Reborn: Demon's Heritage (5 page)

When she saw him trying to speak, she took a long drink from her canteen and then bent down, placing her lips firmly on his. Instantly Ash felt the cool water fill his mouth. As the cool water hit his throat, he instantly felt better but Allice didn’t pull back, instead her tongue flickered inside his mouth for a few moments.

When Allice pulled back, her cheeks were slightly flushed. She took two more drinks from the canteen and repeated the process. Each time her lips touched his, she got slightly more daring and the kiss lasted for a bit longer. At first Ash wanted to push her back, but his limbs moved weakly and he didn’t have enough strength to push her away. After the third time, Ash found that his arms were no longer trying to push her away and instead he was silently hoping that she would draw closer.

After Allice had given him water, she moved a little away from Ash. Ash tried to watch her, but she was quickly out of sight. Soon his eyes grew heavy again and Ash quickly drifted back off to sleep only to be woken again a short while later by Allice who held a large wooden bowl.

Allice helped Ash sit up, but his strength was so weak he was forced to lean on her shoulder to stay upright. She handed him the bowl which was of a watery brown substance. Ash tried to lift the spoon but his hands shook so bad that by the time it reached his mouth there was nothing left to eat. Seeing this, Allice took the bowl and spoon from his and fed him by her own hand. After he ate, Allice helped him lay back down. A few seconds after laying down, he felt something warm press up against his body. Opening his eyes, he found Allice looking up at him with warm eyes. He tried to smile and Allice blushed. It was then he noticed that feeling of her bare skin on his. He tried to speak, but he was still too weak so he was forced to give up. Trying to ignore the feel of her skin on his Ash closed his eyes and tried to sleep. 

8-5

As the days passed, Ash’s strength didn’t return, instead he seemed to get weaker as each day his stamina would slowly decrease. By the seventh day his stamina was down to 22 points. His HP was also slowly decreasing due to the wound that was still bleeding and open on his chest. Luckily He had an abundant amount of HP so he didn’t feel as if his life was in danger.

As the days passed and Ash got weaker, Allice got more worried. At first he could eat and drink on his own, if with great effort but now he couldn’t even sit up without having trouble breathing.

Each morning Allice would get Ash into the saddle then they would ride for a full day. Allice looked for any sign of a fort, but she had no clue where they were. On the eighth day she did see a small village at the edge of the plains. She quickly changed direction and headed for the small settlement.

The village didn’t have an inn, but when they learned who Ash was, the village chief invited them to his house. Ash was given the spare room. The village didn’t have a true healer, but the chief’s wife knew a little bit about herb lore.

With a warm and soft bed, Ash felt much more comfortable, but nothing they tried could help him regain his stamina. Ash kept his eyes on his status as he lay awake on the bed while Allice worried over him.

Each day Allice would feed and give him water by mouth. The enthusiasm from the first day had long since left her lips. She never left his side and seemed to have no problem cleaning up after him. Ash felt embarrassed more than once over the passing week, but there was little he could do about it. When allice wasn’t caring for him she would talk to him, even though he couldn’t respond.

At first Allice talked about her family. Many times her voice would get soft when she talked about her mother. When Allice couldn’t think of what to talk about she would ramble. Once she even expressed that her dream was to become a mother.

Though Ash couldn’t speak, his mind was still working. When Allice talked about becoming a mother, she often looked at him with a warm smile and her hand often sought his. After the past week, Ash could tell that she was kind and caring and she would make a great mother.

After the fourteen days passed and the Soul Scourge dissipated, Ash started to regain his strength but it was slow. It took a full day for Ash to be able to sit up on his own. A day after that he once again could eat, drink, and speak on his own.

The first thing Ash said was his thanks to Allice. She blushed a deep red when she heard Ash’s voice, but she didn’t let go of his hand. On the third day, Ash left the bed and stretched his legs for the first time in weeks. Thanks to Allice’s care, Ash didn’t have any sores though he felt slightly weak after spending so much time in bed.

After eating a good meal and going for a long run, Ash returned to the chief’s house. The man was in his late sixties and looked worn and weathered, but he still passed the days with a caring smile on his face.

“Feeling better my lord?” the chief asked with a deep bow.

“You don’t need to bow to me,” Ash said with a warm smile. “If not for you and your wife, most likely I wouldn’t be alive at this time.”

