And so chapter 4 begins…
I looked questionably at Puck and he nodded then shrugged.
"He's been like that ever since we've been in here, Princess." he grinned at me and flashed one of those smiles. My heart started to flutter rapidly. Gazing intently into my eyes he pulled me closer and whispered.
"I'll always be here for you Meghan, you can count on that."
And then he disappeared. I whispered a prayer of thanks to him; he knew that I wanted to talk to Ash. Privately. Alone.
I crouched down beside Ash and tapped him on the shoulder. No response.
I screamed. I mean, come on, I had to get his attention somehow! He shuffled round to face me and sighed, wearily.
"You called?" his voice was like that of a robot, no expression, nada. I slapped him, hard across the face. Nothing. No emotions at all. But the strange thing was, I didn't feel guilty for slapping him. It was as if I knew he deserved it.
"Ash?" I asked softly. "Talk to me."
He didn't answer. That was his last chance, and trust me; he wasn't going to get another.
"Ash. Look at me. Now."
He obeyed, and I peered into his eyes. Nothing. They were lifeless, they had no hope. It was like my Ash had died, and been replaced with a cold-hearted robot.
"You had your chance, Ash, and believe me; I don't want to force you. Talk to me."
I waited. Still nothing. He just sat there, looking so far away, like I couldn't reach him.
But the whole point was, I had to get through to him. So I tried my last resort. If this didn't work, then nothing would. He would fade into nothingness, and then, that was it for him. Even though I had no idea what I felt for him, I knew I didn't want that.
"Ashallayn'darkmyr Tallyn. What is wrong?"
Thankfully this worked. He took a while to reply, obviously thinking about how to say what he wanted (or rather, didn't want) to say, but eventually, he began.
"Meghan Chase. When I first laid eyes on you, I thought you were a demon, sent to rip my life apart," I saw in his eyes that he had really hadn't wanted to talk about this, and I was about to find out why.
"Then, when I met you for a second time, I thought you might be the someone that was made for me, my soul mate," He gazed into my eyes, and I remembered the longing I'd had to kiss him in Elysium, last year. Those feelings had been erased, I had no idea when or where, but the truth remained, I loved him no longer.
He looked away.
"But it seemed I was right from the beginning. The very beginning. You have turned my mother against me, the Winter fey, and everyone else I knew. I have been living a lie with you."
Ash got up and turned and paced back and forth in the cell.
"And so," he gulped. "I want it to stop. Release me from my Knighthood to you, and I will bother you no longer. I will never harm you, never touch you, and never think of you again. That is what I want."
He stopped pacing and stood in front of me, expecting me to break down into tears, or something like that. I didn't, and this surprised him, and I swear I could see some hurt in his eyes. He wanted me to be upset, but I wasn't. In truth, I was glad. I knew I had felt something for him sometime, somewhere, but now, when I looked at him, I felt no passion, no love, and no heat.
And so, I did what I had wanted to do, and what he wanted me to do.
"Ashallayn'darkmyr Tallyn. You are relieved of your Knighthood to me, Meghan Chase." I smiled at Ash, and he disappeared. Not into oblivion, oh no, he just disappeared to somewhere else, most likely his home. I was glad that it was finally over.
Puck returned a few minutes after Ash left. I jumped into his arms as he held them out for a hug.
"How'd it go with Ash?" he asked softly putting me down firmly on the ground.
"He's gone." I replied simply, and then Puck did something that surprised the hell out of me.
He kissed me.
And it would be a terrible lie to say I didn't enjoy it.
As he brought his lips away, I could hear the rattling of keys unlocking the cell. I groaned, and stepped away from Puck, who chose the opportunity to wink at me. He was just so irresistible.
Ferrum stood in the doorway. Thankfully, I had had time to understand what was going on. Ferrum had wanted to take his former place back as Iron King when I had killed Machina last year, but since he hadn't killed Machina himself, he didn't get any of the Iron King's power, which is why he needed me.
To be honest, I didn't mind, as long as I could keep Puck with me. I made a mental note to ask him about that. We would probably have needed to talk to Oberon about that, but I didn't care. Who was he to tell me who I could and couldn't keep near me? He'd always told me that I should have chosen someone inside the Summer court to fall in love with, and that included Puck.
Ferrum began to speak, and as he did, the bars across the window rattled. I hoped he wouldn't speak like that every time.
"Meghan Chase, welcome to my home." He gestured to the room/cell we were standing in.
"Your living quarters will be ready in no time, and once you have settled in, that is when we shall talk." He didn't wait for an answer, and turned his back to us and walked up the stairs.
I looked at Puck. He grinned.
"This should be fun." he laughed, and squeezed my hand.
Sorry that it was mostly about Meghan/Ash, but I need to get that part cleared up. Review!
