Rapunzel’s healing ability was impressive. Ashe was excited to see what kind of enchanted sword Rapunzel had forged for him. Being this happy was an unfamiliar feeling to Ashe. Even having to make Lord Tremaine and his sons breakfast and later lunch didn’t put a damper on his chipper mood.
Ashe made sure to look unhappy though and ‘in pain’ while in Lord Tremaine and his sons’ presences. The last thing Ashe wanted was for Lord Tremaine and his sons to discover he was already healed and could be tortured again for imagined slights.
After he’d served Lord Tremaine and his sons lunch, Ashe dressed in another old, mended suit that had belonged to his father Cinderelron. Cinderelron. Ashe thought. It was strange knowing his father’s name. Ashe hadn’t known his father had been a hero. He wouldn’t have found that out if it hadn’t been for Rapunzel recognizing his father’s cane sword.
Ashe’s thoughts drifted to Julie and he wondered who the mysterious person he supposedly reminded her of was. Ghosts of the past seemed to be haunting Ashe these days.
With the Tremaines occupied with lunch Ashe was able to sneak out of the château and make it to the stables where he borrowed a horse. He walked it through the forest and only mounted it once he deemed himself far away enough from the château that the Tremaines wouldn’t hear his departure. Then he took off into the forest, heading towards Bones Kingdom at a gallop.
Today, Ashe wouldn’t be meeting up with Snow first. Before they’d parted ways the day before, Ashe had assured Snow that he didn’t need a ‘babysitter’ and that he knew how to get to Rapunzel’s Tower on his own now.
Snow had looked disappointed, but Ashe doubted that was sincere. Why would Snow care about not getting to go with him? Snow barely knew him and Ashe wasn’t a very pleasant person to be around when he wasn’t trying to seduce some rich noblewoman. Around just men he was usually an asshole. Besides, Snow was a prince, and above Ashe in social stature. Why would Snow want to lower himself by hanging out with Ashe?
If Prince Snow knew the truth - that Ashe was a slave - he’d look down on him, and sneer, ridicule, and belittle him just as the Tremaines had done. That’s why Ashe was better off alone.
A couple hours later, Ashe entered Bones Kingdom and started to head towards Rapunzel’s Tower. He was about halfway there when the sound of a woman’s scream reached his ears. It had come from a few yards behind him. Ashe had forgotten all about his stalker Julie until that moment.
Shit. That weird girl got herself into trouble again. Without the enchanted map there had been no way for Ashe to keep track of enemies in the forest. Or dangerous monsters, for that matter. Ashe dismounted his horse since he had the feeling that whatever was attacking Julie would only cause the horse to spook and throw him, and he didn’t feel like breaking his neck. He then took off running in the direction he’d heard Julie’s scream come from.
When Ashe emerged from a group of trees into a small clearing he spotted Julie’s pumpkin-shaped carriage, which was currently covered with dozens of living skeletons. The skeletons were crawling all over the carriage in a creepy manner while trying to get inside by clawing at the carriage’s exterior.
Instinctively, Ashe’s hand went to the hilt of his cane sword, only his cane sword wasn’t strapped to his side as usual. Ashe suddenly remembered that he’d left the broken cane sword behind at Rapunzel’s Tower. Fuck. I don’t have a weapon and Julie is in mortal peril. Just great. She shouldn’t have followed him. Julie was going to get herself killed at this rate. Foolish girl…I’m not worth following around like a baby chick.
Even though things seemed hopeless Ashe looked around frantically for anything that he could use as a weapon. He couldn’t just leave Julie here to die after all. He had to do something. He had to save her. Only a coward would run to save his own skin. That’s when Ashe spotted a long tree branch on the ground. “That’ll do.” He bent over, grabbed the branch, and took off running towards the skeletons.
The skeletons were armed with rusty broadswords, and wearing armor that had also seen better days. They’d obviously been knights and soldiers once upon a time…
By this time, one of the skeletons had managed to claw a hole into the side of the carriage that was large enough for it to get through. Just as it started to poke its head inside the carriage Ashe let out a shout in order to get their attention before charging towards the skeletons.
