“Ashe?” Juleka glanced over her shoulder, and her blue eyes widened when she caught sight of the unicorn pursuing them. A hopeful expression formed on her face. “Ashe!”
He’s finally awakened. Christian thought as he tapped his fingers on the leather steering wheel. Pity my priorities have changed from harvesting his horn to marrying Princess Juleka as soon as possible. I don’t want to risk getting punished by Leader for disobeying his orders. No matter. I’ll kill Ashe, and return to collect his horn after the ceremony. Christian turned around in his seat, and fired his revolver at the unicorn.
Ashe swerved on the road, and dodged the oncoming bullets. He could feel some kind of power building up inside of him, centering on the golden horn sticking out of his forehead. The horn started to glow and pulse with energy. Suddenly, Ashe knew what he had to do, and willed the energy to be expelled in the direction of the car.
Christian’s eyes widened when he saw a blast of magical, golden energy flying the car’s way. He quickly turned the steering wheel, swerving right, and avoided the energy blast attack. Juleka screamed as the car swerved dangerously on the road, and then Lord Tremaine was turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction again quickly before they drove right off the road. The blast hit the ground, and formed a small crater where it impacted with the dirt road.
Damn, I missed! Ashe thought, and started to gather magical energy in his horn as he prepared to attack the Cadillac again.
Christian was watching Ashe carefully in his rearview mirror, and so when Ashe launched another energy blast attack, he was able to avoid this one too by quickly swerving left on the road. Juleka gripped the seatbelt she was wearing until her knuckles turned white. “What is this vile contraption called?”
“A 1974 Cadillac Panther Deville,” Christian said proudly. “Reg- er, a friend of mine fetched it for me from another time in the realm I come from.”
“Well, I hate Cadillacs!” Juleka declared passionately. “I’d choose an enchanted carriage over this monstrosity any day!”
“Don’t say that, love,” Christian said as he shot at Ashe over his shoulder. “Road trips are fun. And I’m sure that after we’re married we’ll be going on a lot of them together.”
“I’m not your love,” Juleka huffed at the same time a bullet hit Ashe’s front leg, and he went down. “No! Ashe!” She screamed as she watched Ashe hit the ground hard and skid across the ground for several feet.
Christian smiled sharply, and returned his gaze to the road in front of him. “Finally. That young man has been a thorn in my side for far too long.”
Tears welled up in Juleka’s eyes, and she shot Christian a hateful glare. “You’re a monster.”
“No, I’m your fiancé,” Christian smoothly corrected, and let out a low chuckle. He was able to drive the rest of the way to the church without further incident. Christian pulled the Cadillac up to the front entrance of the church, and turned the engine off.
He exited the car, and made his way around to open the passenger side door for Juleka. “Come on, sweetcheeks, it’s time to get hitched. You should be happy. I’m better looking than my son Picasso despite my age, and not as sadistic as he is. I would never hurt you.” He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her out of the car roughly.
“Ow!” Juleka objected. “You’re hurting me now!”
Christian just shrugged unapologetically. “You were taking too long, babe. I’m not a patient man.” He dragged Juleka over to the front door of the church. Christian kicked the door open, and strode inside, dragging Juleka along behind him.
Due to the loud commotion Christian had made by kicking the door in, a priest entered the main area of the church from a back room. He approached the couple with a stern expression on his old, wrinkled face. “Just what do you two think you’re doing making such a racket in this holy place? This is the house of God!”
“We’re getting hitched old man,” Christian drawled, and pointed his index finger at the priest. “And you’re about to do the hitching.”
The priest blinked in confusion at the unfamiliar vernacular Lord Tremaine was using. “Hitched?”
“Married,” Christian snapped impatiently. “You’re going to marry us, Priest. Now.”
The priest frowned. “This is all highly irregular. I don’t think-”
Christian whipped out his revolver, aimed at a white marble statue of a beautiful woman, and shot at it. The bullet hit the statue causing it to shatter to pieces. “You were saying, Priest?” Christian challenged.
The priest paled at the power of the magical weapon Christian was wielding, and swallowed. He offered the couple a tremulous smile. “I was saying…congratulations.” The priest headed towards the back of the church where he fetched his bible, and then walked over to stand before a religious icon that was hanging on the back wall.
Christian dragged Juleka down the aisle, and they came to a stop in front of the priest.
The priest cleared his throat as Christian and Juleka faced each other. “Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to join…?” He gave Christian an expectant look.
