Queen May: Vendaturf Temple
15th July 1593
I hated them. I hate Cilan for being a nosy git. I hate Lance for being a calculated murderer. I hate Iris for being a childish whore. I hate Lance and Iris' noblemen who ganged up on my mom and burned her because Iris lost some sapphires that belonged to her father. My mother had lived in Hoenn all her life, why would she want their scabby sapphires anyway? She was innocent, and those gems were planted there.
They left a trail of dead and dying people behind them as they ruled. Ash and I knew we had to seize them, or at least do something about it. My mom's death and my father's abdication left Max behind. He was growing scrawny, the sickly and lamer everyday. Max had a fall and had broken his arm. But everyday he told himself that he was strong. He still prays for us, that me and Ash will have the greatest kingdom out there. Ash and I must show no fear, no weakness, no doubt.
I will take a stand to these tyrants. I will declare war on those regions and Pope Mickey will support us. He will support us because Hoenn stands for peace and unlike Unova and Johto we do not favour one type over others. I'm wearing my mother's favourite kimono. It was the one she wore on my parent's wedding. It was as white as a summer cloud and the gold shimmered.
We are outside of wedding season, but Ash and I felt that the time was right. It will not be an elaborate wedding. I am in no mood for massive feasts. I just want a minimalist wedding that is complementary to our tradition. We accept the fact that we're not an ordinary couple. Some couples don't even get a say at all in arranged marriages.
Ash and I were kneeling face to face in the main hall of the temple. Behind me were ladies and behind Ash were the men. Ash was in between his parents and I stood between my father and my brother. Max knelt at the place that was reserved for my mother, but I know she was watching with a smile on her face. She would be proud of me. The only thing standing between us was a statue of Arceus, our holy creator; Mew our holy ancestor, and our holy weather trio: Rayquaza, Kyogre and Groudon.
Everyone was holding a candle for us. Gathered around the statue of the holy legends were two cups of sake. There was light delacate music in the background that made me slip into my own dream world. The sweet soothing sound of the strings and the ethereal tone of the drums, gongs and strings mixed together. And the flute playing just sent chills down my heart.
I held on tightly to my ocarina. It had been in The Ketchum's family for years ever since The Princess Zelda gave it to Link as a child. Now I will become one of the Ketchums and once again the ocarina will join the Ketchum inheritance. After the music had stopped, I played a medley of the old tunes of Hyrule. Cardinal Drew rose from his mat and prayed to the statue.
It was clear Ash was becoming bored. He just wanted the whole thing over and done with. It's the coronation he's looking forward to. But that won't be until tonight. Ever Grande is where we will be crowned as the rightful rulers. It's not my problem though, if Ash starts snoring, Giovanni will nudge him awake. Though to be fair, we've been rehearsing very early and the sun was yet to rise. I guess Ash will have a good sleep after the celebration is over.
"Dearly beloved," Cardinal Drew said with his arms stretched out. "We are gathered here today to witness an historical event before our own eyes. For we are were to witness the joining of Queen May, the future Queen of Hoenn and Prince Ash Ketchum from Kanto. Before we began I must ask if any of you know of any reason to why these two may not be married. If you do, you must declare it now or forever hold your peace. As Arceus is our witness, if there is any reason why Queen May and Prince Ash may not be married... you need to declare it now."
No one spoke.
No one moved, except for Giovanni who had his hand in his pocket ready to unleash his sword.
Cardinal Drew nodded. "Very good. We shall continue. In the name of the creator, and of the ancestor and of the holy trios... AMEN!"
It's just so weird seeing Drew as the cardinal who will announce us man and wife, but also as king and queen. He used to be my childhood rival and my best friend at one point. He used to be a big supporter of Lance's democracy, but since that incident he had returned claiming that he received a message from Mew to come back to Hoenn.
"Do you Ash, Prince Of Kanto take Queen May to be your lawful wedded wife."
"I do."
"And do you, Queen May, Queen of Hoenn and Hyrule take Ash to be your lawful wedded husband."
"I do."
"Do you promise to love and serve one another for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live."
"We do."
"Then I ask you both to take each other's hand and drink Mew's sake which will purify your love and provide you a prosperous marriage."
We did as were were told and drank the sake in front of us. It was a musky flavour that was very overpowering. Ash turned a shade of purple as he tried to swallow the sake. As long as I knew him, he was never really a drinker.
"Now that we've exchanged our vows," Cardinal Drew announced. "I am proud to announce that Ash and May are now husband and wife."
Wow, that was a really quick ceremony. Everyone clapped in awe and were waiting for us to kiss. I went ahead and kissed Ash, but he was so startled that he didn't move his mouth.
King Ash: Ever Grande
15th July 1593
I wanted to cherish this day, but things were going so quick that I didn't have time to grasp it and taste it. I rode on Latias and May rode on Latios. Everyone else were making their own way to Ever Grande. Latios and Latias went slow and took lots of detours to get thhe guests a chance to arrive at the venue before us. Latias and Latios dropped us off at the back of the temple where monks escorted us to the throne.
This is The Ketchum Inheritance for me: a crown on my head and a queen's hearte. But my journey as king has only just begun. Everything else was just a warm-up. And I'm not going to have my dad around to prompt me. May is angry at what's happened to her mom, so she'll want to have a war with a country that two of my good friends rule.