Lost

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 9th January 2007

Characters: Ailyn, Firon
Description: Ailyn recieves an unexpected visitor in the night
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 1, day 7 of Turn 4

Ailyn

"I'm coming! I'm coming," Ailyn grumbled, stumbling gracelessly out of bed to answer the exceedingly loud knocking at the door. Shards--it must be in the middle of the bloody night, it was so dark! Remembering to grab the robe off the back of the chair, she pulled it on and tucked it around her slender body before grabbing the handle and swinging the door wide open.

Who she saw standing there made her heart leap in her throat. Her knees buckled and she grasped the doorframe for support, green eyes suddenly very wide and bright with tears of shock.

Familiar arms wrapped around her to steady her and to hold her. The face was tired, thin, pale, but the voice was strong and clear in her ears. "I'm home."

She clung to him, crying, murmuring Firon's name over and over again through the sobs. He was alive!

"I've been trying to find you," he whispered as his fingers ran through her hair. "But I didn't know the way. Shards, I've been over mountains and rivers... Oh, Ailyn, my love, I've been trying to find you for so long..."

"I th-thought you were dead." She gazed up into his eyes, touching his shoulders, his face, caressing the line of his jaw. Gulping back more sobs, she shuddered. "They told me they couldn't find you. They _told_
me that you were..."

"I was only lost," he assured her. His head turned to kiss the tips of her fingers. "But I'm here now. I've found you, and I'll never leave your side again."

Taking his face between her hands, she kissed him hard, mouth moving desperately on his. Oh, the agony she had gone through these last months!
The gaping hole of despair she'd felt, knowing that she would have to move on--have to live the rest of her life without him.... The grief had hardly been bearable! Not even Jielta and little Miyon had been able to fully distract her from the pain. But he was alive! And he was home...

They stood in the doorway, kissing softly, hard, longingly, lovingly. Finally he pulled back, his eyes looking down at her with loving amusement. "So, are you going to invite your wandering husband inside?"

Dashing the lingering tears from her cheeks, Ailyn nodded, unable to keep the smile from her face. She didn't know when the last time had been when she had smiled so openly. It was a smile free from pain. Wrapping her arm around his waist, she turned to close the door. Then she buried her cheek against his shoulder, taking in a deep breath to smell his familiar scent--and wrinkled her nose. Holding him even tighter, she murmured, "We should get you out of these clothes, Firon."

"Show me to your bathing pool then, love," he chuckled, leaning down to kiss her forehead softly. "But I have no other clothes. This is all I have in the world right now."

"The Hold will have something, I'm sure, until we can get you some new ones..." Turning the corner, Ailyn left his side long enough to grab the bag of sweetsand and a warm, fluffy towel. Leaving them near the edge of the bathing pool, she returned to his arms. "You must be starving, love,"
she murmured, helping him unbutton his shirt.

"I am," he nodded. "Shards, I can't remember the last time I had a real meal. I think it was your stew. That last morning."

Gently she pressed a kiss to his chest. "Then let me whip up something for you."

He ran his dirt-stained thumbs along her cheeks with a tender smile. "Do you have bread? Shards, I've missed your bread. You know I always loved the way it smelled when it was baking."

A lump rose in her throat. "I never run out of bread anymore," she whispered.

His lips met hers in a soft, tender brush of a kiss. "What would I do without you?"

She brushed the tip of her nose against his, closing her eyes. She let the soft, comfortable silence envelope them for a long moment as she rested her forehead against his. "I love you."

"And I you," he whispered in response. "It was so cold without you."

Shivering, Ailyn kissed him, and her eyes were tear bright when she pulled back. "Let me get you some food. And your bread."

"And some of your boiling hot klah?" he asked teasingly. One more kiss and he released her, almost reluctantly.

"Of course," she replied with a soft grin. "No meal of ours is complete without that!"

He shrugged out of his shirt and picked up the towel and sweetsand. "I'll see you soon."

Ailyn hurried away and busied herself in the kitchen. She tried not to rush--after all, she didn't want to burn his meal--but she didn't want to be in here! She wanted to be where he was. And she would have stayed with him...but he was so hungry... Ailyn paused in pouring the klah, faintly hearing the water slapping against stone. It was so quiet in there... He must be soaking all the grime and soreness away.

Smiling, she cut a thick slice from the loaf of fresh bread, slathered it with butter--just the way he liked it--and put it on the tray. "Here you are, love," she said as she came in, gently placing the tray on the small table. "Do you want to eat now or--" She stopped talking, staring at the empty bathing pool. "Firon?" When he didn't answer, her heart began to pound. **Stop it, Ailyn. You're being ridiculous. He's here. He's probably just in the bedroom...**

He wasn't there.

Blood roared in her ears. "Firon?" Her tone was suddnely high, caught on the very edge of panic as she rushed from the bedroom to the kitchen. He was _just_ here! Where could he have gone? "Firon!" Ailyn braced her hands against the bathing room doorframe, the blood draining from her face.

His clothes were gone.

It was like he hadn't been there at all.

But that was impossible! She could still feel him on her skin, could still taste him on her lips. Her fear rose, and with it, that insane rush of panic that she hadn't felt since the day of the earthquake. It was all-consuming--pushing all other emotions out, threatening to take over and leave her as nothing but an empty, broken husk. But it had to be released.

"_Firon_!" she screamed, eyes flying open. But instead of looking down into an empty bathing pool, she was staring up at the ceiling of her room.
She was in bed. The sheets were damp with a cold sweat.

It had been a dream.

Shivering, Ailyn began to cry.

All of it. A dream. Just a dream.

Last updated on the January 9th 2007

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Lost