True to Iris' orders, Ash ties a rope around Whitey's head and begins taking her to the butcher after lunch. Ash walks down the road determined to carry out his mission even though he is not eager to have the cow that he has known for almost two years get slaughtered.

As he and Whitey are walking, however, they see a tall tree standing next to the road. Laying down on one of its branches is an older man with long brown hair, a bushy beard and is wearing black pants and shoes and a gray shirt with a black vest. Ash stops walking as he curiously sees the man lying down on the branches without a care as he seems to be writing on a red book with a quilt without a care as if he's on his own bed inside his own bedroom instead of a thin branch.

"Excuse me, sir," Ash calls out. "Why are you laying down on a branch and writing? Isn't it dangerous to be up there."

Surprisingly, Ash's questions are met with a strange giggle from the bearded man before he speaks.

"Your concern is well-meaning but unnecessary, Ash, my lad," he says with his eyes still glued to his book. "If I did not know how to be safe on top of a tree like this, my dear neck would have been broken from falling off a tree long before I stepped foot in your homeland."

Ash stares at the person writing confused.

"How do you know my name? For that matter, who are you and where are you from?" He asks.

Once again, the man giggles as he closes his book and rolls out of the branch before landing perfectly. Ash stares at the bearded man amazed as the man walks over to him and Whitey with a sly grin.

"I know many things, young esquire," the man says. "But as for who I am, my name has no relevance, for you benefit nothing by knowing it. I am one who prefers his life's work to speak louder than his own identity or place of origin."

"What do you mean?" Ash asks. "How can you rebuke who you personally are so feely?"

"Because my life is but a means to an end for far greater things The Lord has planned for those he wishes to be his instruments," the older man answers. "I am merely a keeper of miracles and extraordinary tales the world has to offer, young esquire."

Ash frowns sadly and turns his head away.

"Don't call me that, whoever you are," he says. "I'm not an esquire."

"Are you sure?" The man challenges. "Because I thought I was speaking to Ash the esquire of Queen Serena herself."

"Yeah, well I stopped being one when we...lost her," Ash says bitterly.

"Oh now that's not true," the man claims. "Once an esquire always an esquire until he proves his worth to become a knight. I see in your eyes that you crave that title almost as much as you love the beauteous and wise woman who ruled this land. Indeed, what you two have is something I would give many of my miracles in my possession for without question."

Ash becomes annoyed at the way this bearded man talks about his feelings for the queen.

"You assume to know a lot of things that are not your business," he snaps. "And you like to claim you have some kind of magic or something when there's no such thing as magic or miracles."

The man laughs and pats Ash on the back like an old friend.

"Now who told you that?" He asks. "Do you honestly believe all that Captain Brock said about miracles not being real?"

"Well, they obviously don't, do they?" Ash asks not realizing the man was not there when Brock did that.

The man smirks and pats on Ash's back again.

"Ash, my poor esquire, everything around us are miracles," he says as he holds out his book. "Even telling stories like the ones inside my book are miracles. Stories can make you feel happy, sad, scared, angry, and even make you reflect on what is happening in your life all by telling a flowing narrative. That's why I like to write stories that are told throughout the world. I like to record the miracles of this life and if I like what I hear I offer a great miracle in exchange for something else."

"Why do you do that?" Ash asks.

"Because some miracles need a push from time to time," the bearded man answers. "And it would not do for someone to gain such a miracle without showing they are willing to sacrifice something in return no matter how good the story they tell me is."

Ash feels just as confused as before with this information before the man opens his book and smirks at him.

"Would you like to try your luck, Esquire Ash?" He asks.

Ash hesitates before he shrugs and says, "Okay, so I would just have to tell a story?"

"Indeed," the man says. "But not just any story. This has to be a true story. Your own story of something precious in your life. And I know just the kind of story that will suffice."

"And what is that?" Ash asks.

The man chuckles as he walks over to the tree, sits down and opens the book with his quill at the ready.

"Tell me the story of you and Queen Serena."

Ash looks at him surprised.

"What?" he asks.

"You heard me," the bearded man says. "Every man, woman, and child who used to live in Kalos or still does knows that there is no one else who loved the beloved queen more than her childhood friend and esquire. The only problem is there is no soul I have met that has been able to tell me why. So who better to fill in the blanks than the man in love himself?"

Ash feels uncomfortable and turns his head away from the bearded man.

"I don't think I want to," he says. "I don't feel comfortable sharing something so meaningful when I'm still grieving my loss."

"That's perfectly understandable," the man says. "But just because something bad has happened doesn't mean you should treat the good moments any less. Maybe you will find joy in telling how you came to know the queen and fell in love with her."