“Lord Christian Tremaine.”
“Lord Christian Tremaine and-?” The priest gave Juleka a questioning look. Juleka pressed her lips together in a thin line, however, and refused to answer.
“Juleka Glass,” Christian supplied.
The priest startled at this revelation, and looked at Juleka with wide eyes. “Princess Juleka Glass…in matrimony commended to be honorable among all, and therefore is not to be entered into lightly, but reverently, passionately, lovingly and solemnly. Into this - these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause-”
“Skip that part,” Christian growled, tapping his leather dress shoe on the floor in a show of impatience.
The priest gulped and continued swiftly. “Very well. Do you Lord Christian Tremaine take Juleka Glass to have and to hold from this day forward for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do you part?”
“I do,” Christian said, a sly glint in his gray eyes. “Though I doubt the princess of Glass Kingdom will ever go through poor times.” A dark chuckle slipped past his lips as he thought about how Juleka Glass was cursed to cry tears that turned into diamonds. I’m going to be rich beyond imagining! Christian inwardly crowed.
The priest turned his attention to Juleka. When he noticed that Juleka’s eyes were puffy, and red-rimmed from crying, he frowned. “And do you, Princess Juleka Glass, take Lord Christian Tremaine to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from his day forward until death do you part?”
Juleka raised her chin and defiantly remained silent. Christian growled low in his throat, whipped out his revolver, and pressed it against Juleka’s temple. “Say ‘I do’, Princess, or else we’re going to find out how your brains look splattered all over the alter!”
Juleka flinched as the gun was pressed to her temple, and she started to tremble out of fear. “I…”
“Go on! Say it!” Christian demanded when Juleka trailed off.
At that moment, the door to the church burst open for a second time, and this time a unicorn galloped inside.
“Ashe!” Juleka cried out happily as soon as she caught sight of the magnificent, magical creature.
Christian whirled to face Ashe, his long fur coat billowing out behind him, and pointed his revolver in the unicorn’s direction. “Eat lead and die, Ashe!”
A wave of déjà vu washed over Juleka in that moment, causing her to tremble violently in fear. She noticed that Ashe’s front leg was bleeding. It reminded her so much of Cinderelron’s bleeding front leg that had gotten trapped inside the bear trap. No…not again! Juleka inwardly panicked. I can’t lose him again! The princess rushed to place herself in front of the charging unicorn, and spread her arms wide at her sides
.
Christian had already pulled back on the trigger, and was unable to stop the bullet from heading in Juleka’s direction. The bullet flew through the air, and hit Juleka’s chest - right in her heart. A gasp slipped past Juleka’s lips as she fell back to the floor where she lay unmoving.
Juleka! The unicorn’s nostrils flared in anger, and he charged towards Christian. The Don shot at Ashe again, but this time he missed. Ashe’s horn pierced Christian’s chest straight through the man’s evil, black heart.
Christian’s eyes bulged, and he coughed up a glob of blood that dribbled down his chin. He looked down at his chest in a mixture of shock and disbelief at the golden horn piercing his body. “Skewered to death by a unicorn horn. How ironic.” He looked up at Ashe with a resigned expression on his face. “You may have killed me, Ashe, but I’ve still won. I killed your mother on your eighteenth birthday. It wasn’t suicide. And I killed your beloved Juleka. The last laugh is mine! Buwhahaha!” Christian used his remaining strength to laugh manically while grinning, and showing off his bloody teeth.
Damn you, Lord Tremaine, you bastard! Ashe thought venomously, narrowing his golden eyes on the mafia boss.
Christian continued to laugh until the light in his gray eyes dimmed. Ashe stepped back and slid his golden horn out of Christian’s body. As soon as the horn had been removed, Christian’s body collapsed to the floor.
Ashe trotted over to Juleka’s fallen form, and stared down at her morosely. Juleka. The unicorn nuzzled the side of her face with his nose and pawed at the marble floor in irritation. Please, wake up. Please, don’t be dead.
Juleka’s eyes fluttered as she began to stir. A moan slipped past her lips, and when she opened her eyes she saw a white unicorn in her line of sight. A dreamy smile curled her lips, and she reached out to stroke the unicorn’s nose. “Cinderelron…is that you? You’re still alive. I’m so glad I managed to save you this time.”
Ashe let out an irritated snort, and tossed his head angrily. I’m not Cinderelron! It’s me - Ashe!
