| abstract | - When Ace first came to StormClan, he never thought he would find friendship. He never thought he would find love. But he needed an escape from the memories of his old life and he found it in StormClan, in one specific she-cat: Ryeheart. Ace has been in StormClan for six moons now and he’s had a variety of friends, including quiet Ryeheart. After a tragic battle where Ryeheart loses her dear brother, Ace finds himself comforting her, reminding her that they are still at the top of their own world. Despite the reassurance, Ryeheart is still having a hard time adjusting to her brother’s death. Ace stays by her side, telling her that they could run away metaphorically and let the grief fall behind them. To Ace, Ryeheart is paradise. She is his escape from the life he has always dreaded, the strict rules and forced relationships that hadn’t seem so forced before. Ace may not believe in love at first sight, but to him, six moons is enough to convince him of Ryeheart’s beauty. Ace doesn’t know how to reach Ryeheart’s heart. He wants a lifetime, but he know he doesn’t have that long to show her that he loves her. He reaches out to StarClan, despite not quite believing in them, and asks for help. Ace knows that Ryeheart doesn’t want to move on after her brother’s death and he tries to convince himself that he can stop loving her, to accept her wish. But he can’t undo his feelings for her, no matter how hard he tries. Ryeheart is encased in her secrets and so is Ace. The two must realize that if they are to reach one another’s hearts, they have to shout out their secrets and promise that they won’t expect each other to be perfect. Ace knows how much it hurts to lose someone you love and despite him and his friends helping Ryeheart, she can’t quite get over her brother’s death. Ace tells her that she can just fall into him and let all the grief out. He would, after all, do anything for her. Ace continues to help Ryeheart, directing her through ways to let go of someone you love so that you can move on. Life is like a boomerang, he decides, and sometimes you need to first break down before you can stand up again. Ace finally has Ryeheart in his embrace and he promises her that he’ll love her in any way that pleases her, because he cares that much about her. He wants her to be the one controlling the relationship, not him. Ace doesn’t want to be the cool one, he just wants to be himself. He wants Ryeheart to love him like he is and just just wants to be with her, no matter what. To him, she is the one giving him a new life, breaking down the old walls. Ryeheart is the best thing in Ace’s life and he never wants to let her go. He would rather die than to let her disappear from his life. All he has to do is tell her how much she means to him.
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