Chapter Thirty-Five

Memory after memory hammered Ambrose, and each memory carried the fire of pain. In every single one, Alice died or mocked him; in some, she killed him; in other memories, there were no changes at all. It just showed Ambrose hurting someone. At the end of each one, Alice or a little girl would appear, telling him how unworthy he was and how much he deserved death.

Ambrose’s mind became a prison of dark thoughts, a symphony of his worst moments playing on repeat. It wasn’t anything he had a defense against. There was no shield for him to call up around him, no axe for him to throw, nothing for him to punch. Just memory. It was every negative thought made manifest, every dark thing he had done turned on him.

He fled. Receding to the dark corners of his mind, he walled himself off in darkness. A small box where his memories could not harm him. He had no idea how long he was there, no idea how long he stayed within his small box of darkness.

A white light split the dark, and pulsing blue eyes shone from it. What is that? No. Leave me alone. No more. The light shifted, solidifying, forming behind the blue eyes into a lithe fur-covered form, with black lines drawing themselves onto it. It was Noelle. The arcane white tiger slunk forward, pushing her head into Ambrose’s forehead.

Warmth spread through him as Noelle purred. As suddenly as a switch flipped, a new memory expanded around him. Ambrose was in the park. It was night. Stars gleamed in the sky like tiny jewels, and the full moon was visible, its light playing across the swaying leaves.

Alice waited on a bench in a white dress. She fiddled with her hands, biting her lip. Her hair moved lightly in the slight breeze that passed through the park. Ambrose swished the rain lightly, and the carriage he was in, pulled by a single white horse, pulled up to the bench. Ambrose hopped off the carriage and bowed to Alice.

“Your ride, princess.”

Alice arched a brow,

“When you asked me to meet you here, I didn’t think you were going full cliche. You’re never supposed to go full cliche, sweetie.”

Ambrose produced a bouquet of flowers from behind his back, offering them to her with a smile.

“Clichés are called that for a reason, princess. Come on, you know you want a ride on this.”

Alice’s mouth twitched, she tried to fight it, but the smile won out, lighting up her face like the moon lit up the sky. She giggled, took the flowers, and flung herself into his arms. With a laugh of his own, Ambrose swung her onto the carriage.

“Whee!” Alice laughed, settling into the seat.

Ambrose sat beside her, took the reins, and snapped them lightly. The carriage pulled forward, the horse’s trots filling the night air with a steady beat.

“So, where are you taking me, knight in tarnished armor?”

Ambrose smiled, tapped his nose with one finger, and said nothing as the carriage wound along the path. After a bit, he turned it onto a forest path the took them deeper into the path. It opened up to a small meadow that Ambrose had laid a white blanket across. He had put a small white table on the blanket with a vase of colorful flowers on its surface. Two silver trays were on the table across from one another.

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Ambrose halted the carriage and hopped down, offering his hand to Alice, who took it. Her green eyes shone, and the golden flecks in them seemed to glow like golden motes. She was so beautiful, he couldn’t help but think as he led her to the table. She sat down as he pulled the seat out for her.

“Chivalry too, and here I thought it was dead.”

Ambrose shrugged,

“I’m old-fashioned. Sue me.”

Ambrose gestured at her silver platter, and Alice removed the lid with a flourish, revealing a single white card on the tray.

“Oh? What’s this?”

“Well, read it, princess, and find out.”

Her eyes scanned the card, eye brown widening.

“A scavenger hunt, really?”

Ambrose leaned back,

“Yep. The best part is, I won’t be participating with you.”

“Okay, how’s that fair? Will you let me roam the forest all on my lonesome?”

Ambrose waved a hand,

“You’ll manage; I have every faith in you. Take some time to study the card. Find me after you have.”

Ambrose stood up, leaned over, and kissed her on the head before heading into the forest.

___________

It was some time before Alice found her way to him. Her ultimate destination was a small pond in another clearing some ways away from the meadow. The card had included a small map with the items she needed.

“For the record, doing all that in heels is absolute hell. The next time you have a romantic plan? Think about that.”

Ambrose laughed as Alice flashed him with the photos she had found.

“You’re so sweet, I’m going to die. All of our photos from our dates.”

Ambrose nodded and took the photos from her as she leaned against him. They looked at the pictures together, Alice trailing a hand over them.

“The world shifted when I met you,” Alice said as she looked at him.

Ambrose ran a thumb along her lips. Then he looked away. Voices flowed through his head. He wasn’t worth it. He was a horrible, terrible person, and all he deserved was death.

Alice’s hand covered his cheek,

“Hey, where did you go?”

Ambrose looked away.

Alice sighed,

“Oh, not this again. You’re doing that self-depreciation thing again, aren’t you?”

She jerked his head towards her, forcing her to meet his eyes.

“Listen, and you listen good, mister! I’m not going to pretend you’re a good person. But you know what? I’m not, either. All we can do is our best and find happiness where we can. Maybe we can do some good in just a few moments throughout our lives. I love you, and you love me. Stop making that complicated.”

Ambrose took a deep breath. She was right. He needed to stop making it complicated.

From his pocket, Ambrose produced a simple little box. Alice raised a hand to her mouth, widening her eyes.

“It’s not expensive, no huge diamond or anything…” Alice punched him in the arm.

“Give me the box, Ambrose.”

He passed it over to her, getting on his knees as he did. She opened it, green eyes leaking tears. A small, simple diamond ring gleamed, resting on black satin.

“Alice Vale, will you marry me?”

Alice’s hand shook, her body vibrated as tears fell, and her green eyes were huge as she stared at him. The pond water lapped gently against the shore.

A breeze rustled her black hair, and time seemed to freeze around them, a crystalline memory that would never fade within the alls of his mind. She spoke one word. One simple, powerful word.

“Yes.”

The memory broke, shattering like glass around him.

And just like that, the shackles of darkness could not chain him down.