief looked shocked. "We must! Hinum will be very upset if we don't! And when Hinum is not satisfied, my people will die!" With that, the Chief turned and left, leaving Daniel thinking the ritual over.

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The next morning, they were all startled awake by some loud weeping. The Ongiaras rushed towards the woman who had been crying out loud and the team followed to find out what was going on.

"My husband! He's dead…" The woman sank to the ground, hands pressed over her face to cover her tears.

Chief Eagle Eye stepped inside her tent to check on the man. When he came out, his face was pale and grim, wondering why the Thunder God was still upset with them.

"Hinum was not pleased," he said and quickly came to a conclusion. He pointed at SG-1. "It's all your fault! Tie them up!"

O'Neill responded incredibly fast and drew his gun. One of the men immediately jabbed him with his spear, while three others pressed spears against the chests of Sam, Daniel and Teal'c to keep them from moving.

Jack gasped. He felt the spear entering his right side, tearing his skin, muscles and tissue away. The tip of the spear tore up the skin on his back as it came through completely. The shock spread through his body, his right arm went numb and the gun fell to the ground. The wounds were bleeding at alarming rate and the blood was quickly soaking the Colonel's pants. O'Neill's face lost all color as he sagged to the ground, drawing his left arm protectively around his waist. "Oh, God," he groaned.

Daniel struggled to approach him, but was held back by the spears.

Sam turned her head towards the Chief. "He's bleeding to death! Please, let me bind that wound!"

The Chief gave a short order to one of the women and she ran off to one of the tents. She returned with a bag and knelt beside the wounded man. Carter pleaded again, "please?" The Chief nodded and Sam rushed forward, kneeling beside her CO, taking his pulse.

Jack was breathing rapidly and sweat ran down his pale face. He wanted to lie down, but with the spear coming out on his back, he was afraid it would damage him even more. So he stayed seated, steadying himself with his left arm. He flinched, moaned, and clenched his fists as the woman shifted him so she could reach the wounds.

"Hold him," the woman told Sam and Carter took position behind her CO, leaning him sideways against her chest so he wouldn't fall over and gently stroked his hair.

The woman took a knife and cut off the long shaft of the spear. She took some bandages out of her pack along with a small bottle. She drenched the bandages with the dark thick fluid and quickly pressed them on the exit wound on his back. Even though she carefully avoided putting pressure on the top of the spear, the Colonel groaned and tried to withdraw, to move away, but Sam managed to hold him down.

"Here, hold this. It will stop the bleeding," the woman said, and guided Sam's hand over the bandage until she'd positioned it how she wanted it.

Sam worriedly looked at her CO. His eyes were closed, his lips tightened, he was breathing through gritted teeth and he moaned softly. Needing one arm to steady him and the other to keep the bandage in place, she couldn't do more than whisper soothingly in his ear as the woman prepared another bandage, draped it around the shaft of the spear and pressed it on the entry wound.

The Colonel's body jerked but the woman pressed him back down and Sam felt him going limp in her arms as he finally passed out.

When the wounds weren't bleeding anymore, the woman took the knife again to cut his clothes away before applying a clean bandage around his waist, leaving the remaining part of the spear where it was, wrapping the bandage carefully around it.

Chief Eagle Eye nodded approvingly at the woman then addressed his men. "Tie them up and prepare the woman."

Two men dragged Daniel towards a tree, pushed him until his back was pressed against the trunk and jerked his hands backwards, around the girth of the tree. His hands were bound there and one of the men used the remaining rope to tie his chest securely against the trunk. This left Daniel standing, unable to move any part of his upper body and he was forced to watch how it took four men to repeat the procedure with Teal'c.

Carter stayed seated, supporting her CO as she held on to him, checking his pulse and listened to how his breathing eased now that he was unconscious. She wiped his face and looked at the woman, who was gathering her things.

"What kind of stuff is that?" she asked, pointing at the bottle the woman had used on the dressing.

She didn't look up from her work. "It is a mixture of healing herbs. It has the ability to congeal blood; that is why it stops bleeding from wounds like that. It also has a disinfecting quality. I am sorry, but that is all I can do for him. I am not qualified to remove the spear."

"We just need to take him home," Sam answered worriedly.

