- II -

Athena blinked, eyes wide. “Really?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The middle-aged man crossed his arms on the counter between them.

She grimaced almost painfully. “Are they… usually this expensive?”

“These horsehair strings are; we sold out of the gut strings earlier this week. I’m expecting a shipment after the holidays, so if you’re buying these as a gift for Christmas, this is all I can offer.”

The young woman narrowed her eyes on the small, wrapped coils of tightly wound horsehair. She had no idea such a seemingly small thing could cost so much.

She had already purchased a gift for Dorian. As a potion maker, Dorian was fairly easy to find gifts for. He always needed ingredients and bottles to keep them in, so a quick stop at the market provided her a set of four small bottles and a wicker basket to carry them in. 

Meanwhile, Ace, as a musician, should have been just as easy to find a gift for. He had recently purchased his first guitar; while it had been used before, it was in very good shape and allowed him to play across town for tips instead of gambling what little he had away. He had always complained about the strings, however, so she knew exactly what she wanted to get him for Christmas.

Athena frowned. She was not expecting said strings to overshoot her budget.

“Well, I’ll have to come back later,” she said with a short nod. “I appreciate your time, sir.”

“All right. Merry Christmas!” The shopkeeper straightened up as Athena turned away, though his eyes fell to the silver blade on her belt. “Excuse me, miss,” he said, leaning across the counter, “but where did you get that blade?”

“Oh,” she half-smiled as she turned back, laying a hand on her dagger. “I crafted this one; I’m an apprentice at Avenforge.”

“Are you, now?” His face lit up. “Bring it here!”

Somewhat proudly, Athena returned to the counter, slipped the dagger from the leather loop on her belt, and handed it to the shopkeeper.

“This is excellent,” he praised her, eyes and fingers following the glittering curves and inlaid bronze. “I can tell it’s an Avenforge blade, but it’s also got a unique touch upon it–yours, I assume.”

“Why, thank you,” she smiled, curling inward as she humbly accepted back her dagger. “Are you a fan of Avenforge?”

The shopkeeper patted the sheathed sword at his side. “Mr. Aven is the only one I’d let craft my blade. His shop is the finest in all of Daethos.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” she nodded. “I’m pleased to be studying under him.”

“I’ll tell you what,” the shopkeeper waved a hand before laying it back on the counter. “I will give you two sets of strings for that dagger–as a trade.”

Her smile faded. “A trade?”

“Yes, ma’am. And,” he waved at the wall behind him when he noticed her hesitance, “I’ll throw in a new strap too. Any one you’d like! I know that dagger is worth a great deal.”

“Oh.” While her eyes scanned the neat row of stitched guitar straps, her mind raced around the choice set before her. The dagger was worth a great deal to her, but she had not yet considered how much it would be worth to someone else. Besides, the trade could spark further business at Avenforge, and that could mean good things for her as she became a full-fledged swordsmith.

She looked at the dagger one last time. It was the first of many blades she would forge over the course of her apprenticeship, and it was worth giving it up to give Ace a gift he would appreciate.

“Do we have a deal, Miss…”

“Athena,” she refocused on the man’s face. “Athena Evans. And yes.”

The shopkeeper watched in eagerness as the dagger was presented to him.

“We have a deal.”

The Gift

A Tale of Ace Gallagher parody of “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry

By Jill D’Entremont

- I -

Ace narrowed his eyes as he looked down the line of leather sheaths. They were all expertly crafted with tight stitching and colorful dyes, and many had even been sewn with intricate patterns with their layers of color. It was almost impossible for him to choose one.

He finally selected one with a deep green stain capped with tan ends. His focused expression turned into wide-eyed shock when he saw the price listed on the back.

“Can I help you with anything?” The friendly shop attendant appeared at his back.

He turned around, his mouth still agape.

“Oh,” the attendant laughed somewhat, her hand on her hip, “Yes, that one is a bit pricey due to the extra work required. If you’re looking for one more within a modest budget, I’d look on this side.”