The skeletons instantly focused their glowing red eyes on Ashe before hopping off the carriage and running towards their new prey. As soon as Ashe was close enough he swung his branch at one of the skeletons that tried to use its sword to block the attack. The skeleton was too slow, however, and Ashe managed to knock its skull right off its body, and send it flying.
The skeletons started to circle around Ashe in an effort to prevent his escape, and began to close in. Ashe was forced to block multiple sword attacks coming at him from different directions all at once. Ashe spun and kept spinning as he blocked and avoided their sword swings. Each time Ashe spotted an opening a skeleton’s skull was sent flying.
With alarm Ashe noticed that one skeleton was already halfway inside the carriage. Julie’s screams had grown loud in her fear. Ashe forced his way past the skeletons to the carriage, and swung his branch at the skeleton’s spine with enough force that its body was severed in two.
Ashe grabbed the handle and opened the carriage door. He peered inside the carriage to see Julie huddled against the other door while half a skeleton stubbornly crawled towards her threateningly. “Annoying bastard!” Ashe said before bringing the branch down on the skull and shattering it to pieces. He held his hand out to Julie, and she appeared to hesitate upon taking his hand.
“Julie, hurry up! Take my hand,” Ashe said in a firm tone. “You can’t stay in there. It’s too dangerous.” Julie nodded and placed her hand in Ashe’s. However, at that moment the tip of a sword emerged from the front of Ashe’s chest.
Ashe looked down at the sword sticking out of his body in a mixture of shock and disbelief. One of those cowardly bastard skeletons must have gotten him from behind.
Ashe stumbled backwards, turned around, and swung his tree branch like a baseball bat while aiming at the skeleton’s skull. Ashe’s branch hit the skeleton’s head and sent its skull flying.
Ashe dropped the tree branch, reached behind him, and grabbed the hilt of the sword. Then he slowly pulled the sword out of his back. He winced in pain, but didn’t cry out. A little blood trickled out of his mouth and down his chin. Fuck.
Juleka’s eyes widened in horror as she watched what Ashe was doing and she scrambled out of the carriage. “Ashe!”
“At least now I have a sword,” Ashe muttered darkly to himself before turning his attention to Juleka. “Don’t worry, Julie, as long as I get to Rapunzel’s Tower that longhaired bastard will probably be able to heal me with that magic hair of his. I’m more pissed off I ruined another of my father’s suits.” Ashe held his hand out to Juleka and she took it quickly this time. “Come on.” Ashe and Juleka took off running with a dozen skeletons chasing after them.
Occasionally, Ashe was forced to stop and fight the skeletons when they got too close before they could continue on through the forest. Juleka was impressed Ashe could even move around with a wound like that. “Doesn’t it hurt? Aren’t you in pain?” she asked breathlessly.
Ashe shot her a grim look. “I have a high tolerance for pain.” He was glad of it now, however. It was actually coming in quite useful.
Unfortunately, as Ashe and Juleka ran through the forest the amount of skeletons following them seemed to be increasing rather than decreasing. Ashe spotted Rapunzel’s Tower through the trees. “We’re almost there.”
Ashe and Juleka broke through the tree line and into the clearing. However, more than fifty skeletons were pursuing them at this point, and they too entered the clearing. The skeletons quickly started to form a circle around them, effectively blocking their way to Rapunzel’s Tower.
Shit. There was
no way Ashe could defeat this many skeletons, even if they were relatively weak monsters. In his current weakened condition he was frickin useless. Ashe turned to give Juleka a bleak look. “Julie, I’m going to create an opening for you, and I want you to run to the tower. Once you get there say: ‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair so that I may climb thy golden stair’. Use the hair to climb up the tower. You’ll be safe there.”
Juleka realized in that moment that Ashe wanted to sacrifice himself for her safety, just like Cinderelron had all those years ago. “No!” Juleka objected. “I won’t leave you. Not this time.” She took Ashe’s hand and held it tightly. “If you’re going to die…it won’t be alone.”
Ashe shot her a surprised look, and his brow furrowed in confusion. Weren’t people only ever out for themselves? Her actions didn’t make any sense. “Julie…” He tightened his grip on her hand as the skeletons closed in.