Ash hesitates again before he sighs and reluctantly says, "Alright, I'll give it a try."

"Excellent," the man says as he takes out his quill eagerly. "Whenever you are ready, young esquire."

Ash frowns as he sits down next to Whitey and sighs as he begins his tale.

"So I don't know if you were told by the other Kalos people, but I was an orphan most of my life," he says.

"Can't say I've been told that," the man answers honestly.

Ash nods in understanding before he continues.

"Well my parents died when I was little and so I was taken in by Old Man Oak who at the time was the horse caretaker for King Lysandre, Serena's father. I worked as a stable boy for Old Man Oak when I was growing up and eventually, that's when I met her.

*****************************************************************************************

A young Ash is standing next to a tall, old man as they hold on the ropes attached to a horse. The horse is on a violent rampage inside the stable and the old man and Ash are struggling to keep the horse under control.

"For heaven sakes, what's gotten into Betsy?" the old man asks annoyed.

"I don't know, sir," the young Ash says.

"Just hold on to that rope, son," Old Man Oak commands. "She should calm down eventually."

"Yes, sir," Ash says as he grinds his teeth to hold on to the rope.

The old man and the young boy struggle to keep the horse down. Unfortunately, it isn't long before Old Man Oak loses his grip on his rope, giving the horse the advantage to kick him hard in the face. Old Man Oak falls to the ground holding his nose and Betsy begins to run out of the stable. Ash cries out in panic as he is dragged away while he keeps holding on the rope.

"Betsy, stop!" he pleads.

But despite his pleas, the horse runs out of the stables and begins running across the castle grounds. People of nobility who are passing by scream and run away to get out of the rampaging horse's way. Ash fights the urge to let go of the rope despite his arms and legs getting scratched by the hard surface.

Suddenly, Betsy takes a sharp turn and heads for the castle gardens. Ash's eyes widen in fear, worried that the horse could destroy or hurt someone there and then he and Old Man Oak will be in really big trouble. With as much strength as he can muster, Ash begins to pull himself up with the rope until he manages to get on the horse. He grabs his rope on one side and takes the one Oak was using on the other and holds them up like a rail.

"Whoa, Betsy! Whoa, girl!" he says as he pulls on the ropes.

The horse neighs loudly and continues to run madly. Suddenly, Ash sees a young girl with honey blonde hair and wearing a pink and red dress walking down the garden. She lifts her head to see Betsy and Ash running straight toward her and she screams in fear. Ash's heart sinks in fear before he pulls on the ropes even more.

"Betsy, stop!" he screams.

Finally, the horse stops running just a mere feet away from the girl with a loud neigh. But in the process of stopping so suddenly, Ash finds himself flying off the horse and lands on the ground face first. The girl gasps in worry and she rushes to his side. Ash groans in pain with his eyes shut as the girl turns him over and holds his head with a worried look on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asks. "Please open your eyes."

Ash continues to hiss in pain before he slowly opens his eyes in obedience. His gaze turns to the girl and his eyes snap open at the sight of her ocean blue eyes. Suddenly, the pain is on the back of his mind as he stares at the young girl in amazement.

"What? What's wrong?" The girl asks in worry. "Why are looking at me like that?"

"You're...you're...beautiful," Ash says without thinking.

The girl looks at him surprised and it takes a few seconds before Ash realizes what he just said and springs up in a sitting position.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" he says waving his hands at the honey blonde girl. "I don't know what I was saying! I probably got hit too hard on the head! I didn't mean to -"

But suddenly, the girl begins to snicker which follows into a chuckle that she tries to contain with her mouth. Instead, of feeling even more embarrassed, however, Ash stares at the girl in awe. It was as if her laughter is a loud yet joyful song that is hypnotizing him.

"Thank you, that's very nice of you to say," she says politely.

Ash smiles, feeling a little more comfortable. He then starts to get up until he feels a sharp pain and he falls back down.

"What's wrong?" The girl asks.

"My leg hurts," Ash answers.

The girl looks over to his leg and gasps worryingly.

"You got cut bad," she says. "You're bleeding."

Ash looks at his leg and sees his pants cut where there's a long bloody slash on his left leg. He frowns grimly until the girl stands up.

"Don't move," she orders.

Ash looks at her curiously as she runs inside the castle. He waits for a few minutes until she comes running back with a bowl of water, a couple of rags and some white cloths. She gets down on her knees, dips one of the rags into the water and wrings it before turning to him.

"Now hold still. This might sting," she says.

Ash nods in understanding and braces himself as she begins washing his leg with the rag. Ash tries not to whimper or flinch when the rag touches his cut.