A small group of women approached and motioned for Sam to come. She was unwilling to leave the Colonel, but when one of the men stepped closer with his spear aimed at O'Neill's chest, she quickly held up her hand. "Okay, okay. Hold it, I'm coming!"

Carter shifted carefully and lowered the Colonel to the ground, positioning him on his left side, his knees bent so he wouldn't roll further. She touched his cheek briefly. "Hold on, Sir." She could only hope he could hear her. Then she exchanged worried looks with Teal'c and Daniel, only now noticing the position they were in. Sighing heavily, she rose to her feet and followed the women.

Another canoe was dragged onto the riverbank. Some men carried loads of fruit and positioned them in the canoe. A couple of women approached with arms full of flowers and draped them over the fruit.

"What do you think they meant by 'prepare the woman', Teal'c?" Daniel whispered worriedly.

"I believe they are sacrificing a woman to the Thunder God, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c stated, hoping that woman wouldn't be Major Carter.

"Yeah, I think so, too. And I think I also know who that woman is… Oh, Lord, what are we going to do?" Daniel started pulling on the ropes but it was useless. The bindings didn't give an inch.

"Unfortunately, we cannot do anything," Teal'c hissed, frustration evident in his voice. Like Daniel, he had been trying to break the ropes but found it of no use. The ropes were secure, strong and unbreakable.

Major Carter was led forward. She was now wearing a white doeskin robe over her uniform and she had a wreath of flowers in her hair. She stared at Daniel and Teal'c, giving them a weak smile. Carter looked at the unconscious form of her CO one last time before the men took her by her arms and walked her to the canoe.

The Chief had spoken to her before and told her what a great honor it was to be sacrificed to save others. She should be proud, he'd said. He'd also told her in no uncertain terms that he would order his men to kill her leader, if she didn't do as asked.

Daniel and Teal'c didn't know what the Chief had said to Carter. Teal'c was fighting against his restraints and Daniel yelled, "Run, Sam! Run!"

Carter didn't run, though. She was actually planning her escape. The Ongiaras didn't restrain her when they seated her between the offerings in the canoe and she planned to jump out of the little vessel as soon as she was out of sight. Hopefully she could reach shore before the current dragged her over the falls. Then she could decide whether to 'gate home to get some reinforcements or attempt to free her team-mates herself. She just prayed the Colonel had that long.

The ritual repeated as the Ongiaras formed a horseshoe shape around the canoe and started singing.

Nobody seemed to notice that O'Neill started stirring. Moaning softly, he tried to assess his condition and his surroundings. His memory fell back in place and he quickly opened his eyes. He took in the bandage around his side and wondered what it was that woman had applied on it. It still hurt, but not as badly as before. He lifted his head and soon his eyes found Daniel and Teal'c, before moving to watch the singing group.

Carter!

Damn!

He stared at Daniel, who mouthed, "they're sacrificing Sam to Hinum."

Jack struggled to get up. "The hell they are…" he protested, swaying unsteadily as the world started spinning dangerously fast.

The singing faded, the Chief snapped his fingers and two men pushed the canoe forward into the river, while the others knelt, bending forward. Jack stumbled in the direction of the Ongiaras but reached the group too late. The canoe entered the water and the current took it away.

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Sam waited only a couple of minutes. She hoped the Natives wouldn't detect her as she left the canoe, gliding over the edge on her stomach. The force of the current shocked her as it dragged her almost alongside the canoe and she desperately started swimming towards the river's edge. Hopefully she would reach shore, before she would come to the falls.

She wasn't making much progress. The water was cold, very cold and her muscles started protesting the movement. Shore was still too far away as she heard the thunder of falling water. With some final frantic strokes, she struggled to reach safer grounds but it was useless. Cursing inwardly, she closed her eyes, knowing nothing could save her now. Hopefully the rest of the team would find a way to make it. 'Sorry, guys… I've failed…" she thought and tumbled down the huge fall.

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Jack O'Neill was furious. He saw the canoe drift away with his Second in it and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Although barely able to stand up straight, he moved, approaching the silent group. They all rose from their kneeling position.

"What the hell did you do!" O'Neill barked at Chief Eagle Eye.

