sixthiterationlogs | The Walls of Jericho Came Tumbling Down

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The Walls of Jericho Came Tumbling Down

WHO: Lucrezia and Jon
WHERE: Bungalow #27
WHEN: July 1
OPEN TO: Jon Snow
WARNINGS: Mentions of destruction and earthquake

It was a sweet thing to see Jon Snow striding up the front walk to her porch, intent on visiting her as he had on the day of her arrival. Lucrezia had come to look forward to this, often perching herself prettily outside, choosing a spot that would have a bit more sun to capture the gold of her hair. All of it to create an image to greet him with, one that best set off her beauty and better features. Coquetting with him was rather easy, as he didn't seem to have had a woman play these sorts of games with him before.

A flash of a smile and a few sweet words, the same that she had once given to Paolo, his face as grim and serious as Jon's. This was enough to help the days pass more pleasantly. While she couldn't help with hard labor (and hesitated to learn), there was something she could do, sewing new garments and other linens needed. It made a fair exchange, as she had coaxed Jon to help repair her door, which had been battered badly during one of the storms that had come before her arrival. During the night, she had realized it didn't close properly, causing a rough wind to blow it open.

While he worked to fix the door, she would make him a new tunic, a gift she would have given him even if he hadn't offered to help her. She chose a seat on the step, allowing the to talk as they both set to their tasks. It was only the embroidery left to do, white wolves to cover the black tunic. "You aren't to look at it until I finish. I want the rest to be a surprise." She grinned, turning slightly to shield the cloth from his view.

As she pressed the needle in the fabric, the ground jolted violently beneath her. The house clamored and shook, the roof and windows rattling threateningly. Lucrezia dropped her embroidery, letting out a cry of shock as she was knocked from the steps. Everything was quaking, leaving her unable to get to her feet. She clutched to the ground, praying it wouldn't open and swallow her down.

"What's happening?"

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Jon knew about the earthquakes from before and the eerie sound of the horn upon the wind only added to his apprehension about it; he'd only heard it once before, when he'd first arrived, and he rushed to find Lucrezia and ensure she was all right. As the ground trembled and shook, the frame of the house rattled as well and when it finally seemed to have fallen still once more the sky rent itself in two and rains began. It had been weeks and weeks since rain had fallen and Jon was grateful for it; he was afraid the earthquake was a harbinger of other things to come.

He found Lucrezia sprawled beneath the steps and offered her his hand, wanting to aid her in standing up. If this one was anything like the last, there might be other temblors afterward but they wouldn't be as severe as this first.

"Come, Lucrezia, are you injured? Let me help you up."

She took his hand, her satin grown stained by dirt and rain, soon she would be drenched. The storm had come suddenly on the heels of the earthquake, unnoticed as she struggled to recover from her shock and fear. She met Jon's eyes, disoriented and trembling in his grasp. "No...I don't think so. Are you?" She looked over him, only realizing then how much danger he had been in her home. "Thank God the house didn't collapse. The quake had been violent enough to reduce it to rumble, yet it held.

"Barnabus!" She whispered, the color draining from her face. Gathering her skirts, she raced back inside and towards her room. Under the bed was the ball of fluff that was her kitten, recently given to her by the observers. He was frightened, but unharmed.

She glanced up at Jon, giving a sigh of relief as she leaned against the wall. "I have never been through a quake before."

"I have before but only once," Jon said. He spent a few moments checking her over, being so bold as to reach out and smooth her hair away from her face under the auspices of checking her for injury. She seemed startled but unharmed and that was a blessing from the gods. He would have to hope that the others he cared about had also come through unscathed.

"It was in this place too," he explained. "Though this earthquake seems more severe than the last. I wonder if it's going to be something that happens often, that the quakes will grow more severe over time."

She watched him as his hand brushed over her, drawing back shyly. For all of her flirtations, she was unused to man making such a bold gesture, save for her brother. She only had a moment to think of what had happened before the support around the window groaned and collapsed, shattering the glass across the floor. She gave a startled cry, drawing back away. There was a large crack in the wall and part of the ceiling's plaster had crumbled. Praise God there was no greater damage.

"Does it?" She could feel fear grip her. She had never been superstitious, but the thought crossed her mind as well. If this would continue and why? "I was told of the storms, but this...I never knew it could be so dangerous here." Perhaps she should have? They were in the wilderness. How safe could they be in the unknown?

"What will we do if our homes are destroyed?"

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Jon said. He couldn't guarantee it any more than he could guarantee that he would be here tomorrow but he had remained in this place for many moons, nigh upon a year, and others had come and gone. This place wanted him here and some of the others as well - would it destroy the homes they'd chosen for shelter? Jon didn't believe it would.