"Why are you doing this?" He asks.

"I have to clean the wound before wrapping it so no bacteria can get into it," the girl answers.

"How do you know this?" He asks.

The girl frowns and gives him a disapproving glare.

"What? Just because I'm a princess I can't know how to treat a wound?" She asks.

Ash's eyes widen in shock which tells the girl enough.

"I see," she says with a smirk. "So you didn't even know that I'm the princess. I'm surprised. I would think the fact that this is the royal garden which is only for royalty and invited guests would give you a clue."

Ash feels embarrassed all over again and he rubs his head.

"Sorry, Your Highness. I guess I should have realized it right away," he says.

"Oh, think nothing of it," the princess says with a smile. "If anything, it's nice not to have been immediately called 'Your Highness' or 'Your Majesty' for once."

Ash smiles as he feels comfortable again while the princess finishes cleaning his wound and wraps his leg around the cloth before tying it up.

"Alright, now try to get up," she says while she stands up.

Ash tries to stand up, but the pain is still sharp and so he lands on his butt again. He groans before he finds the princess reaching out to him with her hand.

"Don't give up that easily," she encourages. "Now take my hand."

Ash hesitates for a moment before he takes her hand. The princess smiles as she pulls him up only to use so much force that they end up in a hugging position. Ash blushes lightly as he stands so close to the beautiful, honey blonde girl before they break away.

"Now was that so hard?" The princess asks with a cheery grin. "By the way, what is your name?"

"I'm Ash," Ash replies collecting himself. "And obviously your name is Princess -"

"Serena!"

Both kids jump in alarm as they see King Lysandre marching toward them with Old Man Oak. The king appears to be in a foul mood while Old Man Oak is acting uneasy with a bandage on his nose. Ash gulps as the king glares menacingly at him.

"How dare you intrude in my garden and stand in front of the princess, you filthy stable boy," the king growls.

"Father!" Serena angrily shouts in disbelief. "Is that any way to talk to the boy who just saved my life?"

King Lysandre and Old Man Oak look at her surprised at what she just said.

"What was that?" the King asks.

"You heard me," Princess Serena says with her hands on her hips. "This boy did everything in his power to stop that horse from running over me and he injured his leg in the process. There's no telling what would have happened to me if Ash here didn't stop the horse just in time. He's no filth to me, he's a hero and you should show your appreciation."

The king stands there flabbergasted by her words as if a mother just scolded her child. Old Man Oak turns to Ash lookings just as dumbfounded by what she just said.

"Ash, is this true?" he asks.

"Yes, sir," Ash answers honestly. "I stopped Betsy just in time before she could hit the princess."

The two adults look at the two children, surprised before Old Man Oak smiles in approval.

"Well, then he's a hero, Your Highness," he says.

"It would appear so," the King admits despite visibly not wanting to admit it. "Well, done...Ash."

The king turns around and begins to walk away until Princess Serena runs in front of him with a displeased look.

"Father, honestly," she rebukes. "Is that all to say to someone who just saved the life of your heir?"

"You are not my heir, Serena," King Lysandre says coldly. "As a princess, you have no claim to the throne under our laws."

Serena frowns bitterly at her father's words before she firmly says, "Regardless, I am still your child and as such Ash deserves better recognition from the king."

The king frowns at her response. He huffs in irritation as he knows his daughter is right and she will not let up unless he does something. He turns to Ash who is checking Old Man Oak's injury.

"Well, he is a fairly built boy for his age. Clearly, time in the stable has helped him save her. There has to be someway I can reward him that doesn't mean much but would please Serena," King Lysandre mutters to himself before he snaps his fingers. "I know."

The king walks over to Ash with a high posture and Ash notices just in time to bow to him while Serena and Old Man Oak watch eagerly.

"Young Ash, it is clear that the princess has found favor with you and thus you should be rewarded for your heroics," the King announces. "Therefore, I deem you should be my daughter's personal bodyguard where you shall look after my daughter during her daily routines and stay by her side. Do you accept."

Ash dares to look up to show his surprised face to the king. His gaze turns to Serena who smiles excitedly and nods. He notices, however, that Old Man Oak is frowning at the idea which confuses Ash until the king clears his throat.

"Well?" He asks.

"Y-yes, Your Majesty," Ash finally says.

"Very well," King Lysandre says. "You shall now be known as Ash, Esquire of Kalos."

Ash smiles, uplifted by the king's deceleration. King Lysandre gestures him to rise and the raven-haired boy obeys as the king clears his throat.

