Cinders and Ashes
A/N: I actually updated this sooner than I thought. Probably because since I've been watching a lot of Disney movies since this quarantine thing began with my mom and youngest brother, I got pretty inspired. But I'm pretty sure after this chapter, I'm going to try to update some older stories on fanfiction.net and finish them. So like I said before, updates on this story won't be very frequent.
But I hope this can spark some more interest in it while you guys wait for some other stories of mine to be updated. Let's get on with Chapter 2. Roll it!
Chapter 2
A New Friend in the Forest
Where had the time gone by? It had been six years since Grand Duke Giovanni took in an orphaned Ash and moved into his country manor, along with his own two daughters: two lovely but vain young ladies named Serena and Miette. They both seemed to find Ash quite attractive when he was working at the Grand Duke's chateau a couple of months before, but he paid them and their subtle flirts no mind, finding them to be quite rude and conceited. But once they and their father had moved into his country manor home, Giovanni made some major changes to the normal routine that Ash was familiar with.
After dismissing the staff, he moved Ash and all his personal belongings and a few of his parents' into the cold, drafty attic in the only tower of the manor while his daughters took his own bedroom to share, and he made the young boy tend to his and his daughters' every need and want while they squandered the remainder of his father's wealth from his trade. Ash managed to make the attic a bit more comfortable for him, despite it being filled with old desks and gardening tools. At least it was the one place in the manor where he could hide away from his stepfamily.
The trinkets that belonged to his parents were all Ash had left of them. One of them, the most precious to him, was a wooden amulet that his father had carved for his mother for their anniversary years ago. The shield-shaped amulet could be broken into two pieces to become two separate amulets. There was an intricate design carved into it, and in the center of it was a heart, along with a little message carved on the back.
A few months before his mother had died, she gave it to him and told him to protect it and to one day give it to his own true love. At first, Ash found it to be a bit mushy, since he was only fourteen and romance was the furthest thing from his mind. But even now that he was a young adult man, and was basically treated as a slave, the thought of even finding true love seemed like a faraway fantasy. What good-hearted woman would want to be with a man like him; an orphan with practically nothing to give to her? Nonetheless, he kept his promise to his mother and cherished that wooden amulet greatly, keeping it out of reach from his stepfamily.
The gardening tools reminded him of his mother, and often, whenever Ash would get a quick break from his duties, he and his Pokémon friends, including his father's Arcanine and his mother's Mr. Mime would make the short trip to the field where his parents were buried side by side and tend to both the strong birch tree of his father, and the soft pink cherry tree of his mother, which had grown into a beautiful and healthy fruit tree right next to his father's birch, bearing many sweet and red cherries during harvest time and bringing forth gorgeous pale pink cherry blossoms in the springtime. He would even bring a basket full of the small red fruits back as a treat for himself and his friends before his stepfamily would devour them all, leaving nothing behind but the stems and pits.
However, despite this, Ash was left to do all of the work around the manor, the others never lifting up a finger. But they said that it was a good thing for the young man, for it distracted him from his grief, and they were all too happy to provide him with lots of "distraction." He would be up at the crack of dawn, prepare breakfast for everyone and feed the household Pokémon, and then spend the entire day working until the late hours of the night.
Ash would hardly have the chance to eat at all during the day, though he wouldn't dare eat with his stepfamily. The last time he did that, Giovanni sent all of his food and plate flying, ending up with a mess on the floor. Breakfast was the only real meal he had during the day. Lunch was practically nonexistent, so his Pokémon friends from the forest nearby would often bring him some Berries and fruits to help keep up his strength. And for dinner, he would have the table scraps that his stepfamily left behind.
There were a few times, by the end of the day, Ash was too tired to sleep in the drafty attic, so he would rest by the dying embers of the fireplace in the kitchen to keep warm. But he wouldn't complain too much about being too tired to go up into the attic. Honestly, he would be too tired to even whinge, and a warm place to sleep would be all he would want.
Also, the Grand Duke really didn't like that as he continued to grow up, despite all of his menial chores, Ash became quite a handsome young man of twenty years; kind, strong and charming, making him quite jealous of him. So he made him wear the dirtiest and faded clothes, many of them having holes that needed to be sewn up often and pants that needed to be patched up from time to time. The shoes that he was forced to have also had to be fixed up and polished often.
