Cinders and Ashes
A/N: At last! After so long, I've finally completed this last chapter of the story. I'll only give y'all this reason for my long silence: a lot of things had happened in my life that completely rocked my world. Nothing quite extreme, but they were still enough to make my head spin. Because of those, I didn't have the motivation to write anything for anything.
But now, I've been regaining my footing, and I'm starting to both update and finish some of my stories that have been incomplete for too long, as well as getting ready to post some new stories, both in my usual fandoms and crossovers, and beginning to get into some new ones. It's a slow process, though. So all I ask is to please keep being patient with me. Life is not all fun and games for anyone, including me. If I could spend all my days writing, I would. But as an adult human being, I do have more important priorities. Something that I still need to learn and balance.
All heavy talk aside though, you guys have been waiting long enough for this finale. So let's get on with it! Roll it!
Chapter 11
True Love Always Finds You
Several more hours had passed, and by now, the traveling brigade led by the Grand Duke Giovanni had reached close to the border of the kingdom. Everyone had begun to lose hope that the Mystery Prince was somewhere within the kingdom's boundaries. Giovanni had looked over at Captain Flint, who was beginning to look both defeated and fatigued.
"What's wrong, Captain?" He asked him.
"We haven't found the lad. I'm disappointed for our princess." Flint answered. After all, he and Princess Dawn were close, with him viewing her as a younger sister. He really hoped that he could find her Mystery Prince and make her happy. But no one could recite the quote that the amulet he was safekeeping correctly.
"Come on, now!" Giovanni tried to assure him. "Don't lose heart. We still have a couple more houses near the border. We must leave no stone unturned."
Except for one. He thought to himself as he expertly hid a knowing, malicious smirk.
Inside the manor, Serena could hear the sound of some Ride Pokémon coming closer to the grounds. Her heart started to pound hard. At the moment, she was in her father's quarters, searching for the key to the attic.
"Oh, no." She whispered, and she and Sylveon began to search even faster, hoping to find the key in time.
If they don't come to investigate the house right now, then they'll pass us by! And Ash will have lost his chance of happiness forever! She thought in her mind frantically. I can't let that happen! I have to make it up to him for all these years. I don't deserve his forgiveness, but he is my stepbrother. It's about time I truly treat him like family.
Just then, Sylveon made a chirp of excitement. Serena turned around to where she sent her to look into her father's desk and saw that around one of her Fairy type's ribbon feelers was the key. She let out a sigh of relief.
"Great job, Sylveon!" She exclaimed with a quiet cheer. "Now give that to Ash. I'll see if I can stall or bring the brigade to the grounds."
Sylveon chirped in affirmation and bounded out of the room with the key. Serena then hurried over to the front doors of the manor, pretending to greet her father.
"Father!" She called out, reaching the brigade as they were about to pass it.
Giovanni was surprised to see his elder daughter coming up to him. "Serena!" He said. "What are you doing here?"
Serena then put on her best cordial act. "I was wondering if you have found the Mystery Prince yet." She answered.
"No, my dear." Giovanni answered, trying his best to remain collected despite the feeling of suspicion he was having. "We've searched all over the kingdom, and nothing."
"Were you going to stop by our place, Father, to continue your investigation?" Serena asked, acting as innocent as she could. She then saw her father lightly tense up at her words, immediately catching onto her instigation.
Up in the attic, Sylveon had managed to finally reach the top of the stairs. She then squeaked to get Ash's attention. There was a rustling sound heard from the other side of the door.
"Sylveon?" Ash asked.
The Fairy type squealed in confirmation as she heard Ash's footsteps come to the door. "Did you and Serena find the key?" He asked.
Sylveon chirped happily again before sliding the key under the door with her long feeler. "Yes!" Ash cheered.
He snatched up the key and quickly unlocked the door. He opened it and was greeted with an excited pounce from Sylveon. He laughed as she nuzzled his face with both her own and her feelers.
"Cut it out, that tickles!" Ash laughed.
Then he winced as both he and Sylveon remembered that he still had some nasty injuries because of Giovanni's Persian. Sylveon crooned sadly, apologizing for forgetting that he was hurt.
"It's okay, Sylveon." Ash assured her, petting her head. "I'll be fine."
He then got back up onto his feet. "Let's go!" He said.
