A Rough Draft

This is the beginning of a story that I've been working on for a while now. I don't know how long the finished product may be, or if it actually will ever be finished. It is my hope that someday it will be, given the time and effort. I will continue to post portions of it as they are written, though again, there will be no actual schedule and I make no promises as to how quickly or steadily it will be worked on. Please feel free to make comments or criticisms, provide feedback and/or ideas and above all, enjoy. The preliminary title is simply, The Protector.

She’d never be sure why she looked up. Maybe it was the shadow that caught in her peripheral vision. Maybe it was the shiver she felt run down her neck. Maybe it was quite simply the heat. Whatever the reason, she glanced up and in that precise moment, her life changed.
Up until that point, her life had been very basic, very simple. Nothing spectacular had ever happened to her. She’d never gone on an adventure or met anyone famous. She’d been born to middle-class parents who loved and supported her, even if they disagreed on certain issues. She’d attended McHenry Elementary school, followed by McHenry Middle and finally McHenry High. Her grades were always good, mostly A’s with the occasional B. She was student president of the school’s choral department, worked with the technical theatre crew from time to time, was a member of the National Honors Society and had every intention of graduating with a near perfect 3.8 GPA. She’d dated a few guys throughout high school, but had never gotten serious about any of them.
Her plans for the future followed the same simpleness as her past. She’d go to college, then grad school, getting first her bachelor’s and then her master’s and possibly a doctorate in psychology. She’d find a good steady job that she enjoyed, eventually meet someone and fall in love, get married and have three perfect children to love and raise as her parents had raised her. Very simple. Some might even say typical, but she didn’t care.
She had it all planned out.
Or so she thought.
But then she looked up…and her eyes met his. Life slowed to a standstill. The pencil she held in her hand clattered on the sidewalk. Her notebook slid off her lap as she slowly rose off the park bench. Her blood ran cold as she focused on his right hand, the object in it raised and pointed at her. Her eyes flickered right, then left, looking for some form of help. There was none. She looked back at him and as their eyes met once more, he grinned triumphantly. She knew she was dead. There was nowhere to run.
She heard the pop. Her very simple life flashed before her eyes. A burst of pain hit her side…and then everything went black.

Aubry woke, aware of the dull pounding behind her eyes. She tried to move and winced. Her body ached all over. Why did she hurt? Wasn’t heaven supposed to be pleasant? She shouldn’t be in pain if she was dead. And she knew she’d died. She’d seen the gun, heard it go off. She’d felt the bullet hit…or had she? She remembered being hit in the side, but now that she thought about it, it hadn’t felt like bullet, or at least what she imagined a bullet would feel like ripping through skin, muscle and bone. She fell back against a soft mattress and pillow and tried to figure out what had happened, and more importantly, where she was now. It was dark, but not pitch and she could make out basic shapes along the walls. Pieces of furniture, she assumed. On the opposite side of the room she saw a thin line of light along the floor. Must be the door, she thought.
Her prediction proved correct when what was indeed a door swung open and let in a stream of light. Dim, seeing as it was candlelight, but light nonetheless. The candelabrum was held by a plump woman in a faded grey dress, covered by an equally faded apron. The woman stopped and set something, a tray of sorts, onto what must have been a dresser next to the bed, and then turned toward Aubry.
“Ah, good, you’re awake,” she said in a kind and gentle voice. “Can you sit up? I’ve bought you some soup in case you’re hungry.”
“What happened? Where am I?” Aubry asked the woman. “Who are you? How…?”
“Hush,” the woman replied, ladling soup into a ceramic mug, holding it out to Aubry. “Eat this. It will help you regain your strength.”
Aubry regarded the soup somewhat suspiciously, then took the mug from the woman and took a hesitant sip. It was hot, soothing to her dry throat and surprisingly quite tasty. She continued to drink for a moment, and then looked up to thank the woman. “What’s your name?”
“You can call me Maud,” the woman replied with a smile. “Now, you finish every bit of that soup and get some more rest. You’ve had a rough day.” She turned towards the door but turned back when Aubry called out.
“Please,” Aubry said. “Please, can’t you tell me where I am? And why? What happened to me?”
Maud’s eyes roved over Aubry for a moment, glanced away and then returned to meet Aubry’s gaze. “Tis a story that’s not mine to tell. Nor is this the time. Don’t worry. All you need know right now is you’re safe. Get some sleep and have no fear. Tynan will continue to watch over you as he has for so long.”
“Tynan?” Puzzled, Aubry glanced around the dark room. “Who’s Tynan?”
Maud nodded towards the corner opposite the bed in which Aubry lay. She then turned and walked out the door, shutting it quietly behind her. Aubry turned her head in the direction Maud had indicated and gasped when she noticed the young man leaning against the wall. He’d been hidden in the shadows.

