(Wristwatches were invented in 1836 (Theoretically, this story takes place sometime before that date but I wasn't trying to be accurate at all with a time period). Before that time people used pocket watches. When Asher gets his watch, no one would have seen such revolutionary technology before.)
The day of the ball finally arrived; it seemed the whole country was buzzing with excitement. The last two weeks had flown by as everyone prepared for the party. Ash in particular, had been very busy. He had been helping his stepsiblings prepare and making his own preparations. Mr. Able had not called on Ash, with all the excitement over the ball, it was impossible to meet. However, he had sent Ash a note detailing a plan that should satisfy Ash's conscience and his need for independence from his family. The plan would go into effect after the ball, and Ash felt great trepidation at the steps they were taking. Nevertheless, he accepted the plan and let Mr. Able know that they were going ahead. Then he put the plan far from his mind and focused on the immediate pleasure the ball would bring.
With great care, Ash dressed in the repaired suit that he had worked on. It was a dark navy color, and Ash had taken the best care to make it look like it was brand new. Standing in front of the mirror, he felt a great sense of pride in his work. The only thing that was lacking was a proper pair of shoes. He had borrowed some from his father's trunk, but the size was too different. Therefore, he was wearing his old shoes, much to his disappointment. Yet, Ash thought he was good enough to pass muster and happily went upstairs to wait for the coach. The family no longer had a coach of their own and had been forced to hire one from the town. His plan was to slide into the coach heading to the ball before anyone could order him away.
Ash didn't even get past the foyer however before he was noticed.
"What are you doing?" Anna said, seeing Ash try to slink by unnoticed. She was standing with her mother and Driscoll, his siblings were already dressed and ready for the coach.
Gathering his courage Ash looked Anna in the eye, "Waiting for the coach."
"You're not thinking of going…" Driscoll said in disbelief.
Anna laughed, "Ashes, you really are pathetic."
Ash looked to his stepmother, who had already decided to sit down in a chair and pretend she was somewhere else. Seeing she would be of no help, Ash stood firmly on his own.
"Yes I plan on going. The invitation was for everyone."
"Be serious Ash, no one will want you there." Driscoll said with a frown.
"Unless you are going to scrub the floors, maybe they will need you to help clean up the royal bathroom." Anna was laughing heartily.
"You're opinions are not needed. I am going." Ash said firmly and turned to walk away.
"What are you wearing on your feet?!" Anna seemed to have caught site of Ash's shoes.
Ash felt great annoyance, the shoes were the same ones he had worn for years but they had never had that reaction before.
"Was someone buried in that suit?" Driscoll reached out to grab a handful of the fabric.
Ash jerked away, not wanting Driscoll's hands on him. Sadly, when he moved so sharply the cuff of his coat ripped half off in Driscoll's hand.
Both Anna and Driscoll laughed at that, "Such a shabby thing, it will fall apart before we even arrive." Anna said pulling on the sleeve hard enough to pop the arm off the shoulder of the coat.
Ash had been stunned at first, but the more his siblings pulled on him the more he fought back. Soon the three of them were all in a fight, two against one.
"That is enough!" Stepmother yelled, making the three siblings pause. "The coach is here and you must hurry along now."
Anna, her hair askew hurried out the door, pulling her shawl back on properly. Driscoll dropped Ash, and Ash noticed with satisfaction that his nose had begun bleeding. With a sneer at Ash, he left the house.
"There is quite a mess here," Ash's stepmother said looking at Ash, "Clean it up now." Then she drifted away, back to her library.
Ash stood there, stunned, his suit was completely ruined. For a moment he dropped to his knees and began doing as he had been told, picking up the bits of his suit as well as two of the bows he had managed to pop off Anna's dress.
Then Ash felt a strong rise of bile and he ran out into the garden for fresh air. He threw up the little bit of lunch that he had eaten. He was thoroughly disgusted with his siblings in a way that he never had been before.
"Are you feeling better?" A strange voice asked.
