New Story - Mike and Ashley (or Michele and Aishling)

For several years I have wanted to write a story based on an old tale from about a thousand years ago. I had been sitting on it until a week or two ago when my muse gave me a figurative kick in the ass. I quickly wrote a summary of the story and then got to writing it. It has taken me only a week to put together almost 22,000 words of what I think is a very nice story. I'd thought at first it would be a bit longer; however, I think this length was right. I'm interested to see if anyone will identify the ancient story. It is quite popular in some artistic circles. I took a few liberties with the ending; however, over the years, there have been many endings. There are nine chapters, and the final clue is in the last paragraph of the last chapter. Please enjoy Mike and Ashley.