“Thank you, Charlie. For everything.”
I stroked her hair back. “Of course. I’m here to help.”
“I know, but it’s taken me a long time to trust that.”
“Are you saying… you trust me?” My heart lifted at the hope that something between us that I’d broken had been repaired.
“I always have, in a way. I could always trust you with my life. I’ve just… struggled to trust you with my heart. But maybe that’s more of a problem with myself than it is with you.”
“It’s not. You gave me your heart, and I broke it. I understand why you’re holding back.”
“Still. I can’t keep holding back and expect trust to be built without giving you a second chance to take it in your hands.”
“It’ll take time to earn your trust back, because I know what it’s like to break you. It’s not a mistake I’m willing to make again, ever.”
“Then I need to ask you a question. Will you return the things I gave up?”
I nearly burst with delight when she said that. “Of course. Just let me know what you need, and consider it done.”
Ava paused.
“What is it?” I asked apprehensively. Did she want to change her mind?
“I just realized… I don’t need any of that stuff,” Ava said. “They’re just things, and I made so many people happy when I gave them away. When I donated my wedding dress, it was to a girl who needed it. I was blessed enough to share my abundance with all of Ilamanthe. I think it’s more important that I trust you enough to ask, even if I don’t actually need you to restore my things.”
Her words felt as holy as being in the presence of a deity, because my heart expanded to unimaginable proportions. When Ava had said she moved back in and took only what she needed, I didn’t understand what she meant at the time.
Now I heard her loud and clear— all she needed was me.
I’d never felt so profoundly loved. It hit me how incredibly significant this whole ritual truly was. Ava had relinquished her things because she loved me. She was a materialistic person who would never do this for someone she didn’t care about, but she gave all those things away because she considered me more valuable than all of it.
Nobody ever thought of me in that way before. Most people didn’t even bother to consider me, but even now, I remained the sun to her.
As touched as I was, I couldn’t stand the thought of not giving back to her in the way she’d gifted all her love to me. I had to make this right.
My hand went from her hair to her shoulder. I could feel the thin fabric of her dress, which had worn from so many washes. “You can’t wear this dress forever.”
Ava scoffed. “Of course not, but I can get different clothes. I don’t need my old ones back. I need a fresh start anyway. We can start with a new wardrobe.”
I couldn’t stand the thought of her wearing that dress for another day. I wished to forgo my pledge to give up my illusion magic, and use my Elf powers again just to make her something to wear. I could create a silk nightgown for her in a second, and a hundred more dresses she could choose from every morning.
But resorting to magic to fix this would negate the entire point of the ritual. I had to do this in the way of our ancient ancestors, and get her things back without the use of magic— just as I’d done when I climbed that mountain, and how we worked together on that island. As Ava’s powers proved, magic was never a guarantee, and I wanted to provide for her without it.
“There’s got to be something you regret giving up and want me to get back for you,” I insisted. “What about Monica’s armband?”
Ava hesitated, like she wasn’t sure. “I gave it to a child who needed a friend. I couldn’t possibly ask for it back.”
I picked up on the meaning behind those words. Maybe I knew her that well by now, but I saw the truth she wouldn’t admit, even to herself. She could never give Monica up, and that armband meant the world to her. She wanted it returned, but she knew how much it meant to that child. She was putting that child’s wants before her own, and as much as I admired her for it, I wasn’t sure that was the right decision.
“You don’t have to ask for it back,” I said. “That’s my job.”
“Charlie, that’s literally stealing from a child.”
“Which is supposed to be easy, right?” I teased.
Ava snorted. “Just because it’s easy doesn’t make it okay. We’re trying not to be the bad guys anymore, remember?”
I held my hands up in surrender. “I promise my days of thieving are behind me. I won’t be stealing anything.”