But before he and Sylveon could begin heading downstairs, there was a loud growl coming from above. They both jumped out of the way right as Giovanni's Persian landed gracefully yet powerfully on the stairs. He must've been hiding in the rafters, waiting to see if Ash escaped.
"Uh-oh." Ash muttered while Sylveon got in front of him, hissing protectively. Persian only returned the hiss angrily, both of them ready for a fight if either of them made the first move.
Back outside, the Grand Duke was beginning to lose his composure with his elder daughter. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, darling." Giovanni replied. "We are checking all of the houses that have eligible young men that attended the festival. And I am the only man in this household."
"But don't we have a servant boy here as well?" Serena asked, expertly still appearing to be innocent and unaware of the situation. "I have been looking for him all day, and I couldn't find him anywhere."
Flint raised a brow at this. "A servant boy?" He asked, sneaking a peek over at Giovanni riding next to him, who looked even closer to losing his cool.
Serena nodded. "Yes." She said, looking over at Flint. "He's about my age, and the only servant we have here."
"Serena, don't you remember?" Giovanni asked through gritted teeth. "I had him dismissed yesterday."
The honey-blonde young woman only narrowed her eyes at the man she once called 'father'. "I thought I heard you yelling at him yesterday. But I didn't hear you order him to pack his things. I just heard you locking him up in the attic." She answered back.
"Why, you-!" The livid Giovanni was suddenly cut off from a cheerful cry up from above.
Everyone looked up and saw the princess's Togekiss coming down for a landing. On her back was Piplup and a familiar Pikachu. Both smaller Pokémon jumped off and cut off Giovanni from coming closer to Serena. Pikachu's cheeks sparked dangerously, while Piplup braced himself to get ready to use a Water attack at any moment.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Giovanni demanded.
One of the soldiers came up to the Pokémon and got off their Dodrio. They then knelt down in front of them, looking at Pikachu specifically.
"I remember you." Their voice was feminine, and very familiar to the Pokémon.
The soldier removed their hood and revealed themself to be Princess Dawn! The soldiers, along with the Grand Duke and Serena, were surprised that the princess had the audacity to disguise herself as a soldier. Piplup chirped happily at the appearance of his mistress, as did Togekiss. Dawn just smiled at them before looking back at Pikachu.
"You're his little friend, aren't you?" She asked.
Pikachu was also surprised by Dawn's appearance. This was what Piplup and the others meant that they already had someone who could believe him. He then squeaked in confirmation to her question and showed her the other half of Ash's amulet around his neck. Dawn's eyes widened when she saw it.
"Where is he?" Dawn had just asked the question before there was a loud cry of pain coming from the tower of the manor. Serena's blood ran cold. She knew that cry.
"Sylveon!" She cried out, worried for her companion.
Pikachu scurried back over to Togekiss and jumped onto her back. He barked out an order to her, and she swiftly became airborne again. She flew up and over to the window of the tower, and Pikachu got ready to bust through the window, a Quick Attack beginning to build up in his bones.
"Sylveon!" Ash cried out as he watched in horror as the Fairy type was suddenly launched back into his attic room because of Persian's Power Gem. He hurried over to her, seeing how battered she was.
But despite her injuries, Sylveon got back up onto her paws, still willing to protect Ash as Persian entered the room, snarling viciously, like a predator having cornered its prey. Ash just held the Fairy type close to him.
"Stop it, Persian!" He shouted at him. "Your master is responsible for all the hardships I've faced in my life. You don't have to do this!"
But the Normal type just growled at him and lunged forward, a Shadow Claw forming around his right paw. Ash held Sylveon closer to him and braced himself for the blow.
Suddenly, the window shattered, and something small and yellow quickly zoomed inside, hitting Persian in the side, knocking him to the wall. Ash and Sylveon looked up and saw Pikachu poised in a battle stance in front of them, his cheeks sparking angrily as he growled protectively.
"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, happy to see his best friend.
Persian shook off his fur and hissed hatefully at the small Electric mouse. In their own dialect, the two shared a brief exchange of words.
"I've had it with you, you miserable, insignificant rodent!" The Persian roared at him.
But Pikachu only glared back. "Then come and get me, you waste of fur." He challenged.
Persian lunged forward again, another Shadow Claw forming. But Pikachu got ready with another Quick Attack and countered it, both attacks canceling the other out. While Persian was disoriented, Pikachu charged up his tail with Steel type energy, forming an Iron Tail attack. He then swung it into Persian's neck, sending him flying out of the room and down to the bottom floor of the tower.