Ash, turned around, surprised to see a stranger leaning on the garden gate. She was an old woman, wrapped in a dirty worn cloth. Ash wiped his mouth, "Yes." He lied. "Thank you."
The woman laughed, as if she knew that he was lying, "Could I have some food?" She asked.
Ash nodded, "Just a moment." He quickly went inside and took a whole loaf of bread and hunk of cheese out to the woman. "Here you are."
"Thank you." She accepted them gratefully. "You have a real spirit of kindness. What is your name?"
"Asher." This time he did not hesitate over his name. He was done being Ash he decided.
The woman nodded, "You really have grown up Asher. A few years ago, I thought you would turn yourself into a pumpkin without any help. But these last several weeks have been very good for you."
Ash cocked his head to the side, "Do I know you?"
She smiled and threw back the hood of her cape. When the hood fell back, she underwent a great transformation. Her grey wiry hair became long and flowing red hair that seemed to have live flowers living in it. Her garments became like gold, shining in the evening sunshine. Her skin turned to porcelain that gleamed with otherworldliness. "You knew me once Asher, tell me, do you know who I am now?"
"You are the Great Fairy." He said with certainty.
She smiled, and it was like the sun, "That is the name your ancestors gave to me when they first came to my valley."
"So you do live here!"
"Yes, and I have been watching over you all your life Asher. You have always pleased me with your kindness; it is your good heart that allows you to speak to the animals."
"Really?" Asher was surprised.
"Yes."
Asher frowned suddenly, "If you have been watching over me, why have you let these things happen?"
The Great Fairy laughed, not offended, "I only watch, I rarely intervened in the lives of people. I live for the nature of this place. I have let you manage your own life, just like your ancestors ran their own lives."
"Then why have you come now?"
The Great Fairy frowned, "Today is one of the rare exceptions. Do you know that people have magic of their own Asher?"
"Like talking to the animals?"
"Yes. People have great powers of kindness and also of hate. For example, when someone smiles and says good morning to you and wishes you well, the positive energy they create will follow you and make good things happen. The reverse is also true, when someone steps on your toes and you mentally wish ill on that person, a tiny bit of that hate will manifest and make your will come true."
Asher felt guilty suddenly; he had certainly just wished a great deal of ill on his stepsiblings.
"In this way people also curse themselves, if they believe something strong enough, like that they are worthless, eventually they will become worthless."
Asher thought for a moment, "So I cursed myself?" It seemed greatly unfair.
"To an extent. There were people and situations that were also against you, but you slowly slipped away into them until you were almost unrecognizable."
That was true; Asher had to admit that he had allowed life to roll over him.
"Not anymore though." The Great Fairy said with a smile, "Today you stood and found your name again."
Asher snorted, "And look where it got me." He indicated his tattered suit.
The Great Fairy nodded, "That is why I am here. You have remembered me and for that, I am thankful. Therefore, I will grant your wish to go to the ball." She pushed open the gate, "So let us get started, you have a party to attend."
Asher smiled, happy down to the bottoms of his toes.
"First things first, we need a mode of transport." She looked around the garden until she spied a pumpkin, "That should work!" She said happily.
"The pumpkin?" Asher said, hoping that the Great Fairy was not really a Great Looney.
"Don't get sassy now Asher, just go cut the pumpkin." She ordered.
Asher did as he was told, and cut the pumpkin free of its vine.
With a wave of her hands, and a few words in a language Asher did not know the pumpkin began growing. Within seconds, it was the largest pumpkin he had ever seen. Then she made it soar through the sky and land out on the dusty road. Then with a bright flash, it turned into a golden carriage shaped, oddly, like a pumpkin. It was beautiful and unique; certainly, nothing else like it would be at the ball.
"What shall we do about horses, hmmm, some mice should do."
"Mice?" Asher asked surprised.
"Oh absolutely!" She found six white mice and just like the pumpkin, they were transformed beyond their original beauty to become six white chargers for the carriage.
