Mine

Writers: Eimi
Date Posted: 7th April 2006

Characters: Jio, Jhonnel
Description: Jio is confronted with the past
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 11, day 2 of Turn 3

The makeshift infirmary was colored in the bluish pallet of a moonlit
night. Navy shadows were caste across blue-grey faces as they slept.
But one was awake, listening to the only sounds that broke the
stillness - Miryene's gentle breathing, and tiny Mio's as he took his
first midnight nap. His wife's hair tickled his face as Jio lay along
side her, his knees tucked up behind her own, breathing in the scent of
her hair, which was starting to become familiar to him. One arm was
draped over her, his hand resting softly on the carefully wrapped bundle
that protected her young son from the chill of the night. Though all
else in the infirmary was peaceful and still, Jio kept a silent
vigilance over his tiny family as they slept, for despite the
tranquility he was on edge. Something was coming. He could _feel_ it.

As he lay quietly, his ears caught the faintest whisper of a sound
outside. It was a rustling, like wind stirring leaves. But there were
no sighing trees to compliment the sound. He strained his ears,
listening for it again, but there was nothing.

Jio sighed as he tightened his hold around Miryene. He took comfort
from her warmth, from her presence, and from the memory of a kiss. It
was only one kiss, soft and gentle. But it was more than he had hoped
for so soon. They were married, it was true, but she had told him from
the start that she would need time. The memory of her second husband,
Mio's _true_ father, was still too fresh in her mind. And it galled
him. The man didn't deserve a second thought. Not after the way he had
beaten her. She had deserved better from the start. She had deserved
someone like _him_ who would appreciate and adore her. She deserved...

Shards, there it was again. A little louder this time. He looked
around the infirmary, but no one else so much as stirred in their sleep
at the sound. And again, but even louder. Something was right outside
the window. Carefully, so as not to disturb his sleeping wife, Jio
rolled away from her and off their mattress. He carefully stood and
peered out the window into the night. The dual moons cast their
bluish-white light across the landscape, making everything visible,
though strange and twisted shadows lay silently across the ground.
Everything was still. Too still. A slight chill ran up his spine as he
looked. But there was no leaves, no wind. There was nothing.

He walked back to their mattress again, but he knew he would not be able
to sleep. Instead he sat back against the wall, his fingers resting
gently on Miryene's head. They moved carefully through her hair,
caressingly. Though he knew he shouldn't wake her, part of him felt so
alone. But she had such a hard, long day. Jio looked down at the face
of Mio, sleeping so peacefully snuggled up against his mother. Shards,
but he had wanted to be there. He had wanted to be with Miryene when
her son was born. _Their_ son, he had to remind himself. For Miryene
made it quite clear that she considered him the child's father now. A
slight smile touched his lips. She had even named the child after him.
**Mio...**

His thoughts were disturbed by the rustling sound again, but this time,
he watched as a shadow moved slowly across the floor. Something was
outside the far window. It was moving closer, one window to the next,
slithering across the floor towards them. Someone was outside the room,
he was sure or it. A note of anxiety struck his heart as he watched it
inching its way towards them. Jio couldn't move as he watched in
fearful fascination. It paused as it floated across a face, the sound
stopping with it. But soon the sound began again, and the shadow
crept forward, hovering briefly over each face as it slid across as it
made its way closer and closer to where his sleeping family lay.

Jio was thankful that they were protected by the shadow of a break in
the windows. It would not be able to pass over them. They couldn't be
seen, he was sure of it. And yet, as it reached the very last pane of
glass, the shadow stopped, mere inches from where little Mio lay. **Go
away, go away...** his mind whispered as he watched the unmoving shadow.
He didn't know how long he sat there staring at it before he
blinked and it was gone. His blood ran like ice through his veins.
What in Faranth's Name _was_ that?!

He looked down the room, but all long the windows, there wasn't another
hint of the shadow that had passed before. It was gone. Just like
that, _gone_. The only sound that again could be heard was Miryene and
Mio's breathing as they slept. Jio sat as the minutes ticked away, his
mind trying to reach for an explanation for what he had seen. Finally,
he summoned his courage for one more peek out the window.

Rolling off the mattress once again, he crawled on hands and knees to
the window. He could hear the pounding of his heart as he reached first
one hand and then the other to the curl his fingers over the window
sill.
Carefully, slowly, he pulled himself up until his eyes could see out
into the darkness. They slowly scanned the landscape once again,
searching every shadow, ever stone, every tree. Nothing. There was _no
one_ there.

