Only The Legendary Survive in Fairytales, Anyway

    “And then I asked her, ‘what’s your favorite season?’” The man paused, laughing to himself. His yellow teeth showing, distastefully. “This woman really said autumn. Can you believe that?” His friends joined in with the laughter, yet I wasn’t even smiling. Of course they didn’t care about that. I was just the bartender serving their drinks. I zoned out temporarily as I attempted to figure out what the orange blotch on the sleeve of his grey blazer was. 

    “Hey! Don’t be a bitch, honey!” I scowled and turned my head to meet the eyes of another drunk stranger. “You’d better answer when I talk to you if y’know what’s good for ya, hun” his speech was slurred and the smell of his breath burned my eyes.

    I flipped him off angrily and swiftly walked over to the other side of the bar. Surely Allen could deal with this guy. Besides, what could he have done? He’d been ordering drink after drink and had yet to get up but I’ve seen his type before and he’d crumble for sure. 

    I served another pink lady cocktail to a regular customer of mine, Ashlynn, who always gave the best tips. Allen swears he’ll get her number one day but then he downs another drink and forgets about her, every time. 

    “Hey, babe” Ashlynn said making me smile. She was always capable of brightening my mood more then anyone I’ve ever met. A superpower, maybe. Her aura lit every room she entered and her teeth twinkled with every smile. 

    “Hey, Ash” I replied, my mind retreating to a memory of when I had first met my favorite customer. 

    “My friends call me Ash” she had said the night we met as I helped her into her house after driving her home. Her husband had left with another woman that night and she held back her tears more successfully than most people. 

    “A little birdie told me that it was your birthday today, my darling Jenny” Ash’s eyes lit up pridefully, with knowing. 

    “ Hmm, let me guess. Is this birdie about yay high?” I said raising my hand high above my head. “And does he happen to be annoying and flirts with every female in the city?” I finished, slyly. 

    Her sweet laugh filled my soul with joy and I couldn’t help but chuckle. 

    “That’s about right” she replied in between breaths. “You can’t be older than 23”. 

    “24, actually.” She gasped as if shocked and laughed once again, though the alcohol was beginning to wear on her. Her grip on the bar strengthened as she swayed, dizzily. 

    “You alright, Ash?” My laughter died down as hers grew louder. 

    Suddenly, she knocked back her drink and sighed. Seemingly lost in her own thoughts. The sharp noise of the glass hitting the bar startled me. “I’ll be 26 in June, y’know” she said slowly, her eyes losing their twinkle. She stared into my eyes, searching for something. “Do you believe in destiny?” She asked, a lonely tear slipping from her left eye. 

    “Not really” my answer was solemn but seeing Ash cry had made me uneasy. The room felt dark and my eyes became heavy, entranced. 

    “If a stranger came up to you and claimed he knew your mother...” she paused. Her breath seemed almost non existent as she continued, “ would you believe him?” 

    I was shocked. She didn’t appear to be speaking hypothetically which meant this must have actually occurred but...

    “Ash, how would he know you? You’re adopted...” 

    “I know, that’s what confused me” 

  “Well, did he say anything else and what did he look like?” 

    “Yeah, actually he asked if I believed in destiny..at first I laughed but...” this time the pause was longer. I had begun to wonder if she would continue as I studied the wild expression on her face. 

    “Anyway, he was fit with light skin and light dusty brown hair. His eyes were a deeper blue than the sky” a faraway look was across her face. 

   Slowly, her eyes left mine as she pulled an object out of her pocket. “He gave me this” I took the necklace out of her hand and examined it’s raw beauty. The chain was silver and extended to hold one single pendent: A small emerald, the size of a quarter. I gently grasped the emerald and admired the way the light shone off the shiny pendent. The time knotted together as I wondered at the origin of this beauty. The necklace had stolen my breath and it it took me a few seconds before I was able to speak. 

   “ it’s lovely” was all I could think of to express my thoughts. 

    “ it’s yours” 

  “What?” Surely she was joking, yet, the look on her face told me otherwise. She was serious. 

    “I can’t take it” 

  “You clearly like it better than I ever will so yeah, take it. Please, I hate it, for some reason” who would I be to deny something that Ash was begging me for? Tearing my eyes from the necklace I managed to just put it into the pocket of my apron when Ash leaned over the table and grasped my hand. 

   “NO! I mean, I think you should wear it, really” her pupils grew exponentially as she retrieved the necklace from my pocket. Shocked, I failed to reply 

   “Turn around” I spun quickly, like a puppy waiting for a reward after learning a new trick. I felt the cool stone against my chest and suddenly the world grew lighter. A dizziness swept over my head, causing me to wince and sway. It almost felt like the necklace had believed I was an intruder, stealing an elegance that didn’t belong to me. 

    The feeling was gone quickly and I turned back around to view my strange friend. She appeared as if the conversation had never happened.  

    My smile failed to reappear as I studied the woman who had become my closest girl friend. A smile was back on her face, as if it had never left. I had very few friends but I never let the loneliness bother me until now. Making me realize that this woman is very dear to me. 

    In an attempt to change the mood I asked, “Who’s the guy this time?” Ever since her husband had left, Ash had been known to bring home a different guy, once a girl, each time she left the bar. I always made sure they checked out before allowing them to take her and told her to call me when their night ended. 