"Right," he says. "Well... sort out the details tomorrow so that you shall carry out your duties. Until then, good day, Esquire. Come, Serena."

Serena nods and obeys as she follows her father back inside the castle. As she walks, however, she turns her head to Ash and waves goodbye with a cheerful smile. Ash blushes again as he waves back until the king and the princess are out or sight. Ash keeps smiling despite his blush until Old Man Oak firmly grabs Ash's shoulder and gives him a sour look.

"Don't be proud of that little title the king just gave you, son," the old man says bitterly. "I saw it in his eyes. He just did that as a means to get the princess off his back. You're getting a new job to just waste your teen years looking after a girl who he just sees as a means of marrying off when she is of age. Esquire is not going to mean anything in the long run."

Ash's face falls at Old Man Oak's harsh words. The man's face softens and he pats the preteen boy sympathetically.

"Sorry, Ash," he says sincerely. "I just think it's best you learn this now rather than later. It's cruel that the world works this way, but the truth must be told. What would an esquire or a stable boy gain looking after someone as high class as that princess anyway?"

************************************************************************************

"But you and Queen Serena didn't see it that way at the time?" The bearded man asks as he writes on his book.

"I did at first when Old Man Oak told me that," Ash answers. "But the next day, I began to stop caring about his words when I was given new quarters inside the castle, nicer clothes and I got to spend time with the princess virtually every moment that she was out of her bedroom and carrying out her studies or spending time in the royal gardens. And despite what Old Man Oak said, Queen Serena never showed that she viewed me as any less of a person even if I was basically her bodyguard that she could command to do whatever she wished. If anything, she proved that her kindness that she bestowed upon me on the day we met was no dream and so we began to be close friends under King Lysandre's nose.

"Ah, so King Lysandre would not have approved of your friendship growing up?" The man asks.

Ash shakes his head.

"The king and the nobility would think of me as a mere pawn or tool at best despite my proclaimed title," he answers. "But with Queen Serena's help, I learned not to mind. She taught me not to worry about what her father thought of me and I was quick to take her advice to heart."

"Yes, I imagine getting to be with her every day helped a great deal as well," the man says with a sly grin.

Ash blushes lightly which tells the bearded man enough.

"In any case, that explains how you met her and became her personal esquire," the man says. "But tell me, when did you realize that you were falling in love with her?"

Ash hesitates for a moment before he scratches his chin in thought

"Well, I guess I've always loved her even when I didn't realize it," he answers. "I think in some way I had always begun to love her since the moment I first laid eyes on her and watched her take care of my wounded leg and help me up without giving it a second thought. But the more I got to know her as we spent time together throughout our teenage years, the more I knew how sincerely I was falling in love with her. Sure it had to do with her incredible beauty and her kindness like one would describe any princess either in real life or in a fairytale, but in some way, I knew that she was so much more. She had a way of being as stubborn as her father whenever she desired something for another person just like she did for me on the day we met. She had an incredible thirst for knowledge and would even take the time to teach me how to properly read whenever we were alone in the royal gardens, and whenever I felt frustrated or bitter towards her father or the nobility because of the way they treated me, she was there to calm me down and to remind me not to stoop to their level."

"Forgive me for saying so, but that last part sounds like she was protecting you more than you were protecting her," the bearded man says.

"Well, you're not wrong," Ash admits. "It seemed like my uses were just to be someone to keep her company and talk and laugh with and read stories to or any books she would secretly borrow from the castle library about government and politics. Such books were considered forbidden in King Lysander's eyes because of her gender, but we both knew she was too smart not to let the words of her condescending father stop her. I never understood a word she said whenever she was reading those particular books to me, but I did my best to pay attention and I think she was just happy to talk about those things to someone whether I understood it or not."

The bearded man nods in understanding before Ash sighs sadly.

"And yet, deep down I knew what I had wasn't going to last," he says. "No happiness from being with her no matter how precious stopped me from feeling down somewhere deep inside knowing that one day King Lysandre will marry her off to some handsome prince that she has never met and I would spend the rest of my days alone in a place in the castle where I would basically never see her again and the reality of how generally worthless my position is would sink in. Of course, that thought only lead to a bittersweet surprise when she became queen."

******************************************************************************

It was several years since the day Ash first met Princess Serena. Both of them now are in their early twenties and seem to be only getting closer and closer. And yet, Ash has been feeling a little down as he worries about the future. So much so, that his mind drifts into his worries and it takes a while for Princess Serena to snap him out of his thoughts.

"Ash? Ash? Ash!"

Ash yelps in surprise as the princess snaps her fingers in front of him. It takes a moment before he realizes that it is late in the day, the sun is setting and he and Serena are in the royal garden. He turns to the princess who pouts at him while holding up a book.

