50 Ash's Story

A lot of things he didn't know how to handle had happened tonight. Being dressed as a female was bad enough. Kissing someone for the first time in centuries and liking it more than he thought he would was even worse. But Ruby's tears took the cake.

He didn't understand why she was so upset. She had already run away from her uncle once before; what was the difference between doing it once as opposed to twice?

Was it because he kissed her? The thought wasn't a pleasant one but this might be his fault. She claimed it wasn't but she might hate him now. He couldn't bear that! Not when she was the only one left he cared about.

Then Ruby had to go and say she was crying because of everything. What did that even mean? That was about as vague a statement as one could possibly make.

Ash was reminded of something Jezebel had said. She asked him if he was going to take advantage of her power and he had been insulted by the insinuation. But the poor fairy probably was used to that sort of treatment and likely expected it from everyone she met.

That was a hard way to live. If she truly had never been able to trust anyone, her cry of "everything" likely referred to her life as a whole.

He didn't know what he should do to make her feel better. Any assurances on his part that she could trust him would ring false based on her past experiences. He needed to tread lightly here.

An idea came to him about how to gain her trust. It was a two-way street after all.

"You asked me if I trusted you earlier and I said yes," Ash said lightly. "Do you mind if I share my story with you?"

Ruby sniffled and looked up at him in confusion from where her chin rested on her knees, hovering slightly above the rock. He decided to take that as a yes and launched into his tale of woe.

"You've probably wondered why I was on my own in a destroyed castle when you found me. Truth is, my old home was destroyed by the enemies I told you about. They're the largest and most powerful coven in North America. The Cromwells and Mayhews have had bad blood between them since before we even came to this country.

"My father died around that time, making me the new coven leader. It was never a role I wanted because I have always been fairly terrible at blood magic and had no desire to lead but I did it because I felt I had to.

"It was hard work but my coven prospered. We settled down in what would later be known as Oregon and continued to grow. Including me, there were thirty-seven of us a few months ago. Then the Cromwells attacked.

"The only reason I didn't die alongside them was because someone urged me to flee and get vengeance for them. He sacrificed himself so I could escape since I was the fastest one there. I ran for days, stopping only to sleep in hidden places in the forest, and eventually made my way to a castle I knew had been abandoned by another coven hundreds of years ago.

"I was alone for three days going mad with grief until you came crashing through my window. Pretty pathetic, isn't it? A coven leader unable to save even a single one of his comrades," Ash finished lightly though there was nothing 'light' about the situation.

He figured the only way to win Ruby's trust was to lay himself bare. You couldn't get much more vulnerable than being a man talking about a genocide that was largely your fault while wearing a dress.

To his surprise, she flew forward and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. The tears that had largely stopped before came back full force and dripped down his back into his hair.

"I'm so sorry," Ruby sobbed. "That must have been absolutely horrible for you. My problems must seem so tiny in comparison and I've burdened you all this time!"

Ash frowned. That wasn't the reaction he was expecting at all. He should have known better; her natural kindness was coming out as she grieved on his behalf. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her back, careful not to crush her wings.

"It's okay," he said even though it wasn't. That was simply the sort of thing you said when people offered you their condolences.

"No, it's not! I figured something bad must have happened to you but that many? Everyone and everything you ever knew? That is absolutely not okay! I wanted to help you defeat your enemies already but now I want to completely crush them!" Ruby exclaimed fiercely.

Ash couldn't help but smile at the thought of a tiny fairy crushing anything, no matter how powerful she was. "You're already helping out enough by fulfilling your end of the deal."

She pulled away just enough to look at his face and deflated. "Right. The deal. Um…did you see what was in the trunk?"

This was it. The moment of truth. He could tell her that he did see them but then what? If he told her everything he knew she would be upset all over again and be afraid of him. He couldn't bear that. There had to be something else he could say to make this all blow over.