And then some hint of movement caught his eye. Out there, as far down
as his eyes could see, moving between the aisles of the vineyard... a
shadow. It crept closer as Jio's hold on the sill tightened. His
throat grew dry, and he tried to swallow, but there was no moisture in
his mouth. What _was_ that? Jio suddenly became very aware of just how
loud his breathing was and the sound of his heart beat seemed to echo in
the room. It was the _only_ sound. No one stirred, no one moved. They
were all blissfully unaware of the _thing_ out there. They didn't
perceive the threat that only Jio could see, or feel the fear
that only Jio felt as he watched the shadow move down the aisle until
finally it was directly in front of him. And it stopped. It stopped
right in front of him.

Jio's eyes grow wide as the shadow changed direction. Instead of
continuing on its parallel journey, it moved straight towards him. As
it came closer to the edge of the vineyard, a shape could be discerned.
It was a human, a man. And yet the journeyman was filled with fear at
the sight of him. As a foot stepped out from between the bare vines,
the moonlight cast its illuminating light across it, confirming it was
covered in a mans boot, and it was followed by trousers, then a tunic,
and finally a face. An all too familiar face.

The blood drain from Jio's face as he stared in absolute shock. It was
covered in dirt and grime, and bright red blood, but he _knew_ that face
staring back at him. Staring _directly_ at him! **Jhonnel...**

Jio slowly stood and faced the man through the window, their eyes
locked. He couldn't look away from those eyes. As Jhonnel took a step
towards him, Jio took a step back from the window, his heart pounding
painfully now. It was not possible! And yet there he was, taking yet
another step closer. Jio's mind reeled. No, this couldn't be
happening. It _couldn't_ be him. It just couldn't be!

His eyes darted to his wife sleeping peacefully next to the newborn
babe. She rested soundly, unaware that the child's father, the one who
had suddenly disappeared from her life, was there. Jio lifted his eyes
to the window again, and took another terrified step back as he realized
that somehow, in that brief instant his eyes had left Jhonnel's face, he
had closed the distance. The vintner was just inches from the glass
now, his eyes boring holes into Jio's.

Jio froze. He couldn't move. He couldn't breath. He could just stare
back. But he didn't want to look. He didn't want to see the ash-white
face, the bloody red streaks, and yet he couldn't look away.

Jhonnel's eyes traveled slowly away from Jio and towards the safe shadow
were Miryene and his son lie. Dirty fingers reached up to the window
pane as he began trying to pull the window open.

"No," Jio finally whispered. It was as loud as his voice would go.
"No, no, no... Jhonnel... you can't have them..." His stomach turned in
knots as he watched the man search the windowpane for a weakness, a way
into the room. A way to get to the woman and child. His movements
turned frantic as he pushed and pulled on the glass.

All his fear suddenly drained from Jio and was replaced with anger. He
could not take them away from him! Jhonnel could not take his family
back! "No!" he finally screamed, stepping to the window once again,
bracing it with his hands as Jhonnel continued to look for a way
through, a way into the room, a way to reach his wife and newborn son.
"No!" Jio roared as Jhonnel pounded on the glass. "You can't have them!
They're _mine_ now! They're _mine_! She's _my_ wife, and that is _my_
son! _MINE_!!!"

~*~

Jio's eyes flew open with a start. His breath caught in his lungs as
his mind tried to make sense of what was dream and what was reality.
There was light in the room, but it was the soft light of glows turned
down low. He was laying on his side, curled around his wife, but
whereas before he could only hear _her_ breathing, now there were other
sounds - light snoring, soft whispers, the shuffling of feet.

He pulled himself up on his elbow and looked around. It was the
infirmary in his dream, but it was not still or lifeless. A woman sat
stroking her child's hair. A healer attended to a man with a head
wound. A young couple lay curled up together, conversing softly. All
the shadows were soft, and though the room had the feeling of
uncertainty, there was no hint of fear in their faces. It was all a
dream. It was _just_ a dream...

One of the healers stopped at the foot of the mattress. "Excuse me,
journeyman, but are you alright."

Jio nodded and smiled up at him apologetically. "Yes, thank you. I'm
fine. I just... had a bad dream is all."

"Many people are having bad dreams tonight," the healer reassured him.
"Do you need something to help you go back to sleep?"

"No, no, I'll be all right." He nodded his thanks and the healer moved
on.

His eyes were drawn one again to the sleeping face of little Mio. He
was so perfect, so new. And Miryene looked so beautiful. Tired, and
perhaps a little pale, but a small smile seemed to curl at the edge of
her lips. She had her baby. The child she had always wanted, and Jio
had then both. Fate might not have intended them for him, but they were
his now.

Laying back down behind Miryene, he wrapped his arm protectively over
her and the sleeping babe at her side. They were his family, and he
would do anything to keep safe. _Anything_.

Last updated on the April 9th 2006

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