The Chief stepped forward, a peaceful expression on his face.

"This has pleased the God of Thunder. Hinum won't punish us anymore."

"Oh, come on! There's no such thing as Gods punishing people this way. That is ridiculous." Jack could barely hold his anger. "You can't kill other human beings by pretending you're sacrificing them to appease a God."

"It is a great honor to be chosen," the Chief protested. "It is all for the best, you will see. No more harm will be done. I will release your friends and you are free to go." Without saying more, the Chief followed his people back to the camp.

Two of his men cut the ropes and Daniel rushed forward, planning to support his injured friend. Jack shrugged him off; angry that he had been unable to stop this from happening and that Carter had paid the price. "I'm fine," he snapped.

Daniel worriedly examined the Colonel's exhausted features and knew he wasn't fine. He could see all the guilt in Jack's face and understood what was running through the other man's head.

"No, you're not fine, Jack. There's still a spear sticking in your side. Easy, let me help you," he kept his voice soft and steady, although he felt rather shaken up himself. Sam was probably dead by now and that was SO hard to believe. Daniel pushed his emotions away, telling himself there was no time for that now. He drew Jack's left arm over his shoulder.

"You are not to blame, O'Neill. There is nothing you could have done to prevent this," Teal'c spoke softly.

"Yeah? Tell that to her father…" Jack protested. He repeatedly clenched and unclenched the fist of his left arm and stared at the river.

Damnit.

He'd lost Carter. He'd failed.

He looked at Daniel and Teal'c, determined to at least bring her body back to Earth. "Let's go get her and take her home."

"I do not think that is wise, O'Neill. You are in need of medical assistance. Let Daniel Jackson escort you through the Stargate. I will remain to retrieve Major Carter."

O'Neill shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving without her, Teal'c. Lead the way."

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Carter was vaguely aware of the thunder of falling water. There was water in her ears and she was shivering from the cold. Come to think of it, her clothes were soaked, her hair…

Abruptly, she sat up and cracked her eyes wide open.

She had tumbled down the falls!

Remembering now, she looked around, stunned to be alive and well. Well, soaking, shivering… but all right.

She was lying on the cold, wet floor of a cave. There were walls around her, except in front of her, where gallons and gallons of water tumbled down. She could see the sky through the falling water and realized she was in a cave, located behind the falls.

Carter was amazed. What happened? She couldn't remember anything after plunging over the falls. She got up to step closer to the water as a beautiful young woman stepped through the water into the cave.

The woman smiled encouragingly at the stunned Major. "I am glad you are all right," she spoke with a soft soothing voice.

"Did you save me?" Carter wanted to know. The woman nodded at her. "How?"

"I caught you. The Thunder beings helped me…"

Carter lifted her brows in surprise. "The Thunder beings?"

"Yes," the woman stated without explaining. "Did the people sacrifice you?"

Now it was Carter's turn to nod. "Apparently to appease the God Hinum."

The beautiful woman's face darkened. "Foolish people… They will never learn…"

"Learn what?"

"That they are living by a false legend. They believe they have to sacrifice a young maiden to please the God of Thunder called Hinum. They are wrong…" The young woman stared at the wall, her face blank, with a single tear running over her cheekbone.

"I am the one who was the first to plunge down the falls. But it was no sacrifice…" She turned to face Carter. "…I was desperate. I married three times and all my husbands died shortly after the marriage. I figured there was something wrong with me… that I caused their deaths."

"So you tried to kill yourself?" Sam studied the woman in front of her.

The young woman nodded slightly, brushing her tears away. "Yes. I decided to ride the canoe over the falls. I was saved… by the Thunder beings. They healed me, here, in these caves…" Her voice was barely audible.

"Healed you?"

"Some kind of snake had inhabited my body. The Thunder beings freed me and sent me back to my people… I married again and my spouse didn't die. We had a happy life."

"What kind of snake?" Carter suddenly got the idea and couldn't wait to meet the Thunder beings, wondering how they had been able to remove a Goa'uld from the woman's body.

The woman made a dirty face as a shiver ran over her body. "Oh. Just… an ugly, very ugly snake… It is gone now."

"But why are you here?" Sam asked, not understanding the whole story yet.