Tynan silently watched the girl as she finally acknowledged his presence. His breathing was slow, deep and he hadn’t moved once since he had laid her on the small cot and taken up his position in the shadows to keep guard over her until she awakened. He doubted she’d have ever realized she wasn’t alone if Maud hadn’t pointed him out.
His dark eyes saw her blue ones widen in surprise as she noticed his outline against the wall. His eyes never left her as she glanced back towards the door Maud had just walked through. He’d watched over her for twelve years now, ever since his people had discovered who she really was. He still remembered the first time he’d seen her, a cheerful girl of six years, blue eyes shining and red ponytail bouncing back and forth as her father had pushed her on a swing. She’d shouted, “Higher, Daddy!” and squealed as the sky had rushed down at her, then retreated as she plunged back towards the ground.
Later, as she’d chased after the Frisbee her father had sent sailing over her head, she’d fallen and cried out when she scraped her knee. He’d fought the urge to run to her, to scoop her up and tell her that everything would be alright. Startled by the surge of protectiveness he’d felt toward the young child, he’d stayed hidden in the trees and watched as her father had kissed her knee and made it better.
From that moment on his sole purpose had been to protect her, to guard her and keep her from harm. The title of protector had been his birthright. His father had protected the royal family before him, as had his father’s father. From the time he’d been a small child he’d been trained and prepared for his role, the duty of his rank ingrained in him since birth. Though she had yet to know it, they were connected. Immediately following the discovery of her identity, her safety had been assigned to him and even in those times when he couldn’t be near her, couldn’t physically protect her he’d been able to see. He knew her movements, her habits and occasionally he was granted a brief glance into her thoughts. If ever there was any hint of danger, immediately he would rush to her, always without her knowledge.
She’d been his life for the past twelve years. Nothing affected her that did not affect him also. For such a long time, his life had revolved around her existence. Yet she only learned of his existence now, when times were dire and a growing threat had nearly ended her life. For a moment, he wished circumstances were different. He wished that he’d been able to meet this young woman, who was such an integral part of his life, in a different time and a different place. A time and place where she was just a woman and he just a man. But wishing was folly and he knew better than most that it did no good. Wishing couldn’t change what was…and what had to be.
Her eyes came back to his slowly. She simply stared, confusion flooding her eyes. “Who are you?” she whispered. Tynan stared back at her, but didn’t answer. “Tynan,” she said slowly, trying his name out. His heart lurched at hearing his name on her lips. Still, he remained silent.
“Please,” she said, “tell me what happened. Where am I? I need to know,” she pleaded.
“You need to rest,” he replied gruffly. “Drink what Maud gave you. It will help you sleep so you can regain your strength.”
“I don’t want to sleep,” she retorted. “I want to know what’s going on. Nothing makes sense. I don’t know where I am or how I got here. Who is Maud? Who are you?”
Tynan looked into Aubry’s eyes, torn by the confusion and fear he saw there. He quietly whispered, “I’m your protector.”
“My protector?” she asked. “What does that mean?” When Tynan gave no answer, she cried out, “I’m so confused and everything’s so strange. One minute I was sitting in the sun and the next I’m in a place I don’t recognize and talking to people I don’t know. I just want to know what happened.” Her eyes filled with tears and one trickled over and flowed down her cheek. Her breath hitched as she tried to control her emotions but the tears continued to flow.
Tynan rushed to her side and sad down next to her on the cot. “Shh,” he whispered. “Everything’s going to be alright, I swear to you. In time you’ll understand.” She leaned into him, laying her head on his shoulder and hesitantly he wrapped his arms around her and held her as she wept. “Shh,” he repeated over and over again, willing her to sleep. Finally she did.
It was only a second before she drifted into deep sleep and dreams that she noticed the white bandage wrapped around Tynan’s side.