Unexpectedly, a thunderous roar filled the air, and Ashe and Juleka looked up to see Aurelion’s pet dragon swooping down in their direction. The dragon opened its maw and began to unleash a stream of fire at the skeletons. In a matter of seconds, a circle of fire surrounded Ashe and Juleka protectively.
The skeletons let out inhumane, piercing shrieks as they were burned to ashes, and the ones that escaped the fire retreated into the forest. Aurelion landed his dragon next to Ashe and Juleka, and the ground beneath their feet quaked as the dragon landed.
“Aurelion,” Juleka said, her voice tinged with awe, and her blue eyes sparkling beneath her mask.
“Get on, you two.” Aurelion jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll give you a lift.”
Ashe climbed up the side of the dragon and somehow managed to make it onto the saddle behind Aurelion. He reached his hand down to help Juleka climb up next. She took his hand and Ashe practically swung her up onto the saddle behind him. Juleka let out a little squeak and wrapped her arms around Ashe’s torso.
Aurelion flashed the couple a grin over his shoulder. “Hold on!” The dragon ran forward, flapped its wings, and then took off into the air. The beast flew towards the top of the tower and approached the window from a parallel angle.
“Hop off,” Aurelion instructed as the dragon hovered directly in front of the window.
Ashe nimbly leapt off the dragon’s back and onto the windowsill. He then hopped down into the room, and turned to face the window.
“You next, Milady,” Aurelion said to Juleka.
“Are you crazy?” Juleka objected, the blood draining out of her face as she looked at the few feet of space between her and the window’s ledge. “I can’t make that jump. I’ll fall and plummet to my death!”
Aurelion chuckled. “You sound like Rapunzel! All doom and gloom!”
Ashe spread his arms wide at his sides. “Jump, Julie. I’ll catch you.”
Juleka gulped. She trusted Ashe, and so she eventually nodded before leaping towards Ashe. Ashe caught her easily in his arms, but fell back onto the floor as her body impacted with his wound and he ended up letting out a grunt of pain.
Juleka flushed deeply beneath her mask as she realized that she was on top of Ashe and practically straddling him.
Aurelion leapt onto the window ledge and hopped down into the room. “What a glorious adventure!” the Monster Hunter exclaimed with obvious excitement. “Saving a beautiful damsel in distress always gets the blood pumping!” That’s when Aurelion noticed Juleka and Ashe’s incriminating position. “You two look rather friendly. Is she your wife, Ashe?”
“Wife?” Juleka squeaked out, and a silly smile spread across her face.
Ashe suddenly realized the position he and Juleka were in, and shoved her off his lap. He pushed himself up off the floor and dusted himself off. “She’s just my stalker,” Ashe said with a moue of distaste.
Juleka was glad for her mask because at the moment she knew her face must have been as red as a tomato. She pushed herself up off the floor and started to dust her dress off.
Aurelion approached Juleka, a playful glint in his sky-blue eyes. “Stalker? How lucky you are, Ashe. It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Milady.” He took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “I am the hero Aurelion Borealis. And I am at your service. What might your name be?”
“The honor is mine, Sir Borealis,” Juleka stammered. “My name is Julie.”
“What a lovely name,” Aurelion said, stroking his chin in a pensive manner. “Did you know your name is very similar to…?” He trailed off and shook his head. “Never mind.”
“Sir Borealis…” Juleka began, fidgeting while showing her nervousness. “May I…?”
Aurelion raised a questioning eyebrow at Juleka. “Please, call me Aurelion. And what is it, Milady?”
Juleka held out a blank piece of parchment, and a magically refilling ink quill. “May I have your autograph?”
Aurelion let out a surprised chuckle, took the parchment and quill, and grinned at Juleka. “It would give me great pleasure, Milady.” The hero began to sign his name on the piece of parchment with a flourish.
Ashe snorted. What was he all of a sudden? Chopped liver?
A startled gasp drew everyone’s attention to Rapunzel, who was looking at Juleka with wide, astonished eyes. The blacksmith pointed a trembling finger in her direction. “W-W-What is that?”
Ashe’s brow furrowed in confusion. He had no idea what the blacksmith was talking about.