Pikachu snorted harshly as he panted for breath. "Looks like the cat lost to the mouse." He said in his dialect before turning around to face Ash, relieved that his human was okay.
"Great job, Pikachu." Ash said to his Pokémon partner.
Just then, Togekiss made herself known by cooing musically from where she was flying next to the window. Ash carefully got up onto his feet with Sylveon in his arms to see the Jubilee Pokémon out there.
Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and chirped encouragingly. Ash nodded and then headed over to the window, getting onto the ledge. He took a deep breath and jumped out, landing on Togekiss's back. The Fairy and Flying type then carefully swooped back down to the ground, where the brigade was.
Serena was the first to greet them. "Sylveon!" She exclaimed with worry, seeing her precious Fairy type companion looking so battered.
"She'll be alright." Ash assured her as he carefully put Sylveon into her mistress's arms, the Fairy type squeaking softly but happily when she saw her. "She's one tough Pokémon."
Serena smiled at her stepbrother. "Thank you." She said gratefully.
"What is going on here?!" Ash and Serena turned around to see Miette coming up to them, looking outraged. "You stay out of this, Cinders and Ashes! What business do you have with the princess?"
"She ordered that every young man will accept her challenge to see if he could prove himself to be her Mystery Prince." Serena calmly explained.
"And you honestly believe that he is?" Miette asked, looking scornfully at Ash.
"Yes, I do." Serena answered firmly, her eyes narrowed.
That got her half-sister to shut up, looking gobsmacked. Serena then pulled Miette out of the way, giving Ash one more encouraging smile as she and Miette made their way to stand on the sidelines, close to the brigade.
Ash returned his redeemed stepsister's smile before looking ahead of him. There, he could see Dawn standing there, her beautiful sapphire blue eyes swirling with awe and anticipation. The rest of the brigade was as well. But Giovanni looked absolutely furious.
In an instant, it suddenly felt like Ash couldn't breathe. He had never been this nervous before. And it wasn't because of all the people looking at him curiously or angrily. It was because he was standing before Dawn, not in fancy clothes, or behind his anonymity. He was standing before her as he truly was.
But will it be enough? There was no magic or help from fairy parental spirits to help him this time. It could be the greatest risk that anyone could take: to be seen as they are. To try and calm his nerves, Ash shut his eyes to try and drown out the beating of his heart booming in his ears.
Just then, he felt a warm and familiar presence behind him. He didn't need to open his eyes to see who it was. He could already tell, and a little smile appeared on his face. It was the spirits of his parents, both of them placing a hand on one of his shoulders.
"Have courage, and be kind, my son." Jayce whispered the reminder ethereally into his ear.
"Know that you are loved for who you are." Delia added softly before planting a little kiss on Ash's temple. "By us, by your friends, and by the woman you found to be your true love."
Ash didn't open his eyes, but his smile grew a little wider as he managed to ease his nerves. He then felt the presence of his parents fade away into a realm beyond the mortal plane. He then opened his eyes to look at Dawn again.
Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder, removed the amulet half from around his neck and handed it to his friend. The raven-haired young man gingerly took it and held it close to his heart. With that last bit of reassurance, he took a couple of steps closer to Dawn.
Dawn didn't say a word, just taking the sight of him in as he bowed cordially to her. He was not dressed in fancy clothes like the times she had seen him at the festival. He was dressed in worn out servant attire, like when she had first met him in the forest. Now she will finally get the answers she had been wanting for days. Staring with the most important and nagging of them all.
"Who are you?" She asked as the young man before her slowly straightened himself up.
He took one last deep breath before he answered her. "My name is Ash. Ash Ketchum."
His last name raised a few murmurs throughout the brigade. Many people still knew of his father's successful trade, and of his untimely death years before. Ash then continued to speak, still looking at Dawn right in the eye as he slowly walked closer to her.
"Your Highness, I'm no prince." He added, laying out his raw soul and heart to her. "I have no carriage, no parents, and no more money to my name. For it was all taken from me when my parents passed years ago, and I was left in the care of the Grand Duke, who ever misused me. If my half of an amulet that once belonged to my parents does fit your half, all I will ask is that will you take me as I am? A humble, honest country boy who loves you with his whole heart?"