    “James, no Jace is his name” she replied stumbling over the words. 

    I had noticed the sad looking man watching us throughout the whole encounter, Jace. He smiled shyly each time our eyes met. 

    “Is that tall, handsome, mysterious man going home with you, Ash?” I asked smoothly, attempting to get an embarrassed reaction out of her. Her cheeks didn’t redden like I had thought they would and another frown was plastered to her face. “Ash?” I attempted to retrieve her attention, like a golden retriever puppy pawing at it’s owner. 

    “Oh, yeah” she finally replied. Her smile returned, allowing me to relax. “Actually, we’d better be on our way” she payed for her drinks and slipped a 100 dollar bill into the pocket of my apron, seductively. 

Her walk wasn’t quite as sloppy as I had thought It’d be and she left with dignity, as always. 

    Jace followed, dutifully, but not before nodding slyly in my direction. 

Jace Walker 

    She hadn’t told me his full name but I knew who he was. Like I said, I check her partners before she leaves and though Ash might not remember, this wasn’t the first time she had brought him home. 

    Without Ash to keep me company, the rest of my shift blended together and I clocked out as soon as the clock struck 1 a.m. Allen had left an hour before when the crowd had dispersed and left me in charge of locking up.  

...

    The short drive home was uneventful, as normal. After pulling into the driveway, which led to the beautiful, rural, house that had been left to me in a will, I gathered my phone and other items and happened to glance at the time. 1:25...1:25 and Ash still hadn’t called me.

    I couldn’t remember a time where she had ever forgot to call me before. Maybe it’s going well? Doubt crept into my soul. I hurriedly ran into my house and set my items on the counter. Should I wait? The unknown situation caused me to worry. What if something happened to her? I was drowning in the what-ifs. 

    “Okay” I had decided. “I’ll call her and when she tells me to stop ruining her plans, I’ll know everything is fine” I sighed, attempting to relive the tension I felt deep in my lungs. 

.... 

    Four. That’s how many calls it took for her to answer. Three too many, in my opinion. 

    “Jen..” her voice cut out. “Jenny!” The exclamation sounded muffled and hysterical. 

  “Ash, what’s wrong?” 

    Fear was all I felt, along with anguish as I listened to the sound of a call that had ended too soon. 

...

    The short drive to Ash’s house was rushed and the suspense almost ended my life, multiple times. 

    Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly be more worried, I entered her house from the open front door. Always a bad sign. 

    A scream caused me to jump and my heart pumped faster. Ash. I flew up the stairs. My breath had taken a vacation and only visited when it needed to pay the housekeeper. 

    The scene I saw when I entered her bedroom caused my knees to buckle. I dropped to the ground. My hands catching me in instinct. 

    I had fallen into a puddle. A dark, red, warm puddle. A puddle of Ashlynn. I slowly lifted my head, tears blurring my vision. A man stood over my friends slain body. The blood almost complemented his tanned skin, as if it had always belonged to him. His deep brown eyes settled on me as I gasped in shock. 

“You must be her” he said in awe as if I were a figment of his imagination. 

    I shivered and all logical reason left my mind, leaving me unable to reply. 

   “It has to be you” he didn’t sound quite sure. “I’d know that necklace anywhere and Sam swore she’d be wearing it” I couldn’t determine if he was talking to me or his reflection that must have shown in my amber eyes. 

    “Anyway, let’s go. You’re mother Is waiting. Y’know, she sure has missed you all these years. Don’t worry about any of that yet, alright? I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it.” He firmly grasped my shoulder and led me out of the crime scene that was my best friend. 

...

25 years ago 

Alexandria III 

    I looked into the deep eyes of the sweet infant in my arms. If I kept telling myself that I’m doing this for the both of us, then.... maybe I’d feel better. 

    “Come on, lady! I got places to be! The boss said it’s the baby or nothing, so ya gonna give her over or what?” The troll grinned lazily, his few teeth showed, slightly. 

   “Be careful, please, she’s not even a year old” drops slid down my face, yet I knew no amount of tears could wash away the guilt of what I was about to do. 

   “Don’t worry princess, boss always  sticks to his terms. You retreat to the neighboring kingdom with your freedom and your spawn is delivered safely to the coordinates of my boss’s choosing.” 

   “ I know. I just-“ my voice shook. 

  “Hey! I don’t make the rules. Boss said he’ll only accept your most valuable asset and that just so happened to be a child.” He shrugged as if this was a common occurrence and had given that same speech every time. 

    Reluctantly, I gave my darling daughter over to the sly creature and walked on. It’d be okay. I had a plan. My dear daughter, with an aura that could challenge the warm sunshine, would be returned to me. Together, we’d take back the kingdom that was rightfully ours.

Her name was inspired by what I had planned to turn my husbands world into, one day. Ash. Without her, it’d be nearly impossible but I chose not to fret. Yes, we’d see each again. 

    The emerald hidden beneath my shirt grew colder, as if knew something I hadn’t. 

... 

    The troll glanced at the strange infant that he held tight in his arms. “Don’t worry kid. You’ll be just fine. Something tells me you belong in a story humans tell to their spawns before bed. Only the legendary survive in fairytales, anyway, so you’ll live a long life for sure, my dear legendary one.”