Aurelion’s grin widened and he waved a hand at Juleka as if presenting her. “May I present Lady Julie.”
“A woman?” Rapunzel said, the blood draining out of his face. “A real woman? You let a woman in my room?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve never met a woman before?” Ashe sneered condescendingly.
“I haven’t…” Rapunzel admitted with his eyes still pinned suspiciously on Juleka. “I’ve only read about them in books.”
Ashe gave Rapunzel a skeptical look. “What about your mother?”
“I never knew my parents,” Rapunzel admitted. “I was raised inside this tower. This tower is all I’ve ever known of the world.”
“Who raised you?” Ashe questioned. Rapunzel was being strangely forthcoming with his answers about his personal life in his currently distracted state, and Ashe decided to take advantage of that. Knowledge was power after all.
“That’s…” Rapunzel seemed to catch himself and he frowned. “None of your damned business.”
Aurelion finished signing his name and handed the piece of parchment back to a happy Juleka. “Here you are, Milady.”
Juleka took the piece of parchment, looked down at Aurelion’s signature, and smiled behind her unicorn mask. “I’ll treasure it always,” she assured in a dreamy tone.
“Punzie, Ashe is injured,” Aurelion said to the blacksmith. “Heal him.”
Rapunzel crossed his arms over his chest in a sullen fashion. “If he needs my help why doesn’t he ask me himself?” The blacksmith turned to give Ashe an expectant look.
Ashe glared back at the unsociable man. “I don’t need your help.”
Juleka started to chew on her lower lip out of worry as she watched lightning crackle between their gazes. She knew that the only thing keeping Ashe on his feet at the moment was adrenaline. He desperately needed to be healed. “Blacksmith Rapunzel, please, heal him. He only got injured because he saved my life again. It’s my fault he got injured. I was too slow. I was paralyzed with fear. I’m so ashamed.”
“A girl just talked to me!” Rapunzel flushed. “Did I just say that out loud? Good grief.” The blacksmith scrubbed a hand down his face and sighed. “Of course, I’ll heal him. I was just giving him a hard time. I’m happy to help.”
“Happy, huh?” Ashe raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, shut up.” Rapunzel approached Ashe and placed his hand over Ashe’s stab wound. The blacksmith summoned his magical power and concentrated on willing Ashe’s wound to close. Rapunzel’s hand glowed with a golden light and his hair started to gle
am.
Juleka gasped as she looked around the room to see that all the coils of Rapunzel’s hair on the floor had started to glow brilliantly. “It’s so…beautiful.”
The flush on Rapunzel’s tanned cheeks deepened. “Th-Thank you, my lady.”
“I think you mean ‘freakish’,” Ashe sneered unkindly. “What man has hair that long? And to top it all off it glows.”
“I think it’s wonderful,” Juleka said, fingering a lock of her black hair. “I wish my hair glowed. My hair is so boring and ugly.”
“Your hair isn’t ugly,” Rapunzel blurted out. “It’s like the night sky…dark and mysterious.”
Juleka blushed at the sincerity she saw in Rapunzel’s green eyes. “Thank you. I’m flattered. That’s very kind of you to say, Blacksmith Rapunzel.”
Ashe grew irritated by how well Rapunzel and Juleka seemed to be getting along, and by how easily the girl seemed to be able to speak with the blacksmith. He cleared his throat to get their attention. “Rapunzel, is my sword ready?”
Rapunzel’s attention was effectively pulled away from Juleka. “Ah…yes. I finished forging it. It took on a rather…interesting form. I think it will surprise you.” The blacksmith approached a table that had a sword lying on it wrapped up in a piece of coarse cloth. He unwrapped the material to reveal the sword.
Ashe approached the table, wrapped his hand around the hilt of the sword, and lifted it up in order to admire it. The sword was a medieval, double-edged broadsword that appeared to be made out of a translucent, blue glass.
As Ashe moved the sword through the air it turned from white to blue to silver as the light reflected off its surface differently. There was a rose decorating the hilt of the sword. The sword was incredibly beautiful…and incredibly useless. Ashe frowned. “It’s made out of glass. You’ve got to be kidding me. This piece of shit will shatter after only one blow!”
Ashe and the Glass Sword Page 9