There were tears forming in his eyes as Ash stood face to face with Dawn. The princess remained silent for a moment before a watery smile filled with love came on her face as she took a step closer to him.
"Of course I will." She answered. "But only if you will love me as I am. An apprentice still learning her trade." Both of them lightly chuckled at their little joke, remembering how they first met only days before. When Ash thought that Dawn was just an apprentice seamstress and not the princess.
Dawn then reached into her tunic pocket and pulled out her half of the amulet, coming over to Ash's side so that everyone could see the fitting. She and Ash then slowly brought their respective halves together. They fit together perfectly, forming the complete shape of the shield that it was.
The crowd all gasped in awe when they saw the now whole amulet. Ash and Dawn just smiled breathlessly, knowing that they had finally found each other again.
"The true courage inside comes from a loving heart." Ash recited the engraving. The shield amulet was completed with the shield design facing him and Dawn, while the engraving was shown to the brigade.
Dawn just chuckled again before wrapping her arms around Ash in a tight and loving hug, tears of joy and relief starting to form in her eyes. Ash returned the embrace just as lovingly, feeling a tremendous weight come off his shoulders. It was a sense of freedom that he had not truly felt in years; the only times recently having been with Dawn.
Serena shed a tear of joy, hurt and acceptance. She knew that Ash was now truly happy, and finally with his true love. Even if it wasn't her, she still cared enough for him and their newly established bond as true siblings to let those feelings go and embrace the joy he found in someone else. Someone who had always loved him since they first met.
"How- how can this be?!" Miette shrieked, making everyone look at her as she stomped up to Ash, pointing a finger at him. "This is impossible! You are the Mystery Prince?!"
Flint just rode up to her and grabbed her by the arm. "Come along, miss." He said, pulling her away from the couple.
"This makes no sense!" Miette continued to screech. "You are worth nothing, Cinders and Ashes! Let go of me! Do you know who I am?!"
Giovanni saw this as an opportunity to try and slip away. But Serena saw her father attempting to sneak away and quickly ordered her Sylveon, who had regained most of her strength, to tie up the legs of Giovanni's Dodrio with her ribbon-like feelers. The three-headed bird fell down onto its side, immobile, sending the Grand Duke tumbling down to the rocky gravel road.
But he still got up onto his feet and tried again to escape, making a break for it. But then, another Dodrio came in front of him, cutting him off. Everyone looked at the rider on top of the Dodrio as they removed their cloak and hood. Much to everyone's surprise, the rider was revealed to be Queen Johanna herself! She narrowed her eyes sternly at Giovanni.
"I believe you have some explaining to do, Grand Duke." The queen said firmly, making it clear that he was not going to get away that easily.
The now disgraced Grand Duke Giovanni Vanderwylen just scowled and looked over at where Ash was standing. The younger man didn't react in the slightest way. Giovanni then felt a couple of guards come over and grab his arms, making him walk ahead of them as they followed his still complaining younger daughter off to the side of the chateau.
Johanna then looked over at her daughter and the young man who had won her heart. "Now, it seems that we have much to get ready for." She said with a smile before riding away.
Ash and Dawn looked very much surprised as they watched the queen ride away. "Well, I guess I had to get my rebellious streak from somewhere." Dawn piped up. Everyone just laughed as guards began to make the necessary preparations.
Several weeks had gone by. Upon his reveal of being the so-called Mystery Prince, the Queen ordered the guards to pack up all of Ash's belongings, which weren't very many, and bring them to the castle that very day, where Ash will now live, along with his Pokémon friends. Ash had tried to decline the offer, saying that he can pack his own things, but Dawn assured him that it was alright. She just told him that it meant that her mother already loved him as if he were her own, and that meant that he was going to be treated like a prince. Eventually, Ash gave up and let the queen handle things.
After Ash and his Pokémon friends had settled into the castle, a trial was immediately held, where the Grand Duke was charged with his crimes of murdering Jayce and Delia Ketchum, abusing Ash, and attempting to kill him. He was found guilty on all of them, and the punishment was exile, stripped of his title and money. He and Miette were banished and sent off to a work camp in a distant land, so that they would never set foot in the kingdom again.
Knowing that it will be the last time he will ever see him again, Ash did one more thing. From the true and awe-inspiring kindness of his heart, he forgave Giovanni for all that he had put him through for the past several years. Then, he and Dawn left the courtroom, and they never spoke or thought of the Grand Duke again.