"Honestly, Ash, that's the third time you've drifted in your own little world today," she says." I would think my esquire would know better than to drift when we're out in the open."

"Uh...sorry, Princess," Ash says scratching the back of his head.

"And stop calling me princess," she says sounding a little hurt. "Seriously, we're friends. Why would you start addressing me so formally when you've been calling me Serena for years? Has my father been pressuring you to call me princess again?"

Ash struggles to respond. He does not want to answer her, but neither has he ever lied to her. However, his silence tells the princess more than enough.

"You know you shouldn't give in to his condescending words," she says with a sad frown. "He is the king, but you are my esquire."

"Yeah, but that's why I've been drifting lately," Ash confesses.

Serena looks at him worryingly and asks, "What do you mean?"

Ash sighs and says, "I may be your esquire now, but how long is that going to last? You know your father has been planning to start looking for some prince to marry you off to for the past couple of weeks."

Princess Serena's face falls and she herself sighs.

"I understand," she says. "You're worried that once I'm married we won't be able to see each other again."

Ash nods, yes.

"To be honest, Ash, I'm just as worried as you are," the princess confesses. "I hear my father and his counselors talk about someone like Prince Gary from Kanto or Prince Drew from Hoenn, both of which I hear are really no more than children inside the bodies of men. I would not be able to stand standing in the altar next to either of them just because they have a specific title and my father said so they will be the next king of Kalos. The Lord knows I've tried to reason with my father, but he's too close-minded to listen to me. It's frustrating. I just wish that he could understand I don't need some prince from another country to take care of me and our people. It's as if all my studies over the years it just has a means to distract me before I become someone's royal wife who's there to look pretty and give birth to the next king who will rule Kalos."

Ash looks at Princess Serena sadly. He wishes there is something he could do to help her out of this situation, but at the same time he knows that if even if she found a way out of the scenario, there is no chance that she would be able to adjust the law so that she could be together with a guy like him instead of a prince if she ever wanted to.

"You definitely should be doing more than that, Your Highness, I mean Serena," he says. "And if any of these princes displeases you as your husband in any way, just say the word and I'll at least try to give him the what for."

Princess Serena giggles at Ash's offer and puts her hand on his lap.

"He would probably have you killed or imprisoned if you did, but I appreciate the gesture, Ash," she says kindly.

Ash feels his heart melt at her kind words as the princess gives him a sweet look. He feels his cheeks heating up and so he clears his throat to slightly change the subject.

"So, uh what would you look for in a husband if it was completely up to you?" He asks.

Princess Serena looks at him surprised by his question. But then she looks away from him and has a small smile on her face.

"To tell you the truth, Ash, I haven't thought too much about what I want him to be so much what he is if that makes sense, " she confesses. "And yet I know that there is only one way I would be able to choose whether or not I have to marry someone my father chooses or if I have to marry someone at all."

"Oh really? What's that?" Ash asks.

The princess hesitates before she says, "Well, it's kind of a long shot, but -"

"Princess Serena!"

Both Ash and Princess Serena turn around to find one of the King's attendants running towards them with a dreaded look on his face.

"Alain, what's wrong?" Princess Serena asks.

"It's your father, Your Highness," the attendant named Alain says. "He has fallen gravely ill."

Princess Serena's eyes widened in shock. Her mouth hangs open as she stands there unable to process what she just heard. Ash looks at her worryingly before she speaks.

"What do you mean my father is ill?" She asks.

"Come with me. I'll explain everything on the way," Alain says.

Ash and Serena are quick to follow the older man out of the gardens and back inside the castle. Within the next several minutes of heading to King Lysandre's bedroom, Alain explained that the King has been under the weather for a while but has been stubbornly keeping it a secret and acting like nothing is wrong despite the royal physicians requesting otherwise. But just about a half an hour before Ash and Princess Serena were informed, King Lysandre suddenly collapsed and fell off his throne. The royal physicians have been telling everyone that they have warned the king that this could happen while trying to keep him alive.

For the next several hours, Ash had to wait outside of the king's bedroom with the counselors and attendants. None of them bothered to look at him as they still saw him as lower class, but Ash didn't care. All that was going on in his mind is what the princess is going through as she watches her father grow worse. A priest came earlier to be with the king most likely to pray to the Lord that King Lysandre will be healed.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the doors to the bedroom are opened to reveal Princess Serena and the priest exiting while the royal physicians cover up King Lysandre with his bed covers. Ash becomes uneasy as he approaches the princess, but before he can say anything, her eyes snap to him to show tears flowing down her face. She doesn't hesitate to run over to him and hug him tightly as she cries. Ash hugs her back with all his might hoping that might comfort her in some way as she begins to silently weep on his shoulder. It is clear to the esquire that despite the differences she had with King Lysandre, she found it in her kind heart to love him dearly as any loving daughter should.