Juleka’s eyes widened when she realized this was not Cinderelron. “Ashe, is that really you? You turned into a unicorn…for my sake?” A myriad of emotions swirled in Juleka’s blue eyes making them shimmer like diamonds.
The unicorn’s body began to glow with a golden light before Ashe transformed into his human form. Ashe crouched at Juleka’s side with a stern expression on his handsome face. “Juleka, you should be dead. He shot you in the heart.” Ashe’s voice was laced with anger and concern.
Juleka sat up and looked down at her chest. She reached into her cleavage and pulled out a gold, heart-shaped locket that she secretly kept Ashe’s portrait in. The locket was bent and a bullet was imbedded in it. She held the locket up by its chain to show Ashe. “My locket.”
Ashe recognized the locket. He’d noticed Juleka take the locket out occasionally, open it, and admire the portrait contained within from time to time when she thought no one was watching her. Ashe felt a pang of jealousy since the locket most likely contained a portrait of his father Cinderelron. “The locket saved you,” Ashe murmured.
Juleka gave Ashe a shy smile. “No, Ashe. You saved me.” She opened the locket, and turned it to face Ashe, showing him the portrait that was within.
Ashe’s golden eyes widened when he recognized his own likeness. “But…that’s me. It’s not Cinderelron.” A flush rose to his cheeks.
Juleka’s cheeks began to heat up. “You thought I was carrying around a portrait of your father? Oh, Ashe, sometimes you can be such a fool. I’m always telling you how much I love you…but it’s like you don’t believe me. You’re so stubborn. How many times am I going to have to say it before it gets into that thick skull of yours? I love you, Ashe Smoldris. You and only you.” Juleka let out an exasperated huff.
Juleka’s words slowly started to sink in, and Ashe buried his face in his hands. It was too much. He looked up at Juleka, and his cheeks were even redder than before. “You took a bullet for me. You almost died for me. You really do love me, don’t you?” he asked in a mystified tone.
Juleka arched an eyebrow at Ashe, and gave him a mischievous smile. “You’re finally figuring that out, fool? You may be handsome, but you’re not that smart are you?” she teased playfully. “Let it be known that Princess Juleka Glass didn’t fall in love with Ashe Smoldris for his brain…but for his body.” She giggled.
“Hey!” Ashe objected. “Who are you calling a ‘fool’, fool? You could have died because of your recklessness, you silly girl!”
“Life wouldn’t be worth living without you in it, Ashe,” Juleka said softly.
Ashe wanted to be angry with Juleka, but he was strangely touched by her sweet words. He raked a hand back through his hair in a gesture of frustration. Juleka had a way of playing tug-of-war with his emotions. She was going to drive him crazy. He shook his head, and gave Juleka a serious look. “Juleka, I’ve chosen the path of becoming a hero of Fantasia. Being a hero is a dangerous profession. Even if I’m not in this world I want you to keep on living, and to be happy because I love you, Princess.” Ashe cupped Juleka’s face and captured her lips in a tender kiss.
Juleka eagerly kissed Ashe back, and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him even closer. Their kissing quickly started to heat up. When their hands started to wander, the priest cleared his throat loudly to get the couple’s attention.
Ashe and Juleka instantly broke apart, looking flushed, and slightly embarrassed. They’d been so wrapped up in each other that they’d completely forgotten the priest’s presence.
“No more than kissing until you two have been properly wed,” the priest chided, giving the couple a stern look.
Juleka leaned over to whisper in Ashe’s ear: “Whoops.”
Ashe let out a deep, husky chuckle, and got down on one knee. “Will you marry me, Princess Juleka Glass?”
Tears of happiness filled Juleka’s eyes, and when they slid off of Juleka’s cheeks they transformed into diamonds as they fell down through the air. “Of course, I will, Ashe Smoldris!”
Ashe stood up and captured Juleka’s delectable lips again, and kissed her deeply while ignoring the priest’s continued protests. Juleka was the mother of his child. In the eyes of God they were already married anyways.
As Ashe kissed his princess his golden eyes welled up with tears as he thought about the trials he’d had to go through to reach this perfect moment. Who would have thought that a slave could become a hero, who then became a swordsman, who fought in the Glass Coliseum, and who lastly became a King? Maybe dreams really do come true, after all. Ashe smiled against Juleka’s lips, and tightened his embrace of the woman he loved.
THE END
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Ashe and the Glass Sword Page 35