His daughters still found him attractive, but how could Ash even start to see either of them in a romantic light when they treat him so poorly? At least Giovanni made sure that they wouldn't take advantage of him, even if they commanded him to do so. He wanted his daughters to be "virtuous" and find wealthy suitors, not force a ragged slave to satisfy their lust for flesh.
Ash knew that he didn't deserve this tortuous life. But he had nowhere else to go. And he promised his parents that he would cherish the home they lived in. By staying, he's loving the manor not just for himself, but for his parents as well.
And yet, through all the abuse and the cold nights, Ash remained ever gentle and kind. He still had Pikachu, Arcanine, Mr. Mime and his special Skychaser as his best friends. There were also some other Pokémon from the forest that he had befriended throughout the years, and the other household Pokémon as well, who he all treated with an open heart and an open hand. At least he wasn't completely alone.
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One night, long after his stepfamily had left for bed, Ash was sitting alone at the table in the kitchen, lightly pushing around the table scraps on his plate that served as his supper. There were only a few vegetables and some leftover chicken soup. Pikachu had only a few Berries to snack on, while Arcanine and Mr. Mime were already sleeping.
Just then, Ash heard a scuttling noise from in the corner of the kitchen. His face brightened when it saw two male Pichu, a male Caterpie, a male Sewaddle, a female Scatterbug, a male Starly, and a female Pidove appear from outside. Those seven were the ones who he saw more often than his other Pokémon friends from the forest.
"There you are." He said, coming over to them. "I was wondering when you guys would finally show up." He then went over to the cupboard and got out a few dishes.
Pikachu got out the Berries that he didn't touch yet and gave them to their friends. Then, Ash placed a bowl in front of each Pokémon, having filled them with more of the scraps that were left behind by his stepfamily. For the Bug types, they only had the veggies, while the others had some chicken broth with theirs.
"Not much scraps today, but at least it's enough to last the night." Ash said, petting each Pokémon gently as Pikachu climbed onto his master's shoulder.
The seven Pokémon just smiled at their human friend as they ate the late night snack that he so generously gave them even though he had very little to share. Yet he was willing to for them. Ash returned the smile before he turned to Pikachu, who also gave him a reassuring grin and gently nuzzled his cheek, making him chuckle softly.
Soon, their friends had their fill and left before they accidentally alerted their presence to the cruel humans who their friends had to live with. Ash watched them disappear into the forest before he and Pikachu scooped up all the bowls and placed them in the sink. He then began to wash the bowls and the remaining dirty dishes left behind by his stepfamily.
When he was done, the old grandfather clock that was down the hall had struck two in the morning. Feeling very tired, Ash and Pikachu started to make their exhausting walk up towards their room in the attic. However, when they reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to it, Ash felt a shiver go down his back, and he rubbed his arms to keep them warm.
"Nope." He said, shaking his head as he looked up, yawning lightly. "Too cold."
Pikachu only shivered in agreement before they quickly headed back to the kitchen. They gently laid on the side of Arcanine's back where he was resting near the fireplace, near the dying embers of the hearth. Arcanine shifted a little bit to accommodate his deceased master's son and his Electric type partner before falling deeply asleep again.
Soon, after he lightly stoked the embers, Ash and Pikachu fell into a deep slumber, feeling warm by the fire and having the Pokémon that belonged to Ash's parents beside them as they slept. Ash's head was then filled with warm and loving memories of how things used to be when he was a boy, having everything he could want, and yet, the things that mattered most were his friends and family.
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Loud bells clanging woke Ash up the next morning, and the Pokémon. He looked over to see the bell system that his stepfamily would use when they needed him hanging on the wall, and it was going crazy. He quickly got up from his spot and immediately began prepping breakfast for them.
About half an hour later, Ash had breakfast ready and went up to the main dining room, where his stepfamily was waiting for him, bringing the breakfast trays with him on a cart. Pikachu was with him, not on his shoulder but on the floor.
Giovanni was looking at him with dark stern eyes, while his daughters gazed at him adoringly, Persian lying by his feet. Serena had honey blonde hair cut short to her shoulders, icy blue eyes and fair skin, wearing a casual pink dress with red trimmings. Miette on the other hand, had short periwinkle hair, red eyes and fair skin, and she was wearing a casual turquoise dress with darker colored trim and a white headband in her hair. Beside each of them was a female Braixen and a female Slurpuff.
