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"I've come here with no expectations, only to profess, now that I am at liberty to do so, that my heart is, and always will be, yours."  — Sense And Sensibility, 1995 

Word count: 1655

LEAPING to my feet, I turned towards the door. The door slowly creaked open, revealing a girl with shoulder-length, dark red hair.

The girl lifted her head and revealed herself. A shocked gasp passed through my lips as my eyes connected with hers.

"Ashley?" I asked, my voice a mere whisper.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was convinced my eyes were deceiving me.

A bright smile formed on her lips, "Hey, Rory."

My knees unbuckled. I went tumbling to the ground, my mind whizzing with thoughts. It had been so long since I last saw Ash, my best friend. For most of my life, she was my rock.

And then she left.

She left me and the man who loved her—Gael. For four months, she had been gone. She vanished off the face of the Earth. Gael and I were hoping for letters but we got nothing.

It annoyed me that she could just disappear like that. I understood why she left but nobody received any word from her. I had no idea if she crossed the border safely. I didn't know if she was alive.

And now, somehow, she's in the King's castle, grinning at me. As if the past four months away from her had never happened.

So, I was pissed.

I stormed over to my best friend and slapped her.

Her head rolled to the side and a quiet whimper coming from her. She shot her hazel brown eyes at me.

"It's good to see you too," She muttered, moving her jaw in a circular motion. "Was that really necessary though?"

"Yes!" I replied immediately, narrowing my eyes at her. "You left and didn't tell anyone you were okay! Gael and I were worried sick."

Her eyes dimmed when I said Gael's name. Their relationship didn't have any labels but I knew they loved each other.

"I—I'm sorry," She mumbled, apologetically. My resolve softened, hearing how sincere she was. "It's been a rollercoaster few months."

"I bet," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I was still angry at her for not sending me a letter but I was glad she was alive and well.

Since I last saw Ash, she had cut her hair and pierced her nose. It was a bold look that looked amazing on her. She was wearing a maid's outfit that fit tightly around her curvy body.

Ash was gorgeous. She had plump, rosy lips and soft cheekbones. Her skin was tanned and seemed to glow wherever she went.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened to you?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

A mischievous glint swirled in her eyes. Ash guided me to the beautiful peach-colored couch and stretched her back. A click came from her, causing me to internally wince. I hated it when she clicked her back.

"Ahh, that's better," She sighed in relief, sinking into the chair.

"So?"

"I'll tell you everything if you bestow the same courtesy on me." She responded, crossing her legs together.

I sat back in my seat and averted my eyes away from her, feigning confusion. "What are you talking about?"

She rolled her eyes and snorted, "Don't play dumb, Rory. What on earth are you doing here? Why are their guards outside of your door?! Why are you in a bedroom fit for a Queen?!"

I flinched at her last question, recalling my conversation with King Elon.

Ash, who was very observant, noticed this. She softened her voice and tentatively placed a hand over my own. Hesitantly, I dragged my gaze up to hers. Ash was good at reading people—especially me.

"Please can you tell me how you ended up here first," I begged her.

She examined my expression. When she saw that I didn't want to share anything yet, she relented.

"Okay, so as you know, I received a letter from the rebellion," She began. Ash had shown her interest in the rebellion, centered at the heart of Sadorna—Stella Sadorna—for years. She would often join them at rallies. They were enough to feed her desire to fight for a while but she eventually grew hungry to make a real difference.

The rebellion sent skilled people on missions all over the country. Some were to infiltrate the army, others to spy on the government. Ash wanted to go on a mission—somewhere in the South. For months, she hounded one of the leaders of the rebellion, saying she wanted to go on a real mission.

They eventually gave in.

She never told me what her mission was, only that she would have to go to the South for an indefinite amount of time. I begged her not to but she wouldn't listen.

Ash had a heart of gold—she couldn't sit back and watch the South be destroyed by the West and East gang. She needed to do something big.

Before she left, Ash promised to send me letters when she could. But I never got one. Neither did Gael.

"My mission was to come to the castle and spy on the King. There are rumors that King Elon's cousin—Ender—is leading an uprising against him. The rebellion thinks Ender could be a good asset to them. But they need to know if Ender is serious about this. The best way to find out is from the enemy—the King." She explained, licking her lips.

I couldn't believe I didn't know any of this. King Elon had a cousin who was going against him?

"Is he aware?" I queried.

"Who? The King? Yeah, he knows. He doesn't care. He doesn't think Ender is a threat, from what I've gathered." She snorted, shaking her head. "He's a fool. His advisors have been scrambling to put a stop to it. They sent him to the South to try and build connections with us but it apparently backfired. And then, for some reason, he didn't return for weeks."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. The King didn't return because of me.

"The King is too cocky if he thinks his cousin, who has been planning this for a long time, isn't a threat." She commented, idly.

"So, why are you still here? The King went to the South weeks ago. You've got the information you needed." What I was really saying was: why the fuck did you stay here and not write to me?

Ash pinched her lips together firmly, "I was going to return with them. I could have easily pretended I was a maid for the Princess. But...there is more information to get. The King's advisors have been talking about gaining a new asset recently. However, I can't find out what the asset is."

My face paled. Could King Elon's advisors be talking about me?

I could easily be an asset for them, to help sway the people of the South, if they presented me right.

Ash had no idea about who I was to the King. Hell, I didn't entirely know until he touched my wrist earlier. When he zapped me with the bond that had been created by some mage centuries ago.

"I'm sorry I didn't write, Rory. I've been so busy keeping up appearances as a maid and finding information. It's quite difficult to discover secrets, even though you are practically invisible as a maid." She told me, guiltily. "I...I also didn't know what to say to you or...Gael."

It looked like it physically hurt her to say his name. His name came out breathlessly.

"H—how...is he?"

I mashed my lips together and drew patterns on my pretty dress.

"I've not seen him in a while. He misses you." I paused and released a shuddering breath. "A lot of things have happened since you left, Ash," I answered. Tears formed in the corners of my eyes as an image of a lifeless Harriet popped into my mind. "Harriet...she died."

Ash blinked, not processing my words.

"What?" She whispered, staring intensely at the ground. "What happened?"

I briefly explained what happened whilst fighting the urge to cry again. Harriet dying changed me. I felt angry and bitter.

"Oh, Rory," Ash mumbled, throwing her arms around me. I buried my face into the crook of her neck, allowing myself to temporarily fall apart. Ash had this aura around her that comforted you. It was motherly and warm.

I let a tear slip from my eye and she stroked my back gently.

When I pulled away, Ash floated her eyes around my face. Delicately, she wiped away that lone tear, smiling sympathetically.

"Harriet was a beautiful person, through and through. What happened to her..." She exhaled loudly and fisted her fingers together. "Was wrong. She deserved better."

She did. She deserved to have a normal and happy life with Jared.

"Aurora, I've held off asking for long enough," Ash drawled, tucking a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. "Why are you here?"

I inhaled sharply and fluttered my eyes closed. I couldn't keep her waiting anymore.

"Well, there is no easy way to say this," I began, bracing myself for her reaction. "I'm the King's soul mate." 

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