Ace followed the woman’s hand to the start of the rack. “Oh, thank you.”

The attendant nodded, then pointed to the guitar slung over Ace’s shoulder. “I see you’re a guitarist?”

“Yep–I just came from playing at the tavern,” he adjusted the strap to tuck the head of the guitar closer to his legs. Without a case, he simply flipped the guitar to his back to carry it to and from his gigs.

“Well, we sell guitar cases whenever you’re in the market!” The attendant gestured over her shoulder. “Let me know if you need anything else.” She then left Ace alone.

“Yeah, when I can afford one,” the musician sighed and stepped up to the cheaper sheaths. Gone were the colors and layers and patterns, but the craftsmanship was still apparent. Surely even the plainest of sheaths would be a good gift for Athena.

He winced as he turned over a light tan sheath. It was still far beyond his budget. 

He deflated with a sigh. “So much for this idea.”

Ace stepped outside the leatherworking shop. The cold winter wind rose to meet him, biting the bare skin of his face. He shivered and bundled tighter within his coat.

It was Christmas Eve, and the streets were full of people like him: last minute shoppers trying their best to find the perfect gifts for friends and family before the stores closed down for the holiday. He stuck close to the front of the building so as to stay out of the way of those bustling along the streets and sidewalks. Even the act of fishing out his moneybag from his pocket required either his guitar or his elbow to bend into oncoming walkers, and after a few annoyed words, he opted to follow the flow and duck into the alley on the side of the shop.

“I suppose this is my own fault for waiting until today,” he mumbled, finally holding the small, jingling bag in his hand. He poured the coins into the palm of his other hand–fairly warm within his fingerless gloves–and poked each one to count what he had left.

He had never bought Christmas gifts before. As a young child, his mother had always packaged up gifts for him to hand to his father or brother, giving him the credit. After running away from home, he was too focused on survival–and too separated from others–to worry about giving gifts. 

But now, he was surprised to discover how much he wanted to buy something for his friends–if for no other reason than to show some small token of his appreciation for their friendship. His meager savings wasn’t much, but he knew he could make something work out–especially since Mioko, Raeya, Ed, and Vance were visiting family and therefore not participating in their Christmas Eve gift swap.

As a potion maker, Dorian was fairly easy to find gifts for. He always needed ingredients and bottles to keep them in, so a quick stop at the general store gained Ace a set of three, small, used bottles with fresh cork stoppers. He had even spent less than his budget on the gift, leaving him feeling accomplished.

Meanwhile, Athena, the apprentice swordsmith, should have been just as easy to find a gift for. She had recently forged her first solo piece: a steel dagger inlaid with bronze metalwork on the hilt. Her teacher had allowed her to keep it, and she currently wore it on her belt with a small leather frog that was almost too large to hold it properly. He had wanted to buy her a true sheath to keep it in; but, even with the extra coins left over from Dorian’s half of his budget, the cheapest of sheaths were far beyond what he could afford.

He sighed and slipped the coins back into his moneybag. “What can I get her?” He spoke aloud. “She’s so proud of that dagger; I want to get her something to go with it.”

In the lull of foot traffic, he managed to slip back out of the alley and walked back in front of the leather shop’s window. On display was a small dagger within a simply built box lined with deep green felt.

“Oh!”

Clutching his guitar strap, he darted back to the door slid back inside the shop just as someone else slipped out.

“Excuse me!” He saw the shop assistant standing with another customer near the back of the room.

“May I help you?” The older shop owner spoke up gruffly from behind his counter at his side. 

“Um–yes! I was wondering if you had any more boxes like that one in the window–with the dagger in it.” While speaking, he created an invisible box with his gloved fingers.

“No, that’s the only one,” the man replied, stepping out from behind the counter. “But you’re welcome to it.”