"What took you so long?" Giovanni asked him.
Ash lightly gulped, but remained calm and poised. "I'm sorry, Your Grace." He said. "I had to mend the fire in the kitchen before I brought up your breakfast."
Giovanni just scoffed. "See to it that you remember that you can deal with the fireplace after you're done with our meal." He said.
Ash only nodded his head meekly as he brought him his plate. "As you wish, Your Excellency." He said obediently.
Before he left, Giovanni suddenly grabbed his arm, making him face him. He inspected his face carefully. "Ash, lad, what's that on your face?"
Ash blinked in confusion. "Your Excellency?" He asked him, not sure of what he meant.
Giovanni gestured over to the mirror on the opposing wall, and Ash looked over at it. In his reflection, he saw small black smudges all over his face.
"It's soot from the fireplace." Miette said, giggling cruelly.
Giovanni released Ash's arm. "Do clean yourself up, boy." He said.
Pikachu quickly handed Ash a wet handkerchief from the breakfast cart. Ash took it gratefully when he came over to him, wiping away the soot from his face.
"You'll get cinders in our tea." Serena said as Ash finished cleaning his face and began handing the girls their own breakfast trays.
"Ha! I just thought of something!" Miette exclaimed with a laugh. "Your name is Ash, and yet, you have ashes on your face!"
Serena began laughing as well. "Ha! My, my! What were your parents thinking when they named you that?" She asked him. "Did you always play in the fireplace? Maybe we should call you Cinders and Ashes from now on, huh?"
Pikachu lightly bared his teeth with a snarl at the little joke that those two were sharing about his master's name. It was a fine name! Why were they making fun of it? His parents certainly did not think of fireplace ash when they named him Ash.
Giovanni slightly chuckled at the little joke his daughters made up. "Now, girls. You both are really too much." He said.
Ash swallowed a lump that was starting to build up in his throat. "Excuse me." He said softly as he put the tea set on the table and began rolling away the breakfast cart back into the kitchen, ignoring the remaining laughs he was hearing and that were worming their way into his brain.
When he had reached the kitchen, he roughly shoved the breakfast cart towards the wall, and it made a loud bang on impact. Ash could hear Giovanni yelling at him from above, but he couldn't care less at the moment. He needed to get away.
He ran out of the kitchen through the back door and towards the stables, Pikachu following close behind. There, Ash jumped onto the back of Skychaser, who sensed her master's distress and didn't argue as he suddenly urged her forward, taking off like a shot, Pikachu hanging on tightly to his shoulder.
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Ash felt the cool breeze lightly stinging at his eyes, as if trying to let him cry out, so he did. He cried out a few tears as Skychaser went deeper into the forest. Normally, he could live with his stepfamily's verbal torment, though Giovanni wasn't afraid to sometimes physically punish him with a whip or with a firm slap across his face.
But this time, they crossed a line. It was like they had shamed his own name, a name that was given to him by proud, kind and loving parents, making him feel like he was now the scum of the earth, no more than a nuisance than the ashes of a fireplace.
Suddenly, he heard a loud bellowing sound in front of him, and he looked ahead. Standing in front of them, standing his ground, was a male Stantler, and his loud bellowing was making Skychaser afraid, so she reared back, her forelegs in the air.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" He said to his steed as she landed back on all four hooves. "Easy, girl." He gently patted the side of her neck, even though he knew that the flames on her back won't hurt him.
Ash then looked back up at the Stantler, who was beginning to calm down as he stared at the human rider. Neither moved, or was there a sound between them.
Just then, Ash heard a horn blow out in the distance. He heard that horn a couple of times before. It was a hunting party. And if they find this Stantler, then it was not likely that he would escape. Not unless he got a head start.
"Run." He said to the Johtonian Normal type. "Quick, or they'll catch you! Go!"
The Stantler quickly went off deeper into the forest with a loud bellow. The sound startled Skychaser, and she immediately went on a stampeding run in a different direction.
"Whoa, easy girl!" Ash said to his Ponyta, but she wasn't listening to him.
The hunting party was nearing where he was as Skychaser continued to run, but they stayed within formation. But there was one rider that stood out against the group, and who heard Ash's attempts to calm down his steed.