She dreamed of Tynan. Her dreams were troubled, confusing and strange, but throughout them all his presence lingered. She was running, being chased by a nameless darkness. She knew that in the darkness was an evil that was intent on destroying her. Her breathing hitched as she urged her legs to pump faster. As the evil gained on her, Tynan appeared in her path. She knew somehow that with him she was safe and she stretched her arms out toward him as she ran. Yet the nearer she came, the more he faded, disappearing completely at the moment she would have reached his side.
Then she was back on the bench in the park. She looked up and stared into the empty eyes of death. She saw the gun, raised and pointed towards her. She heard the shot, felt the impact of being hit in the side. But the grunt of pain she heard did not come from her lips and the blood spreading across her hands did not flow from her veins. Tynan.
Aubry shot awake, breathing hard. Her eyes searched the dimness until they found the man among the shadows who had returned to his spot of vigilance.
“You were hit,” she said, understanding now why he wore the bandage she’d seen before slipping into sleep. Tynan made no reply but she saw the acknowledgement of her statement in his eyes. “That man tried to kill me and you took the bullet meant for me. Didn’t you?” she urged, when he still did not answer.
Tynan nodded slowly, watching emotions play across her features as she glanced down at her hands. He barely heard her whisper…my protector. The words were barely audible.
“Why?” she asked, looking up at him again. “You told me you were my protector, but why would you, a person I’ve never met before, willingly take a bullet that was meant for me? None of this makes sense.” Her eyes pleaded with him to answer her questions and he would…in time. However, he could never reveal to her or anyone else for that matter, why he’d really put himself in the path of a bullet aimed straight for her heart. He was sworn to protect her and therefore it was his duty to do so, yes, but that reasoning meant little to him now.
The truth was she’d won his heart twelve years ago when she’d fallen. He’d yearned to cradle her in his arms, comfort her and chase away the twinge of pain that scraped knee had caused. He loved her and because he loved her, her life would always come before his own. But he couldn’t tell her that. She would learn much in the coming days and it would be difficult for her to understand and even harder to accept. Her whole life was about to change and she needed his protection and nothing more. Once the ordeal was over and everything accomplished, she’d take her rightful place in his world and his vow would be fulfilled. Her life would go on…without him. He would fade into the background, his feelings for her forever locked away, secret and silent.
Aubry watched as Tynan’s eyes filled with sadness and longing and another emotion she couldn’t quite identify. A bare hint of a smile crossed his lips as if he were remembering a pleasant memory; but as quickly as it came, it faded and was replaced with a look of tortured resignation. She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong but never got the chance as the door to the small room opened and Maude walked in, carrying another tray of food.
Relief filled Tynan as he watched Maude stride toward the bed. He knew Aubry had been about to question him further and he was grateful for the well-timed reprieve. He needed a moment to get his thoughts and emotions under control and he couldn’t do that with Aubry gazing at him, her blue eyes filled with uncertainty and fear.
He walked over to Maude and whispered in her ear. She looked at him, nodded, then turned back to Aubry as he headed for the door.
“Wait!” Aubry cried as his hand settled on the knob. “Where are you going?”
“Not far,” he replied, glancing over his shoulder. When her eyes filled with doubt he turned to face her. “I’m never far,” he promised. She stared at him for a moment, then nodded, reassured. He nodded back, gave a slight bow and turned to walk out, shutting the door quietly behind him.