"The king is dead," the priest says. "May the Lord our God give his servant rest until the last day at the resurrection where we shall stand in his glory at the new Heaven and the new Earth where under The Lord's reign there will be no end. Amen."

"Amen," says the counselors and the attendants while some of them cross themselves.

"Amen," Ash says in agreement.

"A-amen," Princess Serena weeps quietly.

"So what do we do now?" Alain asks.

"I'm afraid we have no choice," another counselor named Dexio answers firmly. "We must send word to our allies and begin arranging a marriage between the princess and one of their prince's immediately."

Ash's heart sinks at this news.

"With all due respect, counselors, is this the best time to worry about that when Princess Serena just lost her father?" He finds himself asking without even thinking.

The priest, the counselors, and the attendants all turn to the young esquire and glare at him disapprovingly.

"Watch your tongue, boy," Counselor Dexio hisses. "This does not concern you."

"As the princess' esquire and her friend, I think it does," Ash says. "It's clear that -"

"Silence," Counselor Dexio barks. "You are no esquire. You're just a stable boy with decent clothes and a sword. You have no say in this matter any more than the princess does."

"You're wrong, Counselor."

All eyes turn to Princess Serena as she finally breaks her hold on Ash and turns around to face the counselors, the priest and the attendants. Her eyes are red from crying, but she maintains a strong glare as she stares down at Counselor Dexio.

"None of you have a say in this matter, but I do," she says.

"What are you talking about, Your Highness?" Counselor Dexio scoffs. "You are only a princess and under law, you must marry a prince to carry on the royal bloodline. It was your father's wish."

"And did he make a written decree that I must go by to that wish even after his passing?" Princess Serena challenges.

"Well...no...but -" the counselor begins.

"Then under Kalos law, the crown goes to whoever is left with Kalos royal blood and that is me," the princess says.

"What? That's preposterous!" Counselor Dexio says angrily with some of the other counselors and the attendants muttering words of agreement. "You have no claim to the throne. You are only a woman."

"My gender does not matter," Serena says sharply. "As the only royal member of the royal family, only I have a legitimate claim to the crown and have the power to decide my future and no one else. Not even my father's counselors."

The counselors glare disapprovingly at the princess until a taller one with black hair speaks up.

"The princess is right," he says, earning everyone's attention. "It is written in our ancient laws that the right to claim the throne goes to whoever is next in line with royal blood unless declared otherwise by the previous ruler by a written decree. And since you just admitted that King Lysandre made no such decree with his passing, Counselor Dexio, she can claim the throne for herself."

Ash stands amazed by the counselor's words and sees Princess Serena smiling while the other counselors look at the tall, black-haired counselor baffled.

"Sycamore, you can't be serious," Dexio says. "King Lysandre only made no written decree because he was hardly conscious during his last hours."

"I'm afraid it does not matter," the priest says earning everyone's attention. "It seems that Princess Serena has proven herself to be a very knowledgeable woman during all of her teachings over the years. There can be no exception made against our ancient laws, therefore she is to be the next ruler of Kalos."

Princess Serena's smile grows as all of her father's officials stand there helpless to say anything against the man of the church. Counselor Sycamore then walks over to her and gets down on one knee.

"Then there is nothing more to discuss," he says. "The king is dead. Long live the Queen."

The other officials try to say more words of protest, but nothing coherent came out of their mouths. Eventually, they all give in and get down on their knees and humbly say, "Long live the queen."

Ash and Princess Serena smile proudly as even the priest bows his head in respect to the future queen. Princess Serena is visibly pleased to see that she has successfully put her father's condescending short-sighted officials in their place.

"Right," she says clearing her throat. "I realize that we have a number things to sort out before I am even crowned your queen, but I want to address some things immediately that should be brought to your attention, gentlemen. First, my esquire is to be treated with respect and as soon as I am crowned he is to be trained to become a knight, is that understood?"

The counselors wince at her command as they have no wish to obey such a command but reluctantly nod their heads knowing they have no choice.

"Secondly, there's going to be a great number of changes concerning the law and our ways over the next couple of years," the queen continues. "It is past time that we put the condescending ways of my father and many kings before him into the past and aim for a greater future for all of the people of Kalos."