Ace stood with bated breath as the older man removed the dagger and placed it on the wooden shelf alone. He then closed the box and handed the box to Ace.

Ace rubbed his fingers against the dark stained wood. It was simple; no frills or intricacies on the outside. But when he lifted the lid, the deep green of the felt inside the box truly made a statement of its own. Better yet–he knew it would fit Athena’s dagger perfectly.

“This is perfect,” Ace closed the lid. “How much would you take for it?”

“Seven gold,” he nodded.

Ace inhaled, then sighed. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

The man watched as Ace tried to return the box to him. He held up his hand to stop him. “How much do you have?”

“Four,” Ace replied, chewing on his lip. “And eight silver.”

“I’ll let you take the box now for the four,” the man said, “if you can pay the rest later.”

The gambler perked up. “Would you?”

The man returned to his counter. “In the spirit of Christmas, I would.”

Ace followed on his heels. “Oh–thank you, sir–I really–”

“But.”

Ace skidded to a stop upon the word.

“I’ll need something of yours for collateral.”

He blinked. “What’s… collateral?”

The man opened the money box on the counter. “I keep something of yours to make sure you come back to pay the rest.” He held open his hand. “Four, please.”

Ace took out his four gold pieces and set them into the man’s hand. 

“When you pay off the rest, I give it back to you.” He set Ace’s four coins within the box and took out a small piece of paper. 

Ace idly adjusted the strap of his guitar. “That’s… fair.” 

The man scribbled a few words onto the paper. “Now, what are you leaving with me?”

“Um,” Ace gripped his guitar strap tighter as realization hit him. “All I’ve got that’s worth anything is my guitar, though the strings aren’t very good anymore; I’ve been needing some new ones…”

“I’ll accept it.” The man held out his hands with the same stoic expression on his face.

Despite the sinking feeling in his stomach from temporarily leaving part of his livelihood behind, he knew it would be worth getting Athena a box to keep her dagger in–like a keepsake to remember the first blade she ever made.

He removed his guitar and handed it to the shopkeeper.

“I’ll keep it safe.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“I know. What’s your name, lad?”

“Ace Gallagher.”

The older man nodded and scribbled Ace’s name on the paper.

Ace bit his lip as the man handed him a piece of paper that simply said ‘Less 3 for Dagger Box. Upon payment, return guitar to Ace Gallagher.’ The man’s scribbled signature sealed the deal.

“Thank you, Mr. Gallagher.”

“Thank you, sir,” Ace offered a short bow, clutched the wooden box and the piece of paper, and left the shop.

Vance glanced over his shoulder, his hand still stirring the shallow pot of gravy.

Ace shuffled through the door, his bulky guitar case knocking against the door frame in the process. He finally maneuvered it inside, set it down parallel to the wall, and then closed the door behind him.

“Hey, Ace,” Vance smiled lightly and turned back to the pot.

“Greetings,” he paused to smell the air. “Oh, man, that smells good.”

“It’s just roast and potatoes again,” Vance said offhandedly as Ace pulled off his fingerless gloves and stepped into the kitchen. “Nothing special.”

“You cooking anything for us to come home to is special.” He paused again, eyes drifting aside. “That sounded weird.”

The younger brother chuckled under his breath. “I appreciate the sentiment.”

Ace opened his now-bare hands wide. “What can I do to help?”

“Well,” Vance again glanced over his shoulder while his hand continued to swirl in circles, “if you want to make sure we have enough clean dishes; it’s Ed’s turn to wash, but he’s clearly allowing the sink to pile up good and high first.”

“I’m on it!”

Vance sighed. “I’m not sure why I bother asking him to do anything, honestly,” he muttered under his breath.

“Hey: at least he’s got a job again,” Ace tapped his finger to count three bowls in the cabinet.

“True.”

“Although, I’ll be honest, a postal carrier is the last thing I would have expected him to do.”

Vance hummed.