"I found out that the people have misinterpreted what happened to me. That they are now deliberately sending women in a canoe over the falls… There is no such a thing as sacrificing people to appease Gods. It is wrong! My people, the Six Nations, have never, ever sacrificed a maiden… So I decided to come here after my death, to save all women they sacrifice. It is all I can do…"

Sam looked at her in surprise. "Wow. That's very noble of you…"

The woman just shrugged.

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The silent group made its way to the falls. O'Neill was leaning heavily on Daniel and he was breathing in short gasps. Sweat was running down his pale cheeks and his right arm was cradled protectively around his side.

Daniel had attempted to get his friend to rest twice, but the stubborn Colonel had refused and kept going.

They reached the falls. Looking down, O'Neill estimated it to be a drop of at least fifty yards. He cursed out loud this time. There was just no way Carter could have survived a drop like that.

Teal'c took out his binoculars and scanned the river down below, hoping to spot Major Carter's body. He searched the riverbanks on both sides, as far as he could. He could not find her. "I do not see Major Carter, O'Neill."

"We'll have to climb down," Jack said as his trained eyes had already discovered a trail that went down to meet the river below.

Daniel turned to him, protesting loudly. "You are NOT climbing down, Jack. You'll never be able to get back up again!"

Teal'c approved. "I will go down, O'Neill."

Jack was about to protest when a beautiful young woman appeared on the trail, only about half way down. She smiled mysteriously and waved at them, motioning them to follow her.

"Daniel?" O'Neill hissed, surprised by the woman's appearance.

Daniel studied the woman and shook his head, blinked a couple of times as if he expected her to be gone. She was still there, signaling them to go with her.

"Err.. I think she wants us to follow her, Jack," he said.

"What the …" Jack muttered under his breath.

Teal'c supported O'Neill down the trail as they followed the woman. The trail led them closer to the falls and then it disappeared behind the tumbling water. The woman's finger dragged them further and the three stunned members of SG-1 entered the cave.

"Sam!" Daniel cried out, spotting the Major in the cave.

Teal'c just smiled widely.

O'Neill sighed heavily, staring from the mystery woman to his Second-in-one-piece and back.

"Glad that YOU'RE okay," he said, indirectly telling he wasn't. Exhaustion took its toll as his knees buckled underneath him. Teal'c rushed forward and lowered him to the ground while Carter knelt next to him, checking his pulse. Her eyes caught the soaking bandages and she realized the wounds had started bleeding again.

The young woman stepped closer, knelt on the other side of O'Neill. She moved her hands over his injured side without touching it and closed her eyes.

"Step back please," she whispered and her long fingers gently removed the bandage from the Colonel's side. She started humming softly.

O'Neill stared at the woman, his mind racing. He nodded at Carter and she reluctantly stepped back from the scene.

The woman's hands touched the spear, then she took it in one hand, covered it with the other. Slowly, she pulled the spear out and dropped it to the ground. Her hands ran over the wounds again, while she finished humming her song with her eyes closed. Then she turned to Carter. "You can apply a new bandage now."

O'Neill raised himself from the floor leaning on his left elbow and stared at his side. The bleeding had stopped. "How did you do that?" he asked. "I don't feel a thing!"

The woman just smiled. "Oh, but you will, later on."

Sam examined her CO. The spear was out, the wounds had been bleeding but somehow the woman had managed to stop that, closing the wounds. Teal'c handed her the med kit and she dressed the wounds carefully, although the Colonel didn't flinch under her touch.

"There. All set, Sir. How do you feel?"

"Fine. For now." He wasn't sure what the woman had done to him. The exhaustion was gone, he didn't feel any pain at that moment but she'd also told him it was temporarily. He motioned Teal'c to help him up.

The woman stepped closer to the tumbling water, where the entrance was. "Come," she said. "You must go now. Return to your world and please, do not come back."

Daniel was about to protest, but she silenced him easily. She looked at Carter one last time. "Remember… do not believe in false legends…" With that remark, she disappeared through the falls, vanishing in the mist of the tumbling water. Stunned, the team stepped out of the cave, searching up and down the trail but couldn't find her anymore.

She was all gone.

>>> THE END <<<

Chez Corine