"I do not know what gods this place has but they cannot leave us without any shelter at all. Why keep us here? If the houses are destroyed, we rebuild them. There is wood in the forest and I have a strong back. I can rebuild a house."

She couldn't smile, no matter the image he offered her of him working to build new homes. It didn't change her fears or lessen her worry, something that she had manage to evade until now. The air seemed to crackle around her, her emotions reaching out to feed anyone close enough to her. Barnabus bolted from under the bed, fluffing his fur up and growling at nothing.

Light seemed to flicker around Lucrezia, resembling the heat from a flame. It went unnoticed by her as she fidgeted with her hands. "I was grateful for what I received from them, whoever they are, but now..." Now it frightened her. All of it was too real.

"It isn't always like this," Jon assured her. He had received a few boxes from whoever their captors were and most of them had been things he had construed as presents, more or less; there was little about this place that was as fraught with danger as Westeros had been but he was aware from having spoken with others that Westeros was more dangerous than most places to eke out a life.

"It is more safe here than other places and the land and the weather aren't normally so unpredictable. We can rebuild the house and look, Saint Barnabus is all right. Nothing of value was lost."

She reached for her kitten only to have it swipe at her, her emotions spreading about the room. There was a soft glow about her, almost flickering like a candle caught in the storm. She drew her hand back numbly, the kitten's claws barely registering against everything else that happened.

Repairing the house seemed like a greater undertaking now. There were materials they lacked and while the damage was not too severe, it did create a problem. Already the rain was leaking through the glass. "I'm glad you were here during this, but I don't know how we can fix this damage. We have so little supplies."

"We will repair it. For now, I should take you somewhere that is more safe and stable than this house. The Inn might not have as much damage as your house, if you would allow me to take you there? I cannot go about repairing anything until the rain stops anyway," Jon said.

He drew closer to her, a little fascinated by the strange glow around her. "Are you all right, Lucrezia?"

"The inn?" She wasn't certain about the accommodations, while it seemed relatively clean, she had spent her life in a time where inns often contained vermin and fleas. Others seemed comfortable there, but she had grown used to her home and her privacy. The thought of others hearing her cry, as she often did at night, made her cheeks flush and her stomach drop.

The light seemed to grow brighter in her fear, finally catching her notice. She stared down at her limbs, her eyes wide. Barnabas bolted from the room, giving a terrified yowl before hiding beneath a chair. He went unnoticed as she pressed her hands to her face, the room starting to swell with light as she felt near panic. "I don't know. What is happening to me?"

The light was strange, something Jon had never seen before, and he frowned a little as he tried to work out why it might be happening. Whatever it was, it seemed to be disturbing Lucrezia and he gently put a hand on her shoulder and another against her face, wanting her to lower her own hands.

"My lady, it's all right. Sometimes strange things happen here," he assured her. "And it seems something has happened. We can figure it out, I assure you."

She followed his gentle guidance, trembling in his grasp. Her eyes trailed away from her arms towards his face, seeking his strength and reassurance. He had to understand what was happening, if only a little. He had been here for so long, and as he said, something strange was often happening.

"This glow...is it horrible?" Did it hurt his eyes? It didn't seem to hurt her, but perhaps others would be affected?

"No. It's queer but it's not painful or anything like that," Jon assured her. The last thing he wanted was for Lucrezia to worry herself over that when there were things she might honestly have to worry about later on.

"You'll be all right. Do you trust me?"

She didn't trust many. Giovanni Sforza had killed that idealism in her, but what choice did she have in this world? She couldn't completely depend on herself and Jon Snow understood this land better than she did. Without his help, what would become of her? She couldn't survive in the wild and she didn't know how to wield a blade. She needed Jon Snow, which perhaps was as great as trust.

For all that he did for her, she could at least offer him something in return, no matter how small it might appear. "I do trust you."

"Then trust that I won't let anything happen to you. Whatever is going on, whatever strange magic this is, it's not going to harm you. I'm not going to let anything happen. Nothing is going to hurt you."

Sansa had told him once that no one could protect anyone but Jon didn't think that was true. If he couldn't protect the people he liked and cared for, what purpose was there in trying to be a good man and a good king? He was already fond of Lucrezia even in this short while and he wanted to comfort her. He cupped her shoulders in his hands, thumbs brushing against the soft skin there.

"Do you believe me?"

He was becoming more familiar than she was used to. The sudden touch to her shoulder left her speechless. Djem and Paolo had been familiar, but one was far more innocent and the other was at her instigation. Jon was treating her as an equal...perhaps even protecting her in the same manner that Cesare would have.

