OOC: Dray, I took a liberty with Kit and Jordan...feel free to edit as you see necessary
Ashe already knew he was powerful enough. Only recently had he helped Kit in a more critical manner and upon hearing her question the exhaustion of that episode and many long years had come back upon him. He had kept himself in hiding, had even gone by an alias, to avoid his everlasting struggle between the natural order and his empathy. With the death of so many priests and arcanists in the past year his inner battle was now tenfold.
He looked up to Kit’s hopeful eyes and for a second resented her for asking this of him. It was not his place to play with the fate of others. But neither could he bear to see the innocent suffer, he had seen too much of that through his years.
Ashe stood up. Kit could see crinkles of thought on his face as he weighed the question. He turned to look at the Goldleaf trees half expecting them to answer Kit’s question for him.
He ran his fingers through his long silvery grey hair and thought out in his natural tongue, 'How long will it be that I might receive peace? What must I do…can you tell me that?'
A woman’s soft voice came to his mind, 'You must do what your heart tells you…what comes to your instinct.'
“I no longer know what my instinct tells me.” Ashe’s reply was filled with despair.
“Yes you do…you just need to listen to it. Like you did when you saved her.” came the mystical voice.
Kit looked on at the elder’s back unaware of the conversation. Fear that she asked too much of her new grandfather gripped her and she silently wished she could take back her request. 'Too late for that now…he probably hates you.' pathed Jordan. 'Shush you…he wouldn’t hate me.' Kit quipped in response.
“Every decision I make seems to be the wrong one!” came Ashe’s angered reply.
The silky voice observed, “I’m sure she would completely disagree. Follow your heart Son of Clearwater and your decision will be the right one.”
Ashe visibly sighed. His mind stretched out across the land and his vision narrowed. He could hear the birds in their chatter and the crashing of waves. The feeling in his legs disappeared as he took a deep breath. Closing his eyes he could hear the sound of the world…the sound of Mahiya calling to him.
He realized what his deepest inner self was screaming at him to do and spun to face Kit, “I will help your Captain friend. By Mahiyas own hand she will walk again.”