There's a time for us,
Someday a time for us.
Time together with time to spare,
time to learn, time to care
Someday, somewhere.
The Tracy's followed the General to the table, where the family had sat the evening before. A man sat at the end of the table, flanked by two officers, standing behind his chair. John
recognized the man as being, Conner, an older man with a heavy Scottish accent.
Conner had always been nice to him and Lyanna, so John greeted the man in kind, a sad smile on his face, before sitting down beside him, "Hello, Conner, how are you?"
The man, his face weather lined and sad, looked up at John, his eyes full of pain and guilt, "Oh lad, ah'm so very sorry. Tha lass was such a sweet soul. Ah woulda never
thought….well that makes no difference now. Ah want ta tell ya about how Lyanna came ta be a part of all this and about your own sad initiation. Ah remember tha first
time ah saw tha wee lass, like it was yesterday…."
A large yacht, floats lazily, on the quiet ocean, glistening in the moonlight. Its occupants
blissfully, unaware of the several pairs of eyes watching from a nearby boat. The deck of the yacht is
lit up, illuminating a man and woman talking and laughing. A servant appears to refill their glasses of
wine, and to deliver a violin to the man. He takes the instrument and moments later a sweet sound
drifts across the water. One of the observers gasps, as a young girl, dark hair unbound, dances into
the light, her gossamer skirt floating around her, as she moves. The woman, suddenly begins singing,
as the couple watches the child twirl and sway to the music, her face a picture of joy.
T'is the gift to be simple
T'is the gift to be free
T'is the gift to come down
Where we ought to be
And when we find ourselves
In the place just right
Twill be in the valley of love and delight
And when we find ourselves
In the place just right
Twill be in the valley of love and delight
When true simplicity is gained
To bow and to bend
We will not be ashamed
To turn, to turn will be our delight
Till by turning, turning
We come round right
When true simplicity is gained
To bow and to bend
We will not be ashamed
To turn, to turn will be our delight
Till by turning, turning
We come round right
As the song ends, the child curtsies, before running to hug the woman and man, her sweet voice
carrying over the water, to the silent observers, "Did you like it Mama, did you Papa? I practiced it
just like teacher told me to. Did you see my pirouette, Mama, wasn't it perfect? My teacher says I'll be
as good as you one day."
The woman laughs, cupping her daughter's face in her hands, "Yes, my starshine, I loved your dance.
And your pirouette was indeed perfect, just like you. You will be far better than me, starshine, far, far
better. Won't she Papa?"
The man smiles, as he gazes lovingly at his wife and daughter, "You are right, Mama. Our little
starshine will light up the world one day. But I fear, if she is to do that, then she must get a
goodnight's sleep. Its way past your bedtime, Katy, let's get you tucked back in and we'll all go to
bed."
The man sweeps the child up into his arms and, all three of them laughing, they disappear into the
cabin. A half an hour later, the entire boat is dark and the observers begin to move. They board the
yacht silently, stealing into the darkened cabin. Moments later, screams rent the air, as the occupants
of the boat, are dragged up onto deck. The man is forced to kneel apart from his family, his hands
bound behind him, a trickle of blood running from his temple. The servant and woman are forced to
kneel with their hands bound in front, the sleeves of their nightgowns torn, where they had struggled
to escape their captors.
The woman screams, as her daughter is dragged up and thrown at the feet of
a tall blond woman, who holds a machete in her hand.
The child, hearing her mother's cry, tries to go to
her, but is prevented by a hand grabbing her wrist in an iron grip.
She turns wide, fear filled, violet eyes to face her captor, her voice soft and broken, "Pl...please I
want...I want my mother... Please."
She gasps, as the woman, eyes narrowing, tightens her grip and brings the tip of the machete close to
her neck, "What is the child's full name and age? Quickly or you'll be inscribing it on her gravestone!"
She growls, shaking the small arm slightly.
The child whimpers, as her mother, screaming, struggles to get to her baby. The father's voice
suddenly rises above the sound, "Her name is Catherine Lyanna Ashford. She is only ten years old.
Please do not hurt her, she is only a baby! You can...ahhh!" The man cries out, as he is hit across the
back by one of the women.
The hysterical mother, seeing her husband injured cries out, "Alex! No, please you can't do this!
Plea..." Her cry ends in a gasp, as one of the women grabs her long dark hair and wrenches it
backwards, pressing a sharp knife to her exposed throat.
The child screams, tears flowing down her small face, she stares up at her captor, pleading brokenly,
"Please...please don...don't hurt them...please! I want...my mama...and papa. Pl...please!"
The woman, her eyes hard and unwavering, jerks on the child's arm silencing her, "Bring them here."
The man and woman are dragged to the center of the deck, and forced to kneel side by side, their
fear filled eyes on their daughter.
The woman, letting go of the child's arm, grabs her chin, forcing the child to look her, "Learn this now
child. I always get what I want and those who stand in my way are eliminated. You will be my daughter
from here on out and I will be your only parent." With those words, she steps forward and forever
silences the cries of the child's parents, before heading below to loot the boat.
The child, wide eyed, begins screaming, her voice echoing across the waters......
"Ah saw tha blood headed for her tiny bare feet and swept her up in ma arms." The man sadly intoned, tears bright in his aged eyes, "Tha wee one stopped screaming tha
minute ah touched her and didn't speak again for six long years. She never spoke, never laughed, and never danced agin. Felicity would force her ta go with us every time
we went out on a raid. Tha wee lass would roam tha boat silently, her tiny face empty of life. When we captured a boat, tha she devil would force Lyanna ta witness tha
interrogations. For two years, this went on, finally Felicity, tired of tha silence of tha child, found an uninhabited island, this island, and built her stronghold. She built this
house, filling it with every luxury in hopes tha child would respond, but it gained her nothin. Tha part of tha house belonging ta tha two of ya, was once tha residence of tha
woman Felicity hired ta care for tha lass, while we were in port. She still forced Lyanna ta go out on our raids. The lass never fought, never cried, never laughed or smiled,
just existed. Four more years passed, then we happened upon your boat, and things changed."