The person wore a dark green cloak with the hood up over their head, and they rode a female Dodrio with a dark brown leather saddle on her back. Sitting in front of them was a male Piplup, who pointed with his flipper towards the tree-line. They saw Ash riding ahead along the path, going at a dangerous speed, his oddly colored Ponyta continuing to run at high acceleration. Thinking quickly, the person steered their Dodrio into his direction.
"Sir!" They called out, their voice sounding feminine. "You alright? Hold on!"
"I'm okay!" Ash answered back, not looking behind them to see that the person's hood had flown off, revealing that it was a young woman about his age, with sapphire blue eyes, matching blue hair pulled up into a ponytail, and fair skin. Under her cloak, she wore a plain light lavender tunic with dark blue leggings underneath and black leather boots.
Soon, the woman had pulled up alongside him. "Piplup, Bubble Beam!" She commanded.
Her Piplup fired a stream of gentle bubbles at Skychaser's face, but not near her mane. The cool water seemed to get her to slow down slightly as she tried to shake it off her face. Ash took that as his chance and lightly squeezed her sides with his legs, since he didn't bring her bridle with him. He was too upset to even think logically earlier.
The woman quickly grabbed his arm and together, they managed to bring both of their racing steeds to a stop. They panted heavily, knowing that the worst had been avoided.
"Are you alright?" The woman asked Ash.
By now, Ash had noticed that the rider was a girl, and he blinked with surprise. Girls weren't allowed to accompany hunting parties, which was pretty ridiculous so he thought since his own mother was allowed to join his father on hunts when she wanted to when he was young, so that meant that this young woman must've snuck along without anyone's knowledge. Not only was she quite beautiful, but she seemed to have an adventurous spirit as well.
However, his musings lasted for a quick second before he realized that she had asked him a question.
"I'm alright, but you nearly scared the life out of him!" He said.
"Who?" The woman asked, looking between Pikachu and Skychaser.
"The Stantler!" Ash answered as their steeds began to circle each other.
An amused smile appeared on the woman's face when he said that. "What did he ever do to you that you have to chase him around?"
The pretty woman chuckled lightly. "I'll admit, I've never met him before." She said, the smile still on her face. "Is he a friend of yours?"
"An acquaintance." Ash answered, finding her smile to be a little bit contagious. "We met just a few minutes ago. I just looked at him, and I could tell that he had a lot left to do with his life. That's all."
The woman must admit, she had never met such a kind, handsome, and peculiar young man before. "Sir, what do they call you?" She asked.
The smile on Ash's face disappeared as he remembered the cruel taunts from earlier, echoing in his mind. "Depends on who you're talking to." He muttered.
The woman blinked. "Oh." She said, not really getting what he meant. But she supposed that it might be a sore subject for him, so she didn't press any further on the matter and then changed the subject.
"You know, it's not safe to be in the forest alone."
"I'm not alone." Ash said. "I'm with my friends." He petted Pikachu on the head, and then Skychaser on her neck.
"And I'm with you, Miss.... What do they call you?"
The young woman blinked again. "Oh. Um, they call me Dawn. At least, my mother does, when she's in a good mood."
Both of them chuckled lightly. "Miss Dawn." Ash said, repeating her name. "I like it. It suits you."
Dawn slightly blushed at his compliment. "Where do you live, Miss Dawn?"
"At the palace." Dawn answered.
"May I ask, why did you sneak off with the hunting party over there?" Ash asked her, his head tilted in the direction where the group went off.
"No offense, but I do know the protocol of huntings. However, I also find them to be kind of despicable, particularly because I believe a woman can hunt if she is capable."
Dawn's eyes widened with surprise. Finally, someone else who sees that she can be more than just a pretty face.
"Well, I secretly tagged along because.... well, I wanted to get away."
"From what?" Ash questioned. "From your mother, or life in general?"
"A little bit of both, actually." Dawn answered. "Don't read me wrong, I love my mother. She's a great teacher and a loving woman, but she does have high expectations for me. Ones that I don't think I'll ever be ready to reach. Sometimes, I feel like she doesn't understand that I'm still learning."
"Are you an apprentice?" Ash asked her.
Dawn shrugged. "Of a sort." She answered. "I'm a.... seamstress."
Ash smiled, looking quite impressed. "You're learning to be a seamstress at the palace?" He continued to question. "Well, I can see why your mother thinks that you can do anything if you set your mind to it. Maybe one day, you'll be the head seamstress for all the dresses that belong to the queen herself, or even the princess."
