Title: Somewhat fairy tale
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Ash/Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #51, Honest Mistake
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Warnings: AU, Fantasy setting, cross-dressing, shonen-ai

The old woman stopped spinning as she saw him ride up, a magnificent figure in polished golden armor on a roan horse. She cocked an eyebrow and stood, shuffling out of her hut door.

“You’ve come to ask for advice on the Haunted Castle yonder, Sir Knight?”

“Yes, good woman.” Red dismounted. The woman offered him a cup of water and some figs, and nodded.

“You are not the first to try. The bones of many lie scattered round the dragon’s lair. But here is my advice, should you heed it. Take a torch of flame to light your way, and you will enter a cavern where the dragon sleeps. There will be a pool of molten silver. Do not touch it, or the pool of molten gold that follows. Finally, you will see a pool of molten ruby. Near it are two dippers, one of tin, and one of platinum. Take the dipper of platinum, and dip it into the ruby pool. Then pour it over yourself. That will make you invulnerable to the dragon’s flame.”

Red nodded.

“When the dragon stops breathing flame, it will become tired and lay down to rest. Take the north most stairs up and you will find the princess asleep in the dark tower. If you be her true love, she will awake.”

Tale finished, the old woman waved goodbye to the knight, mentally calculating. He was the thirteenth to try. She sighed. The poor boy would probably be dead by sunrise tomorrow. At least the corpses were worth looting afterwards…

Red followed the woman’s instructions to a T, and as he climbed upstairs to where the Princess lay sleeping, he wondered what she would look like. Pushing the door open, he saw a figure with long red hair fast asleep. Her hands were crossed over her breast, and only the slow rise and fall of her breathing gave any indication of life.

Red flushed and looked down. Should he kiss her now?

He crossed the room before his courage failed him, and placed a kiss upon her lips. Slowly, she stirred, her eyes opening for the first time in centuries. They were a lovely shade of gold, and as she stood, he noticed that her black velvet gown trailed downwards to feet in delicate crystal slippers.

“You have awoken me.” Her voice was husky, and he shivered at the sound.

“Yes.”

“Then I shall pledge you my love for eternity.” She kissed him, and he complied breathlessly, shivering as he felt her tongue slip into his mouth. Oh yes…

Their clothing went flying and they fell back on the bed with hunger in their eyes. By the time Red finally realized what was wrong with the picture he was past caring.

“… You’re a boy?”

“You thought I was a girl?”

“But you were wearing a dress!”

Lance sighed. “Yes, well… my parents had six sons and one precious daughter. My sister is the one who got cursed, but since the good faeries ran off with her, they disguised me as a princess and sure enough, the curse took hold and I pricked my finger on a spindle trying to spin. Horribly inelegant, but I suppose we do what we must do for our family. Now though, they are all dead and my life is mine own.”

“…. You’ll stay with me, right?”

“I did pledge you my faith for as long as I lived.”

Red grinned. “Then it matters little. And you are lovely in that gown.”

Lance smiled.

End Fic

Completed 7/31/06

Yeah, more twisted fairytales! Yeehaw!