"Now we need some footmen." She mused, looking around the garden. The two old dogs ran up to her, wagging their tails. She gave them a smile, "Very well, you will be watching over him tonight." Then, waving her hands they changed into human forms and stood on the rear of the coach.
"What about a driver?" She asked.
Asher saw that Penelope and the kittens had arrived to watch the Great Fairy work her magic, "If I could make a suggestion?" Asher asked.
"Yes?"
"Percy." Percy was the name of the kitten that Finn and Asher had rescued together. It seemed appropriate that such an adventure-loving kitten would accompany Asher.
She raised a brow, "He is a little young to be driving a carriage."
Little Percy stepped forward and did his best to appear grown up, seemingly ready for the challenge.
The Great Fairy laughed, "Alright then, here you go Percy." She waved her hands and he turned into a human, it was true that he was young, maybe only fifteen, but he still climbed up into the driver's seat and looked excited.
"And now it is your turn Asher."
Asher wondered if the transformation would be as big as the ones the mice had to undergo.
She smiled as if she had heard what went through his mind, "Just a change of clothes perhaps?"
Asher nodded and the Great Fairy again waved her hands.
The suit fabric changed, instead of the worn cloth it had been before it became an exquisite wool. The cut of the suit changed, before it had been double-breasted cut, the more fashionable choice when his father purchased the garment, now it was a single breast suit, more flattering on his shorter figure. Lastly, the fabric color changed, the navy color seeped away and was replaced with a grey-green that was a better combination with his amber eyes.
It was the best suit that he and ever owned. On his feet were a pair of dancing shoes of the softest leather that Asher had ever felt. Running a hand through his hair, he realized she must have given him a haircut, for the first time in a while; his hair was nice and even.
Pulling his hand back, he looked at the odd watch and bracelet on his wrist. They were complementing pieces, made to be worn together; they were all glass except for the silver hands on the face of the clock and the two clasps.
"A watch?" He asked. Pocket watches were common, but Asher had never heard of a watch like this that was worn on the wrist. It was beautiful but he had never been much into accessories so the watch and bracelet felt strange on his wrist.
"It keeps very good time. It also has another purpose, my magic is best in this valley; outside of here, it does not last very long. You will only have until midnight before my magic is done, then everything will turn back to the way it was. So keep an eye on your watch because riding a real pumpkin home will be very challenging."
Asher nodded; midnight would be plenty of time for him.
She gave her arms another wave and bits of light bounced off him. "That spell will make sure that no one recognizes you, otherwise your family might cause a commotion."
Asher thought of Finn, "There might be someone that I want to recognize me." Asher realized it probably wasn't polite to be asking more of the Great Fairy.
She simply smiled, "I understand." Another wave of lights bounced off Asher's coat.
"Well then, on you way to the ball young man." She hurried him toward the carriage.
"Thank you for everything." Asher said, feeling tears choke him up.
She took his hand, "You did this for yourself Asher, don't forget that you will be standing on your own feet from now on."
Asher nodded and climbed into the coach. Faster than any other carriage could travel, the pumpkin set off and before he knew it his house was out of sight, the Great Fairy vanished in the last of the setting sun.
Percy turned out to be a very good driver; the ride to the palace was smooth as silk. He hoped down from the carriage with the help of his dog/footmen. As he stepped down, Asher's glass watch slipped off his wrist on dropped on the ground. Thankfully, it wasn't broken and he carefully put it back on his wrist and fastened the silver clasp. It seemed strange that something from the Great Fairy would break so quickly, but he put it out of his mind.
Instead he worried about entering the ball, suddenly he felt very nervous to be entering such a place. Moreover, wasn't he entering under false pretenses? Dressed like this he was surely giving people the wrong idea. Was it really okay to do this?
"Don't worry so much." Percy said leaning down from the driver seat with a cocky smile.
"Easy for you to say." Asher replied.
"If you see Finn again say hi for me." Percy wiggled his eyebrows suggesting that he knew about the relationship the two men had.
Asher shot him a look, the kitten was really growing up!
However, it gave him the needed courage and Asher went up the stairs into the palace.