“Riding back and forth between Fortanya and Montrose every day doesn’t seem like the type of job for a former knight; but, beggars can’t be choosers, I suppose.” Ace tapped the stack of plates next, finding five. “We have enough dishes.”

“Good.”

Ace turned around to find Vance staring at the wall behind the stove. His light eyes were unfocused behind his thin-rimmed glasses. His hand was still stirring the pot of gravy with even circles.

He lowered his brows in concern. “Are you all right?”

Vance blinked and looked down at the pot. He shrunk back with a yelp and ran to the counter behind Ace to grab a jar of broth, and he dashed back to the pot to pour some in. The mixture sizzled and let off a puff of steam.

“I think I rescued it,” he commented more to himself as he again began stirring. “It was starting to burn.”

Ace leaned closer. “Yeah, it’s fine,” he commented, “but… are you?”

Vance glanced up. Despite the steam fogging up his glasses, they cleared just in time to meet his friend’s eyes. He nodded simply before turning back to the gravy. He lifted the pot by the handle and removed it from the stove’s flames. He then set it next to Ace on a handmade potholder on the counter.

“I’m fine.”

“I’m not sure I believe you.”

Vance squared himself up with the shorter man. “Yes, I am,” he said succinctly “Thanks.”

Ace allowed Vance to turn and continue his work. He leaned backward against the counter as Vance bent forward to peeked inside the oven. The hot air mixed with the savory scent of roasted meat flooded into the modest kitchen. Ace slumped further back against the counter and hummed loudly.

“Thankfully, this is still coming along nicely.” He muttered.

“Hey; is Athena home yet?” Ace popped up suddenly.

“No,” Vance closed the oven door.

“Oh.” At once, color flushed to his face. “Um–I have a question, then.”

Vance took a cautionary step back upon Ace’s drastic change in mood. “What kind of question?”

Their eyes whipped to the door as the door knob jostled. The door then opened to reveal a very tired swordsmith still in her bulky leather apron.

“Teena!” Ace perked back up and stepped around the table to meet her.

“Hey, you,” Athena kissed his cheek as he approached. “It sure smells nice in here!”

Vance smiled lightly as he pulled four of the remaining dishes from the cabinet.

“How was work today?”

“Pretty good; I finally finished Brunhilda today,” she turned back to the door, only for Ace to scoot in front of her. “I stayed a little later to make sure she was perfect.”

“Ooh!” He grinned as he slipped in front of her as she turned to remove her work boots. “You’ve been working on that one a while.”

“Yes–and now I am beat.”

“Will I be able to come by and see it?”

“If you come in the morning,” she giggled as he continued to scoot into her path with every step with puckered lips. “Now please let me go change!” She took him by the shoulders and nudged him aside.

“Okay,” he cooed sadly through his still-pursed lips.

The young woman laughed and left the room.

Ace still had a half-dazed grin on his face as the door to her room squeaked open, then squeaked and clicked back closed. He straightened his posture almost as quickly and slid back into the kitchen.

“All right–I have a question,” he stepped up to Vance, startling the man as he set down the last of the plates on the table.

“Go ahead.”

“So, um,” he immediately crumbled, bit his lip and took a deep breath. “I’m… trying to buy Athena a ring,” the words were barely spoken under his breath.

Vance’s blue eyes blinked wide. “The ring?”

Ace’s expression turned a bright red as he rubbed his forehead.  “We’ve been starting to talk about… well, our next steps–but I really want her to know I’m committed to her.”

“That is a very good way to do that,” Vance nodded, still a hint of surprise on his face.

“I want to prove to her my past is past and I want her as my future,” Ace looked at his hands. “I think she’s been a little hesitant since I... well, she had to clean me up a lot when she met me. And I’m still working on getting a more stable income.”

“You’ve seemed pretty stable recently.”

“It’s definitely improved,” he nodded, “But, while I have been saving up, I still haven’t saved up quite enough.”

