Chapter Text
He didn't want to go inside. Harry gazed at the tree-like mountain that was his husband's final resting place.
He really didn't want to go inside.
Godric nudged him, cooing in concern that didn't really abate from getting scritches under his chin.
He knew he was being a coward. He'd been loitering more than making his way over, even though his son was making his way there.
The wizard sighed and moved to mount the giant bird when suddenly the blue aura crystals started shining green. Green eyes locked onto the phenomenon as their owner paled, having seen this once before already.
“No... Ash!”
Harry scrambled onto his Braviary's back, who wasted no time in taking to the skies, sensing his human's distress.
I will not lose my son to this!
Only, the scene changed from green to red, which meant whatever had been done had gone wrong, and if it had gone wrong-
Then Ash was going to try and fix it.
And there was no telling what it was going to take!
“C'mon, there's got to be a way in... there's-” the wizard cut himself off, searching for his wand.
He had an idea.
“Expecto Patronum!”
Prongs leapt from the tip of the Elderwand and wasted no time in leading the way. The Patronus was a rather versatile spell, once you had time to study it. Harry had realized that it had to have the capability to find people, if you could send messages with it. So that's what he cast it to do.
Prongs would find Ash.
Hopefully before it was too late.
~
Ash looked at the snippet of the past as it played out, realizing with dread what it meant. Sir Aaron had come to the Tree, alone, to give up his life. And for Mew to bring them here-
They needed to repeat what had happened, only-
Ash didn't know how to control his Aura, and he doubted Lucario would be enough on his own. Swallowing, he grabbed Aaron's gloves from where they had been discarded, while Lucario struggled to give Mew enough Aura to save the Tree.
I'm sorry, mom. The raven-haired boy thought, tugging the gloves on and concentrating on the feel of the energy inside him.
He had to do this, otherwise-
Otherwise...
“Ash, no! If you do this-!” Kidd yelled, noticing what he was doing.
“I know! But if I don't do this, the Tree will be destroyed!” the trainer yelled, shaking as he slowly formed a sphere of Aura.
“Ash...” Lucario sounded shocked, but didn't wait for long before trying, once again, to transfer enough Aura for Mew to save the Tree.
Slowly, painfully, the two of them managed to create a big enough sphere, but holding it- well-
It was soon obvious why Sir Aaron had died. Mew needed too much Aura for any one person to safely output, and just as Lucario was planning to shove Ash out of the way so that at least he would survive-
A distant call of a pokemon from above.
Ash, Lucario and Kidd all looked up at the sound and were greeted with the sight of a white, wispy figure galloping into the cavern from the tunnel Mew had used in the vision of the past.
Ash recognized it. Of course he did. He'd seen his mother create it often enough. It had been his nightlight, growing up.
“Prongs? Then-”
Before he could vocalize his realization, the Patronus lunged into the Aura, causing the sphere to brighten and expand well over the needed girth. And then...
A pulse of green washed over them all, causing Ash to stop channeling Aura in surprise and fall on the floor, winded.
Lucario managed to stay standing, but he wasn't really doing much better, but they were alright, they were fine...
“Ash!”
Said boy looked up to see a wall of colour, which he realized was just Godric, but Godric couldn't talk-
Oh.
“Mom!” the boy barely had time to scramble up before he was assaulted by the tightest hug he'd received in a while.
His mother smelled of frost, meaning he'd been flying for a while. The long, black coat was wind-proof and warm, and rough against Ash's face. Mom had also braided his hair, by the feel of it. Mom buried a hand in Ash's hair, causing the boy to let his eyes fall shut, knowing by that simple action just what kind of state his mom's mind was in. He was touchy-feely on a normal day, but being squished against his front and with a hand deep in his hair, cupping his scalp?
Yeah, mom needed this.
Lucario stared.
And stared.
And stared.
He stared at the scene in front of him, not able to even blink.
The person who had come riding on a pokemon reminiscent of a Pigeot, black clothes and hair and eyes of emerald-
And a scar in the middle of their forehead.
A lightning bolt obscured by bangs, but the exact same shape as-
As-
He'd heard the whispers of how the lady would never wed, what with a face scarred such as hers, such a jagged, ugly thing. Yes, he'd heard them whisper. He'd seen the lady curl in on herself, she too having heard them.
He'd seen Sir Aaron put those worries to rest.
He'd seen that scar, and yet-
He could swear he was looking at a man.
Then-
Why-
“I'm sorry. You don't have to do this.”
Lucario breathed deeply as he suddenly remembered an overheard conversation between his Master and the Lady.
“Yes I do. I look the part, and, this way, your reputation does not suffer. I'll be fine, as long as I have you, I can live with it. So long as you are with me, I do not mind quite so much.”
Having a male lover, especially while staying in the castle- yes, Lucario could see it now.
Could see why Lord Black would have sacrificed his gender for Sir Aaron.
He had known about the magic, of course, and the magic was the only explanation as to how such a coupling could have resulted in a child-
But it explained why Lord Black had not stayed, though how, exactly, the man had accomplished arriving in a different time entirely- that was a question in and of itself.
He did not think Ash had been lying to him, therefore-
The child did not know. His Master's child did not know, for his mother was still mourning.