Dawn lightly blushed again. "Yeah, I guess so." She said. It seemed that this young man knows how to dream big.
"What about the other members of the castle staff?" Ash asked as he and Dawn finally managed to get Skychaser and Dodrio to stay still and in place. "Do they treat you well?"
Dawn chuckled. "Better than I deserve, to be honest." She admitted. "What about you?"
Once again, the smile on Ash's face vanished and he briefly looked down before answering. "They treat me as well as they're able." He said.
Dawn's smile vanished too when she caught the implication. "I'm sorry." She said.
Ash looked into her deep sapphire blue eyes. "It's not your doing." He said gently.
Dawn gave him a kind little grin. "Nor yours either, I'll bet." She replied, trying to lighten up the mood.
That seemed to do the trick as Ash managed to give out a brief little laugh. Dawn found it to actually be quite adorable, so she laughed too. But neither of them noticed that their Pokémon were looking back and forth between them, somewhat getting the feeling that there was something developing between them.
"Others have it worse, I suppose." Ash said. "To keep going forward with life, we have to be brave and kind, no matter what."
Dawn stared at him, impressed. "Yes. That's just how I feel." She said. Ash smiled at her, feeling reassured that he wasn't the only one in the world who thought similarly.
Just then, they heard the horn sounding again, coming from somewhere behind. Ash looked back with fear before turning back to Dawn.
"Please don't let them hurt the Stantler." He pleaded.
"But this is a hunting party." Dawn said. "It's what's done."
Ash narrowed his brown eyes at her. "Just because it's what's done doesn't mean it's what should be done!" He retorted, not at all minding that he was raising his voice to a lady.
But Dawn just smiled, looking impressed once again. "Right again." She said. She certainly had never known such a man like this one before.
"Then, you'll leave him alone. Won't you?" Ash asked her softly.
"I will." Dawn answered, looking deep into his brown eyes, which were just a second glowing flames of fire which now had melted into warm inviting pools of melted chocolate.
Ash smiled at her gently. "Thank you, Miss Dawn." He said.
"Hey!" A voice called out, getting their attention. They turned to see a man with red hair, gray eyes and tanned skin wearing a dark yellow tunic looking at them, particularly at Dawn.
"What do you think you're doing here, You-"
"It's Dawn!" She quickly cut him off. "Dawn! Yes, I know. I'm not supposed to be here. Thank you for finding me, Captain Flint. I'll be right there."
Flint was confused for a second by her rushed response, but then he took better notice of the young man on the oddly colored Ponyta next to her. A knowing smirk then appeared on his face.
"Well, we best get a move on, Miss Dawn." He said. "Come along."
Dawn nodded as she turned back to Ash. "Like I said, on my way." She answered, not once removing her gaze from his. Ash smiled at her, chuckling breathlessly.
Dawn returned the smile before she nudged her Dodrio over back towards where the captain was. But before she got too far, she got her Dodrio to turn around and face Ash again.
"I hope to see you again, sir." She said, smiling softly.
Ash smiled back at her. "And I you, miss." He replied.
Dawn gave him one last smile before she turned back and rejoined the hunting party, most likely to be escorted to her home at the palace.
Ash smiled at her retreating form. Dawn. He thought, feeling his smile become wider at the thought of her. Huh.
With that little smile on his face, he nudged Skychaser back into the direction of the manor and trotted along the path. Pikachu had noticed the look and glow on his master's face. He would tease him about it later; right now, it seemed that this chance meeting was what he needed to keep having hope that things will eventually get better.
A/N: I was originally going to have Jessie, James, Butch and Cassidy come in as the roles of the stepsisters, but thanks to a guest reviewer on fanfiction.net, I got the idea having Serena and Miette be the stepsisters instead.
And as much as they think Ash is pleasing to the eyes, they know that he's a servant, and their father won't allow them to use him for carnal purposes, since he wants them to marry noblemen, and not use a menial slave to satisfy their lusts. I think that would be the only thing Ash is grateful for when it comes to his cruel guardian.
Next chapter, which I can't promise when that will come, we'll see what happened when Dawn gets back to the palace. But until then, I'll see y'all! Please leave a comment about what you think. They are highly appreciated. And remember to stay healthy!
Got to fly! ;)