11. Chapter 11 #5
He didn’t reform himself completely to his usual guise, however.
He owed it to the audience he hadn’t forgotten the chance to see what he truly was.
Surely they already guessed, given what they’d overheard, but still, slowly, Ashmedai turned to face Levi and his people farther behind, for the first time not hiding any part of himself.
All weapons and magic had long since dropped. Not everyone had a clear view of what was happening, but the truth was clearly being whispered and passed down the line. No one screamed. No one ran. But no one moved toward the terrifying shadow demon in their midst.
Not until Levi, tears in his eyes, with a mixture of heartache and affection on his face, leapt upon Ashmedai and threw his arms around him. He gasped, for the feel of Ashmedai in that form was still intense, but he didn’t loosen his hold.
Ashmedai held him back tightly, and finally faded into the version of himself he preferred, pressing his pale white face against the softness of Levi’s hair. He closed his eyes, expecting to be driven out, condemned, shunned, but at least he knew Levi would be with him.
A force suddenly collided with their legs, nearly toppling them. Ashmedai and Levi jolted apart to untangle from each other and look, but they couldn’t untangle completely.
Kenner was wrapped around their legs, joining the embrace.
Levi laughed, but Ashmedai could only stare—at Kenner and at the crowd of townspeople moving forward. No one looked as though they wished they held a pitchfork.
“You’re not so scary for a demon,” Kenner said. “Brax was the scary one.”
Ashmedai hugged the boy back, overwhelmed by his response.
The others swarmed closer, and though Kenner eventually ran back to his parents, the overall look of acceptance on everyone’s faces didn’t change.
“It was my fault,” Ashmedai said, the mantra he’d told himself for a thousand years.
“Really? Didn’t sound that way to me.” Daedlys floated out of the crowd with a smirk on his translucent face.
“Kenner said it right. You only looked frightening all those years ago because we didn’t yet know what a real monster looked like.
Even if Brax hadn’t interfered, sounds like the curse started as a misunderstanding and poor choices all around.
You think we’d blame you for that after all this time? ”
Another laugh left Levi, drawing Ashmedai to look at him, still close at his side.
Levi’s smile was somber, but he spoke plainly as he faced Ashmedai.
“You loved someone, that’s all. You loved this place and its people.
All these years, you’ve taken responsibility for something that wasn’t within your control, but knowing the truth doesn’t change who you are or how we feel about you. ”
“You are our king,” Yentriss affirmed, standing beside Grillo. She rustled her son’s hair, and then stepped forward to drop to one knee with her head bowed.
Grillo and Kenner followed, and like a ripple starting from the front of the crowd and spreading backward, everyone began to kneel, revealing just how many people filled the length of the road, all willing to believe in Ashmedai still.
Something similar had happened once, all those years ago, when Ashmedai carried Braxton from the wood. It hadn’t felt earned then. Ashmedai didn’t know if he’d ever feel like he’d earned it, but he bowed back in acceptance of the heartwarming gesture.
“Thank you. All of you.”
As the people began to rise, Klarent, up front by his husband, suddenly said, “Oh dear, my gift was in terribly poor taste, wasn’t it?”
Daedlys laughed, and Ashmedai finally had to laugh too.
“My friend,” Ashmedai called to Klarent, “I think I can forgive you.”
Before anything more could be said, the clouds that had blocked out the sun proved to be only clouds, just as the barrier had proven to still be crossable.
Snow began to fall, at first only a few lazily drifting flakes, and then more, bringing everyone’s attention toward the sky, and turning what easily could have been renewed mourning back to celebration.
The people started heading down the path toward home, enjoying the new snowfall as much as they had the sun.
“Ash.” Levi stopped him from following and held Ashmedai’s hands between them.
“There’s one more thing I need to say. Please don’t think my love for you isn’t real.
I stopped taking the draught days ago, and my love only grew stronger.
I love you because of our time together, because of everything I learned of you, because of you .
I refuse to second-guess that just because of what Braxton said.
“Please tell me you won’t either. You found my soul and knew my heart even when I was nothing but a dying light. And I reached out to you….” He raised one hand to hold Ashmedai’s face. “Because I love you.”
“I know,” Ashmedai said without an ounce of doubt.
Everything Levi had spoken was how Ashmedai felt too.
His only regret was that the lessons he’d learned from loving and losing Cullen, and then loving and being loved by Levi, hadn’t been something Braxton could learn too.
“Never doubt, my darling, that I also love you,” he asserted and kissed Levi soundly.