Because of her help in rescuing Ash, Serena was not given a punishment. But because of her father's and half-sister's banishment, she had no money to her name. Dawn offered her to stay in the castle as a lady-in-waiting to her, as a way to thank her. Serena gratefully accepted the offer, and she was pleasantly surprised that Dawn and Ash invited young Lord Calem to stay for a time. She had blushed and glared at her stepbrother, who only gave her a cheeky smile and a wink.
Now, it has come to be a long-awaited day in the kingdom. The day that their beloved princess finally gets married to her true love. At the moment, Ash and Dawn were standing in a well-decorated room, looking at the newest portrait on the wall. One of them in their wedding attire.
"Yeesh. Now I see what you mean." Ash teased. "I don't like myself in paintings."
Dawn giggled as she looked at the other portraits on the wall. Two of them were of her parents, and the other two were of Ash's.
"I think my mother would have loved yours." She said.
Ash smiled. "And I can picture our fathers becoming good friends as well."
They then faced each other. Ash was wearing a stunning black silk tuxedo with a crisp white shirt underneath, and a matching black silk bow tie around his neck and black shoes on his feet. Pinned on the side of his chest was a white rose boutonniere, and on the other side was his amulet.
Dawn was wearing a beautiful, white sleeveless gown with little white roses on the front, the sash tied in the back in a perfect bow. Her wedding gown trailed down to her ankles, where on her feet were white low heels. Around her neck was a beautiful diamond necklace, and on her head was her tiara, with a simple thin veil pinned behind it.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
Ash took a deep breath. "Have courage, and be kind." He recited his father's words.
Dawn smiled. "And all will be well." She added.
They both smiled at each other lovingly before they began to walk towards the open balcony doors of the room. "And I'm ready for anything." Ash answered his new wife's previous question. "As long as it's with you."
Dawn smiled brightly at her new husband, and then they both stepped out onto the balcony, where beneath was the castle courtyard, filled with cheering guests as they greeted their princess and their new prince. Thousands of white rose petals rained down from the sky, baskets of them being carried by Flying types. Off to the side, Pikachu, Piplup, Buneary and Sylveon were there, along with Johanna and Serena. They all smiled happily at the newly married couple as they stepped further out onto the balcony.
They then faced each other again, their smiles almost reaching from ear to ear. "My prince." Dawn said, looking directly into Ash's warm brown eyes.
"My Dawn." Ash replied lovingly before they both shared a tender kiss in front of everyone, making everyone cheer loudly again.
After several moments, they broke the kiss, still grinning happily at each other. They then faced the happy crowd again and waved to all of them as rose petals continued to rain down. As Ash waved down to the people, he saw the floating images of his parents on top of the roof. He smiled at them before continuing to wave to the people.
Jayce and Delia smiled at their son, looking the happiest he had ever been. They then looked at each other and shared a soft smile with each other before they faded away in the midst of rose petals with little sparkles.
Ash and Dawn were eventually known to be the kindest and fairest rulers that the kingdom had ever known. As time passed, with them taking the throne after Johanna's retirement, they soon welcomed their first child, a daughter. They took it upon themselves to raise her, and any more children in the future, just as Ash had been taught to see the world.
To see it not as it is, but as it could be, if only they remember to have courage, be kind, and to always believe in themselves. And even in just a little bit of magic. And they all lived happily ever after.
A/N: Well, I really hope that despite all of the long pauses between chapters, you guys enjoyed this finale, as well as the story in its entirety. This was a real mental labor of love.
For what's coming up with my Pokémon fanfics, I'll share a little bit of what I have planned. I do plan to upload a new chapter for both "My Sister, the Princess", and for "Faith Knows No Bounds." Then I will begin a rewrite of "Brave to Dare", while also seeing if I can maybe start a new fanfic based off a fairytale.
And yes, Ash will be the main character again. I'm so sorry! Honestly, that dude pretty much is a living stereotype of any Disney princess, despite that the fact that he is a boy. All of the Pokégirls have potential to play in the role, but Ash can just fit into the role just as easily. It's actually kind of freaky, now that I think about it. Back to the potential fairytale fanfic, if you guys want, you can take a guess of which Disney fairytale it will be.
I'm happy to be back, though! Can't wait to share more stories with you guys! Please leave a review about what you think! They are highly appreciated.
See you guys next time! Got to fly! ;)