Vance tilted his chin in a half-nod. “Yeah?”

The door squeaked open down the hall.

“I found the one I want, but… could I maybe skip rent this month?”

A smile had formed on Vance’s lips. “Of course; that’s fine.”

Ace glanced toward the hallway but didn’t see anyone. He turned back to Vance, lowering his voice out of instinct. “I won’t make this a habit, I promise.”

He waved him off. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I swear I’ll pay it later–”

“Ace,” Vance grasped Ace by one of his shoulders. “Don’t worry about it; with all of us actually holding down jobs for once, we’re not hurting without your portion. Do what you need to do.”

He smiled, despite his face still flushed with color. “Thanks, Vance. I appreciate it.”

Vance brushed him off. “Let me check on the roast.”

“I'll go count the glasses,” Ace returned to the cabinet.

Athena stepped into the room, eyes firmly on her boyfriend. She remained at the edge of the hallway for a moment before continuing in. “Thanks for cooking for us, Vance,” she said.

Vance had just pulled the roast from the oven and had precariously set the pot onto the stove. “Oh, of course. I have nothing else to do during the afternoons.”

“Well, we appreciate it,” she patted a hand on his back before sliding over to Ace. “How was your day?”

“Not bad; I was able to play at the tavern after the library today,” he reached into the refrigerator to select a pitcher of ice water.

“Ah, if you can keep that up you’d be able to make more spending money.”

Ace glanced at her. “Hm?”

The door flung open and bumped into Ace’s guitar case.

The three in the kitchen glanced up as Ed, dressed in a gray shirt and black pants, groaned and walked into the house.

“...Hey, Ed,” Vance tried.

The man, however, continued walking straight to the kitchen, leaving the front door wide open behind him.

Vance sighed and walked around the table to close the door.

Ace bit his lip. “Rough day?”

“Nope!”

Ace and Athena silently watched Ed take his plate from the table and step up to the roast on the stove.

“Then…”

“Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happened! Nothing at all!” He pulled off a large chunk of the roast with a fork and set it on his plate. He stabbed a few potatoes next and doused the entire plate with most of the small pot of gravy.

“So, what’s got your government-issued pants in a wad?” Vance leaned on the counter beside his brother with his arms crossed.

Ed shot him a glance before pushing away and kicking a chair out from under the kitchen table. “I’m just sick to death of being a postal carrier! It’s the most unfulfilling job in existence!”

“At least it keeps you out of trouble.”

“Shut up, Vance.”

Vance rolled his eyes and gestured to Ace and Athena to get their food as the postal carrier dug into his plate.

Athena frowned with her plate in her hands. “It is an important job, even if it’s not that exciting. There are a ton of people who count on the mail.”

“Thanks, but I’m not looking for sympathy.”

“...I was trying to give you perspective,” she replied with an eyebrow raised.

Ace protectively took Athena by the shoulders to coax her away from Ed and toward the stove. She shrugged with an apathetic expression.

“Besides, I have a job lead in Langford,” he said through a mouth full of food.

“Langford?” Ace paused. “That’s in Enelle!”

“Very astute.”

“You’d move away?”

“Heck, yeah.”

“What is it?” Athena sat down at the table with her own plate as Ace did the same. Vance took up his plate last, his back facing the others.

“They’re looking for stablehands at this big horse breeding ranch out there. Supposedly they pay you good, feed you even better, and you can move up to training and trick riding pretty easy–especially with the skills I already have.”

“Wow,” Ace seemed genuinely surprised. “Working with horses does sound pretty cool.”

Ed hummed, stuffing another bite of meat and potatoes into his mouth. “Better than working with my government-issued horse that feels like it’s going to keel over at any moment.”

“We’d miss you,” Athena said, though she was quick to shoot Ace a glance when he snorted under his breath. “We really would!”