**************************************************************************************

"Ah, I think I can figure out the rest, young esquire," the bearded man says as he continues to write. "From then on, Queen Serena abolished the necessity to have her marry a prince in order to keep her place in the throne and started to write new laws to abolish the power that the higher-ups in the government contained against the people. From then on, there was peace and happiness on Kalos and your people instantly grew to love your queen dearly."

"They sure did," Ash says with a small smile on his face, feeling a small sense of pride for what the queen became. "Of course, it wasn't long before she also found it necessary to relieve most of her father's officials like Counselor Dexio who eventually went to Sinnoh in attempt to have his ideals appreciated in another kingdom with poor results. Many of our allies were hesitant to take her seriously, but with her kindness and sharp wit they began to see how Kalos was flourishing under her rule and so they began to respect and admire her."

"And you were training to become a knight while all of this happened?" The man asks.

"Yes, I was," Ash says with his smile faltering. "However, I learned the hard way that it was not something I could become easily. Since I was given rather minimal training in the ways of combat when I became her esquire, there was so much that Brock and General Wulfric needed to teach me even after three years of training before..."

Ash's face falls completely. Even the bearded man looks at him grimly and stops writing.

"Before she and the castle disappeared," he finished.

Ash nods robotically.

"We don't need to go into that matter, son. I understand the pain of losing someone dear to you so suddenly. Besides, I have good enough information for my book and I can announce that you are indeed worthy of being offered a miracle."

Ash frowns disapprovingly and says, "That's nice of you to say, of what miracle could you offer that could help me or even my friends just because of my story?"

"Oh, I think you need to learn not to sell yourself short, young Ash," the bearded man says. "In fact, you have told me such a tale that I wish to offer you one of the most valuable miracles I have in my inventory."

The bearded man closes his book and then opens his sack to look through his belongings. It takes a moment before he takes out a small brown bag and proudly holds it up to show Ash who looks at it in confusion.

"What's in the bag?" he asks.

"Only one of the rarest and valuable miracles anyone can offer," the bearded man says. "I hold in this bag 5 magic beans. The kind of magical beans that few people on the Earth remember the time when they were plentiful throughout the world before they died out and became virtually extinct."

Ash turns away from the bearded man saying, "Give me a break. There is no such thing as magic beans. How can they be of any value to me or anyone that I care about?"

The bearded man chuckles in amusement.

"A perfectly logical response, young Esquire," he says. "If the roles were reversed, perhaps I would be as quick to reject them as you are. I assure you, though I am not speaking nonsense. If you plant these beans on the lights of a full moon, they will grow into a giant beanstalk and you and your friends will have giant green beans to feast on for both yourselves and Lady Iris' child. And if you are lucky, then you might have a chance for something far more than just a giant beanstalk with a considerable supply of food."

"Like what?" Ash challenges.

"I cannot tell you that. That would be spoiling the surprise," the bearded man says in a taunting tone. "But remember, I don't give miracles for free no matter how much I like your story."

Ash raises his eyebrow and asks, "Say I believe you when you say the beans inside that bag of yours are magic, what could you possibly want from me in return?"

"What indeed," the bearded man says before turning his eyes to Whitey. "Tell you what, in exchange for my beans why don't you give me your cow?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Ash rebukes. "I need to take Whitey to the butcher so that we can have food on the table."

But the bearded man merely chuckles in response.

"Well now, that's what makes it the perfect trade, now isn't it?" He says. "It's as I said, boy, you must prove yourself willing to sacrifice something if you want a chance for something far greater than what you have. Besides, young esquire, what good will slaughtering a cow for money do for you, Captain Brock, Lady Iris, and her precious boy, Maynor in the long run? Oh, a few gold coins or so will keep your bellies full enough for perhaps a couple of days if not a week at most if you use that money wisely, but after that, you will be left with nothing but a roof under your heads and what good would that do any of you when you're still starving?"

Ash hesitates and his critiquing glare falters as he thinks about what the bearded man said.

"That's...true..." He reluctantly admits.

"Of course, it's true," the bearded man says firmly. "Besides, think of the good you can do with the green beans that grow out of this miracle. You could not only feed yourself and your friends but perhaps so much of Kalos itself."

"Are these beans really capable of doing that?" Ash asks.

"That all depends on you," the man says. "So what's it going to be Ash? Are you going to take your chances with this cow, or are you going to take a leap of faith?"

Ash doesn't say anything right away. His mind is saying that he should not trust this man, and continue going to the butcher, but another part of him wants to believe that there is such a thing as magic and the bag of beans really can do everything this man said. The raven-haired man racks his brain until he can't take it anymore.

"Alright, fine," he shouts. "I made up my mind. You can have Whitey for the beans."

