Ever After: An Amourshipping and OC Story

Chapter 10

Miette marches tall and proud as she heads to the carriage taking her, Hania and Dawn to the ball. The three Adag women managed to sell enough items from the manor just in time to purchase a beautiful, green, orange and red dress with a mask styled to look like the face of a lovebird. Hania follows her daughter with a light brown dress while Dawn walks behind her mother wearing a black and white dress with a penguin mask.

“Why do I have to have a dress that’s so plain?” Dawn complains.

“Honestly, Dawn,” Hania rebukes. “The penguin is a majestic creature where the women do all the noble work while the men stay behind.”

Dawn secretly rolls her eyes and grumbles, “Well, then why don’t I just pull the carriage with the horses while I’m at it?”

“If you think that will get us there any faster,” Hania replies in a snobby tone.

Dawn glares at her mother from behind bitterly as the ladies get in their carriage. As it begins the departure to the Lumiose Castle, Miette and Hania discuss their plans to woo the prince into having him choose Miette to be his bride once and for all. Dawn, on the other hand, silently scoffs and looks out the window thinking sour thoughts about her mother and sister. But as they get further and further away from the Yvonne estate, her bitterness melts into pity as she wishes there was something she could do to free Serena and take her to the ball.

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Over in Lumiose Castle, the ball has already begun. Hundreds of people fill the courtyard as they happily eat, drink and dance. Fireworks are exploding above the castle, making people laugh and cheer in amazement. Timothy and Coovers are standing in front of the royal thrones, shaking hands and thanking words of appreciation from the Kalos citizens, poor and noble alike. Even in a reserved corner close to the castle gates, the Demoth people are enjoying themselves with food and drink and watching jugglers and magicians perform in from of them and the Kalos people.

But as the people are enjoying the masque, Ash is standing from a balcony a few stories above the courtyard with a sad look. He watches his citizens enjoy the party feeling nothing but bitterness for his broken heart. His mind is filled with regret and heartbreak from his mother telling him that the woman he loves is gone to marry another man.

“I understand you wanted to see me?”

Ash turns around to see Jeriack standing behind him. He frowns before he nods yes and turns back to watching the ball. Jeriack looks at his stepson for a moment before he sighs and walks over to him. The next thing Ash knows, he finds his stepfather’s hand on his shoulder and he turns his head to find Jeriack give him a sympathetic look.

“Your mother told me what happened with Comtesse de Ridley,” he explains.

Ash’s disappointment returns as he turns back to look down at the masque. Jeriack frowns sadly and looks at the night sky and bites his tongue.

“Listen...son,” he says.

At that word, Ash turns to look at his stepfather completely surprised. Jeriack shrugs his head as if to say, “Yeah, I know, I’m not used to it either,” before he continues.

“Look, I know I’m not your real father,” he begins. “I confess I hardly have an idea of how to properly act like one myself. I didn’t grow up spending as much time with my father as you did with yours, and yet I looked up to him as a leader. The best idea I ever had of how to be a real parent came from watching your mother parent you ever since our wedding and even then a blind and deaf idiot could figure out that your father’s passing left a hole in your life that neither I, your mother or the entire world could fill.”