“Yeah, but this could finally give me that push out on my own I’ve been looking for. Not that being a patrolman wasn’t,” he swallowed. “But this could really be the start of a new passion.”

“Yeah, that’s great… go live your dreams…”

The dull tone of Vance’s voice caught them all off guard.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The older brother looked over his shoulder at Vance, still facing the pot at the stove. “You’ve got a job!”

“Yeah: stocking up the grocery store overnight! Talk about fulfilling!” He turned around suddenly and walked around the table to stiffly place his plate near the last empty chair.

Athena, again frowning, tried to console him. “Sometimes you have to have a stepping stone to get to where you need to be.”

“I’ve been living my whole life on stepping stones,” he leaned heavily on the table beside his plate, “all while you all get to do something meaningful with a purpose.”

“Playing guitar at the library for kids?” Ace pointed his thumb toward Athena. “We all know Madame Swordsmith is the breadwinner in this relationship.”

“At least you’re doing it! I can’t just show up at the library pushing a piano,” he huffed, “I would love to play for people; I would love to compose music!” Vance held out his hands. “Just so I can do something productive with this useless talent!”

"Hey, it’s far from useless,” Ace defended, “I’ve heard you play some of your original compositions around the house, and you’re incredible!”

Vance had slid into his chair. “It’s no good if I can’t do anything with it.”

“No, listen–I’ve been thinking: I have had a story in my head for ages that I've wanted to put to music–like a play.”

“Okay, but no offense, where would we even perform something like that?”

“I dunno, but we can figure that out,” Ace refused to back down.

“What if we planned an event here?” Athena gestured to the sitting room to their left, dimly lit from the light of the kitchen. “We could clean up the front room and set up an intimate concert experience!”

Vance squinted into the room, finding the upright piano against the back wall caught in the dull shaft of light.

“Oh, that would be neat!” Ace joined in with excitement in his voice. “We could get a handful of singers and all sit around the piano, and the audience would be right there with us.”

“Serve wine and cheese and I’m in,” Ed waved the potato on his fork. “So would half the town.”

“Yes! We could add candles and soft lanterns–I could make some simple decorations–”

Athena was cut short as Vance stood up from his chair abruptly.

"Guys, thank you. I... appreciate it.”

Without another word, he walked through the room, down the hallway, and into his bedroom. The door closed quietly behind him.

Left in the silence, the three friends looked in his direction with different shades of shock and confusion.

Ed was the first to break the stiffness with a sigh. He looked at his fork, studying the potato still upon it as if it held the answer to his many questions. “He hasn't been the same since the war,” he said softly.

“He almost died,” Ace muttered. “That can change a person; believe me.”

“Unlike you, it was not for the better,” Ed’s bearded chin did little to hide his frown.

Athena will still looking down the hallway. “Should I…”

“No,” the elder brother slid the last bite into his mouth and stood up. “I think we’ve tried enough already.”

Ace lifted his hand and set it on Athena’s shoulder. A concerned look was his response.

Ed tossed his plate into the sink and walked into the hallway.

“Hey, it’s your turn to do the dishes,” Ace called after him.

“I’ll do them later.”

Another closed door left Ace and Athena alone.

She turned to her boyfriend with a start. “I don’t care who’s turn it is: when we’re done, we’re cleaning the kitchen.”

“Agreed.” Ace nodded, glancing at Vance’s untouched plate across from him. 

“And then, maybe, he’ll come back for dinner.”

-----

I enjoyed the 'day in the life'-ness of this one, showing little bits of their relationships with each other :)

I'm pretty sure I wrote this once I realized Vance was going to become the Phoenix later on in the series (but it worked out that it ends up happening at the end of this Book now) to set up his 'inner turmoil.'

Book 4 is turning out to be one of the most pivotal books in the series, since it sets up a lot of the changes that take place in the second half of the series. I guess that is how a middle book works though, lol.

Also Ace has given Athena the nickname "Teena" which I think is adorable and I'm totally using it.