Wings of Grace

Chapter 3

       "She's still sleeping. The nightmares only seem to be increasing, poor child. Whatever she went through, she's still reliving it." Sally whispered to Lyon as he stood in the doorway watching Lara under the dim light of the lamp.

Lyon had brought the sleeping girl to Sally's house three days ago. Every night since, he came to her bedroom door, content to watch her sleep. He never entered the room. He was usually a patient man and waiting had never been a problem...until now.

He had known Sally all his life. She was like a mother to him. But he wasn't in the mood to answer her usual, all too invading questions.  Not tonight...

 "I found her wallet." She told him casually. "Her name's Lara. She is from Australia."

Lyon partially heard what Sally had to say, his own mind in torment.

 'Lara'........, he repeated her name to himself several times. What happened that day, Lara? What were you doing at Crystal Mountain, so far from home? As he stared at her sleeping form, a visual image, provoking protective feelings, of a warm body nestled in his arms; so soft, so innocent, so inviting.

 He needed to talk to her, face to face. See her for what she was, shallow, superficial. Just like the others. Then maybe these unwanted feelings he was having would go away.

 He had to leave. 

 Now!

 He wasn't thinking straight. What was she doing to him...?

He abruptly interrupted Sally, and left, saying he would return in the morning.

*****

 Lucky Lyon had been too preoccupied to notice Sally's face before he went, for he might have been even more worried for his own cause if he had.

 Lyon may not have been Sally's son, but she had brought him up like he was. Sometimes, she knew him better than he did himself, and she knew somehow this girl had gotten under his skin. This was a first and although Sally had tried her best to hide it, she was enjoying seeing the internal struggle.

 It was about time, as far as she was concerned.

Sally always knew when Lyon fell in love, he would deny its existence. For Lyon to accept that he could ever have happiness in his life, was asking for the impossible.

It would take a woman who was very strong, intelligent, loving, willing to be his equal and earn her place at his side.  But most importantly she would have to be prepared to give her life for him.

 Could this fair child, possibly be the one? Sally really hoped so. Lyon needed to find out that he was worthy of letting someone else share his life.

 Reminiscing the haunted past, that was her constant companion she thought about how Lyon had always been a loner. Forced to become an adult, a king, at ten years of age, when he witnessed his parents brutal murder.

 Wiping the lone tear from her cheek, Sally tried to forget that dreadful afternoon. But images of Lyon carrying both of his two younger sisters, Kathleen, and Sharlee as they fled from their home, refusing to let any of the eight accompanying adults assist him, were hard to dismiss. His struggle by the end of that night had been so obvious, but the boy had kept on going. God love him.So brave,,,and so stubborn.

That day, Lyon had to watch, as his home, his kingdom and his birthright, was taken over by another. He had sworn to avenge his parents. and Sally had known he would never rest until he did.