“You are too kind my lord. From the look in your eyes though, it doesn’t seem like to intend to stay around for much longer. Am I right?”

“That you are,” Ash said with a heavy sigh. “I need to reach the nearest fort and report before my wife starts pulling out her hair,” Ash added with a sly wink.

The chief let out a coarse laugh. “Wives can be a bit hard to handle and I am sure that the lady duchess is harder than most. Make sure you bring her gifts and she might not strip too much of your hide from you next time she sees you.”

After leaving the chief, Ash found Allice sitting in the room staring out the window as the snow drifted down. “Something on your mind?” Ash asked sitting down beside her.

“Master,” Allice gasped, having not noticed his entrance. “I…I was just thinking the snow is pretty,” Allice said while blushing.

“Allice, I must once again thank you for taking care of me these past weeks,” Ash said while bowing his head slightly to Allice. “Once we return I will talk to the duchess and see if there is any way to release you from your term early. You have more than paid back your crime.”

“Nooo,” Allice said, her eyes going wide and panic evident as she jumped to her feet and waved her hands in from of her.

“I thought you would be happy to be free of that tattoo,” Ash said confused.

“If master releases me, then I won’t get to be with master anymore,” Allice said as she balled her fists tightly at her side. Suddenly her face took on a warm glow and her hands relaxed. “I love master. I want to stay with him forever.”

“Allice just because you are released from your status as a slave doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to stay at my side,” Ash said, resting his hand on Allice’s shoulder.

Allice shook her head while at the same time bringing her hand up to rest on top of Ash’s. “Master please don’t. I want…I want master to be my master always.”

Before Ash could respond, Allice covered his mouth with her own. There was a slight hesitance in her action, but it only lasted for a brief moment. Ash was shocked, but he didn’t fight back as Allice pushed him back onto the bed. When she released her kiss, she looked straight in her eyes. “I will always be masters,” she said before kissing him again.

Early the next morning, Ash and Allice rode out headed toward the closet fort. Thankfully it wasn’t even a full day’s ride away and thanks to the army using their village to help supply goods, the chief was able to give Ash directions.

The ride from the village was mostly silent but every now and then Allice would look to Ash and give a warm smile. She was happy and her face showed it without reservation. Every time Ash felt her eyes on him, he would look over and she would blush slightly, drawing a laugh out of him.

They reached the fort a little after midday. As they approached, a loud booming voice called out to them ordering them to stop. When Ash announced himself, the guards bowed and he was quickly led inside where the fort commander was summoned to talk with him.

The commander was much younger than Ash expected, only being a few years older than himself but he had the bearing of a military man. Ash quickly explained what had transpired over the past few weeks and was relieved to learn that most of the other knights had reached succor and had already reported the news of hostile forces in the area. The duchess had also responded by sending out more troops, ordering them to look for him.

Ash quickly drafted a letter explaining to Emelia that he was safe and what had happened to keep him indisposed so long, though he left out the part where he had almost lost his life fighting against the enemy knights. After sealing the letter and handing it over to a dispatch rider, Ash planned to look for the closet advance troop and meet up with them, but the fort commander had other orders. It seemed that his wife had left orders that if Ash was to be found, he would be sent to Karin fort which was the closet to the capital, though still more than five days ride away.

Sighing, Ash could only nod his head in agreement to the order. He might be the duchess’s husband, but he was not a noble. Ash wished he had known about Emelia’s order before sending the letter so that he could have complained a bit, but it was already too late. With nothing else to do, Ash was guided to a large wooden building that had been cleared out for him to use for the day. The building had two rooms, but when Ash tried to get Allice to use one as her own, she scowled at him and calmly planted herself on his bed with a wry grin.

Allice placed her hand on Ash’s chest where the wound had been until a few days before. There was no look of pain or worry on her face just a look of contentment.

Ash had been worried that by allowing her to pursue him, he would only hurt her. He had thought that it was only Allice’s feelings of guilt that pushed her to him. Ash was sure that after a few years she would put it aside and find someone better, but now looking down at that warm smile, those thoughts no longer clouded his mind. Allice was different than Emelia in many ways, but the smile she currently had on her face was much like the one Emelia had after they had been together for the first time.

“Master you aren’t going to send me away are you?” Allice asked with a twinge of fear in her voice.

