It's a light that burns so bright
It guides you through the night
And leads you to me
So find your way back
Turning, ever so slowly, her eyes cast downward, she faced the person. Taking a shaky breath, Lyanna, slowly moved her eyes up, taking in the white uniform and gold edging, her
heart pounding so hard, she was afraid it would burst. Finally, she raised her eyes to stare into the icy blue ones, she never thought to see again.
Her knees gave way, a gasping sob escaping her lips, as she clutched the front of his uniform in her small fists, her mind and heart afraid that her eyes were deceiving her.
He caught her, and slowly lowered the both of them to sit on the stone walkway, she partway on his lap, his eyes never leaving her face.
His voice, when he finally found it, was gruff and tear filled, "I'm so sorry, Lyanna. I never wanted to leave you. Sometimes...sometimes we aren't given a choice."
With a cry, she threw her arms about his neck, her tears soaking into the collar of his uniform. He wrapped both arms around her, burying his face in the soft dark curls of her hair,
inhaling the familiar scents of vanilla, sandalwood, and lavender.
They stayed that way for several minutes, unaware that everyone else had quietly left the courtyard.
Finally, she pulled back, gazing at his face, her eyes studying every detail. Reaching up, she lovingly brushed his cheek with her fingertips, before running her hand through his hair,
gently tugging, as she reached the back of his head, the corners of her mouth trembling softly, her voice tinged with wonder, "I prayed desperately to have this moment for so long, even though
Lyanna laughed, as she dogged John's grasp, waving the picture of him covered in mud, that
Thomas had taken, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "Come on slow poke, gotta be faster
than that. Must be getting slow in your old age."
John narrowed his eyes, his blue eyes darkening slightly, as he struggled not to smile, his
voice a playful growl, as he lunged for her again, "Slow, huh. Just wait till I get my hands on
you. You'll be begging..."
Their play, came to an abrupt end as Felicity, followed by Ursula, the large woman who was
Felicity's hired muscle when needed, came storming into their living room, Felicity's face
contorted with rage.
Marching across the room, she grabbed Lyanna, who was standing just outside the bedroom
door, and flung her back and to the side, where she crashed onto the couch with a startled
cry.
John, surged forward to help his wife, but was grabbed and shoved back into the bedroom by
Ursula.
Felicity following close behind, slammed the bedroom door, locking it before Lyanna could
open it.
John stumbled backwards, his eyes flicking from one woman to the other, as he listened to
Lyanna's frantic cries, as she pounded on the door, "John! Felicity what is it? What's wrong?
John, John can you hear me? Please Felicity, don't. Whatever has happened, I take the
blame, don't hurt him, please!"
Felicity stalked forward, until she was a foot away, her green eyes smoldering with hate, her
voice sending chills down his spine, "You! This is all your fault! Because of you everything is
destroyed. I should have killed you the day we found you. Perhaps, I should correct that
mistake now. Ursula!"
John gasped, as the large woman, shoved him to his knees, looming over him, her dark eyes
daring him to get up.
He stared up at the two women glaring down at him, in confusion, his heart pounding in his
chest, "What have I..." The question stuck in his throat, as Felicity swung her machete up to
rest below his right ear, the blade just brushing his skin.
She glared silently down at him for a moment, before an evil smile slowly formed on her lips,
causing dread to settle in the pit of his stomach, her voice low and menacing, "I have a better
punishment for you, my young friend. My Lyanna wanted you to live, and so you shall, but
you'll never see her again. Your punishment will be to live the rest of your life without your
precious wife."
Terror gripped John's heart, as he started to surge to his feet, a desperate cry of denial
building in his throat.
His cry, instead, came out as a groan of pain, as Felicity brought the handle of her weapon
crashing down onto his right temple, knocking him to the floor in an crumpled heap, blood
flowing down his face to pool on the floor, from the gash inflicted.
Felicity smiled cruelly down at the crumpled form, before turning and leaving the room.
Lyanna, gasped as the door was thrown open, looking past the two women, her heart froze,
as she took in the silent form, the blood pooling bright red, beneath his head.
A scream erupted, as she threw herself towards her husband, desperate to see if she
could help him, "John! No, Please, no!"
She never reached his side, as Ursula grabbed her and began dragging her from the room.
Lyanna struggle and screamed, looking back at John, her last view of him burning itself into
her memory and her nightmares.
Once outside, Felicity turned to the frantically struggling young woman, reaching out she
grasped Lyanna's chin in a bruising grip, glaring down her, her voice dripping with malicious
callousness, "You can stop struggling, girl. Your husband is dead, and you are coming with
me. I never should have allowed you to have him. I knew he was trouble the minute I laid eyes
on him. Well, l corrected my mistake, and now it's time to go."
Lyanna, jerked away from Felicity's grasp, rage flaring through her, her voice steely with it, as
she spat at the hateful woman, "You didn't have to kill him! I will never forgive you for this! I
don't care what you do to me! You mean nothing to me, do you hear! You are nothing
compared to him, and that's what you'll always be, nothing." Lyanna ended her tirade, glaring
at the woman, as she hung gasping, in Ursula's grip.
Felicity's eyes widened at the ferocity coming from the young woman, shocked that the once
silent mouse had such fire in her.
Anger surged, as she listened to Lyanna's words, and reaching forward, she grasped the
sparkling crystal hanging around Lyanna's neck, narrowing her eyes, Felicity growled at her,
"You will regret those words, girl. And you'll definitely care what I do to you, mark my words.
Ursula, take her to the boat. I'll be along shortly. Make sure she stays quiet, those officers
will be crawling everywhere in no time." Jerking down, she snapped the silver chain, the catch
slicing into Lyanna's delicate skin, leaving a long red slash, that would forever be a
reminding scar on the side of her neck.
Lyanna struggled futilely, as the larger woman dragged her down to the hidden cove, she and
John had discovered. The woman forced her into the small power boat, and binding
Lyanna's hands, secured her to the port cleat, at the back of the boat.
Looming over her, Ursula growled menacingly, "Keep quiet or you'll be sorry."
The woman need not have bothered, as Lyanna's heart had shattered completely,
extinguishing the fire of anger in her, as her gaze had focused on the bright flames reaching
into the sky, from atop funeral hill.
The island was too small to hold its inhabitants and a cemetery. So those who died were
either buried at sea, or placed upon a burning pyre, and their ashes scattered where
requested.
A tear escaped, as any hope she'd had that John might have survived, drifted away with the
black smoke rolling into the afternoon sky.
Felicity joined them moments later, smelling of blood and smoke. Ignoring Lyanna, she
climbed aboard and they sped away from the island. Lyanna stared back at the island until
she could no longer see it, then turning, she leaned back against the side of the boat, and
gazed up at the slowly appearing stars, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Finally, exhaustion won and the heartbroken young woman slept fitfully, her dreams filled with
memories of him.
The next morning, found her standing, unbound, on the tiny beach of a small deserted island,
staring silently ,as Felicity's boat pulled slowly away, the woman's words echoing across the
water to her, "Enjoy the rest of your miserable existence knowing that he died because of
you, girl. If you'd just left well enough alone you could've spent the rest of your life with him,
but you chose not to and he paid for it.".....