The bearded man laughs joyously as he runs over to Ash and holds the bag close to him.

"A very good choice, dear esquire," he says as he opens the bag. "See that the beans are indeed right in this bag and there are in fact five in all."

Ash looks inside and indeed sees five small beans before the bearded man closes the bag and puts it on Ash's hand.

"Don't worry about 'Whitey,' my good man. I shall be sure that she is well taken care of. You have my word on it," the man says.

"Suits me fine," Ash says. "So all I have to do is plant these in the light of a full moon."

"You are correct, sir," the bearded man says with a grin. "In fact, if my knowledge is right, it will be a very full moon tonight. So you better hurry and make sure the beans are planted before nightfall."

Ash nods in understanding and turns around to begin the long walk back to the cottage. The bearded man grins before turning to face Whitey and takes the rope tied around her neck.

"Well, Ms. Whitey, let's see if I can find a better place for you than the butcher's shop," he says with a grin before turning around to look at where Ash left. "And let's hope that boy does not disappoint me the way that purple-haired woman will probably be."

Whitey merely moos in response making the bearded man giggle mischievously.

*************************************************************************************

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Iris screams.

"Oh, Ash, how could you do this?" Brock asks shaking his head with his arms crossed disapprovingly.

Ash gets nervous after coming back to the cottage to announce that he's sold Whitey for the beans.

"But guys, these aren't just ordinary beans. They're magic beans," he protests. "If we plan these in the light of a full moon it will -"

"Be just some dirty old beans!" Iris barks angrily as she snatches the bag of beans from his hand. "How could you be so stupid?! That milkless cow was all we had left to survive! I gave you one simple job and you dare to come back with nothing but these things?!"

Iris screams in frustration as she opens the bag, takes out the beans and throws them out the window.

"Iris, no!" Ash shouts as he tries to run to go after the beans only to have Brock hold him back.

"Ash, I'm very disappointed in you," the taller man says. "I thought you were smarter than this."

"Smarter, my foot," Iris growls. "He's nothing but a lunkhead! A nincompoop! A moron! A dimwit! A nuckl -"

"Alright, Iris, that's enough," Brock says calmly. "Name calling him isn't going to fix anything."

"I don't care," Iris shouts with tears starting to run down her face. "Thanks to him we're penniless! How will we live? How am I going to feed my son? Are we to become beggars? Thieves?"

"Look, I really had good intentions, Iris," Ash protests. "If they grew into a beanstalk it could have grown some green beans and such so that we would have plenty to eat. Wouldn't that have been better than what we could have gotten if I did sell Whitey to the butcher?"

"No, because there's no such thing as magic," Iris rebukes. "You just want to believe there is because you just can't get over the fact that Queen Serena, Cilan, Holly, General Wulfric and everyone else caught in that blaze are gone for good. You just want to believe you can use magic to fix everything and you'll be the cute little hero you wanted to be for the Queen all because you had a crush on her that she would never have returned."

"Whoa, hey now, Iris. That's going too fa -" Brock begins before Iris continues.

"But your right about one thing, Ash; that stupid cow was not going to help us for long," Iris shouts. "So maybe it's time we go our separate ways so that neither I or my son should have to see your idiotic, no-good, lazy faces again!"

Ash and Brock stand there shocked at the purple-haired woman's outburst. Silence fills the room until they hear Maynor on the floor whimpering because of his mother's rant. Iris' anger instantly fades at the boy's quiet cries and she rushes to his side and picks him up.

"There, there, Maynor Bear," she coos. "Mommy's sorry that she yelled. It's okay."

The little boy's whimpers quiet down as his mother holds him lovingly. Iris smiles briefly at hearing her son calm down before turning to Ash and Brock with a sour look.

"I'm going to get ready to leave for Unova tomorrow," she says coldly. "And I want you two packing up to leave this place at dawn."

Without another word, she storms out of the living room taking Maynor with her. Silence fills the room again as Ash turns to Brock with a pleading look.

"Brock, you have to believe me," he says. "I really wanted to -"

"Don't," Brock says sharply. "Just... just don't, Ash. I don't want to hear it anymore. Let's just go to bed."

Ash stares at his friend devastated as the taller man walks away. He glumly finds a chair to sit on and sighs depressed.

"Why can't anything go my way?" He asks himself. "Everything I do to try to help someone always end up in ruins?"

Ash tries to answer his own question and eventually sighs in defeat.

"Maybe Iris is right. I'm letting my guilt of not rescuing the queen affect me," he says before he covers his face with his hands in defeat. "Your Highness... Serena, I miss you...so much."