“I thought about it,” Ash teased, but when he saw Allice’s eyes start to redden, he quickly shook his head. “I won’t though as long as you agree to two rules.”

“Master you are the master, I will always follow your orders,” Allice said, sticking out her chest slightly.

“No, I don’t like giving orders unless I am forced to…It feels wrong,” Ash said shaking his head. “I want you to agree to these on your own. The first rule is that when we are alone, you will call me Ash.”

“I can’t.”

“Allice I won’t send you away for refusing, but we can no longer…Be together,” Ash said and Allice’s eyes went wide. “When you call me master when we are alone like this, it makes me feel as if you are being forced.”

“Yes Ma…Ash,” Allice said blushing.

Laughing Ash bent down and kissed Allice softly. “The second rule is that you promise that you will keep yourself out of danger. You have gained a few levels, but you are anything but a fighter. If you want to stay with me, then I don’t need a repeat of the other day at the grove where I was forced to give you an order. I can’t fight if I have to worry if you are safe or not.”

“I promise Mast…Ash,” Allice said, changing her words when Ash started to glare at her.

“As long as you do that then I will promise to keep you as close as I can,” Ash said as he pulled Allice tight to his side enjoying the warmth of her body.

“Love you Ash,” Allice said in a weak whisper that barely reached Ash’s ears.

Ash took a deep breath. It was not the first time she had said those words, but he felt a bit of pain each time she said them. She never looked to Ash for a response, but he still felt he should give one. Just like with Emelia, Ash wasn’t sure how he felt. He cared for Allice deeply, but he still didn’t understand what was really meant by love. He could never really ask Emelia about it.

“Allice can I ask you something without you getting mad?” Ash asked feeling slightly sheepish.

“Of course master,” Allice said smiling.

Ash knocked her lightly with his knuckles. “It is Ash…Try and remember that,” Ash said laughing slightly as Allice rubbed her head while looking up at him with pursed lips. “I was just wondering what you meant by love.”

“It is like a warmth that spreads through my entire body whenever I see master. It makes my heart beat speed up. Whenever mas…Ash looks at me, it is like the whole world is smiling down on me. It is a lot like what I felt when my mother used to hold me, but different.”

“I don’t really get it,” Ash said shaking his head. “I do feel warm when I look at you.”

“Like when you were with your mother?” Allice asked leaning against Ash.

“I never had a mother,” Ash said his face clouding over slightly. Before he knew what was happening, Allice wrapped her arms around Ash.

“Ash, can you tell me a bit about it?” Allice said looking up at him with her large eyes wavering.

Looking into her eyes, Ash felt his chest tighten. Not knowing why, Ash told her that he was an orphan and was move around a lot. He told her how alone he had been until he had met Emelia. He left off everything relating to his own world choosing his words carefully. When he finished he felt something trembling at his side. Looking down he noticed that Allice was crying. “What is wrong?” Ash asked slightly worried.

“Master is not alone,” Allice said hugging him. “Everyone loves master. Lady Emelia, Yuki, Shina, and everyone else loves master. So master isn’t alone anymore,” Allice said in a consoling tone.

Ash didn’t know why, but he felt warmth spread through his chest when Allice spoke, but he still gave her a wry grin. “What is my name?” Ash asked, though instead of rapping his knuckles on her head he pulled her in for a tighter hug.

“Ash,” Allice said, looking up and him and giving him a deep kiss.

When Ash awoke he found Allice still clinging to him and couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t know when, but it was as if something that had been dragging him down had been lifted away. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but looking back on his life in his previous world it never seemed as if he was living. He was just going through the motions. It was much the same way at first in the new world when he learned that people treated him like he didn’t matter when they learned of his demon blood. Now he could see that it wasn’t until he met Emelia that his life had started to change. Ever since then, he had found numerous people that had become part of his family. Looking down on the young woman, who was sleeping contently beside him, with a smile Ash whispered, “I love you.”

Allice opened her eyes just as he said the words and her cheeks instantly turned a bright red. Though she didn’t say anything, the unfettered smile on her face showed her feelings.

Ash quickly dressed and after both he and Allice were ready, they had a quick breakfast before heading to the stable to get their horses. Before they were halfway there, the fort commander ran to meet them.

“Lord Ash, are you leaving already?” the man asked with a panicked expression on his face. “I had been planning to have you go with our next supply run so that they could see to your safety.”