It's enough to make tears well up in her. She bit her lower lip, nodding as she struggled to find the words.

"I do." A part of her questioned how they would find the answer or the means to help her, but she had to believe something could be done. Otherwise...she might go mad. Jon had been here longer, he had to know something more than she did. She forced a smile, but the light began to dim around her, light sparkles taking its place. "I believe you."

"Let me take you to the inn and get you settled, all right? You'll feel better once you have a chance to sit down and take a cup of tea."

Jon did not want to see her worried or upset and hoped that getting away from the house might help to calm her somewhat. So long as the earth did not begin to tremble again, he thought they might be all right.

She nodded, needing someone to look after her and make the decisions that she was not capable of in her shock. As she had told Jon, she trusted him enough to place herself in his hands. She shivered, the light dimming further, comforted by his presence and gentleness.

Her eyes turned back to the window, rain leaking through the crack. The storm seemed to have only increased, a downpour obscuring everything up to a few feet of her home. The woods, the houses, they seemed to be gone in a world of gray and rain. "It looks dangerous outside."

"It does. I have my cloak," Jon said, pulling it off his shoulders to slide upon hers instead. It was still his habit to wear a cloak even during the summer heat and he was glad for it today since the rains had come and it would shield her from the wet and the chill that would inevitably come afterward.

"You may use it to shield yourself from the rain while we make our way to the inn, all right? I can imagine your cat won't like getting wet so if you can keep him under the cloak, he'll be happier."

Barnabas seemed to have calmed enough to let her scoop him in her arms, tucking him beneath the folds of the cloak. It was large on her, making her seem even smaller and younger than she actually was. It was as if she were a girl playing in her brother's cloak again.

She pulled it tighter around herself as she was ushered outside. The rain pelted down on them steadily, wetting her shoes and the hem of her gown. Once they were safely at the Inn, Lucrezia let Barnabas down, the cat frustrated by the rain and the fuss being made over him.

"Thank you, but won't you catch cold?" She turned to look back at the state Jon was in. "Should we light a fire?"

"I'm from the North. I won't catch cold in a summer rain," Jon said, giving her a soft smile. "We should light a fire, though. It'll dry that cloak out faster and you'll warm up." He didn't want her to catch a chill; he had no idea where Lucrezia was from but if it was anything like the Reach or King's Landing, she might actually be chilled from the rain and coming into the cool indoors.

"I'll do it," he said, kneeling and striking flint to light kindling. He had a great deal of experience in lighting fires, after all.

She watched him thoughtfully, pulling the cloak tighter around herself. He had been kind to her since her arrival, but this was a different sort of kindness. He was concerned and treated her with the same delicacy as Cesare. Her brother loved her and cared for her more than anyone in the world. His attention and tenderness were born out of that. So why did Jon show her so much regard?

But perhaps her romanticism was getting the better of her in this case. It was she who had seduced Paolo, capturing his heart and losing hers in the process. She wasn't ready for such things now, but would it be so terrible to be loved by a good man?

"You don't need to stay with me, if you wish to look for your family?"

"Let me at least settle you down with some tea before I leave you," Jon said. He didn't want to leave her, knowing she'd be alone, when his family had each other to help. He knew that Robb and his father would see to his sisters and that Lyanna was well-capable on her own. Margaery, he worried for, but he hoped that Robb would find her and soothe her the way he was soothing Lucrezia now.

"Please? I want to make sure you're all right before I go."

She nodded, claiming a chair closer to the fire. Barnabas jumped from her lap to stretch and lay on the warm floor. "You don't need to fetch me anything. I will be fine." Tea wasn't a familiar drink to her and the bitter taste was hardly appealing. "Truly, Jon."

She took his hand, urging him to look at her. "Go find your family."

"Are you certain? I do not want to leave you if you are still frightened," Jon said, frowning a bit. "But if you are all right, I will leave to find them. I worry for them, yes, but I wanted to be sure you were all right before I left."

He felt duty-bound, in a way, and he wanted to see to her needs.

She stood on her tip toes, pressing a kiss to his cheek in thanks. "I will be fine, your grace. God, truly. I am surrounded by other villagers and there is food for me, should I need it. If it eases your mind, then simply return after you have found your family."

Her hand linked with his, giving them a light squeeze. She had at least thought to bring the doublet she was creating for him. It would give her something to do. "I should be finished by the time you come back."

The kiss surprised him for a moment but Jon couldn't help but smile a little at the brush of her lips against his skin. That being done, he did take his leave from her but with the intent to return and see about her as soon as his family was found and accounted for.

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The Walls of Jericho Came Tumbling Down

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